Philippine papal bet wants people power for Church

 News
Feb 202013
 
Philippine papal bet wants people power for Church

Agence France-Presse 11:45 am | Thursday, February 21st, 2013 Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle wants to bring the Catholic Church closer to people, a vision his fans say comes from a genuine passion for helping the poor and one that could make him Asia’s first pope. The 55-year-old cardinal from a working-class family close to the Philippine capital is being touted at home and abroad as a genuine chance to succeed Pope Benedict XVI during a historic Vatican vote next month. Tagle has a reputation across the devoutly Catholic Philippines as a humble man with a lifelong commitment to helping the poor, while senior Church figures regard him as a moderate progressive who balances conservative doctrines. Tagle, the archbishop of Manila who was appointed a cardinal in November, has refused to discuss his chances for the papacy since Benedict announced he would resign on February 28 due to poor health. But speaking at a public seminar in Manila last weekend, Tagle elaborated on his well-known views that Church leaders needed to do a better job at reaching out to the people within their communities, particularly the youth. “The young want to be connected,” Tagle said at the forum. “That is the basic of the faith — (to be) connected to God, connected to others, to the Church. We need to go back to that fundamental.” Eloquent and with a soothing voice, Tagle has also made high-profile speeches in recent years calling for Read More …

Cardinal Tagle wants people power for Church

 News
Feb 202013
 
Cardinal Tagle wants people power for Church

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle wants to bring the Catholic Church closer to people, a vision his fans say comes from a genuine passion for helping the poor and one that could make him Asia’s first pope. The 55-year-old cardinal from a working-class family close to Manila is being touted at home and abroad as a genuine chance to succeed Pope Benedict XVI during a historic Vatican vote next month. Tagle has a reputation across the devoutly Catholic Philippines as a humble man with a lifelong commitment to helping the poor, while senior Church figures regard him as a moderate progressive who balances conservative doctrines. Tagle, the archbishop of Manila who was appointed a cardinal in November, has refused to discuss his chances for the papacy since Benedict announced he would resign on February 28 due to poor health. But speaking at a public seminar in Manila last weekend, Tagle elaborated on his well-known views that Church leaders needed to do a better job at reaching out to the people within their communities, particularly the youth. “The young want to be connected,” Tagle said at the forum. “That is the basic of the faith — (to be) connected to God, connected to others, to the Church. We need to go back to that fundamental.” Eloquent and with a soothing voice, Tagle has also made high-profile speeches in recent years calling for a humbler Church that is more open to the public’s concerns. Born in 1957 in the then-rural township of Imus, Read More …

US lawmakers warn Japan PM on ‘comfort women’

 News
Feb 202013
 
US lawmakers warn Japan PM on ‘comfort women’

Agence France-Presse 8:39 am | Thursday, February 21st, 2013 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: New “future-oriented” statement on World War II. AP/KYODO NEWS WASHINGTON—Two US lawmakers on Wednesday warned Prime Minister Shinzo Abe not to revise Japan’s apology over sexual enslavement in World War II, saying the move would set back relations between the allies. The lawmakers raised the issue two days before a White House visit by the conservative Japanese premier, whose previous period in office was dogged by historical issues but who is now seen as increasingly pragmatic. Representative Mike Honda, who spearheaded a 2007 House resolution that took Japan to task for holding wartime sex slaves, and Representative Steve Israel voiced “serious concern” about the Abe government’s stance. In a letter, the two Democratic lawmakers wrote that if Japan revises a 1993 apology it “would have grave implications for the US-Japanese relationship and could ignite unnecessary tension and provocation with neighboring countries.” Historians say about 200,000 “comfort women” from Korea, China, the Philippines and elsewhere were drafted into Japanese army brothels. The legacy remains a particular sore point in Japan’s relations with South Korea. In the 1993 statement, Japan offered “sincere apologies” for the “immeasurable pain and suffering” inflicted on comfort women. Two years later, Japan issued a broader apology expressing “deep remorse” for war suffering. Abe, whose grandfather was a World War II cabinet minister, raised controversy during his 2006 to 2007 premiership for his statements on comfort women and after leaving office he called for Read More …

PH to press UN case on disputed sea despite China rejection

 News
Feb 202013
 
PH to press UN case on disputed sea despite China rejection

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:38 am | Thursday, February 21st, 2013 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez: We’ll proceed. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The arbitration proceedings that the Philippines has initiated before the United Nations (UN) against China to nullify the latter’s “excessive” claims in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) will not stop despite Beijing’s rejection of the legal action, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). However, the enforcement of any decision of the UN arbitral tribunal, three or four years down the road, will be “another question,” said DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. “The arbitration will proceed under Annex VII of Unclos (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) and the five-member arbitration panel will be formed with or without China,” Hernandez said. “Even if one party does not join or participate, the process will continue until a decision is made,” he said. Article 9 of Unclos’ Annex VII, which stipulates the mechanics of arbitration, states that the “absence of a party or failure of a party to defend its case shall not constitute a bar to the proceedings.” On Jan. 22, the Philippines went to the UN to challenge Beijing’s claim to most of the South China Sea (which the Philippines refers to as the West Philippine Sea) and compel it to respect the Philippines’ right to its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and stop Chinese incursions into areas in the disputed waters claimed by the Philippines. The Philippines initiated the Read More …

Trillanes: Make known Sabah policy

 News
Feb 202013
 
Trillanes: Make known Sabah policy

Kirams given till Friday to recall forces By Norman Bordadora Philippine Daily Inquirer 12:02 am | Thursday, February 21st, 2013 Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER.net/Noy Morcoso III CEBU CITY—Reelectionist Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Wednesday called on the Aquino administration to make known its policy on the country’s claim to Sabah and on the standoff between Malaysian security forces and a group of armed followers of the sultan of Sulu in the eastern Malaysian territory. The standoff in Tanduao village in Sabah’s Lahad Datu town has entered a second week, with Malaysian authorities saying on Wednesday that the situation is under control and that the Filipinos from Sulu will be deported soon. Emissaries from the Aquino administration are working quietly to convince Sultan Jamalul Kiram to recall his followers from Sabah. According to a highly placed source of the Inquirer in the Cabinet, Jamalul and his other brother, Bantilan Esmail Kiram II, must decide by Friday whether to call their followers home. On Wednesday, Esmail was going to see Jamalul, who is undergoing dialysis in a Manila hospital, to talk to him and make a decision, the source said. It is believed that the Malaysian government has given the sultan’s followers a deadline to leave or be rounded up and deported, but agreed to an extension of the deadline “by a few days” to allow the sultan and his family to reconsider their demand to stay in Sabah. President Aquino’s former backchannel link to Beijing at the height of tensions Read More …

Sun Life sees income doubling in Asia Pacific

 Economy
Feb 202013
 
Sun Life sees income doubling in Asia Pacific

MANILA, Philippines – Canada-based insurance giant Sun Life Financial is optimistic it could double its income from its Asia Pacific operations to $250 million in 2015 from $129 million this year as it continues to expand in the region. In an interview on the sidelines of the 14th Asia Pacific Life Insurance Congress (APLIC), Sun Life Financial Asia president Kevin Strain said the earnings assumption would be supported by the projected double-digit growth in sales in the region over the next three years. Sun Life’s interests in Asia include the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India and China. This year, Strain said they would expand operations in Malaysia and Vietnam. “We are now in seven countries in Asia. We added Vietnam and Malaysia. We are now in four ASEAN countries  – Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. We have great expectations. The ASEAN region has been growing so quickly, growing middle class, growing GDP. We think, there’s an incredible opportunity to get real growth in our business in Asia, in particular in our ASEAN business,” he said. Strain said among its businesses in ASEAN, the Philippines has the strongest potential for growth. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “We are most proud of our business here in the Philippines. It is such a strong business. It has a great brand position. We have number one position in terms of insurance sales, number two for mutual funds, and a really great leadership platform to show to the rest of our Read More …

The Women Entrepreneur Icons and Filipina Entrepreneurs of 2013

 Economy
Feb 202013
 
The Women Entrepreneur Icons and Filipina Entrepreneurs of 2013

An international study on entrepreneurship revealed that 70 percent of SME business startups in the Philippines are started by women. This strong number is giving us the impression that women are more entrepreneurial. To sustain this, we at Go Negosyo continue to encourage our Filipinas to take the entrepreneurial route, and eventually create a nation of entrepreneurs that will finally end the evil spell of misery of poverty that has been with us for quite sometime. On March 1, Go Negosyo will mount the 15th Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit at the World Trade Center Manila. In keeping with tradition, Go Negosyo has selected a pool of women entrepreneurs and enablers to recognize their valuable contributions in their respective fields, as well as to promote their stories to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs that they can also make it in life. The two Go Negosyo Women Entrepreneur Icons and the 11 Filipina Entrepreneurs of 2013 came from diverse backgrounds such as education, retail, agriculture, fashion, and medicine, and this shows us that Filipinas can actually carry their multiple burdens and succeed in their chosen fields. Let me share the stories of the inspiring women awardees that we will be recognizing next week. One of Go Negosyo’s Women Entrepreneur Icons is Dr. Helena Z. Benitez of the Philippine Women University. She is probably the oldest active woman enabler in the country because despite being nearly 99 years old, she remains as PWU chairperson. Her life has been a constant source of inspiration for many women Read More …

Families look for relief from US immigration bill

 News
Feb 202013
 
Families look for relief from US immigration bill

Associated Press 2:40 pm | Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 Maricris Arce poses for a picture at her home in Anaheim, California Friday. Arce, a native of the Philippines, said she was separated from her husband for five years after coming legally to the US, and he wasn’t present for the birth of their first child. AP WASHINGTON— If America is a nation of immigrants, it’s also a nation of immigrants’ husbands, wives, parents and children — and their brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews too. That could begin to change under legislation being written in the Senate, where the nation’s longstanding emphasis on family-based immigration is coming under scrutiny. Unlike most other industrialized nations, the US awards a much larger proportion of permanent residency status to family members of US citizens and permanent residents than to foreigners with job prospects here. About two-thirds of permanent legal immigration to the US is family-based, compared with about 15 percent that is employment-based, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The remainder is largely humanitarian. It’s a lopsided ratio that may change under a bill being crafted by a Senate bipartisan negotiating group that is aiming to release legislation next month. Several senators involved in the talks said employment-based immigration must increase to help American competitiveness and the US economy. High-tech companies have been pleading for more workers, and some Republicans, in particular, believe the educational backgrounds and employment potential of prospective immigrants should be a bigger part of the calculus in awarding green cards, Read More …

China rejects Philippine UN mediation bid

 News
Feb 202013
 
China rejects Philippine UN mediation bid

Associated Press 2:38 pm | Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 AP FILE PHOTO BEIJING—China said Tuesday it has rejected the Philippines’ attempt to seek international arbitration over conflicting claims to territory in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that China’s ambassador to Manila, Ma Keqing, had returned Manila’s formal notification of the move to a Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official. Hong said the proposal was historically and legally incorrect and contained unacceptable accusations against China. The Philippines informed China last month of its plans to take the countries’ conflicting claims to a tribunal operating under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It wants the panel to declare Beijing’s moves in the potentially oil-rich waters unlawful. The DFA said in a statement Tuesday that China’s rejection will not interfere with the arbitration process that the Philippines has started. “The Philippines remains committed to arbitration, which is a friendly, peaceful and durable form of dispute settlement that should be welcomed by all,” the statement said. Even if a tribunal ruled against China, Beijing could choose to ignore the ruling. Six governments have overlapping claims in the West Philippine Sea. China claims sovereignty over virtually all of it. Chinese paramilitary ships confronted Philippine vessels last year in a monthslong standoff over a disputed shoal. China has effectively controlled the shoal since June, when Manila withdrew its ships as a typhoon approached. There are fears that territorial conflicts in the region, Read More …

Timor-Leste foreign minister arrives Thursday for official visit

 News
Feb 192013
 
Timor-Leste foreign minister arrives Thursday for official visit

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 10:31 am | Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 Foreign Minister Jose Luis Guterres PHOTO FROM TIMOR-LESTE.GOV.TL MANILA, Philippines—Timor-Leste Foreign Minister Jose Luis Guterres will arrive Thursday for a two-day official visit in the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday. Guterres will hold bilateral talks with Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and meet with President Aquino during his stay in Manila, the DFA said. “Foreign Minister Guterres’ official visit is a strong indication of the interest of both the Philippines and Timor-Leste to expand and enhance bilateral relations specifically in the areas of technical cooperation, human resource development and education,” said the DFA in a statement. Guterres returns six years since last visiting the Philippines as the then deputy prime minister of Timor-Leste. The Philippines has maintained strong ties with the young sovereign state, sending peacekeepers to the country since 1999 amid its struggle for independence from Indonesia. As the East Timor transitions to self-governance, the Philippines is tapering off the presence of its peacekeepers there.

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