PH Headline News Online

PHNO-OPINION: ON TARGET: AQUINO GOVT CAN'T GET ITS ACT TOGETHER

ON TARGET: AQUINO GOVT CAN'T GET ITS ACT
TOGETHER
MANILA, JUNE 29, 2012 (INQUIRER) ON TARGET By
Ramon Tulfo (photo) - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DND) says China
has pulled out its ships from Scarborough Shoal.
But the Department of National Defense (DND) says this is not the case.
Ano ba talaga, kuya?
Which should the public believe, the DFA or the DND?
* * *
Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo says the Jordanian TV reporter, Baker
Atyani, and his Filipino crew, who went missing, are in the hands of the Abu
Sayyaf bandit group which gained notoriety for its involvement in
kidnap-for-ransom cases.
But Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin insists that Atyani and his companions
were not abducted.
Again, which should the public believe, the Department of the Interior and
Local Government (DILG) or the DND?
* * *
If the government cannot put its act together, blame it on Malacañang.
That's one sign of weak leadership.
President Benigno Aquino III blames his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,
for all the flaws in his administration to cover up for his weak leadership.

* * *
If Atyani was not kidnapped, then why would Secretary Gazmin say that the
military would launch rescue operations should it be ordered to do so by the
crisis management committee?
Why save people from their supposed captors when there was no kidnapping in
the first place?
Doesn't that sound weird?
* * *
The government should not worry too much about the fate of the Arab
journalist.
If Atyani is being held hostage by the people he was supposed to interview
for his TV network, that's his fault.
It serves him right.
He was warned against meeting with the Abu Sayyaf but he was hardheaded.
What's more worrisome is the fate of his Filipino cameraman Ramelito Vela and
audioman Rolando Letrero, who risked going on a dangerous mission in order to
put food on the table for their families.
* * *
If Atyani was not kidnapped, the military and police in Sulu should be wary
of ambuscades to be launched by either the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
or the Abu Sayyaf.
For all we know, the MILF or the Abu Sayyaf invited the Jordanian journalist
to come to the country to show the weakness of our security forces.
During the Marcos administration, foreign journalists filmed or photographed
Moro rebels ambushing military convoys.
I got hold of a copy of a Soldiers of Fortune magazine during the Marcos
years (I forgot which issue it was) and I was appalled to see a series of photos
showing Moro rebels in ambush positions by the roadside, followed by an Army
truck approaching and being blasted by a land mine, and then rebels stripping
dead government soldiers of their possessions.
During the martial law years, a foreign TV crew was also allowed to interview
Moro rebels and the government later regretted it.
The foreigners showed how Moro rebels ambushed a military convoy and seized
the belongings of the dead soldiers.
An Army officer, whom I won't identify, said that had he known the TV crew's
intentions, he would have ordered his men to kill them.
"Mon, we were put to shame before the whole world," my friend said.

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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rights reserved

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PHNO-OPINION: INQUIRER EDITORIAL: PAWN IN POWER PLAY

INQUIRER EDITORIAL: PAWN IN POWER
PLAY
[PHOTO -Schoolchildren and
their parents are seen inside the newly opened Pag-Asa Elementary School.
Philippine officials have opened a small kindergarten on a South China Sea
island that is also claimed by five other governments
(Photo: AP)
MANILA, JUNE 29, 2012
(INQUIRER) Predictably, China has again engaged in
saber-rattling and warned the Philippines against the latter's decision to open
a public kindergarten on Pag-asa in the Kalayaan island chain off the province
of Palawan.
Hong Lei, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said that
Beijing "opposes any illegal activity that may infringe on China's sovereignty,"
according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Hong said Manila should "refrain from taking any measure that will
complicate and exacerbate the current situation and affect peace and stability
in the South China Sea." But isn't China itself exacerbating the situation?
By commenting on Pag-asa's five-pupil kindergarten, which is purely internal
to the Philippines as far as we're concerned, China "internationalizes" the
matter and makes of a perfectly innocent thing a pawn in geopolitical power
play.
Moreover, China's statement betrays doublespeak. While Hong said he hoped
"relevant countries will abide by the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct
of Parties in the South China Sea," which China and the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) signed in 2002, he asserted that his country had
"indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratly islands and their surrounding
waters.
China conveniently ignores that the Philippines controls Pag-asa and that
Filipinos live on the island which is part of the municipality of Kalayaan.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has asserted that "the Kalayaan group of
islands, which includes Pag-asa, is an integral part of Philippine territory as
declared in Republic Act No. 9522 and other relevant Philippine laws." As
President Aquino's spokesperson Edwin Lacierda put it, China can say whatever it
wants but it should not make Pag-asa an issue because "the municipality has been
there" for a long time "and it's never been questioned."
The Philippines has been exercising effective jurisdiction over Pag-asa since
1971; the establishment of a kindergarten is merely a reaffirmation of that
fact. Pag-asa has a town hall, a health center, an airstrip and a naval station,
among other infrastructure.
The Philippine military occupies several of the Kalayaan islands that the
country claims are part of its territory. In contrast, China has built a number
of military facilities that it claims are there to provide shelter for its
fishers. But there's much debate about whether or not they're fishers. As
evident in Panatag Shoal off Zambales, the fishers are actually poachers,
raiding marine sanctuaries and hauling off endangered species.
Simply put: There must be a way of forwarding one's claim of sovereignty and
jurisdiction over contested territory in ways less harmful to the environment.
If indeed the kindergarten in Pag-asa is designed to advance that claim, then
it's a less debilitating way of doing that than giving free rein to poaching. In
fact, education must be a key to enlighten minds and alert them to the dangers
of environmental depredation.
The Philippines has advanced diplomatic initiatives to settle the disputes
over the Spratlys. During the Asean summit in Cambodia last April, it asked the
regional grouping to take the lead in resolving the dispute in the West
Philippine Sea, and to bring the Spratlys claimants together toward "a
rules-based, multilateral and peaceful resolution of the issue." Central to this
would be the drafting of the Code of Conduct among the claimants. The United
States supports the planned Code of Conduct.
Filipinos are pursuing education and development to consolidate their claim
over Pag-asa and other islands.
They're also turning to art.
What may get China's dander is the announcement that one of the movies in the
Director's Showcase of the Cinemalaya festival of independent cinema this month
is about Pag-asa: its title, quite appropriately, is "Kalayaan."
It was shot by director Adolfo Alix Jr. right in the Spratlys and stars Thai
matinee idol Ananda Everingham.
Since Alix has won awards in the international film festival circuit (he was
listed by the Hollywood Reporter in its "Next Generation Asia 2010" as among the
top 20 young entertainment personalities in Asia deemed "the best and the
brightest among their peers" from a vast region considered "the world's biggest
entertainment market"), and considering further that Everingham has an
international following, "Kalayaan" will surely be shown abroad.
Then the world will further know about the situation in the Spratlys. The
dispute will be further "internationalized" and the Philippine claim humanized.

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved

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PHNO-OPINION: JOJO ROBLES: WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?

JOJO ROBLES: WHO'S IN
CHARGE HERE?

MANILA, JUNE 29, 2012 (MANILA STANDARD) by JoJo
Robles - The Defense and the Foreign Affairs departments issue contradictory
statements on the presence of Chinese ships in the disputed Scarborough Shoal.

The Interior Secretary has declared that he will no longer discuss
the abduction of a Jordanian journalist in Patikul, Sulu after he has been made
to look like a fool for saying that the victim was an Al Qaida courier.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is all over the media explaining how its
billion-dollar loan to the International Monetary Fund is an "investment" of
funds that cannot be used by the Aquino government, even if the central bank
apparently never thought to consult anyone about its controversial contribution
to the European bailout kitty beforehand.
And now, the justice secretary is contradicting the national police's special
anti-kidnapping group by claiming that a rescued child had actually been freed
after paying a ransom – something the police never announced.
Listening to the various officials of the Aquino administration talk can make
anyone wonder: Who's really in charge here?
As far as the long-running territorial dispute off our western coast, for
instance, it's becoming abundantly clear that no one is. The Philippine Coast
Guard and Edwin Lacierda, the permanently clueless spokesman of Malacañang
Palace, cannot even speak with one voice on the matter of the ramming of a local
fishing vessel that left one fisherman dead and four others missing.
Now the Philippine Navy (as opposed to the Coast Guard, which is a
civilian-led agency under the Department of Transportation) has gotten into the
act and has declared that it is investigating the ramming incident.
So far, the Navy can only say that the Chinese vessel that supposedly slammed
into the Filipino fishermen's craft off Bolinao, Pangasinan cannot possibly be
the one that the victims said was involved in the incident.
As for Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, he has belatedly said that he would
henceforth "shut up" on the matter of the kidnapping (or not) of Jordanian
journalist Baker Atyani. "In the interest of their safety, it's best that we
leave the issue alone at this time," the thoroughly chastened Robredo—who had
accused Atyani of being an Al Qaida fund conduit for the bandit group Abu
Sayyaf—said.
As for the BSP, it has been telling everyone who will listen that the money
it lent the IMF was never intended to be spent by the Aquino government in the
first place—and that it is really an investment that will earn interest.
But the belated explanations by the central bank (and by Lacierda in
Malacañang) have done little to extinguish the anger amongst Filipinos who see
something terribly wrong in a situation where the government is trillions of
pesos in debt to various local and foreign creditors sending money to Europe to
bail out an infinitely richer continent.
Somebody has got to be in charge of all the conflicting information that is
emanating from the various instrumentalities of the administration.
Unfortunately, not even President Noynoy Aquino himself is immune to the malaise
of spewing half-baked, contradictory statements on any of these burning issues.

Aquino has gone on record as mouthing the same lines issued by any agency
that seems to have made the last declaration on any matter, whether it be the
presence (or not) of the Chinese in our waters and the circumstances of Atyani's
disappearance.
He seems to have been as surprised as every other Filipino, in fact, to learn
that BSP has lent IMF a billion dollars that he probably wished he could get his
hands on for his pet projects.
About the only thing that Aquino seems concerned about these days is how to
time the release of his controversial mining industry executive order—something
that he has repeatedly procrastinated on for nearly a year now.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in an industry that has the best chance of uplifting
the economy are still in limbo, unable to understand why a presidential order is
required when the law covering the industry has long been passed and upheld by
the courts.
What has Aquino been up to that is keeping him from acting like the Chief
Executive that he is—or at least preventing him from telling his various
officials not to keep opening their mouths and feeding the Palace and the public
with raw and conflicting information? Is Aquino in charge of anything at all?

* * *
Yesterday afternoon, Malacañang has declared that, henceforth, only the
Department of Foreign Affairs would be making declarations about the situation
in Scarborough Shoal.
The Navy and the rest of the military, according to a report on the
Interaksyon.com news Web site, has in effect been gagged by the directive.
Aquino has apparently realized that no good will come out of allowing anyone
involved in the Scarborough situation to say whatever he wants.
Of course, the military has already contradicted DFA on the matter of the
Chinese presence, citing data gathered by its pilots who flew over the area.

Here's hoping that DFA won't suffer the same fate as Robredo and just decide
to shut up and let Malacañang keep making contradictory statements on its own.

(Published in the Manila Standard Today newspaper on
/2012/June/28)

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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rights reserved

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PHNO-BE: INSENSITIVITY, HYPOCRISY: $1-B NOYNOY LENDING TO IMF WIDELY SLAMMED

INSENSITIVITY, HYPOCRISY: $1-B NOYNOY LENDING TO IMF WIDELY
SLAMMED
[PHOTO FROM BULATLAT ONLINE
-Members of KMU and Piston hold picket in front of BSP Jun 25 to protest
Aquino's "pledge" to IMF and austerity measures.(Photo by
Marya Salamat / bulatlat.com]

MANILA, JUNE 29, 2012 (TRIBUNE) Written by Fernan J.
Angeles and Angie M. Rosales The Aquino administration's decision to plunk in $1
billion in the so-called firewall fund of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
worth $450 billion for relending to European countries caught in a debt crisis
widely earned brickbats yesterday, including from senators who are demanding
explanations over the move.

Senators Gregorio Honasan and Ralph Recto
made identical demands for explanation from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilpinas'
(BSP) decision to allocate $1 billion to the fund, with Recto pointing out that
the BSP, as a creation of Congress, cannot claim sole propriety rights over the
country's dollar reserves and should seek consensus first or secure
appropriation cover from the legislature to make such a
commitment.

"The issue here is transparency because the taxpayers
have a say on this," Honasan, for his part, told reporters in an
interview.

"Transparency is a basic constitutional principle. That is why
a number of people were surprised to hear of this (pledge to IMF). We were also
surprised and that's all we want to know. We're not objecting to the (provision
of funds for the) loan. That loan (to financially ailing countries) might be
justifiable," he added.

Recto, likewise emphasized that he's not opposed to the move especially
since the BSP underscored the fact that the Philippines, as a member of the
global community of nations, has an obligation to ensure economic and financial
stability across the globe.

He stressed that he was willing to listen to
the "gameplan" of the BSP and why it would risk denying the Filipino people its
sovereign claim to $1 billion worth of projects and programs that could "change
their lives even for a little bit."

President Aquino's spokesman Edwin
Lacierda, instead of issuing an expalanation rattled off with the credentials of
BSP Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr. in justifying the BSP move.

"Tetangco has
been acknowledged last year as one of the best Central Bank governors. So it
shows the prudent management and the able fiscal stewardship of Bangko Sentral
under Governor Tetangco. And I am certain that he will not place the money of
the Philippines in an investment that is not consistent with making sure that
our money are fiscally preserved," Lacierda said.

Lacierda also bared
figures which seemed yielding surprising figures apparently dwarfing the one
billion dollar pledge as compared to the total gross international reserves of
$77 billion.

"How much are we loaning out to IMF? $1 billion over $77
billion. Look at the ratio... The $77 billion, we're able to conserve through
the year and that's because of prudent and prudent stewardship of Bangko
Sentral. I think, we should acknowledge the fact that they have done a good job
of increasing our reserves as well," Lacierda said.

Admittedly though,
Lacierda said that they can't stop opposition congressmen from investigating the
move while assuring government's sustained program designed to alleviate
poverty. He cited the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program for the poor which
has reached P45 billion, as one of them.

Lacierda reiterated the IMF loan
is also meant to benefit overseas Filipinos, who work in European nations
struggling under the debt crisis.

"Overall, around $17 billion to $18
billion (in remittances enter the country each year) and remittances from our
OFW in Europe stand at $4-billion. We're investing $1 billion to the fund which
will help provide global stability," he said.

Honasan, however, insisted
on an explanation from the BSP as to how it handles the country's foreign
currency reserves.
"Can we convert these national reserves into poverty
allevation measures? Can we build roads from our reserves? This was not
transparent, that was the point. If we are under obligation, what are the terms
and conditions of that loan?," he added.
"That does not erase the point we
are raising. What standards were applied? Why just now? All of a sudden, we
provide these funds (to the IMF). There are more questions than answers (raised
by this issue). These are public funds, how come they were not told of this
plan?," Honasan further asked.

Honasan expressed belief that Malacanang
has an obligation to address the public on this matter.

"I agree with
that, the point raised by the Palace that we are capable of giving loans to
other countries. But try telling that to those who are hungry. That could buy a
number of sacks of rice," he said.

He said BSP's Congress-enacted mandate
is glaringly affirmed by the P40-billion infusion approved by Congress for its
recapitalization when it repudiated its old self, P20 billion of which had
already been appropriated in the past national budgets.

[PHOTO
COURTESY OF BULATLAT.COM- Playacting: Aquino's make-believe, protesters' lampoon
(Photo by Marya Salamat / bulatlat.com)]
Recto said the people must also be made to understand why the government is
lending out to IMF while it continuously borrows from international lending and
multilateral institutions for budgetary support and deficit spending.

He
stressed the $1-billion loan to IMF could be better used to bankroll projects
that have mass impact such as schoolbuildings, hospitals and other key
infrastructures.

Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño also called for changes in
the BSP charter to prohibit the president and finance officials from dipping
into the foreign currency reserves and lending public funds to foreign banks and
financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the
prejudice and detriment of local enterprises.

Calling the plan a
"harebrained idea" and the "handiwork of Ivy-league bright boys in the BSP who
are salivating for positions in the IMF, World Bank (WB) and the Asian
Development Bank (ADB)," Casiño said the .3 percent interest to be earned from
the IMF exposure is miniscule compared to rates normally lent to local
enterprises, government agencies or local government units.

"The reserve
fund can also be used to finance common production facilities for industries,
postharvest facilities, manufacturing facilities, even renewable energy systems
that would boost the local economy," added the lawmaker.

"If we lend the
money to our local enterprises or to the government, the BSP would get higher
returns plus help boost the local economy. Its really more sensible, if not more
fun, to lend to our fellow Filipinos," he said.

He pledged to lead
efforts in the House to amend the BSP Charter to make it "more responsive to the
needs of the local economy."

Another militant solon, Gabriela Rep. Emmi
de Jesus describes Aquino's $1 billion pledge as the height of insensitivity and
hypocrisy.

The multisectoral group Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) said
the government extending a $l-billion loan to the IMF is an "arrogant pretension
of a country very much in debt".

In a protest action outside the BSP
building along East Ave, FDC members lambasted the government for "being fast in
allowing the IMF to manage our money, yet being slow in allocating funds for
basic social and economic services."

FDC sees this move as way of the
government to impress lender countries and credit rating agencies. With the $1
billion pledge, the government is in effect "flaunting the liquidity of its
coffers and seeking higher credit rating'' from Fitch, Standard a Poor and
Moody's.

Earlier, FDC had warned the public of misleading statements
issued by Tetangco and Lacierda who tried to make an impression upon the
Filipino people that the Philippines has now turned from a debtor country to a
creditor country.

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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rights reserved

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PHNO-SP: PREACHERS SWARM MANNY FOR MONEY / WBC WILL MAKE PACMAN VS FLOYD FIGHT HAPPEN

PREACHERS SWARM MANNY FOR MONEY / WBC WILL MAKE PACMAN VS
FLOYD FIGHT HAPPEN

[PHOTO- MANNY PACQUIAO'S MANSION AT
GENSAN]
GENERAL SANTOS CITY JUNE 28, 2012 (INQUIRER) Cebu Daily News -
Protestant pastors have been coming in droves to Manny Pacquiao's
mansion here. And their number is increasing each day.
One day, seven of them coming from different religious factions arrived. The
next day, the number rose to 10. They take a bath, sleep and eat right there as
if it is their own house.
They are the new phantoms of the boxing icon. They follow him wherever he
goes – from here to Baguio and even the United States.
They started stalking the Filipino ring idol after the Pacquiao-Marquez fight
in November 2011, when the world's eight-division boxing champ decided to change
his lifestyle and began holding daily Bible study with his family, friends and
supporters.
But there were just two or three pastors then attending in the Bible study.

A source close to Pacquiao told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that these
pastors have been abusing the man's kindness and generosity.
"They are making our boxing idol a milking cow. The real Manny Pacquiao
doesn't know how to say no. But if they are real disciples of God, they should
be ashamed of what they are doing," the source said.
The source said that one pastor was given an I-Pad but seemingly not
contented with what he got, he still asked for a new service vehicle. "Now, he
is sporting brand new pick-up, courtesy of Manny Pacquiao," the source added.

Another pastor asked for cash, while the other abandoned his flock somewhere
in Northern Luzon just to be with the boxer-lawmaker.
Another pastor joined the Pacquiao team during the training camp in Los
Angeles. "He asked for 36 tickets in the Pacquiao-Bradley fight. The guy got
what he wanted," the source said.
"I was the one so ashamed when he asked Manny Pacquiao to get eight hotel
rooms for his family in the US," the source added.

[PHOTO - MANNY HOLDING THE BIBLE DURING HIS DAILY MORNING RUN.
Dennis Guillermo /
dSourceBoxing.com]
According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer source, it was the first time that
someone asked for 36 tickets and eight hotel rooms from the boxing champ.
When Pacquiao and his entourage arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport (NAIA) on June 16, this same pastor was seen brandishing a big Louis
Vuitton bag.
"Now, there are so many pastors. I wanna be a pastor, too," the source
stated.
Another source has admitted being convinced that religion is the opium of the
masses. "And the preachers are the pushers," the source added. "Before, we were
expecting that these pastors would help or guide Manny Pacquiao towards the path
of salvation. We didn't expect that they would abuse his kindness and
generosity," the source lamented.
The poor, the source claimed, need Pacquiao's help more than the pastors do.
"The poor people are more deserving to receive such blessings. I hope, one day,
they would realize their mistake and that they would stop asking any kind of
favor from Pacquiao," the source said.
The sources said the preachers have been planning a "grand religious concert"
for Pacquiao at the Araneta coliseum on June 28.
"They assigned Manny Pacquaio as the main speaker. From what I've heard
during the discussion, they wanted Pacquiao to settle all the bills before the
staging of the concert," the source disclosed.

[PHOTO - MANNY WITH HIS PASTOR IN L.A. Chris Farina / Top Rank]
However, according to the source, Pacquiao insisted that all the bills for
the venue rental, catering, transportation, etc. be settled only after the
concert.
"Of course, it can be read between the lines that someone is bound to make a
killing out of this concert. This is a multimillion event," the source said.

The same sources further revealed that a rift has developed among Pacquiao's
political backers, boxing circle and the pastors.
"Manny Pacquiao tend to listen to these pastors more than to his advisers and
friends from political and boxing circles," one of the sources claimed.
Those from political and boxing circles, he said, believed that Pacquiao's
involvement in religious activities has hurt his boxing career.
Before, he said, the distractions in Pacquiao's life were his gambling and
drinking buddies. "Now, the distractions are the pastors and they are far more
costly than the previous ones."
"The old Manny Pacquiao is gone. Atop the ring, he is no longer as ferocious
as before. Unless he learns to temper his new-found passion and obsession, we
would no longer see knock-out victories in his future fights," he said./INQUIRER
FROM MANILA STANDARD
WBC chief to mediate between Pacman, Floyd Posted
June 29th, 2012 by Ronnie Nathanielsz & filed under Sports.

[PHOTO -World Boxing Council President Jose Sulaiman: He says that
Manny Pacquiao should fight Floyd Mayweather Jr next, and the WBC can be
instrumental in making it happen.]
DON Jose Sulaiman, the president of the World Boxing Council, promised to
help in the effort to get a megabuck fight between Fighter of the Decade Manny
Pacquiao and undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. done.
Upon learning that Pacquiao wants a fight against Mayweather, the WBC
president told the Manila Standard: "Take it for sure that I will do my best as
this is the top fight the world wants to see."
Sulaiman, who has always been a supporter and admirer of Pacquiao, said that
as president of the WBC, Mayweather "respects the organization and is a friend.
So are some of his representatives."
During dinner at Top Rank promoter Bob Arum's home in Los Angeles prior to
leaving on a visit to the Holy Land with wife Jinkee and their four children,
Pacquiao discussed his future fights with the promoter.
"Obviously, the one fight that he (Pacquiao) wants is (Floyd) Mayweather.
That's the guy he wants to fight," said Arum, who however indicated he didn't
think there was enough time to do it this year primarily because Mayweather is
serving out a prison term.
Meantime, Pacquiao will consider three options put before him by Arum for a
fight in Las Vegas this November.
One of the choices is a rematch with Timothy Bradley, who took away his World
Boxing Organization welterweight title in a split decision that was roundly
condemned around the world.
The two other names on the list of possible opponents are Juan Manuel
Marquez, whose three previous fights with Pacquiao have been action-packed
encounters marred by controversy and Miguel Cotto, whom Pacquiao beat via a
12th-round technical knockout to win the WBO title.
Meanwhile, Bradley relinquished his WBO junior welterweight title. The
decision has benefited Mexican legend Marquez, who has been elevated by the WBO
from interim to full 140-pound champion.

(Published in the Manila Standard Today newspaper on
/2012/June/29)

Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
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PHNO-SB: STARWEEK: RAIN OR SHINE? ASK PAGASA

STARWEEK: RAIN OR SHINE? ASK PAGASA

MANILA, JUNE 29, 2012
(PHILSTARweek) By Helen M. Flores - Not too long ago, the
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA) was the butt of jokes – walang pagasa or hopeless, a pun on its acronym
which means "hope," and quips like if PAGASA says it will rain for sure it will
be sunny.
All that has changed, thanks to the agency's ambitious modernization program.
And with a little help from social networking sites, the agency has been giving
out timely and accurate forecasts, consequently saving lives and property.
The agency installed last month a P530-million Doppler radar – the first of
its kind in Southeast Asia – in Virac, Catanduanes. The equipment, developed by
the Japan Radio Co. (JRC), is the first facility in the world to use the
Solid-State Meteorological Radar System technology, which has 95 percent
accuracy.
PAGASA has also been increasing its team of weather forecasters. From 16 two
years ago, the bureau now has 22 weather forecasters manning the equipment and
preparing the weather bulletins at the PAGASA central office in Quezon City –
and they plan to recruit more meteorologists.
" I can say that our forecasts now are more accurate because we have the
required equipment. While the rain-producing system is still developing, the
equipment can already detect thunderstorms and the estimated amount of rainfall.
Using these radars, the accuracy of forecasts is much higher," PAGASA
Administrator Nathaniel Servando tells STARweek.

[PHOTO- The radar facility in Baler, Aurora is partly solar
powered.]
While Congress has yet to approve the proposed PAGASA Modernization Act,
Servando said the agency was able to acquire new facilities from its regular
budget the past few years, supplemented by foreign grants.
The Virac Doppler radar was acquired under the P174-billion project for the
improvement of the meteorological radar system in the Philippines funded by the
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with two more to be set up in
Aparri, Cagayan in October and in Guiuan, Eastern Samar next year.
Servando says the new facility is the most vital and strategic radar facility
as it faces the Pacific Ocean, where most of the typhoons develop. This covers
the whole Bicol region, plus Masbate and parts of Samar.
The weather agency has six other radars located in Tagaytay; Subic, Zambales;
Mactan, Cebu; Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur; Baguio City and Baler, Aurora.
"Metro Manila is well-covered, with two Doppler radars – Subic and Tagaytay –
providing real-time forecasts every 15 minutes," the 46-year-old PAGASA chief
says.
A total of 150 automatic whether stations installed nationwide are capable of
providing real-time weather information such as wind, temperature, rainfall,
according to Servando.
"We have synoptic and agromet (agrometeorology) stations which provide data
during severe weather events. They are operating 24 hours a day, providing
hourly information, and of course we have five upper air stations which are
operational and strategically located in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. We have
one wind profiler at the PAGASA Science Garden (Quezon City) which is useful in
monitoring weather conditions in Metro Manila, especial during the southwest
monsoon," he says.
PAGASA also receives real-time satellite data from Japan, the United States
and China.
"If you have to compare the Philippines with our neighboring countries, we
are more advanced when it comes to weather forecasting equipment," he says.
The dwindling number of forecasters is now being addressed by PAGASA through
regular meteorologist training courses.
"Currently, we have 40 trainees including PAGASA personnel and non-PAGASA
personnel, and five foreign trainees from Brunei Darussalam, Papua New Guinea,
Samoa and Vanuatu. Eventually they will be hired by PAGASA as meteorologists,
hydrologists or weather observers," Servando says.
With additional personnel, the forecasters now work on three shifts, instead
of having to work 24 hours straight, especially during severe weather episodes.

"Now we don't experience straight duty because of the increase in the
manpower," says PAGASA spokesman Chris Perez.
During normal days, there are six to seven forecasters per shift. PAGASA
augments the number of personnel during severe weather.
PAGASA also has weather observers assigned in its five regional offices,
providing local forecasts for the residents.
As part of its efforts to develop competent weathermen, PAGASA forecasters
participate in fellowship programs abroad as part of the agency's human resource
development program. Perez recently completed his Master of Science in Climate
Change degree in Australia, while senior weather forecaster Rene Paciente is
currently in South Korea for a two-month training on tropical cyclone
forecasting. Another PAGASA forecaster, Bernie de Leon, has just finished a
one-year program in Taiwan. Some of them have finished their master's and
doctorate degrees at the Ateneo de Manila University and University of the
Philippines-Diliman.
[PHOTO -The radar in Mactan, Cebu.]
"It is very important that they (forecasters) have technical know-how because
they can simplify the forecasts for the general public," Servando underscores.

Such opportunities offered to the weather forecasters, plus higher salary for
government employees under the Salary Standardization Law and additional
benefits and incentives, prevent the PAGASA forecasters from seeking lucrative
posts abroad, the PAGASA chief says.
"Only a few forecasters left the country, and some even came back. If there
are invitations for employment overseas they will now think twice," he adds.

To increase the number of meteorologists in the country, the Agham Partylist,
in partnership with PAGASA and DOST's Science Education Institute, offered the
B.S. in Meteorology program in different state colleges and universities for the
first time this school year. The DOST has a total of 16 scholars this semester.

With an average of 20 tropical cyclones every year, the Philippines is the
best training ground for weather forecasting.
"In terms of frequency and intensity of the cyclones, we did not notice an
increasing trend in the last 50 years due to climate change," Servando says.

However, a PAGASA study noted an increase in rainfall volume associated with
storms, which is a manifestation of climate change.
The report also found an increase in the number of warm days and warm nights
in the country over the last 50 years. The average daytime temperature has
increased by 0.6 degrees Celsius, which is consistent with the findings of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Servando adds.
According to the Servando, the state of weather forecasting in the country
has improved a lot in the last three years not only because of the agency's new
equipment but also due to the advances in communications technology.
[PHOTO- PAGASA chief Nathaniel Servando leads the twice daily
discussion on the daily weather forecast with meteorologists.]
"We can disseminate information more effectively now because we have mobile
phones (SMS), aside from fax, telephone, email, website, and now we have Twitter
where we can interact with people. So these tools help us minimize errors not
only in forecast formulation but in dissemination of forecast... How the
information is transmitted and received by the end-users in a timely manner is
very important, especially during emergency situation," he says.
Since PAGASA launched its Twitter account (@dost_pagasa) in 2010, its
followers has reached 216, 733 as of June 11, making it one of the most followed
government institutions.
"We tweet real-time weather information like rainfall amount in specific
locations. Not only in Metro Manila but in all areas within the range of
radars," says Servando.
During a normal day, PAGASA sends an average of seven to 10 tweets; 30 to 60
tweets during occurrence of thunderstorms and 70 to 100 tweets when there is a
landfalling storm, the PAGASA official says.
In August 2010, President Aquino sacked the then PAGASA administrator due to
inaccurate forecasts of typhoon "Basyang," which battered Metro Manila and
nearby provinces, causing major damage.
Servando, a former PAGASA deputy administrator for research and development,
then took over as administrator. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from
the Univerisity of Negros Occidental-Recoletos in Bacolod City, and masteral and
doctorate degrees in meteorology from the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

"We want to reiterate that forecast is just that – a forecast, and we cannot
expect all the time that it will be 100 percent accurate. Plus we are in the
tropics and tropical weather system is different from the weather systems in
higher latitudes… weather systems are more challenging in the tropics," Servando
explains.
When it comes to rainfall forecast, Servando says PAGASA's prediction is now
60 to 80 percent accurate.
PAGASA is set to launch this month its rainfall alert system. Aside from the
usual storms warning signals 1 to 4, PAGASA will be implementing the rainfall
alert system, which will be pilot tested in Metro Manila.
[PHOTO- PAGASA hydrologist Elmer Caringal briefs Servando on the
status of major dams in Luzon that should be closely monitored for possible
overflowing during heavy rains. Star photos by boy
santos]
"We will use color-coded warning – blue, red and green. For example, when we
raise code red you can expect 15 to 30 millimeters of rain," says Servando.
The warning will include the place and duration of rain. It will be updated
regularly until the weather system dissipates. Aside from the Internet, PAGASA
will be tapping the media, specifically radio stations, so that they can
broadcast the warning faster.
"Weather is not an exact science, but with the help of social networking
sites like Twitter, we can immediately report changes in our forecasts,"
Servando says.
"The science and technology that we use in weather forecasting has improved a
lot through the years. We are more confident with our forecasts now. When we say
it will rain, believe us, it will rain," the PAGASA chief ends.

Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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PHNO-SB: TACLOBAN PARADE OF LIGHTS BRIGHTENS 'SANGYAW FESTIVAL'

TACLOBAN PARADE OF LIGHTS BRIGHTENS 'SANGYAW
FESTIVAL'

TACLOBAN CITY, JUNE 29, 2012 (MALAYA)
Written by ROBBIE PANGILINAN - The Sangyaw Festival, revived four years ago
by Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and first lady Councilor Cristina
Gonzales-Romualdez (photo), will be an extraordinary festival this June,
with a parade of lights unlike any other ever done in the country.
The Tacloban City government will showcase 20 floats using LED (light
emission diode), the energy-saver and cost-efficient light, on June 29 as the
highlight of the annual Sangyaw Festival.
"This has never been done in other places of the country. We will do this in
Tacloban to mark a distinction for our city," said Gonzales-Romualdez, the
chairman of the Committee on Tourism, adding that the innovative parade of
lights also aims to put an end to the comparison between Sangyaw and Pintados.

[Photo -Tacloban City Mayor Alfred and his wife Cristina]
The Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals replaced the Sangyaw Festival
from 1987 to 2007. The Sangyaw, which means "to herald good news," has been a
trademark of the City of Tacloban since it was first held in 1947. A brainchild
of Leyte native, former First Lady Imelda Marcos, the Sangyaw Festival died
along with the Marcos administration in 1986. The Pintados Festival, organized
by a non-government organization, replaced Sangyaw and is still recognized by
the Department of Tourism today.
Since the Romualdezes revived the Sangyaw Festival in 2008, it has been
compared with and even called copycat not only to Pintados but to other
festivals in other places of the country. That is why this year, Councilor
Romualdez thought of doing something new.
Designed by a Manila-based float expert, the 20 floats will feature Tacloban
City's history, religiosity, flora and fauna and recent city developments. The
major floats will depict five important historical events in the region: the
pre-Spanish colonization era, the discovery of the Philippines by Ferdinand
Magellan, the landing of McArthur, the construction of the San Juanico Bridge
and the conversion of Tacloban into a highly-urbanized city.
Event creative consultant Gogoy Avelino described the floats as those
seen in Disneyland during the '80s, but more advanced because they are
three-dimensional. There will be dancers on each float wearing Latin-inspired
costumes to give out an ambience of a carnival. Salsa and rumba music will be
used in the parade to make the event lively and entice everyone to participate.

According to Romualdez, the use of lights in the parade is symbolic.
"Our purpose is to promote the city, for it to standout as the light in
Region 8, symbolizing Tacloban's status as the most progressive city in the
region and the center of commerce and education," says the an
actress-turned-public servant.
She hopes that the parade of lights will be a welcome change in and
worthwhile part of the festival, drawing in tourists from all over.
"The lights not only symbolize that we are the light. It's a time to shine
and a symbolic sign of progress. It's a change, something new," ended the
councilor known as Kring-Kring in her showbiz days.
FOR MORE INFO AND PHOTOS GO TO: http://www.tacloban.gov.ph/

Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

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HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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PHNIO-PNoy: PALACE ON $1-B IMF LOAN: PHILIPPINES DUTY-BOUND TO HELP POOR NATIONS

PALACE ON $1-B IMF LOAN: PHILIPPINES DUTY-BOUND TO
HELP POOR NATIONS
MANILA, JUNE 29,
2012 (INQUIRER) By Norman
Bordadora - It is the Philippines' obligation to help countries in dire
need of funding through the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Malacañang said
on Thursday.
Edwin Lacierda, President Benigno Aquino's spokesperson, made the remark in
response to a suggestion that the Philippines' $1-billion loan to the IMF was
rather risky for a country that continues to deal with hunger and poverty
issues.
"We have been a recipient of IMF assistance for the past 40 years. Now, that
we have been considered a creditor nation, we feel it is our obligation to
assist those nations who require funding from IMF," Lacierda told reporters in a
news briefing.
"This would also help in stabilizing the crisis that's going on in Europe. As
to whether it is risky or not, we believe that IMF will act judiciously on the
funds," he added.
Lacierda said the IMF now has a standby fund for around $456 billion and the
Philippines contributed $1 billion to that fund.
"It is our responsibility; it is part of our obligation [to the] IMF who has
assisted us during our times of crisis in the Philippines," Lacierda said.
In a separate statement, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco
said the Philippines will get returns from the loan it extended to the IMF.
"For nearly 40 years until 2006, the Philippines itself was a net borrower
from the IMF. We finally fully paid our loans to IMF in December 2006 as the
implementation of continuing reforms have made our economy stronger," Tetangco
said.
"Today, our economic fundamentals are sound, our banks are able to meet
domestic credit needs, and we are capable of lending $1 billion from our
international reserves to the IMF. This is a loan to the IMF and we will get our
money back with interest," he said.
"In effect, by extending a loan to the IMF that will earn money for the
Philippines we are also able to help other nations saddled with financial
problems. Other nations have also committed to help IMF address the current
financial crisis," he added.
FROM INTERAKSYON
ONLINE
$1-B LOAN TO IMF WILL BACKFIRE AGAINST OFWs, SAYS
- MANGGAGAWA PARTY

[PHOTO - Renato Magtubo of Partido ng
Manggagawa at a rally against EVAT. Photo taken from his
Facebook account.]
The $1-billion loan of the Philippines to the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) will backfire against overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)
there, the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM or Workers' Party) said at a rally
Wednesday.
"The $1 billion -- which is the blood and sweat of our OFWs -- will harm our
own migrant workers in Europe since the IMF's austerity schemes dictate cuts in
wages, reduction in social programs, and liberalization of labor
contractualization," PM national chairman Renato Magtubo said.
"By extending the loan to the IMF, our OFWs and Europeans workers will earn
less, lose public services, and be easier to fire," he added.
Rivera said only the bankers will benefit from the IMF bailout.
"Ordinary Europeans and migrant workers suffer the pains of austerity. In
opposing the loan to the IMF, we are extending the hand of solidarity to our
brothers and sisters in Europe. It is amazing that PNoy readily comes to the aid
of European bankers but he is blind and deaf to the cries of the Filipino
workers for wage increase and regular jobs here in the country," he said.
On Wednesday morning, PM and Philippine Airlines Employees' Association
(Palea) members picketed the Bangko Sentral headquarters and office of the
Department of Finance to protest against the controversial loan, chanting "Help
the needy not the greedy! Support Europeans thru solidarity not austerity!"
Gerry Rivera, Palea president, noted that Europeans themselves have rejected
the IMF bailout and its conditionalities.
"By protests and through the polls, the workers and people of Greece, Spain,
Portugal, Ireland, Italy and France have all rejected IMF austerity," Rivera
said.
Today's rally today also coincided with the 9th month anniversary of Palea's
fight against outsourcing. Last September 27, Palea launched a protest action
against contractualization and up to now maintains a picketline outside the PAL
In-Flight Center. Palea has called on the new management of the national carrier
led by Ramon Ang to revive the company by reinstating its regular workers.
"After nine months of protest, Palea continues to labor for justice," Rivera
said.
'No global stability'
In reply to Presidential spokeman Edwin Lacierda's assertion that the loan
would help global stability, Magtubo said IMF is actually "destabilizing the
economies of Europe."
Despite receiving several bailouts from the IMF, Greece has been in recession
for five years running with unemployment at more than 20 percent in general but
more than 50 percent for the youth, he said.
This year, Spain fell into a double-dip recession with unemployment rates
similar to Greece, he said. This will be aggravated by austerity measures
dictated in the recent bailout scheme, he added.
"Just like Europe, the Philippines too is a victim to the anti-labor and
anti-people policies of the IMF. Liberalization has led to the collapse of
Philippine industry and agriculture resulting in job losses and rural
unemployment. Privatization and deregulation have led to price hikes and
worsening poverty," Rivera explained.
That is why, he said, "It is time for a paradigm shift," that is, uphold
growth and hope instead of recession and injustice in both Europe and Asia.
Shift to a new paradigm of living wages, regular jobs, taxes on the rich, social
services, national industrialization, and agrarian reform," Rivera added.

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved

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PHNO-HL; ANCIENT SPANISH MAPS SHOW PANATAG (AKA PANACOT) PART OF PH

ANCIENT SPANISH MAPS SHOW PANATAG (AKA PANACOT) PART OF
PH

[PHOTO-
A map made by Jesuit priest Pedro Murillo Velarde in 1744
shows the Philippine Islands, including a shoal named Panacot (inset), known
today as Panatag or Scarborough. The map is among 134 original maps dating from
the Spanish colonial period on display at the Metropolitan Museum of
Manila.]
MANILA, JUNE 29, 2012 (PHILSTAR)
By Pia Lee-Brago - Maps dating back to the early Spanish colonial
period, which were the standard references for explorers and travelers and
acknowledged by governments and regimes, clearly show Panatag Shoal, also called
Panacot, just off the Philippine coast.
The maps are among 134 original maps on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art.
The exhibit, "Three Hundred Years of Philippine Maps," features maps of the
archipelago from 1598 to the American colonial era.
The exhibit is part of the celebration of Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day
on June 30.
Fr. Pedro Murillo Velarde's 18th century "Mapa de las Islas Filipinas"
clearly shows Panatag Shoal lying just across Zambales.
The Jesuit Murillo was given the task by Gov. Fernando Valdes Tamon in 1732
to execute a Royal decree on the mapping of the Philippines, which was then a
territory of Spain.
Two years later, a complete map of the Philippines was conceived.
The engraver was Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay, described on the bottom of the map
as an "indio tagalo."
A smaller version of the map was made in 1744 and published in Murillo's 1749
history of the Jesuit province. Fr. Miguel Selga, SJ in his bicentennial
monograph in 1934, enumerated 125 important islands found in both maps.
Both show Panatag, then called Panacot. It was also called Bajo de Masinloc.

The plates of Murillo's map disappeared when British invaders looted Manila
in 1762-1764.
The name Bajo de Masinloc was a name given to the shoal by the Spanish
colonizers.

Philippines won't escalate tension in Panatag The
Philippine Star Updated June 28, 2012 10:41 AM 23 comments to this post

[PHOTO -PH COAST GUARD EXAMINED CHINESE FISHING BOAT AT PANATAG
(SCARBOROUGH SHOAL)]

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine
government will refrain from further aggravating the tension between Manila and
Beijing over the disputed Panatag Shoal (Scarborough) despite the apparent
violation of China of an agreement to pull out all ships from the territory.

In a television interview, Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez of the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said although the Chinese fishing boats are
violating the fishing ban imposed by Manila in the area, the government would
rather pursue a strategy that would support the lessening of tension between the
Philippines and China.
"Sa ngayon mayroon tayong de-escalation policy. Ayaw nating lumakas pa iyong
hidwaan dito at ma-aggravate iyong situation...," Hernandez, also the DFA
spokesman, said.
At the height of the tension over the territory, which began in April, Manila
and Beijing declared fishing bans in the shoal.
Hernandez said the two governments have agreed to pull out all their vessels
from the shoal's lagoon. Manila has complied with the agreement and ordered its
two vessels to leave the territory. Meanwhile, Chinese government vessels had
also left the area but Chinese fishing vessels had remained.
"Last Saturday, inalis na iyong kanilang fishing vessels, pero after two
days, or noong last Monday, nag-area survey ang Philippine Navy at nakita
bumalik iyong anim na fishing vessels and their small boats para kumolekta ng
mga isda at kung ano-ano pang endangered species," he said.
Hernandez said Manila has been inquiring from Beijing about the Chinese
fishing vessels' violation of the fishing ban. He added that they found out that
the fishing ban imposed by China has exemptions.
"Nabasa natin sa reports nila na iyong fishing doon sa area hindi labag sa
kanilang batas, may mga uri ng fishing na ginagawa itong mangingisda sa loob ng
lagoon," Hernandez said.
Another diplomatic protest has been filed by the DFA, questioning why
Manila's fishing ban is being violated by Chinese fishing vessels.
"Hindi natin nire-recognize [ang fishing ban nila] kasi nasasakop ang waters
within our fishing ban at iyan ay isang paglabag sa ating jurisdiction at
soberenya sa lugar na iyon," Hernandez said.
The tension between Manila and Beijing began in April when Philippine Navy
personnel boarded eight Chinese fishing vessels who were allegedly caught
poaching giant clams, baby sharks and other species in the area. However, the
arrest of Chinese fishermen was blocked by Chinese government vessels.
Citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, the Philippines
is claiming the territory, saying the area is within its 200-mile exclusive
economic zone. Beijing, on the other hand, claims the territory, citing
historical basis.

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved

PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE

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PHNO-HL: PUSHING THE SHOAL TO THE BRINK / PH SHIPS REDEPLOY BACK TO PANATAG

PUSHING THE SHOAL TO THE BRINK / PH SHIPS REDEPLOY BACK TO
PANATAG
[PHOTO-
RAISING THE FLAG A member of China's ocean expedition team
raises the Chinese flag while another holds a survey rod on Scarborough Shoal,
which China refers to as Huangyan Island. The Philippines calls the shoal some
370 kilometers west of Zambales Panatag. Chinese Embassy
website]
MANILA, JUNE 29, 2012 (INQUIRER)
By Rodel Rodis - Occupying the full top of the front page of the June
19 Philippine Daily Inquirer issue was a color photo of a Chinese soldier
raising the five star red flag of China on top of the Scarborough Shoal while
another soldier holds a surveying rod. The news article that accompanied the
photo ("China ships stay in Panatag Shoal") reported that "Beijing had not
expressed any intention of withdrawing its service ships from Scarborough
Shoal."
This was China's rebuff to the announcement of Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III
the day before that he had ordered the two Philippine Navy vessels stationed in
the Shoal — in a standoff with Chinese paramilitary vessels since April 10 — to
return to port "consistent with our agreement with the Chinese government on the
withdrawal of all vessels from the shoal's lagoon to defuse tensions" in the
area."
It appears that after the Philippine ships left the Shoal, China's ships
remained and even occupied the Shoal as the Inquirer front page photo appeared
to confirm. Once again, the Philippines had been snookered by China as
previously occurred in 1994 when Philippine Navy ships left the Panganiban Reef
— otherwise known as Mischief Reef — because of a typhoon, only to return to
find China's Navy occupying the reef — located only 87 miles from Palawan and
almost 600 miles from China. China has since constructed a concrete fortress on
Mischief Reef.
The stark front page photo of Chinese soldiers waving China's flag on the
Shoal prompted an emergency national telephone conference call on Monday June 18
by members of the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG) to discuss the
implications of this new escalation of the conflict. What the group – which
sponsored the May 11 global protests against China's intrusion in the
Scarborough Shoal – feared had apparently materialized – China had occupied the
Shoal.
While members were deliberating the course of action to take in light of this
grave development, frantic calls were made to Philippine Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) officials to verify whether China had actually seized control of
the Shoal. But no verification was obtained before the conference call meeting
ended so another conference call was set for the next night to confirm Chinese
occupation of the Shoal.
The next day, Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin warned that if
China did not withdraw its ships from the Shoal, then he would order the return
to the Shoal of Philippine Navy ships.
This raised the spectre of the 1988 incident when Vietnam Navy sailors sought
to restore the flag of Vietnam on Johnson Reef in the Paracel Islands off
Vietnam. When the Chinese flag was removed, the Chinese Navy fired on the
unarmed Vietnamese sailors on the shoal and mowed down all 77 of them. Video
footage of the massacre was filmed by the Chinese Navy and aired in China to
show the resolve of the mighty Chinese People's Liberation Navy.
Could this bloody Vietnam scenario be repeated in the Scarborough Shoal?
Not according to Max Boot. In his June 24, 2012 article which appeared in the
Wall Street Journal ("China Starts to Claim the Seas"), Boot asserts that "in
fact China is the classic bully with a glass jaw."
Boot cites the example of the tiny Pacific Island of Palau with a population
of just 20,000. "In late March, at virtually the same time that the Scarborough
Shoal standoff was beginning," Boot writes, "a Chinese fishing vessel illegally
entered Palau's waters. When the poachers ignored repeated demands that they
leave an area designated as a shark sanctuary, police from Palau's Fish and
Wildlife Division opened fire, trying to sink the offending vessel."
"The result: one fisherman dead and 25 captured. A couple of weeks later,
under the terms of a deal with China, the poachers were fined $1,000 each and
flown back home. The Chinese must have been furious, but their diplomat on the
scene had nothing to say except "it is a good outcome."
As speculation mounted about whether China would react as it did in Vietnam
in 1988 or as it did in Palau in April of 2012, news came from DFA officials
that the photo used on the front page of the Inquirer was taken 10 years ago and
was posted on the China Embassy website. China has not physically occupied the
Shoal and planted its flag there, at least not yet.
On June 22, members of the US Pinoys for Good Governance joined members of
the US Vietnamese community in mounting a demonstration in front of the United
Nations building in New York to protest China's "creeping invasion" of their
countries. Leaders of the two communities announced that they were jointly
launching a nationwide boycott of China-made products.
According to Eric Lachica of USP4GG, "if even one million of us, out of the
four million Filipinos in the US, stop buying Chinese products or goods, we will
create a huge financial penalty on China."
While an economic boycott of China primarily directed at Walmart stores was
being launched in the US, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on June 25 that
"a Chinese vessel last week rammed a Philippine fishing boat north of the
disputed Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), killing
a Filipino fisherman and leaving four others missing."
The article reported that the ramming of the Philippine boat causing the
death of 32-year old Bolinao fisherman Christopher Carbonel "may have been the
first casualty in the dispute between China and the Philippines over Scarborough
Shoal." Two days earlier, the state-owned China News Agency (CNA) reported on
Saturday that a Chinese official had ordered navy ships to target "Filipino
vessels that hang around" Scarborough Shoal "and don't leave."
The Inquirer further reported: "The order of Rear Adm. Yin Zhuo, director of
the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) Information Expert Committee, came as
an answer to President Benigno Aquino's statement on Wednesday that he would
order Philippine vessels back to the shoal if air surveillance found China still
had vessels there."
The CNA reported Admiral Yin as saying Chinese naval troops should board and
search Philippine government ships and private fishing vessels. In doing so, Yin
said, Chinese troops "must try to maintain restraint, not force, not hurt
people" when going after Philippine ships found in waters near Scarborough
Shoal. But he affirmed to Communist Party People's Daily that China's Navy would
not hesitate to use deadly force against its enemies.
The following day, the Philippine Coast Guard announced that a Hong
Kong-registered commercial ship, the Peach Mountain, was most likely the vessel
that rammed a Philippine fishing boat in the West Philippine Sea on June 20,
killing a Filipino fisherman and leaving four others missing.
But whether it was an official government ship or a commercial vessel, the
question remains: was the ramming of the Philippine fishing boat an accident?

Not according to Ted Laguatan. "The collision was not accidental," he wrote..
"It is a big wide ocean out there and for small boats, it's practically
impossible to have collisions. Also, if it was accidental, the Chinese would
have attempted to save the Filipino fisherman. This was intentional to provoke
the Philippines and see what kind of capability and resolve the Philippines has
in holding on to its territories and see also how America will react."
"Malacanang and DFA will naturally say it was accidental because of the
implications involved if they tell the people it's intentional. It means a
direct confrontation with China which of course will blatantly just confirm our
military weakness and incapability to defend," Ted wrote.
At this point, China is not yet ready to give Admiral Yin the order he craves
to "use deadly force" against the Philippines. There is too much uncertainty
about what the US response will be to such an attack. China is likely to
announce that it is pulling its paramilitary vessels away from the lagoon while
still remaining in the vicinity of the Shoal to protect the fishing vessels
there. It will also do without openly admitting that it is part of the agreement
negotiated with the Philippines that Sec. Del Rosario had previously announced.

In its May 28, 2012 editorial, the Nation magazine sounded this ominous
warning: "If the current tension continues in South China Sea, especially
between the Philippines and China, it could lead to an all-out war. This is not
an alarmist's warning but a real concern. With poisonous rhetoric and growing
tension, there is a possibility that conflicting parties would cross the line.
This could be a result of miscalculation."
The temperatures in the Shoal are rising and a serious miscalculation may
easily push it to a boiling point.
FROM MANILA STANDARD
Govt ships set to sail back to Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal
Posted June 28th, 2012 by Joyce Pangco Panares & filed under Main
Stories.
THE government will redeploy its vessels to the Panatag (Scarborough)
Shoal amid reports that 28 Chinese vessels had returned to the area,
presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Wednesday.
"The President's position still stands," Lacierda said.
He was referring to President Benigno Aquino III's earlier statement that two
vessels of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Coast Guard
would be redeployed to Panatag if foreign vessels remained in the area.
Based on the latest aerial surveillance by the Navy, 23 out of the 28 Chinese
vessels were right inside the lagoon. The remaining vessels—three Chinese
maritime surveillance vessels and two fishery and law enforcement command
ships—were outside.
"[The redeployment will be] based on considerations. For instance, the
weather will be a consideration. There will be parameters that will be
considered," Lacierda said.
Malacanang on Wednesday also tried to diffuse another potential conflict by
downplaying an exclusive Manila Standard story about a kindergarten school built
in Pagasa, one of seven islands in Kalayaan off Palawan that is also being
contested by at least seven governments including China.
The Chinese government immediately reacted to the story, calling the
establishment of the school as an "illegal activity."
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Tuesday that China
"opposes any illegal activity that may infringe on China's sovereignty."
He said Manila "should refrain from making any measures that will complicate
and exacerbate the current situation and affect peace and stability in the South
China Sea."
The Chinese official also insisted that China had "indisputable sovereignty"
over the Spratly chain of islands and its surrounding waters.
In a report by ABS-CBN reporter Willard Cheng, Lacierda said China should not
take issue with the establishment of the school in Pag-asa since the
municipality where the school was located had long been established in the area.

"The municipality has been there," Lacierda said.
"It has never been questioned. It has been under the province of Palawan
since the time of Marcos, I think. So that should never be an issue."
Meanwhile, a Xinhua news agency report indicated that China had no intention
of pulling out of the contested areas in the South China Sea.
The report said the Chinese government on Tuesday sent four China Marine
Surveillance ships from the coastal city of Sanya to the South China Sea to
conduct regular patrols, and supposedly to highlight China's "sovereignty and
jurisdiction" over the region.
China's standoff with the Philippines, which started on April 10 after
Chinese maritime surveillance ships prevented the Philippine Navy from arresting
Chinese fishermen who had engaged in illegal fishing and harvesting of
endangered marine species in the area, threatened to escalate when an
unidentified vessel rammed a fishing boat off Bolinao earlier this week, killing
a fisherman causing four others to disappear.
An initial report saying it was a Chinese vessel that rammed the boat drew a
sharp reaction from the Chinese Embassy, which denied any knowledge of the
incident.
On Tuesday, the government said the ship was registered in Hong Kong,
although it later denied that it was the M/V Peach Mountain, which was one of
several Hong Kong-registered ships that was passing the area at the time.
The Navy is continuing its search for the missing fishermen. With Joel Zurbano

(Published in the Manila Standard Today newspaper on
/2012/June/28)

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved

PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE

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PHNO-HL: IMF LOAN OK, BUT CREDIT GOES TO GMA ADMIN / MIRIAM DEFENDS IMF LOAN

IMF LOAN OK, BUT CREDIT GOES TO GMA ADMIN / MIRIAM DEFENDS
IMF LOAN

[PHOTO -
OPPOSITION REPRESENTATIVE DANILO SUAREZ]
MANILA, JUNE 29, 2012 (GMA NEWS)
ANDREO CALONZO, GMA NEWS - House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez finds
nothing wrong with the government's move to pledge a $1 billion loan to the
International Monetary Fund, but wants former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
to be credited for the country's capacity to lend money to foreign financial
institutions.
Suarez said at a press briefing on Wednesday that the Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas' decision to lend money to the IMF is only "standard banking
practice."
"Such a loan will not reduce our international reserves; only reallocate them
from investments to loans. Most importantly, the BSP is required by law to
invest the country's reserves only to foreign-denominated assets," he said.
The Philippine government announced last week that it pledged $1 billion to
the IMF to help address the debt crisis in Europe.
The decision was met with opposition by various sectors, with Bayan Muna
party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño even proposing that the BSP be permanently banned
from giving out foreign loans.
Malacañang however stood firm on its plan to give out the IMF loan, saying it
can indirectly help overseas Filipino workers in economically troubled states.

Aquino shouldn't claim credit
While favoring the BSP's move, Suarez said President Benigno Aquino III
should not claim credit for the country's capacity to give out foreign loans.

The opposition leader said it was during Mrs. Arroyo's incumbency that the
Philippines was able to prepay the country's debts in full to the IMF.
"We have nothing against putting money to the IMF, but we have to give credit
to the previous administration," he said.
He added that it was the former President who drove the country's economy
into "unprecendented" growth levels, which he said improved the country's
external position.
Suarez added that Mrs. Arroyo herself, whom he visited three weeks ago at the
Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City, seem to be fine with the
government's decision to lend $1 billion to the IMF.
The former President, who also currently sits as Pampanga representative, is
presently detained at the government hospital for poll sabotage charges.
Suarez is the co-chairman of the Lakas-CMD of which Arroyo is the chairman
emeritus. —DVM/TJD, GMA News
FROM ABS-CBN
Miriam defends $1B BSP pledge to IMF by Ira
Pedrasa, ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 06/28/2012 4:01 PM | Updated as of 06/28/2012
4:01 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Thursday
defended the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) move to lend US$1 billion to the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help European countries deep in debt.
In a speech before the members of the Credit Management Association of the
Philippines, Santiago said the central bank is mandated to maintain and grow the
country's international reserves.
In fact, she said the BSP is mandated to invest the money "in accordance with
the investment guideline that only investment-grade and highly-rated financial
instruments of non-residents should qualify."
Santiago said this has no impact whatsoever on the national government's
budget, which is a different matter altogether.
"Why is the BSP lending to the IMF, when over 38% of the Philippine
population are living below the poverty line? The answer is that it is the
national government and not the BSP which is directly responsible for addressing
poverty with resources coming from the budget," she said.
She said the BSP loan to the IMF is already indirectly helping the poor, in
particular, overseas Filipino workers.
So why not just use the money to pay off the country's own debts?
"Again, the answer is the legal provision that our international reserves
follow an investment guideline mandating that only investment-grade and
highly-rated financial instruments of non-residents should qualify. Therefore,
the BSP cannot lend part of its reserves to the national government to retire
Philippine public debt, and the law prohibits the BSP from engaging in
development banking or finance," she explained.
Santiago said President Benigno Aquino III need not get Congressional
approval for the IMF loan.
"At present, there is no such law that requires the President to consult
Congress or the Senate. If the Senate wishes to participate in the foreign loan
process, then it should pass a bill to that effect," she said.
Many leftist groups have criticized the BSP's pledge to the IMF, saying it
would be better if the money is used to help poor Filipinos.

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved

PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE

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PHNO-HL; PH NOW AN IMF CREDITOR / IMF LOAN TO HELP STABILIZE WORLD ECONOMY

PH NOW AN IMF CREDITOR / IMF LOAN
TO HELP STABILIZE WORLD ECONOMY

MANILA, JUNE 29,
2012 (ABS-CBN) Gone are the days when the Philippines could only
borrow from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
With record foreign exchange reserves, the country became a creditor in the
IMF system in 2010, lending to troubled nations in Europe, the Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP) reported Tuesday.
As of end-2011, the country infused $251.1 million in the IMF's Financial
Transactions Plan (FTP), a mechanism by which foreign exchange from members with
strong external position are lent to borrowing members.
More than half of the amount made available by the Philippines went to
European countries such as Ireland, Portugal and Greece, in an effort to address
the financial crisis impacting the euro zone, the BSP said.
"By virtue of their participation in the FTP, emerging market economies like
the Philippines have joined international cooperation efforts to mitigate the
spillover effects of Europe's sovereign debt crisis by enhancing global
financial safety nets," the central bank noted.
The Philippines' gross international reserves reached $63.4 billion in 2010,
helping reverse its IMF membership status from borrower to creditor-country.
This came four years after the country prepaid all its outstanding debt to the
IMF, ending nearly 45 years of its use of the multilateral lender's resources.

As of January this year, the Philippines' reserves hit a historic high of
$77.36 billion.
In the region, the BSP said the Philippines is also a contributor to the
Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM) facility, a $120 billion
pooling arrangement among ASEAN countries that aims to provide quick liquidity
access in case of balance of payments difficulties.
The Philippines has committed to contribute $4.552 billion to the CMIM.
FROM PHILSTAR
$1 B loan to IMF to help stabilize world economy: gov't
(philstar.com) Updated June 26, 2012 11:15 PMComments (3)

[PHOTO -POVERTY IN THE
PHILIPPINES]
MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government said that the loan of $1
billion it extended to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be beneficial
to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and even local exporters.
"We are not wasting money. It's a loan. The IMF would pay us back. Extending
the loan will also help us because it's going to help the economies of Europe
where we have a substantial number of OFWs," said presidential spokesperson
Edwin Lacierda in a news briefing.
Europe is also a major destination for a number of Philippine products such
as electronics and tuna.
"We are a member of the global community of nations and it is in our interest
to ensure economic and financial stability across the globe," said Philippine
Central Bank Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr.
The Philippines had been a net borrower from the IMF until December 2006,
when it was able to pay all its loans in full.
FROM BULATLAT.COM

Aquino's billion-dollar 'loan' to IMF, an insensitive PR
stunt Published on June 27, 2012
The Philippines is still a debtor nation, and as Ibon Foundation said,
this 'lending' to the IMF used to be a sensibly un-hyped part of "management of
any country's international reserves."
By MARYA SALAMAT Bulatlat.com
MANILA –Various groups came close to questioning the sanity of the
Aquino government when it boasted recently that the Philippines is now a
"creditor nation," after it pledged one billion US dollars to the International
Monetary Fund's bailout kitty.
While some Filipinos commented in social networking sites that they fancy and
they feel proud of the seeming turn-around —the Philippines had often been
called a basket case or laggard compared to its neighbors—the billion dollar
pledge still did not change the economic standing of the Philippines. Or even
put it on the road to desired change. According to independent think-tank Ibon
Foundation, the Philippines remains a debtor nation to the tune of US$62.9
billion as of March 2012, or US$79.1 billion if other debts monitored by the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) but relegated to a footnote are included.
Members of KMU and Piston hold picket in front of BSP Jun 25 to protest
Aquino's "pledge" to IMF and austerity measures.(Photo by Marya Salamat /
bulatlat.com)
Although the Philippines stopped being a net borrower from the IMF in 2006,
it still has US$11.7 billion in multilateral debt including US$3.3 billion to
the World Bank (WB) and US$6.0 billion to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Ibon
said.
Statements of various progressive groups also condemned the Aquino
government's latest act for the IMF as proof that this government will not only
injure but also insult Filipinos. Showing the latest strain of what the youth
has scorned early this year as "Noynoying" (pretending to be busy while really
doing nothing), Aquino is perceived today as already into a public relations
campaign in the build-up to the next State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the
end of July, with his campaign resting on just giving impressions and signals of
something good happening or being done, such as in the economy.
Fantasy factory
The Aquino government may have wanted to give the impression that the
Philippines is now able to lend the IMF US$1 billion because of its sound
management of government finances and of the economy, Ibon said in a statement.
But the international reserves are not really funds that the government has
earned and can lend or spend in the same way as, for example, its projected
Php1.6 trillion (US$37.5b) in revenues for 2012, Ibon explained. The
international reserves, it reminded Aquino, are foreign exchange assets
accumulated by the economy from various foreign exchange inflows, but which are
not like money held by the treasury.
Data gathered by Ibon showed that the Philippines has actually been lending
to the IMF for decades now with an interest-earning reserve position that, for
example, rose from US$113.4 million in 2000 to US$516.83 in May 2012. There has
likewise been billions of dollars in other lending to foreign entities. The BSP
has long had interest-earning deposits in foreign banks and held
interest-earning foreign securities including from the United States (US). This
lending rose from US$12.4 billion in 2000 to US$64.1 billion in May 2012.
Playacting: Aquino's make-believe, protesters' lampoon (Photo by Marya
Salamat / bulatlat.com)
"These have sensibly not been played up in the past because such 'lending' of
foreign exchange is normal occurrences in the management of any country's
international reserves and are not equivalent to lending of surplus government
cash," said Sonny Africa, executive director of Ibon Foundation.
The group believes the recent hype about "creditor nation" status is just
"part of a public relations campaign of a supposedly improving economy in the
build-up to the next SONA.
Affront
"The loan is very insulting to workers who have endlessly asked for a P125
wage increase that Aquino has repeatedly rejected. It is an affront to the poor
who can barely make both ends meet. It is the height of insensitivity when, in
the face of majority of poor Filipinos who are in dire need of affordable and
even free basic social services, the Aquino administration continues to renege
on its constitutionally-mandated responsibility to deliver quality social
services," said Gabriela Women Partylist (GWP) Rep. Emmi De Jesus.
The one-billion dollar Aquino hyped pledge underscored his penchant for
chest-thumping positive signals that fail to hide ugly truths. According to the
Gabriela solon, the Aquino government should "stop sending signals that our
economy is robust when in reality, our poor do not have livable wages and
adequate housing, and they could barely feed their family, send their children
to school, and prevent the untimely death from preventable diseases of
increasing number of mothers and infants."
To Filipinos suffering from "decaying public health and education services as
a result of the Aquino regime's budget cuts on social spending," Aquino's
one-billion dollar pledge to the IMF is "a slap on the Filipino people's face,"
the Communist Party of the Philippines said in a statement.
The revolutionary group reminded Aquino that "Debt servicing continues to eat
up the largest portion of the Philippines' financial resources." Last year, the
Philippine government used up as much as PhP357.1 billion ($83.8b) on debt
service or nearly 30% of the PhP1.2 trillion ($28.2b) 2011 budget. In
comparison, the Aquino regime only allocated a little more than P170 billion
($3.99m) for education and around P40 billion (US$938m) for health.
According to Ibon, more than Php5.1 trillion (US$119.7b) national government
debt (of which almost half are foreign debt) explains why debt service is
chronically the single largest expense of the government, for instance reaching
Php738.6 billion (US$ 17.33b) in interest and principal payments just in 2012.

Not for people's benefit
The IMF has continuously given assistance to financially distressed countries
amid a protracted global depression. In exchange, it has required the
implementation of different austerity measures. "This has consequently led
people of different nations to suffer from austerity programs resulting to
unemployment, meager wages, and higher costs of living," said Fortunato
Magtanggol, spokesman of Revolutionary Council of Trade Unions-Southern Tagalog.

It is also for this reason that critics of Aquino's IMF pledge have lashed
out even more at Aquino's announcement.
"The Aquino government is making a pro-imperialist lie in saying that the IMF
is helping countries cope with the crisis," said Leandro "Doods" Gerodias,
deputy secretary general of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) in a picket in front of the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) office early this week. The labor leader said
"the workers and peoples of Europe and the world are in fact up in arms against
the IMF and its austerity measures."
Members of KMU protested before the BSP because they said they cannot sit
back and relax as the Aquino government is following the IMF dictates and using
the foreign exchange sent in by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) against fellow
workers and poor people in other countries.
KMU told Aquino his government should find other ways of using the country's
foreign reserves "in ways that actually benefit OFWs and Filipino workers.
Lending it to the IMF will harm rather than help the overseas and domestic
Filipino workers."

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved

PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE

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