CPP/NDF/NPA:Media Statement of the North Central Mindanao Command

English version of NDF/NPA propaganda statement posted to CPP Website (Jun 30): Media Statement of the North Central Mindanao Command

NDFP National Democratic Front of the Philippines

 

Red salute to Comrade Leoncio “Ka Parago” Pitao – Hero of the oppressed and exploited

All Red commanders and fighters of the New People’s Army in North Central Mindanao Region express the highest tribute to Comrade Leoncio “Ka Parago” Pitao in his final sacrifice to the people and the revolution. We empathize with the mourning of his family, relatives, and all cadres and members of the Communist Party of the Philippines, all Red commanders and fighters of the NPA, all allies of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and all the masses in Southern Mindanao Region.

Ka Parago, who has been sick for quite some time, heroically offered his life in an armed encounter in Paquibato, Davao City in June 28 against vastly superior troops of the Scout Ranger Battalion and the 10th Infantry Division. Another comrade, a medic, died with him in the incident. We express our sorrow for the loss of a beloved comrade who thought of nothing but serving the revolution and the people until his very last breath. For us, however, his revolutionary history is a legacy of undimming inspiration for the continuing advance of the national democratic struggle of the Filipino people.

Ka Parago’s spirit of Communist valor and selflessness serves as an example to all young commanders and fighters. For decades, he has spent the better part of his life in the revolution. He has commanded several victorious battles, the greatness of which is recognized even by officers and men of the reactionary armed forces of the ruling class.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines greatly detest Ka Parago and his Pulang Bagani Company. Several military operations were launched and massive mercenary forces were mobilized to pursue him. His family was terrorized in order to weaken his resolve and cause him to surrender. But with each such endeavor, they failed miserably. In their failure to defeat his Pulang Bagani, the enemy vented their ire on his family. His daughter was raped and murdered. Faced with these dirty tactics of the enemy, his determination remained firm. The enemy’s great loath against him was only matched by the warm affection from the peasants, lumads, allies and all the people he served.

These last few years, with his advancing age, his work has been limited by physical constraints. Several times he has been advised to continue his medication in a safe area outside the guerilla zone, but Ka Parago chose to be with the masses in the countryside of Paquibato. For him, his advancing age and failing health will not separate him from the masses and the struggle; not even hardships and danger, for even in his death, he knew that the aspiration for the victory of the democratic revolution and of socialism will remain alive.

The ruling classes and their running dogs are surely exulting in his demise. But they are mistaken in their belief that Ka Parago’s death will paralyze the revolutionary movement. They should wake up from their decades-old dream that the struggle will weaken with the death of a revolutionary Red commander. While the AFP officers are gawking at their bloodstained medals and promotions, and while the ruling classes are feasting with the death of a great revolutionary, they will be haunted by the specter of the Pulang Bagani Company, which has since grown into a battalion, and by the companies and countless guerilla platoons which will firmly follow Ka Parago’s footsteps in continually advancing the people’s war to the strategic stalemate stage and towards victory.

Sgd.,
Ka Allan Juanito
Spokesperson
New People’s Army
North Central Mindanao Regional Command

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20150630_media-statement-of-the-north-central-mindanao-command

NDF/Sison: Tribute to Comrade Leoncio Pitao (Commander Parago)

Propaganda statement/tribute from Jose Maria Sison posted to the CPP Website (Jun 30): Tribute to Comrade Leoncio Pitao (Commander Parago)

NDFP National Democratic Front of the Philippines

 

By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Founding Chairman, Communist Party of the Philippines
Chief Political Consultant, National Democratic Front of the Philippines
June 29, 2015

 

I join the Filipino people, the people’s revolutionary government, the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People’s Army, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the revolutionary mass organizations and other revolutionary forces in mourning the death of Comrade Leoncio Pitao (Commander Parago) and in celebrating his achievements from the time he joined the NPA in 1978 until his martyrdom yesterday on June 28, 2015.

It is fitting and proper that all of us accord him with the Red salute and the highest respect and honor for serving the Filipino people and the international proletariat. He is a great patriot, outstanding communist fighter and revolutionary commander. He has made significant contributions and the supreme sacrifice in the Filipino people’s democratic revolution for national and social liberation against foreign monopoly capitalism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism.

Comrade Leoncio Pitao (Ka Parago) was devoted to the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and applied it successfully together with other comrades and the people in Southern Mindanao Region. He excelled as a cadre of the Communist Party of the Philippines and as a commander of the New People’s Army. He adhered to the Second Great Rectification Movement and carried forward the building of the Party, the people’s army and the united front.

In advancing the people’s war, he integrated revolutionary struggle with land reform and building the organs of political power and mass organization. He applied the line of extensive and intensive guerrilla warfare on the basis of a widening and deepening mass base. He developed the closest of relations with the working people, the indigenous people and allies.

He had a mastery of the strategy and tactics of guerrilla warfare, flexibly employing concentration, dispersal and shifting, depending on the need in a fluid war of movement. He became known nationally and internationally for the revolutionary victories as commander of the First Pulang Bagani Company in the Southern Mindanao Region.

As a result of correct political line and his effective tactical command, this heroic and glorious company has grown into the First Pulang Bagani Battalion. According to the Southern Mindanao Regional Command, Ka Parago planned and commanded the countless disarming operations in the 1980s and 1990s, the capture of General Obillo and Capt. Montealto in 1999, the raid on the Davao Penal Colony and other many tactical offensives.

Ka Parago was captured in November 1999 and was put in solitary confinement in the ISAFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo. He was offered by the enemy a huge amount of money as bribe for him to leave and denounce the revolutionary movement. But he outrightly refused the offer and upheld his loyalty and commitment to the Filipino people and the revolution.

The lawyers of the Public Interest Law Center and the Department of Justice pleaded to the court for his release as a goodwill measure of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations. It was during this time that the Chairperson of the NDFP Negotiating Panel Luis Jalandoni and panel member Coni Ledesma were able to visit him and hold a press conference with him. Ka Parago was released from prison in 2001.

After his release, Ka Parago decided to rejoin the comrades in the countryside. And he continued to render outstanding service to the revolutionary cause of the Filipino people, especially in the battlefield. The enemy hated him so much that military agents abducted, tortured, raped and murdered his 22-year old daughter Rebelyn, a school teacher, and dumped her in a ditch in Panabo City in 2009. This barbarity became the subject of outrage among the people and human rights organizations in the Philippines and abroad.

Despite the abduction, torture, rape and murder of his daughter, he continued as a principled revolutionary to respect the policy of the CPP and NPA for according lenient treatment to prisoners of war as well as the International Humanitarian Law regarding respect for the human rights of the said prisoners. Exercising political wisdom, he went so far as issuing a statement to assure the families of enemy officers and men that there would be no retaliation on them. As a matter of justice under the people’s government, he sought out for punishment only those identified as the abductors and killers of his daughter.

So successful were the tactical offensives commanded by Ka Parago that prisoners were often captured. He and the Red fighters under his command used the necessary amount of force to achieve victory. But they were lenient and kind to the enemy officers and men who surrendered or survived the battle. The bodies of the dead were respected. The wounded were treated by NPA medical officers. The prisoners received the same food as the NPA fighters. They were released as soon as possible, as long as they were not liable for any serious criminal offense.

For an extended period already, Ka Parago had been ill with diabetes, hyperthyroidism, hepatitis and hypertension. He was under medical treatment at the time of his death. The comrades had advised him to take a leave for medical treatment outside his area of command but he insisted on staying close to the people. Investigation by the revolutionary authorities has established that on June 28, 2015 at 2:30 p.m., an enemy team raided Purok 9 of barangay Pañalum in the Paquibato district of Davao City, where Ka Parago was undergoing medical care, and that there was no encounter between units of the NPA and the enemy.

The enemy immediately raked Ka Parago with automatic fire upon sight of him. His unarmed medical aide Ka Kyle or Vanessa Limpag had the chance to raise her hands and shout that she was a medic. But she was mowed down by the enemy raiding team. The enemy has withdrawn the photo and video it previously published, showing the murdered Ka Parago in his homewear and barefooted, with two obviously planted Armalite rifles for photo takingclose to his and Ka Vanessa’s bodies .

The enemy in its propaganda is gloating over their brutal killing of Ka Parago and his medical aide. It is boasting that the revolutionary movement is “declining”. It is oblivious of the fact that before Ka Parago died he was able to educate and train so many revolutionary successors in 37 years of revolutionary struggle. In recent years, months and days, the reactionary armed forces and unwelcome foreign monopoly enterprises have been receiving lethal blows from the NPA in the Southern Mindanao region.

Ka Parago continues to live and fight for national liberation and democracy through his successors in the CPP, NPA and the mass movement. After his heroic martyrdom, his successors are inspired and are ever more determined to fight for a new and better world.

The reactionary armed forces have concentrated more than 50 per cent of their strength in Eastern Mindanao in the vain hope of defeating the NPA here since sometime ago. But within this area, the NPA has enough room for maneuver. The forces of the NPA are also taking advantage of the reduced strength of the reactionary armed forces in other parts of Mindanao and in the Visayas and Luzon in order to wage tactical offensives. These are not being reportedly fully by the bourgeois mass media.

There is no way for the imperialists and the local reactionaries to stop the growth of the CPP, NPA, the mass organizations and organs of political powers, because the crisis of the world capitalist system and the domestic ruling system of big compradors and landlords is ever worsening and the broad masses of the people detest the intolerable conditions of oppression and exploitation and are desirous of revolutionary change in the face of the ever worsening conditions of exploitation and oppression.

Long live the memory of Comrade Leoncio Pitao!
Advance the revolutionary cause which he fought and died for!
Long live the revolutionary struggle in Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon!
Carry forward the Philippine revolution!
Long live the Filipino people!

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20150630_tribute-to-comrade-leoncio-pitao-commander-parago

CPP/NDF/NPA: Pamahayag sa Media ng NCMR

NDF/NPA propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Jun 30): Pamahayag sa Media ng NCMR

NDFP National Democratic Front of the Philippines

 

Pulang pagsaludo kang Kaubang Leoncio “Ka Parago” Pitao – Bayani sa mga dinaugdaug ug pinahimuslan

 

Ang tanang Pulang Kumander ug manggugubat sa New People’s Army sa North Central Mindanao Region nagapadangat sa kinatas-ang pagsaludo kang Kaubang Leoncio “Ka Parago” Pitao, niining pag-abot sa yugto sa kinapungkayan sa iyang pagsakripisyo. Duyog kami sa pagbangutan sa iyang pamilya, mga kaparyentehan, ingon man sa tanang kadre ug ginsakpan sa Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas, tanang Pulang kumander ug manggugubat sa NPA, tanang kaalyado sa National Democratic Front of the Philippines, ug tanang mga masa sa Southern Mindanao Region.

Mabayanihong mihalad sa iyang kinabuhi ang dugay nang masakiton nga si Ka Parago sa usa ka pakigsangka sa kaaway sa panggubatan sa Paquibato, Davao City niadtong Hunyo 28, 2015 batok sa hilabihan ka daku nga pwersa sa Scout Ranger Battalion ug mga tropa sa 10th Infantry Division.
 Dungan nga namartir ang usa ka kaubang medic nga nag-atiman kaniya. Nagsubo kita sa pagtaliwan sa usa ka mahal nga kauban nga hangtud sa katapusang pitik sa iyang kasingkasing, walay laing gihuna-gihuna kundili ang pag-alagad sa rebolusyon sa katawhan. Apan alang kanato, ang iyang rebolusyonaryong kasaysayan usa kabilin sa walay pag-awop nga inspirasyon sa padayong pagpaasdang sa nasudnon-demokratikong pakigbisog sa katawhang Pilipino.

Ang diwa sa Komunistang kaisog ug pagka-dili makikaugalingon ni Kaubang Parago, panag-ingnan alang sa tanang mga batan-ong kumander ug manggugubat. Ang pila ka dekadang labing mapuslanong bahin sa iyang kinabuhi gigugol niya sa rebolusyon. Daghang mga madaugong sangka ang iyang gipanguluhan kansang pagkabantugan giila bisan sa mismong mga opisyal ug kasundaluhan sa reaksyunaryong tropa sa nagharing hut-ong.

Gikaligutgutan kaayo sa Armed Forces of the Philippines si Ka Parago ug ang iyang Pulang Bagani Company. Daghang operasyong militar ug dagkung mersenaryong pwersa ang gimobilisa aron gukuron siya. Gilisud-lisud ang iyang pamilya aron mapahuyang ug pasurenderon siya. Apan sa matag higayon, napakyas sila. Sa ilang kapakyas sa pagbuntog sa iyang Pulang Bagani, ang iyang pamilya ang gipahimungtan. Giamong-amongan ug gipatay ang iyang anak nga babaye. Atubangan niining hugaw nga pagpangatake sa kaaway, nagpabiling lig-on ang iyang determinasyon. Kung lalom ang kayugot sa kaaway kaniya, gitugbangan kini sa mainitong pagmahal sa mga mag-uuma, lumad, mga alyado ug tanang katawhang iyang gialagaran.

Niining ulahing mga tuig, sa pagtaas na sa iyang pangidaron, nalimitahan na sa kabilinggan sa panglawas ang iyang gimbuhaton. Taliwala sa daghang tanyag kaniya sa pagpadayon sa iyang medikasyon sa luwas nga lugar gawas sa sona, gipili ni Ka Parago nga magpabilin uban sa mga masa sa kabukiran sa Paquibato. Alang kaniya, dili ang pangidaron ug seryosong balatian ang makapalayo kaniya sa masa ug sa pakigbisog; dili ang mga kalisdanan ug peligro kay bisan sa iyang pagkamatay nasayud siya nga magpabiling buhi ang pangandoy alang sa kadaugan sa demokratikong rebolusyon ug sosyalismo.

Siguradong gikalipay sa mga nagharing hut-ong ug sa ilang mga berdugo ang iyang kamatayon. Apan nasayop sila sa pagtuong ang pagkahanaw ni Ka Parago makapiang sa rebolusyonaryong kalihukan. Angayang mahigmata sila sa ilang karaang mga damgo nga mohuyang ang pakigbisog sa pagkamatay sa usa ka rebolusyonaryong Pulang Kumander. Samtang kinabuang nga ginatutukan sa mga opisyal sa AFP ang ilang ganti nga medalya ug promosyon nga naduhig sa dugo, ug nagpista ang mga nagharing hut-ong, pagamultuhon sila sa Pulang Bagani Company nga nahimo na karong batalyon, sa mga kumpanya ug sa daghang mga platun nga sama ka lig-on nga mosubay sa mga tunob ni Ka Parago sa padayong pagpaasdang sa gubat sa katawhan ngadto sa estratehikong pagkapatas ug hangtud sa kadaugan.

Pinirmahan,
Ka Allan Juanito
Tigpamaba
New People’s Army
North Central Mindanao Regional Command

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20150630_pamahayag-sa-media-ng-ncmr

CPP/NDF/NPA: Ka Parago remained strong and vigilant under no less than five reactionary regimes

NDF/NPA propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Jun 29): Ka Parago remained strong and vigilant under no less than five reactionary regimes

NDFP National Democratic Front of the Philippines

 

New People’s Army
Regional Command
Southern Mindanao
June 29, 2015
Press Statement

The Southern Mindanao Regional Command of the New People’s Army and the entire revolutionary forces express their deepest most profound salute to a great leader and warrior, Ka Parago or Leoncio Pitao who was killed in a raid together with guerrilla medic Ka Kyle on June 28, 2015 at 2:30 pm in Barangay Panalum, Paquibato district, Davao City.

Ka Parago was being treated for his diabetes, hyperthyroidism and hepatitis when the raiding team composed of the 6th Scout Ranger Company, 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion under the 1st Scout Ranger Regiment peppered him with bullets. Ka Kyle or Vanessa Limpag who was nursing Ka Parago had already raised her arms, shouting that she was a medic, when she too was razed to the ground by the military. She died instantly.

The Philippine Army must be very proud and happy to have killed a very sick man and an unarmed medic. They have no regard at all for the rules of engagement under the protocols of war as specified in the Geneva Convention and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. They kill with impunity.

Ka Parago had served the national democratic revolution for close to 37 years. He spent the greater part of his adult life serving the people, in unstinting dedication to the cause of national democracy. As a Red commander, he led and trained so many young warriors in the art of guerrilla warfare.

From the countless disarming operations in the 1980s and 1990s to the capture of General Obillo and Capt. Montealto in 1999 to the raid of Davao Penal Colony and the countless tactical offensives mounted by the Pulang Bagani Company.

Ka Parago remained strong and vigilant under no less than five reactionary regimes, from the Marcos dictatorship to the current US-Aquino regime.

When he was detained in 1999 and the enemy offered him so much “reward money,” he never turned his back to the people and the revolution. He remained stalwart in his convictions and ever faithful to the communist spirit of defending the security of the revolutionary forces and the interest of the people.

Even when he was grieving and agonizing over the tragic death of his daughter Rebelyn who was raped and killed by military intelligence operatives in 2009, Ka Parago exercised political wisdom.
The people in Southern Mindanao remember him as their most beloved son who was always at their side, ready to help them solve their problems- -so unlike the AFP generals who do nothing but attack and burden the people.

He lived very simply. He was the exact opposite of the corrupt generals of the AFP. Ka Parago’s spartan life became an enduring example for every revolutionary who knew him or worked with him. As a matter of fact, for many years since the onset of his illness, he declined the Party’s offer of a sick leave. All he wanted to his last dying breath was to live with the masses and to serve them.
Long live the revolution! Long live the masses! These were the last defiant words uttered by Ka Parago—words that reverberate throughout the entire archipelago.

Truly he lives in the hearts of the people as we honor his death. Thousands of young revolutionaries who have been inspired by this great guerrilla warrior now follow in his footsteps. The masses and the comrades grieve his death, yes, but they turn his grief to greater revolutionary fervor as the people’s war goes on.

(sgd.) Rigoberto F. Sanchez
Spokesperson
Southern Mindanao Regional Command
New People’s Army

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20150629_ka-parago-remained-strong-and-vigilant-under-no-less-than-five-reactionary-regimes

Frustration in south Philippines as peace process with rebels stalls

From Channel News Asia (Jun 29): Frustration in south Philippines as peace process with rebels stalls

New groups have formed to call for independence for south Philippines as the deal to end a 45-year conflict between rebels and the government stalls.

[Video report: Includes interview with Datuan Mangon of the League of Bangsamoro Organizations that advocates junking the BBL and pursuing the original goal of Bangsamoro independence.]

The stalling of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in the Philippines Senate has led to frustration among the Muslim population in southern Mindanao.
New groups have formed, calling for independence away from the peace process, and many fear that further impasse could lead to more radicalism. The 45-year conflict has claimed the lives of 120,000 people and displaced 2 million others.
The proposed law is an important part of the peace process between the national government and the Muslim-dominated Mindanao region.
But a newly-formed group known as the League of Bangsamoro Organisation is calling on people to ditch the BBL and to strive for independence from the rest of the country.
"The situation is very intense. We are afraid in the near future when the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) would reject a watered-down BBL, they cannot control the situation because there would be different groups with different agendas who would come,” said Mr Datuan Magon, spokesman for the group. “There are groups waiting outside just for that result. In order to bring hope to address the existing frustrations on the ground, MILF must turn back to the original goal of the struggle.”
Each component of the BBL is being debated and amended in the House of Representatives. As a majority of senators regard the BBL as unconstitutional, they were unable to pass it in time for the close of Senate on Jun 11.
When President Benigno Aquino first took office, one of his priorities was the passing of the Bangsamoro Basic Law and the fulfilment of the peace process. However as history has shown, it is easier said than done.
While top members of MILF have maintained that these processes are the only way forward, there has been increasing frustration within the group as well. At least 85 top commanders of the MILF recently denounced the leadership of the party for forging a doubtful peace deal with the government.
"The hope is still there, the Muslims are still hoping but the reality is that there are already Muslims who are frustrated,” said MILF’s vice chairman Ghazali Jafaar.
Evidence of this has surfaced in the past with the formation of splinter groups, such as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). The group has been carrying out attacks on members of the Philippine military and infrastructure, with civilians often caught in the cross fire.
"I think the indications are there we already have a movement that was born out of these frustrations. There could be more if we see more frustrations,” said Raissa Jadjuri from the Bangsamoro Transition Committee.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/frustration-in-south/1948586.html

Beijing states its case in South China Sea dispute with Philippines

From Want China Times (Jun 30): Beijing states its case in South China Sea dispute with Philippines

A still from the documentary Kalayaan: Pamanang Karagatan on the South China Sea dispute made by the Philippine government. (Internet photo)

 

China is seriously concerned over the Philippine government's ballyhooing over the South China Sea issue, whipping up feelings of conflict between the people of the two countries, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Monday.

China has noticed a documentary about the South China Sea and related reports in the Philippines, Hua said in a press release.

The Philippine foreign ministry, presidential press office and press bureau jointly made a three-episode documentary film in the country's official language Tagalog, in which it accused China of infringing on Philippine territories and pillaging resources that belong to the Philippines.

Spokespersons of the Philippine foreign ministry, defense department and armed forces all said the film aimed to raise public awareness of the importance of territories in the South China Sea and to unite the whole country behind the government on resolving the disputes.

China expressed strong dissatisfaction over the documentary's unreasonable and unfounded accusations, ignoring facts and calling white black, Hua said.

"The Chinese side also expresses serious concern over the practice of the incumbent Philippine government in making a fanfare about the South China Sea issue and instigating conflict between the Chinese and Filipino people," Hua said.

She said the Philippine side had attempted to win sympathy by creating a false "victim" image of itself by misleading statements and lies. History, she said, cannot be overwritten nor facts fabricated.

"It is the Philippines' expansionist policy and blatant infringement of China's sovereignty and interests that has given rise to these disputes," Hua said.

She pointed out that the islands in the South China Seas belong to China. She said China was the first to name and develop these islands, and the first to hold sovereign jurisdiction over the islands.

"This is proven by adequate historical and legal evidence," Hua said.

She said Japan occupied the islands during its aggression war against China. The Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, on which the post-war international order is founded, demanded Japan return the territories it stole from China. After World War II, the Chinese government took back the islands in the South China Sea.

"The root of the China-Philippines dispute on South China Sea lies in the illegal territorial claims the Philippine side made on part of the Nansha (Spratly) Islands and its occupation of some of the islands," Hua said.

The legal documents determining the territorial scope of the Philippines, including the Paris Treaty and Washington Treaty signed between the United States and Spain in 1898 and 1900, and the Treaty between the United States and Britain signed in 1930, have all excluded China's Nansha Islands and Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal) from Philippine territories. For a long time, the law of the Philippines, including the constitution, has confirmed the stipulations on Philippine territories that these treaties made, Hua said.

She said after the end of the World War II, especially after the beginning of the Cold War, the Philippines began to covet the Nansha Islands. Since the 1970s, the Philippines has used force to occupy eight of the islands one by one, including Mahuan Island, Feixin Island, Zhongye Island, Beizi Island, Nanyao Island, Xiyue Island, Shuanghuang Shoal and Siling Reef, all of which are known by different names to the Philippines and in English.

"China has always firmly opposed the illegal occupation by the Philippine side and repeatedly and sternly demanded they withdraw all personnel and facilities from the islands of China," Hua said.

The Philippines has sought to occupy Ren'ai Reef (Second Thomas Shoal) and Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal). In May 1995, the Philippine landing ship Sierra Madre was deliberately run aground on Second Thomas Shoal, upon which China immediately lodged representations and protest. The ship remains to this day, a rotting hull garrisoned by a detachment of troops.

The Philippine side has promised to tow away the grounded warship, saying it will not be the first country to violate the the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). "But now the Philippines has not only broken its promise by not towing away the ship but has attempted to build facilities there and occupy the reef," Hua said.

Hua cited the Philippine's military's harassment of Chinese fishing boats and persons in the seas off Scarborough Shoal in 2012. "The Chinese government had to take necessary and proper measures in response to the illegal seizure of Chinese territory," Hua said.

The Philippine side also improperly criticized China's dotted line on the South China Sea, Hua said, stressing the line, announced by the Chinese government in 1948, reiterates China's sovereignty and related rights.

China has repeatedly expressed its position of "not accepting or getting involved in" the so-called arbitration the Philippine side filed on the China South Sea disputes in January 2013, Hua said.

Hua stressed China and the Philippines are neighbors and this year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China-Philippine ties.

"Facts show that China and the Philippines have been long-term good friends and neighbors. The two countries should have been able to settle the South China Sea issue through friendly negotiation," Hua said.

She reaffirmed China's adherence to the path of peaceful development, saying China is committed to settling the disputes through negotiations and working with the Philippines and other ASEAN countries to implement the DOC in the South China Sea.

China urges the Philippine government to take into account the overall picture of China-Philippine relations and regional peace and stability and follow the tide of peace, development and cooperation and the joint aspiration of the two peoples, Hua said.

She urged the Philippine government to stop provoking relations between the two peoples and end their irresponsible acts and deeds, return to the correct track of settling disputes through negotiations and work with China to safeguard peace between the two peoples and maintain regional peace and stability.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1101&MainCatID=11&id=20150630000129

US Pacific Fleet commander to visit PH this year

From the Philippine Star posted to ABS-CBN (Jun 30): US Pacific Fleet commander to visit PH this year

The commander of the US Pacific Fleet has lined up his visits this year to the Philippines and two other US allies in the region.

Philippine Consul General to Honolulu Gina Jamoralin met recently with Adm. Scott Swift at his headquarters in Pearl Harbor.

Swift, who assumed his post last May 27 during the Joint US Pacific Fleet and US Pacific Command change of command ceremonies, will also visit Japan and South Korea.

The Philippine consulate general in Honolulu said US Pacific Fleet ships are set to make port visits to the Philippines this year under the Pacific Partnership 2015 mission.

During the meeting with Swift, Jamoralin was accompanied by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) liaison Navy Capt. Rey de la Cruz.

Swift is the 35th Pacific Fleet commander since the fleet was established in February 1941.

The US Pacific Fleet area of responsibility encompasses almost half of the Earth’s surface, from the North Pole to Antarctica; from the west coasts of North America and South America, extending through the Pacific Ocean and concluding in the Indian Ocean.

Jamoralin thanked Swift for attending the Philippine consulate general’s reception on June 12 at the Hilton Waikiki Hotel, which was his first official public event after assuming the position of commander.

Swift appreciated the close relations between the US and the Philippines and added that under his leadership, he would maintain closer relations with the Philippine consulate general and the AFP.

Among the topics discussed was the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) disputes. The consul general updated the commander on the status of the Philippines’ arbitration case.

Swift appreciated the Philippines’ peaceful and rules-based approach to solving territorial claims according to international law.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/30/15/us-pacific-fleet-commander-visit-ph-year

Parago killing a humanitarian law violation – NPA

Posted to the pro-CPP online propaganda publication Bulatlat (Jun 30): Parago killing a humanitarian law violation – NPA

Leoncio “Kumander Parago” Pitao was being treated for diabetes, hyperthyroidism and hepatitis when soldiers of the 6th Scout Ranger Company, 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion peppered him with bullets on June 28 at around 2:30 p.m. in barangay Panalum, Paquibato district, Davao City.



New People’s Army (NPA) leader Leoncio “Kumander Parago” Pitao was not killed in an encounter as what the military claims ^[3].

According to the NPA Southern Mindanao Regional (SMR) Command, Parago was being treated for diabetes, hyperthyroidism and hepatitis when soldiers of the 6th Scout Ranger Company, 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion peppered him with bullets on June 28 at around 2:30 p.m. in barangay Panalum, Paquibato district, Davao City.

Pitao’s companion, Vanessa “Ka Kyle” Limpag, who was nursing Pitao had already raised her hands, shouting that she was a medic, when soldiers shot her dead.

Rigoberto F. Sanchez, spokesperson of the NPA-SMR Command, said in an emailed statement, “The Philippine Army must be very proud and happy to have killed a very sick man and an unarmed medic.”

Sanchez lambasted the military for “having no regard at all with the rules of engagement under the protocols of war as specified in the Geneva Convention and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).”

Under the international humanitarian law (IHL), attacking persons who are hors de combat is prohibited ^[4]. Hors de combat refers to anyone who is in the power of an adverse party; anyone who is defenseless because of unconsciousness, shipwreck, wounds or sickness; or, anyone who clearly expresses an intention to surrender.

The IHL also provides protection for medical personnel. Article 25 of the 1949 Geneva Convention I ^[5] states,”Members of the armed forces specially trained for employment, should the need arise, as hospital orderlies, nurses or auxiliary stretcher-bearers, in the search for or the collection, transport or treatment of the wounded and sick shall likewise be respected and protected if they are carrying out these duties at the time when they come into contact with the enemy or fall into his hands.”

The principles and standards of international humanitarian law are upheld by CARHRIHL, ^[6] which was signed by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in 1998.

Sanchez said Pitao, 57, “spent the greater part of his adult life serving the people, in unstinting dedication to the cause of national democracy.” He joined the NPA in November 1978 and had been with the armed revolutionary movement for nearly 37 years.

“Ka Parago remained strong and vigilant under no less than five reactionary regimes, from the Marcos dictatorship to the current US-Aquino regime,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said Pitao led and trained so many young warriors in the art of guerrilla warfare. These include the countless disarming operations in the 1980s and 1990s to the capture of Army Gen. Victor Obillo and Capt. Eduardo Montealto in 1999 to the raid of Davao Penal Colony and the countless tactical offensives mounted by the NPA’s Pulang Bagani Company.

Sanchez said Pitao “never turned his back to the people and the revolution.” Sanchez said the military offered Pitao “reward money” when he was detained in 1999. His daughter, Rebelyn, was raped and killed by military intelligence operatives on March 5, 2009.

“The people in Southern Mindanao remember him as their most beloved son who was always at their side, ready to help them solve their problems- -so unlike the AFP generals who do nothing but attack and burden the people,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said Pitao had declined the Communist Party of the Philippines’s offer of sick leave. “All he wanted to his last dying breath was to live with the masses and to serve them,” Sanchez said.

In a 2011 interview with Bulatlat.com ^[7], Pitao said, “There is no basis for us to lose; the masses are ever prepared to fight. This is not a war between the military and the NPA but the struggle of the masses for genuine change and democracy.”

URLs in this post:

[1] Image: http://bulatlat.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/parago.jpg

[2] Bulatlat.com: http://bulatlat.com

[3] military claims: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2381435556008/death-of-rebel-leader-kumander-parago-confirmed

[4] attacking persons who are hors de combat is prohibited: https://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule47

[5] Article 25 of the 1949 Geneva Convention I: https://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v2_rul_rule25

[6] CARHRIHL,: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/01/30/carhrihl/

[7] 2011 interview with Bulatlat.com: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/03/29/npa-commander-parago-confident-of-the-advance-of-the-revolution/

 

http://bulatlat.com/main/2015/06/30/parago-killing-a-humanitarian-law-violation-npa/

MILF leader: We have removed war from our vocabulary

From Rappler (Jun 30): MILF leader: We have removed war from our vocabulary

Once the Bangsamoro government is established, the MILF hopes to bring back the old glory of Camp Abubakar and make it a model of governance

It is Ramadan and a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camp in Butig town, Lanao del Sur appears deserted at about 9am.

The MILF camp is located just a few kilometers away from the house of the town mayor. A few kilometers away, a mosque with a gold-painted roof glistens in the morning sun.

MILF 2nd vice chairman Alim Pangalian, also known as Alim Ali Solaiman, is based in this camp.

He was was one of the 3 MILF commanders – along with the late Ameril Umra Kato, founder of the breakaway Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, and Abdullah "Commander Bravo" Macapaar – who was accused of ordering attacks on communities in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte after the Memorandum on Agreement on Ancestral Domains were struck down in 2008. Authorities offered a P5 million reward for Pangalian's arrest.

He continues to deny the accusations. He said he has never laid hands "not even a pinch on anybody's life." He also denied allegations that he ordered his men to burn down houses.

In his camp there are no barbed wires or monitoring posts out in the open. Instead, rectangular banners brandishing the word "Bangsamoro" adorn the fence surrounding his office. Just across the gate is a covered multi-purpose space. Located nearby is a pilot elementary school and a madrasah (Muslim school). A few meters away are houses of MILF sympathizers.

In his office, a map showing the proposed core areas of a new autonomous region to be known as Bangsamoro occupies an entire wall.

On the first day of Ramadan, Pangalian grants Rappler an interview. He wears an outfit befitting of an imam to show, he said, that he is religious.

SATELLITE CAMP. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front community in Butig, Lanao del Sur is located a few kilometers away from the residence of the town mayor. Photo by Rappler

With the peace process with the MILF in advanced stages, the MILF leader is hardly a fugitive from the law nowadays.

Pangalian was present when President Benigno Aquino III graced the symbolic turnover of 75 MILF firearms at the old capitol in Sultan Kudarat town in the nearby province of Maguindanao on June 16.

MILF and Camp Abubakar

He was one of the MILF leaders who were able to visit Camp Abubakar in Maguindanao to see the storage facility for the decommissioned rebel firearms.

Camp Abubakar used to be the MILF's main camp until it was overtaken by government forces during the 2000 all-out war.

It was in this community where the rebel group – led by the late Salamat Hashim – ran a system of government based on the Shari'ah law – living out their vision for what an independent nation under the MILF would be like. The MILF agreed to drop its call for secession when it entered into talks with the Aquino government.

Camp Abubakar, also known as Camp Iranun, is located about 2 hours away from Cotabato City. The MILF's present stronghold, the smaller Camp Darapanan, is located just 20 minutes away from the city center.

MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal has said that the camp was chosen as the location to store MILF firearms due to its symbolism – from bearing the stigma of war, it will now serve as an icon for reconciliation.

The symbolic turnover of firearms to the Independent Decommissioning Body marked the first time that Pangalian was able to return to what was once the rebel's mother camp.

He said he is "happy" that event allowed him to visit their former stronghold – made even more special by the fact that it came days before Ramadan.

SYMBOLIC. The storage facility in Camp Abubakar, also known as Camp Iranun, in Maguindanao is secured by a joint team from the Moro Isamic Liberation Front and the government, and supervised by the Independent Decommissioning Body. Photo from OPAPP

Pangalian revealed that under the normalization agreement, the government agreed to remove soldiers from Camp Abubakar and allow original inhabitants, including MILF members and their families, to return to their homes.

Under the peace deal signed in March 2014, the government committed to redeploy armed troops assigned in Bangsamoro core areas while the decommissioning process is ongoing.

Meanwhile, MILF camps would be turned into civilian communities.

Once the Bangsamoro government is established, the MILF hopes to bring back the old glory of Camp Abubakar and make it a model of governance, Pangalian said.

"If ever Camp Abubakar will be returned to us, then we're going to make a community out of it. Build houses for the mujahideens (fighters), and schools and mosques for the children. We'll make it productive and useful. We could be a role model and a guide for them to see how good leadership accomplishes tasks," Pangalian said in Maranao.

But there is a long way to go. Pangalian is aware that there are many who doubt the sincerity of the MILF.

Asked about the wide perception that Moros cannot live without guns, Pangalian said: "Those are simply allegations by judgmental people who have not yet known the real and whole story about how and why Moro people live like this," he said.

It was difficult to convince the first 145 MILF combatants to decommission due to fears that the process would be tantamount to surrender. MILF chairperson Murad Ebrahim earlier said they explained to their men that the firearms would be turned over to a third-party body and not to the government. The process would also signal the return to mainstream life, not surrender. (READ: 'Old comrades' return to civilian life)

Under the peace accord, the decommissioning process is staggered and depends on political commitments. Because of this, the MILF will not decommission if the BBL is not passed and the proposed Bangsamoro government is established.

But what if the BBL is passed and yet the content of the BBL is diluted? (READ: 4 scenarios if Bangsamoro bill is not passed)

The MILF leadership has been consistent in saying that it will not accept a law that renders the Bangsamoro less powerful than the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Will the MILF then resort to war? Pangalian gave an answer consistent with rest of the MILF leadership – that the group will continue to talk peace.

"We have already removed in our vocabularies the word war," Pangalian said.

What he is also hoping for is that a general amnesty for MILF rebels would be implemented. Since the war began in the 70s, about 150,000 individuals, including combatants, police, soldiers, and civilians, have been killed.

"If you were wondering, why are we hiding or staying in a deep and faraway jungle when we have just enough place for us to stay in the city? Is it because we are guilty of something, are we hiding something or we’re not considered a true Bangsamoro people, are we uncivilized for living in the jungle? The answer to that questions my dear children is simply because there is no such thing as what we call justice for the Bangsamoro. That’s why," he said.

In Butig, the relative calm in the warm June morning is betrayed by sights of burned down houses. The town, after all, is one of the areas that bore the brunt of the all-out war during the Estrada administration.

Rido

It is not only the months-long hostilities that have plagued the town. Rido or clan wars are also a culprit.

In one corner, a row of houses destroyed by gunfire due to a conflict between two families serve as testaments to the complex and volatile peace in the area. To stop the fight, a PNP detachment was set up in the middle of the houses of the warring clans. The conflict has been resolved but the burned down houses remain deserted.

RUINS. One of the houses destroyed by rido or clan wars in Butig, Lanao del Sur. Photo by Rappler

When the MILF decommissions, what would happen to other groups who own firearms?

According to Pangalian, if the proposed BBL will pass, the MILF leadership will negotiate with these groups and convince them to turn over their arms. They could sell their firearms and use the money to perform Hajj in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or invest it in business.

"We are pretty much confident that we could do these things easily without having any mishaps," he said.

When congressional sessions resume in July, Pangalian's appeal to Congress is for lawmakers to get on with work that would allow for "harmonious existence."

"One Moro nation, one Moro consciousness. One country, one love," he said. "We still belong and live in the Philippines and we are Filipino."

http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/issues/mindanao/97853-milf-leader-we-removed-war-vocabulary

1 cop killed, another wounded in fresh BIFF attack

From the Philippine Star (Jul 1): 1 cop killed, another wounded in fresh BIFF attack

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - Members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) on Tuesday killed a policeman and wounded another in Datu Saudi town in Maguindanao, the fourth attack in the province in just three weeks.

 

The slain Police Officer 1 (P01) Habib Narciso and his companion, P01 Abdullah Hashim, were riding a tricycle on their way to the town proper of Datu Saudi from nearby Salibo municipality, also in Maguindanao, when members of the BIFF riding separate motorcycles attacked from behind.

 

The badly wounded Hashim, who sustained gunshot wounds in different parts of his body, is now confined at the Maguindanao Provincial Hospital in Maguindanao’s Sharif Aguak town, about eight kilometers away.

 

Senior Inspector Solaiman Bakal, chief of the Datu Saudi municipal police, said Narciso was pronounced dead on arrival by attending physicians at the same hospital, where he and Hashim were rushed by responding barangay officials and community watchmen.

 

Bakal said investigators recovered from the crime scene spent shells of handguns the bandits used in the attack.

 

“It was a typical `liquidation style’ attack. The suspects were riding motorcycles. They sped away after they shot the victims with pistols,” Bakal said.  

 

BIFF bandits killed last week two unarmed members of an Army contingent rebuilding classrooms at the Datu Unsay Central School in Barangay Meta Datu Unsay, also in the second district of Maguindanao.

 

The soldiers, riding a motorcycle together, were on their way to the project site from an Army camp two kilometers away, carrying carpentry tools when bandits flagged them down and opened fire with assault rifles.

 

The incident was preceded by the fatal ambush by BIFF gunmen of a member of the Army’s 2nd Mechanized Company, who was out on a marketing mission, in Barangay Magaslong in Datu Piang.

 

The ambush incident in Datu Piang happened just five days after BIFF bandits shot with assault rifles a Toyota car while passing through a highway in Datu Salibo town, killing its two passengers on the spot.

 

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2015/07/01/1472115/1-cop-killed-another-wounded-fresh-biff-attack

Missile system pushed

From the Manila Standard Today (Jul 1): Missile system pushed

THE Defense Department is lobbying to realign the P6.5 billion Shore-Based Missile System to counter China’s threat in the South China Sea, according to documents obtained by The Standard.

The mobile SBMS is part of the Army’s “big-ticket items” and included in the 1st Horizon Project List in the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program, which was approved by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin but yet to be approved by President Benigno Aquino III.

Defense insiders say the  project did not pass through the Defense Capability Assessment and Planning Systems and the Defense System of Management. If not justified, they warn, the proponents of the realignment may face legal charges and jail terms.

They say the project is a government-to-government deal with the Israel Military Industries Ltd. in December 2014. They say the realignment of the SBMS negates the President’s promise for the AFP to have a “minimum credible defense” posture before he steps down from office in 2016.

The supplier was just waiting for the awarding of the contract when suddenly Irriberi requested a realignment.

On March 5, 2015, Gazmin, in a letter to Aquino, sought the approval of 28 RAFPMP projects with a total budget of P60,143,404,181, which includes the SBMS. This was after the President, on February 17, ordered the DND to review all the projects and to make sure these, particularly the SBMS, will not violate the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Irriberi wrote an undated letter in May to AFP chief of staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. seeking his approval to re-align the SBMS.

“The Philippine Army presented the need to adjust the 2015 acquisition of Shore-Based Missile System…This is due to the rapid change in the internal security landscape brought about by the issues on the Bangsamoro Basic Law and the prevalent use of IED (improvised explosive device) of the threat groups that inflicted significant casualties on our troops,” Irriberi said.

“The emerging security situation is further driven by the continuous military operations against the BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) and ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group).”

The BBL, although it is still to be passed by Congress, has already started the decommissioning on both fighters and arms of the much bigger rebel organization, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Irriberi said the Army, as end-user, saw the importance of the SBMS for the country’s territorial defense in the West Philippine Sea but the soldiers involved in internal security operations need more individual protective gear “in view of the of clear, present and continuing occurrences of terrorist acts perpetrated by enemies of the state.”

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/07/01/missile-system-pushed/

Govt workers' union files more complaints vs 'stalking,' threatening visits by military agents

From InterAksyon (Jul 1): Govt workers' union files more complaints vs 'stalking,' threatening visits by military agents



Officers of COURAGE, joined by Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay, hold up signs calling for an end to their harassment by military agents before filing a new set of complaints before the CHR on Wednesday. (photo courtesy of COURAGE)

For the second time in less than a month, officers and members of a government workers’ union trooped to the Commission on Human Rights in Quezon City Wednesday to file complaints against what they called the intensified “stalking” by apparent military agents who, in some instances, openly visited and threatened them in their homes or offices.

The Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees, or COURAGE, said among those who filed the complaints were:

• Elvie Prudencio, president of the National Wages and Productivity Commission Employees Association and national president of the Department of Labor and Employment Employees Union
• Erwin Lanuza, president of Kasamaka QC (union of QC Hall employees) and national president of the League of LGU Employees
• Benny Angeles, an MMDA retiree and former officer of the KKK-MMDA union
• COURAGE National Office Secretariat members Rowena Rosales, Oliver Rosales, Juan Alexander “Bob” Reyes, Generosa “Nay Lance” Manilag, Chito Juliano, Romeo Manilag and Raquel Toquero

COURAGE first filed complaints before the CHR on June 8. These involved “poison letters Red-tagging our leaders and threatening them should they refuse to cooperate,” COURAGE national president Ferdinand Gaite said in a statement.

However, instead of putting an end to the harassment, he said “the threats have become even more brazen and increasing, this time involving not just our leaders anymore but also COURAGE National staff and organizers.”

“We are racing against time, hoping that the CHR would act urgently before things could get a lot worse than they already are,” Gaite said, in an apparent reference to the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances that have often followed vilification campaigns against activists and others who state security forces openly tag of being “enemies of the state” or sympathizers of the communist revolutionary movement.

Earlier, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan also decried what it called a worsening pattern of “coordinated harassment” against activists and leaders of people’s organizations in the run-up to President Benigno Aquino III’s last state of the nation address on July 27.

COURAGE said Prudencio and Lanuza were visited at their offices on separate dates by unidentified men in plainclothes who accused them of being ranking communist leaders and urged them to “turn themselves in before it’s too late.”

“In Prudencio’s case, the man introduced himself as from the Office of the President,” the union said.
Angeles and Reyes, on the other hand, were separately visited in their homes on June 16 by men who introduced themselves as military agents “and left numbers they are supposed to call should they opt for redemption.”

They were also told to “blame themselves if something bad happens to them and their families.”
Generosa Manilag was visited on June 20.

During these incidents, COURAGE said, the “visitors” often came with a team, all stocky, sporting crew cuts and carrying “sling bags.”

In their affidavits, Romeo Manilag and Juliano said they were in a jeepney rented by COURAGE coming from a rally at the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process last Friday when it was tailed by a man riding a motorcycle who they had earlier seen taking photographs of union staff during the protest.

The Rosales couple said they had noticed men tailing them to and from their home and also said a former colleague had told them about military men who had visited him asking for the whereabouts of Oliver Rosales.

“We call on the state to stop the harassment of unionists and activists,” Gaite said. “We condemn the threats on organizers and leaders of COURAGE who are merely exercising their constitutional and democratic rights to organize unions, enter into collective negotiations and engage in peaceful concerted action. These persons claiming to be from the military and the police should stop stalking civilians.”

Gaite also lashed out at Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office chief, who challenged COURAGE to substantiate its accusations, saying “we have photos, CCTV footage, logbook entries” and other proof against the alleged military agents, “and we will not stop until this harassment is over.”

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/113421/govt-workers-union-files-more-complaints-vs-stalking-threatening-visits-by-military-agents

2 brand new choppers, 1 LCU delivered to AFP

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Jun 1): 2 brand new choppers, 1 LCU delivered to AFP

[Video: PH Air Force celebrates 68th founding anniversary]

Two brand new combat utility helicopters and one landing craft utility (LCU) have been delivered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, an addition to its transport assets amid efforts to build a minimum credible defense.

The two Bell 412 EP combat utility helicopters arrived here last week, Air Force spokesperson Colonel Enrico Canaya told reporters on the sidelines of the Philippine Air Force founding anniversary.

Last year, the Philippines signed a contract of eight Bell helicopters from Canada worth P4.6 billion.
“It is still undergoing the acceptance process,” Canaya said.

The aircraft would have to undergo technical inspection before it will be commissioned to the Philippine Air Force. The delivery of all the helicopters is seen to be completed within the year.

Canaya likened the Bell choppers to Huey choppers in the Air Force inventory.

He said the Bell combat utility helicopters are “more powerful than Hueys” and is ideal for “heavy lift operations.”

In terms of capacity, it can carry up to 14 troops.

The choppers would also help in disaster response in carrying troops and cargoes, Canaya said.

Once commissioned to the Air Force, they will be housed at the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing but their deployment is not yet identified.

LCU for the Philippine Navy

The South Korean government, meanwhile, donated a transport ship for the Philippine Navy.
Navy chief Vice Admiral Jesus Millan, said the ship arrived last May 30 and is a naval shipyard in Cavite. It was shipped to the Philippines at the cost of P16 million.

Millan said the ship still has to undergo repairs worth about P26 million.

“It will be a big boost for [humanitarian assistance and disaster response] operations and troop transport,” he said.

There are five LCU in the Navy inventory but only three are operational.

“Kung tutuusin halos kaparehas din ng mga naunang LCU pero pag nagawa itong needed repairs mas maganda yung capability niya mas bago sya na model,” Millan said.http://globalnation.inquirer.net/125466/2-brand-new-choppers-1-lcu-delivered-to-afp

Aquino to AFP: Modernization to stop without ‘Daang Matuwid’

From GMA News (Jul 1): Aquino to AFP: Modernization to stop without ‘Daang Matuwid’

President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday challenged the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to sustain his reforms in what sounded like his valedictory speech as the military's commander-in-chief.

During the Philippine Air Forces' (PAF) 68th anniversary event, Aquino told soldiers that AFP modernization will be put to a halt if the military will not continue upholding his platform of governance, summed up in the phrase "Daang Matuwid" (straight path).

"Kailangang tuloy-tuloy ang pagpanig natin sa Daang Matuwid; oras nga po na lumihis tayo mula rito, pihadong mauudlot ang pagsagad ninyo sa positibong pagbabagong ating nasimulan," Aquino said in his speech.

The President nevertheless pledged to double his support for the military as he nears the end of his term.

"Malinaw po: Mayroon nang gobyernong tunay na nagmamalasakit sa mga kawal nating kumakalinga sa mamamayan. Sa nalalabing panahon natin sa puwesto, makakaasa kayong hindi magmamaliw ang suporta natin sa inyong hanay," he said.

As he recalled the state of the AFP before he assumed office, Aquino once again took a swipe at former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s administration for supposedly neglecting the military.

“Ang ipinamana sa atin: Sambayanang uhaw sa kaunlaran at pagkakataon; isang Sandatahang Lakas na handang gawin ang tama’t makatwiran pero salat sa suporta at kagamitan; isang Hukbong Himpapawid na limitado ang kakayahang maabot ang matatayog na adhikain para sa bayan,” he said.

Aquino contrasted this to the “care” his administration extended to the military. He boasted of 55 AFP modernization projects his presidency had completed over the past five years.

“Sa mabuting pamamahala, pinaunlad natin ang kakayahan at kagamitan ng mga kawal ng bayan. Ang hangad natin: Bigyang-lakas kayo upang mas epektibo ninyong magampanan ang inyong mandato. Kaya nga po tuloy-tuloy ang pagsusulong natin ng modernisasyon sa AFP,” he said.

The PAF will receive two new fighter planes, two light lift transports and six combat utility helicopters in the coming months, Aquino added.

“Naalala ko nga ang sinabi ng isang bagong graduate ng Philippine Military Academy nitong taon: Salamat daw, at ‘yung ating Air Force, hindi na lang puro air kundi talagang meron na ring force,” he said.

The President further pledged to double his support for the military as he nears the end of his term.

"Malinaw po: Mayroon nang gobyernong tunay na nagmamalasakit sa mga kawal nating kumakalinga sa mamamayan. Sa nalalabing panahon natin sa puwesto, makakaasa kayong hindi magmamaliw ang suporta natin sa inyong hanay," he said.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/513798/news/nation/aquino-to-afp-modernization-to-stop-without-daang-matuwid

PAF sorties in South China Sea help strengthen RP’s position vs China

From the Daily Tribune (Jul 2): PAF sorties in South China Sea help strengthen RP’s position vs China

Sorties by the Philippine Air Force in the West Philippine Sea are helping in strengthening the country’s position against China over the disputed territory, with the PAF spending a huge number of flying hours in support of territorial defense operations.

In his speech during the 68th Founding Anniversary of PAF in Clark Air Base, Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado said the PAF will continue to conduct sorties to provide “critical information” to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) which is the primary office dealing with the dispute.

“As we face more complex challenges, we remain committed and dedicated to duty to defend our territory and our people,” said Delgado.

“Our sorties in the western borders help strengthen the arm of our diplomats by providing them with critical information. Communities can count on the Air Force being there whether the challenge comes from those who threaten the peace or those from the fury of nature,” he added.

The Philippines is entangled in a tense dispute with China over several reefs and islets in the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea where Beijing has been conducting massive reclamation activities on disputed areas.

Despite continuing aggressive action by China, the Philippines is committed to the peaceful resolution of the West Philippine Sea dispute by filing cases against Beijing before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, or ITLoS.

Recently, at least two sorties of PAF surveillance aircraft in the West Philippine Sea were challenged by Chinese ships.

During the past anniversary year, Delgado said the PAF was able to log a total of 28,179.6 flying hours in 21,741 sorties, transporting 83,809 passengers and a total of 5,593,012 pounds of cargo to various parts of the country.

“A huge amount of these missions was conducted in support for territorial defense, security and stability, with the rest for humanitarian assistance and disaster response and force level command and control,” said Delgado.

Delgado welcomed the new aircraft procured under the Aquino administration as a huge boost to the aging PAF fleet.

During the past year, PAF acquired seven refurbished Hueys, a brand new C295 which is one of the three contracted medium lift aircraft and the initial batch of Bell 412 combat utility helicopters.

“These new aircraft and the others that will be arriving in the coming years will significantly improve the PAF’s capabilities to accomplish its mandated mission,” said Delgado.

The Air Force chief thanked President Aquino for the support given to the PAF modernization program.

Under the Aquino administration, PAF crafted its so-called Flight Plan 2028 which includes the acquisition of 12 FA50 lead in fighter jets from South Korea.

“We have crafted our Flight Plan 2028, the PAF Transformation Roadmap, whose goal is to enable us to upgrade our capabilities and provide a credible defense to our territory,” said Delgado.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/paf-sorties-in-south-china-sea-help-strengthen-rp-s-position-vs-china

Navy receives landing craft utility from South Korea

From the Business Mirror (Jul 1): Navy receives landing craft utility from South Korea

SOUTH Korea has become a generous donor of the military in the aftermath of the government’s sealing of a contract for the delivery of a squadron of FA-50 lead-in fighter jets.

Vice Adm. Jesus C. Millan disclosed that they have already received the landing craft utility (LCU) ship that South Korea has earlier promised to donate to the Armed Forces.

“It already arrived on May 30, but it has to undergo some machinery and equipment repairs. It’s only one and donated by South Korea. Once it becomes operational, it will boost our troop transport support, and humanitarian assistance and disaster-response capability,” he said.

The Navy chief refused to describe the status of the LCU pending its refurbishment before it goes into service for the Navy.

Millan said the government shouldered the LCU’s shipping cost, amounting to P16 million, while the repair cost may be as much as P26 million.

Millan said a brand-new LCU costs about P6 billion.

The Navy currently has five LCUs, but only three are operational at all times.

Aside from the ship, the South Korean government will also donate 16 rubber boats to the military, which it could use in its seaborne operations in Mindanao and in disaster response.

The military is awaiting the delivery of 12 brand-new fighter jets from South Korea, two of which are expected to be in the country before December.

Even before the fighter-jet deal’s signing in 2013, South Korea has already promised to donate some of its excess items to the Armed Forces, including a decommissioned Foohang Class corvette.

The delivery has been stalled following reports that China has been attempting to block the transfer to the country of the vessel, although reports also said that the corvette is already too old that it needs major repair before it can be turned over.

South Korea is also being looked upon as a possible source of two brand-new frigates that will be procured following the decision earlier of Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin to scuttle the plan to acquire an Italian Maestrale class frigate because it was second hand.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/navy-receives-landing-craft-utility-from-south-korea/

Chinese airstrip on Kagitingan Reef nearly finished

Posted to ABS-CBN (Jul 2): LOOK: Chinese airstrip on Kagitingan Reef nearly finished



Screengrab from Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative website

China has almost finished building a 3,000-meter-long (10,000-foot) airstrip on one of its artificial islands in the disputed Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea, new satellite photographs of the area show.

A US military commander had told Reuters in May that the airstrip on Fiery Cross Reef (Kagitingan Reef) could be operational by year-end, although the June 28 images suggest that could now be sooner.

The airstrip will be long enough to accommodate most Chinese military aircraft, security experts have said, giving Beijing greater reach into the heart of maritime Southeast Asia.

China said on Tuesday some of its land reclamation in the Spratlys, where it's building seven islands on top of coral reefs, had been completed, although it gave few details.

The latest photographs were taken by satellite imagery firm DigitalGlobe and published by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. (http://amti.csis.org/)

AMTI said the airstrip was being paved and marked, while an apron and taxiway had been added adjacent to the runway.

Two helipads, up to 10 satellite communications antennas and one possible radar tower were visible on Fiery Cross Reef, it said. The images also showed a Chinese naval vessel moored in a port.

Recent images of Chinese-occupied South Johnson Reef also showed a large multi-level military facility in the centre of the reef with two possible radar towers under construction, AMTI added. Two helipads and up to three satellite communications antennas were also visible, it said.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims.

China stepped up its creation of artificial islands last year, alarming several countries in Asia and drawing criticism from Washington. Beijing says the outposts will have undefined military purposes, as well as help with maritime search and rescue, disaster relief and navigation.

On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry did not specify where land reclamation had been completed in the Spratlys. Recent images indicate there is still much reclamation continuing at Mischief Reef and Subi Reef.

The US State Department's number two diplomat last Friday compared China's behavior in pursuit of territory in the South China Sea to that of Russia in eastern Ukraine.

A day later, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said changing position on China's claims to the South China Sea would shame the country's ancestors, while not facing up to infringements of Chinese sovereignty there would shame its children.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/02/15/look-chinese-airstrip-kagitingan-reef-nearly-finished

Duterte declares ceasefire between gov't forces, NPA

From Rappler (Jul 1): Duterte declares ceasefire between gov't forces, NPA

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte says this is to allow sympathizers of slain communist rebel leader Leoncio Pitao, alias Kumander Parago, to pay their respects



‘MOST WANTED’ NPA LEADER. In this file photo, 1st Pulang Bagani Battalion commander Leoncio 'Ka Parago’ Pitao (R) is seen sharing a light moment with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (L). File photo by Karlos Manlupig/Rappler

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte declared a ceasefire between government troops and the local New People's Army (NPA) to allow sympathizers of slain communist rebel leader Leoncio B. Pitao, known as Kumander Parago, to pay their final respects.

(READ: Duterte warns gov't: Expect NPA to hit back after Pitao's death)

Duterte invoked his position as the Regional Peace and Order Council chairperson in a statement that also addressed militant groups in his city.

"It's ceasefire, we have to respect the dead,” he said. “I can tell government forces, and I am telling you now, we need to have a ceasefire."

Duterte said that NPA rebels who do not have warrants of arrest are free to pay their respects to Pitao, “but those who are facing cases in court...are not included in the ceasefire."

He made a guarantee that those who are not at large will not be harmed, promising that there would be “no disturbance, no oppression.”

“After the burial,” he added, “you go back to the countryside, fight again if you want. The police and the military will not and cannot surrender, and you, too, won't surrender.”

Duterte paid his own respects to Pitao and Pitao’s medical aide Kyle on Monday night, accompanied by Task Force Davao commander Col. Macaraig Alberto and Davao City Police Director Supt. Vicente Danao.

It was a rare instance of cops and soldiers attending the wake of a rebel.

Duterte told Pitao's wife Evangeline that both the police and the military were there “because they want to pay respects because he is a human being."

"We do not hate each other because we are enemies,” Duterte said. “We observe a certain decorum.

Respect is important regardless of creed or color. I want everyone to be comfortable here in my city."
Alberto said the local military will abide by the ceasefire order as long as it applies to rebels without warrants of arrest.

“We have to enforce the law," he said.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/97989-duterte-ceasefire-npa-afp-pnp