Australia eyes further trade

relations with Philippines

“Trade between the two countries was underdone over the last decade,” Trade
Minister Simon Crean told reporters during the press briefing on the Philippines-
Australia Ministerial Meeting.He noted that while the Asean region is Australia’s
biggest trading partner with an average of about $71-billion worth of transactions
annually, the Philippines last year only cornered around $2.5 billion in two-way
merchandise trade. Australia’s economic relationship with the Philippines has not
kept up with the growth of our trade with Asean,” said Minister for Foreign Affairs
Stephen Smith, adding that while Australian investments in the Asean region grew
by as much as over 100 percent in the last decade, their investments in the
Philippines only increased by 16 percent in the same period. There is a considerable
room for improvement of trade relations between Australia and the Philippines,”
Crean said. For one, Smith cited the “great potential” of the local mining industry.
The recent growth in Australian investment in the Philippines, which rose from just
under $900 million in 2001 to over $1.5 billion last year, is largely driven by the
mining sector,” he said. the Australian market. Aquino also cited a shortage in
skilled workforce in Australia Philippine Trade Senior Undersecretary Thomas
Aquino said Australian firms are particularly interested in mining copper and
nickel here. Aquino added that governors of several provinces, including mineral-
rich Marinduque and Occidental Mindoro, have expressed interest to allow entry of
potential Australian mining investments in their localities. He also said that local
manufacturers of automotive parts and assemblers of small vehicles target
supplying Australian car companies. Australia imports about two-thirds of
automotive parts, hence there is a big business opportunity for local parts makers,
he said. Agriculture and food products could also be important exports to Australia,
Aquino said, but he noted that the Australian government has stringent rules in
allowing entry of food products. He suggested that local food manufacturers and
agricultural producers adapt to Australian standards to get into, especially in the
healthcare sector, that the Philippines’ human resources could very well fill in. The
two countries are currently facilitating for a freer but orderly movement of labor in
their territories,” he said. Meanwhile, Smith noted that Australian products are also
getting wider acceptance among Filipino consumers. He cited Australian cosmetic
products that are selling well in local boutiques, processed food, as well as
Australian goats being imported to develop the local meat and dairy sector. Smith
also said that some Filipino horse breeders and racers are also looking at Australia
to source thoroughbred horses for the racing industry.
 500 Telstra jobs head to Philippines
• Ben Schneiders
• October 9, 2008

MORE than 500 Telstra call centre jobs, including at least 200 in Melbourne, are to
be transferred to the Philippines.

TeleTech, the United States outsourcing firm that employs the workers, has
confirmed the cuts.

It refused to say how many jobs would be lost because of the decision but a union
and employees who spoke to The Age said the number would exceed 500, with the
cuts to occur by March.

A call centre in Bourke Street, Melbourne, and a separate site in Sydney would lose
at least 200 positions each, one employee said, with the workers told earlier this
week.

The Age reported on Saturday that hundreds of jobs were set to be cut. The affected
staff are not employed directly by Telstra but deal with the company's customers
after they have bought a product or service.

A TeleTech statement said that "select" operations in Melbourne and Sydney would
be relocated to the Philippines. "This strategic decision reflects TeleTech's
commitment to enhance the quality of service it provides to Australian consumers,"
it said.

The decision follows a move by Telstra to award a contract to TeleTech for sales
support positions as it reduced the number of contractors it used.

Community and Public Sector Union national president Louise Persse said the move
by Telstra would see 500 jobs lost at TeleTech and possibly another 500 would go as
contractors in Victoria lost their Telstra deals. Total job losses from the move could
stretch into the thousands as the former Telstra contractors were forced to shed
staff, she said.

Telstra has referred inquiries about the job losses to TeleTech.

 Oil spills - Philippines, Indian Ocean and
Lebanon

International — Oil is harmful to the environment every step of the way. It leaks
from pipelines, spills from ships, creates smog in our cities, and is heating up our
planet. Marine ecosystems already stressed by over fishing and destructive fishing
practices, toxic pollution and climate change are now taking big hits from recent
large oil spills. [ Jump to: Effects, Clean up, Map, Philippines, Indian Ocean,
Lebanon. ]
It also has to be said that while these recent dramatic spills are making the
headlines, oil spills actually occur every day. Every year millions of gallons of oil
enters the ocean from routine ship and car maintenance, off shore oil drilling
operations and ship spills.

Effects of an oil spill

While the size of a spill is obviously important, the amount of damage done can
depend even more on other factors like the type of oil spilled and the location of the
spill - as well as temperature, wind and weather. Oil can have a smothering effect on
marine life, fouling feathers and fur. It is a toxic poison that birds and mammals
often ingest while trying to clean themselves. Fish absorb it through direct contact
and through their gills. The fumes and contact with oil can also cause nausea and
health problems for people in affected areas.
Even when the oil does not kill, it can have more subtle and long lasting negative
effects. For example, it can damage fish eggs, larva and young - wiping out
generations. It also can bio-accumulate up through the food chain as predators
(including humans) eat numbers of fish (or other wildlife) that have sub-lethal
amounts of oil stored in their bodies. More on the effects of oils spills from the
Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
 Clean energy act sets Philippines up for
$3 billion rebate

The savings would come from increasing the country’s renewable energy share in its
power generation mix from 0.16 per cent to 41 per cent from wind, solar, ocean, run-
of-river hydropower and biomass.
Today 26 per cent of the country’s power comes from burning imported coal, whilst
23 per cent comes from burning oil. Last year the country imported 101.4 million
barrels of oil alone, costing US$7.5 billion.
“In passing this landmark legislation, the Senate has just paved the way for the
country’s drive towards energy independence and low-carbon growth,”� said
WWF’s Asia Pacific Energy Policy Manager Raf Senga.

“By tapping our massive reserves of clean energy resources — a competitive

advantage that was largely neglected in the past — the Philippines now stands a far
better chance of attaining sustainable development whilst contributing to global
efforts to prevent dangerous climate change.”�

A separate Renewable Energy Coalition analysis says that renewable energy sources
can reduce the country’s oil imports by half, and the savings can be used for social
and infrastructure programs.
“We can send 17 million children to school, build 250,000 classrooms, establish
135,000 health centres, feed three million families and build 38,000 kilometres of
farm-to-market roads,”� said Renewable Energy Coalition spokesperson
Catherine Maceda.
The landmark legislation aims to accelerate the development and use of the nation’s
vast renewable energy resources through fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for
investors. It also assures investors in wind, solar, ocean, run-of-river hydropower
and biomass premium rates in electricity generated from these clean sources
through feed-in tariffs.
 Activists protest US presence in southern
Philippines

A Filipino anti-war coalition has demanded the closure of US military

bases in the southern Philippines, where American troops are aiding
local forces battle Abu Sayyaf militants and other rebel groups. It said
US troops have put up small bases inside Philippine military facilities in
Zamboanga City and in other parts of central Mindanao where the
American forces are said to be participating in combat operations
against rebels. Sen. Rodolfo Biazon and members of the Legislative
Oversight Committee on the Visiting Forces Agreement (LOVFA)
inspected US facilities in Zamboanga City last week and said they found
no military facilities, but only administrative buildings used by the US
forces in humanitarian missions and joint trainings with local troops in
Mindanao and Sulu archipelago.
 Philippines protests at BBC's comedy show
involving Filipino

The Philippine government protested a popular comedy program aired by the

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for allegedly humiliating a Filipino maid,
reports said on Tuesday.

Officials from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said that the Philippine
embassy in London has sent letters to different British government offices, including
the Mayor of London, and the BBC itself to protest the "slur" on Filipino domestic
workers in Britain.

Besides, British Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Beckingham was summoned to

the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs by Secretary Alberto Romulo to
discuss the matter, the Philippine News Agency reported.

The protest came after BBC aired an episode of the TV show "Harry and Paul" on
Sept. 26, in which a woman playing the character of a Filipino housemaid was
ordered by her employer "Harry" to dancing lasciviously in front of his friend
"Paul."

"It was revolting. It was disgusting and an insensitive and racist attempt to satirize
a scene of exploitation," said Risa Hontiveros, a Philippine lawmaker, demanding an
apology from the BBC.

She said that "by making a horrible scene of exploitation an object of ridicule, the
show trivializes an act of abuse commonly experienced by Filipina workers abroad."

The BBC did not comment immediately but the British Embassy in Manila issued a
statement saying the BBC has editorial independence and the views expressed and
portrayed by the network "are completely independent" from the government.

It said Filipinos in Britain "are an important part of British society, making

invaluable contributions to our scientific and service sectors, and enriching UK
culture."
 UNITED NATIONS ASSISTING
PHILIPPINES AFTER TYPHOON

The typhoon, which lashed the country at the end of last week, destroyed more than
76,000 homes and damaged nearly 154,000 additional residences. Some 83,000 people
have sought shelter in 29 evacuation centres. And while main roads have been cleared,
widespread power and communications outages continue in most of the affected areas.

The disruption of the water supply also remains a major source of concern. On 3
December, Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of national
calamity and authorized the release of one billion Philippine pesos to fund relief and
rehabilitation efforts to repair the damage sustained due to the onslaught of three
successive typhoons Xangsane, Cimarron and Durian. The Government has also
indicated its readiness to accept assistance from the international community, identifying
priority needs as: drinking water and water purifying tablets; medical teams, social
workers and medicines; food; blankets and mattresses; tents and tarpaulins; and generator
sets. However, the NDCC has stated that there is no need for international search and
rescue teams. The international community is providing emergency relief assistance. The
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is
considering an application for funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund
(CERF) for the purchase of emergency supplies. The United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) has dispatched emergency health supplies for 10,000 people for three months,
as has provided 4,000 family packs consisting of rice, canned goods, mattresses and
blankets. The UNICEF also led a joint United Nations inter-agency assessment mission to
Albay province today. Additional cash and in-kind contributions have been provided by
Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and the
United States, as well as the Saipan Filipino community and Telecoms sans
Frontières,. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC) has despatched a Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT) to support the
Philippines Red Cross Society to assess the situation in the disaster-affected areas.
 UNSpecial Rapporteur on extrajudicial,
summary or arbitrary executions ends
Philippine visit
I have spent the past ten days in the Philippines at the invitation of the Government in
order to inquire into the phenomenon of extrajudicial executions. I am very grateful to the
Government for the unqualified cooperation extended to me. During my stay here I have
met with virtually all of the relevant senior officials of Government. They include the
President, the Executive Secretary, the National Security Adviser, the Secretaries for
Defence, Justice, DILG and the Peace Process. I have also met with a significant number
of members of Congress on different sides of the political spectrum, the Chief Justice, the
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Chair of the Human
Rights Commission, the Ombudsman, the members of both sides of the Joint Monitoring
Committee, and representatives of the MNLF and MILF. Of particular relevance to my
specific concerns, I also met with Task Force Usig, and with the Melo Commission, and I
have received the complete dossier compiled by TF Usig, as well as the report of the
Melo Commission, the and the responses to its findings by the AFP and by retired Maj-
Gen Palparan.

I have also visited Baguio and Davao and met with the regional Human Rights
Commission offices, local PNP and AFP commanders, and the Mayor of Davao, among
others. Equally importantly, roughly half of my time here was devoted to meetings with
representatives of civil society, in Manila, Baguio, and Davao. Through their extremely
valuable contributions in the form of documentation and detailed testimony I have
learned a great deal.

Let me begin by acknowledging several important elements. The first is that the
Government’s invitation to visit reflects a clear recognition of the gravity of the problem,
a willingness to permit outside scrutiny, and a very welcome preparedness to engage on
this issue. The assurances that I received from the President, in particular, were very
encouraging. Second, I note that my visit takes place within the context of a counter-
insurgency operation which takes place on a range of fronts, and I do not in any way
underestimate the resulting challenges facing for the Government and the AFP. Third, I
wish to clarify that my formal role is to report to the UN Human Rights Council and to
the Government on the situation I have found. I consider that the very fact of my visit has
already begun the process of acting as a catalyst to deeper reflection on these issues both
within the national and international settings. Finally, I must emphasise that the present
statement is only designed to give a general indication of some, but by no means all, of
the issues to be addressed, and the recommendations put forward, in my final report. I
expect that will be available sometime within the next three months.
 The Philippines at United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees

Representatives of 17 countries – including four of the country's main aid

donors – raised questions on the Philippine government's human rights record in Geneva,
Switzerland on April 11 as Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who also chairs the
Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC), led a 44-man delegation in delivering a
presentation on the human rights situation in the Philippines before the 47-member
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Ermita delivered his presentation
during the deliberations of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on the Philippines.

The UPR is a new mechanism that was established under General Assembly Resolution
60/251, which established the UNHRC on March 15, 2006. The said resolution provides
that the UNHRC shall "undertake a universal periodic review, based on objective and
reliable information, of the fulfillment by each State of its human rights obligations and
commitments in a manner which ensures universality of coverage and equal treatment
with respect to all States; the review shall be a cooperative mechanism, based on an
interactive dialogue, with the full involvement of the country concerned and with
consideration given to its capacity-building needs; such a mechanism shall complement
and not duplicate the work of treaty bodies..."

Ermita drew the material for his 38-minute presentation from the Philippine National
Report (PNR) submitted to the UNHRC. The PNR emphasizes the creation of the
Commission of Human Rights under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which Ermita
noted antedates the Paris Principles on Human Rights. Ermita also stressed the creation of
the Office of the Ombudsman, also under the 1987 Constitution, which is tasked to
investigate high government officials. He noted that both chambers of Congress have
Committees on Human Rights; and that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the
Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) all have
Human Rights Offices.
 Russians shoot the Philippines

It was a cool night with temperatures ranging between three and six degrees when the
photo exhibit of the Russian photographers who shot the Philippines was formally
presented at the Art Gallery Solianka, one of the most popular art galleries in Moscow.

The many faces of the Philippines were captured through the lenses of five leading
Russian photographers who fell in love with the many islands of the country. This is one
of the efforts of the Department of Tourism to create a greater awareness of the
Philippines in Russia.

“They say a picture paints a thousand words,” said Undersecretary Phineas Alburo at the
opening of the exhibit. “Tonight, we are happy to share with you the beauty of the
Philippines through the lenses of our Russian photographer friends.”

The photos at the exhibit ranged from seascapes to festivals, from people on the streets to
wonderful sunsets, each capturing a different facet of the country. Featured photographers
were Boris Tarasov, Svetlana Nosova, Aleksey Stoyda, Igor Veselev and Sergey Ilin.The
exhibit ran until Sept. 29. This is a preview of a much bigger Philippine photo exhibit that
will be held at the Municipal Duma of Russia during the opening of congress in
November, which is expected to draw much attention from Russia’s elite and media.The
exhibit featured an extensive collection of superb underwater photos taken in the popular
dive sites in the Philippines. This event intends to pay attention to Russia’s thriving dive
market segment. With the Philippines in the center of the center of marine biodiversity in
the world, the country’s dive sites are among the best worldwide. The photo exhibit
follows a strategic campaign which includes participation in Russia’s main dive event,
the Golden Dolphin Dive Festival held every February. This year, familiarization trips
have also been conducted for representatives of Russia’s top diving schools and dive
clubs. With this campaign, the Department of Tourism hopes to attract responsible divers
who are true lovers of the marine environment to come visit our shores.