Indonesian witness said incident happened in Philippine waters; Slain Taiwanese was ‘good to Filipino fishermen’

Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng's boat, the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, is checked by Taiwanese officers after arriving at Liuqiu port in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, Saturday, May 11, 2013. Taiwanese boat owner Steven Liao said the damage to the Guang Ta Hsin 28 costs around NT$8 million (P11 million). AP PHOTO

Pinoy working in Pintung county, where the Taiwanese fisherman fatally shot by Philippine coast guards lived, say they feel no threat from local residents.

Antonio Dimacali Manasa, who works at Dongcang Harbor, told the Inquirer that he knew Hung Shih-chen, the fisherman shot dead by Filipino coast guards in waters off Balintang Island on May 9.

"I knew him. He was good to the Filipino fishermen here and he treated us like his children," Manasa said.

Milo Fajardo, another Filipino worker at the harbor, said no Filipino had been attacked or threatened by Taiwanese in the area.

Still, he said, he and other Filipinos there avoid the streets, especially at night.

Hung's boat

Fajardo said he was one of those who helped Taiwanese authorities pull Hung's boat, the Guang Ta Hsin 28, to the dock after the incident.

"After the boat had been docked, they refused to allow people to come near it," he said.

He and other Filipinos sometimes hear unpleasant comments from Taiwanese fishermen.

"But we understand them, and we choose not to react," he said.

Fajardo, who said he had been working in the harbor for 10 years, wondered why the Philippine Coast Guard abandoned the Taiwanese fishing boat after immobilizing it.

"They should have apprehended it," he said. "All they needed to do was tie it to their vessel and tow it."

Had the coast guards done that, he said, the Philippine authorities would have known what the poachers had taken from Philippine waters.

Cautious Coast Guard for Armed Chinese Fishermen

China is using fishermen as their armed paramilitary forces to invade an island. Proven during their invasion to the Mischief Reef in Palawan and the Scarborough Shoal in Zambales Province.

 Last year, South Korean coast guard who apprehended the Chinese fishermen was shot dead.

The distinction between Mainland China's fishermen and Taiwanese Fishermen is hard distinguish because they are using similar Chinese characters which is hard for the Southeast ASEAN countries who are not familiar in it.

Philippine Coast guards also are cautious if the fishermen are armed to apprehend them.

Philippine waters

John Albert Fernando, another Filipino worker at the harbor, said the Indonesian crew member of the Guang Ta Hsin 28 had told him that the boat was in Philippine waters because he had seen "plenty of tuna."

"I talked to him, he took his belongings, and then he disappeared," Fernando said.

According to Fernando, the Indonesian said Hung was in the engine room during the shooting, but looked out and was hit.

A team from the Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation has requested permission from the Taiwanese government to examine the Guang Ta Hsin 28.

The boat is docked at Dongcang, cordoned off and covered with tarpaulin.

Business affected

Taiwanese boat owner Steven Liao said the incident had affected the fishing industry.

"We are cautious," he said, "though it's safe because we have legal papers. Still some of our fishermen have suspended their business."

He said the damage to the Guang Ta Hsin 28 costs around NT$8 million (P11 million).

"It's new and made of fiber glass," he said.

The boat was hit 45 times with high-velocity bullets. Twenty-four of the bullet holes were found at the cabin.

With reports from INQUIRER 

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Chinese warship circling Second Thomas Shoal in Palawan; $1.8-billion Philippine military upgrade planned anew

Vintage grounded ship in Kalayaan is Philippines' last Line of defense against China's biggest Naval Fleet presence in its territory read more here

Philippines vows to Defend Territory against China

The Philippines vowed Thursday to "defend what is ours" as part of a stand-off over a Chinese warship circling a South China Sea reef which is occupied by Filipino marines.

The Philippines this week protested the "provocative and illegal presence" of the warship near Second Thomas Shoal, but China brushed off the complaint with an insistence that the area was part of its territory.

Philippine foreign department spokesman Raul Hernandez said Thursday the warship, along with two patrol vessels and a fleet of Chinese fishing boats, remained near the shoal.

"They should not be there. They do not have the right to be there... no-one should doubt the resolve of the Filipino people to defend what is ours in that area," Hernandez said in a text message to AFP.

"Our navy and our coastguard are mandated to enforce the laws of the (Philippine) republic."

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, even waters far away from its main landmass and approaching the coasts of Southeast Asian countries.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim parts of the sea, and the area has for decades been regarded as a potential trigger for major military conflict in the region.

Second Thomas Shoal is a tiny group of islets and reefs in the Spratly Islands chain, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) northwest of the Philippine island of Palawan, the nearest major landmass.

All claimants, except Brunei, have troops stationed on various islands and atolls in the Spratlys to assert their claims.

Second Thomas Shoal is guarded by a handful of Philippine marines aboard a World War II-era ship that was deliberately grounded there in the late 1990s to serve as a base.

It is about 41 kilometers (25 miles) east of Mischief Reef, a Philippine-claimed outcrop that China occupied in 1995.

Second Thomas Shoal and Mischief Reef are within the Philippines' internationally recognized exclusive economic zone, and surrounding waters are rich fishing grounds.

Last year China took control of Scarborough Shoal, another bountiful fishing area far closer to Filipino landmass than Chinese, after a similar stand-off ended with the Philippines retreating.

China's announced defense budget of $115 billion this year is nearly 100 times more than the Philippines'.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino this week announced a planned $1.8-billion military upgrade to defend the country's maritime territory against "bullies".

With report from Yahoo news!

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Vintage grounded ship in Kalayaan is Philippines' last Line of defense against China’s biggest Naval Fleet presence in its territory

A handful of marines living on a World War II-era ship that is grounded on a remote, tiny reefs in Kalayaan are the Philippines' last line of defense against China's efforts to control most of the South China Sea.

The soldiers are stationed on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands aboard a former US tank-landing vessel that was deliberately abandoned there to serve as a base, according to their former commander, Juancho Sabban.

"Their lives are very hard... but they are marines. They are used to that kind of thing," said the retired general, former head of military forces in the western Philippines that has jurisdiction over the area.

"There is no ground; they live on a grounded ship. They depend only on supplies that are delivered to them on logistics runs."

The shoal and the lives of the troops guarding it were thrust into the global spotlight this week after the Philippines said a Chinese warship was "illegally and provocatively" circling the area.

It was the latest in a series of aggressive steps by China in recent years to assert its claim over the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea that have rattled the Philippines, with others including the Chinese occupation of another Filipino-claimed shoal.

China says it has sovereign rights over nearly all of the South China Sea, even waters far away from its main landmass and approaching the coasts of Southeast Asian countries.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim parts of the sea, and the area has for decades been regarded as a potential trigger for major military conflict in the region.

Dozens of Vietnamese soldiers died in losing battles in 1974 and 1988 with Chinese forces for control of islands in the sea, which are believed to sit atop reserves of oil and gas worth billions of dollars.

The Spratlys archipelago, which has hundreds of islands, reefs and atolls, is one of the most hotly contested areas of the sea.

All claimants, except Brunei, station troops on various sized islands and atolls in the Spratlys to back their claims.

The Philippines occupies nine of the Spratlys, including Thitu Island, the second-largest in the area.

Second Thomas Shoal is a tiny group of islets and reefs about 200 kilometers (120 miles) northwest of the Philippine island of Palawan, the nearest major landmass.

Resupply ships take between 36 and 40 hours to reach it depending on the weather.

Eugenio Bito-onon, mayor of the region that oversees the Philippine-held Spratlys, described the shoal as an eight-kilometer-long, oblong-shaped coral reef that barely rises above the water.

"It sinks at high tide," Bito-onon told AFP.

The BRP Sierra Madre, a 100-metre (328-foot) amphibious vessel built for the United States in 1944 and acquired by the Filipino navy in 1976, was deliberately grounded in the late 1990s to shelter the garrison, according to Bito-onon.

He said each of the Philippine-held islands were manned by "at most" a dozen marines or navy personnel.

Neither Sabban nor defense department spokesman Peter Galvez would confirm to AFP the troops' exact numbers, nor their weaponry.

However Galvez said the grounded vessel produced its own electricity generated from its fuel-powered engine, giving the shoal garrison access to indoor entertainment, including movies and video games.

"It's still a functioning ship. It's just considered a ship in distress," Galvez told AFP.

Satellite phones also keep them in contact with their families during tours of duty, which last between three and six months, according to Sabban.

The nearest manned rock is Mischief Reef, about 40 kilometers away, but the neighbors are not considered friendly.

Mischief Reef is claimed by the Philippines as part of its territory because, like Second Thomas Shoal, it is within the country's internationally recognized exclusive economic zone.

But in 1995 Chinese forces moved onto the then-unoccupied reef, building fortifications that China initially described as harmless fishermen's shelters. Chinese forces have been stationed there ever since.

After the Philippines announced on Tuesday it had lodged a formal protest about the Chinese warship and the fishing vessels, China responded by insisting again it owned the area and that all other parties were there illegally.

"China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha islands and their adjacent waters," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in Beijing, referring to the Spratlys by its Chinese name.

"Patrols by Chinese official ships in the waters are justified," Hong added.

Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the Singapore-based Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said the presence of the warship showed China was prepared to use its growing military power to protect its far-roaming fishing vessels.

"It's a fairly strong signal that, increasingly, China is going to provide naval as well as civilian assets to protect its fishing fleets," he told AFP.

"Of course, there's always a danger in this kind of situation where either through miscommunication or mis-perception an accidental clash takes place."

With report from Bangkok Post

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Taiwan reporter sacked over hoax anti-Filipino story

Newspapers show headlines carrying the story of a Taiwanese fisherman shot by Filipino coastguards, at a library in New Taipei City on May 12, 2013. AFP PHOTO / Mandy CHENG

A reporter in Taiwan has been sacked for fabricating a story about a diner refusing to serve Filipinos amid a diplomatic row over the recent killing of a Taiwanese fisherman, his company said Wednesday, May 22.

The reporter, identified only by his family name Cheng, wrote on his Facebook page that he "witnessed" a diner owner refusing to sell boxed lunches to two men after discovering that they were Filipinos, according to Lih Pao newspaper.

When Cheng's superior asked to meet the owner to verify the story, the reporter sent an impostor and later admitted that he never saw the incident take place, the newspaper said.

"We apologize to the public. Even though we tried to verify the story, we regrettably could not avoid such a deliberate deceit happening," it said in a statement.

Anti-Manila sentiment has mounted in Taiwan after a 65-year-old fisherman was shot dead earlier this month by Philippine coastguards who claimed his vessel had intruded into their territorial waters.

Taiwan has rejected Manila's claims that the shooting took place in Philippine waters and that the killing was "unintended". President Ma Ying-jeou has described the incident as "cold-blooded murder".

A Taiwanese woman who similarly caused a stir on Facebook earlier this week with a story of a diner refusing to serve Filipinos has also admitted to making it up.

The woman, identified by her family name Tung, claimed that she bought food for a Filipino worker in a restaurant in Taipei on May 15 because the owner refused to serve the Filipino. She was caught out after giving conflicting details of the alleged incident when questioned by those who responded to her post.

"I know I made a very big mistake. I don't know how to face society now," she told reporters.

President Ma has called for calm and promised to protect the 87,000 Philippine nationals living and working on the island after a Filipino worker was attacked last week.

Taiwan has announced a series of economic sanctions against the Philippines, demanding Manila offer a formal government apology and compensation for the fisherman's family, and launch a joint investigation into the incident. -

Rappler.com

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UAE to protest! "Philippines is not the only country that we can bring workers from"

They have the right to make some rules - but in the Philippines: Abdullah

Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan yesterday fielded a question by a Federal National Council (FNC) member about violation of international laws and norms by some embassies in the UAE by holding direct meetings with private sector organizations and obliging them to obey their instructions and orders.

"The embassies operations are governed by the international law and the Geneva convention which regulates activities of diplomatic missions.

"The UAE is a signatory of the convention and therefore, any activities (by such embassies) should be carried out in coordination with the ministry of foreign affairs. Otherwise, the ministry will summon the ambassador or charge d'affaires to warn them."

Sheikh Abdullah said the Embassy of the Philippines contacted some of the labour supply companies in the country.

"They have the right to make some rules - but in the Philippines. They have absolutely no right to infringe the UAE government's regulations."

Sheikh Abdullah went on to say that any illegal contacts made by the embassies under and pretext are considered as violations and are not acceptable by the ministry of foreign affairs.

"The ministry of foreign affairs is the key point of contact for the embassies wishing to establish communications with any sector in the country."

He urged government and private entities to report any violation by any embassy or foreign diplomats to the ministry.

"The Philippines is not the only country that we can bring workers from. However, the task of any country's mission is to protect interests of its citizens.

"I can see no harm in what the embassy of Philippines is doing if any labour-related matter is supported by contracts."

Asked about the steps taken by the ministry of foreign affairs to secure reciprocal exemption of visa requirement for UAE citizens in 34 countries, Sheikh Abdullah said the UAE was getting positive signals on this.

He added that following the recent visit of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the UK, the government there pledged to consider the issue this year, while contacts with some EU countries were progressing.

In his capacity as Chairman of the National media Council (NMC), Sheikh Abdullah answered a question about misleading advertisements and the steps taken to regulate advertisement.

Sheikh Abdullah said the media in the UAE is governed by the publications law. He added that the NMC has been playing a pivotal role in reflecting the true picture.

"I agree with several points and remarks made by the FNC about the NMC strategy, its role in developing the media sector and in Emiratisation.

"The development of NMC has already begun with the approval by the ministerial commission for services in February of a draft resolution to amend the organisation structure of the council. An advisory board for the council was formed in March."

Sheikh Abdullah said the rate of Emiratisation at the NMC is expected to increase this year to 71 per cent from 61 per cent in 2012. He added that future plans may include creation of a high level media training academy for as part of the Emirtisation efforts in the media sector.

The plans also include improving performance of the Emirates News Agency. He praised the authorities' initiative of inviting local press to cover the sessions of the national security trial.

"This is an unprecedented step that reflects transparency and freedom granted to the local media. You can read the uncensored reports about court proceedings, some of which are even sensitive."

The Federal National Council (FNC) yesterday held its 13th session of the 2nd term of its 15th legislative chapter under the chairmanship of its Speaker Mohamed Ahmed Al Murr.

Present during the session were Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Dr Anwar Mohamed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and for FNC Affairs.

Asked about the national strategy for saving water and energy,the energy minister, who is also chairman of the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA), said the authority's strategic plan addresses future needs until 2020. He added that the plan defines a 3-phase project to raise capacity.

"The first phase was completed at a total cost of Dh2.7 billion and resulted in a 52 per cent increase in water network and 49 per cent increase in water storage capacity. The second phase will be completed by 2014," he said.

Emirates247

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Philippines approves three new wind farms for 208 megawatts - operational by 2015

The Philippines has approved three wind farm projects that will generate 208 megawatts, enough to power more than 40,000 middle-class homes, an energy official said.

The wind projects will be the first to benefit from an incentive scheme which aims to ensure half the country's energy comes from renewable sources by 2030, compared with about 39 percent currently, the official said.

The three projects are due to be operational by early 2015, said Mario Marasigan, the energy department's renewable energy bureau chief. "We approved their declarations of commerciality. They (guaranteed) to us that they are viable under the rate of 8.53 pesos (20 cents) per kilowatt hour," he said.

Under the incentive scheme, wind companies will get a fixed kilowatt hour rate of 8.53 pesos (20 cents) rather than a fluctuating amount. The provision is part of the 2008 renewable energy law intended to spur investment in sources including geothermal, biomass, solar, hydro and wind.

The largest of the projects is a wind farm to be set up in Burgos town, 320 kilometers north of Manila by Energy Development Corp. — the 87-megawatt project will cost an estimated $300 million, the company said in a statement.

Two other wind projects of 67.5 megawatts and 54 megawatts will also be set up by local firms, Alternergy Wind One Corp. and Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp., respectively. The two firms declined to disclose how much their projects would cost.

The Philippines already has one 33-megawatt wind power plant in the north, set up in 2005 before the renewable energy law was passed.

as published in Arab news

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International Migrants Alliance appeals for protection of Filipino workers in Taiwan

"Filipino migrants are innocent; they should be protected," the Hong Kong-based International Migrants Alliance said Saturday amid reports of continuing discrimination against and physical attacks on Filipino workers in Taiwan.

In a statement, IMA chair Eni Lestari called on the Manila and Taipei governments to immediately resolve diplomatically the conflict that arose from the May 9 killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guard personnel.

"If any more untoward incident happens to any Filipino migrant in Taiwan because of this delay in resolution of the conflict, the IMA holds both the Taiwanese and Philippine governments responsible," she said.

Lestari, an Indonesian domestic worker, said IMA had also received reports of Filipino migrants experiencing physical harm and other discriminatory acts from Taiwanese locals.

"This should stop. No physical attack or any act of racist discrimination should be done or condoned," she said, adding, "The Filipino migrants in Taiwan do not only contribute to the welfare of their loved ones and families back home. They too contribute to the economy of Taiwan and attend to the needs of the families they work for in Taiwan."

Lestari said that while anger in Taiwan over the action of the Philippine government may be justified, the Taiwanese government should also be responsible for protecting the Filipino migrant workers residing on the island.

"We strongly urge Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou to strengthen protection for Filipino migrants and alert its respective agencies in extending support to anyone, especially Filipino migrants, who would experience any untoward incident," she said.

The IMA also warned against Taiwan closing the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, which acts as the Philippines' de facto embassy on the island. The group said withdrawing the Meco from Taiwan would only put the Filipino migrant workers in "grave danger."

INQUIRER Global Nation

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Rugby: Philippines beat UAE in relegation battle in Asia 5 Nations

Andrew Russell of the United Arab Emirates (C) is tackled by Philippine rugby player Jake Ward during their Rugby Asian Five-Nations match at the Rizal Memorial stadium in Manila. (AFP/Noel Celis)

The Philippines beat the United Arab Emirates 24-8 in the Asia Five Nations on Saturday as the hosts' maiden win ensured their survival in their first season in the region's top flight.

Graeme Hagan, the hosts' hooker, scored a try early in the second half to douse a rally by the UAE, who had come back from 12-nil with a penalty conversion followed by a try off a rolling maul near the stroke of half time.

Chris Hitch, Gareth Holgate and Matt Saunders scored the other tries for the Philippines, with Alexander Aronson also converting once.

The visitors' only try was credited to Reinier Els, while Andrew Russell scored the penalty.

"We worked hard for this over the past month," the Philippines' head coach Jarred Hodges said.

"But we're not happy with a top four -- we want to be among the top two nations in Asia."

The win was the Philippines' first in their first season in Asia's top flight, following three straight losses to Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea.

With their fourth straight loss, the UAE drop to the First Division, while that division's champions Sri Lanka will be playing in the Asian Five Nations next season.

AFP/de

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Mario Ducayag - life is $25, poor victim of Corrupt Cebu Police deciphered by rival NBI, remained no Justice

Mario Ducayag dreamed to wear for the country's known as "World's highest Quality Sandal" with a value of $25 Dollars - beaten to death by the Gaisano Security Guards, Justice remained elusive

Philippines man killed by store security for alleged theft of sandals

On April 12, 23-year-old Mario Ducayag was killed by store security guards in the Philippines city of Cebu, after being accused of stealing a pair of sandals that cost less than a thousand pesos ($US25).

A secondary school graduate, Ducayag was unemployed and had two children, one of them three years old, to support. Like millions of Filipinos confronting the bleak choice of long-term unemployment or taking a poverty wage job, Ducayag instead resorted to leaving his family to seek work overseas. According to a report in the Sun Star, he had enrolled in a housekeeping course in February to prepare to apply with an agency as a migrant worker.

Ducayag was shopping at Metro Gaisano-Colon, the largest department store in downtown Cebu City, where he bought infant milk formula, diapers, biscuits, and a pair of sandals. Ducayag apparently lost the receipt for the sandals. When he went to the cashier's counter to request a copy, he was accused of attempting to steal the sandals. According to the Sun Star, a store supervisor called in store security and Ducayag was brought to the security office for interrogation.

Ducayag reportedly denied the accusation, and was then beaten by the store's security personnel in an effort to extract a confession. Thirty minutes later, Ducayag was brought out of the security office and rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

From the beginning, the department store security and the police sought to cover up the case. Police authorities told the press that Ducayag had been accused in other cases of shoplifting. The police regional medico-legal officer stated in his report that Ducayag had died because of "asphyxia due to pulmonary tuberculosis"—in other words, a pre-existing medical condition, and not the security guards' assault, was responsible.

This joint cover-up is not at all surprising. Security agencies and the Philippine police have an almost incestuous relationship. Security agencies are run, owned and manned by retired police officers or have active duty high-ranking officers as silent partners. Big businesses invariably appoint or hire retired military or police generals as their overall heads of security.

The persistent efforts of Ducayag's family, and the support of a local tabloid news radio station (Bombo Radio Cebu), provoked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a second autopsy on the victim, twelve days after his death. Manned largely by civilian lawyers, the NBI is an institutional rival of the police and the military authorities. It is often deployed by the state to provide the façade of an alternative to the ruthlessness of the other state security agencies.

Incident happened in Metro Gaisano- Colon. Photo: Gaisano Logo

The NBI autopsy revealed that Ducayag's cervical vertebrae were dislocated and he had bruises in his palms, right shoulder, chest and back. In addition, his lungs had congestion and bruises. His left lung had collapsed. The NBI autopsy concluded that Ducayag had died because of "traumatic neck injuries". He had been beaten to death.

Ducayag was buried last month, attended by his family and a number of sympathisers.

Following the NBI autopsy, the department security personnel responsible for the killing have apparently fallen out with each other, each filing affidavits accusing the others of responsibility. However, neither the police nor the NBI has filed a single case against any suspect. The Ducayag family has filed a number of complaints against the medico-legal officer for his allegedly false autopsy report.

The murder of Ducayag is an expression of the appalling social, economic and political conditions confronting workers in the Philippines.

Last month, the government of President Aquino admitted that despite last year's 6.8 percent economic expansion, poverty was officially estimated at 27.9 percent of the population. The rate of subsistence, or those regarded as being in extreme poverty, was estimated at 10 percent. This month, the Social Weather Station estimated that 25.4 percent of those aged 18 and above were unemployed.

Despite this mass unemployment and poverty, personal consumption accounts for more than 70 percent of the Philippine economy. This consumption is above all fuelled by the huge discretionary income of the top 10 percent of all families in the country, which control more than 35 percent of total income. The remittances of overseas contract workers, which amount to well over US$20 billion dollars a year, are almost entirely spent on the basic needs of their families back home and thus fund another significant portion of domestic consumption.

Retail sales are ratcheted up by various predatory instalment plans, personal loans, and other microcredit schemes that charge interest rates of up to 30 percent a year. The retail sector also rests upon the super exploitation of store workers and sales personnel.

The largest and most profitable mall and department store chain in the country, the SM Group, is owned by Henry Sy, the wealthiest man in the Philippines, and his family, which has a net worth of over US$13.5 billion dollars. One son, Harly Sy, head of the family's investment arm, earns a monthly compensation of over ₱ 700,000 pesos (US$17,000) a month. Hans Sy, another son, who heads the shopping mall operations, earns a monthly income of over ₱ 400,000 pesos.

In sharp contrast, a saleswoman employed in one of the SM Group's 46 shopping malls in the Philippines almost always has her employment limited to a five-month contract, allowing the company to avoid legal obligations to award her a permanent position. Sales staff earn no more than ₱8,000 ($US200) a month. If she is a part-time worker, working for 4 hours a day, seven days a week, she will earn less than half of that.

These malls and department stores operate under tense social conditions generated by extreme social inequality. Millions of working class and young people flock to these retail outlets every day to enjoy the air conditioning, to watch the free mall-sponsored variety shows featuring scantily clad third-tier celebrities sing and dance, and if they are fortunate, eat some cheap fast food. For the vast majority, the wealth of commodities that stock the shelves and fill the window displays are simply to be looked at. These items cannot be afforded.

Under these conditions, the security personnel's brutality is deliberately encouraged by management and the heads of the security companies. The cost of any theft is deducted from the wages of the low ranking security guards—making every window shopper seen as a potential threat to the guards' own precarious position. - Written By Dante Pastrana  18 May 2013, published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI)

World Socialist Website

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Chinese warship chases Kalayaan town boat carrying mayor-elect

A Chinese warship chased and tailed, in a provocative manner, the utility boat of Kalayaan island town with 147 civilian passengers, including the group of re-elected Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon, while sailing back to Palawan from Pag-Asa Island in the hotly-contested Spratly region.

Bito-onon said the Chinese warship coming from the east side area of Ayungin Reef, used its powerful floodlights while chasing and tailing M/T Queen Seagull early Thursday.

"The Chinese warship was only 50 meters away from our own boat," Bito-onon said, adding that the incident started when M/T Queen Seagull, that left Pag-Asa Island Wednesday morning, was passing by the Philippine-occupied Ayungin Reef at past midnight.

A grounded Philippine Navy (PN) transport ship, BRP Sierra Madre, is now being used as a Naval detachment by the Western Command (Wescom) to house Filipino troops on forward deployment in Ayungin.

Several Chinese warships and surveillance ships were monitored to have taken up position in the area for several days now as part of China's aggressive move in laying its territorial claim to almost the entire South China Sea.

Bito-onon said the Chinese warship only stopped tailing them when their boat was already navigating around the Half Moon Shoal, an area where a Chinese gunboat ran aground last year.

"For almost an hour, the Chinese warship tailed our boat," Bito-onon said in a phone interview shortly after the docking of M/T Seagull at Buliluyan Port in Palawan's southern town of Bataraza.

Bito-onon is heading back to Puerto Princesa City after winning the three-cornered mayoralty contest in Kalayaan town in the Spratlys region during the conduct of the May 13 mid-term national and local elections.

Out of the total number of registered voters in the island town, Bito-onon got 108 votes, while his closest rival, businessman Noel Osorio got 69 and retired military man and former Kalayaan Vice Mayor Rosendo Mantes, got 46 votes.

The conduct election in Kalayaan has been considered as the fastest electoral process in the country's history. Voting started in the island at about 7 a.m. and in a matter of six hours the electoral process was completed, with Bito-onon emerging as a runaway winner.

"Aside from the PCOS result, we also conducted a parallel manual count. The election in the island is the most peaceful," Bito-onon said. – with Kathryna De Bustos

with report from philSTAR

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Taiwanese Attacked: Filipino was beaten with a bat - Island now is Dangerous! Stay Indoors or fly back home

Taiwanese fishermen hold a poster of Filipino President Benigno Aquino III with the label "barbarian pirate" during a protest against the shooting death of a fellow fisherman last week by the Filipino coast guard. (David Chang / European Pressphoto Agency / May 13, 2013)

Philippines Fears for Workers in Taiwan Amid Row

The Philippine envoy to Taiwan on Friday advised thousands of Filipino workers there to eat at home and avoid the streets while emotions run high on the island over the shooting death of a fisherman by the Philippine coast guard.

Philippine representative Amadeo Perez said after returning to Manila from Taipei late Thursday that his government has verified at least one attack, in which a Filipino was beaten with a bat.

"He was brought to a hospital and police are investigating. We are documenting the cases," he said.

Taiwan has frozen the hiring of Filipino workers, cut trade exchanges and discouraged travel to the Philippines because of the fisherman's death. Its government brushed aside an apology from the Philippine president as insufficient.

Taipei is demanding compensation, investigation, punishment and negotiations on a fishing agreement. Perez said that there additional demands, which he did not specify before reporting to Philippine President Benigno Aquino III.

"At this time, Taiwanese people are emotional and tension is high," Perez said. "We advised Filipinos there not to leave home as much as possible. Eat your meals at home, and just commute directly between home and work for now."

Read this news in Global Times http://bit.ly/11oNFtq 

Perez said he may recommend the repatriation of Filipinos if the need arises. "We will not abandon our people," he added.

The Taiwanese government has asked Taiwanese to behave correctly with Filipinos.

Filipino workers in Taiwan who were interviewed by Manila radio stations complained that some shops refused to sell them goods and restaurants would not serve them. They did not give their names for fear of reprisals. A Taiwanese company that employs Filipinos printed a memo advising them to avoid fishing villages.

The circumstances behind the May 9 shooting of the fishermen remain in dispute, though the Philippines acknowledges that its coast guard personnel opened fire on a Taiwanese boat. Manila says the action was taken in self-defense to prevent the Taiwanese from ramming the coast guard vessel, but Taiwanese fishermen deny the ramming claim.

Both countries are investigating the incident. Fourteen Taiwanese police investigators are in Manila, and Philippine investigators will ask Taiwanese authorities for permission to inspect the fishing boat and interview the crew.

Trade between the Philippines and Taiwan is about $11 billion, with a surplus of $6.7 billion in Taiwan's favor.

With report from Global Times and  ABC News

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Taiwan to deport 88,000 Filipino Worker’s contract end, returning back – Sanction that could hurt Taiwan Economy

Reuters - Antonio Basilio (R), the Philippines' representative to Taiwan, speaks during a joint news conference as Taiwan Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (L) gestures to him at the Ministry of Affairs Taipei, May 15, 2013

One Sanction against the Philippines That Really Hurts Both country's economy

Taiwan has announced 11 sanctions against the Philippines over what it calls an insincere apology for the coast guard shooting of a fisherman last week. One of them will really stick.

And it will hurt both sides.

Recalled diplomats can be replaced, and suddenly suspended talks on fishing or aviation cooperation can be resumed as sanctions come off some day when Manila recasts its apology for the May 9 shooting or Taiwan decides to drop its demands. Most of the $11 billon two-way trade relationship will stay intact.

It's harder to say that about a freeze on Filipino migrant labor in Taiwan, also one of the sanctions.

The freeze effective from Wednesday (May 15, 2013) bars new laborers, and the 88,000 Filipino workers in Taiwan now must leave once their contracts end. Contracts usually cover three years.

For the Taiwan side, the slow departure of Filipino workers without replacements will mean a loss of up to 1,000 English-speaking degree holders in white-collar IT jobs and many more thousands of manual workers in high-tech factories.

When Taiwan banned importation of Filipino labor in over a civil aviation dispute 14 years ago, the number of migrant workers onshore dropped from about 114,000 to just fewer than 73,000 between 1999 and 2001. There is no word on how long the ban imposed this week will last.

"Our policy is to suggest that Taiwanese companies hire workers from other countries," a Council of Labor Affairs official told this blog, asking not to be quoted by name.

That might not be so simple. Migrants from other Southeast Asian countries can easily keep working in home care, construction and fishing, all jobs that Taiwanese don't want. But high-tech firms prefer Filipinos for their degrees, work experience and English reading ability, key for example to reading equipment labels. They earn a minimum wage equal to $638 per month, far below what locals would get.

Due to high competition, Filipino workers hired late 2009 to 2013 even earned lower salary of than previously hired which job contract shows NT$13,000 or around $430 per month without housing and food allowance.

High-tech, particularly contract manufacturing of consumer electronics, is incidentally Taiwan's top source of exports. "I would think (the labor freeze) would have an impact on the IT industry," says Peter O'Neill, coordinator for services to migrants in the Catholic diocese of Taiwan's Hsinchu County, a high-tech hotspot.

In absence of Filipino workers, Taiwan economy is expected to sink in the following months.

Remittances from workers abroad, Taiwan included, made up 9% of the 2011 Philippine GDP.

Filipinos worry about a different kind of impact. Some have worked in Taiwan more than 10 years with trusted, long-term relations with Taiwanese employers. Back in the Philippines and jobless, they must compete with peers for work in other countries, and competition will stiffen without Taiwan as a market.

"They'll decide to go to other countries," O'Neill predicts, noting a number of phone calls this week from nervous workers. "That means more migrants competing for South Korea, Singapore and Canada."

Many Filipino activists welcomed heartily the decision of Taiwan as it could also give another pressure to the Aquino administration to invest more to the country to create "real jobs" for the returning home Filipino workers and to stop the labor exports.   

Investors who are searching for abundant skilled manpower pool might likely to follow and invest to the low operational cost Philippines to exploit the young English speaking workers if the labor exportation of the Philippines would continue declining.

With reports from Reuters,  RFTBP and FORBES

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Taiwan Rejects Philippines Apology, Recalls Envoy, Freezes Hiring Of Filipinos Over Fisherman’s Shooting

Taiwan on Wednesday recalled its envoy to the Philippines and suspended recruitment process for Filipino workers over Manila's handling of the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippines coast guard last Thursday.

Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou's office expressed "strong dissatisfaction" over an apology issued by the Philippines representative in Taipei, saying the Philippines government lacked sincerity and was offering "reckless and perfunctory responses,"

Taiwan's Premier Jiang Yi-huah also registered displeasure over the apology, saying Taipei wants to be informed about whether the culprit will be charged, jailed or dismissed.

"The shooting was conducted by one of its civil servants, and its government could not evade the responsibility," the premier said adding Taiwan will not accept anything short of a Philippines government apology.

Jiang said the Taiwanese navy and coast guard will stage a two-day military drill in the disputed Bashi Strait to showcase the country's naval strength.

The incident early reported by China websites showing a map in Balintang Channel but the late report claimed to be Bashi Channel, a waterway passage in between Y'ami Island of the Philippines and Orchid Island controlled by Taiwan which also claimed by the Philippines.

Taipei has also demanded compensation for the victim's family and the commencement of bilateral fishing talks which the Philippines earlier admit to compensate the victim.

Early on Wednesday, Antonio Basilio, head of the Philippines Representative Office in Taiwan, apologized over the incident, after a three-day deadline set by Taiwan for an apology expired, the BBC reported.

Basilio said Manila had agreed to compensate the fisherman's family and conduct a joint investigation into the incident.

Earlier Reported by Chinese News that the Incident happened in "Balintang Channel" a place near Babuyan Island which is not disputed by any countries.  Going North to Taiwan from Luzon Islands would be Basco Batanes, Itbayat Island, North island and Y'ami island. in 2006 China listed 2 Filipino Police who shoot and killed Taiwanese Fishermen fishing 500 Meters from the shore near Basco Batanes. 

"The Filipino people and the government understand the hurt and grief that the Taiwanese people have felt as result of the death of one of their own fellow citizens," Basilio said.

Philippines coast guard personnel opened fire on the Taiwanese boat, the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, from a vessel that belonged to the fisheries division of the Philippines Department of Agriculture, in the disputed Bashi Strait, between Taiwan and the northern Philippines, last Thursday.

Previously, Philippines officials said the shooting was in self-defense because the Taiwanese boat was about to ram BFAR a Philippines ship.

China has sought to show common cause with Taiwan on the issue since Beijing regards Taiwan as a rebel region that needs to be reunited with the mainland, although Taiwan gained independence in 1950.

Approximately 87,000 Filipinos work in Taiwan, many are employed as domestic workers and also in the manufacturing sector.

The South China Sea and West Philippine Sea region has long been a bone of contention among several South East Asian nations, with overlapping territorial claims by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei leading to tensions in recent months.

With report from International Business Times

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