FRENCH LIVING IN THE PHILIPPINES

De l'intérieur, la vérité ? Raconté par un étudiant Philippin de UP Diliman. The poor standing of Philippine universities among the world's top institutions is truly unfortunate. In the 2011-2012 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, none of the country's premier schools made it to the top 300. There is indeed a wide disparity between universities in the Philippines and those overseas. Aside from the extent of academic resources and quality of facilities, the difference also lies in the learning environment that shapes and influences the students' academic development. This observation is based on personal experiences studying here and abroad. After graduating with a Masters degree in Asian Studies at the University of the Philippines (UP), I had an opportunity to pursue another graduate program at the Australian National University (ANU). I completed a Masters degree in International Affairs through the Endeavour Awards, one of Australian governm...

More than 200 U.S. and Filipino marines staged an amphibious assault on a beach in a combat drill Sunday near a South China Sea shoal disputed by China and the Philippines. U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Craig Timberlake said the exercise at a sprawling Philippine naval reserve in the coastal town of San Antonio in Zambales province would allow the military allies to operate jointly in a range of scenarios, including responding to disasters. He refused to discuss whether or not the annual drill, which has been staged for 28 years, was now being held partly to address concerns by Asian countries like the Philippines over China's growing naval power. China has expressed unhappiness in the past over such drills near disputed South China Sea regions. The Oct. 17-28 military maneuvers involve about 2,000 Marines and 1,000 Filipino counterparts. Both sides have said the exercises were not aimed at China or any country as an imaginary target. "The long-term objective is to have bette...

As grime-covered men emerge from deep shafts on the Philippines' "golden mountain", Norie Palma eagerly prepares to haggle for her share of ore from the weary miners. The former laundrywoman turned gold buyer directs the procession to her small milling shack amid grunts from the miners whose backs are stooped under the weight of their hauls from the dangerous honeycomb tunnels of Mount Diwata. "It is like this everyday. People are always digging, searching and haggling for that stone with the best gold," says Palma, a 36-year-old mother of four who runs one of many backyard mining operations on Mount Diwata. "Gold is what we live for on this mountain." With global gold prices rising as investors park their funds in the precious metal to hedge against an uncertain global economy, Palma said she and other prospectors on Mount Diwata were enjoying a windfall. Gold hit a record high of $1,921.15 an ounce in early September and, although it has since falle...

ON  ...  RÉPOND  ! Taiwan pense envoyer des missiles Air-Sol, les Philippins jouent aux bateaux tamponneurs avec les Chinois. Américains et Philippins font des exercices amphibies conjoints dans le secteur. Regain de tension dans les Spratly's ? MANILA, Philippines - An “accidental” collision with a Navy gunboat on patrol in the West Philippine Sea yesterday forced a large Chinese fishing vessel to beat a hasty retreat, leaving behind 25 smaller boats it was towing. Navy chief Vice Admiral Alexander Pama confirmed the “freak” incident in the vicinity of Recto Bank but said Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban, commander of the Western Command (Wescom), has the details of the incident. Wescom has jurisdiction over the waters covering the Recto Bank. “It was really an accident, not a hostile act when our ship was verifying the activity of the (Chinese) shipping boat,” Pama told The STAR from the US where he was on an official trip. He stressed the Navy gunboat experienced ste...

Light Houses A committee at the House of Representatives will look into why P250-million worth of lighthouse spare parts remain idle at the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) stockroom next week. Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, vice chairman of the committee on transportation, asked the panel on Monday to conduct an investigation on the excessive procurement of the spare parts for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), as revealed in a Commission on Audit (COA) report. “This is ironic and disgusting because some lighthouses nationwide are not functioning for lack of spare parts. Whoever is responsible for this mess should be made to answer," he said in a text message. The COA released a report last week on the excessive procurement of the lighthouse spare parts for the PCG amounting to more than P250 million that remain unused. The DOTC admitted during a budget hearing at the lower chamber last month that over P1.1-billion worth of PCG equipment procured...

LE DEUXIÈME EN QUELQUES SEMAINES !!! The Filipino captain of a ship stuck on a New Zealand reef was arrested and charged Wednesday as up to 70 containers fell into rough seas and a black tide of oil washed up on beaches. Mauro Balomanga appeared in a Tauranga city court amid a heavy police presence charged with operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk as New Zealand grapples with its worst maritime pollution disaster. Balomanga was bailed to reappear on October 19 with the court ordering media not to publish pictures showing his face after his lawyer expressed fears that "the public may take matters into their own hands" with anger running high. According to local reports, Balomanga had captained the ship only since March. The charge carries a maximum penalty of NZ$10,000 ($7,800), or 12 months in jail. Up to 300 tonnes of heavy fuel has leaked into the environmentally sensitive Bay of Plenty since the Liberian-flagged Rena hit the Astrolabe...

LE CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER ! BON OU MAUVAIS ? Sur les rails, annonce la Banque Asiatique de Développement ! Three international development agencies reviewed the progress of the conditional cash transfer program targeting 2.3 million of the poorest households of the country and found that the CCT is meeting its anti-poverty goals, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Wednesday. Beneficiary families’ levels of availment of health services and enrolment in public schools have risen, the ADB said, but did not mention by how much for the whole program. The joint review mission, conducted by the ADB together with the World Bank and the Australian Agency for International Development and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), included a visit to an Aeta community in Pampanga. First year and second year enrolments in the Aeta community’s elementary school “more than doubled since (they) began receiving support under (the) CCT program just under two years ago,...

 The second typhoon in a week battered the rain-soaked northern Philippines on Saturday, adding misery to the lives of thousands of people, some of whom were still perched on rooftops from previous flooding. Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate their homes after Typhoon Nalgae slammed ashore south of northeastern Palanan Bay in Isabela province with winds of 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour and dangerous gusts of 121 mph (195 kph). At least one person was killed in a landslide. The fast-moving typhoon blew westward, barreling across the mountainous regions of Luzon Island. It weakened slightly as it reached the shore of La Union province around 4 p.m. (0800 GMT), about seven hours after it made landfall. Forecasters said it will be over South China Sea by Saturday night and is expected to regain strength over the water as it heads farther west toward Hainan and Vietnam. A landslide in northern Bontoc province smashed into a passenger van on a mountain highway, ki...