Holocaust for "No Vietnamese, Philippines and Japanese or Dog" in Beijing Resto

This photo taken on February 26, 2013 shows a Chinese cook working in a restaurant behind a sign that says "This shop does not receive the Japanese, The Philippines, The Vietnamese and Dog" at the historic tourist district of Houhai in Beijing. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTON

In 1654  holocoast begun for jews "NO DOGS OR JEWS ALLOWED: The Story of anti-Semitism in America."The story begins in September, 1654, on the day 23 bedraggled, impoverished Jews landed in New Amsterdam, after being expelled from Recife, Brazil when the Portuguese retook the colony from the Dutch. Governor Peter Stuyvesant didn't want them read more here

No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs, is the story of a Black family in the South living under the rigors of racism. Rawl Cheeks is a loving family man devoted to his wife Mattie and children Joyce and Matoka. The Cheeks are a close-knit church going family struggling to make ends meet. In order to supplement their income they allow Yaveni Aaronson, a sociologist, to do research on their family. Yaveni, a Jew, is gathering material, comparing the trials and tribulations faced by the Blacks under racism with that of the suffering of the Jews under racism, both in Europe and in America. (Oregan Coast News Signal) read more here

'No Philippines or dog'

Reported by Rappler.com, a sign at a Beijing restaurant barring citizens of nations involved in maritime disputes with China -- along with dogs -- has triggered a wave of online outrage among Vietnamese and Filipinos.

The Beijing Snacks restaurant near the Forbidden City, a popular tourist spot, has posted a sign on its door reading "This shop does not receive the Japanese, the Philippines, the Vietnamese and dog(s)."

Photographs of the controversial sign have gone viral in Vietnamese-language forums and featured heavily in Philippine newspapers and websites on Wednesday, February 27.

Vietnam's state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper ran a story saying the sign had "ignited online fury". It claimed many Vietnamese feel this is another example of Chinese "extreme nationalism that deserves to be condemned".

"It's not patriotism, it's stupid extremism," Sy Van wrote in Vietnamese in a comment under the story, published on the paper's website.

The sign provoked thousands of posts on Vietnamese social networking sites and newspaper comment threads.

"This is teaching hate to the younger generation," Facebook user Andrea Wanderer wrote in Vietnamese. "The owner of the restaurant has obviously been brainwashed by their government," added Facebook user Chung Pham.

photo from personal.anderson.ucla.edu

Filipinos greeted the photo with a mixture of fury and amusement.

"Blatant racism at Beijing Restaurant," journalist Veronica Pedrosa wrote in one widely-shared tweet, while Facebook user Rey Garcia used a comment thread on a news site to retort: "Who cares, they almost cook everything, even foetus and fingernails."

With report from Rapller.com

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DFA Philippines sends mercy ship to North Borneo

AFP © Philippines sends mercy ship to Malaysia

MANILA (AFP) - The Philippines was Sunday night preparing to send a mercy ship to pick up scores of followers of a Filipino sultan who entered the Malaysian state of Sabah to press his territorial claims, the foreign office said.

The "humanitarian ship" was to depart the southern-most Philippine island province of Tawi-Tawi before midnight and head to Lahad Datu on Borneo island, where dozens of followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram have been locked in a tense stand-off with Malaysian authorities for two weeks.

The Filipinos have been holed up in a small coastal area of Lahad Datu town, where they have remained surrounded by security forces since February 12 as they pursue their claim to settle in the state, which used to be a part of the Sultanate of Sulu.

"As we have stated on countless occasions previously, we call on the entire group to go back to their homes and families, even at the same time, we are addressing the core issues they have raised," Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a statement.

"Please do so for your own safety," he added.

Aboard the mercy ship were Filipino Muslim leaders, social workers and medical personnel, del Rosario's statement said, stressing that the government "was deeply concerned" about the presence of women among the group.

The ship was due to drop anchor offshore as talks to convince the group to withdraw peacefully continued, the statement said.

The Philippines informed Malaysia through its embassy in Manila of the move on Saturday, it added.

Malaysian foreign minister Anifah Aman told AFP he had "yet to be informed on this matter". Ministry officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Del Rosario's statement said the group numbered some 180, with 30 armed escorts, although the sultan's spokesman, Abraham Idjirani, last week put the figure at 400, including 20 bearing arms.

Idjirani said the sultan had given the Filipinos his blessing to reside in Sabah and they were determined to resist efforts to expel them.

The Islamic Sultanate of Sulu once controlled parts of Borneo, including the site of the stand-off, as well as southern Philippine islands.

The sultanate leased northern Borneo to Europeans in the 1870s. While the sultanate's authority gradually faded as Western colonial powers exerted their influence over the region, it continued to receive lease payments for Sabah.

Heirs to the sultanate still receive nominal annual compensation from Malaysia under a long-standing agreement. One of the demands from the sultan's followers is an increase in the amount of compensation paid. (http://yhoo.it/15I5WQW)

Yahoo Australia

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ICAO lifted ban for Philippines planes flying to European Airspace?

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

After more than 5 years, local airlines may soon be allowed to fly again to Europe and to expand their operations in the United States after the government successfully passed a safety audit by the world's aviation regulatory body.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya on Saturday said the findings of the one-week audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) were "positive," contrary to earlier reports.

"The ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) team was satisfied with their observations/findings on the [Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines's] efforts to comply with international safety standards," Abaya said in a text message.

Passing the ICVM audit will likely pave the way for the lifting of ICAO's "significant safety concern (SSC)" tag on the Philippines issued in 2010. Other countries cited with deficiencies in the 2010 report were Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Djibouti, Kazakhstan, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia.

The ICAO had cited 89 points of concern in the country's aviation regulatory framework that jeopardized the safety of airline passengers. Among these were the registration of aviation companies and regulations covering the training of pilots and other industry personnel.

Findings sent to Canada

The ICAO audit was used by the European Union (EU) as a basis for the ban on local airlines from flying to any point in the economic bloc. The ban also meant that no Philippine carrier was allowed to even enter EU airspace.

Abaya said the ICVM's findings would be forwarded to the ICAO's headquarters in Canada. "They will recommend to ICAO headquarters the lifting of the significant safety concern issued on the Philippines," Abaya said.

Abaya said the official lifting of the EU's ban should come in two to three weeks.

In a statement, the Department of Transportation and Communications said the ICVM team focused on two "critical elements" during the audit. These were the certification of airlines in the Philippines and the registration of Philippine civil aviation aircraft.

Other areas covered were the legal, organization and licensing aspects which were "satisfactorily addressed" last October, the DOTC said.

"We are confident the ICAO will adopt/approve the recommendation," Abaya added.

The ICVM arrived in the Philippines last week on the invitation of CAAP, headed by retired Gen. William Hotchkiss, who assumed his post in July last year.

Hotchkiss dismissed reports that the ICAO team had given CAAP "failing marks" because it had only passed one of the five major issues looked into by the audit mission.

According to Hotchkiss, the CAAP team headed by Henry Gourdji called the validation mission a "success." The other members of the ICAO team were Amal Hewawasam, Vincent Lambotte, Christopher Dalton, Guseul Kim and Saulo Jose da Silva.

Encouraging, inspiring

"The exit briefing conducted by the ICAO audit team was on the whole very encouraging and inspiring for the CAAP team that had been tirelessly working for the lifting of the SSC tag that had been hounding CAAP for several years," he said.

"The team itself acknowledged during the closing of the review Friday that the present CAAP team was headed in the right direction. They were very satisfied with our efforts to comply with international safety standards," he said.

Hotchkiss said that CAAP was "very optimistic" that the recommendations would be approved and adopted by ICAO in an official announcement in two weeks.

He said that while the ICAO had yet to come out with a final report on the audit, officials who visited the country in the past months had expressed confidence that corrective measures on the remaining concerns shall be totally addressed by CAAP. (http://bit.ly/XwVMvY)

Read more in Philippines, ASIA and the Global Economy

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Philippine Embassy in Lisbon Pays Tribute to Filipino Seafarers in NCCA´s Photo Contest

Philippine Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal Photo Contest: " KAPIT SA GILID "

06 February 2013 – The Philippine Embassy in Lisbon reported that pictures of Filipino seafarers taken by Third Secretary and Vice Consul Rogelio Villanueva, Jr. won First Place in the recently concluded NCCA Photo Essay Contest for Overseas Filipinos in celebration of the Month of Overseas Filipinos last December 2012.

The formal announcement of winners was made by NCCA Chairman Felipe M. De Leon last 18 December 2012 at the SSS Auditorium during the National Forum on Migration. The winning photos and the other qualified entries were exhibited from 18 December 2012 to 4 January 2013 at the SSS, POEA and the OWWA.

Mr. Villanueva´s 4 entries captured the NCCA´s theme of "A Day in the Life of an Overseas Filipino" and included very unique photos of seafarers displaying the Filipino´s excellence, ingenuity, patience and hard work as they perform daily their challenging and sometimes risky duties onboard ships. Through his photos, Mr. Villanueva intended to highlight the sacrifices and contribution of Filipino seafarers who comprise more than a fourth of the total number of seafarers in world.

They were taken during the Embassy´s Akyat-Barko campaign for the OAV registration last year where Post´s OAV Team headed by Mr. Villanueva, was able to visit more than 50 ships and registered close to 6,000 Filipino seafarers to be able to vote in the coming May 2013 National Elections.

Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Philippe J. Lhuillier lauded the achievement of Mr. Villanueva and considers it as recognition of the DFA´s contribution in raising awareness of the Filipino Diaspora through public diplomacy. 

Philippine Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal Photo Contest: " PINOY INIHAW "

Philippine Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal Photo Contest: " SHOELACE  "

Philippine Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal Photo Contest: " SI KUYA AT SI LOLA  "

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₱1.83-Billion NIA III upgrade budget release; Clark as the next Asia’s ‘aerotropolis

 

Philippines to spend $45 million for airport upgrade

The Philippine government has released $45 million to spruce up its newest airport terminal in a bid to boost tourism.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said Tuesday that the completion and upgrade of Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport will ease traffic on the 32-year-old Terminal 1.

Terminal 3, which opened in 2008, is already operating over its capacity, with 13.8 million passengers last year, more than 800,000 over its capacity. Once it is upgraded, it will handle more international flights, easing the load on Terminal 1, which is solely for international flights.

Originally designed for 4.5 million passengers yearly, Terminal 1 handled 8.2 million passengers last year, up from 7.8 million in 2011. A majority of the passengers at the airport's Terminal 2 are domestic passengers. (http://bit.ly/X1JaQn)

Clark International Airport as Asia's next 'aerotropolis

With the world's economic center of gravity rapidly moving eastward, there is increasing urgency to develop Clark International Airport into an aviation hub, and this is the focus of a two-day conference to be held this month at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.

"The Case for Asia's Next Aerotropolis" is the theme of the Clark Aviation Conference 2013, a trade gathering that will examine Clark's compelling case as an aerotropolis, an idea in community planning where airports serve as the center for new cities growing around them.

The conference, being organized by Clark International Airport Corp (CIAC) in partnership with Global Gateway Logistics City, takes place Feb. 21-22, 2013, at the Widus Convention Center in Clark Freeport Zone. It coincides with the annual Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.

"The event will highlight Clark International Airport's critical role in easing air traffic congestion in Manila and driving economic expansion in Central Luzon. It will also identify infrastructure and policy developments at Clark Freeport Zone that are designed to attract airport-related businesses and investments," said CIAC president and CEO Victor Jose Luciano.

"More importantly, the conference is a call for the full development of Clark International Airport as an aviation nerve center in the light of the economic growth in Asia."

Heads of government agencies—including Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Bases Conversion and Development Authority president Atty. Arnel Casanova and Trade Assistant Secretary Fe Agoncillo-Reyes—and private-sector representatives will look at Clark's prospects as an aviation and investment destination in Asia, even as they examine pressing aviation and tourism concerns and propose sustainable and long-term solutions.

Keynote speaker is Greg Lindsay, the US-based co-author of the bestselling book, Aerotropolis, The Way We'll Live Next. Other speakers include Tourism Undersecretary Daniel Corpuz, John Forbes of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce, former Tourism Secretary Narzalina Lim, and Capt. Benjamin Solis, adviser of CIAC.

The convention targets international investors, logistics and supply chain executives, tourism stakeholders, airline officials, import and export managers, and members of the academe. They are expected to gain insights into Clark's potentials as an aviation and investment destination in Asia and understand better its increasing role in national and regional development.

To register or make inquiries, call event manager PortCalls at (632) 552-7072, (632) 551-1775, or (0917) 5555273; or email lizaalmonte@portcalls.com. For more details, log on to clarkaviationconference.com. (http://bit.ly/14MPsFK)

INQUIRER Business

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World's largest captive crocodile dies in Philippines

A worker places blocks of ice around Lolong as the crocodile is prepared for its autopsy on Monday in Bunawan, Philippines. Photograph: Erwin Mascarinas/AP

Philippine town in mourning as Lolong, the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity, dies aged 50

A southern Philippine town plans to hold funeral rites for the world's largest saltwater crocodile and then preserve its remains in a museum to attract tourists and prevent their community from slipping back into obscurity, the town's mayor said on Monday.

The one-tonne crocodile was declared dead on Sunday a few hours after flipping over with a bloated stomach in a pond in an ecotourism park in Bunawan town, which had started to draw tourists, revenue and development because of the immense reptile, the town's mayor, Edwin Cox Elorde, said.

"The whole town, in fact the whole province, is mourning," Elorde said from Bunawan in Agusan del Sur province. "My phones kept ringing because people wanted to say how affected they are."

Guinness World Records had proclaimed it the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity last year, measuring the giant at 6.17 metres (20.24ft). The reptile took the top spot from an Australian crocodile that measured more than 5 metres (17ft) and weighed nearly a tonne.

The crocodile was named Lolong, after a government environmental officer who died from a heart attack after travelling to Bunawan to help capture the beast. The crocodile, estimated to be more than 50 years old, was blamed for killing a number of villagers before Bunawan folk came to love it.

The giant reptile has come to symbolise the rich biodiversity of Agusan marsh, where it was captured. The vast complex of swamp forests, shallow lakes, lily-covered ponds and wetlands is home to wild ducks, herons, egrets and threatened species including the Philippine Hawk Eagle.

Wildlife experts were due to perform an autopsy as early as Monday to determine the cause of its death, Elorde said.

Bunawan villagers planned to perform a tribal ritual, which involves butchering chickens and pigs as funeral offerings to thank forest spirits for the fame and other blessings the crocodile has brought, Elordie said. A group of Christians would separately offer prayers before the autopsy.

The rites will be held at the ecotourism park, where the reptile had emerged as a star attraction, drawing foreign tourists, scientists and wildlife reporting outfits like the National Geographic to Bunawan, a town of 37,000 people about 515 miles (830km) south-east of Manila.

The crocodile's capture in September 2011 sparked celebrations in Bunawan, but it also raised concerns that more giant crocodiles might lurk in a marshland and creek where villagers fish. The crocodile was captured with steel cable traps during a hunt prompted by the death of a child in 2009 and the later disappearance of a fisherman. Water buffalo have also been attacked by crocodiles in the area.

About 100 people led by Elorde pulled the crocodile from a creek using a rope and then hoisted it by crane on to a truck.

Philippine officials had planned to construct a road to the park to accommodate the growing number of tourists, Elorde said, adding he planned to have the crocodile preserved and placed in a museum so Bunawan villagers and tourists could still marvel at it.

"I'd like them to see the crocodile that broke a world record and put our town on the map," he said. (http://bit.ly/11AKxKl)

The Guardian 

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