A Week in the Philippines-Whats happening ?

[ginapeterb]

So Whats happening in the Philippines this week....we take a light hearted look by starting a week by week round up of the weeks activities in the Philippines and with some humerous comments hopefully for your consumption.

Good reading.


Forum Moderator
Pete

[ginapeterb]

so what happened this week ? 22nd to 29th August 2004, well not much it seems.. !! Apart from some noises from the Malacanang about Austerity Measures that PGMA is trying to push through.

This follows a number of cost-cutting measures that the President imposed on her self...thse included.

1. Cutting down on the number of cars used in the Presidential security group...this measure it appeared would cut the cost of gas used in official trips.

2. Cutting down on the "Official snacks" offered to Government staff..during official meetings and seminars...from now on...tea or coffee will be offered but not snacks.

3. Local and Foreign travel is to be cut....this will save the Philippine people millions of pesos in...so called fact finding missions...otherwise known as swanning around at the taxpayers expense.

4.There will be no payment of overtime pay.

5. There will be a freeze on the hiring of consultants.

6. A ban on holding seminars and workshops...another excuse for an easy day off...very close to a sickie.


These measures it would appear are a response to the Presidents own cost cutting measures..and the fear..expressed by the Univeristy of the Philippines Economic department that the budget deficit of PHP 200 Billion which is compounded by foreign leaders imposing high interest rates on borrowing.


At least PGMA has been seen at last to be leading by example...her own Pork Barrel (Social Fund) estimated to by PHP 500 million per annum will be slashed...employees who have worked overtime..will not be paid in cash...instead they will be compensated in days off in lieu of overtime, something I imagine will go down like a brick on the head.

PGMA also gave instructions that all freebie gifts..use of Government Communications, celebrations, cultural and sports activities, these would all be slashed,ban on purchase of new vehicles, and strictly no snacks to be offered at offical functions...this would now be limited to the offer of coffee or tea.

"I was the job of PGMA to lead from the fornt with cuts in expenditure to resolve the fiscal crisis, because if not PGMA said..the country is heading for economic collapse.

Trouble in Mindanao


The Philippine Armed Forces clashed with rebels in the Southern Part of the Philippines this week, Army units clashed with rebels and a firefight ensued, resulting in the death of 8 soldiers, and 2 rebels, showing that this ongoing terrorist problem in the South of the Philippines is not going away.

Commentary: People need to feel safe if they are to travel to these areas in the South of the Philippines, Forum recommends checking with British Government Website for information about this area, and whether to travel to areas in the South such as Davao City and other towns and cities, is it now time for PGMA to ask the U.S. or U.K. for help in combatting this ongoing problem.

The spectre of the Bataan Nuclear Power plant is raising its ugly head again, we reported last week on the growing daily interest payments being made by the Government in respect of the loans taken out to finance this project, the Bataan Plant lies about 60 miles to the North of Manila and was built by American firm Westinghouse, around the time of the Marcos regime...which fled shortly after it was completed, however the International Atomic Energy authority has deemed the plant unworkable..unsafe and inoperable.

Again the rising cost of Interest payments on the money used to build it...is causing problems in the Philippine economy some USD 155,000 per day in interest is a major headache for the new administration led by PGMA, surely its time for a negotiation with creditors for a freezing of interest and a re-structuring of this money that when down a black hole somewhere.

Commentary on the Week !!

Well Forum likes the welcome noises coming from the Malacanang...shame about the snacks being removed in favour of coffee or tea..but then again...drastic times call for drastic measures...The mounting budget deficit is causing headaches for the Governerment mainly as a result of debt interest payments....but mainly from the demise of the Bataan Nuclear Power plant fiasco.

If the Government could be realeased from the crippling interest payments of 155,000 USD per day...that would go someway to helping,,, trouble in the South with Muslim seperatist groups is not helping either, it appears to us that the Philippine Armed Forces do not have the stomach for this kind of war....nor are they familiar with the strategies required to bring this to a conclusion.

It is time to classify this war as part of the general war on terrorism being fought by other Western European States and the U.S.A. and maybe its time for PGMA to call in specialist help from those who are familiar with this type of Guerilla conflict...particularly the U.K. who had simliar problems in Malaya during the insurgency there in 1950's and perhaps another conflict which little is known about here in U.K. the Borneo Insurgency, in the 1970's Britains SAS was deployed to Borneo and cleared up the problem in months, in Malaya a similar situation was also cleared up by British Army in a short period using specialized dedicated Forces.

Of course this is a matter for PGMA its her problem now, but isnt it time to call in the experts.

Best of luck....have a good week and check back soon for the news....we keep you informed....any comments can be left on this thread.

But promsie me one thing "Dont loose your cool--its the Philippines"

Pete Forum Mod

[ginapeterb]

What happened in the Phils this week ??

Monday 30th August - Friday 3rd September 2004.


PGMA (Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been on a State Visit to China this week, she met with The Chinese President this was a move we understand to strengthen bi-lateral ties between the Philippines and China.

President Arroyo met with various dignatiries and foreign representatives of companies who had signed deals with Filipino counterparts, the President then met with Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Great hall of the people.

At least five local bus operators in Metro Manila have signed deals with Chinese companies for the acquisition of CNG buses, this is in line with the Governments natural gas campaign for Metro Manila, well they sure could use it, have you smelled the pollution in Makati lately !!!! you need a mask just to get through it, Both leaders expressed happiness at the excellent relatiions since diplomatic ties were brought about in 1975.

PGMA and her party were scheduled to return to Manila aboard a special Philippine Airlines flight early last night and were expected to NAIA however, thats all we know folks, you know what its like with PAL...good joke for you.

Last year it was reported that 80 Per cent of PAL Flights were found to be oup to 2 hours late arriving back to NAIA from overseas destinations.

What happend to the other 20 per cent, insiders say, they are still on the way !!!!

PGMA said that "The state visit to China will assist me in the implementation of my new 10 point plan for the Philippines", for those who are unfamiliar with the Pesidents plan, here it is

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's 10-point Agenda


1. The creation of six million jobs in six years via more opportunities given to entrepreneurs, tripling of the amount of loans for lending to small and medium enterprises and the development of one to two million hectares of land for agricultural business.
2. The construction of new buildings, classrooms, provision of desks and chairs and books for students and scholarships to poor families,

3. The balancing of the budget,

4. The "decentralization" of progress around the nation through the use of transportation networks like the roll-on, roll-off and the digital infrastructure,

5. The provision of electricity and water supply to barangays nationwide,

6. The decongestion of Metro Manila by forming new cores of government and housing centers in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,

7. The development of Clark and Subic as the best international service and logistic centers in the region,

8. The automation of the electoral process,

9. A just end to the peace process, and

10. A fair closure to the divisiveness among the Edsa 1, 2 and 3 forces.

It has been reported in Papua New Guinea that 200 Filipino fisherman have nicked 10 fishing boats, apparently they were unhappy not being allowed to cook the fish on board after the catch was brought in....the protests are over now, and the fishing vessels have been returned to their rightful owners, reported the Filipino overseas mission in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.


How does FilipinoUK forum respond.......we think the PGMA plan is ambitious, but has good principles behind it, the creation of 6 milliion jobs in six years is certainly laudible, however we would question what PGMA Classifies as a job ? are these jobs to be created through encouragement of FDI into the Philippines, or are they to be service industry low wage jobs, specifically aimed at young people ? if the jobs are to be created in the manufacturing sectors of the Philippine economy these would be welcome, but the problem with major inward FDI is that it mainly flows through to the Triad, that is the United States of America, the European Unioin, and the Japanese economies, with very little going to countries such as the Philippines mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, with increasing Globalization and Trans National Companies TNC'S the Philippines may just be another sweat shop for foreign companies who have their prestigious headquarters in Nagoya, Tokyo, New York and London, FDI needs to be attracted by PGMA to allow the right types of jobs to be created, Philippine society encourages good education and knowledge, as companies strive to lower labour costs, we fear the Philippines will become just another Cambodia or Thailand, with a sweat shop style economy.

Any comments on the above are welcome, any questions to the Forum moderator are also welcome, please leave your views and they will be answered.


Forum Mod Pete

[ginapeterb]

Whats been happening in the Philippines this week

5th September 2004 - 12th September 2004


Senate minority group has decided to oppose a call to tax OFW that is (Overseas Filipino workers) this peice of news may have some relevance to hundreds of thousands of overseas Filipino contract workers, who at present contribute over PHP 8 Billion into the Philippines economy.

Some Philippine Senators are at present questioning this tax raising mesaure in its entirety, and stating that

"Filipino workers who sacrifice everything to work overseas often leaving their families behind should not be taxed on their overseas income.

At present the money spent in the Philippines economy is keeping it afloat and therefore taxing overseas contract workers is not a good move, problems in general taxation in the Philippines should be sorted out by measures at home and not by taxing OFW.

A Peace monitoring force has left Kulala lumpur Malaysia this week to head down to Mindanao, to monitor a cease fire agreement reached with Muslim fundamentalists, a team of 6 officers and 1 policeman will arrive in the area this week, by the end of the month a team of 51 further military officers of the Malaysian Armed Forces will arrive.

Malaysia being a Muslim state has agreed to be the mediator in this long running dispute.

The Mayor of Davao City has offered to tender his resignation to PGMA and defied anyone to come up with evidence that he had ordered the death of a civilian in Davao.


Thats it folks for this week, a rather uneventful week by Philippine Standards, apart from the usual muggings, shootings, kidnappings and robberies that dominate the regional press, not much happened.

[ginapeterb]

Ok guests and forum members, whats been happeing over in the Phils, last 2 or 3 weeks while your forum moderator has been asbent "In country", well for one thing, apart from a daily diet in Metro and Quezon City, Angeles,and all other Metro connurbations, have seen the usual level of activities, including arrests by PNP for "prostis",18 in all, the raid was almost certainly timed for a gang bust, just about the time the PNP had finished with the GRO's themeselves,or Guest relations officers as the prostis are commonly known by, and of course we had the usual number of shootings, murders, muggings, flashers, cross dressers, pimps, extortion gangs, construction racketeering, gambling, and last but not least, civil demonstrations.

So apart from all of that anything else happening ??

PGMA Her Excllency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo played host to the Philippine business community at the Manila Hotel, last week, various awards were presented such as:

Best provincial Chamber of Commerce department, who worked best with the Philippine business commuity, that is of course, the one that received the most brown envelopes under the table.

Camarines Sur and Naga City, actually picked up the award, this Was of course, for undisclosed,advanced commissions to government department officals, undeclared, otherwise known as bribes, so obviously a few back handers changed hands, such is life in the Phils.

PGMA also stated that "Their was the small matter of the Fiscal crisis that was hampering the development of local markets in the Philippines, hmmmmmm small matter Madame President, would that be the small matter of the 200 Bn Dollar budget deficit that you are referring to ?? hmmmmmm also PGMA looakalike, Ati Glo, was in full flow, on Philippine television last week, also speaking very eloquently of the fiscal crisis, but when Carina Sanchez, anchor woman for one of Philippine televisions most presitigous channels,asked the President to comment on her decision to raise taxes to offset the budget deficit, PGMA was heard to say, "They will have to learn to curtail on their drinking and their smoking", they it appears are the vast majority of filipino males, who while away the evenings in the bars and clubs of provincial cities, throughout the Philippines.

HAHAHAHAH our advice at the forum is get a round in quick, while its your round, dont want to be doing that,when the price of a San Mig and a packet of fags goes up.


Well as I said, a few murders, a few muggings, shootings, and a little bit of good old rioting, but nothing much happened.


Wait for next weeks instalment.

[ginapeterb]

What’s happening in the Philippines 27th October 2004.


Rumours of another Military Coup.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) went on full alert nationwide yesterday amid rumours of another coup in the wake of the widening corruption scandal rocking the Philippine military.

Military Spokesperson Lt Col. Daniel Lucero, insisted the AFP was on “Red Alert Status� in fear of increased communist guerrilla attacks.

This action happened as a result of a disclosure by Senator Rodolfo Biazon who said that three retired Generals were behind the latest coup plot.

Although the retired Generals were not named the Senator claimed that these Generals in waiting were only awaiting the results of the investigation into Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia a former Army Comptroller who was suspended by the Ombudsman after being accused of accumulating unexplained wealth.

Senator Biazon said, “They� the Retired Generals are waiting for the right situation, as at present “The situation is not right�.

He claimed that these officers were similar to those who attempted a failed coup in 1980’s against former President Corazon Acquino.

The officers all met in Los Angeles during the Congressional break last October, but are bent on aggravating junior officers of the AFP regarding the problems within the AFP.

At Camp Aguinaldo, Lucero said that troops were placed on 24 hour standby following a statement by the exiled Communist party of the Philippines, who said that their would be widespread dissent.

The CPP has called for Mrs Arroyo to be removed as President through a popular uprising of civil disobedience, A Coup d’etat or other political movement that achieve the above.

Lt Col Lucero has denied that the alert has anything to do with a coup against Mrs Arroyo amid the tensions generated by the ongoing congressional investigation against General Garcia and other military officers facing possible court martial for corruption.

The President appealed to the lawmakers to show restraint regarding its investigations in the AFP and that the Filipino soldier and the command needed fairness to be shown and that political leaders should be most rhetorical in their restraints.

The Congressional trigger was started by a tip off from the U.S. Government as they had seen Garcia bring in over a million dollars over the last 10 years to the U.S.
A startling speech was made on the Senate floor by Sen. Miriam Santiago denouncing those in the AFP who are the “Mafia of the military� 12 Top officers who are plundering funds sent to the Philippine military.

Mrs Arroyo then ordered a full court martial against Garcia to be held on Friday, the President said “I have ordered a court-martial to start forthwith and we shall leave no stone unturned in the full investigation and trial of wrong-doings but le us not drench the uniform in dishonour of the wayward acts of a few� she said.

On Monday of this week Mrs Arroyo admitted that the current problems in the AFP might trigger attempts to destabilize her Government.

Mrs Arroyo declared “ I will deal with those who seek to destabilize the government with an iron fist, but I will hold out the hand of friendship to those who seek a just and dignified reconciliation�.

Forum Commentary by Pete Bennett Forum Moderator.

The Philippines sadly has a history of Military Coup attempts during the 1980’s, President Arroyo survived military revolt last year after taking power when a military backed revolt ousted President Estrada in January 2001.

The Philippine military continues to be criticized for its alleged corruption, and morale continues to decline at lower rank level, this is common within the Philippines where corruption exists at all levels of Government, the Military and Civilian Institutions.

Governments may only govern by the consent of the people, if they are legitimate, civil disobedience only comes through injustices, and what many see as lining the insides of ones own pocket at the expense of the masses.

All Armed Forces should be detached from politics and show discipline, but sadly such is Philippine politics, that the AFP seems fit to involve itself in the democratic institutions set up to Govern the Philippines, if the people of the Philippines deem that its Government is corrupt it has the power to remove it through the ballot box, at the next General election.

[ginapeterb]

Squatter Families to be removed from Manila Condo’s on railway lines.

More than 38,000 squatter families living alongside the rail road tracks in the capital city are to be relocated, the Presidential Palace said.

President Arroyo has ordered a speedy project to relocate the families some of 38,206 squatters which stretch from the Centre of Makati to the former U.S. Clark Air base.

The first batch to go will be those living near to Valenzuela, at a cost of 16.5 million US Dollars, however attempts to get them to move in the past have failed, as they take the incentives offered and then move back saying there are no economic incentives to move to the rural areas.

Large Colonies of squatters have mushroomed alongside the rail ways of the capital, where trains pass just inches away from their Shanty towns, these colonies have slowed down the passenger trains, and blocked any attempt to modernize the transit system in Manila.

The Squatters themselves have resisted attempts to move them away from the area.

[ginapeterb]

American expelled from the Philippines for Groping Provincial Governor.


An American male was expelled from the Philippines immediately upon arrival after a Filipina provincial governor accused him of sexually harassing her on board a Philippine Airlines inbound aircraft , airport officials were told on Wednesday.

Josephine Sato, the Governor of Mindoro Island, near Manila, said that she complained to the Philippine Airlines crew that the American male had made sexual advances to her and was ‘groping’ her after she returned from the on board lavatory to her seat.

The crew forwarded the complaint to the airport police who detained the man at Manila Airport, The man’s only defence was that he Mistook the Governor for his wife ? (report doesn’t indicate whether the man had his wife with him) but that seems unlikely if he was sitting with the Governor, anyway, most men don’t grope their wife do they ?? They normally grope some one else, but this goes to show, dont make improper sexual advances to Philippine women, especially aboard Philipipne Airlines flights to the Capital.

Sadly, this American and his behaviour makes it harder for the rest of us, who are respectable foreign gentleman visiting the Philippines for leisure and pleasure.

[Admin]

They should do what we do with squatters in the UK, give them a free house they have been in illegally for a few years ??? :

[ginapeterb]

Magandang Umaga Bayan ! Goooooooooooood Morning Philipppppppines !

Hey what’s been happening in the land of Terminal charges, cute babes, and Bayani music !

Sing along with the Spaghetti girls from Quezon City, Y Spaghetti pababa, pababa ng pababa (sounds like) come on have some fun, and listen to the news to 5th November.


A Tribute to heroes.

The Forum Literary team at FilipinoUK would like express their condolences to the families of our soldiers in the Black Watch Battle group, who have been sadly killed in action serving this United Kingdom overseas, in the war on International terrorism, the men serving in the “Triangle of Death� fell victim to a road side bomb, our hearts go out to the families, and they are in are thoughts and prayers, during this difficult time.

Fiscal Problems in the Philippine Islands.

Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has recently commented on the Fiscal “Problem� that is facing the Philippines, this is a shift in the President’s diction to date, no doubt due to her advisors insistance on refraining from the use of the word crisis, crisis in itself has a connotation of life or death, whereas the softer language, the President is now using is seen as a major political shift in thinking, problems can be solved, whereas crisis’s tend to create fear, just goes to show that you shouldn’t make a drama out of a crisis.

Philippine Airlines rolls out new “Mabuhay� class to overseas destinations.

Philippine airlines has recently announced a new service on its long haul flights, they will now consent to switching on both engines during take off, during the recent austerity measures, and cutbacks, Philippine airlines executives had said that there was “A need to curtail� on use of aviation fuel, it was thought that only 1 engine was required during take off, passengers however on the port side of the aircraft were asked to flap their arms in a bird like motion, to enable the balance to be kept by the starboard engine, any passengers who objected to this, were told to “Keep their boarding passes and they would get a free flight in Fiesta class�. For those readers who are unfamiliar with Fiesta class, this involves passengers travelling on a rubber band powered aircraft.

The new Mabuhay class passengers will now benefit from:

A stylish clutch-type bag containing more than the usual travel essentials. For the ultimate in air travel therapy, the kit carries the AROMA line of skincare treatments by Lancome, a set of aromatherapy formulas to banish travel-related stress and promote constant skin hydration during the flight. To complement the Lancome skincare range, the kit also includes a wooden massager to relieve tired muscles and improve blood circulation, the kit also includes a complimentary vial of Kaolin and Morphine, to offset Gloria’s revenge, The kit contains other grooming items like hairbrush and comb, dental set (toothbrush and toothpaste) from Colgate, lip moisturizer by Neutrogena, and razor kit composed of a Gillette razor and Claire shave cream. Apart from standard sleeping necessities like slumber mask and slipper socks, ear plugs are provided to ensure an uninterrupted rest during the flight, each kit contains the standard “How to fly a Boeing 757 in 12 easy lessons�.

These accessories, will help to make the flight more comfortable, however passengers had been warned that they would only need to be interrupted if it was necessary to ask them to get out and paddle, this would only be necessary should the aircraft be required to ditch in the Philippine sea, such are the wonderful austerity measures in place at PAL.

Doctors Hospital Manila

Philippine Nurses have been issued with special uniforms, the current range of uniforms have been discontinued, many nurses have been complaining about the uniforms saying that “They were made out of a see through material, and that quote “patients and Doctors were continuously staring at their breasts�
All nurses who wished to complain were told to report to the Chief of medical surgery so that HE could assess the extent of the problem ?


US - RP Relations have worsened.

Relations between the Bush Administration and the Arroyo administration have appeared to have worsened of late, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Mr Riciardonne had expressed concern to the Malacanang that the withdrawal of the 53 strong Filipino military contingent could lead to other foreign hostages being taken.

PGMA had recently given in to the terrorists demands that the Filipino troops should be withdrawn to save the life of Mr Angelo de la Cruz, the United States and Australia had expressed concern that this error of judgment would lead to increased hostage taking in the Iraq area.

The Arroyo administration has been quick to play down the apparent cooling of relations saying that it wouldn’t matter to the Philippines who was elected to the White House, as the Philippines is a small country with little or no diplomatic influence on U.S. Foreign policy.

The Philippines Government has noted that after the U.S. Presidential election Americans are moving more now to the Christian right, and Conservatism with a small “c� PGMA had said that “There is no worsening of relations between our two countries, the U.S. understands our stance on the War on Terrorism�.

Well that’s it folks for this week, In the provinces we had the usual number of shootings, muggings, bribery, and corruption activities, but apart from that nothing really happened !.

Check back next week for more news.

[Admin]

My opinion on the Philippine army pulling out of Iraq, is the same as the wife's. Spineless. They do the same with the terrorists in their own country.

Every now and again they'll go on the offensive just to appease the US, but most of the time they do nothing, even though they have good intelligence of where they are and what they are up to. :-X

[ginapeterb]

Magandang Tanghali Bayan ! Goooooooooooood Evening Philipppppppines !

I know its not evening but hey that’s my new trade mark.


Hey what’s been happening in the land of Dried Fish, cute babes, and the Spaghetti girls !

The Forum literary team gives honour to our brave Armed Forces in the United Kingdom at the time of the Armistice day, that is the 11th November, at this very difficult time, the forum team wishes those families our condolences for their losses.

As many will be aware the 1st Battalion of the Black Watch based at Warminster in Wiltshire, are at present guarding the area to the South of Fallujah, whilst the 1st U.S. Marine Division has commenced its assault on the city, sadly the base headquarters of the Battle group, has been constantly bombarded by Self propelled rocket grenades, and roadside bombs, Iraqui’s have now been warned not to come within 300 yards of any Black Watch soldiers.

Let us all hope the mission goes according to plan, and that the boys are home for Christmas as promised by Ministers.


The Fiscal turnaround.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has recently announced that the Fiscal crisis is now over, the President has released through her spokesperson Ignacio Bunye the following statement.

“The Fiscal crisis has now been turned around, this stage of the process of turning around the Philippines economy“, was largely due she had said, “To the responses of all Filipino’s generally, the President was quick to point out, that her call for austerity measures, or belt tightening, had succeeded, and that Filipino’s everywhere, had contributed to the dramatic ending of the fiscal problem�

The President stated that “She had asked for curtailing, and Filipino’s had responded with a resounding period of much curtailment, this was no doubt due to the curtailing of the drinking and the smoking�.

Now that the Fiscal turnaround was in place, the President said that more economies were required from the Filipino people if they were not to slide back into fiscal crisis in the future.

Forum commentary.

It sounds incredible to us, that in less than 8 weeks, the President is able to report that the economy has now gone from a crisis, (when the President was addressing the Philippine business community at the business awards ceremony at Manila Hotel back in October).

To a Fiscal turnaround, 1st the President referred to the Fiscal problem, the forum notes the change in language, in less than 8 weeks its now a fiscal turnaround, and yet, the forum sees no major changes in the Philippine economy, the only thing that might have happened, is that the Banko central ng Pilipinas, may have reported that the budget deficit has now been eradicated, but not more than that, and in any event its probably a little of that.

President Bush calls President Arroyo for a quick chat.
A "cordial" phone conversation between US President George W. Bush and President Arroyo Wednesday night is proof of the strong ties between the two countries, Malacañang said yesterday.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Bush called up Mrs. Arroyo at around 8 p.m. Wednesday, and the conversation lasted 10 minutes.

"He told (her), let us keep our friendship strong," Bunye said.

The call was apparently meant to ease differences between the two leaders that emerged after Mrs. Arroyo decided in July to withdraw the Philippines’ small humanitarian contingent from Iraq to save the life of Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz, who was kidnapped by Iraqi militants.

Mrs. Arroyo had originally been one of the staunchest supporters of Bush’s war on terror and his decision to invade Iraq.

Her decision to give in to the demands of the Iraqi kidnappers so De la Cruz could be freed was bitterly criticized by Washington, which recalled US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone for "consultations."

American officials said the Philippines’ decision was a mistake because it would embolden terrorists, encourage more kidnappings and place lives of other coalition members in Iraq at greater risk.

The US government, however, maintained that the Philippines remained a partner and friend in the fight against international terrorism.

Bunye said Mrs. Arroyo congratulated Bush on his victory over the Democrats’ John Kerry, which gave Bush another four years in the White House.

She noted that Filipinos view Bush’s win as a "triumph of values." Bush had pegged his election campaign as a fight to return to old-fashioned "moral values."

Bush was quick to add that it was also a victory of his foreign policy, which has sparked controversy in several arenas.

His decision to assault Iraq after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on the US invited harsh criticism from several parts of the world and caused divisions within the United Nations.

On the other hand, Bush’s decision was seen by others as a strong statement against terrorism and his commitment to protecting his homeland.

Bush and Mrs. Arroyo will see each other during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit in Santiago, Chile, this weekend, along with other world leaders.

The summit will tackle economic issues affecting the region, the campaign against terrorism, and — for the first time — the issue of corruption.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin said last August it is only normal that countries sometimes clash on policy decisions since each country has different interests to uphold.

He explained that the Philippines’ national interest, as shown during the hostage crisis last July, is to protect Filipinos above everything else but this apparently did not coincide with US interests.

Ebdalin stressed that the withdrawal of the Filipino troops from Iraq did not mean the Philippines’ commitment to fight terrorism has weakened.

"Our vital interests lie wherever there are Filipinos. Our seven million overseas Filipinos are in over 165 countries and on ships on all the world’s oceans. It is within this reality... of the Filipino diaspora that we (crafted) our foreign policy," he said.

Ebdalin explained that while "our allies are important to us... (they) will have to understand that even as we hold them in the highest esteem, the protection of overseas Filipinos will have to come first."

There were questions raised about the status of the Philippines’ membership in the "coalition of the willing" after US Secretary of State Colin Powell hinted that the country is already out of the loop.

Then Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert responded by saying the Philippines is still part of the coalition even without contributing any more personnel to the coalition’s peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts in Iraq.

The pullout by one of Washington’s biggest backers in the war on terror was considered a major blow to the unity of the US-led coalition in Iraq.

The July hostage crisis had put Mrs. Arroyo squarely between domestic concerns and her previously strong commitment to the US.

With a terror threat of its own, the Philippines has been relying on Washington to beef up its poorly armed military to battle al-Qaeda-linked groups in Mindanao. There had been concerns that local Muslim militants, such as the Abu Sayyaf group, may be encouraged once the government has agreed to meet the demand of the Iraqi captors.

Another Filipino has since been kidnapped in Iraq while a Filipino diplomat working with the United Nations has been abducted in Afghanistan.

Forum Commentary.

Whether President Arroyo is seen to be a staunchest ally of the Bush administration and its war on terror, seems of little relevance, as her actions do not appear to be matched by direct action, with the withdrawal of the Philippine Armed Forces small contingent, the Philippines is in the coalition of the willing only in name, and as to it being the staunchest ally in the coaltion of the willing, the Forum team finds that a hard pill to swallow, the staunchest ally in the coaltion of the willing is our own Prime Minister Tony Blair and our contingent of our 25,000 military personell involved in the Iraq War in one form or another, words are cheap, we all know that, the Philippines would do better to mop up the problems down in Mindanao, and eradicate that small area of Muslim separatists, and show us that the mean business, instead of appeasment, have they not learned anything ? When Neville Chamberlain came back from Hitler in 1937 with his “Peace in our time�, after Germany invaded the Sudetenland, “I Have here a piece of paper�, that then was a clear example that you cannot negotiate with terrorists.

Forum team really do fear for the future, we believe it will only lead to more kidnappings and hostage taking, and lo and behold, another Filipino has been taken hostage in Iraq, there are 7 million Filipinos around the world, what is the Presdient going to do, as so many of them are vulnerable to being taken as a hostage.
Only time will tell.

House will investigate the Train tragedy.


The House of Representatives will start this week its inquiry into the fatal train accident in Quezon last Friday even as lawmakers prepare to enact a law imposing harsher penalties for pilfering railroad equipment.

Bacolod City Rep. Monico Puentevella, chairman of the House committee on transportation and communications, said yesterday he would file a resolution to start the investigation as well as push for harsher penalties for railroad pilferage.

"We shall have a congressional inquiry on the accident to help us improve the railway system," Puentevella said. "The act of stealing rails is dangerous as shown by the Quezon train accident."

The move for a congressional inquiry came after President Arroyo vowed to prosecute those who may be held responsible for the accident that left 10 people dead and over a hundred passengers injured.

Mrs. Arroyo ordered the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to complete its investigation into the tragedy and come up with recommendations.

The President became particularly concerned on reports that looters scavenging rail ties and metal pieces for scrap may have weakened the tracks, causing the derailment.

Puentevella said the House will do its part by coming up with remedial legislation to improve the country’s railway system and make it safer and more efficient.

The train was carrying some 400 passengers from Legazpi City in Albay when four of its coaches derailed and plummeted down a 40-foot ravine early Friday while negotiating the curve in Barangay Duhat in Padre Burgos town.

More than a hundred people were injured and six were instantly killed after getting pinned under the overturned coaches.

Puentevella had claimed the curved railway track in Barangay Duhat where the Friday accident happened was the site of a derailment two months ago, but in which no one was hurt.

Puentevella said the track may have been weakened by looters scavenging for scrap metal.

"The act of stealing rails is dangerous as shown by the Quezon train accident. Based on investigations, the Manila-bound train derailed on a bad section of track and tumbled down a ravine in Quezon," he said.

Puentevella led other ranking administration lawmakers in urging the Philippine National Railways (PNR) and DOTC officials to tap the assistance of local government units to help secure the country’s railways.

"The rehabilitation work will stabilize the existing track systems while the monitoring work will guard these tracks from looters and scavengers. The role of local government units, especially the barangay units, is important in protecting the rail systems from looters," Puentevella said.

Nueva Ecija Rep. Aurelio Umali also asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the police to check all junk shops that could have bought the missing rail parts to provide leads on the identities of the supposed looters.

The lawmakers stressed the Quezon accident saw the "compelling need" for the DOTC and PNR to check the status of all existing track systems of the PNR and undertake necessary rehabilitation and monitoring work to prevent another accident.

Umali said the perennial problem of fund shortage has hampered the rehabilitation of the country’s railways, but pointed out the national government can source out more official development assistance (ODA) to meet its funding requirements.

"The government should ensure the terms of these ODA packages are also favorable to the country so these loans or assistance funds won’t financially burden us further," Umali said.

Well thank you folks, that’s it for this week, we will of course keep you informed of any other newsworthy stories that come our way, and of course, as you know there is always the usual run of muggings, shootings, kidnappings, and corruption stories, too numerous to mention here.

Check back next week.

Magandang Gabi !

[ginapeterb]

I will be doing the news this weekend..that is weekend of 20th 21st November 2004...so please check back

[ginapeterb]

I promised you the news and here it is....


Magandang Tanghali Bayan ! Goooooooooooood Morning…. Philipppppppines !

Hey I know I’m not Robin Williams but hey that’s my new trade mark.


Hey what’s been happening in the land of Salted fish, cute babes, and the Spaghetti girls !

There seems to be a new warmth in Philippines-American relations. Presidents Arroyo and Bush sat in animated conversation over dinner during the recent APEC summit in Santiago, Chile.

Bush reiterated his promise for more military aid to the Philippines as he thanked Arroyo for her initiatives against the terrorist insurgents in Mindanao. He said he wants closer relations between both countries.

With the US spearheading the global war on terror, the Bush administration needs its former ally almost as much as the Philippines needs US assistance. Astute politicians would say now is the perfect time for the Philippines to do some arm-twisting of its own. The Philippine Veterans Equity Bill is one that immediately comes to mind--and with the Republicans now in control of both houses of congress, the passage of this bill should be nothing short of a slam-dunk for this US President.

The Philippines must be more forceful in its quest for economic and social progress: externally, as it interacts with other nations such as the US, China and Japan; as well as internally by making an honest effort to stamp-out graft and corruption. And the success of the external initiatives will depend greatly on the successes of the internal ones. Getting foreign governments and businesses to aid or invest in the country will be extremely difficult if not impossible if it is mired in graft and corruption; and even if we somehow do get aid or funding from abroad, any positive effect it may have will be greatly reduced if those funds are tied-down by a corrupt, incompetent bureaucracy or worse still, diverted into the pockets of a few dishonest individuals.

Both Presidents are now in the glare of public scrutiny on these issues. Can Bush show the Filipinos that American aid and assistance will be there during his second term in office, and can he right the decades-long injustice heaped on our aging Filipino veterans? And can Arroyo show the world that her country is a nation that prosecutes and jails thieves and plunderers, be they presidents, generals, and the high and mighty.

Corruption, here there and just about everywhere in Philippine Life.

We've touched on this topic many times in the past however, we find it hard to stay away from it for long. According to many observers corruption is now an integral part of Philippine society.

But why it is, and how things deteriorated to this point is what many Filipinos both at home and abroad are asking themselves.

Take the case of Major General Carlos Garcia, it seems inconceivable that he was able to legally amass such personal wealth on his government salary alone. His position as comptroller of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) however, gave him a sure-fire ticket to staggering wealth and riches...well, for as long as corruption was allowed to seep into the various "nooks and crannies" that surrounded the job.

And what about deposed President Estrada: where did he get the money to build all those exotic mansions for his mistresses? In the Philippines, a government post is now seen as an easy way to acquire great wealth, not as a way to serve the public.

All this of course bodes ill for our country. Filipinos are harming themselves in the long run if they condone such practices. We cannot continue to look the other way. Why, because if greasing palms is perceived as a the only way to do business in the Philippines, most foreign businesses will simply go elsewhere. And in today's highly interconnected world, the Philippines has nothing extraordinary to offer that can force international firms to do business there if they don't want to.

Our current economic standing against most of our Southeast Asian neighbours already provides ample proof that many businesses have skipped the Philippines altogether and gone elsewhere.

Filipinos can continue to stick their heads in the sand. We can give the General Garcia’s and the President Estrada’s a slap on the wrist for all plundering they've done. As individuals we can continue to slip a few pesos into the open desk drawers of corrupt civil servants. We can refrain from rocking the boat as it heads towards the edge of a cliff. Or we can take a stand and try to change things... Only time will tell if Filipino’s have what it takes to make the changes required to allow FDI inward f lows to the Philippines.

Detained Former President Joseph Estrada pleads to be allowed to take a junket to Hong Kong for his Knee Op.

In a four-page motion filed through his lead counsel Rene Saguisag yesterday, Estrada expressed fear that his travel petition might be mooted if the court’s resolution would come late.

He appealed to the Special Division’s "sense of sympathy, understanding and compassion" by issuing an early resolution in his favor as the US-based surgeon who will operate on him would be staying in Hong Kong on a limited time only.

Last Oct. 22, Estrada asked the Special Division to give him a second chance to have a knee surgery, since he was not able to leave for the United States when the court allowed him in December last year, due to his failure to secure a US visa and the escalating cost of the operation.

Estrada invoked "humanitarian and compassionate grounds" in seeking the court’s permission.

He then said that his operation was tentatively scheduled on Nov. 24 to Dec. 12 so he asked the court for a 24-day travel authority, from Nov. 22 to Dec. 15.

On Nov. 18, Estrada first moved for an early resolution of his motion to give him time to prepare in case the court grants his petition.

Since then, however, the court has not issued a resolution, prompting the former leader to file a second motion for early resolution.

Dr. Christopher Mow of Stanford University Medical Center in Polo Alto, California will operate on Estrada’s knee.

The operation will be performed at the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital located at 40 Stubbs Road in the former British colony.

Julian Chang, cardiologist Joseph Chow, and physical therapist Connie Leung, will assist Mow, who will act as Estrada’s chief surgeon.

Estrada said the estimated professional fees for all physician services will reach US$55,000 compared to the US$1.2-million he may spend if the operation will be done in the US.

PGMA Talks with diplomat over Phone.


Filipino diplomat Angelito Nayan who was kidnapped by militants in Afghanistan has been released to Afghan authorities yesterday morning, the Philippine permanent representative to the United Nations has confirmed.

Ambassador Lauro Baja said he was informed by the UN Security Coordinator (UN Secoord) of the release of Nayan who was working for the UN mission in Afghanistan before he was kidnapped last October 28 along with two female colleagues.

"I got a call from the UN Seco ord informing us that the three hostages, including our own have been released to the Afghan authorities. Mr. Nayan and his two companions are safe and are now on their way to the British embassy in Kabul," Baja said in a statement.


President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was elated over the safe release of Filipino diplomat Angelito Nayan, nearly a month after armed men abducted him and two other United Nations election workers in Afghanistan.
The President thanked the United Nations and Afghan government for securing, "as promised," the freedom of Nayan and his colleagues.

"We prayed earnestly for his safety and worked hard to support efforts to negotiate his release and God has once again answered our call," she said in a statement.

"We also thank the numerous people, here and around the world, including world Muslim leaders, for their prayers and support," she added.

Mrs. Arroyo also got the chance to talk with Nayan over the telephone, half an hour after she learned about his freedom while visiting Mexico, according to Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye.

"The President was in touch with Angelito Nayan by phone. Expectedly, the President was very glad about turn of events," Bunye, who was accompanying the President’s three-nation tour, said in a television interview.

Bunye said the President learned about the "successful" conclusion of the hostage crisis at around 10 a.m. yesterday (8 p.m. Mexico time) while she was having dinner.

He said the President also recognized the critical role played by Team Nayan headed by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jose Brillantes with Office of Communications Director Undersecretary Mike Reyes and Ambassador Jorge Arizabal who now returns to his post in Pakistan after this successful mission.

Malacañang officials insisted no ransom was paid and no Afghan prisoners were released from US custody in exchanged for the freedom of the three UN workers.

Palace communications director Silvestre Afable, however, gave no further information as to the terms for the hostages’ release.

Junior Philippine Officer sent home in disgrace for alleged “Shoplifting�

A junior Philippine officer has been sacked from a US Army academy and sent home in disgrace for alleged shoplifting.

Second Lt. Rolly Joaquin was placed under arrest on his return home on October 28 and could face a court-martial, Philippine Army spokesman Maj. Bartolome Bacarro said in a statement on Tuesday.

Joaquin, the valedictorian of the 2004 graduating class at the Philippine Military Academy, was dismissed from the US Army Infantry School at Fort Benning in Georgia, where he had been sent for an officer-training course, BaÂ.carro said.

The shoplifting case is the latest blot on the Armed Forces’ image. A general is on military trial for unexplained wealth and a second officer is under investigation for allegedly soliciting oral sex from military recruits.
Bacarro said that on October 26 the Army was informed by the Joint US Military Assistance Group (Jusmag)-Philippines that Joaquin would be deported.

The Jusmag reported that Joaquin removed a 50-cent discount tag from a sale item and attached it to a $12 compact disc that he bought from a store in Fort Benning.

Bacarro said that after arriving from the US, Joaquin was ordered restricted to his quarters. He is being investigated.

“If probable cause or a prima facie case is established based on evidence, the case will be recommended for legal proceedings,� Bacarro told reporters.

He said Joaquin could face a court-martial for conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman and conduct prejudicial to the service.

Bacarro also said Army Maj. Ferdie Ramos, who was accused of sexually molesting recruits, has been transferred to the custody of the Mechanized Infantry Battalion, based in Fort Bonifacio.

He said the incidents involving Joaquin and Ramos “are not representative of the entire Philippine Army.�

“Let this not be the benchmark for the people to judge the organization. Your army remains a professional organization and focused on its mandate of being protectors of the Filipino people,â€� Bacarro said.

Flash floods strike eastern
part of RP, at least 14 dead

Flash floods triggered by a powerful typhoon left at least 14 people dead Tuesday in the north eastern Philippines, bringing the toll to nearly 40 since the weekend, officials said.

Typhoon “Violeta,� which passed over the eastern province of Aurora on Tuesday, caused flash floods that swept away at least 11 people before dawn and caused some 2,000 people to flee their homes, civil defense officials said.

Rescue teams including one helicopter, military trucks and rubber boats have been dispatched to the area to help with the rescue, the office added.
Air Force spokesman, Lt. Col. Restituto Padilla, said heavy rains prevented two military helicopters from reaching the flooded shorelines near Dingalan town in Aurora province, where rescue officials said at least 14 residents died early Tuesday.

“The area is inaccessible by road and the weather is not getting better. The rain continues and we can’t land at the moment,� Padilla told The Associated Press, adding that casualty and damage reports from the remote area were sketchy.

The Office of Civil Defense reported at least 14,000 people were evacuated from their homes.

Meanwhile, weather forecasters warned another tropical depression made landfall on Monday on the same area as typhoon “Muifa.�
Typhoon Muifa slammed into the Philippines over the weekend with winds of 110 kilometers an hour and gusts up to 140 kph, capsizing boats, damaging farm lands and leaving at least 24 dead and up to 79 injured, the civil defence office said.

Sixty-one others, mostly fishermen, went missing in the provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Quezon and Romblon.
Officials said the death toll would probably rise as hopes for finding any more survivors faded.

The typhoon toppled trees, electricity and telephone lines as it sliced through the Bicol region before blowing westward on its way out of the country toward Vietnam on Monday.

The National Electrification Administration said on Tuesday that it has set up two task forces composed of engineers and linemen to help in the rehabilitation of lines and restore power in Oriental Mindoro and another for Camarines Sur after typhoon “Unding� devastated Camarines Sur and Oriental Mindoro electric cooperatives.

Some 500 distribution poles were broken causing blackout in Camarines Sur. Also affected were Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative and the four electric cooperatives of Camarines Sur province—Casureco I, II, III and IV.
“Based on field reports, power situation at electric cooperatives in the Bicol region are in normal situation except for Casureco I, II, III and IV that have experienced blackout up to this date owing to damaged transmission lines of Transco and electric cooperatives’ distribution lines,� Edita S. Bueno, NEA administrator, said.
In the Southern Tagalog region, Bueno said six towns in Oriental Mindoro also suffered blackouts owing to damaged distribution lines of Ormeco. In Occidental Mindoro, three municipalities are experiencing a blackout while 61poles in the backbone line were broken.

After assessing the damage, the NEA will provide a calamity loan to the affected electric cooperatives.

Coordination has been made with electric cooperatives participating in the task forces—Batangas I Electric Cooperative (Bateleco I), Camarines Norte Electric Cooperative (Canoreco), Albay Electric Cooperative (Aleco), Sorsogon II Electric Cooperative (Soreco II), and Quezon I Electric Cooperative (Quezelco I). Their engineers and linemen with all their equipment are expected to be in Naga by Wednesday to start the operation of restoring power. The NEA ensures that power will be restored as soon as possible.

Cybersex shop run by American and his Filipina wife.

SAN FERNANDO CITY—The La Union police arrested on Monday night an American and his Filipino wife who allegedly employed three high-school girls for “cybersex� activities out of an Internet café in Barangay Catbangen here.

Chief Insp. Raymund Sterling Blanco identified the suspects as Clifford Hackett and his wife Jacquiline Tendencia-Hackett, the alleged operators of the Internet café, which supposedly offers cybersex for foreign customers.

The Internet café was installed in one room of the house being rented by the suspects at the Country Homes Subdivision here.

The three high-school girls, two of whom were only 15 years old, are students at a public high school here and were allegedly employed as computer programmers of the Internet café.

Police said they caught the high-school girls chatting with foreign customers at around 11 p.m.
Police seized during the operation three computers with complete accessories, three web cameras and speakers, assorted diskettes, VCD’s and CD’s with pornographic materials, CD writer, payrolls and daily time records of employees.

The suspects and the evidence were brought to Camp Diego Silang pending the filing of appropriate charges.

They are facing criminal charges for violations of Republic Act (R.A.) 9208, or the Antitrafficking in Persons Law, and R.A. 7610, or the Antichild Abuse Law.

One of the girls, Marilyn (not her real name) told The Manila Times that they work eight-hour shifts and get paid P50 for working from 5 p.m. to 12 midnight. She goes to school during the day.

Marilyn was recruited in October by her friends. She admitted that her coemployees would pose in front of the computer cameras for customers from abroad who would ask them to do sexual acts and pay the café through credit cards.

“Some of my co employees are naked and they are made to do several sexual acts in front of the computer by their customers. I’m not doing that because most of the customers are foolish,� she explained.

Senior Supt. Samuel Diciano, the provincial police director, said he coordinated with the US Embassy to check the records of the American suspect.

“I’ve made an initial coordination with the US Embassy and they assured us of full cooperation and assistance in the prosecution of the suspect,� he said.
Diciano said he hopes to get more information from the suspects and the minors.

Well that’s it folks for this week, the usual stories from around the Philippines, nothing really happened I’m afraid, the usual level of muggings, knifings, assaults, shootings, kidnapping’s palm greasing, and prostitution apart from that nothing really happens.

Check back next week.

[ginapeterb]

Last news of the year from Forum Mod.


Well I didnt decide to have a look at the newspapers this time as they are full of bad news, so I picked something out that brings two countries together that is the UK and the Philippines.

300 UK troops in Subic Bay, Philippines
for goodwill visit, and logistical support.

ON BOARD HMS EXETER- More than 300 troops from United Kingdom arrived at the Subic Bay Freeport on Sunday for a four-day goodwill visit.

Two British Royal Navy ships, the HMS Exeter (D89) and RFA Grey Rover, docked at the former ship repair facility in the former American naval base here at 9:30 a.m.
300 UK Marines are in the Philippines to assist the Philippine Navy in rescuing Filipinos stranded in wake of the typhoon last week.

The ships also transported anti-air warfare weapons and helicopters badly needed in the hardest hit areas.

Commander Andrew Reed, HMS Exeter commanding officer, said the visit was part of United Kingdom's global deployment to demonstrate the Royal Navy's ability to operate worldwide, the Royal Navy is in the Philippines in response to assist our great ally in the Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is a staunch ally in the war on terrorism, this commitment is in conjuction with the dispatch of 600 US Marines from the island of Okinawa in Japan, to help with the flood victims.

The crew of 316 will also be conducting "joint naval training exercises including warfare technical advice" with the Philippine Navy, also the ships will assist the Philippine Navy in helping Filippino’s in the affected areas.

Royal Marines will also engage in a two days of charity work and civic activities in the local community, to give the Filipino people a chance to meet UK Troops, and get to know them, and the work they do worldwide.

Fringe Parties accuse PGMA of being in league with President Bush and Prime Minister Blair.

The Communists in the Philippines said the deployment of US and UK Marines was a distraction for the war coalition against Iraq is only composed of Bush, Blair and Macapagal-Arroyo. "For the record, it is only Bush, Blair and Macapagal-Arroyo who are trying to convince the whole world that war should be unleashed against Iraq. Not even Iraq's neighbors have spoken ill of that country," he said.

Sympathy attacks

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) through its armed component New People's Army (NPA) in a statement drawn from the CPP website said it would launch tactical offensives against legitimate targets if Macapagal-Arroyo supports the U.S. and UK war against Iraq.

CPP spokesperson Gregorio ' Ka Roger" Rosal said the people’s army is ready to launch sympathy strikes through tactical offensives against government armed forces and police.

Rosal assailed what he called Macapagal-Arroyo's “brazen puppetry to the U.S.� He said the chief executive of the “puppet government� has unabashedly supported U.S. President George w. Bush' jingoism on Iraq.

He also denounced government's offer to the U.S. for its use of the country's airspace, airports and seaports for military operations against Iraq. The CPP spokesperson said this would drag the Philippines into the unjust war against the Iraqi people.

Rosal said President Arroyo will go down in history as one of the most sycophantic presidents the Philippines has ever had.

This forum salutes our ally President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, for her extreme courage in supporting the United States and the United Kingdom in its war on global terror, we are entering a new world, where there are those who seek to interfere with our way of life, we cannot stop in our resolve to fight those who would wish to change our way of life, the Philippine people and the peoples of the USA and the United Kingdom share the same values, liberty, freedom and the right to exist without fear of terrorism.

The United Kingdom is proud to send elements of the fleet to assist the people of the Philippines that have been affected by environmental problems, Ambassador Espiritu the Philippines Ambassador has been on television this week to thank our people for the help and support through food aid programmes.

This will be the last news I present to you before I leave the UK for the Christmas period, I will be in the Philippines, my second home, so I leave this on a great note, jokes aside, I am quite proud of relations between our two countries, and may they long continue, Good bye for 2004.

Wherever you are, or whatever you are doing, the Filipino UK forum team would like to say thank you to all those of you who became members this year for your contributions, and for your continued readership.

We are proud to say that although we did not always agree with the action taken by PGMA in pulling out the Filipino troops from Iraq, we no doubt understand the pressures and decisions that PGMA had to take, she has been very presidential, and has our continued support in UK, bringing stable government to the Philippines at a time when it needs it.

See you for the news in 2005.