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This initial victory means the tribunal can hear the merits of the Philippines’ case – and issue a definitive ruling by 2016.In a news release late Thursday evening, October 29, the PCA said the tribunal “has held that both the Philippines and China are parties” to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and therefore “bound by its provisions on the settlement of disputes.”HISTORIC CASE. The arbitral tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, listens to the first country that brought China to court over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Photo courtesy of PCA“The tribunal has also held that China’s decision not to participate in these proceedings does not deprive the tribunal of jurisdiction and that the Philippines’ decision to commence arbitration unilaterally was not an abuse of the Convention’s dispute settlement procedures,” it said.“In light of the foregoing, the tribunal has concluded that it is presently able to decide that it does have jurisdiction with respect to the matters raised in 7 of the Philippines’ Submissions. The tribunal has concluded, however, that its jurisdiction with respect to 7 other Submissions by the Philippines will need to be considered in conjunction with the merits. The tribunal has requested the Philippines to clarify and narrow one of its Submissions,” the PCA added.

Source: Philippines wins round 1 in historic case vs China

TrendsThe latest Pulse Asia survey results are remarkable for 4 things:It is only Roxas who has made a noticeable improvement from the previous May-June survey (from 10%-20%)Binay has maintained his core of supporters at 20%Santiago’s numbers, after her October announcement, could yet change dramatically Despite all the confusing messages about seeking the presidency, Duterte’s numbers have barely moved, as if supporters disbelieve his ever-shifting pronouncements about not wanting to be president

Source: 2016 presidential elections: Still anybody’s ballgame

It’s a familiar tale that Beck tells: Early in life, friendships are central to our development and sense of self. This is true right up through to those early post-collegiate years, when everyone is starting out in their professional lives.And then people get married. They have kids. Their parents get older and need more care. They settle into careers. All those obligations — spouses, kids, family, work — are things we have to do. Friendships are things we choose to do. And that means, when time contracts and things get busier, friendships get bumped.So as we get older, time with friends tapers off. “[In a study we did,] we asked people to tell us the story of the last person they became friends with, how they transitioned from acquaintance to friend,” researcher Emily Langan told Beck. “It was interesting that people kind of struggled”:

Source: How our housing choices make adult friendships more difficult – Vox

Naniniwala pala kayo sa Aguinaldo Doctrine. Punyeta kayo.
Di maibabalik ng mga boto ang mga buhay na nakitil dahil sa inyo.
Di maibabalik ng mga boto ang mga pera na ninakaw ng pamilya ninyo.
Di maibabalik ng mga boto ang mga panahon na sana ay naging maunlad ang Pilipinas na sinayang ninyo.

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that President Benigno Aquino III should put the past behind them and move on.   In an interview with ABS-CBN’s “Bandila” late Tuesday evening, Marcos said that he is gunning for the vice presidency because he wants to continue the legacy of service started by his late father former president Ferdinand Marcos.   “Ang amin namang ginagawa ay hindi naghahabol ng poder kundi pinagpapatuloy lamang ang aming serbisyo sa

Source: Marcos to Aquino: Move on, we’ve been vindicated by Filipino vote

At the same time, it cannot be true that there are only negative things happening in the Philippines today—that nothing has changed; that we are still apathetic and cynical; and that one shortcoming becomes reason enough to discount the whole. I have met so many people who are embodiments of the good news and optimism surrounding the Philippines. There are the beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer program now studying in universities, colleges, and technical-vocational institutions, studying to gain a better future for themselves and their families. There are the multinational companies who want to entrust their success to the Filipino people. Recently, an elderly woman approached one of our Cabinet Secretaries, full of gratitude for the PhilHealth program, which had paid for the removal of her cataracts.

Source: Speech of President Aquino at the 2015 FOCAP Presidential Forum « ForeignAffairs.co.nz

“Kung ito Gunfight at the OK Corral, I would see him as the last person standing. Why? Siya lang ‘yung walang corruption issue, and I can personally vouch for his integrity. Second, siya lang ‘yung walang disqualification case na hinaharap. Third, siya lang ‘yung walang health issue,” he added.”We don’t know what awaits Senator Poe kasi meron siyang disqualification case or DQ case. Vice-President [Jejomar] Binay may mga issues. Of course, Senator Miriam [Santiago] – I really don’t know. I can only wish her good luck and good health.”The former senator also said Roxas appeared as a witness in the counter-affidavit he filed before the Department of Justice in the Dacer-Corbito case.Roxas backed Lacson’s statement that they were together at the United Nations to attend an event in 2009, debunking Cesar Mancao’s claim that he got instructions from Lacson on the Dacer-Corbito case.”I told him, ‘Senator Mar, baka naman pwedeng makapag-witness ka sa aking counter-affidavit na i-fa-file kasi iniipit talaga ako. Ayaw na magpa-postpone.’ Ayaw magpa-ectend, gusto i-file na yung case…After he checked, sabi niya: ‘Paano ba ito? Honeymoon ko eh.’ Parang katatapos lang ng kasal niya. Parang, I remember, ikakasal pa lang siya kay Korina. Sabi niya, ‘Kailangan ko bang pumunta sa DOJ?’ Sabi ko: ‘Kailangan daw e. Kailangan personal na i-a-affirm mo yung affidavit mo.’ And he did. Imagine, for an all, for a friend to do that favor para sa iyo – I won’t forget that,” Lacson said.

Source: Lacson backs Mar, says Roxas will be ‘last person standing’ | ABS-CBN News

Recently, the Philippines had to overcome the challenge of Typhoon Lando, which made landfall in Casiguran, Aurora, last October 18, a Sunday. Access was no easy task, to say the least. Strong winds made it difficult, if not impossible, for all aircraft to fly; traveling by boat meant rough seas and a long journey. Fallen infrastructure, flooding, and mudslides blocked roads, and some towns were completely cut off.Even with all these, Filipinos from both the public and private sectors moved heaven and earth to ensure that relief arrived in a timely manner. Lando made landfall on Sunday; I am told that, by Monday night, relief goods had been transported to Casiguran, which earlier was reported as being isolated. So many people sacrificed and exerted so much effort to minimize the deprivation of affected communities. I am sure they would have appreciated the recognition of their efforts.Instead, I am told, this is the coverage that their work received. A major Philippine broadsheet tweeted about Typhoon Lando, saying: “Government fails to achieve zero casualty; NDRRMC says 33-year old man died after being hit by fallen tree in Quezon City.” A local reporter from another media outlet also tweeted that relief goods had arrived in Casiguran, but that these goods had not yet been distributed. He closed by saying, “Bukas darating si PNoy!” or “PNoy is arriving tomorrow,” as if to imply that relief goods would be distributed only when I was there.At a time of challenge for many Filipinos, it seemed to me as if the only interest of these particular members of the media was to sensationalize, to highlight tragedy, to point out supposed failures, and to make accusations. Some of us might even be led to speculate that on the anniversary of Typhoon Lando—whether the first, the fifth, or the tenth—that media coverage would insist on reliving every tragic detail, while paying only lip service to the positive developments, lessons learned, and corrective actions implemented.

Source: Speech of President Aquino at the 2015 FOCAP Presidential Forum « ForeignAffairs.co.nz

In the past several decades, Kojima’s name has become synonymous with video-game blockbusters.CREDIT PHOTOGRAPH BY JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/APOn Friday, October 9th, Hideo Kojima left the Tokyo offices of Konami, the video-game company where he had worked since 1986, for the last time. The departure ceremony, according to one of the hundred or so guests who attended, and who asked that I not use his name, took place at Kojima Productions, the director’s in-house studio, and was “a rather cheerful but also emotional goodbye.” He said that he did not see Konami’s president, Hideki Hayakawa, or its C.E.O., Sadaaki Kaneyoshi, at the party, but some of Kojima’s colleagues from other studios showed up to pay their respects, as did many of the people who worked on his most recent directorial project, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The game, which takes place in mid-nineteen-eighties Afghanistan and Zaire, made a hundred and seventy-nine million dollars on its launch day, in September—more than the two highest-grossing films of the year so far (“Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Jurassic World”) combined. In the past several decades, Kojima’s name has become synonymous with such blockbusters, and with the Konami brand itself. His impending resignation had been rumored as early as March, but the fact of it remains startling—as much as if Shigeru Miyamoto, the originator of Donkey Kong and the Mario brothers, left Nintendo.

Source: Kojima, Konami, and the Future of Japanese Video Games – The New Yorker