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The pitfalls of joint development of Spratlys with China

Published by Ellen on July 10, 2016

It’s best that Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. study carefully the intricacies of joint exploration with China so he can advise President Rodrigo Duterte to go slow about it.

Yasay, in his clarification about what he said in an interview with Agence France Presse last week, said, ““As the ruling will not address sovereignty and delimitation, it is possible that some time in the future, claimant countries might consider entering into arrangements such as joint exploration and utilization of resources in disputed areas that do not prejudice the parties’ claims and delimitation of boundaries in accordance with Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).”

Even if the Philippines gets a favorable ruling Tuesday on the issues they raised against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, there would still be a lot of complications about joint development of the disputed areas in the South China Sea.

The number one problem is China’s concept of “setting aside dispute and pursuing joint development.”

One of the resource materials on the issue in the website of the China’s Foreign Ministry, says “The concept of setting aside dispute and pursuing joint development has the following four elements: 1. The sovereignty of the territories concerned belongs to China. 2. When conditions are not ripe to bring about a thorough solution to territorial dispute, discussion on the issue of sovereignty may be postponed so that the dispute is set aside. To set aside dispute does not mean giving up sovereignty. It is just to leave the dispute aside for the time being. 3. The territories under dispute may be developed in a joint way. 4. The purpose of joint development is to enhance mutual understanding through cooperation and create conditions for the eventual resolution of territorial ownership.”

Families of desaparecidos pin their hopes on Duterte

Published by Ellen on July 10, 2016

In search of Jonas Burgos. From the docu, The terror of the unhead voice

Former President Benigno Aquino III disappointed them. They are now pinning their hopes on what seemed years ago as the most unlikely person to be on their side: President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances or AFAD is requesting for a dialogue with the new president on the issue of forced disappearances.

Forced disappearance is an aberration because it defies the natural cycle of life which begins with birth and ends with death. Vanishing from the face of the earth is not normal.

But that’s what happened to many individuals in this world and in the Philippines the well-known names among them are peasant organizer Jonas Burgos, and UP students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno.

Unsolicited advice to Robredo: Lead opposition

Published by Ellen on July 5, 2016

Update: Robredo is Housing Secretary. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/794933/hello-maam-leni-duterte-offers-robredo-housing-post-via-phone-call

Gil Ramos, who monitors what’s going on in the Philippines, especially political happenings from the United States where he is based, wrote me his view that it is better that Vice President Leni Robredo is not part of the Duterte cabinet.

Vice President Leni Robredo pays a courtesy call on President Duterte. Photo by King Rodriguez, Malacañang Photo Bureau.

I share his view. A democracy can only be vibrant if there’s a strong opposition.

In fact, I cannot understand, the fuss by the Mar Roxas- Leni Robredo supporters about the VP not being appointed to a cabinet position. The President is not obliged to give Robredo a cabinet post and he has already explained why — he is concerned about the feelings of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, the closest opponent of Robredo. There are other reasons like the friendship of his father to late president, Ferdinand Marcos, as well as the support of the Marcoses to him last election.

Duterte is planning to give Marcos a cabinet position after the one-year ban on candidates who lost in the last May elections and it would indeed be awkward for Robredo and Marcos to be working together under Duterte.

No Hitler-calling vs China; no jetskiing to the Spratlys

Published by Ellen on July 3, 2016

President Duterte greets Chinese ambassador Zhao Jianhua in a reception of the Diplomatic Corps during the inaugural ceremony on June 30,2016

Change has come.

The sober position that the Duterte administration is taking in connection with the impending decision of the United Nations Arbitral Court on the case filed by the Philippines against China is a reversal of the “Shame China” strategy that the Aquino administration undertook.

It is also a departure from cinematic solution that then candidate Rodrigo Duterte regaled his supporters with during campaign rallies:
“I will ask the Navy to bring me to the nearest point in South China Sea that is tolerable to them and I will ride a jet ski. I’ll carry a flag and when I reach Spratlys, I will erect the Filipino flag. I will tell them, suntukan o barilan.”

Now carrying the mantle of the presidency, Duterte was a voice of moderation during the cabinet discussion aired live on TV on how they would handle the July 12 U.N. Court decision.

The President wears the PH flag

Published by Ellen on June 30, 2016

President Duterte wears a PH flag while his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III ,sticks to yellow ribbon.

When outgoing president Benigno Aquino III and incoming president Rodrigo Duterte met yesterday for the traditional turnover of the reins of the government, the big difference between the two was very much noticeable by the small item they each wore on their left chest.

Aquino was wearing his yellow ribbon pin, which to many, symbolized the exclusivity of his administration to friends, relatives and like-minded others. Duterte, on the other hand, was wearing a Philippine flag pin which was seen as a symbol of what he said in his speech, “I was elected to the presidency to serve the entire country. I was not elected to serve the interests of any one person or any group or any one class. I serve every one and not only one.”

There was a tense moment towards the end of Duterte’s 14-minute inaugural speech, when after saying “Why am I here?” he said, “ Hindi kasali ito diyan. (This is not included there).

There was laughter, then a 13- second pause.

Waiting for Duterte’s metamorphosis

Published by Ellen on June 28, 2016

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte. Photo by Dana Batnag.

Tomorrow, June 30, President Benigno Aquino III steps down as the 15th president of the Philippines and Rodrigo R. Duterte becomes the 16th president of the Philippines.

From now on, every pronouncement of Duterte will be official. If he curses, every putang ina will have the stamp of the presidency.

A source who was present during Duterte’s meeting with the ambassadors of the United States, United Kingdom and Germany two weeks ago, said the then president-elect was a far cry from what foul-mouthed Duterte they saw in press conferences and speaking engagements. He was “prim and proper” and uttered only pleasant statements, he said.

But he said, “It was surreal.” One can see and feel that he was not in his natural self and that something from within was raring to come out.

Duterte had promised that once he has taken his oath as president of the Philippines, “There will be a metamorphosis.”

Why Gina Lopez says she has no caldero?

Published by Ellen on June 26, 2016

Incoming president Rodrigo Duterte chooses anti-mining advocate Gina Lopez as environment secretary.

A video of the exchange between Gina Lopez, incoming President Rodrigo Duterte’s choice as secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, and a pro-mining advocate is going the rounds of social media.

Lopez was asking the man to choose between food and minerals because she argued that mining that extracts minerals from underneath the ground destroys the land where man produce food. Apparently Lopez has not heard of responsible mining.

Apparently also, the pro-mining man mentioned the things that we use in our daily lives that came from mining such as toothpaste.
Here’s the exchange that followed:

Ways to make China comply if U.N. ruling on SCS favors PH

Published by Ellen on June 23, 2016

Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio at PPI June 23, 2016

The Philippines is not exactly helpless if the United Nations Arbitral Court decides in our favor in the case we filed against China and China ignores it.

The Hague-based U.N. Artbitral Court is expected to decide on the case on July 7.

In Jan. 2013, the Philippine asked the U.N. court to

1. declare as illegal China’s all encompassing nine-dash line map;

2. declare as part of Philippine 350 nautical mile continental shelf low tide elevations (rocks or shoals that are seen only during low tide) where China has built permanent structures;

3. declare that the waters outside the 12 nautical miles surrounding the Panatag Island (Scarborough shoal) should be declared as part of the Philippines 200 natutical mile Exclusive Economic Zone.

De Ocampo, Lhuillier aspire for London post

Published by Ellen on June 21, 2016

Ambassador Evan P. Garcia presents his credentials to Mr Julian Evans, Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps and Director for Protocol at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office

London is one of the most coveted posts in foreign service, including for Philippine diplomats.

The Philippine is currently represented there by Evan Ralph Garcia, who assumed the post last May.

A career diplomat who had served in embassies in Washington D.C, Tokyo, and as Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Garcia was undersecretary for Policy before he was sent to the United Kingdom.

For career officers like Garcia, their foreign assignments last six years, then they return to the home office for three years’ service before they are sent out again. The six years can be in one foreign post or they can be assigned in two posts. A term of three years in a foreign post gives the ambassador time to learn about the host country and establish a network to strengthen relations with the Philippines. Of course, this is just the usual practice and can be changed by the powers- that- be. But less than three years in one post for an ambassador is a waste of money.

Salvador Panelo, who was spokesman of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte for a month, was said to desire to be ambassador to the Court of St. James. He has a new position now: presidential legal adviser.

Why doesn’t Roxas just pay fine for SOCE non-filing?

Published by Ellen on June 19, 2016

Mar Roxas concedes. Photo by Luis Liwanag.

Would it be a less stressful option for Mar Roxas, Liberal Party presidential candidate in the May 9, 2016 presidential election not to file at all a Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE)?

He didn’t win anyway so there’s no position that he would be prevented from assuming because he does not have the Certificate of Formal compliance that is issued by the Commission on Elections to those who have complied with the submission of their SOCEs.
What happened to ousted Laguna Governor Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito would not happen to him.

It will be recalled that Ejercito of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino won over Edgar San Luis of the Liberal Party in the 2013 gubernatorial race in Laguna but he was removed from office in 2014 when Comelec upon the complaint of San Luis, determined that Ejercito exceeded expenditure limits in the 2013 elections. Ejercito’s TV ad expenses was one of the proofs Comelec had for his overspending.

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