Philippine's Today

Military finalizing plan to acquire 1 squadron of F-16 fighter jets

2012-02-16T22:27:00.000+08:00

A RANKING military officer said the Armed Forces high command is already discussing the details on the procurement of one squadron of F-16 “Fighting Falcon” jet fighters from the US.

Maj. Gen. Roy Deveraturda, Armed Forces deputy chief of staff for plans and programs (J-5) said although the acquisition of jet fighters was not included in the first batch of approved big-ticket items the project is now being discussed thoroughly.

“Since we decommissioned our [fighter] jets in 1995 there had been a long gap. So we need [jet] fighter capability. We’re proposing the procurement of at least one squadron. We are talking here of 14 to 24 F-16s,” Deveraturda said.

Earlier, reports said the Department of the Foreign Affairs (DFA) had already started negotiations with the US government for the acquisition of F-16.

But Deveraturda said the Armed Forces has no update yet about the ongoing process of negotiations.

Earlier, the military announced that four of the eight utility helicopters, that were bought by the previous administration under the Armed Forces Modernization Program, are already in the country. Deveraturda said four of the eight Sokol (Falcon) helicopters from Polish-Italian defense supplier Augusta PZL Swidnik have arrived at Clark Field in Pampanga and are now being assembled.

“The four utility helicopters will soon be inspected by the Air Force. These are a great addition to our capability, and we hope to use them soon,” Deveraturda said.

He said the remaining four are being expected to be delivered at the third quarter of this year.

Deveraturda said the delivery of the four helicopters set into concrete action the eight-year modernization program that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin charted for the Armed Forces.

Gazmin wants to acquire armored vehicles, radar systems, missile-guided and multi-role vessels and aircraft that include fighter jets under the program with a projected total cost of at least P70 billion.

Since the amount needed is too large, he said the acquisition will be pursued through a Congress-approved Multi-Year Obligation Agreement (MYOA), with a government to government as the procurement mode.

Deveraturda said the military is also hoping to sign the contract for the delivery of another Hamilton class cutter from the United States until March this year.

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ZAFF SOLMERIN / CORRESPONDENT

THURSDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2012 20:28

Bussiness Mirror

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Air Force gets 1st batch of Falcon choppers from Poland

2012-02-16T14:46:00.001+08:00

Image from GMA News Online
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Military acquires eight combat helicopters for P2.8b

2012-02-16T14:43:00.002+08:00

FOUR of eight Sokol combat utility helicopters from Swidnik of Poland have arrived, an official said Wednesday.

“The brand-new choppers arrived last night in Clark Air Base in Pampanga,” said Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans Maj. Gen. Roy Deveraturda.

“A group of technicians and pilots from the Air Force are conducting inspection and assessment and, if satisfied, they will immediately assemble them.”

The helicopters were the first batch of a P2.8-billion order placed a year ago. The next and last batch is scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter.

“These utility helicopters are multi-purpose,” Deveraturda said.

“You can use these for transporting troops or for air evacuation and disaster response. They can also be converted into ambulance choppers.”

Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Miguel Ernesto Okol said the choppers could be fitted with specialized equipment to match their mission, making them ideal utility helicopters.

For combat missions, the Sokol can be fitted with gun mounts for M60D machine guns on both sides, and when used for search and rescue over water operations, it can be equipped with pilot-controlled emergency flotation gear attached to the lowest portion of the aircraft.

The Air Force now has 50 helicopters of which 40 are operational at any given time.

Deveraturda said the Armed Forces was discussing the procurement of a squadron of F-16 jet fighters on the next phase of its modernization program.

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by Florante S. Solmerin

February 16,2012

ManilaStandardToday.com

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4 new choppers for Air Force arrive in Clark

2012-02-16T14:41:00.000+08:00

MANILA, Philippines—Two years since it placed its order, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) received four brand-new combat utility helicopters to upgrade its dwindling fleet of vintage “Huey” utility helicopters.

The four new combat utility helicopters from Augusta PZL Swidnik of Italy and Poland arrived in Clark Air Base in Pampanga Tuesday, according to PAF.

They are the first batch of a total of eight helicopters that the PAF ordered back in February 2010 for P2.8 billion.

The P2.8 billion covers the price of the eight “Sokol” helicopters (sokol means falcon in Polish), the pilots’ training as well as maintenance and technical support.

PAF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Miguel Ernesto Okol said the four Sokol helicopters will be assembled and will undergo test flights before a formal blessing and turnover.

The second batch of four other helicopters is expected to be delivered in the last quarter of the year.

Compared to the UH-1H Huey helicopters, Okol said the Sokol is a “more capable utility platform.”

It is night vision goggle-capable and equipped with autopilot equipment. While the Huey can carry only seven passengers, a Sokol helicopter can accommodate 10.

Okol said it has a maximum takeoff weight of 14,110 lbs. and endurance of three hours and 19 minutes and can reach a maximum range of 402 nautical miles in a single flight with an airspeed of 140.5 knots.

The Sokol is also fitted with gun mounts on both sides.

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By Dona Z. Pazzibugan
Philippine Daily Inquirer

5:19 am | Thursday, February 16th, 2012

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Navy officers tagged in Pestaño slay case want to be tried by military court

2012-02-16T14:39:00.003+08:00

MANILA, Philippines —The Navy officers accused of murdering Ensign Philip Pestaño want their case to be tried by members of the military.

In a manifestation and motion filed on Wednesday, they asked the Sandiganbayan Third Division to refer their case to a military tribunal because of national security issues and because the case would involve military terminologies that civilians might not fully understand.

According to the accused, their case should be transferred because all of them are or were members of the military and because the Armed Forces of the Philippines has been investigating military personnel on the alleged cover-up of the Pestaño murder case. The accused have filed complaints before the military against Pestaño’s classmates for allegedly covering up his suicide.

Pestaño was found dead inside the Navy’s BRP Bacolod City on September 27, 1995, with a gunshot wound on the head.

Earlier investigations ruled his death a suicide, but his parents refused to believe this and filed a complaint for murder against several Navy officers.

Last month, the Office of the Ombudsman filed murder charges before the Sandiganbayan against Capt. Ricardo Ordoñez, Cmdr. Reynaldo Lopez, Hospital Man 2 Welmenio Aquino, Lt. Cmdr. Luidegar Casis, Lt. Cmdr. Alfrederick Alba, machinery repairman 2 Sandy Miranda, Lt. Cmdr. Joselito Colico, Lt. Cmdr. Ruben Roque, PO1 Carlito Amoroso and PO2 Mil Leonor Igcasan.

But the officers have contested their indictment and insisted that Pestaño took his own life. They also questioned the Sandiganbayan’s jurisdiction over the case because based on the rank of the officers when the offense was committed, their case must be handled by a regional trial court or a military tribunal.

In their latest pleading, the accused said their case should be under a military tribunal because of national security concerns. The navy ship where Pestaño died would be subject to ocular inspection, the accused pointed out..

“Hence, the defense capability of the country’s naval force will be exposed to the public as well as to the enemies of the state, including but not limited to terrorist groups,” they said.

According to the accused, four of them are senior intelligence officers holding sensitive positions in the Navy.

They cited the need for military experts in the court martial because during the preliminary investigation of the case, technical and military terminologies and theories that were foreign to civilians were raised.

The accused also noted that a Manila court could have jurisdiction over the case as well on the basis of the Navy headquarters being in Manila.

But they said they would not want the case to go there because of what they have perceived to be the bias of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim for the Pestaño family. They recalled that on the day after the murder charges were filed, Lim called for a press conference and said he has been a supporter of the Pestaño family and had provided a lawyer for them.

This has prompted them to believe they would not get a fair and impartial trial in the Manila RTC.

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By Leila B. Salaverria
Philippine Daily Inquirer

7:09 pm | Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

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Rifles seized from communist rebels in Bulacan

2012-02-16T14:37:00.000+08:00

MANILA, Philippines—Soldiers from the 56th Infantry Battalion unearthed a cache of high-powered rifles allegedly owned by communist rebels in Doña Remedios Trinidad in Bulacan, a military spokesman said Wednesday.

Major Enrico Ileto of the Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division said troops recovered an upper receiver for an M14 rifle, six magazines for M14 rifle, three short and one long magazine for M16 rifle and four pairs of combat boots Tuesday afternoon.

“One would only need a skilled wood carver to build the lower receiver of an M14 rifle and connect it with its upper receiver and operate it just like a normal rifle,” Ileto said.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Alan Luga, commander of the Army’s 7ID said that soldiers were conducting “further search at the general vicinity for possible discovery of other war materials.”

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By Frances Mangosing
INQUIRER.net

6:18 pm | Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

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Abu leader with P3.3-million bounty falls in Zamboanga

2012-02-16T14:35:00.000+08:00

MANILA, Philippines – Government agents arrested a sub-commander of the Abu Sayyaf with a P3.3-million bounty during a raid in Zamboanga City on Tuesday night.

Abdulhan Ussih, alias Jeron, 28, became the third member of the Abu Sayyaf to be arrested by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) this year.

Ussih, also known as Black Tungkang, was arrested by joint elements of the CIDG, 3rd Air Division of the Philippine Air Force, and the local police at the Zamboanga City public market by virtue of an arrest warrant for kidnapping and serious illegal detention.

He was a sub-commander of Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sahiron, alias Putol, in Sulu.

CIDG chief Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said Ussih is the third Abu Sayyaf leader who fell into the hands of the joint PNP-CIDG-AFP operating units following the arrest of Harun Jaljalis, alias Abu Indal, in Basilan last Jan. 26 and Sonny Bakim Barahim, alias Abu Ismael, last Jan. 17.

Senior Superintendent Generoso Bonifacio, CIDG-Region 9 chief, said that from 2001 to 2003, Ussih served as the liaison officer of the terrorist group to those who provided them with food supplies.

Bonifacio added that Ussih was among the country’s most wanted and had a bounty of P3.3 million by virtue of the joint order of the Department of National Defense and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Ussih is now under the custody of the CIDG in Zamboanga City.

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Non Alquitran, Roel Pareño

The Philippine Star

February 16, 2012 12:00 AM

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Mayor gives outgoing task force chief 9.5 grade

2012-02-16T14:31:00.005+08:00

DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio gave the outgoing Task Force Davao (TFD) chief Wednesday an outstanding grade of 9.5, with 10 as the highest.

Duterte-Carpio said the City Government was pleased with the performance of Colonel Rey Leonardo Guerero, who assumed the TFD post from Colonel Oscar Lactao on August 24, 2010.

Guerero is set to officially turn over the command to Army Colonel Marcus Norman Flores on February 25.

The mayor thanked Guerero for keeping the city safe and free from any terrorist threat.

"Your success will be measured pag-humana imung serbisyo (once you are done with your service)," the mayor said when asked of her tips for the incoming TFD chief.

Flores, who like Guerrero is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1984, is commander of the Army's 61st Infantry Battalion based in Capiz.

After Guerrero's stint in Davao City, he will be assigned as commander of the Army's 701st Infantry Brigade in Caraga Region.

The Task Force Davao is military unit created in 2003 tasked to prevent terrorist attacks similar to the airport and Sasa wharf bombings in Davao City in March and April 2003, respectively that killed 38 people and injured several others.

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By Jereco O. Paloma

Thursday, February 16, 2012

SunStar.Com.Ph

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AFP gets 4 new choppers

2012-02-15T15:59:00.000+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - The military announced Wednesday that it has received 4 brand new combat utility helicopters from PZL Swidnik of Poland.

Maj. Gen. Roy Deveraturda, AFP deputy chief of staff for plans, said the 4 choppers arrived at Clark Air Base Tuesday night. A Philippine Air Force assessment team is currently inspecting the shipment.

Deveraturda said the helicopters can be used for disaster response, transportation of troops and evacuation of the wounded.

He said the AFP is expecting delivery of 4 more helicopters in the last quarter of the year.

He said the Philippine Air Force currently has about 40 operational helicopters including UH-1H “Huey” helicopters and MD-520-MG gunships from the United States.

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ABS-CBNnews.com

Posted at 02/15/2012 12:21 PM

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AFP honors 115 Pinoy UN peacekeepers to Liberia

2012-02-15T15:48:00.000+08:00

The 115 members of the 15th Philippine Contingent to Liberia received their United Nations service medals in an awarding ceremony at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters on Wednesday.

The Philippine contingent helped maintain peace and security in the West African country of Liberia, especially during the country's national elections in October last year and the presidential election run-off the following month.

The 15th Philippine contingent is composed of eight officers and 107 personnel from the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy, and Philippine Air Force.

It also has two female soldiers, a doctor, and a corps of engineers.

The contingent left the Philippines in March last year and arrived back into the country on January 28 this year, two days after the 16th Philippine contingent was deployed to Liberia.

The 16th contingent is composed of 115 Air Force soldiers, including eight officers.

Col. Jorge Lomboy III, commander of the 15th contingent, said their mission was to “maintain peace and security in Liberia, especially in the conduct of the elections.”

He also said that the deployment shows that “the AFP cares for the people of Liberia.”

AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu congratulated the contingent for helping the people of Liberia achieve peace.

In a speech delivered by AFP Inspector General MGen Ireneo Espino, Mapagu said that “in the complex and highly volatile environment of Liberia, a country that has its share of socio-economic problems, our Filipino contingent exhibited extraordinary dedication to foster an environment conducive to peace, order and security.”
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VVP,
GMA News Online
February 15, 2012 1:30pm
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Police: Another Sayyaf member falls in Zamboanga City

2012-02-15T15:47:00.000+08:00

A Joint team from the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and Intelligence Unit of the Philippine Air Force arrested a sub-commander of the bandit Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) Tuesday night in Zamboanga City.

In his report to CIDG chief Police Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr., Region 9 CIDG chief Police Senior Superintendent Generoso Bonifacio identified the suspect as Abdulhan Ussih, alias Jeron, 28, a resident of Vajada Meramar, Sinunoc, Zamboanga City.

Citing the report, Pagdilao said Ussih is the third ASG member who fell the hands of the joint PNP-CIDG-AFP operating units following the arrest of Harun Jaljalis alias Abu Indal in Basilan last January 26 and Sonny Bakim Barahim alias Abu Ismael of Isabela City, Basilan last January 17.

Ussih, also known as the “Black Tungkang,” was arrested inside the Zamboanga Public Market around 6 p.m. by virtue of an arrest warrant for alleged kidnapping and serious illegal detention.

According to the report, Ussih was a sub-commander of ASG-Sulu leader Radulan Sahiron, alias Putol.

Bonifacio also said that from 2001 to 2003, Ussih served as the liaison officer for food supplies.

He added Ussih is on the list of most wanted persons for national level category and has a bounty of P3.3-million for his arrest by virtue of the Joint Order of the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) number 15-2011.

Ussih is now under the custody of the CIDG in Zamboanga City, he said.

The CIDG’s aggressive campaign against most wanted persons is in response to PNP Chief Police Director General Nicanor A Bartolome's directive for police to account for notorious wanted persons, Bonifacio said.

From February 1 to present, the CIDG has made a total of 87 arrests of wanted persons, 16 of them were involved in heinous crimes.

Pagdilao credited the speedy arrests of many of the wanted persons by the CIDG to the creation of the Community Investigative Support (CIS), the group’s community volunteer organization.
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LBG,
GMA News Online
February 15, 2012 1:04pm
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Filipino doctor, wanted in US, now a medical reservist in AFP

2012-02-15T15:45:00.000+08:00

MANILA, Philippines—Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) finally caught up with a Filipino doctor long wanted in the United States for allegedly defrauding the state of California of some $3 million in fake medical claims.

Dr. Eric Uy Chan, who had been hiding from US authorities since 2000, was arrested right inside the Armed Forces of the Philippines headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo where he had managed to wangle a commission as a lieutenant colonel in the Medical Reserve Corps.

NBI Foreign Liaison Division chief Claro de Castro said Tuesday they had initially received information that the 48-year-old Chan had assumed the name Eric Uy Garchitorena and had joined the AFP.

De Castro told the Inquirer they waited for the doctor to turn up at a medical reservists’ meeting at Aguinaldo on Saturday morning and arrested him on sight.

He said they had been looking for Chan since Aug. 28, 2006, when a Manila court issued a warrant for his arrest based on a request from the US government coursed through the Department of Justice.

Chan is wanted by US authorities for conspiracy to commit a crime, grand theft and health care fraud for presenting false medical claims and collecting payments amounting to more than $3 million from the California Medi-Cal Program.

Two California state courts separately issued warrants for his arrest in January 2000 and February 2003 stemming from a complaint that alleged that in 1996, Chan and his two co-accused operated the Green Cross Medical Clinic in Carson City, California, with neither a license from the state nor a medical service provider number.

To secure payments from the state’s Department of Health Services through its Medi-Cal program, Chan and his co-accused allegedly used the provider number of a licensed doctor they had hired, submitting claims for services not actually provided by the doctor amounting to $517,000.

When the doctor deactivated her provider number, Chan and his cohorts allegedly opened another clinic, Evergreen Medical Clinic, in the same city in March 1997.

They hired another doctor, whose provider number they again allegedly used to make fraudulent claims of $1.7 million.

When this con was discovered, Chan allegedly put up West Coast Intermed Management where he again hired a licensed doctor to obtain his Medi-Cal provider number and use it to receive payments for fabricated patient charts in the total amount of $900,000.

When the fraud was discovered in 1999, charges were filed against Chan and his co-accused. While Chan hid out in the Philippines, one of his co-accused, Chan Annilie Arcangel Ferrer, pleaded guilty in California and was sentenced to five years in state prison.

Chan is being held at the NBI jail pending his extradition to the United States to face the charges filed against him in the Superior Court of California.

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By Jeannette I. Andrade
Philippine Daily Inquirer

3:44 am | Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

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Task force chief bids goodbye to council

2012-02-15T15:43:00.003+08:00

THE outgoing chief of Task Force Davao (TFD) bid goodbye to members of the City Council before he officially turns over his post to the new commander.

In his speech during Tuesday's regular session, Colonel Rey Leonardo Guerero, outgoing TFD commander, said his one-and-a-half year as TFD chief has been very fruitful.

Though he did not go into details on the reason of his relief, Guerrero thanked the city, particularly the City Council, for its support to all TFD's programs and endeavors in safeguarding the city.

"I will treasure the partnership and the friendship that we have shared together as I am and will always be proud to have served Dabawenyos as commander of the TFD," Guerero said.

Guerero will officially turn over the post to Colonel Norman Flores on February 25.

"Until then, I will continue to perform my duties diligently and work even harder for the Dabawenyos," he said.

Guerrero, a member of Philippine Military Academy Class 1984, assumed the TFD chief post in 2010.

TFD was created after the bombing at the Davao International Airport and Sasa wharf in 2003

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Jereco O. Paloma

SunStar.Com.Ph

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

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AFP rejects CPP consultant's release

2012-02-15T15:41:00.004+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - The military yesterday rejected the call of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) for the release of their consultant, Alan Jazmines.

“We will always uphold the rule of law and in upholding the rule of law, he (Jazmines) has to face the criminal cases against him,” said Armed Forces spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. “No one is above the law.”

Burgos disputed CPP’s claim that the government has no compassion for allowing the detention of Jazmines.

“There are many 65-year-old prisoners who are still languishing in jail. There are procedures in seeking consideration that we have to follow,” he said.

Jazmines, a member of the CPP central committee, was arrested in Baliuag, Bulacan on Feb. 14, 2011. He was charged with rebellion and murder.

The National Democratic Front has claimed that the arrest of Jazmines was illegal since he is working as its peace consultant. It cited the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees, which said officials and consultants of the NDF involved in tasks related to the peace talks have immunity from arrest.

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By Alexis Romero

The Philippine Star

February 15, 2012 12:00 AM

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French naval vessel in Cebu for goodwill visit

2012-02-15T01:23:00.000+08:00

THE French Navy ship FS Vendemiaire arrived in Cebu City yesterday morning as part of their nine-day goodwill visit to the country.

The vessel's 92-strong crew including officers headed by its captain Commander Jean-Christophe Olieric were received by the Naval Forces Central (Navforcen) and the French consulate officials in Cebu.

Other Navy officers and representatives of the French Consulate boarded the ship for a brief meeting that ended at past 11 am. Media were requested by the French Consulate not to board the ship for security reasons.

Ensign Joseph Ison, Navforcen spokesperson, said there will be goodwill games between the French Navy and Navforcen and a ship tour today as part of their five-day goodwill visit.

Ison said there won't be any exercises during their visit.

Goodwill visits, Ison said, is one way for the Navy to learn the culture, expertise and capabilities of the French Navy.

Navforcen personnel will also have a chance to familiarize themselves with French’ weaponry, machineries and other capabilities of their ship.

The French vessel's visit marks its first in Cebu. It visited Manila in 2009.

FS Vendemiaire is a light monitoring frigate or warship of the French Marine Nationale. It has missiles, guns, a turret and a helicopter.

They are docked at berthing space no. 5 at the Cebu International Port. They will also be having a series of courtesy calls at the Capitol, Cebu City Hall and Centcom today.

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Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus

2/13/2012

Cebu Daily News

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Photo courtesy of SnipCebu.Com

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2 11th IB soldiers cited for honesty

2012-02-14T13:39:00.002+08:00

TWO soldiers of the 11th Infantry Battalion helping in the search and retrieval operations were cited for honesty after they turned in to government authorities cash amounting to P70,000, which they recovered in the landslide area.

Undersecretary Benito Ramos of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Center identified the two soldiers as Pvt. Danny Faigne and Pvt. Marlon Vera who were helping in the search and retrieval operations in Solonggon, La Libertad, Negros Oriental.

Meanwhile, Ramos said the search and retrieval operations will continue in the landslide-stricken areas.

“There is no deadline set,” Ramos said.

The search and retrieval operation has entered its first week since the 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit the Visayas region and took its toll on several localities in Negros Oriental.

He said they continue to hope that there are still survivors in the landslide stricken area.

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TED

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

SunStar.Com.Ph

Link

2 US Navy murder suspects nabbed

2012-02-14T13:38:00.000+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - Two of the four suspects in the killing of a US Navy personnel in Binangonan town in Rizal last Saturday were arrested Sunday night in Angono town.

Akmad Sulayman, 29, and Anisah Abubakar, 29, did not resist arrest.

Senior Superintendent Rolando Anduyan, Rizal police director, said they have witnesses who saw Sulayman, Abubakar and two others in a silver car when Cunnings Zalmunda, 27, was shot dead along Champaca street in Barangay San Carlos, Binangonan at around 10:30 p.m. last Saturday.

Anduyan said they are hunting down two more suspects, one of them identified as Abubakar Salaludin.

Zalmunda suffered gunshot wounds in the thighs, right shoulder and back. He was declared dead on arrival at the Angono General Hospital.

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By Non Alquitran

The Philippine Star

February 14, 2012 12:00 AM

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Air Force serviceman gunned down

2012-02-14T13:36:00.002+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – An Air Force serviceman was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen shortly before midnight Sunday in a village here, according to police.

The victim was identified as Technical Sergeant Cesar Simbi, a member of the 3rd Air Division based in this city, Zamboanga City Police Office director Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo said.

Investigation showed the victim was riding his motorbike on his way home when two unidentified suspects on a black motorcycle shot him upon reaching Presa Canelar Chapel in Barangay Canelar.

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By Roel Pareño

The Philippine Star

February 14, 2012 12:00 AM

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AFP: No V-Day bomb threat

2012-02-14T13:35:00.000+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - The military said yesterday it has not monitored any threat on the eve of the seventh anniversary of the 2005 Valentine’s Day bombing.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said they will continue to monitor crowded areas like malls and bus terminals.

At least eight persons were killed and dozens injured in separate but successive bombings staged in Makati, Davao and General Santos on Feb. 14, 2005.

In Makati, a passenger bus had exploded, killing four persons. Explosions also occurred in a mall in General Santos and a bus terminal in Davao on the same day.

The Abu Sayyaf, a local terrorist group, had taken responsibility for the incident, saying it was their “Valentine’s Day gift” to then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

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By Alexis Romero

The Philippine Star

February 14, 2012 12:00 AM

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Over 4,000 overstaying AFP personnel to be reassigned

2012-02-13T13:32:00.002+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa has ordered the reassignment of more than 4,000 military personnel who have been overstaying in their respective posts.

AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the move was intended to promote transparency and professionalism in the military.

In a statement, Burgos said Dellosa “sees it fit to further implement the rotation of overstaying AFP personnel as an opportunity to practice military professionalism in the organization.”

Burgos said more than 4,000 AFP personnel overstaying in various positions in the General Headquarters and unified areas beyond the ideal period of three years will be the subject of the rotation.

Among those affected by the move are more than 20 officers who have occupied finance and logistics posts for more than three years.

Last month, Dellosa confirmed to The STAR the reassignment of finance and logistics officers, saying this was intended to advance their careers.

Some of these officers have reportedly performed finance and logistics-related tasks for as long as seven years.

“If you care about your career, you would want to be transferred (to another office) after two or three years,” a military source said in an earlier interview.

Burgos said the reassignment would be implemented in three phases, namely the identification of personnel due for rotation, implementation and completion of the rotation, and the evaluation phase.

He said the rotation does not seek to hamper the operations of affected units or offices.

“It is only imperative for any government organization to exercise all means in ensuring that sensitive positions, especially that of finance and logistics, are held by accountable, professional and skilled individuals,” Burgos said.

He said some soldiers have stayed for more than three years in their posts because of their good performance.

“Some of them know their jobs well. Sometimes the commanders want them retained in their posts because of their performance,” he told The STAR in a phone interview.

Burgos said there is nothing anomalous if a soldier stays in his assignment for more than three years. He, however, admitted that overstaying in an assignment could hamper a soldier’s career.

Burgos said the rotation would give priority to soldiers who have held their positions beyond 10 years. Their reassignment will be implemented in the second quarter of this year.

Those who have been staying in their posts for six to nine years will be reassigned in the third quarter. On the other hand, soldiers who have held their posts for three to five years will be moved in the fourth quarter.

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By Alexis Romero

The Philippine Star

February 13, 2012 12:00 AM

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Palace belies CPP claim US conducted Sulu air strikes

2012-02-13T13:31:00.000+08:00

Malacañang on Sunday belied reported claims by the Communist Party of the Philippines that the United States and not the Philippine military conducted the air strikes in Sulu that killed suspected top terrorist leaders earlier this month.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte dismissed as propaganda the reported claim of the CPP.

“Propaganda lang din yan, walang katotohanan ang napaloob sa statement nila na US troops ang nag-conduct ng air attacks sa Mindanao," she said on government-run dzRB radio.

The CPP had called for an "independent investigation" into what it claimed was the involvement of American soldiers in the bombing and air raids in Parang town.

It noted the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has claimed the target was a Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf stronghold but there is no independent verification yet.

“All the information has come from the AFP which has been known to issue distorted and self-serving statements. There should be an independent investigation to look into the involvement of American soldiers belonging to the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) in the planning, provision of intelligence and surveillance information, actual execution and logistical support to the military operation leading to the air raids,” said the CPP.

“Such involvement of US troops violates Philippine national sovereignty. Claims that American military troops and advisers only get involved upon the request of the Aquino administration and the AFP only makes it worse,” it added.
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LBG,
GMA News Online
February 12, 2012 3:39pm
Link

No US troops attacked in Basilan — PHL military

2012-02-13T13:29:00.000+08:00

Philippine military officials on Sunday belied reports that US troops were attacked by a group of armed in Basilan province in southern Philippines last Saturday.

“There are no Americans [at the site of the attack],” said Col. Ricardo Visaya, commander of both the Joint Task Force Basilan and the Army’s 104th Brigade.

An unidentified group of armed men, believed to be extortionists, harassed workers in a US-funded road project in Amaloy village in Ungkaya Pukan town Saturday morning, resulting in one construction worker injured.

Troops from the 13^thScout Ranger Company had been dispatched to pursue the alleged extortionists, whose group affiliation has yet to be known, Visaya said.

“We are conducting hot pursuit. We are still trying to locate them because they fled immediately. We are not sure of their group,” he said.

Visaya added US forces in Basilan are not helping in the pursuit. “They [Americans] did not respond… The Americans are just in my headquarters,” he said.

In a separate phone interview, Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, denied reports that US soldiers were providing security to the road project.

“They sub-contracted it to the Filipino contractor so that is not their responsibility…It’s not true that the Americans were there at the time of the strafing,” he said.

Cabangbang said US soldiers who are based in Basilan are confined at the 104^th Brigade headquarters.
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KBK, GMA News Online
February 12, 2012 4:40pm
Link

RP jet fighter purchase nixed

2012-02-13T13:25:00.002+08:00

Manila, Philippines – Instead of submitting a wish list that would include acquisition of fighter jets and modern military hardware, the Philippines should ask the US government to supply it with cargo aircraft, choppers, and sea transport to beef up its relief operations and defense against natural calamities.

Muntinlupa City Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, chairman of the House Committee on National Defense, backed this proposal by saying that confrontation with typhoons, earthquakes, and other natural disasters are more imminent compared to a threat of war over the dispute for West Philippine Sea (also known as the South China Sea) territories against China.

This developed as the Movement 188 and other members of the House of Representatives agreed to donate P1 million to the victims of the earthquake that hit Central Visayas.

Aside from the convenors of Movement 188, House Speaker Feliciano R. Belmonte Jr. and Region 6 congressmen will also contribute to the fund.

Movement 188 convenors who will contribute to the fund are Reps. Maricar Zamora-Apsay (Compostella Valley), Joy Bernos (Abra), Bem Noel (An Waray), Rodel Batocabe (Ako Bicol), Ben Evardone (Eastern Samar), Cesar Sarmiento (Catanduanes), Mel Sarmiento (Western Samar), Roger Espina (Biliran), Maximo Dalog (Mountain Province), Roy Loyola (Cavite), Carlo Lopez (Manila), Leo Ocampos (Misamis Occidental), Rene Relampagos (Bohol), and Nancy Catamco (North Cotabato).

Movement 188 is the group of congressmen who signed the Articles of Impeachment against Chief Justice Renato C. Corona.

“The effect of the recent quake to the people in the Negros-Cebu region is truly heartbreaking. It is imperative that we join together and consolidate our efforts to help our brothers and sisters that were affected by this tragedy,” Rep. Alfredo “Albee” B. Benitez said.

Benitez, whose district was affected by the recent earthquake, led the initiative of the members of the House of Representatives. He contributed P500,000 from his personal resources and the other half came from the other convenors of the Movement 188 and the district representatives from Region 6.

Biazon’s made his recommendation as the country’s defense leadership confirmed that talks for increased US military presence in the Philippines have been set in a bid to guarantee peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region despite reports of China’s military build up near the disputed West Philippine Sea areas.

“But our level of concern is internal security, protection of our exclusive economic zone, protection of our Malampaya. We need to secure these through acquisition of modern military hardware. But I am going to reject fighter jets,” he said.

A former senator and Defense chief, Biazon said the Philippines requires additional patrol boats but it also need air and sea cargo transportation for quick response to areas severely afflicted by calamitous events.

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Ben R. Rosario

Tempo.Com.Ph

Feb 11th, 2012

Link

1st AFP chief joins Twitter; soldiers not followers yet

2012-02-13T13:24:00.000+08:00

Now that he’s getting the hang of it, will he now communicate with his Commander-in-Chief via Twitter?

Upon the prodding of his children, the head of the 125,000-strong Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has joined the social networking craze.

On Friday, AFP Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Jessie Dellosa opened an account on Twitter.

50 followers

“This is the official twitter account of the Chief of Staff, AFP. Thank you to the first followers,” read Dellosa’s first tweet in the morning.

“This account is not only for our soldiers but to reach out also to the people I serve. Thank you,” he tweeted in the afternoon.

As of 5 p.m., his account @CSAFPDellosa had drawn 50 followers, including several journalists—that irrepressible bunch he can’t get away from.

Direct access

While the AFP has an account on Twitter (@TeamAFP) and on Facebook, another equally popular social networking site, Dellosa is believed to be the first military chief and so far the only one in the military top brass to have a personal account on a social networking site.

“I was encouraged by my children to embrace the social media,” the 55-year-old general said in a statement to reporters. “I was curious about what it can do to help the organization reach out to our soldiers in the field. This is their direct access to me.”

“I have realized that social media can be a very effective feedback mechanism not only to address the concerns of our ground units but also to help spread the developments brought by our IPSP (internal peace and security plan) Bayanihan campaign,” Dellosa went on.

A salute

Also referred to as a micro-blogging site, Twitter allows its users to announce or tweet their views in 140 characters.

In turn, his “followers” can reply or repost his tweets (called retweet). But everyone on Twitter can send him a message. This starts a conversation that can be read by one’s followers.

So far, on his first day, Dellosa has not received any messages from his followers, except from one @akosibebang06 who told him: “we salute your kind heart sir… Godspeed!”

‘Your soldier’

In his account, Dellosa described himself simply as “your soldier.”

Dellosa has, so far, followed 22 Twitter accounts, including those of President Aquino, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Teofisto Guingona III and Pia Cayetano, and four Cabinet secretaries.

The rest were the Twitter accounts of the AFP and various government agencies.

Meanwhile, he has attracted an assortment of followers, mostly private individuals and groups, including deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Media Office (@CBCP4LIFE).

Interestingly, no soldier or officer was among those who followed Dellosa’s account as of late Friday afternoon.

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By Dona Z. Pazzibugan
Philippine Daily Inquirer

1:58 am | Saturday, February 11th, 2012

Link

Smuggled diesel fuel seized

2012-02-13T13:22:00.000+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - Marine troops in Palawan seized on Thursday P320,000 worth of smuggled diesel fuel from Malaysia.

Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay said men of the 212nd Marine Company, acting on a tip from residents, apprehended a motor launch filled with diesel while anchored in Barangay Taratak, Bataraza town.

The search resulted in the seizure of 32 drums or 6,400 liters of diesel fuel without pertinent documents and the arrest of the boat’s three crewmen.

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By Alexis Romero

The Philippine Star

February 11, 2012 12:00 AM

Link

Congress OKs 2nd warship for Philippines

2012-02-12T13:27:00.000+08:00

MANILA, Philippines — The U.S. Congress has approved the transfer of a second U.S. Coast Guard ship to the Philippines, an official said Friday as Washington shifts its military ties with the Southeast Asian nation that has been engaged in a territorial spat with China.

In the past, U.S. cooperation with the Philippines has focused mostly on counterterrorism, but it has recently expanded to building up the country’s moribund navy.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro told reporters Friday that he will consider a Philippine request to have the warship turned over with as much military equipment as possible.

“I’m pleased that the congressional notification period for a second Coast Guard cutter expired this week, so that means Congress has now approved the transfer ... to the Philippines, which will further help Philippine security needs,” he said after talks with Filipino defense officials in Manila.

The ship — the second such delivery since last May under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty — is just one of many defense projects that the U.S. is discussing with the Philippines. That comes in addition to having American ships regularly visit and refuel in Philippine ports, rotating U.S. troops in the southern Philippines where al-Qaida-linked Muslim militants are active and holding large-scale joint military exercises.

China has said that it views with concern the increased U.S. military engagement with the Philippines and balked at what it sees as Washington’s interference in the South China Sea dispute. The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan all have conflicting territorial claims over potentially gas and oil rich islands with the Asian superpower.

The Philippines last year accused Chinese vessels of harassing its oil exploration ships and laying claim to areas within its territorial waters.

Shapiro reiterated the U.S. policy that it takes no position on the claims by any of the parties, that disputes should not be resolved through the use of force and that its defense cooperation with the Philippines is not directed against any one country.

But he also said that his government is committed to helping the Philippines in its security needs and “fully intends to meet its obligations under the Mutual Defense Treaty.”

The increased focus on strengthening Philippine naval assets, which have lagged behind those of its neighbors and are no match to China’s superior military, comes a decade after American troops started training Filipino soldiers and sharing intelligence with them in a campaign to rout out al-Qaida-linked militants. They are blamed for a series of bombing attacks and kidnapping sprees mostly in the country’s southern island provinces.

“Traditionally our focus was on helping the Philippines address the internal security threat,” Shapiro said. “Given the progress that the Philippine forces and police have made addressing the threat, we’re now at a point when both our governments believe we can transition our support towards helping them in maritime security issues.”

Still, he said he did not anticipate any immediate changes in redeploying about 600 U.S. Special Forces troops in the southern Philippines.

Shapiro also ruled out any intention to re-establish U.S. bases in the Philippines following a 1991 historic vote in the Philippine Senate to close them down, nearly a century after the United States claimed the islands from Spain.

U.S. military presence continues to be a sensitive issue in the former colony. Left-wing and nationalist groups are opposed to the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows American troops to train here.

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By Hrvoje Hranjski - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Feb 10, 2012 8:35:47 EST

NavyTimes.Com

Link

Malaysia to help Philippines identify dead militants

2012-02-12T13:25:00.002+08:00

The Philippine military said Friday Malaysia would send forensics experts in an effort to obtain proof that Filipino forces had killed three of Southeast Asia's most-wanted terror suspects.

The military said its US-backed airstrikes last week on a remote southern island killed three senior leaders from the Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and Abu Sayyaf networks, as well as 12 junior figures.

But it was not able to immediately provide proof, with authorities saying bodies had been taken away by fellow militants and quickly buried in line with Muslim custom.

Philippine military spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Burgos said Friday police had gathered pieces of human tissue and blood after the strike on the southern island of Jolo.

Philippine police will now liaise with the Malaysian team over the forensic evidence, Burgos said.

"This would help the Armed Forces of the Philippines provide proof that the terrorists Mauwiyah and Marwan are already dead," Burgos told reporters, without saying when the Malaysian team would arrive.

The highest-profile militant reported slain was Malaysian Zulkifli bin Abdul Hir, alias Marwan, one of the United States' most-wanted terror suspects with a $5 million bounty on his head from the US government.

Zulkifli was one of JI's top leaders and a bomb-making expert who had been hiding out in the southern Philippines since 2003, according to the US State Department.

The Malaysian forensics experts are expected to obtain DNA samples from Zulkifli's relatives before they fly to the southern Philippines to compare samples, Burgos said.

Also reported killed was Singaporean Mohammad Ali, alias Muawiyah, another JI leader who had been hiding in the Philippines since the group killed 202 people in a series of bomb attacks on the Indonesian island of Bali in 2002.

The third senior militant reported killed was Filipino Abu Pula, also known as Doctor Abu or Umbra Jumdail, one of the core leaders of the Abu Sayyaf that is blamed for the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines.

The US military, which has a small team of US Special Forces providing counter-terrorism training in the southern Philippines, helped in the attack by providing intelligence support, Filipino military officials said.

However the US government has declined to comment on whether the three senior terrorists suspects were definitely killed.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's senior advisor on political-military affairs, Andrew Shapiro, declined to discuss details of the incident when talking to reporters in Manila, deferring questions to the Philippine military.

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AFP News – Fri, Feb 10, 2012

Yahoo News Online

Link

Army to file HR violations vs rebels in N. Cotabato

2012-02-12T13:24:00.000+08:00

KIDAPAWAN CITY — The Philippine Army in North Cotabato will file charges of human rights violation against the communist New People's Army rebels in connection with the burning of heavy equipment of a construction firm in North Cotabato on Friday.

Lt. Manuel Gatus, chief of the civil military operations of the 57th IB, said they would file the charges with the government-National Democratic Front peace panel.

“The arson the NPA did against the contractor was clear human rights violation. They’re already into extortion, which is also a criminal offense,” said Gatus.

Extortion was likely the motive in the arson, according to City Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco.

The owner of the torched vehicles, Ricardo dela Cruz Interior Construction Company, has refused to give in to the demands of the group, said the mayor.

Also, some of the construction workers who witnessed the torching at Barangay San Roque here said the armed men told them they wanted to punish the contractor.

On Friday, six motorcycle-riding armed men arrived at the quarry site at Barangay San Roque while the vehicles were loading sand and gravel.

They ordered the drivers and workers to move out while they poured on the gasoline on each of the heavy equipment.

The suspects were reported to have identified themselves as members of the NPA operating in North Cotabato province.

Minutes later, they exited towards La Esperanza in President Roxas, also a town in North Cotabato.

Inspector Rolando Dillera, deputy police director, estimated the damage at P7 million.

The torched vehicles included three dump trucks, a pay loader, and a backhoe.

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PNA, RMA/hbc/NYP/Malu C Manar/utb

ZamboTimes.Com

Link

Shapiro: US gov’t keeps military assistance levels to RP

2012-02-11T00:29:00.005+08:00

United States foreign military assistance (FMF) to the Philippines will stay at the same levels, despite budget constraints, even as the two countries look for “cost-effective” ways to beef up defense capabilities in maritime security, a US state official said on Friday.

Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew J. Shapiro, in a roundtable discussion with reporters in Manila, said that the US government will be enhancing its military assistance to the Philippines, and particularly, “emphasize the use of FMF for maritime security.”

“We continue to provide foreign military financing... it’s a challenging budget environment in Washington, however the Philippines is a priority,” Mr. Shapiro told reporters on Friday, after his meeting with defense officials, and prior to meeting with his counterparts at the foreign ministry.

“We are looking to transition our support from internal security to maritime security and our FMF agreements and support will reflect that shift,” underscored Mr. Shapiro.

Ongoing discussions between the two governments, to culminate in a state meeting in Washington, have revolved around aligning the US agenda to increase its military presence in the Asia-Pacific, with the Philippine agenda to improve its capabilities to defend territorial sovereignty, particularly in light of repeated incursions from China.

He could not give a “ballpark figure” for the amount of financing allotted to the Philippines, explaining that the numbers are still being worked out in Congress, but indicated that the trend has been roughly $30 million for several years already.

“We will see how the fiscal year 2012 budget shapes up but again we’re looking through all possible assistance for the Philippines,” stated Mr. Shapiro.

“Going forward, we intend to continue these discussions... We’ll also be looking at further ways to help the Philippines with their maritime security needs,” added Mr. Shapiro.

Thus far, the US has successfully turned over the first of three Hamilton class cutters for the Philippine Coast Guard -- previously announced by the Aquino administration -- with the second vessel just recently approved by the US Congress, said Mr. Shapiro.

“We would like to work with the Philippines on the most cost-effective platforms that will serve their defense needs... the ongoing dialogue is designed to identify what would be the best way to meet those needs...,” said Mr. Shapiro, without further elaboration.

The two vessels are merely the first of possible transfers, said Mr. Shapiro, as they expect “further opportunities down the road for future excess defense articles. He admitted, however, that such equipment will depend on what the US defense department can spare at this point in time.

“Excess defense articles are excess, and as our services are able to spare certain equipment -- that will determine what will be able to be turned over as excess defense articles,” said Mr. Shapiro.

The desired F-16 aircraft that President Benigno S.C. Aquino III said he would be bringing up with US President Barack Obama when he visited sometime in May or June, has yet to be discussed, said Mr. Shapiro.

However, he made a point of noting that his bureau is also involved in licensing commercial sales, and that he in fact will be attending the Singapore air show, which will be “an opportunity” to meet with US companies “to discuss the best way we can support US companies that are seeking to make sales in the region.”

Providing linkages between “partners” and the US firms will be a benefit to both, he said.

“We greatly value our military assistance to the Philippines -- we think that it helps deepen the partnership,” Mr. Shapiro said.

“There is no discussion of renegotiating the bilateral treaty, and other agreements as the discussions unfold whether new agreements are necessary or changes to existing agreements, we’ll see, but right now we have not entered into discussions as to changing any agreements,” said Mr. Shapiro.

He underscored that the US will not be establishing bases in the Philippines, whereas the rotational troops -- including the special forces in the south -- will be limited to joint military training and disaster response and humanitarian assistance, rather than active combat duty.

Mr. Shapiro, who will be traveling to Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as Singapore, later this month, also underscored that while the US will stand by its obligations to the Philippines under the MDT, the defense dialogue on maritime cooperation is not designed as a specific deterrent for China.

“Our discussions are designed not targeted to any one country; they are designed to meet legitimate security requirements of the Philippines,” said Mr. Shapiro.

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Johanna Paola D.Poblete

February 10, 2012 07:56:47 PM

Business World Online

Link

US official here for talks on defense cooperation

2012-02-11T00:28:00.002+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro will consult with senior Philippine civilian and military officials on further enhancing broad defense and security cooperation between the Philippines and the United States.

The US embassy in Manila said yesterday Shapiro is in Manila for a visit from Feb. 9-11.

In a joint statement by the Philippines and the US issued last Jan. 27 in Washington following the second Bilateral Strategic Dialogue, the two sides said the visit of Shapiro and Deputy US Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis would take place this month before the visit of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin to the US next month.

The two sides will discuss economic issues and the interest of the Philippines in potentially joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Shapiro will also travel to Indonesia and Malaysia after the Philippines.

He will meet with senior officials during his visit in Jakarta, Indonesia from Feb.12-13 to further bilateral political-military cooperation, such as Indonesia’s recent decision to upgrade its air force with the acquisition of F-16 aircraft.

The US official will also attend the groundbreaking for the new US-funded barracks at Sentul Peacekeeping Training Center, a facility which helps to meet the growing global demand for specialized military and civilian personnel to serve in peacekeeping missions.

Shapiro will then visit Singapore on Feb. 14-16 to attend the Singapore Air Show 2012 and also discuss political-military and defense trade issues with senior government officials and industry representatives.

On Feb. 15, he will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he will hold bilateral meetings with senior civilian and defense officials.

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By Pia Lee-Brago

The Philippine Star

February 10, 2012 12:00 AM

Link

Philippines wants to retain equipment from US ship

2012-02-11T00:26:00.000+08:00

CLARK, PAMPANGA, Philippines – The Philippine Navy is requesting the United States to keep intact some features of the second ship it plans to provide the country.

“We are hoping that they would add and retain (some of the ship’s capabilities),” Navy chief Vice Admiral Alexander Pama said at the sidelines of the Hot Air Balloon Festival here yesterday.

Among the ship’s features that Pama wants retained are communication equipment, sensors and radars.

The Navy chief said that they are grateful to the US because the second ship will be a big help to their naval defense capability.

Last year, the Philippines acquired the BRP Gregorio del Pilar from the US Coast Guard to enhance its territorial defense capabilities.

The ship – the Navy’s first Hamilton-class vessel – was acquired under the US Foreign Military Sales program.

The government spent P450 million for the vessel’s transfer costs.

The US, however, removed some of the ship’s accessories before it was turned over to the Philippines.

Some of the features stripped from the ship were the sensors, communications andelectronics equipment, and close-in weapons system.

Reports have quoted Kurt Campbell, US diplomat for East Asia, as saying that his government is considering a request by the Philippines to transfer equipment removed from the ship.

The Gregorio del Pilar was deployed to Palawan on Dec. 23.

On Wednesday, Republican Rep. Ed Royce told a congressional hearing that the review process for transferring the second ship to the Philippines would be finished this week.

“I am pleased to report that the congressional review process for another ship – Coast Guard cutter Dallas – wraps up this week. It should soon be on its way to Manila,” Royce said.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa said the acquisition of the second ship is still under negotiation.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said the transfer of the US ship to the Philippines would provoke conflict in the West Philippine Sea.

“The transfer of another naval cutter from the US government serves the purpose of US military buildup in the (West Philippine) Sea,” CPP said in a statement.

“By acquiring the US naval cutters and manning it to serve US interests, the Aquino regime is making the Philippines a possible target of the potential enemies of the US,” it explained.

According to the CPP, the US is planning to use the Philippine Navy as an “augmentation force” as it projects its military presence in the region.

Lawmakers: No to US bases

Meanwhile, San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito opposed yesterday the reported plan of the United States to build a small military base in the country.

“We fought long and hard to oust the US bases in Subic and Olongapo City. To reopen the US bases or set up new bases anywhere in the country should be non-negotiable. Clearly, at this point, our country does not have much to gain from this strategic military and economic plan of the US,” Ejercito said.

He was reacting to a report in the American media that the US plans to “rotate” some 4,000 troops through “Australia, Hawaii, Subic Bayand perhaps a smaller base in the Philippines.”

Twenty years ago, the Senate voted to terminate the RP-US Military Bases Agreement because the Constitution prohibits the presence of foreign troops in the country.

Ejercito’s father, former President and then senator Joseph Estrada, was among those who voted for removing the American bases.

Ejercito explained if the government does not handle US “rotation” proposals well, they could “eventually lead to the return of American bases here.”

“The Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) should suffice if the country wants to continue building relations with the US to explore increased joint military exercises and other military cooperation,” he noted.

Ejercito added, “For the government to give more than what we have already acceded to the US within the VFA would be counter-productive and a step towards infringing on the sovereignty of our country.”

He pointed out that building a US base, however small, would require an amendment of the Constitution, which clearly bans foreign military bases in the country.

Ejercito also expressed fears that the re-entry of more US troops here could cause other problems such as prostitution, gambling and abandonment of children fathered by American servicemen, and could even worsen the local communist insurgency problem.

Another congressman, Walden Bello of the party-list group Akbayan, urged the House of Representatives and the Senate to closely monitor talks to foster RP-US military cooperation.

“We in Congress should monitor the decisions that the administration is making. Talks between Philippine officials and their American counterparts are all over the news, but information about what is happening, and what is being agreed on, is very rare to come by,” Bello said during a privilege speech.

“Many of us in Congress have no knowledge of the plans that the Department of Foreign Affairs (is) discussing with the US. And while we don’t expect to have access to all the details, as the people’s representatives in government, Congress must gain an understanding of the overall direction of these plans,” he explained.
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With Jess Diaz
By Alexis Romero
The Philippine Star
February 10, 2012 12:00 AM
Link

Army’s K-9 trackers used to hasten rescue efforts

2012-02-11T00:22:00.002+08:00

THE 302nd Brigade of the Philippine Army revealed that K-9 trackers were sent to the landslide areas in Negros Oriental to help hasten the rescue and retrieval operations.

The landslide was triggered by 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Negros Island Monday.

At least 400 soldiers, Cafgus and reservists were also deployed in the area to intensify the rescue and retrieval operations, according to Captain Anacito Naz, Civil Military Operations Officer of the 302nd Brigade.

The Philippine Air Force helicopters also played a vital role in extricating the injured survivors from the site and in bringing them to the nearest hospital for medical treatment.

The report also said that a water purifier was also airlifted to La Libertad to address the shortage of potable water in the area.

Over 150 personnel with three backhoes are still conducting retrieval operations in Solonggon, La Libertad landslide area.

Eight more bodies were retrieved by rescuers in various landslide areas in Negros Oriental which were severely hit by the tremor.

Meanwhile, Office of Civil Defense Administrator Undersecretary Benito Ramos said the latest count of fatalities as of Thursday was 34, up from 26 bodies accounted for last Wednesday.

Seventy-one are still missing, he added.

Ramos said that aside from the aftershocks, the rescue and retrieval operations are further hampered by the rain.

Ramos said the aftershock count since Monday to Thursday reached 1,200.

He added that families of those believed buried under the landslides still hope that their kin are still alive.

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TED

Friday, February 10, 2012

SunStar.Com.Ph

Link

Air force airlifts 4 more to Cebu

2012-02-11T00:21:00.000+08:00

FOUR persons from Guihulngan, Negros Oriental were transferred to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City yesterday to receive treatment for injuries they sustained during last Monday’s earthquake.

The victims were identified as Marilyn Villacolar, 11; Jesselyn Anes, five; John Kenneth Sabijon, a high school student; and Marlyn Flores, 33, in an ABS-CBN TV Patrol report.

They were airlifted by the Philippine Air Force and arrived at the Mactan air base at 3:04 p.m.

Sending help

Anes and Flores suffered fractures in the arms and leg, respectively. Sabijon was injured after he reportedly jumped out of the school building when the tremor began.

“These victims need tertiary care as the hospital here in Negros could not cater to their injuries,” said Nonoy Mongaya in a phone interview with Sun.Star Cebu.

Mongaya, who was in Negros to help with rescue efforts, is the VSMMC’s information officer.

Several medical teams from Cebu City were sent to Negros Oriental to help attend to victims.

Last Wednesday, Felia Acabal, 33; Nicalona Mejares, seven; and a 62-year-old man who remains unidentified were also transferred to the VSMMC from Guihulngan.

Their injuries were critical, according to the rescue teams’ initial assessment.

Acabal and Mejares both fractured their leg after they were hit by a firewall, while the 62-year-old was injured when a ceiling collapsed on him at the height of the earthquake, which was considered to be the strongest to hit the region in nine decades.

“Until now, patients from Negros are being airlifted to Cebu,” Mongaya said in Cebuano.

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By Jill B. Tatoy

Friday, February 10, 2012

SunStar.Com.Ph

Link

EU urges gov't, MILF: Intensify peace talks

2012-02-11T00:19:00.000+08:00

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A European Union (EU) delegation urged the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) the other day to intensify their negotiations to reach a settlement acceptable to both parties at the “earliest possible moment.”

EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux said the EU believes there is now a genuine window of opportunity to bring the peace process to a successful end despite ups and downs in past negotiations.

“We believe that the timing is right for a decisive push toward an agreement and that such an opportunity should not be missed,” Ledoux said in a speech during the awarding ceremonies of the school painting competition “Let’s Paint for Peace” organized by the International Monitoring Team (IMT).

With Ledoux in the EU delegation were Ambassadors Stephen Lillie (United Kingdom), Willhem Donko (Austria) and Jorge Domecq (Spain), and Deputy Ambassadors Ralph Timmerman (Germany), Hugues-Antoine Suin (France), Jori Vobis (Czech Republic), and Alfonso Tagliaferri (Italy).

The government was represented in the ceremonies by professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, and the MILF by Mohagher Iqbal, chairman of its peace panel.

Ledoux cited the continuing efforts of the government and the MILF in striving to arrive at a peacefully negotiated settlement.

He said the EU believes that this is the best option for a sustainable resolution to the Mindanao conflict and that it is essential for the Philippines’ economic and social development.

“Beyond the untold physical and psychological suffering of affected civilians, one has to constantly recall that the conflict has enormous direct costs for the region but also indirect costs for the country and that sustainable economic and social development will only be possible with peace,” he said.

The European ambassadors commended the government and MILF panels for their efforts to achieve peace, particularly for their resolve to keep the peace process on track despite tragic incidents in Zamboanga Sibugay and Basilan last October.

The European ambassadors also praised the IMT for helping maintain a peaceful situation on the ground.

Ledoux noted that violations of the ceasefire agreement have been dramatically reduced and that incidents do not escalate when the IMT is present.

For her part, Coronel-Ferrer said the government peace panel is optimistic that a peace agreement with the MILF will be signed this year.

Coronel-Ferrer said the panel continues to be guided by President Aquino’ challenge for the talks to be transparent and for the draft peace agreement be submitted for consultations to avoid the difficulties encountered in an earlier memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain that was subsequently declared unconstitutional.

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By Pia Lee-Brago

The Philippine Star

February 10, 2012 12:00 AM

Link

Palparan: AFP not coddling me

2012-02-11T00:17:00.005+08:00

MALOLOS CITY - Retired Army General Jovito Palparan denied that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is coddling him and assured that he will refuse if offered assistance by retired generals.

“This is my own fight, do not blame the AFP and the retired generals for the continued failure of the government to have me arrested,” Palparan said in a one-page statement given by his lawyer, Jesus Santos, to journalists yesterday.

The retired military general said that he has deep respect for the AFP and the retired generals and he will not implicate them in a situation where their reputation will be put at stake.

“Once again, I call on the human rights groups to stop dragging the name of the AFP and the retired generals. Stop accusing them of coddling me,” Palparan said as he reiterated his vow not to surrender.

He said the AFP is a noble institution, whose members have pledged and took the oath to protect the people and uphold the law at all times.

He stressed that even if the AFP and the retired generals offer him assistance including a place to hide, he will not accept saying, “ I don’t want them to be involved.”

With regards to charges of kidnapping with serious illegal detention filed against him, the retired general said he instructed his lawyers to file all pleadings allowed before the court and the Department of Justice to prove that the charges against him are false and the procedure conducted was improper.

Santos, meanwhile, appealed to the government to consider utilizing Palparan for his skills brought by his training and experience as a soldier.

“General Palparan has always expressed his love for our country. He was never tainted with charges of corruption,” Santos said and added that his client was even sent by the government to head the Philippine contingent to East Timor and Iraq.

Santos also said that he has sent a letter to the director of the National Bureau of Investigation to help find Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño, the two missing University of the Philippines (UP) students abducted in Hagonoy town on June 26, 2006.

Palparan is accused of masterminding the kidnapping of the two students.

Last week, Santos manifested in court that he received information that the two students are still alive.

“I believe that they are still alive, and if found, there will be no case against General Palparan,” Santos said.

However, members of militant groups think otherwise.

They said that information manifested in court by Santos may lead to another wild goose chase, and might be part of a grand design to delay the case.

Members of Alyansang Mamamayan Para sa Karapatang Pantao (ALMMA)-Bulacan chapter said Palparan must be immediately hauled to jail.

They also challenged Palparan to surrender and prove his innocence before the court of law.

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By Dino Balabo

PhilStar.Com

February 10, 2012 01:31 PM

Link

Army suspends offensives vs NPA in quake-hit areas

2012-02-11T00:15:00.000+08:00

The Philippine Army has suspended tactical offensive operations against the communist New People’s Army areas of Negros devastated by a magnitude-6.9 quake last Monday.

Col. Francisco Patrimonio, the Army's 302nd Infantry Brigade commander, said he has instead mobilized his men to help in the retrieval of bodies from the rubble, according to a report on Visayan Daily Star.

Patrimonio said at least 300 soldiers and government militiamen are working in the retrieval operations, including landslide-hit areas in Planas village in Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental and in Sorongon village in La Libertad town.

He said they need more equipment, such as chainsaws, picks, shovels and other powered tools for retrieval operations in two landslide areas.

As of Thursday morning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) had said at least 26 were confirmed dead and 71 still missing in the wake of Monday's quake.

The Visayan Daily Star report quoted military reports indicating some 100 armed NPA members are still operating in Negros Oriental.

Of these, 50 are in the hinterlands of Guihulngan and neighboring areas, under the Leonardia Panaligan Command.

'Appeal' to NPA

Meanwhile, Capt. Reylan Java, 3rd Infantry Division spokesman, appealed to the NPA leadership in Negros Island to spare the rescue workers from hostile actions.

He urged the NPAs to help the affected residents instead.

Java said troops of the 11th and 79th Infantry Battalions and the 32nd Division Reconnaissance Company, all being supervised by the 302nd Infantry Brigade, were marshaled to perform rescue and retrieval operations in affected communities.

Two Air Force helicopters from the 2nd Air Division in Cebu are now being utilized in the search and rescue mission.

Maj. Gen. Jose Mabanta, the new 3rd Infantry Division commanding general, said they will continue efforts to help those affected by the natural disaster.
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LBG,
GMA News Online
February 10, 2012 9:40am
Link

NPA has no authority to conduct Palparan manhunt

2012-02-11T00:12:00.002+08:00

CLARK, Pampanga, Philippines – Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa yesterday said communist rebels have no authority to conduct a manhunt against former general Jovito Palparan, who was tagged in the disappearance of two student activists in 2006.

Dellosa said law enforcement activities should be conducted by the police and not by the members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

“That is a law enforcement activity and the NPA has no authority to do that. The Philippine National Police is supposed to be the lead agency. The NPA should not meddle with that,” Dellosa told The STAR.

Dellosa, who attended the Hot Air Balloon Festival here, said things would become more complicated if the rebels are allowed to conduct a manhunt.

“We in the military will support the Philippine National Police through the joint peace and security coordinating center,” he said.

“If we see him (Palparan), we will call the Philippine National Police to arrest him. The PNP has the authority,” he added.

Army spokesman Maj. Harold Cabunoc said the NPA would usurp the authority of law enforcers if it issues a warrant against Palparan. He said the rebels usually kill those who they accuse of wrongdoing.

“The Army leadership has issued a lookout bulletin to all units directing soldiers to report the presence of Gen. Palparan in their areas,” Cabunoc said in a text message.

He said officials have publicly called on Palparan to surrender to authorities to face the charges against him.

Earlier, the NPA had urged the public to provide information on Palparan’s whereabouts.

In a statement, the NPA said it has authorized all its units to take Palparan into custody and surrender him to revolutionary authorities.

“The NPA, the people’s militias and revolutionary mass organizations should closely look into reports of Palparan’s presence in their areas of responsibility and take immediate action,” the NPA said.

The Communist Party of the Philippines said a people’s court can be immediately convened to try and render judgment on Palparan.

Militant groups, along with lawyers’ organizations, said they were readying more cases of human rights violations against Palparan.

Palparan has been accused of ordering the abduction of student activists Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño in 2006.

The Malolos regional trial court issued a hold departure order against Palparan after he was indicted for the students’ disappearance.

Police have formed tracker teams to run after Palparan and his co-accused military personnel Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado Jr., S/Sgt. Edgardo Osorio, and M/Sgt. Rizal Hilario.

Palparan reportedly disappeared after he had tried to board a flight to Singapore at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Pampanga last Dec. 19.

The government has offered P1 million for information that would lead to his arrest.

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Alexis Romero, Dino Balabo

The Philippine Star

February 10, 2012 12:00 AM

Link

NPA leader arrested in Laguna

2012-02-11T00:10:00.000+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - A ranking New People’s Army (NPA) rebel, facing various charges in court, was arrested in Bay, Laguna on Tuesday afternoon.

Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr., Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief, said Annebelle Bueno, alias Ka Girlie, Fara and Lara, who was cornered in Barangay Maitim, Bay town, is the head of the regional organizational department of the NPA’s Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee.

During her arrest, Bueno yielded several subversive documents, 14 sticks of explosives, four blasting caps, and assorted medicine.

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Non Alquitran, Ed Amoroso

The Philippine Star

February 10, 2012 12:00 AM

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Bomb components recovery prevented bombing

2012-02-11T00:08:00.000+08:00

The recovery of bomb-making materials on Wednesday has prevented the possible loss of lives and destruction of properties in Zamboanga City, military officials said.

Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) chief Major General Noel Coballes said Thursday that the materials once assembled into bombs could cause big destruction as well as kill or inflict injuries.

The recovered bomb-making materials include blasting caps; ammonium nitrate placed in a 1.5 liter container; electronic tester, nine-volt batteries; printed circuit boards; mini-drill; transistors; capacitors; light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs; soldering iron; soldering lead; diodes; and wires.

Task Force Zamboanga commander Colonel Buenaventura Pascual said it is possible that the Pingli Akilan group was the ones responsible in the bombing on October of last year in the village of Sangali, 25.3 kilometers east of the city.

The explosion that took place outside an eatery killed a construction worker and injured eight others.

This as the findings of the explosive ordnance demolition (EOD) of the local police showed that the bomb components used in the Sangali bombing are similar to the ones recovered Thursday in Landang Laum village, Sacol Island, according to Pascual.

The bomb-making materials were recovered when the four members of the Pingli Akilan group fled and abandoned their “jungkung-type” motorized banca following a brief firefight with government forces.

The bomb components were concealed in a tool box the troops found aboard the motorized banca.

The military and police forces were alerted and ordered to undertake proactive measures to prevent lawless elements from carrying out bomb attacks.

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Bong Garcia

Thursday, February 9, 2012

SunStar.Com.Ph

Link

U.S. military seeks more access in Philippines

2012-02-09T21:09:00.000+08:00

MANILA (Reuters) - The United States is seeking more access toPhilippines ports and airfields to re-fuel and service its warships and planes, diplomatic and military sources said on Thursday, expanding its presence at a time of tension with China in the South China Sea.

But it is not trying to reopen military bases there.

Washington's growing cooperation in the Philippines, a U.S. ally which voted to remove huge American naval and air bases 20 years ago, follows the U.S. announcement last year of plans to set up a Marine base in northern Australia and possibly station warships in Singapore.

It also coincides with diplomatic and military friction in the South China Sea and its oil-rich Spratly Islands, which are subject to disputed claims by China, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.

Last month, senior Philippine defense and foreign affairs officials met their U.S. counterparts in Washington to discuss ways to increase the number and frequency of joint exercises, training, ship and aircraft visits and other activities.

"It's access, not bases," a foreign affairs department official familiar with the strategic dialogue told Reuters.

"Our talks focus on strengthening cooperation on military and non-military activities, such as disaster response and humanitarian assistance, counter-terrorism, non-proliferation. There were no discussions about new U.S. bases," he said.

These activities would allow the U.S. military more access in the Philippines, stretching its presence beyond local military facilities and training grounds into central Cebu province or to Batanes island near the northern borders with Taiwan.

U.S. ships and aircraft are seeking access for re-supply, re-fueling and repairs, not just for goodwill visits, exercises and training activities, the diplomat said.

The Philippines was ruled by the United States for nearly five decades between the departure of the Spanish and the Japanese occupation during the Second World War, and is now one of its foremost allies in Asia, despite expelling the U.S. from its former military bases at Clark and Subic Bay in 1992.

Since 1987, the Philippine constitution has explicitly banned a permanent foreign military presence. But Washington maintains close military ties under a 1951 defense treaty, and its special forces have been helping the Philippine military combat Islamic militants in the south of the country since 2002.

A Filipino diplomat said Washington's expanding presence is allowed under the under a 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement and a 2002 Mutual Logistics Support Agreement.

The issue is likely to be raised during a visit to Manila from Friday by U.S. Assistant Secretary Andrew Shapiro, senior advisor on political-military affairs to Secretary Hillary Clinton.

U.S. MILITARY "HARDWARE"

Apart from training and exercises, the two countries discussed U.S. military assistance, including equipment and data to enhance "domain awareness" in the South China Sea.

A second Hamilton-class cutter will be transferred to the Philippine Navy this year and a possible third second-hand cutter was also discussed, the diplomat added.

"On our side, we're also trying to explore ways on how to access newer U.S. military hardware through innovative financial schemes other than the usual channels," the foreign affairs official said.

Military sources said Manila was studying leasing newer offshore patrol vessels, larger sealift and support vessels and lead-in fighter trainer aircraft.

Last month, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters Manila is also considering a proposal from the United States Pacific Command to deploy P3C-Orion spy planes in the country to help monitor movements and activities in the South China Sea.

The disputed ownership of oil-rich reefs and islands in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in trade sails annually, is one of the biggest security threats in Asia. Beijing says it has historical sovereignty over the South China Sea, superseding claims of other countries.

Tension over the region and the U.S. plans to expand its military operations in the Asia-Pacific, long an issue with China, could well come up in talks when China's leader-in-waiting Xi Jingping visits Washington next week.

China has expressed misgivings about the Obama administration's shift to raise its security role in the region at a time when Beijing is expanding its own military reach.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Command's proposal to deploy spy planes came two months after State and Pentagon officials offered to share surveillance data on the South China Sea during talks with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario in June 2011.

Last year, Del Rosario repeatedly protested against China's activities and intrusions into Philippine maritime territories, including an attempt to ram a survey ship exploring oil and gas in the South China Sea. Manila had accused China's ships of crossing into its maritime borders nearly a dozen times in 2011.

The Philippines has welcomed plans by the United States to shift more attention in the Asia and Pacific region and senior officials said an expanded U.S. military presence could enhance peace and stability.

"For us, it would boost our deterrent capability to stop intrusions into our territories," said the diplomat.

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(Editing by Jason Szep and Jonathan Thatcher)

By Manuel Mogato | Reuters

Yahoo News Online

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Philippine Navy to get 2nd warship from US

2012-02-09T15:10:00.001+08:00

WASHINGTON, DC—United States lawmakers have backed efforts by the Obama administration to forge a stronger relationship with the Philippines and said Congress will soon approve the transfer of a second ship to help the ally’s navy defend its waters.

Republican Representative Ed Royce told a House of Representatives foreign affairs subcommittee hearing on US-Philippine relations that the congressional review process for transferring the Coast Guard Cutter Dallas will be finished this week, and the ship should soon be on its way to the Philippines.

Another aging US cutter, the Hamilton, was transferred to the Philippines last May, since renamed the BRP Gregorio del Pilar.

The US has sought to boost the Philippines’ ability to maintain its maritime security because of its ally’s concern over assertive Chinese behavior in disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea (or the South China Sea).

‘No claims’

While the United States has no territorial claims in the region, the top US diplomat for East Asia, Kurt Campbell, reiterated that the US has a national interest in such claims’ peaceful resolution and the freedom of navigation in seas that carry about a half the total tonnage of world trade.

Campbell said the US is considering a “reasonable” Philippine request also to transfer gear stripped from the Hamilton before it was handed over.

The US took the sensors from the ship before it was decommissioned, as well as its communications and electronics equipment, and close-in weapons system, which is used to detect and destroy at short range incoming antiship missiles and enemy aircraft.

The ship, commissioned in 1967, was transferred under a program that offers “excess defense articles” to foreign partners in support of US national security and foreign policy objectives.

Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Lavoy said the Hamilton had completed on Monday its first patrol in the vicinity of the Spratly group of islands.

Noncommital of F-16s

Asked about possible Philippine acquisition of F-16 fighter jets, Lavoy was noncommital. He said the US was considering a range of military capabilities requested by the Philippines, and “affordability and sustainability” would be critical in evaluating them.

Campbell, who stressed the importance of stronger economic ties, spoke in gushing terms about the bilateral relationship with the Philippines, one of five US treaty allies in Asia.

“There’s no country in Asia that’s more welcoming to the United States, more supportive of a stronger relationship and more on our side, rooting for us every step of the way,” he said.

He described President Benigno Aquino III as a person of “rare integrity” and lauded his efforts to fight corruption.

The two Republican lawmakers who spoke at the hearing supported administration efforts to strengthen ties. Royce said the Philippines had been largely ignored in US foreign policy in recent years, but that was starting to change.

Representative Dana Rohrabacher, an arch critic of China, praised the joint US-Philippine efforts to fight Islamic militants in the southern Philippines. For the past decade, hundreds of US forces have helped equip and train Filipino forces there.

Rohrabacher described an air strike last week that killed a leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, for which the US shared intelligence, as a victory against radical Islam.

“We need to stand as aggressively and as solidly with the Philippine government in confronting an aggressive, arrogant, expansionist China as we have in standing against radical Islam,” he said.

The US will soon give a second Coast Guard cutter to the Philippines as part of efforts to boost the ally’s military amid tensions at sea with China, officials said Wednesday.

The US last year transferred its Hamilton cutter to the Philippines, which made it the flagship of its notoriously dilapidated navy and recently sent it on a mission to the disputed Spratly islands.

Lawmakers will this week conclude formalities to send to the Philippines, a former US colony another cutter, the Dallas, Representative Ed Royce and senior Pentagon official Peter Lavoy told a congressional hearing.

“It should soon be on its way to Manila,” said Royce, a Republican from southern California whose district has a significant Filipino American community.

“The US and the Philippines want peace and stability in this region, which is key to the global economy,” Royce said as he chaired the hearing of a House foreign affairs subcommittee.

The Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries have accused China of bellicose behavior over disputes in the South China Sea. Despite historical sensitivities about US troops, the Philippines has said it would welcome further rotations by US forces on its soil and more joint exercises.

------------------------------------

AP and AFP

Philippine Daily Inquirer

2:09 am | Thursday, February 9th, 2012

Link

US government to hand over second ship to Philippines

2012-02-09T15:08:00.003+08:00

WASHINGTON – The US government will hand over a second Coast Guard cutter to the Philippines with the aim of improving the country’s maritime security in light of heightened tension in the South China Sea, a congressional hearing was told.

Republican Rep. Ed Royce told a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs hearing on US-Philippine relations that the congressional review process for transferring the Coast Guard cutter Dallas will be finished this week, and the ship should soon be on its way to Manila. Another aging US cutter, the Hamilton, was transferred to the Philippines last May.

“I am pleased to report that the congressional review process for another ship – Coast Guard cutter Dallas – wraps up this week. It should soon be on its way to Manila,” he added.

The US has sought to boost the Philippines’ ability to maintain its maritime security because of its ally’s concern over assertive Chinese behavior in disputed waters of the South China Sea.

“Aggressive Chinese claims on the South China Sea – or the West Philippine Sea as it is referred to in Manila – are driving the nations of Southeast Asia to seek closer US ties,” Royce said.

At the same time, the US and the Philippines are working to expand their trade and investment relationship.

A legislation is pending in the US House ways and means committee that would restore to the Philippines preferential access to the US market for many clothing items it lost when a global apparel quota system was lifted seven years ago.

Royce admitted the Philippines had been largely ignored in US foreign policy for some time but said things were starting to change.

He pointed out that this was the first congressional hearing focused solely on Phl-US relations in many years.

While the United States has no territorial claims in the region, the top US diplomat for East Asia, Kurt Campbell, reiterated that the US has a national interest in such claims’ peaceful resolution and the freedom of navigation in seas that carry about half the total tonnage of world trade.

“In many ways, we are writing a new chapter in our relationship and turning the page from a legacy of paternalism to a partnership of equals,” he said.

Campbell said the US is considering a “reasonable” Philippine request also to transfer gear stripped from the Hamilton before it was handed over.

The US took the sensors from the ship before it was decommissioned, as well as its communications and electronics equipment, and close-in weapons system, which are used to detect and destroy at short-range incoming anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft.

The ship, commissioned in 1967, was transferred under a program that offers “excess defense articles” to foreign partners in support of US national security and foreign policy objectives.

Last year, the US transferred the Coast Guard cutter Hamilton to the Philippines. Now renamed BPR Gregorio del Pilar, the cutter serves as the flagship of the Philippine Navy.

“In the coming months, we hope to transfer a second Coast Guard cutter to the Philippines, as well as support other improvements in its surveillance and detection capabilities,” Campbell said.

He said multiple overlapping claims to disputed territories in the South China Sea have led to heightened tension among claimant states even as the US takes no position on the competing sovereignty claims.

“Our goal, which we share with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), is to support a collaborative diplomatic process by all claimants to resolve their disputes without coercion,” Campbell said.

He said the Philippines and the US were constantly looking to enhance their security relationship to better address the range of regional security challenges of interest to both.

“We are making sure that our collective defense capabilities and communications infrastructure are operationally and materially capable of deterring provocation from the full spectrum of state and non-state actors,” Campbell said.

Campbell described Philippine President Benigno Aquino as a person of “rare integrity” and lauded his efforts to fight corruption.

He said if Aquino and his administration remained committed to rooting out corruption, “I firmly believe the Philippines can continue to improve its global standing, its ranking in the various indices of corruption, and its chances of attracting job-creating investment by American and international companies.”

Campbell stressed the importance of stronger economic ties, as he spoke in gushing terms about the bilateral relationship with the Philippines, one of five US treaty allies in Asia.

“There’s no country in Asia that’s more welcoming to the United States, more supportive of a stronger relationship and more on our side, rooting for us every step of the way,” he said.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, an arch critic of China, praised the joint US-Philippine efforts to fight Islamic militants in the southern Philippines. For the past decade, hundreds of US forces have helped equip and train Filipino forces there.

Rohrabacher described an airstrike last week that killed a leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, for which the US shared intelligence, as a victory against radical Islam.

“We need to stand as aggressively and as solidly with the Philippine government in confronting an aggressive, arrogant, expansionist China as we have in standing against radical Islam,” he said.

Welcome

The Philippine military welcomed the support given by US lawmakers to the Obama administration’s plan to boost its ties with the Philippines.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the backing of US lawmakers would help boost the AFP’s capability to fulfill its mission.

“This is a welcome development for the AFP who continues to strive to be more efficient and effective in fulfilling its constitutional mandate of protecting the people and upholding the sovereignty and integrity of its national territory,” he said.
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With AP, Alexis Romero
By Jose Katigbak, STAR Washington Bureau
The Philippine Star
February 09, 2012 12:00 AM
Link

2 AFP officers get new posts

2012-02-09T14:58:00.002+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - Two senior military officers assumed as commanders of vital units of the Armed Forces yesterday.

Brig. Gen. Alan Luga, a graduate of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1981, took over the leadership of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division based in Nueva Ecija.

On the other hand, Col. Raul del Rosario was installed as the new chief of the Air Force’s Air Defense Wing based in Floridablanca, Pampanga.

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By Alexis Romero

The Philippine Star

February 09, 2012 12:00 AM

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