Coast watch stations improves PN capability

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

US military to help Philippines monitor coastal waters

The US military said Tuesday it planned to help the Philippines monitor its coastal waters as Manila faces an escalating dispute with China over territorial claims.

The Pentagon revised earlier comments and said there was no firm plan to deliver a land-based radar to the Philippines, but that a radar could be part of future assistance.

"We are in the initial planning stages of assisting the Philippines with a National Coast Watch Center," Major Catherine Wilkinson told AFP.

The center is designed "to create an overall picture of what is going on in the Philippines' territorial waters," she said.

"Right now we are discussing a range of options and no details have been finalized. Radars may be an eventual part of the package but it hasn't been determined yet."
The cost and the time line for the project were still being worked out, she said.

The Philippines has requested radar, patrol aircraft and naval vessels as it seeks to bolster its position in a row with China over the Scarborough Shoal, which lies near the main Philippine island of Luzon.

China claims the area along with virtually all of the South China Sea up to the shores of other Southeast Asian nations, including Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The Pentagon's comments came after President Benigno Aquino paid a visit last week to the White House, where he was offered a robust show of support.

Plans to help Manila reflect Washington's strategic shift towards Asia amid a growing rivalry with Beijing, with the South China Sea at the center of the contest, analysts said.

"Land-based radar is one of the practical ways the United States can simultaneously boost Philippine defense capabilities and signal Washington's long-term commitment to Asia," said Patrick Cronin, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington think tank.

China may choose to defuse tensions with the Philippines just before a gathering of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations next month, Cronin said.

"But it is also possible that China is determined to humiliate the Philippines and, indirectly, the United States," he told AFP.

Manila's request for US military help marks a reversal after the Philippines evicted the American military from its vast naval base at Subic Bay in 1992.

It was unlikely the United States would look at providing military aircraft at a time when China may be preparing a conciliatory gesture, Cronin said.

"If China persists with embarrassing the Philippines, then I have no doubt aircraft sales will follow," he said.

Tensions between Beijing and Manila escalated in April when Chinese and Philippine vessels approached the Scarborough Shoal, which lies near the main Philippine island of Luzon. 

Manila says the rock formation falls within its exclusive economic zone.

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Agence France-Presse/Yahoo News Online | June 13, 2012 | Article Link

Clinton: US to help build Philippine Coast Watch Center

MANILA, Philippines - The United States will help build a new National Coast Watch Center in the Philippines amid Manila's ongoing dispute with Beijing over ownership of Scarborough Shoal, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday (early Saturday morning in Manila).

Clinton made the announcement in a lunch she hosted at the US Department of State's Benjamin Franklin Dining Room for Philippine President Benigno Aquino, who is in Washington, D.C. in an official state visit.

She mentioned the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines, adding that American military special forces have been working side by side with their Filipino counterparts.

"We are also working closely together to increase information and intelligence exchanges and coordination on maritime domain issues," she said. 

"And in this context, I'm pleased to announce today that the United States will support the construction, outfitting, and training of a new National Coast Watch Center in the Philippines," she added.

Clinton said that as allies, Washington and Manila consult on on important regional issues and cited the South China Sea issue. 

She said that while the US does not take a position on the competing territorial claims in the region, it has "a clear interest in the maintenance of peace and stability, freedom of navigation, respect for international law, and unimpeded lawful commerce in the South China Sea."

Clinton praised the Aquino government's initial steps to defuse tensions surrounding Scarborough shoal. 

"We encourage continued diplomatic dialogue and further efforts to lessen tension, to disengage, and to resolve the situation peacefully," she said. "The United States has been consistent in that we oppose the use of force or coercion by any claimant to advance its claims, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely."

She also urged China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to reach consensus on a code of conduct for the South China Sea.

Clinton, during her speech, also announced the signing of a new agreement with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.

She said the agreement will spur joint US-Philippine efforts on science and technology.

"When our scientists share their ideas and their resources, not only do our two countries but the world reaps the benefits," she said. 

Clinton also said the US will also increase the number of its Peace Corps volunteers in the Philippines. 

"President Aquino first came to the United States over 30 years ago to seek asylum with his family as political turmoil ravaged his country. Today, I welcome him here to reaffirm our shared future based on mutual respect and interests, our common democratic values, new partnerships, and the bonds between our peoples," Clinton said.

Aquino, meanwhile, hailed the partnership between the two nations.

"We are clearly at a new juncture in our relations while we both remained grounded in our history and in the democratic principles and values we both hold, our success is also about what we can do together: to build a more stable region and to achieve an even more prosperous future for both our peoples," he said.

"That we are here now signifies our desire to further accelerate the achievement of these goals. I see a very rewarding future ahead of us as we worked on the different elements that comprise our partnership, such as our ties in defense and security, in our economies and amongst our peoples," Aquino added. 

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Jojo Malig | ABS-CBNnews.com | June 9, 2012 | Article Link