Old Spanish maps may yet boost PH claim to Panatag

Spanish and Filipino delegates to this year’s Tribuna España-Filipinas forum have agreed to embark on acoordinated “archiving program” of historical documents, especially those involving the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines more than 400 years ago.
As the sixth edition of the annual multisectoral forum between the two countries drew to a close on Wednesday, an official of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport told the Inquirer that some of the Spanish archives, once catalogued and translated, may even help the Philippines in its claim to the disputed Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal.
Luis Enseñat Calderon, director of the ministry’s Ibero-Archivos Program, said Spanish historical archives contained documents and maps on the Spanish colonization of the Philippines from the 16th to 19th century.
 
Possible proof
 
“The archives may be important in this way to demonstrate that in the 19th century, the Chinese did not control these group of islands,” Calderon said, when asked how Spanish archives could help the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China over the Scarborough Shoal.
He quoted colonial Spanish officials in the 1800s, saying these islands “were controlled, more or less, by the Philippines from Manila.”
While these documents are available at the National Historical Archive of Spain, he said it is not yet accessible to the public because his office is still digitizing the documents.
“But little by little, we can make progress and publish this on the website,” he said, referring to Spanish archives website www.pares.mcu.es.
Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Domecq denied reports he made a categorical statement about Spain turning over old maps to the Philippines to help strengthen the country’s claim on Scarborough Shoal.
“The majority of the maps are here in the Philippines in private collections. We did an exhibition last year of all the important maps of the Philippine geography from 1598 to 1898—four centuries—at the Metropolitan Museum,” Domecq said.
“Those maps are also in Spain in our archives, which are open to experts from any place in the world,” he added.
Calderon said during the forum’s second day that an “exchange program” of Spanish and Philippine archivists was discussed, with one Filipino archivist going to Spain, and vice versa, hopefully by the latter half of the year.
He also invited Filipino archivists to help catalogue Spanish archives.
Calderon said they are also working with the National Archives of the Philippines to make digital copies for Spain of colonial documents preserved in the country.
Calderon’s office uploads the Spanish archives catalogues at www.pares.mcu.es.
He said the website contains documents sent by Spanish colonial officers in the Philippines to the King of Spain. Some Philippine maps from the 16th to 19th centuries have been uploaded, but some entries only contain descriptive references.

East Asian imperial point
 
“It contains information about the Philippines [during the Spanish colonization], and expeditions from Manila to Formosa, Siam, Moluccas, Ternate, Tidore. Manila was the imperial point of Spain in East Asia.  Formosa was part of the Philippines. The Moluccas was part of the Philippines. Micronesia, Marianas, Carolinas were part of the Philippine Islands. And all was centralized in Manila and Spanish officers sent regular reports to the King,” Calderon said.
The forum closed with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Department of Science and Technology-Information and Communications Technology and the Spanish State Secretariat for Telecommunications and the Information Society of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism of the Kingdom of Spain.
The MOU was designed to encourage the “exchanges of experiences and best practices” between the two countries on information and communication technology.
Signing the MOU for the Philippines was Elizabeth Buensuceso, assistant secretary of European Affairs of the foreign affairs department and Domecq for Spain(Inquirer.net)

Early Easter gift for PH (Fitch raises credit rating to investment grade BBB-)

“It’s an early Easter for the market,” said a fund manager after Fitch Ratings raised the Philippine credit rating to investment grade on Wednesday, a move expected to boost investments and lift the country’s long-term growth potential.

The upgrade is the first for the country, prompting a euphoric President Benigno Aquino III to highlight the dramatic shift of a largely impoverished nation from the “perennial laggard of Asia” to an economy finally “taking off.”

Amid the news, the Philippine peso edged higher versus the dollar and local stocks extended modest early gains to more than 3 percent at one point, hitting a record high.

Fitch announced the upgrade, saying the Philippine economy is resilient and now experiencing a level of foreign currency inflows that is even more comfortable than those of many industrialized nations.

The inflow of foreign currency, underpinned by dollar remittances from expatriate Filipinos, has helped the country become a net external creditor, it said in a statement.

The country has also had stronger and less volatile growth than its peers over the last five years, and expects the value of its economy—as measured by the gross domestic product of GDP—to grow at an average of 5-5.5 percent in the coming years, Fitch pointed out.

Credit to anticorruption
 
Fitch—one of three major international debt watchers that include Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investor Service—credited the Aquino administration’s anticorruption program, which is believed to have improved sentiment of businesses in the country.

It also cited the previous administration’s role in improving the fiscal management, to wit: “Improvements in fiscal management begun under President Arroyo have made general government debt dynamics more resilient to shocks.”

The credit rating firm’s move came as a surprise catalyst that revitalized the bulls into scaling unprecedented heights before the long Lenten break.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index rallied by 182.35 points or 2.74 percent toward its best ever finish of 6,847.47 on Wednesday. A new intra-day peak was also hit at 6,873.89 close to the end of the session.

Floodgates of investment
 
This marked the 24th record finish for the index this year. The local stock market upswing, which is now on its fifth year, has added to the index a total of 1,034.74 or 17.8 percent at the end of the first quarter.

Astro del Castillo, managing director at investment management firm First Grade Finance, said the upgrade would open the floodgates of investment, both foreign direct investment and the more volatile kind known as “hot money.”

“The most conservative funds are really just waiting for this feather in our cap before plowing back money to our country,” he said.

The fund manager said “it seems that the Philippines is no longer carrying its cross.”

In a statement read by presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, Mr. Aquino said:

“We are pleased to hear that this afternoon, the Fitch group announced that they upgraded the status of the Philippines from BB+ to BBB-.”

“It is one among many other positive developments that demonstrates the reclamation of our national pride: Truly, what was once known as the perennial laggard of Asia is taking off, and is accelerating towards its goal of an equitably progressive society,” said Mr. Aquino.
 
Benefits
 
The President lost no time in enumerating the benefits to the Philippines of having an investment grade status in a world dominated by ailing economies and soaring national debts.

“This means much more than lower interest rates on our debt and more investors buying our securities. Greater access to low-cost funds gives us more fiscal space to sustain and further improve on social protection, defense, and economic stimulus, among others.

“More companies in the real economy can now consider us an investment destination. Investment grade for sovereign debt should also lead to lower borrowing costs for Philippine companies in the international markets, consequently allowing for higher valuations for their securities,” Mr. Aquino said.
 
 ‘Virtuous cycle of growth’
 
This, he said, would in turn enable industries to expand and generate more jobs for our countrymen.
All these would foster “a virtuous cycle of growth, empowerment and inclusiveness that will redound to the benefit of Filipinos across all sectors of society.”

“The upgrade represents the perception of lessening risk in our markets; it formalizes the investment grade level at which the Philippines has already been securing credit,” he said.

“This is an institutional affirmation of our good governance agenda: Sound fiscal management and integrity-based leadership has led to a resurgent economy in the face of uncertainties in the global arena. It serves to encourage even greater interest and investments in our country,” he added.

Fitch also assigned a “stable” outlook on the rating, which indicates that it is unlikely to change over the short term.

Why PH deserving
 
It cited several economic indicators that, according to it, make the Philippines deserving of an investment status.

One of these was the country’s strong GDP growth rate achieved despite global economic problems. Last year, when developed countries like the United States and those from the euro zone struggled with serious debt and financial problems, the Philippines registered one of the fastest growth rates not only in Asia but in the world.

“The Philippine economy has been resilient, expanding 6.6 percent in 2012 amid a weak global economic backdrop. Strong domestic demand drove this outturn,” Fitch said.

The credit-rating agency noted that the favorable growth performance of the Philippines happened while prices of basic goods and services, as measured by the inflation rate, were kept relatively stable. Consumer prices increased by an annual rate of 3.2 percent last year, well within the 3-to 5-percent range that the government considers manageable.

While problems in developed countries weighed down on export revenues of many emerging market economies, the Philippines managed to offset the lower-than-target export earnings last year by registering a significant growth in household consumption and government spending, aided by private-sector investments.

Another encouraging indicator, according to Fitch, was the country’s ability to pay its debts to foreign creditors as determined by its level of US dollar reserves.
 
$84B in reserves

'China's e-passport, 'counter-productive' move'

JAKARTA – Tinawag na "counter-productive" ng Indonesia ang pagpapalabas ng China ng kontrobersiyal na e-passport kung saan naka-imprinta ang mapa ng mga teritoryong inaangkin nito.

Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ni Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, na hindi umano nakakatulong ang naturang hakbang ng Beijing para mapahupa ang tensyon sa pagitan ng mga claimant states sa West Philippine Sea.

Bagama't hindi kasama ang Indonesia sa mga bansang may inaangking teritoryo sa rehiyon, pero isa ito sa mga nagsilbing mediators para sa pag-uusap ng China at mga bansang kasapi ng Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Una ng nanawagan ang Pilipinas na dapat umanong burahin ng China ang naka-imprintang mapa sa kontrobersiyal na e-passport, kung ayaw nitong maging "big deal" ang nabanggit na usapin.

Ginawa ni Foreign Affairs Sec. Albert del Rosario ang pahayag bilang reaksyon sa sinabi ng China na hindi na dapat palakihin pa ang isyu hinggil sa bago nitong electronic passport.

Binigyang diin pa ng kalihim na malinaw umanong paglabag sa international law ang labis na pang-aangkin ng China ng teritoryo.

Maliban sa Pilipinas, una na ring umalma ang Vietnam at India sa bagong e-passport ng China

Luxury cruise ship now includes PH in travel route

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  A foreign cruise ship's itinerary is seen to be more fun, as it now includes the Philippines as one of its destinations in an Asian route, the Department of Tourism on Wednesday said.

The Royal Caribbean International's Legend of the Seas made its inaugural call on the ports of Manila and Boracay last Oct. 26 and 27 as part of the vessel's eight-night Southeast Asia trip.

Aside from the Philippines, the Florida-based Norwegian and American line's cruise ship also has stops in Xiamen, China; Manila and Boracay, Philippines; and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

The government "extended its warmest reception to almost 2000 passengers from different countries on-board the vessel," the DOT statement said.

Passengers were taken on a tour around popular tourist spots in Manila, such as Intramuros and the Rizal Park during their first day. They next day was meanwhile spent in the world-famous Boracay Island.

The Legend of the Seas' inaugural port call came sooner than he expected, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said, as he recalled that Royal Carribean hinted at an Asia route including the Philippines only 10 months ago.

He nonetheless welcomed the development as a vote of confidence for Philippine tourism.

This, as he highlighted the country's ramped-up transportation infrastructure program which includes building and repair of major sea and jetty ports and harbors.

Such developments are seen to "make cruise tourism a viable tour option," Jimenez said.

"The arrival of the Legend of the Seas would hopefully mark the start of the arrival of more foreign cruise liners to the Philippines, bringing along with them more tourists which would give the country's tourism industry a boost," he added.

Philippines is a rising Asian 'tiger': Canadian prime minister

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Visiting Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper sees the Philippines as "an emerging Asian tiger," agreeing with the bullish outlook on the country of political and business leaders from many other parts of the world.

To demonstrate Canada's confidence in the Philippine economy, Harper pledged to increase Canadian investment in the country during his meeting with President Benigno Aquino in Malacanang yesterday.

Bilateral trade between Canada and the Philippines amounts to US$1.5 billion.

Aquino and Harper agreed to cooperate on defence and trade, and committed to people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and Canada.

At a joint news conference, Aquino and Harper announced that the Philippine Department of National Defence and the state-run Canadian Commercial Corp. had signed a deal to help Manila buy military equipment to defend its territory.

The deal was signed amid a territorial dispute between the Philippines and China over islands and waters in the West Philippine Sea (also known as South China Sea).

President Aquino said the deal would help the Philippines build up its defence and security capabilities. He declined to elaborate.

But Harper said the deal would "enable the Philippines to acquire the equipment and expertise it needs to fulfil the country's defence and security agenda."

Under the deal, Philippine purchases of equipment and expertise from Canada's 12.6 billion Canadian dollar (US$12.6 billion) defence industry are guaranteed by the Ottawa government, according to a Canadian government statement.

Aquino and Harper discussed the progress in the Aquino administration's good government programme and the gains in the peace process, particularly the signing of framework agreement for peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

At the news conference, Aquino and Harper did not cite specific amounts for Canadian investment, but Harper described the Philippines as an "important economic partner" and an "emerging Asian tiger."

Aquino said the Philippines was open for business under a new management, and that he saw the visit of Harper as a "recognition of the change of atmosphere in the Philippines."

"We do see increased commercial trade ties between our countries," Aquino said.

He said it was "logical to assume" that the $1.5 billion two-way trade between the two countries is "just the starting point."

The two leaders witnessed the signing of the defence deal by Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Canadian Minister for International Trade and Asia-Pacific Gateway Ed Fast.

"This will help us in our efforts to build our defence and security capabilities," Aquino said, welcoming Canada's help in the much-delayed modernisation of the Philippine armed forces.

The Canadian Commercial Corp. serves as a go-between for Canadian suppliers and foreign governments to transact defence and security contracts.

The Philippines has been in the market for patrol vessels to protect its waters, including areas that overlap with territory claimed by China.

Manila's military treaty ally the United States is set this year to deliver a second refurbished Hamilton-class cutter, previously used by the US Coast Guard, to the Philippine Navy.

Last month, the Philippine Coast Guard announced it would buy five patrol boats from France for about 90 million euros ($116 million), partly to guard disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea.

Harper and his lean delegation arrived in Manila Friday night.

He was accorded military honours on the Palace grounds when he showed up at 10:30am yesterday.

He then proceeded to sign the presidential guestbook before he and Aquino sat for discussions in the Music Room.

This was followed by an expanded bilateral meeting at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room and the signing of the defence deal and issuance of a joint press statement at the Reception Hall.

A state luncheon at the Rizal Hall hosted by Aquino in honour of Harper and his wife, Laureen, ended the official visit of the Canadian prime minister.

Harper was scheduled to fly back to Canada at 9:30am today.

Harper's visit is the first by the highest Canadian official in 15 years. The last Canadian head of government to visit the Philippines was Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who brought a business delegation to Manila in 1997.

Besides Fast, Harper's delegation included Joseph Oliver, minister for Natural Resources; the first Filipino-Canadian senator Tobias Enverga Jr.; and 10 Filipino-Canadian community leaders.

"Our government is taking actions to aggressively expand commercial relations with the entire Asia-Pacific region. We're doing so to help create jobs, economic growth and a better quality of life both in Asia and in Canada," Harper said at the official reception.

Harper disclosed the "many ties that bind" Canada and the Philippines such as the Foreign Investment Promotion Protection Agreement signed in 1995, and the growing people-to-people links.

There are nearly 800,000 Canadians of Filipino descent living and working in Canada.

With a report from AFP

Political dynasty sumalang na

MANILA, Philippines - Dininig na kahapon ng Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms & People’s Participation ang panukalang batas na naglalayong tuluyang ipagbawal ang political dynasty sa bansa.

Ayon kay Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, kinakaila­ngan ng magpasa ng batas para tuluyang mawala ang political dynasty na kabilang sa ipinagbabawal sa 1987 Constitution.

Naniniwala si Lacson na kahit pa maraming mga pulitiko ang galing sa mga political clan may pag-asang maipasa ang batas dahil na rin sa pressure na nagmumula sa taumbayan.

Pero aminado ang senador na malabong maipasa ang batas at mai­patupad bago ang eleksiyon sa 2013. Mas posible pa aniyang maipatupad ito sa 2016 election.

Sinabi ni Lacson na dapat ay isang miyembro lamang ng pamilya ang kumandidato at hindi dapat payagan ang dalawang miyembro ng pamilya na tumakbo kahit pa sa magka-ibang puwesto o magka-ibang lugar.

Hindi rin aniya dapat payagan ang “saluhan” ng puwesto kung saan ang pumapalit lamang sa posisyon ng isang pulitiko ay ang kaniyang kamag-anak o miyembro ng pamilya.(Pilipino Star Ngayon)

'West Philippine Sea’ opisyal na - gov't

Ipinag-utos na ngayon ni Pangulong Bengino "Noynoy" Aquino III ang pagsasaayos sa mapa ng Pilipinas matapos opisyal ng tawaging West Philippine Sea ang nakasanayang South China Sea.

Sa inilabas na Administrative Order 29, kabilang sa tinukoy na magiging bahagi ng West Philippine Sea ang Luzon Sea, gayundin ang karagatan sa paligid, sakop at kalapit ng Kalayaan Group of Islands at Bajo de Masinloc na kilala rin sa tawag na Scarborough Shoal.

Nakapaloob sa AO 29 na pirmado ng Pangulo noong Setyembre 5 na walang paglabag ang pagpapangalan sa West Philippine Sea sa alinmang international law hinggil sa pagdetermina ng maritime territory.

Ibinatay din ito sa mga batas tulad ng Presidential Decree 1599 na nagtatakda sa exclusive economic zone o EEZ ng bansa, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea o UNCLOS at Republic Act 9522 o Philippine Baseline Law.

Kaugnay nito, inaatasan ng Pangulo ang National Mapping and Resource Information Authority o NAMRIA na gumawa at maglathala ng mga charts at mapa ng Pilipinas na magpapakita sa West Philippine Sea alinsunod sa AO 29.

Inatasan din ang Department of Foreign Affairs na magsumite ng kopya ng AO 29 at bagong mapa ng Pilipinas sa Secretary General ng United Nations at iparating din ito sa iba pang international organizations gaya ng International Hydrographic Organizations at UN Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names.

Naatasan din ang Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education at lahat ng state universities and colleges o SUCs na magpalabas ng circular na nagtatakda sa paggamit ng bagong opisyal na mapa ng bansa sa mahahalagang pag-aaral, researches at instructional materials gaya ng text books, instructional materials at audio-visual presentations.

Sa ambush interview, sinabi ng Pangulo na inaasahang mapapalakas ang claim ng Pilipinas sa West Philippine Sea sa pamamagitan ng AO 29.

Bukod sa Pilipinas at China, kasama rin sa umaangkin sa Spratlys ang Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei at Taiwan.

“Section 1. The maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago are hereby named as the West Philippine Sea. These areas include the Luzon Sea as well as the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo De Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal.

"Section 2. The naming of the West Philippine Sea is without prejudice to the determination of the maritime domain over territories which the Republic of the Philippines has sovereignty and jurisdiction.

"Section 3. The National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) shall produce and publish charts and maps of the Philippines reflecting the West Philippine Sea in accordance with this Order,” bahagi ng AO 29.(Bombo Radyo)