News Briefs: January 12, 2019

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’s visit would be the first by a Sri Lankan president serving both as head of state and government under Sri Lanka’s 1978 Constitution. The Philippines and Sri Lanka, known as Ceylon until 1972, established diplomatic relations in January 1961.—JEROME ANING

BI deports Japan’s 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’s most wanted fugitive.—JOVIC 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. “This is all due to the collective efforts of MWSS personnel,” said MWSS administrator Reynaldo Velasco in a statement. ISO, or International Organization for Standardization, is the world’s largest developer of voluntary international standards. ISO certification was one of the MWSS’s 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’ 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. “If you buy from China or maybe Russia, you cannot trade with America. You will be caught in the embargo,” Mr. Duterte said.—JULIE M. AURELIO