PHL asks Malaysia to exercise maximum tolerance in dealing with sultan's followers

 News
Mar 042013
 
PHL asks Malaysia to exercise maximum tolerance in dealing with sultan's followers

Malaysian troops deployed as Sabah clashes escalate. Malaysian soldiers man a security checkpoint in Semporna, the new area where a standoff with armed followers of the Sulu sultan in Simunul, Borneo occured on Sunday. Five Malaysian policemen and two gunmen died in a fresh clash as fears mounted that violence linked to a deadly standoff with Filipino intruders had widened to other areas. AFP (Updated 2:44 p.m.) The Philippines has asked Malaysia to exercise maximum tolerance in dealing with the remnants of a Filipino group that figured in a weeks-long standoff in Sabah following the violence that erupted there last week. At a press briefing in Manila on Monday, Foreign Affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez said in a Note Verbale given by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to the Malaysian ambassador to the Philippines, both country expressed that they “value the lives of their citizens, and share the same objective of preventing further loss of lives and further bloodshed.” Hernandez added, “Therefore, the Philippine government requests the Malaysian authorities to exercise maximum tolerance in dealing with the remaining members” of the Filipino group, which is led by Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. Kiram and his group are claiming ownership over Sabah. Hernandez also said Del Rosario is flying to Kuala Lumpur on Monday afternoon to discuss with the Malaysian government ways to de-escalate the tensions in Sabah. He also said they have received information from the Malaysian government that the situation in Sabah is Read More …

Purchases of capital, consumer goods push PHL imports growth in December 2012

 Entertainment
Feb 282013
 
Purchases of capital, consumer goods push PHL imports growth in December 2012

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) logo Growth in payments for capital goods, consumer goods, raw materials, and intermediate goods propelled Philippine merchandise imports to a 13.2-percent year-on-year increase in December 2012, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). “The improvement in imports performance during the period represents a rebound in the value of imports from a 6.4 percent contraction a year ago and partly reflects the favorable sentiments of both businesses and consumers,” said Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning Arsenio M. Balisacan. The country’s merchandise imports amounted to $4.6 billion in December 2012, up from the $4.6 billion during the same month in 2011. Imported capital goods rose by 40.2 percent to $1.8 billion from $1.3 billion from a year ago due to higher payments for aircrafts, ships, and boats (564.7%), telecommunications equipment and electrical machineries (10.0%), and power generating and specialized machines (15.9%). The increase in imports of aircrafts, ships, and boats is partly attributed to aircraft purchases of Cebu Pacific. Also, consumer goods grew by 38.2 percent to $688.3 million in December 2012 from $497.9 million from the same month in 2011. This was due to higher payments for both durable (50.4%) and non-durable (28.1%) consumer products. “The higher receipts from imported consumer goods were due in part to the more favorable sentiments of consumers, specifically towards durable items,” said Balisacan, who is also NEDA Director-General. Imports of raw materials and intermediate goods, meanwhile, also increased by 6.1 percent as values of both imported unprocessed raw 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 …

Report: 6 PHL ships deployed to prevent spillover of Sabah standoff

 News
Feb 222013
 
Report: 6 PHL ships deployed to prevent spillover of Sabah standoff

At least six Philippine Navy ships have been deployed to the Sulu and Tawi-Tawi area to prevent a possible spillover of the standoff between a group of armed Filipinos and Malaysian authorities in Sabah. The ships are patrolling the waters of Tawi-Tawi, which is near Tandau village where the group involved in the standoff has been staying since Feb. 9, according to a report Friday on Malaysia’s The Star online. Malaysian security forces had cordoned off the area where the group is staying but is awaiting efforts to resolve the standoff peacefully. Philippine Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic was quoted in the report as saying the vessels have no instructions to evacuate the group led by Raja Muda Azzimudie Kiram, brother of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. “We are hoping that this will be resolved peacefully. If they are retreating, we are not there to help them because we need instructions if they can be picked up,” The Star online quoted Fabic as saying. The standoff in the eastern state of Sabah has threatened to spark tension between thePhilippines and Malaysia, whose ties have been periodically frayed by security and migration problems along their sea border, a Reuters report said, citing security analysts. Security analysts had warned that the historic peace deal signed by the Philippine government and Moro rebels last October to end 40 years of conflict in the Philippine south risked stirring instability by alienating powerful clan leaders. Jamalul Kiram III, 74, a former sultan of Sulu in Read More …

Binay: Chinese New Year reminder of PHL, China brotherhood

 News
Feb 102013
 
Binay: Chinese New Year reminder of PHL, China brotherhood

Chinese New Year. Seng Guan (信願寺) temple in Manila’s Chinatown district on Sunday was crowded with people mostly wearing red, hoping for good luck and happiness in the Year of the Snake. Klein Sze/ Ang Pahayagang Plaridel The celebration of the Chinese New Year should be a reminder to the peoples of the Philippines and China of their brotherhood amid their seeming differences, Vice President Jejomar Binay said Sunday. In his Chinese New Year message, Binay said the kinship of the Filipinos and Chinese span millennia, and Sunday’s occasion reminds them they can work together harmoniously. “New Year celebrations such as this remind us that China and the Philippines have more similarities than differences, more brotherhood than anything else,” he said in his message posted on his Facebook account. The Philippines and China had been engaged in a territorial dispute over parts of the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). Last January, the Philippines handed a note verbale to Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing to notify China of its decision to elevate its complaint to an Arbitral Tribunal. The Arbitral Tribunal is an option provided for by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China’s nine-dash line overlaps with the territories of its Asian neighbors like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. But Binay also pointed out several Filipino customs sprout from Chinese roots. He also said the age-old values of hard work, respect for elders, and sense of duty to our country “are common threads Read More …

New LPA tracked off GenSan as Amihan returns

 News
Feb 082013
 
New LPA tracked off GenSan as Amihan returns

Satellite image at 7 a.m., 8 Feb 2013. Satellite image at 7 a.m., 8 Feb 2013 Weather Central State weather forecasters on Friday afternoon started tracking a potential cyclone —a low-pressure area— off Mindanao, even as the northeast monsoon is starting to make itself felt again. PAGASA, in its 5 p.m. bulletin, said the LPA was estimated at 500 km east of General Santos City, even as the northeast monsoon is affecting Extreme Northen Luzon. However, PAGASA did not immediately say if the LPA has a strong chance of intensifying into a cyclone. If it becomes a cyclone, it will be codenamed Crising. Earlier, PAGASA had said there may be “zero to one” cyclone that may enter the Philippine area of responsibility in February. Rain over parts of PHL For the next 24 hours, PAGASA said Batanes and Calayan islands will experience cloudy skies with light rain. “Mindanao will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms,” it added. The rest of the country will be partly cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms particularly over Bicol and Eastern Visayas. Also, PAGASA said moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over Luzon, Eastern Visayas and Eastern Mindanao and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the northeast with slight to moderate seas. — TJD, GMA News

PHL now a ‘rising tiger’ – World Bank official

 Entertainment
Feb 072013
 
PHL now a ‘rising tiger’ – World Bank official

President Benigno S. Aquino III, accompanied by B/E Aerospace, Inc. chairman, chief executive officer and founder Amin Khoury, president and chief operating officer Werner Lieberherr, United Kingdom Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Stephen Lilie and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Dr. Lilia de Lima, tours and inspects the facilities of the B/E Aerospace, Inc. Philippine Facility during the Grand Opening Ceremony at the First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP) in Barangay Ulango, Tanauan City, Batangas on Wednesday (October 03, 2012). B/E Aerospace is the worldwide leading manufacturer of aircraft passenger cabin interior products for the commercial and business jet aircraft markets. This and other businesses opening up in the Philippines are testaments to the country’s improving economic conditions. (MNS photo) DAVAO CITY, Feb 5 (Mabuhay) – President Aquino cited the gains that his administration has achieved, recognizing the need to ensure that these gains are felt by as many people as possible. In a speech at the Philippines Development Forum, Aquino mentioned the country’s 6.6 percent GDP growth in 2012 exceeded targets. He described this period as a “critical juncture” in his administration, a time to look back at the “progress” that the country has made and strategize for further improvement. “The improved consumption capacity of Filipinos means that our growth has benefited households as well. Moving forward, the challenge will always be how to ensure that our gains are inclusive, or more inclusive,” Aquino said. The PDF is a venue for government to engage various stakeholders in a Read More …

Senate panels recommend proceedings vs Glenn Defense over waste dumping

 News
Feb 062013
 
Senate panels recommend proceedings vs Glenn Defense over waste dumping

The Senate committees on foreign relations and environment and natural resources are recommending administrative and criminal proceedings be started against Malaysian shipping firm Glenn Defense Marine Asia for dumping waste into Philippine waters last year. In a speech delivered Wednesday, Senate foreign relations committee chair Senator Loren Legarda said that the two panels are recommending that the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) file administrative charges and impose the necessary penalty against Glenn Defense for failure to comply with the country’s environmental and marine protection laws. She said they are also recommending that the three agencies suspend all permits issued to Glenn Defense until the completion of the sanctions and proceedings. She also said that they are recommending that the Department of Justice further investigate the matter and determine if Glenn Defense shouldd be blacklisted and if criminal cases should be filed. Legarda said that they are likewise recommending the review of the Visiting Forces Agreement to ensure that it is compliant with Philippine laws. “This incident and the unfortunate grounding of a US minesweeper in Tubbataha Reef are two different incidents, grounded on the same issue – the need for better coordinative and implementing arrangements to ensure, as stated in the Executive Order creating the VFACOM, ‘respect for Philippine laws, state policies… and strict compliance with rules and regulations’ by our treaty partner and all entities performing services outside of the VFA,” she said. “Our government agencies need Read More …

Another US warship to visit PHL

 News
Feb 042013
 
Another US warship to visit PHL

A United States Navy guided missile destroyer will arrive in Subic Bay in Zambales on Tuesday for a routine port visit, the American embassy said Monday. The USS Stockdale (DDG-106), the third US vessel to visit the Philippines since January, will replenish supplies as well as offer its crew an opportunity for rest and relaxation, the embassy said in a statement. The Stockdale’s routine port call and goodwill visit at Subic Bay — once one of the largest US military installations in the world outside of the American mainland — “is a great opportunity to continue the long-term relationship between the Philippines and the United States,” said ship commanding officer Cdr. Lex Walker. This will be the Stockdale’s first visit to the Philippines. The visit is part of the ship’s nine-month deployment to the Western Pacific that began in January 2013. During the visit, Stockdale sailors will also engage in a number of community relations projects including visits to local orphanages, the embassy said. The USS Stockdale was commissioned on April 18, 2009, and is homeported in San Diego, California. It is named for Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale, who was the highest ranking US naval officer to be held as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam. Walker also spoke about the diversity of his crew. “We have quite a few Filipino –American Sailors among our crew, and I hope that the citizens of the Philippines can look at our ship and see that their people and their culture are Read More …

PAGASA: PHL will have 'basically good weather' in next 24 hours

 News
Feb 022013
 
PAGASA: PHL will have 'basically good weather' in next 24 hours

Except for isolated rain showers and thunderstorms, the whole country may expect “basically good weather” for the rest of this weekend, a state weather forecaster said Saturday afternoon. But PAGASA said rain may fall over parts of the country, including flood-affected areas in Mindanao such as Davao and Caraga. “Wala tayong inaasahang bagyo na aapekto sa ating bansa sa susunod na dalawa hanggang tatlong araw. Ang buong bansa [ay magkakaroon ng] basically good weather,” PAGASA forecaster Chris Perez said in an interview on dzBB radio. PAGASA’s 5 p.m. bulletin said the easterlies, or warm winds from the east, are affecting the eastern section of the country. It said the whole country will be partly cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, particularly over: – Cagayan Valley– Aurora and Quezon provinces– Bicol region– Eastern Visayas– Caraga and Davao regions. PAGASA also said moderate to strong winds blowing from the east to northeast will prevail over the country and the coastal waters will be moderate to rough. — LBG, GMA News

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