100 Filipino nurses lose job as NY hospital shuts door

QUEENS, New York—Some 100 Filipino nurses, technicians, and other hospital staff were among the 800 workers out of a job now in New York when the hospital they were working for officially shut its doors.

Racked with too much debt and little income, the Peninsula Hospital Center in Queens, a 104-year-old staple in the area for residents, closed down on April 16 after a yearlong battle to keep it afloat.

According to reports, leading up to the hospital’s closure New York elected officials, nurses and other staff staged several protests to try to keep its doors open. They were hopeful that a developer or someone would come to the hospital’s rescue in bankruptcy court so it could avoid closure. The white knight never came.

The final straw came when the hospital failed a lab inspection by the Department of Health in February. The New York Daily News reports a court-appointed trustee was put in charge of Peninsula after the lab debacle.

Court papers obtained by the Associated Press reports, says Chapter 11 trustee Lori Lapin Jones will “turn to determining the most efficient and responsible manner in which to wind down the affairs of the hospital,” including exploring the use of the closed hospital for other health care purposes. That could include transforming Peninsula into a primary care facility or an urgent care or emergency care center.

The Peninsula Hospital Center, which some estimate serves about 35,000 patients a year, is the only hospital in the Rockaways and South Queens with the New York State Department of Health Stroke Center designation.

According to the census, there are more than 40,000 Filipinos that live in the Queens region in New York.

Jamaica Hospital, about 10 miles away from Far Rockaway, Queens, will now be the nearest hospital for patients seeking care. (Inq.net)

China opposes taking dispute to int'l tribunal

Photo taken from the South Sea Conversations website shows Philippine Navy personnel and then congressmen Roque Ablan and Jose Yap planting a Philippine flag on Scarborough Shoal in May 1997.





MANILA, Philippines - China has recognized that the UnitedNations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) allows coastal states to claim a 200-nautical-mile exclusiveeconomic zone (EEZ), providing legal basis for the Philippines’ territorial claims.

China, however, declared “there is no such issue of taking the dispute” before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Weimin rejected anew the Philippines’ invitation for both countries to proceed to the UN-backed tribunal to defend their respective claims over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal for a legal and lasting solution instead of a diplomatic solution.

With Beijing’s rejection, the Philippines appeared to be heading to the ITLOS alone.
The Philippines believes the world is watching China’s claims over the shoal, which Beijing calls Huangyan Island.

Manila declared last week that it would proceed to the ITLOS “unilaterally” to resolve the territorial dispute if Beijing would not join Manila in submitting the claims and defending its position before the tribunal.

“The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea allows coastal states to claim a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, but coastal states have no rights to undermine other countries’ inherent territorial sovereignty based on that,” Liu said in a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

“The Huangyan Island is China’s inherent territory and there is no such issue of taking the dispute to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea,” he said.

Liu said “any attempt to change the ownership of territorial sovereignty by using the UNCLOS is against international laws as well as the purpose and principle of the UNCLOS.”

Liu said some senior Philippine officials misled public opinion by making repeated remarks that the Philippines has sovereignty over the shoal, adding that it is in disregard of historical facts and legal evidence.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) expressed concern on Monday over the misleading information being sent to Beijing by the Chinese embassy in Manila.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez quoted Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario as saying that “some information that should have been conveyed to the Chinese government in Beijing was not very complete and even misleading.”


Del Rosario was referring to the agreement that both governments would decide to withdraw their ships but there was no agreement yet because this was still being discussed.

President Aquino, on the other hand, expressed belief that China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea should worry other nations in the region, particularly the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the rest of the international community.

Lawmakers led by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile supported the DFA in bringing the issue before ITLOS.
Enrile said bringing the country’s ongoing dispute with China to an international tribunal is the right thing to do under the present circumstances.

Taking the dispute to an international tribunal would show the world that the Philippines is a peaceful country and one that is “adhering to the accepted principles of international law,” Enrile said.

According to Enrile, several nations within and outside of Southeast Asia are monitoring the developments at the West Philippine Sea and are aware of the moves China is making in these waters.

“Any possible disturbance of international peace is a concern of the world. So we are being watched and I think that the small nations of the world, including the small nations of Southeast Asia, are watching this move of China,” Enrile said.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan also stressed the need for the US and ASEAN to issue a commitment with the Philippines regarding the maritime dispute with China.

Honasan said the right direction should be towards a “diplomatic resolution” by raising the issue before the ITLOS and a parallel Philippine initiative to seek support of ASEAN partners.

Aquino also noted China’s nine-dash theory on a map that virtually claimed the whole of the West Philippine Sea.
“(The claim) is far-reaching – the entire thing even those who are transiting this... Look at what is excluded and what they are claiming? So how can the others not be fearful of what is transpiring? Will this become an exclusive claim?” Aquino told reporters Monday.

Aquino said China’s claims had been getting closer and closer to Philippine shores despite international laws delineating maritime territories of nations.

While diplomatic solutions were being worked out, Aquino said the Philippines would maintain its presence in Panatag Shoal and assert the country’s sovereignty in those areas.

“It’s the showing of the flag,” Aquino said. “We believe these are our waters. Therefore, our vessel has the right to be in our waters.”

“The dispute has to be settled. It can’t be left hanging forever,” he said.
Also on Monday, Aquino sought unity among Filipinos, including the media, in dealing with the Philippines’ current standoff with China over the shoal.

He cited the positive opinions on the country’s stand at this time, even from foreign observers.

Newsweek magazine said the Philippines was showing “testicular fortitude” in asserting its territory.

“I believe that every Filipino is riding in one boat and all Filipinos have the responsibility to paddle to reach our dreams. If every Filipino has full support (for the country’s stand) on Panatag Shoal, we can also smoothly direct the nation to face any tidal waves that may still come?” Aquino said.

Speaking at the book launching of the People Power Volunteers for Reform in San Juan yesterday, Aquino said it was important for the world to know what “China is doing to us.”

“If we are being treated this way, countries of the same size or those smaller can also be given the same treatment,” he said.

Aquino said China, being a signatory to the UNCLOS, must follow it as a responsible member of the international community. 

Banta ng 'small-scale war,' Phil vs China iresponsable - DFA

Minaliit lamang ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas ang lumabas na banta sa isang Chinese daily na umano'y posibleng mauwi sa "small-scale war" ang namamagitang standoff sa Scarborough Shoal.

Una rito, nailathala sa editoryal ng pahayagang The Global Times na dapat umanong paghandaan na ng China ang posibleng pagsiklab ng giyera sa pinag-aagawang teritoryo sa pagitan ng Pilipinas.

"Once the war erupts, China must take resolute action to deliver a clear message to the outside world that it does not want a war, but definitely has no fear of it," ayon sa naturang pahayagan

Pero sa panig ng Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), hayagang tinawag na iresponsable  ni spokesman Raul Hernandez ang nasabing editoryal.

Tumanggi rin si Asec. Hernandez na patulan pa ang naturang pahayag. 

"Such irresponsible comments do not merit a response from us," giit ni Hernandez.

Samantala, hayagan namang tinawag na sinungalin ng Armed Forces of the Philippines ang China kaugnay sa deployment ng mga barko nito sa West Philippine Sea.

Una rito, taliwas sa pahayag ni embassy spokesman Zhang Hua, iniulat ni AFP-Northern Luzon Command chief Lt. Gen. Anthony Alcantara, na hindi pa rin umaalis sa pinag-aagawang teritoryo ang mga Chinese vessels.

“We are telling them they’re not telling the truth,” ani Alcantara.(Bombo Radyo)

Pres Noy, date si Grace Lee sa Sergio Mendes concert

Bukod sa mga karaniwang fans, mga VIPS at kilalang personalidad ang dumayo sa concert ng Brazilian at Oscar-winning singer na si Sergio Mendes kagabi sa Araneta Coliseum.

Isa sa mga audience ay mismong ang Pangulong Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.

Ka-date ng Pangulo ang girlfriend na si Grace Lee, na taliwas naman sa mga usap-usapang hiwalay na ang dalawa.

Magkasamang dumating sa venue ang Pangulo at ang TV host na pinatapos pa ang concert.

Ayon sa Twitter post ni Atty. Karen Jimeno, spokesperson ng defense team ni Chief Justice Renato Corona na nanood din sa concert ng bossa nova legend, kaniya pang nakita sina Pangulong Aquino at Lee.

Nasa lower box section pumuwesto ang Pangulo at si Lee kasama ang Presidential sisters na sina Ballsy Cruz, Pinky Abellada, Viel Dee at ilan pang miyembro ng pamilya Aquino.

Si Transportation Sec. Mar Roxas at misis nitong si Korina Sanchez na nanood din ng concert, ang nag-welcome sa Presidente.

Hindi rin nagpahuli sa concert sina dating Pangulong Joseph Estrada at misis na si Dr. Loi Ejercito, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, Gretchen Barretto at partner na si Tony Boy Cojuangco.

Si Sergio Mendes ang nagpasikat ng mga awiting "Never Gonna Let You Go," "What Do We Mean To Each Other" at marami pang iba. (BR)

Scarborough belongs to PH, old maps show

Old maps dating back to Spanish colonial times may hold the key to the claim of the Philippines to Scarborough Shoal.

Known as “Bajo Scarburo,” the shoal now called Panatag by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), has been part of the known world since 1734, when European cartographers began to map the world in an age of conquest.

In fact, Bajo Scarburo appeared on a map of the “Archipelago Filipino” as a constituent part of Sambalez (Zambales province) in a topographic map of the country “drawn under the direction of Ildefonso de Aragon on April 15, 1820.”

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, who has a collection of ancient maps of the country, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Sunday that the maps would easily disprove the territorial claim of China to the shoal and its surrounding waters, which, he said, had no historical or legal grounds under the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (Unclos).

“It’s clear that Scarborough Shoal is part of our cartography during the Spanish colonial times,” he said. “We have maps (reproduced) from the original, which was made in 1734. During that time, Scarborough is already part of the Philippines.”

The DFA has asked Beijing to resolve the dispute through arbitration in the United Nations-backed International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, but China swiftly rejected this.

As in the dispute over the Spratly Islands involving six nations, including the Philippines and China, Beijing has always preferred bilateral, where it has a clear advantage over smaller nations, over a multilateral approach.

But the DFA is standing by its decision to seek international arbitration with or without China.

The manuscript maps can be found in full-color in the hardbound book titled, “Mapping the Philippines: The Spanish Period,” authored by Angara, Jose Ma. A. Cariño and Sonia P. Ner, and  published by the Rural Empowerment Assistance and Development in September 2009.

The book contains another map, which was published in Madrid in 1875 and republished by the US Department of War in 1899, a year after the Philippines was ceded to the United States in the Treaty of Paris. It bears the description: “This is a general map of the Philippine Archipelago arising from the work of the Hydrographic Commission of the Philippines under the command of Claudio Montero y Gray.”

‘Mother of all maps’

Contractors naghahabol sa naglahong komisyon

Hinahabol ngayon ng dalawang contractor ang mister ng isang vice ­mayor sa Mountain Pro­vince matapos umano nitong takasan at hindi ibigay ang isang milyong pisong komisyon.

Sa isang media forum sa Maynila, sinabi ng dala­wang contractor na sina Rio Bonifacio, 46, at Julia Santos, 59, kapwa ng Quezon City, pinagtataguan na umano sila ng asawa ng vice mayor sa isang bayan sa Mt. Province.

Ayon kay Bonifacio at Santos, hiningi umano sa kanila ng asawa ng vice mayor ang isang government project na siya na lamang ang gagawa para sa isang bayan sa Mt. Province.

Bagama’t wala uma­nong kasulatan dahil magkakaibigan ay pumayag ang mga ito na ibigay sa asawa ng vice mayor ang kontrata sa kondisyong bibigyan sila ng isang mil­yong pisong komisyon.

Subalit, laking gulat ng dalawa nang bigla na lamang ‘magtago’ at hindi na sumasagot sa mga tawag at text matapos makuha ang pondo para sa isang P11 million road repair project.(Abante-Tonite)

Jessica Sanchez: 'Wag gawing isyu ang aking nationality

Sinagot ngayon ng Filipina-Mexican-American finalist sa American Idol Season 11 na si Jessica Sanchez, ang mga isyu kaugnay sa kaniyang nationality.

Napag-alaman na kasunod ng muntikang pagkatanggal ng 16-anyos na high school student sa kompetisyon, iba't-ibang teorya ang nabuo ng mga fans at kritiko kung saan pinuntirya ang nationality ng young singer.

Para sa ibang fans, may bahid ng racism ang mababang boto na nakuha ni Sanchez dahil sa Asian roots nito kahit na sa Amerika na ito isinilang at lumaki.

May mga nagsabi ring hindi naging bukas si Jessica sa pagkilala sa pagiging Pinoy nito kaya hindi raw buo ang suporta sa kaniya ng Fil-Am community sa Amerika dahilan upang matanggal ito pero isinalba ng mga judges.

Dahil dito, bumuwelta ang Fil-Am singer sa mga kritiko.

Sa kaniyang Twitter post, binigyang diin ni Sanchez na ipinagmamalaki niyang kalahating Pinoy siya at Mexican na isinilang at lumaki sa Estados Unidos.

Kaya huwag na aniya gawing isyu ang nationality niya dahil proud siya rito.

Ang ina ni Sanchez na si Editha ay tubong Bataan habang ang ama naman nito ay Mexican-American.

"I take pride in what I am. Half Mexican Half Filipino and born & raised here in the states. This really shouldn't be an issue.. #Pride," ani Sanchez.(BomboRadyo)

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