DFA grants visa-free privilege to 7 countries

 News
Apr 152014
 
DFA grants visa-free privilege to 7 countries

By Matikas SantosINQURER.net 6:32 pm | Tuesday, April 15th, 2014 Department of Foreign Affairs building INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Tuesday that it has granted visa-free privileges to seven countries allowing their nationals to enter Philippines for 30 days. “Effective today, April 15, nationals of seven (7) additional countries will now enjoy visa-free privilege to enter the Philippines for a period of stay of 30 days,” DFA said in a statement. “These countries are Belize, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan,” it said. The granting of visa-free privilege is seen to promote tourism and investments from the countries. “The [countries] have been emerging as key players in the international economic community and which have growing bilateral ties with the Philippines,” DFA said. “The DFA fully supports national efforts to attract more tourists and potential investors to the Philippines. In particular, the DFA, through its various embassies and consulates abroad, has been playing an active role in helping the Department of Tourism reach its target of 10 million foreign tourist arrivals by 2015,” DFA Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, said in the statement. The DFA also announced that it has removed the visa-free privilege of Somalia putting back the need for Somalis to apply for a visa at Philippine Embassies or consulates. A list of all countries with visa-free privilege, now numbering 157, is available at the DFA website at https://www.dfa.gov.ph/index.php/site-administrator/visa-information. RELATED STORY Visa-free entry for Indian nationals Follow Us Other Stories: Japan mulls no Read More …

Palace: Gov’t to ensure aviation upgrade to be sustained

 Entertainment
Apr 152014
 
Palace: Gov’t to ensure aviation upgrade to be sustained

President Benigno S. Aquino III inspects the security arrangements and facilities at the domestic departure area, Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City on Thursday (October 31) to ensure the safety of the passengers during the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day following the launching of DOTC’s Undas 2013 “Oplan Ligtas Biyahe.” (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – After the country regained the much-coveted Category 1 status from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Malacañang on Saturday assured the public that the government will ensure that the Philippine aviation upgrade will be sustained. In an interview aired on government-run dzRB, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the FAA will observe the country for the next two years “at sisiguraduhin na magiging mahigpit ‘yung ating pagsubabay doon sa mga guideline.” “Sinisigurado din naman po ng ating pamahalaan na hindi na po tayo magkaroon ng mga SSC, or ‘yung tinatawag po nilang Significant Safety Concern. So, may dalawang taon po tayo para ipagpatuloy po ‘yung ating mga hakbang  at masiguradong hindi na po tayo mabalik sa Category 2,” she added. On Thursday, the FAA said the Philippines has complied with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). “With the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 rating, the Republic of the Philippines’ air carriers can add flights and service to the United States and carry the code of US carriers,” it said. It said the return to Category 1 status is Read More …

Japan mulls no visa rule for Filipinos

 News
Apr 152014
 
Japan mulls no visa rule for Filipinos

INQUIRER.net 5:16 pm | Tuesday, April 15th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines – Talks are underway to finally lift the tough visa requirements for Filipinos to visit Japan, a report said Wednesday. Kyodo News reported that the Japanese government and its ruling coalition “are making arrangements” to waive the visa requirements for its visitors from Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. The lifting of the visa is part of the country’s “revised action plan due in June to make Japan a tourism-oriented country,” Kyodo News said quoting government sources. The measure also aims to increase Japan’s annual tourist arrivals to 20 million as the country prepares for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the report said. The Japanese Embassy in Manila has yet to confirm the report. Japanese visa is known to be among the toughest to get for Filipino tourists in light of Japan’s strict requirements and screening process. The Japanese government has eased its visa policy for Southeast Asian countries last year by only issuing multiple-entry tourist visas to Filipinos. Previously, multiple-entry visas only cater to those visiting Japan due to commercial reasons,  artists and specialists (athletes, professors and government officials), and immediate family members of Japan residents. RELATED STORY Japan now issuing multiple-entry visas to Filipinos Follow Us Other Stories: South Korea, Japan to hold talks on comfort women Hiroo Onoda: Hero or villain? US to China: We will protect Philippines Japan envoy apologizes to PH for WW2 Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; Read More …

PHL to review export policy on firearms following US state senator's smuggling case

 News
Apr 142014
 
PHL to review export policy on firearms following US state senator's smuggling case

No firearms had been shipped out of the Philippines around the time US State Senator Leland Yee was said to be smuggling firearms from the country to the US, according to the Bureau of Customs. Just the same, reports of the supposed smuggling of firearms have prompted the BOC to review existing procedures in the exportation and importation of such weapons in the Philippines. “Wala kaming findings of declared (firearms shipment) nung time na iyon, supposedly out of Mindanao lumabas yung guns. Nag-check kami doon sa aming port collectors sa Cagayan de Oro as well as other ports, walang ni-report, walang dineclare na exports of firearms at the time,” BOC Commissioner John Philip Sevilla said on Monday. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Yee was part of a conspiracy to deal firearms without a license. The firearms were supposed to be sourced from a separatist group in the Philippines. Yee was arrested in March on charges of corruption and alleged conspiracy to illegally trade in firearms. The FBI also claims that Yee has associates in the Philippines “trying to overthrow the current government.” “Ngayon, ang pinapa-check namin is ano ba yung mga existing procedures ngayon regardless of what port para masiguro natin na… hindi rin nakakalabas ng Pilipinas yung contraband,” Sevilla said. Sevilla admitted that the government is “focused” more on monitoring the importation rather than exportation of products in the Philippines. “This is a good reminder na ito pwede ring magkaroon ng illegal activity pagpalabas ng products,” Read More …

PH case vs China a model for int’l sea disputes

 News
Apr 122014
 
PH case vs China a model for int’l sea disputes

This undated handout photo taken by the Philippine Navy and released April 11, 2012, by the Department of Foreign Affairs shows Chinese surveillance ships off Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista on Monday, Feb. 24, 2014, accused China’s Coast Guard of firing water cannon at Filipino fishermen last month to drive them away from Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. AFP FILE PHOTO The Philippines’ case against China in the United Nations arbitral tribunal would be the country’s contribution to international maritime jurisprudence, setting an example of legal remedies that smaller nations could seek instead of submitting to lopsided negotiations with bigger countries, according to the Philippine ambassador to the United States. Speaking at a gathering of businessmen in Makati City on Friday, Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. asserted the Philippines’ right to seek international arbitration in the face of Chinese incursions into the West Philippine Sea, the part of the South China Sea within the country’s exclusive economic zone. “This arbitration case would be a model or an example for other smaller states in a similar situation to consider the dispute settlement mechanism under the Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) as a way of resolving disputes in a peaceful manner,” Cuisia said.   First of its kind “The arbitration case itself is the Philippines’ contribution to further strengthening Unclos… As the Philippine arbitration case against China is the first of its kind, the proceedings and its subsequent outcome would Read More …

Defense accord with US a ‘security cover’ for PH

 News
Apr 122014
 
Defense accord with US a ‘security cover’ for PH

US President Barack Obama (right) and President Aquino MALACAÑANG FILE PHOTO The new defense agreement the Philippines and the United States could sign on or before the visit of US President Barack Obama later this month is designed as a “security cover” for the Philippines amid the changing security landscape in the region. This is how a ranking government official privy to the talks described to the Inquirer the “Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation” that gives, among other things, a boost to the minimum defense capability posture of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “It’s more for deterrence, a security cover for the Philippines,” said the official, who requesting anonymity for lack of authority to speak to reporters. “We are taking our neighbors into account as well,” the official added, without referring to  China with which the Philippines is locked in a bitter territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea, the part of the South China within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone. The United States has openly challenged China’s claim to 90 percent of the 3.5-square-kilometer South China Sea and sided with the Philippines as well as Japan in the territorial disputes. Japan and China are both claiming ownership of the Senkaku Islands (called Diaoyu Islands by China) in the East China Sea. According to the official, the draft agreement does not yet spell out how exactly the US military could boost the AFP’s capability, but “we are headed toward that.” The official noted that the press statement released Read More …

PHL aims for US defense deal before Obama visit

 News
Apr 122014
 
PHL aims for US defense deal before Obama visit

The Philippines said Friday it hopes to complete a new defense accord with the United States ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama this month, as a territorial dispute with China simmers. The chief Philippine negotiator, defense undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, said in a statement the latest round of discussions about an increased US military presence in the country was “very productive”. “This round brought us much closer to finding full consensus and the draft provisions on key points of an enhanced defense cooperation will be submitted to the president for his review,” Batino said. Philippine negotiators on Friday said the eighth round of talks on a proposed military agreement had seen both sides “finding consensus on key points of a draft”. The agreement proposes allowing more US troops, aircraft, and ships to pass through the Philippines, as well as storing equipment in this country that could help mobilize American forces faster – particularly in the case of natural disasters. The accord would provide “critical and timely support to the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (and the) achievement of the country’s minimum credible defense posture,” Batino’s statement said. The deal would not allow the US military to “establish a permanent military presence or base” or bring nuclear weapons into the country, in line with the Philippine Constitution. The proposed agreement could be signed before President Obama visits the Philippines this month, a foreign department spokesman said. “We aim to conclude the negotiations before the Obama visit,” Read More …

Palace dares solon: Prove reward for Tiamzon couple's arrest was skimmed

 News
Apr 112014
 
Palace dares solon: Prove reward for Tiamzon couple's arrest was skimmed

Malacañang on Saturday challenged a lawmaker to substantiate his claims that some government officials may have pocketed part of the reward money for the capture of top officials of the Communist Party of the Philippines. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte questioned the basis of Bayan Muna Rep. Isagani Zarate in claiming secretaries Voltaire Gazmin (defense) and Manuel Roxas II (interior) may have kept part of the money. “We don’t know what the basis is for that and I have not seen the good congressman make any statement (kung) ano ang basehan at ano ba yan,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. “We’re certain that is not true,” she added. A report on Manila Standard Today had quoted Zarate as saying the two secretaries may have kept almost half of the reward money for the arrest of Wilma and Benito Tiamzon. Zarate claimed documents from the Defense and Interior Departments showed the bounty for the Tiamzon couple was pegged at P10 million each, or P20 million total. But he claimed the Armed Forces of the Philippines “understated” the amount and said the reward collected was P11.52 million, or P5.6 million per head. Zarate said Gazmin and Roxas have been quiet about the AFP’s understated funds for reward money. “This involves a total of P41.45 million, of which amount, the AFP claimed to have collected only some P22.4 million. So where is the rest of the reward money?” he said. — Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News 

Envoy: US to stand by PHL amid ‘threats’

 Entertainment
Apr 112014
 
Envoy: US to stand by PHL amid ‘threats’

President Benigno S. Aquino III troops the line during the 72nd commemoration of the Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) at the Dambana ng Kagitingan, Mt. Samat Shrine in Pilar, Bataan on Wednesday (April 09, 2014). This year’s theme is “Balik-Tanaw sa Sakripisyo ng Beterano, Gabay sa Landas ng Pagbabago”. (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The United States on Wednesday reiterated its commitment to stand by the Philippines, its long-time ally, in the face of threats –  a statement that could have extra meaning in light of recent developments in the territorial dispute between Manila and Beijing. “As treaty allies, when the Philippines faces threats or natural disasters, so do we,” said US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg during his speech at the commemoration of the Araw ng Kagitingan in Bataan. Goldberg did not mention specific threats, but his speech came at the time of increasing tensions between the Philippines and China over overlapping claims in the South China Sea. Relations between the two Asian neighbors hit a low point when the Philippines sought arbitration in January 2013 to try to declare as illegal China’s massive claim over the South China Sea because it overlaps with Manila’s territories. In his speech, Goldberg instead explained that the shared “history of sacrifice” between Filipino and American troops during World War II “forges the special relationship” of the two countries. “As shown in history and present until this very day, we can and will continue to work together shoulder to shoulder to Read More …

Out of Borneo: The role of slavery in the peopling of the Philippines

 Entertainment
Apr 112014
 
Out of Borneo: The role of slavery in the peopling of the Philippines

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 9:30 am – 10:45 am Fowler A139 UCLA Campus Los Angeles, CA 90095 Free and open to the public. Out of Borneo: The role of slavery in the peopling of the Philippines, Lecture by Roderick G. Orlina, PhD Candidate, Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University (Australia) http://web.international.ucla.edu/ Lecture by Roderick G. Orlina, PhD Candidate, Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University (Australia) One of the most glaring omissions in Philippine historical discourse is the legacy of slavery in shaping the nation’s demographic. Discussions have tended to revolve around Moro raiding, which continued well into the colonial period and wreaked havoc on the non-Muslim population and the Spanish Crown. However, historical evidence suggests that it was a widespread practice that predated Islam. In addition, early European sources point to Borneo as the origin of some of the main ethno-linguistic groups that inhabit the Philippines. Drawing mainly on linguistic and historical data, Orlina argues that pre-colonial migration was much more complex than previously thought and challenges notions of cultural identity in the Philippines. Roderick Orlina received his BA in Linguistics and Religious Studies from the University of Stony Brook and his MA in Islamic Studies from the University of the Philippines, Diliman. He is currently a PhD Candidate for Asian History at the Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, completing a dissertation on everyday life in early colonial Manila. His research interests include Southeast Asian epigraphy, religion, language and folklore. Sponsored by the UCLA Department of Anthropology.

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