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| The Kalayaan, Panatag & other disputed islands; Future conflict zones? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 2 2005, 08:00 PM (156,116 Views) | |
| flipzi | Feb 27 2008, 09:43 PM Post #81 |
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R-A-T-S
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related news; Trillanes wants ‘Spratly deal’ probed in Senate 02/27/2008 | 08:06 PM Detained senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Wednesday pushed for a Senate inquiry into a so-called "Spratly Deal" involving the alleged sellout of Philippine sovereignty to China in exchange for overpriced loans for "anomalous" projects. Trillanes, in Senate Resolution 309, asked the Blue Ribbon, defense and environment committees to undertake the Senate investigation into the matter. "If proven to be true, the same apparently amounts to betrayal of public trust and treason, for which Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the other responsible members of her government should be held accountable," he said. Trillanes said the projects believed tainted with overpriced loans include the $329.48-million ZTE broadband network deal, the Cyber-Education project, and the Northrail and Southrail projects. In seeking the investigation, Trillanes cited an article in the Far Eastern Economic Review where the Philippines "made breathtaking concessions in agreeing to the area for study, including parts of its own continental shelf not even claimed by China and Vietnam." On the other hand, he said President Arroyo caused the signing of the "Agreement for Seismic Undertaking for Certain Areas in the South China Sea by and Between China National Offshore Oil Corporation and Philippine National Oil Company" in 2004. He said the deal prompted Vietnam, another claimant to the Spratly Islands, to voice concern and note the deal was done without consultation. Vietnam eventually stopped its objections in 2005 when it joined China and the Philippines in turning the agreement into a tripartite undertaking, Trillanes said. "It appears that the Arroyo government did not consult the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Navy when it negotiated and signed the subject agreement," Trillanes said. He added the agreement is tantamount to "effectively giving away the national patrimony as it actually concedes the exploration and exploitation of natural resources to foreigners which, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, clearly fall within the archipelagic waters, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of the Philippines." On the other hand, Trillanes said the deal should have been considered a treaty instead of being considered a mere commercial contract as it involves national defense and security, national sovereignty, and the national patrimony. "This action and actuation of the government of Mrs Arroyo apparently constitute yet another attempt to circumvent the Constitution and to undermine the powers vested by the Constitution upon the Senate," he said. - GMANews.TV http://www.gmanews.tv/story/82495/Trillane...robed-in-Senate |
![]() " Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them! - Art. II Sec 1, Philippine Constitution " " People don't care what we know until they know we care. " getflipzi@yahoo.com | |
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| adrian_yamato | Feb 27 2008, 11:44 PM Post #82 |
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It's still no basis, yan dapat ang inaasikaso hindi yung impeachment! |
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"There's only one Government, one Armed Forces, one Contitution, & one Filipino people" -word of then Gen. Angelo T. Reyes during the Mindanao war against the MILF & Abu Sayaff- "The Army is like a cooked Spaggetti, You can't push it, you have to pull it after you" -Gen George S. Patton-
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| israeli | Feb 28 2008, 12:16 AM Post #83 |
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http://www.rickycarandang.com/?p=133 Treason! by Ricky Carandang Allow me to expound a little on a story I did for The Correspondents on February 19th. Seven countries claim ownership of the disputed Spratly Islands, just off of Palawan. China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malsysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines all claim to own part or all of the Spratlys. These overlapping claims have been a source of tension over the years since the Spratlys (we Filipinos call them the Kalayaan Islands) are believed to contain significant reserves of oil and natural gas. China was the most aggressive in pursuiung its claim. In 1999, the Philippines–under President Joseph Estrada– led an effort to prevent tensions by getting all the claimants to agree not to take actions to provoke other claimants. But in 2003, the Philippines–now under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo– rocked the boat that it previously steadied when it signed an agreement with China to jointly undertake seismic studies of the Spratlys and explore for oil and natural gas. Naturally, the other claimants were angry. After getting them to agree not to rock the boat, the Philippines sucker-punched them with the China deal. China’s traditional ally, Vietnam was so angry they it had to be let in to the deal to appease them. Aside from angering our neighbors and potentially undermining regional stability, Arroyo’s action may also be illegal. Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez–who was then acting justice secretary–told former Senator Frank Drilon, who was then allied with the administration, that she believed that the deal violated the constitution, because while it was a deal between the state owned oil firms (PNOC of the Philippines and CNOOC of China) of the two countries, it implicitly gave China access to our oil reserves. Officers of the Foreign Affairs Department were also upset because the deal effectively strengthened China and Vietnam’s claim to the Spratlys. What would compel Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to sign a deal that potentially undermines regional stability, possibly grants China parity rights to oil reserves in the Spratlys that we claim to be ours, and likely violates our constitution? How about $2 billion a year? After the Spratly deal was signed, the Chinese government committed $2 billion in official development assistance a year to the Philippines until 2010, when Arroyo is supposed to step down from office. My sources tell me that the Spratly deal was an explicit precondition to the loans. A sizable amount to be sure, but for the Arroyo administration the China loans are particularly appealing. Not so much because the interest rates are so low and the repayment terms so lenient, but because Chinese loans do not have the cumbersome requirements that loans from the US, Japan, the EU, and big multilateral lenders have. Requirements for documentation, bidding, transparency and other details that make it very difficult for corrupt public officials to commit graft. In fact, in November of last year, those cumbersome requirements made it impossible for some government officials and private individuals with sticky fingers to avail themselves of the World Bank’s generosity. It had gotten to the point where a corrupt government could no longer make a dishonest buck. That is until China’s generous offer came along. Given China’s laxity with certain conditions, its no wonder why almost every big ticket government project funded by Chinese ODA has been the subject of allegations of graft and corruption. There’s Northrail, Cyber Education, the Fuhua agricultural projects, Southrail, and of course the ZTE National Broadband project. Until the ZTE National Broadband scandal, the Chinese government has had little official reaction to any of these allegations. Why should they? The $8 billion is a loan, not a grant. It enhances their influence in the region, strengthens their claim to the Spratlys, and expands their influence in the Philippines. The best part is, regardless of what Philippine officials do with the money–whether they put it to good use or steal it–it still has to be paid back. Its no wonder that anytime some midlevel Chinese official comes to the country, congressmen and adminstration officials literally trip over themselves to roll out the red carpet. For corrupt Adminstration officials and their cronies, $8 billion represents unprecedented opportunities for graft on a scale that would shock ordinary Filipinos. And at the end of the day, that $8 billion is going to be paid back. Not by the grafters in and out of government; not by the Chinese citizens; but by the millions of ordinary middle class Filipinos who go to work everyday, pay their taxes, struggle and to keep their small and medium businesses afloat. The price will also be paid indirectly by tens of millions of poor Filipinos who will not have access to health care, quality education, and a functioning court system because those resources are not going where they should be going. There’s a word for that. Its called Treason. |
| "To secure peace is to prepare for war." - Carl Von Clausewitz | |
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| MSantor | Feb 28 2008, 03:55 AM Post #84 |
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Now that I think of it- did the PN ever have a minelaying capability? Perhaps a minefield laid around the contested islands may be a good deterrent to prevent mainland Chinese and Vietnamese transgressors from taking those Spratley islands that we claim by default. They would have to be fixed, anchored mines, since free-floating mines would likely harm passing commercial vessels and threaten local shipping lanes, which are not the intended targets. Any thoughts about this idea? Or does it violate International Maritime Law/Admiralty Law in this case since there are multiple claims on these islands? I will do further research on the Admiralty Law aspect, but I think the RP claim to some of these islands can be protected with these minefields as long as they are regularly maintained; they may also prove to be a cheaper deterrent than placing a Philippine Marine garrison on some of the larger islands, which are likely to be overrun by a large invasion force if attacked and isolated by an air and sea blockade, such as what occurred in the techno-thriller novel very aptly titled, Dragonstrike. |
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"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." - Henry Ford "Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill "If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking"- Gen. George S. Patton | |
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| desertranger | Feb 28 2008, 06:10 AM Post #85 |
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Now thats a far fetched and imaginative idea that the Philippines can claim these islands as theirs. |
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| flipzi | Feb 28 2008, 06:30 AM Post #86 |
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This could be the reason why this NBN mess and all have turned messy. Thsi one below is more disgusting.
We will see how "able" the Congress is in bringing this to justice! Or baka pareho-pareho silang inutil kasi lahat nakikinabang one way or the other? It's up to the Congress to prove this perception wrong. |
![]() " Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them! - Art. II Sec 1, Philippine Constitution " " People don't care what we know until they know we care. " getflipzi@yahoo.com | |
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| paratorpe | Feb 28 2008, 09:36 AM Post #87 |
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O e ano pa ginagawa ng Legislation? trabaho na! Mas mauuna ang 2009 kesa 2010. |
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Modernization should prioritize: Patrol Ships with air/sub/ship detection, fast & lightly armed for Navy. Surface Attack Aircraft with anti ship/sub attack capability for Airforce. SAM with Radars, Close AA battery capable of shooting ground targets too for Army. This triangle defense will work together and protect us from external threats. | |
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| israeli | Feb 28 2008, 05:57 PM Post #88 |
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another article worth reading as to how this regime betrayed the Filipino people and sold the Philippines to the ChiComs: Today the Spratlys, tomorrow Palawan by Manolo Quezon |
| "To secure peace is to prepare for war." - Carl Von Clausewitz | |
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| israeli | Feb 28 2008, 06:19 PM Post #89 |
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legal matters: http://www.chanrobles.com/philsupremelaw1.htm THE 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ARTICLE I NATIONAL TERRITORY The national territory comprises the Philippine archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein, and all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its terrestrial, fluvial and aerial domains, including its territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas. The waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breadth and dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines. x x x x x ARTICLE XII NATIONAL ECONOMY AND PATRIMONY x x x Section 2. All lands of the public domain, waters, minerals, coal, petroleum, and other mineral oils, all forces of potential energy, fisheries, forests or timber, wildlife, flora and fauna, and other natural resources are owned by the State. With the exception of agricultural lands, all other natural resources shall not be alienated. The exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources shall be under the full control and supervision of the State. The State may directly undertake such activities, or it may enter into co-production, joint venture, or production-sharing agreements with Filipino citizens, or corporations or associations at least sixty per centum of whose capital is owned by such citizens. Such agreements may be for a period not exceeding twenty-five years, renewable for not more than twenty-five years, and under such terms and conditions as may be provided by law. In cases of water rights for irrigation, water supply fisheries, or industrial uses other than the development of water power, beneficial use may be the measure and limit of the grant. The State shall protect the nation's marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone, and reserve its use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens. The Congress may, by law, allow small-scale utilization of natural resources by Filipino citizens, as well as cooperative fish farming, with priority to subsistence fishermen and fish- workers in rivers, lakes, bays, and lagoons. The President may enter into agreements with foreign-owned corporations involving either technical or financial assistance for large-scale exploration, development, and utilization of minerals, petroleum, and other mineral oils according to the general terms and conditions provided by law, based on real contributions to the economic growth and general welfare of the country. In such agreements, the State shall promote the development and use of local scientific and technical resources. The President shall notify the Congress of every contract entered into in accordance with this provision, within thirty days from its execution. x x x |
| "To secure peace is to prepare for war." - Carl Von Clausewitz | |
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| israeli | Feb 28 2008, 08:32 PM Post #90 |
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"Kung 'di ukol, bubukol" by Ricky Carandang, as featured on ABS-CBN news program "The Correspondents". Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 watch and know how the Arroyo regime SOLD the Filipino people to the ChiComs!
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| "To secure peace is to prepare for war." - Carl Von Clausewitz | |
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8:32 AM Jul 11