CHINA CONFIRMS END TO SHOAL BLOCKADE

China has confirmed it is no longer driving away Filipino fishermen from Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing her government made “proper arrangements” after President Duterte expressed concern about access to the shoal.

Hua said the issue had been handled “based on the friendship between China and the Philippines.”

Last week, Filipino fishermen began returning from the shoal with plenty of catch.

The Chinese relaxing of their hold on Panatag came days after Duterte’s return from his state visit to Beijing last Oct. 21.

During the visit, Duterte said he discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping the maritime dispute. Duterte had also announced during his visit his foreign policy pivot to China.

In Manila, the development at the shoal remains a puzzle to Philippine officials.

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said they welcomed the development but stressed there was no agreement between the Philippines and China that prompted the latter to cease its blockade of the shoal to Filipino fishermen.

“There was no expressed agreement but it seems like the traditional rights of our fishermen are being respected. There is no talk of the territorial rights. There is no talk on assertion of rights but they respect our traditional rights,” Esperon said.

The Chinese seized the shoal – also called Bajo de Masinloc – in 2012 after a standoff with the Philippine Navy, which tried to arrest Chinese poachers in the area. The Chinese have not left the shoal since then.

A UN-backed international tribunal based in The Hague declared in July that Panatag Shoal is a common fishing ground.

The tribunal, in the same ruling, invalidated China’s massive nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea.

Located 124 nautical miles from Zambales, Panatag Shoal is well within the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

As of yesterday, Esperon said there were no more Chinese naval ships around the shoal and what remained were only coast guard ships.

Esperon also maintained that despite the development, the Philippines is not surrendering its sovereignty over the area to China, which was invoking its “historical rights” to assert its claim.

“Maybe not now but when we go to another round of talks, we’ll again assert it,” he said. – Jaime Laude

By Jaime Laude, Associated Press

Duterte's Idea to Turn Postal Bank into OFW Bank Planned!

Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost) assistant postmaster general for marketing Luis Carlos is backing President Duterte’s idea to turn the Philippine Postal Savings Bank (Postal Bank) into a bank for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Source: PhilStar

Japanese News Anchor: "HE IS A GOOD LEADER INDEED!"

Our President is in Japan News, at isa sa mga anchor said, na napakatalino ng Presidente ng Pinas. He knows what he have to do. Imagine daw the fact na mainit ang sigalot ng teritoryo ng China at Pinas pero nagawa daw nyang maging smooth ang paguusap at nauwi pa sa magandang resulta. Sabi pa ng ibang anchor news HE IS A GOOD LEADER INDEED. maliban nga lang sa pagnguya ng gum at pagmumura nya ✌😂 pero indi naging issue iyon kasi he is just HONEST person daw. 

GOOD NEWS! Because of DUTERTE, No More Chinese Coast Guard in Scarborough!

NOW. THIS IS A DIPLOMATIC TRIUMPH!

"There are no longer any China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels in the disputed Scarborough Shoal and Filipino fishermen are now able to freely access the area, Malacañang said Friday, October 28."

"Some Filipino fishermen from Subic, Zambales are now able to fish atScarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal), a report said on Friday.
"A "News To Go" report quoted a fisherman as saying that his comrades who ventured off waters have reported via radio that Chinese vessels no longer sent them away. "Fishermen there consider this good news, after more than four years of being unable to enter the territory due to the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard"

"Fishermen there consider this good news, after more than four years of being unable to enter the territory due to the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard, the report said.

"The fishermen are also hoping to continue being free to catch fish in the area.

"While Malacañang maintained that the territorial dispute between the Philippines and China will not be discussed in depth, President Rodrigo Duterte said he spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping about Panatag Shoal issues in a closed-door meeting during his state visit in China.
"
Duterte refused to give details on the conversation but hinted that something may happen after it.

BREAKING NEWS! Ampatuan, Patay sa Operatiba ng Anti-Illegal Drugs!

Datu Saudi Ampatuan Mayor and 9 bodyguards killed in a shootout with government troops.

Mayor Samsudin Dimaukon of the municipality of Datu Saudi Ampatuan and his nine bodyguards were killed in a shootout with operatives from Anti-Illegal Drugs Unit early this morning, October 27, in Bulatukan, Makilala, North Cotabato.

Maj. Jovit Culaway of Anti-Illegal Drugs Unit Mindanao said the conduicted a checkpoint “based on information that the group will transport illegal drugs to Maguindanao and Cotabato area, instead of stopping at the chekcpoint, the Grandia van opened fire at the police which prompted them to scamper for safety and the encounter followed.

Culaway said "pinahinto namin pero, bumukas ang pintuan at pinaputukan kami, , doon nag start ang shootout."

Dimaukom's convoy was en route to his town in Maguindanao.

Dimaukom was one of the local officials on the drug list of President Rodrigo Duterte, which he released to the public in August.

Only last September 27, the police raided his compound in Datu Saudi town but did not find illegal drugs.

Dimaukom was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Makilala Midway Hospital.

DUTERTE'S CHINA & JAPAN VISITS MAY MODERNIZE PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE!

President Rody Duterte's State Visits to two of the country's biggest trading partners in Asia in a span of two weeks may yet result in the dramatic reshaping and modernisation of Philippine agriculture.

For me, the fruits of the President's rigorous travels are now the proving to be the realisation of the wish I shared with him during our recent travel to the island-province of Basilan on Oct. 10.

Apparently impressed and happy with the tractors, fishing boats, seeds and fertilisers which we readily gave to the farmers of Basilan whose coconut farms were devastated by insects which killed the trees, President Duterte turned to me and asked "What more do you need? How many more tractors?"

I immediately pounced on that opening and told him what needed to be done to lift farmers and fishermen from poverty and help them produce more food for the country.

"Mr. President, if we deliver our interventions to Philippine agriculture and fisheries by piecemeal, we will never be able to change things," I told him.

I also warned him that if he does not deliver all the needed interventions during his Presidency, the country may never have another leader who deeply understands agriculture like him.

That was when I told him that under his Presidency, the following interventions must be delivered:

1. Mechanization and modernisation of the rice and corn industry by acquiring farm tractors, rice cultivators, planters, harvesters, dryers, mills and storage and processing facilities.

These interventions would lower the cost of production and reduce post harvest losses which run up to 16% of the total harvest. It would also empower the farmers to get a better price for their produce.

2. Establishment of fish ports, fish landings, cold storage, ice-making and processing facilities in key fishing grounds and fish production areas of the country.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), almost 40% of the fish catch and harvest of fisher folks and high value marine products farmers are spoiled because of the lack of post harvest facilities.

3. Completion of the construction of the remaining 3,500 kilometres of farm to market roads all over the country to facilitate the transport of products to the market.

I asked him to consider availing of long term loans from either or both China and Japan so that these important agriculture and fisheries infrastructure facilities are established and completed during his Presidency.

The other aspects of Philippine agriculture like support to high value crops, including processing and manufacturing, could be handled by the Department of Agriculture through its annual budget allocation.

The President just nodded after listening to me in that brief moment in Lamitan City, Basilan.

Little did I know that he remembered everything that I shared with him.

In Beijing last week, I received a pleasant surprise when he announced that Philippine agriculture and fisheries would get the biggest share of the estimated $6-B which China would grant to the the Philippine government.

Last night in Tokyo, he once again repeated the same sales pitch emphasising that Japan's support to Philippine agriculture would greatly contribute to the attainment of peace in the country and in lifting Filipinos out of poverty.

During the state dinner with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Prime Minister's official residence last night, I was seated beside the agriculture minister of Japan and we talked about the possibility of a Yen Loan for the acquisition of farm equipment including post harvest facilities.

Today, as I leave Japan for two more engagements in Canada and the United States to promote Philippine agriculture products, I feel like I am on Cloud 9.

I am now imagining a Philippine rural scene where concrete roads lead from the farms to the market, where tractors, planters, harvesters and processing mills are humming and working in the countryside and where the bountiful harvest from the country's coastal waters reach the wet markets of the big cities and even the remotes villages in the country.

A dream?

Not anymore. President Duterte is making all of this a reality.

By Manny Piñol

P5-B BANANA SUPPLY CONTRACT for JAPAN, SIGNED!

Tokyo, Japan - In formal ceremonies today at the Prince Tower Tokyo Hotel, President Rody Duterte witnessed the signing of an agreement between a Japanese company and the Department of Agriculture for the supply of 20 million boxes of Cavendish bananas to the Japanese market every year.

The deal, which was made possible with the help of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, is expected to earn for the country an estimated P5-B every year.

The signing of the agreement will mark the start of the development of about 7,000 hectares of banana farms which the Japanese company, Farmind Corp., would like to be located in former conflict areas in the Southern Philippines.

The project is estimated to result in a direct employment of 14,000 farm workers and many more in direct employment in other ancillary services.

The Farmind Corp. project is really aimed at providing livelihood opportunities for rebel returnees and beneficiaries of the agrarian reform program.

This project was referred to me by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez right after I assumed office as Secretary of Agriculture.

The deal was among those signed during President Duterte’s three-day visit to Tokyo, where he discussed economic and defense concerns with Japanese leaders.

Speaker Alvarez referred to me the proposed project two months ago and I received a briefing from his staff on the intention of Farmind president Tatstuo Horiuchi to provide livelihood agrarian reform beneficiaries, as well as former rebels, to support the President's peace efforts.

“I asked him if he could help the Philippines, especially the CARP [Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program] beneficiaries, the rebel returnees, if they could commit to buy quite a number of fruits coming from the Philippines at a good price,” Alvarez told reporters in Tokyo.

Philippine bananas dominate the Japanese market supplying as much as 90% of the total requirements but in recent years, bananas from Ecuador have penetrated Japan.

Currently, the Philippines only holds 75% of the banana supply in Japan and this is mainly because the low prices of oil have allowed Ecuador to bring its bananas to Japan at a lower transport cost.

The entry of the Farmind supply contract, however, will once again allow the Philippines to dominate the Japan market.

By Manny Piñol