Karachi -Nang papunta pa lamang kami sa Pakistan noong isang linggo, marami akong hindi magandang imahen sa bansang ito sa South Asia.
Nandyan na ang nakadikit na imahen ng terorismo. Katabi kasi sila ng Afghanistan kung saan nababasa natin na doon nagtatago si Osama bin Ladin ng Al Qaeda at mga Taliban. Akala natin ganoon rin sa Pakistan.
Lahore- The governor of Punjab, Lt. Gen. Khalid Maqbool (ret.), in welcoming visiting members of Philippine media, enumerated three features common between Pakistan and the Philippines that should move relations between the two countries from “warm and cordial” to vibrant and gainful.
The first common feature, the governor said, is the two countries’ adherence to democracy “haltingly but successfully.” Second is both governments’ reliance on employment of nationals in other countries. Third is our colonial past.
It is interesting how Pakistan and the Philippines, in their own peculiar ways, have dealt and are still dealing with these realities.
Lahore –Gusto nyo bang maging chef sa Chinese at Japanese restaurant sa Pakistan?
Magbubukas bago matapos ang taong ito ang Avari hotel sa Islamabad at tumatanggap sila ng applicants para sa posisyon na yan. Tingnan nyo sa www.avari.com.
Itong impormasyon ay sinabi sa amin ng chef ng Avari Lahore na si Bonifacio Chew. Si Boni ay Filipino. Siya ang mag-iinterview ng applicants at magrekomenda sa may-ari ng hotel na isang Iranian.
Islamabad -At the Jinnah shopping mall, where we made a stop after a series of interviews and a visit to the historic site of Taxila outside the capital city, we heard three young boys horsing around, speaking Tagalog.
We were glad to see Filipinos as we needed tips and directions in our effort to contribute to Philippine –Pakistan economic relations.
Karachi – I have always thought of camels as desert animals. It was therefore a surreal sight seeing colorfully bedecked camels strolling on Clifton beach against the backdrop of the Arabian sea.
Camels on the beach is just one of the delightful surprises of Karachi that I and five other Filipino journalists (Gemma Cruz -Araneta of Manila Bulletin, Tals Diaz of Inquirer, Fatima Parel of People Asia, Lyn Resurreccion of Business Mirror, and Dante Francis Ang of Manila Times) are discovering about Pakistan this week on the invitation of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute.
Gloria Arroyo is set to go to the United States for a state visit on June 24 to 25.
Aside from meeting President George W. Bush, Arroyo is also scheduled to address the US-Asean Business Council.
The talk is that Arroyo will witness the signing into law of the Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act by Bush.
It seems Esperon does not have the defense portfolio in the bag yet. Sources said Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro is resisting being moved like a piece in chess to another post (Justice?) just to accommodate Esperon. Is this declaration of willingness to talk about “Hello Garci” a veiled threat to the mastermind and beneficiary of the 2004 election fraud?
By Joel Guinto
Inquirer.net
Armed Forces chief General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said he is willing to testify at legislative inquiries into the so-called “Hello Garci” election fraud scandal after he retires, but only if the proceedings are “reasonable.”
by Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV
Last August 2007, this author filed Senate Bill No. 1467 entitled “An Act Defining the Archipelagic Baselines of the Philippine Archipelago, Amending for the Purpose Republic Act No. 3046, as Amended by Republic Act No. 5446.” or otherwise known as the “Archipelagic Baselines Law of the Philippines.” The bill was the result of a series of consultations primarily with former Senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani, who first pushed for the Baselines bill way back in 1993. It basically defines the archipelagic baselines to include the Scarborough Shoal and designates the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) as a “regime of islands.” To further facilitate the passing of the bill, the technical details provided by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) as enumerated in House Bill No. 1202 filed by Congressman Antonio V. Cuenco as well as its other provisions were adopted in toto. Congress, however, filed HB 3216 that substituted for HB 1202.
By VERA Files*
(Last of two parts)
A month before the May 13, 2009 deadline, the Philippine government intends to submit a claim before the United Nations over its extended continental shelf, which scientists and legal experts say include the resource-rich Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) and other disputed territories.
By VERA Files*
(First of two parts)
Neglect by President Arroyo and squabbles over turf and money have derailed government efforts to establish the country’s new archipelagic baseline, and may jeopardize the Philippines’ claim over resource-rich Spratlys that fall within its extended continental shelf.