World will join to protest: GLOBAL BLACK TUESDAY against the Cyber Martial Law Philippines

The world is worry for the E-martial Law in the Philippines that would affect the world wide freedom for speech and expression for all free and democratic countries.

 

As they prepare to hold a "Black Tuesday" on October 9, 2012 foes of the Anti-Cybercrime Act are getting a boost from an international group, which mounted an online petition against the measure.

 

The group is the latest in a line of international watchdogs pressuring the Philippine government to either revise or outright repeal the Anti-Cybercrime Act.

 

New York-based Access said the international community must stand together on Black Tuesday in the face of cybercrime laws enacted around the world.

 

"With the Supreme Court slated to take up the constitutionality of the law on Tuesday, silent, non-violent protests will be held on Oct. 9 —called Black Tuesday.  With broad and unjust cybercrime laws being enacted around the world, we need to fight them one by one. That's why it's critical that the international community stands together on Black Tuesday," it said.

 

'Loophole-ridden law'

 

The group lamented the emerging new reality in the Philippines is that sharing a link, clicking "Like" on Facebook, or retweeting could mean 12 years in jail.

 

It said the Cybercrime Prevention Act "is so broad and loophole-ridden that a wide range of online activity could be considered libelous."

 

"Even if you don't write the material, just sharing it with someone online could land you in prison," it said.

 

Because of the unjust law, it said Filipinos have been protesting in the streets and online to stand up for their rights.

 

Getting politicians to listen

 

The group also said that with the 2013 elections just around the corner, many politicians are "downright scared of a national and international backlash."

 

Such a situation provides the opportunity to convince them to junk this law for good, it said.

 

"And we know there's nothing like an election to get politicians to listen," it said.

 

Online petition ongoing

http://www.change.org/petitions/junk-the-cybercrime-prevention-law

Access said it will deliver the online petition to the Senate before Tuesday's protests.

 

The Senate resumes session on October 8, Monday.

 

"If we can get them to repeal the law, it'll send a message to governments everywhere that the world will not stand by while our voices are silenced online," Access said.

 

Those who sign the petition will send senators the following message:

 

"The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 is unjust, overbroad, and poses a serious threat to freedom of expression in the Philippines. We call on you to repeal this law immediately and protect the democratic rights of your citizens."

 

Meanwhile, artist collective Dakila, a member of the Philippine Internet Freedom Alliance, is working with Access to bring the fight to the international community.

 

"While we all want to be protected from cybercrimes such as cyberbullying, the Cybercrime Prevention Act does not answer the problems we are facing but merely curtails our freedom of expression and sends a chilling effect on Filipinos. And all of this is happening as we commemorate the 40th year since the declaration of Martial Law in our country," Ayeen Karunungan of Dakila said.

 

International rights groups speak out

 

Access is just the latest international watchdog to denounce the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

 

On September 18, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) issued a statement in which it pointed out that the libel laws underpinning the Act go against United Nations declarations.

 

"The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has determined that the criminal sanctions imposed on those accused of libel are incompatible with Article 19, paragraph 3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)," the statement said.

 

"EFF is gravely concerned about the implications of the libel provision in the Cybercrime Act and supports local journalists and free expression advocates in opposing it," the statement concluded.

 

A day later, the Asia-Pacific chapter of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) backed the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in "expressing serious concern" over the Act.

 

"The IFJ is greatly concerned that the inclusion of online content in the Act could be used to curtail freedom of expression online, " the IFJ said.

 

"We are further concerned that the government of the Philippines continues to delay the passing of the (Freedom of Information bill), which clearly stands against their stated commitment to press freedom," the IFJ added, referring to a delayed bill that would have facilitated public access to government documents.

 

On September 28, the international Human Rights Watch (HRW) called the Act "unconstitutional".

 

"The cybercrime law needs to be repealed or replaced. It violates Filipinos' rights to free expression and it is wholly incompatible with the Philippine government's obligations under international law," said HRW Asia director Brad Adams.

 

GMA News

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Philippines growing more quickly than thought, says ADB

In another sign of the Philippines' improving prospects, the Asian Development Bank raised its forecast of 2012 GDP growth from 4.8 per cent to 5.5 per cent, according to the lender's updated Asian Development Outlook 2012 released on Wednesday.

 

The Philippines was one of a handful of countries that escaped the ADB's sharp scaling down of forecasts for the region, which is now seen growing by 6.1 per cent this year instead of the 6.9 per cent in the bank's original projections released in April.

 

The ADB said it raised its forecast for the Philippines after the economy grew by a better than expected 6.1 per cent in the first half of the year. The government itself expects growth to reach 5 to 6 per cent this year from 3.9 per cent last year.

 

Apart from higher growth, the ADB is also predicting slightly lower inflation and an improved current account balance in 2012. It sees consumer price inflation at 3.4 per cent, down from its original forecast of 3.7 per cent. The current account balance is seen rising to 2.6 per cent of GDP, up from the original forecast of 2.1 per cent.

 

This leaves the central bank, which has recently cut rates to record lows, with more room to ease monetary policy and sustain growth momentum amid tougher global economic conditions. The ADB said:

 

There is room for further policy support for economic growth if required. Modest inflation (well within the central bank's 3.0-5.0% target range), a strong external position, and an appreciating currency suggest that monetary policy can stay accommodative, at least in the near term. Fiscal outlays fell $2 billion short of the budgeted amount in the first half of the year, despite the boost in government spending.

 

But the bigger challenge facing Philippine policy makers is making sure the benefits of economic expansion are enjoyed by everybody. Despite faster GDP growth, joblessness remained high at 7 per cent in the first half of the year, while under-employment rose to a six-year high of 22.7 per cent.

 

It's not going to be easy. The government must make progress removing stumbling blocks that have hampered agriculture and industry, the main sources of jobs.

Benjamin Diokno, an economist and former budget secretary, wrote a newspaper column outlining what needs to be done to make growth more inclusive:

Agriculture, which employs about one-third of the country's labor force, has to find new life. A big part of the sector's growth is retarded by the uncertainty brought about by agrarian reform. Injecting new life in the industrial sector, the source of many productive, decent jobs, requires better infrastructure, specifically better roads so that goods can be transported from one point to another at less cost.

 

Philippine Peso Little Changed as Europe Damps Investor Appetite

 

The Philippine peso was little changed, after gaining the most in more than two weeks yesterday, on concern a prolonged slowdown in Europe will damp demand for emerging-market assets. Government bonds fell.

 

Euro-area retail sales contracted for a 12th straight month in August from a year earlier, data showed today. The European Central Bank meets tomorrow, when officials are expected to leave borrowing costs unchanged at a record-low 0.75 percent, according to a Bloomberg survey. The peso climbed yesterday after a surprise jump in U.S. manufacturing boosted the Asian nation's export outlook, while the Asian Development Bank upgraded the nation's growth forecast today.

 

"The good U.S. data has been neutralized by concern over Europe," said Jonathan Ravelas, chief market strategist in Manila at BDO Unibank Inc. "Investors still have this guarded optimism on the Philippines."

 

The peso closed at 41.600 per dollar compared with 41.605 yesterday in Manila, according to Tullett Prebon Plc. It dropped as much as 0.2 percent earlier. The currency touched 41.590 on Oct. 2, the strongest level since Sept. 20. One-month implied volatility, a measure of exchange-rate swings used to price options, was unchanged at 5.3 percent.

 

The Asian Development Bank lifted its 2012 economic growth forecast for the Philippines to 5.5 percent from 4.8 percent. The peso has strengthened 5.4 percent this year, the best performance in Asia.

 

Consumer prices rose 3.8 percent in September from a year earlier, the same as in August that was the fastest since January, according to the median estimate of economists in a Bloomberg News survey before a report due Oct. 5.

 

The yield on the 4.75 percent notes due September 2022 increased three basis points to 4.75 percent, according to prices from Tradition Financial Services.

 

Financial Times, Bloomberg Business Week

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Filipino Americans Show Vigilance over Cybercrime E-martial Law in the Philippines

 

The Philippine government has enacted the Cybercrime Prevention Law, a piece of legislation aimed to regulate unlawful internet use. Nicknamed E-Martial Law by human rights advocates, this law has been deemed a broad instrument for violating people's rights to free speech, press, and due process as it targets a crime termed "online libel". The law gives the Philippine government expanded power to surveille people's activity on the internet and specifically charge political dissenters with criminal activity, simply for expressing opinions against the government.

 

"Through the enactment of Martial Law in the in 1970s, the Philippine ruling elite sought to quell people's protest on the streets through censorship, police brutality, mass incarceration, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and other unmitigated human rights violations. Now, E-Martial Law seeks the same in a digital age," stated Bernadette Ellorin, Chairperson of BAYAN USA. "But just as Martial Law culminated in a people's organized overthrow of the fascist dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, E-Martial Law is being met with widespread and worldwide protests on the internet as well as in the streets."

 

Filipino-Americans understand this struggle, especially in the context of the United States, a country that prides itself in valuing its First Amendment rights and freedoms. Just a year ago, similar acts, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA), were on the table. The passage of these bills were halted in the United States Congress in January 2012 by people who mobilized and rallied in the streets against the potential threat such legislation held against freedom of speech and due process.

 

"The internet has served as a vast platform for creative protest," said Ellorin. "Activists have sought social networking websites as an innovative space to increase public knowledge about economic, social, and political injustices. The internet has allowed them to gain broad support all over the world in fights against oppressive regimes, like that of President NoyNoy Aquino."

 

Internet rights continues to be a relevant issue as the United States engages in secret trade negotiations known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). Critics of the TPPA warn that the neoliberal free trade agreement will trample on people's access to basic rights, such as food, water, medicine, and even the internet. Private corporations will be granted unbridled rights to patent and own otherwise public resources solely for their profitable gain.

 

"Laws drafted by the ruling class to prevent 'internet crimes' benefit a privileged few: big corporations and ruling regimes who want to maintain power and control over ideas and facts," Ellorin explained. "Efforts to criminalize the development and dissemination of opposing ideas and facts forces the people under surveillance by a fascist state. When every status update and blog post is under strict scrutiny, the people will not be silenced as the government hopes. Our protest will only multiply and find other ways to spread."

 

In addition to protests on social media sites, "offline" street protest actions are being conducted in front of the Supreme Court in the Philippines today by broad formations of human rights advocates, journalists, bloggers, netizens, and activists. These groups have vowed to express their dissent against the Cybercrime Prevention Law until it is junked, and have even filed official petitions challenging the law's constitutionality. BAYAN USA seeks to offer their support from abroad and build an international outcry against internet tyranny and human rights abuses in the Philippines.

 

Join BAYAN USA in this protest by clicking the following link and signing an online petition drafted by the Kabataan (Youth) Partylist against the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012: http://www.change.org/petitions/junk-the-cybercrime-prevention-law . The goal is to reach 1 million signatures.

 

BAYAN-USA is an alliance of 18 progressive Filipino organizations in the U.S. representing youth, students, women, workers, artists, and human rights advocates. As the oldest and largest overseas chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-Philippines), BAYAN-USA serves as an information bureau for the national democratic movement of the Philippines and as a campaign center for anti-imperialist Filipinos in the U.S. For more information, visit www.bayanusa.org .

 

ASIAN WEEK

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The Philippines is now Under Cyber-Martial law

We are now under 'cyber-martial law'

By: Bobit S. Avila

 

Those who oppose RA 10175 or the Anti-Cybercrime Act of 2012 failed to get a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) when the Supreme Court went on an en banc session last Tuesday to the great dismay of Netizens, many of whom are literally wired in the Internet highway. Actually, if I just used those short Twitter lines from irate and indignant people, it would make an easy ten columns full. This is not to mention how many people are in Facebook that are cursing the Aquino regime for allowing this bill to become law.

 

Remember no one has yet filed any libel cases against these people because libel cases happen mostly in mainstream media. I myself have a libel case that has been dragging on for the past three years thanks to our snail-paced justice. So when Netizens heard about the many cases being filed against media, it just scared them that the Aquino government has become worse than Martial Law were even a simple "like" that you click in Facebook about an anti-government comment might send you to jail.

 

Meanwhile, mainstream groups have already filed their respective petitions against the Anti-Cybercrime Act… but the Supreme Court is asking for more time. This is where that TRO would have been perfect. But as it is, while the Supreme Court is dilly-dallying on this case… the Anti-Cybercrime Act came into effect yesterday and it won't stop anyone from filing cases in court against those whom they would consider as "cyber criminals."

 

In short… 40 years after martial law was imposed in this country, we face another dark cloud hanging over our precious freedom of expression. As the Netizens have declared, we are in a situation called "cyber-martial law." People have not forgotten that when the mainstream media was literally owned by Marcos cronies, the "mosquito press" emerged that even the Marcos dictatorship dared not touch. Now we have blogs, social networking and Facebook that tell a different story from the main headlines.

 

If you ask me, Malacañang should stop defending the anti-cyber crime law because they are no longer fighting ordinary (we are very few) columnists, but a huge number of our citizens, mostly young voters who will certainly fight back when they believe that their human right of free speech will be trampled by law. This situation is potentially explosive!

 

*      *      *

I flew to Manila last Friday for a day-long meeting and flew back to Cebu the following day. As always, my Cebu Pacific Air flight boarded right on schedule, but due to traffic congestion in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) tarmac, we had to wait on the ground for at least 30 minutes… Gads! That's half the flight time to Cebu. As I had a window seat, the waiting on the plane afforded me the opportunity to look at the numerous flocks of birds that literally threatened any aircraft (and its passengers) taking off or landing in NAIA.

 

Between the main runway and the taxiway are large pools or ponds of water, which I reckon is a collecting area for rainwater on the runway or taxiway apron. It is the presence of these watering holes that lure many species of wildlife into the NAIA complex. Perhaps the most dangerous where the flock of Egrets or Herons that flew freely all around the area. So what's the game plan of NAIA officials on how to get rid of this threat to aviation? Should they preserve the wildlife or human lives?

 

Sometime in the mid-'90s, when I was still a board member of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), we were invited to Schipol International Airport and a neighboring airport that it also operated in Rotterdam. It was there that I posed the question on how they handle the issue on wildlife, especially in the era where environmentalists often fought with the airport officials to preserve wildlife.

 

In Rotterdam, they had a Land Rover manned by a Ukrainian who was in constant radio contact with the airport tower. Inside his Land Rover were two species of predator birds, a Kestrel and a Falcon that he doesn't feed for a month. When the control tower sees a flock of birds, they call the Ukrainian who then releases a Falcon, which then seeks its prey. When the Falcon gets its prey, the Ukrainian then guns the engine of his vehicle and drives towards where the birds have fallen. When we got there, only the feathers were left. He then picks up the Falcon and puts him back on its cage.

 

This is what they do in Rotterdam. But in La Guardia International in New York City, who can forget that fateful day in January 15, 2009 when US Airways flt.1919 crash landed in the Hudson River because the plane, an Airbus A-320-214 struck a flight of Wild Geese and both engines flamed out. We all saw this live on CNN… but they were the lucky ones. So what do we do about our problem in NAIA when it is a question between human lives or a flock of birds? In my book… saving human lives should be our priority!

 

For e-mail responses to this article, write to vsbobita@mo-pzcom.com  or vsbobita@gmail.com . His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.

 

philSTAR

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CEBU urge Manila Govt Cybercrime law 2012 Amend or Reject

CEBU CITY : Starting next week, Particularly October 3, 2012, a law that was intended to stop child pornography and cybersex will take effect. But it will also mean strict penalties for those who commit libel on the Internet.

 

The Cebu Citizens Press Council (CCPC) "strongly and earnestly" asked President Benigno Aquino III and Congress to review the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, which was signed earlier this month.

 

The council recommended amendments to "objectionable provisions" in Republic Act 101751, especially those on Internet libel and the power of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to shut down websites without the need for a court order.

 

"The provision on Internet libel under the new law violates the constitutional guarantee of free speech and free press, due process of law, and equal protection of the law, aside from being unclear about innocent participants in the conversation on the web," the CCPC resolution said.

 

Lapses of the Cybercrime 2012 law

 

At least five other groups, representing lawyers, bloggers and journalists, have already questioned the law before the Supreme Court.

 

The new law imposes penalties for "the unlawful or prohibited acts of libel as defined in Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended, committed through a computer system or any other similar means which may be devised in the future."

 

In its resolution, the CCPC said that the law fails to clearly define Internet libel, "a serious omission since Internet libel, given the technology's peculiarities, is different from other kinds of libel."

 

The resolution, which was certified correct by CCPC Executive Director Pachico A. Seares, was adopted and approved last September 28. Seares is also the public and standards editor of Sun.Star Cebu.

 

The CCPC is a 15-member council that includes six representatives from the public, two from the academe, two from the broadcast industry, and five newspaper editors representing each of Cebu's English and Bisaya dailies.

 

In its resolution, the CCPC said that the law "inexplicably also increases the penalty for computer-related libel."

 

Double Jeopardy penalties

 

The Revised Penal Code imposes six months and a day up to six years in jail; or a fine of P200 to P6,000; or both penalties for a libel conviction.

 

But the Cybercrime Prevention Act provides for a penalty one degree higher, meaning six to 12 years in jail, in addition to the other penalties.

 

"It is oppressive and discriminatory as it makes Internet libel a bigger crime than print or broadcast libel. A complainant would use the law, instead of the Revised Penal Code, to go after a journalist whose work is also published online," the CCPC resolution stated.

 

The Revised Penal Code defines libel as "a public and malicious imputation of a crime, vice or defect, real or imaginary, or any act, omission, condition, status or circumstance tending to cause the dishonor, discredit or contempt of a natural or juridical person, or to blacken the memory of one who is dead."

 

The CCPC had also passed a resolution on March 24, 2008 urging Congress to retain libel as a crime, but to remove the jail sentence as penalty, "which would temper the law's harshness without losing accountability."

 

Excesses

 

This week, it suggested that Congress hold more public hearings, if necessary, so that bloggers, journalists, media organizations, other users of the Internet and technical groups that have studied the Internet can weigh in on the Internet libel provision.

 

In a recent interview with GMA News, deputy director Luis Teodoro of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility said the Internet libel proviso could be used to harass bloggers and other users of the Internet.

 

The House version of the Cybercrime Prevention Act, whose principal authors included Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, does not have a provision on Internet libel. This was introduced in the Senate.

 

The CCPC resolution said it "agrees with the need to curb excesses in the social media, as it is regulated in mainstream media."

 

"But the law on Internet libel must be so crafted as to consider the unique attributes of the platform or vehicle, not only to balance right to free speech against right to protect one's integrity and privacy, but also to assure enforcement in the new media," the council said.

Sun Star Cebu

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Philippine Cybercrime Law: Police are allowed to watch people' private Skype Yahoo FB video conversation

A new cybercrime law in the Philippines that could see people sentenced to 12 years in jail for posting defamatory comments on Facebook or Twitter is generating outrage among netizens and rights groups.

 

The stated aim of the cybercrime law is to fight online pornography, hacking, identity theft and spamming in the conservative Catholic nation amid police complaints they lack the legal tools to stamp out Internet crime.

 

However it also includes a blanket provision that puts the country's criminal libel law into force in cyberspace, except that the penalties for Internet defamation are much tougher compared with old media.

 

It also allows authorities to collect data from personal user accounts on social media and listen in on voice/video applications, such as Skype, without a warrant.

 

Teenagers unwarily retweeting or re-posting libelous material on social media could bear the full force of the law, according to Noemi Dado, a prominent Manila blogger who edits a citizen media site called Blog Watch.

 

"Not everyone is an expert on what constitutes libel. Imagine a mother like me, or teenagers and kids who love to rant. It really hits our freedoms," Dado told AFP.

 

Compounding the concerns, those teenagers or anyone else who posts a libellous comment faces a maximum prison term of 12 years and a fine of one million pesos ($24,000).

 

Meanwhile, newspaper editors and other trained professionals in traditional media face prison terms of just four years and fines of 6,000 pesos.

 

While harsh criminal libel legislation remains in force in other parts of Asia, Dado said the Philippine law sent the wrong signal in a country that overthrew the military-backed Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship just 26 years ago.

 

Dado, a lawyer's wife known in the local online community as the "momblogger", is among a group of bloggers and other critics of the libel element of the cybercrime law campaigning for it to be repealed.

 

Brad Adams, Asia director for New York-based Human Rights Watch, said the law was having a chilling effect in the Philippines, which has one of the world's highest per capita rates of Facebook and Twitter users.

 

"Anybody using popular social networks or who publishes online is now at risk of a long prison term should a reader -- including government officials -- bring a libel charge," Adams said.

 

About a third of the Philippines' nearly 100 million people use the Internet, with 96 percent them on Facebook, according to industry figures.

 

Five petitions claiming the law is unconstitutional have been filed with the Supreme Court.

 

Senator Teofisto Guingona, the lone opponent when the bill was voted on in the Senate, has filed one of the petitions to the Supreme Court.

 

"Without a clear definition of the crime of libel and the persons liable, virtually any person can now be charged with a crime -- even if you just re-tweet or comment on an online update or blog post," Guingona told the court.

 

"The questioned provisions... throw us back to the Dark Ages."

 

The five petitions all say the law infringes on freedom of expression, due process, equal protection and privacy of communication.

 

University of the Philippines law professor Harry Roque, who filed one of the petitions, said the Philippines was one of a shrinking number of countries where defamation remained a crime punishable by prison.

 

Part of the penal code that was drawn up 82 years ago, it goes against the trend in many advanced democracies such as the United States and Britain where defamation is now punished with fines rather than imprisonment, Roque said.

 

Amid the public backlash, some of the senators who voted for the cybercime law have started to disassociate themselves from it, even claiming they did not read the provision on libel.

 

However presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda has defended the cybercrime law.

 

"The Cybercrime Act sought to attach responsibilities in cyberspace.... freedom of expression is always recognised but freedom of expression is not absolute," he told reporters on Thursday.

 

Nevertheless, Lacierda said the law could still be refined.

 

He called for critics to submit their concerns to a government panel that will issue by the end of the year specific definitions of the law, such as who may be prosecuted.

 

Dailystar

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USA upholds and provides advanced surveillance capabilities to the Philippine Territories

 

Because the Philippine constitution bans U.S. troops from direct combat, the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines plays mostly an advisory and training role in the battle against transnational terrorist groups.

 

But perhaps the most important U.S. military contribution has been advanced surveillance capabilities to track down terrorists in dense, remote jungle.

 

The high-tech equipment remains under U.S. control, according to Col. Mark Miller, the JSOTF-P commander.

When the Armed Forces of the Philippines requests information, Miller said, "we take their information requirements and we try to answer within whatever means we have over here in country."

 

That includes aerial surveillance, which provides full-motion video.

 

The high-tech gear has been used to locate terrorists, with the U.S. providing crucial information to Philippine ground forces in capturing or killing several high-ranking Abu Sayyaf leaders.

 

In one well-publicized case, a tracking device was planted in a backpack of supplies that was known to be heading to the group's main spokesman, Abu Sabaya. The device was used to guide the Philippine military to a boat as it was leaving land with Sabaya on board, and an aerial surveillance craft provided video of the ensuing clash at sea back to the presidential palace.

 

The AFP would like to have more hands-on access to surveillance equipment used by the U.S, said Lt. Gen. Noel Coballes, commander of the Western Mindanao Command, which covers most of the area in which the terrorist groups operate, such as the islands of Jolo and Basilan. They would ultimately like to possess advanced surveillance capabilities, he said.

 

While Miller empathized with Coballes' desire for so-called intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance equipment, he said it was not within his power to do so because that's a "bigger U.S. government decision on how they want to do that — if they're going to do that at all."

 

How long the U.S. military will remain in Mindanao to provide such surveillance remains uncertain.

 

"I can't say whether or not we're going to stay," Miller said. "Someone above me will make that decision."

 

Joy Yamamoto, the political counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, said that the troops would "absolutely" leave Mindanao — "in the same way that eventually we will end providing development assistance."

 

Philippine troops will likely be working with more U.S. troops overall, however, as the two countries continue to conduct joint exercises.

 

Yamamoto said the U.S. has been in discussions with the Philippines about increasing the presence of American troops and equipment in the country and positioning supplies for humanitarian disaster relief.

 

There are no plans, however, to re-establish the likes of Clark Air Force Base or U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay, which once were linchpins in America's presence in Southeast Asia. Both closed in the early 1990s as a result of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo and mounting Philippine opposition to extending leases.

 

The unmanned surveillance drones are capable to strike anytime as it equipped with advanced missile technology. Many believes that this advance Surveillance capability would also capable to provide real-time full motion video for china's incursion in the Philippines territory in the west Philippine sea.

 

Stars and Stripes (USA)

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Quezon-Araneta underpass opened could save ₱240 million Gas a Year

THE 44-meter underpass was completed three months ahead of schedule. PHOTO/MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Faster travel and fuel savings now await thousands of motorists and commuters negotiating Quezon Avenue and Araneta Avenue in Quezon City every day.

 

The ₱430-million underpass on the corner of the busy intersection was finally completed and opened Friday noon, three months ahead of schedule and cheaper by more than ₱200 million, after 15 months of construction.

 

President Aquino, who rode a pickup with Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson for the inaugural drive through the 440-meter interchange project under a downpour, praised public works officials for a job well-done.

 

"Who wouldn't be impressed? The original ₱694-million budget was reduced to ₱430 million, and it was completed ahead of schedule,'' Mr. Aquino said in brief remarks.

 

The underpass is projected to ease traffic congestion on both major thoroughfares that are traversed by more than 100,000 vehicles every day.

 

"This will bring much relief to the people,'' Singson said.

 

Originally, it was projected to be completed in 18 months, from June 20, 2011 to Dec. 10, 2012, and was allocated ₱694.15 million in the national budget. After some changes in the design, the projected cost was reduced to ₱534.6 million. The final cost was pegged at ₱430 million.

 

"This project is very important because more than 100,000 vehicles pass through here every day. If you save up P6 in gas, that's ₱20 million a month, and ₱240 million a year. We spent ₱430 million; in two years we will recover that because of the savings in gas,'' Singson told the President in a briefing inside a tent.

 

The savings in the project could be used for other projects in the city, he added.

 

The underpass stretches for 440 meters, and has two lanes in opposite directions. Its construction led to the improvement of the road, as well as installation of street lights and drainage facilities.

 

DPWH Undersecretary Romeo Momo, who is in charge of regional operations, said that the underpass would not be flooded even if heavy rains hit Metro Manila.

 

President Benigno S. Aquino III, accompanied by House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr., Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson and Quezon City Representative Jorge Banal, leads the inaugural drive-through to formally open the Quezon-Araneta underpass in Quezon City on Friday. 

A portion of Araneta Avenue is usually flooded during a heavy downpour. Residents in the area also become instant evacuees as they usually had to flee their homes when it rains.

 

Momo said that all measures were taken to address potential problems like flooding in the area. He said the DPWH increased all the drainage capacity in the particular junction.

 

According to Momo, the underpass was designed with three submersible pumps and a water cistern that can suck out 277 liters of water a second in case of flooding, and an electric generating set for standby power. It has diaphragm walls that serve as retaining walls.

 

"We put a huge cistern that will be connected to a pumping system. These three pumps will pump out all the excess water that is collected at the cistern. This is the same design we used in the other underpasses," he said.

 

"This is not the first underpass that DPWH has done. We have underpasses in EDSA, Quezon Avenue and Makati City which do not submerge in floods," Momo added.

 

Furthermore, he explained that the Quezon-Araneta underpass was built on an elevated ground, which minimized the possibility of flooding.

 

Earlier in the day, the President inaugurated the North Rizal Water System Project in Barangay Payatas, Quezon City, which will service residents in Quezon City, Marikina and San Mateo town in Rizal.

 

"North Rizal Water System Project will use its own transmission mains to bring quality water to more or less 1 million residents of East Zone,'' he said in his speech.

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Panatag Re-Stand-off: Philippines will send back Warship, New People Army raise hands to Fight with Army to Defeat China invaders

 

The Philippine government may soon send back its ships to Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal if China does not comply with an earlier agreement between the two countries to pull out their vessels from the hotly-contested rock formation in the West Philippine Sea, according to Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.

 

At the sidelines of the Center for Strategic and International Studies forum in Washington, DC Wednesday (Thursday in Manila), where he was invited as keynote speaker, Del Rosario said China reneged on the agreement reached sometime in June during negotiations in Manila between him and Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing.

 

"There was an agreement between the two countries that ships will be pulled out from the shoal. The Philippines pulled out their ship but the Chinese did not comply with the agreement," said Del Rosario during the question-and-answer portion.

 

"We believe they (China) should do this and of course if they continue to violate Philippine sovereign rights in that area, then we will have to consider a response. We do not know what that response is just yet," he added.

 

The Philippines insists Panatag Shoal (also known locally as Bajo de Masinloc), which is 124 nautical miles off Masinloc in Zambales, is part of its territory. A similar claim is being made by China on historical grounds.

 

China refused to consider the Philippine position to settle the dispute by bringing the matter before an international arbitration body, saying the matter should be discussed bilaterally.

 

Recent reconnaissance flights of the Philippine Air Force showed that China still has three government ships outside the shoal's lagoon. The Chinese have also cordoned off the shoal's entrance using ropes.

 

President Aquino ordered the withdrawal of two government ships from the shoal last June due to bad weather. Independent fishing bans were likewise raised by Manila and Beijing over the area, supposedly to diffuse the tension but Chinese fishermen continued to fish there.

 

Del Rosario, in his keynote speech, again called for a rules-based approach in resolving the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea, saying it is the only legitimate and viable way to address the issue.

 

"Let me make it clear: our foreign policy does not seek to isolate one country, nor even force the resolution of a dispute. Our core interest lies in being able to contribute to ensuring that the global security and economic system is based firmly on the rule of law. We are firmly committed to helping build an international system that will be just and fair to all states, regardless of economic size or power," he said.

 

Under the rules-based approach, countries would be governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) treaty, which defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world's oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources.

 

"We want to establish an actionable framework to define, clarify, and segregate, in accordance with the UNCLOS, the disputed and non-disputed areas of the West Philippine Sea. This would pave the way for feasible cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China in the medium-term," he said.

 

Del Rosario said the Philippines is still studying the possibility of a dispute settlement mechanism under UNCLOS.

 

As for the diplomatic track, he said Manila will continue to keep channels of discussions with China open. He cited his meeting last month with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, which, he said, shows that high-level contact between Manila and Beijing is being maintained.

 

New People's Army "Local Reds" vow to fight with AFP forces vs Chinese aggression

 

Philippine communist rebels, while embracing the ideology of Mao Zedong, will not side with China in the event the two countries' territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) gets ugly.

 

Jorge Madlos, spokesperson of National Democratic Front in Mindanao, said New People's Army rebels will fight alongside government security forces if China declared war on the Philippines.

 

"If there is a direct foreign invasion of our country, the focus of the revolutionary movement would be to fight the foreign aggressor," Madlos, also known as Ka Oris, told the Inquirer in a telephone interview.

 

He said Filipinos stood no chance of winning any war with China if it were fought at sea but if it were to be fought on land, "they (Chinese) don't stand a chance."

 

Madlos acknowledged that China was a superpower but that fact should not cow Filipinos who should  defend their country at all cost.

 

However, the senior local communist leader said, he did not believe that China would press its claims over the West Philippine Sea to the extent of going to war with the Philippines and other claimant-countries.

 

"I don't think China is foolhardy to attack us and wage war with the Philippines," Madlos said.

 

He also said Malacañang should not be too dependent on the United States as it was not helpful in resolving the territorial dispute with China.

 

"China has looked at us like we are pawns of the US. Because of that outlook, whatever step we take will be suspected of having been dictated by the US," Madlos said.

 

He said seeking assistance from the US "undermines the resolve of the Filipinos."

 

Malaya, Inquirer

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