Maniolas

‘PRECIOUS TO US’ Teacher Miyoko Hirano and 14-year-old students Fuka Sato (center) andYukina Kikuchi of Japan show to visiting Southeast Asian journalists “precious” thank-you letterssent by the Filipino pupils to whom they donated school supplies after Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” DJ YAP KAMAISHI CITY—Fuka Sato was only 11 when she and some 3,000 other schoolchildren escaped the tsunami that engulfed this small industrial town three years ago in what became known throughout Japan as the “Miracle of Kamaishi.” But Sato, now a middle-school student at Kamaishi East Junior High, knows that their dramatic escape from the March 3, 2011, disaster—aided by teachers and years of earthquake drills—was not incredible at all. She believes that the same “miracle” can happen regularly, even in other places. “We need only to share our experience so other children will know what to do,” said 14-year-old Sato. Which was why when Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) brought devastating storm surges into the coasts of central Philippines last November, the schoolchildren of Kamaishi wanted to reach out that instant. “They were watching the news and they were reminded of their own experience. Immediately, they wanted to help,” their teacher, Miyoko Hirano, told visiting Southeast Asian journalists, including the Inquirer. The reporters from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines were on a fellowship organized by the Foreign Press Center Japan, which took them on an 11-day tour around the coast of northeastern Japan and the greater Tokyo area to survey the progress of Japan’s massive rehabilitation effort after the Read More …

FRANCO CONSOLACION SAN FRANCISCO—Franco Consolacion was always a dreamer. He immigrated to the United States with his family after martial law was declared in the Philippines in September 1972. He had been a successful Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a “topnotcher” in the accountancy exams, and was teaching accounting at the University of the East. In his new country, Franco secured a job as a senior accountant of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center and earned enough to buy a home in Pinole, a bedroom community outside the city. But Franco dreamed of being a CPA in California and knew he either had to pass the accountancy exams or obtain a “waiver” from the California Board of Accountancy, which was granted to a qualified applicant that was “a holder of a valid and unrevoked certificate as a Certified Public Accountant issued in a foreign country.” Franco quickly learned that the waiver applications of every Philippine- trained and certified CPA had all been denied. What incensed Franco most was the knowledge that foreign applicants from British Commonwealth countries were regularly granted waivers, and these foreign applicants were invariably white. Franco led a renewed effort to secure waivers for Filipino CPAs by mobilizing the Bay Area Filipino community to rally to their cause as a civil rights issue. He lobbied to get a law passed that would prohibit discrimination by the Board of Accountancy on the basis of national origin. But his 1977 legislative effort failed because of the forceful opposition Read More …

Map showing the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea (south China Sea), including the Spratlys Islands and Scarborough Shoal. AFP MANILA, Philippines – The West Philippine Sea is China’s “natural shield” in the south, which will not only give it a strong defense against the United States, but will also provide food and energy security given the wealth of natural resources in the Reed Bank, according to a strategic assessment paper from the Development Academy of the Philippines. The importance of the West Philippine Sea to China also explains its assertive claims to territories within the Philippines’ Kalayaan Island Group (KIG). The West Philippine Sea is the name given by Manila to that part of the South China Sea that falls within the country’s exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea. “The West Philippine Sea (WPS) is important as it is regarded as a natural shield of China’s security in the South. Having a strong foothold on the WPS would give China a strategic area of defense consisting of over 1,000 kilometers, the security implication of which is ‘incalculable’,” said the DAP paper titled, “Maintaining the Balance of Power and Increasing the Sphere of Influence over the West Philippine Sea: The China Track.” The paper also noted that controlling the West Philippine Sea would “ensure the economic and political survival of the Communist Party.” The West Philippine Sea is the part of South China Sea that is within the Philippines’ 320-kilometer exclusive Read More …

By Nestor CorralesINQUIRER.net 5:36 pm | Saturday, June 28th, 2014 Department of Foreign Affairs building INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – In an effort to boost bilateral relations, Canada has designated the Philippines as a “country of focus” or a priority beneficiary of its international development assistance program, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The DFA welcomed the move, saying it “illuminates the excellent bilateral relations between the Philippines and Canada.” “The special designation as a Country of Focus also holds the promise of greater two-way bilateral trade and investment flows, and the designation also manifests an alignment in foreign policy, extending to various security, economic, socio-cultural and people-to-people interests,” the DFA said. It added that the Filipino people would always remember how Canada came to the aid of those affected by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) that pummeled the Visayas in November 2013. It said the Philippines looked forward on furthering the country’s goals for inclusive and sustainable growth and development with the help of Canada. RELATED STORIES Official foreign aid for ‘Yolanda’ victims tops P10.6B, says DFA UK, Canada staying by PH in ‘Yolanda’ rehab Follow Us Other Stories: West Philippine Sea China’s best shield vs US, paper says Anthology of Fil-Am writings to be launched in Berkeley Sex-for-flight charges pushed Ramadan rush: Rich Arabs splurge before fasting Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Read More …

Malacañang said Saturday the government is prepared to defend the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), after a third suit questioning the controversial mutual defense pact was lodged before the Supreme Court Friday. While presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said it is the right of any citizen to file a petition questioning the legality or constitutionality of the pact, he said the Palace believe the deal is constitutional. “We believe this is constitutional. We are prepared to defend the EDCA before the Supreme Court,” he said on government-run dzRB radio. He said the Solicitor General will defend the constitutionality of the pact, which was signed on the first day of US President Barack Obama’s visit to the Philippines last April. The latest suit questioning the EDCA was lodged before the Supreme Court Friday by labor groups from the public and private sectors. Friday’s petitioners, including the Kilusang Mayo Uno and the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees, claimed the government committed grave abuse of discretion and violated the 1987 Philippine Constitution when it signed the EDCA. Named as respondents were Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista. Other respondents included defense undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, who chairs the country’s negotiating panel for EDCA, and panel members Ambassador Lourdes Yparraguirre, Ambassador Eduardo Malaya, Justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, and Defense undersecretary Raymund Jose Quilop. The petitioners said the EDCA Read More …