Chinese Power Grid Technicians might be the reason of continuous brownout in Manila? They are kicked -out! - DOE

NGCP - image source: PIO

Palace backs termination of 16 Chinese with NGCP

MANILA - Malacañang is standing by the decision of the Department of Energy to terminate the services of 16 Chinese experts at the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines after security concerns were raised.

"We're quite certain that the Department of Energy has arrived at this particular conclusion after a thorough study of the advantages and disadvantages of it," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said yesterday.

Valte added the DOE took into consideration the legalities surrounding the decision not to renew the Chinese experts' visas.

She said Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla could provide more details on the matter as she refrained from answering whether the decision was related to the West Philippine Sea dispute.

"We've always said that we have a multifaceted relationship with our neighbor, and that as much as possible, no matter what challenges we are facing in one facet of the relationship, we always endeavor to develop the other facets of that relationship and we try not to let it spillover into the other levels of that relationship," Valte said.

The state-owned State Grid Corp. of China has a 40 percent stake in the NGCP.

Petilla said only two Chinese would remain in their capacity as board directors while the rest would have to leave by July.

Meetings have been ongoing since last year among officials of the National Security Council, the Department of Justice, Department of Energy and the Office of the President, Petilla said.

He said the NGCP – led by its president and chief executive officer Henry Sy Jr., who attended one of the high-level meetings last year –agreed that only Filipino technical experts would run the transmission firm. - ABS-CBN

Continue reading

SIAG Germany law Pave Philippine - German Dual Citizenship starting 2015

Image source: gov.ph

Effective December 20, 2014, children born in Germany after January 1, 2000, to parents who, upon said birth, 1) were both foreigners and 2) one parent has stayed in Germany legally for eight years, and 3) the child has grown up in Germany, can now opt for both German citizenship and the citizenship of their parent's country when they turn 21. Previously, children born to foreign parents had to face the difficult decision of choosing only one citizenship upon reaching 21. For those who were born of Filipino parents, this meant choosing German citizenship over Filipino citizenship.

The amended German citizenship law, the German Nationality Act or StAG, has now abolished the exclusivity rule that obliged children born in Germany of foreigner parents to choose one citizenship over the other citizenship (Optionspflicht). Children born of foreigner (non-German) parents in Germany after January 1, 2000, can now have both citizenships. However, one condition states that they should have grown up in Germany. This means they have been in Germany for eight years or attended a school in Germany for six years, or graduated from school or occupational training in Germany.

The same exemption from the obligation to choose is applicable to those children of foreign parents who were born in Germany between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 1999, and were naturalized, becoming German citizens in the year 2000. For them, they are likewise no longer obliged to choose one from both citizenships and can therefore retain their dual citizenships provided they grew up in Germany.

The changes to the citizenship law will not affect the current rule in the Philippines that children born of mixed marriages (ex. Filipino-German) are entitled to both citizenships (dual citizenship by reason of blood).

Thus, aside from the usual dual Filipino-German citizens, born of mixed Filipino and German parents and who are therefore both Filipinos and German by birth, there is now a newer group of dual Filipino-German citizens. They are those born of Filipino parents, or of a Filipino parent and a non-German parent.

Philippine Ambassador to Germany Melita Sta. Maria-Thomeczek applauded the recent amendments to the German law. Ambassador Thomeczek stated that "the changes to the immigration law are important in ensuring that Germany continues to be an open and multicultural society. It is especially important that Filipino-German youth, many of whom continue to closely identify themselves with the Philippines, are able to stake their claim to their parent's homeland. No difficult decisions will have to be made—the only decision they will have to think about it is when to renew their Philippine passport!" - dfa.gov.ph

Continue reading

Mindanao Revenue is 54% of total Philippine earnings, Federalism the last Option for Peace and Development

Proposed Federal States of the Philippines. Source: Rebuilding for a Better Philippines

• "The unitary system sucks because it boils down to patronage and that the decision-making and sharing of resources are concentrated in Metro Manila," Duterte said
• Federalism is a fall-back position in Mindanao if the Bangsamoro Basic Law fails.
• "It is an option acceptable to Nur Misuari and to the rest of Mindanao that contributes 54 percent of the total Philippine earnings from agricultural exports," Duterte said.
• The current BBL only recognized the MILF -a  Maguindanao tribe leaded revolutionary group and Ignoring the MNLF which is headed by Nur Misuari a Tausug tribe faction, and the original revolutionary group. 
• Tausug and Maguindanao muslim tribes are foes and fighting each other (Rido)

• Tausug and Maranao muslim tribes are not also friends (They are avoiding each other)
• If the Philippines will empower the MILF (Maguindanao) it seems like the government allows the possible massacre of Tausug tribes so there will be no peace at all because Tausug will fights back
• Separating the 2 muslim tribes into 2 different states as BangsaMoro and Sultanate of Sulu or BangsaSug could be the best solution 
• Majority of the Tribes in Mindanao are not Muslim. The largest Subanen tribes with territory Span from Basilan island, Zamboanga Peninsula, Misamis Oriental and Occidental, Lanao del norte (Higaonon -Subanen), Cagayan de oro, Gingoog and Camiguin Island are peaceful non-muslim tribes who never been and never converted into islam from the beginning of the History of Mindanao.
• Second majority tribes which is the Mandaya tribes of Davao provinces, Comval, Agusan and Surigao with its branches such as the the Kamayo tribes, Manobo, B'laan, Mansaka, Tasaday, Mamanwa and other are also non-muslim tribes. The Bukidnon, areas have also other non-muslim tribes which should be given voice like the muslim tribes.
• "It is acceptable to Palawan that was supposed to earn ₱72 billion from the Malampaya oil fields but is getting nothing in return," he said.
• Duterte said , under the current unitary system of government, the destiny of the nation is controlled by politicians who come and go, and most of whom do not even know what to do.

Duterte says federalism only way out of the hump for RP

by Jimmy K. Laking 

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte last week told a gathering of Rotarians in Baguio City that federalism is the only option left for the Philippines to reach the development that Malaysia has been able to attain.

"The unitary system sucks because it boils down to patronage and that the decision-making and sharing of resources are concentrated in Metro Manila," he said.

He said federalism is a fall-back position in Mindanao if the Bangsamoro Basic Law fails.

"It is an option acceptable to Nur Misuari and to the rest of Mindanao that contributes 54 percent of the total Philippine earnings from agricultural exports," he said.

"It is acceptable to Palawan that was supposed to earn P72 billion from the Malampaya oil fields but is getting nothing in return," he said.

He said under the current unitary system of government, the destiny of the nation is controlled by politicians who come and go, and most of whom do not even know what to do.

"The House of Representatives decides money matters and what is left after the money is washed and laundered goes to patronage," he said.

He said he sees high hopes in the BBL to achieve peace in Mindanao.

"But if it fails, there is federalism as a fallback and if the rest of the country will not listen to us, hiwa-hiwalay na lang tayo," he said.

He said the conflict in Mindanao has claimed more than 100,000 lives and the island remains a "troubled land."

He said federalism can give the best and the brightest (of people) opportunities in government to prosper but not in a unitary system where the system is closed.

At the same time, he added the people want change but "it is not a change in people, but actually an institutional change."

He dismissed reports that he was interested in seeking the presidency, saying he no longer had the energy for governance.

"Divine intervention could point to anyone but that it is no longer my time," he said.

He said he had no ambition, only a vision of seeing this country go federal to attain the level of development Malaysia has achieved.

Duterte, 79,  a former assistant city prosecutor, has sat as OIC vice mayor of Davao City and has since been a 22-year mayor after that, in addition to having served for one term as a congressman.

Duterte has embarked on a tour of Philippine cities to espouse federalism as option for all Filipinos "to free themselves from an over-centralized rule presided over by politicians that come and go." with sources from RFABP and - Baguio Midland Courier 

Continue reading