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PH says China’s territory subject to Unclos

 News
Jan 222014
 
PH says China’s territory subject to Unclos

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 10:02 pm | Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines insisted on Wednesday that under international law, China could not project its power beyond its boundaries, following Beijing’s announcement of fresh sea patrols in disputed parts of the South China Sea. In a statement, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Raul Hernandez invoked the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) to remind China of the limits of its territory. “Under international law, including Unclos, China’s [exclusive economic zone] cannot extend beyond [370 kilometers] measured from the Chinese mainland and Hainan island. Coastal states have sovereign rights over their EEZ,” Hernandez said. Hernandez insisted that China might not project its sovereign rights in the high seas, as provided under international law. “Also under international law there is a high seas area in the South China Sea over which no state can exercise sovereignty,” he said. China announced earlier this week that a 5,000-ton civilian vessel will begin regular patrols in the South China sea to “safeguard national sovereign rights and benefits, develop at-sea assistance, ensure navigational safety.” The announcement followed China’s implementation of a fisheries law requiring foreign vessels to seek approval of Chinese authorities to fish and explore in the South China Sea. The Philippines, which calls the waters within its EEZ West Philippine Sea, is protesting the regulation. Vietnam, which has territorial claims in part of the South China Sea that it Read More …

Saudi deports quarter million migrants in 3 months

 News
Jan 222014
 
Saudi deports quarter million migrants in 3 months

Associated Press 8:56 pm | Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014 The sun sets behind the minarets of Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. AP FILE PHOTO RIYADH — Saudi Arabia says it has deported “more than a quarter million” foreign migrant workers from the kingdom over the past three months. The Interior Ministry said late Tuesday the foreigners had been residing in the country illegally and were in violation of labor laws. It didn’t elaborate. The deportations began after November 4 with a nationwide campaign targeting many of the kingdom’s 9 million migrant laborers after years of lax law enforcement. Many of those deported were Ethiopians accused of crossing into Saudi Arabia illegally through its southern border with Yemen. Most foreign workers in the kingdom are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as Egypt and Yemen. Saudi authorities say booting out illegal foreign migrants will open more jobs for its own citizens. RELATED STORIES OFWs allege abuse in Saudi immigration crackdown Saudi begins clampdown on illegal foreigners Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Global Nation , Immigration , Labor , migrant workers , ofws , Overseas employment , Saudi Arabia , Saudization Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe Read More …

DFA: China can’t conduct regular patrols in West PH Sea

 News
Jan 222014
 
DFA: China can’t conduct regular patrols in West PH Sea

MANILA, Philippines – China cannot conduct regular patrols in the West Philippines Sea because it extends beyond their exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as mandated by international law, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday. “Under international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), China’s EEZ cannot extend beyond 200 nautical miles measured from the Chinese mainland and Hainan Island,” DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a text reply to reporters seeking his comment. “Coastal states have sovereign rights over their EEZ. Also under international law there is a high seas area in the South China Sea over which no state can exercise sovereignty,” he said. China Ocean News of China’s State Oceanic Administration reported that a civilian patrol ship will be stationed in Sansha City on the Paracel Islands to conduct regular patrols. International news media, quoting China Ocean News, reported that China has plans to establish “a regular patrol system on Sansha city to jointly protect the country’s maritime interests.” The Paracel Islands, also known as Xisha Islands in China and Hoang Sa Islands in Vietnam, is a group of islands being claimed by both China and Vietnam. In 1974, a military engagement between Vietnamese and Chinese ships in the Paracel Islands left at least 70 dead and ended with China being able to control the entire group of islands. Free For All Nations When reached for comment, Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines’ Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said that even the Philippines could conduct patrols in the high seas because it is free for all nations. Read More …

Maryland Fil-Am leaders to host laugh-in for ‘Yolanda’ rehab

 News
Jan 092014
 
Maryland Fil-Am leaders to host laugh-in for ‘Yolanda’ rehab

The cast and crew of “FNL at the FAC” OXON HILL, Maryland—To start the new year on a lighthearted noted, Filipino-American community leaders will host “FNL at the FAC” or “Friday Night Laugh-In” at the Filipino American Center (FAC).” The event is billed as an evening featuring amateur comedians, storytellers, psychiatrists, magicians and a variety of local entertainers, to be held on Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at the center on 7500 Livingston Road in Oxon Hill, MD. Launched last year as a pilot, FNL will return to raise funds for survivors of Supertyphoon “Yoland” (international name: Haiyan). “Our community has been through so much pain and loss lately, notably the tragic deaths of friends and loved ones and the devastation in the Philippines caused by Typhoon Haiyan,” says FNL producer Mya Talavera Grossman. “That’s why we need to fortify ourselves with laughter and humor and stay healthy so we can be productive and creative in facing the challenges ahead,” she adds. In a format patterned after TV’s popular talk shows, FNL will feature special guests including child psychiatrist Marilou Tablang-Jimenez, medical director of the Montgomery County Crisis Center. A mental health professional with sterling credentials, Dr. Jimenez will talk about “releasing those feel-good endorphins that are so essential to wellness and good mental health.” Featured band Tutubi. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS Co-hosted by Manila Mail columnist Jon Melegrito and Abe Lobo, board chairman of the National Philippine Multicultural Center Foundation (NPMCF), the comedy show will also feature an “Open Mike” segment, Read More …

Fil-Am young professionals launch scholarship

 News
Jan 092014
 
Fil-Am young professionals launch scholarship

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 9:01 am | Friday, January 10th, 2014 San francisco—The Young Filipino Professionals Association (YFPA) will kick off its first scholarship program for promising young Filipino students who aspire for college degrees, on the evening of Jan. 18 at the historic I-Hotel Manilatown Center. The organization is celebrating 11 years of “fostering professional connections, ideas and expertise to support and engage Filipino professionals in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.” The theme for this year’s celebration is “Investing in Tomorrow’s Leaders.” The keynote speaker for the celebration will be Filipino entrepreneur and engineer Dado Banatao, who has been dubbed the “Filipino version of Steve Jobs” because of his trailblazing science and technology work in the early years of Silicon Valley. The versatile Allan Manalo will be the emcee. He wears many hats in the field of entertainment as a Filipino writer, producer, director and stand-up comic. There will be performances by Kulintronica, which blends the traditional, ancestral sounds of the Filipino instrument kulintang with the urban beats of Electronica. Ro Birco, a multi-instrumentalist who will be accompanying on the piano, will also showcase his traditional kundiman singing skills. Also performing is the group, immaj, a talented R&B/pop vocal trio. Kristian Kabuay, artist, educator and entrepreneur, will also have Baybayin (Philippine Script) live art demonstrations. Regina Finuliar, YFPA President, states, “The night will be special because attendees will not only be supporting YFPA and our initiatives, everyone there that night will be raising funds to help those students who Read More …

Fil-Am led health center gets $6M NY state grant

 News
Jan 092014
 
Fil-Am led health center gets $6M NY state grant

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 9:00 am | Friday, January 10th, 2014 NEW YORK—A Filipino-American led community center is one of 37 recipients of funding from the New York State Department of Health’s safety net program. The Department of Health’s Vital Access Provider/Safety Net Program, Phase II, awarded APICHA Community Health Center more than $6 million last month. The department recognized as an essential institution that fulfills the healthcare needs of underserved populations throughout the city. The program is aimed at transforming the state’s healthcare system and increasing the availability of better health services for New Yorkers. Safety net funds were awarded to hospitals, nursing homes, free standing clinics and home health establishments that have financial difficulties but are critical in the delivery of quality healthcare to communities across the state. “We applaud the New York State Department of Health for acknowledging the essential role of organizations like APICHA have in addressing the need of healthcare access of New York’s most vulnerable communities,” says APICHA CEO Therese Rodriguez. “Our decades of experience providing HIV prevention and care services have prepared us to be part of the solution to achieve the goals set by the New York State Department of Health of providing quality, cost-efficient healthcare,” Rodriguez adds. For the past 23 years, APICHA has promoted awareness of and care for people living with HIV/AIDS in New York City. The center has grown from an HIV/AIDS coalition for Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) to a health home that opened a Trans Health clinic Read More …

52 OFWs still in strife-torn South Sudan

 News
Jan 022014
 
52 OFWs still in strife-torn South Sudan

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 5:07 pm | Thursday, January 2nd, 2014 In this handout image provided by the United Nations Mission South Sudan, taken on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013, civilians arrive at the UNMISS compound adjacent to Juba International Airport to take refuge. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – There are still 52 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in strife-torn South Sudan as the government declared a state of emergency due to the continuing violence. “Our Embassy continues to monitor the security situation in South Sudan and alert level 3 is still in effect over that country,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a text message Thursday. “So far, our Embassy has confirmed that there are still 48 OFWs in [the capital city] Juba and four others are in a town called Paloch, an hour and a half away by plane from Juba,” he said. A state of emergency was declared by South Sudan president Salva Kiir in two of its states on Wednesday as more than 1,000 people have been killed from the violence between rebel forces and government security forces. The DFA placed the country under crisis alert level 3 last December 23 banning deployment of OFWs going there and urging Filipinos already there to undergo voluntary repatriation. Hernandez said that 30 OFWs have already been repatriated while “57 were evacuated to neighboring countries and Dubai.” The United Nations has already sent reinforcements for its peacekeeping force in the country and continued to appeal for more. Read More …

US reminded on responsibility for coral reef destruction in Sulu Sea

 News
Jan 022014
 
US reminded on responsibility for coral reef destruction in Sulu Sea

By DJ YapPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:24 pm | Thursday, January 2nd, 2014 FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — Almost a year after an American warship ran aground in the Sulu Sea, destroying a portion of the Tubbataha Reefs, a militant fisherfolk organization pressed the US government to take responsibility beyond the P58 million-fine it was ordered to pay the Philippines for the environmental damage. The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) asked the Aquino administration to “follow up and pursue the US government to honor its obligations arising from the national environmental disaster” involving the grounding of the USS Guardian on Jan. 17, 2013. The group is one of the petitioners in the writ of kalikasan (nature) pending in the Supreme Court, which seeks higher penalties for the damage on the Tubbataha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as criminal prosecution of the ship’s officers and crew. Pamalakaya, in a statement, lamented that the United States government continued to snub the high tribunal’s request for Washington to answer the petition, which named as respondents Scott Swift, commander of the US Seventh Fleet, and Mark Rice, commanding officer of the American minesweeper. “The US government must respond to and account for their crimes against the people and the environment. That is simple as ABC, nothing more, nothing less. The incident merits the filing of criminal and other appropriate charges against officials and the 79 other crew of USS Guardian,” said Pamalakaya vice chair Salvador France. France also said the Read More …

Report: 70 journalists died on the job in 2013

 News
Dec 302013
 
Report: 70 journalists died on the job in 2013

Mourners pray over the body of Somali journalist Mohamed Mohamud at his burial in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia. AP NEW YORK—At least 70 journalists were killed on the job around the world in 2013, including 29 who died covering the civil war in Syria and 10 slain in Iraq, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The dead in Syria included a number of citizen journalists working to document combat in their home cities, broadcasters who worked with media outlets affiliated with either the government or the opposition, and a handful of correspondents for the foreign press, including an Al-Jazeera reporter, Mohamed al-Mesalma, who was shot by a sniper. Six journalists died in Egypt. Half of those reporters were killed while reporting an Aug. 14 crackdown by Egyptian security forces on demonstrators protesting the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi. “The Middle East has become a killing field for journalists. While the number of journalists killed for their work has declined in some places, the civil war in Syria and a renewal of sectarian attacks in Iraq have taken an agonizing toll,” the committee’s deputy director, Robert Mahoney, said in a statement. “The international community must prevail on all governments and armed groups to respect the civilian status of reporters and to prosecute the killers of journalists.” The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has been tracking deaths among reporters and broadcasters since 1992. Most of the killings it has documented over the years involve people who are covering news in Read More …

Worker abuse by diplomats a problem, advocates say

 News
Dec 302013
 
Worker abuse by diplomats a problem, advocates say

Members and supporters from a coalition of organizations supporting domestic workers, rally outside the Indian Consulate in New York where Devyani Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general was believed to be staying after she was arrested and charged with lying on a visa form. AP NEW YORK—The prosecution of an Indian consular official in New York for allegedly forcing her maid to toil for little pay highlights a problem advocates say is all too common — workers for foreign governments who bring along the baggage of human trafficking to the US. Because of the complications surrounding immunity laws, many abuse cases often go unreported or uncharged, advocates say. Victims’ claims often end up in civil court for that reason, they say. There have been at least 20 cases in the past decade filed by workers who said they were brought to the US by diplomatic officials and threatened with abuse, forced to work endless hours and kept isolated, with their employers not charged criminally. “We’ve seen it across the board, we’ve seen it with country missions to the UN, we’ve seen it with consular officials, diplomats of all levels,” said anti-trafficking attorney Dana Sussman, who is representing the maid in the Indian case. The case against Devyani Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general in New York, is unusual in part because the US State Department has said she does not have immunity, a claim her attorney and the Indian government are disputing. Khobragade, 39, was charged with visa fraud and accused of Read More …

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