Sri Lanka president in PH on Jan. 15-19
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will visit the Philippines from Jan. 15 to 19 upon the invitation of President Rodrigo Duterte, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday. Sirisena will meet with Mr. Duterte on Jan. 16 for bilateral talks. According to the DFA, Sirisena鈥檚 visit would be the first by a Sri Lankan president serving both as head of state and government under Sri Lanka鈥檚 1978 Constitution. The Philippines and Sri Lanka, known as Ceylon until 1972, established diplomatic relations in January 1961.鈥擩EROME ANING
BI deports Japan鈥檚 most wanted man
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Friday deported a Japanese national wanted in his country for a scam that duped his countrymen into yielding billions of yen. Misao Kaminsukasu, also known as Misao Koyama and Takeshi Koyama, was deported on Friday, nearly a month after he was arrested in his Makati City condominium unit for overstaying. The 59-year-old fugitive arrived in the Philippines on Oct. 13 last year. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Kaminsukasu was Japan鈥檚 most wanted fugitive.鈥擩OVIC YEE
MWSS gets ISO certification
The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) finally reached ISO status in December 2018, following a grant of certificate for public administration, covering the project management process and the facilitation of the project management approval process. 鈥淭his is all due to the collective efforts of MWSS personnel,鈥� said MWSS administrator Reynaldo Velasco in a statement. ISO, or International Organization for Standardization, is the world鈥檚 largest developer of voluntary international standards. ISO certification was one of the MWSS鈥檚 performance scorecard targets in 2018.
Duterte: PH to avoid buying US weapons
President Rodrigo Duterte was inclined to buy firearms and defense equipment from South Korea and Israel, amid the United States鈥� threat to sanction countries trading with China or Russia. The President made the disclosure during a turnover of housing units to soldiers and policemen in Bulakan, Bulacan, on Thursday night. He said the Philippine government preferred to purchase its military equipment from the two nations, instead of its long-time, traditional ally, the United States. 鈥淚f you buy from China or maybe Russia, you cannot trade with America. You will be caught in the embargo,鈥� Mr. Duterte said.鈥擩ULIE M. AURELIO