FRENCH LIVING IN THE PHILIPPINES

La leçon chinoise aux journalistes philippins Voila maintenant que l'attaché militaire auprès de l'Ambassade de Chine à Manille donne des leçons de journalisme aux médias philippins. Quand on sait comment est traitée la liberté de la presse en Chine, il y a de quoi se poser des questions. Ce sont 92 bateaux chinois qui se trouvent maintenant sur le Scarborough Schoal. A diplomat from a country not exactly known for promoting press freedom on Tuesday gave Filipino reporters a lecture on how to report the news. The diplomat, Senior Col. Chen Fangming, defense attaché of the Chinese Embassy, went to the extent of asking the reporters whether they studied journalism. Chen gave his lesson on reporting right inside the Philippine Navy headquarters when he was interviewed on the occasion of the Navy’s 114th anniversary rites. Chen was among the foreign military guests invited to the affair. The Chinese diplomat was asked about the Philippine-Chinese standof...

Lady Gaga à Manille Tout de même 40.000 fans qui vont débourser 15.840 pesos (370 us$) chacun pour voir et entendre le ‘’Démon’’ ! On a beau être Catholique, ici on aime bien les phénomènes sulfureux !  Tout du moins pour ceux qui en ont les moyens, sachant que le salaire d’un Philippin oscille entre 5.000 et 9.000 Pesos par mois. Entre les 40.000 fans et les 300 à 500 manifestants opposants … il n’y a pas photo. Mai 21 / Lady Gaga's Philippine concerts will go ahead as planned, organisers said Sunday, despite a series of protests from Christian groups and calls for the controversial singer to be banned. Allan Florendo, assistant vice president of the sprawling SM Mall of Asia, whose arena will be the venue for the concerts Monday and Tuesday, said they were ready for the thousands of Gaga-fans and even any stray protesters. "We're very ready, security-wise. We have over 300 security personnel which is in addition and coordination with t...

ALAMADA, North Cotabato – Typhoon Frank had brought so much devastation when it hit the country in 2008, but for the people of this  sleepy town, they had something to thank the typhoon for. For years, a small waterfall in Sitio Dulao in Barangay Upper Dado here remained hidden from public view. “There was no waterfall visible at all. We only saw thick vegetation covering the side of the cliff,” Marlo Estella, a member of the Upper  Dado council, said as he points to what has become known as Asik-Asik Falls. Asik is the Hiligaynon equivalent of the English word  sprinkle. Alamada Mayor Bartolome Latasa said the discovery of Asik-Asik Falls was ushered in by a multitude of events, starting with a forest fire that razed much of the vegetation of the area, including those that grew on the side of the cliff. Then there was a landslide that carved a large portion of the hill, which nearly uprooted the large trees. The large trees that grew on the side of t...

Même la banane philippine en souffre Le vendredi 11 mai, les autorités chinoises refusaient toujours l’entrée de quelques 1.500 containers de bananes ‘’Cavendish’’ en provenance de Mindanao. Chinese authorities on Friday continued to refuse entry to some 1,500 containers containing Cavendish banana because of an alleged finding that fruits earlier sent by Mindanao banana growers there showed signs of disease found only in coconuts. Stephen Antig, president of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association—which groups 18 companies in Mindanao—said that as of 3 p.m. Thursday, the bananas were being left to rot at the ports of Dalian, Shanghai, and Xingang as Chinese authorities insisted on the country’s new phytosanitary rules for bananas arriving from the Philippines. “Mindanao exporters feel we are being harassed,” Antig said, adding that it could be related to the standoff between the Philippines and China at Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. ...

Il fallait bien que je vous en parle un jour, cela va bientôt faire un mois que ça dure et il s’agit tout de même de bateaux de guerre qui se font face dans une zone disputée qui se situe à moins de 130 Nautical Miles des côtes de la façade ouest de la grande île philippine de Luzon. Le ton monte et la Chine menace. Aux dernières nouvelles les Philippines seraient chinoises, une partie du territoire chinois ! Believing that the world is watching China’s behavior in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, the Philippines declared yesterday it will bring its territorial dispute with China to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). Manila said it will “unilaterally” seek ITLOS’ intervention if China will not join it in submitting their claims and defending their respective positions before the United Nations-backed tribunal. Foreign Affairs spokespman Raul Hernandez said China violated the agreement with the Philippines not to undertake any action that would ...

A new music video starring a Frenchman singing about his love for the Philippines is turning out to be a great pitch for tourism in the country. The song, "Phil So Good", is written and performed by French writer-turned-musician Julien Drolon. Shot on location across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the video can be seen on YouTube and on the website juliendrolon.com. It shows Drolon basking in the sun on various beaches in the country and extolling, in French and English, this "paradise on earth". He also visits other popular destinations. The music is an upbeat mix of funk, reggae and dance pop, and lends a cosmopolitan touch to the tropical scenarios. But it is the guest appearance of Filipino actress Rhian Ramos that kicks the video into high gear. Ramos raps in English and Tagalog about what makes the country tick. She is visually arresting-singing and dancing, fixing the camera with persuasive eyes that seem to speak only the truth! Drolon told Inquire...