PH recommends peacekeepers stay in Golan

 News
Jul 312013
 
PH recommends peacekeepers stay in Golan

Associated Press 3:08 pm | Wednesday, July 31st, 2013 An old tank is surrounded by fire following explosions of mortar shells from Syria on the Israeli controlled Golan Heights. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ top diplomat says he has reversed an earlier recommendation to the president and now wants about 340 Filipino peacekeepers to stay in the Golan Heights for at least six months after the UN promised to bolster their safety. Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told a news conference in Manila on Wednesday that UN officials assured him in a recent meeting in New York that they would fulfill three conditions laid down by the Philippine government, including providing the peacekeepers with more self-defense weapons. Del Rosario asked President Benigno Aquino III in May to withdraw the peacekeepers from Golan due to escalating hostilities between Syrian rebels and government troops in the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone that separates Syria from the Israeli-occupied plateau. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Features , Filipino peacekeepers , Global Nation , Golan Heights , United Nations Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Advocate: c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague Read More …

PH warship test fires guns off Zambales; BRP Ramon Alcaraz due Friday

 News
Jul 312013
 
PH warship test fires guns off Zambales; BRP Ramon Alcaraz due Friday

By Frances MangosingINQUIRER.net 3:02 pm | Wednesday, July 31st, 2013 PH’S 2ND WARSHIP The BRP Ramon Alcaraz. PHOTO FROM TWITTER ACCOUNT OF PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN US MANILA, Philippines – The country’s warship, BRP Gregorio del Pilar, successfully test fired its guns off Zambales last Monday, a navy official said Wednesday. The naval drill was held as the Navy prepares to welcome the arrival in the Philippines of BRP Gregorio del Pilar’s sister ship, BRP Ramon Alcaraz. Navy spokesman Lieutenant Commander Gregory Fabic told reporters that the gunnery test of its Oto Melara 76mm main gun hit a floating “killer tomato” located two nautical miles away within five rounds. He added that BRP Gregorio del Pilar is near the Subic area to welcome the country’s second warship, BRP Ramon Alcaraz, which is due to arrive on August 2. Fabic, however, clarified that the test firing was not a show of force against China. The Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal), a disputed territory between China and Philippines, is located 124 nautical miles west of Zambales. He described the guns, the primary weapon of del Pilar, as “excellent.” The Oto Melara 76mm gun has a range of up to 10 nautical miles, and can fire up to 80 rounds in 60 seconds. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers Read More …

Widening gap between rural, urban wages explained

 Economy
Jul 302013
 
Widening gap between rural, urban wages explained

MANILA, Philippines – Experts on political economy have warned that the wide disparity in rural and urban wages remained a roadblock to achieving inclusive, broad-based development, despite the country’s 7.8 percent growth in first quarter. This is the essence of the first in a series of roundtable discussions organized by the Angara Centre for Law and Economics, dubbed Taking the Philippine Economy to the Next Level: Promoting Inclusive Regional Development, which was held yesterday at Malcolm Hall, College of Law, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. The event was topbilled by internationally-recognized political economist, Dr John C Nye, Frederic Bastiat chairman in Political Economy at the Mercatus Center, George Mason University, and research director at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. Dr Nye observed that the Philippines’ overall ratio of rural-urban wage gap at 67 percent remained constant over the last decade. There are higher ratios when skilled and unskilled workers are considered separately. Areas with a high share of agriculture have the lowest relative wages, the study revealed. There is a pressing need to even out the rural-urban wage gap, which calls on the Aquino administration to take a hard look at differences in labor policies between commercial industries and rural labor. The paper pointed out that urban workers actually earn slightly less in real terms than rural workers when relative prices are considered. Despite the higher cost of living in urban centers, there are compensating factors that can explain why people flock to already-congested cities. These are Read More …

Aquino, Abe vow common stand vs China

 News
Jul 272013
 
Aquino, Abe vow common stand vs China

3:11 am | Sunday, July 28th, 2013 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, delivers his response during a joint press conference with President Benigno Aquino III Saturday at Malacañan Palace in Manila. AP MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino III and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday pledged to pursue a common stance against maritime aggression in the Asian region amid their growing territorial disputes with China. “We reviewed the security challenges that confront our nations and pledged to cooperate in advancing our common advocacy for responsible action from international players,” said Mr. Aquino, reading from a prepared statement following his meeting with Abe. The Philippines has an ongoing maritime dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), while Japan is locked in a sovereignty row over the islands called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China. In their statements, however, neither President Aquino nor Abe mentioned China by name. In line with this strategic partnership, the two agreed to strengthen “maritime cooperation, which is a pillar of our strategic partnership,” according to Mr. Aquino. He thanked Japan for building 10 “multi-role response vessels” for the Philippine Coast Guard and providing communication systems for coast patrol through a yen credit facility. Strategic interests Abe, reading from his own prepared statement, described the Philippines as a “strategic partner with whom we share fundamental values and many strategic interests.” He said he intended to attach particular importance to Japan’s relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), adding that Read More …

Bill liberalizing entry of foreign vessels in PH filed

 News
Jul 242013
 
Bill liberalizing entry of foreign vessels in PH filed

By Leila B. SalaverriaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 6:55 pm | Wednesday, July 24th, 2013 Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—After President Benigno Aquino III pushed for the amendment of the cabotage law in his State of the Nation Address, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez filed a measure to liberalize the entry of foreign vessels in the country and to allow them to engage in coastwise trade. Rodriguez, in his bill, said the country’s current cabotage principle reserving coastwise trade for national flag carriers has given rise to inefficiency because local operators have cornered the market. “The cabotage policy limits competition and encourages inefficiency among local vessel operators since foreign vessels are not allowed to pick-up local cargo for delivery to another port within the Philippines. Local vessel operators are not forced to compete in terms of freight coast and service quality with international vessel operators,” he said in his explanatory note to the bill. This foreign trade barrier must be lifted, he added. Foreign-owned vessels should be allowed to ship export and import cargoes under the same rules and regulations covering domestic shipping companies, and they should be allowed to dock at any port in the country, he said. This would bring about a host of benefits for the country, he said. Domestic tourism would receive a boost, and port revenues would increase. Shipping companies would also offer more competitive fees. Foreign vessels would also be able to provide the transshipment services needed by local Read More …

2 SoKor airline pilots fined for violating air traffic regulations – CAAP

 News
Jul 242013
 
2 SoKor airline pilots fined for violating air traffic regulations – CAAP

6:41 pm | Wednesday, July 24th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has penalized two pilots of a South Korean airline for violating air traffic regulations. Fined US$1,000 each were two pilots of an Air Busan Co. Ltd aircraft for violations of Philippine Civil Aviation Regulation (PCAR) Parts 10.1.1.6 on operation requirements and Part 8.8.2.2 on air traffic control clearances. The CAAP, in a statement issued Tuesday, did not identify the pilots but according to the agency’s flight operations department, the offense on October 6, 2013, was “busting altitude” or the unauthorized deviation from an assigned height. Like other air traffic regulators worldwide, the CAAP assigns altitude limits for aircraft to prevent midair collisions. The decision finding the pilots liable for violating the PCAR was recommended by safety inspectors Rizal Ventura and Alfredo Juliano who investigated the incident. The CAAP said the flight operations department  has been placed under investigation for “various violations” of the PCAR. Air Busan is a subsidiary of Asiana Airlines. Air Busan operates flights from Cebu City to Busan, South Korea’s second largest city. RELATED STORIES CAAP passes ICAO audit—Abaya   Training to focus on wet runway landings, ‘go-arounds’   CAAP to seek lifting of ban on PH carriers   Plane’s locator failed during Masbate crash Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to Read More …

Pals raising fund to repatriate Pampanga nurse slain in US

 News
Jul 242013
 
Pals raising fund to repatriate Pampanga nurse slain in US

By Tonette OrejasInquirer Central Luzon 6:32 pm | Wednesday, July 24th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines–The friends of a Filipino nurse who was shot and killed Saturday as he rode his car to work in Memphis, Tennessee, began raising money to bring his remains back to the Philippines, his aunt in Angeles City said on Wednesday. Angelina Geronimo said the body of her nephew, Eraño Catap Santos, 33, could not yet be brought home because the investigation has yet to be completed. “There are no suspects yet,” Geronimo said of the probe in the United States. A report from ABC News Radio (http://abcnewsradioonline.com/memphis-news/) cited witnesses as telling investigators that Santos “was shot during a physical altercation” in the parking lot of the Stonebridge Crossing Apartments. The report said Santos’ vehicle was seized. Geronimo said Santos’ friends are raising $10,000 (P432,200) to bring him home for a burial in Angeles City. Santos, a bachelor and the youngest of four siblings who were orphaned at an early age, started working in Tennessee in May last year. “He was kind, quiet and had many friends,” Geronimo said. RELATED STORIES OFW remittances up by 6% to $2B in April 3 OFWs come forward to complain of abuse  Solon wants PH, Taiwan to make up for OFWs’ sake Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart Read More …

US military officers in PH for series of talks

 News
Jul 232013
 
US military officers in PH for series of talks

By Frances MangosingINQUIRER.net 6:01 pm | Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – Ranking United States military officers are in the country for a series of Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) talks. The contingent from the US is led by Major General Gregg Sturdevant, chief of Strategic Planning Policy (J5) of US Pacific Command. “Dumating sila dito para makipag-meeting execom [executive committee] para planuhin yung mga activities na gagawin next year,” Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo, when asked to confirm about the visit of the US officials. (“They arrived here for execom meeting to plan out next year’s activities,” Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo, when asked to confirm about the visit of the US officials.) Gazmin said the talks will tackle humanitarian activities and military drills between US and Philippines including Balikatan, which is usually planned one year ahead. Both the delegates of the PH-US will participate in the talks at Camp Aguinaldo from Wednesday until Friday. RELATED STORIES:   US Secretary of the Navy meets with PH defense, military officials   ‘Rebalancing’ of US forces in PH tackled by Gazmin, US defense official     Bigger US military role in Philippines sought   Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Defense Read More …

PH expects to be lifted from US air blacklist

 News
Jul 182013
 
PH expects to be lifted from US air blacklist

Agence France-Presse 7:52 pm | Thursday, July 18th, 2013 FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines expects to be removed from a US air safety blacklist this year, opening a lucrative market for its carriers, an aviation regulator said Thursday. John Andrews, deputy director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), said he was very confident the upgrade would occur following a similar decision by the European Union last week. “We’re going to make it. (It’s) as simple as that,” Andrews told AFP in an interview. The US Federal Aviation Administration said in 2008 that the Philippines was failing to comply with international safety standards, and banned its airlines from expanding services to the United States. The European Union banned all Philippine carriers from flying to Europe in 2010 for similar reasons. Reforms put in place since then, including a law creating a new aviation regulator, the CAAP, allowed the Philippines to satisfy the concerns of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in February. This led to the EU’s decision last week to allow Philippine Airlines to begin flying into its airspace. The EU said it was reviewing the case of other Filipino carriers. Andrews said he expected US aviation regulators to make similar findings when it carried out an audit before the end of the year. He said Filipino regulators had addressed safety concerns by physically tracking down every aircraft registered in the Philippines and getting their owners to submit documentation. This was to make sure the Read More …

SC urged to issue opinion on bid to let US, allies to use PH bases

 News
Jul 082013
 
SC urged to issue opinion on bid to let US, allies to use PH bases

By Tetch Torres-TupasINQUIRER.net 3:35 pm | Monday, July 8th, 2013 Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Fisherfolk group on Monday urged Justice Secretary Leila De Lima to issue a legal opinion that puts question on the constitutionality of the proposal to allow the US government and other military allies of the Philippines to use military bases across the country. In a three-page letter to De Lima dated July 8, members of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) through its Vice Chairperson Salvador France and Peter Gonzalez, Chairperson-Southern Tagalog said they believe the Justice Department is “constitutionally, politically and morally obliged to issue a legal opinion that questions the legality of such proposal. “We ask the honourable chief of the justice department to break her silence and tell the people in Malacañang that the proposal to give greater access to US, Japan and other junior partners of Washington DC for rated-A military intervention and aggression all over the country is a flagrant violation of the 1987 Constitution and grand affront to the sovereign rights of more than 100-million Filipinos,” they said in their letter. President Benigno Aquino III defended the plan to give the US and Japan access to the former US bases in the Philippines. The government has dismissed report that the Philippines is planning to build new air and naval bases that US forces could use to counter China’s creeping presence in the West Philippine Sea. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on Read More …

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