Maniolas

ALBAYANOS give Police Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa a warm welcome as the chief of the Philippine National Police joined the Police Regional Office V in their celebration of its 115th Police Service Anniversary and launching of “Kasurog Kontra Droga” Regional Alliance as a guest of honor and speaker at Camp General Simeon Ola, Legazpi City.PHOTO BY GEORGE GIO BRONDIAL/ INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON Philippine National Police chief Dir. Gen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa will attend a conference in Colombia to discuss counterterrorism and anti-drug efforts of the Philippine police to its counterparts in the South American country. The Philippines and Colombia share common issues on insurgency and the proliferation of drugs. “The purpose of his visit is to attend a counter-terrorism, counternarcotics conference so I believe the PNP chief will be presenting our programs here and probably learn how we can improve our ongoing fight against illegal drugs based on the experience of Colombia and other countries conducting illegal drug campaign,” PNP spokesperson Senior Supt. Dionardo Carlos said in a press briefing on Monday. President Duterte, whose campaign promise is anchored on solving the drug menace and criminality in the country, has waged a war on drugs and gave the PNP a deadline of six months to do the job. But over the weekend, Duterte admitted that his self-imposed deadline would not be enough to eliminate drugs in the country. He then sought another six months, which will end June 2017, to solve the drug problem. READ: Duterte wants war on Read More …

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte joins other heads of states during the ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with representatives of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in Vientiane, Laos on September 6. KING RODRIGUEZ/PPD LEADERS of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) reached out to dialogue partners in East Asia to intensify fight against human trafficking mostly people displaced by natural disasters including the Philippines. At the East Asian Summit (EAS) held in Laos, the leaders said natural disasters and conflict push people to become vulnerable to trafficking, abuse and other forms of exploitation. In particular,  EAS leaders  “noted the increase in the irregular movement of persons” and their concern for victims of trafficking facing  unique barriers such as accessing help during a crisis, such as language barriers, isolation from social support, restrictions on mobility as well as lack of access to documentation and consular services. The US Department of State has identified the Philippines as a source, transit and destination of victims of human trafficking. Last July, the US upgraded the Philippines to Tier 1 as it has become fully compliant to the global standards on measures to prevent trafficking in persons. The US issues annual reports on country situation  with tier placements signifying level of compliance with the US Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000.  Tier 1 (full compliance), Tier 2 (no full compliance but making significant efforts to comply with standards), Tier 2 Watchlist (no full compliance and absolute number of victims increasing), and Tier 3 (no full compliance, Read More …

US President Barack Obama on Thursday said the American government wants to partner with the Philippines in going after drug traffickers, but noted that a possible partnership should be in consonance with human rights and international law. “As I said in China, we want to partner with the Philippines in the particular issue of narco-traffickers, which is a serious problem in the Philippines, in the United States and around the world. We want to make sure that the partnership we have is consistent with international norms and rule of law,” Obama said in a televised press conference in Laos, the site of this year’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit. “So we’re not going to back off our position that when we are working with a country, whether it’s about terrorism or going after drug traffickers, it is important from our perspective that we do it the right way,” he added. Obama was responding to a question on Duterte’s expletive-laced remarks against him, which the US President said he did not take personally. Confirming a brief meeting before a gala dinner at the regional summit on Wednesday, Obama said he told Duterte that their teams should to discuss how they can work on a spectrum of issues. “I don’t take these comments personally because it seems this is a phrase he has used repeatedly, including directed to the Pope and others. I think it seems to be just a habit, a way of speaking for him,” Obama said. “I Read More …

China’s Premier Li Keqiang, fifth from left, links hands with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during 19th ASEAN-China summit, a parallel summit in the ongoing 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits at National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016. ASEAN leaders from left; Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Laos’ Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte, Brunei’s Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak.(AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe) The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations has been hosting a gathering of world leaders this week as the region faces a raft of democratic, human rights and good governance challenges. Here are the leaders of ASEAN nations and issues surrounding their rule: Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, 70, is one of the world’s richest men thanks to his 49-year absolute rule over tiny oil-rich Brunei. His luxurious lifestyle is legendary yet in 2014 he introduced a strict sharia criminal code that includes severing of limbs and death by stoning for various crimes. No such punishments are known to have been invoked yet. Cambodia A former Khmer Rouge soldier who defected from the brutal regime, Hun Sen became prime minister of Cambodia in 1985 and has held onto the post ever since, forging close links with China. The wily politician, 64, maintains he Read More …

Multi-role response vehicle Tubbataha. SCREENGRAB FROM COASTGUARD.GOV.PH The Philippines received the first of ten coast guard vessels from Japan Thursday, the coastguard said, as the two countries boost security ties in the face of their separate maritime disputes with China. The 44 metre (144 foot) BRP Tubbataha has arrived in Manila, the Philippines coast guard said in a statement, adding that it will be used for search and rescue, law-enforcement and transport purposes. They did not specify where it would be deployed. This is the first of 10 Philippine coast guard ships being built in Japan, supported by Japanese aid money, as the former World War II foes seek to boost defense ties in the face of growing Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. Japan — the Philippines’ top source of development aid — said this month it would give Manila two additional patrol vessels, and that it was discussing the possible lease of surveillance aircraft. Japan and China are locked in a long-running dispute over uninhabited islets in the East China Sea. Manila and Beijing have overlapping claims in the South China Sea. The Philippines has been seeking closer defence ties with Japan as well as traditional allies like the United States and Australia in a bid to boost its capabilities against regional giant China. The Philippine military and coast guard are among the region’s weakest. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his Philippine counterpart Perfecto Yasay last week called on China to observe the rule of law in Read More …