PH embassy in South Korea preparing Filipino communities for possible conflict

 News
Apr 152013
 
PH embassy in South Korea preparing Filipino communities for possible conflict

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:56 pm | Monday, April 15th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – While the situation in the Korean Peninsula remains unchanged, the Philippine Embassy in Seoul has begun preparing Filipino communities for possible conflict scenarios amid tensions between North and South Korea, starting with those in vulnerable cities near the tense border between the Korean neighbors. The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday said that officials from the Philippine mission in Seoul on Sunday met with Filipino area coordinators in four areas near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the North-South border, part of a series of meetings with some 150 Filipino community organizations across South Korea. This even as the Embassy reported to the Manila home office that the atmosphere in South Korea “remains calm and normal” despite Pyongyang’s persistent threats of a missile launch against Seoul and its ally, the United States. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has been ratcheting up his war rhetoric against the South and its allies in protest of fresh international sanctions meted Pyongyang for nuclear tests earlier this year. “Nevertheless, the Filipinos in South have been well-advised to remain vigilant and alert and in the event of armed conflict to proceed immediately to the designated shelters closest to their homes or workplaces,” said DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez in a press briefing. He said officials from the Philippine mission in South Korea on Sunday gathered Filipino community leaders in the cities of Incheon and Seoul and counties in the provinces of Read More …

Palace: Annexes of Bangsamoro agreement will be signed

 News
Apr 152013
 
Palace: Annexes of Bangsamoro agreement will be signed

Despite delays in the finalization of the remaining annexes of the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement, Malacañang on Monday reiterated that it was confident they will be signed in due time. “We’re still discussing the issues so nobody has walked away from the negotiating table. We’re very confident that we will come to an agreement on those annexes,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a briefing. The remaining annexes on normalization, power sharing and wealth sharing have yet to be agreed upon by the peace panels from the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Lacierda said the government is being cautious in its review of the crucial annexes, so that the final product will be “doable.” “We want a Basic Law that is doable; that is something that everybody can live with,” Lacierda said, adding that the government is paying particular close attention to the language used in the annexes. “We’re going through the language. We’re also going through the substance of the annexes. Right now, we’re going to study carefully the remaining annexes,” he said. Additionally Lacierda said that the Aquino administration remains conscientious of the workability of the landmark peace deal it brokered with the MILF. “We don’t intend to kick the can down the road. We want an agreement that is workable, that is doable, and that everybody can live with. Hindi ‘yung parang mangangako kami ngayon, bahala na ‘yung future administration na i-perform,” he said. — BM, GMA News

Sultan Bolkiah arrives in PH for state visit

 News
Apr 152013
 
Sultan Bolkiah arrives in PH for state visit

By TJ Burgonio Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:43 pm | Monday, April 15th, 2013 Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (C) salutes as he walks past Philippine honour guards as he arrives at Manila International Airport on April 15, 2013. Hassanal Bolkiah is in Manila for a two-day state visit. AFP PHOTO / NOEL CELIS MANILA, Philippines–Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah flew in Monday for a brief 24-hour-long state visit to the Philippines ahead of next week’s 22nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Brunei. The President will host a state luncheon for Bolkiah in Malacañang Tuesday when the latter pays a courtesy call. Malacañang said the two leaders will tackle Brunei’s chairmanship of the summit on April 24 and 25 in Bandar Seri Bagawan. The South China Sea conflict looms large in the agenda of their meeting. In the recent Asean Ministerial Meeting, Asean foreign ministers stressed the importance of peaceful resolution of the standoff in the South China Sea by four claimant countries, including the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia. Member-countries are looking to Brunei to mediate negotiations to reach a common position on the conflict by the signing of a Code of Conduct to minimize the risk of conflict in the international waterway. “Brunei is going to be the chairman, I think, of the Asean. So, as to what the details will be, that’s something that will be taken up during the bilateral meeting,’’ Secretary Edwin Lacierda, presidential spokesperson, said in a briefing. Lacierda could not Read More …

Malacañang to voters: Look at the whole package

 News
Apr 152013
 
Malacañang to voters: Look at the whole package

Malacañang on Monday urged voters in next month’s midterm elections to consider that candidates are more than a single issue, following El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde’s endorsement of several senatoriables. “He focused only [on] a single issue and I think each candidate is more than a single issue,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a briefing. Velarde, an influential and charismatic religious leader, has announced that his group supports six candidates who have opposed the passage of the controversial Reproductive Health bill, which President Benigno Aquino III signed into law December last year. Of the six, three — Sen. Koko Pimentel, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, and former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar — are from the Liberal Party-led coalition. The other three — San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito, Sen. Gringo Honasan, and Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay — are from the opposition United Nationalist Coalition. Lacierda reminded the public that when elected, senators will have to tackle a wide array of issues, and as such, voters should look at the complete package. “You also have to look at their different advocacies. And it’s their right, if they want to endorse a candidate based on a single issue. But does it better the people that you’re going to elect? That’s a big question if you’re going to focus only on one issue,” he said. The so called White Vote Coalition initiated by the Council of the Laity of the Philippines include El Shaddai, Couples for Christ–Foundation for Family and Life, Catholic Women’s League, Read More …

NBI to meet with Jonas Burgos' kin for security arrangement

 News
Apr 152013
 
NBI to meet with Jonas Burgos' kin for security arrangement

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is set to meet with the family of missing political activist Jonas Burgos to discuss the security arrangement that the government wil be extending to them. The move came following last week’s Supreme Court ruling ordering the Department of Justice and the NBI — a constituent agency under the DOJ — to give protection to the Burgos family in light of new evidence presented in court supposedly pinning the military in Jonas’ disappearance in 2007. “Hindi pa nare-receive ‘yung SC [ruling], but NBI is willing to do that, that’s why they are set to meet with Mrs. Burgos,” De Lima told reporters in Manila on Monday, adding the NBI is “willing and will be able comply with the SC order.” Last week, the SC Public Information Office said the high tribunal issued a temporary protection order after considering claims by Jonas’ mother, Edita, that she is fearing for her life because of the “sensitive nature” of the new evidence she presented in court last April 1. The set of evidence was attached to a petition seeking a re-investigation on her son’s case. The SC directed “the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation to provide security and protection to the petitioner Edita T. Burgos and her immediate family as provided above, pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Rule on the Writ of Amparo.” The high court also ordered the two agencies to submit within five days after the receipt of the order Read More …

Ex-Palawan gov Reyes wants De Lima cited for contempt

 News
Apr 152013
 
Ex-Palawan gov Reyes wants De Lima cited for contempt

Former Palawan governor Joel Reyes has asked the Court of Appeals (CA) to cite Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for indirect contempt for her statement regarding a recent ruling clearing him from the killing of Palawan-based broadcaster Gerry Ortega. In his petition, Reyes, through his counsel, accused De Lima of “scandalizing” the CA when she told the media that she thinks Reyes and his camp might employ “foul tactics and illicit means” to get a favorable decision from the appellate court. “Clearly, respondent has crossed the walls of decency and propriety. Her statement, to be sure, does not dwell on the wisdom of the Honorable Court’s decision… Rather, her statement charges the Honorable Court of deciding upon the influence of foul tactics and illicit means… thereby inciting the people’s distrust in the Honorable Court’s ability to resolve case impartially,” the petition read. De Lima, on the other hand, was unperturbed, telling reporters in Manila on Monday that all she wanted was to give Ortega and his family the justice they deserved. “They can sue me all they want but I cannot buckle down in the quest of justice in that particular case,” she said. “I cannot just take it sitting down.” She added she was merely exercising her right to free expression in airing her frustration about the development of the case, particularly about CA resolution. She said she would not be “cowed” by her critics. In the said resolution, a CA division cleared Reyes of murder charges in the Read More …

Chinese military officials join maritime disaster response talks in Balikatan exercises

 News
Apr 152013
 
Chinese military officials join maritime disaster response talks in Balikatan exercises

Amid the ongoing territorial dispute between China and the Philippines, two Chinese military officials on Monday joined their Filipino and American counterparts in talks on maritime disaster response as part of the annual Balikatan military exercises. According to Brig. Gen. Aurelio Baladad, deputy chief of staff for operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), this marks the first time China joined such a discussion, since it is also the first time the Philippines and the United States opened the Balikatan exercises to other countries. “Ang Balikatan, originally, military to military ng US saka ng Pilipinas lang. Now, parang ine-expand naman natin ito as we globalize. What if something happens doon sa international waters? How do we respond to it?” Baladad told reporters Monday. He added that the territorial dispute between China and the Philippines over parts of the South China Sea had nothing to do with the talks, since the discussions were on how to respond to maritime disasters such as oil spills. “This is a multi-national approach. Kapitbahay natin sila, and just like other countries, they are one of the responders kung sakaling magkaroon ng incident na kailangang mag-respond in international waters… Sa disaster response siguro, wala nang mga tampuhan muna,” Baladad said. China and the Philippines, as well as Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia, have overlapping claims on the islands, shoals and reefs in the South China Sea where undersea gas deposits have been discovered in several areas. In January, Manila initiated an arbitration process under Read More …

Philippines discovers pangolins on Chinese poacher boat

 News
Apr 142013
 
Philippines discovers pangolins on Chinese poacher boat

Agence France-Presse 11:47 am | Monday, April 15th, 2013 This undated handout photo received on April 10, 2013 and released by the Philippine coast Guard (PCG) shows coast guard personnel inspecting the Chinese fishing vessel which ran aground off Tubbataha reef in Palawan island, western Philippines. A Chinese fishing boat has run aground on a World Heritage-listed coral reef in the Philippines, roughly 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) from China’s nearest major landmass, authorities said April 9. AFP PHOTO/PCG MANILA – The Philippine coast guard said Monday it had found hundreds of frozen scaly anteaters, or pangolins, in the cargo hold of a Chinese boat that ran aground in a protected marine sanctuary last week. Wildlife officials have been informed of the surprising discovery, which could lead to more charges for the 12 Chinese men arrested on charges including poaching after their boat was stranded in Tubbataha Reef last week. “We found 400 boxes containing anteaters aboard the vessel, and we are now determining where these came from,” coast guard spokesman Lieutenant Commander Armand Balilo told AFP. He could not say whether the pangolins were frozen alive, or had already been butchered as meat. A protected species, pangolins are widely hunted in parts of Asia for their meat, skin and scales. In China, they are known as a delicacy and are purported to have medicinal qualities. According to the International Union of Conservation of Nature, all eight species of the insect-eating mammals are protected by international laws around the world. Two Read More …

Chinese fishermen were checking on USS Guardian?

 News
Apr 142013
 
Chinese fishermen were checking on USS Guardian?

By Marlon Ramos, Jerry E. EsplanadaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:12 am | Monday, April 15th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Chinese crew of a fishing boat that ran aground on Tubbataha Reef last week could have been checking to see if the Americans had installed “military equipment” in the protected marine sanctuary where a US Navy minesweeper got stuck on an atoll nearly three months ago, a Philippine military officer said Sunday. The officer, who asked not to be named for lack of authority to talk to the media, said it was possible the 12 Chinese nationals on board the Ming Long Yu were “Chinese soldiers who were sent on a mission.” “This is just one of several possibilities the Philippine government should look into. The Chinese boat could have been part of a Chinese military operation,” the officer told the Inquirer. The source, who was familiar with previous incidents of Chinese military intrusions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), said there were several indications the 48-meter-long Ming Long Yu was “not a fishing boat.” “As has been noted, the Chinese boat was not like the fishing vessels used by Chinese poachers who were arrested in Palawan. It was not carrying ice to preserve their catch. It did not have refrigerated storage,” he said. It was also noted that the men had “flawless” complexions, not the dark leathered skin of fishermen. He said there was “speculation” the Chinese military sent the 12 “fishermen” to conduct an inspection of the area where Read More …

PAGASA: Cold front to bring Cagayan Valley rain, warm weather anew elsewhere

 News
Apr 102013
 
PAGASA: Cold front to bring Cagayan Valley rain, warm weather anew elsewhere

Satellite Image as of 8 a.m., 10 April 2013. | Weather Central Rain from the diffused tail-end of a cold front may fall over the Cagayan Valley in northern Luzon on Thursday, while Metro Manila and other parts of the country may continue to expect warm weather, state weather forecasters said. PAGASA forecaster Ricky Fabregas said the easterlies, or warm winds from the east, are expected to prevail anew and bring hot weather to most of the country. “[Kahapon] nagkaroon ng shifting ng hangin from easterlies naging northeast, kaya binabaan ang forecast temperature. Ngayon nakita natin magpe-prevail ang easterlies kaya tumaas uli ang forecast,” Fabregas said in an interview on dzBB radio. He said Metro Manila may expect temperatures of 24 to 35 degrees Celsius Thursday. On Wednesday, Metro Manila had experienced a high of 35.3 degrees Celsius. PAGASA’s extended forecast said Tuguegarao City may experience temperatures of 23 to 34 degrees Celsius, while Olongapo and Angeles Cities may expect temperatures of 24 to 35 degrees Celsius. Thursday outlook PAGASA said the diffused tail-end of a cold front would affect northern Luzon Thursday. “Cagayan Valley will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms. Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms,” it said. It added moderate to strong winds from the northeast will prevail over Northern Luzon and its coastal waters will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the Read More …

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