PALACE JUNKS FBI PROBE ON INCIDENT 

A Taiwanese government official accused the government of refusing a Taiwanese probe team in the country to interview Philippine Coast Guard officers.
Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang said the Philippines, however, had agreed to allow Taiwanese investigators to inspect the firearms used and compare ballistics results with those obtained by Philippine investigators.
Malacañang also rejected the possible interference of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to conduct a neutral probe on the Balintang Channel shooting incident of a Taiwanese fisherman, based on plans of the Taiwanese government which earlier had called the death of Hung  “extra-judicial” killing.
Presidential deputy spokesman Abigail Valte said President Aquino and his top investigators have not discussed the invitation of the Taiwanese government extended to the United States FBI experts to look into the incident.
“That has not been discussed,” Valte said.
Valte insisted that the agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have almost completed its assignment on the determination of culpability of Philippine Coast Guard elements involved in the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman who died gunshot wounds.
Chen said ministry official Yang Wan-li is now negotiating matters involving the investigation with the authorities in Manila.
The ministry is seeking to see the video of the incident shot by the Philippine patrol boat, but the negotiation is ongoing, Chen said.
Chen said the Philippines refused to allow Taiwanese to interview but the ministry hoped that questions prepared for the suspects could be asked by local investigators.
Allowing Taiwanese investigators to join the probe in Manila would not intrude on judicial sovereignty, he said. Chen said the ministry has agreed to Manila sending a team to Taiwan.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had reiterated her opposition to the idea of a joint investigation, saying that Taiwan and the Philippines were instead conducting “parallel” or “respective” investigations.
“It’s not advisable to agree to a joint probe, because you know, aside from sovereignty issues involved, there is foreign policy implications involved because of the ‘one China’ policy,” De Lima said.
A Taiwanese team would be allowed to view written testimony given by the officers, De Lima said.
The Taiwanese crew of fishing boat managed to dispatched a radio message from the boat to the shore of Taiwan village that they were being fired upon in the high seas pointing to the PCG.
The PCG, on the other hand, lodged a report that they had opened fire on the vessel to avoid the Taiwanese boat from ramming a Coast Guard vessel.   
“The investigation of the NBI is underway, is ongoing, and they have done more or less the work that is necessary. They are only waiting on something,” Valte said.
When asked by the Tribune if the Philippine government is open if ever Taipei would ask U.S. the FBI to intervene Valte said “At this point, the investigative team (NBI) is already doing its work”.
Valte did not explain on what could be the contingency of the Aquino administration should Taiwan rejects the findings of the NBI on the incident.
“Hypothetical at this point. Let’s cross the bridge when we get there,” Valte said.
The Aquino administration has keep on buying time to die down the tension in Taiwan.
“I was able to speak to Chairman (Amadeo) Perez of MECO this morning and Chairman Perez said that, I think, his counterparts in Taiwan were able to receive word of the President’s interview yesterday wherein the President expressed his thanks also to them for making sure that our citizens will be protected and that the attacks will not be repeated,” Valte said.
Valte added that Aquino’s message “was received well by the Taiwanese side and they said that they will ensure that no harm will come to our citizens there”.
“The investigation is very exhaustive and they’re looking at all factors that may be contributory that may have any particular impact on the incident itself,” Valte said.
Valte said that by having the boat inspected in Taiwan, “of course, in the interest of thoroughness, any investigation would entail looking at the vessel itself. But, (as) to how important it is, we will leave that to the investigators to answer”.
Valte was unsure of the possibility if the crewmen of the Taiwanese boat would be subjected for an investigation.
“That, I do not know also. The investigating team would be in a better position to answer what they intend to (investigate). Whether or not they intend to interview the rest of the (Taiwanese) crew,” Valte said.
On the decision of some Taiwanese tourists to cancel their travels to the Philippines, Valte said the Toursim Department had already its contingency to attract other foreign tourists.
Taiwanese nationals have registered to be the big market of local tourism industry in the Philippines.
“I understand that the DOT will concentrate on other markets or shift their focus. Of course, we’re hoping also that this will come to pass and that, moving forward, there will be resolutions to the ongoing tension,” Valte said.
Forbes Asia reported that veteran Taiwanese political scientist George Tsai cringes at the anti-Philippine hysteria that swept his homeland like a typhoon after May 9. That day Taiwan began its campaign for an apology from Manila over the shooting of a local fisherman.
A team law enforcement officials are scheduled to fly to Taiwan before the weekend to investigate further into the circumstances behind the death of a fisherman at the hands of Filipino coast guard personnel. National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Nonnatus Rojas said a team is scheduled to gather evidence in Taipei to complete its probe on the fatal shooting last May 9.
De Lima said an NBI team composed of agents from its foreign liaison division and forensic experts has been given go-signal to get statements of companions of the slain fisherman and also examine their fishing vessel.
The probers also want a post mortem examination of the victim’s remains, which would need approval of the family of victim Hung Shih-cheng.
She explained that inspection of the fishing vessel is necessary for the NBI to come up with complete findings.
She said probers only needed to gather evidence from Taipei to complete its probe and conclude whether or not coastguards involved in the incident could be held criminally liable.
“More or less, we now have a substantive and clear picture of what really happened,” she revealed.
The DOJ chief has confirmed she  personally viewed the video of the incident submitted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to the NBI.
“It’s very revealing,” she hinted, but refused to discuss further details.
The Taiwanese government allowed the NBI to go to Taipei after the DOJ agreed to allow their investigators that arrived in Manila last May 16 to have access to evidence gathered by the NBI, including statements of coastguards and ballistic report on firearms used.
De Lima also reiterated her earlier pronouncement that the incident “happened in Philippine waters.”
The DOJ chief stressed: “Insofar as we are concerned, it happened in Philippine waters.”
However, she deferred commenting as to how crucial the issue of jurisdiction will be in the conclusion of the separate but cooperative probes of the Philippines and Taiwan.
“Is that (issue) material or not? Let’s just wait and see for the results of the NBI investigation,” she hinted.
A reporter in Taiwan was also sacked for fabricating a story about a diner refusing to serve Filipinos amid a diplomatic row over the recent killing of a Taiwanese fisherman, his company said Wednesday.
The reporter, identified only by his family name Cheng, wrote on his Facebook page that he “witnessed” a diner owner refusing to sell boxed lunches to two men after discovering that they were Filipinos, according to Lih Pao newspaper.
When Cheng’s superior asked to meet the owner to verify the story, the reporter sent an impostor and later admitted that he never saw the incident take place, the newspaper said.
“We apologise to the public. Even though we tried to verify the story, we regrettably could not avoid such a deliberate deceit happening,” it said in a statement.
Anti-Manila sentiment has mounted in Taiwan after a 65-year-old fisherman was shot dead earlier this month by Philippine coastguards who claimed his vessel had intruded into their territorial waters.
Taiwan has rejected Manila’s claims that the shooting took place in Philippine waters and that the killing was “unintended”. President Ma Ying-jeou has described the incident as “cold-blooded murder”.
A Taiwanese woman who similarly caused a stir on Facebook earlier this week with a story of a diner refusing to serve Filipinos has also admitted to making it up.
The woman, identified by her family name Tung, claimed that she bought food for a Filipino worker in a restaurant in Taipei on May 15 because the owner refused to serve the Filipino. She was caught out after giving conflicting details of the alleged incident when questioned by those who responded to her post.
“I know I made a very big mistake. I don’t know how to face society now,” she told reporters.
President Ma has called for calm and promised to protect the 87,000 Philippine nationals living and working on the island after a Filipino worker was attacked last week.
Taiwan has announced a series of economic sanctions against the Philippines, demanding Manila offer a formal government apology and compensation for the fisherman’s family, and launch a joint investigation into the incident.
Benjamin B. Pulta   

The Court of Appeals (CA) has issued a writ of injunction on several court orders in connection with the development of a Philippine property in Nampeidai district in Tokyo, Japan.
In a five-page ruling penned by Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr. and concurred in by Associate Justices Ramon Bato Jr. and Rodil Zalameda, the CA’s First Division granted the petition for application for the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction filed by the government through Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario, Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez and Bids and Awards Committee for Nampeidai Property Development Project chairman Carlo Carag.
“Accordingly, let a writ of injunction issued effective immediately, enjoining the court a quo, its agents and all persons acting for and on its behalf, from implementing the assailed orders dated February 17, 2012 and April 2 , 2012, as well as the writ of execution of April 2, 2012,” the ruling stated.
The CA had earlier issued a 60-day temporary restraining order stopping the Pasay City Regional Trial Court from enforcing its decisions ordering the Philippine government to deal directly with Masahiro Nagayama as lead partner and manager of Nagayama Taisei Corp. (NTC).
The petition sought for the issuance of a TRO against the writ of execution issued by the Pasay City RTC in favor of Nagayama on Feb. 17, 2012.
The Philippine government claimed the lower court acted with grave abuse of discretion when it issued the ruling compelling the government to deal with the NTC.
The NTC was the winning bidder which presented a 1.7-billion yen offer to construct the property and pay the Philippine government an additional 480-million yen.
The bidding was done based on Republic Act 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
The earlier ruling of the CA cited some issues such as the non-existence of the service development agreement the government entered into with Masaichi Tsuchiya, among others.
In justifying its petition for injunctive relief, the government asserted that  it has a clear and unmistakable right not to be subject of injunction in a government infrastructure, among others.
In its new ruling, the CA said “prudence dictates that the vital issues such as the validity of the cancellation of the Notice of Award dated October 13, 2005, the termination of the SDA and the supplemental agreement dated August 14, 2006 and March 13, 2008, respectively, the existence of the purported consortium, the NTC, among others, ought to be threshed out first.”
The CA added “it will not be able to perform its bounden duty to thoroughly examine the same, thereby rendering the remedy of appeal practically useless, if appellant GOP (Government of the Philippines), to its prejudice, will be eventually compelled to execute a new SDA on the strength of the assailed writ of execution dated April 2, 2012 in favor of NTC and appellee Nagayama.”            

Despite the heavy presence of Chinese fishing vessels, escorted by naval ships, in Ayungin Shoal on the disputed South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has not increased its manpower in the area as part of the government efforts to “de-escalate” the situation.
AFP Public Affairs Office (PAO) chief Maj. Ramon Zagala, at a press briefing, yesterday said the military is currently focused on monitoring the activities at Ayungin Shoal which is part of the disputed Kalayaan Islands Group (KIGs) or the Spratlys in the South China Sea.
Zagala stressed the military is fully supportive of the government’s diplomatic approach in addressing the situation in Ayungin Shoal.
“We are trying to de-escalate the situation so that we can follow the diplomatic solution, if we are going to increase (forces there), we are just going to escalate,” he added.
“So, at the moment, we follow what solution our government wants. Our presence there is the same and we continue to monitor. We’ll follow whatever direction the President will give us,” Zagala said.
He added the military, particularly the Western Command (Wescom), is conducting continuous aerial patrol in the KIGs to monitor the situation.
At the same time, Zagala said the 125,000-strong military has its contingency plan but refused to elaborate.
Asked what contingencies the AFP has, Zagala replied “we are Armed Forces so we should be able to defend our national territory. So, the contingencies that we have is military one. I cannot elaborate.”
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin confirmed the presence of several Chinese vessels, escorted by naval ships, along Ayungin Shoal. He also admitted that the Chinese are fishing within the country’s territorial waters.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also said it had protested to China at the “illegal” presence of a Chinese warship and other vessels at Ayungin Shoal occupied by Philippine Marines in the South China Sea.
“We (have) filed with the Chinese Embassy in Manila our protest on the provocative and illegal presence of Chinese government ships around Ayungin Shoal,” DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez.
He added three vessels — one warship and two maritime surveillance vessels — were still near the reefs and islets, also known as Second Thomas Shoal.
Hernandez said the protest was filed on May 10 and China had not responded.
Hernandez would not say when the vessels were first detected.
Ayungin Shoal is a tiny group of islets and reefs near the Spratly Islands chain, about 200 kilometers north of Palawan.
It is very close to Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef), which the Philippines controlled until China built structures on it in the mid-1990s.
Philippine Marines has been garrisoned at Ayungin Shoal since the mid-1990s, said Defense department spokesman Peter Galvez.
Neither he nor spokesmen for the Navy, which has jurisdiction over the marines, would discuss with Agence France Presse details about the marine garrison.
The Navy commander, Vice Admiral Jose Luis Alano, said the Marines continues to be periodically resupplied without interference from the Chinese vessels.
“No Navy ships are being harassed by them,” Alano told reporters.
China insists it has sovereign rights to most of the South China Sea, which is believed to sit atop vast resources of oil and gas. It is also home to rich fishing grounds and shipping lanes vital to global trade.                                    AFP

Nearly 20 percent of respondent Filipino families said they went hungry for at least a day in the past three months based on a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
The survey held between March 19 and 22 showed that of those who have experienced hunger during the period, 15.6 percent said they have experienced moderate hunger while 3.6 percent indicated having experienced severe hunger.
The self-rated hunger figure was higher than the 16.3 percent posted in the same survey last December.
The SWS said hunger rose significantly between the two quarters and was experienced by respondents in both poor and non-poor sectors.
The hunger incidence increased in all regions except Metro Manila, climbing sharply in Mindanao to 29.2 percent from 20 percent.
Former budget secretary and University of the Philippines School of Economics professor Benjamin Diokno said structural reforms were needed to “sustain strong and inclusive growth and in the process create a lot of decent jobs.”
“The SWS survey results means poverty remains high and is persistent. It means the problem is structural. More decent jobs have to be created every year, according to Diokno.
In Luzon, the figure rose by two points to 14.7 percent and grew to 15 percent from 13.3 percent in the Visayas.
Malacañang said it remains committed to addressing poverty and hunger through various initiatives, adding that it is not relying on surveys as benchmarks for its interventions.
Deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte described the SWS survey, since it is done quarter to quarter, “a little bit volatile.”
Severe hunger was also highest in Mindanao advancing three points to 6.7 percent.
The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, the Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao with sampling error margins of plus and negative three percent for national percentages and plus and negative six percent for area percentages.
The questions asked were about the family’s experience of hunger and was directed at the household head.
The survey question on hunger goes “In the last 3 months, did it happen even once that your family experienced hunger and not have anything to eat?”.
Those who experienced hunger were further asked: “Did it happen only once, a few times, often, or always?”
Some economists said that the survey results are usually conservative as a result of the Filipinos’ reluctance to swallow their pride on matters such as their families going hungry.
Moderate Hunger refers to those who experienced hunger “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months, while severe hunger refers to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the last three months.
“We don’t tend to take the survey alone as the sole benchmark for prioritizing several areas for us to concentrate or to at least target these areas,” Valte said.
One of the continuing thrusts of the government is the expansion of the conditional cash transfer program of the government, she said.
The government said that all over the country there were 3.9 million family beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer (CCT).
Other programs also include livelihood for the poor, Valte said. This initiative provides trainings to support for those who wish to start small businesses, small or medium enterprises, she added.
The government has also identified several areas to prioritize to generate more jobs particularly in the agri-business and tourism sectors, she added.

Election watchdogs under the Automated Election System (AES) Watch are collating additional information and documents to strengthen the case they filed earlier before United Nations Human Rights Committee over the lapses committed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) during the recently concluded mid-term elections.
Father Joe Dizon of Solidarity Philippines and Kontra Daya lead convenor, in an interview, noted that the electoral body had not been transparent in its conduct of the second automated elections with the use of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines.
Dizon said their lawyers are studying their next legal move so they can held responsible the Comelec and Smartmatic for the various glitches in the just concluded May 13 elections.
“We also wanted the House of Representatives to conduct inquiries for their (Comelec) deficiency,” Dizon said.
He stressed the Comelec did not observe transparency for using the PCOS machines as there was some questions with regard to alleged pattern in the result of the counting and the premature proclamation of the 12 senatorial candidates.
The priest also claimed that there are many rules and regulations in the Omnibus Election Law that were violated by the Comelec, thus they are inclined to file their supplemental complaint once the IT experts determine the glitches of PCOS and the CF cards.
The group also said it is  also planning to file a case before the Supreme Court against the Comelec and Smartmatic, for them to be held accountable for the “dubious and questionable election results.”
Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr., for his part,  is recommending to discontinue the use of Smartmatic precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines in the 2016 elections.
Brillantes said he will advise the next Comelec chief not to use the Smartmatic PCOS machines in the 2016 elections due to the large number of criticisms with the system in the last two elections.
He said personally the PCOS machines should not be used in the next elections because the machines were utilized for only two elections.
He, however,  said the current PCOS machines from Smartmatic can still be used in the presidential elections as long as they are maintained properly.
He said a proposal to increase to 100,000 the number of voting machines was junked due to lack of budget.
The Comelec chief said he still wants the poll body to use optical mark recognition (OMR), similar to the PCOS machines, in the next elections.

By Alvin Murcia

The choice of both the Senate leadership and heads of the key Senate committees should be a decision not only among Liberal Party (LP) members but the  alliance formed by President Aquino, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano of the Nacionalista Party (NP) said.
He hinted of a a possible clash in the race for the upper chamber presidency if it’s not amicably settled.
“I’m not closing the door (on the possibility of the) NP trying to make abid for the (Senate) presidency, depending on the direction of our relationship with them and their ‘treatment’ although we have no complaints so far,” he said.
Cayetano, one of the names that Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago earlier floated as a frontrunner in the top Senate post aside from the LP’s Sen. Franklin Drilon, practically confessed that he’s setting his sights on the position currently occupied by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.
He, however, appeared not keen on having to slug it out with Drilon.
“I think everyone is interested. The question is, are you actively pursuing it. I’m not actively pursuing it,” Cayetano said in responding to queries on whether he’s interested in the post.
“If there is a consensus and Drilon will say ‘I don’t  want it, I want Alan’ then I’ll accept it. Anybody would be a hypocrite to claim that they do not want it,” he said.
Cayetano emphasized the need to avert any scenario where the LP and NP, considered to be now the biggest bloc in the Senate in the coming 16th Congress if based on its party members, will be headed for a collision in choosing a common candidate.
“It should not happen because it would be an ugly scenario. If it will unavoidable that there will two from the coalition, it should be settled by consensus within the coalition to prevent it from battling it out,” he said.
“I don’t think it would be productive,” he said.
Cayetano, in a press conference with a select group of reporters, also revealed that he had met with his NP party mates but he did not seek out their support nor lured them to form a separate bloc.
“In the sense that we were not actively aspiring for it, it was a surprise (to hear it from Santiago). But we only discussed one topic, to make the LP and the NP otherwise known as the Team PNoy coalition work,” he added.
“So although we do believe that the Senate President should be chosen by consensus, his legislative agenda should be clear to all,” he said.
He also admitted meeting Drilon last Tuesday “but we didn’t talk much about the Senate presidency per se.”
“I told him that I told the people thorugh interviews that so far there’s no questions on his kind of. I think everyone has a good view and is supporting  his leadership,” he said.
“Right now, I don’t see any competition firming up as of now but the question is are we all 18 and those from UNA (United Nationalist Alliance) are not part of it or will they be counted as part of the coalition?,” he said.
While the matter of choosing the next Senate president is still two months away, Cayetano underscored the need to create this early a mechanism to ensure that the coalition they formed will work.
The senator said, if he could have it his way, he would want his colleagues to refrain from forming a bloc not based on the strength of numbers or headcount per party so that “the people will see a different kind of Senate this time.”
And one of which is the matter of committee assignments being settled based on each of the senator’s “expertise”, regardless of whether the member is a neophyte or senior, he said.
“We can sit down and we in NP would it sana na hindi palakasan, hindi palakihan, sino ang mas senior ang pilian ng committee, but who is the best and the brightest for each committee.  
“So these are the problems which I don’t think a traditonal setup in the Senate can address. When we say back to business or business as usual, what kind of business as usual meron tayo sa Senado? So we’d like to see that kind of partnership in the Senate with the executive rather than have pure politics,” he added.
On proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution, Cayetano said the issue can prove to be a deal breaker among Aquino’s allies in Congress.
The senator said that while there remains a coalition with the administration that is expected to be maintained even after the just-concluded elections, Palace cannot expect it’s allies to take a common stand on some of the crucial issues concerning the country.
“We cannot expect to take 100 percent position same (as that of the Palace) at all times. I don’t think it’s the right time to take up Charter change (Cha-cha) now. But I’m willing to consider the postponement of the barangay elections, especially, to strengthen it,” he said.
But the issue on Cha-cha can prove to be a deal breaker because it could be muddled by politics, Cayetano pointed out.
“I’m not against exploring how we can stengthen our attractiveness in the field of economics or investments. However I’m against tinkering with the Constitution concerning political provisions,” he said.
“I’d like to see and study it first. We can’t talk about chacha without a proposal. Let’s do the debates first,” he said.
On the matter of deferring the barangay elections, the senator said it need not be held simultaneous with the 2016 presidential polls.
“It can be in 2014, 2015

U.S. FBI ASKED TO ASSIST IN PROBE 

Taiwan termed yesterday the death of fisherman Hung Shi-cheng from the hands of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) members as an “extra-judicial” killing as it released a satellite record of the route of a fishing boat fired upon by the coastguards to flatly reject the government’s allegations that the boat intruded into Philippine waters.

The PCG’s excessive use of force against an unarmed Taiwanese fishing boat, which resulted in the death of a Taiwanese fisherman, should be classified as an “extra-judicial and inhumane killing,” an international press statement of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECO) in the US said.
The US TECO said that US federal investigators will be sought to assist in the shooting incident as it cited a high-profile case involving the disappearance of US high-school student Natalee Holloway on the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba in 2005.
The statement said that the Dutch and Aruban authorities quickly agreed to bring the FBI and other US officials into the investigation in an effort to avoid potential adverse effects on bilateral relations after the case became a media sensation in the US.
“Taiwan is asking for no more than this — a joint investigation. It’s a serious human rights issue and there is no legal problem for Taiwan and the Philippines to jointly conduct the investigation,” the statement added.
“Extra-judicial killings, such as in this case, have been an ongoing human rights issue in the Philippines. International focus on the issue reached such a high level of concern

that the US House of Representatives sent a staff delegation to Manila in 2007 to fully vet the issue with Philippine government officials,” the press release said.
A joint patrol of the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources sprayed bullets at the unarmed Taiwanese fishing boat Kuang Ta Hsing 28 on overlapping economic zones of both countries last May 9.
65-year-old fisherman Hung Shih-cheng died in the incident that left the boat riddled with 45 bullet holes.
The TECO in the US also made known to international media the details regarding the incident, as well as the Taiwanese government’s stance on the shooting and its dismissal of the Philippine government’s description of the incident as “an unintended loss of life.”
The press release attached an illustration showing that the Philippine government vessel was about six times that of the Taiwanese fishing boat, rebutting the the government’s claims that the shots were fired in self-defense after the Taiwanese boat had tried to ram it.
The statement said a joint investigation mechanism should be established in accordance with the Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement signed between Taipei and Manila earlier this year.
It quoted Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou as saying that he believed “the incident requires both sides to cooperate with each other on the investigation pragmatically, and only by doing so can the truth be revealed.”
The statement also urged Manila to start fishery talks with Taipei to avoid recurrence of such incidents, as has been demanded by the Ma administration, and to refrain from using its “one China” policy as an excuse for not issuing an apology.
“The Ma administration has laid out four demands in response to the shooting — that Manila issue a formal apology, compensate Hung’s family, investigate the incident to identify and punish the perpetrators and initiate negotiations on a bilateral fisheries agreement,” it said.
Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency said the voyage data recorder from the fishing boat showed it was not in Philippine waters when it came under fire on May 9.
“The satellite records indicated that the Guang Ta Hsin 28 had been fishing within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone throughout,” the agency’s deputy chief Tsay Tzu-yaw told AFP.
“Since the Philippine authorities repeatedly alleged that the fishing boat had intruded into their waters, then why not make public the video records they claim they have taken from the coastguard boat?”
The government said it would make “coordinated efforts” with Taiwan to look into the incident.
Its coastguards claimed that the fishing boat intruded into Philippine waters and tried to ram their vessel, forcing them to to open fire.
Ma also earlier termed the killing “cold-blooded murder” based on an initial inquiry by Taiwan, which showed that the boat had more than 50 bullet holes and showed no signs of ramming.
The incident has sharply raised tensions between Taipei and Manila, sparking concern from Washington.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) team would fly to Taiwan to examine the fishing boat and interview survivors.
De Lima said the Taiwanese investigators would be given access to their evidence, including statements from the coastguard.
President Aquino has personally apologized for the incident but Taiwan has rejected his apology and announced sanctions.
These include a ban on the hiring of new Philippine workers, recalling its envoy and staging a naval drill in waters off the northern Philippines.
Taipei has repeatedly pressed Manila to issue a formal government apology, to compensate the fisherman’s family and to apprehend the killer.
Philippine officials say the issue of a formal apology is complicated by the fact that Manila officially recognizes Beijing over Taipei.
De Lima said an 8-man NBI group will perform the task of investigating the vessel that was fired upon by the PCG, interview with some of its crew up to the re-autopsy of the body of the slain fisherman if the family would allow so.
De Lima during an interview at the NBI headqurters said that they had just finished a closed door conference by the NBI team that conducted the investigation on the shooting incident on the Taiwanese fishing vessel.
She added that the result of the investigation done in Manila will not be exhaustive if the NBI team will not examine the said fishing vessel which is now in Taiwan
Taiwanese tourists bound for the resort island of Boracay, meanwhile, have started cancelling their hotel reservations causing worry to the stakeholders.
This developed after Engr. Percy Malonesio, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) at the Kalibo International Airport (KIA), announced Tuesday that several airline companies had notified cancellation of flights to and from Taiwan beginning May 22.
“We have received information from the Mandarin Airlines that they will be cancelling their flights coming from Taiwan beginning tomorrow. We expect notifications from other airline companies such as the Zest Airlines and the Philippine Airlines to also follow through anytime today,” said Malonesio.  With Pat C. Santos, PNA, AFP

President Aquino’s Senate coalition will hold even after the opening of the 16th Congress, Sen. Franklin Drilon, bruited about as the strongest possible contender for the Senate top post after incumbent Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.

The coalition holding together will result in Drilon securing the top Senate post.
“I am confident of the coalition holding, I don’t see any signs that it will break up and there is no reason I see that will cause it,” Drilon said in answering queries on the issue of the administration-led Team PNoy being a mere marriage of convenience.
Drilon further expressed belief that issues on politicking among his colleagues, that include the incoming new members, will now be set aside since elections are now over.
“The elections are over, the  message now should be for those elected to buckle down to work and pursue the reform measures of President Aquino,” he said.

While Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel sees the coalition holding in the Senate, a matter which was also shared by Senator-elect Cynthia Villar, the latter remains noncommittal on the issue of supporting either of the two supposed frontrunners in the Senate presidency – Drilon and her partymate in the Nacionalista Party (NP), Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.
Between Drilon and Cayetano, Pimentel admitted his preference for rilon saying that the latter “will be a good choice but I think being the younger senator, I think he can easily be persuaded to support Senator Drilon.”
“As a mathematician, there are nine Team PNoy winners plus seven senators friendly with the President (Aquino) so nine plus seven is 16 and you only need 13 votes to elect the Senate president. So I would say that there would be a change in the Senate presidency and it would most likely be Drilon who would be Senate president,” he said.
Villar said her party will have to discuss first the matter on the Senate presidency and whatever decision they reach, they would have to bring it up with the Liberal Party (LP).
“If it’s (alliance with LP) for the welfare of the people and we see nothing wrong with it, then I I don’t see anything happening, any parting of ways in the future,” she said.
While Cayetano is a partymate, Villar is not discounting the possibility of Drilon being fielded for the presidency although on the matter of throwing support on the latter, she emphasized that their party is yet to discuss it among themselves.
“We foresee the Senate President coming from administration allies considering that pro-administration senators, both the incumbent and the newly-elected, are in the majority. So that’s not far-fetched,” she said.
“For the good of the country we’ll always be supportive,” she said.
The issue on Cayetano being fielded for the top Senate post had not been brought up among the NP members, she said, adding that his name cropped up only in news reports so far.
At present, there are current NP members and with Villar coming in as a new member, the numbers will still be the same since she will be replacing her husband, Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. whose term of office will expire in June 30.
“We’re the same bloc so I don’t find anything special about it,” she said.
Pimentel stressed the need in keeping the coalition in the Senate as its objectives include plans to pursue a common legislative agenda.
Drilon admitted that neither he nor Cayetano could claim numbers at this point since the issue has not been discussed among the senators and the possibility of other blocs emerging before the next Congress’ opening is not remote.
“As what (Senator-elect Joseph Victor) JV Ejercito Estrada who is neophyte in the Senate said, they could also try to make a bid (for the Senate presidency) so we’ll never know what will happen really. In fact he was quoted saying that he will not cast a vote for me. All I can say is that it need not be a unanimous vote. We only need 13 votes.

President Aquino has no plans to introduce amendments to the restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution which economic critics claim hinder the foreign capital from coming to the country.
Aquino reiterated his original position as being opposed to any proposal to change the provisions of the Constitution which was ratified during the term of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino in 1987.
“I think my stand has been public for the longest time. I don’t think they are a necessary detriment to getting foreign investors in this country,” Aquino said.Under the 1987 Constitution, the offending provisions are Section 2 of Article XII “National Economy and Patrimony”, which proscribes ownership of resource lands.

“Section 7, which limits land ownership to Filipino citizens;
“Section 10, which establishes the 60% minimum native ownership of any enterprise;
“Section 11, which applies the “60/40 Rule” to public utilities and utility franchises;
“Section 14, which reserves the practice of all professions to Filipinos.
“Section 4 of Article XIV “Education, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture, and Sports” prohibits foreign ownership of schools, and limits foreign enrollment in any school to one-third of the student body.
Also, Section 11 of Article XVI fully prohibits any foreign ownership of ‘mass media’ enterprises, and stipulates a minimum of 70 percent Filipino ownership of any enterprise engaged in the advertising business.
Aquino cited China as an example, that the policy on prohibition for an investor to own a land had a positive effect but nvestors still decided to invest in China.
“Ownership of land as one of the economic of provisions, I cite China. In China you lease, you cannot own land. But China’s economy grew for something like close to 10 percent for a decade. So that, I think, is empirical evidence that suggests, that that is not a main determinant,” Aquino said.
Aquino said that there had been studies in the past to amend the provisions of the Constitution that various businessmen clamored to have a change, not of the constraint of economic provisions, but on the problem of red tape in the government, public works, and law enforcement issues.
“In our earlier studies about this, various chambers of commerce in the country have indicated a lot of issues, and very low on the priority of the so-called economic provisions. They cited at that time the bureaucracy, peace and order situation, among others, lack of infrastructure,” Aquino said.
Meanwhile, fresh moves to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution should open up the opportunity to change the form of government, the chairman of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms said yesterday.
According to Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, amending the economic provisions could lead to the overhaul of the Constitution including a change from the current presidential to parliamentary government. He said that once the economic provisions are opened up for amendment, the form of government could also be changed.
“If Charter change pushes through, I will move for a change in the form of government – from presidential to parliamentary,” Barzaga said yesterday.
Barzaga claimed that there are a good number of lawmakers who share his view on the parliamentary system. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile were pushing for amendments to the economic provisions of the Constitution.
He said that his sentiments for the parliamentary form of government are hinged on the belief that government service is not a franchise of only a few known political clans.
In the event that Charter change succeeds and the form of government is changed, every region could be represented by a senator because senatorial elections would be done on a regional basis as compared to the current system where the senatorial elections are on a nationwide basis.
“We can do away with name recall under the new system,” he said.
He explained that under a parliamentary system, the government would be headed by a prime minister who will be voted upon by members of the parliament.
Head of the various government agencies, now called secretary, would be called minister. They would be part of the parliament which is elected by the people vis-avis the current system where the secretary is appointed by the president.
Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano yesterday called on the public to be vigilant of an Aquino-initiated Cha-cha and frustrate by all means the administration’s renewed bid for it.
“With the Liberal Party emerging as majority winner in the mid-term elections, it is definite that Aquino will use LP’s fresh win to consolidate his political allies in Senate and Congress to push for more anti-people policies, including Charter change,” said Mariano.
“We must exert all efforts to thwart an Aquino-led Charter change that will pave the way for 100 percent foreign ownership of lands, utilities and other restricted industries,” the solon said.
Yesterday, the website of Bombo Radyo quoted several allies of Aquino, all batting for amending the 26-year old charter.
Sen. Ralph Recto was also quoted saying the foreign direct investments (FDIs) would only start pouring in if the Foreign Investment Act (FIA) is amended.
Budget Secretary Butch Abad, senior political at economic adviser of the president, was also quoted saying there is a need to do away with the negative provisions of FIA limiting the shares of foreign investors.
But while all three were one in saying that Aquino remains non-committal to Cha-cha, Mariano said the mere fact it is his allies who are doing the talking is proof itself the preside nt is behind the renewed Cha-cha bid. With Gerry Baldo and Charlie V. Manalo

President Aquino yesterday announced a $1.8-billion military upgrade to help defend his country’s maritime territory against “bullies” amid an ever-worsening dispute with China.
In thinly veiled comments referring to China, Aquino vowed during a speech to mark the Navy’s 115th anniversary that the Armed Forces would be given the resources necessary to protect Philippine sovereignty.
“We have a clear message to the world: The Philippines is for Filipinos, and we have the capability to resist bullies entering our backyard,” Aquino told naval chiefs.
Aquino detailed a P 75-billion ($1.82-billion) military modernization program that gives priority to upgrading the Navy, which is one of the weakest in Southeast Asia.
He said by 2017 the Philippines would acquire two new frigates, two helicopters capable of anti-submarine warfare, three fast vessels for coastal patrols and eight amphibious assault vehicles.
“We will also improve our communications, intelligence and surveillance systems,” he said. Aquino said the government had already spent P28 billion on military modernization over the past three years, including on two refurbished Hamilton-class cutters acquired from the US coastguard.

The first, renamed BRP Gregorio del Pilar, entered service as the navy’s new flagship in 2011. The second is due to be delivered in August.
The Philippines had also announced this year that it would acquire for its coastguard 10 new patrol boats from Japan.
The increasingly bitter territorial dispute with China is over competing claims to parts of the South China Sea, which is believed to sit above vast amounts of oil and gas. It is home to rich fishing grounds.
China insists it has sovereign rights to most of the South China Sea, including waters approaching the coast of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.
China has in recent years taken what the Philippines and Vietnam say are increasingly aggressive actions to assert its claims.
The Philippines says China has since last year occupied a shoal 230 kilometers from the main Philippine island of Luzon.
The shoal is 1,200 kilometers from China’s nearest major landmass.
Even with the extra spending announced by Aquino, the Philippines’ military budget will still dwarf China’s.
China announced in March its defense budget for 2013 would be about $115 billion.
Meanwhile, despite the presidential bravado on resisting the Chinese “bullies”, China has sent more Chinese fishing vessels , escorted now by a Chinese military chief, and there appears nothing that the Philippine military can do to chase these vessels away.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin yesterday confirmed the presence of Chinese fishing vessels, escorted by a military ship, within the country’s territorial waters along the Kalayaan Islands Group (KIGs) or Spratlys in the disputed South China Sea off Palawan.
Interviewed by reporters during the anniversary celebration of the Philippine Navy in Cavite, Gazmin said that government authorities are now in the process of documenting the Chinese activities in the disputed region, particularly along Ayungin, for filing of another diplomatic protest.
“They (Chinese) are undertaking activities there,” admitted Gazmin.
Pressed what the Chinese were doing, Gazmin replied “they are fishing there inside our (territory).”
Gazmin said that the Chinese fishing vessels were “accompanied, escorted by a naval ship.”
Asked if the intruding vessels were definitely Chinese, Gazmin said “they are Chinese, they have flags.”
However, it was not established when the Chinese had arrived in the area, which was within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone.
Earlier, Kalayaan Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon revealed supposed harassment last May 15 by Chinese vessels against his group while sailing along Philippine-claimed Ayungin, which is part of the KIGs.
Bito-onon said that his group, composed of 127 individuals aboard a motor launch, was tailed by a very fast vessel, he claimed to be Chinese, until passing by a bigger ship which he failed to identify.
Navy chief Vice Admiral Jose Luis Alano also confirmed the presence and activities of the Chinese along Ayungin but could not say how many foreign vessels are there in the area.
“There are several (Chinese fishing vessels) in the area, we are still trying to validate how many, where exactly they are,” said Alano.
Gazmin said he has asked for a “documented report” of the incident to be forwarded to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for the filing of a protest.
“The DFA is awaiting the documentation of that (incident) and we will file a protest,” Gazmin said.
The latest intrusion came amid the continuing tension between the Philippines and China over the disputed West Philippine Sea where the Chinese have increased their presence and activities.
The Philippine government has filed several diplomatic protests against China over its increasing intrusion into Philippine-owned territories in the West Philippine Sea. last January, Manila filed formal complaint against Beijing before the International Tribunal on the Laws of the Sea.
In a provocative move that could spike tensions anew between Manila and Beijing, two Chinese maritime surveillance ships and a warship were spotted off Ayungin Shoal, which Manila says is within its territorial waters.
The government ships appeared to have accompanied some 30 Chinese fishing vessels which are scattered in Ayungin Shoal, the Kalayaan Island Group and the Mischief Reef - a rich fishing ground within Philippine territory but came under Chinese control in 1995. Mario J. Mallari, AFP and PNA