Maniolas

SOUTH CHINA SEA JAN. 15, 2016: The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) conducts a live fire gunnery exercise with its 5-inch .54-caliber gun. Curtis Wilbur (inset) is on patrol in the 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt.j.g. Jonathan Peterson/Released) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg on Friday confirmed that America played a role in the Mamasapano operation, but insisted that it was done “within the legal framework” of both countries. “There is cooperation, that all of this is done within the legal framework, and that there are agreements, and everything was done consensually or at the request of the Philippine government,” Goldberg said. During the reopened Mamasapano hearing at the Senate on Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile said that the government should explain the role of the US in Oplan Exudos, which was aimed at neutralizing Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan. Enrile cited that the US-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement deals only with the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “It does not cover police operations which is actually nothing more than the enforcement of the criminal laws of the Philippines handled by the police organization of the country,” Enrile said after former Special Action Force commander Getulio Napeñas claimed that the US provided “real-time intelligence” during the operation. The Philippine National Police’s Board of Inquiry also mentioned in its report that the US provided real-time intelligence Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III views the exhibits after addressing the 65th Session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for the Western Pacific at the Reception Hall of the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Monday (October 13). The Philippines’ hosting of the 65th Session is historically significant considering that after a quarter of a century, another Aquino is addressing the regional committee as President of the Philippines. (MNS photo) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III has instructed the Department of Health (DOH) to ensure public safety as much as it can amid the scramble of several countries to prevent the spread of the Zika virus that is associated with severe birth defects. “The DOH has been instructed by the President to [study] this matter and to [ensure] public safety as much as possible,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Manolo Quezon III said in an interview on state-run dzRB radio on Saturday. Quezon also allayed public fear of the disease saying that the virus is not easily transmittable, and that the DOH is already relatively prepared for the virus should it spread to the country. “Sa aking kaalaman at sa pagkakaintindi ko sa mga briefer at sa mga impormasyon tungkol sa virus na ito, it is not that easily transmittable. “Pangalawa, ang sa aking pagkakaintindi ng mga advisories ng DOH, ang mga precautions dito ay very similar sa precautions against dengue. In other words, ang [pagtuunan] natin dito ‘yung mosquito na nagdadala ng virus na ito,” Quezon Read More …

Assemblymember Rob Bonta (Sacramento, CA) – Today Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) introduced legislation to uncover disparities within California’s diverse Asian Pacific Islander (API) population.  AB 1726, the Accounting for Health and Education in Asian Pacific Islander Demographics Act (AHEAD Act) will track the status of API subgroups with respect to health outcomes and educational achievement. “Despite the general portrayal of APIs as ‘model minorities’, each of our diverse communities has unique social, economic, and educational needs that must be addressed differently,” said Bonta.  “Instead of lumping many API communities together under the catch-all ‘other Asian’ category, the AHEAD Act challenges these stereotypes and identifies API subgroups that are being left behind.” California is home to the nation’s largest Asian American and second largest Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations.  The Census Bureau calculates that each population grew by 34 percent and 29 percent, respectively, between 2000 and 2010. “The population of California is uniquely diverse, especially within the API community. There’s no place on the planet like it,” Bonta said.  “Hmong, Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino, Samoan….There are more than 23 distinct communities within the Asian American population and 19 within the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population.” Despite the diversity of California’s API population, state agencies only report demographic data for a few of the major API communities.  The list includes: Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese, Asian Indian, Laotian, Cambodian, Hawaiian, Guamanian, and Samoan Americans.  By failing to account for a large portion of the API population, California is unable Read More …

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. and National Press Club President Thomas Burr after the Ambassador’s special briefing for NPC members on 27 January 2016 at the Romulo Hall, Philippine Embassy. WASHINGTON, D.C. — “In the past seven decades, the Philippines and the US have seen themselves become treaty allies, strategic partners and close friends. We believe that bilateral relations are truly at their best as they are comprehensive, dynamic and forward-looking,” Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. said in the opening of his special briefing for the members of the National Press Club on 27 January 2016 at the Philippine Embassy. The Ambassador briefed the audience on the outcomes of the recently-concluded 2nd Philippines-US Ministerial Dialogue, the Philippine Supreme Court’s favorable decision on the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), and the Philippines’ position and advocacies on the South China Sea issue, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). “The Philippines and the United States recognize EDCA as a security component of our treaty alliance. It is especially critical to enhancing joint capacities for the provision of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and to increasing the inter-operability of the Philippine and US Armed Forces,” the envoy remarked. Capacity-building efforts form a significant part of Philippines-US defense cooperation. “We appreciate the commitment and assistance of the United States towards enhancing our capacity for maritime domain awareness and maritime security,” Ambassador Cuisia said. ARY News Read More …