Germany, US envoys enjoy friendly rivalry at FIBA World Cup semifinals

BY RAYMUND ANTONIO

Sep 9, 2023 02:33 PM

  

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The ambassadors of Germany and the United States enjoyed the friendly rivalry between their countries’ respective national basketball teams as they watched the Germans beat the Americans for the first time in FIBA World Cup history.

(From left) US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson and Ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoschke of Germany shake hands after Germany defeated the US in the FIBA World Cup semifinals on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo from Amb. Pfaffernoschke)

German Ambassador to the Philippines Andreas Pfaffernoschke celebrated his country’s victory on a post on X (formerly Twitter) after watching the game with US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson.  

“A pleasure to meet #TeamGermany after the sensational win against Team (USA),” he captioned a photo of him with some of Germany players inside their locker room at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.

“Good luck for the #FIBAWC2023  finals tomorrow!,” he added as Germany will face Serbia on a final battle on Sunday, Sept. 10.

The German envoy thanked Carlson for watching the game as well, and even posted a selfie of them.

“And thanks to my (USA) colleague for watching this thrilling and exciting match together. Compliments to @_BasketballUSA - what a team!,” Pfaffernoschke added.

The teams met on Friday, Sept. 8, at the Mall of Asia Arena where Germany booked their first time to the championship game after the thrilling 113-111 victory.

Carlson reposted the German ambassador’s tweet and congratulated Germany for the semifinal win.

“I congratulated my colleague, German Ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoschke, on his team's win in tonight’s #FIBAWC semifinal match. Great game, right down to the final buzzer! Proud of our @USABasketball team for giving their all,” she wrote on X.

Filipinos in America

10,000 Filipinos face deportation as US changes immigration policy

By Patricia Lourdes Viray (philstar.com) | Updated September 6, 2017 - 6:05pm

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Standing on the step to the County Administration building, several groups address the crowd during a rally to show support for DACA in San Diego on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. Almost 800,000 young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or overstayed their visas could see their lives upended after the Trump administration announced Tuesday it is ending the Obama-era program that protected them from deportation. Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP

MANILA, Philippines — An estimated 10,000 Filipinos may be deported as the United States rescinds a program allowing undocumented immigrant children to stay legally in their country.

US President Donald Trump announced the formal dismantling of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which has given nearly 800,000 young immigrants a reprieve from deportation.

Trump gave the US Congress six months to come up with a law that would prevent the deportations of many as the people covered by the program.

Congress, get ready to do your job - DACA!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2017

I look forward to working w/ D's + R's in Congress to address immigration reform in a way that puts hardworking citizens of our country 1st.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2017

Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can't, I will revisit this issue!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 6, 2017

READ: Trump expected to end program for young immigrants

DFA on standby to assist Filipinos facing deportation

The Philippine government will assist Filipinos who will be affected by the revocation of the DACA program, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

"We will authorize, with certain limitations, the use of the Assistance to Nationals Fund and the Legal Assistance Fund to assist immigration-related cases such as those arising from the decision of President Trump to revoke the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals or DACA," Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said.

The Philippines' top diplomat urged members of the Filipino community in the US to remain hopeful and to actively support the passage of new laws that would assist those who will be affected by the policy change.

"In any event, we are ready to welcome and assist our kababayans in whatever way we can if they are returned to the Philippines," Cayetano said.

According to Chargé d'Affaires Patrick Chuasoto of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., the DACA program provides temporary legal status, allowing qualified immigrant children from the Philippines and other countries to stay, study and work in the US.

The DACA program was part of an executive order that former US President Barack Obama issued in 2012 to protect undocumented immigrant children from deportation.

About 310,000 out of the 3.4 million Filipinos in the US are undocumented, Chuasoto said.

Just in time?

SAT, FEBRUARY 25, 2017 BY THE MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR LEAVE A COMMENT

IN MY OPINIONKlaus Doring

At least when it comes to policy towards Asia, US President Donald Trump is becoming a little bit more dependable it seems, says German TV- commentator Frank Sieren.

It’s rare, that I agree with my fellow German media friends. Yeah, sometimes, we also meet on a different level. Yes, this time: it was a close call, but US President Donald Trump seems.

Donald Trump  has come to his senses just in time. He had already spoken to over 20 heads of state before deciding to put a telephone call through to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last week. This was too late considering China’s economy is already stronger than the US’ in terms of purchasing power, China contributes four times more than the US to the global economy, China has the largest global population and is the fourth-largest country in terms of area after Russia, Canada and the USA. The Chinese government had every right to take offense but it stayed calm, even as it made clear behind the scenes that there were certain limits that should not be overstepped.

These limits would have been overstepped if Donald Trump had not called Xi before receiving Japanese President Shinzo Abe and certainly if he had not confirmed officially that he would honor the “One China” policy after hints that he would not in the past. He also, in a press conference, said that the phone call had been “very warm.” His willingness to back down is perhaps surprising, but it seems that Trump is going to play it cool from now on. It was also clever to not say a word about thorny issues such as the South China Sea territorial dispute, or the trade surplus.

Before the phone call, the US president involved his relatives to lessen the blow to China. In a first for the White House, he sent his daughter and her five-year-old Arabella to a New Year’s reception at the Chinese embassy. Moreover, a video of his granddaughter singing “Happy New Year” in Chinese went viral. The New York Times said this was a “diplomatic coup” on the part of Arabella, even if it did come two weeks too late.

It seems as if Trump is dealing with foreign policy in the same way as he does business: He sees how far he can go before having to backtrack, as he has done now with regard to China, NATO and Canada. He has also been reasonable with regard to North Korea, barely reacting to Kim Jong Un’s attempt to attract attention through missile tests. Internationally, there has been some relief that his non-reaction was as balanced as it would have been before him. In any case, his unusual behavior – tweeting, blustering, playing golf with Abe, let alone having his granddaughter play the diplomat – is keeping his opponents on their toes.

Beijing understood Trump’s game and remained remarkably calm during the time of the provocation; it can afford to stay calm: The world is well behind China when it comes to trade. But Trump is under pressure – he has to deliver on promises regarding economic growth and jobs in the US. He will have to show his hand soon; there can be no bluffing with regard to China. The economies of the US and China are simply too interdependent now.

Games? We should take a watch.

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Email: doringklaus@g mal.com or just follow me in Linkedin, Twitter ot Facebook or visit www. germanexpatinthe philippines.blogspot.com.

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Cayetano: Better Philippines-US Relations

Office of Senator

Alan Peter S. Cayetano

Rm. 602 GSIS Complex Senate of the Philippines Roxas Blvd Pasay City

         

PRESS RELEASE

21 January 2017

Cayetano lauds Trump's support for independent foreign policy 

Sees better RP-US relations 

“We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world - but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first. We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow.” – President Donald Trump

We welcome the pronouncement of newly inaugurated United States President Donald Trump to seek friendship with other nations while respecting each country's own national interests.

We can see how, much like President Rodrigo Duterte, President Trump is driven by a strong fervor of patriotism and nationalism. They both focus on having an independent foreign policy that benefits their respective people and nations.

For our part, a truly independent foreign policy allows the Philippines to craft its own destiny with our national interest and the immediate improvement of the lives of our people as the paramount consideration. 

We look forward to a stronger relationship with the US, a kind that will be based on mutual trust and respect. 

We expect all agencies and instrumentalities of the United States of America to stand by and pursue this policy of mutual respect, cooperation, and non-interference.

We congratulate President Trump and his family and pray for his and America's success.

GOD Bless the New President.

GOD Bless America.

GOD Bless the Philippines!

Philippines Near Ground Zero in Emerging Market

Bloomberg

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Asia’s emerging markets have faced outflows since Donald Trump won the US presidential election earlier this month. The Philippines is ground zero for the rout as a resurgent US dollar and Manila’s still-expensive stock market have made it even more vulnerable, with the peso plunging to an eight-year low.

The currency of the Southeast Asian nation reached 50 to the dollar for the first time this decade on Thursday and headed for its biggest annual loss since 2013. While equities are poised for their worst month since August 2013, valuations are still the priciest in Asia.

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A Bloomberg gauge of the dollar is heading for the strongest close since at least 2005 amid speculation the president-elect’s policies will push the Federal Reserve to undertake a faster pace of rate increases.

“Emerging markets globally are experiencing fund withdrawals, but what makes the Philippines different, or vulnerable, was its valuation,” said Smith Chua, chief investment officer at Bank of the Philippine Islands, the nation’s second-biggest money manager with the equivalent of $12 billion in assets under management.

“The foreign-exchange movement has also been a significant factor for overseas investors. As the year is heading to a close, some of them want to lock in their gains before the peso weakens further.”

The last time the Philippine peso neared 50 to the dollar in 2008, the global financial system was melting down and the central bank raised interest rates to defend it.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is probably watching the market as the peso didn’t go beyond the 50 level, according to Jonathan Ravelas, chief market strategist at BDO Unibank Inc., the nation’s biggest bank by market value.

Other currencies in the region have not been spared, with Malaysia’s ringgit approaching its weakest level since 1998 when the Asian financial crisis occurred. The Indian rupee was also trading near a record low reached in August 2013.

A look at the flow of exchange-traded funds show that in the past month the US had the biggest net inflow at US$55 billion, data compiled by Bloomberg show. By contrast, developing nations, led by China and including the Philippines, saw outflows.

The Philippine peso has weakened almost 6 per cent in 2016. Overseas investors offloaded a net $327 million from the stock market in November, set for a fourth month of sell-offs since President Rodrigo Duterte took office at the end of June.

Philippine stocks are trading at 16.29 times 12-month estimated earnings, higher than the 11.9 times for the MSCI Emerging Markets Index of shares. The nation’s dollar bonds, which were up as much as 12 per cent this year in July, have pared those gains to about 4 per cent.

Philippine equities valuation peaked at 19.6 times earnings in July as stocks rallied amid speculation Duterte’s policies would accelerate one of the region’s fastest-growing economies. Since then, concerns over his deadly drug war -- which has killed thousands -- and his anti-U.S. rhetoric have led investors to pull back.

Some foreign-exchange strategists estimated earlier this month the currency would reach the 50 level only by next year as a seasonal increase in money remitted by overseas Filipinos for Christmas spending will curb a decline in the currency.

“A weaker peso just gives more dollar value to potential investors in emerging markets,” said Manila-based Ravelas at BDO said. “In terms of our valuation in the stock market, we’re expensive.”

Cayetano on Duterte-Obama Row: All is Well

Office of the Senator

Alan Peter S. Cayetano

Rm. 602 GSIS Complex Senate of the Philippines Roxas Blvd Pasay City

         

PRESS RELEASE

08 September 2016

Cayetano on Duterte-Obama row: All is Well

“All’s well that ends well.”

This is how Senator Alan Peter Cayetano described the brief meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and United States President Barack Obama on Wednesday night, following the cancellation of a scheduled formal talk between the two leaders last Tuesday.

The two presidents met informally in a holding room before attending a gala dinner at the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) summit in Laos.

During an interview with the Philippine media delegation, Cayetano, who accompanied President Duterte in his trip, said that the brief meetup ended well for both parties. He said the two leaders shared “a warm handshake [and] a good conversation.”

“You could see that there is an effort from both sides to patch things up,” added the chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, as he expressed the importance of maintaining strong diplomatic ties between the Philippines and the US.

“In diplomacy, you do not usually go to the past and say, ‘bakit nangyari ‘yun.’ You can’t blame anyone. It won’t be productive. The Philippines and the US have a longstanding partnership [and] relationship. There will be bumps along the way... But it won’t hurt to have a popular President on our side,” he stressed.

The senator earlier wrote an open letter to President Obama, which went viral in social media. In his letter, Cayetano appealed to the US leader to "give the Philippines and President Duterte a chance" to achieve genuine change, as the administration wages a three-pronged war to address poverty, defeat crime and drugs, and achieve a just, inclusive, and lasting peace.

Cayetano said that like President Obama, who persevered to overcome challenges and accomplish so much for the American people, the Philippines now has a leader who is willing to sacrifice his life and honor to protect the welfare of all Filipinos.

He further lamented how President Duterte has been misjudged by some sectors based on the way he speaks, which was aggravated by a misinformation campaign about the human rights situation in the country.

"Does he (Pres. Duterte) not deserve to be judged on his record and his actions? On facts and not manipulated statistics? On where he wants to bring the country rather than his sometimes politically incorrect words?" Cayetano asked. "Can't we give the Philippines and President Duterte a Chance?" #