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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 26) — The Land Transportation Office (LTO) said on Tuesday that it would take two years before it can clear the backlog for motorcycle license plates.
Manila asserted its full rights to remove any obstructions at the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Tuesday, reported AFP. National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano declared, "The Philippines is well within its rights to eliminate any barrier at Bajo de Masinloc, as it encroaches upon our maritime rights," using the Philippines' indigenous name for the reef.Earlier, Beijing cautioned Manila against "provoking unrest" when the Philippine Coast Guard disclosed that it had dismantled a floating blockade at the disputed reef, believed to have been placed by China to obstruct Filipino access to their traditional fishing grounds.China asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, while multiple other nations, including the Philippines, assert overlapping territorial claims within the region.Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano pledged to undertake "all necessary measures" to remove barriers established by the Chinese coast guard at the reef, referred to as Scarborough Shoal by Manila, in the contested waters.
BEIJING: Beijing on Tuesday warned Manila not to "stir up trouble" after the Philippines Coast Guard said it removed a floating barrier at a disputed reef that was allegedly deployed by China to stop Filipinos from accessing the traditional fishing ground."China firmly upholds the sovereignty and maritime rights and interests of the Huangyan island," said foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, adding: "We advise the Philippines not to provoke or stir up trouble."
MANILA: The Philippines vowed Monday to take "all appropriate actions" for the removal of floating barriers allegedly installed by the Chinese coast guard at a disputed reef to stop Filipinos accessing the traditional fishing ground. A 300-metre (328-yard) long floating barrier was found across the entrance of Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea last week during a routine resupply mission to Filipino fishermen plying the waters near the Chinese-controlled reef.China, which seized Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in 2012, deploys coast guard and other vessels to patrol the fishing ground.The floating barrier prevents fishing boats from entering the shoal's shallow waters where fish are more abundant.
MANILA: The Philippines said on Monday it executed a "special operation" to remove a floating barrier installed by China at a prime fishing patch in the South China Sea, a move that could stoke tension after a years-long detente in Asia's most disputed waters. The Philippines expressed outrage on Sunday and shared images of Chinese coastguard policing a long, ball-buoy barrier near the Scarborough Shoal, a rocky outcrop 200km from the Philippines and the site of years of intermittent flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights."The barrier posed a hazard to navigation, a clear violation of international law.
MANILA: The Philippines' lower house on Tuesday approved a bill that overhauls the tax system for mining, which the government said will be simplified to make the industry more attractive to investors. However, with the Senate yet to pass its own mining fiscal regime bill, it will be some time before the new rules are implemented. The Philippines is one of the biggest nickel ore suppliers to top metals consumer China, and also produces copper, gold and other critical minerals. Under the bill, part of tax reform measures under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration, large-scale metallic mining operations within mineral reservations shall be subject to a royalty rate of 4% of the gross output. Large-scale miners operating outside mineral reservations shall pay a margin-based royalty on income from mining operations. Small-scale mining operations shall be subject to a royalty rate equivalent to one-tenth of 1% of gross minerals output.
MANILA: The Philippines said on Tuesday there were no signs of a standoff at a fiercely contested, China-held shoal in the South China Sea, a day after its coastguard severed a floating barrier installed by Beijing to block its fishermen. China's coastguard had even removed remnants of the ball-buoy barrier from the Scarborough Shoal, a Philippine coastguard spokesperson said, adding Beijing was measured in its response to the presence of the vessel, which reached its closest point to the strategic atoll since China seized it in 2012. With coastguard personnel posing as fishermen in a small boat, the Philippines said on Monday it executed a "special operation" to cut the 300-m (980-ft) barrier at the shoal, one of Asia's most contested maritime features, a move that could further strain ties that have deteriorated in the past year. Coastguard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said four Chinese vessels were in the area when a Philippine ship approached and were "not that aggressive", adding it was clear media were on board the Philippine ship.
MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Ted Herbosa failed to get the approval of the powerful Commission on Appointments on Tuesday due to time constraints.