Signing of annex draws int’l praise, aid pledges

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Jan 262014
 
Signing of annex draws int’l praise, aid pledges

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, seated left, chairperson of Philippine Government Peace Panel, and Mohagher Iqbal, seated right, chief negotiator for the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), sign documents with Malaysian facilitator Abdul Ghafar Tengku Mohamed, sitting center, as witness, during the 43rd GPH-MILF Exploratory Talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014. AP PHOTO/LAI SENG SIN MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines on Sunday won global praise as well as pledges of support to help in achieving lasting peace and economic development in Mindanao following the signing between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) of the last agreement needed before the conclusion of a final peace accord. Messages of congratulations poured in from nations and international organizations aiding the peace talks a day after the government and the MILF signed the normalization annex of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Switzerland, European Union and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon sent separate statements commending the negotiating panels of the two sides as well as President Aquino and MILF chair Murad Ebrahim for Saturday’s achievement. Ban, in a statement on the UN website, commended Aquino and Murad for their “vision and leadership,” and the peace panels for their “perseverance, commitment and courage” in the peace process. Ban also expressed his “sincere gratitude” to Malaysia for its role as negotiator. “The UN secretary expresses the readiness of the United Nations to accompany the final phase of the peace process and the implementation of Read More …

PH to make representations for arrested OFWs in Malaysia, says diplomat

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Jan 252014
 
PH to make representations for arrested OFWs in Malaysia, says diplomat

By Nikko DizonINQUIRER.net 4:18 pm | Saturday, January 25th, 2014 FILE PHOTO KUALA LUMPUR – A ranking Filipino diplomat in Malaysia on Saturday said the Philippine Embassy would make representations with relevant Malaysian authorities for Filipinos who have been arrested and reportedly maltreated in the crackdown against undocumented workers here. “We will make representations with the relevant Malaysian authorities for everyone,” Consul General Medardo Macaraig told reporters. Macaraig said that the Malaysian government has yet to send the embassy a report on the crackdown that began on Jan. 21. “By report I mean official notification from the Malaysian government,” Macaraig said. He said that the embassy has dispatched another diplomat to Sabah to check on reports that Filipinos have been arrested in the crackdown. So far, the only report received by the embassy was the one involving Resty Rosales, an architect who complained of maltreatment following his arrest in a raid on Tuesday when he failed to show proof of his regular status. Macaraig said Rosales has the proper working documents in Malaysia. Macaraig said that the Filipino community in Sabah remained calm. “We have spoken to the other Filipinos there and the report to me is they are not tense there. They are calm. But this does not mean there is no crackdown,” Macaraig said, adding: “If there is something happening, they would inform us (embassy) and from there we will start our work.” Macaraig said that news reports in Malaysia claimed that there were already some 1,000 illegal immigrants arrested since Tuesday, among Read More …

PH says China’s territory subject to Unclos

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Jan 222014
 
PH says China’s territory subject to Unclos

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 10:02 pm | Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines insisted on Wednesday that under international law, China could not project its power beyond its boundaries, following Beijing’s announcement of fresh sea patrols in disputed parts of the South China Sea. In a statement, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Raul Hernandez invoked the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) to remind China of the limits of its territory. “Under international law, including Unclos, China’s [exclusive economic zone] cannot extend beyond [370 kilometers] measured from the Chinese mainland and Hainan island. Coastal states have sovereign rights over their EEZ,” Hernandez said. Hernandez insisted that China might not project its sovereign rights in the high seas, as provided under international law. “Also under international law there is a high seas area in the South China Sea over which no state can exercise sovereignty,” he said. China announced earlier this week that a 5,000-ton civilian vessel will begin regular patrols in the South China sea to “safeguard national sovereign rights and benefits, develop at-sea assistance, ensure navigational safety.” The announcement followed China’s implementation of a fisheries law requiring foreign vessels to seek approval of Chinese authorities to fish and explore in the South China Sea. The Philippines, which calls the waters within its EEZ West Philippine Sea, is protesting the regulation. Vietnam, which has territorial claims in part of the South China Sea that it Read More …

Aquino urged: Show teeth in implementing child porn law

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Jan 182014
 
Aquino urged: Show teeth in implementing child porn law

By Nestor CorralesINQUIRER.net 3:31 pm | Saturday, January 18th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines—A child welfare party-list group on Saturday urged President Benigno Aquino III to “show teeth” in implementing the Anti-Child Pornography Law in the country. “If President Aquino really wants to end this worst form of abuse against our children and in order to stop the growing cottage industry of child pornography in the country, his administration must show some teeth in strongly implementing the existing child porn law and set an example by convicting culprits and masterminds,” Arlene Brosas, national secretary-general of Akap Bata Sectoral Organization. Akap Bata said the Aquino administration is doing nothing against criminal syndicates behind child pornography operations in the Philippines. The party-list group said that even before the recent report of international task force and agencies has been exposed, online and recorded pornography involving children has been one of the major local concerns that resulted to the passage of the Anti-Child Pornography Law in 2009. Brosas said that compared to other countries, child porn cases in the Philippines will get worse if the government will do nothing significant about the poor justice system and the system of impunity in the country. “Our lacking of an effective system that will protect our own children serves as an open invitation to criminal syndicates and child sex offenders to continue their operations in the country,” Brosas said. Akap Bata also egged on Aquino to resolve poverty as the root cause why children were being dragged to the Read More …

PH to proceed with UN arbitration even without China

 News
Jan 182014
 
PH to proceed with UN arbitration even without China

OVER SEA ROW By Kristine Angeli SabilloINQUIRER.net 2:27 pm | Saturday, January 18th, 2014 DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday reiterated that it would proceed with arbitration procedures on the disputed areas of the South China Sea with or without China. However, DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said it wants China, as much as possible, to join the arbitration. “To this end, we reiterate our invitation to China to join us in arbitration as we intend to proceed with or without China for a final disposition,” Hernandez said in a text message to media. It followed the Chinese foreign ministry’s statement that it wants to meet the Philippines “halfway.” Hernandez also pointed out that the Hainan provincial government’s new fishing policy is only one of the several measures imposed by China on other countries. “Hainan fisheries law is only one of the unilateral measures by China to force a change in the regional status quo in order to advance its 9-dash line position of undisputed  sovereignty over nearly the entire [South China Sea],” Hernandez said in a text message. He said the 9-dash line claim is a “gross violation of international law” that should be “fully addressed.” “In 2011, we had proposed to China that we should proceed with moving forward with our major bilateral agenda while abstracting the contentious issues and dealing with them separately. This became the content of a signed declaration between the Philippines and China’s presidents then. Read More …

PH gov’t mourns passing of Ariel Sharon

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Jan 112014
 
PH gov’t mourns passing of Ariel Sharon

By Kristine Angeli SabilloINQUIRER.net 12:42 pm | Sunday, January 12th, 2014 In this Wednesday Feb. 7, 2001 file photo, Ariel Sharon, then Israel’s Prime Minister-elect, looks up as he touches Judaism holiest site, the Western Wall, in Jerusalem. The son of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says his father has died on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. The 85-year-old Sharon had been in a coma since a debilitating stroke eight years ago. His son Gilad Sharon said: “He has gone. He went when he decided to go.” AP MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Sunday expressed sympathies on the death of former Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. “The Philippines joins the government and people of Israel in mourning the passage of their former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,” DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said in a text message to media. Sharon died on Saturday at the age of 85 at a hospital near Tel Aviv. He was in a coma since suffering a massive stroke in 2006. “He was a bold and vigorous leader in war and in peace. May his important contributions in the quest for peace be long remembered,” Hernandez said. The former prime minister was a controversial leader, both loved and hated by people. His “ruthless methods” as a political and military leader earned him the moniker “The Bulldozer.” RELATED STORIES: Ex-Israel premier Sharon dead Major events in the life of Ariel Sharon Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for Read More …

PH seeks break for exports from ‘Yolanda’-hit areas

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Jan 102014
 
PH seeks break for exports from ‘Yolanda’-hit areas

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia Jr. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines is seeking duty-free access into the United States of export products from “Yolanda”-hit areas to help drive the local economy as devastated provinces began recovery and rehabilitation efforts. Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia Jr. made the remarks at a recent conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, citing the arrangement that the United States had forged with Haiti to bolster the latter’s economy following the devastating 2010 earthquake. “Similar to what the United States did following the Haiti earthquake, the Philippines is looking at possible trade preference for products from Haiyan-affected areas,” Cuisia told a forum on the role of the US military, government and private sector in helping typhoon recovery in the Philippines. In his audience were the US state department, military and aid officials, representatives from nongovernment organizations and corporate donors. Cuisia said the Philippines is “looking at arrangements” to allow duty-free entry of selected goods from Yolanda-hit areas, particularly Central Visayas, “for a limited period of time.” The ambassador also renewed his call for sustained support from the United States and the international community, noting how the Philippine government’s comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation plan, the Reconstruction Assistance on Yolanda plan, still needs some $8.2 billion (about P360.8 billion). Ally, partner “There is much work to be done, and in the spirit of the alliance and partnership we have shared, we continue to count on your Read More …

ILO: More job creation program needed in Yolanda-hit areas

 News
Jan 072014
 
ILO: More job creation program needed in Yolanda-hit areas

TANAUAN, LEYTE Supertyphoon “Yolanda” survivors in this town wait for the distribution of food items from a helicopter in this photo taken two days after Yolanda struck. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOHN CHUA MANILA, Philippines—The International Labor Organization has launched a program aimed at providing emergency employment and sustainable livelihood opportunities in areas devastated by Supertyphoon Yolanda. “Since ‘Yolanda’ (international name Haiyan) struck on 8 November, the ILO supported the Department of Labor and Employment in creating over 20,000 jobs under the emergency employment program,” said Lawrence Jeff Johnson, Director of the ILO Country Office in the Philippines. Johnson said that his organization has reached out to 100,000 people during the initial phase of the rebuilding efforts in 2013. “But more needs to be done to provide access to safe and decent work that includes ensuring minimum wages, sound occupational safety, skills development and social protection in line with national laws,” Johnson said. Aside from guaranteed social security and health insurance, the ILO has equipped its workers with masks, hats, gloves, boots and long sleeved shirts to minimize the risk of disease and injury. Of the estimated 5.9 million jobs lost or suspended due to “Yolanda,” the ILO estimated that 2.6 million were in vulnerable employment and living near the poverty line even before the typhoon. Plea for decent jobs   Workers in vulnerable forms of employment, mostly drivers and operators in Tacloban, called for the prioritization of decent jobs after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” nearly took out the sense of normalcy in the Read More …

Canada pulls out 300 relief personnel from PH

 News
Jan 072014
 
Canada pulls out 300 relief personnel from PH

A Filipino soldier takes a break beside relief goods at the Tacloban airport, in central Philippines on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – Canada’s more than 300 humanitarian relief personnel have pulled out of the country following the completion of their aid mission in areas devastated by typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan). Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) deployed in Panay Island officially wrapped up its humanitarian assistance mission last December 16 followed by the batch by batch departure of 315 Canadian Air Force (CAF) personnel up to the last week of December. Based in Roxas City, DART treated more than 6,500 patients, cleared over 130 kilometers of road, and delivered almost 500,000 liters of purified water and more than 230,000 pounds of food, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement Tuesday. “The DART is a multidisciplinary military organization designed to deploy on short notice anywhere in the world in response to situations ranging from natural disasters to complex humanitarian emergencies,” DFA said. “This was the first time that Canada has engaged in this type of humanitarian action in the country,” it said. More than 10,000 pounds of building materials for homes were also brought by the DART to help residents on Panay Island in rebuilding shelters. Helping the DART throughout their humanitarian relief mission were more than a dozen Filipino-Canadians who served as liaison officers since they knew how to converse with the locals in Filipino. “As such, they provided vital links Read More …

PH gov’t asked to shun US military access amid Tubbataha issue

 News
Jan 042014
 
PH gov’t asked to shun US military access amid Tubbataha issue

By Kristine Angeli SabilloINQUIRER.net 12:31 pm | Sunday, January 5th, 2014 This undated handout photo released on March 30, 2013 by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows the stern of the USS Guardian before being lifted by a boat crane during its salvage operation at Tubbataha reef, in Palawan island, western Philippines. AFP PHOTO/PCG MANILA, Philippines – Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) asked the government on Sunday to abandon military access negotiations with the United States after it was revealed that the US has yet to pay for the damage caused by their ship on the Tubbataha Reef. “The US government has made it abundantly clear that our relations are unequal. It has not paid a single centavo for the destruction caused by the USS Guardian on the Tubbataha Reef. It has made a mockery of our laws,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said in a statement. The group chided the PH government for not aggressively pursuing the damage claims, adding that there were many opportunities to do so, including US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to the country last month. “Why allow the US increased military access to our country when the US clearly disregards the protection of the environment? Why allow de facto basing when these ships pose a threat to the environment? It does not make any sense,” Reyes said. The two countries have started negotiations on a framework agreement for the increased rotational presence of US troops in Philippine soil. It is in line with US Read More …

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