Commission on Election disqualifies 12 more partylist groups from 2013 polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced Wednesday that it has disqualified 12 existing party-list groups from running in the 2013 polls.

 

Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr., in a press conference, said that among those disqualified were:

 

1. AGRI
2. AKMA-PTM
3. AKO AGILA
4. AKO BAHAY
5. BANTAY
6. PACYAW
7. PM MASDA
8. KAKUSA
9. COFA
10. ARARO
11. KATUTUBO
12. OPO

 

Brillantes noted that the 12 participated in the 2010 elections.

 

Among the 12 that were disqualified based on unanimous votes, KAKUSA or Kapatiran ng mga Nakulong ng Walang Sala, had one incumbent congressman - Representative Ranulfo Canonigo. A party-list that claims to represent political detainees, Kakusa has Romeo Jalosjos as its president and chairman emeritus.

 

The poll body had earlier announced that it had disqualified Ako-Bicol, APEC, 1-CARE, Aangat Tayo and 12 other party-list groups.

 

The Comelec has been undergoing a re-evaluation of old and new party-list groups as part of their efforts to cleanse the party-list system, which has been criticized as being dominated by bogus organizations or by groups whose nominees were either multimillionaires, former government officials or members of powerful political clans.

 

The announcement of the disqualifications brought to 87 the total number of party-lists up for review and still awaiting decision from the poll body. Brillantes had earlier said that they were reviewing 115 existing party-lists.

 

When pressed by reporters about the reasons for the disqualifications, Brillantes refused to elaborate, saying that the reasons were stated in the promulgations they had released. As of press time, however, copies of the resolutions were still unavailable.

 

Brillantes noted that the common denominator in disqualifying the party-list groups was their non-compliance to the eight-point guidelines enumerated in the 2003 case of Ang Bagong Bayani v. Comelec.

 

In the Ang Bagong Bayani case, the Supreme Court issued guidelines ensuring that only those who belong to marginalized and underrepresented sectors can run for party-list seats in Congress.

 

Brillantes said that they would be finishing all rulings and discussions on existing party-lists by October 30. He had earlier said that they would not make any more announcements until the final decisions had been signed by the poll body's commissioners. He said that this would be applied so that the disqualified party-lists could easily get hold of the resolutions and run to the Supreme Court.

 

3 new applicants denied party-list accreditation

 

Brillantes said that three new applicants for the party-list elections had also been denied. He said that the applicants were: RAM GUARDIANS, Alyansa para sa Demokrasya, and Association of Airline and Airport Workers.

 

"The three were denied because they were not qualified to run for the 2013 polls," Brillantes said.

 

Still no decision on Akbayan yet

 

Brillantes also said that they had not yet decided on the party-list Akbayan or Akbayan Citizens' Action party, whose presence in the party-list system has been questioned by various groups led by Anakbayan and the National Union of Students of the Philippines, which noted that many of its members were now entrenched in the executive department.

 

The members include Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Ronald Llamas and his deputy, Ibarra Gutierrez III, Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Loretta Rosales and National Anti-Poverty Commission Chairman Joel Rocamora.

 

On Wednesday, various groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) secretary-general Renato Reyes, filed another complaint for the cancellation and or removal of Akbayan, citing reasons such as: the said party-list was not qualified to run in the party-list elections because it was no longer a marginalized and underrepresented political party, Akbayan nominees did not belong to the marginalized and underrepresented sectors that Akbayan claimed to represent; and Akbayan enjoyed government support and funding which gave it undue advantage over party-list groups.

 

Asked about this, Brillantes said that they would look into the nature of the complaint.

 

Inquirer News

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US - USS McCampbell Warship Patrolling Spratly Islands rescued Filipino Fishermen Sinking boat in the West Philippine Sea

USS McCampbell (DDG-85) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy, named for Captain David McCampbell (1910–1996), the Navy's leading ace in World War II. She was built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine. USS McCampbell is patrolling the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) when the Filipino fishermen were rescued

US warship rescues Filipino fishermen from sinking boat in midnight operation

 

USS McCampbel a- U.S. Navy warship rescued five Filipino fishermen Wednesday after helicopter pilots spotted them flashing a lighter in the middle of the night while standing on the roof of their sinking boat, officials said.

 

A Navy helicopter discovered the fishermen in international waters just after midnight; hours after the fishing boat started taking on water, said Tina Malone, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman in Manila.

 

The guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell, which was closest to the scene, launched two boats to rescue them.

 

Malone said the fishermen were given a checkup and found to be in good health. They will be brought ashore when the USS McCampbell arrives in Manila on Wednesday as part of a five-day goodwill visit by the USS George Washington aircraft carrier strike group.

 

The carrier and accompanying warships are patrolling the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) in a show of American power in waters where China has been squabbling with neighbors such as Vietnam and the Philippines over who has the control of a string of tiny islands.

 

The U.S. says it wants to keep the strategic waters, believed to be rich in gas and oil deposits, open to international navigation and has urged China and other claimants to settle territorial disputes peacefully. Washington also has a defense treaty with the Philippines and has been helping to modernize the poorly equipped Philippine navy to defend Manila's claims. ( http://goo.gl/eABPq)

 

Fox News

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German firms set their sights to flow investments to the Philippines

German firms set their sights on the Philippines

(Left photo) Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe Natividad delivers the welcome remarks at the Philippine business forum in Berlin. (Right photo) PEZA Director General Lilia de Lima assures German investors that the government of President Aquino is committed to promoting the Philippines as an investment friendly country.

An information session on the Philippines as a business location for German enterprises took place at the PricewaterhouseCoopers Conference Center in Potsdamer Platz, Berlin on September 28.

 

The economic event was co-sponsored by the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), the ZukunftsAgentur Brandenburg, PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, the media publication ASEAN Today and the German Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI).

 

Thirty-eight (38) German business entrepreneurs, traders, consultants and representatives from government institutions listened to presentations on the Philippines as a prime business and investment location in Asia.

 

Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe Natividad noted in her welcome remarks that the Philippines to date is one of the strongest-performing economies in Asia, and that the country's growth forecast is between five to six percent in 2012.

 

PEZA Director General Dr. Lilia de Lima delivered the key note presentation on opportunities for foreign investors in Philippine economic zones. Dr. de Lima also gave a presentation in Stuttgart on September 27 at an investment forum sponsored by GPCCI and Wirtschaftsrat Deutschland.

 

In her presentation, Dr. de Lima noted that there are currently 281 companies operating in PEZA that are from European Union (EU) member countries. Thirty-six (36) of these firms are German companies that specialize in the areas of air transport, electronics, garments and manufacturing.

 

The guests also heard the presentations of Mr. Jose Antonio Buencamino, Commercial Counselor of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, who provided an overview of the Philippine business climate and investment opportunities, as well as Mr. Alexander Lehnen, Senior Manager of PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, who delivered a presentation on tax structuring of German investments in the Philippines.

 

Two German businessmen based in the Philippines and active officials of the GPCCI - Lufthansa Technik Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gerald Frielinghaus and CS Garments President and CEO Claus Sudhoff - also shared their extensive experiences in the country and why they have chosen the Philippines for their operations.

 

As the Philippines receives greater attention from foreign investors, Director General De Lima and Ambassador Natividad agreed that this is not the time to be absent from the scene, referring to the upcoming closure of the Department of Trade and Industry's representation in Berlin.

 

Rating agencies such as Standard & Poor, Fitch and global financial institutions such as Credit Suisse, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank gave positive growth forecasts for the Philippines, at a time when most economies in Europe and Asia face slower growth prospects. It is believed that once the Fraport issue is resolved, the floodgates of heightened investment flows from Germany will literally be opened and generate more jobs and export earnings for the country in the process.

 

(www.dfa.gov.ph)

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Mindanao’s Bangsamoro State would be patterned in Navarra Region Kingdom of Spain

GPH to study police setup in Spain's Navarra region

An October 23, 2012, press release from the Office of the Presidential Adviser of the Peace Process

 

The Government of the Philippines (GPH) is set to visit Spain in an effort to learn about governance mechanisms in the "chartered community" setup in Navarra, including a study on its Policia Foral, its local autonomous police force.

 

Led by Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles, the GPH delegation is composed of Secretary of Budget and Management Butch Abad, GPH peace panel chair for talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Marvic Leonen; panel members Prof. Miriam Coronel Ferrer, Dr. Hamid Barra, former Secretary of Agriculture Senen Bacani, Undersecretary Yasmin Busran Lao, and Mayor Ramon Piang of Upi, Maguindanao.

 

Also joining are Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor in-charge Mujiv Hataman, the five ARMM provincial governors, representatives from the Senate, Congress, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Philippine Army.

 

The GPH delegation hopes to gain insights on how Navarra's police works in an autonomous setup, by which said insights can be useful in the implementation of Article 8 of the recently signed Framework Agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Article 8 provides for the creation of an independent commission to recommend appropriate policing within Bangsamoro communities as part of the process of normalization.

 

In an interview with Rappler, Dean Marvic Leonen, chief negotiator for the peace talks with the MILF, defined normalization as "(bringing) into the areas a normal situation of peace where it is not dominated by guns or the old politics but rather by a democratic inclusive setting which will include a process of MILF's decommissioning as well as the transfer of law enforcement activities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in that area to a reformed police force."

 

Deles said that the study visit aims to provide participants first-hand experiences on the organizational and territorial government of Spain. "It also hopes to draw lessons and insights relevant as reference in drafting the Basic Law of the Bangsamoro, particularly in how states and regions work with the national government," she said.

 

The Bangsamoro Basic Law will be drafted by a 15-member Transition Commission, which will be formed through an Executive Order issued by the President. The law provides for a transitory period for the creation of the Bangsamoro region, which will replace the current ARMM.

 

"We also hope that we can get inspiration from the Navarra model as our government panel begins to work on the annexes of the Framework Agreement with their counterparts in the MILF next month," she said.

 

The delegation will leave for Madrid on October 23 and from there will travel to Navarra on October 24. They will return to Manila on November 2.

 

Unlike most other communities of Spain, Navarra is the only region that does not have a Statute of Autonomy per se. Its autonomy is instead granted by the reinstitution and improvement of its medieval charter (fuero), dating back and in recognition of its history as Kingdom of Navarre. This was completed in 1982 when the Parliament of Navarra passed the Law for the Reintegration and Improvement of the Régimen Foral (Regional System).

 

Spain is known as the State of Autonomies whereby power is highly devolved into its 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities. As part of Spain's transition to democracy, its 1978 Constitution "recognizes and guarantees the right to self-government of the nationalities and regions of which it is composed," (Preliminary Title, Section 2).

 

It can be recalled that representatives of the MILF undertook a similar study visit in March of this year. MILF visited Spain's autonomous region of Catalan and observed the autonomous community's experiences.

 

Official Gazette PH

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Philippines, New Zealand ink 3 agreements: 1 year Visa, Defense & Energy

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Benigno Aquino III, John Key AP PHOTO

Philippines, New Zealand ink 3 bilateral pacts

 

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (via PLDT)—President Benigno Aquino III capped his two-day state visit to this southernmost Pacific country Tuesday by witnessing the signing of three bilateral agreements meant to further strengthen diplomatic relations between Manila and Wellington.

 

The signing followed a bilateral meeting between Aquino and Prime Minister John Key, both held at the Parliament Building here.

 

The accords deal with a reciprocal working holiday scheme, defense cooperation, and geothermal energy cooperation.

 

The geothermal and defense cooperation is meant to jumpstart talks on these areas, leading to concrete agreements done the road, while the arrangement on working holiday scheme seems to be a done deal.

 

The President and the Prime Minister claimed that the reciprocal arrangement would open up both countries to people-to-people exchanges as a way to fix the very low awareness among Filipinos and Kiwis of each other's culture, history and heritage as Pacific nations.

 

According to the President, there are only 36,640 Filipinos in New Zealand, which represent one percent of the 4.4 million population.

 

One-year temporary visa

The holiday scheme, signed by Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully, is the first working holiday arrangement negotiated by the Philippines.

 

It complements the people-to-people exchanges between two nations, providing the young people (aged 18-30) temporary entry visas in each direction for a year.

 

Qualified participants are limited to a maximum of three months' work with one employer, or enroll in training or study courses for not more than three months.

 

However, they can spend up to a year either in New Zealand or the Philippines, said Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang, explaining to reporters the ramifications of the grant of such a visa to either of the two nationalities.

 

Both foreign affairs departments will have to work out some other issues, but it was announced here that the first visas under the scheme would be issued in 2013.

 

Asked at a press conference about the jobs that Filipinos and New Zealanders could apply for under the holiday scheme, Aquino said that "actually (it) will be related to areas where, for instance, the geothermal field. I'm told that we have to send most of our experts here or students who would want to become experts in the field to live and perhaps to get an initial college degree for it. The idea more is in the scheme of having experienced the different culture and environment … hopefully both sides will be able to imbibe the positive attributes to both our cultures and our peoples."

 

He said the main concept behind the working holiday scheme was that "one should get to know each other better to do discover how similar we are other than different which enhances the cooperation we all have to demonstrate in the growing interconnectivity and similarity of problems we are forced to confront."

 

Key, for his part, was excited about the scheme, saying: "It's asset to working with all opportunities in the Philippines and vice versa. It's pretty similar to what we signed in Indonesia."

 

Framework for talks

The Memorandum of Agreement on Defense Cooperation, signed by Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and McCully, provides a formal framework for dialogue and cooperation on defense issues, said Carandang.

 

This includes meeting of both countries' senior officials and military representatives, education and capacity-building, training activities and exercises, information exchanges, and multilateral cooperation.

 

Aquino cited a "shared history" of defense links between the Philippines and New Zealand, dating back from World War II, the Cold War, and even serving as peacekeeping forces in volatile parts of the world such as Timor Leste.

 

The arrangement on geothermal energy cooperation, signed by McCully and Del Rosario, provides a government-to-government framework to support geothermal development between the two countries.

 

The President noted that the Philippines was one of the two largest producers of geothermal power, but it was New Zealand that had provided helped the Philippines harness this alternative power source in the 1970s.

 

Early in the day, two private companies—the Philippine Energy Development Corp. (EDC) and New Zealand's GNS Science—signed a separate business deal in the presence of Aquino in Auckland, his first stop in this state visit that took him to Wellington later in the day.

 

GNS will provide technical services to EDC, one of the two largest geothermal producers in the world.

 

New Zealand's Alliance Select Foods International, Inc.

 

Alliance Select Foods International Inc., based in the Philippines, also formalized in Auckland its $2.18-million share purchase agreement to acquire 80 percent of Akaroa Salmon NZ Ltd., a pioneer in salmon farming in New Zealand.

 

The New Zealand-based salmon marine farmer and processor of fresh and smoked salmon.

 

Maori welcome

Prior to the bilateral meeting with Key, the President met Governor General Jerry Mateparae and his spouse, Lady Janine, in an elaborate state ceremony, reception and bilateral talks at the nearby Government House.

 

The President and his lean entourage of Cabinet members and business group were treated to a traditional "powhiri" (welcome) rites by the Maori people, New Zealand's indigenous natives, at the spacious lawn of the Government House.

 

The formal ceremony entailed "wero" (challenge), an ancient Maori warrior tradition used to determine whether visitors came in peace or with hostile intent.

 

Armed with a traditional weapon, three warriors led over two dozens of chanting Maoris, performing an intimidating series of fight movements as they advanced towards Aquino.

 

The carefully choreographed movements ended with the President picking up the "taiaha" (dart), and the Maori warrior-leader slapping his thigh to signal that Aquino and his party could enter the area.

 

The warriors and their spouses then escorted the presidential entourage to the center lawn, where Aquino was welcomed by Mateparae and his lady.

 

A 21-gun salute was rendered in honor of Aquino, as the Philippine national anthem was being played.

 

A state dinner was hosted by the governor general at the Government House before Aquino and his entourage flew to Canberra, Australia, late Tuesday for the second leg of his two-nation state visit.

 

Aquino's state visit to New Zealand, his first since becoming President in 2010, aims to strengthen bilateral relations between the Philippines and New Zealand which have seen modest gains in the areas of trade, agriculture, renewable energy and tourism since the inception of formal diplomatic relations in 1966.

 

The Philippines is New Zealand's 13th largest export market, but is also the latter's third largest market for dairy products after China and the US.

 

Inquirer Global Nation

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Can ASEAN Economic Community happen in 2015?

The way to an ASEAN Economic Community, envisioned by the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations to come about in 2015, is going through a rough ride, a ranking official of ASEAN said on Tuesday.

 

At the moment many of the member-states are experiencing difficulties in complying with or implementing the requirements for an integrated economic community, ASEAN deputy secretary general Dr. Lim Hong Hin,  told participants to the annual Punongbayan & Araullo CEO Business Forum in Makati City

 

"Despite progress in a number of areas, 28 percent of AEC measures due to be implemented for 2008-2011 are still pending as of end-August 2012," said Lim.

 

These measures cover trade – customs modernization standard and conformity and services liberalization – investments, agriculture, consumer protection, and ratification of transportation agreements.

 

ASEAN members have failure to comply with decisions, treaties and protocols at the national levels, Lim noted.

 

"Others point to implementation bottlenecks due to lack of necessary funds to support the integration measures, particularly at the national level," Lim revealed.

 

"This is a concern because failure of many ASEAN countries to follow through on their commitments may undermine the success of AEC," he said.

 

The Philippine scorecard showed 104 of 110 measures have been implemented during the Phase 1 of the ASEAN Economic Community blueprint, said Trade Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr.

 

Two of the measures Philippines still needs to comply with are in the areas of transportation and infrastructure, the Philippine official noted.

 

The role of private sector role is vital for the ASEAN Economic Community to succeed, Lim said, encouraging it to take the lead in raising investments and productivity, adopting a sound risk management practice and risk analyses, and promoting corporate governance and consumer education.

 

At this point he discounted the idea of creating an ASEAN single currency, saying "the time is not ripe for a discussion on a single currency just like the euro."

 

AEC is a single market and production base economy where goods, services, investments, capital, and skilled labor can flow freely within a community of nations – home to 600 million people and a combined gross domestic product of more than $1.13 trillion.

 

ASEAN+6

 

During the forum, Lim said the association is looking forward to start discussions for a broader economic partnership with six non-ASEAN countries before the year ends. The idea was to create the biggest free trade area in the world

 

"In support of greater integration with the global economy, ASEAN countries are actively working to launch the start of negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership with China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand by the end of this year," Lim noted.

 

These countries have existing free trade agreements with the regional bloc, including the ASEAN-China FTA, ASEAN-Japan, ASEAN-Korea, ASEAN-Australia and New Zealand, and ASEAN-India.

 

"Despite differences, we want to move forward... and come out with a guiding principle to create RECP," said Lim.

 

ASEAN+6 would cover wide areas of the Asia-Pacific region, and Lim said is more feasible and realistic than the Trans-Pacific Partnership. "Once completed, it will be the largest FTA in the world."

 

The 2005 Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement is a multilateral free trade that claims to further liberalize the economies of the Asia-Pacific region.

 

All efforts at creating RCEP were aimed at consolidating all free trade agreements entered into by ASEAN. "The goal here is to promote wider economic integration," Lim said.

 

GMA News

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₱3-Billion Japan electronics manufacturing plant Ready for Operation in Southern Luzon

PHILIPPINE ECONOMIC Zone Authority Director-General Lilia B. De Lima and Tsuneo Murata, Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. president, unveil a plaque at the plant opening in this official photo release on the event

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. of Japan yesterday announced the completion of its initial ₱3-billion investment in a manufacturing facility; it's largest in Asia outside Japan at the First Philippine Industrial Park in Tanauan, Batangas.  Philippine Manufacturing Co. of Murata Inc. (PMM) completed the first of four buildings where it plans to employ 3,000, notwithstanding the current slump in electronics sector.

 

PMM will initially produce multilayer monolithic ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), Murata's flagship product.

 

Murata president Tsuneo Murata said PMM would produce other components in the future.

 

The plant would be a production hub of MLCCs for emerging markets. Murata of Japan is the leading manufacturer of MLCCs, with global market share of 35 percent. It also produces components used in most electronic and electrical devices such as notebook computers, mobile phones, television sets, cameras, and other home appliances.

 

The entire facility covers 22.7 hectares, where the first building occupies 3.6 hectares. The first building will start operations in January 2013 where it would employ 300 workers, mostly as operators.

 

Murata said when fully operational, the factory will be able to produce a variety of models in representative scales, which would increase the company's production.

 

Murata said this expansion in this part of the world is in response to the increased functionality of electronics and the growing demand for new applications such as smartphones and tablets.

 

As Murata's overseas production base, the Philippine operations would have a critical role part in Murata's expanding overseas production, the company said.

 

The company said it decided to locate in the Philippines due to its low-cost (low wages, lower capital investment) operations and to take advantage of a large-high-quality and English-speaking workforce with high-retention rate.

 

As a company registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, the company would also be able to enjoy favorable treatment in corporate taxes and materials and equipment imported from Japan.

 

The Philippine plant is Murata's fourth in Asean, the others are in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

 

PMM president Takashi Masuda said the Philippine plant has the largest lot area where the company would be able to expand its products and its scale in the future.

 

Masuda said the company plans to build three more buildings, totaling four buildings which would have 3,000 workers in the future.

 

A multiyear ceramic capacitor is an electronic component that stores and releases electrical energy. It stabilizes voltage by going through a charge-discharge cycle and is widely used to absorb noise and detect signals of certain frequencies.

 

Chip type multilayer ceramic capacitors are essential components for electrical equipment.  It is said that there are more than 500 MLCCs are assembled into one latest smart phone; 1,000 to 2,000 in a car; 700 in a laptop, and 500 in an LCD TV.

 

These products are produced for major EMS (electronic manufacturing services) and local manufacturers where Murata faces intense competition against Asian suppliers.

 

Murata said these competitors include Samsung Electronics Manufacturing of Korea and Yageo of Taiwan.

 

Murata Manufacturing of Japan is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and sale of ceramic-based passive electronic components and solutions, communication modules and sensors.

 

It has an annual revenue of 585 billion yen ($7.1 billion). The Kyoto-based company has 78 subsidiaries and sales offices worldwide where it has 37,000 employees.

 

About 85 percent of products sold by Murata are produced outside of Japan. Forty percent of all its product lines go to communication application.

 

Murata is also expanding in Thailand and Malaysia so far, Masuda said but the Philippines has the biggest potential for expansion.

 

Amid the slowdown of Philippine electronics exports, Masuda said the electronics industry in the Philippines will further expand and develop and that there are emerging countries they would require more electronic components and devices.

 

Lilia de Lima, director-general of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, said the initial investment could add p to ₱3 billion as the company spent almost ₱2 billion just for the land development and the building.

 

Malaya

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Pamakalaya leftist group claimed US USS George Washington warships carrying nukes to the Philippines

US warships carrying nukes, fishers claim

 

U.S. warships visiting Philippine ports must be assumed to carry nuclear weapons.

 

This view was aired over the weekend by the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), noting that the US policy of neither confirming nor denying that such ships carry nuclear armaments must be taken to mean that they have those weapons.

 

Pamalakaya noted that some countries generally opposed to nuclear weapons do not allow any US nuclear warship to dock at their ports.

 

There is no sense for US aircraft carriers and other ships to carry ballistic missiles armed with conventional warheads, Pamalakaya argued.

 

"But President Aquino and top officials of the administration are ignoring this highly strong probability," the group added.

 

The US Embassy in Manila last week announced that the aircraft carrier USS George Washington would arrive in Manila for a goodwill visit on Wednesday.

 

This port call is supposed to "further enhance the strong historic ties" between the US and the Philippines.

 

The aircraft carrier, which has two nuclear reactors that allow it to sail for nearly 18 years without refueling, was commissioned on July 4, 1992.

 

Its flight deck length is 1,092 feet, while its width is 275 feet. The ship is 244 feet high and can carry 75 aircraft.

 

"The Aquino administration, as usual, wants to make it appear as regular port call but that is not the real score. The real score is that the US is preparing the country as staging ground or launching pad for nuclear attack against entities or nations that would challenge its dominance as a global policeman," Pamalakaya National Chairman Fernando Hicap said.

 

Pamalakaya scoffed at the participation of US sailors in community projects here and noted that the professional exchanges that the government talks about will involve the current territorial dispute between the Philippines and China.

 

Earlier, Hicap charged Mr. Aquino of violating the Constitution by allowing US military forces to use the Subic International Airport.

 

"The Subic International Airport is just a name. In real life, it is a US military facility operating on a regular basis to accommodate increasing numbers of American troops gearing for wars of aggression in different parts of the globe," Hicap said.

 

With the arrival of more than 2,200 US troops last week for the Philippine Amphibious Landing Exercise with 1,600 soldiers of the Armed Forces in various parts of the Philippines from October 8 to 18, he said, "it has become clear that Subic is now back in the limelight as the largest American base outside the US mainland."

 

Hicap said the proposal of Visiting Forces Agreement Commission Executive Director Edilberto Adan to allow greater use of Subic by US forces is an open endorsement of the retaking by the US of its former naval base.

 

Pamalakaya lamented that the Congress has not said a word about the continuing port calls of US nuclear warships and noted that legislators should take action on the matter.

 

Business Mirror 

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If Romney will win as US President to replace Obama; is there any impact in the Philippine’ territorial Security over China’s invasion in Spratly Islands?

20 Questions for Mitt Romney on China

 

On Monday (October 22, 2012), the candidates will square off on foreign policy. One of the five topics is China and how the next president will manage our complex, highly interdependent relationship with the world's second largest economy.

 

Our relationship with China has economic upsides for the U.S.--China is our fastest growing export market, for example--but also significant downsides, including intellectual property theft and market restrictions. America needs to work with Beijing on geopolitical challenges like Iran and climate change while also encouraging Beijing to act peacefully and according to the rule of law in the South China Sea. Striking a balance of firmness and cooperation with China that furthers U.S. interests is a tricky but crucial endeavor.

 

The Obama Administration has a record of success in managing this relationship. We need to know whether Governor Romney can do the same. Governor Romney has been talking tough about China on the campaign trail, but we know very little about his approach. Here are 20 questions he should answer on China.

 

1. Growing exports is one point in your five point plan for growing the American economy. Can you explain your decision not to visit a major US export market, like China, on your overseas trip?
2. The President is on track to fulfill his pledge to double US exports in 5 years, which many said was overly ambitious at the time he made it. Exports to China are up 50%. How will you improve on his record? Please be specific.
3. One of the few concrete foreign policy proposals you have offered is to brand China a currency manipulator on Day 1 of your Administration. How do you respond to the criticism that this will likely start a trade war?
4. Even if it doesn't start a trade war, do you think it makes sense to antagonize China's new leaders in this way before meeting them?
5. In your speeches, you often paint a dark picture of China's potential future path. Experts say that if we assume China will be an enemy, it is sure to become one. How do you respond?
6. U.S. presidents for the last 40 years have endeavored to develop a constructive, working relationship with China. On the campaign trail, you never speak about any opportunity associated with China. Is there none?
7. Are there issues on which you anticipate you will have to work on cooperatively with the leaders of China? (Hint: Iran, North Korea, Sudan).
8. You often criticize the President for letting China "walk all over" the US on trade. As you know, the President has brought more major trade actions against China than any other president. What trade actions would you take against China that the President has not already taken? In your book, No Apology, you criticized the Obama Administration for taking trade action against China on tire imports, saying, "President Obama's action to defend American tire companies from foreign competition ... is decidedly bad for the nation and our workers." What trade remedies are appropriate to pursue against China and which not?
9. How is your proposed "Reagan Economic Zone" different from the Trans Pacific Partnership that the President is already negotiating? The description of it on your Web site of a free trade agreement among "like-minded nations around the world that are genuinely committed to the principles of open markets" sounds very similar.
10. You've made several remarks on the campaign trail about the amount of money America borrows from China. I'm sure you know, however, that it only amounts to 8% of US debt altogether. And the Pentagon has recently stated in a report that it does not judge this arrangement to give China strategic leverage over the US. Do you feel differently?
11. You often attack the President for outsourcing jobs to China and yet, while you were at Bain, you invested in companies that did just that, according to the Boston Globe. Can you explain?
12. While at Bain, you invested in a Chinese company whose deplorable working conditions you described at a fundraiser earlier this year. Can you explain your decision?
13. According to the Financial Times, your trust was invested in the Chinese oil company Cnooc "at a time when the US was growing concerned about the Chinese oil company's multibillion-dollar dealings with Tehran." Can you explain that choice?
14. Despite a front page New York Times story, as far as we know, your blind trust is still invested in a Chinese technology company called Uniview that sells equipment to the Chinese government that it can use to spy on dissidents and Tibetan monks. But the trustee of your blind trust has said publicly that he will endeavor to make the investments in the blind trust conform to your positions, and whenever it comes to his attention that there is something inconsistent, he ends the investment?
15. You often make the point that the US has fewer ships in our Navy than in 1916. The Washington Post has called this a "3 Pinocchio" lie because today's boats are much more lethal, agile, flexible and high-tech than our great-grandfathers. Also, as you know, the recent drop in the number of ships happened under President George W. Bush, and the numbers are actually up under President Obama. So please describe what is missing from today's Navy and explain why they have not asked for it.
16. Why did you intervene in the Chen case when US diplomats were still on the ground in Beijing negotiating his release? Isn't that, at best, bad manners and, at worse, unpatriotic?
17. What do you think of Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang?
18. You often talk about the importance of working with our allies in Asia. Given that the President has deepened engagement with them in so many ways, what would you do differently? Be specific please. Do you think there is any tension between engaging with allies and confirming China's conviction that the US is trying to contain it? Would you engage with multilateral institutions like ASEAN and the EAS in Asia to the same degree the Administration has?
19. Many experts think its essential for the US to ratify the Law of the Sea in order to have more leverage with China in the South China Sea. It's a move supported by the Coast Guard, the Navy, America's oil and gas companies and environmental groups. Do you support it?
20. China is now the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases. What will be your approach to getting Beijing to commit to binding targets on its emissions?

 

Huffingtonpost.com

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