Archive for the ‘Foreign Affairs’ Category

It’s the President who wants me in Beijing: Domingo Lee

It doesn’t matter at all if Domingo Lee was not familiar with the terms “hard power” and “soft power” and other common terms in diplomacy during the Commission on Appointments deliberation on his appointment as ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. He will be the Filipino people’s representative to China because President Aquino wants [...]

December 1, 2011  Tags:   Posted in: Foreign Affairs, Malaya  30 Comments

The danger that Domingo Lee poses to national interest

Sen. Serge Osmeña III was so embarrassed by Domingo Lee’s ignorance about diplomacy that he appealed to President Aquino to withdraw Lee’s nomination as ambassador to China. Related post: http://www.ellentordesillas.com/2011/08/16/will-lee-defend-ph-sovereignty-over-recto-bank-in-beijing/ But no, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, as reported by Philippine Star, said President Aquino has no plans at the moment to replace Lee as his [...]

November 25, 2011  Tags:   Posted in: Foreign Affairs, Malaya  28 Comments

Bring China’s 9-dash line to UN: Justice Carpio

The Philippine claim on the islands in the South China Sea , now being called West Philippine Sea by Philippine authorities, could have been stronger had past administrations been more decisive about asserting our claims in the area that is being claimed wholly by China and Taiwan and partially by, aside from the Philippines, Vietnam, [...]

November 7, 2011  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Foreign Affairs, Malaya  10 Comments

Deepening PH and Vietnam relations

The Philippines and Vietnam share a common painful experience with colonial powers but each country dealt with them differently. Philippine history as famously described by the eminent Carmen Guerrro Nakpil was “300 years in convent and 50 years of Hollywood” referring to 300 years of Spanish domination of Filipinos and 50 years under the Americans. [...]

October 26, 2011  Tags:   Posted in: Foreign Affairs, Malaya  15 Comments

China’s 9-dash line: map without coordinates

Although the two Chinese speakers in the recent forum on the South China Sea organized by the prestigious Carlos P. Romulo Foundation with the Institute of Asian Studies ,did not specifically mentioned their country’s nine-dash-line map in asserting the supremacy of their claim over the South China Sea, the subject surfaced several times in the [...]

October 24, 2011  Tags: ,   Posted in: Foreign Affairs, South China Sea  57 Comments

Still in search for a lasting solution to the South China Sea conflict

There’s relative calm in the just recently turbulent waters of South China, which makes it the best time to explore ways to find lasting solutions to the area which is being claimed by Brunei, China, Malaysia, Philippines,Vietnam, and Taiwan. On Oct. 17, the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation for Peace and Development chaired by former Foreign [...]

October 5, 2011  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Foreign Affairs, South China Sea  10 Comments

Fascinating assessments from US Embassy, Manila

I’m fascinated by the Wikileaks releases of the cables from the US Embassy in Manila. The latest I’ve read was then ambassador Kristie Kenney’s assessment of Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. as the defense secretary written in March 2007. It was one insult after another. It said, “Tongue-tied and reticent, Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane stands in stark [...]

September 4, 2011  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Foreign Affairs  90 Comments

Wikileaks:Ramos got P5M campaign contribution from Gaddafy

Former Libyan strongman Moammar Gaddafy contributed P5 million to the campaign of former President Ramos in 1992, according to a US Embassy report exposed by Wikileaks. The Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines (Batas Pambansa 881) prohibits accepting contribution from foreigners. The US Embassy report, written by then Deputy Chief of Mission Raymond Burghardt, quoted [...]

September 3, 2011  Tags: ,   Posted in: 1992 elections, Foreign Affairs  52 Comments

Lee didn’t make it as envoy to China

The Commission on Appointments was not able to take up the nomination of Domingo Lee as ambassador to China in its hearing last Wednesday so he won’t be able to assume the post in time for the visit of President Aquino starting tomorrow up to Sept. 2. To justify Lee’s inclusion in the official delegation, [...]

August 29, 2011  Tags: ,   Posted in: Foreign Affairs  28 Comments

Will Lee defend PH sovereignty over Recto Bank in Beijing?

Update: Domingo Lee was not confirmed by the Commission on Appointments last Aug. 24 which prevents him from assuming his post as ambassador to China before the state visit of President Aquino starting Aug. 30. To justify his inclusion in the official delegation, the President named Lee presidential adviser for the China visit. Domingo Lee, [...]

August 16, 2011  Tags:   Posted in: Foreign Affairs  38 Comments