Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Soldiers question 'inhumane' treatment

MANILA, Philippines - Soldiers undergoing retraining at Camp Aguinaldo as a prerequisite for their continued employment in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are reportedly being treated inhumanely, sources said yesterday.

According to insiders, all enlisted personnel – from private to master sergeant – are required to undergo retraining every three years, and failure to do so means automatic discharge from the service.

However, one soldier said the AFP has implemented a new re-enlistment program this year. The previous programs only required soldiers to report daily for classroom lectures and regular military exercises.

The new program requires soldiers to stay in the camp trainee barracks, which lacks double-decker beds. Sources said the soldiers are forced to sleep on pieces of cardboard on the floor.

During the three-week retraining, each soldier is also charged P70 each day for their meals, automatically deducted from their P90 daily subsistence allowance, another insider said. A source said the food served the soldiers is of poor quality.

“Someone is profiting from this. It is sad that other soldiers earn off other soldiers,” the source said, adding that AFP chief Gen. Jessie Dellosa is apparently unaware of the alleged scam.

Other sources said it is awkward to see junior enlisted personnel acting as training instructors to more senior soldiers during the retraining, administered by the AFP Headquarters and Headquarters Support Service.     

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Jaime Laude | The Philippine Star | September 18, 2012| Article Link

Army repels Abu Sayyaf attack

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - Abu Sayyaf militants attacked a military detachment in Sumisip town, Basilan but were repelled by government troops, a military official said.

The Abu Sayyaf militants led by Kumander Botong Aleman fired on the army detachment Monday about 9:20 a.m. at Barangay Candiis, triggering heavy exchange of firepower.

Capt. Alberto Caber, public affairs chief of the 1st Infantry Division (ID), said troops from the 64th Infantry Battalion and the Special Forces Team 1405 retaliated and repelled the militants.

He said the troops also unleashed rounds of mortar fire toward the position of the Abu Sayyaf group prompting the attacking militants to retreat in the deep forest.

Caber said no one was killed on the government troops' side during the attack.

“The soldiers have successfully defended the camp, which had been subjected to attacks for five times already by the Abu Sayyaf group,” Caber said.

Major Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, 1st ID chief, commended the troops in defending the detachment and ordered the soldiers to continue its Bayanihan works in Sumisip, Basilan to defeat the scourge of terrorism spawned by the Abu sayyaf group.

“The successful defense of the detachment by our foot soldiers is a pledge that our army is sincere and not tired in protecting the mixed Muslim-Christian community against rogue elements in Basilan.”

Caber said the attack revealed plans of the Abu Sayyaf group to regain possession of the area where the detachment was established.

“Evidently, the location served as the former militants’ observation post to provide them great tactical advantage in the area against government troops,” Caber said.

The military troops overrun the area in an offensive against the Abu Sayyaf and the lost command Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) late last year after intelligence information revealed the group used the area as their planning and staging point against the civilians and military forces. 

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Roel PareƱo | The Philippine Star | September 18, 2012 | Article Link

Gov't releases P1.42-B for Camp Aguinaldo improvement

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released on Monday P1.42 billion for the renovation and improvement of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) general headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo.

A big chunk of the budget or P1.14 billion will be used for architectural and engineering upgrades. The remainder of the fund will be used for the construction of a combined arms readiness training center (P282 million) and for training and doctrine projects (P594,000).
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said in a statement that the fund would help prepare the country’s soldiers for armed conflict situations.

“The improvement of our military camps will ensure better support to our soldiers in the field, whose performance and well-being are naturally affected by the quality of facilities in their respective camps,” Abad said, adding that the budget release is a concrete resolution of the Aquino administration during the Peace Month.

The House of Representatives, meanwhile, approved on Monday P74.1 billion proposed budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) for 2013.

The proposed budget is a 21 percent jump from the department’s P64.1 billion budget this year.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said in a statement that the DA will use the budget to prioritize productivity and income projects for farmers and fishermen and make basic goods more affordable.

Alcala said he is hoping that they will be able to convince the Senate to approve the budget when it is send to the floor for deliberations next month.

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Camille Diola | The Philippine Star | September 17, 2012 | Article Link

Monday, September 03, 2012

Coast watch stations improves PN capability

DAVAO CITY, Sept. 1 -- The Coast Watch Stations (CWS) set up across southern and central Mindanao has greatly improved the Navy’s capability in maritime security and safety.

Captain Robert Empedrad Deputy Commander of the Philippine Navy Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao said the past year have seen the Navy interdict suspicious vessels and seacraft aside from rescuing three to four vessels with the help of the CWS.


Empedrad said coast watch stations helps the navy preserve its assets from wear and tear. He said that navy ships usually have 20-40 nautical miles radar coverage while on sea, instead of conducting intensive sea patrols CWS with its radars can monitor suspicious seaborne movements and relay these findings to the coast watch center at the Felix Apolinario Naval Station in Panacan, Davao City which will in turn feed the data to the nearest navy vessels that will in turn interdict the targets.


Lieutenant Commander Julien Dolor, Coast Watch Area Director Eastern Mindanao said coast watch stations are equipped with radars along with Automated Identification System (AIS) to identify vessels and modern communication equipment.


Dolor said that CWS radars can cover 80 nautical miles of coast. The Eastern Mindanao Coast Watch center has six CWS one in Calamansig Sultan Kudarat, three CWS in Sarangani Province (Maitum, Maasim and Glan), one in Balut Island, Davao del Sur and a CWS in Cape San Agustin Davao Oriental. The Regional Command Center is in the Naval Station in Panacan.


“These CWS were established in traditional and busy marine routes.” There are two Coast Watch Centers, Central Mindanao and Eastern Mindanao, Dolor said, he added that each Coast Watch Station costs around P100-million each.


Empedrad said the CWS are part of the initiatives in improving the Navy’s capabilities. He said the CWS can be further upgraded particularly it can be linked to the country’s Air Defense system to detect airborne intrusions.


He added that President Benigno Aquino III is very interested in the modernization of the armed forces particularly the navy. This year the country is expecting its second Weather High Endurance Cutter (WHEC) from the United States. It is also eyeing to buy two Italian frigates to beef up its territorial defense capability.


Meanwhile, to enhance the capability of the CWS, the Philippine Navy will launch the Coast Watch System Capability Exercises in Davao City this September 3-7. It will be participated by two Philippine Navy vessels, two aircraft and four speedboats from the Coast Guard and the Maritime Police. It will also involve the participation of 31 representatives from different government agencies and local government units. 


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Rudolf Ian G. Alama | Philippine Information Agency | September 1, 2012 | Article Link

Japan to Philippines: Do you want Coast Guard ships or not?

Saying that “the ball is in the Philippines’ court,” Japan has revealed that its plan to provide the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) with 12 brand new patrol boats had yet to officially take off.

In a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Japanese Embassy-attached Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC) said over the weekend that “the status (of the aid program) has not changed.”

“It remains a plan since we have not yet received any official request from the Philippine side,” said the JICC, which added, “Please contact the Department of Transportation and Communications, the PCG or the National Economic and Development Authority for updates.”

Contacted shortly before he was named interior secretary by President Benigno Aquino, then Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas said: “We, the DOTC, and the Coast Guard are working with the Japanese government and with the Department of Foreign Affairs on this.”

“I understand the DFA is already requesting formally (for the boats),” Roxas had told the Inquirer.

For its part, the DFA said “the plan of Japan to provide patrol boats to our Coast Guard has already been approved by the Neda.”

“We will formally inform the Japanese authorities as soon as possible,” said Raul Hernandez, the DFA spokesperson.

Minister Shinsuke Shimizu, head of the Japanese Embassy’s chancery, said in an earlier interview that unlike the decades-old and stripped-down ships the Philippines has been getting from the United States, the patrol boats the PCG will get from Japan will be brand new.

Japan, he said, “has yet to decide which of the vessels will be built and transferred to the Philippine government on official development assistance or grants.”

He pointed out that “since 1990, Japan has been helping the Coast Guard in its capacity-building program.”

Fourteen years ago, Tokyo gave Manila a marine accident response and buoy tender ship that the agency named the BRP Corregidor.

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| | September 3, 2012 | Article Link

China expanding Mischief structures

MANILA, Philippines – China continues to tighten its grip in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), building new structures on Mischief Reef, one of the areas being claimed by the Philippines.

Rommel Banlaoi, executive director of think tank Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said the latest structures to be spotted in the area were a windmill, solar panels, a concrete platform suitable for use as a helipad and a basketball court.

“Improved facilities bolster PRC’s (People’s Republic of China’s) effective occupation and increased vigilance in the disputed areas,” Banlaoi said in a text message to The STAR yesterday.

Banlaoi said he acquired a photo of the structures last June but believes it was taken months before.

He said he could not release the photo since only the one who provided it has the authority to do so.

“The point is China continues to improve its facilities and I think other claimants too,” Banlaoi said.

Mischief Reef is close to Ayungin Shoal, where the Philippines has a coast watch station. The reef is about 70 nautical miles from Palawan.

Mischief Reef, which the Philippines calls Panganiban Reef, has been occupied by China since 1995.

The Chinese initially constructed structures on stilts at Panganiban Reef, supposedly to provide shelter for fishermen, and later transformed them into a military garrison equipped with powerful radars and other air and maritime monitoring equipment.

 Earlier, China also installed a powerful radar station in Subi Reef, an islet just 12 nautical miles southwest of Pag-asa Island, which is part of Kalayaan Island. The Chinese began building the four-story structure, including a lighthouse, six years ago.

The Philippines, on the other hand, has built a town hall, a health center, a 1.3-kilometer airstrip, a naval station and recently a kindergarten school at Pag-asa Island.

Based on records, Kalayaan Island is a sixth-class municipality in the province of Palawan and is composed of only one barangay, Pag-asa.

The Philippines is claiming several islets, shoals, reefs and sandbars in the Spratly Group of Islands, which is being claimed in whole by China.

China has been boosting its presence in the West Philippine Sea in a move seen as an effort to assert what it described as “indisputable sovereignty” over the area.

Aside from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim part of the islands, which are rich in natural resources.

All Spratly claimant countries have troops in the region, except for Brunei.

Navy joins Coast Watch exercises

Meanwhile, 200 Navy personnel will join the five-day Coast Watch System Capability Exercise 2012, which starts today.

The activity aims to harmonize the coordination of agencies with maritime platforms namely the Navy, Coast Guard and the Philippine National Police’s Maritime Group.

A US spy plane P3C Orion will participate in the activity and will complement the Philippine Navy Islander aircraft during a maritime surveillance exercise.

Participants from law enforcement organizations in Davao and General Santos will also be involved in the exercise. Observers from Australia, Malaysia, and Indonesia were also invited to the event.

Among the local assets that will be used in the exercises are two Navy ships, a Navy islander aircraft, a Navy Reservist ship and two police patrol fast boats.

“The exercise intends to promote inter-agency collaboration in line with the establishment of the National Coast Watch System,” Navy chief Vice Adm. Alexander Pama said.

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Alexis RomeroThe Philippine Star | September 3, 2012 | Article Link

Thomas: US remains firm in commitment to defense treaty, re-pivot to Asia

MANILA, Philippines – United States Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr. on Wednesday said that amid countries’ territorial disputes over areas in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the US would remain firm to its commitment under its Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) ties with the Philippines, and its plan to reposition its military forces in the Asia Pacific region.

“Rising tensions is in no one’s interest but, as Secretary Hillary Clinton has stated, we are a Pacific nation, the United States, we stand by our Mutual Defense Treaty,” Thomas said.

Speaking at the at a Makati Business Club’s (MBC) general membership meeting on the topic The Significance of the Philippines – United States Alliance in a Volatile Pacific Region, Thomas said: “We have made a re-balance or re-pivot to ASIA on all sides and that will continue.”

Thomas, in his speech and in interviews with reporters at the sidelines of the meet, reiterated the United States’ position of having peaceful resolutions to the disputes in accordance with international law.

He added that the West Philippine Sea issue was something that the US worked out on a daily business with concerned Philippine government officials, but that they called on all nation states to “sit and decide on things at the negotiating table.”

“We don’t want to further escalate tensions; we want peaceful resolution of tensions but we want all countries to live up to their agreements and that is why we support the Code of Conduct between China and Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). We think this is a better way to resolve this,” Thomas said.

Tensions in the West Philippine Sea, internationally known as South China Sea, have been rising in the recent months, with countries’ contesting their claims over the area, and China deploying its ships around the Scarborough Shoal.

Apart from China, the Philippines, Brunei Malaysia and Vietnam, and Taiwan claim parts of the sea.

Manila has been pushing for diplomatic, legal and political solution to the dispute, which began when maritime authorities caught Chinese fishermen reportedly poaching in the disputed waters.

China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the West Philippine Sea, which is believed to sit atop vast amounts of oil and gas, is one of the region’s most important fishing grounds, and is home to shipping lanes that are vital to global trade.

Asked about the specifics of the US plan to rebuild its forces in Asia in relation to assistance to the Philippines, Thomas said that they were looking for a “balance” in the relationship, not only focusing on military plans but also beefing up efforts for humanitarian assistance, disaster mitigation efforts and economic investment.

He, however, said that in terms of equipment, they we’re bringing the second cutter, the Dallas, to the Philippines, in about six to eight months. He said that Filipino sailors were already training on manning the ship.

Thomas also said that he would be heading to Puerto Princesa, Palawan Thursday to donate the last of the six ships the US had been providing to the Philippine National Police (PNP) to help the agency capture smugglers.

He said that the White House would also be sending a team to the country next week to meet Filipino officials and engage sectors in efforts to combat human trafficking.

He said he was also pleased that members of other Asean were also stepping up to assist the Philippines militarily across a broad range especially in disaster and humanitarian assistance.

“We have poured last year $4 million to help cities train to prevent and mitigate flood. We’ll put more money in next year for disaster relief because clearly climate change has already been the ring of fire.  We have US AID and the defense department working on Philippine organizations on recommendations on these assistance,” he said.

He also noted how the US had more peace corps volunteers in the Philippines than any country in the world, and that there were over 200 peace corps volunteers in the country.

Thomas stressed how the Philippines should particularly work on its economic investments and initiatives and step up to not lag behind other ASEAN nations, saying that of the $150 billion investment in ASEAN, $100 billion was in Singapore.

“How do you attract that $100 billion that Singapore has to the Philippines that is not up to us, that is up to you to design,” Thomas said.

He noted how the Philippines ranked eight or ninth economically among ASEAN countries but that he believed that the Philippines could be number one.

Thomas said that they were working on getting American businessmen to look favorably on Southeast Asian nations, but that Southeast Asian nations-based business should open up and be more transparent economic societies.

Thomas said that with his experience in the Philippines, he believed that the country needed to work on transparency in court system and bureaucracy, speed of decision making, and predictability.

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| | August 30, 2012 | Article Link

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