Category: General

MANILA: Philippine activities in Bajo de Masinloc are not escalating tension in the South China Sea and do not violate international laws, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

Bajo de Masinloc is a high tide feature and a traditional fishing ground for Filipinos, which means that Filipinos have all the right to fish there, its 12-nautical mile territorial sea, and the surrounding seas within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the DFA asserted in a statement.

‘It is the duty of Philippine authorities to support and protect them in the exercise of this right. These actions are not provocative and do not violate the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,’ it added.

‘Activities that infringe upon the Philippines’ sovereignty and jurisdiction in Bajo de Masinloc and its surrounding territorial sea are violations of international law, particularly UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and the 2016 Arbitral Award,’ it added.

The DFA issued the
statement after China’s Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang criticized the joint military exercises and patrols in the area, asserting that the Philippines ‘enticed countries out of the region to stir up the situation in the South China Sea.’

Zhang said the Philippines ‘seriously violated the principles of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and jeopardized regional peace and stability, and runs counter to the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability’ with such actions.

In 2013, the Philippines filed a case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, Netherlands.

The case devolved on the legal status of reefs, rocks and artificial islands in Bajo de Masinloc and the Spratly Islands group.

In 2016, the Court ruled in favor of the Philippines, declaring China’s assertions have no legal basis.

Source: Philippines News Agency

CEBU: As the local government aimed to inculcate food security down to the household level, the Cebu City Agriculture Department (CAD) here intensified the promotion of improvised backyard farming.

Arlie Gesta, assistant head of Cebu City CAD, said the city government is offering seedlings and training for residents submitting their proposals to venture into backyard production using customized agricultural plots.

Gesta said the absence of adequate land is not a hindrance to family farming, saying that backyard farmers could use containers as nurseries.

‘We can improvise our backyard farm by using what available containers for our vegetable production,’ he said.

CAD’s agricultural technologist Warwin Anadia said a maximum of 20 seedlings would be given to anyone wanting to venture into backyard farming.

‘Interested (individuals) can have more than 20 seedlings,’ he said, adding that a letter of request is needed should anyone want to avail of the seedlings at the CAD office.

The program will prioritize
the city residents, he clarified.

The People’s Farm at the South Road Properties which was launched in June last year has been successful, with volunteers from different barangays here having harvested several varieties of agricultural produce.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Department of Energy (DOE) on Monday assured that the power situation in Western Visayas will become more stable with the completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay (CNP) line upgrade.

A partial blackout of the Panay sub-grid occurred on Friday due to the shutdown of the three coal-fired power units of Panay Energy Development Corp. while Palm Concepcion Power Corp. (PCPC) is on a regular maintenance until March 30.

‘Relief from the Panay power situation is less than a month away. The Panay grid will be strengthened upon the completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay transmission upgrade by the end of March,’ the DOE said in a statement.

‘The Department of Energy emphasizes the need for generators, distribution utilities, and the system operator to continue cooperating to maintain the grid’s stability and quickly recover from any power interruption,’ it added.

DOE also called on the public to conserve energy, especially for this month, while waiting for the completion of the CNP transmission upgrade and the
maintenance of PCPC.

The agency cited short- and long-term solutions for the energy woes in the Panay grid.

The short-term solution by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, the country’s system operator, is utilizing 10 percent head room of large coal plants as contingency reserve.

In turn, long-term solutions in the pipeline include the energization of several renewable and conventional power plants as well as the completion of transmission projects to support the power generation projects and the growth of the load centers.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Four ranking members of the House of Representatives on Monday pushed for an early plebiscite for the ratification by the people of proposed amendments to the Constitution’s restrictive economic provisions.

Deputy Speaker and Quezon 2nd District Rep. David “Jay-jay” Suarez and Reps. Geraldine Roman (Bataan, 1st District), Jeffrey Khonghun (Zambales, 1st District), and Franciso Paolo Ortega (La Union, 1st District) made the proposal in a news briefing in response to a statement by veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal that holding the plebiscite along with the May 2025 local-congressional elections would be unconstitutional.

‘I have been consistent with my position na hindi po talaga dapat isabay po ito sa mid-term elections natin. Ang unang dahilan, sa pananaw ko po (that the plebiscite cannot be held simultaneously with the mid-term elections. In my opinion, the main reason) is we cannot allow the Constitution to undergo political mudslinging and be politicized by what happens during midterm el
ections,’ Suarez said.

‘Number two, we cannot allow that the Constitution be tackled in the same level as midterm elections because mas mahalagang pag-usapan natin ang Konstitusyon, kaya dapat naka bukod po ito pagdating sa pagbobotohan (the Constitution is a more important issue, that’s why it should be voted on separately).’

Suarez also noted that with Macalintal’s statement, the House now has the ‘legal basis’ to insist on the conduct of the plebiscite earlier than the May 2025 elections.

‘The Constitution is the supreme law of the land and we have to protect it, we have to uphold it, we have to safeguard it. And in doing so, we have to make sure that when we do conduct amendments and go through a plebiscite for it, nakatutok lamang ang atensyon at pag-uunawa ng tao sa pag uusapan natin (the attention and understanding of the people are focused on the issues at hand),’ he added.

Roman agreed with Suarez, saying Macalintal’s statement ‘affirms the House stand that a separate plebiscite should be held an
d the idea of holding it together with national elections is counterproductive.”

‘It is also a reminder to our colleagues in the Senate that we would have to work with a sense of urgency. If the ultimate goal is basically to approve RBH (Resolution of Both Houses No.) 6, it should be approved at the time when we do not have to hold a plebiscite alongside the national elections,’ the chairperson of the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality said.

Roman, likewise, urged senators to shed their ‘irrational fears’ that the House would eventually consider political amendments, considering the pronouncements of Speaker Martin Romualdez, and even President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on the issue.

‘No politician in his right mind would actually try or even attempt to introduce political amendments when for the longest time, we have been assuring our friends in the Senate that we are only interested in amending the economic provisions,’ she said.

Meanwhile, Khonghun said it would be better for Filipino voters to
understand the proposed amendments if a plebiscite is conducted separately from the midterm elections in May next year.

‘Mahirap kung nadadamay sa pulitika ang ating Konstitusyon. Para ‘din maintindihan, maunawaan, at maisapuso ng ating mga kababayan (It is hard to mingle the Constitution with politics. It is also for the people to better appreciate, understand and take the matter seriously),’ said Khonghun, who is one of the House Assistant Majority Leaders.

For his part, Ortega, who is also an assistant majority leader, said the Constitution should be put ‘on a pedestal platform on its own.’

He said it is for this reason that the House has its own RHB 7, to show to the Senate that the Charter change is ‘purely economic and not political.’

Source: Philippines News Agency

HOUSTON: Nikki Haley notched her first win over Donald Trump on Sunday in the Washington, D.C. primary election, marking an historic victory.

The former South Carolina governor became the first woman to win a Republican presidential primary or caucus by beating the former president 63 percent to 33 percent in the US District of Columbia, according to multiple media outlets.

Trump has beaten Haley in every contest, starting with the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary and also won the primary in Haley’s home state of South Carolina.

But Haley vowed to fight until the end despite the uphill battle against Trump and the D.C. victory gave her campaign a political breath of life.

“It’s not surprising that Republicans closest to Washington dysfunction are rejecting Donald Trump and all his chaos,” Haley campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement.

Political experts said Haley’s win was more symbolic and did a little to overcome the daunting task of overtaking Trump, who is considered the f
rontrunner to become the Republican presidential nominee and is leading by a commanding margin in most nationwide polls.

Haley will pick up just 19 delegates from the victory, which is a drop in the bucket considering that 1,215 delegates are needed to clinch the nomination.

“I purposely stayed away from the D.C. Vote because it is the ‘Swamp,’ with very few delegates, and no upside,” Trump posted on social media regarding the primary.

The focus now shifts to the nation’s biggest day of the primary season known as Super Tuesday, which is set on March 5, when most US states hold their primary elections or caucuses.

The 15 states taking part in Super Tuesday are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia. The US territory of America Samoa will also hold a vote.

The candidate who reaches the 1,215 delegate count would be nominated formally at the Republican National Convention, to be held from July
15-18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Department of Agriculture (DA) assured Monday of persistent monitoring on the prices of basic agricultural commodities in the country.

In a statement, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) has its regular price watch alongside other interventions beneficial to farmers and consumers.

De Mesa made the remark following the decline of prices on select agricultural commodities, including onion, tilapia, brown sugar and other vegetables in February, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

“The report shows that red onions have reflected a PHP25.26 decrease in its average value per kilo from January to February,” the DA statement reads.

It dropped to PHP163.11 last month, lower than February’s first phase worth PHP174.91, as well as from January’s PHP188.37 average price per kilogram.

Around PHP1 to PHP2 price drops were also reported for tilapia and brown sugar and over PHP5 decline for eggplant from January to Fe
bruary.

“For vegetables, eggplant has gone down from PHP91.51/kg to PHP86.18/kg in value from January to February,” the DA added.

De Mesa said other agricultural commodities are being sold at a more affordable price in the DA’s Kadiwa stores nationwide.

In terms of rice, he assured the country has adequate supply despite the ongoing El Niño phenomenon.

“In terms of supply, wala po tayong problema (we don’t have a problem), we have very healthy stocks and inventory of rice para po ngayong taon na ito (for this year),” De Mesa said in a separate statement.

He said the country, through the Bureau of Plant Industry, has received over 600,000 metric tons of rice imports since January.

According to the DA’s latest Bantay Presyo (price watch) report, the average weekly price of imported rice is at PHP50.20 per kilogram for milled and PHP53.11/kg for well-milled; while locally-produced rice is at PHP50/kg for milled and PHP52.44/kg for well-milled.

De Mesa said the expected peak of local harvest will start in
March to April.

Source: Philippines News Agency

CEBU: As the local government aimed to inculcate food security down to the household level, the Cebu City Agriculture Department (CAD) here intensified the promotion of improvised backyard farming.

Arlie Gesta, assistant head of Cebu City CAD, said the city government is offering seedlings and training for residents submitting their proposals to venture into backyard production using customized agricultural plots.

Gesta said the absence of adequate land is not a hindrance to family farming, saying that backyard farmers could use containers as nurseries.

‘We can improvise our backyard farm by using what available containers for our vegetable production,’ he said.

CAD’s agricultural technologist Warwin Anadia said a maximum of 20 seedlings would be given to anyone wanting to venture into backyard farming.

‘Interested (individuals) can have more than 20 seedlings,’ he said, adding that a letter of request is needed should anyone want to avail of the seedlings at the CAD office.

The program will prioritize
the city residents, he clarified.

The People’s Farm at the South Road Properties which was launched in June last year has been successful, with volunteers from different barangays here having harvested several varieties of agricultural produce.

Source: Philippines News Agency

IDP Education is planning to expand its business in Cambodia, by opening a branch in Siem Reap province in the near future, and then in Battambang, Kampong Cham and Kampot provinces, Sihanoukville of Preah Sihanouk province, and Poipet of Banteay Meanchey province.

The expansion plan was revealed by Ms. Tennealle O’Shannessy, CEO of IDP Education, in a courtesy call on Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, in Melbourne, Australia on Mar. 3.

The CEO informed Samdech Thipadei about the progress of IDP Education’s business operations in Cambodia, including ACE English Language Centre in PhnomPenh, a leading and internationally recognised school.

She also expressed her gratitude to the Royal Government of Cambodia for its continued support to IDP Education’s business operations in the Kingdom, and reaffirmed the IDP Education’s commitment to continue its good cooperation with relevant Cambodian institutions.

The Cambodian Premier appreciated the progress of IDP Education and its co
ntribution to improving the quality of education and human resource development in Cambodia, stressing that the training of human resources, especially in the field of English, is very important in the globalisation era, with English as the bridge in the labour, business and social contexts.

Samdech Thipadei laid stress on the 7th-mandate Royal Government of Cambodia’s attention to promoting the economic growth based on qualified human resources.

Samdech Thipadei encouraged IDP Education to continue to support and cooperate with relevant Cambodian ministries, particularly the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in examining the possibility of training on other programmes such as digital technology skills to continue to contribute to human resource development in Cambodia.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse