Month: April 2012

No need to invite China,PHL should bring case to UN

Published by Ellen on April 17, 2012

Scarborough shoal by Adel Rosario — Scarborough shoal at low tide by Adel Rosario from Wikipedia

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario is in New York now.

The Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday released his statement saying,” In pursuing a peaceful settlement of the Scarborough Shoal issue, we fully intend to humbly invite our Chinese friends to join us in the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).”

ITLOS was established to adjudicate conflict over the interpretation and implementation of the United Nations Convention of the Law which defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world’s oceans.

Del Rosario said, “The purpose of the exercise will be to ascertain which of us has sovereign rights over the waters surrounding Scarborough Shoal where Chinese ships are currently engaging in illegal activities within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). “

Using the Arroyo stigma again for 2013 and 2016

Published by Ellen on April 15, 2012

Binay — Target of Arroyo stigma campaign

Come to think of it, why would Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay and Miguel Zubiri want to be in the United Nationalist Alliance, a coalition that former President Joseph Estrada and Vice President Jojo Binay are forming for the 2013 senatorial elections, and not under the political party of Gloria Arroyo, their benefactor?

We can only guess that they themselves know how unpopular Arroyo is. They want to use other political vehicles and they have found this in UNA.

This has nothing to do with loyalty because we believe Magsaysay remains solidly behind Arroyo. It’s being practical. Actually a smart move. And opportunistic.

We are intrigued, however, by the decision of Binay, who is not shy about his 2016 presidential plans, to allow the two to align with him knowing the political damnation people tainted by Arroyo, imagined or not, suffer. Remember how the “Villaroyo” tag doomed Manny Villar’s presidential bid?

Not surprising that Liberal Party leaders and anti-Binay operators immediately picked up the slant and pastin on Binay the Arroyo stigma. Binay had to remind the public of the time when those are now styling themselves as anti-Arroyo used to be her ardent supporters.

Mas pinapahalagahan ng Malacañang ang SM mall kaysa kapaligiran

Published by Ellen on April 14, 2012

Deadma lang ang Malacañang sa mainit na protesta laban sa plano ng SM, ang higanteng sa negosyo ng shopping malls, na putulin ang 182 na pine trees sa Baguio para patayuan ng parking lot ng kanilang department store.

Ramon Paje Jr — SM-friendly DENR Chief Paje

Kinampihan pa ni Environment Secretary Ramon Paje ang ginagawa ng SM. Sabi niya,“If we do not allow trees to be cut, will there be a development such as Fort Bonifacio?(Kung hindi natin papayagan na putulin ang mga kahoy, paano tayo magkaroon ng pagsulong katulad ng Fort Bonifacio?”)

Scarborough shoal again

Published by Ellen on April 12, 2012

Update on Scarborough shoal:

Statement of Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario April 14, 2012, 6:50 pm.:

“As I said earlier, my meeting with Amb. Ma last night resulted in a stalemate. Notwithstanding, Amb. Ma has asked if we could commit to no surprises until we meet again to which I agreed.

“However, today, we received reports that the Philippine Coast Guard that 1) China sent back one of its white ships bringing the number of Chinese ships in the area back to two;2) A white Chinese aircraft with blue stripe was also sighted conducting flybys near Philippine Coast Guard vessel; and 3) A white Chinese ship harassed a Philippine-registered vessel with 9 French nationals which has been conducting archaelogical surveys.

“It appears there is an element that is lacking in our negotiations. I seek a deeper element of trust from our Chinese friends.”

The latest incident in Scarborough shoal reminds us of the issue of the non-inclusion of the sandbar, also known as Panatag , in the country’s baseline which was one of the points of conflict between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV in 2008. Trillanes was then in detention

Under the Stacks*

Published by Ellen on April 10, 2012

In last Monday’s commemoration of Bataan day, Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe once again expressed his country’s “heartfelt apologies and deep sense of remorse of the tragedy” that occurred 70 years ago.

It’s good that we commemorate what happened on April 9, 1942 so the younger generation would be told what our forefathers sacrificed for us to enjoy the freedom that we have today.

Time heals wounds but it is something to be concerned about when history is revised and mistakes are justified.The book “Under the Stacks” by Saul Hofileña, Jr. tackled a number of those historical distortions.

There is a chapter “The Yasukuni Shrine and the Japanese War Monuments in the Philippines” where he talked about his visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo which pays homage to the millions of Japanese war dead.

Hofileña said, “In the Yasukuni Shrine, the spirits of Japan’s war dead are enshrined as deities. They are their country’s guardians. The guardians or protectors of the Japanese nation who sacrificied their lives for their country.”

Hofileña said 11 of the enshrined heroes have been classified by the International War Crimes Tribunal as Class “A” war criminals. They include Hideki Tojo, Tomoyuki Yamashita, and Masaharu Homma.

Dip in Aquino’s satisfaction rating should do him good

Published by Ellen on April 8, 2012

working the crowd — Satisfying the crowd

President Aquino’s satisfaction rating may have dropped a little but by any standard it’s still high.

The Social Weather Station survey, conducted among 1,200 respondents nationwide on March 11- 13, 2012, saw the president’s satisfaction rating dip from nine points from plus 58 in Dec. 2011 which was “very good” to plus 49 which is still “good.”

His predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, never hit that high a satisfaction rating in her nine years of stolen presidency. The highest she got was plus 30 in March 2004, two months before the 2004 elections where she again robbed the people of their mandate.

Ang imbistigasyon sa kayamanan ni Lapid at impeachment ni Corona

Published by Ellen on April 8, 2012

Lito Lapid impeachment — The judge is being investigated for alleged unexplained wealth

Dapat tutukan itong imbestigasyon tungkol sa kayamanan ni Sen. Lito Lapid na isinasagawa ng Ombudsman dahil kunektado ito sa impeachment in Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Senator Lapid’s millions subject of Ombudsman probe

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/28085/senator-lapids-millions-subject-of-ombudsman-probe

Akala kasi ni Lapid, dahil mahalaga ang boto niya sa impeachment, hindi siya gagalawin ng administrasyong Aquino basta ibigay lang niya ang kanyang boto sa pag-convict kay Corona.

Hindi natin alam kung tama nga ang akala ni Lapid. Dati kasi nakalusot siya.

Nagsumbong na dati si dating Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim kay Pangulong Aquino tungkol sa hindi kanais-nais na mga ginagawa daw ni Mark Lapid, anak ni senador na dating gubernador ng Pampanga at ngayon at hepe ng Philippine Tourism Authority . Ngunit sinabihan si Lim na huwag galawin si Mark dahil kailangan nila ang boto ni Lito lapid sa pagpasa ng batas na ipagpabliban ang eleksyun sa Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao.

Two OFW kids shine in int’l moot court tilt

Published by Ellen on April 4, 2012

By Mylah Reyes,VERA Files

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Two children of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) helped propel the University of the Philippines College of Law into the circle of the world’s top four law schools, after taking part in the most prestigious moot court competition in the U.S.

Christopher Louie Ocampo, whose father works as a pumpman for an oil tanker, and Neil B. Nucup, son of a housekeeper in Rome, were part of the team which made it to the semifinals of the 2012 Jessup International Law Moot Court Championship in Washington D.C.

U.P. was the only team from Asia and the Third World that made it to the semis, finishing as one of the top four schools after competing with 137 teams from 80 countries, culled from an original field of over 600 law schools.

Who follows court orders these days?

Published by Ellen on April 1, 2012

Take a look at these headlines the past days:

CEBU SCHOOL DEFIES COURT ORDER ON BIKINI GRADUATES

DE LIMA DEFIES COURT

The first headline was about officials of St. Theresa’s College in Cebu defying the temporary restraining order issued by Cebu City Regional Trial Court Judge Wilfredo Navarro directing the school to cease and desist from enforcing the penalties on five students graduating from highschool for posting in Facebook photos in a bikini and in poses which school authorities considered “lewd.”

STC Cebu decided not to allow the five students to join the graduation rites although they can get their diploma.