Propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Philippines Website (Mar 10): Turn bourgeois reactionary elections into the people’s advantage
The forthcoming national elections, as with all previous elections since the so-called EDSA I “people power revolution” and the parade of bogus republics in the past, will never be a genuine expression of the slogan “from the people, by the people and for the people” much less embody the hope for the vast underprivileged majority to become the real bosses of the country.
Almost all candidates vying for major positions, whether as mayor, congressman, senator, vice president or president, either belong to the big landlord and comprador bourgeoisie classes or from dynasties of bureaucrat capitalists; none belong to the peasant or working classes. Thus, to say that bourgeois elections translate to real people empowerment is nothing short of delusional and deceptive.
At most, people are only used, beguiled by the bourgeois jargon “right of suffrage” to cast their votes to make that peaceful transfer of power from one faction of the ruling class to another faction of the same class. Further, ever since bourgeois elections have been institutionalized in the country, agents of US imperialism always had a hand in ushering to victory the ruling faction that best serves their hegemonic interests in the country.
Philippine elections continue to be an arena lorded over by the ruling classes ñ the big landlords and bourgeois compradors – and the rules of the game remain the same: guns, goons, gold and patronage. Of late, the use of the pre-programmed automated elections system (AES) upgraded the old and obvious schemes of cheating to invisible electronic fraud. Control over established mass media networks as well as the social media also proves to be an advantage.
In the entire course of this electoral process, the more urgent basic issues of peasants, workers and other exploited and oppressed classes of society, such as land reform, national industrialization, sovereignty and patrimony, human rights violations, militarization, economic monopoly and US intervention, are either not highlighted or completely neglected. It is deliberate on the part of politicians to do this in order to avoid accountability for such issues after the elections; thus, they debate and jabber mainly on peripheral or less basic issues.
Not even the Party List system has become truly empowering for the marginalized. Of the 52 congressional seats reserved for Partylist, only 13% genuinely represent the less-privileged. Pseudo-partylists, those fielded by ruling classes and acting as fronts for reactionary ruling parties, have been allowed to enter the Partylist system and now dominate it, making it extremely difficult for the real marginalized groups to win seats. Worse, out of the 257 seats in the entire House of Representatives, less than 3% actually hail from the marginalized. At this juncture, progressive partylist groups should not only aim at winning, they must give primacy to educating the people on the reactionary character of bourgeois elections and its dire impact towards millions of poor and exploited masses.
Conversely, in guerrilla bases in the countryside, genuine people’s elections, where the true people’s representatives are being elected without the influence of guns, goons and gold, are being held, thus the revolutionary people’s government is established. This constituency of the real people’s government will expand correspondingly as guerrilla bases expand and become stronger, and as the armed revolution advances nationwide. The national people’s government will be established once political power on a nationwide scale is seized by encircling the cities from the countryside.
However, the current balance of power favours the ruling class to compel the participation of the masses in bourgeois elections. Meantime, the masses are currently faced with the challenge to choose from among the five presidentiables based on what is advantageous for people’s rights and welfare.
A Roxas victory will shield Benigno Aquino III from incarceration for his crimes against the people, such as DAP, EDCA, the SAF 44 incident, the gross neglect of typhoon victims, the Lumad killings and a host of other despicable acts. He will, no doubt, extend and even attempt to surpass the brutality of Aquino III’s Oplan Bayanihan (OPB), which is now waging an intensified campaign against the people, especially in Mindanao, in its concluding phase. Jejomar Binay has been castigated publicly with evidence after evidence of acts of graft and corruption, which has not only enriched him but his brood as well. While himself a staunch critic of Aquino III’s malfeasance and anti-people policies, Binay, for his part, has not made serious stands on issues, such as wages and land reform, which greatly impact the masses of workers and peasants in the country.
Rodrigo Duterte, for his part, favors the return of the death penalty, which, under the current situation, will only victimize the poor and innocent as well as revolutionaries, but absolve the powerful, influential and those who can bribe fiscals and judges. He has also announced his categorical stand against labor unions. Mirriam Defensor-Santiago’s track record reeks of her loyalty to the ruling classes and her turncoatism for political survival by way of her alliance with the family and main beneficiaries of Martial Law. Grace Poe, even when no major issues have been hurled against her, has yet to prove herself consistent in upholding people’s issues, demands and aspirations.
While these presidentiables may have expressed some favorable stand on issues, such as on the question of drugs, environmental protection and climate change, social services, the peace talks, etc., the people must still be vigilant enough to expose certain issues that may have long term disadvantages to the nation, to wit: charter change that will efface provisions that protect patrimony and sovereignty; fascism akin to the return of Martial law; giving the US more room for political and military interventionism; and, the imposition of pro-imperialist, pro-big landlord and pro-big bourgeois comprador neoliberal economic policies, which provide greater leeway for the incursion and plunder of imperialist corporations, such as mining, agribusiness, energy and others.
NDFP-Mindanao calls on the people to turn this bourgeois elections to the advantage of the people’s struggle. We must strive to educate the masses regarding the real character of the bourgeois elections.
The people must convert and elevate basic issues: land, wages, benefits, human and other basic rights, patrimony, sovereignty into electoral issues and launch mass campaigns that expose and demand for: justice to all victims of human rights violations; an end to militarization; implementation of genuine land reform for peasant, Lumad and Moro people; defense of basic workers’ rights and welfare, including that of overseas Filipino workers; protection against the plunder of natural resources and the destruction of the environment; and, safeguarding the rights, interests and welfare of women, the youth and students.
Unite to expose and isolate candidates who are despotically reactionary!
(Sgd)
Ka Oris
Spokesperson
NDFP-Mindanao
http://www.ndfp.org/turn-bourgeois-reactionary-elections-peoples-advantage/
Sunday, March 20, 2016
MILF: Multi-sectors commemorate 48th Anniversary of Jabida Massacre; launch ‘All 4 Peace Movement’
Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Mar 20): Multi-sectors commemorate 48th Anniversary of Jabida Massacre; launch ‘All 4 Peace Movement’
More than 300 hundred people comprising multi-sectors, Moros, Christians, Indigenous People (IP’), members of Party-List Anak Mindanao (AMIN), Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD) and other non-government organizations gathered on March 18, 2016, at Corregidor Island, Cavity City to commemorate the 48th Anniversary of Jabida massacre and launched the “All for Peace Movement” in Manila.
On March 18, 1968 at least 28 Moro military trainees mostly Tao Sugs were killed at Corregidor island, triggering widespread Muslim indignation. The incident releases pent-up anger from years of prejudice, ill treatment and discrimination. Moro students in Manila hold a week long protest vigil over an empty coffin marked ‘Jabidah’ in front of the presidential palace.
From that time on to 1971 Moro student activism in Manila grows. Moro consciousness, based on Islamic revivalism and knowledge of a distinct history and identity, gathers steam. Political Organizations emerge, to culminate eventually in the establishment of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
In an interview with lone survivor Jabin Arula during his memorable visit to the island the 40th -Year anniversary commemoration on March 18, 2008, he related their gory experience in the hands of their own superiors.
“After knowing that the plan of the government was to invade Sabah, death of the all-Moro trainees was the best way to cover-up the truth”, Arula revealed.
The MNLF then fought government forces from 1973 to 1975 and became the vanguard of the Bangsamoro people in Southern Philippines for self-determination. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) broke-up with the MNLF in1977, and has now become the largest Moro rebel group.
Anak Mindanao (AMIN), one of the organizers of the program considered the 48th Anniversary commemoration as a milestone achieved with putting-up of “Mindanao Garden of Peace” marker at the site of the massacre and the recognition in 2012 by President Benigno Aquino III of the Jabida Massacre that past presidents ignored”.
Bobby Benito, Secretary General of MPC said that ”The signing of the FAB and CAB are also a milestone” as he recalled 2008 commemoration theme dubbed as “Sign the Peace Agreement now!”, and that call had been answered with the signing in August 2014 of the CAB”, Benito added.
On the other hand, the ALL for PEACE MOVEMENT, a loose coalition of more than 40 organizations of Moros, Christians and IPs from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao was launched on Jabida commemoration day at Jen Hotel, Manila.
Congresswoman Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman of AMIN Party-list presented the movement’s objectives, goals and vision. She enumerated the Movement’s objectives as: To renew and reshape national commitment to peace by strengthening the institutions with inclusive and responsive policies and programs geared towards peacebuilding; To emphasize peacebuilding as an essential requirement of Islamic faith; To employ proactive action to address indifference, alienation and deprivation and disunity; To build a constituency that resists violence and achieves justice thru peaceful means
The Movement clearly aims to strengthen and widen stakeholders support in pursuing the peace initiatives of the GPH and MILF after failure of the 16th congress to pass the BBL.
Turabin called everyone to support the movement in order to reach out stakeholders still unreached regardless of religion and affiliation. “Politics must be set aside with this movement for peace”. I’m not here to campaign for the coming election but for peace as our theme is “Peace is Everybody’s Concern”, Turabin said.
Turabin explained that Islam emphasizes the primacy of peace and seeks to maintain thru compassionate and just means; Muslims participating in nation-building and those aspires to become a true Muslim is a magnanimous peacemaker and a just steward for all creations, Turabin added.
Actor and Muslim-Revert Abdul Aziz ”Robin” Padilla, Chairman of Liwanag ng Kapayapaan Foundation and a founding member of ‘ALL FOR PEACE MOVEMENT’ was one of the speakers.
Padilla said in his opening statement said ”I am not a Bangsamoro and in fact my family blood line is from the colonizers, but I am very proud to serve you as Bangsamoro people”. I am willing to be your spokesman for peace”, he added.
I am personally calling on our friends in the authority to give peace in Mindanao a chance. I am humbly appealing to them to erase hatred and instead give love to everyone because as Muslims or Christians, we will leave this world anytime. What we do on earth are all for the pleasure of God”, he also said.
Honorable Mujiv Hataman, the Regional Governor of ARMM also graced the launching program.
Representatives from religious Muslim and Christian sectors, academe, CSOs, and other groups who are working for peace were present during the launching.
http://www.luwaran.com/home/index.php/news/19-national/638-multi-sectors-commemorate-48th-anniversary-of-jabida-massacre-launch-all-4-peace-movement
More than 300 hundred people comprising multi-sectors, Moros, Christians, Indigenous People (IP’), members of Party-List Anak Mindanao (AMIN), Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD) and other non-government organizations gathered on March 18, 2016, at Corregidor Island, Cavity City to commemorate the 48th Anniversary of Jabida massacre and launched the “All for Peace Movement” in Manila.
From that time on to 1971 Moro student activism in Manila grows. Moro consciousness, based on Islamic revivalism and knowledge of a distinct history and identity, gathers steam. Political Organizations emerge, to culminate eventually in the establishment of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
In an interview with lone survivor Jabin Arula during his memorable visit to the island the 40th -Year anniversary commemoration on March 18, 2008, he related their gory experience in the hands of their own superiors.
“After knowing that the plan of the government was to invade Sabah, death of the all-Moro trainees was the best way to cover-up the truth”, Arula revealed.
The MNLF then fought government forces from 1973 to 1975 and became the vanguard of the Bangsamoro people in Southern Philippines for self-determination. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) broke-up with the MNLF in1977, and has now become the largest Moro rebel group.
Anak Mindanao (AMIN), one of the organizers of the program considered the 48th Anniversary commemoration as a milestone achieved with putting-up of “Mindanao Garden of Peace” marker at the site of the massacre and the recognition in 2012 by President Benigno Aquino III of the Jabida Massacre that past presidents ignored”.
Bobby Benito, Secretary General of MPC said that ”The signing of the FAB and CAB are also a milestone” as he recalled 2008 commemoration theme dubbed as “Sign the Peace Agreement now!”, and that call had been answered with the signing in August 2014 of the CAB”, Benito added.
On the other hand, the ALL for PEACE MOVEMENT, a loose coalition of more than 40 organizations of Moros, Christians and IPs from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao was launched on Jabida commemoration day at Jen Hotel, Manila.
Congresswoman Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman of AMIN Party-list presented the movement’s objectives, goals and vision. She enumerated the Movement’s objectives as: To renew and reshape national commitment to peace by strengthening the institutions with inclusive and responsive policies and programs geared towards peacebuilding; To emphasize peacebuilding as an essential requirement of Islamic faith; To employ proactive action to address indifference, alienation and deprivation and disunity; To build a constituency that resists violence and achieves justice thru peaceful means
The Movement clearly aims to strengthen and widen stakeholders support in pursuing the peace initiatives of the GPH and MILF after failure of the 16th congress to pass the BBL.
Turabin called everyone to support the movement in order to reach out stakeholders still unreached regardless of religion and affiliation. “Politics must be set aside with this movement for peace”. I’m not here to campaign for the coming election but for peace as our theme is “Peace is Everybody’s Concern”, Turabin said.
Turabin explained that Islam emphasizes the primacy of peace and seeks to maintain thru compassionate and just means; Muslims participating in nation-building and those aspires to become a true Muslim is a magnanimous peacemaker and a just steward for all creations, Turabin added.
Actor and Muslim-Revert Abdul Aziz ”Robin” Padilla, Chairman of Liwanag ng Kapayapaan Foundation and a founding member of ‘ALL FOR PEACE MOVEMENT’ was one of the speakers.
Padilla said in his opening statement said ”I am not a Bangsamoro and in fact my family blood line is from the colonizers, but I am very proud to serve you as Bangsamoro people”. I am willing to be your spokesman for peace”, he added.
I am personally calling on our friends in the authority to give peace in Mindanao a chance. I am humbly appealing to them to erase hatred and instead give love to everyone because as Muslims or Christians, we will leave this world anytime. What we do on earth are all for the pleasure of God”, he also said.
Honorable Mujiv Hataman, the Regional Governor of ARMM also graced the launching program.
Representatives from religious Muslim and Christian sectors, academe, CSOs, and other groups who are working for peace were present during the launching.
http://www.luwaran.com/home/index.php/news/19-national/638-multi-sectors-commemorate-48th-anniversary-of-jabida-massacre-launch-all-4-peace-movement
MILF: Inter-agency partnerships sought to implement TJRC recommendations
Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Websitee (Mar 20): Inter-agency partnerships sought to implement TJRC recommendations
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) seeks partnerships with selected government agencies to initiate actions to implement recommendations of the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TCRJ) geared to address legitimate grievances and correcting historical injustices that were committed against the Bangsamoro people.
This developed after Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Jr. directed Sec. Teresita Q. Deles, PAPP, to endorse the TJRC Report to the relevant agencies for the agencies’ review and assessment, convene and coordinate with the agencies to work towards the adoption and implementation of the recommendations and identify and mobilize resources to support the programs that may be implemented.
The Normalization Annex of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) which the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed provides the creation of the TJRC.
TJRC is independent body mandated to conduct study and make recommendations with the view to promote healing and reconciliation of the different communities that have been affected by armed conflict in Mindanao.
In its report which was conveyed to public on March 15, the TJRC concluded there were legitimate grievances of the Bangsamoro people, land dispossession and human rights violations committed against them.
The body suggests 90 recommendations that can be implemented through mutual reinforcing efforts of the government and the MILF peace panels, by existing governmental and state institutions at national, regional and local levels.
TJRC said even civil society and non-government organizations in the filed of education, history, reparation, healing, justice, development, institutional reforms and reconciliation can take part in the implementation.
However, the TJRC said Recommendations cannot replace a durable peace agreement and its legal framework, the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.
TJRC highly recommend the creation of National Transitional Justice and Reconciliation
Commission on the Bangsamoro (NTJRCB) that shall oversee and support the operations of its four Sub-Commissions, ensure the implementation of the ‘dealing with the past’ framework, and promote healing and reconciliation.
In her message during the TJRC Report Public Launch in Cotabato City, Sec. Teresita Q. Deles, PAPP, said she will create a working committee composed of representatives from the different relevant units of OPAPP to undertake the tasks set forth by the Executive Secretary.
“We will seek at the earliest possible time to draw up Memoranda of Agreement to institutionalize the partnership along these different tasks with selected government agencies,” Deles said.
She mentioned those agencies as the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, the Department of Education, the National Historical Commission, the Claims Board for Human Rights Victims of Martial Law, and the ARMM Regional Government, particularly its regional human rights body and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The presidential adviser said they will also work closely with the Peace and Human Rights Desks of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, respectively.
“Certainly, it is our intent to maintain continuing conversation with the MILF with regards all these efforts. I cannot guarantee that we will agree with all the points raised in the report, but I can commit that we will study each point carefully,” Deles said.
She believes that the remaining period of more than three months left to do the work may be enough to identify strategic program thrusts and embed those through the appropriate department orders and funds allocation in the mainstream work of selected relevant agencies.
“We need to undertake the hard, long term efforts such as those embodied in the recommendations of the TJRC Report,” Deles underscored.
As the political commitment for the passage of the BBL in accordance with the roadmap laid out by the CAB is pursued, she said they fully accept the additional tasks that the TJRC Report calls them to.
Deles thanked the TJRC, headed by Ms. Mo Beeker, Special Envoy of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the “listening process” facilitators and participants.
http://www.luwaran.com/home/index.php/news/19-national/639-inter-agency-partnerships-sought-to-implement-tjrc-recommendations
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) seeks partnerships with selected government agencies to initiate actions to implement recommendations of the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TCRJ) geared to address legitimate grievances and correcting historical injustices that were committed against the Bangsamoro people.
The Normalization Annex of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) which the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed provides the creation of the TJRC.
TJRC is independent body mandated to conduct study and make recommendations with the view to promote healing and reconciliation of the different communities that have been affected by armed conflict in Mindanao.
In its report which was conveyed to public on March 15, the TJRC concluded there were legitimate grievances of the Bangsamoro people, land dispossession and human rights violations committed against them.
The body suggests 90 recommendations that can be implemented through mutual reinforcing efforts of the government and the MILF peace panels, by existing governmental and state institutions at national, regional and local levels.
TJRC said even civil society and non-government organizations in the filed of education, history, reparation, healing, justice, development, institutional reforms and reconciliation can take part in the implementation.
However, the TJRC said Recommendations cannot replace a durable peace agreement and its legal framework, the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.
TJRC highly recommend the creation of National Transitional Justice and Reconciliation
Commission on the Bangsamoro (NTJRCB) that shall oversee and support the operations of its four Sub-Commissions, ensure the implementation of the ‘dealing with the past’ framework, and promote healing and reconciliation.
In her message during the TJRC Report Public Launch in Cotabato City, Sec. Teresita Q. Deles, PAPP, said she will create a working committee composed of representatives from the different relevant units of OPAPP to undertake the tasks set forth by the Executive Secretary.
“We will seek at the earliest possible time to draw up Memoranda of Agreement to institutionalize the partnership along these different tasks with selected government agencies,” Deles said.
She mentioned those agencies as the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, the Department of Education, the National Historical Commission, the Claims Board for Human Rights Victims of Martial Law, and the ARMM Regional Government, particularly its regional human rights body and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The presidential adviser said they will also work closely with the Peace and Human Rights Desks of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, respectively.
“Certainly, it is our intent to maintain continuing conversation with the MILF with regards all these efforts. I cannot guarantee that we will agree with all the points raised in the report, but I can commit that we will study each point carefully,” Deles said.
She believes that the remaining period of more than three months left to do the work may be enough to identify strategic program thrusts and embed those through the appropriate department orders and funds allocation in the mainstream work of selected relevant agencies.
“We need to undertake the hard, long term efforts such as those embodied in the recommendations of the TJRC Report,” Deles underscored.
As the political commitment for the passage of the BBL in accordance with the roadmap laid out by the CAB is pursued, she said they fully accept the additional tasks that the TJRC Report calls them to.
Deles thanked the TJRC, headed by Ms. Mo Beeker, Special Envoy of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the “listening process” facilitators and participants.
http://www.luwaran.com/home/index.php/news/19-national/639-inter-agency-partnerships-sought-to-implement-tjrc-recommendations
U.S. Set to Deploy Troops to Philippines in Rebalancing Act
From the Wall Street Journal (Mar 20): U.S. Set to Deploy Troops to Philippines in Rebalancing Act
The deal comes as the Southeast Asian country is locked in a territorial dispute with China
U. S. forces will soon have access to five Philippine military bases, some strategically positioned in the disputed South China Sea, as the allies forge ahead with plans to station American troops in the Southeast Asian country for the first time in almost a quarter-century.
After two days of high-level talks in Washington, the Philippine Embassy there announced that four Philippine air bases and one army camp will be opened up to the U.S. under the terms of a defense pact signed in 2014.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter will visit Manila in April to finish the details of the deployments, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Amy Searight said at the talks.
The agreement to send U.S. troops back to the Philippines—a former U.S. colony that once had some of the largest American bases in the world—is part of the Obama administration’s strategy of rebalancing attention and resources to the Asia-Pacific region. New U.S. military deployments to Australia and Singapore are already under way as part of that plan.
The Philippines is locked in a dispute with China over the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Manila has been encouraging the U.S. to play a more active role in resisting what it regards as Chinese aggression in Philippine waters.
For the past two years China has been constructing seven artificial islands and at least three airstrips in the South China Sea, despite its neighbors’ protests, and has refused to take part in legal arbitration initiated in 2013 by the Philippines at a U.N.-backed tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands.
Chinese officials have repeatedly asserted China’s right to reclaim land within its own sovereign territory, while warning the U.S. to keep out of the territorial disputes.
The deal, announced Friday, to send American forces to the Philippines had been held up for 18 months by a legal challenge, but in January the country’s Supreme Court ruled that the pact is constitutional and can go ahead. With the five bases now identified, the deployment of U.S. forces would follow “very soon,” U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg said.
Among the four air bases being made available, Antonio Bautista Air Base on the western island of Palawan is strategically located by the South China Sea, potentially giving American aircraft quick access to any flashpoints there and improving their ability to fly surveillance missions.
The inclusion of Lumbia Air Base on the southern island of Mindanao reflected the “serious concern” in both Manila and Washington about efforts by Islamic State to establish a foothold on the island, said Richard Javad Heydarian, a security expert at De La Salle University in Manila.
“Counterterror operations continue to be a key element of American military footprint in the region,” he said.
Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in central Philippines, and Basa Air Base and army camp Fort Magsaysay, both on the northern island of Luzon, are the other locations.
Access to the bases would help U.S. forces to train their Philippine counterparts, and enable them to respond more quickly with assistance to natural disasters, the Philippine embassy said.
Some security analysts had expected Clark Air Base and Subic Bay, both former American bases, would be at the top of Washington’s wish-list due to their strategic positions and relatively modern facilities.
Mr. Heydarian said they could be opened up later, noting national elections are set in the Philippines in May. But he said they aren’t as “strategically indispensable to American power projection in the region as before,” as a result of the long absence of U.S. forces from these locations.
In 1991, prompted by a wave of nationalism coinciding with the end of the Cold War, the Philippine Senate voted against extending a treaty enabling the U.S. to continue operating from Subic and Clark, which had anchored American power in the western Pacific for almost a century. The U.S. withdrawal was completed the following year.
The lack of any naval bases in the roster suggests that the U.S. Navy is already satisfied with the level of access it has to Philippine waters through regular port calls, Mr. Heydarian said. The U.S. Navy has major bases in Japan and Guam, and a smaller presence in Singapore, from which it can capably patrol the South China Sea, he said.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-set-to-deploy-troops-to-philippines-in-rebalancing-act-1458466797
The deal comes as the Southeast Asian country is locked in a territorial dispute with China
U. S. forces will soon have access to five Philippine military bases, some strategically positioned in the disputed South China Sea, as the allies forge ahead with plans to station American troops in the Southeast Asian country for the first time in almost a quarter-century.
After two days of high-level talks in Washington, the Philippine Embassy there announced that four Philippine air bases and one army camp will be opened up to the U.S. under the terms of a defense pact signed in 2014.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter will visit Manila in April to finish the details of the deployments, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Amy Searight said at the talks.
The agreement to send U.S. troops back to the Philippines—a former U.S. colony that once had some of the largest American bases in the world—is part of the Obama administration’s strategy of rebalancing attention and resources to the Asia-Pacific region. New U.S. military deployments to Australia and Singapore are already under way as part of that plan.
The Philippines is locked in a dispute with China over the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Manila has been encouraging the U.S. to play a more active role in resisting what it regards as Chinese aggression in Philippine waters.
For the past two years China has been constructing seven artificial islands and at least three airstrips in the South China Sea, despite its neighbors’ protests, and has refused to take part in legal arbitration initiated in 2013 by the Philippines at a U.N.-backed tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands.
Chinese officials have repeatedly asserted China’s right to reclaim land within its own sovereign territory, while warning the U.S. to keep out of the territorial disputes.
Among the four air bases being made available, Antonio Bautista Air Base on the western island of Palawan is strategically located by the South China Sea, potentially giving American aircraft quick access to any flashpoints there and improving their ability to fly surveillance missions.
The inclusion of Lumbia Air Base on the southern island of Mindanao reflected the “serious concern” in both Manila and Washington about efforts by Islamic State to establish a foothold on the island, said Richard Javad Heydarian, a security expert at De La Salle University in Manila.
“Counterterror operations continue to be a key element of American military footprint in the region,” he said.
Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in central Philippines, and Basa Air Base and army camp Fort Magsaysay, both on the northern island of Luzon, are the other locations.
Access to the bases would help U.S. forces to train their Philippine counterparts, and enable them to respond more quickly with assistance to natural disasters, the Philippine embassy said.
Some security analysts had expected Clark Air Base and Subic Bay, both former American bases, would be at the top of Washington’s wish-list due to their strategic positions and relatively modern facilities.
Mr. Heydarian said they could be opened up later, noting national elections are set in the Philippines in May. But he said they aren’t as “strategically indispensable to American power projection in the region as before,” as a result of the long absence of U.S. forces from these locations.
In 1991, prompted by a wave of nationalism coinciding with the end of the Cold War, the Philippine Senate voted against extending a treaty enabling the U.S. to continue operating from Subic and Clark, which had anchored American power in the western Pacific for almost a century. The U.S. withdrawal was completed the following year.
The lack of any naval bases in the roster suggests that the U.S. Navy is already satisfied with the level of access it has to Philippine waters through regular port calls, Mr. Heydarian said. The U.S. Navy has major bases in Japan and Guam, and a smaller presence in Singapore, from which it can capably patrol the South China Sea, he said.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-set-to-deploy-troops-to-philippines-in-rebalancing-act-1458466797
Commentary: The long-term goal, a world-class Army
Commentary from the Reveille column by Ramon Farolan in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Mar 21): The long-term goal, a world-class Army
Tomorrow marks the 119th founding anniversary of the Philippine Army. It was on March 22, 1897, at Tejeros, San Francisco de Malabon in Cavite, that members of the Magdalo and Magdiwang factions of the Katipunan met in a convention to map out the setting up of a republican government, and the formation of a regular army. The armed organization would consist of three corps of 10,000 men each. Artemio Ricarte was elected captain general of the army of the Philippine republic.
Historians have different takes on the significance of the Tejeros Convention. Some view the meeting more as the breaking point between the Aguinaldo and Bonifacio factions of the Katipunan. But there is no question about the choice of Ricarte as the first leader of an organized Filipino army in the service of an independent republic. Ricarte, whose nom de guerre was “Vibora” (viper), had a reputation as a vicious and deadly fighter. He is best known for his refusal to take an oath of allegiance to the United States after the end of the Philippine-American conflict, preferring to remain in exile abroad. Perhaps, this is one reason why no major installation of the Army has been dedicated to his memory. Unfortunately, this is part of the colonial mentality that keeps us hostage to the past. I am confident however, that things will change as new leaders emerge.
The present chief of the Philippine Army, Lt. Gen. Eduardo M. Año, is a bemedalled combat veteran whose solid accomplishments include the capture of Benito Tiamzon, chair of the Communist Party of the Philippines, along with his wife Wilma, the party secretary general. General Año hails from the province of Rizal, and is the 57th in the long line of distinguished predecessors starting with General Ricarte.
In a commemorative book “Missions and Milestones” that was recently launched to mark the Army’s foundation anniversary, General Año reported to the nation some of the more important developments in the continuing effort to bring soldiers and citizens together, working for peace and progress in the community:
• The readiness of a province to take on more development programs is an important milestone. The term “Peaceful and Ready for Further Development” (PRFD) is used to confirm that the province has reached a status of having a relatively peaceful environment and is ready for further development. The conferment of this status is the result of an agreement between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the provincial government. This declaration of a province as PRFD is to encourage civil authorities to recognize their lead role in orchestrating peace and security in their localities.
Of the 76 provinces affected by the insurgency, 64 have been declared as PRFD since 2008. The target for 2016 is for the rest of the provinces to be also declared as PRFD.
• The Internal Peace and Security Plan Bayanihan, born of the experiences and insights from years of fighting the insurgency, has been able to break new grounds and produce significant gains. The joint effort of all parties in governance has made for a truly dynamic approach, bringing to its lowest level the internal threat of insurgency.
• The Army Transformation Roadmap (ATR) is based on a commitment to reform and innovation. Its long-term goal: a world-class army that is a source of national pride. In adopting the ATR, the focus is on the institution rather than individual personalities; long-term strategies, rather than short-term tactics; and approaches all matters from a systems perspective in order to address priorities instead of single issues. Under the ATR, the presence of the Multi-Sector Advisory Board provides stakeholders with inputs and guidance, as well as a different perspective that serves to enhance the decision-making process.
• The Capabilities Upgrade Program has resulted in the acquisition of more than 56,000 assault rifles, 81-mm mortars, squad automatic weapons, night-fighting systems, and refurbished armored personnel carriers.
• The soldier is everywhere. He is the most accessible and recognized face of government, especially in remote and far-flung areas of the country. In times of calamities and emergencies, the Army is often tasked to provide quick response and fast action.
• In the last few years alone, so many of our men and women have laid down their lives fighting against the enemies of the state. They stood tall and fought for peace, for the Filipino. We remember their sacrifices; they will never be forgotten. (The list of casualties is more than five pages long. Most of those killed in action were on the battlefields of Mindanao.)
* * *
In connection with the Army celebrations, I am reminded of the remarks made by Fr. Roberto Layson at a Senior Leaders’ Conference conducted by the Philippine Army many years ago. It remains as relevant today as it was in the past.
Father Layson said: “The Army has the most powerful weapon in its arsenal, the potential of which has not been fully maximized. I am referring to the [Civil-]Military Operations of the Army.”
Father Layson went on to say that the Army is often deployed in remote communities that are impoverished. These areas are neglected and become potential breeding grounds for an insurgency.
The situation could be viewed as a danger signal or an opportunity to serve. The Army could simply unleash its military strength against a possible enemy or it could look at the area as a place for collaboration, a chance to serve the community in the fight against poverty, sickness and illiteracy.
Father Layson also said that in adapting the latter stance, the Army does not win battles but it uses its resources precisely to address some of the root causes of rebellion. For residents of the community who benefit from these actions, it is kindness that is not easily forgotten.
Father Layson concluded by saying that “Every bullet fired always leaves in the consciousness of a people a negative memory that may take generations to forget. But the goodness that a soldier leaves is something that will always remind them of an Army that takes care of people.”
The Philippine Army is fortunate in having Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. as its new assistant chief of staff for Civil-Military Operations.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/93944/the-long-term-goal-a-world-class-army
Tomorrow marks the 119th founding anniversary of the Philippine Army. It was on March 22, 1897, at Tejeros, San Francisco de Malabon in Cavite, that members of the Magdalo and Magdiwang factions of the Katipunan met in a convention to map out the setting up of a republican government, and the formation of a regular army. The armed organization would consist of three corps of 10,000 men each. Artemio Ricarte was elected captain general of the army of the Philippine republic.
Historians have different takes on the significance of the Tejeros Convention. Some view the meeting more as the breaking point between the Aguinaldo and Bonifacio factions of the Katipunan. But there is no question about the choice of Ricarte as the first leader of an organized Filipino army in the service of an independent republic. Ricarte, whose nom de guerre was “Vibora” (viper), had a reputation as a vicious and deadly fighter. He is best known for his refusal to take an oath of allegiance to the United States after the end of the Philippine-American conflict, preferring to remain in exile abroad. Perhaps, this is one reason why no major installation of the Army has been dedicated to his memory. Unfortunately, this is part of the colonial mentality that keeps us hostage to the past. I am confident however, that things will change as new leaders emerge.
The present chief of the Philippine Army, Lt. Gen. Eduardo M. Año, is a bemedalled combat veteran whose solid accomplishments include the capture of Benito Tiamzon, chair of the Communist Party of the Philippines, along with his wife Wilma, the party secretary general. General Año hails from the province of Rizal, and is the 57th in the long line of distinguished predecessors starting with General Ricarte.
In a commemorative book “Missions and Milestones” that was recently launched to mark the Army’s foundation anniversary, General Año reported to the nation some of the more important developments in the continuing effort to bring soldiers and citizens together, working for peace and progress in the community:
• The readiness of a province to take on more development programs is an important milestone. The term “Peaceful and Ready for Further Development” (PRFD) is used to confirm that the province has reached a status of having a relatively peaceful environment and is ready for further development. The conferment of this status is the result of an agreement between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the provincial government. This declaration of a province as PRFD is to encourage civil authorities to recognize their lead role in orchestrating peace and security in their localities.
Of the 76 provinces affected by the insurgency, 64 have been declared as PRFD since 2008. The target for 2016 is for the rest of the provinces to be also declared as PRFD.
• The Internal Peace and Security Plan Bayanihan, born of the experiences and insights from years of fighting the insurgency, has been able to break new grounds and produce significant gains. The joint effort of all parties in governance has made for a truly dynamic approach, bringing to its lowest level the internal threat of insurgency.
• The Army Transformation Roadmap (ATR) is based on a commitment to reform and innovation. Its long-term goal: a world-class army that is a source of national pride. In adopting the ATR, the focus is on the institution rather than individual personalities; long-term strategies, rather than short-term tactics; and approaches all matters from a systems perspective in order to address priorities instead of single issues. Under the ATR, the presence of the Multi-Sector Advisory Board provides stakeholders with inputs and guidance, as well as a different perspective that serves to enhance the decision-making process.
• The Capabilities Upgrade Program has resulted in the acquisition of more than 56,000 assault rifles, 81-mm mortars, squad automatic weapons, night-fighting systems, and refurbished armored personnel carriers.
• The soldier is everywhere. He is the most accessible and recognized face of government, especially in remote and far-flung areas of the country. In times of calamities and emergencies, the Army is often tasked to provide quick response and fast action.
• In the last few years alone, so many of our men and women have laid down their lives fighting against the enemies of the state. They stood tall and fought for peace, for the Filipino. We remember their sacrifices; they will never be forgotten. (The list of casualties is more than five pages long. Most of those killed in action were on the battlefields of Mindanao.)
* * *
In connection with the Army celebrations, I am reminded of the remarks made by Fr. Roberto Layson at a Senior Leaders’ Conference conducted by the Philippine Army many years ago. It remains as relevant today as it was in the past.
Father Layson said: “The Army has the most powerful weapon in its arsenal, the potential of which has not been fully maximized. I am referring to the [Civil-]Military Operations of the Army.”
Father Layson went on to say that the Army is often deployed in remote communities that are impoverished. These areas are neglected and become potential breeding grounds for an insurgency.
The situation could be viewed as a danger signal or an opportunity to serve. The Army could simply unleash its military strength against a possible enemy or it could look at the area as a place for collaboration, a chance to serve the community in the fight against poverty, sickness and illiteracy.
Father Layson also said that in adapting the latter stance, the Army does not win battles but it uses its resources precisely to address some of the root causes of rebellion. For residents of the community who benefit from these actions, it is kindness that is not easily forgotten.
Father Layson concluded by saying that “Every bullet fired always leaves in the consciousness of a people a negative memory that may take generations to forget. But the goodness that a soldier leaves is something that will always remind them of an Army that takes care of people.”
The Philippine Army is fortunate in having Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. as its new assistant chief of staff for Civil-Military Operations.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/93944/the-long-term-goal-a-world-class-army
Army foils NPA plot, 12 rebels captured
From the Manila Times (Mar 20): Army foils NPA plot, 12 rebels captured
SECURITY forces foiled an alleged plot of the New People’s Army (NPA) to attack two economic installations in Bukidnon and arrested 12 suspected rebels, seven of them minors following a clash over the weekend, belated reports reaching Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City (Metro Manila) said on Sunday.
The report did not identify the arrested persons, who the military authorities said were immediately turned over to the police and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The five adults were charged with illegal possession of ammunition and attempted murder.
Tagros said the firefight lasted for about 20 minutes. No casualties were reported on the government side while the Army believed there were a number of rebels who were either killed or wounded as bloodstains were seen on their withdrawal route.
As the government troops were conducting clearing operations, the 12 suspected rebels were arrested in the encounter site. Found on their possessions were ammunitions, magazines and trigger mechanism for an AK-47 assault rifle.
According to Tagros, the security operations was conducted by the Army in response to repeated reports of local residents in the area about the presence of NPA rebels near their community whom they revealed were allegedly planning to attack vital economic installations in the areas of the municipality of Quezon and Valencia City in Bukidnon.
http://www.manilatimes.net/army-foils-npa-plot-12-rebels-captured/251594/
SECURITY forces foiled an alleged plot of the New People’s Army (NPA) to attack two economic installations in Bukidnon and arrested 12 suspected rebels, seven of them minors following a clash over the weekend, belated reports reaching Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City (Metro Manila) said on Sunday.
The report did not identify the arrested persons, who the military authorities said were immediately turned over to the police and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The five adults were charged with illegal possession of ammunition and attempted murder.
Capt. Norman Tagros, public affairs officer of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, said the arrest of the 12 came following an encounter with the band of NPA belonging to Samahang Partido Propaganda 5, Guerilla Front 6, North Central Mindanao Regional Committee at the outskirts of Barangay Delapa, Quezon, Bukidnon over the weekend.
As the government troops were conducting clearing operations, the 12 suspected rebels were arrested in the encounter site. Found on their possessions were ammunitions, magazines and trigger mechanism for an AK-47 assault rifle.
According to Tagros, the security operations was conducted by the Army in response to repeated reports of local residents in the area about the presence of NPA rebels near their community whom they revealed were allegedly planning to attack vital economic installations in the areas of the municipality of Quezon and Valencia City in Bukidnon.
http://www.manilatimes.net/army-foils-npa-plot-12-rebels-captured/251594/
7 hurt in Bicol blasts
From Tempo (Mar 21): 7 hurt in Bicol blasts
The Bicol region was also rocked by other explosions last week.
Five soldiers and two civilians were injured in two separate explosions perpetrated by the New People’s Army in Bicol over the weekend, the military said yesterday.
Lt. Col. Angelo Guzman, spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Southern Luzon Command, said among the wounded was an Army officer identified as 2nd Lt. Jonathan O. Baay of the 31st Infantry Battalion.
Guzman said that Baay was hit by fragments from an improvised explosive device explosion during a five-minute encounter with a group of NPA guerrillas during combat operations in Gubat, Sorsogon at around 10:15 a.m. Saturday.
In Labo, Camarines Norte, four soldiers and two military dependents were also wounded when an IED explosion hit a KM450 military truck around at around 8:30 a.m. yesterday.
Guzman said the KM450 truck, with the victims on board, was traversing Mahawan-hawan Road on its way to the Labo public market when the roadside explosion occurred.
The wounded soldiers were identified as Corporal Reynaldo V. Rivera and Privates First Class Ricky R. Obina, Rodelio D. Urbano Jr., and Carloj Z. Duriza. The military withheld the names of the two military dependents who were injured in the incident for security considerations.
The Bicol region was also rocked by other explosions last week.
Last Tuesday, 11 bomb explosions rocked the politically tense province of Masbate. Two policemen were wounded.
According to the Masbate provincial police office, the series of blasts were reported in Uson, Esperanza, Claveria, Mobo, Batuan, Balud, Masbate City, and at the boundary of San Jacinto and San Fernando.
The explosions occurred even as additional security forces have been deployed to the province to help ensure order and security in the May elections.
The military believes that the series of blasts in Masbate were also the handiwork of the NPA which is celebrating its 47th anniversary on March 29.
Solcom commander Lt. Gen. Ricardo R. Visaya said that “the NPA is a diminishing group in Southern Luzon, thus, they resort to terror acts like these IED explosions to project that they are still strong.”
http://www.tempo.com.ph/2016/03/21/news/news-roundup/7-hurt-in-bicol-blasts/
According to the Masbate provincial police office, the series of blasts were reported in Uson, Esperanza, Claveria, Mobo, Batuan, Balud, Masbate City, and at the boundary of San Jacinto and San Fernando.
The explosions occurred even as additional security forces have been deployed to the province to help ensure order and security in the May elections.
The military believes that the series of blasts in Masbate were also the handiwork of the NPA which is celebrating its 47th anniversary on March 29.
Solcom commander Lt. Gen. Ricardo R. Visaya said that “the NPA is a diminishing group in Southern Luzon, thus, they resort to terror acts like these IED explosions to project that they are still strong.”
http://www.tempo.com.ph/2016/03/21/news/news-roundup/7-hurt-in-bicol-blasts/
15 NPA militia, 15 kin surrender to Army
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Mar 21): 15 NPA militia, 15 kin surrender to Army
More than 30 New People’s Army militiamen and their families surrendered to government troops in Compostela Valley over the weekend, bringing with them several firearms and explosives.
The 1001st Infantry Brigade based in the province said the group was led by a certain Roberto Hiyan, the leader of the “Milisya ng Bayan” of three barangays (villages) in Maco town.
Col. Macairog Alberto, commander of the 1001st Infantry Brigade, said of the 35 who surrendered, 15 men were militia of the New People’s Army while the rest were family members.
“The 15 are undergoing processing at the Compostela Valley provincial government. They will get support from the provincial government and will be part of the comprehensive local integration program (CLIP),” the military official said.
The militiamen surrendered with their families at the headquarters of the 1001st Infantry Brigade last Saturday.
They brought with them an M60 general purpose machine gun, two M16A1 Armalite rifles, two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, a small improvised explosive device, a commercial high frequency radio with charger and several documents.
Upon their surrender, the military provided the rebels with temporary shelter while the local government has been processing the status of the 15 militiamen.
NPA militiamen are like the military’s civilian militia and are different from the NPA’s regular armed fighters, according to Alberto.
The NPA militiamen are the ones who would carry out landmine attacks or plant improvised explosives as ordered by the NPA’s regular armed fighters, who are the ones who ambush soldiers.
The rebels decided to give up because of the difficulty and danger of the situation and that some felt that they were being exploited by the communists, Alberto said.
“It’s a positive development. They were recruited by the NPA regulars. The regulars would issue orders to the militiamen and are the ones who actually ambush our soldiers,” Alberto said.
The military official said the surrender was the fruit of their efforts to convince them to surrender and to adhere to peace and development – not armed struggle — as the solution to their impoverished situation.
The military did not disclose the identities of the returnees for security reasons, adding that they have been evacuated from their homes as well.
The 10th Infantry Division to which the 1001st Infantry Brigade belonged also conducted medical assessment and psychological counseling of the returnees, giving them food packs, etc. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/775424/15-npa-militia-15-kin-surrender-to-army
More than 30 New People’s Army militiamen and their families surrendered to government troops in Compostela Valley over the weekend, bringing with them several firearms and explosives.
The 1001st Infantry Brigade based in the province said the group was led by a certain Roberto Hiyan, the leader of the “Milisya ng Bayan” of three barangays (villages) in Maco town.
Col. Macairog Alberto, commander of the 1001st Infantry Brigade, said of the 35 who surrendered, 15 men were militia of the New People’s Army while the rest were family members.
“The 15 are undergoing processing at the Compostela Valley provincial government. They will get support from the provincial government and will be part of the comprehensive local integration program (CLIP),” the military official said.
The militiamen surrendered with their families at the headquarters of the 1001st Infantry Brigade last Saturday.
They brought with them an M60 general purpose machine gun, two M16A1 Armalite rifles, two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, a small improvised explosive device, a commercial high frequency radio with charger and several documents.
Upon their surrender, the military provided the rebels with temporary shelter while the local government has been processing the status of the 15 militiamen.
NPA militiamen are like the military’s civilian militia and are different from the NPA’s regular armed fighters, according to Alberto.
The NPA militiamen are the ones who would carry out landmine attacks or plant improvised explosives as ordered by the NPA’s regular armed fighters, who are the ones who ambush soldiers.
The rebels decided to give up because of the difficulty and danger of the situation and that some felt that they were being exploited by the communists, Alberto said.
“It’s a positive development. They were recruited by the NPA regulars. The regulars would issue orders to the militiamen and are the ones who actually ambush our soldiers,” Alberto said.
The military official said the surrender was the fruit of their efforts to convince them to surrender and to adhere to peace and development – not armed struggle — as the solution to their impoverished situation.
The military did not disclose the identities of the returnees for security reasons, adding that they have been evacuated from their homes as well.
The 10th Infantry Division to which the 1001st Infantry Brigade belonged also conducted medical assessment and psychological counseling of the returnees, giving them food packs, etc. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/775424/15-npa-militia-15-kin-surrender-to-army
Philippines says defense stronger under US 'rotational' deal
From Rappler (Mar 20): Philippines says defense stronger under US 'rotational' deal
The agreement between the two close allies comes as the Philippines and other countries are embroiled in a tense dispute with China over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea
TALKING ABOUT EDCA. US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg (top-C) answers questions from the media during a forum in Quezon City, northeast of Manila, Philippines, February 3, 2016. File Photo by Mark R. Cristino/EPA
The Philippines on Sunday, March 20, hailed a new accord giving the US military access to 5 of its bases, saying this would strengthen its defensive capabilities and maritime security.
The agreement between the two close allies comes as the Philippines and other countries are embroiled in a tense dispute with China over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Under the agreement, US forces would be able to rotate through 5 Philippine bases including those close to the South China Sea.
"The 5 agreed locations... reaffirms the shared committment of the Philippines and US to strengthening their alliance in terms of ensuring both countries' mutual defense and security," Foreign Department spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement.
Defence Department spokesman Peter Galvez said separately the agreement "would greatly enhance our capabilities" in maritime security and disaster relief.
Philippine and US officials meeting in Washington on Friday announced that they had agreed to the rotation of US military personnel under the Enhanced Defense Co-operation Agreement, which went into effect last January.
One of the installations is the Antonio Bautista Air Base in the western Philippine island of Palawan, directly facing the South China Sea.
Another is Basa Air Base north of Manila, home of the Philippines' main fighter wing, which is also close to disputed waters.
China claims virtually all the South China Sea, despite conflicting partial claims by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.
It has been asserting its claim by occupying more reefs and outcrops in these waters, and building artificial islands including airstrips on some of them.
Bautista Air Base is just 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Mischief Reef, an outcrop occupied by China in the 1990s despite angry protests by the Philippines.
Basa Air Base is about 330 kilometers from Scarborough Shoal, occupied by Chinese vessels after a tense confrontation with Philippine ships in 2012.
The other bases through which US forces can rotate are a major army training camp which also has its own airstrip in the north, and two air bases in the central and southern islands of the archipelago.
Press reports quoted US ambassador Philip Goldberg as saying in Washington that US personnel and equipment would arrive "very soon."
Philippine officials said they did not know when the US forces would arrive.
The Philippines, a US colony from 1898 to 1946, hosted two of the largest overseas US military bases until 1992 when the senate voted to terminate their leases amid growing nationalist sentiment.
But since then Manila has been seeking closer ties with Washington as China has become more assertive in the region.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/126495-philippines-says-defense-strengthened-us-deal
The agreement between the two close allies comes as the Philippines and other countries are embroiled in a tense dispute with China over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea
TALKING ABOUT EDCA. US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg (top-C) answers questions from the media during a forum in Quezon City, northeast of Manila, Philippines, February 3, 2016. File Photo by Mark R. Cristino/EPA
The Philippines on Sunday, March 20, hailed a new accord giving the US military access to 5 of its bases, saying this would strengthen its defensive capabilities and maritime security.
The agreement between the two close allies comes as the Philippines and other countries are embroiled in a tense dispute with China over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Under the agreement, US forces would be able to rotate through 5 Philippine bases including those close to the South China Sea.
"The 5 agreed locations... reaffirms the shared committment of the Philippines and US to strengthening their alliance in terms of ensuring both countries' mutual defense and security," Foreign Department spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement.
Defence Department spokesman Peter Galvez said separately the agreement "would greatly enhance our capabilities" in maritime security and disaster relief.
Philippine and US officials meeting in Washington on Friday announced that they had agreed to the rotation of US military personnel under the Enhanced Defense Co-operation Agreement, which went into effect last January.
One of the installations is the Antonio Bautista Air Base in the western Philippine island of Palawan, directly facing the South China Sea.
Another is Basa Air Base north of Manila, home of the Philippines' main fighter wing, which is also close to disputed waters.
China claims virtually all the South China Sea, despite conflicting partial claims by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.
It has been asserting its claim by occupying more reefs and outcrops in these waters, and building artificial islands including airstrips on some of them.
Bautista Air Base is just 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Mischief Reef, an outcrop occupied by China in the 1990s despite angry protests by the Philippines.
Basa Air Base is about 330 kilometers from Scarborough Shoal, occupied by Chinese vessels after a tense confrontation with Philippine ships in 2012.
The other bases through which US forces can rotate are a major army training camp which also has its own airstrip in the north, and two air bases in the central and southern islands of the archipelago.
Press reports quoted US ambassador Philip Goldberg as saying in Washington that US personnel and equipment would arrive "very soon."
Philippine officials said they did not know when the US forces would arrive.
The Philippines, a US colony from 1898 to 1946, hosted two of the largest overseas US military bases until 1992 when the senate voted to terminate their leases amid growing nationalist sentiment.
But since then Manila has been seeking closer ties with Washington as China has become more assertive in the region.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/126495-philippines-says-defense-strengthened-us-deal
Oro lawmaker calls for mass actions vs Edca
From the Sun Star-Cagayan de Oro (Mar 20): Oro lawmaker calls for mass actions vs Edca
CAGAYAN DE ORO 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez called on Kagay-anons to stage protest actions in front of the Tactical Operations Group of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) base at the old Lumbia airport even as officials of both the Philippines and the United States of America (USA) announced over the weekend the final list of five locations in the country which will be utilized under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca).
The air base in Lumbia is among the five agreed locations set for deployment of US military forces.
Rodriguez called on Kagay-anons to signify their disgust over the inclusion of Lumbia air base because, he said, there was no multisectoral consultations done by the government before the old domestic airport was included in the list.
“We can initiate mass action against it because there was no consultation made before nila giapil ang syudad sa Edca,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said he will support cause-oriented groups and non-government organizations that will mobilize and stage protest and mass actions at Lumbia.
“I am willing to support the mass action because I’m sure there will be such and I will attend and urge my supporters to join,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said he will continue communicating with the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) to express his opposition on the plan.
Rodriguez has authored a bill in Congress seeking to transfer the property of the old Lumbia airport to the city.
Rodriguez has said that the city should decide what to do with the old airport, not the National Government.
Lumbia was reportedly included in the list of five military facilities that will be opened to rotational deployment of US forces because of continuing security concerns over the probable growth of influence of Islamic State militants in Mindanao.
A security expert at De La Salle University in Manila, Richard Javad Heydarian, was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying that the inclusion of Lumbia reflected the “serious concern” in both Manila and Washington about efforts by Islamic State to establish a foothold on Mindanao.
Heydarian told The Wall Street Journal that “counter-terror operations continue to be a key element of American military footprint in the region.”
Meanwhile, Archbishop Antonio Ledesma of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro said the government must ensure the country’s sovereignty will not be transgressed.
Ledesma said while the country needs an ally to counter the encroachment of China into its territories, the country should put in place measures that would ensure the terms of the agreement is not violated.
“There is still that continuing concern about the expansion of China to our shores, and therefore there is also a need for some kind of balancing power [in the Philippines]. Our public officials should also consider these factors,” Ledesma said.
Militant women’s group Gabriela also reiterated its opposition to Edca saying the agreement will have adverse effects.
There is a possibility, said Rhodora Bulosan, Gabriela spokesperson for Northern Mindanao, that with American troops coming in, that the number of prostituted women and mixed-breed children, and cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will increase.
There is also the likelihood that residents living near the Lumbia airfield would be displaced if there is an expansion of the facility.
She added the presence of the US forces in the city will be an insult to the dead local heroes who fought the invading American soldiers during the Filipino-American War from 1899 to 1902.
It can be recalled that in 1900, Cagayanons led by General Nicolas Capistrano and other guerrilla leaders resisted the American invaders who occupied the city, then known as Cagayan de Misamis.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2016/03/20/oro-lawmaker-calls-mass-actions-vs-edca-463691
CAGAYAN DE ORO 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez called on Kagay-anons to stage protest actions in front of the Tactical Operations Group of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) base at the old Lumbia airport even as officials of both the Philippines and the United States of America (USA) announced over the weekend the final list of five locations in the country which will be utilized under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca).
The air base in Lumbia is among the five agreed locations set for deployment of US military forces.
Rodriguez called on Kagay-anons to signify their disgust over the inclusion of Lumbia air base because, he said, there was no multisectoral consultations done by the government before the old domestic airport was included in the list.
“We can initiate mass action against it because there was no consultation made before nila giapil ang syudad sa Edca,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said he will support cause-oriented groups and non-government organizations that will mobilize and stage protest and mass actions at Lumbia.
“I am willing to support the mass action because I’m sure there will be such and I will attend and urge my supporters to join,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said he will continue communicating with the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) to express his opposition on the plan.
Rodriguez has authored a bill in Congress seeking to transfer the property of the old Lumbia airport to the city.
Rodriguez has said that the city should decide what to do with the old airport, not the National Government.
Lumbia was reportedly included in the list of five military facilities that will be opened to rotational deployment of US forces because of continuing security concerns over the probable growth of influence of Islamic State militants in Mindanao.
A security expert at De La Salle University in Manila, Richard Javad Heydarian, was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying that the inclusion of Lumbia reflected the “serious concern” in both Manila and Washington about efforts by Islamic State to establish a foothold on Mindanao.
Heydarian told The Wall Street Journal that “counter-terror operations continue to be a key element of American military footprint in the region.”
Meanwhile, Archbishop Antonio Ledesma of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro said the government must ensure the country’s sovereignty will not be transgressed.
Ledesma said while the country needs an ally to counter the encroachment of China into its territories, the country should put in place measures that would ensure the terms of the agreement is not violated.
“There is still that continuing concern about the expansion of China to our shores, and therefore there is also a need for some kind of balancing power [in the Philippines]. Our public officials should also consider these factors,” Ledesma said.
Militant women’s group Gabriela also reiterated its opposition to Edca saying the agreement will have adverse effects.
There is a possibility, said Rhodora Bulosan, Gabriela spokesperson for Northern Mindanao, that with American troops coming in, that the number of prostituted women and mixed-breed children, and cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will increase.
There is also the likelihood that residents living near the Lumbia airfield would be displaced if there is an expansion of the facility.
She added the presence of the US forces in the city will be an insult to the dead local heroes who fought the invading American soldiers during the Filipino-American War from 1899 to 1902.
It can be recalled that in 1900, Cagayanons led by General Nicolas Capistrano and other guerrilla leaders resisted the American invaders who occupied the city, then known as Cagayan de Misamis.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2016/03/20/oro-lawmaker-calls-mass-actions-vs-edca-463691
CVO member shot dead
From the Zamboanga Today Online (Mar 20): CVO member shot dead
A member of the Civilian Volunteer Organization (CVO) was shot to death at Barangay Market site, Isabela City, Basilan Province, Saturday dawn.
Isabela City Police Station commander Superintendent Jerome Afuyog identified the fatality as Mhaidi Abu Lamsing, 43, married and a resident of the said place.
Afuyog said the victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds on the different parts of his body that resulted to his instantaneous death.
Afuyog named the suspect as a certain Anding Abdua, who allegedly fled towards unknown direction after the incident.
Police recovered four spent shells and a slug of Caliber .45 Pistol from the crime scene.
Motive of the incident is still unknown.
A manhunt operation was launched by the police for the possible arrest of the suspect.
Alleged IED explosions injure 1 in Basilan
From Rappler (Mar 20): Alleged IED explosions injure 1 in Basilan
Maswal Mahilul, a resident of Upper Cabengbeng, is reported injured in one explosion
One person was reportedly injured following explosions at Sitio Sangian, Barangay Upper Cabengbeng and Barangay Tumahubong, both in Sumisip, Basilan on Sunday, March 20.
The alleged IED explosions occurred at around 9:00 pm, with the explosion in Tumahubong occurring near a proposed venue for the Basilan Circumferential Road project.
President Benigno Aquino III is expected to speak at Barangay Tumahubong on Monday.
Maswal Mahilul, a resident of Upper Cabengbeng, was reported injured in one explosion.
Clearing operations are ongoing, while military personnel are on standby at Barangay Marang for an alleged ambush said by residents to be expected to occur some place between Barangay Marang and Barangay Tumahubong.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/126541-alleged-ied-explosions-basilan
Maswal Mahilul, a resident of Upper Cabengbeng, is reported injured in one explosion
One person was reportedly injured following explosions at Sitio Sangian, Barangay Upper Cabengbeng and Barangay Tumahubong, both in Sumisip, Basilan on Sunday, March 20.
The alleged IED explosions occurred at around 9:00 pm, with the explosion in Tumahubong occurring near a proposed venue for the Basilan Circumferential Road project.
President Benigno Aquino III is expected to speak at Barangay Tumahubong on Monday.
Maswal Mahilul, a resident of Upper Cabengbeng, was reported injured in one explosion.
Clearing operations are ongoing, while military personnel are on standby at Barangay Marang for an alleged ambush said by residents to be expected to occur some place between Barangay Marang and Barangay Tumahubong.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/126541-alleged-ied-explosions-basilan
DAY AHEAD OF PNOY'S VISIT Bomb blast hurts 1 in Basilan
From GMA News (Mar 20): DAY AHEAD OF PNOY'S VISIT Bomb blast hurts 1 in Basilan
One person was hurt in a bomb explosion in Sumisip, Basilan, Sunday night.
The local police said an improvised explosive device (IED) went off along a road in sitio Sangian, Barangay Upper Cabengbeng in Sumisip town at around 9 p.m.
A villager identified as Maswal Mahilul was hurt, police said.
As of this posting, Army personnel are clearing the area. Troops were also placed on stand by due to reports that the group that planted the bomb are planning an ambush between barangays Marang and Tumahubong.
Reports said that the area of the explosion was just a few meters away from the venue of the inauguration of the Basilan Circumferential Road in Barangay Tumahubong to be attended by President Benigno Aquino III.
The inauguration is scheduled at 10 a.m. Monday. Top military and police officials are also expected to attend the event.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/559828/news/regions/bomb-blast-hurts-1-in-basilan
One person was hurt in a bomb explosion in Sumisip, Basilan, Sunday night.
The local police said an improvised explosive device (IED) went off along a road in sitio Sangian, Barangay Upper Cabengbeng in Sumisip town at around 9 p.m.
A villager identified as Maswal Mahilul was hurt, police said.
As of this posting, Army personnel are clearing the area. Troops were also placed on stand by due to reports that the group that planted the bomb are planning an ambush between barangays Marang and Tumahubong.
Reports said that the area of the explosion was just a few meters away from the venue of the inauguration of the Basilan Circumferential Road in Barangay Tumahubong to be attended by President Benigno Aquino III.
The inauguration is scheduled at 10 a.m. Monday. Top military and police officials are also expected to attend the event.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/559828/news/regions/bomb-blast-hurts-1-in-basilan
More bases may make China blink, say solons
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Mar 21): More bases may make China blink, say solons
SENATORS Gregorio Honasan and Antonio Trillanes IV said on Sunday they had expected there would be more than five bases made available to the Americans in the Philippines under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) to counter China’s aggressive encroachment in the South China Sea.
Honasan even suggested the United States set up a facility in the conflict zone just west of the Philippines.
“I hope China will blink so that when they blink, it will pave the way for negotiations. And that is what you call leveraging,” said Honasan, the vice presidential running mate of Vice President Jejomar Binay.
At the conclusion of their annual strategic dialogue on March 17-18, Manila and Washington announced the US military would have access to the following facilities in the Philippines: Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro, Basa Air Base in Floridablanca and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.
The 10-year Edca was signed in 2014, but it only received the green light in January after the Philippine Supreme Court affirmed its constitutionality. The deal—a key part of the Obama administration’s effort to reassert the US presence in Asia—allows Washington greater access to Philippine military bases through the rotation of troops, ships and aircraft for humanitarian and maritime security operations.
“To be honest, I was expecting around eight locations,” Trillanes said in a text message. The former Navy officer said there were three more “ideal locations” for the US forces—in Sulu, Maguindanao and General Santos City.
He said the announcement of the five locations for US access was “the shot in the arm that the security sector has long been waiting for since the US bases were removed in 1991.”
One of the benefits of this arrangement is the local economies of these areas flourishing, Trillanes said.
Asked whether the access arrangement would deter China from its reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea, Trillanes said: “That is not the primary intention of Edca but that would be one of the effects.”
Honasan, a former Army colonel, said the net effect of Edca would be to “contain” China, pointing out the Chinese already occupied 800 hectares in disputed areas.
The senator urged the Philippines to consider proposing that the United States put up an installation in the West Philippine Sea—at Panatag Shoal and other areas of conflict—since it has gone as far as agreeing to Edca.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/137970/more-bases-may-make-china-blink-say-solons
SENATORS Gregorio Honasan and Antonio Trillanes IV said on Sunday they had expected there would be more than five bases made available to the Americans in the Philippines under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) to counter China’s aggressive encroachment in the South China Sea.
Honasan even suggested the United States set up a facility in the conflict zone just west of the Philippines.
“I hope China will blink so that when they blink, it will pave the way for negotiations. And that is what you call leveraging,” said Honasan, the vice presidential running mate of Vice President Jejomar Binay.
At the conclusion of their annual strategic dialogue on March 17-18, Manila and Washington announced the US military would have access to the following facilities in the Philippines: Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro, Basa Air Base in Floridablanca and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.
The 10-year Edca was signed in 2014, but it only received the green light in January after the Philippine Supreme Court affirmed its constitutionality. The deal—a key part of the Obama administration’s effort to reassert the US presence in Asia—allows Washington greater access to Philippine military bases through the rotation of troops, ships and aircraft for humanitarian and maritime security operations.
“To be honest, I was expecting around eight locations,” Trillanes said in a text message. The former Navy officer said there were three more “ideal locations” for the US forces—in Sulu, Maguindanao and General Santos City.
He said the announcement of the five locations for US access was “the shot in the arm that the security sector has long been waiting for since the US bases were removed in 1991.”
One of the benefits of this arrangement is the local economies of these areas flourishing, Trillanes said.
Asked whether the access arrangement would deter China from its reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea, Trillanes said: “That is not the primary intention of Edca but that would be one of the effects.”
Honasan, a former Army colonel, said the net effect of Edca would be to “contain” China, pointing out the Chinese already occupied 800 hectares in disputed areas.
The senator urged the Philippines to consider proposing that the United States put up an installation in the West Philippine Sea—at Panatag Shoal and other areas of conflict—since it has gone as far as agreeing to Edca.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/137970/more-bases-may-make-china-blink-say-solons
Philippine government peace talks with MILF have bearing on Sabah security
From the Malay Mail Online (Mar 20): Philippine government peace talks with MILF have bearing on Sabah security
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said if the ceasefire is not maintained, there would potentially be conflict in the Sulu Sea, which might have an impact on Sabah’s security. — file picture
The security situation in Sabah depends in a way on the success of the peace process between the Philippine government and Filipino secessionist group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said if the ceasefire is not maintained, there would potentially be conflict in the Sulu Sea, which might have an impact on Sabah’s security.
“In this regard, current developments in Sabah is contingent on the outcome of the Philippine presidential election 2016,” he told reporters after attending the wedding of Nashriq Ismail Sabri and Aiman Shaheerah Faeiz here today.
Nashriq is the son of Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
“Malaysia also has a major role in the process but we have decided to wait for the new President and then think about the future of Mindanao and Southern Philippines,” he said.
Nevertheless, he said, the government would constantly ensure that the country, and in this instance, Sabah, is safe from every external threat.
Hishammuddin said the government had ever since the 2013 intrusion in Lahad Datu by Sulu militants implemented various security measures to reinforce the country’s defence system.
The measures included upgrading of the airport in Lahad Datu and providing armed helicopters for the security forces guarding the Eastern Sabah Security Zone.
He said a new battalion would also be created in the area soon.
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/philippine-government-peace-talks-with-milf-has-bearing-on-sabah-security
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said if the ceasefire is not maintained, there would potentially be conflict in the Sulu Sea, which might have an impact on Sabah’s security. — file picture
The security situation in Sabah depends in a way on the success of the peace process between the Philippine government and Filipino secessionist group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said if the ceasefire is not maintained, there would potentially be conflict in the Sulu Sea, which might have an impact on Sabah’s security.
“In this regard, current developments in Sabah is contingent on the outcome of the Philippine presidential election 2016,” he told reporters after attending the wedding of Nashriq Ismail Sabri and Aiman Shaheerah Faeiz here today.
Nashriq is the son of Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
“Malaysia also has a major role in the process but we have decided to wait for the new President and then think about the future of Mindanao and Southern Philippines,” he said.
Nevertheless, he said, the government would constantly ensure that the country, and in this instance, Sabah, is safe from every external threat.
Hishammuddin said the government had ever since the 2013 intrusion in Lahad Datu by Sulu militants implemented various security measures to reinforce the country’s defence system.
The measures included upgrading of the airport in Lahad Datu and providing armed helicopters for the security forces guarding the Eastern Sabah Security Zone.
He said a new battalion would also be created in the area soon.
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/philippine-government-peace-talks-with-milf-has-bearing-on-sabah-security
Gov’t justifies US ‘rotational’ presence at 5 military bases
From the Daily Tribune (Mar 21): Gov’t justifies US ‘rotational’ presence at 5 military bases
The Philippine government yesterday hailed a new accord giving the US military access to five of its bases, saying this would strengthen its defensive capabilities and maritime security.
The agreement between the two close allies comes as the Philippines and other countries are embroiled in a tense dispute with China over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea.
Under the agreement, US forces would be able to rotate through five Philippine bases, including those close to the South China Sea.
“The five agreed locations... reaffirms the shared committment of the Philippines and US to strengthening their alliance in terms of ensuring both countries’ mutual defense and security,” Department of Foreign Affiars (DFA) spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement.
It was echoed by the Department of National Defense (DND), saying the presence of United States troops and equipment in five camps of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) agreed upon by Philippine and United States officials will surely boost the military’s capability.
Peter Paul Galvez, spokesman for DND, stressed that the five AFP facilities were mutually agreed upon by senior defense and foreign affairs officials of the Philippines and the US under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
Aside from boosting the AFP’s capability, the presence of US troops and facilities will also improve the AFP’s efforts on humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR).
During a dialog in Washington last week, US and Philippines officials agreed to use Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro, and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Mactan.
It will be noted that Subic Bay and Clark Air Base, both former US military bases, were not in the list. However, US ships have become common site in Subic and there are times that US aircraft utilizes Clark in Pampanga.
The Philippine and US sides reached the agreement on the EDCA venues during the 6th Bilateral Strategic Dialogue, co-chaired by Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel and Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear for the US, and Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Evan Garcia and Undersecretary of National Defense Pio Lorenzo Batino for the Philippines, in Washington.
The EDCA was signed on April 28, 2014 by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg. Met by strong criticisms from various groups, EDCA was questioned before the Supreme Court.
However, the high court declared EDCA as constitutional in January this year.
Under EDCA, the US can not only increase its military presence in the country but also build facilities in local bases under the supervision of the DND-AFP, expanding on the Visiting Forces Agreement.
“They will be allowed to construct or upgrade other facilities (to be used for) 10 years. After, there will be discussions again,” Galvez said.
Meanwhile, the League of Filipino Students (LFS) has tagged President Aquino as a US puppet for allowing the exclusive use of five bases by US military forces, with American servicemen accused of crimes enjoying immunity from suit.
This provision, LFS argued, makes US troopers, airmen and sailors enjoy the same immunity of President Aquino, who happens to be still the chief of state.
“The Aquino government’s puppetry to the US is beyond despicable. Up until the last moments of his term, Aquino continues to allow the wanton surrender of our sovereignty and territorial integrity to a foreign oppressor,” said LFS national chairman Charisse Bañez.
Her criticism came as the Philippines and the US announced the five Agreed Locations locations under the EDCA after the conclusion of their sixth Bilateral Strategic Dialog.
“The return of US military bases in the country also endangers the lives of the Filipino people. We are reminding the government of the atrocities committed by US troops to the Filipino people. During their decades of stay in Subic and Clark, they sexually harassed our women and shot our people for fun. When the US troops returned to the Philippines through the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the human rights violations committed by American soldiers continue. The list of violations by the US troops during their stay in the country has become too long,” Bañez added.
Bañez said that the return of US military bases in the Philippines only spells doom for the Filipino people.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/gov-t-justifies-us-rotational-presence-at-5-military-bases
The Philippine government yesterday hailed a new accord giving the US military access to five of its bases, saying this would strengthen its defensive capabilities and maritime security.
The agreement between the two close allies comes as the Philippines and other countries are embroiled in a tense dispute with China over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea.
Under the agreement, US forces would be able to rotate through five Philippine bases, including those close to the South China Sea.
“The five agreed locations... reaffirms the shared committment of the Philippines and US to strengthening their alliance in terms of ensuring both countries’ mutual defense and security,” Department of Foreign Affiars (DFA) spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement.
It was echoed by the Department of National Defense (DND), saying the presence of United States troops and equipment in five camps of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) agreed upon by Philippine and United States officials will surely boost the military’s capability.
Peter Paul Galvez, spokesman for DND, stressed that the five AFP facilities were mutually agreed upon by senior defense and foreign affairs officials of the Philippines and the US under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
Aside from boosting the AFP’s capability, the presence of US troops and facilities will also improve the AFP’s efforts on humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR).
During a dialog in Washington last week, US and Philippines officials agreed to use Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro, and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Mactan.
It will be noted that Subic Bay and Clark Air Base, both former US military bases, were not in the list. However, US ships have become common site in Subic and there are times that US aircraft utilizes Clark in Pampanga.
The Philippine and US sides reached the agreement on the EDCA venues during the 6th Bilateral Strategic Dialogue, co-chaired by Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel and Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear for the US, and Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Evan Garcia and Undersecretary of National Defense Pio Lorenzo Batino for the Philippines, in Washington.
The EDCA was signed on April 28, 2014 by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg. Met by strong criticisms from various groups, EDCA was questioned before the Supreme Court.
However, the high court declared EDCA as constitutional in January this year.
Under EDCA, the US can not only increase its military presence in the country but also build facilities in local bases under the supervision of the DND-AFP, expanding on the Visiting Forces Agreement.
“They will be allowed to construct or upgrade other facilities (to be used for) 10 years. After, there will be discussions again,” Galvez said.
Meanwhile, the League of Filipino Students (LFS) has tagged President Aquino as a US puppet for allowing the exclusive use of five bases by US military forces, with American servicemen accused of crimes enjoying immunity from suit.
This provision, LFS argued, makes US troopers, airmen and sailors enjoy the same immunity of President Aquino, who happens to be still the chief of state.
“The Aquino government’s puppetry to the US is beyond despicable. Up until the last moments of his term, Aquino continues to allow the wanton surrender of our sovereignty and territorial integrity to a foreign oppressor,” said LFS national chairman Charisse Bañez.
Her criticism came as the Philippines and the US announced the five Agreed Locations locations under the EDCA after the conclusion of their sixth Bilateral Strategic Dialog.
“The return of US military bases in the country also endangers the lives of the Filipino people. We are reminding the government of the atrocities committed by US troops to the Filipino people. During their decades of stay in Subic and Clark, they sexually harassed our women and shot our people for fun. When the US troops returned to the Philippines through the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the human rights violations committed by American soldiers continue. The list of violations by the US troops during their stay in the country has become too long,” Bañez added.
Bañez said that the return of US military bases in the Philippines only spells doom for the Filipino people.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/gov-t-justifies-us-rotational-presence-at-5-military-bases
Agreement on US access to bases hailed
From the Philippine Star (Mar 21): Agreement on US access to bases hailed
Philippine and US officials meeting in Washington on Friday announced that they had agreed to the rotation of US military personnel under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which went into effect last January. File photo
The Philippines yesterday hailed a new accord giving the US military access to five of its bases, saying this would strengthen its defensive capabilities and maritime security.
The agreement between the two allies comes as the Philippines and other countries are embroiled in a tense dispute with China over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Under the agreement, US forces would be able to rotate through five Philippine bases, including those close to the South China Sea.
“The five agreed locations... reaffirms the shared commitment of the Philippines and US to strengthening their alliance in terms of ensuring both
countries’ mutual defence and security,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement.
Defense spokesman Peter Galvez said separately the agreement “would greatly enhance our capabilities” in maritime security and disaster relief.
Philippine and US officials meeting in Washington on Friday announced that they had agreed to the rotation of US military personnel under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which went into effect last January.
One of the installations is the Antonio Bautista Air Base in the western Philippine island of Palawan, directly facing the South China Sea.
Another is Basa Air Base north of Manila, home of the Philippines’ main fighter wing, which is also close to disputed waters.
China claims virtually all the South China Sea, despite conflicting partial claims by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.
It has been asserting its claim by occupying more reefs and outcrops in these waters, and building artificial islands including airstrips on some of them.
Bautista Air Base is just 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, an outcrop occupied by China in the 1990s despite angry protests by the Philippines.
Basa Air Base is about 330 kilometers from Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, occupied by Chinese vessels after a tense confrontation with Philippine ships in 2012.
The other bases through which US forces can rotate are a major army training camp which also has its own airstrip in the north, and two air bases in the central and southern islands of the Philippines.
Press reports quoted US ambassador Philip Goldberg as saying in Washington that US personnel and equipment would arrive “very soon.”
Philippine officials said they did not know when the US forces would arrive.
The Philippines, a US colony from 1898 to 1946, hosted two of the largest overseas US military bases until 1992 when the Senate voted to terminate their leases amid growing nationalist sentiment.
But since then Manila has been seeking closer ties with Washington as China has become more assertive in the region.
“We are greatly pleased that the hard work put into by both parties has reached this milestone of an outcome,” Galvez said.
“This would greatly advance our capabilities not only for maritime security, as we train together, but more importantly, our humanitarian assistance and disaster response capacity,” he added.
The government announced the agreement on five bases a few days after the soft launch of this year’s “Balikatan” military drills.
The soft opening, which involved medical missions and building of schools, was held in Panay and Palawan, the province nearest the West Philippine Sea.
The bilateral exercises will be launched formally on April 4 and will run until April 15.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/03/21/1565150/agreement-us-access-bases-hailed
Philippine and US officials meeting in Washington on Friday announced that they had agreed to the rotation of US military personnel under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which went into effect last January. File photo
The Philippines yesterday hailed a new accord giving the US military access to five of its bases, saying this would strengthen its defensive capabilities and maritime security.
The agreement between the two allies comes as the Philippines and other countries are embroiled in a tense dispute with China over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Under the agreement, US forces would be able to rotate through five Philippine bases, including those close to the South China Sea.
“The five agreed locations... reaffirms the shared commitment of the Philippines and US to strengthening their alliance in terms of ensuring both
countries’ mutual defence and security,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement.
Defense spokesman Peter Galvez said separately the agreement “would greatly enhance our capabilities” in maritime security and disaster relief.
Philippine and US officials meeting in Washington on Friday announced that they had agreed to the rotation of US military personnel under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which went into effect last January.
One of the installations is the Antonio Bautista Air Base in the western Philippine island of Palawan, directly facing the South China Sea.
Another is Basa Air Base north of Manila, home of the Philippines’ main fighter wing, which is also close to disputed waters.
China claims virtually all the South China Sea, despite conflicting partial claims by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.
It has been asserting its claim by occupying more reefs and outcrops in these waters, and building artificial islands including airstrips on some of them.
Bautista Air Base is just 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, an outcrop occupied by China in the 1990s despite angry protests by the Philippines.
Basa Air Base is about 330 kilometers from Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, occupied by Chinese vessels after a tense confrontation with Philippine ships in 2012.
The other bases through which US forces can rotate are a major army training camp which also has its own airstrip in the north, and two air bases in the central and southern islands of the Philippines.
Press reports quoted US ambassador Philip Goldberg as saying in Washington that US personnel and equipment would arrive “very soon.”
Philippine officials said they did not know when the US forces would arrive.
The Philippines, a US colony from 1898 to 1946, hosted two of the largest overseas US military bases until 1992 when the Senate voted to terminate their leases amid growing nationalist sentiment.
But since then Manila has been seeking closer ties with Washington as China has become more assertive in the region.
‘Milestone of outcome’
The designation of five bases that would host the US facilities under the EDCA is expected to boost the country’s maritime security and disaster response, the defense department’s Galvez said yesterday.“We are greatly pleased that the hard work put into by both parties has reached this milestone of an outcome,” Galvez said.
“This would greatly advance our capabilities not only for maritime security, as we train together, but more importantly, our humanitarian assistance and disaster response capacity,” he added.
The government announced the agreement on five bases a few days after the soft launch of this year’s “Balikatan” military drills.
The soft opening, which involved medical missions and building of schools, was held in Panay and Palawan, the province nearest the West Philippine Sea.
The bilateral exercises will be launched formally on April 4 and will run until April 15.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/03/21/1565150/agreement-us-access-bases-hailed
30 rebels charged for Isabela attack
From the Philippine Star (Mar 21): 30 rebels charged for Isabela attack
The provincial police office filed multiple frustrated murder, attempted murder and direct assault against agents of authority against Manuel Ayat, Luz Reyes, Rodolfo Velasco, Delay Padilla, Melecio Casasola, Pepito Reyes, Arcadio Tangonan, Joey Ramos, Loida Reyes, Rod Gawit, Rafael Ladia, Michael Eraña, Rodolfo Valencia, a certain Noah and 16 others whose names were not immediately available. File photo
Fourteen suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas, along with 16 others have been charged for the attack on Army troopers in San Mariano, Isabela early this month.
The provincial police office filed multiple frustrated murder, attempted murder and direct assault against agents of authority against Manuel Ayat, Luz Reyes, Rodolfo Velasco, Delay Padilla, Melecio Casasola, Pepito Reyes, Arcadio Tangonan, Joey Ramos, Loida Reyes, Rod Gawit, Rafael Ladia, Michael Eraña, Rodolfo Valencia, a certain Noah and 16 others whose names were not immediately available.
The charges were filed with the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Ilagan City last Friday.
Isabela police director Senior Superintendent Leon Rafael said the respondents were identified by three soldiers and their officers, whom the suspects exchanged fire.
The troops were pursuing the members of the NPA-Central Front Committee in the villages of Buyasan and Tappa, when the suspects reportedly shot at them.
Wounded in the attack were Army 1/Lt. Randy Alog, Cpl. Reagan Malican, and Pfcs. Joe Andy Binoya and Edgar Abloy of the 45th Infantry Battalion.
The wounded soldiers were taken to Camp Melchor dela Cruz Hospital in Gamu town.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2016/03/21/1564946/30-rebels-charged-isabela-attack
The provincial police office filed multiple frustrated murder, attempted murder and direct assault against agents of authority against Manuel Ayat, Luz Reyes, Rodolfo Velasco, Delay Padilla, Melecio Casasola, Pepito Reyes, Arcadio Tangonan, Joey Ramos, Loida Reyes, Rod Gawit, Rafael Ladia, Michael Eraña, Rodolfo Valencia, a certain Noah and 16 others whose names were not immediately available. File photo
Fourteen suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas, along with 16 others have been charged for the attack on Army troopers in San Mariano, Isabela early this month.
The provincial police office filed multiple frustrated murder, attempted murder and direct assault against agents of authority against Manuel Ayat, Luz Reyes, Rodolfo Velasco, Delay Padilla, Melecio Casasola, Pepito Reyes, Arcadio Tangonan, Joey Ramos, Loida Reyes, Rod Gawit, Rafael Ladia, Michael Eraña, Rodolfo Valencia, a certain Noah and 16 others whose names were not immediately available.
The charges were filed with the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Ilagan City last Friday.
Isabela police director Senior Superintendent Leon Rafael said the respondents were identified by three soldiers and their officers, whom the suspects exchanged fire.
The troops were pursuing the members of the NPA-Central Front Committee in the villages of Buyasan and Tappa, when the suspects reportedly shot at them.
Wounded in the attack were Army 1/Lt. Randy Alog, Cpl. Reagan Malican, and Pfcs. Joe Andy Binoya and Edgar Abloy of the 45th Infantry Battalion.
The wounded soldiers were taken to Camp Melchor dela Cruz Hospital in Gamu town.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2016/03/21/1564946/30-rebels-charged-isabela-attack
Agreement giving US access to 5 bases to boost PHL capabilities --DND
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 20): Agreement giving US access to 5 bases to boost PHL capabilities --DND
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=868565
The Department of National Defense (DND) said on Sunday the
agreement giving the United
States
"We are greatly pleased that the hard work put into by
both parties has reached this milestone of an outcome. This would greatly
advance our capabilities not only for maritime security, as we train together,
but more importantly, our humanitarian assistance and disaster relief
capacity," DND spokesperson Dr. Peter Paul Galvez said.
The military facilities identified are the Antonio Bautista
Air Base in Palawan near the South China Sea; Basa Air Base in Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay
in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City; and the Mactan-Benito
Ebuen Air Base in Cebu .
According to a joint statement issued by Philippine and US
officials after a meeting in Washington ,
D.C.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=868565
Poe intends to increase capability of AFP to defend WPS
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 20): Poe intends to increase capability of AFP to defend WPS
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=868584
Presidential Grace Poe on Sunday said she intends to
increase the budget of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to defend the
country’s claim on the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
”We should strengthen our AFP. We have small budget for
defense. I will not allow our soldiers to be killed,” Poe said during the
second presidential debate held at the University of the Philippines
Another presidential aspirant Mayor Rodrigo Duterte asked
Poe on what she would do if she will be informed that China
”First I will wake up and called the AFP chief of staff and
address the problem,” Poe said.
She said she will also appealed to the United Nations
arbitration court to decide early on the case filed by the Philippines against China
and ask the cooperation of neighbor countries in Southeast Asia to force China
”We need to enjoin other ASEAN countries to constructively
engage China
”If there is a need to knock the door of every country on
their stand on UNCLOS. If countries will unite to remind China
On issue of climate change, Poe said government should think
of the farmers by constructing free irrigation, dams, water entrapment
facilities, and flood control projects.
She also said government should push for renewable energy
such as wind energy and hydro energy to protect the environment.
Poe also said that if electricity continues to be
monopolized by one or a few families, it is impossible to lower the price of
electricity.
“Maaaring i-review natin ang EPIRA (Electric Power Industry
Reform Act) pero kung pare-pareho pa rin ang mga pamilya na mamumuhunan sa ating
bansa, monopoliya pa rin. Kailangan talaga buksan talaga natin para sa ibang
mamumuhunan dito. Basta lamang maglilikha ito ng trabaho at produktibo para sa
ating mga kababayan,” she said.
Poe recommended amendments to economic provisions in the
Constitution to allow more players in the industry. With more firms and
companies investing, more jobs will also be created, she said.
On issue of criminality, Poe said she intends to increase
the number of policemen and increase their allowances.
She said she will appoint former Col. Ariel Querubin as
crime czar, denying insinuation that she is too weak to stamp out illegal
drugs.
On the raise-your-hand portion if they are in favor of an
issue, Poe and Duterte raised their hands when asked if they are in favor of
reviving the death penalty.
”I’m in favor but only for heinous crimes,” Poe said in
explaining her vote.
On corruption, Poe said she intends to build separate jail
in the National Bilibid Prison for the sentenced corrupt government officials.
”Our real problem is until now corruption is still there.
They are still holding position in government. They should be put in jail,” she
said.
In her closing remarks, Poe thanked the people of Visayas,
promising to build another bridge connecting Cebu
City and Lapu Lapu City
The second presidential debates started over hour delay due
to a separate debate on rules prohibiting the bringing of notes during debates.
Vice President Jejomar Binay insisted to allow him to bring
notes which his fellow candidates objected since it was the same rules applied
in the first presidential debates last Feb. 21 in Cagayan de Oro City.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=868584
13 ‘Tired’ rebels surrender in Compostela Valley
From Update.Ph (Mar 20): 13 ‘Tired’ rebels surrender in Compostela Valley
Tired of the incessant fighting, a rebel leader along with 12 of his men formally surrendered to government forces in Pantukan town, Compostela Valley Saturday.
Initially, ‘Milisya ng Bayan’ (Militia of the People) head Robert Hiyan and four of his men voluntarily surrendered to troops of the 46th Infantry Battalion at 10:00 a.m. at Sitio Diat Palo, Barangay Napnapan, said 10th Infantry Division public affairs office chief Capt. Rhyan Batchar.
They were followed later by eight other companions of Hiyan who surrendered to government forces at Sitio Logpaton, Barangay Kingking, also in Pantukan.
Hiyan’s men were not identified for security reasons.
The group also handed to military authorities an M-60 general purpose machine gun, two M-16A1 automatic rifles, two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, one small improvised explosive device with detonating device, blasting cap and battery, one commercial high-frequency (HF) radio with charger and voluminous subversive documents.
The surrendered rebels are now undergoing re-integration procedures as of this posting.
http://www.update.ph/2016/03/13-tired-rebels-surrender-in-compostela-valley/3392
Tired of the incessant fighting, a rebel leader along with 12 of his men formally surrendered to government forces in Pantukan town, Compostela Valley Saturday.
Initially, ‘Milisya ng Bayan’ (Militia of the People) head Robert Hiyan and four of his men voluntarily surrendered to troops of the 46th Infantry Battalion at 10:00 a.m. at Sitio Diat Palo, Barangay Napnapan, said 10th Infantry Division public affairs office chief Capt. Rhyan Batchar.
They were followed later by eight other companions of Hiyan who surrendered to government forces at Sitio Logpaton, Barangay Kingking, also in Pantukan.
Hiyan’s men were not identified for security reasons.
The group also handed to military authorities an M-60 general purpose machine gun, two M-16A1 automatic rifles, two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, one small improvised explosive device with detonating device, blasting cap and battery, one commercial high-frequency (HF) radio with charger and voluminous subversive documents.
The surrendered rebels are now undergoing re-integration procedures as of this posting.
http://www.update.ph/2016/03/13-tired-rebels-surrender-in-compostela-valley/3392
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