MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines has extended its gratitude to members of the United States Senate for a draft resolution condemning Chinese incursions in disputed Asia-Pacific waters and calling for restraint and peaceful dialogue in settling territorial conflicts.

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez on Friday welcomed US Senate Resolution 167, filed June 10 in an effort to ease tensions in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

The resolution, filed by US Senator Robert and his co-sponsors Senators Benjamin Cardin, Marco Rubio and Bob Corker, particularly cited China’s aggressive assertion of its nine-dash line claim in regional waters and sought to calm the tense air among claimants.

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European Network of Filipino Diaspora-UK (ENFiD-UK)
One Love Abra:  a Fundraising Event for the Children of Tineg, Abra
22nd June 2013, 6pm, The Star of Kings, 126 York Way, Kings Cross, London N1 0AX

Moved by recent photographs of elementary schools in Abra taken by a former London resident, Jomel Anthony Gutierrez, who now works for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Baguio City, the European Network of Filipino Diaspora-UK (ENFiD-UK) decided to organize a fundraising event for the Children of Tineg, Abra which we have entitled ‘One Love Abra’.
 
Organised by ENFiD in cooperation with ABS-CBN The Filipino Channel and Side Projects the event is also the first in which participation is totally by UK-based Filipino musicians and artists, as part of ENFiD’s mission is to bring European Filipino talent to the fore.  A total of 29 acts comprising bands, solo singers, musicians, and even Britain’s Got Talent finalist Arisxandra Libantino are lined up to perform from classical, pop and rock numbers sprinkled with comedic entertainment in what promises to be an intimate concert for 200 people.

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Cabinet-rank Secretary Imelda Nicolas of the Commission of Filipinos Overseas (CFO) under the Office of the President served as co-chair during the Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the UN General Assembly High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development held in Bangkok, May 29 to 31. Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mr. Md. Shahidul Haque, Ministry of Foreign Affairs served as chair of the Meeting.

Secretary Nicolas presided over the deliberations and the final adoption of the report of the Meeting including the outcome document which is the Asia-Pacific regional input for the UN General Assembly High-level Dialogues on International Migration and Development to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York on 3 and 4 October 2013.

The Meeting convened by the Asia-Pacific Regional Mechanism (RCM) Thematic Working Group on International Migration including Human Trafficking, co-chaired by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), was attended by representatives of 22 members of ESCAP which included, among others, Australia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. In addition, Switzerland as Observer, representatives from UN bodies and agencies which co-organized the Meeting and regional civil society organizations were in attendance.

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As part of its efforts to provide quality assistance to overseas Filipinos and their children, the Inter-Agency Committee on Philippine Schools Overseas (IACPSO) conducted the 11th Conference of Philippine Schools Overseas. With the theme “The K to 12 Challenge – Enhancing our Competitive Advantage,” the conference aimed to arm Filipino educational institutions using the Filipino curriculum with the latest trends in the K to 12 as they also roll out the said curriculum with the end view of producing globally competitive graduates. The event was held on May 15-17, 2013 at the AIM Conference Center, Makati City and was attended by seventy-four representatives from 30 Philippine Schools in China, East Timor, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates. An upcoming and newly-established school in Thailand also attended as an observer.

The conference was formally opened by the members of the IACPSO represented by Undersecretary Mary Grace A. Tirona of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), Executive Director Belinda M. Ante of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Director Vivian F. Tornea of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration

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