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 …

Binay skips UNA rallies to lead PH exhibit of pre-colonial art in Paris

 News
Apr 102013
 
Binay skips UNA rallies to lead PH exhibit of pre-colonial art in Paris

By Jerry E. Esplanada Philippine Daily Inquirer 9:57 pm | Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Vice President Jejomar Binay had no choice but skip several United Nationalist Alliance campaign sorties this week for representing President Benigno Aquino III in the April 8 opening of the “Philippines: Archipel des Exchanges (or Archipelago of Exchanges),” the country’s first-ever grand culture exhibit in Paris, the world’s cultural capital. Binay “opened (on Monday) the exhibit at the Musee du Qua Branly,” or the Branly musuem in the French capital, said the Department of Foreign Affairs. Citing a report from the Philippine embassy in the French capital, the DFA said on Wednesday the exhibit has been featuring “more than 300 essential works of pre-colonial Filipino art selected from both public and private collections in the Philippines, Europe and the United States.” The event will run from April 9 to July 14, 2013, according to the mission. The embassy quoted Binay as having thanked the French government for the “opportunity to showcase the Philippines’ pre-colonial art in the Branly museum.” “We are proud to share with France and the rest of the world our collection of pre-colonial  art, including four of our priceless national treasures and more than 300 ancient artifacts assembled from public and private collections, giving a glimpse of the Filipino soul in ancient times and the diversity and richness of Philippine culture and tradition,” he said. In his remarks during the exhibit opening rites, Binay pointed Read More …

PH to probe ‘secret’ Marcos offshore trust

 News
Apr 042013
 
PH to probe ‘secret’ Marcos offshore trust

Agence France-Presse 5:15 pm | Thursday, April 4th, 2013 Imee Marcos. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine government said Thursday it planned to investigate an allegation that the eldest daughter of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was the beneficiary of a secret offshore trust. A report published by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) alleged Imee Marcos, 57, now a provincial governor, had failed to declare the British Virgin Islands trust as legally required. Andres Bautista, head of a presidential body tasked to recover the billions of dollars the Marcos family stole from government coffers during the patriarch’s 20-year rule, told AFP his office would look into the allegations. “We are duty bound to investigate and, depending upon informed preliminary findings, decide whether to pursue the matter,” Bautista said. A popular uprising topped Marcos in 1986, and he died in US exile three years later. His famously extravagant wife, Imelda, has always denied she and her husband were corrupt. The Presidential Commission on Good Government, which Bautista heads, has recovered $4 billion in assets that the Marcos illegally acquired, including from Swiss bank accounts and US properties. But Bautista told AFP in January that, with Imee, Imelda and Ferdinand Jr. having re-established political influence in the Philippines, the commission was considering giving up on the chase for the billions more believed to be hidden. “It’s been 26 years and people you are after are back in power. At some point, you just have to say, ‘We’ve done our best’, and Read More …

US Reiterates Commitment to Address Grounding of USS Guardian, Full Cooperation on Independent Probe by PH

 Entertainment
Apr 032013
 

WASHINGTON DC (2 April 2013) – Reiterating Washington’s apology over the grounding of the USS Guardian, Secretary of State John F. Kerry today assured Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario that the United States will cooperate with the Philippines in addressing issues related to the damage caused by the incident on Tubbataha Reef. “Secretary […]

US backs PH tack in sea row

 News
Apr 032013
 
US backs PH tack in sea row

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 6:49 am | Thursday, April 4th, 2013 Secretary of State John Kerry. AP FILE PHOTO Citing the importance of peace and stability in Asia-Pacific region, the United States has thrown its full support behind the Philippines’ bid for arbitration in the United Nations to settle a territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). In remarks before talks with Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario in Washington on Tuesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated his government’s support for a code of conduct in the West Philippine Sea, home to vital sea lanes and islands believed to be sitting on vast energy and mineral reserves. “The Philippines is one of our five Asia-Pacific allies and a very, very important relationship at this point in time when there are tensions over the South China Sea, where we support a code of conduct, and we are deeply concerned [about] some of those tensions and would like to see it worked out through a process of arbitration,” Kerry told reporters at the US Department of State. A transcript of his remarks was posted on the department’s website. The West Philippine Sea dispute has long been a matter of keen interest for Kerry who, as senator, “was a moving force” behind a resolution in the US Senate seeking a peaceful settlement of disputes in those waters, Del Rosario said after his meeting with the new top US diplomat. Kerry replaced former State Secretary Hillary Clinton, Read More …

US backs PH bid for arbitration on West Philippine Sea row

 News
Apr 022013
 
US backs PH bid for arbitration on West Philippine Sea row

By Tarra QuismundoINQUIRER.net 10:03 am | Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013 Secretary of State John Kerry. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The United States has thrown its full support behind the Philippines’ bid to settle disputes with China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) through arbitration as the country’s long-time defense ally underscored its importance as a partner in the Asia-Pacific. In remarks before talks with Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario in Washington D.C. Tuesday morning (US time), Secretary of State John Kerry also reiterated his government’s support for a code of conduct in the disputed waters, a critical international sea lane. “The Philippines is one of our five Asia-Pacific allies and a very, very important relationship at this point in time when there are tensions over the South China Sea, where we support a code of conduct, and we are deeply concerned [about] some of those tensions and would like to see it worked out through a process of arbitration,” said Kerry in remarks before media at the US State Department. Del Rosario said Kerry expounded on this during their meeting and “emphasized the importance the United States gives to maintaining peace and stability in the area.” “More importantly, Secretary Kerry assured me that the US is committed to supporting the efforts of the Philippines to settle the disputes peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law,” said Manila’s top diplomat. Del Rosario’s meeting with Kerry in Washington is the first for the two officials since Read More …

PH asks Malaysia to exercise maximum tolerance on sultan’s followers

 News
Mar 042013
 
PH asks Malaysia to exercise maximum tolerance on sultan’s followers

By Matikas Santos INQUIRER.net 3:02 pm | Monday, March 4th, 2013 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines has asked the Malaysian government to exercise maximum tolerance in dealing with members of the Sultanate of Sulu’s “Royal Army” that figured in a weeks-long standoff in Sabah that turned violent last week. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Spokesman Raul Hernandez told reporters Monday that Secretary Albert Del Rosario had met anew with Malaysian Ambassador Mohammad Zamri bin Mohammad Kassim and had handed over a note verbale. “The note verbale states that the governments of the Philippines and Malaysia both value the lives of their citizens and share the same objective of preventing further loss of lives and further bloodshed,” Hernandez said “In this light the Philippine government has called on the forces of the royal sultanate of Sulu led by Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram to surrender peacefully,” he added. Hernandez said Del Rosario was set to fly to Kuala Lumpur to personally hand over the requests of the Philippine government to his counterpart in Malaysia, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman. The Philippines was requesting clearance to allow a Philippine Navy ship to dock and bring humanitarian and consular aid to Filipinos. He also reiterated the Philippines’ request for a full briefing on the operations carried out by Malaysian authorities against Kiram’s group.

PH to royal army: Leave Sabah, then we’ll talk

 Entertainment
Mar 012013
 
PH to royal army: Leave Sabah, then we’ll talk

President Benigno S. Aquino III distributes baller bands to Liberal Party (LP) members and supporters from the Province of Misamis Oriental after attending the Meeting with Local Leaders and the Community at the Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Complex in Velez St., Cagayan de Oro City on Tuesday (February 26). (MNS photo) MANILA, Feb 27 (Mabuhay) -– The Philippine government will not hold talks on the Sabah issue unless the Sultanate of Sulu recalls its followers who have been holed up in Sabah for two weeks already, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Raul Hernandez said on Wednesday. Hernandez appealed anew to Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to order his followers to leave Sabah and go back to Mindanao. “We believe that the ball is now in Kiram’s court and they should be concerned for the well-being and safety of the followers in Lahad Datu. As a responsible leader, we expect Sultan Kiram to now order his men to leave the area,” Hernandez said. “The Kirams are inviting a harsh reaction from the Malaysian side. In order to settle this peacefully and expeditiously, the followers of the sultanate should leave the area as soon as possible.” The situation in Sabah remains deadlocked, with both the Philippine government and the Sultanate of Sulu insisting on their conditions. The sultanate, citing numerous historical accounts and rental receipts from the Malaysian government, said the Sultanate of Sulu is the rightful owner of the land. The followers in Sabah, led by crown prince Datu Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, said Read More …

PH maids in HK seek direct hiring as recruitment agencies demand placement fees

 News
Feb 262013
 

By Tina G. Santos Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:45 pm | Tuesday, February 26th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong want the Philippine government to lift the ban on the direct hiring of Filipino domestic workers abroad. According to a statement from the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (Unifil), Filipino household service workers in the territory will troop Wednesday, to the Philippine Consulate General to express their demand. The United Filipinos in Hong Kong (Unifil-Migrante-HK), the organization leading the picket protest, stated that returning the direct hiring as an option to remove a threat to the livelihood of Filipino domestic workers, especially those processing their papers now. This demand by Filipino domestic workers comes at a time when recruitment agencies from Hong Kong and the Philippines are fighting over the placement fees being charged to the Filipino domestic workers. According to Unifil, the Philippines-based recruitment agencies want the Philippine government to allow them to charge the workers placement fees while letting the Hong Kong-based agencies to determine fees on their own. “In the middle of this still-unresolved ‘brawl,’ Filipino domestic workers are being wrongfully blamed and used as scapegoats by agencies, especially those based in HK. Such baseless accusations are only fodder for the anti-migrant sentiments being fanned by many entities in Hong Kong,” it added. Recently, the Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines (SHARP), the Philippines-based agencies, imposed a moratorium on sending domestic workers to Hong Kong as it complained of the overly strict and Read More …

PH senior diplomat off to KL to iron out Sabah problem

 News
Feb 262013
 
PH senior diplomat off to KL to iron out Sabah problem

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:27 pm | Tuesday, February 26th, 2013 Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.NET FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs has sent a senior diplomat to Kuala Lumpur to coordinate efforts with the Malaysian authorities toward the speedy resolution of the Sabah standoff as the situation dragged on into its third week. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jose Brillantes is now in the Malaysian capital to help the Philippine Embassy there in expediting the resolution of the situation in Sabah, where followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III continue to stand their ground despite repeated appeals from the Philippine government for them to pull out. “We see that at this point in time, there would be a need for more people who would be able to help out in the coordination work….  He’s there to help Ambassador (Eduardo Malaya) to help in coordinating the  peaceful resolution of this issue in Lahad Datu,” DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said at a news briefing Tuesday. “Being a senior diplomat and being a former ambassador (to) Malaysia, he will also have some contacts and he would be able to coordinate well with the Malaysian authorities to be able to achieve the objectives to bring the group back home,” said Hernandez. He reiterated the Philippine government’s appeal for Kiram’s group to return home peacefully. “We don’t want to put them in harm’s way. And we believe the Kiram family are concerned about the welfare and interest of the Read More …

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