Maniolas

From left to right Lorence Koten, Emmanuel Arakian, Defense Minister Ryan Mizard Ryan Cudu, Lt. Gen. Mayoralgo dela Cruz and Teo Doros Kofong in a posterity photo. (PHOTO BY JULIE ALIPALA/ INQUIRER MINDANAO/ PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER) JAKARTA—Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto has called on the public to stop speculating about possible payments by the government or other parties to secure the release of Indonesian hostages in the Philippines. He said the captives’ release and their safety were of utmost priority. Following the sailors’ release, Philippine website philstar.com cited an unnamed security source as saying the captives had been set free by the Abu Sayyaf militant group after the payment of an unspecified ransom. READ: Abu Sayyaf frees 3 Indonesian hostages — MNLF “The important thing is that the sailors are now free. We don’t have to further argue about or question [the ransom payment]. Are we going to keep debating or [welcoming] their release?” Wiranto asked. Following the handover of the hostages from the Philippine military to Indonesian officials in Zamboanga, the three Indonesian sailors had been flown to Manila for medical check-ups and to complete some paperwork, under the protection of the Indonesian Embassy in Manila, Wiranto said. He added that he could not yet say for sure when they would fly home since the sailors had to first complete all the required procedures in the Philippines. Theodorus Kopong Koten, Lorens Koten and Emmanuel, the three Indonesian sailors who were on board a Malaysian-flagged fishing boat Read More …

The Philippines is reaching out to global power Russia to boost its weak defense capability amid security concerns over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, officials said. Defense officials from the Philippines met recently with the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) to explore ways of cooperating, including training for Filipino military and police officers. Manila’s envoy to Moscow Carlos Sorreta led Filipino defense officials in meeting with Russian Chief of the First Department of Military Sergey Buganov and officials of the FSMTC. The FSMTC is a federal agency directly under the Russian president’s office in charge of overseeing cooperation deals with foreign countries. “We welcomed the briefing, which was quite revealing, particularly as to the extent that Russia is able to interact with a large number of countries in this field and the different mechanisms that are employed, including in terms of the acquisition and transfer of Russian military equipment,” Sorreta said in a statement on Wednesday. Sorreta said the meeting was aimed at exploring “opportunities that could contribute to our government’s efforts to modernize our defense capabilities.” Russian officials briefed  the Filipino side on the latest in equipment and technology as well as on the possible access to its training. They also discussed investments in domestic military production, servicing and different modes of financing. Russia sells military equipment and military-related equipment to a host of nations including the United States, as well as  developing nations like India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Latest De Lima hits Aguirre Read More …

PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire – On September 11, 2006, a fire truck was found on top of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Great Dome. It was a spectacularly odd sight, but it had a totally simple explanation: It wasn’t a real truck but scraps of various materials carefully assembled on-site to look like the real one. While quite dramatic, it was really just a typical project by the notoriously creative MIT student hackers to commemorate 9/11. The sight of Donald Trump in the hustings as the official Republican nominee evokes the same mind-boggling how-did-that-happen puzzlement to many political observers, including virtually all talking heads who greatly exaggerated reports of Trump’s early political demise. Why did the Republicans end up with such a bizarre and pompously vacuous far-right populist with zero political experience and a track record of business bankruptcies? Similarly, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s widely reported uncouth behavior (often mocked by late night comedians in the U.S.) and his open disdain for human rights make many people, especially those in the West, wonder how such an odd character ended up at the very top the Filipino people’s political Great Dome. In search of an explanation   In Trump’s case, various explanations have been posited, including his wholesale appeal to what Hillary Clinton recently called a “basket of deplorables” (bigots, misogynists, xenophobes, homophobes, etc.). But surveys suggest that his support actually cuts across demographic lines, including age, gender, income, education and religiosity. There is one group of social scientists who are suggesting Read More …

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez (lNQUIRER FILE PHOTO) MANILA — Contrary to debt watcher S&P Global Ratings’ assessment that “the stability and predictability of policy-making has diminished somewhat” under President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said that the administration’s policies have been “clear and consistent” from the start. In a statement issued by the government’s Investor Relations Office (IRO) Wednesday, Dominguez welcomed the debt watcher’s latest move to keep the Philippines’ investment grade credit rating, saying that “it affirms that the Duterte administration is on the right track in pursuing its 10-point socioeconomic agenda that aims to keep the Philippine economy on its high growth path.” “The continued investment-grade rating gives the new government greater resolve to transform the economy into a truly inclusive one by pursuing, among others, a tax reform plan that seeks to generate enough revenues to grow the middle class, energize the corporate sector, and raise investments in human capital and social protection to drastically reduce poverty incidence,” Dominguez said, However, the Department of Finance chief did not agree with S&P’s opinion that policy predictability and stability were somewhat diminished when the Duterte administration took over. “The administration’s economic pronouncements have been clear and consistent from the very beginning,” Dominguez was quoted by the IRO as saying, further pointing out that “the Duterte administration’s 10-point socioeconomic agenda was announced early—even prior to the President’s formal inauguration—and that the action plans to realize the agenda have already been operationalized. “The Duterte administration is Read More …

There was no order from President Rodrigo Duterte to buy weaponry from China but only to go “window shopping” there, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Ricardo Visaya said on Wednesday. Visaya said Duterte was just probably misquoted when the media reported that the Philippines was considering buying new weaponry from China and Russia. READ: Duterte mulls purchase of arms from China, Russia “I think the President was misquoted on that. There’s no instruction from our Commander in Chief for us to buy Russian military equipment or from China,” the AFP chief said when he faced his confirmation hearing at the Commission on Appointment’s committee on national defense. “He (Duterte) just told us that just like any other country, China is offering their military equipment. Then the President said, if you want go there just go there and see. Meaning, it’s just like window shopping. But there’s no instruction for us to buy,” he said. Duterte was earlier quoted as saying that the Philippine government was considering buying weaponry from the two countries. “I would like to ask Defense Secretary Lorenzana to, samahan kayo (go with you) – the technical people. Pumunta kayo ng Russia at pumunta kayo ng China at tingnan ninyo kung ano ang pinakamabuti (Go to Russia and China and see what’s best),” one media report quoted him as saying. CDG Latest Pacquiao channels Duterte: Other nations shouldn’t meddle with PH Convicts not tortured to testify vs De Lima, says lawyer Abra woman Read More …