Latest Philippine-Taiwan issue a wake-up call

Now that the midterm elections are over and the 9-3 win for Team PNoy in the senatorial race an indication of the people’s trust in President Benigno Aquino and the way he is managing the country, there is no better way to do now, even among the opposition groups, than to support the vision and mission of the Aquino administration.

The country is at a very critical juncture now in the sense that President Aquino has taken the Philippines economy to new highs. The Filipinos are seeing it and the world community is recognizing it.

“Among the biggest contributors to this growth were trade, renting and business activities, real estate, construction activities, and on the demand side, household consumption, and net exports. These indicate increased private sector activity and capacity, signs that growth has become more sustainable,” Mr. Aquino said.

He said economic growth benefited from his government’s “commitment to good governance — ensuring that integrity, transparency, and accountability guide government operations.”

“Restoring faith in systems eroded by corruption also means holding each public servant and institution up to the standard of integrity,” Mr. Aquino added.

Aquino’s battle cry of “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahira (No corruption, no poverty)” is now paying dividends and the need to sustain it cannot be overemphasized enough.

Sustaining it and those of the programs and policies of Aquino’s good governance means continuing the momentum of economic growth which will redound to more local and foreign investments, more jobs, better pays, healthier and stable nation and, hopefully, militarily stronger.

This is not wishful thinking at all, if we know what is best for us, as a nation. And what is best for us is to finally put a stop at other nations from bullying us.

Taiwan citizens burning the Philippine flag in protest over the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman

The unfortunate controversy the country is having with Taiwan over the death of its fisherman, when the coast guard opened fire at Taiwanese fishing vessel trying to ram at the coast guard boat that caught it in Philippine waters is, indeed, a wake-up call for our politicians.

Let us stop playing politics and bringing each other down. It is time for cooperation and edifying one another regardless of party affiliation if it is for the good of the country.

Our politician’s folly has brought us to a situation where, because of our being poor and weak as a nation, our own citizens working in Taiwan, among the many countries they have ventured, are being bullied and harmed.

The worst thing about this is that our government could not and does not have the means to protect them.

Isn’t that pathetic? And, to think that it is not their fault that they joined the throng of what is now known as the oversea Filipino workers (OFWs).

What makes it even more heartrending is that their collective remittances is what forms the greater part of the money that is propping up the country’s economy.

It has been reported that in 2012, overseas remittances coming from Taiwan totaled $167.98 million.


Isn’t that shameful for government?

This is now the time for our politicians and leaders in the national level to wake up and work together.

The reality is that we cannot be poor and weak and be the door mat of our Asian neighbors all the time.

The interest of the country and its people should now be given the utmost concern and attention so that not too many Filipinos will be forced to leave and risk working abroad because of necessity.

Taiwan’s animosity towards the Philippines is lamentable

 

At this time when the country is having serious territorial dispute with China, another bickering with another Chinese nation, Taiwan, is the last thing that we would like to have.

 Unfortunately, the incident that resulted to Taiwan’s utter show of animosity towards the Philippines is not a minor one as it cost the life of one of their fishermen.

 To them the Manila hostage crisis of 2010, where eight Taiwanese hostages were killed, has barely healed the wounds of the victim’s families, when another fatal shooting has been committed by a Filipino on their citizen.

 According to reports, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) had warned first the Taiwanese fishing vessel that they were in the waters of the country’s exclusive economic zone, but the vessel did not leave and instead tried to ram the PCG boat.

 In self-defense, the coast guards opened fire on the fishing boat hitting Hung Shih-cheng, 65, who died from a bullet wound in the neck.

 The underlying problem here is that the location the fishing vessel was found in is the same exclusive economic zone that, like China, Taiwan is also trying to claim as theirs.

 The highly regrettable incident is just the latest proof that the South China Sea is an emerging flashpoint over competing claims, in part, by nations like the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, and claiming it in whole is China and its estranged neighbor, Taiwan.

 Because of this, Taiwan has announced the withdrawal of its representative in Manila and said it had stopped accepting applications for Filipino workers, as a retaliatory step for the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman.

 But what does not augur well with our country’s relationship with Taiwan is that the office of President Ma Ying-jeou, has rejected President Benigno Aquino’s apology, branding it as inadequate.

 They didn’t want PNoy calling the shooting as “unfortunate” and “unintentional”, as if it is in our character to be trigger happy and assassins.

 What is exacerbating the worrisome situation is the threat that Taiwan’s Navy and Coast Guard would stage an exercise as a show of strength in disputed waters near where the upsetting incident occurred.

 Shall we be seeing then Taiwan’s F-16 fighters, Kidd-class destroyers and other warships, if only to show how militarily muscled they are for our own good?

 We just hope this lamentable problem can be settled diplomatically before it worsens and pray similar incidents will not happen again.

Japan-China island dispute heats up

 

Uotsuri Island, one of disputed Senkaku islands in the East China Sea

While the Philippines is just being contented in filing a notification and statement of claim with the United Nations over some part of the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), which is being claimed in whole by China, and hoping also that the 22^nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit currently being held in Brunei will be able to convince China to adhere to a code of conduct that would govern any territorial and sovereignty conflict in the international waterways in accordance with international law “without resorting to the threat or use of force,’’ the similarly Japan-China island dispute, however, is firing up.

This after Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to “expel by force” any Chinese landing on the islands in the East China Sea, and promised “decisive action”.

It will be noted that eight Chinese maritime surveillance ships have been observed by the Japan Coast Guard to have entered the 12-nautical-mile zone off the islands, which China calls Diaoyu and Japan calls the Senkaku.

The flotilla is said to be the biggest to sail into the disputed waters in a single day since Tokyo nationalized part of the island chain in September.

Whether this was done purposely by the Chinese in protest to a visit made by over a hundred Japanese lawmakers and cabinet members to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in central Tokyo, which is seen as a potent symbol of Japan’s imperialist past by Japan’s neighbors, the fact is that the sight of the flotilla in its territorial waters did not sit well with the government.

“It is extremely deplorable and unacceptable that Chinese government ships are repeatedly entering Japanese territorial waters,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

This was even made clear by PM Abe in the parliament when he was questioned by lawmakers, saying: “We would never allow a landing. It would be natural for us to expel by force if (the Chinese) were to make a landing.”

If only President Benigno Aquino can promise the same thing to Congress and the Filipino people!

Alas, for us long as we remain poor and continue to remain oblivious to the importance of electing educationally-qualified, selfless, competent and conviction leaders to govern and lift this country up and move us forward progressively, then we will forever be at the mercy of aggressors and dependent upon the powers that be.

China’s relentless poaching and snooping

Frozen, rolled-up pangolins found on board the Chinese vessel Ming Long Yu

It is one thing to commit a navigational error – an honest mistake – and without any hidden agenda, as in the case of the USS Guardian that got stuck at Tubbataha Reef, a protected marine sanctuary, but surely, it is another thing when a Chinese boat, renowned for its illegal and indiscriminate fishing activities in Philippine territorial waters, runs aground in the same wildlife conservation area.

Take for instance the discovery made by the Philippine coast guard when they boarded the Chinese vessel, Ming Long Yu, and found hundreds of frozen scaly anteaters, or pangolins, in the cargo hold.

A protected species, pangolins are widely hunted in parts of Asia for their meat, skin and scales. In China, they are known as a delicacy and are purported to have medicinal qualities.

According to the International Union of Conservation of Nature, all eight species of the insect-eating mammals are protected by international laws around the world.

What is uncertain, however, is whether these endangered creatures have been caught in the Philippine wilds and sold by unscrupulous Filipinos, after having been paid exorbitantly, or purchased somewhere else.

Pangolins are said to be seen roaming in the mountains of Palawan, the nearest land area to Tubbataha Reef where the Chinese boat had been marooned.

One could only wonder what else could have the Chinese fishermen poached, if indeed they were fishermen in a real fishing boat, had they been left to plunder the treasures of Tubbataha Reef unmolested?

It was blessing in disguise that they got marooned or else we could never have apprehended them and would never have known how much they have depleted the population of pangolins, thinking that they were just after marine wildlife.

Now, there are speculations surfacing that the Chinese boat was not a fishing vessel at all and that the 12 Chinese nationals on board were, indeed, “Chinese soldiers who were sent on a mission.”

“As has been noted, the Chinese boat was not like the fishing vessels used by Chinese poachers who were arrested in Palawan. It was not carrying ice to preserve their catch. It did not have refrigerated storage,” said an officer who requested not to be identified.

It was also noted that the men had “flawless” complexions, not the dark-leathered skin of fishermen.

Hmmmmm! Snooping?

Prosecutors have already charged the 12 Chinese fishermen with illegal poaching and with corruption for attempting to bribe Filipinos officials, and if convicted they could face long jail terms.

In the light of these “speculations”, what is important is to establish the fact and erase doubts in the minds of Filipino authorities that these Chinese nationals are indeed fishermen and not intelligence operatives.

Marcos son lectures Aquino on Sabah issue

Familiar names and figures: Aquino and Marcos

Look who is calling the kettle black?

By God, every time Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, opens his mouth chastising somebody over improprieties committed, especially when it comes to lives of people, I can’t just seem to keep my own mouth shut and pretend not to hear it or read about it.

His words do not only leave a bad taste in the mouths of those who have known who the Marcoses are, but, in my case, my body also shudders for the gall that he has and the pretense he exhibits as if he is unaware of the barbarous treatment the Filipino people suffered under the martial law regime of his father.

Again this is a classic case of the saying, “When you point one finger, there are three fingers pointing back to you.” The bible had a version of this wisdom when Jesus said, “Don’t focus on the speck in your brother’s eye while ignoring the log in your own eye.”  And when unfair lectures are flying, like the one given by Marcos Jr., we all need to hear the voice of reason that says, “Look in the mirror, bro.  You might just be talking about yourself.”

Marcos Jr.’s lecture came in the heels of ground and air attack unleashed by the Malaysian forces upon the soldiers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III occupying an area in Lahud Datu, Sabah.

The senator was reported as saying, “We, as a republic, have a claim over Sabah since the 1960’s, we have historical claim over Sabah and that’s a fact. But whatever else the issue there may be, the Sultan of Sulu and his people are Filipino citizens and, by virtue of that fact, they deserve protection from the government of the Philippines.”

He went on saying, among other things, that “First and foremost, it’s the responsibility of the government to protect its citizens.”

I don’t think President Benigno Aquino neglected, even for a moment, the safety and well being of the disgruntled Sulu sultan and his people, who are, first and foremost, also Filipinos.

This was an invasion covertly planned by this sect or cult, if you may, on a sovereign island, yet despite its disregard and disrespect of the Aquino government, they were advised to desist from pursuing their adventurism because of its deadly consequences if they went on with it. This was done to save lives, and for that matter a ship was sent to fetch them – but to no avail.

But, that is neither here nor there.

On their own, the sultan’s ill-conceived plans was at its best, a losing proposition, and at its worst, a declaration of war.

And war it had to be.

But, my point is simply this: What is happening in Sabah now could not be compared with the killings that happened during the dark days of martial law under the Marcos regime.

In Sabah, it is the Malaysians against the Filipinos.

During the martial law regime, it was Ferdinand Marcos Sr., a true blue Filipino, and his minions fighting and killing its own people.

I have said this many a times before and I am going to say it here again that Sen. Marcos should be doing himself and the country a favor if he would just keep his mouth shut instead of blurting out comments that would just boomerang on the beastly acts of his father.

The kettle definitely is far from having the ebony appearance of the pot.

Violence is inevitable in Sabah standoff

 

Kiram defying Aquino on withdrawing from Sabah

Against a backdrop of continuing talks for lasting peace in Mindanao between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that augured well for the country, sadly it was interrupted by breaking news that the standoff in Sabah between the Malaysian authorities and the armed men of self-proclaimed sultan of Sulu has ended in violence.

What made the whole event doubly ironic was that while a comprehensive agreement for peace in Mindanao was being finalized in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, the gunbattle that left 12 Filipinos and two Malaysian police officers dead erupted in Sabah, one of the 13 member states of Malaysia, which is being claimed by the sultanate of Sulu as theirs.

While the establishment of a road map with the MILF that aims toward a final peace deal by 2016 is a laudable step taken by both parties, the surreptitious landing and occupation of armed men belonging to the sultanate’s “Royal Security Force” in Sabah, on the other hand, was a misstep and, which ever way you look at it, a declaration of war against Malaysia.

Whether or not Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and his brother, Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, who led the occupation, did it on their own volition, or were instigated by a third party to do the unthinkable because, as they allege, they were left out in the discussion for peace in Mindanao, the fact remains that their mercenary act was simply opening the grounds for a destructive response.

Had Kiram heeded the plea of President Benigno Aquino or the advice of the Malaysian government to pull out their men and return to the country, he would have averted the violent confrontation and saved the lives of his followers. It would also have paved the way for a sensible appeal for a discussion of the issue which the Malaysian government will probably entertain in due time.

But that has gone down the drain now and no matter what happens next, whether they continue to stay adamant in their stand to stay in Lahad Datu and be martyred or decide to leave, not only has their historical claim to Sabah been jeopardized, but even their wish for an increase in Malaysia’s annual compensation to the sultanate of Sulu does not stand a Chinaman’s chance to be amended.

From the very beginning Kiram and his brother’s adventurism to Sabah was doomed. If they thought the Aquino government would support and be a party to their irresponsible, suicidal and narcissistic plan, they might as well have put a hole in their heads because no government will ever do that.

Nobody would dare put to risk the cordial, earnest and special partnership the Philippines has with Malaysia just to save the face of a man or his sultanate who knows not the value of respect for the leader of the country and the constitution it protects.

Our peaceful relationship with other countries is far greater and important for the future of the nation and the welfare of the people than the relation the country has with a minority group whose ethnicity and beliefs run counter to the larger number of public sentiments.

It is not, therefore, for Kiram and his family to lecture Aquino about their claim to Sabah just because they continue to get their annual fee for the use of the land from Malaysia.

Rather it is for Aquino to counsel them for not only is he aware of the Sabah claim, but more importantly, he knows what a big folly it is to arrogate unto your sultanate a region that is under the sovereignty of another state, unless declared otherwise.

Suffice to say, there is always a time for negotiating the claim in a peaceful manner.

Thus, Aquino issued the following advice for Kiram and his clan:

“The avenue of peaceful and open dialogue is still available to us. Let us therefore sit down as brothers to address your grievances in a peaceful, calm manner according to our laws and according to correct processes when your people arrive home.”

“What is clear is that a peaceful resolution of this issue is to everybody’s interest. Even if we assume, for the sake of argument, that there are legitimate grievances, the presence of an armed group in Lahad Datu will only bring us further away from resolving these issues.”

Besides, Aquino knows very well Malaysia’s will to defend their territory and the military might of Malaysia.

Kiram’s move is simply a case of wrong timing and fighting the wrong enemy.

 

Government’s alleged disregard on claim has led to latest Sabah controversy

 

Unlike China, which claims to have indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and its adjacent waters, even if it is not clearly theirs, basing from the exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles set by UNCLOS, here we are, on the other hand, being charged for allegedly disregarding a claim on Sabah, which is known to belong legitimately to the country as it has been ceded to the Philippine government by the Sultanate of Sulu a long time ago.

The consequence of this is what is making news these days when some 300 armed followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, led by led by his brother, Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram, daringly landed on the seaside village of Tanduo in Lahad Datu town in Sabah after crossing the sea from Tawi-Tawi, the Philippines’ southernmost province in the Sulu Archipelago, to press their claim over the island.

This, they say, after the Philippine government, since the time of President Diosdado Macapagal to the present administration of President Benigno Aquino, has shown apathy towards the territorial claim.

A standoff has ensued as Malaysia police and army officials have formed a tight security ring around the village, with navy boats patrolling nearby islands and insisting that the rebels return to the Philippines.

But Kiram’s followers are resolute in staying, saying the place is their home considering the sultanate owns Sabah by rights of sovereignty.

How this standoff will end nobody knows yet, as officials from the Philippines and Malaysia are continuously talking to end the impasse.

What is the Sabah controversy really all about and why has it resurfaced now?

Perhaps we can start by describing that based on historical records, the Sultanate of Sulu used to be an Islamic Tausug state that ruled over many of the islands of the Sulu Sea and several places in northern Borneo.

Long before North Borneo became Sabah and formed part of the Malaysian federation in 1963, it was under the Sultanate of Brunei, which in 1658 the sultan of Brunei ceded that part of Borneo to the Sultanate of Sulu as a prize for helping the former defeat an uprising in his kingdom. From then on, it is said that the sultan of Sulu exercised sovereignty over North Borneo, which is bordered by Sarawak (Malaysia) on its southwestern side, and Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) to the south.

Sometime later, the sultan of Sulu leased the land to the British North Borneo Company with the latter agreeing, among other things, to pay annual rental for the use of the territory.

When the Malaysian federation was established in 1963, and the British company ceased to exist,   the Malaysians continued paying the annual rental to the Sultanate of Sulu, but not before claiming Sabah, this time, as part of their own territory.

In fact the inclusion of Sabah as part of Malaysia is the reason why the Philippine government, during the time of President Diosdado Macapagal, broke diplomatic relations with Malaysia as the claim could never prosper that way.

It did not help that when Macapagal claimed that the territory was “ceded” to the Philippine government by the Sultanate of Sulu, the people in Sabah opted in a UN-supervised referendum to join Malaysia.

The claim got derailed once more, and in fact worsened the situation between the two countries, when then President Ferdinand Marcos was discovered training secretly a group of Muslim Filipinos in Corregidor for possible intrusion in Sabah to pave the way to an armed secession of Sabah from Malaysia. This was later called the “Jabidah Massacre”, when the trained recruits mutinied upon learning of the plan and were killed except for one who survived to tell the tale.

It is even said that this macabre episode in the history of our claim on Sabah gave the Malaysians enough reason to aid the Filipino Muslim separatists against the Philippine government which went on for years under different administration.

Yet, despite all these misunderstandings, the Malaysian government never stopped paying the Sultanate of Sulu the annual rental due them. But, at the same time undocumented Filipinos in Sabah were being deported.

While the nation’s claim on Sabah has been perceived by the Sultanate of Sulu to have been relegated to the back burner, a larger and more important peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was being crafted by the Aquino administration with the help of the Malaysian government for the purpose of bringing cessation of hostilities in Mindanao.

Thus, the painful birth of the 2012 Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro with the MILF, including the creation of a transition commission tasked to draft the proposed Bangsamoro basic law that will be submitted to Congress for enactment. Henceforth, it will replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The creation of Bangsamoro, which is crucial in the attainment of lasting peace and economic development in the region, seem to not sit well with the Sultanate of Sulu and obviously to some aggrieved party that wants to have a stake in the now relatively peaceful region of the country.

There is no doubt that the Sabah issue is a contentious issue, but let us not allow it to derail the existing peace accord in Mindanao with the MILF for it will only be a huge setback for the country. For sure the country’s legitimate claim on Sabah will not be forgotten.

What is important is maintaining our good relations with Malaysia and the proper timing.

Once the nature, structure, and powers of the political entity called the Bangsamoro is working beneficially for Mindanao, then perhaps it could spearhead in resolving the Sabah claim, with the full support of the Philippine government, but not before some entities are seen trying to destroy the foundation of peace built on trust and respect that has been established to help develop Mindanao.

National Bookstore shows nationalism

 

New China-made educational globe an affront to Philippine sovereignty.

The Philippine’s largest bookstore should be lauded for living up to its name by showing nationalism in withdrawing Chinese-made globes showing Beijing’s claims to most of the South China Sea from its shelves.

This was announced by Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez when he issued a statement, saying, “The National Bookstore has withdrawn all the educational globes, which reflect China’s nine-dash line encompassing the South China Sea, from its stores.”

“It has taken a patriotic position to proactively support the Philippine government in advancing Philippine foreign policy objectives,” he added.

Unfortunately, when the globes were displayed, the bookstore management was not aware of the changes made, which could only be construed as a willful dissemination of ‘misinformation’ and blatant disregard for the sensibilities of Filipinos by China.

It will be remembered that China’s “nine-dash line” outlines its claims to virtually all of the South China Sea, even waters close to the Philippine shores and that of its neighbors in the region.

The Philippine government last month took China to an arbitration panel under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) — a 1982 treaty signed by both countries — to demand that it declare China’s claims invalid.

Pope Benedict XVI is resigning

 

Pope Benedict XVI to resign on February 28, 2013

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was 78 years old, one of the oldest new popes in history, when elected in 2005 to head the Catholic Church. He took the name Pope Benedict XVI.

He succeeded the more popular and well loved Pope John Paul II, who, until his last days, was so sickly and frail.

Perhaps the ignominious and weighty problem about the scandal of child sex abuse by priests that has been haunting and continues to haunt the Catholic Church to this day must have taken a serious toll on the Pontiff’s 85-year old body to make him confess, saying, “After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.”

Everyone must have been caught by surprise of the pope’s unexpected announcement to resign.

As far as one knows it is a job entrusted to a leader that won’t allow you to resign from. Pope John Paul II was a vivid example.

Also, that the last papal resignation was made 600 years ago.

If John Paul was able to persevere and kept on the job despite his afflictions, how come Benedict is giving up the helm of the Catholic Church to somebody else worthy to be his successor?

Perhaps, it is precisely for this reason that he has taken the step of ensuring that the leadership will be in the hands of a strong and competent pope especially in these times when the rigors of travel all over the world is needed to keep the faith, trust and belief in the Catholic Church and its hierarchy strong as ever.

One can only surmise that Pope Benedict XVI does not want the same thing to happen to him, as what happened to Pope John Paul II during his last days of the papacy, when he was in his delicate health already.

Pope Benedict XVI should know, after all he was his predecessor’s right hand man.

The full text of Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement from the Vatican describes his predicament and the reason why he is resigning:

Dear Brothers,       

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church.

After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.

I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.

However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to steer the boat of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.

For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects.

And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff.

With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

 

Battle-scarred skeleton identified as that of King Richard III

 

King Richard III as he was seen to be and his newly found 500-year old skull

Wikipedia describes King Richard III as the King of England from 1483 until his death in 1485 in the Battle of Bosworth Field.

The Battle of Bosworth Field was the decisive battle mounted by the army of Henry Tudor who challenged the rule of King Richard III, thus, ending the decades-long conflict known as the Wars of the Roses, with the throne as its most coveted possession. Tudor later became King Henry VII.

Richard III belonged to the Plantagenet dynasty. The Plantagenets were a royal dynasty whose strong-tempered rulers conquered Wales, battled France, and helped transform England into a thriving medieval kingdom. The last of the dynasty, Richard III was also the last English monarch to die in battle. His body was never recovered, though he was given a peremptory burial just the same.

Not only has Richard III been defeated during the time that he wore the crown, but even the great William Shakespeare humiliated and reviled him when he immortalized the king in his play as a hunchbacked usurper who left a trail of bodies – including those of his two princely nephews, murdered in the Tower of London – on his way to the throne.

Perhaps, all that negative perception of King Richard III will change now with the discovery of his 500-year-old remains under a car park in the city of Leicester.

For centuries, the location of Richard’s body has been unknown. Records say he was buried by the Franciscan monks of Grey Friars at their church in Leicester. The church was closed and dismantled after King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1538, and its location eventually was forgotten.

Then, last September 2012, archaeologists searching for Richard dug up the skeleton of an adult male who appeared to have died in battle.

Bone specialist Jo Appleby said study of the bones provided “a highly convincing case for identification of Richard III”.

Appleby said the 10 injuries to the body were inflicted by weapons like swords, daggers and halberds and were consistent with accounts of Richard being struck down in battle – his helmet knocked from his head – before his body was stripped naked and flung over the back of a horse in disgrace.

She said some scars, including a knife wound to the buttock, bore the hallmarks of “humiliation injuries” inflicted after death.

The remains also displayed signs of scoliosis, which is a form of spinal curvature, consistent with contemporary accounts of Richard’s appearance, though not with Shakespeare’s description of him as a “deform’d, unfinished” hunchback.

Researchers conducted a battery of scientific tests, including radiocarbon dating to determine the skeleton’s age. They found the skeleton belonged to a man aged between his late 20s and late 30s who died between 1455 and 1540. Richard was 32 when he died in 1485.

But, what is amazing is that the DNA from the skeleton matched a sample taken from a distant living relative of Richard’s sister.

Geneticist Turi King said Michael Ibsen, a Canadian carpenter living in London, shares with the skeleton a rare strain of mitochondrial DNA.

This, according to King, combined with the archaeological evidence, leaves little doubt that the skeleton belonged to Richard.