Maniolas

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, talks with Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the Party’s headquarters in Hanoi, Vietnam, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. AP HANOI—President Duterte has  invited more Vietnamese businessmen to invest in the Philippines, and to consider importing more Filipino products to boost two-way trade. The President made the pitch in bilateral talks with Vietnam State President Tran Dai Quang on Thursday at the State Palace of Vietnam. Both countries “agreed to really level up the trade that we have by increasing trade numbers,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, who was part of the president’s delegation, told a press briefing. “The President invited Vietnamese corporations to invest in the Philippines. We’ll protect your investors and your investments, contracts will be honored,” Lopez said, adding that Mr. Duterte gave assurances that Vietnamese investments would be protected and the government would provide a more conducive investment climate. The President arrived at the State Palace at 10 a.m., Thursday, to military honors and an official welcome by Tran. Earlier in the morning, Duterte took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Monument for Heroes and Martyrs in Hanoi. Aside from Tran, he met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Nguyen Phu Trong,  general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Apart from being Southeast Asian neighbors, the Philippines and Vietnam are both claimants to disputed territories in the South China Sea, which are  being claimed by China. Vietnam earlier expressed support for Read More …

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte reviews an honor guard with his Vietnamese counterpart Tran Dai Quang during a welcome ceremony at the presidential palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. AP DAVAO CITY – President Rodrigo Duterte said the United States must stop its criticism of him, particularly in connection with the extrajudicial killings tied to his war on drugs, by saying it should “not pretend to be the moral conscience of the world.” “Do not be the policeman because you do not have the eligibility to do that in my country,” he said. Earlier, US Senator Benjamin Cardin of Maryland said in a dialogue with Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, that “in advocating and endorsing what amounts to mass murder,” Duterte has taken the wrong way in dealing with the illegal drugs problem. “Senator Leahy is absolutely right when he said that a lack of respect for rule of law and democratic governance breeds instability, distrust, and sometimes violence,” Cardin said. But Duterte said the US was being hypocrite and urged it to “stop it.” “Why are you shooting the black people there when they are on the ground? he asked. He also said the US and it’s allies, such as Britain, also violated the human rights of other countries, such as when they invaded Iraq “on the flimsy excuse that there was a weapon of mass destruction there.” “They’re only good at criticizing,” he said, calling them pea-brained. Duterte said the criticisms have been going on for years Read More …

“I could see more and more on a larger scale that this guy had absolutely no respect for institutions, had no understanding of what policy meant, had no appreciation of planning and was running (the country) like a small town.” The person being referred to was a president of the Philippines. No, it was not Rody Duterte. The “guy” in the quote was Joseph Estrada. Erap was overthrown just a few weeks after Karina David, the academic activist who served as his housing czar, described to me her tumultuous stint as a member of Erap’s team. Erap was like Duterte in many ways: a popular tough-talking maverick with a macho swagger who presented himself as a man of the masses. Erap won the support of many well-known activist social reformers like David and former rebels, Horacio Morales and Edicio de la Torre. And so has Duterte. In fact, the progressives on Digong’s team, some of them respected veterans of the fight against the Marcos dictatorship — led by Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco and Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo — are considered one of the hopeful signs that the Duterte era could be a period of meaningful reforms. That certainly was the hope during the first six months of the Erap presidency in 1998. It was a time of optimism when the country appeared to have a president who was serious about addressing issues of poverty and social injustice. “The first six months were to me inspiring,” David told me. Edicio Read More …

Atty. Rodel Rodis tells ecumenical service attendees that the number of victims of extrajudicial killings in the 14 years of martial law under President Marcos figures has been surpassed by the reported 3,800 deaths in the two-month-old Duterte presidency. JUN NUCUM DALY CITY, California – Filipinos here marked 44th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law with an ecumenical prayer service and community discussion in Daly City “to remember the victims of martial law,” which signaled the dictatorship of the late Ferdinand Marcos. They also prayed for the current victims of human rights violations, particularly the victims of alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs), which are on the rise in the Philippines with President Duterte’s war on drugs. They reiterated their opposition to President Duterte’s plan for a hero’s burial to dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Participants later broke into smaller groups to talk about what they could do “as Filipinos residing in the U.S., to respond to the EJKs, and to the current threats to civil liberties and democracy in the Philippines due to the seduction of strong-man, dictatorial rule.” Kontra Libing coalition member Ago Pedalizo says that the extrajudicial killings happening right now are reminiscent of martial law. JUN NUCUM While the organizers of the event in a statement welcomed President Duterte’s invitation to the UN Special Rapporteur, the European Union and the United States to probe allegations of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, they also “called on President Duterte to take all steps to ensure Read More …

CHICAGO – In 2009, the US Congress through the House of Senate and House of Representatives respectively passed H. Res. 780 recognizing October 2011 and every October thereafter as Filipino American History Month (FAHM). Starting in 2011, the Philippine American Cultural Foundation (PACF) spearheaded a move to organize a variety of events to celebrate FAHM. The Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) announces “1946: A Turning Point” as the theme for this year.  This to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of events and pieces of legislation that transformed the lives of Filipinos such as the following: The Rescission Act of 1946 barred veterans in the Philippines from receiving GI Bill benefits The Luce-Celler Bill on July 2, 1946 granted access to naturalization for all Filipinos who had come to the US before March 1934 however  immigration was limited to 100 per year. Philippine independence from the United States was granted on July 4, 1946. Oct 1 to Oct 31: Art and Anthropology: Portrait of the Object as Filipino*. Display of 10 paintings and creation of collaborative mural by 5 FilAm artists from Chicago and 5 artists from the Philippines. Field Museum of Natural History Chicago, 1400 S. Lakeshore Dr. Events take place during museum hours. (Almira [email protected]) OctNov15:Focusing (Vol. II)is a continuation of Alejandro T. Acierto’s exploration of the breath through the colonial history of  Filipino involvement in the 1904 World’s Fair.  at Corner  2912 N. Milwaukee Ave. (storefront)  Chicago, IL 60618  -, Call Grace Needlman, 216-533-2824,[email protected] Oct 1, Sat., 9am – 10am – Opening of month long FAHM exhibit display at Bank Financial 1354 E 55th St, Chicago, IL 60615. (Email Estrella Alamar [email protected] –FAHSC) Oct 1, Sat., 11am – 1:00pm – 2016 FAHM Celebration Kickoff at Read More …