Xi endures lonely red-carpet APEC welcome in PH

Philippine President Benigno Aquino promised to be the "perfect host" to all leaders attending a regional summit, but a long and lonely red carpet welcome walk for China's Xi Jinping on Wednesday betrayed their nations' icy ties.

Aquino led the heads of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group along a red carpet laid throughout the summit venue in Manila to a stage where they gathered for an opening ceremony.

Xi and Chile's Michelle Bachelet were in the front row alongside Aquino.

But Aquino conversed only with Bachelet, laughing and chatting amiably, leaving Xi to plod sombrely alone through the sprawling convention centre with nobody to talk with.

The awkward walk, which lasted four minutes and seven seconds, ended when Xi entered the hall for the opening ceremony and an unidentified official approached him.

China and the Philippines are locked in a bitter diplomatic row over rival claims to parts of the South China Sea.

The Philippines had feared Xi may snub the summit because of the dispute.



When asked why Aquino had not moved to talk with Xi and whether it could be interpreted as a snub, Philippine presidential spokesman Herminio Coloma declined to respond directly.

"It was a long walk, your question might be speculative," Coloma said.

But Coloma said the two leaders had before the walk held a "warm and cordial" conversation for two minutes, although this was not captured on video.

When world leaders meet at any event, body language and personal interactions are often closely watched as a means of gauging a bigger picture on diplomatic relations.

When Xi was APEC host last year, a handshake with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe highlighted the longstanding and deep-seated tensions between their two nations.

Xi did not smile or speak, turning away from Abe to face the cameras even before the translator had finished speaking, and looked distinctly unimpressed.

Netizens quickly compared the pair to Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore -- Abe taking the role of the miserable, downtrodden donkey of the AA Milne novels.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

PNoy signs anti-lemon bill into law

MANILA - President Aquino has signed the anti-lemon bill into law, which protects car owners from brand new but defective motor vehicles.

Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar, chairman of the House committee on trade and industry and one of the principal authors of the bill, welcomed the passage of the law.

“We’re happy with the recent signing of the Anti-Lemon Law. The State declares to promote full protection of the rights of consumers in the sale of motor vehicles against trade practices which are deceptive, unfair or otherwise inimical to the consumers and the public interest,” he said.

Under the law, anyone who purchases a brand new car and experiences defects within a year after purchase would be able to secure a refund or replacement of the unit if repairs prove useless.

Lemon refers to brand new vehicles that fail to meet the standards of quality and performance.

Villar said owning a car is not considered a luxury but more of a necessity.

“Coping with this necessity does not come cheap. Owning a motor vehicle is a big investment and could take a substantial chunk of one’s savings. For some unfortunate buyers, an investment in this endeavor has become for naught after they acquired a lemon,” he said.

Under the law, a car qualifies as a lemon if it has been repaired four or more times for the same defect within the warranty period, which is 12 months after purchase or the first 20,000 kilometers of operation.

Villar said the Anti-Lemon Law originated in the US primarily to return to the consumer the full value of his or her money in the purchase of a poor-quality car.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pinoys in South Korea pray for quake victims

PNoy confers Order of Lakandula on Jasmin Lee

SEOUL—Along with President Aquino and members of his delegation, Filipinos in South Korea bowed in prayer for the victims of the earthquake that hit the Visayas.

Aquino met with the Filipino community here before flying back to Manila Friday night.



Aquino conferred the Order of Lakandula on Jasmin Lee, the first immigrant elected as member of the Korean national assembly.

In his speech, Aquino trumpeted positive developments under his administration.

He said government now has more resources to be able to repatriate distressed citizens overseas with three available C-130s and is negotiating to acquire two more.

He also mentioned the government's acquisition of two Hamilton Class Cutters.

He cited the government's ability to fund relief and rehabilitation efforts following the Zamboanga crisis with funds readily available because of prudent spending.

He said some in the media had wanted to look for victims who were unaided only to find them already attended to by government.

"Nariyan din po ang mga kasamahan natin sa media na minsan, para may storya, hahanap ng mga hindi naasikaso. Ang natuklas po nila, pati ang mga Badjao na hindi pwedeng lumayo sa dagat, nabigyang-lingap din ng estado. Ang punto po natin, supisyente na ngayon ang kakayahan ng pamahalaang matugunan, kahit pa isama ang mga may kakaibang pangangailangan," he said.

He added that his administration has been working to stop corruption to enable government deliver social services and address the shortage in classrooms.

"Hindi natin kinailangan ng magic o milagro para makamtan ang pagbabago. Simple lang naman po: Kapag naharap kami sa isang desisyon, ang tanong namin, hindi 'paano ba ako makikinabang diyan? o 'paano ba ako mananatili sa puwesto dahil diyan?' Ang nagkukumpas po sa aming mga kilos at desisyon: 'Ano ba ang pakinabang nito sa taumbayan?'" he said.

Commenting on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel misuse, Aquino said the fight against corruption is far from over.

On the ligher side, Aquino indicated that he enjoys being a bachelor. He said he saw in his friends the difficulty of being a father of a bride letting go of his daughter.

“So ang masasabi ko lang ho sa lovelife ko, ang pakinabang ko lang na hanggang ngayon e, nag-iisa pa ako. Pagdating ng punto na problema ko po ‘yung mga nabanggit ko sa inyo, palagay ko po’y ulyanin na ako, hindi ko na mararamdaman. (laughter) Pati ‘yon ho palagay ko good news,” he said. (laughter/applause)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Not his type? PNoy turns down date with Pamela Anderson

MANILA - There won’t be a date between President Aquino and former Playboy playmate Pamela Anderson.

Lacierda said the issue concerning the elephant Mali has already been previously referred by the Office of the Executive Secretary to Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. 

“Pamela Anderson is in LA and the President is not going to LA anytime soon,” Lacierda said in reaction to Anderson's reported invitation for Aquino to have dinner to discuss the plight of Mali.  

“The Executive Secretary has already delegated that study to Secretary Alcala of the Department of Agriculture,” he added.

“Secretary Alcala will be all too willing to meet with Pamela Anderson,” Lacierda said in jest.

Anderson, a former star of TV series Baywatch, had sent a letter to the bachelor Philippine president suggesting a dinner date so they can discuss the transfer of the 39-year-old ailing elephant Mali from the Manila Zoo to a reputable sanctuary.

"[S]hould you find yourself in Los Angeles, I'd love to take you to dinner and talk more about how we can help Mali," she said.

"Thank you for taking a strong, serious stance on her behalf by issuing a directive to consider moving her to a sanctuary. In a world filled with political self-interest, your character and integrity are inspiring," Anderson, a supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said.

Experts and animal rights activists have been campaigning for Mali's transfer, saying the Manila zoo has failed to give the animal a comfortable home and proper care.

"In her current environment, Mali is cruelly denied socialization, stimulation, room to explore, and everything else that is natural and important to her," PETA said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

PNoy to CHED: Monitor nursing schools that performed poorly in licensure exams

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to monitor nursing schools that have performed poorly in licensure examinations.

During the 18th founding anniversary of the CHED in Diliman, Quezon City on Thursday, Aquino lamented that some nursing schools had failed to produce a decent passing rate in the licensure exams and had taken advantage of their students.

"Imagine this, more than 80 schools have posted a passing rate of 30 percent or less since 2000 up to 2010. There are even some schools that have a zero passing rate for the past 10 years,” he said.

“To protect our students and their parents from this scheme, we have tasked CHED to monitor and keep an eye on these schools,” the President added.

He said the institutionalization of educational reforms remains a top priority of his administration.

Part of the measures adopted by the Aquino administration is a supplemental budget of P4.2 billion that has been allocated for state universities and colleges in December.

”We want to make sure our graduates have a fighting chance in the global market,” he said.

source: interaksyon.com

President 'noynoying' in Greenhills with Grace Lee? Apologetic Edu takes back 'kuryente' tweet

MANILA, Philippines - A tweet from actor-host-politician Edu Manzano about President Benigno "Noynoy"Aquino III and Grace Lee sharing a "leisurely stroll" on Thursday afternoon was immediately dismissed by Malacanang as gossip.

Palace spokesperson Edwin Lacierda clarified via his official Twitter account that the President and the Korean TV host and radio disc jockey were not spotted walking along the famous shopping district in San Juan City as Manzano claimed.

“Ur tweet is tsismis (gossip),” Lacierda said at around 3 p.m. “The President is presiding over a NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) Board meeting. It started at 10, the meeting is still ongoing. ”

Deputy Palace spokesperson Abigail Valte even dared Manzano to support his claim with photos. The NEDA meeting ended shortly after 4 pm.

Manzano, the losing vice presidential candidate and running mate of Lakas-Kampi-CMD Party presidential bet Gilbert Teodoro in the 2010 polls, later apologized for his tweet, admitting it was a mistake.

“Sorry for the confusion, everyone. In local parlance, 'nakuryente' ako, and I was foolish to tweet unconfirmed chismis,” he said on his Twitter account. “And to those who have posted personal attacks against me, I sincerely understand. Lord knows I've given you a lot of material to work with.”

Emerging from the NEDA meeting, Aquino didn't let the incident pass, quipping that he should probably give jobs to people with nothing better to do than spread gossip.

“There are really some people who do not have anything better to do," he said at the 115th founding anniversary of the Office of the President. "These are the people whom we should find jobs for because they have a lot of idle time to spin gossip. But I just laughed it off.”

Aquino is dealing with some negative publicity lately after militant group Anakbayan spawned a lazy or laidback form of protest, which it named after the President.

The protest gimmick called “Noynoying” was used by activists to call the attention of Aquino over his alleged inaction to economic problems such as the continuous increase in fuel prices. The Palace cried foul over the latest protest action and asked the public to disregard it.

Some tweets on Thursday attacked Aquino for his alleged “strolling” with Lee, saying he was "Noynoying".

"Shouldn't he be doing Presidential things? Or is he NoyNoying?" asked @annaria. (with a report from Chichi Conde, InterAksyon.com)

source: interaksyon.com

Philippines' Aquino says more US troops welcome

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine President Benigno Aquino said Tuesday more US troops would be welcome to rotate through the Southeast Asian nation, but ruled out permanent bases.

Aquino told AFP in an interview that talks were under way for the longtime allies to hold more military training exercises in the Philippines, as well as increase the number of times that US navy ships visited.

"We are talking with them. We will have more of the same, is what I am trying to say," Aquino said, referring to a longstanding partnership that sees regular joint exercises and US port calls in the Philippines.

"Their ships can come and call on us, can be replenished, but our constitution will not allow any permanent berthing here in any form.

"There might be increases in terms of personnel, but it will have to be very clear on when they come in and go out. They can not be here permanently."

The negotiations come as the United States is expanding its military presence in the Asia Pacific as a counterweight to rising China, having brokered a deal with Australia to place more troops there.

It is also expecting to station several combat ships in Singapore and step up deployments in Thailand, the chief of US naval operations, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, wrote in December.

Aquino said the Philippines was at the same time looking to the United States for help in building up its defence capabilities, amid a maritime territorial dispute with China and a host of other security issues.

The Philippines had asked the United States for F-16 fighter jets, as well as patrol vessels, transport aircraft and radar systems.

"They are still studying the request for the excess F16s. We are hoping they will look at it favourably," he said.

source: interaksyon.com