Maniolas

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) applaud after posing for a group photo at National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. Leaders from left, Myanmar’s State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang, Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Philippine’s President Rodrigo Duterte, Brunei Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe) MANILA — Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China have agreed to step up measures to stop military tensions in the disputed waters of South China Sea  through the Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) and a hotline that alerts parties on skirmishes including military incursions particularly of claimants. Both parties supported the creation of a hotline to respond to maritime emergencies in the implementation of the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). The DOC adopted by Asean and China in 2002 commits parties “to exercise restraint and prevent tensions” in the disputed waters. “We remain committed to the full and effective implementation of the DOC in its entirety and working substantively towards the early adoption of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) based on consensus,” said the Asean-China joint communiqué signed on Sept. 7, 2016 during the Asean Summit in Vientiane, Laos. The Asean-China Read More …

Indonesian Mohammad Sofyan is examined by Dr. Raden Ikbala before his return to his country. He escaped from his Abu Sayyaf captors in Luuk, Sulu on Wednesday morning.
 JULIE S. ALIPALA/INQUIRER MINDANAO ZAMBOANGA CITY – Another Indonesian who escaped from the Abu Sayyaf was recovered in Luuk town in Sulu on Wednesday afternoon. Major Filemon Tan Jr., spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command, said a certain Ismail, chief officer of Tugboat Charles, was found around 4:30 p.m. in Barangay Bual, the same village where another kidnap victim, Mohammad Sofyan, was found at past 7 a. m. Sofyan earlier claimed he and another Indonesian escaped while their captors were asleep. Tan said Ismail was in the custody of government troops as of late Wednesday, and would be brought to Jolo town.  SFM Latest Pope taps American to head new Vatican office for families Ex-RCBC branch manager Deguito arrested for perjury Duterte:  Gov’t to support kin of Navy man killed in anti-drug ops All-Filipino MVP Macandili dedicates trophy to all liberos Recommended Disclaimer: Comments do not represent the views of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments which are inconsistent with our editorial standards. FULL DISCLAIMER View Comments For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.

Sen. Loren Legarda CONTRIBUTED PHOTO MANILA — The President only wants what the world’s most disaster prone nations also seek: climate justice. Sen. Loren Legarda, the chamber’s lead climate advocate, said Monday that President Duterte’s call for “an equitable and fair equation” on global climate action only echoed what climate-vulnerable nations hope to receive on the road to adapting and mitigating the impact of global warming. “What he said were just right. He’s just saying the developed nations that polluted the world should reduce their emissions and help countries that are poor and vulnerable like the Philippines and other Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) members,” Legarda told reporters. The CVF is a grouping of 43 developing countries most prone to the effects of climate change. The Philippines hosted a high-level climate policy forum of the CVF this month and officially turned over its chairmanship to Tonga. “We are echoing what the President had said that the rich countries should help the small countries that are not emitters. His point is correct. That we should get help from rich countries that are the strongest carbon emitters,” she said. President Duterte earlier said he would not honor the climate agreement, later clarifying his point that the Philippines would give priority to addressing global warming but that climate action should be equitable and not stymie the country’s road to industrialization. “What he means is climate justice. The rich countries account for much of the greenhouse emissions. They should help developing nations through technical and Read More …

President Rodrigo Duterte and National Security Adviser Hermoges Esperon Jr. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/EDWIN BACASMAS) DAVAO CITY – The National Security Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday amid pressing issues confronting the country. Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza told reporters here late Saturday that the meeting was being arranged by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and that “all important issues confronting the nation will all be discussed.” Dureza said “all living former presidents, heads of the different congressional levels, key officials of Malacañang’s security council and other leaders” have been invited to attend the meeting. It was not clear though if former President Benigno Aquino III will be attending the NSC meeting, which was set a day after Mr. Duterte’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA). The NSC meeting will be held on the same day that President Duterte will meet US Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry will be coming in from Vientiane, where he was scheduled to attend several meetings of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), during which, he would discuss the territorial disputes between some Asean members and China. During the NSC meeting, the territorial row between the country and China over the West Philippine Sea is expected to be discussed. “President Duterte will listen to the guidance, inputs, suggestions or recommendation of former presidents and other leaders of the government,” Dureza said. Dureza said the Duterte administration would be crafting a set of guidelines that former President Read More …