Maniolas

LIMA, Peru—President Duterte plans to issue an executive order unilaterally declaring the lagoon of the disputed Panatag Shoal a marine sanctuary, where neither Filipinos nor Chinese may be allowed to fish. Mr. Duterte told Chinese President Xi Jinping about his plan during their bilateral meeting on Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum here, according to National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., who was present at the meeting. “The President has decided to declare that a sanctuary. That is a unilateral action from the government,” he said, referring to the triangular lagoon “as big as Quezon City” and known to be a spawning ground for fish. Panatag Shoal, internationally known as Scarborough Shoal, is a traditional fishing ground for Filipinos. China seized the shoal after a two-month standoff with the Philippines in 2012 but recently loosened its grip to allow Filipinos to fish again in the area following friendly overtures from Mr. Duterte. If Mr. Duterte’s plan proceeds, Filipino, Chinese and other fishermen would only be allowed to fish in the deeper waters just outside Panatag. Mr. Duterte’s plan is delicate because it may imply Philippine territorial control over the shoal, whose ownership the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague did not resolve when it ruled in favor of the Philippines in the maritime dispute in July. Esperon said Mr. Duterte “clearly talked about maritime arrangements” with Xi, including the prospect of cooperation between the coast guards of the two countries. “The implication and Read More …

President Rodrigo Duterte and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet for the first time during a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in Lima, Peru on November 19. ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./ Presidential Photo LIMA, Peru—Russia committed to buy $2.5 billion worth of Philippine fruits, grains or vegetables during Saturday’s bilateral discussions between President Duterte and President Vladimir Putin, officials said on Sunday. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the Russian side had agreed “immediately” to a proposal for the importation of Philippine fruit and other agricultural products in the next 12 months. “Their immediate estimate is $2.5 billion. That’s a number they [Russian side] quoted,” Lopez told Filipino journalists covering the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum here. Dwarfs current exports The estimate dwarfs the $46 million worth of exports the Philippines currently ships to Russia every year, he said. “We were talking of what they could buy from us, especially agricultural products, but nothing was specified. But I understand we supply them with a huge quantity of bananas… and mangoes. With these kinds of discussions, these present more trading opportunities between us,” Lopez said. He said Putin also offered to help the Philippines through investments in energy and infrastructure. “[They will help] in machine engineering, hardware, modernizing industrial machineries, railways, especially long-range railways, port infrastructure, monorails, light transit transport system, agriculture and, of course, tourism,” he said. The Philippines may also expect more tourists from Russia, he added. “Of course, the other side of this Read More …

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar. INQUIRER FILE A prestigious media organization has named Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar “Communicator of the Year” for his “unabashed embrace of the principles of creative imagination” in serving as President Duterte’s chief spokesman. The Committee for the Advancement of Creative Imagination and the Systematic Institutionalization of Rodrigo’s Aspirations — better known as CACI SIRA — also blasted Andanar’s critics who they say fail to recognize the “extraordinary genius” behind the secretary’s pronouncements. CACI SIRA cited Andanar’s spirited defense of the plan to give the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos a hero’s funeral. Marcos was recently given a hero’s burial at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani sparking mass demonstrations throughout the nation. In his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (which CACI SIRA says has become an even more respected media organization for giving Andanar a regular column), the secretary dismissed the protesters as “temperamental brats.” CACI SIRA called Andanar’s statement “audacious and inspired.” “The secretary used a five-syllable word, a clear sign of his sophisticated intelligence,” CACI SIRA said. Meanwhile, CACI SIRA denounced Senator Koko Pimentel’s criticism of Andanar’s statements against the anti-Marcos protesters. CACI SIRA says the senator took an “unfortunate position” based on the fact that his father was a prominent opponent of the Marcos regime who was imprisoned and harassed repeatedly by the dictatorship for fighting for the rights of Filipinos. “That’s so 1970s and 80s,” CACI SIRA said in a statement. CACI SIRA also dismissed the ongoing protests against the Marcos Read More …

Members of Migrante BC present Kababayan4Change to officials of the Philippine Consulate in Vancouver. CONTRIBUTED RED DEER, Alberta – The renewed peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front have brought hope for “real change” even for Filipinos abroad whose reasons for going overseas are tied to unresolved issues in the motherland. It appears not the two negotiating panels – the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP)– have the biggest stakes in the negotiations, but the Filipino people including Filipinos overseas, said Dhon Mojica, Migrante Alberta chairperson. Migrante has touched based with Philippine consuls in Ontario and British Columbia, following the move by Migrante Europe whose delegation was present during the first round of peace talks in Oslo, Norway in August, to present their campaign Kababayan4Change backing the peace talks and promotion of genuine change. Important first   NDFP panel member Coni Ledesma called the move by Migrante Europe “an important first.” “When the first round of peace talks opened in Oslo last August, there was a delegation from different European countries of Migrante Europe,” she said in an email interview with INQUIRER.net. At the end of the opening ceremonies, the delegation approached both panels and presented their agenda what migrants want from the peace talks, she said. “This was a first in all the years of peace talks. And an important first,” she added. That while the group could not sit with the two sides on the table, they could lay Read More …

President Rodrigo Duterte said he missed the socials of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leader’s Forum due to jet lag. He said he couldn’t keep his eyes open and needed to rest. INQUIRER FILE LIMA, Peru — “Jet lag” did President Duterte in during his first appearance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit here, forcing him to skip both the gala dinner and traditional family photo of the world leaders. The President said he was still feeling “lightheaded” as the scheduled activities happened to coincide with his sleeping times back home. READ: Duterte ‘falls ill,’ skips Apec gala dinner for world leaders “I sleep at 3:45 [a.m.]. That’s the time here. I really couldn’t keep my eyes open. And even [though] I was listening to others, my eyes start to close on their own,” Mr. Duterte told reporters covering the Apec in this South American country. “I said it’s not good to be present with the greats of the convention with my eyes closed. So I said I better go home. But I also couldn’t sleep though I was sleepy. Jet lag, simply,” he said. Mr. Duterte sent Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay to stand in for him in the two events. “I was not able to attend the socials because I wanted the Secretary of Foreign Affairs…I wanted to promote his acting career,” he joked. But the President said the events he did attend were eye-opening and fruitful. “I said it’s not good to be present with the greats of the Read More …