Philippine Navy launches strategy in the south amid China's aggressiveness

The Philippine Navy has launched its "active archipelagic strategy" to defend and secure the country's territory  in the face of China's aggressiveness over the disputed West Philippine Sea, said Naval Chief Vice Admiral Jose Luis Alano.
 
However, Alano  refused to elaborate about the naval effort in asserting its mission following Beijing's  fishing rule in the disputed waters it claimed to be as part of its territory.

According to Alano, their security effort has been there and was not in response to the posturing of the Chinese  over the resource-rich disputed territory.

“This (active archipelagic strategy security plan) is something that has already been there. As we do that, we are creating more prosperity. And with prosperity more things needs to be secure for our people,” Alano said when asked by newsmen if the naval operational plan was in response to the Chinese domination and control of the disputed territory.

Alano said the Navy is developing its capability.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin earlier said  the military is willing to escort and secure Filipino fishermen following China's fishing rules.

Alano said the Navy continues to improve increase its capabilities and the upgrades are  in the pipeline under the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Alano has also installed Tuesday a new commander of the naval command base here.

Alano placed Rear Admiral Jesus Millan as commander of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM), the largest navy operational command  to replace Vice Rear Admiral Isabelo Gador in a formal turn-over of command ceremony held at the ground of Romula Espaldon naval base in Lower Calarian in this city.

Gador was promoted to a higher position being the incoming Naval Vice Commander.

Alano, who presided  over the change of command ceremony, credited Gador’s leadership in helping quell the siege staged by the rebels of the Nur Misuari faction of the  Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in September in this city.

The attack of the MNLF rebels was detected initially by the patrolling naval boat following the encounter that left one of its personnel killed and prevented possible succeeding reinforcement of the rebels coming from Sulu and Basilan through the seas.

Alano reminded the new leadership of the NFWM of the vital role of the base here as the Philippine Navy's largest operational command in ensuring  stability in this part of the country.

Article Source: The Philippine Star

On Navy Day, read-along held in 8 provinces

For 500 children, it was a day for make-believe.

Gathered in separate groups in various locations around the country, the youngsters—for a few hours, at least—turned into environmental warriors battling to save the “pawikan” (sea turtle) from extinction or fighting fishermen engaged in dynamite fishing.

They also rode a whale as it swam toward a ship it had fallen in love with.

These were the highlights of Saturday’s special Inquirer Read-Along sessions held in Manila and eight provinces to mark the 114th anniversary of the Philippine Navy this month.

A separate read-along session was also held on Siargao Island, Surigao Del Norte, where at least 100 children listened to a story about taking care of the seas read by Climate Change Commission Vice Chair Mary Ann Lucille Sering.

The simultaneous storytelling sessions, using the Philippine Navy’s video teleconferencing system (VTS), featured returning storyteller Cheryl Cosim, Alitaptap readers Rich Rodriguez and Posh Develos, and Lt. Doris Dizon.

Children from eight other naval bases around the country joined the read-along sessions held at the Philippine Navy headquarters on Roxas Boulevard in Manila and broadcast simultaneously to the eight bases with the help of the VTS.

This was the second time the Navy and the Inquirer had used the VTS technology for simultaneous read-along sessions nationwide.

“Since the first time was such a success, we decided to do it again this year,” said the Navy chief, Vice Adm. Alexander P. Pama.

“We made some improvements and the children from the other naval bases were more receptive and participative. I think we were able to achieve our purpose, which is to encourage children to read. We are really thankful to the Inquirer for pushing the advocacy. I hope this can be a yearly thing,” he added.

The VTS is usually used by the Navy for meetings with staff and commanders from other naval forces, reducing the need to travel, according to Pama.

The participating bases were the Naval Station Felix Apolinario in Panacan, Davao City; Naval Base Rafael Ramos in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu; Naval Station San Miguel in San Antonio, Zambales; Naval Station Romulo M. Espaldon in Lower Calarian, Zamboanga City; Naval Station Julhasan A. Arasain in Rawis, Legazpi City; Naval Station Heracleo Alano in Sangley Point, Cavite City; Naval Station Ernesto R. Ogbinar in Poro Point, San Fernando City, La Union; and Naval Station Apolinario Jalandoon in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

Cosim, a television news personality, read “Si Carancal Laban sa mga Bongbongeros (Carancal against the Dynamite Pirates),” by Rene Villanueva and published by Lampara. It deals with the dangers of dynamite fishing.

“I was amazed at the technology. It was interesting to see children from different parts of the country react to the storytelling,” Cosim said.

Importance of reading 

A recent recipient of the military’s “Bayanihan” Award, Cosim also works with the Navy during medical missions featured in her program “Alagang Kapatid,” especially during typhoons and other emergencies. Her show airs on TV5.

A child right’s advocate, Cosim said she always made time for programs like the read-along, “which help children in so many ways.”

“The read-along is engaging and it keeps children entertained. More than anything, it is also an avenue to help children realize the importance of education. I feel happy that I am able to contribute to the cause of the Inquirer and the Navy,” she said.

Dizon, of the naval management and fiscal office, read “Domino and the Whale” by Lina B. Diaz de Rivera, a story about a whale which fell in love with a ship.

Rodriguez and Develos did a tandem reading of Adarna’s “Si Pilandok sa Pulo ng Pawikan,” by Victoria Añonuevo, a story about how the tiny warrior Pilandok saved the endangered species.

Through the VTS, the readers interacted with the kids, who were either children or dependents of Navy personnel, during the question and answer session that followed each reading.

In Cebu, PO1 Merly Mendoza beamed with pride when her daughter, Dorothy Anne, correctly answered a question. “This is a good sign, it means Dorothy Anne is paying attention and that she likes to read,” Mendoza said.

With street children

In Zamboanga, Rear Adm. Armando Guzman, commander of Naval Forces Western Mindanao, said the children were very attentive during the session. “When the book was flashed on screen, they read every word on it,” he said.

Guzman said read-along made reading books fun and exciting to the children.

In Davao City, children of soldiers sat side by side with those from Padre Pio’s Home for Children, a Catholic institution for orphaned and abandoned children.

In Palawan, John Rafael Ambag, 12, a son of an enlisted personnel, said it was “refreshing” to be part of the session. “We were made aware of how to take care of mother nature and how to avoid its destruction,” he said

In Legazpi City, Commo. Abraham Celzo, commander of Naval Forces Southern Luzon, and his staff led by Lt. Darwin Nieva, added a repertoire of songs and dances to the stories.

Thankful Laxa 

Henry Simpas, 10, of Cavite, said he enjoyed most the story of Pilandok and the pawikan.

“It teaches people to take care of animals, especially (the) endangered species,” Simpas said.

He said the story reminded him of a TV report about protecting endangered animals. “I also remembered my dog Nestor and our pet fish at home.”

In Manila, 13-year-old Paula Ghie Laxa said she felt “very thankful” to be in the session. Laxa is one of 20 street children brought by social welfare officials to the reading.

About 35 children of enlisted men trooped to San Antonio in Zambales to join the simulcast.

In La Union, 5-year-old LJ Jarata sat enthralled as she listened to the stories of sea creatures. Like the nearly 30 other children gathered at Poro Point in San Fernando City, she is a child of a Navy personnel.

“Storytelling and reading should really be instilled in children so they should not get trampled on by technology,” said CS3 Rosalinda Borja, president of the Naval Forces Women’s League, referring to computer games and social networking sites that have become popular among children.

Col. Elizabeth A. Vingson, president of Philippine Navy Officers Wives Association, said the program aimed to stress the importance of reading and reach out to children in need. “Reading is very important in the children’s learning process.” she said. 

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the Inquirer Read-Along team | Philippine Daily Inquirer | May 21, 2012 | Article Link

 

5 injured in cruise ship fire off Tubbataha - Philippine Navy

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines -- (UPDATE 3 - 1:55 p.m.) At least five passengers were injured when a fire struck a cruise ship off Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park between Palawan and Panay islands, authorities said Saturday.

The Philippine Coast Guard and Naval Forces West have dispatched several vessels to assist the Azamara Quest, which was reported to have 600 passengers, mostly Americans and Europeans, and a crew of 121 Filipinos.

Benito Ramos, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and Eugene Cabrera, chief of the Office of Civil Defense for the Mimaropa region, said the Coast Guard received an emergency call from the ship around 7 a.m.

Cabrera described the fire as "minor."

The 30,000-gross ton, 181-meter long vessel was sailing from Manila to Indonesia.

"Our information is that the fire is under control but the ship needs to evacuate five injured passengers," Navforwest’s Commander Joseph Rostum Pena said.

The information belied an earlier travel alert posted on the website of cruise operator Azamara Club Cruises that none of the passengers had been hurt.

Cabrera said one of the injured passengers was in "unstable" condition. The rest sustained minor injuries.

The 570th Composite Air Wing also scrambled an aircraft to track down the vessel, which had reported it position at 45 nautical miles northeast of Mapun Island. Cabrera said the Coast Guard in Palawan plotted the ship at 140 miles from Sandakan, Malaysia.

Among the vessels on the way to the ship are PS31 and two vessels of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources from Zamboanga City, PG118 from Tawi-Tawi, Mpac from Jolo, and PG392 from Palawan.

Ramos and said the Coast Guard has also dispatched the BRP Edsa and BRP Romblon.

Cabrera said the ship's operators have also chartered a Malaysian tugboat to tow the vessel in case efforts to restore propulsion fail.

Pena said they also alerted the YL Fishing Company, which had a vessel plotted in the vicinity of the distressed ship, to help with the rescue efforts.

In its travel alert, Azamara Club Cruises said the fire broke out onboard the Azamara Quest around 8:19 p.m. Friday ship time and was quickly extinguished.

“There were no injuries of guests reported and the atmosphere aboard is calm,” the company claimed.

“The ship is still located 200 miles off the coast of Balikpapan, (Borneo), Indonesia, in calm seas,” the company said, adding engineers had restored power to one of the engines, restoring air conditioning, running water, plumbing and refrigeration, but that “the ship does not have propulsion capabilities at this time.”

The Azamara Quest was on a 17-night sailing that departed Hong Kong Monday, March 26, with scheduled port calls to Manila, Balikpapan (Borneo), Palapo (Sulawesi), Benoa Bali, Semarang and Komodo, Indonesia and ending in Singapore on Thursday, April 12, it said.

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Elmer Badilla and Abigail Kwok | InterAksyon.com | March 31, 2012 | Article Link

WESCOM, Lingkod Timog Fdn team up for free medical services to indigents of Simpocan

ISABELA CITY, Basilan — The Lingkod Timog Foundation teams up with the Western Command (WESCOM) and various organizations that recently provided free medical services to some 1,500 indigent patients of Simpocan in Palawan.

The 6th Civil Relations Group of the AFP said that the medical and dental mission was made successful with the support of Puerto Princesa City Health Office and the Barangay health workers and volunteers from several non-government organizations that include Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI) and the Jaycees Foundation.

This undertaking is part of the AFP’s Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) “Bayanihan”, wherein all stakeholders are participating in winning the peace through hand-in-hand voluntary services.

Residents and some of the Tagbanua tribes of the barangay were given free basic medical and dental services such as blood pressure check-up, blood smearing and tooth extraction wherein majority could barely afford.

The medical team also offered free circumcision to little boys who felt man enough to go through what is considered a rite of passage in Filipino culture.

More than 1,500 residents benefitted from the said medical and dental mission.

Barangay Chairman Boy Macasaet expressed his gratitude for choosing his barangay as the venue.

During the said activity, the 6th Civil Relations Group conducted film-viewing to the residents, while waiting to be examined by the doctors, to emphasize what the AFP is doing right now to help the Filipinos in “winning the peace”.

WESCOM Commander LtGen Juancho M Sabban AFP said, “with the new IPSP already in effect, the AFP will be implementing more civil-military operations such as the medical mission conducted in Barangay Simpocan in this city. The new IPSP of the AFP, called “Bayanihan,” is heavy on community service-oriented and development-centered programs and projects. It will be in effect until 2016.”

“Through the “Bayanihan,” the armed forces will become not just the protector of the people, but a strong partner in development as well,” the WESCOM Chief added.

Other units and organizations that participated are as follows: Naval Forces West (NFW) of the Navy; 570th Composite Tactical Wing (570th CTW) of the Air Force; Marine Battalion Landing Team 4 and 12 (MBLT-4&12); Camp General Artemio Ricarte Station Hospital and the 1308th Dental Dispensary.

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Rene V. Carbayas | ZamboTimes.Com | Monday, March 5. 2012 | Article Link

China hits out at 'troublemaker' Manila in maritime row

China and the Philippines are continuing to trade barbs amid a rumbling row over disputed areas in the South China Sea.

A China Daily editorial called Manila a "troublemaker" and criticised its move to allow oil and gas companies to bid for contracts in two offshore areas.

Both countries claim sovereignty over the areas in the South China Sea.

The exchange began after Manila said on Monday that it would start awarding exploration contracts next month.

The territorial dispute in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines has been going on for decades.

But the exchange of words between the two countries spiked after the Philippines' announcement that two offshore areas 49 miles (79km) off Palawan were to be included in the bid for oil and gas licences.

China states its "indisputable sovereignty" in the China Daily editorial, warning that the Philippines "should assume direct responsibility for the fresh flare up of the South China Sea issue".

Earlier this week, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei also said that it was "unlawful for any country or company to explore oil and gas in areas under Chinese jurisdiction".

But the Philippines insists it does not need China's permission.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the oil and gas contracts off Palawan did not need Beijing's approval and that under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the area was "well within our sovereignty".

Last year, the Philippines claimed that China had repeatedly intruded into its territorial waters in relation to oil exploration in a separate area near Palawan.

China is engaged in multiple territorial disputes in the South China Sea with its neighbours, including Vietnam and Malaysia.

Vietnam this week lodged a protest with China after 11 fishermen were reportedly assaulted by Chinese forces in a disputed area on 22 February after they reportedly tried to avoid a storm.

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1 March 2012 Last updated at 07:45 GMT

BBC News

Article Link

DFA: No to joint development with China

The joint development of areas in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) that “are clearly ours is not a viable solution” to our problem with China, according to Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario.

As for the potentially resource-rich Spratlys group of islands, the Philippines is “open to considering joint development in the disputed areas,” Del Rosario told the Philippine Daily Inquirer Sunday.

Del Rosario said that during his meeting last week with Wang Yingfan and Wang Chungui, two former Chinese ambassadors to the Philippines who were here on a goodwill visit, he “reiterated our position that we are open to inviting China in the Recto Bank as an investor to be governed by [our] laws.”

The Recto Bank (Reed Bank), he pointed out, was an “integral part of the Philippines and, as such, cannot be jointly developed.”

“To do so would be in violation of our Constitution,” he said.

The Recto Bank had drawn China’s interest several months ago when the Philippine Air Force discovered several Chinese vessels in its vicinity.

Other option

As another option, Del Rosario said “we again asked if China would join us in availing of the dispute settlement mechanism under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” or Unclos.

He said he told his guests the government was “endeavoring to look at all means to arrive at a peaceful solution of the disputes in the West Philippine Sea in accordance with international law, specifically Unclos.”

Apart from China’s suggestion that the Philippines revisit the concept of joint development of the Spratlys, the two sides also discussed “how both nations are advancing our bilateral agenda while treating contentious issues separately, and the view that we should not accept all that appear in the press as being factual,” Del Rosario said.

According to the secretary, the retired ambassadors were “very appreciative (they) came to enhance our friendship and cooperation.”

Earlier, he told this paper that “their visit serves to put substance in the initiative (of China and the Philippines) on friendly visits.”

During President Benigno Aquino III’s state visit to Beijing last August, both sides declared 2012 and 2013 the “Years of Friendly Exchanges” between the two Asian neighbors.

Set aside quarrel

On Wednesday, Wang Yingfan told a media forum organized by the Chinese Embassy that the Philippine government should consider the “Deng Xiaoping Solution” to the Spratlys dispute, that is, setting aside the territorial quarrel in favor of a joint exploration and development of the disputed waters.

Wang, who served in Manila from 1988 to 1990, stressed “it is time for cooperation, not confrontation, not fighting.”

He said he had “talked with some important people in your government that we should work hard to find ways that are acceptable to both sides, that we must work hard to prepare the ground so that we could share the resources together.”

According to Wang, the response he got “was very encouraging. They said they would consider this kind of thinking. So with patience, with goodwill and with hard work, we could find a way out that’s agreeable and acceptable to both sides.    ”

Wang also advised Filipinos to “spend your energy on economic development.”

He said it would be some time before the two Spratlys claimants could find a solution to the dispute.

Wang also warned the Philippines against bringing the United States into the equation, saying this would be unacceptable to China which would “certainly react” if that happened.

Wang stressed that allowing the US to meddle in the six-nation Spratlys conflict was another story. “That would make the issue more complicated and more difficult to settle among ourselves,” he said.

The Philippines and China claim all or part of the Spratlys along with Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

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By Jerry E. Esplanada
Philippine Daily Inquirer

2:29 am | Monday, February 27th, 2012

Article Link

Conflict looms in South China Sea oil rush

Reuters - When Lieutenant-General Juancho Sabban received an urgent phone call from an oil company saying two Chinese vessels were threatening to ram their survey ship, the Philippine commander's message was clear: don't move, we will come to the rescue.

Within hours, a Philippine surveillance plane, patrol ships and light attack aircraft arrived in the disputed area of Reed Bank in the South China Sea. By then the Chinese boats had left after chasing away the survey ship, Veritas Voyager, hired by U.K.-based Forum Energy Plc (FEP.L).

But the tension had become so great Forum Energy chief Ray Apostol wanted to halt two months of work in the area.

"They were so close to finishing their work. I told them to stay and finish the job," Sabban, who heads the Western Command of the Philippine Armed Forces, told Reuters at his headquarters in Puerto Princesa on Palawan island.

Over the next few days, President Benigno Aquino would call an emergency cabinet meeting, file a formal protest with China, and send his defense secretary and armed forces chief to the Western Command in a show of strength.

The March 2011 incident is considered a turning point for the Aquino administration. The president hardened his stance on sovereignty rights, sought closer ties with Washington and has quickened efforts to modernise its military.

A year later, Forum Energy is planning to return. Top company executives told Reuters the company intends to sail to Reed Bank within months to drill the area's first well for oil and natural gas in decades, an event that could spark a military crisis for Aquino if China responds more aggressively.

The U.S. military has also signalled its return to the area, with war games scheduled in March with the Philippine navy near Reed Bank that China is bound to view as provocative.

"This will be a litmus test of where China stands on the South China Sea issue," said Ian Storey, a fellow at the Singapore Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. "They could adopt the same tactics as they did last year and harass the drilling vessels, or they might even take a stronger line against them and send in warships."

A decades-old territorial squabble over the South China Sea is entering a new and more contentious chapter, as claimant nations search deeper into disputed waters for energy supplies while building up their navies and military alliances with other nations, particularly with the United States.

Reed Bank, claimed by both China and the Philippines, is just one of several possible flashpoints in the South China Sea that could force Washington to intervene in defense of its Southeast Asian allies.

OBAMA PIVOT

U.S. President Barack Obama has sought to reassure regional allies that Washington would serve as a counterbalance to a newly assertive China, part of his campaign to "pivot" U.S. foreign policy more intensely on Asia after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama brought up the South China Sea at an Asia-Pacific summit in Bali last November, and had a surprise one-one-one with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the subject, although Beijing had insisted the issue should not be on the agenda at all.

"As Southeast Asian nations run to the U.S. for assistance, Beijing increasingly fears that America aims to encircle China militarily and diplomatically," said Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt, Northeast Asia Director for the International Crisis Group. "Underlying all of these concerns is the potential that discoveries of oil and natural gas beneath the disputed sections of the South China Sea could fuel conflict."

The area is thought to hold vast untapped reserves of oil and natural gas that could potentially place China, the Philippines, Vietnam and other claimant nations alongside the likes of Saudi Arabia, Russia and Qatar.

Manila is beefing up its tiny and outdated naval fleet and military bases, adding at least two Hamilton-class cutters this year and earmarking millions of dollars to expand its Ulugan Bay naval base in Palawan.

It's no match for China's fleet, the largest in Asia, which boasts 62 submarines, 13 destroyers and 65 frigates, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

China last month launched the fourth of its new 071 amphibious landing ships that are designed to quickly insert troops to trouble spots, disputed islands, for example.

The U.S. Navy has announced it will deploy its own new amphibious assault vessels, the Littoral Combat Ships, to the "maritime crossroads" of the Asia-Pacific theater, stationing them in Singapore and perhaps the Philippines.

Washington's renewed presence in the Philippines, a former U.S. colony that voted to remove 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.

Manila is talking about giving Washington more access to its ports and airfields to re-fuel and service U.S. warships and planes. The two countries will conduct war games off Palawan island in late March -- focusing on how to deal with a takeover of an oil rig in the South China Sea.

'SOUNDS OF CANNONS'

China has warned oil companies not to explore in the disputed South China Sea, over which Beijing says it has "indisputable sovereignty". Chinese ships have repeatedly harassed vessels that have tried.

After ExxonMobil (XOM.N) discovered hydrocarbons off the coast of Danang in central Vietnam, an area also claimed by China, one of China's most popular newspapers warned in October that nations involved in territorial disputes should "mentally prepare for the sounds of cannons" if they remain at loggerheads with Beijing.

Despite the threats, the Philippines and Vietnam have continued to explore for oil and natural gas further offshore in the South China waters, driven by persistently high oil prices and more advanced deepsea technology.

The Philippines has reported as many as 12 incidents of Chinese vessels intruding into its sovereign waters in the past year, an unusually high number, Sabban said.

In one of the most serious incidents last October, a Philippine navy ship seized Chinese fishing boats after colliding with one of them, prompting protests from China for their return.

At least 12 Chinese fishermen have been arrested over the past year. Half of them remain in detention in Palawan.

"China has no right to tell us that we should first ask for permission from them to explore the area," Sabban said. "We have explored that area back in the 1970s, so why can't we explore it now? We knew that there is a substantial deposit of natural gas even before all of these things started."

Manila says Reed Bank, about 80 nautical miles west of Palawan island at the southwestern end of the Philippine archipelago, is within the country's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. Beijing, however, believes it is part of the Spratlys, a group of 250 uninhabitable islets spread over 165,000 square miles, claimed entirely by China, Taiwan and Vietnam and in part by Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines.

While China prefers to solve the disputes one-on-one with its smaller Southeast Asian neighbour, Washington has sought to internationalize the issue, given that half the world's merchant fleet tonnage sails across the sea and around these islets each year, carrying $5 trillion worth of trade.

"If we don't develop our positions in our exclusive economic zone, then we will only be giving it away and will be at the losing end," Eugenio Bito-Onon, the mayor of Kalayaan islands in the Spratlys, told Reuters at a coffee shop in Puerto Princesa.

China's oil exploration has been limited in the South China Sea with less than 15 deep sea wells drilled so far. Chinese offshore oil and gas specialist CNOOC Ltd (0883.HK), along with international partners Canada's Husky Energy (HSE.TO) and U.S. company Chevron Corp. (CVX.N), plan to step up exploration in the area but focus mainly in the north, staying away from the politically sensitive waters to the south.

Estimates for proven and undiscovered oil reserves in the South China Sea range from 28 billion to as high as 213 billion barrels of oil, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a March 2008 report. That would be equivalent to more than 60 years of current Chinese demand, under the most optimistic outlook, and surpass every country's proven oil reserves except Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, according to the BP Statistical Review.

OIL MANDATE

General Sabban said the necessary patrol ships and surveillance planes will be provided to protect Forum Energy's exploration vessels in Reed Bank.

"We have a mandate to protect all oil companies exploring in our territory," he said. "We don't exactly escort them, but we are in the area to deter any outside force from harassing them."

Forum Energy, whose majority shareholder is the Philippines' top miner Philex Mining Corp. (PX.PS), plans to spend around $80 million through 2013 to explore the Sampaguita gas field in Reed Bank, covered by Service Contract 72.

The field is estimated to hold at least 3.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, with the potential for five times that amount. That is at least 25 percent bigger than the nearby Malampaya gas field, operated by Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), which fuels half of the power needs for the country's main island of Luzon.

The Philippines is eager to further increase its natural gas production to meet growing domestic demand for gas-fired power, which is estimated to surge to 5,000 megawatts per day in 2016, from the current 2,700 megawatts.

"There is no question that there is gas there. We already know one or two locations we would like to drill on," said Apostol, Forum Energy's president, in an interview. "If the first drill is a bonanza, there might be a need to drill back to back."

The company said it is closely coordinating its Reed Bank plans with the military and the energy department, hoping to send drill ships by the fourth quarter.

"We are aware of the implementation risks that have to be taken into account when we contract the drilling services," said Forum Energy's executive director Carlo Pablo. "We have to have plans in case of delays in operations, on mitigating cost overruns, and contractual penalties that may be imposed."

A flotilla of ships could soon follow Forum Energy in disputed waters, with Manila later this year awarding two offshore oil and gas exploration contracts in territory also claimed by China.

That could well keep the phones busy for Sabban and his sailors at Western Command for some time to come.

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Reporting by Randy Fabi in Puerto Princesa and Manuel Mogato in Manila; 

Editing by Bill Tarrant

PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines | Tue Feb 28, 2012 8:00am IST

INSIGHT - Reuters.com

Article Link

Navy seizes P8-million tanbark off Palawan

MANILA, Philippines - The Navy seized on Monday P8 million worth of illegally harvested tanbark after intercepting an unmarked boat off the coast of Palawan.

Navy spokesman Lt. Col Omar Tonsay said Marine troops boarded the boat at around 6 p.m. Monday, two nautical miles from Barangay Malihud in Bataraza town.

The operation was conducted after authorities received a tip from citizens about the contraband.

Six hundred bags of tanbark were found onboard and eight crewmen were taken into custody.

“These barks are commonly smuggled to Malaysia and Indonesia and are highly valued as a source of organic dye used in making batik cloth,” Tonsay said in a statement.

Tanbark is stripped from mangrove trees, a practice outlawed in the Philippines because this kills the trees.

Authorities believe the contraband would be shipped to Cebu City via Mapun, Tawi-Tawi.

The apprehension was a joint operation of Naval Forces West, Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) 12, and environmental group Kilusang Sagip Kalikasan.

Lt. Noel Cadigal, Naval West spokesman, said charges had been filed against the eight crewmen.

The boat is now under the custody of MBLT 12 in Rio Tuba, Bataraza, Palawan.

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By Daniel Simmons-Ritchie 

The Philippine Star 

February 09, 2012 12:00am

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