Diplomatic balancing

by Former Senate President Manny Villar

OF TREES AND FOREST

Last Sunday, Sept. 4, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. left the country to embark on his first ever state visit as the Philippines’ chief diplomat. Or, as he mentioned in his departure speech “mangangapitbahay muna para sa ating bansa at para sa ating ekonomiya.” His first overseas trip will bring him to Indonesia and then to Singapore. And then, as I understand it from the announcement of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), PBBM will also fly to New York to speak before the United Nations General Assembly.

These are very important foreign trips for the President and for the country not just because these will set the tone of the foreign policy directions of this administration but also because it will allow the country to strengthen ties in the region as we collectively face the challenges facing the world.

Just like his predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, President Bongbong has chosen to visit our allies in the Southeast Asian region. As the DFA pointed out, this is important because as “close neighbors and founding members of ASEAN, the Philippines enjoys active engagement with both Indonesia and Singapore in terms of myriad areas including security and defense, trade and investment, people-to-people exchanges and more.”

The President is expected to meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo as well as Singaporean President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. I am sure that while many geopolitical issues will be discussed, President Bongbong will emphasize the need to protect the welfare of Filipinos working in these two countries. These foreign trips are good opportunities to strengthen bilateral efforts to protect our OFWs worldwide.

In fact, based on statements made by the DFA, Presidents Marcos, Jr., and Widodo are scheduled to discuss the case of long-detained overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso who has been on death row for over 12 years in Indonesia.

These state visits will also provide an opportunity for the President and his economic team to strengthen economic cooperation and promote the country as an investment destination. I am certain that the business delegation will meet with various business groups in Indonesia and Singapore in order to entice them to do business in the country.

Geopolitical issues will, of course, be the centerpiece of the visit. There are two items in the agenda that I think are very crucial: the West Philippine Sea conflict and counterterrorism. According to the foreign affairs department, there will clearly be discussions on key regional issues of mutual interest, including the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea issue, cognizant that all three countries actually have the common goal to maintain peace and stability and prevent incidents in this particular part of the world.

This visit will give us the first clear indication of how President Marcos, Jr. intends the handle this geopolitical landmine that has been hanging like Damocles’ sword in the region. I find it interesting that PBBM seems to be cautiously balancing the benefits of strong relations not just with China but also the United States. In early July, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, became the first foreign envoy to visit to the Philippines under the new Marcos presidency. And now, in late September. PBBM will visit the US first via his trip to the UNGA.

The President has emphasized the need to strengthen bilateral relations with Beijing but he also insisted on avoiding a myopic view of this relations: “One of the ways I’ve consistently suggested is that we have our relationship not only on one dimension, not just all about the West Philippine Sea. Let’s add to that – cultural exchanges, educational exchanges, even military if that will be useful.” In other words, the Manila-Beijing historic ties go beyond the conflict. The imperative of course is how to work around this controversy so both countries work on economic and cultural ties.

This is going to be a diplomatic balancing act for President Marcos, Jr. that will test his diplomatic and political skills. I have no doubt that the President will pass this test with flying colors. He has demonstrated his deep understanding of foreign policy issues but more importantly, he has proven that the overriding factor shaping his foreign policy is the national interest.

Davao med students infected with Covid

By Ruth Palo, Manila Bulletin

DAVAO CITY: Fifteen students from various medical schools here have been infected with Covid-19, two weeks after the resumption of face-to-face (F2F) classes on all academic levels, City Health Office (CHO) head Dr. Ashley Lopez said.

According to the CHO, most of the infected are fourth-year students, who are required to take RT-PCR tests before being allowed to attend F2F classes.

The number of cases makes up less than 10 percent of the entire student population of Davao City. These students either have shown no symptoms or manifested very mild ones.

"These are seemingly asymptomatic to mild cases so they do not require hospitalization. And most of them will only need to undergo seven days of isolation in their homes or quarantining, then after that, they can go back to class," Lopez said.

Lopez, however, said the cases detected since the reopening of F2F classes on August 22 are no cause for alarm, adding there is no need to suspend the F2F modality of classes.

The CHO renewed its call to Davaoeños, especially students, to get vaccinated, although she said vaccination remains voluntary.

The city vows to continue to mobilize its vaccination campaign in all public and private schools.

Lopez admits that vaccination is not mandatory, which is why she said they cannot impose this as a requirement in schools.

The city's vaccination hubs will be operational daily even on Sundays for September.

Manila prepared to curb Covid spread

At least 600 free tests per day are done by the CHO as part of the city's Covid surveillance measures.

The city is also monitoring infection cases following the successful staging of the Kadayawan Festival last month.

'No reason to hike price of sardines'

By Bella Cariaso

FISHERFOLK'S group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Tuesday accused big fishing firms of floating the short supply of tamban to justify the increase in the retail prices of canned sardines and to allow their vessels to enter the municipal waters.

The group maintained that there is no reason to increase the price of sardines.

Pamalakaya National Chairman Fernando Hicap said that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reported a 222.58 percent sufficiency level of tamban in the first quarter of this year.

"Based on the data from BFAR, we have no shortage in the supply of tamban. There is no reason to increase the prices of sardines in the markets," Hicap said.

Hicap added that the government should not allow the commercial fishing operators to enter the municipal waters.

Commercial fishing vessels, or those weighing 3.1 gross tons and above, should be restricted within the 15-kilometer municipal fishing grounds from the coastline, he said.

"The BFAR should remain vigilant against this fabricated tamban shortage that will only favor the big fishing firms and operators over the interests of small fishers and consumers," Hicap added.

In a separate interview with The Manila Times, BFAR spokesman Nasario Briguera agreed that there is no reason to increase the prices of canned sardines as he also denied a shortage.

"There is no reason to increase the prices of canned sardines since we have sufficient supply of the raw materials used for the manufacture of canned sardines," Briguera said.

He added that based on the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country's sufficiency level of tamban is pegged at 200 percent and 400 percent for the first and second quarters of 2022, respectively.

At the same time, he said BFAR has no jurisdiction on calls to allow commercial fishing vessels to enter the municipal waters.

"While a group is calling to allow commercial fishing vessels to enter municipal waters to address the shortage of tamban, which is contrary to the data that we have, we would like to mention that under Republic Act (RA) 8550, zero to 15 kilometers from municipal waters is exclusive for municipal fisherfolk," Briguera added.

Briguera said that while RA 1064 allows small and medium commercial fishing vessels to fish from 10.1 to 15 kilometers from the municipal waters, they should secure permits from local government units.

BFAR exec denies shortage of sardines

"An ordinance and consultation with the stakeholders should also be conducted before allowing the small and medium commercial fishing vessels in the municipal waters," he added.

Briguera said the retail price of tamban ranges from P70 to P100 per kilo.

For those who've lived in the Philippines, what are some things...

 outsiders don't understand about Filipino culture?

By: Selwyn Clyde M. Alojipan

 · 

Filipino, resident of Quezon City, collector of trivial information

Filipinos like to be inclusive. If they see a stranger, they will say hello and ask him to eat with them or ask him questions where he’s from and where he’s going. Then they’ll try to help him with tips and directions. They will feel happy that their small community has been visited by a foreigner who had to come so far to see their place.

A foreigner with Filipino roots, one who has spent some time in the country, knows how to speak a few words in the local language or dialect, or has a Filipino spouse is automatically considered an “honorary Filipino.”

Any celebrity or VIP with Filipino ancestry who has made a successful career abroad will be the target of the phenomenon known as “Filipino Pride” or “Pinoy Pride” in which Filipinos from all over the globe and in the country will feel proud of him for being a part of the global Filipino community and for enhancing the Filipino identity.

People with Filipino ancestry who grew up overseas without learning about Filipino culture and who may have considered themselves Americans, Australians, Canadians, British, French, Italian, etc., will be curious why they are being automatically included in this all-inclusive and ever-growing Filipino community.

They don’t understand why they automatically belong to a club that they may not have known about in their entire lives. It will take them some time of living in the Philippines or among a group of Filipino expats abroad to get an inkling why they are considered members of a vast extended family.

There’s no particular reason why this happens. Filipinos just like to belong in a group and like expanding the size of that group. They will feel sad if a person goes away for a while and they will be happy if they see that person again. That’s just how it is among Filipinos.

What country do the Filipinos feel more close culturally?

Joseph Solis Alcayde Alberici

political scientist; political and economic analyst; and historical buff

Freelance Columnist at SunStar Cebu2013–present

B.A in Political Science & Political Theory, University of San CarlosGraduated 2015

Lives in Cebu City, Philippines2010–present

Most Filipinos feel cultural affinity with the United States and white Anglophone countries like Canada and Australia but Americans, Canadians, and Australians don’t reciprocate them much because core Filipino cultural values and Anglo-Saxon values are fundamentally different from each other and most Filipinos in the Philippines are in fact not capable of adopting many traits of white Anglophones like individualism, self-accountability, sense of guilt, representative democracy, and others.

The core cultural values of the Filipino people are mostly laid down by Spanish colonizers and most of cultural, ideological, political, and religious aspects of Filipino society have had been derived from Spain and Mexico. The preexisting family oriented values of the Filipino people before Spanish colonization was further strengthened and institutionalized by the Spaniards and may remain such in the foreseeable future.

Lufthansa-Piloten beschließen zweiten Streik

 

Fünf Tage nach dem Letzten: Lufthansa-Piloten beschließen zweiten Streik. Hunderte Flüge fielen dem Streik der Lufthansa zum Opfer. Mittwoch droht das gleiche Schicksal. Die Piloten haben einen weiteren Streik bei der Airline beschlossen. Das Unternehmen könne den für Mittwoch geplanten zweitägigen Ausstand aber noch mit einem „ernstzunehmenden“ Angebot abwenden, teilte die Gewerkschaft Vereinigung Cockpit in Frankfurt mit. Dazu sei für den Dienstag ein weiterer Verhandlungstermin angeboten worden.

Fire hits ABS-CBN, ANC, Teleradyo stop programming

BREAKING NEWS

By Francis Earl Cueto, Manila Times

September 6, 2022

BROADCAST company ABS-CBN temporarily ceased airing of their programs in ANC and Teleradyo after their employees were vacated due to a fire that broke out within the compound in Quezon City on Tuesday.

According to the ABS-CBN website, employees inside the main building were asked to evacuate after smoke was seen coming out of the 3rd floor at about 7 a.m.

South Korea braces for Hinnamnor's onslaught

NO FLYING TODAY An electronic signboard shows canceled flights as Typhoon 'Hinnamnor' travels toward the Korean Peninsula at Jeju International Airport on Jeju Island, South Korea on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. YONHAP NEWS AGENCY PHOTO VIA AP

By Associated Press

SEOUL: Hundreds of flights were grounded and more than 200 people evacuated in South Korea on Monday as Typhoon "Hinnamnor" approached its southern region with heavy rains and winds of up to 290 kilometers (180 miles) an hour, putting the East Asian nation on alert for its worst storm in decades.

South Korea's weather agency said the country would start to feel the full force of Hinnamnor, the strongest global storm this year, by Tuesday morning when it is forecast to graze the southern resort island of Jeju before making landfall near the mainland city of Busan.

Government officials raised concern about potentially huge damage from flooding, landslides and tidal waves triggered by the typhoon, which comes just weeks after the capital Seoul and nearby regions were hit with heavy rainfall that unleashed flash floods and killed at least 14 people.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, who said he would stay at his office overnight to monitor the typhoon, urged maximum effort to prevent casualties during an emergency response meeting on Monday. Prime Minister Han Duk-soo called for proactive efforts to evacuate residents in areas vulnerable to flooding.

Officials say Hinnamnor could bring more powerful winds than 2003's Typhoon "Maemi," which left 117 people dead and was the strongest storm to make landfall in the country since the start of record keeping in 1904.

As of Monday night, Hinnamnor was over the open sea 240 km (149 mi) southwest of Jeju. It has dumped more than 50 centimeters (20 inches) of rain on the island's central part since Sunday and winds were blowing at a maximum speed of 124 km per hour (77 mph) and were picking up.

South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety said there were no immediate reports of casualties. At least 11 homes and buildings were flooded in Jeju while more than 200 people were forced to evacuate in Busan and nearby cities because of safety concerns.

More than 360 domestic flights and 66 ferry services were grounded nationwide as of Monday afternoon while thousands of fishing boats returned to port.

Kindergarten and elementary schools in Seoul and all schools in Busan and nearby southern regions are scheduled to be closed or shift to online classes Tuesday.

Peso hits another record low

By Tiziana Celine Piatos

THE Philippine peso sank on Monday to another record low — P56.999 against the United States dollar — after hitting P56.985 during intraday trading.

The Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) said the peso lost another 22 centavos on Monday, passing the previous record of P56.77 posted at the Philippine Dealing System (PDS) last Friday.

The BAP said Monday's weighted average exchange rate was P56.94.

The lowest rate the peso has ever been against the dollar before the Monday rate was P56.45 in 2004.

The local currency has shed more than P6 (11.8 percent) in value since the start of the year. It closed at P50.999 to the dollar on January 3, the first trading day of 2022.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort warned that the currency could continue to slip in the coming days.

"The expected seasonal increase in importation in third quarter (July-September), in preparation for the expected increase in sales during the holiday season in the fourth quarter (especially the US Thanksgiving in November; Christmas/Yuletide in December until New Year celebrations) [is a catalyst]," Ricafort said in a September 3 report.

He said he hopes the seasonal rise in remittances from overseas Filipinos and export sales revenues converted to pesos, particularly during Christmas, could prop up the peso in the fourth quarter of this year, or from October to December.

The peso depreciated after the US Federal Reserve maintained a hawkish stance, with Chairman Jerome Powell suggesting a tight monetary policy "for some time" until inflation is under control.

Peso plunges to record low: P56.98 vs US dollar

In a September 2 tweet, ING Bank Manila's senior economist Nicholas Mapa said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will likely keep a similar hawkish position and bring the interest rate to 4.5 percent by the end of the year.

Despite the BSP's aggressive rate hikes, the peso has remained weak this year versus the dollar.

BSP Governor Felipe Medalla earlier said the bank has done enough to stabilize the currency, and even told The Manila Times that it is not inclined to take any more steps to defend the peso.

"We can say we have done enough. This is not a peso problem; it's a dollar problem," he said.

Harz ruft wegen Waldbrand Katastrophenalarm aus

Rund 200 Feuerwehrleute kämpfen im Nationalpark Harz weiter gegen einen Waldbrand. Das Feuer sei nach wie vor nicht unter Kontrolle, teilte das Landratsamt des Landkreises Harz im sachsen-anhaltischen Halberstadt mit. Der Landkreis rief zudem den Katastrophenfall aus. Insgesamt brennen rund 150 Hektar Wald. Die Feuerwehr war auch in der Nacht im Einsatz. Der Brand habe sich über Nacht nicht weiter ausgebreitet. Das Feuer war am Samstag in einem schwer zugänglichen Gebiet unterhalb des Brockens ausgebrochen. Wanderer und Besucher wurden in Sicherheit gebracht, das Brockenplateau und der unmittelbare Bereich um den Berg wurden gesperrt. Die Flammen griffen auch auf ein Moorgebiet über.