Philippines hits China plan to fortify Sansha

The Philippines on Wednesday denounced China’s decision to strengthen islands at the center of territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) as a violation of international law.
“Sansha City has been a subject of a Philippine protest as its administrative jurisdiction encompasses Philippine territory and maritime zones in the West Philippine Sea,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said, referring to China’s announcement that it would develop Woody Island in the Paracels and other islands in the sea that the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries are disputing.
“China’s action to fortify Sansha City is an attempt to reinforce its excessive nine-dash claim, which is a violation of international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” said DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez.
Hernandez said the Philippines would press ahead with its political, legal and diplomatic plans to resolve its dispute with China over Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) and seven islands in the Spratlys in the West Philippine Sea.
Besides the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam claim parts of the sea that is home to sea-lanes vital to global trade and vast deposits of oil and gas.
Taiwan also claims parts of the sea, nearly all of which China insists is part of its territory.
$1.6-billion investment
In a report on Monday, business and financial news agency Bloomberg quoted the 21st Century Business Herald as saying that China had approved plans to invest at least $1.6 billion to build an airport, pier and other infrastructure on islands involved in territorial disputes with its Southeast Asian neighbors.
The report quoted Jiang Dingzhi, governor of China’s Hainan province, as saying that the plans were intended as “a platform for Sansha’s development in the long term.”
“Sansha’s immediate work is for airports, ports, piers and other important infrastructure, as well as law enforcement vessels, supply ships and other projects to be established,” Jiang was quoted as saying in a statement.
“In the long term, we need to implement a platform for Sansha’s development,” Jiang added.
Garrison town
Sansha is a garrison town on Woody Island, one of the islands, reefs and atolls that Vietnam is claiming in the Paracel archipelago in its part of the area that it calls East Sea.
Bloomberg, still quoting the 21st Century Herald, said the funds for Sansha would also be spent on marine law enforcement and ocean fisheries and that construction of some facilities had already started.
The Philippines and Vietnam have protested China’s creation of Sansha.
China built Sansha in June for the administration of the Paracels and the Spratlys.
The DFA said Sansha’s jurisdiction covered the Kalayaan Island Group in the Spratlys, which “is an integral part of the Philippine territory falling under the municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan province.”
“For this reason, the Philippines does not recognize Sansha City and the extent of its jurisdiction and considers recent measures taken by China as unacceptable,” Hernandez said.
New border rules
In late November, Hainan province announced new maritime rules that would allow its border patrols to board, search and expel foreign ships that enter what it considers its territory in the sea.
The new rules, believed to have approval from Beijing, would come into effect on Jan. 1.
China also issued a new passport on which is stamped a map showing the entire sea as part of its territory.
The Philippines and Vietnam have protested the new maritime rules and the map on the new Chinese passport and refused to stamp visas on it.
Other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have expressed fears the new Chinese maritime rules could lead to armed confrontations in disputed parts of the sea.
The United States, which has declared it has a “national interest” in freedom of navigation in the sea, has asked China to clarify the extent and purpose of the new border rules.

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Philippines 17th most generous country in the world

It would appear that Filipinos have taken to heart the words of that classic Christmas carol that goes, “at magmula ngayon, kahit hindi pasko ay magbigayan.”

According to the World Giving Index 2012 by British organization Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), the Philippines is the 17th most generous country out of 146 countries included in the study, with a world giving index score of 45 percent.

The World Giving Index ranked countries based on three "giving behaviors:" donating money to a charity, volunteering time for an organization, and helping strangers.

The Philippines shared the ranking with Finland, who also had a score of 45 percent.,

Meanwhile Australia was ranked the most generous country with a score of 60 percent. Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and the United States rounded out the top five most generous, all ranking high in terms of donating money.

Filipinos, meanwhile, got a relatively low score of only 32 percent when it came to money donations, but ranked fifth overall in terms of volunteering, with a score of 44 percent. This score is the highest of any other country in Southeast Asia. As for helping strangers, Filipinos got a score of 58 percent.

The CAF report said that the country's world giving score has exceeded its five-year average. However, it also said that there was a general decline in charitable acts in recent years, noting a decrease in participation in all three giving behaviors all over the world.

"According to our report, hundreds of millions fewer people have helped others than was the case last year," said CAF Chief Executive John Low in the report's foreword.,

"This has inevitably resulted in a dramatic reduction in charitable support for millions of vulnerable people the world over," he added.

The World Giving Index 2012 was compiled using data collected throughout 2011 and surveyed over 155,000 people. Countries featured in the World Giving Index in previous years that were not surveyed in 2011 do not feature in the 2012 Index.

Fieldwork was conducted by the market research firm, Gallup.

This is the third edition of the World Giving Index. — DVM, GMA News

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The first Christmas tree in the Philippines

Pangasinan is supposed to have gotten its name from its famous gourmet product, a coarse, pinkish sea salt (asin) praised by discriminating cooks all over the world. Pangasinan, depending on your informant, means either “land of salt” or “place where salt is made.”
But it seems that the province also contributes some enduring legends that should rightfully be taken with a grain of salt. First we have Urduja, who is believed to have been a 14th-century, Turkish-speaking amazon princess. Although debunked by historians, her name proudly remains on one of the buildings in the provincial Capitol and elsewhere in the country.
The other legend from Pangasinan is that the first Mass—or, to be specific, the first Christmas Mass—was celebrated somewhere on the coast of Bolinao in 1324! This assertion further complicates the issue of the first Mass or Masses brought by the Magellan expedition in 1521.
An interesting detail in this story is that the Mass was officiated by the Franciscan Odoric of Pordenone (c. 1286-1331), who travelled to Asia in the 14th century, and who also planted the first Christmas tree in the Philippines in 1324! It is not only the first Mass that is at issue here but also the Christmas tree, which became popular in Europe only in the 19th century and was probably brought to the Philippines in the early 20th century by the Americans.
I would like to think that the idea of the Christmas tree was actually brought to the Philippines in 1886 by Jose Rizal. We have two primary-source documents to support this claim: a manuscript containing Hans Christian Andersen tales that Rizal translated into Tagalog to delight his nephews and nieces; and a letter Rizal wrote in Berlin in November 1886 to his eldest sister Neneng (Saturnina) and her husband Maneng (Manuel Hidalgo).
Written in Rizal’s legible hand, “Ang Puno ng Pino,” the sad tale of a little fir tree, is illustrated with two spot drawings of a Christmas tree. In his letter to Neneng, the hero narrated that he attended religious services both in Catholic and Protestant churches. He even visited Jewish synagogues. “Everything that can teach me something interests me,” he said, “so that I can bring to the Philippines the best that I find here.”
In this letter, Rizal mentioned the Christmas traditions he encountered in Spain and Germany. On the Christmas tree he wrote:
“There are some beautiful and good [German] customs, like Christmas, which gives me pleasure to describe here for it is not found in Spain and you have not read about it in Spanish books. On Christmas Eve they bring from the forest a pine tree, and this tree is chosen because, besides being erect, it is the only tree that keeps its leaves during winter—I say it badly; not really leaves, but a kind of needle. It is decorated with tinsel, paper, lights, dolls, candy, fruits, dainties, etc., and at night time, it is shown to the children (who should see the preparation of it), and around this tree the family celebrates Christmas.”
Then Rizal described kissing under the mistletoe:
“They say, and I have also read it, that in England there is another custom which is for older persons. In certain parts of the house is hung a twig of mistletoe or  gui  in French. When a young man and woman find themselves under it and he does not kiss her, he must pay a fine or give her a present. For this reason, many young men stroll in the streets carrying a twig of mistletoe. When they see a pretty girl, they approach her and kiss her. When she looks up and sees the mistletoe held over her head by the mischievous young man, she smiles, keeps quiet, and says nothing. This is very English.”
Rizal concluded by comparing Spanish and German customs to state that Christmas in the Philippines was ruined by too much praying:
“The only custom I have seen in Madrid, which perhaps we have adopted, is eat a fish called  besugo  and roast turkey, which shows that the Spaniards do not indulge in poems for children and young people, or as the vulgar expression goes, they do not beat around the bush. They attend more to the positive, or the stomach. And   Carambas! they would say; let us amuse ourselves and let children and young people seek their own amusement as best they can. They do seek their own diversion, with the result that the children and young people in Spain lack the charming innocence and candor of those in the North [of Europe], without malice, without great preoccupations. A good young woman can walk alone in the streets until 10 or 11 o’clock at night without being molested. A pretty girl, educated and rich, can travel safely for leagues and leagues alone with her handbag and luggage. This is because here [in Germany] they know how to give age its due, unlike in other countries where children are not allowed to be themselves, to make noise or to play. Instead, they are made to recite the rosary and novena until the poor youngsters become very sleepy and understand nothing of what is going on. Consequently, when they reach the age of reason, they pray just as they have prayed when they were children without understanding what they are saying; they fall asleep and think of nonsense. Nothing can destroy a thing more than the abuse of it, and praying can also be abused.”

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THE NEW ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES MODERNIZATION ACT SIGNED

HIS Excellency, President Benigno S. Aquino III signed into law Republic Act (RA) 10349, the New Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Act, on December 11, 2012, extending for another 15 years the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and providing P75 billion for the first five years to boost the military’s capability program. It amended RA 7898, the original AFP Modernization Act, signed on February 23, 1995.
The 130,000-strong AFP is divided into three main services: Philippine Army (PA), Philippine Air Force (PAF), and Philippine Navy (PN), composed of the Philippine Fleet and the Philippine Marine Corps. RA 10349 will help the AFP acquire equipment in its Medium-Term (2013-2017) Acquisition List, including jet fighters and 21 helicopters for the PAF; two missile-firing frigates and two anti-submarine helicopters for the PN; and modern protection equipment for the PA.
The AFP identified 39 projects to be covered by the revised modernization plan. Among others, PAF will acquire 21 additional UH-1B multipurpose helicopters to replace its UH-1H (Huey) helicopters and 10 attack helicopters in the next two years. The plan also includes the purchase of three medium-lift aircraft to complement PAF’s C-130 Hercules cargo planes.
RA 10349  exempts from the requirement of public bidding major defense purchases such as aircraft, vessels, tanks, armored vehicles, communication equipment, and high powered firearms. It grants more funding sources from public-private partnerships entered into by the Department of National Defense (DND). It allows multi-year contracts and exempts from value-added tax and customs duties the sale of weapons, equipment, and ammunition to the AFP.
We congratulate the Armed Forces of the Philippines headed by Chief of Staff Gen. Jessie D. Dellosa, Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Noel A. Coballes, Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Emmanuel T. Bautista, Philippine Air Force Commanding General Lt. Gen. Lauro Catalino G. dela Cruz, and Philippine Navy Flag Officer-in-Command Vice Admiral Jose Luis M. Alano, all the best and success in their combined efforts to develop and transform the AFP into a multi mission-oriented organization. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!

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Philippines typhoon death toll 'likely to hit 1,500'

MANILA, Philippines - The death toll from a typhoon that devastated the Philippines earlier this month will likely hit 1,500, making it the second deadliest since the country began keeping records, the civil defence chief said Saturday, December 22.
Benito Ramos said that so far they had counted 1,067 dead with more than 800 still missing after Tyhoon Bopha hit the southern island of Mindanao on December 4.
"It (the death toll) will go higher. But let us not assume the missing are already dead," he told AFP, estimating fatalities at "about 1,500" but adding that the search for the missing continued.
The toll from Typhoon Bopha is expected to easily exceed the 1,268 confirmed dead after Typhoon Washi struck the southern Philippines in December 2011, he said.
If the toll reaches 1,500 it would make it the second deadliest storm to hit the Philippines since 1947, when the Philippines began keeping records a year after independence.
Typhoon Thelma, which killed at least 5,101 in 1991, remains the deadliest on record, the government statistics bureau said. Typhoon Ike, which claimed 1,363 lives in 1984, is listed as second.
Thousands of people remain homeless after Typhoon Bopha brought flash floods that wiped out whole towns.
However Ramos expressed confidence there would be no rise in health problems as the government had brought enough food and medicine to care for those affected.
"It will be contained. the government presence is felt by the people already," he said.
The Philippines is hit by about 20 major storms or typhoons each year that occur mainly during the rainy season between June and October. - Rappler.com

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PAGASA: Amihan, ITCZ to bring rain to parts of PHL on Christmas Eve

The northeast monsoon and the inter-tropical convergence zone will bring rain to parts of the country on Christmas Eve, state weather forecasters said Sunday afternoon.

In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said that while the northeast monsoon is affecting Luzon, the ITCZ is affecting Southern Mindanao.

"Mindanao and Eastern Visayas will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms. Cagayan Valley, Bicol region and the provinces of Aurora and Quezon will experience cloudy skies with light rain," it said.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy with brief rain showers or thunderstorms, it added.

PAGASA also said moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail throughout the archipelago and the coastal waters will be moderate to rough.

On the other hand, PAGASA said Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley will be cloudy with occasional light to moderate rain (1-5 mm per hour) Sunday and Monday.

Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental had been hit hard by Tropical Cyclone Pablo earlier this month.

Meanwhile, PAGASA said strong to gale-force winds associated with the northeast monsoon may affect the seaboards of Northern Luzon and the eastern seaboard of Central and Southern Luzon, Eastern Visayas and Eastern Mindanao.

"Fishing boats and other small seacrafts are advised not to venture out into the sea while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves," it said. — BM, GMA News

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Philippines to exceed its growth forecast for 2012, 2013

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippine economy is expected to grow by no less than 7 percent this year, which is well above the country's growth forecast of 5-6 percent, according to economic managers here.
In his year-end economic briefing, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said that the growth of country's gross domestic product (GDP) would exceed its high-end target of 6 percent, adding that growth in 2013 would be between 5.5 to 6.5 percent and between 6.5 to 7.5 percent in 2014 and beyond.
Leading multilateral institutions, such as the World Bank and Standard & Poor's (S&P), have also upgraded their growth forecast and credit rating for the Philippines respectively.
The World Bank has raised its growth forecast for the Philippines for this year and the next, crediting prudent economic policies of the administration of President Benigno Aquino coupled with political stability in the country.
For this year, the World Bank said that the Philippine economy would expand by 6 percent, becoming one of the fastest-growing economies in the Asia Pacific Region. It was the third time that the World Bank raised its forecast for Philippine economy growth of 2012.
The World Bank said that in 2013, the Philippines could grow by 6.2 percent.
The adjustments in the World Bank's forecasts came after the government reported a surprising 7.1 percent growth rate in the third quarter, one of the fastest rates in the whole of Asia, next only to that of China.
The Philippine economy grew by 6.5 percent in the first three quarters of the year on the back of higher government spending, increased household consumption, and higher investments by local firms.
In its "East Asia and Pacific Economic Update," the multilateral agency claimed that the developing East Asia region would grow by 5.6 percent in 2012, from 4.4 percent in 2011.
"The rebound in Thailand following the floods in 2011, strong growth in the Philippines, and relatively mild slowdowns in Indonesia and Vietnam contributed to this recovery," the World Bank said.
S&P has upgraded its outlook on the credit rating of the Philippines from "stable" to "positive", prompting Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima to express confidence that the country will finally get an investment grade in 2013.
An investment grade would mean more confidence on the Philippines to attract more foreign direct investments (FDIs) and thus help in jobs generation.
In a statement released Thursday, S&P said the decision to improve the outlook on the rating of the Philippines was based on the assessment of a favorable political situation in the country as evidenced by the ability of the Aquino administration to push for and implement vital reforms.
The S&P announcement came hours after President Aquino signed the so-called "sin tax" bill that would raise excise taxes on tobacco and liquor.
"We revised the outlook to positive to reflect our reappraisal of the political and institutional factors underlying the ratings, " Agost Benard, credit analyst of S&P for the Philippines, said in the statement.
According to Benard, S&P may decide to raise the country's credit rating to investment status next year if favorable indicators are sustained. These include improving revenue collection, declining reliance on borrowings from foreign creditors, and falling debt burden of the government.
Two other economic indicators contributed in boosting the Philippine economy.
One, remittances from overseas Filipino workers reached a record high in October as global demand for Filipino workers remained strong despite the lingering crisis in the United States and Europe.
Filipino-based overseas workers sent home $1.93 billion in cash in October, the highest monthly figure so far on record, rising by 8.5 percent from $1.78 billion in the same month last year, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the country's central bank.
This brought total remittances in the first 10 months of the year to $17.5 billion, up by 5.8 percent from $16.53 billion in the same period a year ago.
The World Bank said it is likely that total remittances to the Philippines for this year will hit $24 billion and make the country the third biggest recipient of money from migrant workers, next to India and China.
There are at least 10 million registered overseas-based Filipinos, fueling spending of over 10 percent of households in the country.
The inflow of portfolio investments or "hot money" to the Philippines also surged to $1.01 billion in November, the highest net inflow in about two years. This was also more than double the $490.35 million recorded in the same month last year.
According to the BSP, the inflows came mostly from the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
Despite this rosy picture of the economy, however, the National Census Office reported early this week that the country's unemployment rate has risen to 6.8 percent.
"Given the latest labor and employment figures, generating employment and ensuring that these are of good quality remain our greatest challenge," Balisacan said.
But next year, according to Balisacan, the job situation could improve with the expected improved electronics industry, which accounts for more than half of the country's exports.

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