US guided missile cruiser visiting Manila Sunday

From InterAksyon (Mar 8): US guided missile cruiser visiting Manila Sunday



The guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens (US Embassy handout)

An American guided missile cruiser is arriving in Manila Sunday as the Philippine and US governments reach the last stage of negotiations to craft a framework agreement allowing the increased rotational presence of American forces in the country amid the maritime dispute between Manila and Beijing.

“USS Cowpens (CG 63), a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, will arrive in Manila on Sunday, March 9, for a routine port call that highlights the strong historic, community, and military connections between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines,” a statement released Saturday,” a statement from the US Embassy in Manila said.

“This visit will allow the ship to replenish supplies as well as give the crew an opportunity for rest and relaxation. While in Manila, the sailors of the USS Cowpens are eager to enjoy the city and strengthen their understanding of a country with strong historical ties to the United States and the US Navy,” the statement added.

The cruiser of the US Pacific Fleet is commanded by Captain Gregory W. Gombert with a crew of approximately 360 sailors, of whom about 20 are Filipino-Americans.

US naval warships including aircraft carriers have been frequenting the country since China renewed its excessive territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea in 2011.

In April 2012, a standoff between the Philippines and China occurred at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc off Zambales. The area is well within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone of the country but which China is trying to grab using its so-called nine-dash-line claim over the South China Sea.

Since then China has virtually roped off Panatag and continues to reject diplomatic protests by Manila.

The Philippine government had no recourse but to challenge the legality of China’s nine-dash line before an international tribunal for arbitration where it filed a complaint in January 2013.

China has also intruded into and maintains a rotational presence in Ayungin Reef, part of the Kalayaan Island Group municipality in Palawan. The Philippine Marines had for decades hosted a detachment there.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/82254/us-guided-missile-cruiser-visiting-manila-sunday