Philippine Navy Contingent Returns Home from Exercise Komodo 2018

PH Navy contingent returns home from naval exercise in Indonesia

Photo by Philippine Navy

The Philippine Navy (PN) accorded a fitting arrival and welcome ceremony on May 16 at Pier 13 South Harbor, Manila for the returning more or less 200-man contingent onboard BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (FF15) after the successful participation in the 3rd Multilateral Naval Exercise codenamed, KOMODO 2018 on May 4 to 9, 2018 at Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.

Photo by Philippine Navy

The PN’s participation in KOMODO 2018 was another big leap in enhancing and advancing the organization’s core competency and operational capabilities of surface assets in naval operations to multilateral level, thereby increasing readiness and interoperability. Further, it was an opportunity to showcase that the PN can keep up with its counterparts in the conduct of various naval exercises and maritime operations.

Philippine Military on alert for 2 Malaysian bomb experts

Military forces in Mindanao raised their alert level following reports on the alleged presence of two Malaysian bomb experts out to train local terrorists.

Intelligence reports circulating in Cagayan de Oro said the Malaysians are in addition to four Jemaah Islamiyah members – three Indonesians and one Singaporean – in the region engaged in training the Abu Sayyaf militants in Basilan and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Central Mindanao.

The report said a foreign terrorist and 10 BIFF members were targeting Cagayan de Oro for bombing.
The BIFF had earlier threatened to bomb key areas in Mindanao and Manila after it suffered heavy casualties from last week’s firefights with government forces in Central Mindanao. Some 50 BIFF members were reportedly killed in the armed conflict.

The reports named the Singaporean as Mawiya Husayfa who carries a $1-million bounty on his head, and the other three as Abdul Kiram, Mujair Algozi and Basit Usman, whose bounty was placed at $10 million.   

Article Source: Philippine Star

Indonesian firm wins bidding for supply of 2 Philippine Navy vessels

 An Indonesian company has won the bidding for the supply of two new vessels for the Navy.

Sources told The STAR a notice of award for the P4-billion acquisition of two strategic sealift vessels was issued to PT PAL Indonesia (Persero) late last month.

This was confirmed yesterday by Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo, who oversees the military’s upgrade efforts.

“Yes, I think there is a NOA (notice of award) already,” Manalo said when asked whether PT PAL had won the bidding for the project.

PT PAL offered to supply the two ships for $86,980,000 or about P3.864 billion, well within the approved budget of P4 billion.

The strategic sealift vessels can be used for civil-military operations and for transporting large number of soldiers, logistics and supplies. Each of the vessels can also accommodate three helicopters.

Nine companies bought bid documents for the project but only two of them submitted offers.

The other bidder, Daewoo International, was declared by the Bids and Awards Committee as ineligible due to its failure to meet certain technical requirements.

The other companies that had expressed interest in the project but had not submitted bids were Propmech Corp., Larsen & Toubro, Stone of David Tactical Equipment, STX Offshore Shipbuilding Co., Keppel Philippines Marine Inc., PT Citra Shipyard, and a joint venture between Astartez Defense and Rescue Solution Co. and Coastal Industries Pse. Ltd.

PT PAL underwent post-qualification process in the last quarter of 2013 before it was declared the winner. The post-qualification phase sought to verify the financial and technical documents submitted by the bidder.

The strategic sealift vessels acquisition project is one of the big-ticket items in the military’s upgrade program.

Article Source: ABS-CBN News

When Push Comes to Shove, Indonesia Has to Stand By Asean

While Indonesia remains fixated with the Lady Gaga saga, the Philippines is embroiled in more important things: its conflict with China over territorial claims in the South China Sea.

But such a dispute should be worrisome for Indonesia, too. Not only because both China and the Philippines have close relations with Indonesia. Most importantly, the dispute could undermine the unity of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Indonesia’s own strategic interests.

The goal of Asean when it was formed, to put it bluntly, was to keep the Communists out by improving cooperation among Southeast Asian states and by stimulating mutual economic growth, as it was believed that Communism could expand in poor countries due to its economic appeal to the masses.

But since the end of the Cold War, with the threat from the Communist bloc gone, the goal has subtly changed. Now the aim is to improve relationships among the member nations in order to increase their bargaining power in a more uncertain international environment. Following in the footsteps of the European Union, the Asean nations also believed that operating as one bloc, they could have more influence in international affairs.

Indonesia has a strong interest in strengthening Asean. With Asean strengthened, Indonesia will reap the benefits through an increase in prestige and clout in international affairs, as it is the natural leader of Asean, being the largest and most populous member state.

Thanks to their geostrategic position and combined wealth, Asean nations as a whole have the potential to be an influential power in international affairs.

Not surprisingly, when Indonesia became the chair of Asean last year, most of the key players in the region were in attendance: China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Australia and the United States.

The China-Philippines dispute, however, could threaten the unity of Asean.

The dispute is already escalating, with China holding 12,000 containers of the Philippines’ bananas at its ports, refusing to release them and the Philippines insinuating that it has the United States’ backing.

The Philippines’ move is both understandable and troubling.

It is understandable because the United States is the only power in the region capable of acting as a counterweight to China.

It is true that since 1967 intra-Asean trade has risen drastically. It is true that Asean’s diplomatic strategies have worked in some important cases, most spectacularly in helping to rehabilitate Burma, also known as Myanmar, in the eyes of the international community. It did this through persistent diplomacy, in conjunction with internal developments in Burma itself that allowed the reformers to reap immediate benefits through normalization in its relationship with the United States.

At the same time, however, Asean’s military cooperation remains weak and that is troubling. In times of crisis, apparently the Philippines (and Vietnam) think the United States is far more reliable a partner than the Asean community.

This is not a good indication of the future of Asean, as when push comes to shove, security is the most critical test of a region’s solidarity and unity. Would, in a time of crisis, the Asean community split due to its members’ conflicting interests or would it remain together to create a solution beneficial to everyone?

While Indonesia should maintain good relations with China, the North Asian giant’s own economic and strategic importance means the archipelago must think of the long-term strategic geopolitical situation. This means Indonesia has to stand its ground and assist its fellow Asean members. Indonesia has to actively assume leadership, try to mediate the dispute between China and the Philippines and should the need ultimately arise, be ready to assist the latter.

Otherwise, the unity of Asean will remain in doubt. This does not bode well for Indonesia’s own strategic interests in the region. 

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Yohanes Sulaiman | The Jakarta Globe | May 31, 2012 | Article Link

147 troops join Philippine-Indonesia naval exercises

MORE than 140 soldiers participated in the Corpat Philindo, a joint exercises of the Philippines-Indonesia naval forces in Balut Island, Sarangani province.

Some 100 troops from Philippine Navy's Eastern Mindanao Command and 47 troops from Indonesia participated in the joint exercises last April 23-May 2.

Captain Robert Empedrad, deputy commander for fleet operations and commander naval task force seahawk of Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao, said the objective for holding such an exercise is to conduct a joint patrol between the territorial waters of countries Philippines and Indonesia.

He said the holding of joint military patrol will lessen the incidents of maritime crimes, including piracy, poaching, human smuggling and illegal fishing.

"We have enough ships here to patrol over our area of operation," he said.

He added they will stage another Corpat Philindo in September 2012.

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Antonio L. Colina IV | SunStar.Com.Ph | May 9, 2012 | Article Link

A look at major terror attacks in Southeast Asia

A look at major attacks in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia attributed to the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group and their allies from the regional terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah.

— April 1995: Abu Sayyaf militants raid the mostly Christian town of Ipil in southern Philippines, killing more than 50 people after robbing banks and stores and burning the town center.

— April 2000: Abu Sayyaf gunmen seize 21 people, including Western tourists, from a Malaysian resort and take them to their Philippine stronghold on Jolo Island; most are released in exchange for millions of dollars in ransom reportedly paid by Libya.

— May 2001: Americans and other tourists are snatched from the Dos Palmas resort in the southwestern Philippine province of Palawan, starting a yearlong kidnapping saga that leaves several hostages dead, including Americans Guillermo Sobero and Martin Burnham.

— August 2001: 33 Christian residents of Balobo village on southern Philippines’ Basilan Island are taken hostage and 10 are beheaded.

— October 2002: Triple bombings on Bali, Indonesia, kill 202, mostly foreign tourists, including 88 Australians. Police say al-Qaida helped fund the attacks.

— October 2002: A nail-laden bomb detonates in Zamboanga city in southern Philippines, killing four, including an American Green Beret. Four more bomb attacks during the month, killing 16, are blamed on Abu Sayyaf.

— August 2003: A suicide bomber attacks the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, killing 11.

— February 2004: A bomb on a passenger ferry in Manila Bay kills 116 in the Philippines’ worst terrorist strike.

— April 2004: Three crewmen of a Malaysian tugboat are abducted off Malaysia’s Sabah state; they are believed to have either died of illness or killed by their captors.

— September 2004: A suicide bomber detonates a ton of explosives packed into a delivery van outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, killing 11 and wounding 200.

— February 2005: Almost simultaneous bombings in Manila and two southern cities kill eight and wound more than 100.

— October 2005: Triple suicide bombers kill 20 in attacks on restaurants in Bali.

— January 2009: Gunmen on Jolo kidnap three aid workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross from Switzerland, Italy and the Philippines. They are freed separately, reportedly after ransom is paid.

— July 2011: Filipino militants kidnap an American, her teenage son and Filipino cousin. She is freed two months later and the boy escapes in December.

— February 2012: Gunmen seize two tourists, one Dutch and one Swiss, in Tawi-Tawi province in southern Philippines.

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Associated Press

11:25 am | Friday, February 3rd, 2012

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