Brunei Darussalam

President Duterte returns from fruitful trip to Brunei — Abella

Oct 142017

MANILA, Oct 7 (Mabuhay) — President Rodrigo Duterte is back from a short but productive trip to Brunei Darussalam, a Malacañang official said Saturday.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that the President personally conveyed his warm greetings to His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah on the occasion of the golden anniversary of his accession to the throne.

Abella said the President also reaffirmed the long and enduring ties between the Philippines and Brunei and renewed the special friendship between the two countries.

Likewise, the occasion had given President Duterte a chance to reaffirm ties with key leaders from within and outside of the region, including Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Moreover, Abella said “The President described His Majesty the Sultan Bolkiah as a friend of the Philippines in the truest and most profound sense…” and that the Brunei ruler has maintained a “principled commitment to the pursuit of just and lasting peace and development in Mindanao.”

Duterte arrived in Davao City at about 1:47 a.m. (MNS)

Phl seeks flexibility on TPP membership

Economy

Nov 102013

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines may seek for flexibility from members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to be allowed to join the trade pact without having to amend the Constitution. “Our problem is we have a limitation in the Constitution that may not meet standards or ambitions of TPP members. We may have to ask for flexibility at some point, if and when they invite us (to be part of the deal) to be able to comply,” Trade secretary Gregory Domingo said in an interview with reporters. Domingo said the constitution’s limits to foreign ownership in certain sectors may not fit with the TPP. “We cannot promise that we will make changes to the Constitution.” President Aquino has been firm in his stand that there is no need to amend the constitution to achieve economic growth. Domingo said it is in the interest of the country to become a member of the TPP as the trade pact is an avenue to get access to markets, primarily the US. “It (TPP) is something we have to engage in. We have no choice because the US is our second largest trading partner and many of our neighbors will become members of TPP. If they have duty-free access, for example, in the US and we don’t, it will really handicap the Philippines and affect us in a significant way,” he said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The TPP, currently being negotiated by 12 countries, aims to establish a free Read More …