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Noy wants US basing obstacles cleared
Written by Tribune Tuesday, 16 April 2013

Charter is clear on ban of foreign bases in RP, nukes

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It is no longer a scenario of a return of US bases in this country but a reality under President Aquino, who is apparently pushing to get the American bases back in the Philippines — by constitutional hook or crook.

Malacañang appears to be very serious in going around the constitutional ban on the presence of foreign military bases and foreign troops in the country through a Palace legal position, along with the constitutional proviso of the country being nuclear-free.

A legal maneuver on the provisions of the 1987 Constitution is being studied by the President’s men in a bid to clear whatever constitutional obstacles exist for the possible stationing of the United States military forces in the Philippines, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda declared yesterday.

Despite the constitutional ban on nukes, Aquino has been known to allow entry to nuclear-armed ships from the US, which is against the Charter.
Lacierda said: “That has to be studied in line with the constitutional provision prohibiting foreign bases, so that will have to be studied.”

The framers of the of the 1987 Constitution had written in Article II, under the Declaration of Principles and State Policy, Section 8, stating that “The Philippines, consistent with the national interest, adopts and pursues a policy of freedom from nuclear weapons in its territory,” apart from which the Constitution also clearly states that there can be no foreign bases or foreign troops in the country.

The Senate had already voided the treaty between the Philippines and the United States on the bases agreement decades ago.
Lacierda said he had talked to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin to clarify the issue on the foreign bases, saying that Gazmin had told him of the possibility of a US bases return that was discussed only if there would an actual scenario of war as an alternative brought about by a threat from North Korea.

“Again, these are only options and I spoke to Secretary Volts Gazmin. The context to his answer there was that if there was going to be an actual shooting war. Number two, in his view, the basing will only be temporary,” Lacierda said.

Lacierda stressed that which was on the mind of Gazmin was part of the anticipation if an imminent threat of war in the Korean peninsula would take place which is near Philippine territory.

“Again, these are scenario-building options that the Secretary of National Defense is mandated to do. Part of his mandate is to build, to look into several options, several scenarios, in case of conflict, if the Korean Peninsula conflict would escalate,” Lacierda said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario already said that the Philippine government has the obligation to provide support for the United States troops in case there would be war.

Del Rosario cited as basis the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America that was signed on Aug. 30, 1951 in Washington, DC between representatives of the Philippines and the United States.

The overall accord contained eight articles and dictated that both nations would support each other if either the Philippines or the United States were to be attacked by an external party.

The treaty which contains only eight articles is purely for war purposes.

As stated in Article 1 of the treaty, each party is to settle international disputes in a peaceful manner so that international peace is not threatened and to refrain from the threat of the use of force in any manner that is inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations.

Article II states that each party either separately or jointly through mutual aid may acquire, develop and maintain their capacity to resist armed attack.

Article III states that from time to time the parties will consult one another through the use of their secretaries of state, foreign ministers or consuls in order to determine the appropriate measures of implementation. The parties will also consult one another when either of the party determines that their territorial integrity, political independence or national security is threatened by armed attack in the Pacific.

Article lV states that an attack on either party will be acted upon in accordance with their constitutional processes and that any armed attack on either party will be brought to the attention of the United Nations for immediate action. Once the United Nations has issued such orders all hostile actions between the signatories of this treaty and opposing parties will be terminated.
Article V defines the meaning of attack and its purpose which include all attacks by a hostile power will be held as an attack on a metropolitan area by both parties or on the island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific or on its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.

Article Vl states that this treaty does not affect, impede, or shall not be interpreted as affecting the rights and obligations of the parties under the Charter of the United Nations.

Article Vll states that the treaty shall be ratified in accordance with the constitutional processes delineated by the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines.

Lastly, Article Vlll stipulates that the treaty terms are indefinite until one or both parties wishes to terminate the agreement. If the agreement is to be terminated, either party must give one year advanced notice.

Militant lawmakers yesterday expressed strong opposition to the proposal made by the defense chief for the return of the US military bases in the country.

Makabayan senatorial bet Teddy Casiño vehemently opposed the revival of US military bases in the Philippines, in case the Korean Peninsula conflict erupts into war, saying that the return of US bases will drag us into a war that is not to our national interest.

“Angeles and Olongapo City are already free of military bases and are doing fine. Since US military bases left their areas, they had become more productive and gotten over the social ills and vices that came with the bases. The return of these bases will only revive a host of problems such as vices of prostitution, and violence,” Casiño told his audience during a Makabayan Coalition assembly in Pampanga.

Casiño added that the return of the US bases will only erode the development in the area.

“The US military is now having frequent port calls, numbering in hundreds, in the country. There is already the Balikatan. US troops are virtually present in the Philippines. There are already US bases in South Korea, Japan and Guam. What else do they (US) want?”, Casiño said.

“It is an affront to our national sovereignty. Are we going to allow Americans to use us, the Filipinos? This is too much,” he said.
In addition to the numerous problems and human rights violations of US forces in the Philippines, Casiño cited former UP Law dean Pacifico Agabin’s argument that the Mutual Defense Treaty does not bind the United States into protecting the Philippines in case of war and that US assurances are “purely illusory” given that any attack in the Pacific would require an approval by the US Congress before the deployment of US troops.

Casiño is the author of House Joint Resolution 7, “A joint resolution terminating the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement” and House Resolution 1242, “A resolution strongly opposing the return of US troops and military facilities in Clark or Subic or any part of the country under the pretext of the Visiting Forces Agreement in affirmation of the Filipino People’s historic rejection of the RP-US Military Bases Agreement in 1991.”

For his part, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares denounced Gazmin’s statement that the US may set up their bases in the country, describing the proposal as a dangerous one and an outright defiance of the Constitution.”
“The Philippines is not involved in the dispute in Korea. If we set up US bases here then we become a legitimate target of the enemies of the United States,” said Colmenares.

“The US Bases renewal was voted down by the Senate of the Philippines in 1991 because of a number of reasons. One is that it is a magnet for attack from foreign adversaries of the US and it created and allowed the proliferation of the social ills like prostitution and drugs. Additionally it also constitutes a violation of the nuclear-free provision in our Constitution and may even cause a nuclear accident because US bases contain nuclear weapons. More importantly, the presence of foreign troops which is not under our command and control is a direct violation of our sovereignty,” the solon explained.

He also said that the country cannot benefit from the reestablishment of the US bases, even in cases which Gazmin describes as “extreme emergency”.

“By allowing the US to set-up bases again in our country, it will only make our nation and our people vulnerable. We will not in any way benefit from this because we have nothing to do with the Koreans’ issue,” he also said. “We’ve been asking the government what possible benefits do we get from the VFA and US bases, and the government has no answer at all except that we earn a few millions in tourist dollars. We cannot sell our souls and endanger the lives of our people, and more importantly our sovereignty, in exchange for a few pieces of silver. This is treason!” Colmenares claimed.

“On the contrary, the Mutual Defense Treay as well as the Visiting Forces Agreement must already by abrograted. Considering that even the US-RP defense treaty does not allow for re-stationing of the US Bases in the country, what President Aquino should do is terminate these instead of toying with ideas that endanger the lives of the Filipino people,” Colmenares said.

By Paul Atienza and Charlie V. Manalo
Published in Headlines
 
What a joke. Nothing new, just begging for American Daddy to come back :D
 
They must have been frequenting these reef and this is the only time they got caught because they got trapped.
malamang kaya dapat lang sila parusahan

OT: lolo Sy ikaw ba yan? :P

What a joke. Nothing new, just begging for American Daddy to come back :D
They are our allies. We look at each others out. We trust the US more than China who double talks in Spratly's issue.
 
PH's first bullet train
Manila Bulletin
Apr 17, 2013

Manila, Philippines --- The country will soon have its first bullet train after the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) announced that Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) has expressed its intention to finance the $3-billion Clark-Metro Manila project.

Another project, the $1.23-billion Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) that will run from San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan to SM North in Quezon City, will be financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Both projects will be built under the BOT scheme.

The plan for the bullet train is to construct the new railways between the lanes of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) because an earlier proposal to construct it parallel to the railway was scrapped due to some technical problems.

Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) said the project will be called “Express Airport Trains” which will have at least three stops in Metro Manila.

CIAC said that using the proposed trains, it will only take about 45 minutes to transport passengers from Clark to Manila, and vice versa.

The planned stopovers are Balintawak or near TriNoMa or SM North in Quezon City; Manila like Dimasalang or University of Sto. Tomas; and Makati at Buendia Avenue.

Meanwhile, NEDA is re-evaluating the MRT 7 project after the previous approval had lapsed and some changes in terms and conditions have been made.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya said that the proposal for the mass rail transit between North Avenue in Quezon City and Bulacan was already submitted to the NEDA- Investment Coordinating Committee (ICC).

The re-evaluation was needed because under the implementing rules and regulations of the government’s BOT Law, any changes in proposed project shall again be re-evaluated by the NEDA-ICC.

NEDA said that since JICA decided to fund the project, the government can expect the continuous construction of the rail once started.

The initial construction will be put up in Barangay Tala in San Jose Del Monte. The new MRT line will run through Fairview, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City Memorial Circle, and North EDSA.

The final station will be constructed in Paramount in Quezon City, in front of SM North EDSA and the Triangle of North Manila (TriNoMa) mall.

NEDA added that the new lane will be connected to the now operational LRT-MRT Closing Loop Interconnection Project.

It added that once the MRT-7 Line is completed, the Paramount Station will be a Mega Rail Station.
 
Philippines participates in defense expo in Brazil
An April 16, 2013, press release from the Department of Foreign Affairs

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The Philippines participated in the 9th Latin America Aerospace and Defense (LAAD) Security Conference held in Riocentro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from April 9 to 12.

The Philippine delegates included Department of National Defense (DND) Assistant Secretary Patrick M. Velez as Head of Delegation, Philippine Air Force (PAF) Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Raul Gabriel L. Dimatatac, Philippine Ambassador to Brazil Eva G. Betita, Third Secretary and Vice Consul Eric P. Valenzuela and officials from DND and PAF.

Brazilian Vice President Michel Temer and Defense Minister Celso Amorim opened the 9th edition of the largest and most important defense and security trade show in Latin America. In his welcome speech, Vice President Temer said that Brazil’s defense always has peaceful objectives and that its dissuasive role is necessary to protect the country’s natural resources.

Minister Amorim reiterated that the end goal of armaments and military technology should be towards attaining world peace and balance of power. Minister Amorim also mentioned the current significance of State of Rio de Janeiro, which will house the future shipyard where a nuclear propulsion submarine will be built, as well as hosting future events of global importance.

LAAD 2013 was a great opportunity for defense and military officials to learn best practices and evaluate the best equipment and latest technology in military, defense and aerospace communications and operations.

On the sidelines of the expo, the Philippine delegation met with Gen. José Carlos de Nardi, Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Brazil, to discuss the negotiation of a defense cooperation and logistics agreement between the Philippines and Brazil.

This year’s edition of LAAD attracted more than 26,000 guests and delegates and 660 exhibitors from about 60 countries.

Philippines participates in defense expo in Brazil | Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines
 
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Tondo, Manila 1870's

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Manila in early 1960's.


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A joint Filipino and South Korean project: Manila's new financial hub.

To be completed in 2016.
 
PHL growth to surpass Aspac level
Published on Thursday, 18 April 2013 21:00
Written by Max V. de Leon / Reporter

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THE Philippine economy will continue to do better than the Asia-Pacific average although it will likely slow to 6.2 percent in 2013 due to external factors, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Escap).

In its “Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2013” that was launched on Thursday, Escap said strong private consumption will drive the projected 6.2-percent economic growth of the country this year.

“Poor global demand, including a slowdown in major trading partners such as China, could impede economic expansion, however,” it added.

The Philippine economy, as measured by the gross domestic product (GDP), grew by 6.6 percent in 2012.

For this year, Escap said speedy growth could materialize if progress on the Public-Private Partnership Program of the Aquino administration gained more momentum, “helped by the upgrade of the country’s rating to investment-grade status in March.”

The agency also cited the government’s plan to increase infrastructure spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2016 from 2 percent in 2012.

The World Bank and the government’s Development Budget Coordination Committee also estimated a 6.2-percent economic expansion for the year.

Escap noted that the country stepped up its public expenditure to sustain domestic demand dynamism, with the increased spending primarily concentrated on infrastructure projects.

Initiatives on private-public partnerships, which had made slow progress, have benefited from increased investor confidence, it said.

“More active fiscal policy has resulted in a manageable increase in budget deficit, from 2.2 percent of GDP in 2011 to 2.6 percent of GDP in 2012. To finance the development expenditures, the government is focusing on widening the tax base and efficient expenditure management,” Escap added.

On the social side, it said the share of the population covered by the government-owned health insurer increased from 62 percent in 2010 to 85 percent in 2012.

Escap also estimated Asia-Pacific-wide growth to be at 6 percent this year. In 2012 the region’s economy grew by an average of 5.6 percent.

It said an inclusive and environment-friendly growth is key to creating new sources of economic dynamism amid the persisting global uncertainty.

Escap further estimated that uncertainty in economic policy in the euro zone and the United States since the onset of the global crisis has shaved 3 percent off regional GDP—a loss of $870 billion in output.

“The 2013 survey reminds us that this is no time for complacency, as the need for a more inclusive and sustainable pattern of economic and social development continues to be critical,” Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, United Nations undersecretary-general and executive secretary of Escap, said in her preface to the survey.

“In the light of the region’s high degree of economic insecurity, large development and infrastructure gaps and heightened environmental fragility along with extreme exposure to climate change-related risks, it is necessary to better balance the stabilization and the developmental roles of macroeconomic policies,” Heyzer added.

China, Escap said, is estimated to record a moderate increase in growth from 7.8 percent in 2012 to 8 percent, “while India is projected to recover somewhat from last year’s low of 5 percent to 6.4 percent in 2013.”

Oil- and gas-exporting North and Central Asia will continue to benefit from high global energy prices, maintaining steady growth. In South and Southwest Asia, the economies of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka are projected to grow 6 percent or more in 2013.

Export-led economies in East Asia and Northeast Asia as well as Southeast Asia are expected to gain from “improved, although still tepid, global trade.”

“Domestic demand will be the main economy driver in Indonesia, giving it a robust growth of 6.6 percent in 2013. Strong private consumption will support growth in the Philippines [6.2 percent in 2013] and Thailand [5.3 percent in 2013] while Vietnam’s economy is expected to pick up in the second half of 2013 to 5.5 percent,” Escap said.

It pushed for higher public investment to support a package of social protection and sustainable development policies comprising a job guarantee program, a universal pension scheme, disability benefits, increased public health spending, universal school enrollment and universal access to modern sources of efficient energy.

BusinessMirror - PHL growth to surpass Aspac level
 
PH's first bullet train
Manila Bulletin
Apr 17, 2013

Manila, Philippines --- The country will soon have its first bullet train after the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) announced that Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) has expressed its intention to finance the $3-billion Clark-Metro Manila project.

Another project, the $1.23-billion Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) that will run from San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan to SM North in Quezon City, will be financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Both projects will be built under the BOT scheme.

The plan for the bullet train is to construct the new railways between the lanes of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) because an earlier proposal to construct it parallel to the railway was scrapped due to some technical problems.

Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) said the project will be called “Express Airport Trains” which will have at least three stops in Metro Manila.

CIAC said that using the proposed trains, it will only take about 45 minutes to transport passengers from Clark to Manila, and vice versa.

The planned stopovers are Balintawak or near TriNoMa or SM North in Quezon City; Manila like Dimasalang or University of Sto. Tomas; and Makati at Buendia Avenue.

Meanwhile, NEDA is re-evaluating the MRT 7 project after the previous approval had lapsed and some changes in terms and conditions have been made.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya said that the proposal for the mass rail transit between North Avenue in Quezon City and Bulacan was already submitted to the NEDA- Investment Coordinating Committee (ICC).

The re-evaluation was needed because under the implementing rules and regulations of the government’s BOT Law, any changes in proposed project shall again be re-evaluated by the NEDA-ICC.

NEDA said that since JICA decided to fund the project, the government can expect the continuous construction of the rail once started.

The initial construction will be put up in Barangay Tala in San Jose Del Monte. The new MRT line will run through Fairview, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City Memorial Circle, and North EDSA.

The final station will be constructed in Paramount in Quezon City, in front of SM North EDSA and the Triangle of North Manila (TriNoMa) mall.

NEDA added that the new lane will be connected to the now operational LRT-MRT Closing Loop Interconnection Project.

It added that once the MRT-7 Line is completed, the Paramount Station will be a Mega Rail Station.

We would need China or Japan's help. Our train infrastructure is way behind than those aforementioned countries. Our workers also lack experience in this ambitious project.
 
Dude it already says Japan would help your not reading at all plus why would the Philippines buy cheap copy teach from the lands of cheap copycats? Its unsafe technology
 
Well, Japanese trains are safe, and also Chinese. There was only 1 accident that happened in China's high speed trains. Anyway, China technology is not dangerous.
 
Oh please i use to own some chinko cheap product even though it said one year use it broke the next day with the exception of foreign brand names made in china (like Shoes etc) majority of chinko products are dangerous and made poorly from original designs it should be avoided and condemn by everyone anyway going back its good that Japan and the rest of our economic partners have been very supportive of the Administrations projects and thank god those chinko Imperials left you can put your 500 billion on your @$$e$ were it belongs we have billions from other source anyway so you guys can keep your dirty money and we send you guys our middle fingers too.
 
Phl ranked 26th most socially advanced country
By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) | Updated April 19, 2013

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is the 26th most socially advanced country, a report by a London-based organization showed.

The Philippines had good rankings in “ecosystem sustainability” (11th) and “personal freedom and choice” (15th) based on the Social Progress Index released recently by the Skoll World Forum.

The Philippines ranked 36th in “basic human needs” (shelter, safety, water, medical care, among others), 24th for “foundations of wellbeing” (access to ICT, health and wellness, and ecosystem sustainability) and 21st for “opportunity” (personal rights, personal freedom and access to higher education.)

However, the country scored poorly in “personal safety” (41st), access to ICT (38th) and “nutrition and basic medical care” (37th).

Sweden topped the survey, followed by Britain, Germany, the United States and Japan.

Of the other Southeast Asian countries covered by the survey, Thailand was 23rd, partly due to a very high score for “basic human needs” where it placed second out of the 50 nations in the category of “shelter.”

Vietnam was 30th and Indonesia, 38th.

Vietnam placed 4th for “shelter” but came out last for “personal rights.”

Indonesia did not place higher than 29th in any category grouping and no higher than 18th in any individual attribute.

Singapore and Malaysia were not covered in this first edition of the index.

The Social Progress Index ranked 50 countries by their social and environmental performance.

The Skoll World Forum is the premier international platform for accelerating entrepreneurial approaches and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing social issues.

The Social Progress Index is distinctive for being based entirely on social and environmental measures covering basic human needs, foundations of wellbeing and opportunity.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/04/19/932354/phl-ranked-26th-most-socially-advanced-country
 

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