Maniolas

By Christian V. EsguerraPhilippine Daily Inquirer 8:17 am | Wednesday, May 14th, 2014 Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.: Disadvantageous. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Did the Philippines get the short end of the stick in its new defense agreement with the United States? Senators on Tuesday grilled members of the Philippine panel that negotiated the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) with the US, raising issues such as the duration of the actual stay of US troops in the country and the military bases that would be made available to them. While saying the Edca did not have to be renegotiated, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pointed to portions of the agreement that were purportedly disadvantageous to the Philippines. Marcos cited Article 5 of the agreement, which mentioned “possible compensation” to be provided to the US “for improvements or construction” that US troops would make inside specific areas of Philippine military facilities, also known as “agreed locations.” During the hearing of the Senate committee on national defense and security, chief negotiator Pio Lorenzo Batino said “constructed buildings and other permanent structures will automatically be owned by the Philippine government.” But Marcos complained, saying in Filipino: “We would still pay for what they would construct. It says so here. So it appears that we were put at a disadvantage in this deal.” Ambassador Lourdes Yparraguirre, a member of the Philippine panel, cited the “concept of shared and joint use of infrastructure upgrades, as well as prepositioning of materials” contained in EDCA. “It can help accelerate Read More …

ROME — After canonizing Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, the Holy See is now looking into beatifying Pope Paul VI, possibly as early as October when bishops from around the world meet in the Vatican for the Synod of Bishops on the Family. Raising Paul VI to the status of “blessed” has become a strong possibility after medical and theological experts reportedly approved as a miracle a United States case in the 1990s involving a fetus with brain damage whose mother had refused physicians’ advice that it be aborted. After reportedly praying to the late Pope, the mother gave birth to the child, who grew up healthy and normal. According to the Italian weekly magazine Credere of the Pauline Fathers, cardinals and bishops who are members of the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints will meet on May 5 to confirm the miracle. Once the bishops and cardinals approve the miracle, Pope Francis will likely proclaim Paul VI’s beatification in October at the end of the Synod of Bishops, according to Credere. One of only three co-chairpersons appointed by Pope Francis to preside over the synod is Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle. Pope from 1963 to 1978, Paul VI promulgated the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, which St. John XXIII called in 1962, and issued the controversial encyclical “Humanae Vitae,” reaffirming the Church’s teaching against abortion and contraception. Paul VI has special relevance to the Philippines, as he was the first pope to visit the Read More …

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – Senators were briefed almost at every turn on how the new PH-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement was taking shape, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said Tuesday. Trillanes, the chair of the Senate committee on national defense, made the statement in the wake of criticism at the apparent lack of transparency in the negotiations. “The Senate defense committee was extensively briefed at the start of the negotiations. It was attended by a few senators but the others sent their representatives,” Trillanes told the Inquirer. “Aside from this, after every round of negotiations, all the senators were apprised by the government panel of its status to include the minutes of the meetings.” Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago said Monday that the Senate had yet to receive a copy of the EDCA, which allows US forces access to Philippine bases and the increases the presence of US troops in the country. “I feel as if I have been slapped or ordered to melt into the wallpaper,” Santiago was quoted as saying about the Senate not being given a copy of the deal. Santiago is the chair of the Senate committee on foreign relations, the panel that has jurisdiction on proposed treaties with other countries.  Treaties need to be ratified by a two-thirds vote of the Senate. “Let’s just say that the initial briefing was sometime in August last year and the status updates came in almost every month,” Trillanes said. “Now, if senators feel these Read More …

Philippine Daily Inquirer 8:23 am | Sunday, April 27th, 2014 INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Three of the senators who rejected the renewal of the Philippine-US bases treaty in 1991 on Saturday expressed concern over the constitutionality of the new Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation (AEDC) that is expected to be signed between the two countries during the visit of US President Barack Obama this week. In a statement, former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr. and former Senators Rene Saguisag and Wigberto Tañada demanded that the agreement be scrutinized by both the Senate and the public. The statement was also signed by several lawyers and civil society members. “The AEDC as reported by media threatens to reverse the historic Senate vote that removed the US bases in 1991,” read the statement signed by Guingona, Saguisag and Tañada, who along with nine other senators voted down a motion to renew the bases treaty 23 years ago. The Aquino administration will sign the new agreement increasing the number of US troops in the country amid rising tensions with China. “We call on our people to be vigilant, defend and uphold Philippine sovereign-ty, whether against China’s incursions or the United States of America’s increased military presence in Philippine territory,” the statement said. The other signatories to the statement included religious and civil society leaders Mary John Mananzan, Pacifico Agabin, Ricardo N. Fernandez, Hesiquio Mallillin, Fulgencio Factoran, Evalyn Ursua, Harry Roque, Carlos Montemayor Jr., Roland Simbulan, Maria Socorro I. Diokno, Bibeth Orteza and  Carol Araullo. Read More …

President Barack Obama. AP FILE PHOTO WASHINGTON – Five years after refashioning US foreign policy to emphasize Asia, President Barack Obama will face questions over his strategy’s content and staying power in the region this week. Obama will counter the impression that events, including carnage in Syria and the East-West showdown over Ukraine have dragged his administration’s attention elsewhere. He will argue in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines that the “rebalancing” policy – of withdrawing US military, economic and human resources from Middle East wars and deploying them to emerging Asia – remains on track. Obama will embark on his fifth visit as president to Asia when he lands in Japan on Wednesday. This journey, the first of two to the region this year, will make up for the embarrassment of skipping regional summits in November because of domestic political battles. He seeks progress in tough talks with Japan over the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, hung up over auto and agricultural market access. The TPP would cement Obama’s legacy in Asia, but talks on the 12-nation pact lost momentum last year. Obama must also walk a fine line, bolstering alliances with nations which see the United States as a counterweight to powerful China, while avoiding angering Beijing. He will also press on with efforts to ease the dispute between US allies South Korea and Japan, insist North Korea will get no reward for belligerence and complete a revival of US relations with Malaysia. Can Obama Read More …