Month: November 2015

Fisheries agreement upgrades PH, Taiwan political relations

Published by Ellen on November 30, 2015

Remember the Balintang Channel incident two years ago that briefly strained relations between the Philippines and Taiwan?

It was triggered by the shooting by members of the Philippine Coast Guard of a Taiwanese fishing vessel in the overlapping maritime borders between the Philippines and Taiwan in the Balintang Channel off Batanes on May 9, 2013. A Taiwanese fisherman, 65-year-old Hung Shih-cheng, was killed.

The Aquino government took the defensive position right away insisting that the Taiwanese vessel intruded into Philippine waters.

It was established that the incident happened 21.6 nautical miles from Batanes, not within the Philippine 12 nautical miles territorial waters but within the 200 NM economic exclusive zone. But at the same time it is 170 nautical miles from the southernmost point of Taiwan and still considered within its 200 EEZ.

International law provides the rules of engagement in overlapping EEZs. Shooting is never one of them.

Duterte and Aesop’s fable about the frogs who desired a king

Published by Ellen on November 26, 2015

The frogs desiring a king (Illus by Harrison Weir, John Tenniel, Ernest Griset)

The frustration of the people over the ineptness of the Aquino government has made the “kamay na bakal” brand of leadership that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte appealing to many.

Former Human Rights Commission Chair Etta Rosales warned about the dangers of a leader who wants to play God.
Rosales said, ““These people who say we need a Duterte, they don’t think of the law. They don’t realize that if you don’t respect the law, it would affect also you and your family.”

She adds: “The moment you take the law in your hands and you think you can get away with it, then you become part of the problem, and that has been the way of all authoritarian rulers.”

The latest from Duterte

Published by Ellen on November 24, 2015

Thanks to Philippine Star for this photo

The May 2016 elections is now more fun with the entry of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in the race.

Last Monday, Duterte, after months of flip flopping – even writing an open letter last Oct. 12 saying, “The country does not need me” – he declared last weekend in a birthday party in Cavite, that he is after all running for president in the May 2016 elections.

But, in the first place, can he join the presidential race? Although a member of the PDP-Laban ((Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan), he filed his certificate of candidacy for Davao City Mayor as candidate of Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod.

The slot that he is supposed to take for the presidency is the one filed by former Quezon City Barangay captain Martin B. Dino, who has already withdrawn his candidacy after it was reported that he would be declared a nuisance candidate by the Commission on Elections.

But wait, didn’t Duterte said on Oct. 16, “Hindi ako pang-substitute. Pang original ako.”

Obama and Xi talk about jet lag at APEC reception

Published by Ellen on November 23, 2015

Do powerful persons ever engage in small talk? And what do they talk about?

Former Vice President of Taiwan Vincent C. Siew shared with members of media some tidbits about the Leaders Meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation held in Manila last week.

Chinese Presifent Xi Jinping and U.S. President Obama talk about jet lag at pre-dinner conversation Mall of Asia arena. Beside Obama, hidden from the camera, is Taiwan's Vincent Siew. — Chinese Presifent Xi Jinping and U.S. President Obama talk about jet lag at pre-dinner conversation Mall of Asia arena. Beside Obama, hidden from the camera, is Taiwan’s Vincent Siew.

Siew, who represented Taiwan in the 21-Economy grouping, said during the pre-dinner reception at the Mall of Asia Arena on the evening of Nov. 18 (Wednesday), U.S. President Obama joined him and China’s President Xi Jinping.

The great divide in an ‘inclusive’ APEC

Published by Ellen on November 18, 2015

Thanks to GMA News for this photo by Danny Pata.

The monstrous traffic jam last Monday that caused thousands of people to walk to their destinations under the sweltering heat of the noonday sun shows the disastrous gap between noble intentions and miserable realities on the ground.

That’s what makes many people resist embracing the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation which is holding its 23rd summit today and tomorrow at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

This week is an opportunity for the Philippines to shine in the world stage. (This is the second time that the Philippines hosted APEC Leaders Meeting. The first was in 1996 under Pres. Fidel Ramos. It was held in Subic.) Twenty-one leaders of the Asia Pacific Economies or their representatives are in Manila to discuss how to realize the vision they laid down in 1989 which is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

PH, Vietnam to hold naval drills, scientific research in South China Sea

Published by Ellen on November 16, 2015

President Aquino and Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang met during the 2014 APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Beijing, China . (Malacañang Photo Bureau)

(On Tuesday, Nov. 17, on the sidelines of the 23rd APEC Leaders Meeting, President Aquino and Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang will hold bilateral talks in Malacanang. They will finally be signing the “Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership between the Republic of the Philippines and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” which had long been prepared. VERA Files is reposting this article which was first published on April 24, 2015.)

By Tessa Jamandre and Ellen Tordesillas
VERA Files

The Philippines and Vietnam have agreed to conduct joint naval drills and scientific studies amid concerns over China’s intensified reclamations in the South China Sea.

The planned activities are part of the soon-to-be signed “Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership between the Republic of the Philippines and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” a copy of which was obtained by VERA Files.

In the strategic partnership agreement, which is considered a final draft until it is signed, the Philippines and Vietnam “reaffirm their commitment to resolve territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, as well as to the freedom of navigation in and over flight above the SCS (South China Sea) all in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”

In awe of how the French handled the crisis

Published by Ellen on November 15, 2015

Pres. Hollande declares state of emergency. Televised address Saturday.

We join everybody in condemning the attacks in Paris and nearby places that killed more than 120 people and injured about 200 Friday night.

There’s no justification for violence perpetrated on innocent people.

The group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), a fanatical group that aims to transform the entire earth as an Islamic State and promotes religious violence to achieve its goals, has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

A Metro Manila never seen before during APEC2015

Published by Ellen on November 12, 2015

Next week, we will experience Metro Manila we have not seen before.

For the 23rd summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC which will be held in Manila on Nov. 18 and 19, stringent measures will be implemented to ensure the safety of leaders or their representatives of the 21 member Economies.

A number of roads leading to the Philippine International Convention Center will be closed from Nov. 16 to 19. Same thing with roads leading to the Mall of Asia Arena where the Leaders will attend an evening event. (Click here for the detailed advisories on road closures: http://apec2015.ph/2015/10/27/apec-aelm-road-advisories/

Covering reality for APEC visitors. Pasong Tamo st. Photo by Chips Guevara from Manila Coconuts.co.

Alibaba’s Jack Ma in APEC

Published by Ellen on November 10, 2015

Aside from President Xi Jinping, another APEC guest from China is stirring interest.

He is Jack Ma, founder and chairman of the Alibaba Group, the largest marketplace in the world which is expected to be worth over $150 Billion by next year, according to Forbes.com.

Ma is the second richest man in China (Forbes: $28.7 billion) and is the 18th richest man in the world.

He will be one of the speakers in the APEC2015 CEO Summit to be held on Nov. 16 to 18 at the Makati Shangrila in Makati.

South China Sea looms large even if not in APEC 2015 agenda

Published by Ellen on November 9, 2015

South China Sea looms large even if it is not in the agenda of the 23rd meeting of the leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation in Manila on Nov. 18 and 19.

Foreign Undersecretary Lula del Rosario, chair of the APEC 2015 Senior Officials Meetings, which did all the vital spadework for the Foreign Ministers Meeting and the Leaders Meeting, gave two reasons why South China Sea is not in the agenda.

First, the South China Sea issue is political.

Second, South China Sea is not common to all APEC members.

APEC is an organization of Economies, not countries (That’s why Hongkong is member separate from China. So is Taiwan.) Started in 1989, APEC’s primary goal is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
Its 21 member economies are home to around 2.8 billion people and represent approximately 57 per cent of world GDP and 47 per cent of world trade in 2012.