PH, Vietnam reaffirm maritime, security ties in Duterte visit

 News
Sep 292016
 
PH, Vietnam reaffirm maritime, security ties in Duterte visit

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, reviews a guard of honor with his Vietnamese counterpart Tran Dai Quang during a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. Duterte js on his first visit to Vietnam. (AP Photo/Minh Hoang, Pool) DAVAO CITY, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said he and Vietnamese President Trần Đại Quang had agreed to adopt a joint measure aimed at ensuring maritime security, particularly in the disputed South China Sea. “We reaffirm commitment to maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and over flight as well as unimpeded commerce in the region, particularly in the South China Sea,” Duterte said in his arrival speech at the Davao International Airport here after his state visit to Vietnam. READ: PH, Vietnam seen to review defense cooperation in Duterte visit He said that he and  Trần, during their meeting in Hanoi, also agreed to “strengthen existing maritime cooperation mechanisms” and “adopt measures to ensure the safety and security of fishermen from both countries.” China has been accused of bullying fishermen from its smaller Asian neighbors such as the Philippines and Vietnam, who venture into the disputed territories. Despite reports of China’s bullying and its perceived threats to other claimants, Duterte said he and Trần agreed that there should be “a peaceful resolution of disputes, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes, self-restraint in the conduct of activities without resorting to a threat or use of force in accordance Read More …

Zika travel advisory issued for PH, 10 other SE Asia countries

 News
Sep 292016
 
Zika travel advisory issued for PH, 10 other SE Asia countries

In this Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016 file photo, a worker from the Ministry of Health sprays mosquito insecticide fog in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a day after two new Zika virus infection cases were detected in the country. On Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, U.S. health officials are advising pregnant women to postpone travel to 11 countries in Southeast Asia because of Zika outbreaks in the region. The advisory targets travel to Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. AP FILE PHOTO NEW YORK — US health officials are advising pregnant women to postpone travel to 11 countries in Southeast Asia because of Zika outbreaks in the region. The advisory issued Thursday targets travel to Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. READ: DOH tells pregnant women: Abstain from sex until after delivery to avoid Zika The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Zika has been in some areas of Southeast Asia for years, and some residents may be immune. But a number of US travelers have become infected there in the last year, so there is a danger to visitors. Most infected people suffer a mild and temporary illness, at worst. But infection during pregnancy can causes severe brain-related birth defects. The virus is spread primarily by bites from infected mosquitoes. READ: IN THE KNOW: Zika virus Latest We were shut out of Bilibid–CHR ‘Abus high in battle’ State opposes Ejercito bid to junk Read More …

Israel Embassy opens book of condolences

 News
Sep 292016
 
Israel Embassy opens book of condolences

The Israeli Embassy said it would open its doors to Filipinos wishing to sign the condolence book for one of the world’s most influential leaders, the late President and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Shimon Peres. Embassy officials said the condolence book would be available beginning Friday to allow Filipinos to express their sympathies on the passing of one of the founding fathers of the State of Israel. The embassy will welcome visitors on Sept. 30 from 9 a.m. to 2 p,m.; and on Oct. 4 and 5 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Israel Embassy is located at Avecshares Center, 1132 University Parkway, North Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. Apart from being the ninth president of Israel and the world’s oldest head of state, Peres served as the state’s prime minister for two non-consecutive terms. His political career spanned nearly 70 years, beginning in the 1940s. He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for his participation as foreign minister in the talks that culminated in the Israel-Jordan peace treaty, which he had initiated with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Latest Duterte rejects talks with Jaybee Sebastian Russia accuses US of nurturing aggressive nuclear strategy Why is Chicago a murder capital? Clues from a bloody month 20 of the best contemporary Spanish cinema at this year’s ‘Pelicula-Pelikula’ Recommended Disclaimer: Comments do not represent the views of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments which are inconsistent with our editorial standards. FULL DISCLAIMER View Read More …

Solar group seeks clarity on FiT award

 Economy
Sep 292016
 

THE Philippine Solar Power Alliance (PSPA) has asked the Department of Energy (DoE) to resolve the issue of over-subscription to the 500-megawatt (MW) installation target set under the past administration as well as persistent questions on how the developers qualified to the guaranteed feed-in-tariff (FiT), its top official said.

Pinoy doc heads hypertension panel

 News
Sep 292016
 
Pinoy doc heads hypertension panel

Filipino cardiologist and Inquirer health columnist Dr. Rafael Castillo has been elected to the executive council of the prestigious International Society of Hypertension (ISH) based in the United Kingdom and will head its communications committee. This was announced by ISH president Dr. Neil Poulter during the society’s biennial congress in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 24-29. ISH, which marks its 50th anniversary this year, is composed of clinicians, scientists and researchers engaged in the prevention, treatment and control of hypertension or high blood pressure. The congress was attended by almost 4,000 delegates from all over the world and was chaired by professor Cheol Ho Kim of South Korea.  ‘Medical Files’ Castillo is the first Filipino elected to ISH’s governing body. He has been writing the column “Medical Files” in the Health/Science section of the Inquirer for over 15 years. He is a past president of the Philippine Heart Association, Philippine College of Cardiology and Philippine Society of Hypertension. He also served as president of the Australia-based Asian Pacific Society of Hypertension. Poulter, well known in the medical community for his landmark researches, said that intensifying campaigns and programs to improve public awareness, treatment and control of hypertension will be ISH’s priority in the next two years of his term. Castillo and his committee will be tasked to come up with an effective communication program to reach out to various populations and international bodies involved in hypertension prevention and control. Latest Duterte rejects talks with Jaybee Sebastian Russia accuses US of Read More …

Duterte pitches PH to Vietnamese traders

 News
Sep 292016
 
Duterte pitches PH to Vietnamese traders

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 …

Yasay: PH, Vietnam agree on code of conduct

 News
Sep 292016
 
Yasay: PH, Vietnam agree on code of conduct

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, right, attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Monument of National Heroes and Martyrs in Hanoi, Vietnam, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. AP HANOI—Officials of the Philippines and Vietnam have agreed to fast-track the finalization and implementation of a code of conduct (COC) to ease tensions in the South China Sea. Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said claims to the disputed territories was one of the topics of discussion in President Duterte’s talks with Vietnamese leaders during his two-day official visit here. Both the Philippines and Vietnam claim parts of the South China Sea, which is being claimed in its entirety by China. Yasay said the position of both countries on the handling of the dispute was “convergent” and that “there is no conflict.” “We’ve agreed like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which the Philippines and Vietnam are members, to respect the rule of law, international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas,” Yasay said. “Together we agreed to fully implement the Declaration of Conduct that was signed by all Asean members in 2002, and to proceed on a fast track with the coming out of a COC,” he said. Yasay made the statement in a press briefing on Thursday after Mr. Duterte’s meeting with top Vietnamese leaders. During his conversation with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, Mr. Duterte explained the necessity for the Philippines to have bilateral talks with China on the territorial dispute. For its part, Vietnam pushed Read More …

Duterte tells US, other critics to stop the hypocrisy

 News
Sep 292016
 
Duterte tells US, other critics to stop the hypocrisy

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 …

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