Philippine boat likely fired heavy guns: prosecutor

2013/05/11 16:34:19

(By Chen Chao-fu and Elizabeth Hsu)
enditem /pc

Taipei, May 11 (CNA) The Taiwanese fishing boat that was fired on Thursday by a Philippine government vessel was riddled with bullet holes, which suggests that "heavy weapons " were probably used in the incident, a Taiwan prosecutor said Saturday.

A total of 52 bullet holes were found on the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, said Liu Chia-kai from the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office after examining the 15-ton vessel that is registered in Liouciou Township, Pingtung County, in southern Taiwan.

On the port side, there are 10 holes where the bullets penetrated parts of the boat that are quite thick, which means they may have been shot from "heavy weapons," but it could not be ascertained whether they were from 50-caliber machine guns, Liu said.

Ballistics analysis will be carried out on the bullet shells that were found on the boat, and the 52 bullet holes have been photographed as evidence, he added.

The boat is "a scene of devastation," said one of the forensics technicians who checked the boat, which is now docked at Ta Fu fishing port on Siaoliouciou Island off Pingtung.

A 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng was killed when the Philippine government vessel opened fire on the the Kuang Ta Hsing on which he was working.

Taiwan prosecutors said Hung was killed by a bullet that penetrated the right side of his neck. Liu has asked that the body be taken to Kaohsiung for forensic examination.

The shooting took place 164 nautical miles southeast of Taiwan's southernmost tip Thursday, in waters in the overlapping exclusive economic zones of Taiwan and the Philippines.

Taiwan has said that the Philippines should take full responsibility for the shooting, which it described as "excessive use of force."

"Under no circumstances should a Philippine government vessel shoot at a Taiwanese fishing boat that is not armed," Foreign Minister David Lin said Friday, stressing that the incident occurred in the overlapping economic zones of the two countries.

Meanwhile, Hung Yu-chih, skipper of the Kuang Ta Hsing and son of Hung Shih-cheng, denied that the incident was triggered by his attempt to ram the Philippine government vessel.

Hung Yu-chih said it was not possible for his boat to ram the much bigger Philippine vessel and that the crew had not taken any aggressive action as a Phillippine Presidential Office spokesman claimed.

After the shooting began, the unarmed fishing boat attempted to flee as fast as possible, he said, stressing that it was the other vessel that opened fire.

"The bullets came like rain," forcing the fishing boat crew to seek shelter in the cabin, but that is where his father was shot, the skipper said.

Will Danding keep hold on Negros?

by Rappler.com 

 

MANILA, Philippines - Business man Danding Cojuangco's hold on Negros Occidental politics is being challenged.

Negros Occidental is the Philippines’ sugar capital.

It is home to rich hacienderos who export sugar to Europe and the United States.

These hacienderos also control local politics under the leadership of outsider turned kingmaker Danding Cojuangco.

VICE-GOV LIM-AO ALVAREZ:

All politicians here in Negros, he treats us very fairly. He doesn’t ask for any favor. What he wants is for the good of the province. I think everybody likes him.

Elections used to be boring in Negros.

Government positions were decided not so much by the ballot, but in meetings of Danding’s party, the United Negros Alliance or UNA.

But in an unexpected twist of events, Governor Freddie Marañon decides to seek re-election, in defiance of Danding who had already anointed Vice Gov Lim-ao Alvarez as gubernatorial candidate.

VICE-GOV LIM-AO ALVAREZ:

The problem started when governor Maranon changed his mind because he promised that he is not running anymore.

GOV FREDDIE MARAÑON:

Only fools don’t change their mind. 19 mayors persuaded me to run.

UNA breaks apart and for the first time in history, candidates are facing serious opponents.

Allies are fighting former allies. Friends are fighting friends. Negros politics is changed.

The split puts on the line Danding’s clout as political kingmaker of the province-- which fuels his influence in national politics.
Negros Occidental’s 1.6 million voters – the country’s 4th biggest voting province – is a bargaining chip he can offer national politicians.

VICE-GOV LIM-AO ALVAREZ

Even senators, they are even to the point of begging for the endorsement of the Ambassador. When you’re in local politics, here in Negros I think it’s only Ambassador Cojuangco who matters.

Marañon says he has grown his own political network, capable of defeating his former patron’s machinery.

GOV FREDDIE MARAÑON

It’s a big challenge. It’s an uphill battle. But it’s the people that support me – the grassroots, the religious sector, the fisher folks, the farmers. Those that benefitted from my program.

The elections here is more than just a battle between two former allies now at each other’s throats.

It is a test of Danding Cojuangco’s grip on this vote-rich province. Carmela Fonbuena, Rappler, Negros Occidental. - Rappler.com

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Crucial reforms at stake in Monday’s polls

By Karl Malakunas
Agence France-Presse

Election posters of national and local candidates fill a vacant lot along Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City. INQUIRER/RAFFY LERMA

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines holds elections on Monday seen as crucial to President Benigno Aquino’s efforts to transform society, but with deadly violence, corruption, and nepotism posing familiar threats.
More than 18,000 positions will be contested in the mid-term elections — from the town level up to the nation’s Congress — and Aquino is banking on landslide wins for his allies to cement his reform agenda.
“The President needs to be able to have a strong coalition in both houses of Congress to be able to push through critical measures,” Budget Secretary and ruling Liberal Party powerbroker Florencio Abad told Agence France-Presse.
Since taking office in 2010 following a landslide election win, Aquino has maintained record high popularity ratings while overseeing strong economic growth and efforts to tackle corruption that have won international acclaim.
In the Philippines, presidents can only serve one term of six years, and Aquino has said he is determined to leave a permanent legacy that will ensure the Philippines is no longer the “sick man of Asia”.
One key plank is ending a decades-long Muslim rebellion in the south of the country that has claimed an estimated 150,000 lives and stifled economic growth.
Aquino is close to signing a peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the main rebel group, but he will then need Congress to endorse the pact.
All the seats in the lower house and half in the Senate are being contested in the mid-term elections.
The Philippines has a plethora of parties, and politicians frequently shift allegiances, so controlling Congress is extremely difficult.
But Aquino secured support for key reform initiatives in his first three years in office, and he is confident that big victories in both chambers on Monday will ensure an even more productive second half of his term.
Abad said other initiatives that Aquino was eyeing over the next three years included expanding the tax base to pay for a better social safety net, and reform of the mining sector so that big firms pay higher taxes.
However, deep-rooted problems that have plagued the Philippines for decades are expected to again impact Monday’s election, and continue to haunt the political landscape long after Aquino has left office.
The Philippines is infamous for a brutal brand of democracy where politicians — particularly at the local and provincial levels — are willing to bribe, intimidate or kill to ensure they win.
More than 50 people have already been killed in election-related violence, including candidates and their aides. Philippine military and police will be on high alert Monday in a bid to stamp out any last-minute attacks.
Efforts by the Commission on Elections to curb violence and vote-buying turned into farce in the final days of campaigning, when the Supreme Court blocked the commission from enforcing controversial bans on selling alcohol and carrying large amounts of money.
Activists have warned that political dynasties which dominate politics in the Philippines, including the Aquino clan, are set to strengthen their chokehold on the country.
The Philippines is ruled by remarkably few families — with roughly 70 percent of the members of current Congress belonging to a dynasty — and polls are showing the elite are set to become even more dominant.
A host of colorful names are contesting the elections, including boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, who is seeking a second term as a member of the lower house.
Pacquiao, a former street kid but now one of the country’s richest men, is looking to create his own dynasty.
His wife, Jinkee, is running to become vice governor of a southern province despite having no political experience, while one of his brothers is also running for Congress.
Imelda Marcos, wife of dead dictator Ferdinand, is almost certain to win a second term in the lower house at the age of 83 representing a northern province where her family enjoys dynastic rule.
Her daughter is running unopposed for provincial governor

Philippines probes shooting death of Taiwanese

By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Facing yet another flashpoint over disputes in the West Philippine Sea, the country’s top diplomat said Saturday that the Philippine maritime agencies have initiated an investigation into the “unfortunate” shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman off Batanes, maintaining that the incident occurred during lawful operations within territorial waters.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Saturday that the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources are already looking into the incident Thursday, when PCG officers fired at a Taiwanese fishing boat in an apparent effort to defend themselves.

Taiwanese Hung Shih-chen, 65, was killed in the incident, raising a howl in Taiwan and strong demands for an investigation, apology and compensation.

In a statement on Saturday, Del Rosario said results of the investigation will soon be released. Notably, he referred to the shooting as an “unfortunate” incident that ensued amid legitimate anti-poaching operations of Philippine maritime agencies.

“The PCG and BFAR are now investigating the incident which resulted in the unfortunate loss of life of a Taiwanese fisherman during the routine lawful enforcement activities against poaching in Philippine waters,” said Del Rosario in a brief statement sent via text message.

“The result of the investigation will be made available in due course,” he added.

Asked whether Manila has already reached out to Taipei over the incident, Del Rosario said the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) “is in communication with the government of Taiwan.” MECO is the Philippines’ representative office in Taiwan.

The PCG had said its personnel only acted in self-defense in shooting at Taiwanese fishing vessel Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, which at the time was sailing some 80 kilometers off the Balintang Channel near Batanes.

The vessel, then carrying three Taiwanese and one Indonesian as crew, allegedly tried to ram the Philippine patrol boat.

The Taiwanese side meanwhile alleged that the ship “came under attack” and that Philippine officers opened fire without any warning.

The incident happened amid still unresolved disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), potentially resource-rich waters contested by the Philippines, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia.

Now the subject of a Philippine plea before the United Nations arbitral tribunal, China was quick to criticize the incident, calling it a “barbaric” act.

China recently sent a 30-vessel fishing fleet into the West Philippine Sea, a move seen to assert its claims over almost all of the West Philippine Sea amid the Philippines’ move to halt its string of incursions into established maritime boundaries.

Groups urge deeper probe on Luzon-wide blackout

By Dennis Carcamo

MANILA, Philippines - Poll watchdog Kontra Daya on Thursday called on Malacañang to order an investigation into the massive power outage that struck Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

"Malacañang should determine the true cause of the outage so that these can be prevented. We are quite concerned with the attitude of the Department of Energy that seeks to downplay the impact of the outage by saying that these things happen frequently," said Kontra Daya convenor Fr. Joe Dizon.

Dizon also called on the Commission on Election to discuss its contingency measures aside from the battery packs attached to the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines, which would be used during the May 13 national and local polls.

"It is not enough that PCOS machines have battery packs. What about the entire polling precinct? What about the transmission and canvassing of votes? There are too many variables which cannot be addressed by the PCOS battery pack," Dizon said.

Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said it was too early for the government to immediately rule out sabotage if it has not yet undertaken a thorough probe of the power outage.

"From the reports we have gathered, the reasons for the outage were events external to the power plants. Something happened outside the plants that we are not yet aware of. That this event can affect five plants, through some kind of domino effect, is truly a cause for concern," Reyes said.

"Malacañang should make public a full report within the week, just before the elections. It should refrain from downplaying or trivializing the incident, by saying that these happen all the time, or that these can easily be fixed. We call on the people to be ever vigilant especially in the next few days," he added.

Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla said in an interview with ABS-CBN News that the massive power outage that hit Luzon was caused by a technical problem at the Calaca 2 power plant in Batangas.

Petilla said that the Calaca 2 power plant tripped first and then it "cascaded" down to five other plants.

He said that they are now investigating why the Calaca 2 power plant's auto shut off did not work.

He explained that the Calaca 2 power plant should have automatically shut down, which would have activated its back-up generator and could have prevented the massive power outage.

"Yesterday six [plants] shut down because the auto-shut off of a power plant, for some reason, did not work. That is what we are investigating," Petilla said.

The energy secretary had assured that "there is no reason to believe" that Wednesday's massive power outage was “sabotage."

"Rest assured this won't happen on election day," he said.

STUNNED beachgoers in New Zealand stumbled over what looks like the carcass of a mysterious marine animal.

The bizarre-looking corpse washed ashore last week, fuelling speculation that it is the remains of a prehistoric sea monster washed up ashore from the deep, Sun Live reports. The 9-metre-long corpse has basic flippers and a gaping jaw with long, sharp teeth.

A video posted to YouTube showed the 9-metre long corpse on Pukehina Beach in the Bay of Plenty. Calling it a “strange marine creature”, the narrator added: “can anyone help us identify it?”.

The video sparked a flurry of speculation that the carcass was some prehistoric ‘sea monster’.

Discovery News said the latest “monster” carcass find in New Zealand was part of a long history of discoveries of mysterious sea creatures. The bizarre, rotting corpses are often mistakenly identified as sea monsters or dinosaurs, or even just mysterious “blobsters”.

In 2003, the bizarre 12-metre, 13-tonne “Chilean blob” shocked the world when it washed ashore on Los Muermos beach, BBC News reports. Puzzled marine biologists speculated the blob could be a type of giant squid, but DNA tests on the blubbery mass eventually determined it was the remains of a sperm whale.In 1896, a 2-metre tall sea creature corpse washed ashore in St Augustine, Florida. Scientists eventually determined it was a new type of giant octopus.

Marine mammal expert Anton Van Heldon examined the latest ‘monster’ carcass in New Zealand and believes it is a killer whale, based on the fin structure. Killer whales, or orcas, are sometimes spotted in the Bay of Plenty.

Does the Philippines deserve its investment grade? by Edsel Tupaz and Daniel Wagner

Over the past decade the Philippines' sovereign credit rating oscillated between "negative" and "stable," reflecting concern about the ability of the government to collect sufficient tax revenue, manage its budget, and sustain a high rate of GDP growth.

Three years ago, President Aquino embarked on a long overdue path to correct what had become endemic deficiencies in the Philippine economy.

Over the past 10 weeks, the country has been rewarded for its efforts, with Fitch, the Japan Credit Rating Agency, and S&P all categorizing the Philippines as "investment" grade. Does it really deserve that designation?

Moody's retains its rating at a notch below investment grade, but will undoubtedly follow the others in due course, reflecting a rising chorus of voices in the investment community expressing confidence in the country's future.

The external position of the Philippine economy -- its current account balance, external payments position, and foreign exchange reserves -- has been solid under President Aquino's fiscal management.

The public deficit (2 percent of GDP) and debt-to-GDP ratio continue to fall, inflation remains at 3 percent, and the country's GDP in 2012 grew at 6.6 percent -- higher than Indonesia (6.2 percent) and Malaysia (6.0 percent), and not far behind Asia's perpetual economic leader, China (7.6 percent).

Year to date, the Philippine peso and stock market (ranked 5th best globally) are among the best performers in the world.

Cleary, much of the credit must go to the President, and his willingness to tackle some long simmering issues. Since taking office in 2010, President Aquino managed to pass the 'sin tax' law covering such items as alcohol and cigarettes, increased tax collection rates, and successfully impeached the now former Supreme Court chief justice of former President Arroyo, on grounds of undeclared wealth. Because of Aquino's "straight path" platform, the Philippines ranked 105th (out of 174) in Transparency International's Corruptions Perceptions Index in 2012, on par with such countries as Algeria and Mexico. When he assumed power, the country was ranked 134th, on par with countries such as Nigeria and Zimbabwe. Clearly, the country is making good progress in that regard.

But what progress has been made in terms of simply doing business in the Philippines? Despite its newly minted investment grade credentials, the World Bank's 2013 'Doing Business' indicators continue to give the Philippines a low grade. Out of 185 countries in its index, the Philippines ranks just 138th, sandwiched between Ecuador and the Ukraine. In six of the ten categories, the country ranks in the lowest third, and particularly poorly in terms of both starting a business and resolving insolvency (at 161st and 165th, respectively). Also, the Philippine rankings actually fell in 7 of the 10 categories since last year. This stands in stark contrast to what is implied by its investment grade ranking.

Beyond the ease in doing business, regulatory risk remains a challenge, and the country's judiciary remains notoriously corrupt. While the political risk associated with attempted coups over the past several decades has notably diminished in recent years, election-related killings and violence remain a problem. And the country's rising level of net foreign direct investment remains a fraction of that of its neighbors, or other investment grade countries throughout the world. Given all this, what explains the relative haste with which the three ratings agencies upgraded the Philippines?

Apart from perhaps wanting to maintain a sense of consistency, given that Indonesia was also recently upgraded to investment grade by Fitch and Moody's -- even though its currency has not performed as well and it incurred its first current account deficit in 15 years last year -- one explanation might be a tendency to overemphasize a country's external profile while underemphasizing development indices such as the inclusivity of economic growth, per capita development across social strata, the Gini coefficient, and absolute poverty.

Recently, the Philippine National Statistical Coordination Board reported that despite the series of consecutive credit rating upgrades made by various agencies over the past 3 years, poverty levels in the Philippines remain unchanged. As of 2012, about 22 percent of Filipino households were considered poor by absolute standards, compared to 23 percent in 2009. A 2008 Asian Development Bank study stated that the Philippines has the largest number of higher education institutions in Southeast Asia, and the number of examinees in professional licensure exams continues to rise, yet passing rates continue to drop. In addition, the Philippine underemployment rate increased from 19 percent in 2011 to 22.7 percent in 2012. In other words, some important, underappreciated indicators are going in the wrong direction.

The Aquino administration has been quick to focus on how long the "trickle down" process can take, but it did not dispute the findings of the report. To date, President Aquino's technocrats are struggling to reconcile high credit scores, on one hand, and inclusive growth, on the other. So far, there has been no adequate reason cited -- other than Kuznet's inverted-U curve (circa the 1950s), where income inequality should eventually decrease, but only after sustained growth in the long term. On that basis, the Philippines must have high sustained growth for many decades to make a real difference in the absolute poverty rate.

So this appears to be a "Tale of Two Countries" -- one with significantly improving economic indicators and an activist President determined to smash through some of the unfortunate legacies of the Post-Marcos era, and the other -- an unbroken legacy of poverty, regulatory ineffectiveness, and judicial corruption. The ratings agencies appear to have focused primarily on the former, presumably under the assumption that it will take time to address the latter.

Much will depend on what happens after President Aquino leaves office in three years time. Will his reformist legacy continue, or will the country slide back into its old ways? At least three ratings agencies appear to be saying that there is a better chance that meaningful reform will continue in the longer-term. Clearly, the Philippines has a great deal of untapped potential. Nouriel Roubini, a perennial pessimist, forecasted that should the Philippines continue to defy the global recession, and if it were to consistently register GDP growth rates between 7 percent and 9 percent annually, as one HSBC study claimed, the Philippine economy may be among the largest economies by 2050. This assumes an uninterrupted path to nirvana, however, which is rather unlikely to occur, particularly given the vicissitudes of the global economy and the plethora of challenges facing the Philippines.

More likely is that the country will encounter its share of obstacles along the way, some of which will be externally derived, but many of which will undoubtedly be self-imposed. To truly deserve its investment grade rating, the Philippines needs to achieve much outside the realm of economic indicators. Being rated, as it is, one notch above junk status, it wouldn't take much for the country to fall back below an investment grade rating. Rather than beating its chest too much about what it has just achieved it, the government would be wise to focus on how best to avoid losing it.