From the Manila Times (Aug 4): Military captures NPA camp in Samar
GOVERNMENT troops overran a New People’s Army (NPA) camp as they engaged the communist rebels in two separate encounters in Northern Samar over the weekend.
Capt. Amado Gutierrez, spokesperson of the Eight Infantry Division, said on Sunday that encounters between troops of the 20th Infantry Battalion and an undetermined number of NPA guerillas took place in the boundary of Barangay Toog in Lavazares town and in Barangay Guindalian in the municipality of Rosario.
After an hour of firefight, he said, the soldiers overran the camp, which has 32 bunkers, a mess hall, kitchen, and two guard posts.
The troops were also able to recover assorted ammunitions for high-powered firearms and magazines, a mobile phone, assorted medicines, and other personal belongings.
“The rebels suffered undetermined number of casualties as indicated by traces of blood on site,” Gutierrez claimed.
On the same day, he reported, another encounter transpired between troops of the 34th Infantry Battalion and around five NPA fighters at Barangay Rebadulla in Catubig town where the military recovered a caliber .45 pistol with a loaded magazine.
Brig. Gen. Rolando Malinao, commander of the 803rd Brigade said: “Now that the stakeholders of Northern Samar are working together to stop NPA activities, it is only a matter of time before the rebel movement will crumble in Northern Samar which will pave the way for a lasting peace and development on the province.”
The cited Northern Samar camp is the ninth NPA camp seized by the military since January.
In 2012, a total of 131 NPA camps were seized by military troops. Eight camps were recovered with enemy resistance and 123 of these camps were seized without enemy resistance.
http://www.imanilatimes.net/military-captures-npa-camp-in-samar/26145/
Sunday, August 4, 2013
SECURING THE SHOALS | What must be done?
From InterAksyon (Aug 5): SECURING THE SHOALS | What must be done?
Recently, a Chinese general, Major General Zhang Zhaozhong spoke about a cabbage strategy which called for layers of defenses in Chinese claims at the West Philippine Sea which would be set up following the ouster of Philippine presence in the area. What does this mean for Philippine defense?
The China’s strategy for the area of which the shoals play a very important role is to provide a capability for the Chinese to interdict Philippine lines of communication between metropolitan Philippines and its garrisons at the WPS.
Philippine supply runs to and from the KIG will be put to an end through a series of intimidations and threats ranging from statements coming from Beijing to harassments by People’s Liberation Army Navy and Chinese Marine Surveillance/Fisheries Law Enforcement Command vessels of the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and civilian vessels.
If China manages to secure Ayungin Shoal, it will be a dagger pointed at both the garrisons at the KIG and at military and civilian installations at Palawan itself. The construction of a Chinese garrison at Ayungin will provide them with a means to effectively restrict Philippine vessels to Palawan’s immediate coasts and interfere with freedom of navigation there as Beijing will naturally project 200 nautical miles from it toward the Philippines as part of its own definition of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Worse is what a Chinese presence at Bajo de Masinloc represents for the Philippines. Although Manila simply saw that shoal as either a fishing area or even as a former training area of the Americans during the time of the bases, what it failed to realize is that this maritime geographic feature is a threat toward the centers of gravity of the Philippines.
Consider that the shoal is a mere 124 nautical miles away from Subic, Zambales, which is a major economic and military hub of the Philippines. It is also near Clark Airport and Metro Manila with its extensive transport hubs as well as being the capital of the Philippines. What will stop the Chinese from using Bajo de Masinloc as a forward operating base to initially monitor Philippine movements, contain them eventually, and even threaten them through the deployment of area denial missiles once structures are built there?
Although Bajo de Masinloc in Chinese hands serves to threaten the global commons in terms of commerce and freedom of navigation, it has an even more sinister role in threatening the political and economic centers of gravity of the Philippines itself.
What is to be done?
Ayungin Shoal should be seen by the Philippines as the proverbial line in the sand. There should be no retreat. Ayungin must not be given up as it will lead to making the Kalayaan Island Group untenable. Doing so will also lead to demoralization in the Philippine military and subsequent loss of national will to defend if the government continues to resort to withdrawing in the face of Chinese pressure. Despite the boasts of the Chinese general, China has no answer to outposts of the Philippines although it may harass ships.
The Philippines is not Vietnam and the incident between Vietnamese and Chinese vessels in the late 1980s cannot be used as a basis to fear Beijing’s deployments and threats in the WPS. Vietnam was in isolation during the 1980s and the Philippines today is not diplomatically isolated and in fact enjoys good standing in the international community and has a robust military alliance with the United States.
Although these two things will not deter the Chinese from making provocative and threatening moves, they will still prevent them from taking direct military action such as sinking a Philippine ship since this will definitely bring in the Americans and perhaps other nations in full force in the area.
At this point in time China is not in a position to match the US ship for ship and aircraft for aircraft and it will still need at least a generation to become the equal of the Americans if that will even happen given the current emerging problems in the Chinese economy.
In contrast, the US military is not expected to lose its dominance anytime soon while at the same time it has a long tradition in deploying assets to keep conflicts from spiraling out of control such as in the Persian Gulf deployments in the 1980s and the Balkans in the 1990s. More importantly, the US military has had continuous military experience in both conventional and unconventional wars and in contrast, the last time the Chinese military was used in a large scale operation was to crush defenseless students and civilians at Tiananmen Square in 1989.
China however may try to starve out the Ayungin garrison by increasingly interfering with supply runs of the Philippines. In this confrontation, although Manila is pushing through with the arbitration case, it will count for nothing in the current effort to supply and maintain the KIG garrisons and thus, the Philippines cannot rely on the international community to provide vessels to support the PN’s supply runs. It has to do this alone and hence it has to maintain the commitment of assets to that area and not back down even if the Chinese issue warnings and threaten Armageddon against Manila.
On the matter of Bajo de Masinloc/Scarborough Shoal, it must not be allowed by Manila to turn into a dagger pointing at the throat of the Philippines given its proximity to its centers of gravity in Luzon such as the capital city, airports and ports in the National Capital Region and Central Luzon. Any military officer versed in military affairs would find that easy to discern not unless he specialized in business administration.
Eventually Manila must muster the political will and courage to steam back to that shoal and face off once again with the Chinese and frustrate what they are doing there. What China is doing to the Philippines at Ayungin must be done by Manila to the Chinese at Bajo de Masinloc. China will not withdraw there even if there is a favorable ruling for the Philippines from the international tribunal on the arbitration case.
Fortunately, Beijing cannot hope to control the entire Bajo de Masinloc as it is the size of Quezon City, and hence, although Chinese vessels may be present in some areas, Philippine vessels may choose to deploy in other parts of the shoal to protect Filipino fishermen who have been displaced by China’s territorial grab.
Creating credible deterrence
As the buildup of assets for the PLA Navy and PLA Air Force continues at full pace brought about by single-minded determination and focus in Beijing, the Philippines still deliberates as to what vessel to purchase and frequently finds itself hampered by the restrictive regulations on equipment purchases which itself had been brought about by earlier cases of corruption in the Philippine military. Progress in purchases has been travelling at the speed of a snail on depressants that most of the major acquisitions realized during the current administration had already been discussed and planned for during the previous one.
As can also be seen in the State of the Nation Address of the Aquino administration last 22 July 2013, when the President compared the cost of purchasing a jet fighter fleet at 37.92 billion pesos to the same amount that can build more than 100,000 houses, there is still that guns and butter debate that Philippine policy makers frequently resort to without really understanding the availability of resources in government and in the private sector.
Just as an example, a single individual stands accused of allegedly pilfering 10 billion pesos or almost one-fourth of the stated price for a fighter jet fleet from the pork barrel funds of the Philippine Congress.
Also, many government units from national and local levels frequently resort to wasting funds on unnecessary projects such as repaving roads that have no damage at all just so that such money is not returned to the Treasury and to protect their subsequent budget allocations from decreasing.
Furthermore, investment in defense modernization allows the country to have the will and capability to protect its maritime interests that are worth hundreds of billions of pesos of gas fields and renewable aquamarine resources. Thus the issue of the Philippines being allegedly a poor country is conveniently used as an excuse to cover up for financial mismanagement and shortsighted practices in the national and local bureaucracies.
Anyone observing the manner in which the Philippines addresses its external threats will notice that the capabilities or the abject lack thereof of the AFP in external defense is the determining factor in influencing government policy to utilize diplomacy.
However, diplomacy has its limitations especially if the other side, in this case China, refuses to discuss with the Philippines unless Manila recognizes first Beijing’s sovereignty over the entire South China Sea which is something no self-respecting country will do.
Thus, for Philippine initiatives to be truly effective in the WPS issue, it must be backed up by the necessary military muscle to provide the confidence to policy makers to craft more decisive measures against foreign intrusion.
Hence, if the Philippine government resorts to piecemeal acquisitions of military hardware it then creates the situation that it will realize that these very acquisitions are not enough and still resort to tasking the Department of Foreign Affairs with the mission of external defense as Manila will still not have the confidence to commit defense and security assets to protect maritime interests. The end of which will see China gobble up more pieces of Philippine maritime territory and Filipinos losing access to billions of pesos worth of economic resources and critically strategic areas.
The Philippine government must immediately pursue acquiring capabilities that will make the Chinese think twice and Filipino policymakers must realize that such purchases are very possible and will not cause economic bankruptcy or are futile because it will create the necessary confidence in government in the military’s ability to protect the country as well as also staving off defeatist attitudes.
Though the current track of the DFA is correct in establishing an international consensus and alliance against China’s behavior and actions in the WPS, it cannot be the sole strategy of the Philippine government. International opinion is quite fickle and even though countries like India and Japan have expressed concern in the WPS and the South China Sea, as long as there is no formal alliance binding Manila, Tokyo, New Delhi, Hanoi, and all other countries against Chinese hegemony similar to a North Atlantic Treaty Organization, then the sustainability and cohesiveness of such an international consensus is suspect. As an example, if ASEAN cannot seem to speak with one voice over the South China Sea and WPS, what more of such an amorphous international consensus?
This then makes it important for the capabilities of the PN and the PAF to be prioritized and also fast-tracked. This is because the 2013 SONA will be interpreted by the Chinese government as a cop-out by the Philippines in modernizing the AFP and instead relying on an informal and formal international consensus. It will be expected that China will attempt to drive a wedge between the Philippines and those in the international community that the Philippine government is banking on to side with Manila. As Manila is always in doubt about US guarantees to live up to the Mutual Defense Treaty, it will not take too much effort for China to create an image to the Philippines that the international support that Manila is attempting to establish may not be as reliable as it hopes it to be.
Also these other governments might have a shift in policy if their political leadership changes. Hence, the Philippine government, even though it pursues a policy to internationalize the issue, must resolutely prepare to initially go on it alone with its own resources at the WPS.
The mistake of previous administrations that had wasted 15 years since Mischief Reef must not be repeated this time around as the Philippines is fast running out of time to face the largest territorial grab in modern history since the end of Second World War.
(Editor's note: Jose Antonio A. Custodio is a security and defense consultant and was a technical adviser for a US defense company working for the US Pacific Command. He also specializes in military history and has post-graduate studies in history from the University of the Philippines. He also teaches history and political science at several universities in Metro Manila.)
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/67903/securing-the-shoals--what-must-be-done
Recently, a Chinese general, Major General Zhang Zhaozhong spoke about a cabbage strategy which called for layers of defenses in Chinese claims at the West Philippine Sea which would be set up following the ouster of Philippine presence in the area. What does this mean for Philippine defense?
The China’s strategy for the area of which the shoals play a very important role is to provide a capability for the Chinese to interdict Philippine lines of communication between metropolitan Philippines and its garrisons at the WPS.
Philippine supply runs to and from the KIG will be put to an end through a series of intimidations and threats ranging from statements coming from Beijing to harassments by People’s Liberation Army Navy and Chinese Marine Surveillance/Fisheries Law Enforcement Command vessels of the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and civilian vessels.
If China manages to secure Ayungin Shoal, it will be a dagger pointed at both the garrisons at the KIG and at military and civilian installations at Palawan itself. The construction of a Chinese garrison at Ayungin will provide them with a means to effectively restrict Philippine vessels to Palawan’s immediate coasts and interfere with freedom of navigation there as Beijing will naturally project 200 nautical miles from it toward the Philippines as part of its own definition of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Worse is what a Chinese presence at Bajo de Masinloc represents for the Philippines. Although Manila simply saw that shoal as either a fishing area or even as a former training area of the Americans during the time of the bases, what it failed to realize is that this maritime geographic feature is a threat toward the centers of gravity of the Philippines.
Consider that the shoal is a mere 124 nautical miles away from Subic, Zambales, which is a major economic and military hub of the Philippines. It is also near Clark Airport and Metro Manila with its extensive transport hubs as well as being the capital of the Philippines. What will stop the Chinese from using Bajo de Masinloc as a forward operating base to initially monitor Philippine movements, contain them eventually, and even threaten them through the deployment of area denial missiles once structures are built there?
Although Bajo de Masinloc in Chinese hands serves to threaten the global commons in terms of commerce and freedom of navigation, it has an even more sinister role in threatening the political and economic centers of gravity of the Philippines itself.
What is to be done?
Ayungin Shoal should be seen by the Philippines as the proverbial line in the sand. There should be no retreat. Ayungin must not be given up as it will lead to making the Kalayaan Island Group untenable. Doing so will also lead to demoralization in the Philippine military and subsequent loss of national will to defend if the government continues to resort to withdrawing in the face of Chinese pressure. Despite the boasts of the Chinese general, China has no answer to outposts of the Philippines although it may harass ships.
The Philippines is not Vietnam and the incident between Vietnamese and Chinese vessels in the late 1980s cannot be used as a basis to fear Beijing’s deployments and threats in the WPS. Vietnam was in isolation during the 1980s and the Philippines today is not diplomatically isolated and in fact enjoys good standing in the international community and has a robust military alliance with the United States.
Although these two things will not deter the Chinese from making provocative and threatening moves, they will still prevent them from taking direct military action such as sinking a Philippine ship since this will definitely bring in the Americans and perhaps other nations in full force in the area.
At this point in time China is not in a position to match the US ship for ship and aircraft for aircraft and it will still need at least a generation to become the equal of the Americans if that will even happen given the current emerging problems in the Chinese economy.
In contrast, the US military is not expected to lose its dominance anytime soon while at the same time it has a long tradition in deploying assets to keep conflicts from spiraling out of control such as in the Persian Gulf deployments in the 1980s and the Balkans in the 1990s. More importantly, the US military has had continuous military experience in both conventional and unconventional wars and in contrast, the last time the Chinese military was used in a large scale operation was to crush defenseless students and civilians at Tiananmen Square in 1989.
China however may try to starve out the Ayungin garrison by increasingly interfering with supply runs of the Philippines. In this confrontation, although Manila is pushing through with the arbitration case, it will count for nothing in the current effort to supply and maintain the KIG garrisons and thus, the Philippines cannot rely on the international community to provide vessels to support the PN’s supply runs. It has to do this alone and hence it has to maintain the commitment of assets to that area and not back down even if the Chinese issue warnings and threaten Armageddon against Manila.
On the matter of Bajo de Masinloc/Scarborough Shoal, it must not be allowed by Manila to turn into a dagger pointing at the throat of the Philippines given its proximity to its centers of gravity in Luzon such as the capital city, airports and ports in the National Capital Region and Central Luzon. Any military officer versed in military affairs would find that easy to discern not unless he specialized in business administration.
Eventually Manila must muster the political will and courage to steam back to that shoal and face off once again with the Chinese and frustrate what they are doing there. What China is doing to the Philippines at Ayungin must be done by Manila to the Chinese at Bajo de Masinloc. China will not withdraw there even if there is a favorable ruling for the Philippines from the international tribunal on the arbitration case.
Fortunately, Beijing cannot hope to control the entire Bajo de Masinloc as it is the size of Quezon City, and hence, although Chinese vessels may be present in some areas, Philippine vessels may choose to deploy in other parts of the shoal to protect Filipino fishermen who have been displaced by China’s territorial grab.
Creating credible deterrence
As the buildup of assets for the PLA Navy and PLA Air Force continues at full pace brought about by single-minded determination and focus in Beijing, the Philippines still deliberates as to what vessel to purchase and frequently finds itself hampered by the restrictive regulations on equipment purchases which itself had been brought about by earlier cases of corruption in the Philippine military. Progress in purchases has been travelling at the speed of a snail on depressants that most of the major acquisitions realized during the current administration had already been discussed and planned for during the previous one.
As can also be seen in the State of the Nation Address of the Aquino administration last 22 July 2013, when the President compared the cost of purchasing a jet fighter fleet at 37.92 billion pesos to the same amount that can build more than 100,000 houses, there is still that guns and butter debate that Philippine policy makers frequently resort to without really understanding the availability of resources in government and in the private sector.
Just as an example, a single individual stands accused of allegedly pilfering 10 billion pesos or almost one-fourth of the stated price for a fighter jet fleet from the pork barrel funds of the Philippine Congress.
Also, many government units from national and local levels frequently resort to wasting funds on unnecessary projects such as repaving roads that have no damage at all just so that such money is not returned to the Treasury and to protect their subsequent budget allocations from decreasing.
Furthermore, investment in defense modernization allows the country to have the will and capability to protect its maritime interests that are worth hundreds of billions of pesos of gas fields and renewable aquamarine resources. Thus the issue of the Philippines being allegedly a poor country is conveniently used as an excuse to cover up for financial mismanagement and shortsighted practices in the national and local bureaucracies.
Anyone observing the manner in which the Philippines addresses its external threats will notice that the capabilities or the abject lack thereof of the AFP in external defense is the determining factor in influencing government policy to utilize diplomacy.
However, diplomacy has its limitations especially if the other side, in this case China, refuses to discuss with the Philippines unless Manila recognizes first Beijing’s sovereignty over the entire South China Sea which is something no self-respecting country will do.
Thus, for Philippine initiatives to be truly effective in the WPS issue, it must be backed up by the necessary military muscle to provide the confidence to policy makers to craft more decisive measures against foreign intrusion.
Hence, if the Philippine government resorts to piecemeal acquisitions of military hardware it then creates the situation that it will realize that these very acquisitions are not enough and still resort to tasking the Department of Foreign Affairs with the mission of external defense as Manila will still not have the confidence to commit defense and security assets to protect maritime interests. The end of which will see China gobble up more pieces of Philippine maritime territory and Filipinos losing access to billions of pesos worth of economic resources and critically strategic areas.
The Philippine government must immediately pursue acquiring capabilities that will make the Chinese think twice and Filipino policymakers must realize that such purchases are very possible and will not cause economic bankruptcy or are futile because it will create the necessary confidence in government in the military’s ability to protect the country as well as also staving off defeatist attitudes.
Though the current track of the DFA is correct in establishing an international consensus and alliance against China’s behavior and actions in the WPS, it cannot be the sole strategy of the Philippine government. International opinion is quite fickle and even though countries like India and Japan have expressed concern in the WPS and the South China Sea, as long as there is no formal alliance binding Manila, Tokyo, New Delhi, Hanoi, and all other countries against Chinese hegemony similar to a North Atlantic Treaty Organization, then the sustainability and cohesiveness of such an international consensus is suspect. As an example, if ASEAN cannot seem to speak with one voice over the South China Sea and WPS, what more of such an amorphous international consensus?
This then makes it important for the capabilities of the PN and the PAF to be prioritized and also fast-tracked. This is because the 2013 SONA will be interpreted by the Chinese government as a cop-out by the Philippines in modernizing the AFP and instead relying on an informal and formal international consensus. It will be expected that China will attempt to drive a wedge between the Philippines and those in the international community that the Philippine government is banking on to side with Manila. As Manila is always in doubt about US guarantees to live up to the Mutual Defense Treaty, it will not take too much effort for China to create an image to the Philippines that the international support that Manila is attempting to establish may not be as reliable as it hopes it to be.
Also these other governments might have a shift in policy if their political leadership changes. Hence, the Philippine government, even though it pursues a policy to internationalize the issue, must resolutely prepare to initially go on it alone with its own resources at the WPS.
The mistake of previous administrations that had wasted 15 years since Mischief Reef must not be repeated this time around as the Philippines is fast running out of time to face the largest territorial grab in modern history since the end of Second World War.
(Editor's note: Jose Antonio A. Custodio is a security and defense consultant and was a technical adviser for a US defense company working for the US Pacific Command. He also specializes in military history and has post-graduate studies in history from the University of the Philippines. He also teaches history and political science at several universities in Metro Manila.)
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/67903/securing-the-shoals--what-must-be-done
Amid US advisory on Al Qaeda global alert, military says: Don't worry, no threat
From InterAksyon (Aug 4): Amid US advisory on Al Qaeda global alert, military says: Don't worry, no threat
There is no cause for alarm over the global threat advisory issued by the United States government over possible Al Qaeda-initiated terror strikes that may happen within the month, the military said Sunday.
“Locally, we have not monitored threats as high as that (US advisory) but definitely we will be on our toes to prevent any acts of terror to make sure that our citizenry are safe.
Perhaps that Al Qaeda threat may be directed against US citizens. I do not know the basis of their advisory,” military spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan Jr. said.
Al Qaeda has been associated with the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in Asia with some JI members operating with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in southern Mindanao particularly in Sulu and Basilan.
“There are connections with the JI and Abu Sayyaf but as far as their capabilities are concerned the latter is more on kidnap-for-ransom activities while the former is involved in training the ASG in the use of explosives. In fact their links is more on resource generation through kidnappings,” Tutaan said.
He said “combat-driven intelligence operations” on the Abu Sayyaf and JI continue relentlessly.
“We have had a lot of arrests in the past, even in the recent past. But then again since they are very much involved in KFR, this is our biggest headache with them,” Tutaan said.
Two Fridays ago on July 26, a powerful bomb exploded in Cagayan de Oro City killing eight and injuring almost four dozen others.
The authorities have not called the incident an act of terror. The police already came out with computer-generated facial images of three unidentified suspects, but no group has come out to claim responsibility for the bombing.
Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II emphasized the need to intensify intelligence-gathering because the police did not have information about the bombing before it happened.
The explosion came about a week of persistent terror advisories from the US, Canada, Australia, among others, for its citizens living and touring in Mindanao.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/67915/amid-us-advisory-on-al-qaeda-global-alert-military-says-dont-worry-no-threat
There is no cause for alarm over the global threat advisory issued by the United States government over possible Al Qaeda-initiated terror strikes that may happen within the month, the military said Sunday.
“Locally, we have not monitored threats as high as that (US advisory) but definitely we will be on our toes to prevent any acts of terror to make sure that our citizenry are safe.
Perhaps that Al Qaeda threat may be directed against US citizens. I do not know the basis of their advisory,” military spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan Jr. said.
Al Qaeda has been associated with the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in Asia with some JI members operating with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in southern Mindanao particularly in Sulu and Basilan.
“There are connections with the JI and Abu Sayyaf but as far as their capabilities are concerned the latter is more on kidnap-for-ransom activities while the former is involved in training the ASG in the use of explosives. In fact their links is more on resource generation through kidnappings,” Tutaan said.
He said “combat-driven intelligence operations” on the Abu Sayyaf and JI continue relentlessly.
“We have had a lot of arrests in the past, even in the recent past. But then again since they are very much involved in KFR, this is our biggest headache with them,” Tutaan said.
Two Fridays ago on July 26, a powerful bomb exploded in Cagayan de Oro City killing eight and injuring almost four dozen others.
The authorities have not called the incident an act of terror. The police already came out with computer-generated facial images of three unidentified suspects, but no group has come out to claim responsibility for the bombing.
Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II emphasized the need to intensify intelligence-gathering because the police did not have information about the bombing before it happened.
The explosion came about a week of persistent terror advisories from the US, Canada, Australia, among others, for its citizens living and touring in Mindanao.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/67915/amid-us-advisory-on-al-qaeda-global-alert-military-says-dont-worry-no-threat
CPP/NPA: Oplan Bayanihan in Northern Samar a failure!
Posted to the CPP Website (Aug 3): Oplan Bayanihan in Northern Samar a failure!
17 soldiers killed and 11 wounded in successive NPA military actions!
Amado Pesante
Spokesperson
NPA Northern Samar Provincial Operations Command (Rodante Urtal Command)
The Rodante Urtal Command of the New People’s Army (RUC-NPA) in Northern Samar today said 17 were killed and 11 wounded among soldiers of the 8th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in a series of military engagements launched by the RUC-NPA from June to July 2013.
According to Ka Amado Pesante, spokesperson of the RUC-NPA, “These series of military actions occurred in the barangays of Avelino, Cuenco and Lakandula in Las Navas, Northern Samar, dealing 12 killed and two wounded on the enemy. One Red fighter was martyred and four wounded in these military actions.
Meanwhile, in the town of Victoria, five were killed and nine wounded last June 25 when a team of Red fighters and the people’s militia harassed operating troops of the 20th IB between Brgy. Lungib and Brgy. Luisita. There were no casualties on the side of the NPA in this tactical offensive.”
Ka Amado Pesante added the military actions were in response to the people’s demand for the punishment of the 8th ID over widespread human rights violations committed by its troops while carrying out brutal military operations under Oplan Bayanihan.
“They encamp in civilian communities, commit bombing with mortars as well as aerial strafing on farmlands, destroy properties, and disrupt the livelihood and peace of the people. Recently, a peasant in Brgy. Cuenco, Las Navas complained that 8th ID troops burned his rice crops worth P42,000 during their military operations.”
Ka Amado Pesante also belied the military’s statement that the revolutionary movement was on its last legs, and clarified that innocent peasants were victimized in the 20th Infantry Battalion’s report about 53 “NPA surrenderees” in Brgy. E. Duran, Bobon.
“The 20th IB commander, Lt. Col. Noel Vestuir, and 8th ID chief Major General Gerardo Layug, are both so desperate to conceal the advances of the revolutionary movement, that they misrepresented the peasants they forced to attend a meeting as “NPA surrenderees”.
In fact, because of the successive attacks on their troops, the soldiers are extremely fearful during their operations. Even though they comprise several columns during their operations, they don’t dare to make camp and merely sleep on the ground when resting. They also race each other in crossing rivers out of fear of an NPA ambush.
The US-Aquino regime has dumped six battalions and a special forces unit in Northern Samar, but they run like dogs with tails between their legs when attacked by the NPA.
They will surely embarrass themselves further with their statements about crushing the revolutionary movement because the people of Northern Samar and the whole region are determined to defeat Oplan Bayanihan.”
Ka Amado Pesante called on all NPA units in Northern Samar to further intensify and spread tactical offensives in response to the call of the Communist Party of the Philippines to defeat Oplan Bayanihan and raise the level of warfare in not too short a time to the strategic stalemate from the strategic defensive.
“The people of Northern Samar cherish the NPA as their army and genuinely advancing their interests. The people’s support further strengthens the efforts of the NPA and the entire revolutionary movement and will surely ensure the defeat of the fascist, pro-imperialist and corrupt maneuvers of the US-Aquino regime.”
Defeat Oplan Bayanihan!
Long live the New People’s Army!
Long live the people of Northern Samar!
Long live the people’s war!
http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20130803_oplan-bayanihan-in-northern-samar-a-failure-17-soldiers-killed-and-11-wounded-in-successive-npa-military-actions
17 soldiers killed and 11 wounded in successive NPA military actions!
Amado Pesante
Spokesperson
NPA Northern Samar Provincial Operations Command (Rodante Urtal Command)
The Rodante Urtal Command of the New People’s Army (RUC-NPA) in Northern Samar today said 17 were killed and 11 wounded among soldiers of the 8th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in a series of military engagements launched by the RUC-NPA from June to July 2013.
According to Ka Amado Pesante, spokesperson of the RUC-NPA, “These series of military actions occurred in the barangays of Avelino, Cuenco and Lakandula in Las Navas, Northern Samar, dealing 12 killed and two wounded on the enemy. One Red fighter was martyred and four wounded in these military actions.
Meanwhile, in the town of Victoria, five were killed and nine wounded last June 25 when a team of Red fighters and the people’s militia harassed operating troops of the 20th IB between Brgy. Lungib and Brgy. Luisita. There were no casualties on the side of the NPA in this tactical offensive.”
Ka Amado Pesante added the military actions were in response to the people’s demand for the punishment of the 8th ID over widespread human rights violations committed by its troops while carrying out brutal military operations under Oplan Bayanihan.
“They encamp in civilian communities, commit bombing with mortars as well as aerial strafing on farmlands, destroy properties, and disrupt the livelihood and peace of the people. Recently, a peasant in Brgy. Cuenco, Las Navas complained that 8th ID troops burned his rice crops worth P42,000 during their military operations.”
Ka Amado Pesante also belied the military’s statement that the revolutionary movement was on its last legs, and clarified that innocent peasants were victimized in the 20th Infantry Battalion’s report about 53 “NPA surrenderees” in Brgy. E. Duran, Bobon.
“The 20th IB commander, Lt. Col. Noel Vestuir, and 8th ID chief Major General Gerardo Layug, are both so desperate to conceal the advances of the revolutionary movement, that they misrepresented the peasants they forced to attend a meeting as “NPA surrenderees”.
In fact, because of the successive attacks on their troops, the soldiers are extremely fearful during their operations. Even though they comprise several columns during their operations, they don’t dare to make camp and merely sleep on the ground when resting. They also race each other in crossing rivers out of fear of an NPA ambush.
The US-Aquino regime has dumped six battalions and a special forces unit in Northern Samar, but they run like dogs with tails between their legs when attacked by the NPA.
They will surely embarrass themselves further with their statements about crushing the revolutionary movement because the people of Northern Samar and the whole region are determined to defeat Oplan Bayanihan.”
Ka Amado Pesante called on all NPA units in Northern Samar to further intensify and spread tactical offensives in response to the call of the Communist Party of the Philippines to defeat Oplan Bayanihan and raise the level of warfare in not too short a time to the strategic stalemate from the strategic defensive.
“The people of Northern Samar cherish the NPA as their army and genuinely advancing their interests. The people’s support further strengthens the efforts of the NPA and the entire revolutionary movement and will surely ensure the defeat of the fascist, pro-imperialist and corrupt maneuvers of the US-Aquino regime.”
Defeat Oplan Bayanihan!
Long live the New People’s Army!
Long live the people of Northern Samar!
Long live the people’s war!
http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20130803_oplan-bayanihan-in-northern-samar-a-failure-17-soldiers-killed-and-11-wounded-in-successive-npa-military-actions
Army troopers capture NPA camp in Northern Samar encounters
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 4): Army troopers capture NPA camp in Northern Samar encounters
Units of the 8th Infantry Division on Friday captured a New People's Army (NPA) camp following two encounters inNorthern Samar .
Belated reports from Capt. Amado Gutierrez, 8th Infantry Division spokesperson, said the first engagement with the rebels took place in the boundary of barangays Toog and Guindalian, Lavazares town,Northern
Samar in the morning of Aug. 2.
Troopers from the 20th Infantry Battalion were on a routine security patrol when they encountered a undetermined number of rebels, triggering an hour-long firefight.
The NPAs fled after taking an undetermined number of casualties leaving behind their camp which inspection revealed contained 32 bunkers, a mess hall, a kitchen and two guard posts.
Besides this, soldiers also recovered assorted ammunition for high powered firearms and magazines, one mobile phone, assorted medicines and other personal belongings.
On the same day, another encounter happened between troops under 34th Infantry Battalion and five NPA rebels at the vicinity of Barangay Rebadulla, Catubig,Northern Samar .
Troopers recovered one .45 caliber pistol with a loaded magazine in this encounter.
No losses were sustained by the government forces in these encounters.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=551265
Units of the 8th Infantry Division on Friday captured a New People's Army (NPA) camp following two encounters in
Belated reports from Capt. Amado Gutierrez, 8th Infantry Division spokesperson, said the first engagement with the rebels took place in the boundary of barangays Toog and Guindalian, Lavazares town,
Troopers from the 20th Infantry Battalion were on a routine security patrol when they encountered a undetermined number of rebels, triggering an hour-long firefight.
The NPAs fled after taking an undetermined number of casualties leaving behind their camp which inspection revealed contained 32 bunkers, a mess hall, a kitchen and two guard posts.
Besides this, soldiers also recovered assorted ammunition for high powered firearms and magazines, one mobile phone, assorted medicines and other personal belongings.
On the same day, another encounter happened between troops under 34th Infantry Battalion and five NPA rebels at the vicinity of Barangay Rebadulla, Catubig,
Troopers recovered one .45 caliber pistol with a loaded magazine in this encounter.
No losses were sustained by the government forces in these encounters.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=551265
BRP Ramon Alcaraz now anchored at Subic Bay
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 4): BRP Ramon Alcaraz now anchored at Subic Bay
The Philippine Navy (PN) announced that the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16), its second Hamilton-class cutter, has anchored atSubic Bay ,
Zambales at 7:00 a.m. Sunday.
"The BRP Ramon Alcaraz is now anchored offSubic
Bay . It will undergo quarantine, immigration and customs
procedures," PN spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic said.
He said the vessel's crew, which includeds 14 officers under Capt. Ernesto Baldovino and 74 enlisted personnel, are in high spirits.
Fabic said the vessel's crew are excited to meet their loved ones in thePhilippines
"For now, our crew has high morale after arriving in thePhilippines
The BRP Alcaraz will be formally welcomed Tuesday in ceremonies led by President Benigno S. Aquino III.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=551286
The Philippine Navy (PN) announced that the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16), its second Hamilton-class cutter, has anchored at
"The BRP Ramon Alcaraz is now anchored off
He said the vessel's crew, which includeds 14 officers under Capt. Ernesto Baldovino and 74 enlisted personnel, are in high spirits.
Fabic said the vessel's crew are excited to meet their loved ones in the
"For now, our crew has high morale after arriving in the
The BRP Alcaraz will be formally welcomed Tuesday in ceremonies led by President Benigno S. Aquino III.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=551286
Govt intensifies 'intelligence gathering, hardening of targets' amid reports of terror attacks
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 4): Govt intensifies 'intelligence gathering, hardening of targets' amid reports of terror attacks
Malacanang said on Sunday that the government is intensifying its intelligence gathering efforts in order to address reported plans of international terrorist group al-Qaida to attack targets this month.
TheUnited States
In a press briefing aired over government-run radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said efforts have also been centered at fortifying alleged targets of the terrorist group.
“We consulted the National Security Adviser and the NSA had advised us that we are already intensifying intelligence gathering, and we continue the hardening of targets which are the focus of these alerts such as the US Embassy,” Valte said.
She said the government was concerned about the terror alert and has remained in constant communication with the NSA for further updates.
“Of course, we take into consideration the alert that has been issued and then, according to the National Security Adviser, we are intensifying our intelligence gathering to address the issues that were raised in the alert,” Valte said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=551303
Malacanang said on Sunday that the government is intensifying its intelligence gathering efforts in order to address reported plans of international terrorist group al-Qaida to attack targets this month.
The
In a press briefing aired over government-run radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said efforts have also been centered at fortifying alleged targets of the terrorist group.
“We consulted the National Security Adviser and the NSA had advised us that we are already intensifying intelligence gathering, and we continue the hardening of targets which are the focus of these alerts such as the US Embassy,” Valte said.
She said the government was concerned about the terror alert and has remained in constant communication with the NSA for further updates.
“Of course, we take into consideration the alert that has been issued and then, according to the National Security Adviser, we are intensifying our intelligence gathering to address the issues that were raised in the alert,” Valte said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=551303
Bus driver dies, conductor hurt in Maguindanao strafing
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 4): Bus driver dies, conductor hurt in Maguindanao strafing
Suspected extortion gang members mulcting on bus firms Saturday strafed a passenger bus bound for Gen. Santos City, killing its driver and wounding its conductor, Army and police here said.
Manhunt against the suspects was immediately launched despite rains in the mountains of Shariff Aguak where the gunmen fled after strafing a vehicle of the Husky Bus Company in Barangay Labo-Labo, according to Sr. Insp. Marlon Silvestre, Shariff Aguak police chief.
Silvestre said the air condition bus, with body number 1188, was driven by a certain Jun Nicor and was heading to Gen. Santos City fromCotabato City
As it approached an isolated portion of the highway at 2:30 p.m. gun burts were heard and passengers saw the driver slump on the steering wheel.
His conductor, Ronaldo Ampan, was hit in his shoulder.
As the driver lost control of the steering wheel, the bus fell on a ditch.
All the passengers were unharmed, Silvestre said.
Responding police recovered empty shells of M-16 Armalite rifle and slugs inside the bus.
Nicor expired as he was being brought to the Maguindanao provincial hospital in Shariff Aguak town.
No one has claimed responsibility.
Col. Dickson Hermoso, speaking for the military, said soldiers of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade and 45th Infantry Battalion are helping the police in hunting down the gunmen, believed to be members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters or al-Khobar extortion gang who have been preying on bus firms for protection money.
The Husky bus, the lone bus plying the Maguindanao route, had been subjected to harassment by Moro bandits in the past, among them strafing, bomb attack and grenade attacks at its terminal inCotabato
City
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=551194
Suspected extortion gang members mulcting on bus firms Saturday strafed a passenger bus bound for Gen. Santos City, killing its driver and wounding its conductor, Army and police here said.
Manhunt against the suspects was immediately launched despite rains in the mountains of Shariff Aguak where the gunmen fled after strafing a vehicle of the Husky Bus Company in Barangay Labo-Labo, according to Sr. Insp. Marlon Silvestre, Shariff Aguak police chief.
Silvestre said the air condition bus, with body number 1188, was driven by a certain Jun Nicor and was heading to Gen. Santos City from
As it approached an isolated portion of the highway at 2:30 p.m. gun burts were heard and passengers saw the driver slump on the steering wheel.
His conductor, Ronaldo Ampan, was hit in his shoulder.
As the driver lost control of the steering wheel, the bus fell on a ditch.
All the passengers were unharmed, Silvestre said.
Responding police recovered empty shells of M-16 Armalite rifle and slugs inside the bus.
Nicor expired as he was being brought to the Maguindanao provincial hospital in Shariff Aguak town.
No one has claimed responsibility.
Col. Dickson Hermoso, speaking for the military, said soldiers of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade and 45th Infantry Battalion are helping the police in hunting down the gunmen, believed to be members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters or al-Khobar extortion gang who have been preying on bus firms for protection money.
The Husky bus, the lone bus plying the Maguindanao route, had been subjected to harassment by Moro bandits in the past, among them strafing, bomb attack and grenade attacks at its terminal in
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=551194
Number of Oto Melara platforms in PN climbs to 5
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 3): Number of Oto Melara platforms in PN climbs to 5
With the arrival of BRP Ramon Alcaraz Friday, the number of platforms carrying the 76mm Oto Melara automatic cannon in the Philippine Navy has climbed up to five.
These ships are the three Jacinto-class patrol vessels (formerly the Peacock-class of theUnited
Kingdom
Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic, PN spokesperson, said that this gun is one of the best weapon systems in service with the country today.
All three Jacinto-class patrol vessels are still active.
The Oto Melara 76 mm gun arming the five ships is the primary weapon and is mounted in a turret forward of the bridge.
It has a range of up to 20 kms.
It is remotely controlled from within the combat information center by the gunnery officer and has no crew within the turret itself.
The gun in Philippine service can fire 80 rounds in 60 seconds from its ready magazine, and the ships can carry a total 450 rounds.
The Oto Melara 76mm cannon is used 53 naval forces worldwide.
The gun's high rate of fire makes it suitable for short-range anti-missile point defense.
Specialized ammunition is available for armor piercing, incendiary and directed fragmentation effects and there is also a new guided round that is supposed to be able to destroy maneuvering anti-ship missiles.
Another advantage of this weapon is that it is light and compact enough to be installed in warship weighing 750 gross tons or even less, the configuration of most naval vessels in the PN.
The 76 mm gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian defense conglomerate Otobreda.
It is based on the Oto Melara 76mm/L62 Allargato, which was bigger and heavier.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=10&sid=&nid=10&rid=551155
With the arrival of BRP Ramon Alcaraz Friday, the number of platforms carrying the 76mm Oto Melara automatic cannon in the Philippine Navy has climbed up to five.
These ships are the three Jacinto-class patrol vessels (formerly the Peacock-class of the
Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic, PN spokesperson, said that this gun is one of the best weapon systems in service with the country today.
All three Jacinto-class patrol vessels are still active.
The Oto Melara 76 mm gun arming the five ships is the primary weapon and is mounted in a turret forward of the bridge.
It has a range of up to 20 kms.
It is remotely controlled from within the combat information center by the gunnery officer and has no crew within the turret itself.
The gun in Philippine service can fire 80 rounds in 60 seconds from its ready magazine, and the ships can carry a total 450 rounds.
The Oto Melara 76mm cannon is used 53 naval forces worldwide.
The gun's high rate of fire makes it suitable for short-range anti-missile point defense.
Specialized ammunition is available for armor piercing, incendiary and directed fragmentation effects and there is also a new guided round that is supposed to be able to destroy maneuvering anti-ship missiles.
Another advantage of this weapon is that it is light and compact enough to be installed in warship weighing 750 gross tons or even less, the configuration of most naval vessels in the PN.
The 76 mm gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian defense conglomerate Otobreda.
It is based on the Oto Melara 76mm/L62 Allargato, which was bigger and heavier.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=10&sid=&nid=10&rid=551155
No terror threats in PHL - AFP spokesperson
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 4): No terror threats in PHL - AFP spokesperson
With the sounding of theUnited
States
But this does not mean that the military will be taking its security and protection role lightly, AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan said Sunday.
"(We are still to monitor) any threats coming from the Al-Qaeda but definitely we will be on our toes to prevent any acts of terror, and to make sure that our citizenry are safe," he stressed.
TheUS
"I do not know the basis (of their warning) but the only Al-Qaeda link we have here is the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) but we are still to detect any threats in connection with theUS
Tutaan added that the JI and its Philippine counterpart, the Abu Sayyaf Group, is more concentrated on criminal activities like kidnap-for-ransom and explosives training.
He also stated that the groups are forced into this kind of activities as they are largely contained by the military.
"We have contained them so far and that's why our operations against them are continuous in order to destroy them finally," Tutaan concluded.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=551307
With the sounding of the
But this does not mean that the military will be taking its security and protection role lightly, AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan said Sunday.
"(We are still to monitor) any threats coming from the Al-Qaeda but definitely we will be on our toes to prevent any acts of terror, and to make sure that our citizenry are safe," he stressed.
The
"I do not know the basis (of their warning) but the only Al-Qaeda link we have here is the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) but we are still to detect any threats in connection with the
Tutaan added that the JI and its Philippine counterpart, the Abu Sayyaf Group, is more concentrated on criminal activities like kidnap-for-ransom and explosives training.
He also stated that the groups are forced into this kind of activities as they are largely contained by the military.
"We have contained them so far and that's why our operations against them are continuous in order to destroy them finally," Tutaan concluded.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=551307
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