Beijing restaurant manager refuses to apologize over ‘racist’ sign

 News
Feb 282013
 
Beijing restaurant manager refuses to apologize over ‘racist’ sign

Associated Press 3:13 pm | Thursday, February 28th, 2013 A restaurant in Beijing displays its sentiment toward the citizens of the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan with which China has territorial issues in the West Philippine Sea and the Sea of Japan. The sign says Japanese, Filipinos, Vietnamese and dogs are barred from the restaurant, presumably in that order. AFP FILE PHOTO BEIJING – A defiant Beijing restaurant manager refused to apologize Thursday despite removing a “racist” sign barring citizens of states in maritime disputes with China, along with dogs, following an international outcry. The notice in the window of the Beijing Snacks restaurant read: “This shop does not receive the Japanese, the Philippines, the Vietnamese and dog(s)” in both Chinese and English. But despite taking down the sign after accusations of racism, the manager said he had no regrets and would not apologize for any offence caused. Images of the sign went viral in Vietnam and were splashed across newspapers in the Philippines on Wednesday. Both are involved in bitter territorial disputes with China over islands in the South China Sea. The manager, surnamed Wang, said it was taken down “because it was a lot of bother”. “I don’t have any regrets,” he told AFP. “I was just getting too many phone calls about it.” He seemed surprised at the attention it had generated but said he would not apologize for any offense caused, suggesting it may have been misinterpreted. “Maybe people misunderstood our meaning… it only said we would Read More …

No change in Sabah stand-off amid reports of imminent attack

 News
Feb 282013
 
No change in Sabah stand-off amid reports of imminent attack

By Ruben SarioThe Star-Asia News Network 2:43 pm | Thursday, February 28th, 2013 TANJUNG LABIAN (LAHAD DATU) – The ongoing Sulu stand-off in this Sabah east coast district remains unchanged for the third week on Thursday. Numerous reports have emerged of an imminent attack by security forces on the group. One report claimed that several soldiers came close to Kampung Tanduo where the followers of the Sulu Sultanate are holed up. A heavy presence of security personnel was observed at various strategic locations surrounding the seaside village late Wednesday. Sabah police also declined to comment if shots were fired in the area on Wednesday evening although nearby villagers claimed to have heard them. Sulu group leader Rajah Muda Azzimudie Kiram told Philippines media that his men had fired warning shots after spotting what he claimed were six Malaysian security personnel entering the village. While claiming to come to Sabah in peace, Azzimudie warned that his followers were willing to “fight to the death” if provoked. 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: Department of Justice , Features , Global Nation , Malaysia , Prince Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram , Sabah , Sultan Jamalul Kiram III Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact Read More …

Coloma cites Aquino government’s five-year digital strategy to provide Filipino people reliable, affordable, secure information access

 Entertainment
Feb 272013
 
Coloma cites Aquino government’s five-year digital strategy to provide Filipino people reliable, affordable, secure information access

(World Summit on the Information Society Logo) Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said President Benigno S. Aquino III’s government has adopted a five-year digital strategy to provide the Filipino people a reliable, affordable and secure information access in the Philippines. Speaking at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) + 10 Review Event, High Level Panel: Towards Knowledge Societies for Sustainable Development, held on February 25 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, Sec. Coloma underscored the need for every Filipino to have access to information and communication technology. “The Philippine government has adopted a five-year digital strategy anchored upon this vision: A digitally empowered, innovative, globally competitive and prosperous society where everyone has reliable, affordable and secure information access in the Philippines. A government that practices accountability and excellence to provide responsive online citizen-centered services. A thriving knowledge economy through public-private partnership,” Coloma said. Coloma noted that the Aquino administration is currently implementing five strategies to provide service for the people in all matters concerning communications. “Firstly, the development of e-Government is a priority in order to facilitate greater efficiencies and effectiveness in the delivery of basic social services and minimize opportunities for corruption,” he said. Coloma said the government is also adopting the “strategy of digital inclusion and capacity building” to foster an enabling environment through a broadband policy that aims to reach previously unserved areas and customers. He said the Philippines recently enacted a law that will protect women and children against Read More …

Sultan’s brother open to ‘peaceful’solution

 News
Feb 262013
 
Sultan’s brother open to ‘peaceful’solution

SABAH STANDOFF Conflict puts 800,000 Filipinos in danger, says Roxas By Frances Mangosing, Maila Ager INQUIRER.net 1:54 pm | Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 The heirs of the Sultan of Sulu: (seated from left) Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram, Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, Sultan Bantilan Esmail Kiram II and (standing from left) Datu Alianapia Kiram, Datu Phugdal Kiram and Datu Baduruddin Kiram. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The brother of the sultan of Sulu said his group in Lahad Datu town in Sabah was open to negotiate with the Malaysian government just to have a “peaceful” solution to the Sabah standoff. “Yes. Talagang peaceful negotiation ang kailangan…so long as our rights will not be taken away from us. Negotiation talaga ng gusto namin,” Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram told Radyo Inquirer 990AM on Wednesday when asked if they were open to negotiations. “Kailangan namin ng ganun, peaceful. We have to renegotiate in a peaceful way,” said Raja Muda, brother of Jamalulu Kiram III. Raja Muda said the standoff could be resolved peacefully “so long as there is no betrayal, so long as they are sincere with the negotiation.” His statements came just a day after Sultan Jamalul rejected President Benigno Aquino  III’s call  to withdraw  the armed group in the disputed land or “face the full force of the law.” Raja Muda said they were ready to listen to the President and accept his views if they think these were right. Unfortunately, the sultan’s brother did not agree with the President’s claim that they may have violated Philippine laws when they refused to leave the land. “As President and chief executor of our laws, I have tasked an investigation Read More …

Phl, emerging markets await US decision on spending cuts

 Economy
Feb 262013
 
Phl, emerging markets await US decision on spending cuts

MANILA, Philippines – Hopes are high that leaders in the United States will strike a deal to stop spending cuts from taking effect Friday, an event that could trigger heightened risk aversion in the emerging markets like the Philippines, the central bank said. “Given what transpired at year-end, most analysts have probably not factored in ‘sequestration’ (or the automatic spending cuts) in their baselines,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando Tetangco, Jr. said. “As in the past, I think we can expect heightened volatility in the market in the run up to March 1,” he said in a text message to reporters Tuesday night. US lawmakers found themselves pitted against each other anew, two months after dodging the “fiscal cliff”— the $600-billion spending cuts and tax rises— by choosing to hike income taxes to generate revenues. They however left decision on disbursement cuts, choosing to extend the leeway by another 60 days which is bound to end Friday midnight, Washington time. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 A total of $85 billion worth of cuts could kick in immediately, affecting government services and employee payrolls, seen detrimental to the still-fragile US economy. On Tuesday, the BSP chief said the market would evaluate how the US would act to avert a looming budget problem. “Again, what we could see in the market is a move to safe haven. But what that safe haven is would depend on risk appetite at that point,” Tetangco said. “Given the US Read More …

Philippines slams patrols for Chinese fishers

 News
Feb 262013
 

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:52 am | Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines on Tuesday denounced China’s announced fishery patrols in the Spratly group of islands, as it asserted its sovereignty over its established maritime boundaries in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also called on China to “act responsibly” amid simmering tensions in the region over the contested waters, the subject of a Philippine arbitration bid in the United Nations. “We again call on China to respect our territorial sovereignty and exclusive economic zone. The Philippines strongly objects to the Chinese patrols in the Philippines’ maritime domain in the West Philippine Sea,” said DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. Chinese state media reported over the weekend that the South China Sea Fishery Bureau of China’s Ministry of Agriculture was set to undertake “routine fishery administrative patrols” in the South China Sea this year. The patrols “will be carried out to better safeguard the legitimate interests of Chinese fishermen,” Chinese media said, quoting Wu Zhuang of the fisheries bureau. Wu said that China would “speed up the routine patrols” with the growing capacity of Chinese law enforcement authorities. Hernandez said the move violated China’s international commitments, including its accession to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). The Philippines invoked the Unclos in taking its dispute with China to the UN arbitral tribunal in hopes of stopping Chinese incursions into its  waters and invalidating the Chinese Read More …

EU envoy: Journalist killings a concern

 News
Feb 262013
 
EU envoy: Journalist killings a concern

By Maricar Cinco Inquirer Southern Luzon 4:26 am | Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux: Journalist killings still do happen. FILE PHOTO LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—European Union (EU) Ambassador Guy Ledoux called journalists “true defenders of human rights,” but he said the continuing attacks on media workers in the Philippines and the government’s failure to pass the freedom of information bill remained a concern even after the country had transitioned from authoritarian rule to democracy. Journalists perform alongside lawyers, activists, politicians and other groups in defending human rights but they continue to fall victim to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, Ledoux said in a speech at the 8th National Congress of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) last weekend. The NUJP elected a new set of officers at the congress, six of whom were reporters and provincial correspondents of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Ledoux, who was appointed head of the EU’s delegation to the Philippines two years ago to look into media killings, said 11 to 14 Filipino journalists had been killed since June 2010 but the cases remained unsolved and the masterminds allowed to walk free. Maguindanao massacre “The EU recognizes the current administration’s efforts to eliminate extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, and to prosecute those responsible. But, at the same time, we observe that journalist killings do still happen, with the latest killing taking place on Nov. 8, 2012,” he said. Ledoux cited the massacre in November 2009 of 58 people in Maguindanao, among Read More …

We’re attracting Japanese investors

 Economy
Feb 262013
 
We’re attracting Japanese investors

Late last week, a buzz was created in the Japanese business community by Sumitomo Corporation on the growing attractiveness of the Philippines to Japanese investors. Sumitomo issued a press release that declared “among Asian nations where many Japanese manufactures have invested, the Philippines has been gaining power as an exporting nation…” Sumitomo cited our “attractive tax incentives as well as rich human resources equipped with English language skill.”  Sumitomo went on to say that “in line with this trend, since 2011, the foreign direct investment from Japanese manufacturers to the Philippines has been increasing.” Thus, Sumitomo announced it has decided to launch an expansion project of an industrial park south of Manila it co-owns with the Lopez Group’s First Philippine Holdings. Sumitomo says it “believes the Philippines will further increase its position as a strategic location for export-oriented industries compared to other Asian nations…” The Sumitomo press release received wide attention in the Japanese and international press. The Asahi Shimbun reported that Sumitomo “has begun expansion work at the First Philippine Industrial Park in Manila, to add approximately 100 hectares of property for leasing and allow for additional factories to be constructed upon completion.” The Financial Times, on the other hand, observed that Sumitomo’s move means “a fair amount of this newer investment by Japan Inc is happening at the expense of China, as companies balk at spiraling labor costs after the flare up over a tiny chains of islands in the East China Sea.”   The FT also noted “Japan’s Read More …

Group taps new kind of 'people power' to end political dynasties

 News
Feb 262013
 
Group taps new kind of 'people power' to end political dynasties

Convinced that Filipino legislators have “neglected” the 1987 Constitution’s mandate to pass a law defining political dynasties, a multisectoral group has launched a campaign to tap a new kind of “people power” to end the rule of a few families in the Philippines. The group Movement against Dynasties (MAD) has set out to gather over 5 million signatures as part of the process to push for a law banning political dynasties through a people’s initiative. “If we will succeed in doing this, we will experience real change. We will accomplish something good for our country,” MAD chairman Quintin San Diego said at a forum at the University of the Philippines-Diliman on Tuesday afternoon. The group described itself as “an association composed of civic-minded individuals and professionals” that believes “in a government of laws rather than of men.” San Diego added that aside from soliciting signatures, his group wants to make ordinary Filipinos aware of the bad effects political dynasties have on the country. “They [political dynasties] have control of politics and the economy… Kung magkakamag-anak na ang nasa kapangyarihan, ano pa ang pagkakataon ng karaniwang tao na mahalal?” he said. A study by the Asian Institute of Management revealed that 68 percent of the Philippines’ current lawmakers are members of political dynasties. The same study showed political dynasties are located in poor regions of the country. For the May 2013 midterm polls, 12 out of the 21 senatorial bets from the two biggest coalitions come from known political families. Some Read More …

PHL protests China's fishery patrols in West PHL Sea

 News
Feb 262013
 
PHL protests China's fishery patrols in West PHL Sea

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday protested China’s routine fishery patrols in the disputed South China Sea as part of it would include areas within the Philippines’ territorial waters. “The Philippines strongly objects to the Chinese patrol of Philippine maritime domain in the West Philippine Sea. Such activities would not validate the nine-dash line and are contrary to China’s obligation under international law including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Hernandez said at a press briefing. China’s nine-dash line is a U-shaped map that covers nearly 90 percent of the South China Sea. “We again call in China to respect our territorial sovereignty and exclusive economic zone,” Hernandez said. China’s Fishery Bureau last week announced that patrols in the resource-rich waters, where Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims, will be a “top priority” in 2013 and 2014. The patrols, according to state-run Xinhua News Agency, aim to safeguard the “legitimate interests of Chinese fishermen.” China’s announcement came on the same week it rejected Manila’s initiative to let a United Nations arbitration body hear the Philippines’ complaint over what it calls Beijing’s “excessive” claim to waters where undersea gas deposits have been discovered in several areas. China said Manila’s case was legally infirm and carried unacceptable allegations. Regarding the fishery patrols, Hernandez said the Philippines “exercises sovereignty and sovereign rights over the waters and features in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the West Philippine Sea.” “Therefore, we continue to call Read More …

 Older Entries  Newer Entries