Philippines – Page 76

Filipino peacekeeper wounded in Golan Heights incident

News

Jun 062013

Filipino peacekeeper wounded in Golan Heights incident

By Frances MangosingINQUIRER.net 7:05 pm | Thursday, June 6th, 2013 Israeli soldiers stand on top of a Merkava tank stationed in the Israeli annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria on May 26, 2013. A former commander of UN peacekeeping troops in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights has warned that the entire force would be in jeopardy if Austria withdraws. Austria — which provides the largest number of troops to the UN Disengagement Force (UNDOF) on the Golan — has threatened to withdraw its troops over concerns for their safety if the EU lifts an embargo on supplying arms to the Syrian opposition. AFP PHOTO/JALAA MAREY MANILA, Philippines – A Filipino peacekeeper of the United Nations was wounded when he was hit by “a wayward indirect fire” at Camp Ziouni in ceasefire line Golan Heights on Thursday, the military said. The incident happened at 7:45 a.m. (local time), or 1:45 p.m. Philippine time. Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala, Public Affairs Office chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the soldier, whom he declined to identify, is a member of the Philippine Contingent to Golan Heights. He was hit by shrapnel just above his right ankle. He is now being treated by medics inside a shelter and is in “stable and good condition.” The incident happened during a firefight between Syrian government and rebel forces, some three to four kilometers from Camp Ziouni. Camp Ziouni is the logistics base of the United Nations Disengagement Observers Force where the different Read More …

Taiwanese probers back in PHL for closed-door meeting with NBI

News

Jun 062013

Taiwanese probers back in PHL for closed-door meeting with NBI

Taiwanese investigators who went to the Philippines to probe the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters returned to Manila Thursday to attend a closed-door meeting with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). NBI deputy director Virgilio Mendez said the foreign probers arrived in the country Thursday morning. “Pero wala pa sila dito sa office namin. Waiting na po kami,” Mendez said. The seven-man team first went to the Philippines last May 27 for a four-day parallel investigation on the fatal shooting of the 65-year-old fisherman that caused a rift between the Philippines and Taiwan. The team inspected the Philippine vessel that confronted the victim and his fellow fishermen, who were accused of poaching in Philippine waters, and interviewed Coast Guard and Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources personnel implicated in the shooting. The team also conducted ballistics exam on the Filipino authorities’ firearms as well as viewed and obtained a copy of the video of the incident. On Wednesday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the Taiwanese team would be meeting with the NBI “as matter of courtesy” to discuss findings of their respective investigations. She said the purpose of the meeting is not to “cross-check” the findings of the two teams. De Lima cited a similar instance when the eight-man NBI team flew to Taiwan to conduct its own probe on the matter, which included inspecting the fishing vessel of the victim and getting statements from his companions. After the relatives of the victim disagreed to Read More …

PHL, Timor Leste ink 3 MOUs on education, policy consultations, infrastructure

News

Jun 062013

PHL, Timor Leste ink 3 MOUs on education, policy consultations, infrastructure

The Philippines and Timor Leste have inked three bilateral agreements in areas of education, policy consultations and infrastructure to further strengthen the cooperation between the two countries. The signings were announced during the five-day visit to the Philippines of Timor Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao — a visit that aims to strengthen his nation’s bid to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The first agreement—a Memorandum of Understanding and Policy Consultations between the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste—was signed by DFA chief Albert Del Rosario and his Timor Leste counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation José Luís Guterres. The MOU will define the cooperation between the Philippines and Timor-Leste, particularly on issues of regional and international mutual interest. A second agreement that recognizes the expertise of trainers from the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and aims to build the capability of Timor-Leste Public Works’ personnel in infrastructure planning, quality control, and maintenance was also signed. DPWH chief Rogelio Singson and his counterpart, Timor Leste Minister of Public Works Gastão Francisco de Sousa, inked the agreement that will establish a cooperative approach between the two countries in terms of mentoring, to facilitate capacity development. Finally, Commission of Higher Education (CHED) chair Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan and Timor Leste Minister of Education Bendito dos Santos Freitas signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippine Normal University and the Ministry Read More …

Timor Leste premier is Palace guest Thursday

News

Jun 052013

Timor Leste premier is Palace guest Thursday

By TJ Burgonio Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:19 am | Thursday, June 6th, 2013 Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, President of East Timor (Timor-Leste), shown in this 2003 photo, will confer with President Aquino on Thursday, June 6, 2013. Gusmao is here on a five-day state visit. AFP PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—President Aquino will receive on Thursday visiting Timor Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão before going to Burma (Myanmar) on Friday for the World Economic Forum (WEF). A welcome ceremony at the Malacañang grounds has been laid out for Gusmão, who will proceed to the Palace after laying a wreath at the monument of national hero Jose Rizal at the Luneta. Gusmão, who arrived Wednesday, will sit down with Aquino to discuss bilateral issues. The two will be signing agreements for which no details have as yet been provided. The Timor Leste leader, who will be in Manila until Sunday, is here to forge cooperation on education, trade and investment, infrastructure and defense, foreign affairs officials said. His itinerary includes a lecture at the University of the Philippines College of Law and visit to industrial areas in Subic Bay in Zambales and Clark Field in Pampanga. Timor Leste is campaigning to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which the Philippines is a founding member.

Aquino joins 1,000 leaders in Burma forum

News

Jun 052013

Aquino joins 1,000 leaders in Burma forum

Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:17 am | Thursday, June 6th, 2013 Participants gather at a reception of the Myanmar International Convention Center where the three-day World Economic Forum on East Asia is being held in Naypyidaw, Burma, Wednesday, June 5, 2013. President Aquino will join some 1,000 leaders and delegates to the WEF. AP PHOTO/KHIN MAUNG WIN RANGOON, Burma—President Aquino will join some 1,000 leaders and delegates to the 2013 World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia, which opened Wednesday in Naypyidaw, the new capital of Burma (Myanmar), to discuss how emerging and fast-growing economies in the region such as the Philippines can become better connected through improved infrastructure. The Swiss-based WEF, which brings together powerful world figures to discuss pressing issues, is holding one of its regional summits this year in Burma, until recently a pariah, military-ruled state but which is now opening up to the world, with its challenges and opportunities for the region, particularly Burma’s partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). The three-day 22nd WEF with its themes—inclusive transformation, regional integration, regional solutions for global resilience—highlights the issues facing Burma and its neighbors and sets the stage for re-engagement with the rest of the world. Reform process Sushant Palakurthi Rao, denior director, head of the WEF Asia forum, said the transformation issue is very important as it speaks of what is happening in Burma, with its ongoing reform process, The inclusion part, he said, is the fact that while investments are expected to accelerate in Read More …

Media killings still ‘major concern’

News

Jun 052013

By Nikko Dizon Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:08 am | Thursday, June 6th, 2013 Elisabetta Polenghi, younger sister of Italian photographer Fabio Polenghi, gives a Thai way ‘Wai” to express thanks in front of Thai media in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 29, 2013, after the court had found that Polenghi, killed while covering the military’s crackdown on anti-government protesters in Thailand’s capital three years ago, was shot by a high-velocity bullet like those issued to soldiers. Journalism remains a dangerous profession, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-Ifra) said Wednesday, June 5, 2013. AP PHOTO/SAKCHAI LALIT BANGKOK—Journalism remains a dangerous profession with 54 media practitioners killed in the line of duty, including one from the Philippines, over the past year, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-Ifra) said Wednesday. “The safety of journalists continues to be a major concern in areas of the world where conflict makes reporting the news dangerous, often deadly,” said WAN-Ifra’s Global Press Freedom Report. The report covered the period June 2012 to May 2013. WAN-Ifra’s recorded incident in the Philippines was the murder of commentator Julius Cauzo of radio station dwJJ in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija province. Cauzo was shot dead on Nov. 8 last year. Cauzo, WAN-Ifra noted, was critical of local politicians and had received death threats. The group emphasized that “impunity remains a bitter issue in the Philippines.” It said that investigations were “still ongoing into the Nov. 23, 2009, ‘Ampatuan massacre,’ which saw 32 journalists tragically killed.” Read More …

Striking a balance

Economy

Jun 052013

EVER SINCE the Philippines opened its doors to global trade, our country has experienced a radical change when it comes to business opportunities for foreign investors. Despite the foreign equity safeguards in the 1987 Constitution, Congress passed the Foreign Investments Act (FIA) of 1991, as amended, and Republic Act (RA) 8762, otherwise known as the Retail Trade Liberalization Act of 2000. These laws paved the way for more favorable and concrete guidelines for investors to consider before taking a plunge in the local business market.

US eyes progress on South China Sea tensions

News

Jun 052013

US eyes progress on South China Sea tensions

WASHINGTON – A US official on Wednesday voiced hope that China and Southeast Asian nations will start talks soon on a code of conduct to resolve disputes over the South China Sea after repeated flare-ups. Joe Yun, the acting assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said that China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) made apparent progress during a working-level meeting last week in Bangkok. “I think there seems to be an understanding that at a future date, maybe sometime this year, they will announce a formal beginning of negotiations” on a code of conduct, Yun told the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “If that’s the case, we would genuinely welcome it because we see CoC as a key piece of the puzzle that would bring peaceful resolution” to rival claims in the South China Sea, Yun said. Tensions have soared in recent years as Vietnam and the Philippines accuse China of increasingly assertive claims to territories in the South China Sea, through which around half of the world’s cargo passes. The broader region is also rife with maritime disputes, with the Philippines and Taiwan recently at loggerheads and China and Japan embroiled in a bitter dispute over islands in potentially energy-rich waters of the East China Sea. Yun reiterated that the United States does not take sides in territorial disputes and that a code of conduct, which would formalize rules of behavior, offered the best way to prevent further conflict. “To be frank with Read More …

PDI president urges newspaper publishers: Embrace new media

News

Jun 052013

By Michael Lim Ubac Philippine Daily Inquirer 1:40 am | Thursday, June 6th, 2013 INQUIRER THRUST Sandy Prieto-Romualdez, Inquirer president and CEO, presents the innovations adapted by the Inquirer to reach out to a wider audience before publishers and editors from all over the world at the 65th World Newspaper Congress on Wednesday. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BANGKOK—Inquirer president and CEO Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez said in a global conference of publishers on Wednesday that the Inquirer would pursue its “strong heritage of being a watchdog of government.” Romualdez conveyed, in effect, a message that the Inquirer’s role as a sentinel of democracy, besides being a newspaper of record, was the heart and soul of the Philippines’ No. 1 national daily. This advocacy has “gotten us into quite (some) burning pots situations,” she said. Coming from this perspective, Romualdez talked about the paper’s success story since its birth 27 years ago, and discussed the larger media trends in the country amid technological innovations that were rapidly changing the media terrain in the print and digital spheres. “Embrace it at a faster pace,” she said of the social media revolution. Romualdez was the only other woman speaker at the plenary sessions of the three-day 65th World Newspaper Congress, which closed Wednesday. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra addressed the group on Tuesday. Romualdez was one of the four speakers during Session 8 of the conference at the Bangkok Convention Center attended by some 1,500 newspaper publishers, editors, advertisers and other media staff from 70 countries to Read More …

Stocks suffer another selldown

Economy

Jun 052013

MANILA, Philippines – Stocks fell for the third straight day as fund managers continue to unload their holdings as part of a global realignment of investments. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index dropped 1.73 percent or 115.58 points to end at 6,557.89, the lowest point since closing at 6,518.71 on March 22. “The portfolio realignment of investors continues with the changing investment environment in the global arena,” Astro del Castillo, managing director of First Grade Finance Inc., said in a phone interview. “We are waiting for the dust to settle before bargain hunters come in,” he said. Fund managers have been pocketing gains from stocks amid worries over the rollback of the US Federal Reserve’s stimulus program. Del Castillo said there is no market moving news locally, with benign inflation figures failing to lift investor sentiment. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “A correction in the equity market as we had seen in the last few days should not come as a surprise to participants,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said in a text message to reporters. He shrugged off concerns of a sudden market downturn evolving into a financial crash, saying the financial markets should be expected “to move up and down.” The central bank chief, who has long rejected the possibility of a repeat of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, said the Philippines is in a better position now and that domestically, there is no reason why investors should depart. – With Read More …

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