Global Distrust to China Mount: Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia rejects Passport – USA Speaks Up!

New china passport depicting territories of Vietnam, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and India:  China said - Translation: Shut up, and take it.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — China's latest diplomatic train wreck, this time involving new passports containing watermarked maps of Beijing's hotly contested territorial claims, prompted the familiar protests of its oft enraged neighbors.  

It's just too bad nobody was at home to hear them.

"The aim of China's new electronic passports is to strengthen its technological abilities and make it convenient for Chinese citizens to enter or leave the country," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a media briefing on Wednesday.

"The issue of the maps in China's new passports should not be read too much into. China is willing to remain in touch with relevant countries and promote the healthy development of the exchange of people between China and the outside world."

Translation: Shut up, and take it.

"The Chinese are disingenuous. The maps are the latest example of them trying to fabricate a new precedent, but when countries protest, they pretend that everybody is delusional or overly emotional," said an official from Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Beijing attempted to cushion the diplomatic blow earlier this week by arguing the maps were "not made to target any specific country."

If that's true, they've done a pretty poor job of it. They've also done a pretty poor job of making it "more convenient for Chinese citizens." The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Chinese travelers to Vietnam and the Philippines were encountering waits of "a few hours" at immigration checkpoints.

Vietnam and the Philippines — who along with Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia claim parts of the vast South China Sea — will not issue visas for Chinese nationals using the passports because they say it would be tacit acknowledgment of China's claims. Both countries are issuing visas on separate pieces of paper.

The maps, depicting China's demands of the entire resource-rich sea, Taiwan and parts of Indian-controlled Himalayas is just the latest spat involving the Asian superpower and a growing clique of its increasingly distrustful neighbors.

Distrust is mounting.

Taking a page out of China's book, India is stamping visas for Chinese nationals with its own competing map of the Himalayas. The US and Asean's top diplomats have said they will raise the matter with Beijing.

"We do have concerns about this map which is causing tension and anxiety between and among the states in the South China Sea," US State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland told a media this week. "We do intend to raise this with the Chinese in terms of it not being helpful to the environment we all seek to resolve these issues."

Taiwan, which mainland China considers a rogue province and has threatened to use force to annex the island republic, doesn't recognize Chinese passports and  issues visas to Chinese tourists on a separate travel document.

"It's unclear what Beijing's motivation was. It seems to be a hasty decision made by hardliners within the government. Given the strong reactions from several neighbors, it's apparent that the move has backfired," said Zhiqun Zhu, an expert on Chinese politics at Bucknell University.

Zhu says hawkish elements within China's military and the ruling Communist Party used the maps as a tool to "take advantage of the leadership transition to attempt to set the tone of China's foreign policy."

China unveiled a once-in-a-decade power transition earlier this month that ushered in Xi Jingping as paramount leader of the world's second largest economy.

Beijing argues its fishermen plied the South China Sea and established outposts on its rocky outcrops centuries ago, and as such, it is theirs by "historical right," despite much of it being within the exclusive economic zone of other countries. 

This year marked a rapid escalation of tensions in the region — with China taking a front row seat for all of it. China and the Philippines engaged in a naval standoff at a shoal close to the Philippine island of Luzon early this year.

In June, a state-owned Sino oil company called for foreign exploration rights bids for blocks close to the Vietnamese coast. A month later, it angered claimants further when it announced it would station troops on a South China Sea island it had seized from Vietnam at the end of the Vietnam War.

"This is not a domestic issue any more. Beijing may have to reflect upon this: What has it achieved by issuing the new passport?  And how should it remedy the prickly situation and pacify its infuriated neighbors," said Zhu.

In other news, the Voice of America reported Thursday that China will permit its border police to board and search foreign ships that enter waters in the sea. According to the Voice of America, "police in the southern island province of Hainan will soon be authorized to land on, check, seize and expel foreign ships that enter the area illegally." (http://is.gd/f2Dxxg)

Global Post

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Philippines says will not stamp visa in new Chinese passport, will issue separate visa form

New printed China Passport includes the Territory of the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and India

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has become the latest country to say it will not stamp visas in a new Chinese passport because it includes a map of the South China Sea that Manila says shows its territory.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday that the visas will be stamped in a separate visa application form.

It said the move reinforces its protest formally conveyed to Beijing last week against China's "excessive claim over almost the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea."

It said stamping the passport could be seen as "legitimizing" China's claims.

Vietnam has already said it will not stamp the passports, while Taiwan has protested against the map's maritime borders and India has rejected the map's depiction of its northern border with China. India has retaliated by issuing Chinese citizens visas embossed with New Delhi's own maps.

The United States, which is taking no side in the territorial disputes but wants to ensure safe maritime traffic in one of the world's busiest sea lanes, has said it will raise its concerns over the map with Beijing.

China's Foreign Ministry says putting the map in the passport was not directed at any particular country. (http://is.gd/J3MYyE)

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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3rd Quarter 2012 Philippine Economy Growth 7.1% higher than expected - $17 billion of investment in roads and airports

Pedestrians walk past a billboard outside a shopping mall in central Manila, the Philippines. Photographer: Julian Abram Wainwright/Bloomberg

Philippines 7.1% Growth Surprise May Herald End of Rate Cuts

Philippine growth unexpectedly accelerated last quarter to the fastest pace since 2010 as government spending and investment increased, easing pressure on the central bank to cut interest rates further. Stocks rose.

Gross domestic product increased 7.1 percent in the three months through September from a year earlier, compared with a 6 percent gain in the previous quarter, the National Statistical Coordination Board said in Manila today. The pace exceeded all 22 estimates in a Bloomberg survey, whose median was 5.4 percent.

President Benigno Aquino is increasing spending to a record this year while seeking more than $17 billion of investment in roads and airports. The Southeast Asian nation is forecast to be among the 10 fastest growing economies in 2012, according to a Bloomberg survey, making it less likely that Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas will cut its benchmark interest rate again in December.

"The Philippines is going to rock," said Trinh Nguyen, a Hong Kong-based economist at HSBC Holdings Plc. "The central bank and the government have made timely policy adjustments that are boosting trend growth. With momentum so strong, we think BSP will hold rates and mark the end of the easing cycle."

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PCOMP) erased earlier losses and rose 0.7 percent as of 11:44 a.m. in Manila trading. The Philippine peso was little changed at 40.86 per dollar. It has risen more than 7 percent this year, the best performer among Asia's 11 most-traded currencies tracked by Bloomberg.

Preserving Firepower

Some Asian officials have restrained their stimulus efforts as global expansion slowed, with others refraining from interest-rate cuts to preserve firepower should Europe's debt crisis worsen. Thailand may hold borrowing costs today, economists said, after a manufacturing production index rose in October for the first time in five months. Meanwhile, India may report on Nov. 30 that GDP rose 5.3 percent last quarter.

Bangko Sentral "will be careful to calibrate the use of its enhanced policy tool kit to help ensure" domestic demand price pressures and risks from capital flows are managed, central bank Governor Amando Tetangco said today.

"In the near-term, our policy stance appears to remain appropriate," he said. Full-year growth may be 6 percent to 7 percent, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

Moody's Investors Service raised the country's credit rating to one step below investment grade in October, luring more pledges from companies including Alliance Global Group Inc. and First Gen Corp. The government signed a peace deal with Muslim guerrillas in the mineral-rich south last month, and said it expects about $1 billion of commitments in Mindanao.

Philippine exports rose 22.8 percent in September from a year earlier, as data signaling a recovery in the U.S. and China boosted the outlook for Asian goods. Inflation eased to a four- month low of 3.1 percent in October, while remittances, which make up the equivalent of about 10 percent of GDP, surged to a record $1.8 billion in September.

The Philippine economy expanded 6.5 percent in the January- September period, today's report showed. Public construction in the third quarter climbed 23.7 percent from a year earlier, while government spending gained 12 percent and household spending advanced 6.2 percent. (http://is.gd/XY5vxv)

Bloomberg 

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Israel Ask the Philippine to Lift Travel Ban and Welcome more Filipinos

Israel - Gaza War Scene. Photo: japanfocus.org

Israeli envoy seeks lifting of Philippines ban on workers in wake of cease-fire

Israel's envoy to Manila says he will ask the government to lift a ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Israel following the end of heavy fighting between Israeli and Hamas forces.

Ambassador Menashe Bar-on said Tuesday that the ban is unnecessary because the situation in Israel was returning to normal after a cease-fire agreement last week.

Bar-on says there are more than 40,000 Filipinos in Israel, mostly employed as care-givers, who have access to bunker-like protection against rocket attacks. The Philippine government says there are also about 120 Filipinos in Gaza.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration banned the deployment of workers to Israel because of the conflict, but made its decision after Wednesday's cease-fire.

Overseas workers provide one of the largest sources of foreign revenue for the Philippines.

Filipino Workers Always Welcome in Israel – Ambassador

Filipino workers, particularly caregivers, will always be welcome in Israel because of their impressive skills, experience and work etiquette, according to a top Israeli diplomat in the Philippines.

"They are welcome. The way these (Filipino) caregivers work, they really know how to do it," Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Menashe Bar-on told Manila Bulletin in an interview. "They can speak English--so it's more easy to communicate between employer and employee."

Ambassador Bar-on said that ever since their government decided to give working visas for caregivers the number of Filipinos in Israel have increased despite the ongoing conflict with Palestinian militants.

There are about 41,000 Filipinos living and working in Israel, mostly in the caregiving sector.

But, according to Bar-on, the relationship between Israel and the Philippines does not depend merely on manpower.

"The Philippines and Israel also have very good trade relations and knowledge exchange," he said.

The Israeli envoy noted that more than 200 Filipinos are studying in Israel.

In addition, every year at least 40 Filipinos participate in higher education training, particularly doctors, to gain new skills and to be able to use different equipment in their profession.

Also 300 Filipino students have studied in Israel on how to use greenhouses and other technology related to agriculture.

"It is knowledge, and you cannot measure it in money," said Ambassador Bar-on.

Trade between the two countries has reached $200 million the previous year with Israel importing semiconductors and agricultural products such as dried mangoes from the Philippines.

Bar-on said Israel also extends assistance to the commercial sector in the Philippines "as we do business with them."

The Philippines and Israel have enjoyed excellent bilateral relations since the latter was established in 1948, but their relations predate this, he said.

President Manuel L. Quezon espoused a policy of "Open Doors" which facilitated the issuance of visas for Jewish refugees who are escaping the Holocaust during the Second World War.

Bar-on pointed out that the Philippines opened its doors to 10,000 Jews escaping Nazi Europe from 1936 to 1939, but only 1,200 made it.

The Israeli embassy is coming up with a project to show Filipinos "the wonderful part of history related to the Holocaust."

The project aims to show the generosity of the Filipino people who gave these refugees an opportunity to start a new life in the Philippines.

He said they plan to include it in the curriculum of De La Salle University with the support of the Department of Education.

"Part of wonderful history of the Philippines, we want to raise it to the knowledge of Filipinos today," Ambassador Bar-on said.

With report from Foxnews and Manila Bulletin

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Philippines is Rising as Ship Repair hub in Asia-Pacific Region

Austal Ship Yard in Balamban Cebu, Philippines

Philippines as Ship Repair Hub

The Philippines is positioning to become the ship repair hub in the Asia-Pacific region for oceangoing merchant and fishing vessels taking advantage of its strategic location to the region's shipping routes, but would require foreign direct investments to pursue this development.

This was contained in a study on the ship building and ship repair industry of the Philippines conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Nomura Research Institute as part of the ongoing formulation of industry roadmaps by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Based on the study, the Philippines have the right ingredients to become ship repair hub. Its strengths include an inland sea, bay and deep seashore, abundant of labor force  and legalized fiscal incentives.

The study has also identified FDIs from Japan and Korea as most promising because shipbuilders from these countries are finally looking outward for expansion opportunities.

The shipbuilding industries in China, Japan and Korea are also reaching their maturity levels thus the need to develop new hubs outside of these countries.

The study has urged that the Philippine Investment Promotions Plan and MARINA to sell the Philippine strengths provide possible locations with maritime data, and present opportunities to shipbuilders in China, Japan and Korea.

Based on its charter, MARINA has been tasked to adopt and implement a practicable and coordinated maritime development program, which shall include among others, the enhancement of domestic capability for shipbuilding and ship repair.

Conducting business matching between Philippine developers, shipbuilders and suppliers and shipbuilders was also urged for Japan, followed by Korea and China.

The domestic shipbuilding industry, however, faces some weaknesses including small and outdated local shipyards, little domestic demand and little support industries, the Nomura study said.

It is also facing global threats like the global shipbuilding recession and emerging maritime structure demands in other countries.

Based on the Nomura study, Chinese and Korean shipbuilders have increased completion of ships being built with China having the biggest share of 40 percent of total number of completed vessels while Korea is second with 34.6 percent share and Japan 18.1 percent. Together, these countries account for 99 percent of total global market.

The study further said that new orders for ships globally are in a downward trend after the shipbuilding bubble in 2007. The scenario points to global shipbuilding "recession" in the coming years.

To this date, there are 121 registered shipbuilding and repair facilities in the country. Of these facilities, 99 are classified as small, 14 are medium and 8 as small. The industry also employs 8,047 workers.

In the past, the output of shipbuilding industry was limited only to small ships, tankers, barges, fishing vessels but with the entry of new players like Tsuneishi Heavy Industries of Japan and Hanjin Shipyard of Korea, the Philippines is now ranked overall as the world's fourth largest player in shipbuilding.

As of the first half of 2012, the Philippines ranked world's fourth highest in terms of booked orders with China, Japan, Korea and Brazil in the top four.(BCM) (http://is.gd/ZjNW4f)

Manila Bulletin 

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Asia’s no. 1 - Sept Philippines Export growth 23% eclipsed Hong Kong of 16%

Philippines Asia's strongest performing Economy

THE value of Philippine merchandise exports grew by 22.8% to $4.8 billion in September, 2012, higher than the $3.9 billion shipped out in the same month in 2011, making the country the strongest performer among Southeast and East Asian nations. The Philippines topped the exports growth of Hong Kong (15.8%), Vietnam (15.6%), Taiwan (10.4%), China (9.9%), and Thailand (0.2%).

Electronics remained the top  Philippine export product in September, 2012, with total receipts of $1.83 billion, 1.1% higher than the earnings last year, followed by woodcraft and furniture, and metal components. Other top export earners were banana, coconut oil, and tuna. Japan was the top destination of Philippine exports with a 30.8% share of total export receipts, followed by the United States, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. After the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan in 2011, export orders poured into the Philippines to help support reconstruction efforts and fill the need for new products.

Merchandise exports grew by 7.2% to $40.1 billion in the first three quarters from $37.4 billion in the same period last year. Annual gains in shipment revenues from manufactures (29%), forest products (185%), and petroleum (7.4%), supported the continues growth of total merchandise exports. The National Economic and Development Authority noted that the positive export growth in the first nine months of 2012 reflected the moderate improvement in global economic activity as industrial production and business confidence.

Export targets under Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) 2011-2013 are $80.2 billion for 2012 and $89.2 billion for 2013. The key export sectors that make up 87% of current business are information technology-business process outsourcing, electronics, agribusiness products, minerals, shipbuilding, motor vehicle parts, garments and textiles, home-style products, and wearables.

We congratulate Republic of the Philippines President Benigno S. Aquino III, and Members of his Economic Team: Department of Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr., Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory L. Domingo, and National Economic and Development Authority Director General Arsenio M. Balisacan, other Officers and Personnel, for their cooperation efforts to sustain and keep the momentum of economic growth.  (http://is.gd/qLhrRG)

Manila Bulletin 

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Philippine Gov’t funded Sci-Tech Department unveiled the new developed -Electronic Nose – Tongue gadgets

DoST sets e-sensing tech in Ph

Is the aroma of freshly brewed espresso enough to wake you up in the morning? What more if you finally take in and enjoy that steaming cup of coffee for that perfect start for the day? But, what if you had a cold, wouldn't those sniffles stop your nose from perking you up?

Good thing there is now a technology that does the smelling and tasting for you — or even sense that that is not good coffee.

That is exactly how DOST-ITDI (Department of Science and Technology – Industrial Technology Development Institute) makes electronic sensing ensure that your foodstuffs are really what they are as claimed by producers and manufacturers, and get your money's worth – through such technologies as electronic tongue, or e-tongue and electronic nose, or e-nose.

These relatively new technologies have already been seeing action particularly in the food industry – such as in food classification, characterization, quality control, and safety assurance – and they have been more reliable and effective than human sensory panels and other lab procedures.

One example is at ITDI's Food Processing Division (FPD) where e-nose and e-tongue are now being used in studying and characterizing various foodstuffs such as virgin coconut oil, vinegars, soy sauces, and coffee to ensure their good quality and safety.

In a project with another division at ITDI, the Chemicals and Energy Division (CED), and DOST-Region IV-A for the coconut industry, the same e-nose and e-tongue technologies are being used alongside GC-MS (gas chromatography with mass spectrometry) in evaluating the flavor, maturity, and postharvest stability of makapuno products, among other factors.

The human senses of smell and taste, along with laboratory techniques such as GC-MS, had long been used for testing and evaluating the quality of foods, beverages, and pharmaceutical products.

The problem is that human senses are subjective and hard to reproduce, not to mention that the sensory panelists, human as they are, are prone to health issues, environmental conditions, fatigue, exposure to prior smell or taste analytes, and other factors that may affect their sensory perceptions.

Also, using GC-MS for analysis and interpretation of the results requires considerable amount of time and resources as well as human intervention to operate it.

You can only input a certain number of target analytes on a GC-MS, hence a limited data output to accurately assess the smell or taste of the sample or product.

"This is where the electronic nose and electronic tongue come in. These devices crudely mimic the abilities of their human counterparts by collecting data and convert them into more understandable sensory information," said FPD supervising science research specialist Dolly Villaseñor.

She added that "in the process, these e-nose/e-tongue technologies employ cross-selective sensors that detect far more molecules and in more varying degrees than the more conventional laboratory apparatus."

The e-nose, much like its human version, can sense the most volatile components in a sample, while the e-tongue can "taste" mostly dissolved compounds in a solution, much like a human tongue.

Results from these sensors are then interpreted using multivariate statistics software, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA), Partial Least Squares (PLS), Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy (SIMCA), and Statistical Process/Quality Control (SQC).

In line with these trends, standardized methods of product analysis are now being developed and researchers at the FPD say "we are hopeful that using e-nose and e-tongue would help improve quality assurance of food products and help make sure that Filipino consumers get the quality and authentic food products they pay for".

And no humans can be blamed for sensing it wrong.

So now, you can be sure that that cup of coffee tastes and smells like, well, coffee. Good, authentic coffee. Thanks to e-nose and e-tongue.  

RRUdelaCruz, with reports from RMGomez and CNUCurtado, ITDI S&T Media Service. (http://is.gd/xTCN1f)

Manila Standard Today

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China new Passports’ map includes territory of Vietnam, Philippines, Japan & Taiwan

China begans issuing a new type of passport featuring an electronic chip that contains the holder's personal information on May 15, 2012. China new Passports' map includes territory of Vietnam, Philippines, Japan & Taiwan. Photo from: China.org.cn

China stamps passports with sea claims

Beijing has included its South China Sea territorial claims on maps printed inside new Chinese passports, infuriating at least one of its neighbors.

Vietnam has made a formal complaint to Beijing about the new passports. "The Vietnamese side has taken note of this matter and the two sides are discussing it, but so far there has been no result," said Vietnam's embassy in Beijing.

Other countries that have clashed with China over its assertions in the South China Sea, in particular the Philippines, are also worried China is trying to force their immigration officials to implicitly recognize Chinese claims every time a Chinese citizen is given a visa or an entry or exit stamp in one of the new passports.

The Philippines embassy in Beijing has not responded to requests for comment.

The territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas have overshadowed a series of summits of Asia-Pacific leaders in Cambodia attended by US President Barack Obama this week, with discord among southeast Asian nations over how to respond to an increasingly assertive China.

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, including large swaths of territory that smaller neighboring countries say belongs to them, and Beijing has been increasingly strident in recent years in asserting those claims.

The claims are represented on Chinese maps by a "nine-dash line" that incorporates the entire South China Sea and hugs the coastline of the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and a small part of Indonesia.

The nine dashes enclose a region that is believed to be rich in undersea energy reserves and also incorporate the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.

Until recently, most regional governments had assumed the nine-dash line represented Beijing's starting position for negotiations.

China undermined that view in June when Cnooc, a state oil company, invited foreign groups to tender for exploration rights in an area close to Vietnam's shoreline which Hanoi had already licensed to America's ExxonMobil and Russia's Gazprom.

The inclusion of the South China Sea claims and the nine dashes in the latest Chinese passport has raised further doubts about China's willingness to compromise on the issue.

"This is viewed as quite a serious escalation because China is issuing millions of these new passports and adult passports are valid for 10 years," said one senior Beijing-based diplomat who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue. "If Beijing were to change its position later it would have to recall all those passports."

China's ministry of public security oversees the design and issuing of the new Chinese passports, according to an official at the Chinese foreign ministry who declined to comment further. As well as the controversial map, the passports also include pictures of scenic spots in China, as well as two popular tourist destinations on Taiwan.

"The map on the Chinese passport is not directed at any specific country," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement to the FT on Wednesday. "China is willing to actively communicate with the relevant countries."

Since 2010 China has taken a far more strident stance on its territorial claims in the South China Sea, as well as in the East China Sea, where it claims the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, known as Diaoyu in Chinese, as its own territory.

The Japanese government has also paid close attention to the new Chinese passports but the scale of the map is so small that the islands are not visible and Tokyo has not raised the issue with Beijing, according to diplomats familiar with the matter.

The Chinese government began issuing the new passports, which include electronic chips for the first time, about five months ago.

"I think it's one very poisonous step by Beijing among their thousands of malevolent actions," said Nguyen Quang A, a former adviser to the Vietnamese government. "When Chinese people visit Vietnam we have to accept it and place a stamp on their passports . . . Everyone in the world must raise their voices now, not just the Vietnamese people."

Shi Yinhong, a professor of international affairs at Renmin University, said including China's territorial claims in the new passports could "demonstrate our national sovereignty but it could also make things more problematic and there is already more than enough trouble [between China and its neighbors over territorial claims in the South China Sea]". Prof Shi said it was likely that the decision to include the map was made at ministerial level rather than at the national leadership level.

The Taiwanese government told the FT it had "noticed" the new passports but had not filed a formal complaint with Beijing.

"The mainland should face the reality of the Republic of China's existence and our established foundation," Taiwan's mainland affairs council said. "We should put aside disputes and face the reality and work together towards peaceful and stable development across the Taiwan Strait."

Additional Reporting by Gu Yu in Beijing, Nguyen Phuong Linh in Hanoi and Sarah Mishkin in Taiwan. (http://is.gd/lA6BRt)

The Financial Times

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FRANCE said Philippines must tax Text Messaging : Malacañang said NO WAY

No Tax On Text messaging in the Philippines. Photo: ticklethewire.com

No Tax On Text

MANILA, Philippines --- Mobile phone users should not fret about a purported looming tax on text messages for now after Malacañang appeared reluctant to consider such tax proposal made by the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said yesterday the government is "preoccupied" with seeking the swift approval of the sin tax bill in Congress for the year.

Certified as urgent by President Benigno S. Aquino III, the sin tax measure seeks to generate at least P40 billion a year to help upgrade healthcare services in the country.

"We are presently preoccupied with the sin tax," Lacierda said in a Palace press briefing when asked if the Palace is open to impose tax on text messages.

"We have not discussed in the highest level on the text tax. That was not something that we have anticipated so we have no discussions on that," he said.

Asked if the sin tax bill will be the first and last tax proposal for the year, Lacierda said: "For this year, the sin tax measure is in the budget in terms of fiscal policies are concerned. That's the thing we are looking at right now."

Secretary Ramon Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) also frowned on the tax on text proposal by IMF to generate more revenues.

"Sin taxes should be "enough for now," Carandang said.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde earlier said the government can shore up revenues if mobile phone messages are taxed.

Lagarde, who visited Manila last week, said Vice President Jejomar Binay told her telephone coverage in the Philippines has reached 112 percent given the popularity of sending text messages. "This clearly satisfies one of the two criteria for what we call a good taxation," she said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Francis Escudero balked yesterday at the proposal to increase the tax on text messaging to boost government revenues which came at the heels of the IMF chief's visit to the Philippines.

Escudero, who chairs the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, said he finds it inappropriate for an institution or any foreign entities to dictate on any other government like the Philippine government "what to and not to tax."

"The IMF and its chief has no business in even suggesting that we impose tax on text. The power to tax is inherent in Congress and any external intervention is already meddling with our sovereignty," Escudero said.

Lagarde, in a meeting with Malacanang officials, had also pushed for the passage of the sin tax bill which is now pending approval at the Senate, saying it would be a "great progress for the revenue collection of the country."

At the same venue, Lagarde suggested that telecommunication services are mines for new source of taxation because of its wide base of 102 million subscriptions.

She said if the government is keen on revving up its revenues, then telecommunication would satisfy those two criterias: text messaging and calls.

But Escudero said Lagarde's suggestion is skewed, if not so unfeeling, "granting that it has a place in our economic affairs."

"I strongly oppose this foreign meddling and even the idea behind it. Ms. Lagarde is better off making suggestions to her fellow Europeans who can perhaps learn a thing or two from us," he said.

Taxation, Escudero said, should be based on the ability of taxpayers to pay.

"Text messaging is so ingrained among the lower socio-economic strata with about 90 percent of mobile phone users have pre-paid lines. Instead of providing relief for the Filipino public, this twisted idea of taxing text is an additional burden to the masses," he pointed out.

Escudero said he would block any bill proposing for higher tax on text and calls when it reaches the Senate.

On the other hand, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. said he is open to the proposition made by the IMF chief.

"If at all, why not set our sights on taxing luxury goods such as motor vehicles and jewelry instead of taxing text messages?" Escudero said. (With a report from Hannah L. Torregoza) (http://is.gd/krr1NN)

Manila Bulletin 

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Pilot in Saipan crash being airlifted to Philippines

Saipan's international airport is shown. The airport's aircraft rescue and firefighting team responded to the crash of a Star Marianas Air plane yesterday. / By Jerick Sablan/Pacific Daily News

SAIPAN -- The 26-year-old man who was one of six survivors in the crash of a commuter plane yesterday morning in Saipan is being airlifted today for further medical treatment to a Philippine hospital.

The crash's lone fatality, a female, was among a group of Chinese visitors on the seven-seat commuter plane.

The Piper Cherokee aircraft crashed near the Saipan International Airport terminal shortly after departing for a flight to Tinian Island, which is several flight minutes away.

The commuter plane, operated by Star Marianas Air, is one of seven Piper Cherokee planes on the airline's fleet that's being used to transport passengers to the Tinian Dynasty and Casino.

Federal investigators are expected to arrive in Saipan later today.

Star Marianas Air operations continue today. Flights took off earlier today for Tinian and Rota, the two smaller populated islands of the Northern Marianas.

Juan Babauta, CEO of the health center, said updates were being provided to NTSB officials. National Transportation Safety Board investigators are expected to arrive in Saipan tonight, Babauta said.

He confirmed the critically injured passenger would be airlifted to the Philippines around 1 p.m. today.

Four Chinese tourists were injured in the crash, and they are in stable condition at the health center. They are able to talk and they're receiving care in a shared room with a Chinese translator, health center management confirmed.

A health center nursing supervisor confirmed on Monday that the critically injured patient is the plane's pilot.

The sixth survivor was released from the health center after he was treated for minor injuries. (http://is.gd/1rJmYZ)

Guampdn.com 

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Ireland Priest Father Cullen will block the US Entry to Subic Philippines

Anti-US crusader Father Shay Cullen, and a US submarine in Subic Bay. Photo: Reuters

Philippines divided over US return to Subic Bay

China, dollars and human rights are on the agenda as Filipino society awaits American forces.

The anti-child sex crusading priest Shay Cullen plans to mobilize Filipinos to protest against the return of United States forces to the former home of the US 7th Fleet at Subic Bay, north of Manila, 20 years after the Philippine Senate ordered them to leave.

''They are coming back and civil society will not tolerate it,'' said Father Cullen, a Columban priest from Ireland who helped whip up anti-American sentiment across the Philippines that forced the US from its two largest overseas military installations at Subic Bay and nearby Clark air base in 1992 and 1991.

''We are more organized than we were 20 years … there is now a much stronger network built up to fight for human rights and children's rights that will be able to mobilize the masses,'' he said from his sprawling offices overlooking Subic Bay, where a US navy ship was loading supplies.

US and Philippine officials have confirmed that Subic Bay, which has a port and airfield now known as Subic Bay Freeport Zone, will play a much larger role in US Pacific Fleet deployments as the US military shifts its focus towards Asia and the Pacific.

While officials insist there are no plans to reopen any bases in the Philippines, which would violate Philippine law, Subic Bay is set to host US ships, marines and aircraft on a semi-permanent basis, officials say.

This time the anti-US campaigners will encounter stronger opposition amid heightened tensions over China's territorial claims in the South China Sea after a stand-off between Chinese and Philippine ships at the disputed Scarborough Shoal, off the Philippine coast, earlier this year, analysts say.

''We're open for business,'' said James ''Bong'' Gordon, the mayor of Olongapo, a city of 240,000 people next to Subic Bay. ''No matter what you call it … a base or semi-permanent hosting or whatever, the US is back and its great news for Olongapo.''

Mr. Gordon said residents of his city are gearing up for the arrival of thousands of US marines who will flood bars, restaurants, craft shops and sporting facilities.

Father Cullen has crusaded against the sexual exploitation of under-age Filipinos since 1974. He says 90 per cent of the sex bars in Olongapo were closed after the US forces left in 1992.

But he said new bars are already opening as US ships dock more frequently at Subic Bay's wharf. ''We will mobilize. We will say no, no, no … we cannot return to the past.''

But Mr. Gordon said the returning forces would greatly boost his city's economy and bring the Philippines closer to the US at a time many Filipinos are fearful of the future.

Also, US personnel coming off the ships are now better behaved than they were 20 years ago, he said, mainly because many of them are women.

''Before they were all men … it's still a reality that some US personnel will get involved in prostitution. It happens everywhere in the world,'' he said. ''We try to minimize it.''

Twenty years ago Mr. Gordon's elder brother, Richard Gordon, the chairman of the Philippines Red Cross and a former senator, led the pro-US campaign to retain the bases, bitterly clashing with Father Cullen.

''It was a tragic mistake to shut out the world's most important country at that time,'' Richard Gordon said in his Manila office. ''But people who didn't listen to me then are now running around panicking, saying there's a genuine threat from China and we need a strong alliance with the US.''

Analysts say that moving back to Subic Bay on a semi-permanent basis will give the US a strategically important force posture for its shift in emphasis to the Pacific.

Richard Gordon, who was mayor of Olongapo in the 1980s and became head of the Subic Bay Authority which oversaw development of the area when the US forces left in 1992, becomes angry when asked about US personnel attracting prostitutes.

''How dare you people come here and call them prostitutes,'' he says. ''They just want to survive … they don't have anything. They don't have a choice.''

Mr. Gordon said the ''noisy minority'' would make a fuss about the US forces returning.

''But the majority of Filipinos want the Americans here … we have to do what is in our interests as a nation,'' he said.

Father Cullen, 69, who founded the People's Recovery Empowerment Development Assistance organization, operates a squad to rescue sexually abused children, some of them babies found with sexually transmitted diseases.

He has twice been nominated for the Nobel peace prize, and often leads the squad, which was involved this month in rescuing an eight-year-old girl.

''You are never going to wipe out the abuse completely,'' he said. ''But with economic development that brings jobs and a lot of effort we can reduce it by 60 per cent.''

Father Cullen estimates there are still 10,000 to 15,000 sex workers in Olongapo and up to 100,000 in red light areas of Angeles City, which is popular with Australian sex tourists.

''We see victims as young as eight sucked from their impoverished home into the sex industry. The abuse … will only get worse if the Americans return,'' he said. (http://is.gd/dtyXeb)

The Sydney Morning Herald 

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Philippine Government Registered professionals hit 3.2 million

Filipino professionals hit 3 million

THE number of Filipino Registered professionals at the Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC) has breached the three-million level, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) said.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, citing latest data from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), said there are now 3.2 Filipino professionals in 50 registered professions.

These professions and the number of their registered members are as follows: 

1. Accountancy (145,209)
2. Aeronautical Engineer (942)
3. Agriculturist (14,920);
4. Agricultural Engineer (7,192)
5. Architect (29,892)
6. Chemical Engineer (28,408)
7. Chemist (11,463)
8. Chemical Technician (665)
9. Civil Engineer (123,872)
10. Criminologist (69,071)
11. Customs Broker (6,121)
12. Dentist (51,446)
13. Dental Hygienist (118)
14. Dental Technologist  (925)
15. Registered Electrical Engineers. (49,245)
16. Registered Mast. Electricians. R.M.E. (39,619)
17. Assistant Electrical Engineer (31,787)
18. Associate Electrical Engineer (3,656)
19. Master Electrician (17,274)
20. Electronics Engineer (51,541)
21. PEE Engineer (695)
22. Electronics Technician (1,263)
23. Environmental Planner (815)
24. Fisheries (1,396)
25. Forester (9,789)
26. Geodetic Engineer (8,906)
27. Junior Geodetic Engineer (5,781)
28. Geodetic Engineer Aide (1,775)
29. Geologist (1,796)
30. Geologic Aide (66)
31. Guidance and Counseling (2,063)
32. Interior Designer (1,948)
33. Landscape Architect (286)
34. Librarian (6,411)
35. Master Plumber (6,252)
36. Mechanical Engineer (78,678)
37. Prof. Mechanical Engineer (4,480)
38. Mechanical Plant Engineer (2,070)
39. Certified Plant Mechanic (9,882)
40. Air Condition and Ref. Specialist (65)
41. Medical Technologist (58,670)
42. Medical Laboratory Technologist (4,334)
43. Metallurgical Engineer (800)
44. Metallurgical Plant Foreman (93)
45. Midwife (169,469)
46. Mining Engineer (2,925)
47. Certified Mine Foreman (669)
48. Certified Mill Foreman (191)
49. Certified Quarry Foreman (69)
50. Naval Architect (585)
51. Nurse (756,624)
52. Nutritionist-Dietitian (14,718)
53. Dietitian (1,410)
54. Optometrist (10,621)
55. Ocular Pharmacologist (51)
56. Pharmacist (61,091)
57. Chinese Druggist (485)
58. Physician (114,099)
59. Physical Therapist (24,233)
60. Occupational Therapist (2,815)
61. Physical Therapist Technician (78)
62. Occupational Therapist Technician (120)
63. Radiologic Technologist (10,300)
64. X-ray Technologist (9,033)
65. Real Estate Appraiser (3,255)
66. Real Estate Broker (14,991)
67. Real Estate Consultant (74)
68. Sanitary Engineer (2,665)
69. Social Worker (19,424)
70. Sugar technologist (183)
71. Veterinarian (7,782)
72. Professional Teachers (1,141,770)
73. Marine Deck Officers (73,250)
74. Marine Engineer Officer (63,879)

The PRC, in cooperation with the Philippine Association of Professional Regulatory Board Members Inc. (PAPRB), recently concluded the First Professional Summit of the Philippines with the theme, "Convergence of Professionals for Nation Building and Global Competitiveness."

"The First Professional Summit highlighted the continuing growth and relevant role of the Filipino professionals in nation-building and economic competitiveness," Baldoz said.

"The Summit is consistent with the overarching goal enunciated by President Benigno S. Aquino III, in his 22-point labor and employment agenda, to invest in our country's top resource, our human resource, to make us more competitive and employable while promoting industrial peace based on social justice," she said (http://is.gd/6fHWvD)   

Sun Star

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