Philippines warship arrive advanced Palawan islands where China eyed to drill in January 2012

The Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas (BRP) Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15), the newest and most modern frigate of the Philippine Navy, arrived in Palawan islands in the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea) to provide a much needed boost in the maritime defense capabilities in the area.

Philippines' lone modern frigate would face a heavy challenged as china announced to start drilling around Palawan islands beginning January 2012.

In the map disclosed for china's new drilling prospected area remains a thrill as it is showing the area of Mischief reef under the Philippines' territory of 130 Miles from the Mainland Palawan but never mentioned the exact location.

Mischief Reef is under the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines according to the UNCLOS 200 Nautical Miles Exclusive Economic Zone.

China has claimed the islands under the Province of Palawan as their territory "We Owned everything" China quoted in previous comments.

In a local radio interview, Captain Alfred Cruz, Commanding Officer of PF-15, said the ship will conduct maritime security and sovereignty patrols to beef up protection of the country's territorial waters, as well as conduct search and rescue missions in the western front.

PF-15, commissioned as a warship of the Philippine Navy, will also augment naval security to the Philippines biggest investments of natural gas at the Malampaya Natural Gas project and other petroleum service contract areas under the Department of Energy (DOE) in the West Philippine Sea.

Cruz said that the ship is now the Navy's largest and fastest which can run with a speed of 40 knots per agility test. He said that it is equipped with helicopters, the first of which was donated by the Department of Tourism (DOT).

With a compliment of more than a hundred officers and enlisted personnel, the high-endurance Hamilton-class cutter can sustain a month-long mission without re-provisioning.

The home of PF-15 is the Ulugan Bay Naval Station in Barangay Macarascas, located about 45 kms northwest of this city.

PF-15 was acquired through the United Excess Defense Act using the Malampaya Natural Gas proceeds under the DOE. It was used by the United States Coast Guard for law enforcement and search and rescue missions. (DOS/VSM/PIA-Palawan)

China will start to drill oil forcefully in the Philippines Waters – January 2012

China will soon put its first deepwater survey vessel into use in the South China Sea, an official with China Oilfield Services Ltd (COSL) said, part of an effort by the world's top energy consumer to tap its underexplored deep waters.

Ocean Oil 708, with a capacity to work in water depths of 3,000 meters and a drilling depth of 600 meters below the seabed, is one of the deepwater equipment that leading offshore oil and gas developer CNOOC planned to expand its deepwater capability.

The vessel is owned by COSL, a specialized oil service unit of China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC).

The COSL official said the vessel will be used in early-stage exploration works such as geoprospecting, but declined to specify which area of the South China Sea the vessel would be firstly employed in.

CNOOC Ltd, which runs almost all of CNOOC's oil and gas production assets, is preparing to drill its first-ever deepsea well in the northern part of the South China Sea around the beginning of 2012 by using Ocean Oil 981, China's first home-made semi-submersible deepsea rig.

China has so far drilled less than 15 deepsea exploration wells, all of which have been done by CNOOC's foreign partners.

Baoji Oilfield Machinery Co, a unit of top Chinese oil firm CNPC, manufactured the drilling system for the Ocean Oil 708, the China Petroleum Daily reported.

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No water, Now wives - China is dying soon

By: Dr. Philip Neches

Chairman, Foundation Ventures LLC

huffingtonpost.com 

When smart people with very different viewpoints come to similar conclusions, it's wise to take notice. In the Left corner: Dr. Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize winning economist, Princeton professor, MSNBC regular, New York Times columnist. In the Right corner: Dr. Jack Wheeler, aide to President Reagan and both Presidents Bush, author, blogger. The Right loathes Krugman as a soft-headed sell out; the Left regards Wheeler as a self-aggrandizing nut. The subject: China.

In a post on his Website To the Point (subscription required, posted October 14, 2011), Wheeler summarized the situation in China tersely, "No water, no wives, no banks -- and a hyper-dangerous military." Wheeler's writing tends towards melodrama and exaggeration for effect. Still, consider each point in turn.

No water: China's population is about three times compared to USA, in a land area about the same as the 48 contiguous states. But almost 80% of China's land area is mountain or desert, unsuited for cities or farms. Try to imagine three times the population of the U.S. living in an area not much larger than the 13 original colonies.

Further, the headwaters of China's great rivers are not actually in China: they're in Nepal, Tibet, and Kashmir. Small wonder China gets touchy about any hint of losing sway in those areas: China would literally die of thirst.

In the U.S. are so abundantly blessed by nature that we find it difficult to imagine what a problem water is too much of the rest of the world. Nonetheless, water supply is the greatest threat to civilization in much of the world, including China. Not energy. Not food. Not land. Water.

No wives. Well, certainly a big shortfall: China has something like 100 million more young men than young women. Wheeler writes ominously of the political and military dangers from 100 million bachelors.

But China has an even bigger demographic problem, as I pointed out in my post "The Sun Also Sets". China constrained their birth rate through social policy only possible in a brutal dictatorship. But they also made the same strides in public health that the Western world made in the early 20th century, dropping their death rate by a factor of three and increasing life expectancy from 40+ to 70+ years in just a generation. With falling births and falling deaths, China's population is aging. China is in a desperate race to get rich before it gets old. They will lose.

No banks. Wheeler points out that the Chinese state banks are technically insolvent. Krugman provides more color and detail in his op-ed piece "Will China Break?" Krugman sees the classic signs of a bubble: rapid growth in credit, surging real estate prices, "shadow banking" systems without government regulation or guarantees, and huge increase in investment without corresponding increase in consumer spending. Even through the murky lens of official Chinese economic data, Krugman sees the bubble bursting.

We had our financial crisis in 2008. Experts agree that we still have a long way to go to recover from it, and that many of the vulnerabilities that caused that crisis persist in our economy. Europe seems to be still going into the depths of their problems. Again, experts expect a prolonged recovery.

Is China the next to fall? If so, they cannot expect much help from the U.S. and Europe. A rise in the Yuan, the likely first consequence of trouble in China, benefits the U.S. and Europe doubly: it makes our debt held by China worth less and easier to repay, and it increases the cost of Chinese goods to our consumers, providing a stimulus to local industry and employment. The trouble in the U.S. already shuttered numerous factories in China. But that could just be a fore-taste of what could come.

If you look at raw unemployment numbers, the current problems in the U.S. and some countries in Europe are almost as bad as the Great Depression of the 1930s. But the political and social consequences are no where near the same. The public and private mechanisms put in place since the 1930s feel the strain. But they are holding, in the sense that no one in the US or Europe seriously worries about armed revolution or anarchy, as was the case in the 1930s.

Without similar safeguards in place, China could be a different story. While the economic consequences can be calculated, the political and social results cannot. Speculation and imagination are our only sources of insight.

Dangerous Military. China's military establishment is second only to ours. If one looks at spending alone, it seems no contest: China spends about what Britain and France put together spend, and about 1/6 of what we spend. But China is actually far less militarized than the United States, with 3.4 active, reserve, and paramilitary per 1,000 population, versus 9.5 for us. Most advanced countries spend between 1.8% and 2.8% of GDP on their military. China's military budget is 2.1% of GDP, at the lower end of the pack. Compare that to 4.8% for us.

What is the upshot (pun and all) of these figures? Either the U.S. is spending too much on its military, or China has the capacity to spend a lot more than it currently spends. Maybe both statements are true.

Wheeler speculates on two possible paths for Chinese military adventurism. Asserting more control of the South China Sea represents a reasonably credible scenario, but also one that would quickly unite the maritime world (U.S., Japan, Europe, India, Southeast Asia or ASEAN countries , OPEC, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, etc.) to defend the nearly 50% of the world's shipping that goes through those waters. Wheeler offers a more nightmarish scenario: China invades Siberia to gain water, land, oil, and to divert its 100 million odd excess bachelors.

In the long lens of history, this may not be as far-fetched as it first sounds. Much of Siberia was the Maritime Provinces of China until the expanding Russian Empire seized control around 1860. The Russian Empire expanded from its start around Kiev around 950 AD to the height of the Cold War a thousand years later. Since losing in Afghanistan in 1987, the Russian Empire has been in incredibly rapid retreat, losing its Eastern European satellites and West Asian provinces to independence.

The world is full of danger spots: Pakistan, Iran, North Korea. But when I feel really grim about the prospects for the world, my thoughts turn to China.

Finally, my apologies for spiking your holiday eggnog with a few Sichuan peppercorns.

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Surviving stories of the inland Tsunami – Typhoon Sendong Iligan-Cagayan de Oro City

 

HeroAzkal dog Saves drowning girl – Strom Sendong  Iligan City

A pregnant dog and two other 'Azkals', a local name for stray dogs, have done their share in saving the lives of their masters during the rampaging floodwater that hit low lying villages in Mindanao, Southern Philippines

As Tropical Storm "Sendong" ravaged low lying areas near rivers and streams in Mindanao, Southern Philippines, a young girl credits her family's pregnant dog for saving her life amid rampaging floodwater that wiped out the entire village where they were settled.

As floodwater overflowed from the river, seven-year-old Jennylou and her family have decided to climb the rooftop of their house, thinking the rising floodwater will not reach them.

But their house collapsed as speeding floodwater mixed with cut logs and debris battered their house, sending the entire family floating in the ocean of debris.

While afloat, Jennylou noticed the family dog swimming right beside her and was repeatedly scratching her back as if trying to communicate with her.

The young girl finally understood what her dog wants—her pregnant dog was trying to help her. So she decided to cling and let the dog do the swimming.

While frantically swimming in the water full of debris, the dog eventually brought Jennylou to a safe place by delivering her to a big floating log where she held on for safety.

As she clung to the floating log, Jennylou saw the exhausted family dog gasping for air and struggling in the swirling floodwater. Moments later the dog disappeared, never to be seen again.

Later in the day, rescuers found Jennlou and other survivors from the sea and was later reunited with her family, who also survived the ordeal.

"I would have died if not for our dog," Jennylou said in the evacuation center where her family has been temporarily staying.

In another heartwarming story about the "man's best friend", another family was saved from the debris-filled floodwater after two 'Azkals" woke them up form their sleep while floodwater was rising at an unprecedented speed at the height of Tropical Storm Sendong.

Marrietta Ardiente said she was awaken by two dogs barking and scratching the door of her house. When she looked to find out what was the reason for the frantic dogs, she saw floodwater rising very fast.

With the help of the two dogs, Ardiente's family was able to evacuate to safer grounds before floodwater razed her family home.

As her family moved out from their home, they brought the two stray dogs to the evacuation center. The two dogs were the ones that saved their lives, Ardiente said.

Iligan City couple left with only one Mike Herald of 5 – Typhoon Sendong

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines—Out of so many lives lost on Bayug Island at the mouth of a river in this coastal heartland, a boy's exceptional tale of survival is the only thing left that gives inspiration to his folks in their time of sorrow.

Eight-year-old Mike Herald Dela Gracia, who barely stands over a meter tall and cannot swim, will always be, to his parents, "the boy who lived"— the only one among five siblings to survive the horrors of December 16 and the difficult hours that followed.

Helen and Arnaldo Dela Gracia, who sell "balut" (boiled duck egg with embryo) for a living, grieve over the deaths of Shein, 7, and Aldrein, 2, and the presumed deaths of Hana, 4, and Aldrein's twin Aljon, who have not been seen since they were engulfed by the swirling waters sent down by Tropical Storm Sendong on Friday night.

But every time they look at their eldest, Mike Herald, an active, playful Grade 3 pupil, they are encouraged in many ways, his mother Helen, 29, said.

"The burden lightens whenever we see him. He's the one who makes us go on," she said in a mix of Cebuano and Tagalog at a cemetery in Barangay Pala-o, where they watched, weeping, as Shein and Aldrein were laid to rest in a mass grave.

"He is our last child. He's the only one who lived," Helen said of Mike Herald.

What follows is an account of this schoolboy's extraordinary escape from death's door, as narrated to the Inquirer by his parents:

At 11 p.m., the children were already asleep, but a worried Helen watched the Mandulog River, only 30 meters away from their house in the settlement of Purok 7-IS, as the wind howled outside and rains lashed at their window.

Out selling balut in the streets of the mainland, her husband Arnaldo, 29, sensed that the weather might take a turn for the worse and hurried home to the island to warn his family.

At past midnight, the flood waters had seeped into their house, up to their ankles. "We were hearing people outside screaming 'Tabang! (Help!)' so we decided to evacuate because we were afraid the house would not be able to withstand the flood," Arnaldo recalled.

Arnaldo shepherded the children out, along with Helen's mother, 66-year-old Purificacion, but when they opened the door, onrushing waves met them.

Arms linked together, they sought refuge at a relative's two-story house with concrete foundations and wooden walls. As the water rose quickly, they, along with neighbors, climbed the roof and hung on to each other, the children distributed among the adults.

They thought the flood water would not be strong enough to knock over the house, but just then, another house being carried by the current plowed into them, splitting the house and scattering those perched on its rooftop in different directions.

"I just hung on. I got snarled by a coconut tree and I hugged the trunk," Helen said. She recalled how horrified she had been when she saw a log rolling into Hana. The other children, except Mike Herald, had been thrown out of sight.

From his vantage point, Arnaldo, who had found a precarious foothold on another tree, said he could see Mike Herald as he was being dragged forward by the muddy waves.

The boy, he said, had grabbed a clump of weeds to stop getting tossed by the water. But his shirt got tangled up with the branch of a huge ipil-ipil tree.

Arnaldo said he had watched in horror as the tree started rolling until the boy fell out of view.

Helen and Arnaldo were eventually reunited several meters away from their house. As they looked around at the flattened plain of brown that used to be their village, they guessed the terrible fates of their children, as well as Purificacion, who has not been found. They were prepared for the worst.

"We thought they had all died," Helen said, her voice breaking.

Then Helen heard a familiar young voice calling out from a tree that was lodged into another some distance away.

"Ma, kuhaa ko.  gutom na ko" (Mama, get me. I am hungry), the boy had demanded. The muddy water below had not yet subsided and he could not get down.

Arnaldo swam to the tree and towed him to shore. Helen rushed to Mike Herald and gave him a good hug. "We were so relieved that one of them is still alive," Helen said.

But their joy was short-lived. They soon found Shein and Aldrein at a funeral parlor, one of several they visited in this city of 300,000 populations.

The two other children and Helen's mother are still missing, among the more than 400 unaccounted for in the city, according to Mayor Lawrence Cruz. The death toll in Iligan City, as of Tuesday, had reached just below 300, he said.

"The other children could not have survived. They are four- and two-year-old, what hope could they have?" Helen said.

Mike Herald, a scrawny youth with a direct gaze and dreams of becoming a soldier, never learned to swim, nor did his mother and siblings.

Asked how he had been able to pull through, Helen said it was probably his steely determination to live. "He just never let go from that tree," she said.

The Dela Gracias originally lived in Zamboanga del Sur, western part of the island of Mindanao with a distance of about 8 hours travel by car but the birth of twins two years ago forced them to move in with relatives on the island to be better able to make ends meet.

At the moment, they are staying at an evacuation center in Barangay Sta. Filomena with no plans of ever returning to Bayug Island, whose population of more than 300 people is believed to have been drastically reduced after the storm.

"I doubt if you'll find a family there who did not lose anyone," Helen said, relating stories they heard of entire families who perished together on another part of the island. "Nothing is left on Bayug," she said.

These two moving and heartwarming dog stories could be just a few of the many life-saving tales involving dogs who also fought with for their own lives during the flash floods devastation in Southern Philippines.

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Philippines will buy 12 F-16 Fighter Jets from USA

December 21, 2011: The Philippines has asked the United States, its closest security partner, to give it at least a squadron of F-16 fighters to help upgrade its territorial defenses and two more military ships amid increasing tensions with China in the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the foreign secretary said on Wednesday.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said he will meet with US Secretary of States Hillary Clinton and high officials of Pentagon in his visit to Washington, D.C., early next year  2012 to discuss the need to increase the Philippines's military presence in the area.

The Philippines has no air power to speak of, with its 40-year-old F-5A/Bs fighter jets retired from service several years ago. It has no bombers or surveillance aircraft and still flies Vietnam War-era UH-1H helicopters.

"We are just trying to restore our capability as it was before," Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario told reporters.

He said he hoped the fighters would be acquired through excess defense articles, a U.S. military aid program.

"I think we are actually behind the curve ... we have been far more advanced many years ago in terms of military capability," he said.

The request for US military assistance was first discussed during the visit of Clinton in the Philippines in November.

"We're trying to get assistance from several countries [to strengthen military capability] and the US has expressed willingness to assist us as we work on a minimum, credible defense posture [in the disputed islands in West Philippine Sea]," said del Rosario in a press luncheon briefing on Wednesday at a hotel in Pasay City.

USAF F-16C block 30 #88-0152 of the 63rd TFTS is parked in the static display at an air show. [Photo by Mike Kopack]

Del Rosario said acquisition of the F-16 fighters would be among issues to be discussed in strategic talks in Washington in the first quarter of 2012, when Del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin meet their U.S. counterparts.

He said Washington has agreed to give Manila larger ships and faster aircraft to patrol disputed areas in the West Philippines Sea, as well as assist in setting up surveillance stations to improve the military's "maritime domain awareness".

Earlier this year, Manila accused Beijing of intruding into its territorial waters and attempting to plant markers on uninhabited islands in the Reed Bank, an area the Philippines claims to be within its exclusive economic zone.

Last August, Washington delivered a Hamilton-class coast guard cutter, the largest ship in the Philippine Navy's fleet.

A similar vessel is due to arrive in the third quarter of next year and a third might also be acquired.

As was the case with the Hamilton-class cutter, del Rosario said he hoped the transfer of F-16s would be free of charge under the aid program.

Manila would pick up the cost of refurbishment and repairs, he said.

USAF F-16C block 42 #90-0767 of the 63rd FS from Luke AFB is spotted landing at NAS Fort Worth on July 28th, 2005. [Photo by Keith Robinson]

The Philippines has said it will spend ₱ 40 billion pesos ($941 million) over the next five years to upgrade its military, buying new helicopters, ships and surveillance equipment.

He said the Philippines will request two more Hamilton class cutters with the first one delivered mid this year and a squadron or 12 units of fighter jets to be deployed on the disputed islands that are believed to be rich in natural gas and marine resources.

Moves to strengthen the country's military capability came amid Chinese deployment of more navy ships in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. "We need to stand up and defend our territorial claims on what we think is ours," said del Rosario.

He also believes that the US foreign policy is to re-engage Asia to a greater extent as it believes that the region has taken the role as key driver of economic growth.

He said the US is also planning to station Marines in Australia and Singapore amid increasing tensions in the disputed Spratly Islands.

At the diplomatic front, del Rosario said the Philippines remains hopeful that the government's proposal to establish a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation that seeks to segregate disputed from nondisputed parts of the South China Sea will be integrated in the binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea which China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to adopt during the last ASEAN meeting in Bali.

He said the Philippines's proposal submitted for adoption by consensus of the 10 member-countries during the Asean Regional Forum was apparently not considered after two members—Laos and Cambodia—boycotted the maritime legal experts meeting in Manila that was intended to consider the adoption of the Philippine proposal.

Four ASEAN members—Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia—are claimants to parts of Spratly Islands, along with Taipei. China is claiming the entire Spratlys.

Other Asean members include Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Burma/Myanmar and Thailand.

US ready to arm Philippines amid China tension

The United States said it was ready to provide hardware to modernize the military of the Philippines, which vowed to "stand up to any aggressive action" at the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea) with China.

Tensions in the strategic and resource-rich West Philippines Sea have escalated  with the Philippines and Vietnam alarmed at what they say are increasingly aggressive actions by Beijing in the disputed waters.

"We are concerned that recent incidents in the South China Sea could undermine peace and stability," Clinton told reporters, urging "all sides to exercise self-restraint."

USAF F-16C block 30 #85-1467 from the 457th FS releases a GBU-24 2,000-pound laser guided bomb over a target range near Eglin AFB during exercise Combat Hammer, hosted by the 86th FWS on November 7th, 2002. [USAF photo by SSgt. Sheila Salas]

Del Rosario, with Clinton at his side, said: "While we are a small country, we are prepared to do what is necessary to stand up to any aggressive action in our backyard."

The Philippines has historically bought second-hand hardware, but del Rosario said that President Benigno Aquino has allocated 11 billion pesos ($252 million) to upgrade the navy.

"We need to have the resources to be able to stand and defend ourselves and, I think, to the extent that we can do that, we become a stronger ally for you," del Rosario said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The United States signed a defense treaty with the Philippines in 1951, five years after the archipelago's independence from US colonial rule which was renewed recently in November 2011 during the visit of Secretary Clinton to the Philippines.

The United States has been providing military aid to the Philippines primarily to fight Islamic militants in the wake the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The United States gave the Philippines $15 million in military assistance in the 2011 fiscal year, with much larger sums devoted to development, according to official US data..

"The Philippines' relative success in counter-insurgency coupled with pressures in the regional environment compel a reorientation of focus and resources," he said.

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Clark Philippines - NEw ASEAN 'Mother of all investments' destination

By MARK ANTHONY N. MANUEL

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines – The Chairman of the three of the biggest companies in the country said that Clark Freeport would become the "mother of all investments" in the country if "relevant improvements in facilities and avionics as well as expansion of terminal buildings" will be erected inside the Freeport.

Kapampangan business tycoon Manuel "Manny" Pangilinan also said Clark is a great opportunity to be the center for call centers and business process outsourcing (BPO) services in the country as well as the hub for information technology for Central Luzon.

Pangilinan has compared Clark to Chenai and Bangalore in India, and Silicon Valley in California as an information technology center in the world.

Pangilinan is the chairman of the investment giant Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), television station TV5, and Smart Communications, the biggest telecom company in the country.

He has also urged the national government to transfer the operation of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as the country's premier airport to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Angeles City, saying that the former airport will already reach its saturation level in about three years.

Speaking before the awardees of the Most Outstanding Kampangan, Pangilinan explained that Clark is a prime candidate as the new premier international airport "simply because it is ready."

"It's clear that an alternative international aviation gateway is needed sooner rather than later," said Pangilinan.

The businessman also disclosed that is companies are planning a public-private partnership for the development of the Pampanga River as a bulk water source.

"This plan is designed to help minimize flooding in the province," he said.

Pangilinan likewise announced his desire to establish a tertiary hospital in the province, "to upgrade medical services to the Kapampangan."

Pangilinan was reportedly in talks with Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corporation for the development of DMIA's Terminal 2 and a high-speed railway that will connect the airport to Manila.

"It is a positive development," said Mayor Marino Morales, noting that any development at the Clark airport will also redound to the overall progress of nearby Mabalacat town which plays host to the airport.

Morales said the presence of the Clark airport, the modern Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), and the eventual construction of the high-speed railway will speed up the development of the northern part of Mabalacat as "Makati of the North."

DMIA plays host to foreign and local carriers such as Tiger Airways of Singapore that flies Clark-Singapore, Air Asia of Malaysia via Clark-Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, Asiana Airlines via Clark-Incheon in South Korea with connecting flights to the US, China and Japan, Cebu Pacific Air via Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and Macau while South East Asian Airlines (Seair) via Clark-Caticlan at the world famous Boracay Beach Island Resort.

Other carriers include Spirit of Manila Airlines via Clark-Taiwan and Jin Air a subsidiary of Korean Air with chartered flights to Incheon in South Korea.

It was remembered that top government officials in Central Luzon has urged President Benigno Simeon "PNoy" Aquino III to pursue the plans of developing the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here as a premier international airport in the Philippines, following reports of supposed glitches at the Ninoy Aquino international Airport.

The Metro Clark Advisory Council (MCAC), composed of representatives from business and concerned sectors in Central Luzon and of mayors of towns surrounding the Clark Freeport, has issued a resolution for the development of the Clark airport following the spate of diversionary flights in Clark.

 

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President Aquino rejected the 3rd Class Citizens Mindanao

Visayas and Mindanao fought for recognition to be a called a real Filipino Citizen as Luzon coined themselves as "Filipino" the real and dominant Filipinos with language Filipino based in tagalong inspite of the dominance of Visayan language throughout the country.

Discrimination for Visayan and Mindanaoan people are common in Manila as they were called as 2^nd and 3^rd class citizen of the Philippines, respectively.

Development of the country are focused only in Manila and Luzon which funding are from the government coffers which taxes are collected from Luzon,  Visayas and Mindanao islands.

Only Luzon benefited progress and development for infrastructure and other development project leaving the 2 poor islands Visayas and Mindanao behind.

 The issue rises again; the 2 poor islands Visayas and Mindanao of the Philippines are rejected by their highly respected country leader President Benigno Aqguino III after Aquino ignored their suffering and prioritized his party life in Manila.

Inspite of the thousands of dead floating bodies around Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City shores by the destructive typhoon Sendong, Aquino preferred to stay in Manila and to celebrate parties than giving his moral support to the hundreds of thousands displaced Mindanaoan.  

Mindanaoan needs strong arm to hold but rejected.

People of Mindanao are suffering; thousands of dead bodies floating in the water and some are covered by the mud but no leader show up to give a hand.

The most devastating typhoon killed thousands of poor people in Iligan City and Cgayan de Oro City calling for help from Manila government but rejected as President Aquino prioritized his personal life, partying with 1^st class citizen of the capital Manila in Luzon.

OFW's from different part of the world are busy sending aid and donation to the victims but Manila gives only a promise after Christmas.

The 3^rd class citizen Mindanaoan needs not only food, money and shelter but also a moral support from the country leader to help them stand.

Many victims commented, "Christmas is a party season, we understand the president to celebrate Christmas, but if he care for us in Mindanao, even for 1 hour that we could see him in his chopper to see us, it could turn a magic of another hope that there is a president who care for us".

Bad politics overpower in Aquino's heart

Iligan City is known to be the place of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as she studied her elementary in one of the public school in such devastated city and her grandmother Macaraeg  is an Iliganon.

Opposite from what the Pro Aquino supporter's thoughts; Iligan City rejected former Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to be a country leader.

People in Iligan City led the protests to oust the known corrupt Arroyo during her term.

Bomb explosions as sign of protest even happened at the backyard of the Macaraeg-Macapagal ancestral in Timoga, Iligan City when Arroyo visited the ancestral house. Iliganon really resist the presidency of the former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo after "hello garci scandal" but they were rejected now for the bad political imagination that they are pro Arroyo supporters.

Virgilio Garcillano , the alleged  responsible for Hello garci scandal is now residing in Bukidnon, a city next to Cagayan de oro.

Philippine leader denies partying

President Benigno Aquino III has fought off accusations that he was partying with starlets as the Philippines was mourning hundreds of people killed by a storm.

The presidential palace said today Aquino briefly stopped by the traditional Christmas party of his elite security group at their compound on Sunday to show gratitude for their services.

"The president stayed for a little over 30 minutes. But he did not go up on stage, he did not sing, he did not dance. There was no partying," the head of the presidential security group, Colonel Ramon Dizon, said in a statement.

Tropical storm Washi hit the southern island of Mindanao at the weekend, spawning swollen rivers, flash floods and landslides which left 652 dead with hundreds other missing, according to Philippine Red Cross figures.

Reports of Aquino's alleged partying spread after a local TV actress and show host, Valerie Concepcion, said in her Twitter account that she met Aquino at the party, where she performed for the troops and their families.

Concepcion said Aquino laughed at her jokes and enjoyed her performance, triggering a wave of criticism directed at both.

The 51-year-old bachelor president, who comes from one of the country's richest landowning clans, had previously been linked to female celebrities and was once criticized for buying a Porsche sports car, which he has since sold.

Unlike previous presidents, including his own mother Corazon Aquino, the current leader has chosen to live in the compound of the presidential security group rather than the state palace used by the country's Spanish and American colonial rulers.

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