China ready to send rescue teams to PHL

 News
Nov 172013
 
China ready to send rescue teams to PHL

BEIJING — China said Sunday it is ready to send rescue and medical teams to the Philippines, in a belated offer coming more than a week after a devastating typhoon struck the island nation. The proposal made in a statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website follows an extremely modest pledge of less than $2 million in disaster assistance made last week. The small offering has been attributed to spite over a festering dispute with Manila over South China Sea islands claimed by both sides. China, which has the world’s second largest economy, claims the entire sea and its island groups and has been enraged by Manila’s robust defense of what it says has long been Philippine territory. Views expressed on the Chinese Internet have argued strongly against aiding the Philippines, despite the potential damage to China’s hopes of being regarded as a responsible regional and possibly global leader. In the statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was quoted as saying Saturday that China was monitoring conditions in the Philippines and the emergency teams would depart for the hardest hit areas “should conditions permit.” There was no immediate indication whether the aid teams were preparing to depart or whether the Philippine government had accepted the Chinese offer. — AP

World sends emergency relief to battered PHL

 Entertainment
Nov 122013
 
World sends emergency relief to battered PHL

Marines board a KC-130J Hercules aircraft Nov. 10, 2013, at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, moments before departing for a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission to the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. David N. Hersey MANILA (AFP) – The United States, Britain, Australia and the United Nations mobilised emergency aid to the Philippines as the scale of the devastation unleashed by Super Typhoon Haiyan continued to emerge Tuesday. The Pentagon sent Marines and equipment while Britain was to send a ship and a transporter plane to assist with the relief effort followng the typhoon, which may have killed more than 10,000 people in what is feared to be the country’s worst natural disaster. Even Vietnam, despite coping itself with a mass evacuation programme as a weakened Haiyan swung through its territory Monday, provided emergency aid worth $100,000 and said it “stands by the Philippine people in this difficult situation”. The relief operation was focused on the city of Tacloban on Leyte island, four days after one of the biggest storms in recorded history demolished entire communities across the central Philippines and left countless bodies as well as gnawing desperation in its wake. Delivering on a promise of quick help from President Barack Obama, about 90 US Marines and sailors based in Japan flew into Tacloban aboard two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, after receiving a bird’s eye view of the immense scale of destruction across Leyte. They brought communication and logistical equipment Read More …

Pentagon orders aircraft carrier, ships to PHL

 Entertainment
Nov 122013
 
Pentagon orders aircraft carrier, ships to PHL

U.S. Marines board a KC-130J Hercules aircraft at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, to depart for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan, Nov. 11, 2013. The Marines are assigned to the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. David N. Hersey WASHINGTON, November 11, 2013 (AFP) – US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered the aircraft carrier USS George Washington and other American ships to head to the typhoon-stricken Philippines, the Pentagon said Monday. The carrier, which has 5,000 sailors and more than 80 aircraft aboard, is currently in Hong Kong for a port visit. The crew is being recalled early from shore leave and the ship is expected to be underway later this evening, the Pentagon said in a statement. “In company with the carrier will be the cruisers USS Antietam and USS Cowpens and the destroyer USS Mustin. The supply ship USNS Charles Drew is already underway and will rendezvous with the group as they get closer,” it said, noting the ships should be on station within 48-72 hours. The USS Lassen, also a destroyer, got underway Sunday for the region. On board the USS George Washington are sailors and “aircraft designed to perform various functions including disaster relief,” including the Sea Combat Squadron 12 flying the MH-60S Seahawk helicopter; and the “Saberhawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77. “As needed, these ships and aircraft will be able to provide humanitarian assistance, supplies, and medical care Read More …

US deploys aircraft carrier to PHL for relief ops in aftermath of Yolanda

 News
Nov 112013
 
US deploys aircraft carrier to PHL for relief ops in aftermath of Yolanda

The United States is sending the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the Philippines to support disaster relief efforts in the wake of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), a US defense official told Reuters. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, could not immediately provide further details. The aircraft carrier has been on a port visit to Hong Kong. Based in Yokosuka, Japan, the nuclear-powered Washington is the most visible sign of an increased U.S. naval presence across Asia that has been steadily growing for the last five years – a key element in the controversial U.S. “pivot”. The Washington strike group – that often includes destroyers, cruisers and a fast-attack submarine backed by up to 90 aircraft – protects the only one of 10 carriers deployed permanently outside the continental United States. U.S. military forces arrived in the Philippines on Monday to bolster relief efforts, officials said, with military cargo planes transporting food, medical supplies and water for victims. Other U.S. aircraft were positioning to assist the Philippines, with U.S. forces operating out of Villamor Air Base in Manila and in Tacloban.   Deployment of the US George Washington was revealed as rescue workers were trying to reach towns and villages in the Visayas on Tuesday that were cut off by Yolanda in an operation that could reveal the full extent of the loss of life and devastation from the disaster. Officials in Tacloban City, which bore the brunt of one of the strongest storms ever recorded when it slammed Read More …

PHL money supply grows 31% in Sept. – Bangko Sentral

 Entertainment
Nov 052013
 
PHL money supply grows 31% in Sept. – Bangko Sentral

A man arranges his peso bills inside a currency exchange shop Friday, Nov. 9, 2007, in Manila, Philippines. The dollar closed Friday at 42.795 pesos, where the peso rose to a new seven-year high on prospects of further U.S. interest rate cuts and likely increases in remittances from Filipinos overseas. (AP Photo/Pat Roque) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Money streaming within the financial system remained strong in September, driven by a very active bank lending while the impact of adjustments in the central bank special deposit window continued to pump money into the economy, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Thursday. The latest report reflects new international reporting standards, and the central bank is still updating data prior to December 2002. Despite this multi-year high in money supply expansion, inflation is staying on the tepid side in a highly liquid financial market that is deemed a temporary phenomenon. In a statement, the central bank said domestic liquidity as measured by M3 grew at an annualized 31.0 percent to P6.2 trillion in September. M3 – the broadest measure of money – includes currencies in circulation, bank deposits, and money market funds among other highly liquid assets. The September liquidity figure is the same as the revised 31.0 percent in August, the fastest on record since December 2002, according to a staff of the central bank’s Department of Economic Research. “Money supply growth was driven largely by the sustained expansion in domestic claims, or credits to the domestic economy…. in line with faster growth in Read More …

Poe urges Senate committee to initiate a study on suicide prevention in the PHL

 Entertainment
Oct 042013
 
Poe urges Senate committee to initiate a study on suicide prevention in the PHL

Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares presenting at a budget hearing of the Senate of the Philippines in September 2012 (photo courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Poe) MANILA, Oct. 3 (Mabuhay) – Senator Grace Poe on Thursday sought for the creation of a suicide prevention program for people suffering from depression as it remains the number one cause of death in the country. Poe filed Senate Resolution 257 which urged the Senate committee on health and demography to conduct a study in relatively high rates of suicide and depression cases in the country. “The importance of focused suicide prevention program should be studied and assessed by the government to help people with suicidal tendencies and those suffering from depression,” Poe said in a statement. Following depression, death of a loved one is the second reason for suicide followed by separation or break up from a relationship, loss of custody of children, loss of job, house and money, terminal illness, chronic physical pain, loss of hope, and those who were victims of violence, rape, physical or verbal assault and serious legal problems. The neophyte senator explained that in the Philippines, many people still do not consider depression as an illness, but something that “one eventually snaps out of”. She added that it was also the reason why so many people suffering from depression feel embarrassed to seek help. In a country which is predominantly Catholic and where suicide remains to be unacceptable, Poe explained, suicide incident among family members will likely be reported as deaths from other Read More …

PHL only emerging Asian nation with strong momentum: OECD

 Entertainment
Sep 112013
 
PHL only emerging Asian nation with strong momentum: OECD

Workers of National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) rush the beautification of all Manila City parks including Luneta Park on Monday (Sept. 9, 2013) (MNS photo) PARIS, September 9, 2013 (AFP) – Growth is picking up pace in most major rich nations but momentum is slowing or stable in emerging economies, the OECD said on Monday. Economic growth is accelerating in the United States, Britain and the eurozone, while it is above trend in Japan, according to the OECD’s index of composite leading indicators. The index is considered to be a reliable guide to future economic activity. The index suggested Italy and France are switching to growth. But the OECD, grouping 34 advanced countries, said growth was below trend in Brazil and India. Meanwhile it was returning to trend in China and was around trend level in Russia. In a separate report, the OECD said the Philippines was the only emerging Asian nation with strong business cycle momentum, although China and Singapore have stabilized. The OECD said “the key imminent downside risk facing Southeast Asia, China and India is the turmoil in the financial market, triggered by the prospects of tapering of quantitative easing (QE) policy in the US.” The US stimulus program led to a flood of funds into emerging markets seeking higher returns, but the impending shift in monetary policy has seen a sharp withdrawal, causing currencies and equities in some emerging markets to slump.

DFA: PHL envoy to China in Manila for consultation amid Panatag issue

 News
Sep 052013
 
DFA: PHL envoy to China in Manila for consultation amid Panatag issue

The Department of Foreign Affairs instructed Philippine Ambassador to China Erlinda Basilio to return to the country for a consultation. Basilio will be taking part in a consultation with top DFA officials regarding the Philippines’ maritime dispute with China, according to a report on “24-Oras” Thursday night. Basillio will return to China in a few days, the report said, adding that the order for her to be in Manila came a day after the Philippine government discovered concrete blocks scattered within the of Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. Manila and Beijing figured in a standoff in Scarborough last year, which ended temporarily when President Benigno Aquino III ordered Philippine vessels to withdraw due to bad weather. China never left the area and even roped off the entrance to the shoal to prevent Filipino fishermen from gaining access and shelter in the vast lagoon. The South China Sea – a strategic waterway where a bulk of the world’s trade passes and believed to be rich in oil and natural gas – had been a source of conflict among competing claimants the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, China and Taiwan. Analysts fear the competing claims could spark a military conflict in the region. China claims the waters nearly in its entirety, citing historical entitlements as the basis for its huge claim, which Manila branded as “excessive and a violation of international law.” — with a report from Andrei Medina /LBG, GMA News

US defense chief Hagel to visit PHL

 News
Aug 202013
 
US defense chief Hagel to visit PHL

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel will visit the Philippines later this month as negotiations on the framework of increased rotational presence of American troops in the Philippines continue between the two countries. In a statement, the Pentagon said that Hagel’s visit will cap the series of stops on the Secretary’s upcoming Southeast Asian trip. Hagel will start in Malaysia from Aug. 24 to 26, followed by Indonesia from Aug. 26 to 27, and Brunei from Aug. 27 to 29 In Brunei, Hagel will “meet with defense counterparts from across the Asia-Pacific region,” said the Pentagon. The US official will meet with defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries on Aug. 28. The next day, Hagel will participate in the Asian Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus meeting. “Secretary Hagel will conclude his trip in Manila on August 29-30 and return to Washington the evening of August 30,” the statement said. The visit of Hagel will come as Philippines and US officials are negotiating the framework of the increased rotational presence of US forces in the country. The talks between the US and the Philippines began last Wednesday in Camp Aguinaldo. According to officials, at least three more rounds may be held before an agreement can be reached. The next round of negotiations will be held in Washington later this month, said Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Carlos Sorreta, who heads the Philippine government’s negotiating panel. — BM, GMA News

Talks begin for more U.S. troops in PHL

 Entertainment
Aug 152013
 

MANILA, August 14, 2013 (AFP) – The Philippines and the United States began talks on Wednesday aimed at allowing a bigger U.S. military presence on the soil of its key Asian ally, amid tensions with China. The talks aim to draw up rules for more rotational, or temporary, deployments of US forces and military assets in the Philippines. The […]

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