6 RP-occupied islands
covered in Spratly deal
Annex of secret pact bolsters 'treason' charge
By YVONNE T. CHUA and ELLEN TORDESILLAS
VERA Files
SIX islands occupied by the
Philippines in the disputed Spratly Islands groups are
covered by two controversial joint seismic monitoring
agreements among the Philippines, China and Vietnam that
have come under fire for purportedly "sacrificing"
Philippine interests in exchange for huge loans from
Beijing.
Based on coordinates provided in the
annex to both agreements, the agreement area includes
Patag (Flat), Lawak (Nanshan), Parola (Northeast Cay),
Panata (Lankiam Cay), Kota (Loaita) and Likas (West
York) islands occupied by the Philippine military.
SEN. Panfilo Lacson yesterday dismissed
news reports that former Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC)
president Eduardo Mañalac is his new witness in the
cancelled $329 million ZTE broadband deal.
"I have not met Mañalac. Di ko nga alam
na may presidente pala ang PNOC na Mañalac (ang name),"
Lacson said in a radio interview.
But Lacson said senators would give
Mañalac a chance to say what he knows if he shows up at
the resumption of the Senate's ZTE hearing tomorrow.
THE celebrated opening of the Global Seed
Vault in Norway, touted as the modern-day "Noah's Ark," had a
most unassuming guest speaker: A Filipino farmer from North
Cotabato.
Eulogio "Tay Gipo" Sasi Jr., 64, of President
Roxas town, spoke at the opening conference of the Svalbard
Global Seed Vault in the Arctic island of Svalbard last month.
His audience included about 200 scientists,
diplomats and world leaders including Kenya's Wangari Maathal,
2004 Nobel Peace Prize awardee; Terje Riss-Johansen, Norway's
minister of agriculture and food; and, Jacques Diouf, secretary
general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
