A Filipino in Antarctica: Cold continent, hot Neutrinos science, Philippine Flag raised

PHILIPPINE FLAG AT THE SOUTH POLE. A Philippine flag (R) flutters in the strong Antarctic winds, along with American (C) and Chilean (L) flags atop the IceCube observatory, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica. Photo by Blaise Kuo Tiong

In the southernmost point of the planet, one of the most unforgiving places on Earth, scientists are trying to unlock the mysteries of an elusive type of subatomic particle.

Among these scientists battling high winds, below-zero temperatures, and isolation, is Blaise Kuo Tiong.

Born and raised in the Philippines to Filipino-Chinese parents, Blaise left for the United States at the age of 9. There, he pursued a degree in Mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). After graduation, he worked at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in California.

After that, he moved to the IceCube South Pole Neutrino Observatory, where he works at present. IceCube is one of the world's major research centers dedicated to understanding subatomic particles called neutrinos.

Neutrinos are very light, elusive particles that have a neutral charge, rarely interacting with other matter. They are believed to be one of the most numerous particles in the entire universe. They help us understand various phenomena, from radiation in a nuclear plant to a range of cosmic processes, helping us get to know our universe and its quirks.

At IceCube, Blaise and his team work with a "downward-looking" telescope, detecting neutrinos as they pass through thousands of meters of ice.

For example, when a supernova explodes, the neutrinos coming from it arrive before the light does, pointing where supernovae explode. Scientists are then alerted when and where a supernova will explode, allowing them to peer into their telescopes.

Rappler talked to Blaise via a Google+ Hangout, and he talked about his work, living in Antarctica, and his Filipino roots.

Working at the South Pole

WORKING IN THE COLD. Blaise Kuo Tiong checks on one of IceCube's equipment buried in the Antarctic ice. Photo courtesy of Blaise Kuo Tiong

Rappler: What is your job like on a typical day?

Blaise: There are physicists who do the research, [and] software programmers who refine the filters of the search to make the data more clustered and easier to be analyzed. Then there are people who work on computers, like me. Our tech needs to be running 24/7. We wouldn't want to miss anything. If a supernova happens and the computers are down for 10 minutes, that is a disaster.

Every day we collect about a hundred gigabytes of data that we upload via satellite to our networks in Madison, Wisconsin (headquarters of the IceCube project, at the University of Wisconsin). But there's another terabyte of data that gets clumped each day; we store it on tape and then send them by airplane.

R: How is it like working in Antarctica?

B: We are always asked the same question: "Why would you want to go there? There's nobody here, you're cut off from the rest of the world." But I think that is the appeal. You have to rely on your own to solve the situations that can come up.

We're here at almost 9,500 feet. When I first got here, I couldn't do any work because I was always short of breath. But the cold is actually okay. If you put on the gear to keep you warm when you are outside, before you know it, you're already sweating in your jackets.

Life in Antarctica

R: How is life there outside work?

B: Right now it's too cold so most of the activities we do indoors. We have a big gym here where we can play a lot of sports. We spend a lot of time watching movies, video games or board games. I think next weekend there's going to be a tournament of a card game. A couple of weeks ago, I found some beans and made a sungka board. I also brought some mahjong tiles so we play that once in a while.

R: In Antarctica, there are 6 months of continuous daylight and 6 months of continuous darkness. What are the best and worst things about that?

B: The best thing about an all-day 'night' is that you could look at the stars 24/7... Today, there's a full moon and a halo on the moon called the 'moondog.' It looks crazy. It looks like it's on a different time practically. We also got some pretty good auroras today -- those shimmering green lights. Those you can't really see in the rest of the world besides the polar regions.

POLAR LIGHTS. Aurora australis light up the Antarctic sky. Photo by Blaise Kuo Tiong

R: When is it hottest and coldest in Antarctica?

B: In the summer months I'd say around January is when it's the hottest. We probably reach maybe -10°F. There was a time during the summer that we actually had a 2-mile race in our shorts. During winter time, it reaches -100°F. Right now it's at -66°F. Yesterday was about -85°F. Weird thing is it can get 40°F, where it could go -60°F from a -100°F like almost overnight.

R: There is only one sunrise and one sunset a year. How long do they last?

B: We have a sunset at March but it took about two weeks before you couldn't see the Sun anymore. It's interesting: the Sun sits at the horizon for that long until finally you can't see it. The sunrise should be about the same and it will happen right around August or September.

Filipino roots, Filipino pride

R: There's a photo of the observatory with 3 flags flying up there, and one of them is the Philippine flag. Did you raise that?

B: I brought two flags down here with me (American and Philippine). When the station closed last February the first thing I did was put up the American flag, a Filipino flag and a Chilean flag. So they're all hanging out there now. Hopefully they'll last over the season. I have one back-up in case the first one gets destroyed because there are pretty high winds here at times.

R: How connected are you to your Filipino roots?

B: A lot of my family on both sides still live in the Philippines; being Filipino is definitely part of my identity. In the last few years, I visited at least every other year, almost every year. I like to visit just to not lose track of those roots.

PINOY IN ANTARCTICA. Filipino scientist Blaise Kuo Tiong at the IceCube South Pole Neutrino Observatory. Photo courtesy of Blaise Kuo Tiong

R: Where do you go when you get here?

B: A lot of my mom's relatives are in Ilocos and Vigan. A lot of my relatives are in Manila as well, and some are in Cebu. I usually visit those places.

But obviously, it's the beach. The last time I was in the Philippines, I think I went to about 20 beaches. I know I went to Bohol and to Palawan. I'd say Philippine beaches are some of the best I've ever seen. Definitely the sand in Boracay you can't find it in anywhere else. And the diving is so good in Palawan, Batangas, Bohol.

R: What are your plans after the cube?

B: I got here in November and will go out after a year. Well, I'll probably do a little traveling first. People who are the Antarctic program -- that's one of their passions. If you're sitting down doing dinner, everybody's talking about the places they've been or the places they want to go to. After that I'll probably go back to the States. I have a family in Los Angeles, and a lot of my stuff is there. I'll probably think of the next challenge, which I haven't thought of yet. And in the next 6 months, that would probably be it.

For more about his research and research life in Antarctica, visit http://antarctica.kuotiong.net/. –

Rappler.com

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Philippines Now Major Source of Skilled Migrates to New Zealand

Six of the seven Filipinos who work on Greg and Kelly Kirkwood's North Otago dairy farm are (from left) Neil Molina, Reis Pe, Eric George, Saldy Barroga, Roel Gonzales and Jeorge Barroga.Photo by Gerard O'Brien. Photo: Otago Daily Times

Filipinos have been migrating to New Zealand for the last 15 years and many New Zealand employers have become aware of their work ethics and skills. Many other countries around the world have been recruiting Filipinos for years because of their skills and their willingness to work in jobs that their local population has been unwilling to undertake. There is an increasing interest from New Zealand employers recently in hiring skilled migrant workers from the Philippines to fill the skills shortage in the local market.

For some years many hundreds of dairy farm workers have been employed by New Zealand farmers if they have been unable to find suitable staff locally. Today the NZ dairy farming industry has become dependent on Filipino workers to provide the labor force to meet their requirements of this rapidly growing industry. Many of the Filipinos coming to NZ have previously been working on commercial dairy farms in the Middle East or Japan, and have settled as residents with their families.

Over 11 million Filipinos work outside the Philippines. They can be found working around the world. Many Middle Eastern countries are dependent on their Filipino guest workers to keep their economies growing, where they work under contract for a certain number of years. Employers have recognized their willingness to work, their cheerful dispositions, and their ability to pick up language and new skills.

Before Filipinos can leave their country to work abroad they must obtain an Overseas Employment Certificate from the Philippines Overseas Employment Agency (POEA). Without this they cannot depart though many thousands do illegally out of desperation to find jobs abroad. The reason why the POEA requires this process is to ensure that workers going abroad have a genuine job offer and not subject to scams. The process requires employers to have their employment contracts examined and approved by the POEA, along with other under-takings before the workers they wish to hire will be issues their OECs.

Why have so many Filipinos forced to work abroad, rather than in their own country? The main reason is the lack of job opportunities for Filipinos in the Philippines. Unlike most of the rest of Asia, the Philippines have been unable to attract overseas investment to finance the growth in manufacturing and jobs as elsewhere in Asia. Yet the Philippines are one of the richest countries in Asia, with many natural resources and a talented English-speaking work-force.

Overseas investors have preferred other Asian countries for investment as a result of poor government policies, and less flexible labor laws, a weak and corrupt legal system, poor infrastructure and high electricity costs. (As recently pointed out in an IMF report). Yet in recent years the country has benefited enormously from the remittances from their overseas workers (OFWS) – over $US20 billion is sent back into the country annually providing an inflow of capital to fiancé domestic growth. The No 1 earner of overseas currency is the remittances from OFWs.

In spite of this, nearly a third of the population lives in poverty and wages in the Philippines remain low. While the economy is expected to grow 7% this year driven by a boom in property construction, the population is growing faster than new jobs are being created. As in the nineteenth century, when many migrated from the UK and Ireland to settle around the world, today Filipinos are likewise migrating around the world to seek better opportunities than can be obtained at home. Migration of Filipinos is likely to continue until structural changes are made to the Philippines economy to become competitive to investors with other Asian economies.

As the only New Zealand Company based in the Philippines (for the last five years) supplying skilled migrants to meet the skills shortage in New Zealand, Immigration Placement Services Ltd has helped settle many hundreds of Filipinos successfully in the country. Many of these have now bought their families to New Zealand and have since become permanent residents, contributing to our society. New Zealand is a preferred destination for Filipinos as Immigration policies allow for approved skilled migrants on a work visa to bring their partners and children, something that is not possible for many Filipinos working in many other countries. Many Filipino children grew up not knowing their parents as one or both need to work abroad to provide for their children's education and necessities in live.

Filipinos have integrated into NZ society well. As English is widely spoken throughout the Philippines they have fitted into NZ society much better than other Asian ethic groups, and can now be found from one end of NZ to the other.

Scoop Independent News

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When USA refused Jew refugees; brought back to Germany and killed but Philippine opens to save 100,000 or more

On June 21, 2009, a monument to Manuel L. Quezon was unveiled at the 65-hectare Holocaust Memorial Park in Rishon LeZion, Israel's 4th largest city located south of Tel Aviv. The monument, designed by Filipino artist Junyee, is called "Open Doors". It is a geometric, seven-meter-high sculpture rendered mainly in steel and set on a base of marble tiles shipped from Romblon, showcasing three doors of ascending heights.

• Telltale Signs: Philippines – a Jewish refuge from the Holocaust
• To the members of his own Catholic Church who were prejudiced against Jews, Quezon asked: "How can we turn our backs on the race that produced Jesus Christ?"
• The untold Stories in the Philippines. Why was this noble deed hidden from the Filipino people and omitted in Philippine history books?
• The Philippines as the first country to recognize Israel as a state

The world knows about Austrian industrialist Oskar Schindler and how he saved 1,100 Polish Jews during WWII by hiring them as workers in his factory because of Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List which received the 1993 Oscar for Best Picture. This month, the world will know about Philippine Commonwealth Pres. Manuel L. Quezon and how he helped 1,305 German Jews escape Nazi persecution in 1939 by providing them with visas and safe shelter in the Philippines because of a documentary, Rescue in the Philippines: Refuge From the Holocaust, being shown in PBS stations throughout the US. It will aired again on KQED on Sunday, May 5, at 6:00 PM.

The significance of Quezon's actions can best be appreciated in the context provided by another Hollywood movie, the 1976 film, Voyage of the Damned,based on the true story of the 1939 saga of the luxury liner MS St.Louis, which left Hamburg, Germany with 937 Jewish passengers bound for Cuba. When the ship landed in Havana, the Jews were refused entry, as the Nazi authorities expected. The ship then headed for Florida where the US government also refused to allow the Jews to disembark. After the ship was refused entry in other ports, it returned to Germany where its Jewish passengers were forcibly removed and dispatched to concentration camps for extermination. A Nazi official in the film declares: "When the whole world has refused to accept them as refugees, no country can blame Germany for the fate of the Jews."

But at least one country can. In the year when the MS St. Louis was rejected by all the countries where it sought refuge, the Philippine Commonwealth accepted 1,300 Jews and was willing to accept as much as 10,000 more if the US State Department had allowed its commonwealth to do so, and as many as 100,000 if Pres. Quezon had his wish.

The Washington Times first reported this news on December 5, 1938 ("Quezon Urges Jews' Haven") when it announced that "the possibility of a haven for Jewish refugees from Germany was broached today by Pres. Manuel Quezon" who said "I am willing to facilitate entrance of such numbers of Jewish people as we could absorb…I favor large scale immigration to Mindanao, if well financed."

The untold story of the Philippine rescue of Jews was first prominently recounted by Frank Ephraim in his book, "Escape to Manila: From Nazi Tyranny to Japanese Terror" (University of Illinois Press, 2003), which was based mostly on his own eyewitness account as a child who was one of 1300 Jewish refugees who arrived in Manila in 1939.

According to Ephraim, the history of the rescue begins with the decision of the Frieder brothers in 1918 to relocate its two-for-a-nickel cigar business from Manhattan to Manila, where production would be cheaper. Alex, Philip, Herbert and Morris Frieder took turns overseeing the business in the Philippines for two years each joining a community that had fewer than 200 Jews. At its height, the Frieder brothers' tobacco company in Manila produced 250 million cigars in a year.

The genesis for the Jewish exodus to the Philippines came in 1937, when 28 German Jews who had earlier fled Germany for Shanghai were evacuated by the Germans to Manila after fierce fighting erupted between Chinese and Japanese troops. The Jewish Refugee Committee in Manila, headed by Philip Frieder, was formed to help them settle in the Philippines. From these refugees, the Frieders heard first-hand accounts of the Nazi atrocities in Germany and of the uncertain fate of the 17,000 Jews still stranded in Shanghai.

The Frieders decided to seek the help of their poker buddies to get the Philippines to become a haven for the fleeing Jews. But these were no ordinary poker buddies. One was Paul V. McNutt, the American High Commissioner for the Philippines; another was a young officer named Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the aide of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, then Field Marshall of the Philippines; and then there was Manuel L. Quezon, the president of the Philippine Commonwealth.

In their late night poker sessions, as Ephraim recounts it, the buddies hatched a plan for the Philippines to accept as many as 100,000 Jews to save them from persecution in Germany.

McNutt had served as National Commander of the American Legion and as governor of Indiana (1933-37) before Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt tapped him to be the High Commissioner of the Philippines in 1937. McNutt's task was to convince the US State Department to grant visas for Jews to enter Manila.

Col. Eisenhower's task was to organize a plan to bring Jews to settle in Mindanao. In the Rescue in the Philippines documentary, Susan Eisenhower, President Dwight Eisenhower's granddaughter, reflects on his involvement: "It's one thing to sit around a card table and talk about a worrisome situation—even a dire situation. It's quite another to actually take some action, and I think that's why this is a story for all time."

Pres. Quezon faced the formidable task of winning over the anti-Semitic members of his own cabinet as well as those in the political opposition led by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo who viewed Jews as "Communists and schemers" bent on "controlling the world". In a letter written in August of 1939, Alex Frieder wrote of Mr. Quezon's response: "He assured us that big or little, he raised hell with every one of those persons. He made them ashamed of themselves for being a victim of propaganda intended to further victimize an already persecuted people."

To the members of his own Catholic Church who were prejudiced against Jews, Quezon asked: "How can we turn our backs on the race that produced Jesus Christ?"

In the Rescue film, Manuel L. Quezon III ponders his grandfather's reason for helping the Jewish people: "I think for my grandfather, it was perhaps that simple. You have a country. You have a little authority. You have an opportunity. Someone has asked for refuge—which is the most basic humanitarian appeal anyone can make. You answer it."

At the April 23, 1940 dedication of Marikina Hall, a housing facility for Jewish refugees that was built on land that he personally donated, Quezon said: "It is my hope and, indeed, my expectation that the people of the Philippines will have in the future every reason to be glad that when the time of need came, their country was willing to extend a hand of welcome."

Quezon's expectation of how future generations of Filipinos will feel about the rescue of the Jews during their time of peril had one drawback: the future generations of Filipinos were never informed of their country's noble deed. After the Rescue documentary was shown at its April 7, 2013 San Francisco premiere in Japantown, a question and answer forum followed. One elderly Filipina from Vallejo stood up and identified herself as having been a public school teacher in the Philippines before immigrating to the US. "How is it possible that I never heard of this Jewish rescue when I was a student in the Philippines, when I was a teacher there, all the way until I watched this film tonight?" she asked.

 The answers provided by other Filipinos in the audience ("because it was not taught in Philippine history books") begged the question of why this significant event in Philippine history was omitted from the Philippine history books.

 I went to elementary school at Letran College in Intramuros, Manila. Every day, for the 8 years I was there from kindergarten to 7th grade, I passed by the imposing bronze statue of Manuel L. Quezon, the school's most distinguished alumnus. We were taught everything there was to know about Quezon at least until I read Frank Ephraim's book in 2005 and learned for the first time about Quezon's role in saving 1305 Jews in 1939 and wrote about it then.

Why was this noble deed hidden from the Filipino people and omitted in Philippine history books? Strangely enough, what is recounted in the history books is that on November 29,1947, the Philippines was the only Asian nation to support the partition resolution at the United Nations creating a Jewish State in Palestine.

The Filipino people and most of the world may not know what Quezon and his poker buddies did to save 1305 Jews in 1939 but the people of Israel are aware of it. On June 21, 2009, a monument to Manuel L. Quezon was unveiled at the 65-hectare Holocaust Memorial Park in Rishon LeZion, Israel's 4th largest city located south of Tel Aviv. The monument, designed by Filipino artist Junyee, is called "Open Doors". It is a geometric, seven-meter-high sculpture rendered mainly in steel and set on a base of marble tiles shipped from Romblon, showcasing three doors of ascending heights.

Speaking at the dedication ceremonies on behalf of the Philippine government, Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano said: "the monument celebrates the Filipino heart, a heart that touches others with compassion, a heart that makes one a blessing to the world."

But that Filipino heart desperately needs to be informed about the noble act that made it a blessing to the world.

The education of that Filipino heart has begun with the release of Rescue in the Philippines: Refuge From the Holocaust and its public airing TV stations throughout the US. This will soon be followed by another documentary,  "An Open Door: Jewish Rescue in the Philippines", which is being produced and directed by a Washington DC-based filmmaker, Noel "Sonny" Izon.

In his film, Izon seeks to "explore the rare confluence of the Pacific and European theaters. It juxtaposes momentous events in history such as the passage of the Nuremberg Laws on September 15, 1935 and, exactly two months later, the inauguration of the Philippines as a Commonwealth of the United States. One door closes and another opens…the story of a deep and improbable, international friendship borne of common adversity and intense love for freedom. Together, Filipinos and Jews struggled, endured and ultimately prevailed against overwhelming odds."

Izon has a personal reason for making his film. He was born in Manila in 1946, the year after his "deathly ill" father was saved at a Manila hospital by Dr. Otto Zelezny, one of twelve physicians among the 1300 Jews who found safe haven in the Philippines. This film is his chance to thank the good doctor from Berlin who "made my life possible".

James R. Busis of the American Jewish Committee believes this story should be told beyond the Filipino people: "This unique story, of an Asian country that wasn't even really a fully independent country and had no special ties to Jews, is part of that fabric of history that has been largely neglected and deserves the same level of 'telling' as many other Holocaust stories receive."

ASIAN WEEK

Send comments to Rodel50@gmail.com or mail them to the Law Offices of Rodel Rodis at 2429 Ocean Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127 or call415.334.7800.

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Philippines receives S&P Investment Grade Rating; Beats queuing Indonesia

Standard and Poor Upgraded the Philippine Credit Rating to Investment Grade May 2, 2013

The Philippines overtook Indonesia to win an investment grade today from Standard & Poor's, as President Benigno Aquino outshines Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in improving government finances and spurring growth.

The rating on the Philippines' long-term foreign-currency- denominated debt was raised one level to BBB- from BB+, with a stable outlook, S&P said in a statement today. In contrast, the assessor revised its outlook on Indonesia's BB+ rating to stable from positive.

"The upgrade on the Philippines reflects a strengthening external profile, moderating inflation, and the government's declining reliance on foreign currency debt," S&P said. "In our assessment, the stalling of the reform momentum in Indonesia and a weaker external profile have diminished the potential for an upgrade over the next 12 months," it said separately.

Aquino's drive to transform the nation into one of the region's fastest-growing economies is gaining strength, with the government forecasting record investment pledges this year as companies including Murata Manufacturing Co. expand. In Indonesia, President Yudhoyono has delayed cutting fuel subsidies that have drained government finances even as he tries to allocate more funds to infrastructure spending.

"For the Philippines, this is yet another confirmation that Aquino's reforms have borne fruit which would help in attracting not just short-term flows, but long term direct investments," said Santitarn Sathirathai, a Singapore-based economist at Credit Suisse Group AG. "The rating momentum for Indonesia is moving in the wrong direction."

Capital Inflows

The peso climbed to a three-week high of 41.055 per dollar, reversing earlier losses. It is the biggest gainer in the past 12 months after the Thai baht among 11 Asian currencies tracked by Bloomberg. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PCOMP) advanced 0.3 percent before the announcement after surging to a record in April. The Jakarta Composite Index fell 1 percent.

Higher ratings may boost capital inflows into the Philippines and prompt the central bank to add to measures to curb asset-bubble risks. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas last month cut the rate it pays on special deposit accounts for a third time this year, while keeping the rate it pays lenders for overnight deposits at a record-low 3.5 percent.

BSP will remain vigilant against risks associated with greater inflows, Governor Amando Tetangco said today.

Corruption Fight

Aquino has increased state spending and narrowed the budget deficit while seeking more than $17 billion of infrastructure investments to spur growth to as much as 7 percent this year. The Philippine economy, which was more than twice the size of Malaysia and 10 times bigger than Singapore's in 1960, expanded 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter.

Aquino has taken on the Catholic Church with a bill to provide free contraceptives to the poor, arrested his predecessor on graft charges, and ousted the country's top judge for illegally concealing his wealth. Transparency International raised the country's ranking on its annual corruption index last year to 105, higher than Indonesia at 118.

"The investment grade rating is another resounding vote of confidence," Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said. "The government will continue to focus on infrastructure development, on creating a larger fiscal space to support social investments, and on further opening up the economy."

Fitch Ratings was the first to upgrade the Philippines to investment grade in March. Moody's Investors Service rates the nation one step below.

Ratings changes aren't always followed by investors. French bonds and U.S. Treasuries both made gains after the countries were stripped of their AAA credit ratings, in a signal that downgrades may have little bearing on borrowing costs.

Little Bearing

Almost half the time, government bond yields fall when an action suggests they should climb, or they increase even as a change signals a decline, according to 38 years of data compiled by Bloomberg.

Yudhoyono said this week he will only increase fuel prices after Parliament approves compensation programs for the poor, a move that could delay efforts to contain a budget deficit that may be more than twice as much as estimated without subsidy cuts. Failure to reduce subsidies last year drained government finances and led to a record current-account shortfall, hurting the rupiah as foreign investors lost confidence.

S&P said it may raise the country's rating if the fuel reforms are finalized, the state budget is improved, or if structural reforms boost economic growth. The assessment may be lowered if renewed fiscal or external pressures are not met with "timely and adequate policy responses," S&P said.

Bloomberg News

To contact the reporter on this story: Karl Lester M. Yap at kyap5@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephanie Phang at sphang@bloomberg.net

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Thai Univanich Palm Oil expands into Mindanao Philippines

Mill in Mindanao to be first of its kind in North Cotabato

Univanich Palm Oil, one of the country's leading palm-oil producers and its largest exporter of crude palm oil, is expanding into Asean with its first investment in the Philippines.

Univanich will build an oil-palm mill in Carmen, a town in North Cotabato, Mindanao. The US$10-million (Bt290-million) plant will be the first of its kind in the southern province.

"Through this investment, we are delighted, and excited, to bring our more than 40 years of palm-oil-producing expertise to a new, and very promising, Asean market," chairman Apirag Vanich said yesterday.

"Like many other Thai companies we are excited by the Asean opportunity and the approaching single market under the AEC that offers great growth prospects and business benefits," he said, referring to the Asean Economic Community that officially starts in 2015.

As oil palms are a relatively new crop in the southern Philippines, the mill will potentially open opportunities for thousands of farmers and their families in the region.

"Based on our research and dialogue with local partners, we are confident our oil-palm success story in southern Thailand - where we have helped many rural communities grow and prosper - will be replicated in the southern Philippines," he said.

Peace talks

Besides good growing conditions, peace and stability discussions between the Philippine government and insurgent leaders in Mindanao have made the region increasingly attractive for oil-palm investment.

Managing director John Clendon said oil palm was an ideal crop for small-farmer cultivation and the company was joining with Carmen Palm Oil Mill & Development Corp to build this factory. Univanich also hopes to create its own network of oil-palm plantations in the Mindanao region.

"We are very optimistic about our prospects in Mindanao, and since the designation of the factory site, many farmers have asked for more information about how they can convert their farms to grow oil palms," he said.

"To meet this demand, the Univanich Oil Palm Research Centre in Krabi has already exported more than a million high-yielding hybrid oil-palm seeds to Philippine growers in recent years."

The factory is scheduled to be completed by the second quarter of next year. Besides local engineering firms, engineers from Univanich Thailand will assist during the build.

When the mill is up and running, the initial processing target is 30 tonnes of fresh fruit bunches per hour. As the industry develops, this is expected to reach 60 tonnes per hour.

The bulk of the output will be shipped to Asean and European markets from the major southern ports of Davao or General Santos.

The Nation

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China – Philippines slamming Anew over Chinese devil tongue strayed in ASEAN Shores

China's devil tongue extending to the ASEAN shores

China slams Philippine bid to "legalize" occupation of islands

(Reuters) - China accused the Philippines on last week (April 26, 2013) of trying to legalize its occupation of islands in Kalayaan  in the disputed West Philippines Sea and South China Sea, repeating that Beijing would never agree to international arbitration.

Frustrated with the slow pace of regional diplomacy, the Philippines in January angered China by asking a U.N. tribunal to order a halt to Beijing's activities that it said violated Philippine sovereignty over the islands, surrounded by potentially energy-rich waters 200 Nautical Miles Exclusive Economic Zone granted by UNCLOS..

Claims by an increasingly powerful China over most of the West Philippines Sea and South China Sea have set it directly against U.S. allies Vietnam and the Philippines. Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also claim parts of the waters and China has a separate dispute with Japan in the East China Sea.

Manila said on Thursday that a U.N. arbitration court had set up the tribunal which would hear Manila's complaint, but China said this was an attempt to steal Chinese territory.

"The Philippine side is trying to use this to negate China's territorial sovereignty and attach a veneer of 'legality' to its illegal occupation of Chinese islands and reefs," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website (www.mfa.gov.cn).

The Philippines must immediately withdraw personnel and facilities from the islands, the ministry added, listing those which it said Manila was occupying.

Manila asked the tribunal of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to order a halt to China's activities.

But the convention did not apply in this case as what the Philippines was actually asking for was a decision on sovereignty, the Chinese ministry said.

"China's refusal to accept the Philippines' request for arbitration has full grounding in international law," it said.

China had always believed that the two countries should resolve their dispute through direct talks, the ministry added.

The worry of the Philippines is china's inability to honor its word for bilateral talks as proven anew when both agreed to de-escalate the stand-off in Scarborough Shoal.

China and the Philippines agreed to remove their ships in the island which is within 200 Nautical Miles Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines to end the standoff but after Philippine Ship removal, china did not leave the island and in fact block all the passage of the Philippines and ram with Filipino fishermen killing 1.

The Philippines lost its confidence and trust to china anew after the incidents. The Scarborough Shoal now is virtually controlled by China with thousand of kilometers from its closest shore and around 2 hundred Kilometers from Luzon Island' biggest island in the Philippines.

Southeast Asian nations stepped up efforts on Thursday to engage China in talks to resolve maritime tensions, agreeing to meet to try to reach common ground on disputed waters ahead of planned discussions in Beijing later this year.

Efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to craft a code of conduct to manage South China Sea tensions all but collapsed last year at a summit chaired by Cambodia, a close economic ally of China, when the group failed to issue a closing statement for the first time. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Philippine Navy chief slams Chinese maneuvers in disputed sea

Philippine Navy chief Vice Admiral Jose Luis Alano said Chinese naval maneuvers in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) and use of non-military maritime vessels way beyond its coastlines to advance sovereignty claims to most of the sea were both "aggressive and excessive."

Alano, who was appointed Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy last December, met with Admiral Jonathan Greenert, chief of US Naval Operations, at the Pentagon on Thursday to discuss the security situation in the South China Sea and navy-to-navy issues.

News reports from China said the PLA Navy dispatched a large contingent of ships to circumnavigate the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea last month, a maneuver likened to marking Chinese territory.

Beijing's claim to the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea is based on its so-called nine-dash map which shows a U-shaped area encompassing most of the sea, including territories claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan which other known as "Devil's tongue strayed in the ASEAN Shore)

Alano will travel on Friday to North Charleston, South Carolina to inspect the second of two Coast Guard cutters that the Philippines has acquired from the US.

The 378-foot Hamilton-class vessel Dallas, rechristened BRP Ramon Alcaraz, is in the final stages of refurbishing and refitting and will soon join the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, the first US Coast Guard cutter acquired by Manila in 2011 for duty in the West Philippine Sea.

Alcaraz was officially handed over to the Philippines in May 2012 and should have been operating in Philippine waters by now.

But unexpected technical problems and upgrades on the ship have caused some delays and Alano said he expected the Alcaraz to set sail for the Philippines around the third week of June.

He said Alcaraz has been fitted with two new secondary guns – fully automated Mk 38 25mm bushmaster cannons – and a modern radar system. The Gregorio del Pilar will be fitted with similar new cannons.

A complement of 88 Filipino officers and crew under the command of Capt. Ernesto Baldovino have been living aboard the Alcaraz while it has been undergoing repairs to familiarize themselves with all the technical, mechanical and computerized aspects of the ship.

They will be joined by a six-member technical working group including training evaluation experts scheduled to arrive from Manila next month to give the vessel and crew the final go ahead to cross the Pacific to its new home in the Philippines.

In an interview with The STAR on his arrival in Washington on Wednesday, Alano said the prestige of the Philippine Navy was on the rise because of the acquisition of new firepower and the due recognition it was receiving from the government and the public.

Morale was high, more graduates of the Philippine Military Academy were opting for naval careers and the service was attracting more interest from recruits with technical and computer skills, he said.  

The Philippines last year expressed an interest in acquiring a third Hamilton class Coast Guard ship but is not now actively pursuing it.

Alano said given the current exigencies to create a credible maritime defense force, interest has shifted to purchasing new vessels and helicopters to extend the range of these vessels.

He said the Philippines was looking at proposals from several countries for two new 2,000-ton frigates with full surface and anti-air and anti-submarine capabilities.

It was also interested in acquiring strategic sealift vessels to give the Navy the capability to transport heavy cargo and large numbers of troops.

The Philippines was also in negotiations for the acquisition of three AW109 lightweight helicopters built by the Anglo-Italian manufacturer AgustaWestland which can be used for medevac (medical evacuation), search-and-rescue and military roles.

"We should receive them by next year," Alano said.

Additionally, he said the Navy has received six Philippine-made multi-purpose attack craft and more are being programmed for acquisition.

With reports from Reuters and philSTAR

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Malaysian Propaganda: Navy killing 35 Sulu Royal Army Supporters denied by the Philippines

photo: Malaysiakini.com 

Though Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed press reports that 35 Sulu Royal Force supporters were shot dead by the Philippines Navy, the latter denied any knowledge of the incident.

Confirming an Utusan Malaysia report today, Zahid told reporters in Penang that Sulu Royal Force supporters were shot in Sibutu Island in Tawi-tawi Province.

He said based on intelligence reports and information, the militants had "intended to enter Sabah to create chaos" in the days before the May 5 general election.

He said that the Malaysian security personnel "would have taken them out" if these militants had bypassed the Philippine forces.

"We will defend our country," the minister said.

Utusan reported that the Philippine security forces shot dead 35 members of the Kiram terrorists, led by its senior leader Kalling Amirul, in a fierce battle at Sibutu Island last Saturday.

The report claimed that the group was planning a strategy to encroach and attack the Sabah east coast to obstruct the GE13 process.

It also claimed that the Philippine security forces had seized 20 M16 and Grand Rifles.

Zahid went on to even thank the Philippines Navy and its coastguards.

But strangely enough the the Philippines Navy has denied any such incident.

Philippine Navy branded as "mere propaganda" Malaysia's claim

Malaysia Caretaker Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Photo from Malaysiakini.com

It's peaceful here Philippine Navy Captain Renato Yonkey said. "Only evacuees from Sabah have been arriving in Tawi-Tawi," he said.

"There's no news because if there is something big it would explode."

 "Our Task Force Commander in Tawi-Tawi said that he does not have any such information pertaining to the reported death of 35 RSF supporters," said Col. Edgar Arevalo, spokesman on the Sabah issue. The Naval Task Force based in Tawi-Tawi also categorically denied the report, adding that the prevailing peace and order environment in his jurisdiction remained "favorable."

"We have not monitored of any incident transpiring in Tawi- Tawi as the situation here is peaceful," Navy Capt Renato Yonke, Commander of Task Force 62 tasked to guard the southern back door shoreline of any RSF supporters departing for Sabah.

Yonkie said that if the report was true, the information would surely spread quickly among the residents in Taw-Tawi and as far as Basilan and Jolo.

The Sulu Sultanate likewise laughed off Zahid's claim, saying a shootout between the Philippine Navy and the Sulu Royal Force Supporters would not have escaped the attention of the Philippine government, much more the local media.

"That's funny, really. It seemed they (Malaysians) had ran out of wild stories. Their past propaganda has not been successful so they are trying to create a story so we Filipinos would fight each other," Idjirani said.

The Sultanate official said he had just returned Wednesday night from Jolo, Sulu where he witnessed the public demonstration of thousands of Tausugs against the Malaysian government.

"I was in Jolo since Thursday last week. If something happens in Jolo, we will certainly know it, and fast," Idjirani said.

"We've been saying all along that we would not cause any trouble to the Malaysian elections," Idjirani added.

The May 5 Malaysian general election will have Prime Minister Najib Razak running against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Najib is running under Barisan National (BN) against Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat party,

In his campaign speeches, Najib and BN party candidates had emphasized the importance of the military offensive to end the armed conflict in Sabah.

Unlike the BN government, Najib said Pakatan Rakyat has been batting for the other side by "meeting up with those who don't like Sabah to remain within Malaysia".

But the Sultanate said that whoever wins the elections in Malaysia, it would continue to fight for the ownership of Sabah.

"Even if Najib lost in the elections, we will maintain our position on a win-win process, that is to reclaim Sabah," he added.

He said the electoral process in Malaysia is also important for the sultanate since many Tausug people, who are supporters of the Sultan have settled in Sabah and will cast their votes.

Agbimuddin will allow the Tausug and Malaysian people to participate in the elections peacefully, according to Idjirani.

With report from, Manila Standard Today, Free Malaysia Today and Malaysia Kini

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Why Extremely Poor in the Philippines keeps rising in spite of Fastest Economic Growth in Asia?

Analysts and even the Philippine government said "The effect of this Economic growth could not be experience by the poor" in an overnight which means maybe tomorrow everyone will enjoy a better life but could it be possible, when could it happen?

The Philippine government since the Arroyo administration introduced the easy "Band Aid" solution for the poor through a "direct cash transfer programme" which is known as "Pantawid Program". The same system is followed by the Aquino Administration but how effective is the Pantawid program?

There is a sayings "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

The pantawid program is good but it is not a long and lasting solution to end the poverty in the Philippines.

While other neighbors are enjoying thousands of dollars remittance from the "OFW" abroad, other neighbors on the other hand are continuously suffering hunger and living below the standards which we could consider as "extremely poor".

Do you think that it is right that Tax payers are paying their taxes to the government and would just be distributed to the poor families for their basic needs for one day then tomorrow the same problem again?  

There seems to be a paradox in the present Philippine situation with a large number of Filipinos still mired in extreme poverty amidst an economic growth that is among the fastest in the region.

On Tuesday, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), a government agency, announced that the poverty incidence in the Philippines stood at 27.9 percent in the first semester of 2012, practically unchanged from the same period in 2009, which was 28.6 percent, and in 2006 which was 28.8 percent.

The NSCB data show that 10 percent of the country's population of about 97 million is still living below the poverty level.

In a briefing, NSCB Secretary General Jose Ramon Albert said that during the first semester of 2012, a Filipino family of five needed 5,458 Philippine pesos (136 U.S. dollars) monthly to meet basic food needs.

"Families earning that amount were considered to be living in extreme poverty," Albert said.

After the bad news, that was bannered by leading Manila newspapers, came the good news on Wednesday when Moody's Analytics described the Philippines as a "rising star" poised to record one of the fastest growth rates in the world.

Moody's Analytics said that the Philippines is likely to grow between 6.5 and 7 percent this year and within the same range next year, "outperforming not only the anemic advanced economies but also many robustly growing emerging markets."

It also said that if favorable economic trends continue, the growth rate for the Philippines could be close to 8 percent by 2016.

Earlier, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank also upped their growth forecast for the Philippines this year to 6 percent.

Moody's Analytics, a sister company of credit rating watchdog Moody's Investor Service, said the country's 6.6 percent growth in 2012 was achieved despite weak growth in the United States, a crisis in the eurozone and a slowdown in China.

On March 27, the Philippines also obtained its first-ever investment-grade rating from Fitch Ratings.

On a similar vein, international credit rating firm Standard & Poor's has raised its growth forecast for the Philippines for this year from 5.9 to 6.5 percent. At the same time, it said the economy was expected to post another robust growth of 6.3 percent in 2014.

"The ASEAN 5 - Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam - are more domestically driven and, therefore, continue to enjoy relatively high and stable growth rates. This is not the case elsewhere," S&P said.

The paradox of continuing poverty amidst strong growth has been explained by analysts here.

Norio Usui, ADB senior country economist, said that the government must solve the problem of jobless growth if it hoped to reduce poverty.

"I am not surprised at all. The benefits of strong economic growth have not spilled over to the people because they still cannot find a job," Usui was quoted as saying in a report.

In January 2013 jobless rate stood at 7.1 percent, with a further 20.9 percent underemployed or those working fewer than 40 hours a week. About 41.8 percent of the underemployed are in the farming sector.

Professor Benjamin Diokno of the University of the Philippines School of Economics said that the strong economic growth in 2010 and 2012 "were not enough to extricate a lot of people from the poverty trap."

Sen. Ralph Recto, chairman of the ways and means committee of the Philippine Senate, said that only the rich and the educated have benefited from the infrastructure projects of the government and not the poor and uneducated.

"This led to income inequality with the rich getting richer and the poor poorer," Recto said.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the challenge now is to spur growth in agriculture to create more jobs, increase production and ensure that the production translates to a greater income for farmers since the bulk of the population was still in the agricultural sector.

Lacierda noted that private investments had increased, and that public infrastructure spending in 2012 was around 250 billion pesos (6.25 billion U.S. dollars).

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said it hoped to see improved results given new investments in infrastructure, agriculture and manufacturing.

"Although this first semester result on poverty incidence is not the dramatic result we wanted, we remain hopeful that, with the timely measures we are now implementing, the next rounds of poverty statistics will give much better results," NEDA Director General and Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said at a briefing.

With reports from Wall Street Journal, Inquirer, Malaya and philSTAR

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Bangko Sentral sa Pilipinas named ‘Best Regulator’ in Asia Pacific Region

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has been chosen as the 2013 Best Macroeconomic Regulator in the Asia Pacific Region by The Asian Banker, one of Asia's leading financial services consultancies.

The award was given during The Asian Banker Leadership Achievement Awards in Jakarta, Indonesia, last Tuesday April 23, 2013.

BSP Assistant Governor Ma. Cyd Tuaño-Amador attended The Asian Banker Leadership Achievement Awards and received the accolade in behalf of the BSP.

The Asian Banker Leadership Achievement Awards are widely acknowledged by the financial services industry as the highest possible recognition available to industry professionals in the Asia Pacific region.

Established in 2001, the awards are among the most difficult and most exclusive accolades to win because of the stringent evaluation process involved.

The Asian Banker said: "The selection process is a rigorous one, completed over several months and involving feedback and interviews with all constituents who are in a position to comment on the candidates. All of these make this a world-class evaluation programme, and the insights gained from the programme are published in an annual report."

The awards ceremony—which was a gathering of international and domestic institutions that have excelled in transaction banking, risk management and technology—was held in conjunction with The Asian Banker Summit.

MALAYA Business Insight

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