Aquino cites officers and men of the Presidential Security Group for dignity, courage

MANILA, Mar. 4 (PNA) -- President Benigno S. Aquino III cited the officers and members of the elite Presidential Security Group for their dignity and courage in carrying out their mandate to protect the Chief Executive and the seat of government.

In his speech keynoting the 27th Founding Anniversary of the PSG in Malacanang Park, Manila Monday, the President thanked the PSG for providing him the security that allows him to pursue his administration's advocacy to implement reforms.

"Sa paglilibot ko sa kalakhang bansa upang alamin at pabilisin pa ang pagsulong natin sa tuwid na daan, at sa pakikisalamuha sa ating mga kababayan—sa loob man o labas ng bansa—lagi kong kasama ang mga bumubuo sa Presidential Security Group," President Aquino said.

"Sa ilalim man ng nagbabagang araw, o sa biglaang buhos ng ulan; sa harap man ng pulutong ng tao, o maski sa kakaunting pribadong oras na nakakahalubilo ko kayo — buong-lakas at buong-sigasig kayong nagsisilbi — para samahan akong tuparin ang mga sinumpaan kong tungkulin sa bayan," he said.

The President acknowledged the continuous efforts of the PSG to professionalize its members in carrying out its tasks of providing protection for the Chief Executive, the First Family and the institution.

The PSG also provides security to visiting Heads of States and Diplomats.

"Matapos ang dalawampu’t pitong taon, ibang-iba na talaga ang PSG ngayon. Nasisiguro kong higit kailanman, nalulugod din kayo sa kompiyansa at tiwala ng sambayanan sa ating pamahalaan, lalo pa’t binabantayan ninyo hindi lamang ang seguridad ko at ng aking pamilya, kundi maging ng buong institusyon na ating pinaglilingkuran," he said.

Despite the tough challenges, the President said, the PSG succeeded in bringing back the honor to the elite group through the reforms implemented by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

"Sa likod ng kaliwa’t kanang problema na ipinamana ng diktadurya, sa kabila ng mga tangkang muling panaigin ang karahasan at pagkakanya-kanya, itinindig ni Secretary Volts (Gazmin) at ng PSG nang may buong dangal at tapang upang maitaguyod ang seguridad at kapayapaan sa bansa, at maipagtanggol ang nabawi nating demokrasya," he said.

The President also lauded PSG Commander Brig. Gen. Ramon Mateo Dizon for leading the elite group to effectively carry out the tasks.

"Kaya naman, sa pangunguna ni Brig. Gen. Chito Dizon, muli ko kayong pinapasalamatan sa isa na namang makabuluhan at matagumpay na taon ng inyong hanay. Saludo at tinitingala ko kayo sa inyong tibay at walang-kapagurang dedikasyong maglingkod," he said. 

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Philippine News Agency | March 4, 2013 | Article Link

Aquino, Dempsey tackle Scarborough Shoal standoff

Philippine defense and civilian officials on Monday briefed General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, on China’s aggressive posture in the West Philippine Sea and reiterated to him the urgency of the Philippines’ need to have a credible defense in the disputed waters.

Dempsey also called on President Benigno Aquino in Malacañang, where he had “broad discussions” of the standoff between China and the Philippines over Scarborough Shoal and security in the West Philippine Sea with the President and other Philippine officials.

Dempsey arrived in Manila on Sunday after attending a security forum in Singapore where the United States announced details of its new military strategy involving a shift of most of its naval forces to the Asia-Pacific region by the end of the decade.

Malacañang did not tell the media about the meeting between Dempsey and the President, although presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said he had known about Dempsey’s visit since Friday.

No details

Dempsey arrived at 10 a.m., accompanied by US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas Jr. With the President were Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa.

Both Lacierda, who was also at the meeting, and Del Rosario had no details of the discussions to offer to reporters, as they were preoccupied with preparations for the President’s departure for London.

Del Rosario said the President and Dempsey talked mostly about defense and security cooperation between the Philippines and the United States.

The discussions also covered the standoff with China over Panatag Shoal—the Philippines’ name for Scarborough Shoal—and of the Philippines’ pursuit of a peaceful solution to the territorial dispute.

Del Rosario said the discussions included a “reiteration” of the Philippines’ need for “assistance and support” for its efforts to build a “minimum defense posture” in the West Philippine Sea (the Philippines’ name for South China Sea).

He said Dempsey broadly discussed US support for the Philippines’ search for a peaceful resolution of its dispute with China through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

No threat to China

CAMP VISITOR Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, is met at Camp Aguinaldo by Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Chief of Staff Gen. Jessie Dellosa. RODEL ROTONI

Lacierda said the meeting between Dempsey and President Aquino should not be a cause of concern for China.

“China should not be threatened,” Lacierda said. Dempsey’s visit, he said, was just a “call on a strategic partner.”

At the Department of National Defense, where Dempsey also came calling yesterday morning, Undersecretary Honorio Azcueta, who is in charge of defense affairs, said he had a brief discussion with the Joint Chiefs chair of the worsening standoff with China at Scarborough Shoal.

Azcueta said he told Dempsey that “China is really aggressive” in its posture at Scarborough Shoal, but that the Philippines was exercising “restraint” as it preferred a peaceful solution to the dispute.

He said Dempsey reiterated the US position that the Scarborough Shoal dispute was also a “concern” for the United States.

Azcueta said he also discussed with Dempsey “information sharing” in real time on the situation at Scarborough Shoal, where two Philippine civilian vessels have been facing off with nearly 100 Chinese vessels since the dispute erupted on April 8.

Freedom of navigation

 

The United States has not taken sides in the dispute, but has said it wants to ensure freedom of navigation in international seas.

Azcueta said Dempsey was aware of the list of military hardware the Philippines submitted in January under an excess defense articles program, but did not make any commitment.

Azcueta said Army chief Lieutenant General Emmanuel Bautista, Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Alexander Pama and Air Force chief Lieutenant General Lauro Catalino de la Cruz were at the meeting with Dempsey.

Earlier in the day, Dempsey met with Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff
General Jessie Dellosa in Camp Aguinaldo.

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Christine O. Avendaño/Dona Z. Pazzibugan | Philippine Daily Inquirer | June 5, 2012 | Article Link

US top military officer meets with Aquino, AFP chief of staff

MANILA -- US General Martin Dempsey, head of the US joint chiefs of staff, on Monday separately met with President Benigno Aquino III and his counterpart in the Philippine military and discussed a wide range of topics including the West Philippine Sea and the ongoing standoff at Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal with China.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Jessie Dellosa and Gen. Dempsey held a closed-door meeting Monday following the Shangri-La talks in Singapore last June 1 to 3.

AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos said the meeting was part of the mutual defense treaty and aims to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries. The agenda include information exchange on global and regional issues. Among the topics to be discussed in the meeting are the West Philippine Sea and Mindanao security.

"The meeting underscores the importance of the AFP as being an ally of the United States," Burgos said.

"With or without the Scarborough standoff, this is part of our mutual defense treaty and to enhance bilateral relations," he added.

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Abigail Kwok | InterAksyon.com | June 4, 2012 | Article Link

Villar seeks support for Noy on sea dispute

MANILA, Philippines - Senator Manny Villar Jr. has urged the public to rally behind President Benigno Aquino III in seeking for a peaceful resolution to the maritime disputes between the Philippines and China.

While he maintained that the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal is part of the Philippine territory, Villar said top government officials should stop public pronouncements on the issue in a bid to tame down the tension between the two countries.

“The Scarborough Shoal is ours. We should not abandon it. We are not fighting with anyone here, we should actually support our President in this issue,” Villar said in Filipino.

Compared to the Philippines wherein the President has been vocal about the issue, Villar noted that only the Chinese spokesman had been discussing the maritime spat in public.

“For me, it is better if we keep quiet about the issue as of now,” he added. “This should not be misconstrued as cowardice but we should allow the tension to die down because this can be done through diplomacy.”

Villar’s views are supportive of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senators Joker Arroyo, Antonio Trillanes IV, Gregorio Honasan, and other senators who have early on echoed that diplomacy is the best way to deal with the issues surrounding the West Philippine Sea.

Villar said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should be given more funds to modernize its armaments and equipment but it should not be seen as an offshoot of the maritime conflict with China.

“We should strengthen the Armed Forces not because of this issue on Scarborough Shoal ... It should not be for anything else, since it is but normal that every country should strengthen its armed forces,” Villar explained. 

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Christina Mendez | The Philippine Star | May 10, 2012 | Article Link

President Aquino’s speech during the commemoration of the Fall of Corregidor, May 6, 2012

Speech
of
His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
During the Commemoration of the Fall of Corregidor

[Delivered in Corregidor Island, Cavite, on May 6, 2012] 

This is my first time in Corregidor; and I remember a story my uncle Tony told me, of how, as a young soldier he braved the shark-infested seas, and swam here from Bataan, to report on the conditions prevailing at the time. That marvelous feat, of course, is only one of many great stories that involve this island.

All of us here know that Corregidor is also popularly known as The Rock. And today, we remember its final agony. We remember the Fall of Corregidor seventy years ago.

More than the Fall, we commemorate our soldiers’ acts of bravery and their unconditional sacrifice for country. We remember their solid, principled stand for freedom; the impossible battle they faced; our soldiers fighting together as brothers in arms, many of them making the ultimate sacrifice for their countrymen. We remember our commanders: who bore the heavy burden of leading men into bloodshed, and even death, knowing that the fate of entire peoples rested in their hands.

Today, we pay tribute: not to the strength of arms, but to the strength of spirit—because battles are won not merely through bombs and bullets, but also, and probably more importantly, through the hearts of patriots burning with love for country.

Seventy years ago, shipwrecks littered the seas around this rock. Opposing soldiers were approaching from as far as the eye can see. Despite this, the Filipino soldiers stationed in Corregidor stood their ground. As I was reviewing the names of our naval heroes, looking for a proper name for our second Hamilton Class Cutter, I read of a man named Ramon Alcaraz, who was commanding one of our three motor torpedo boats, known as Q-boats. 

Q-112 Abra, manned by Alcaraz and his crew, took down three of the nine Japanese “Zero” fighters attacking his boat, before being captured. In captivity, Alcaraz became head of the Prisoner of War camp in Malolos, making sure that his fellow POWs were kept hopeful and alive.

Commodore Alcaraz was only one among many skilled men in uniform who have served our country. Many continue to follow in his footsteps; and we are determined to reward their patriotism with equal dedication. For certain, many more Commodore Alcarazes will rise from the ranks of our military. We consider it our duty to ensure that their strength of spirit will be matched by boats, by weapons, and by sufficient training. This is the truest tribute we can offer to those who have laid down their lives: a nation capable of protecting itself; a nation that can say no sacrifice will be wasted.

This Pacific War Memorial is consecrated to the memory of the Filipinos and the Americans who fought in the Second World War. It is a symbol of our gratitude, set in stone and steel. The bravery, the unity, and the sacrifice our soldiers sowed then have borne the fruit of a true democracy. Today, we are reminded that partnerships, and even brotherhoods, are formed not only in moments of triumph, but in times of adversity.

In this Pacific War Memorial, the Eternal Flame of Freedom lights the pages of history, and marks every sacrifice made in this island. May it guide us along the straight and righteous path we are now treading. May it burn bright in the hearts of every generation still to come.

God bless our heroes. Many thanks, and good day to one and all.

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Gov.Ph | May 6, 2012 | Article Link