ORGANIZERS postponed two high-profile regional summits from next week to early January, blaming a brewing storm and not warnings of a planned terrorist attack.
Both the Southeast Asian Leaders’ and the East Asia Summits will be held in Cebu shortly before the island’s peak tourist season, when the Sinulog festival is held and major hotels are packed.
Marciano Paynor Jr., the Philippine ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), announced the postponement at 5 p.m. yesterday.
“This is a most agonizing decision that we had to make, but we have responsibilities and as painful as it is, we have to do it,” Paynor told reporters in a press briefing at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).
Five hours earlier, Asean National Organizing Committee Chairman and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo accepted the symbolic key from Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to signal that Cebu’s doors are open to receive the delegates.
Weather
Speculations were raised on whether the travel advisories on terror threats in Cebu and the current political troubles in Manila against Arroyo’s administration provoked the postponement, but Ambassador Paynor stressed only the weather was to blame.
Government officials have yet to decide whether the four-day holiday for the schools and government offices will still push through on Dec. 11 to 14. As of last night, it was also not clear if President Arroyo will still fly to Cebu tomorrow to address the ongoing Asean Business and Investment Summit.
However, the ministerial meetings will push through as scheduled, as the ministers are already here and started with their preparatory meetings yesterday.
Paynor confirmed that the weather bureau indeed recommended for the summit to push through. But he pointed out no one can tell whether the typhoon would intensify into a super typhoon, and heads of states would be “uncomfortable” having a summit while devastation haunted Cebu or other parts of the country.
The decision to postpone the summit will allow the Philippine Government to “give its undivided attention” to whatever effects Seniang may bring to the country.
A first
“What will people say when we are having a summit and landslides may be going on? There may be displaced persons, death,” the ambassador said.
“The decision was made in full consideration of the safety and welfare of the participants, the private individuals and groups involved in the different aspects of holding this important event, and the officials who are carrying out the preparations,” he said.
The National Government is confident the postponement of the activity, the first in the history of the Asean, will not affect in any way the commitment of the countries to sign the various agreements nor diminish the significance of the gathering.
The participating countries are expected to sign an agreement that will benefit the nurses and migrant workers, among others. Another hopes to set in motion an Asean charter that would make the 39-year-old association one based on binding rules, rather than consensus.
Most of the leaders would have started arriving today, just as tropical storm Seniang is expected to hit the province. Vietnam’s head of government, who was scheduled to arrive last night, did not do so.
The US, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Japan had warned Thursday that terrorists might be in the final stages of planning an attack during the summits in Cebu.
Options
“Categorically, I will state that the decision was based on this weather disturbance and this weather disturbance only,” Paynor said, adding there was a 70 percent chance that the storm would hit Cebu province.
Military chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said the 10,000-strong security contingent was prepared for anything.
“The assessment is that we have deployed enough security forces and, minus the weather, we are confident we could hold it,” Esperon said.
Paynor said that officials considered delaying the summit for a few days, along with a number of other alternatives, before deciding on postponement to early January. No dates were immediately announced.
Officials initially said foreign ministers would go ahead with their planned meetings today, but Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said they also decided to postpone their schedule beyond a breakfast meeting, partly because their Malaysian and Cambodian counterparts had not arrived yet.
“They told me they would like to leave tomorrow about lunchtime so when the typhoon comes they are already out,” Romulo said.
Samar today
The Philippines is still cleaning up from typhoon Reming, which crashed ashore a week ago and left more than 1,000 people dead or missing. It was the fourth “super typhoon” to hit the sprawling archipelago in four months.
Seniang is expected to make landfall over Samar this afternoon and cross Masbate, about 170 kilometers north of Cebu, on Sunday morning, the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.
The Philippines had rushed to get ready to host the meeting, even building a new convention center from scratch that was still getting the final touches as preliminary meetings started, after Myanmar pulled out as host eight months ago.
“I feel a little sad, not for myself... but I know that a lot of Cebuanos have been preparing feverishly for the summit date,” Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said of the postponement. “However, it will give us more time to perfect what we are supposed to present. We look at the positive side, we move on and we move forward.”
Just before the postponement was announced, an official of the justice department’s National Bureau of Investigation told reporters that police had been put on alert for a possible threat to Cebu’s water supply.
The official, who spoke openly with reporters but declined to be named, said there were fears that two chemical spills earlier this month may have been test runs for an attack on Cebu’s water source.
“While the information is not considered an A-1 info, we are not taking chances,” he said.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Friday, December 08, 2006
Terror v. Cebu (Philippines): 5 nations warn
AT LEAST five countries have warned its citizens against traveling to Cebu for fear of terrorist attacks planned during the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit next week.
“We advise against all travel to Cebu Province, as we believe that terrorists are in the final stages of planning attacks,” said the advisory the British Embassy released Wednesday.
Within hours, separate advisories followed from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States.
All told their citizens to avoid travel to Cebu, even as Philippine security officials said they have not discovered any specific terror threats against the summit of the 10-member Asean, but that they could not discount them.
The Australian advisory urged “extreme caution and high levels of security awareness” for those attending meetings associated with the Asean.
“While security measures will be in place at conference venues, particular care should be taken to avoid locations known to be targeted by terrorists, such as places of worship, restaurants, shopping malls, hotels, hostels, guesthouses, bars, clubs, outdoor markets and transport and associated infrastructure,” read the advisory.
Low profile
The US Embassy warned US citizens living and working in Cebu “to reassess their personal security and to keep a low profile.”
Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio Jr., who heads Task Force Cebu, down-played the advisories and said there was no specific threat from any terrorist group.
“Possibly this advisory is more of a general statement,” he said over radio dyLA, citing information from Interpol that there was no specific threat to Cebu.
French Interpol agents are expected to arrive tomorrow to help the authorities ensure terrorist groups cannot carry out any attack for the duration of the summit.
“Terrorism is a worldwide threat, we all know it’s a threat that constantly hovers everywhere, whether in New York, Paris or London itself,” said Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, when asked about the British advisory.
“We must face the fact that all major events are always attractive venues. That’s precisely why 5,000 police and other peacekeeping forces are in the local government units that are venues of the summit to ensure that delegates will be given adequate protection,” she said.
Safe
In his regular press conference, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he remains confident the island is “very, very safe.”
To help prepare the Special Weapons and Tactics teams of the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu, Osmeña provided 6,000 rounds of M16 ammunitions yesterday for their warm-up exercises for the summit.
Leaders of the 10 Asean member-nations will also meet their counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea next week. The second East Asian Summit on Dec. 13 also groups Australia, New Zealand and India.
A confidential government threat assessment report, seen by The Associated Press, cited groups that could pose a threat to the summit, including Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah and two Philippine groups, the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
The report said intelligence agencies have not monitored any specific plots against the Asean events by al-Qaeda-linked groups, but added such possibilities were not farfetched.
Quiet
“We have received information, but these are not validated threats,” military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said.
Some 5,000 troops and police have been drafted in to provide security. But officials downplayed a threat to the summit, being hosted for the first time in Cebu.
“As far back as June, we received information of possible terrorist threats during the Asean summit, mainly the Abu Sayyaf and Raja Solaiman,” said Alarcio.
But Alarcio said there had been no recent information. “Our assets (informers) on the ground are telling us: no threat to the summit. This is a quiet region, we don’t have terror attacks. But we are on alert throughout Cebu.”
“We advise against all travel to Cebu Province, as we believe that terrorists are in the final stages of planning attacks,” said the advisory the British Embassy released Wednesday.
Within hours, separate advisories followed from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States.
All told their citizens to avoid travel to Cebu, even as Philippine security officials said they have not discovered any specific terror threats against the summit of the 10-member Asean, but that they could not discount them.
The Australian advisory urged “extreme caution and high levels of security awareness” for those attending meetings associated with the Asean.
“While security measures will be in place at conference venues, particular care should be taken to avoid locations known to be targeted by terrorists, such as places of worship, restaurants, shopping malls, hotels, hostels, guesthouses, bars, clubs, outdoor markets and transport and associated infrastructure,” read the advisory.
Low profile
The US Embassy warned US citizens living and working in Cebu “to reassess their personal security and to keep a low profile.”
Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio Jr., who heads Task Force Cebu, down-played the advisories and said there was no specific threat from any terrorist group.
“Possibly this advisory is more of a general statement,” he said over radio dyLA, citing information from Interpol that there was no specific threat to Cebu.
French Interpol agents are expected to arrive tomorrow to help the authorities ensure terrorist groups cannot carry out any attack for the duration of the summit.
“Terrorism is a worldwide threat, we all know it’s a threat that constantly hovers everywhere, whether in New York, Paris or London itself,” said Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, when asked about the British advisory.
“We must face the fact that all major events are always attractive venues. That’s precisely why 5,000 police and other peacekeeping forces are in the local government units that are venues of the summit to ensure that delegates will be given adequate protection,” she said.
Safe
In his regular press conference, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he remains confident the island is “very, very safe.”
To help prepare the Special Weapons and Tactics teams of the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu, Osmeña provided 6,000 rounds of M16 ammunitions yesterday for their warm-up exercises for the summit.
Leaders of the 10 Asean member-nations will also meet their counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea next week. The second East Asian Summit on Dec. 13 also groups Australia, New Zealand and India.
A confidential government threat assessment report, seen by The Associated Press, cited groups that could pose a threat to the summit, including Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah and two Philippine groups, the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
The report said intelligence agencies have not monitored any specific plots against the Asean events by al-Qaeda-linked groups, but added such possibilities were not farfetched.
Quiet
“We have received information, but these are not validated threats,” military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said.
Some 5,000 troops and police have been drafted in to provide security. But officials downplayed a threat to the summit, being hosted for the first time in Cebu.
“As far back as June, we received information of possible terrorist threats during the Asean summit, mainly the Abu Sayyaf and Raja Solaiman,” said Alarcio.
But Alarcio said there had been no recent information. “Our assets (informers) on the ground are telling us: no threat to the summit. This is a quiet region, we don’t have terror attacks. But we are on alert throughout Cebu.”
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Philippines slips in competitiveness rank to 126 from 121
The Philippines slipped in global competitiveness ranking to 126th this year from 121st in 2005, according to a survey of 175 countries by the World Bank.
The country failed to implement enough reforms to enhance its business climate since last year up to April 2006, and fell way behind Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand (18th), Malaysia (25th), Taiwan (47th) and Vietnam (104th). Only Indonesia got a worse rating of 135th, according to "Doing Business 2007: How to Reform," a joint research project of the World Bank and its private sector lending arm, International Finance Corp.
"The good news is that for this particular year, there were no regulations imposed that negatively affected the business climate," IFC country manager Vipul Bhagat said in a media briefing Wednesday. "The bad news is that no positive reforms were done either and thus the country slipped in its ranking this year," Bhagat added.
The study, the fourth in a series of annual World Bank-IFC reports investigating regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it, looked at how countries performed in 10 areas: starting a business, dealing with licenses, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and closing a business.
The study showed that on a scale of one to 10, the Philippines scored only 3 in the index for legal rights protection and 3.3 in the index for investor protection. The country was also outranked in the legal protection index by Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, which scored 8.0, 5.0, 5.0 and 4.0, respectively. Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia also scored higher in the investor protection index with respective ratings of 8.7, 6.0 and 5.3.
It was noted to be more cumbersome to start a business (taking 48 days), obtain a license to build a warehouse (197 days), register property (33 days) and enforce a contract (600 days) in the Philippines than in most of its peers across East Asia. Based on the study, it would take 11 procedures to start a new business in the country compared to only five in Hong Kong, six in Singapore, eight in Taiwan and Thailand and nine in Malaysia.
The Philippines rated high relative to other East Asian economies only in two benchmarks -- ease in trading across borders and enforcement of commercial contracts. The report showed that it takes 10 days to import in the Philippines and 18 to export, beaten only by Singapore, China and Taiwan. But what was not included in the report was the significant progress made in fiscal reforms that, in turn, greatly reduced macroeconomic risks, said World Bank country director Joachim von Amsberg.
"Economic performance has been relatively strong which has increased investor confidence. This situation has created the breathing space to now focus on the microeconomic constraints to investment," Amsberg said. "If the Philippines can effectively address the myriad macroeconomic constraints faced by investors, large and small, it can reach its potential for rapid development," he said.
The country failed to implement enough reforms to enhance its business climate since last year up to April 2006, and fell way behind Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand (18th), Malaysia (25th), Taiwan (47th) and Vietnam (104th). Only Indonesia got a worse rating of 135th, according to "Doing Business 2007: How to Reform," a joint research project of the World Bank and its private sector lending arm, International Finance Corp.
"The good news is that for this particular year, there were no regulations imposed that negatively affected the business climate," IFC country manager Vipul Bhagat said in a media briefing Wednesday. "The bad news is that no positive reforms were done either and thus the country slipped in its ranking this year," Bhagat added.
The study, the fourth in a series of annual World Bank-IFC reports investigating regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it, looked at how countries performed in 10 areas: starting a business, dealing with licenses, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and closing a business.
The study showed that on a scale of one to 10, the Philippines scored only 3 in the index for legal rights protection and 3.3 in the index for investor protection. The country was also outranked in the legal protection index by Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, which scored 8.0, 5.0, 5.0 and 4.0, respectively. Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia also scored higher in the investor protection index with respective ratings of 8.7, 6.0 and 5.3.
It was noted to be more cumbersome to start a business (taking 48 days), obtain a license to build a warehouse (197 days), register property (33 days) and enforce a contract (600 days) in the Philippines than in most of its peers across East Asia. Based on the study, it would take 11 procedures to start a new business in the country compared to only five in Hong Kong, six in Singapore, eight in Taiwan and Thailand and nine in Malaysia.
The Philippines rated high relative to other East Asian economies only in two benchmarks -- ease in trading across borders and enforcement of commercial contracts. The report showed that it takes 10 days to import in the Philippines and 18 to export, beaten only by Singapore, China and Taiwan. But what was not included in the report was the significant progress made in fiscal reforms that, in turn, greatly reduced macroeconomic risks, said World Bank country director Joachim von Amsberg.
"Economic performance has been relatively strong which has increased investor confidence. This situation has created the breathing space to now focus on the microeconomic constraints to investment," Amsberg said. "If the Philippines can effectively address the myriad macroeconomic constraints faced by investors, large and small, it can reach its potential for rapid development," he said.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Oil leak from sunken tanker slows in Philippines
An oil leak from a sunken tanker in the central Philippines has tapered off as efforts to clean up the country's worst oil spill continued, the coast guard chief said Thursday.
Vice Admiral Arthur Gosingan said a Japanese salvage company conducting a physical examination of the ship that sank off Guimaras Island, 495 kilometres south of Manila, reported that it has not detected any leakage 'as of now.'
The Okinawa-based company was using a remote-operated vehicle that surveys the ship with underwater cameras.
'In their last report, they have detected a crack on the starboard side, on the right side of the ship but they have not detected any leakage as of now,' he said.
'On the surface, we have seen sheen (of oil) only, that means that whatever comes out is very, very minimal,' he added.
Gosingan, however, said that video transmissions from the bottom of the sea still showed that there were smudges of oil on the crack of the sunken MT Solar 1, indicating that there has been a leakage there.
MT Solar 1 was carrying some 2 million litres of bunker fuel when it sank off Guimaras on August 11 after it was battered by strong winds and huge waves.
Coast Guard officials have estimated that some 500,000 litres of bunker fuel have already spilled out of the sunken vessel and underscored the need to immediately remove the remaining oil from the ship to prevent further leakage.
Some 40,000 residents have been adversely affected by the oil slick. Local officials said many residents of Guimaras, most of whom are fishermen, have lost their livelihood due to the accident.
The sludge has already affected 66 square kilometres of sea, 220 kilometres of coastline, 1,143 hectares of a national marine reserve and 454 hectares of mangroves, the government said.
Several countries, including Germany, Japan, the United States, Australia and France, have heeded President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's appeal for help in containing the spill.
The spill was the second in eight months. In December, a barge owned by the state-controlled National Power Corp spilled some 364,120 litres of bunker fuel at nearby Semirara Island.
The Semirara spill, however, was confined to a cove which affected only 100 hectares of mangrove plantation.
Vice Admiral Arthur Gosingan said a Japanese salvage company conducting a physical examination of the ship that sank off Guimaras Island, 495 kilometres south of Manila, reported that it has not detected any leakage 'as of now.'
The Okinawa-based company was using a remote-operated vehicle that surveys the ship with underwater cameras.
'In their last report, they have detected a crack on the starboard side, on the right side of the ship but they have not detected any leakage as of now,' he said.
'On the surface, we have seen sheen (of oil) only, that means that whatever comes out is very, very minimal,' he added.
Gosingan, however, said that video transmissions from the bottom of the sea still showed that there were smudges of oil on the crack of the sunken MT Solar 1, indicating that there has been a leakage there.
MT Solar 1 was carrying some 2 million litres of bunker fuel when it sank off Guimaras on August 11 after it was battered by strong winds and huge waves.
Coast Guard officials have estimated that some 500,000 litres of bunker fuel have already spilled out of the sunken vessel and underscored the need to immediately remove the remaining oil from the ship to prevent further leakage.
Some 40,000 residents have been adversely affected by the oil slick. Local officials said many residents of Guimaras, most of whom are fishermen, have lost their livelihood due to the accident.
The sludge has already affected 66 square kilometres of sea, 220 kilometres of coastline, 1,143 hectares of a national marine reserve and 454 hectares of mangroves, the government said.
Several countries, including Germany, Japan, the United States, Australia and France, have heeded President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's appeal for help in containing the spill.
The spill was the second in eight months. In December, a barge owned by the state-controlled National Power Corp spilled some 364,120 litres of bunker fuel at nearby Semirara Island.
The Semirara spill, however, was confined to a cove which affected only 100 hectares of mangrove plantation.
No retesting of nurses, Philippines says
The Philippine government has decided not to compel the nurses who passed a fraudulent nursing board examination to retake the test, opting instead to recompute their scores after invalidating answers to the questions that had been leaked.
The decision, officials said, was a "fair and impartial way" to resolve the scandal that has tainted the reputation of the nurses, who are some of the most sought-after caregivers in the world.
The Professional Regulation Commission, which administers the board exams, said it invalidated the 90 questions, out of the 500 test questions, that had been leaked and recomputed their averages based on the new scores.
"It's fair to all," commission chairman Leonor Tripon Rosero told a congressional panel investigating the scandal on Wednesday. "That's already fair to everyone, even to those who failed."
More than 17,000 of the 42,000 examinees passed the exams, which were held in June.
Nursing graduates had opposed retaking the test, first suggested by nursing educators, who argued that retesting was the only way to repair the country's damaged credibility.
There have been concerns that the tainted results would damage the image of Filipino nurses, especially at a time when other countries are producing more and more of their own nurses.
The Philippines is among the top sources of nurses in the world, supplying more nurses to the United States than any other country.
Members of the June batch of students had been turned away by hospitals, here and abroad, officials had said. But on Thursday, two government hospitals announced that it would now hire nurses from this batch.
"We want to give them a chance," Ninfa Ignacia, a hospital administrator, said.
The decision, officials said, was a "fair and impartial way" to resolve the scandal that has tainted the reputation of the nurses, who are some of the most sought-after caregivers in the world.
The Professional Regulation Commission, which administers the board exams, said it invalidated the 90 questions, out of the 500 test questions, that had been leaked and recomputed their averages based on the new scores.
"It's fair to all," commission chairman Leonor Tripon Rosero told a congressional panel investigating the scandal on Wednesday. "That's already fair to everyone, even to those who failed."
More than 17,000 of the 42,000 examinees passed the exams, which were held in June.
Nursing graduates had opposed retaking the test, first suggested by nursing educators, who argued that retesting was the only way to repair the country's damaged credibility.
There have been concerns that the tainted results would damage the image of Filipino nurses, especially at a time when other countries are producing more and more of their own nurses.
The Philippines is among the top sources of nurses in the world, supplying more nurses to the United States than any other country.
Members of the June batch of students had been turned away by hospitals, here and abroad, officials had said. But on Thursday, two government hospitals announced that it would now hire nurses from this batch.
"We want to give them a chance," Ninfa Ignacia, a hospital administrator, said.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
'Pack up and run' from Lebanon, says Philippines
The Philippines on Saturday stated that Filipinos working in southern Lebanon should "pack up and run".
Spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs Gilbert Asuque said, "Pack up and run," adding, "All Filipinos, get out of there and go to the embassy or the relocation sites. We don't want our Filipinos to be caught in the crossfire."
Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said around 2000 Filipinos in southern Lebanon could be experiencing Israel's heavy onslaught, one of which occurred in the early hours of Saturday.
Offering an interim solution for its people, the Philippine government called on the Vatican to open more of its doors to Filipinos fleeing fighting in Lebanon.
So far two Roman Catholic churches in Beirut have been providing shelter to Filipinos and Thais seeking refuge from the violence.
Spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs Gilbert Asuque said, "Pack up and run," adding, "All Filipinos, get out of there and go to the embassy or the relocation sites. We don't want our Filipinos to be caught in the crossfire."
Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said around 2000 Filipinos in southern Lebanon could be experiencing Israel's heavy onslaught, one of which occurred in the early hours of Saturday.
Offering an interim solution for its people, the Philippine government called on the Vatican to open more of its doors to Filipinos fleeing fighting in Lebanon.
So far two Roman Catholic churches in Beirut have been providing shelter to Filipinos and Thais seeking refuge from the violence.
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