2 of 12 FA-50 Fighter jets delivered - now flying with Philippine Air Force

Philippines Receives Two F-50s From Korea

Two of the 12 FA-50 fighters of the ₱18.9 billion Php contract signed by President Benigno C. Aquino III in South Korea on March 28, 2014 has been received by the Philippine Air Force (PAF) ahead of schedule in December 2015. "FA-50PH's maiden flight took place on 19 June after the Philippines has signed a contract

Two of the 12 FA-50 fighters of the ₱18.9 Php billion contract signed by President Benigno C. Aquino III in South Korea on March 28, 2014 has been received by the Philippine Air Force (PAF) ahead of schedule in December 2015.

"FA-50PH's maiden flight took place on 19 June after the Philippines has signed a contract for 12 KAI FA-50 fighter aircraft in March last year," South Korea's Korean Aerospace Industry said

The FA-50 is an armed variant of the T-50 advanced jet trainer, which KAI jointly developed with Lockheed Martin. Other variants include the TA-50, a lightly armed variant of the original aircraft, and the T-50B, which is optimized as a performance aircraft. The T-50B is operational with South Korea's display team, the Black Eagles

High timer PAF pilots were selected to train using the FA-50 fighters in South Korea. These pilots will then become the instructor pilots to train the other pilots in army. The new FA-50s have a more advanced weaponry system than what the country has in present, which are 'ancient' planes like Nomad which can do only 8-9 hour round trips, as Pres. Aquino told reporters in Busan, South Korea. It could load up to 4.5 tons of weapons and has a wide-range of mobilization system. FA-50 has also, 20 mm three-barrel gun that can fire at extremely high rate internally installed. FA-50 can be fitted with AIM-9 Sidewinder, a short-range air-to-air missile; AGM-65, an air-to-surface missile designed for close-air support missions; cluster bombs and rocket launchers. KAI assured that by 2017 the procurement will be complete. - Manila Channel and Flight Global

 

 

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Philippines confirmed joining the 40% world trade through Trans-Pacific Partnership

Trans-Pacific Partnership Map- image: humanosphere.org

Confirmed: Philippines Wants to Join TPP

The Philippines is committed to joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the country’s trade chief confirmed Wednesday morning in the clearest declaration made to date on the issue.

“I want to state clearly and irrevocably that we want to join TPP,” Philippine trade secretary Gregory Domingo told a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

Domingo’s statements come after what some perceived as ambiguity in recent months about the Philippine position regarding the U.S.-led agreement, whose members currently represent more than half of global output and over 40 percent of world trade. Reports in late March had suggested that Manila would not take part in TPP negotiations under the current government due to legal and constitutional complications which imposed significant time constraints. Some had interpreted this to mean a general unwillingness of the Philippines to commit to the pact at all.

But with the confirmation in his remarks Tuesday – the clearest yet by a Philippine official – Domingo sought to assuage any doubts in Washington that he said may have been caused by a “mistranslation” of comments by Philippine officials. Domingo also reiterated that Philippine officials – including President Benigno Aquino III himself – had on several previous occasions over the past few years expressed interest in joining the TPP.

Domingo acknowledged that Manila’s willingness to join the TPP did not make confronting existing challenges to doing so any easier. As is the case for several current and potential TPP negotiating parties, there are concerns on a number of sensitive issues for the Philippines, including state-owned enterprises. Philippine officials including Domingo had previously requested “flexibility” on these matters.

Joining the TPP may also require the Philippines to amend its constitution, which currently has restrictions on foreign ownership in certain sectors. Yet Domingo acknowledged that there were not enough votes right now in the Philippine legislature to do so, even if there was a possibility that it might get to try later this year ahead of presidential elections in 2016 and the end of Aquino’s five-year term in office.

“When it comes to constitutional amendments, it is very difficult to make a prediction,” he admitted.

Nonetheless, Domingo said that it was critical for the Philippines to negotiate some kind of bilateral economic agreement with its ally the United States, which has traditionally been among Manila’s top trading partners and its largest investor. The TPP would provide an avenue for this to occur, he said.

“It behooves the Philippines to have an agreement with the United States one way or another,” he said.

Though the Philippines’ only bilateral agreement of this kind is currently with Japan, Domingo said Manila is currently pursuing a free trade agreement with the countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) — Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. He added that the Philippines had also been approached by six other countries for bilateral agreements as well.

Meanwhile, as The Diplomat previously reported, the TPP has inched forward on Capitol Hill in recent days after a period of stalling, even though there is still a long way to go. The Senate got the necessary votes to move to a standalone vote on Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) earlier this week, days after the House had passed a similar vote on its side. TPA or “fast-track” is viewed as critical to passing TPP since it ensures Congress can only have an up-or-down vote on the pact, rather than opening up and amending specific provisions, which could delay or kill the deal.

Once the TPP is finalized among the existing 12 members, U.S. officials have stressed that the agreement remains “open” to other countries once they meet the standards, including China.

The TPP currently groups the United States, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. - Diplomat

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Philippine President Slams Beijing for Acting like Nazis in the South China Sea

Philippine President Benigno Aquino delivers a speech in the Japanese parliament during his visit to Tokyo on June 3, 2015. - Kazuhiro Nogi — AFP/Getty Images

This isn't the first time he’s compared the Chinese leadership to the Third Reich

Philippine President Benigno Aquino refused to pull his punches in Tokyo on Wednesday when he compared Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea to Nazi Germany’s demands for Czech territory in the 1930s.

During a speech to business leaders in the Japanese capital, Aquino blasted the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing claim to a majority of the potentially resource-rich waters of the South China Sea.

“I’m an amateur student of history and I’m reminded of… how Germany was testing the waters and what the response was by various other European powers,” said Aquino, in an apparent reference to the Nazis’ territorial conquests in Europe during the run up to World War II, according to Agence France-Presse.

Aquino’s remarks echo similar sentiments made during an interview with the New York Times last year when he also made comparisons between Beijing’s maritime maneuvers now with Nazi Germany’s actions in the late 1930s.

At the time, Chinese state media outlets lambasted the comparison and said the president was an “amateurish politician who was ignorant both of history and reality.”  - TIME

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Malaysia summons Philippines, Sultanate of Sulu claimed Sabah. Bangsamoro betrayed Philippines for Malaysia

(North Borneo) Sabah is ours, Malaysia tells the Philippines - Image from Malaysiakini.com

Malaysia summons Philippine Charge d' Affaires over claims on Sabah

Malaysia summons Philippine Charge d' Affaires over claims on Sabah

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 (Xinhua)-- Malaysian Foreign Ministry summoned the Philippine Charge d'Affaires on May 19 over recent remarks made by Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III on the Philippines'claim on Sabah, according to a statement of Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman on Sunday.

It said that Medardo G. Macaraig, the Philippine Charge d' Affaires, was summoned on May 19 over Aquino's remarks on the Philippines'claim on Sabah in an interview with Philippines journalist Raissa on May 15.

During the interview, Aquino said that he would not drop the Philippine claim to Sabah. "The government of Malaysia reiterates its position that Malaysia does not recognize and will not entertain any claims by any party on Sabah,"Anifah said in the statement, adding that Sabah is recognized by the UN and international community as part of Malaysia since Sept. 16, 1963.

The Philippines has made a territorial claim over the eastern part of Sabah, claiming that the territory, via the heritage of the Sultanate of Sulu, was only leased to the North Borneo Chartered Company in 1878 with the Sultanate's sovereignty never being relinquished.

The question was posed to Aquino amid growing speculation that Manila would drop the Sabah claim in exchange for Malaysia’s support for a Bangsamoro government in southern Philippines.

Bangsamoro promised to Malaysia not to claim Sabah North Borneo but to support and strengthen Malaysia's position over Sabah in return for their support on the ongoing Bangsamoro sub state negotiation with the Manila government.

Malaysia, however, considers this dispute as a"non-issue,"as it interprets the 1878 agreement as that of cession and it deems that the residents of Sabah had exercised their right to self- determination when they joined to form the Malaysian federation in 1963. -  with sources from Global Post and Xinhua News Agency

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Death Execution just Suspended: Why Mary Jane Veloso got last-minute reprieve

  Widodo said Mary Jane Veloso's execution is just postponed. - image: pinoy-ofw.com

Why Mary Jane Veloso got last-minute reprieve 

by Nick Perry, Agence France-Presse Posted at 04/29/2015 3:18 AM | Updated as of 04/29/2015 5:00 AM

Indonesia early Wednesday executed eight drug convicts, including two Australians, by firing squad but a Filipina was spared at the 11th hour, local reports said.

Defying a firestorm of international criticism and heartrending pleas by relatives, authorities put the seven foreigners and a local man to death after midnight Tuesday (1700 GMT), the reports said.

However the Filipina, Mary Jane Veloso, was spared after someone suspected of recruiting her and tricking her into carrying drugs to Indonesia turned herself in to authorities in the Philippines, MetroTV and the Jakarta Post reported.

Eight convicts -- two Australians, one from Brazil and four from Africa, as well as the Indonesian -- were put to death on the high-security prison island of Nusakambangan, the reports said.

In Indonesian executions, convicts are led to clearings just after midnight, tied to posts and then giving the option of kneeling, standing or sitting before being executed by 12-man firing squads.

President Joko Widodo has been a vocal supporter of the death penalty for drug traffickers, claiming Indonesia is facing an emergency due to rising narcotics use.

He has turned a deaf ear to appeals from the international community led by United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon.

In an 11th hour bid to stop the executions, the European Union, Australia and France warned in a joint statement late Tuesday the move would have an "impact on Indonesia's position in the world and its international reputation".

Anguished visits

In the hours before the convicts were put to death, there was a flurry of activity as ambulances carried coffins to the island, and relatives made final anguished visits to their loved ones.

Relatives of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, the Australian ringleaders of the so-called "Bali Nine" heroin trafficking group, wailed in grief as they headed to the island, and one relative collapsed amid a huge scrum of journalists.

"I am asking the government not to kill him. Call off the execution. Please don't take my son," said Sukumaran's mother Raji, in a tearful plea after visiting him.

Chan, who like Sukumaran is in his 30s, married his Indonesian girlfriend in a jailhouse ceremony with family and friends on Nusakambangan on Monday, his final wish.

The news of the temporary reprieve for Veloso, who claims she was duped into smuggling drugs into Indonesia by international drugs syndicates, comes after a huge campaign to save her in the Philippines.

President Benigno Aquino had urged Widodo on the sidelines of a summit this week to grant her clemency.

'Unspeakable grief'

Australia had mounted a sustained campaign to save its citizens, who have been on death row for almost a decade.

Ahead of the executions, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop Tuesday criticised Indonesia's "chaotic" handling of the execution arrangements.

The families "do deserve respect and they do deserve to have dignity shown to them at this time of unspeakable grief", she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

In Sydney late Tuesday about 300 supporters of the Australian pair held a vigil, with several people displaying signs calling for the Indonesian president to show mercy.

The execution of the Brazilian convict, Rodrigo Gularte, has also generated much criticism in his homeland, with his family saying he should not face the firing squad as he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Three of the African traffickers are confirmed as being from Nigeria. However it is not clear whether the fourth holds Ghanaian or Nigerian nationality.

A Frenchman was originally among the group set to be executed but was granted a temporary reprieve after authorities agreed to allow an outstanding legal appeal to run its course.

Jakarta executed six drug convicts, including five foreigners, in January sparking an international storm as Brazil and the Netherlands -- whose citizens were among those put to death -- recalled their ambassadors.

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Philippine Economy is the Strongest in the World - Findings of Washington USA Think Tank

Philippines has most resilient economy – study

(CNN Philippines) — Should an economic crisis akin to last decade's Great Recession happen again, the Philippines would be the most "resilient" country and be able withstand it, despite its status as an emerging-market economy.

That's the assessment of Center for Global Development (CGD), a think tank based in Washington, D.C.

It's not that hard to imagine another financial crisis happening: Growth in China — the world's second largest economy — has slowed, the United States' bull market hasn't had a correction since 2011, and in the Eurozone, debt-ridden Greece has yet to strike a deal with its creditors.

Economist Liliana Rojas-Suarez of the CGD recently created a "resilience indicator" that measures the vulnerability of an economy to future financial shocks.

Her metric looks into several economic indicators that fall under two categories:

• a country's ability to withstand external shocks 
• government's ability to "rapidly" implement policies that counteract the effects of such shocks 

"I compare the values of the identified variables in 2007 (the preglobal financial crisis year) with the respective values at the end of 2014," she said.

Rojas-Suarez explained: "A country is said to be highly resilient to adverse external shocks if the event does not result in a sharp contractions of economic growth, a severe decline in the rate of growth of real credit and/or the emergence of deep instabilities in the financial sector."

Of the 21 countries she studied, Rojas-Suarez ranked the Philippines as the most resilient economy, ahead of South Korea and China, which fall at second and third, respectively.

Rojas-Suarez found that the Philippines posted a strong improvement in its indebtedness. The debt indicators had substantial influence over the country's ranking.

For example, she points out that the country cut in half its external debt to GDP ratio "from around 40 percent in 2007 to around 20 percent in 2014." This figure stands in stark contrast with most whose ratios are "without significant changes" within that same time period.

She also cites the country's lower government debt to GDP ratio which stood above 40% in 2007, and subsequently shrank to below that figure in 2014.

Likewise, the country also stood out because of its improved inflation performance in 2014 relative to 2007. Rojas-Suarez pointed out that inflation rates have been within the government's targets.

Latin American countries did not do well in the study: "Four of the six Latin American countries in the sample have deteriorated their positions in the ranking. This includes Argentina, which now holds the last position. "

Apart from "bad luck in terms of unfavorable trade," Rojas-Suarez explained that such countries ranked lower because of "the squandering of opportunity to implement needed reforms in the good post-crisis years."

Her study ultimately affirms a long-running cliché: An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

"Policy decisions taken in the precrisis period played a major role in explaining a country's macroeconomic performance during the global economic crisis (of last decade)," explained Rojas-Suarez.

"[I]nitial conditions at the onset of a severe adverse external shock matter a lot. The good news is that, besides the commodity price shock, the most feared external shock: a sudden rise in interest rates in the US has not (yet) materialized. Time is still on the side of emerging markets’ authorities." - CNN

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AFP chief: Defense spending should be 1% of Phl budget

MANILA, Philippines - Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr. is pushing for greater military spending, saying this would enable the country to defend its territory.

Catapang said military expenditures should be increased to 1 percent of the national budget to enable the government to buy more equipment for territorial defense.

“What is important now is for our country to become prosperous because our argument is maybe at least we increase our expenditure for our defense and military,” Catapang said in a press briefing on Monday.

“What I’m proposing is that at least 1 percent of the approved national budget will go to the improvement of the capabilities of our defense and military units, to include the Office of Civil Defense,” he added. 

Catapang made the statement when asked what Filipinos can do to counter China’s aggressive expansion in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

The Asian superpower has been occupying disputed areas to assert its expansive territorial claim, including some areas that are well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The 2015 national budget stands at P2.6 trillion. In 2012, President Aquino signed a law that allotted P75 billion for the military’s modernization program from 2013 to 2017.

The modernization program will be given P15-billion each year from the national budget. The annual outlay of P15 billion is equivalent only to about 0.57 percent of the 2015 budget.

Because of its poorly equipped military, the Philippines cannot stop China’s construction activities in its West Philippine Sea territories namely Mabini (Johnson South) Reef, Calderon (Cuarteron) Reef, Burgos (Gaven) Reef, Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef, Kennan (Hughes) Reef, Zamora (Subi) Reef and Panganiban (Mischief) Reef.

When reminded that China would have been finished with its construction projects by the time the Philippines becomes a prosperous country, Catapang merely stressed the need to boost territorial defense capabilities.

“Reclaiming the areas is one side of the story but putting up a strong credible deterrence for our country, ensuring that our territory will be defended from any foreign country that intends to harm us, will be a very big boost to our territorial defense,” the military chief said.

 “I don’t know the intention of China for doing this, but what is important is we are prepared to defend the country,” he added. -philSTAR

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VERA Files: NOYNOY Aquino Offer Sabah to Malaysia to support UNCLOS case

PH offers Sabah to win Malaysia's support for UN case vs China

The Philippines has offered to downgrade its claim on Sabah in exchange for Malaysia's support for its case against China before the United Nations.

The quid pro quo was contained in a note verbale the Department of Foreign Affairs handed to a representative of the Malaysian Embassy last week, a week after the visit of Malaysian Defense Minister Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

The note verbale, a copy of which was obtained by VERA Files, referred to the May 6, 2009 joint submission by Malaysia and Vietnam to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in which Malaysia claimed an extended continental shelf (350 nautical miles from baseline) that was clearly projected from Sabah.

The Philippines, in an Aug. 4, 2009 note to the U.N. Secretary General, protested the joint submission because it effectively declared Sabah to be a Malaysian territory.

The Philippines claims ownership of Sabah, which is at present occupied by Malaysia, based on the title of the Sultan of Sulu who ceded proprietary rights over the 76,115-square-kilometer land to the Philippines in 1962.

In last week's note verbale, however, the DFA informed the Malaysian government that it is "reviewing" its 2009 protest and its action would depend on Malaysia's response to Manila's two requests related to the South China Sea conflicting territorial claims.

The first request is for Malaysia to "confirm" that its claim of an extended continental shelf is "entirely from the mainland coast of Malaysia, and not from any of the maritime features in the Spratly islands."

The DFA also requested Malaysia to confirm that it "does not claim entitlement to maritime areas beyond 12 nautical miles from any of the maritime features in the Spratly islands it claims."

Under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a state is entitled to 12-nautical-mile territorial sea over which it exercises sovereignty.

Malaysia, like the Philippines, claims parts of the Spratly islands in the South China Sea which is being claimed almost wholly by China, Vietnam and Taiwan. Brunei is another claimant to some parts of the Spratlys.

There are some parts in the Spratlys where the 200 NM Exclusive Economic Zones of the Philippines and Malaysia overlap.

The DFA didn't issue any statement when VERA Files sought its comment on the note verbale and its implications.

Former Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Lauro Baja Jr. said the Philippine claim to Sabah will be "prejudiced" if Malaysia accedes to DFA's request.

"We are in effect withdrawing our objection to Malaysia's claim of ownership to Sabah," he said.

A DFA official who requested anonymity, said, however, the Philippine claim to Sabah would remain intact even if Manila withdraws its 2009 objection to Malaysia's submission to the U.N.

Baja countered, "Even if we are not formally dropping the Sabah claim, it (the withdrawal of the protest) can be used as evidence against our claim."

A DFA source said officials involved in the case against China before the U.N. Arbitral Court said if Malaysia confirms it doesn't claim beyond 12 nautical miles from any maritime features in the Spratlys Islands it claims, the Philippine case will be strengthened because one of Manila's demands for relief from the U.N. court is to declare that certain features, such as rocks, do not generate maritime entitlement beyond 12 nautical miles.

This would clarify that the 12 nautical miles surrounding among others, the Panatag Shoal, also known as Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc (Chinese name: Huangyan Island), are part of the Philippines 200-nautical-mile Economic Exclusive Zone.

The Philippines suit, which primarily sought to nullify China's all-encompassing nine-dash line map invalid, also wants the U.N. court to rule that submerged features within and beyond 200 nautical miles of the Philippines are not part of China's continental shelf. This would make China's occupation of these features a violation of UNCLOS.

A diplomatic source said Malaysia may find the Philippine request "too hard to handle" because it has adopted the policy of "playing it safe" — expressing concern on China aggressiveness in the disputed waters while maintaining good relations with the economic superpower.

"A maritime entitlement of only 12 nautical miles for their reefs, as the essence of the Philippines request, will not be in the interest of Malaysia. Besides, Malaysia will not risk its close economic ties with China, its biggest trading partner," the source said.

The source said China also protested the 2009 Malaysia-Vietnam submission to the U.N. So even if the Philippines withdrew its objection, the Chinese protest would stand, the source said.

The CLCS would not proceed on the Philippines' withdrawal of its protest unless and until the Chinese 9-dash line claim is rendered invalid.

Also last week, the Philippines submitted a supplemental argument in answer to China's position paper on the Spratlys territorial claim. The U.N. is expected to hand down its decision in 2016.

Meanwhile, the Philippines has denounced the massive reclamation of China on its occupied reefs.

Baja said the Philippine position on Sabah is much stronger than its Spratly islands claim.

Economically, the timber and mineral-rich Sabah is much more valuable than Spratlys, he added.

There are more than 600,000 Filipinos in Sabah, most of them considered by Malaysia as illegal residents and are often subject to harassment.

Sabah (North Borneo) originally belonged to the Sultan of Brunei, who gave it to Sultan of Sulu Salah ud-Din Karamat Bakhtiar in 1658 as a reward for helping quell a rebellion. In 1878, Sulu Sultan Jamalul Alam Kiram leased North Borneo to the Hong Kong-based British North Borneo Co. of Baron Gustavos von Overbeck and Alfred Dent for 5,000 Malaysian dollars a year.

In 1946, Overbeck and Dent, without permission from the Sultan, transferred the territory to the British government when the company ceased operations.

On Sept. 11, 1962, Sultan of Sulu Mohammad Esmail Kiram ceded to the Philippine government full sovereignty, title and dominion over the territory. President Diosdado Macapagal filed the Philippines' claim over Sabah with the United Nations.

In 1963, the British government, again without permission from the Sultan of Sulu, transferred Sabah to the newly formed Federation of Malaysia.

Malaysia is currently the broker in the peace talks between the Philippine government and the Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the creation of a Bangsamoro, an autonomous political entity in the southern part of the Philippines. — with additional reports by Ellen Tordesillas

(VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for "true.") - ABS-CBN

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Indonesia prepares to transfer Philippines drug convict for DEATH execution

Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, 30 and mother of two, will be executed in the coming days. In 2010 she was arrested because caught at the airport with 2.6 kg of heroin. The young woman was exploited as a courier and was unaware of the contents of the bag. The Supreme Court recently rejected the last appeal for a pardon.

Indonesia prepares to transfer Philippines drug convict for execution

JAKARTA - Indonesia is preparing to move a Filipina death row inmate for execution after she lost her appeal in the Supreme Court earlier this week, the attorney general's spokesman said on Friday.

The planned execution s of Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso and nine other mostly foreign drug traffickers has drawn international criticism after repeated pleas for mercy from the United Nations and various governments have gone unheeded by President Joko Widodo.

Veloso will be moved from the city of Yogyakarta to the maximum security prison on Nusakambangan Island in Central Java, where the rest of the group awaits execution by firing squad.

"We can say that (Veloso's) case is done," the attorney general's spokesman Tony Spontana told reporters.

"There will be preparations to move her soon because the plan to execute all (10 convicts) at once hasn't changed."

The attorney general's office has yet to announce a date for the execution s.

Four other foreign nationals in the group have also lodged last-minute appeals against their death sentences, forcing the attorney general to hold off on the execution s until all legal processes are seen through. [ID:

Two Australian prisoners are among those appealing their sentences. The Australian government has been pursuing an eleventh-hour campaign to save their lives, but Widodo has refused to budge, ramping up diplomatic tensions between the neighbors.

Indonesia has harsh penalties for drug trafficking and resumed execution s in 2013 after a five-year gap. - eKantipur

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Want to trade old iPhone for the iPhone 6?

MANILA - If you're looking to trade your old iPhone for the new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, then you're in luck.

Local electronics store GetGadget Shop is offering its first trade-off promotion on March 31, which is open for all iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 5c units.

The trade-off prices are as follows:

All gadgets, however, are subject to further assessment to determine the exact amount of the discount. Once the seller has agreed on the actual value of the unit, a cash check will be given as a mode of payment for the chosen unit.

To qualify for the promotion, one must present two valid IDs and proof of purchase of the unit such as a receipt.

For more info, visit the store's Facebook page. - ABS-CBN

 

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Pacquiao is now top taxpayer in Philippines

Manny Pacquiao - ABS-CBN

MANILA, Philippines - Boxing champ Manny Pacquio emerged as the top taxpayer in the country, according to a list released by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

The BIR's list of top individual taxpayers for 2013 was based only on regular income tax payments made as of November 24, 2014.

Pacquiao, who is battling a tax case filed by the BIR, paid ₱163.84 million in regular income taxes in 2013. The tax evasion case against Pacquiao stemmed from his ₱2.2-billion tax liability based on an assessment by the BIR.

In second place was Juanito Pornuevo Alcantara, whose business has yet to be ascertained, who paid P99.61 million in income taxes.

Top lawyer Estelito Mendoza was in third place with ₱73.18 million.

A certain Reynaldo Benoza Chico, Jr. was in fourth place with ₱67.34 million.

Megaworld Corp. founder and chairman Andrew Tan ranked fifth on the list with income tax payment of ₱67.18 million. Tan, fourth richest man in the Philippines, is the top businessman taxpayer on the list.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. president Lorenzo Tan was sixth on the list with income tax payment of ₱60.89 million, followed by Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez with ₱55.62 million.

Ranked 8th, Mercury Drug president Vivian Que Azcona was the top individual taxpayer for 2012. She paid ₱51.61 million in income tax.

Ninth on the list is Meralco president Oscar Reyes with ₱51.44 million. Rounding out the top 10 is Insular Life chairman and CEO Vicente Ayllon with P50.08 million.

Celebrities

Actor Piolo Pascual ranked 14th on the list with an income tax payment of ₱42.53 million, followed by actor John Lloyd Cruz with ₱41.97 million.

"Queen of All Media" Kris Aquino, who was the top taxpayer in 2011, ranked 16th with an income tax payment of ₱40.48 million.

Actress Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan was 19th on the list with P39 million, followed by comedian Willie Revillame with ₱38.3 million.

Actress and host Anne Curtis-Smith ranked 36th on the list, paying ₱28.23 million in income taxes in 2013.

In 44th place, actress Judy Ann Santos paid ₱24.32 million in income taxes.

Actor Coco Martin ranked 52 with ₱22.49 million, followed by comedian and host Vic Sotto on 53rd place with ₱22.4 million.

Pop princess Sarah Gerononimo placed 99th on the list with income tax of ₱16.12 million.

Actor Dingdong Dantes finished just outside of the top 100 list, ranking 101 with ₱15.7 million.

Businessmen

The country's top businessmen and executives also made it to the top taxpayers' list.

San Miguel Corp. president Ramon S. Ang ranked 12th, paying P46.47 million in income tax.

Federico R. Lopez, chairman and CEO of Energy Development Corp., ranked 17th on the list with income tax payment of ₱39.89 million.

Erramon Aboitiz, CEO and president of Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., was in 22nd place with P35.81 million in income tax payment.

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, CEO and chairman of Ayala Corp. ranked 26th place with P32.22 million in income tax payments. His brother Fernando was in 32nd place with ₱29.69 million

Metro Pacific Investments Corp. chairman Manny Pangilinan was in 27th place, paying ₱31.63 million.

Oscar M. Lopez, chairman Emeritus of First Gen Corporation, ranked 34th with ₱28.54 million in income taxes.

Tycoon George Ty ranked 40th with ₱26.28 million in income tax payments, while ports billionaire Enrique Razon Jr. was in 50th place with ₱22.87 million.

Henry Sy, Sr., the country's richest man, paid income tax of ₱18.5 million, which placed him on 85th spot. His son Henry Jr. was in 71st place with P19.86 million, while daughter Teresita Sy was in 97th place with ₱16.2 million.

ABS-CBN Corp. president and CEO Charo Santos Concio ranked 121th with an income tax payment of P14.56 million.

In 275th place is ABS-CBN chairman Eugenio Lopez III who paid ₱9.49 million in income tax in 2013. - ABS-CBN

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U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge Rescued 5 Pinoy Fishermen at Philippine Sea

Sailors attached to USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) rescue five stranded Filipinos whose fishing vessel suffered from mechanical difficulties. (Photo by MC3 Cody R. Babin, US Navy)

5 Pinoy fishermen rescued by US sailors

MANILA -- Five Filipino fishermen drifting in the Philippine Sea have been rescued by the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge, the US Navy said Thursday.

The boat of the Filipinos, who were not identified, encountered mechanical difficulties.

According to a report posted on the US Pacific Command website, USS Blue Ridge sailors initially noticed a small boat and a flag floating in the Philippine Sea.

After moving closer, they noticed that the boat was not moving, and several men were on board.

"We thought it was strange to see something in the water, so we slowed down to get a better look," said Ensign John Li, Blue Ridge officer of the deck during the response. "As we began looking for signs of distress, we noticed someone was waving a white T-shirt, while someone else was waving a flashlight."

One of the sailors, who said the boat "was being tossed around like a little toy," added that the men were jumping up and down inside their boat, trying to get the attention of those on board USS Blue Ridge.

Responding to the men’s need of immediate assistance, Blue Ridge deployed a boarding team via rigid-hulled inflatable boat and safely brought the five men on board the ship.

The Filipino fishermen were immediately provided with basic first aid, showers, and a change of clothes.

They were found to be suffering from hypothermia and were malnourished after spending three days on sea without food.

The Filipinos had been fishing at sea when their boat's motor stalled - ABS-CBN

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China rushing construction in a reef few Kilometers from Palawan Main island

Aerial surveillance images obtained by The STAR show Ma- bini Reef in March last year (left), with only one building that served as a temporary shelter for workers. The image on the right, taken recently, shows more structures and trees planted on the reef.

Philippines says China rushing construction in disputed sea

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines' top diplomat said Thursday that China has been rushing construction projects, including massive land reclamation, in the disputed South China Sea in hopes of forestalling any legal moves against its vast territorial claims.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the Chinese construction is aimed at bolstering its claims to virtually the entire South China Sea. He called Beijing's claims "invalid and excessive and in violation of international law."

The Philippines and other governments which have territorial disputes with Beijing in the busy sea have been particularly concerned by massive Chinese land reclamation projects that have turned a number of previously submerged reefs in the Spratlys archipelago into artificial islands with buildings, runways and wharves.

Alarmed by what it describes as increasing Chinese assertiveness, the Philippines sought international arbitration two years ago to challenge the legality of Beijing's claims.

China has ignored the Philippine legal challenge but a U.N.-backed tribunal in The Hague may hand down a ruling as early as next January or February, del Rosario said.

There also have been proposals for China and Southeast Asian nations to conclude a legally binding "code of conduct" restricting aggressive behavior that could spark armed confrontations in the disputed areas, which straddle some of the world's busiest sea lanes and are believed to have rich undersea oil and gas deposits.

"It is clear to us that China is accelerating its expansionist agenda and changing the status quo to ... control nearly the entire South China Sea before the conclusion of the code of conduct and the handing down of a decision of the arbitral tribunal," del Rosario said.

The Philippines has expressed concern that Beijing could transform its newly created islands into military logistical and resupply hubs to bolster its territorial claims and pose a more serious challenge to rival claimants.

The Philippines has protested the reclamation projects. The Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to Rosario's comments, but in the past Beijing has asserted its right to undertake any activity in territories it claims.

U.S. Sen. John McCain and three other top-ranking senators overseeing U.S. defense and foreign policy called last week for a comprehensive strategy to deal with China's territorial moves, including land reclamation and construction in disputed areas, warning that "longstanding interests of the United States, as well as our allies and partners, stand at considerable risk." - philSTAR

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Bloomberg TV to launch Philippine channel

Bloomberg to bring its brand of business reporting on Philippine cable TV through a partnership with the Pangilinan-led TV5 and Cignal Digital TV

 

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Manuel V. Pangilinan expands his media empire anew.

The Pangilinan-led MediaQuest Holdings' TV5 and Cignal Digital TV signed a deal with Bloomberg, the American-based international cable and satellite news network, on Wednesday, March 25.

To be called Bloomberg Television Philippines, the local channel will be the first 24/7 business news channel in the country, with a target launch this 2015.

"This partnership with Bloomberg heralds a new era in Philippine television, in which business information is set to be in the front and center of a rising Philippine economy," said Pangilinan in a statement released by Bloomberg.

Cignal Digital TV Philippines Chief Operating Officer Oscar A. Reyes Jr said during the announcement that the tri-partnership will propel the country into becoming the next business capital for Southeast Asia.

Bloomberg Television Philippines will be distributed exclusively via Cignal Digital TV, the Philippines' direct-to-home (DTH) satellite provider with about 844,000 subscribers.

Reyes added that the partnership aims to bring a 360-degree experience to subscribers. Talks are also going on with TV5 to curate about 35 to 40 minutes of content to be available on free TV, Lorenzana added.

"We are very excited to be partnering with Bloomberg and believe their global experience will be invaluable in taking business television programming to the next level," said Noel C. Lorenzana, president and chief executive officer of MediaQuest.

Adding firepower

Bloomberg has localized channels across countries, with over 15,500 employees in 192 locations.

Prior to the Philippine signing of the deal, the business news network signed with Canadian media company Channel Zero for a rebranding also set this year, online resource Media Newser Philippines reported.

Bloomberg will be the second global network to go local in the Philippines.

CNN Philippines, with local brand licensed to Nine Media Corporation, has already started airing this March 15 – a "glocalized" version with a combination of locally produced news and content sourced from CNN in the United States that usually does not air on CNN International.

The latest deal continues Bloomberg's momentum in Asia, complementing local partner channels in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Mongolia.

"This gives us more firepower in the country and the television landscape. Finding the right partner was very important to us," said Parry Ravindranathan, Bloomberg Media managing director for the Asia-Pacific.

Promoting business, financial literacy

MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. signed a groundbreaking partnership with Bloomberg Television to launch the first-ever 24-hour business news channel in the country, Bloomberg TV Philippines. This cooperation hopes to propel the Philippines to becoming the next business capital in South East Asia. ‪#‎BloombergTVPH Photo (L-R): Parry Ravindranathan, Managing Director for Bloomberg Media Asia Pacific, Noel C. Lorenzana, President and CEO for MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., and Oscar A. Reyes Jr., Chief Operating Officer of Cignal TV.

Pangilinan has always wanted an all English-language business news channel.

Back in 2013, he announced the launching of CEO TV, originally planned to compete with ABS-CBN News Channel, but it never pushed through, Media Newser Philippines wrote on March 2.

"We just feel like going with Bloomberg is the right way to go. It's a multi-year contract so hopefully this becomes a long-term relationship. We want Bloomberg Television Philippines to become the best Bloomberg news channel country in the world. That's our aim," Lorenzana said.

To be presented in English, the local extension of Bloomberg Television will expand the reach of its market-moving news, the company said in a statement.

"The Philippines is fast becoming a premier broadcast destination because of its strong subscriber growth," said Gary Groenheim, commercial director of Bloomberg Television, Asia-Pacific.

"Being in the third largest English-speaking country in the world will help us reach a vast new audience by combining elements of our daily global broadcast material with unique, tailor-made local content," Groenheim added.

"Our financial markets are rapidly growing in size and sophistication and we saw room for a premier business channel that can inform, educate, and showcase the best of business and finance in the Philippines," Lorenzana said in a statement.

Lorenzana added that MediaQuest Holdings is also committing its latest technology to the production of Bloomberg TV Philippines, with resources like high definition (HD) cameras, studio controls, HD OB vans, and HD ENG vans to be readily deployed.

"We always strive to provide the best experience we can to our subscribers," he added.

Talent-wise, Bloomberg Television Philippines will leverage on the talent and production expertise of News5, TV5's news and information arm, to produce local content for the channel.

Bloomberg, in turn, will help its local partners to reach the editorial and production standards of its global enterprise, Ravindranathan said.

"I believe that every country goes through a point where they need a business channel. We want to give actionable news to do business in the Philippines," Ravindranathan added.

"This partnership with Bloomberg shows what value pay TV can give Filipinos that they have never gotten before," Reyes said.

"Business literacy is an advocacy for us. The wider the audience, the better," Lorenzada stressed.

Ravindranathan sees the partnership as a long-term endeavor.

"As long as we have the same goals, the partnership is there. Term is not important for us," Ravindranathan said.

Apart from Cignal Digital TV and TV5, MediaQuest Holdings also has interests in Nation Broadcasting Corporation, and broadsheets The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star, and Businessworld.

TV5 has been fledging in terms of ratings competition, while Pangilinan's cable TV arm, Cignal Digital TV, announced early this March that it is anticipating its subscriber base to reach 1 million in 2015. – Rappler.com

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Boxing: Donaire, Nietes make weight for Pinoy Pride 30

ON WEIGHT. Nonito Donaire Jr (L) and William Prado (R) both made the 122 pound limit. Photo by Mark Cristino

Donaire, Nietes make weight for Pinoy Pride 30

Nonito Donaire made the 122 pound weight limit for the first time in two years while Donnie Nietes and Gilberto Parra experienced drama on the scales

 

MANILA, Philippines - Nonito Donaire Jr made a quick trip to the scale on Friday afternoon, stepping on the scale to register 122 pounds before quickly being whisked away to replenish his fluids. Fighters on the mid-card had originally been scheduled to weigh-in first before the itinerary was changed last minute.

William Prado, the Brazilian fighter whom he faces on Saturday, March 28 at Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines, weighed in the same as his opponent, 122.

Donaire Jr (32-3, 21 KOs) of San Leandro, Calif. by way of Talibon, Bohol, Philippines made the junior featherweight limit for the first time since 2013 after rising up to 126, where he won the WBA featherweight title.

Prado (22-4-1, 15 KOs) of Sao Paolo, Brazil is one fight removed from a third round knockout loss to Scott Quigg in 2013.

Nonito Donaire Sr says his son/fighter ate pasta first because it is easy to digest and will eat small meals throughout the day to replenish. Donaire Sr says he wants his son to gain no more than 10 pounds by the time he hits the ring.

In the main event, THE RING magazine junior flyweight champion Donnie Nietes (34-1-4, 20 KOs) of Bacolod City, Philippines and his opponent Gilberto Parra (19-2, 17 KOs) both weighed in at the 108 pound limit.

Parra’s team initially protested the scale’s reading, saying he was over the limit. Nietes then stepped back on the scale and registered 108 pounds once more before refueling with a lunch of sinigang, raisin bread, rice and spaghetti.

Donnie Nietes and Gilberto Parra became heated at the scale. Photo by Mark Cristino

The two posed for photos briefly, with Nietes giving his opponent a throat slash gesture.

Nietes then stepped back on the scale and registered 108 pounds once more before refueling with a lunch of sinigang, raisin bread, rice and spaghetti.

“It’s just psy-war,” said Nietes’ assistant trainer Edmund Villamor. “[Parra’s team] is probably scared.” - Rappler.com

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Malaysian Police Suffocate and Killed 3 Innocent teen Filipinos in Sabah North Borneo - Abuse Anew!

Image: Newsdesk.asia

DFA probes deaths of 3 Filipino teens in Sabah

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is probing the deaths of three Filipino teenagers who died in Sabah after Malaysian authorities launched a raid on undocumented individuals.

Reports said that the three Filipinos, who were siblings, were suffocated when they hid from authorities in a narrow space at the central market where the crackdown was launched. The three were rushed to the hospital but were declared dead on arrival.

Vice President Jejomar Binay said he shared the DFA’s call “for a full and impartial investigation by the concerned Malaysian authorities.”

“The Philippine government is concerned about the treatment of Filipinos abroad, regardless of their work status,” Binay said in a statement on Friday.

“Our countrymen risk leaving their homes and families to live and work decently abroad, and even as we respect the laws of the countries they are in we nonetheless ask that they be treated humanely,” he said.

Binay urged overseas Filipino workers to go through “the proper and legal channels” to ensure that they have the government’s protection and “to avoid becoming victims of trafficking and illegal recruitment syndicates.” RC - INQUIRER

Sabah, North Borneo  Location - Aljazeera.

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Philippines will Resume the Repair and Reconstruction of Panatag's Structure in Spartly Islands

Francisco Acedillo, a lawmaker and a former air force pilot, shows a slide of China's reclamation work in the Spratly as he called for a creative strategy to deal with the maritime territorial dispute during a Foreign Correspondent of the Philippines (FOCAP) meeting in... REUTERS/ROMEO RANOCO

Philippines says to resume works in disputed South China Sea

(Reuters) - The Philippines said on Thursday it would resume repair and reconstruction works in the disputed Philippine Sea ( South China Sea) after halting activities last year over concerns about the effect on an arbitration complaint filed against China.

Manila had called on all countries last October to stop construction work on small islands and reefs in the West Philippine Sea ( South China Sea), virtually all of which is claimed by China.

China itself is undertaking massive reclamation works in the area, while Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam have also been making improvements to their facilities.

"We are taking the position that we can proceed with the repair and maintenance," Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario told diplomats, military officers and foreign correspondents on Thursday.

He said the works, including repairs to an airstrip, did not violate an informal code of conduct in the South China Sea because they would not alter the status quo in the disputed area. The 2002 code was signed by China and 10 Southeast Asian states in Phnom Penh.

In 2013, Manila filed an arbitration case at the The Hague questioning Beijing's "nine-dash-line" claims. Del Rosario said Manila expects a decision in February next year. China has elected not to participate in the case.

China claims almost the entire sea, believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also claim the area, where about $5 trillion of seaborne trade pass every year. (Reporting By Manuel Mogato; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)- REUTERS

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