Held last April 20, 2012 at the M Cafe, the Adobo Design Awards champions the best in Philippine design and recognizes the talents behind them. Originally launched in 2007, the competition promises to up the ante and bring out the best of the best. Submitted works were judged by top men and women of advertising and design measuring up to global standards of excellence.

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Held last April 20, 2012 at the M Cafe, the Adobo Design Awards champions the best in Philippine design and recognizes the talents behind them. Originally launched in 2007, the competition promises to up the ante and bring out the best of the best. Submitted works were judged by top men and women of advertising and design measuring up to global standards of excellence.

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The ASEAN-US Dialogue is a regular meeting held between ASEAN and US Senior Officials who will review the progress in ASEAN-US cooperation and exchange views on regional and international developments, including the launching of the ASEAN-US EPG and preparations for the fourth ASEAN-US Leaders’ Meeting in November 2012, DFA said.

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The ASEAN-US Dialogue is a regular meeting held between ASEAN and US Senior Officials who will review the progress in ASEAN-US cooperation and exchange views on regional and international developments, including the launching of the ASEAN-US EPG and preparations for the fourth ASEAN-US Leaders’ Meeting in November 2012, DFA said.

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The President Aquino said he was “very happy” to find out that Sanchez made it to the Top 3 of the US hit television show American Idol which is now on its 11th season given the tremendous amount of support she has garnered from various communities.

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Get expert recommendations on beauty products that make a real difference.

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President Benigno Simeon Aquino III salutes to the men in uniform upon arrival for the 70th Memorial Commemoration of the Fall of Corregidor (Day of Courage) at the Dome Altar, Pacific War Memorial, Topside, Corregidor Island Sunday May 06, 2012. Corregidor Island, also known as “The Rock”, earned the distinction as the stumbling block of the Japanese Imperial Army to completely annihilate the Allied Forces in 1942 in the Pacific. Had it not been for Corregidor Island’s tenacious defense, Australia would have been overrun by the Japanese that would deprive Gen. MacArthur’s regrouping of forces to mount counter-attacks two (2) years later. It is one of the most dramatic and historical landmarks in the Pacific, geographically located in the Luzon Area west of capital city Manila. (MNS photo)

Beijing, May 10, 2012 (AFP) – Chinese travel agencies said Thursday they had suspended trips to the Philippines due to a tense territorial row between the two nations that has prompted state media to raise the possibility of war.

The firms, which include China’s biggest travel agency China International Tour Service (CITS), cited safety concerns for the suspension, just two days after Beijing said it was ready for “any escalation” in the row with Manila.

The month-long flare-up is one of the most high-profile incidents for years between the two countries over their competing territorial claims to parts of the South China Sea, which is believed to sit atop vast oil and gas deposits.

The two countries have been locked in the row since April 8, when Beijing’s vessels blocked a Philippine warship from arresting crews of Chinese fishing boats near the disputed Scarborough Shoal – or Huangyan island in Chinese.

Both Beijing and Manila claim the shoal as their own, and have since sent ships to the area that are currently facing off against each other, racking up tensions in the region.

“We stopped organizing for tourists to go to the Philippines because of the current situation,” an employee at the CITS Beijing branch told AFP.

China Youth Tour Service, another prominent travel agency, confirmed the suspension, saying tourism authorities had asked them to stop sending groups of tourists to the Philippines.

Another agency – Zhongtang International Travel Service – said it was currently “too dangerous” to send people to the country.

On Thursday an editorial in the official, English-language China Daily newspaper hinted at the possibility of war over the incident.

“No matter how willing we are to discuss the issue, the current Philippine leadership is intent on pressing us into a corner where there is no other option left but the use of arms,” it said.

“Since ancient times, our nation has deemed war the last resort in handling state-to-state relations. But Manila is living in a fantasy world if it mistakes our forbearance for timidity.

“This is a dangerous delusion. We have never been a trigger-happy nation. But nor have we ever been afraid to fight when necessary.”

The Philippines argues the shoal is well within the country’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, as recognized by international law.

But Beijing claims almost the whole of the South China Sea as its historical territory – including the shoal.

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President Benigno S. Aquino III tours and inspects the facilities of the historical Corregidor Island after gracing the 70th Memorial Commemoration of the Fall of Corregidor (Day of Courage) at the Dome Altar, Pacific War Memorial, Topside in Corregidor Island on Sunday (May 06). Corregidor Island, also known as “The Rock”, earned the distinction as the stumbling block of the Japanese Imperial Army to completely annihilate the Allied Forces in 1942 in the Pacific. (MNS photo)

Chinese media warned of war

By Jason Gutierrez

Manila, May 10, 2012 (AFP) – China told its citizens Thursday they were not safe in the Philippines and its state media warned of war, as a month-long row over rival claims in the South China Sea threatened to spill out of control.

Chinese travel agencies announced they had suspended tours to the Philippines, under government orders, and the embassy in Manila advised its nationals already in the country to stay indoors ahead of planned protests.

“Avoid going out at all if possible, and if not, to avoid going out alone. If you come across any demonstrations, leave the area, do not stay to watch,” the embassy’s advisory said.

The safety alerts came as government-controlled media in China warned the country was prepared to go to war to end the stand-off over Scarborough Shoal – small islands in the South China Sea that both nations claim as their own.

“No matter how willing we are to discuss the issue, the current Philippine leadership is intent on pressing us into a corner where there is no other option left but the use of arms,” the China Daily said in an editorial.

“Manila is living in a fantasy world if it mistakes our forbearance for timidity.”

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China was committed to a peaceful resolution.

But the editorial echoed other warnings in recent weeks in the state-run media that China was prepared to use its massive military advantage to crush the Philippines’ challenge for the shoal.

The two nations have had non-military vessels stationed at the shoal since April 8 in an effort to assert their sovereignty to the area.

The dispute began when Philippine authorities detected Chinese ships fishing there. They attempted to arrest the crew, but were blocked by Chinese surveillance vessels that were quickly deployed to the area.

The Philippines insists its claims to the area are backed by international law, as the shoal is well within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

The shoal sits about 230 kilometers (140 miles) from the Philippines’ main island of Luzon. The nearest major Chinese landmass is 1,200 kilometers northwest of the shoal, according to Filipino navy maps.

But China claims virtually all of the South China Sea as its territory, even waters close to the coasts of the Philippines and other Asian countries.

Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia also claim parts of the sea, which is believed to sit atop vast oil and gas resources. The rival claims have for decades made the waters one of Asia’s potential military flashpoints.

The Philippines, which admits to having an extremely weak military, has repeatedly said it wants to solve the stand-off over the shoal through diplomatic means.

But it has also said it secured a pledge from the United States, its main military ally, to protect the Philippines from attacks in the South China Sea.

A coalition of Filipino activist groups is planning to hold rallies at Chinese embassies around the world on Friday to support the Philippines in the dispute.

Organizers are hoping thousands of people will attend what they expect to be the biggest of the rallies, in Manila, and the Chinese embassy’s safety alert was circulated chiefly to warn its nationals about that protest.

But Jackson Gan, a Filipino-Chinese businessman who is one the rally’s organizers, said there was no need for such a warning because the protest would not target individuals and there had been no inciting of violence.

“This is going to be peaceful. No burning of Chinese flags, just singing of patriotic songs and making our presence felt,” Gan told AFP.

Philippine foreign department spokesman Raul Hernandez also said Chinese nationals were in no danger of being attacked because of the diplomatic tensions.

“The Philippines remains a safe and welcoming country,” he told AFP, adding Friday’s protesters would not target Chinese people.

“There is nothing for our Chinese friends to be apprehensive about regarding this protest action.”

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