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(SunStar) THE Economic Section of the United States Embassy in the Philippines has expressed support to the development of New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.

It noted that the rising metropolis presents key investment opportunities for American businesses.

In a message to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), the US Embassy’s economic team conveyed its optimism for New Clark City’s potential as a driver of regional development.

“Supporting inclusive, sustainable economic growth has been the cornerstone of our bilateral economic engagement in the Philippines. The recent public release of the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy highlights the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and to strong economic partnerships in the region. Guided by the Indo-Pacific Strategy’s emphasis on shared prosperity, we continue to work with the Philippines to leverage economic strengths in both our countries,” the U.S. Embassy Economic Section said.

It added that New Clark City’s development presents an opportunity to promote prosperity in Central Luzon and beyond.

“We look forward to continued investment—including by US firms—in key sectors like healthcare, renewable energy, information and communications technology, and infrastructure,” the U.S. embassy office said.

New Clark City is being positioned as an alternate government center and investment hub outside of Metro Manila.

Its location at the convergence point of vital infrastructure, including Clark International Airport, the Subic Bay Freeport, and the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), allows prospective businesses to move products and services with relative ease… Read More

(Borneo Bulletin) His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday received in audience Secretary of National Defence of the Philippines Delfin N Lorenzana.

Also present were Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof; Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) Major General Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Muhammad Haszaimi bin Bol Hassan, and Ambassador-Designate of the Philippines to Brunei Darussalam Marian Jocelyn R-Tirol Ignacio.

Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines enjoy close and long-standing defence cooperation, strengthened through the signing of a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation on August 22, 2001, which ranges from defence agreements and professional exchanges at all levels to training and exercises across land, navy, and air force from both sides.

The defence relationship is also underpinned extensively through various multilateral platforms, which include the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the ADMM-Plus, as well as international peacekeeping operations, such as the International Monitoring Team (IMT) and International Decommissioning Body Verification and Monitoring Assistance Teams (IDB-VMAT) in Mindanao, the Philippines.

The defence secretary is currently in the Sultanate for a three-day official visit which concludes today… Read More

(Daily Tribune) According to legend, there were two advanced civilizations that sank under the ocean at different periods of history. The more well-known of these two was the continent of Atlantis, which the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, first wrote about in his famous dialogues around 400 B.C.

The second was Lemuria. According to the American psychic and prophet, Edgar Cayce (1875-1945), Atlantis sank in the Atlantic Ocean, while Lemuria supposedly went down in the Pacific Ocean.

There are people who believe that Atlantis really existed. Otherwise, Plato could not have written such a detailed description of its way of life and culture.

Lemuria, on the other hand, according to mainstream archeology and history, never existed at all and is considered only a legend.

Cayce said parts of Atlantis will rise again, and claimed that a portion of it has already emerged, called Poseidia. But this is disputed by mainstream archeologists.

It is not the intention of this piece to prove whether Atlantis and Lemuria really existed, but simply to present a point of view which readers are free to accept or reject… Read More

(Manila Bulletin) Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla’s most-anticipated romantic comedy series, “2 Good 2 Be True, instantly captivated viewers and is currently the leading TV series on Netflix Philippines.

“Super thankful on how they wholeheartedly loved the series because we really worked hard for it,” said Kathryn in the special gap show of the series on Kapamilya Online Live.

The series’ pilot episode also spread laughter last Monday (May 16), which drew more than 130,000 concurrent viewers on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel.

In the first episode, the public saw the successful heist set-up by Eloy (Daniel) and his friends to take revenge against the hotel owner who run over Mang Ben (Earl Ignacio). However, they did not know that Ali (Kath), who accompanied her patient to the same hotel, might endanger them as she was able to remember the scent of Eloy.

Viewers can look forward to more exciting twists and funny confrontations as Ali tries to help the cops identify Eloy while he tries his best to block any piece of evidence the nurse has… Read More

(Radio Free Asia) China and countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will conduct face-to-face consultations on a Code of Conduct (COC) in the disputed South China Sea later this month in Cambodia, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has said.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing that the consultations will be done in person “in the latter half of this month… despite the impact of COVID-19.”

For the last two years, most of the negotiations over the South China Sea, the thorniest issue between China and ASEAN, have been conducted online because of the pandemic.

China and ASEAN agreed on a Declaration of Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea in 2003, but progress on a COC has been slow going amid an increasing risk of conflict.

China’s diplomats are believed to be making fresh efforts to speed up COC negotiations with ASEAN, especially as China’s close ally Cambodia is holding the bloc’s chairmanship this year.

“Establishing a COC is clearly stipulated in the DOC, and represents the common aspiration and need of China and ASEAN countries,” said spokesman Zhao.

He said that China “is fully confident in reaching a COC,” which would provide a “more solid guarantee of rules for lasting tranquility of the South China Sea.”

Yet analysts say there are still major stumbling blocks to be addressed, such as China’s self-proclaimed historical rights over 90 percent of the South China Sea and the long-standing division within ASEAN over maritime disputes… Read More

(Manila Bulletin) On a normal Saturday afternoon, in their home in Milan, six-year-old Megan Chloe Quiambao would be holding coloring pencils, drawing on her sketchbook. At first glance, you may find nothing extraordinary. Megan is a kid like most any other: She goes to school, does gymnastics, and likes playing with her brother, Sean. But as you give her another look, you may get a feeling of déjà vu, like you’ve seen this little girl before. Well, you may be right. Perhaps you have.

Little do people know, this little tot is a big shot in the modelling scene. Megan has been the face of kid’s fashion in billboards all around the world. She modelled for famous brands like Gucci, Burberry, Moncler, and Roberto Cavalli, among many.

Born and raised in Milan, Italy to Filipino parents, Megan is a face your children may be able to identify with, and her family’s background story may be one that sounds much like your own. The Quiambao family had humble beginnings. The couple worked their way up by studying, juggling jobs to make sure their children will have a better future. The father, Augil, has his own studio in Milan and has become a known tattoo artist; and the mother, Leovelyn, is an entrepreneurial housewife. As for Megan, if anyone could be born a model, you may say she was born to be one. She was a natural… Read More

(Asia Pacific Report) Philippine Vice-President Leni Robredo will not allow the massive, volunteer-led movement she inspired in the 2022 presidential elections to just fade away following her loss to the late dictator’s son Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Facing tens of thousands of her supporters during her thanksgiving event at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City on Friday, Robredo announced the creation of the Angat Buhay nongovernmental organisation, harnessing the so-called “pink revolution” her campaign inspired for the bigger battle ahead.

This NGO, set to be launched on July 1 or a day after Robredo steps down as vice president, will be named after the highly praised anti-poverty and pandemic response programme she has been running for the past six years… Read More

(Daily Tribune) The congregation of Filipino-Chinese businessmen is asking the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to focus on improving the health conditions of the Filipinos and the provision of more jobs to bounce back from the adverse effects of the contagion.

In a statement sent to the Daily Tribune, Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) president Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong called on Marcos Jr. to bolster investor and consumer confidence, invest in better education and research and development, and pursue sustainable and inclusive economic initiatives.

The head of the 170 umbrella organizations of Filipino Chinese chambers of commerce from Aparri to Tawi-Tawi also asked the next administration to focus on the modernization of agriculture for food security, price stability and rural progress.

“We also want to urge Marcos Jr. to enhance widespread coverage, transparency, and efficiency of social safety nets and ayuda or assistance to marginalized sectors of Philippine society; continuity and expansion of ‘Build, Build, Build’ program for new infrastructures; all-out support for micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSME); protection and assistance to local manufacturing, especially export enterprises; and the revival of strategically develop the tourism industry,” Dr. Liong stressed.

Other aspirations of the said group include attracting more foreign direct investments to accelerate economic growth and recovery by continuing anti-red tape and other reforms; ratification of the world’s biggest free trade area, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), comprising 10 ASEAN countries, China, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Australia… Read More