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Category: Foreign Affairs

Pinoy protesters in Greece demand ouster of Amb. Tiglao

Published by Ellen on October 11, 2010

Funny. Tiglao said he is on leave. How can he be on leave when his appointment by Gloria Arroyo expired on June 31, 2010. PNoy was fooled by Romulo to extend services of Arroyo’s 21 political ambassadors including Tiglao up to Sept. 30, 2010. The Union of Foreign Service Officers said the extension was illegal because a non-existent appointment can’t be extended.

While most of the 21 political ambassadors of Arroyo have finally returned Sept. 30, Tiglao remains in Athens, continuing to occupy the ambassador’s residence. What his legal personality in Greece now? I am told Romulo is lobbying with Malacañang to extend services of Tiglao, who is one of Gloria Arroyo’s most trusted men.


From GMA News online:

Overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Greece staged a protest in front of the Philippine Embassy in Athens Sunday to demand the removal of Ambassador Rigoberto Tiglao, whom they accused of dismal performance and a lavish lifestyle.

In a news release, Athens-based Filipino organization Kasapi Hellas urged President Benigno Aquino III not to re-appoint Tiglao, saying he has not done much to assist Filipinos in Greece.

“(Tiglao) has nothing to show in terms of performance after more than four years… (He) has overstayed his ‘tourist visa’ in Greece and must go home immediately,” the group said.

Reached by phone in Athens, Tiglao declined to comment on the allegations and demands of the protesters, saying he was on leave and the matter was “sensitive.”

In the brief telephone interview with GMANews.TV, Tiglao dismissed the protesters as a “small group” that had no permit to stage a picket in front of the Embassy.

Continue readingPinoy protesters in Greece demand ouster of Amb. Tiglao

The ‘exquisitely balanced’ Asean-US statement

Published by Ellen on September 30, 2010

Against the backdrop of US State Secretary Hillary Clinton’s statement in Hanoi last July that it is in the “national interest” of the United States that freedom of navigation be maintained in the South China Sea, diplomatic observers were anticipating a strongly worded reference on that issue in the joint statement that would be released after the 2nd ASEAN-US held at the Waldorf Hotel in New York last Saturday.

The official statement simply said: “We re-affirmed the importance of regional peace and stability, maritime security, unimpeded commerce, and freedom of navigation, in accordance with relevant universally agreed principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other international maritime law, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.”

There was no mention of South China Sea!

Continue readingThe ‘exquisitely balanced’ Asean-US statement

Aquino scores in transparency

Published by Ellen on September 23, 2010

One good thing that can be said of the almost three-month old Aquino presidency is transparency.

Sometimes, too transparent to a fault but openness is still better than keeping people in the dark.

Aquino bungled big-time the Aug. 23 hostage crisis, wasted a lot of time trying to justify the bungling before finally doing something right: asking Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to head a panel that would investigate the fiasco.

Another correct decision was releasing the report to the public a few days after it was submitted to him. The release of the report to the Chinese Embassy ahead of releasing it to the Filipino public could have been handled better, of course. Also,he could have released the whole report including the recommendations.

Compare that to how Gloria Arroyo handled the “Hello Garci” scandal and the report of the Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga who investigated the involvement of the military in the tampering of the results of the 20004 election in Arroyo’s favor. Up to this day, we have yet to see the full report although I’m not expecting much from it.

Continue readingAquino scores in transparency

The Malacañang-DFA disconnect

Published by Ellen on September 2, 2010

Learning the art of when and what to talk about
Will somebody please tell President Aquino that he doesn’t have to answer all queries of reporters? That’s why he has a spokesperson.

Like the cancellation of the visits to Vietnam (Sept 13 to 14) and Indonesia (Sept. 14 to 15). Coming from him, the cancellation had a grating effect.

Aquino also said that he is pushing with his scheduled visit to the United States scheduled Sept 18 to 28.

“Canceled na yung trips, the first one will be America,” he said. He will be speaking at the United Nations and will be witnessing the signing of the Millenium Challange Corporation’s $434-million grant. Other activities have been lined up for him during his U.S visit.

By making the United States his first foreign visit, Aquino breaks the tradition among Southeast Asian leaders to take his first foreign visit to any of the fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Continue readingThe Malacañang-DFA disconnect

Unsilenced

Published by Ellen on August 31, 2010

Citroni
Visiting Italian Lawyer Gabriella Citroni, in a forum marking the International Day of the Disappeared (which was actually last Monday) at the University of the Philippines, said a person disappearing does not follow logic.

“People are born, they live and they die. They don’t disappear,” she said. But it happens. In the Philippines the practice is more known as “salvaging” a cruel play on the word that means “saving”.

Citroni, a professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca, has been active in the United Nations effort to ratify and eventually implement the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances.

Sen. Miriam Santiago files a bill making enforced disappearances a crime.

Citroni said Enforced Disappearances start with deprivation of liberty, followed by concealment or denial of the victim.

In searching for the disappeared kin, relatives often are met with questions by law enforcement authorities, “Who is he? Is there such a person?”

“Can you think of a much worse human brutality than someone telling you that your loved one never existed”, she asked.

Continue readingUnsilenced

Bakit wala man lang mensahe sa Canada?

Published by Ellen on August 31, 2010

Pangwalong araw na ngayon mula nang mangyari ang trahedya ng panghu-hostage sa Rizal Park kung saan namatay ang walo sa 25 turista na galing Hongkong ngunit wala pang mensahe ng pakikiramay or paghingi ng paumanhin sa pamahalaan ng Canada.

Hindi ba alam ng Malacanang o ng Department of Foreign Affairs na tatlo sa walong namatay ay Canadian citizens? Isa na namang katangahan ito kung hindi nila alam dahil napabalita sa mga diyaryo as Canada at Hongkong. Nabanggit na rin ng mga diyaryo dito as Pilipinas.

Ang tatlong Hongkong Canadian ay ang negosyateng si Ken Leung (58 taong gulang) at ang kanilang dalawang anak na babae na sina Jessie (14) at Doris (21). Nakaligtas Ang asawa ni Leung na si Amy Ng at Ang kanilang 18-taong gular na anak na lalaki na si Jason.
Inuperahan si Jason as utak dahil napukpuk raw siya ng malakas as ulo.

Continue readingBakit wala man lang mensahe sa Canada?