Biden Budget Expected to Stiff the Indo-Pacific

From Foreign Policy (Mar 9, 2023): Biden Budget Expected to Stiff the Indo-Pacific (By Jack Detsch)

The Pentagon’s top military command charged with countering China believes it’s getting shortchanged—again.



The Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS John C. Stennis, left, and USS Ronald Reagan conduct dual aircraft carrier strike group operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific on June 18, 2016. U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 3RD CLASS JAKE GREENBERG

The tip of the spear when it comes to U.S. military competition with China, the Indo-Pacific Command, is asking Congress for more than $15 billion this year to stand up to the rapid military buildup of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), according to an assessment of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s priorities obtained by Foreign Policy. The Hawaii-based command is looking to build defenses to protect Guam, procure sea-based standoff weapons and anti-ship missiles, and snag billions of dollars to pour concrete for bases or installations in Australia, Oceania, and the Mariana Islands.

The request, which comes as part of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s independent assessment of the military situation in the region, aims to get more money into its coffers over the next four years as China moves toward a 2027 target date to prepare for a potential invasion of Taiwan, a deadline that coincides with the centennial of the founding of the PLA.

“The security environment in the Indo-Pacific is becoming more dangerous and defined by an increasing risk of confrontation and crisis. The [People’s Republic of China] has accelerated their whole-of-government assault against the rules-based international order and the strategic competition with the U.S. now encompasses all domains to include efforts to coerce our strongest allies in an attempt to dominate the region,” the command wrote in the assessment that is set to be released publicly later on Thursday. “The U.S. must focus our efforts to present a persistent, lethal, and integrated Joint Force west of the [international date line],” to impose costs on China or another U.S. adversary, the assessment continued.

“The PLA’s rapid modernization efforts embolden the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] to defy long-standing international legal norms and engage in more provocative behavior,” the Indo-Pacific Command summary added. Politico first reported on the request.

Underscoring the urgency, in a speech on Wednesday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for more rapidly moving China’s military to “world-class standards,” including making the world’s most populous country less reliant on foreign computer chips. In step with China’s buildup, the Indo-Pacific Command’s needs are set to balloon to $21.7 billion in 2025, from the $15.3 billion request this year and up from Congress’s $11.5 billion authorization last year, a surge driven by long-range naval weapons, construction of new bases and periodic waypoints for U.S. troops, and new air and missile defense sensors.

The report comes as U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, known by the acronym INDOPACOM in Pentagon parlance, is expected to request more than $3 billion in additional money on top of President Joe Biden’s budget request set to drop on Thursday, according to two people familiar with the talks. Biden is expected to request nearly $840 billion for the U.S. Department of Defense—the largest sum in history—but a lot of that is for down-the-road modernization rather than meeting current requests from combatant commands. Money for planning and design of new military installations in the region and restocking munitions, for example, are not expected to make the final budget.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is also asking for billions in munitions and weapons procurement, including stepped-up air and cyber defenses, after recent public wargaming revealed that the United States could run out of long-range precision-guided munitions within a week if China launched a war over Taiwan. The command wants $1.6 billion to continue missile defense efforts on Guam after China developed a medium-range missile capable of striking the island, including fielding the Aegis Ashore system and the U.S. Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense program. It is also asking for $5.3 billion to track missiles, including overhead persistent infrared radar that can provide coverage into the Arctic, missile warning tracking in low-earth orbit, and more than $1 billion to build a space-based sensor layer.

Congress did not appropriate money last year to build more long-range anti-ship missiles, a potentially key capability to deter a cross-Taiwan Strait invasion, despite a handshake deal between Raytheon and the U.S. government to build more. So INDOPACOM is asking for nearly $3 billion in big naval guns, including $266 million to develop and procure more Tomahawk land-attack missiles and $395 million to develop a longer-range version of the system, more missiles for the U.S. Air Force variant of F-35 fighter jets, and more than $350 million for anti-submarine torpedoes. The command also wants nearly $315 million for new sea mines.

The Hawaii-based command wants nearly $2 billion this year to reinforce U.S. military installations, including more parking for bombers and fighter jets at Tindal and Darwin air force bases in Australia, developing an airfield at Tinian in the Marianas, and a submarine pier and satellite communications in Guam, as well as more parking for aircraft at Andersen Air Force Base on the island. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is also asking for more boat ramps and storage on Tinian, the Micronesian island of Yap, and on nearby Palau, where the Trump administration had previously sought to expand airfields.

It was not immediately clear why the money for planning new bases and munitions did not make Biden’s final budget request. It is typical for U.S. military services and combatant commands to gripe over the initial budget ask: Last year, they together asked for nearly $22 billion on top of the president’s budget. But the possible request from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is particularly eye-popping: It would be more than double last year’s request to add $1.5 billion to the budget.

The Biden administration and Congress have been locked in a heated battle over how to build up enough munitions for a possible war in the Indo-Pacific. Though the U.S. Army spent $2 billion to expand capacity for munitions production last year, including plans to quintuple production of NATO-standard artillery to hit 80,000 rounds a month in coming years, the debate has not yet extended to the Indo-Pacific.

“The Ukraine war has brought to our attention the fact that we only have a very limited number of production lines for certain kinds of missiles, precision missiles, conventional missiles, that we would need for a Taiwan contest,” Jacqueline Deal, the president of the Long Term Strategy Group, a nonpartisan defense consultancy based in Washington, D.C., said at a media event hosted by the conservative Vandenberg Coalition think tank last week. “It would show how serious we are, the more we can address that kind of insufficiency in our supply chain and defense industrial base.”

Yet defense hawks are worried that China is increasingly outstripping U.S. spending. Over the last 20 years, the PLA’s procurement budget has grown by almost 700 percent, while U.S. defense spending for weapons procurement has not quite doubled, Deal said. China has also increased defense spending by 2,200 percent over the same two decades to buy weapons that will help it project power further into the region, such as amphibious warships, aircraft carriers, bomber aircraft, and nuclear-powered submarines. Still, the Chinese defense budget is a fraction of the United States’, at an estimated $293 billion in 2021, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think tank.

The Pentagon has long talked a big game about improving military posture in the Indo-Pacific region, which some military officials have complained is better positioned for a pre-Korean War world than to compete with a resurgent China that has made major maritime grabs in the South China Sea and held renewed muscle-flexing exercises over Taiwan last year.

In December, Ely Ratner, the Pentagon’s assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said that 2023 would be the “most transformative year” in a generation for putting U.S. troops in the region, including in the Philippines and Northern Australia. The announcement of the end of phase one of the so-called AUKUS submarine initiative, expected to take place in a joint ceremony with Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in San Diego on Monday, could also give the U.S. administration a window to announce more military deployments to Australia.

But officials and experts are still frustrated with the lagging pace. For instance, the Pentagon has not made upgrades to facilities on Tinian, an island north of Guam in the Marianas, in several decades, despite possible plans for a diversionary airfield based at a civilian airport there. And even as the Pentagon appears to have taken a major step forward in the Philippines—after the prior Duterte administration repeatedly threatened to boot U.S. forces from the archipelago—experts still believe the devil is in the details, especially when the administration can’t sell the idea of pouring concrete at home in U.S. congressional districts.

“We’re really bad about pouring concrete in the Indo-Pacific,” said Becca Wasser, a senior fellow and lead of the gaming lab at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington think tank. She said that the Pentagon would need to build more infrastructure in the Philippines, including runways to land heavier transportation aircraft, send more prepositioned stocks forward, and reinforce munitions and fuel depots to protect against aerial attacks.

Adding to the frustration, the Pentagon doesn’t have a separate spending account for the Indo-Pacific. The so-called Pacific Deterrence Initiative, named after the European counterpart set up after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, is not structured like its predecessor, which was drawn out of a now-defunct post-9/11 Pentagon war fund that was not subject to congressional budget caps. Instead, the Pentagon flags things it is already doing as activities under the rubric of the deterrence initiative.

“Concrete has no constituency in Congress,” Wasser added. “[Military construction] doesn’t get attention.”

[Jack Detsch is a Pentagon and national security reporter at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @JackDetsch]

https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/03/09/us-military-china-taiwan-pentagon/

DENR eyes tapping Balikatan participants to help in Oriental Mindoro oil spill cleanup

Posted to GMA News Online (Mar 9, 2023): DENR eyes tapping Balikatan participants to help in Oriental Mindoro oil spill cleanup (By ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA Integrated News)

An aerial view shows the oil spill from the sunken fuel tanker MT Princess Empress on the shores of Pola, Oriental Mindoro on March 8, 2023. Citing information from experts, Pola Mayor Jennifer Cruz said the cleanup may take six months to a year. REUTERS/ Eloisa Lopez

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is eyeing to seek the help of the participants in the 2023 Balikatan exercises for the cleanup drives in areas affected by the oil spill in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

The Presidential Communications Office said that in a meeting with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, DENR Secretary Antonia Loyzaga said the agency would work with the United States (US) Embassy "to explore the possibility of deploying the participants of the joint military drills," as part of efforts for cleanup and reduction of the impact of the oil spill incident.

This as the Chief Executive also directed the DENR to speed up the clean-up efforts in the affected areas in the province.

The Philippines-United States Balikatan exercise is one of the long-standing mutual engagements between the two countries, which has paved the way for enhanced cooperation when it comes to the security and defense sector.

To recall, motor tanker Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank due to strong waves on February 28. All the 20 people on board were rescued.

The DENR earlier said over 2,000 hectares of coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass can be potentially affected by the oil spill. Water samples from several areas in Oriental Mindoro likewise failed their water quality test.

Aside from tapping Balikatan participants, Loyzaga said Japan and South Korea have already expressed their intention to help in containing the oil spill.

Loyzaga added that the DENR has coordinated with the provincial local government units, the vessel owner, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development for potential additional source of funds for the cash-for-work program that will be given to affected residents.

The President has expressed hope that containing and cleaning the oil spill in the province would not last for months. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/863300/denr-eyes-tapping-balikatan-participants-to-help-in-oriental-mindoro-oil-spill-cleanup/story/

Annual Threat Assessment//Intelligence Community Assessment

Posted to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (Mar 8, 2023): Annual Threat Assessment//Intelligence Community Assessment




Date: March 8, 2023

This annual report of worldwide threats to the national security of the United States responds to Section 617 of the FY21 Intelligence Authorization Act (Pub. L. No. 116-260). This report reflects the collective insights of the Intelligence Community (IC), which is committed every day to providing the nuanced, independent, and unvarnished intelligence that policymakers, warfighters, and domestic law enforcement personnel need to protect American lives and America’s interests anywhere in the world.

Download the report.

https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/reports-publications/reports-publications-2023/item/2363-2023-annual-threat-assessment-of-the-u-s-intelligence-community

U.S. Spy Agencies Warn of China’s Efforts to Expand Its Powe

From the New York Times (Mar 8, 2023): U.S. Spy Agencies Warn of China’s Efforts to Expand Its Power (By Julian E. Barnes and Edward Wong)

China sees a partnership with Russia as a way to challenge, and potentially weaken, the United States, a new threat assessment said.

Avril D. Haines, the director of national intelligence, said China believes it can expand its global reach “only at the expense of U.S. power and influence.”Credit...Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — China’s government is increasingly convinced it can only make itself the pre-eminent power in Asia, and a major power globally, by diminishing American influence, the top U.S. intelligence official said Wednesday.

The goal of weakening U.S. power and influence is one reason China has continued to pursue a deepening partnership with Russia, according to an annual intelligence threat assessment that was also released Wednesday.

Avril D. Haines, the director of national intelligence who appeared before a Senate committee to present the threat assessment, said China believes it can achieve its goals of dominating its region and expanding its global reach “only at the expense of U.S. power and influence.”

“The People’s Republic of China, which is increasingly challenging the United States economically, technologically, politically and militarily around the world, remains our unparalleled priority,” Ms. Haines said.

The threat report is a major yearly public release of the intelligence agencies’ assessment of a variety of national security challenges. While some aspects of the report barely change year to year, the section on China expanded significantly, reflecting the intelligence agencies’ greater focus on the nation during the Biden administration.

Prodded by both parties in Congress, the intelligence agencies have invested more resources on China, created a new C.I.A. mission center focused on Beijing and taken other measures aimed at improving intelligence collection and analysis.

The annual assessment said that despite the international condemnation of Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, China will maintain its cooperation with Russia to try to challenge the United States.

Emergency workers sifting through rubble in Kramatorsk, Ukraine. U.S. officials have warned that China is considering providing lethal aid to Russia.Credit...Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

U.S. officials have warned that China is considering providing lethal aid, such as ammunition, to Russia for the war in Ukraine. U.S. officials have determined that China had aimed to provide artillery shells to Russia but hoped to do so without being detected, so Beijing could credibly maintain a public position of criticizing the United States for providing arms to Ukraine.

Officials in the Biden administration made public intelligence that China was considering a secret provision of lethal aid along with both public and private messages to Beijing that such support would cross a line. Officials have warned that Washington would impose economic sanctions on Beijing if that support were to go ahead.

Better Understand the Relations Between China and the U.S.

The two nations are jockeying for influence on the global stage, maneuvering for advantages on land, in the economy and in cyberspace. A Rare Display of Bluntness: Xi Jinping criticized in a speech what he called a U.S.-led campaign of “encirclement and suppression of China,” signaling a broader shift in Beijing’s rhetoric.

Support for Russia: As China sends Russia large volumes of goods that either civilians or the military could use, U.S. officials have vowed to crack down on such shipments, but that has proved hard to police.

Covid Origins: The U.S. Energy Department’s conclusion that an accidental laboratory leak in China likely caused the coronavirus pandemic has generated pushback in Beijing and could further roil relations.

Spy Balloon: The discovery of a Chinese surveillance balloon floating over the United States triggered a diplomatic crisis between the superpowers as they vie to establish footholds in high-altitude gray areas.

At the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Wednesday, Senator Angus King, independent of Maine, asked Ms. Haines if the relationship between China and Russia was a temporary marriage of convenience or a long-term love affair.

Ms. Haines said it was not simply a temporary partnership but added that it had “some limitations.”

“We don’t see them becoming allies, the way we are with allies in NATO,” Ms. Haines said.

China will continue to treat Russia as an important strategic power, despite the criticism that the United States and others have leveled at Beijing for maintaining that relationship, the report said.

In her testimony on Wednesday, Ms. Haines reinforced the message that President Biden and his top foreign policy aides have been sending on China. Since his election campaign in 2020, Mr. Biden has said that while Russia is a medium-term challenge, China is the greatest long-term rival of the United States and is the only nation with the power and resources to reshape the American-led international order.

Ms. Haines also underscored the espionage challenge posed by China, saying its ambitions and abilities make it “our most serious and consequential intelligence rival.”

Earlier this week, China’s president, Xi Jinping, issued his own critique of the United States in comments that state media reported on Monday.

“Western countries led by the United States have implemented all-around containment, encirclement and suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented severe challenges to our country’s development,” Mr. Xi said in a speech, according to China’s official news agency.

The threat report also reiterates a list of the Biden administration’s views on the strategic challenges posed by China, many of which build on analyses made during the Trump administration.

The report said that as China’s leader, Xi Jinping, begins his third term, the Chinese Communist Party will work “to press Taiwan on unification, undercut U.S. influence, drive wedges between Washington and its partners and foster some norms that favor its authoritarian system.”

China’s President, Xi Jinping, has looked to spur the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army.Credit...Greg Baker/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

At the same time, it said, Chinese leaders “probably will seek opportunities to reduce tensions with Washington when they believe it suits their interests.”

The strengthening of China’s military and its expanded operations, especially across the Asia-Pacific region, are a focal point of the report.

“Beijing is increasingly combining growing military power with its economic, technological, and diplomatic influence,” the report said, to reinforce party rule, secure territory and “pursue global influence.”

The report also outlined how Chinese leaders will likely be constrained in some policies and actions because of internal factors — including an aging population and economic issues.

The report’s authors say the Chinese military is trying to meet a goal of Mr. Xi’s — to be powerful enough by 2027 to stave off any U.S.-led intervention in an armed conflict over Taiwan.

Mr. Xi has used that language to spur modernization of the People’s Liberation Army, the Chinese military. But he and other Chinese officials have not said they will invade Taiwan anytime soon, and in fact, there is vigorous debate within U.S. agencies over Beijing’s exact intentions on Taiwan. Some U.S. military officials have spoken of Beijing likely acting in the next few years to force Taiwan to come under Communist Party rule, but those are individual views within the U.S. government.

The report also offers new insights on Beijing’s assessment of nuclear threats and the prospect of a nuclear conflict.

The report said that as Mr. Xi begins his third term, the Chinese Communist Party will work to press Taiwan on unification and undercut U.S. influence.Credit...Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Beijing has determined that rising tensions and growing U.S. nuclear capabilities “have increased the likelihood of a U.S. first strike,” the report said.

Beijing has concluded its nuclear capabilities are insufficient, aims to expand its nuclear arsenal and is building hundreds of new silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles, the report said. Growing confidence in its arsenal over time, according to the report, will “bolster its resolve and intensify conventional conflicts.”

The report also warns that China will avoid signing nuclear arms agreements with the United States or Russia, at least until it modernizes and builds its arsenal.

“Beijing is not interested in agreements that restrict its plans and will not agree to negotiations that lock in U.S. or Russian advantages,” the report said.


[Julian E. Barnes is a national security reporter based in Washington, covering the intelligence agencies. Before joining The Times in 2018, he wrote about security matters for The Wall Street Journal.]

[Edward Wong is a diplomatic correspondent who has reported for The Times for more than 22 years, based in New York, Baghdad, Beijing and Washington. He received a Livingston Award and was on a team of Pulitzer Prize finalists for Iraq War coverage. He has been a Nieman Fellow at Harvard and a visiting professor of journalism at Princeton and U.C. Berkeley.]

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/us/politics/china-us-intelligence-report.html

All barangays in Caraga cleared of NPA influence – PRO 13

From the Manila Bulletin (Mar 9, 2023): All barangays in Caraga cleared of NPA influence – PRO 13 (By Mike Crismundo)

CAMP RAFAEL C. RODRIGUEZ, Butuan City – Police Regional Office (PRO) 13 Director Brig. Gen. Pablo G. Labra II reported on Thursday, March 9, that all barangays in the Caraga region have been cleared of New People’s Army influence.

Labra, quoting the 4th Quarter 2022 Joint AFP-PNP Intelligence Committee (JAPIC)-Eastern Mindanao Area Periodic Status Report on Threat Group (PSRTG) Validation/Workshop, said the number of barangays affected by the New People’s Army went down to zero in the fourth quarter of 2022 from 85 in the fourth quarter of 2018.

“The government fight against this communist terrorist group is already in the winning ground,” Labra said.

Labra also disclosed that NPA manpower and firepower in Caraga declined 42.58 percent and 46.71 percent, respectively, from 472 regular members and 501 firearms in 2018 to 271 regular members and 267 firearms in 2022.

“The issuance of Executive Order No. 70 institutionalizing the whole-of-nation approach in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace, the creation of the National and Local Task Forces to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, the effective implementation of Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, and the strong partnership among the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and all stakeholders have holistically created a safer Philippines for the Filipino people,” Labra said.

He added that NPA influence continues to decline due to the death of leaders Jose Maria C. Sison and George ‘’Ka Oris’’ Madlos and the increasing number of arrested and surrendered communist guerrillas.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/03/09/all-barangays-in-caraga-cleared-of-npa-influence-pro-13/

26 former NPA rebels get P225,000 cash aid in Negros Oriental

From the Manila Bulletin (Mar 9, 2023): 26 former NPA rebels get P225,000 cash aid in Negros Oriental (By Glazyl Masculino)

BACOLOD CITY — Cash assistance amounting to P225,000 was turned over to 26 former members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental on Tuesday, March 7.

These former rebels voluntarily surrendered to the military and the Guihulngan City Task Force To End Local Armed Conflict (GCTF-ELCAC), according to a report from the Army 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB).

The assistance was made possible through the Sustainable Livelihood Program of the Guihulngan City Social Welfare and Development Office which enables former rebels to start anew with their families, and become part of nation-building.

Meanwhile, an NPA rebel, who was reportedly part of the group that clashed with the military troops in Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental on March 1, surrendered to the 94th IB, two days later. He also surrendered an M16 rifle, a bandolier, and ammunition.

According to the Army, the rebel will undergo the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), which provides social, economic, and psychological support afforded to former rebels who have decided to return to the fold of the law.

Lt. Col. Van Donald Almonte, 94th IB commander, said in a statement that this development is a testament to the commitment and dedication of the 94th IB and Himamaylan City in their fight against the insurgency.

The government will continue to provide assistance and opportunities to former rebels who choose to abandon the armed struggle and return to mainstream society, he added.

On the other hand, the four unidentified NPA rebels, who were killed in the March 1 encounter, were laid to rest on March 4.

The 94th IB in collaboration with Himamaylan City Social Welfare and Development Office facilitated their burial in the city’s cemetery, after their remains were not claimed by their families three days after the clash happened.

According to the Army, the remains were already in the advanced state of decomposition, making it difficult to identify them.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/03/09/26-former-npa-rebels-get-p225000-cash-aid-in-negros-oriental/

Kalinaw News: 10ID Station Hospital admits earthquake victims in Davao De Oro

From Kalinaw News (Mar 8, 2023): 10ID Station Hospital admits earthquake victims in Davao De Oro

MAWAB, Davao De Oro – The Camp General Manuel T Yan Senior Station Hospital (CGMTYSSH) transferred and admitted 11 patients from the Davao De Oro Provincial Hospital – Montevista after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit said province on Tuesday afternoon, March 7, 2023.

The patients were forced to evacuate the Davao De Oro Provincial Hospital building at Kilometer 104, Barangay Bankerohan, Montevista, and temporarily stayed outside after some cracks and damages were seen and observed inside the hospital.

Likewise, three (3) military ambulances transported three (3) adults, eight (8) pediatric patients, and their selected significant others to CGMTYSSH in Barangay Tuboran, Mawab, Davao De Oro.

10th Infantry (Agila) Division Commander MGen Jose Eriel M Niembra personally checked the status of said patients on March 8. He assured the patients that proper medical attention would be given to them while staying inside the military hospital.

Also present during the transfer of patients were 1001st Infantry Brigade Commander Colonel Felix Ronnie B Babac and Davao De Oro 2nd District Congressman Ruwel Peter Gonzaga.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/10id-station-hospital-admits-earthquake-victims-in-davao-de-oro/

Kalinaw News: 58IB, DSWD-10 conduct Community Livelihood Dialogue in Jasaan, MisOr

From Kalinaw News (Mar 8, 2023): 58IB, DSWD-10 conduct Community Livelihood Dialogue in Jasaan, MisOr

CLAVERIA, Misamis Oriental – In collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Office – 10, the 58th Infantry “Dimalulupig” Battalion conducted a Community Livelihood Dialogue among the three (3) People’s Organizations in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental, on March 7, 2023.

With the immersion of the unit’s Mobile Community Sustainment Support Teams (MCSSTs) and support to the People’s Organizations in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental, there has been a significant development in the efforts to promote sustainable livelihoods and support the country’s peace agenda. Three former underground mass organizations (UGMOs) that have been redirected to pro-government people’s organizations (POs) will receive support through the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) under EO 70, amounting to Php 300,000.00 each, from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Office X upon identification of a feasible livelihood.

To maximize the sustainable efforts of the 58th Infantry (Dimalulupig) Battalion, the unit conducted a Community Livelihood Dialogue for three identified Community Support Program (CSP) sustainment areas in Jasaan as beneficiaries of the SLP program. This initiative aims to institutionalize a Whole-of-Nation Approach to harmonize government development efforts and support the country’s peace agenda through collective action. The recipient barangays are Barangay I.S. Cruz, Barangay San Nicolas, and Barangay Natubo.

As part of the unit’s “Building Trusts, Sustaining the Gains” campaign, 3 POs consisting of 23 members each were empowered to benefit and become eligible to avail of the SLP grant. This activity not only enables these communities to access much-needed support but also fosters trust and collaboration between the government and its constituents.

The Community Livelihood Dialogue, an activity designed by the unit, gathered issues and concerns and provided an open forum for the validation team from DSWD. The event was attended by Mr. Arthur O. Barrero, the DSWD-SLP focal, Hon. Francisco Uyguanco, the Committee on Peace and Order SB member, PMS Faisal Mamarungkas, MPS Jasaan representative, and the barangay councils of the three barangays.

Furthermore, the unit came up with the concept of establishing a federated association of Higher Farmers in Jasaan, comprising the three recipient barangays. This approach intends to boost the PO’s voice in the community and improve their access to resources and support. Thus, the initiatives undertaken by this unit in collaboration with DSWD-X and other stakeholders emphasize the importance of collective action in promoting sustainable livelihoods in achieving the unit’s peace objectives. These efforts serve as a source of inspiration and optimism for other neighboring communities all over Misamis Oriental.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/58ib-dswd-10-conduct-community-livelihood-dialogue-in-jasaan-misor/

Kalinaw News: Peace partners in Kabacan, North Cotabato launches “Adopt a School” program

From Kalinaw News (Mar 8, 2023): Peace partners in Kabacan, North Cotabato launches “Adopt a School” program

Kabacan, North Cotabato – The Barangay LGU of Brgy Buluan and teachers of Buluan Elementary School in cooperation and collaboration with the LTO Kabacan Office, Alpha Phi Omega Beta Theta Chapter and personnel from the 7th Field Artillery Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Battalion and 62nd CMO Battalion conducted an outreach program at Buluan Elementary School on 07 March 2023.

Steel rain and rolling thunder troopers with various stakeholders gladly intermingled with the students headed by their Officer-In-Charge, Ms. Rachma S Tado together with LTO Head District, Mr. Ansary D Sumpingan, members of Alpha Phi Omega headed by Mr. Datu Monds Mantawil and Ms. Marshela Vergara, CMO Officers of the 7th and 10th Field Artillery Battalion and Brgy Councilor, Hon Datucan T Solaiman.

The activity aims to launch the adoption of Buluan Elementary School as the primary beneficiary of its Adopt-A-School program, the distribution of food packs, and the delivery of basic services as part of its Community Outreach Program.

A total of 234 students are currently enrolled in the said school and will benefit from the strong partnership of said stakeholders who share the same mission of building peaceful and progressive communities away from the presence and influence of any threat group.

Likewise, with the celebration of Women’s Month, female soldiers were present and led the feeding activity and distribution of used clothes to the students.

Buluan in Kabacan is one of the barangays included in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/peace-partners-in-kabacan-north-cotabato-launches-adopt-a-school-program/

Kalinaw News: AFP gains new air asset, demonstrates flight capability

From Kalinaw News (Mar 8, 2023): AFP gains new air asset, demonstrates flight capability

CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City – The Philippine Air Force (PAF) conducted an Acceptance, Turnover, and Blessing Ceremony of the C-295 Medium Lift Aircraft with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as the Guest of Honor and Speaker at the Clark Air Base, Mabalacat City, Pampanga on March 7, 2023. President Marcos Jr. was welcomed by PAF troops led by the Air Force Commanding General, LtGen Stephen P Parreño PAF, and was joined by His Excellency Miguel Utray Delgado, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to the Philippines, OIC, DND, Senior Undersecretary, Carlito G. Galvez Jr., and AFP Chief of Staff, General Andres C Centino PA.With President Marcos Jr. as the witness, USec Galvez received the documents during the turnover and handed them to LtGen Parreño.

“Let me convey my congratulations and gratitude to the Philippine Air Force for its successful acquisition of three C-295 Medium Aircraft since last year. This attests to the progress of our nation in upgrading our defense capabilities,” said the President while also thanking the Government of Spain for assisting the PAF and bolstering the country’s defense posture.The C-295 Medium Lift Aircraft is a twin-turboprop transport aircraft, the newest generation of tactical air lifters, and is also combat-proven with high versatility, operating under all weather conditions in all types of environments.Spanish Ambassador Delgado also expressed his delight saying,

“I hope to be here again in the future for the delivery of more aircraft in another of its multiple configurations and to be able to see that the C295s are maintained here.”The acquisition of the new aircraft from Spain is another milestone in the AFP’s Modernization Program. The said aircraft will complement the capability of the AFP in providing airlift support, particularly during disasters and calamities, as it will be utilized for tactical airlifts, medical evacuation, paradrop/airdrop, VIP transport, humanitarian airlift missions, and supplement maritime patrols.

The ceremony concluded with the FA-50PH Flight Capability Demonstration, marking the completion of the procurement of three C-295 aircraft, with the first two units delivered last year. With the newly-acquired resources, the Philippine Air Force vows to continue safe-keeping air assets and equipment to maintain peace and security.///(Photos by Sgt Ambay PA, PAOAFP)

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/afp-gains-new-air-asset-demonstrates-flight-capability/

CPP/Ang Bayan Daily News & Analysis: Operasyong Dikit-Pinta ng KM sa Agusan del Sur, inilunsad

Ang Bayan Daily News & Analysis online propaganda posted to the PRWC Newsroom, the blog site of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Information Bureau (Mar 9, 2023): Operasyong Dikit-Pinta ng KM sa Agusan del Sur, inilunsad (Operation Dikit-Pinta of KM in Agusan del Sur, launched)

https://philippinerevolution.nu/angbayan/operasyong-dikit-pinta-ng-km-sa-agusan-del-sur-inilunsad/

CPP/NPA-Masbate: Muling pagragasa ng militarisasyon sa bayan ng Mobo, para sa ekspansyon ng dambuhalang minang Filminera

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Mar 9, 2023): Muling pagragasa ng militarisasyon sa bayan ng Mobo, para sa ekspansyon ng dambuhalang minang Filminera (Another rampage of militarization in the town of Mobo, for the expansion of the gigantic Filminera mine)

 


Luz del Mar

Spokesperson

NPA-Masbate (Jose Rapsing Command)

Bicol Regional Operational Command (Romulo Jallores Command)

New People's Army

March 09, 2023

Nananawagan ang Jose Rapsing Command – Bagong Hukbong Bayan Masbate sa mga Masbatenyo, laluna sa mga mamamayan ng Mobo na alisin ang takot at sama-samang labanan ang panibagong atakeng militar sa kanilang bayan. Nagsisilbi ang muling pagsasailalim ng Mobo sa okupasyong militar para bigyang-daan ang pagpapalawak ng operasyon ng dambuhalang minang Filminera – Masbate Gold Project.

Tiyak na layunin ng militarisasyon sa ilalim ng Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) ang pagpapalayas sa mga komunidad na sasaklawin ng ekspansyon ng Filminera. Sa katunayan, inaasahang hindi lang ang bayan ng Mobo ang pupuntiryahin ng mga okupasyong militar kundi pati mga karatig-bayan nito. Hindi lingid sa publiko ang matagal nang interes ng Filminera na minahin ang bulubunduking bahagi ng ikalawang distrito ng Masbate.

Ang AFP-PNP-CAFGU ang pinakamalaking private army ng malalaking dayuhan at lokal na korporasyon. Militar at pulis ang ginamit sa pagpapalawak ng negosyong rantso ni Gov. Antonio T. Kho. Nilunod din sa operasyong militar ang mga baryong sasaklawin ng ekoturismong Empark para pilitin ang mga magsasaka na ibenta ang kanilang lupa.

Batid ang pagtutol ng masa, tiyak walang sasantuhin ang Filminera sa agresibo nitong pakanang magpalawak ng operasyon. Sa katunayan, malamang ay naplantsa na ng Filminera ang awayan ng ilang matataas na upisyal ng lokal na gubyerno at militar sa prubinsya sa hatian ng kikbak kaya nabigyan na ito ng buwelo para sa eksplorasyon.

Batid ang perwisyo at teror na hatid ng naunang dinanas na militarisasyon sa ilalim ng RCSP, hindi dapat pumayag ang mga mamamayan ng Mobo na maulit ang kalupitang sinapit mula sa kaaway.

Lalong hindi dapat pumayag ang mamamayang Masbatenyo na makapagpalawak pa ng pinsala ang Filminera. Sa higit dekadang operasyon, ilang metriko tonelada at daan-daang bilyong halaga ng ginto at pilak ang dinambong ng malaking kumpanya ng mina subalit nananatili pa rin ang Masbate bilang isa sa pinakamahihirap na prubinsya sa buong bansa.

Kapalit ng takot ay ang pagkapatag ng ating mga bundok, pagkakalbo ng ating mga kagubatan, pagkalason ng ating mga tubig at pagkawala ng ating mga sakahan at pangisdaan.

Nananawagan ang Jose Rapsing Command – Bagong Hukbong Bayan sa mga yunit na nakapailalim dito at sa mga rebolusyonaryong organisasyong masa na pangunahan ang laban at gawin lahat ng makakaya upang gabayan ang masa sa puspusang pagkilos at paglaban sa tumitinding atakeng pasista at neoliberal sa Masbate. Sa laban para sa ating kalikasan, kabuhayan at kinabukasan, walang ibang landas na dapat tahakin ang mamamayang Masbatenyo kundi ang digmang bayan.#

https://philippinerevolution.nu/statements/muling-pagragasa-ng-militarisasyon-sa-bayan-ng-mobo-para-sa-ekspansyon-ng-dambuhalang-minang-filminera/

CPP/NPA-Surigao del Sur: Mensahe alang sa #IWD2023//Saulogon ang mapadayunong pakigbisog sa International nga Adlaw sa kababayen-an

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Mar 8, 2023): Mensahe alang sa #IWD2023//Saulogon ang mapadayunong pakigbisog sa International nga Adlaw sa kababayen-an (Message for #IWD2023// Celebrate the eternal struggle on International Women's Day)

 


Radyo Demokratiko (NPA Podcast)

NPA-Surigao del Sur

Northeast Mindanao Regional Operational Command

New People's Army

March 08, 2023

Malipayong pagsaulog sa tanang kababayen-an alang sa ika-112 nga declaration sa int’ l women’s day, ilabina ngadto sa mga rebolusyonaryong kababaye-an nga walay pagduhaduha sa pagdawat sa hagit sa panahon pag-ako sa dakung responsibilidad aron pandayon ang bag-ong katilingban.

Taas nga pagsaludo usab ngadto sa mga nahimong martir sa rebolusyon nga mga kababayen-an tungod sa walay duhaduhang paghalad sa ilang bililhong kinabuhi sa pag-alagad sa makatarunganong gubat sa katawhan aron ipanganak ang katilingbang sosyalista nga tinuod motagad sa panginahanglan sa tanang hut-ong dinaugdaug ug gipahimuslan.

Napamatud-an na sa taas nga kasaysayan sa mga pakigbisog sa naghagong katawhan sa tibuok kalibutan ang bantugang papel sa kababayen-an. Apan sa kasamtangang kahimtang sa atong katilingbang semi kolonyal ug semi pyudal, padayon gihapon kining napailalom sa dominasyon sa nagtunhayng patriarkal, burges ug pyudal nga relasyon ngadto sa kalalaken-an.

Luyo sa mga pasiatab sa gobyerno sa giingon niining “Womens Empowerment and Gender Equality”, nagpabilin gihapong ubos ang oportunidad sa kababayen-an itandi sa kalalakin-an diha sa pagpanarbaho sa pribado ug pangpublikong buluhatan.

Apil gihapon ang sektor sa kababyen-an sa napailalom sa sistemang job order ug kontrakwal nga pagpanarbaho ilabina sa mga paktorya ug bisan sa gobyernong buluhatan. Dakung ihap usab sa health workers ug nurses mga kababayen-an nga maoy nahimong mga front liners panahon sa pagkuyanap sa COVID 19 ang hangtud karon kulang ug dili igo ang nadawat sa risk allowance.

Nagpabiling ubos gihapon ang sweldo sa mga magtutudlo sa pribado ug pampublikong eskwelahan nga diin ang mayorya usab niini mga babaye. Tumang kapait gihapon ang nahiaguman sa mga Migrant workers sa ilang pagpanarbaho ug mas bulnerable sila sa kabangis sa ilang amo, diin ang pinakaulahing nabiktima niini si Jullibee Ranara nga gi rape, gipatay, gisunog ug gilabay lang sa desyerto.

Tataw sa maong mga kahimtang sa atong nasud nga ang reaksyonaryong gobyerno sa Pilipinas inutil sa pagtubag ug pagsulbad sa mga batakang suliran sa atong nasud ilabina ang paghatag og kaseguruhan sa kaayuhan sa kababayen-an. Walay panglahutay ug estableng solusyon nga gihimo sa gobyerno alang sa pundamental nga problema sa katilingban.

Imbis himuan og konkretong lakang ang daghang problema sa ekonomiya, pulitika, diskriminasyon ug bullying, gipabuylo na hinuon niini ang mga dole-out ug mga band aid solution sa natad sa ekonomiya nga samot miguba sa pwersa sa produksyon. Padayong nasinati sa sektor sa kababayen-an ang pagpihig ug pagpakaubos sa katakus niini subay sa daghang aktwal nga mga kasinatian.

Dakung sukwahe kini sulod sa rebolusyonaryong kalihukan, natagamtaman dinhi ang pagrespeto sa kababayen-an.

Makita ang pagpapel sa kaubang kababayen-an dinha sa lain-laing matang ug porma sa rebolusyonaryong gimbuhaton bisan asa man nga natarang gerilya.

Kasagarang ginapapelan niini ang gimbuhatong medical ug pinansya. Bisan sa lainlaing porma sa gimbuhatong militar ug uban pang manual nga gimbuhaton sila usab nagasalmot.

Ginaila ang bantugang papel niini alang sa komprehensibong pag-asdang sa rebolusyon. Giila usab nga imposibleng moabante hangtud sa hingpit nga kadaugan ang rebolusyon kung dili mosalmot ug molihok ang maong sektor.

Busa atong giawhag ang bagang ihap sa kababayen-an nga mosunod sa tunob sa mga bantugang mga rebolusyonaryong kababayen-an nga mihalad sa ilang tibuok kinabuhi alang sa katilingbang tinuod nga nagtubag sa interes sa gidaugdaug ug gipahimuslan nga katawhan.

Mabuhi ang kababayen-ang nakigbisog!

Sampa sa New People’s Army!

https://philippinerevolution.nu/statements/saulogon-ang-mapadayunong-pakigbisog-sa-international-nga-adlaw-sa-kababayen-an/

Degamo slay prompts Army to strengthen intel on former soldiers

From Rappler (Mar 9, 2023): Degamo slay prompts Army to strengthen intel on former soldiers (By SOFIA TOMACRUZ)

The Army says it is exploring the possibility of creating a separate counterintelligence unit that will work with the Philippine National Police 'to prevent illegal acts that may be committed by current or former Army soldiers'

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Army said on Thursday, March 9, that it would strengthen its counterintelligence efforts to keep track of the activities of former troops following the death of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo last March 4.

Degamo, who is the second incumbent government official to have died under the Marcos administration, was earlier killed by heavily armed men – among them former soldiers dishonorably discharged from the Philippine Army.

“We are strengthening our counterintelligence efforts to keep track of the activities of former soldiers, especially the dishonorably discharged personnel who possess special skills,” the Army said.

Aside from this, the Army said it was exploring the possibility of creating a separate counterintelligence unit that would work with the Philippine National Police “to prevent illegal acts that may be committed by current or former Army soldiers.”

“We call on all former soldiers to seek help if they are struggling with the transition to civilian life and to think carefully about the consequences of engaging in illegal activities,” the Army said.

Highly skilled ex-soldiers

A special task force created to probe Degamo’s killing has so far identified at least 16 suspects, including 12 unnamed assailants. Among the four whose identities are known, three were reported to be former army troopers, namely, Joric Labrador, 50; Joven Aber, 42; and Benjie Rodriguez, 45.

The Central Visayas-based Special Investigation Task Group earlier shared details on the background of the former Army soldiers. According to the task force, Labrador served in the mechanized infantry battalion and military intelligence unit of the 4th Infantry Division in Northern Mindanao. He was also a former security escort for Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez, though his stint was terminated in 2014 over drug-related cases.

Aber was part of the Army’s counterterrorist unit, the Light Reaction Battalion, while Rodriguez was part of the 35th Infantry Battalion of the 11th Infantry Division.

On Thursday, the Army sought to assure the public that despite this, majority of former soldiers “are law-abiding and contribute positively to their communities after their retirement from service.”

“The Philippine Army is and has always been a highly professional organization dedicated to serving the people and securing the land,” it said.
Transition program

Degamo’s killing has also prompted the Army to review its transition assistance program, which offered livelihood training, legal services, financial counseling, and education for retiring soldiers.

It also considered expanding this program to include dishonorably discharged soldiers, the Army added.

“The Army is bolstering its values formation and character development programs. A soldier with strong core values stays ethical, disciplined, and professional even off the battlefield and beyond military service,” it said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier condemned Degamo’s killing, which he described as “particularly terrifying.” He likewise warned those involved in Degamo’s killing that the government “will not rest” until perpetrators were held accountable for the crime. 

https://www.rappler.com/nation/degamo-killing-prompts-army-strengthen-intelligence-former-soldiers/

11 patients transferred to military hospital due to earthquakes

From the Mindanao Times (Mar 9, 2023): 11 patients transferred to military hospital due to earthquakes (By RHODA GRACE SARON)

Rescuers yesterday transferred 11 patients from the Davao De Oro Provincial Hospital – Montevista to the Camp General Manuel T Yan Senior Station Hospital in Barangay Tuboran due to the impact of the earthquakes on the municipal hospital.

The patients were transferred, said Captain Mark Anthony Tito, 10th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office chief, as cracks were observed inside the hospital, forcing patients to temporarily stay outside.

Tito said three military ambulances transported three adults, eight pediatric patients, and their relatives to the military hospital.

Major Gen. Jose Eriel M Niembra, division commander, checked the status of the patients on Wednesday and assured them that proper medical attention would be given to them while staying inside the military hospital.

The transfer of patients was attended by 1001st Infantry Brigade Commander Felix Ronnie B Babac and Davao De Oro Rep Ruwel Peter Gonzaga.

https://mindanaotimes.com.ph/2023/03/09/11-patients-transferred-to-military-hospital-due-to-earthquakes/

10ID Station Hospital admits earthquake victims in Davao De Oro

From the Mindanao Times (Mar 9, 2023): 10ID Station Hospital admits earthquake victims in Davao De Oro

 


MAWAB, Davao De Oro – The Camp General Manuel T Yan Senior Station Hospital (CGMTYSSH) transferred and admitted 11 patients from the Davao De Oro Provincial Hospital – Montevista after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit said province on Tuesday afternoon, March 7, 2023.

The patients were forced to evacuate the Davao De Oro Provincial Hospital building at Kilometer 104, Barangay Bankerohan, Montevista, and temporarily stayed outside after some cracks and damages were seen and observed inside the hospital.

Likewise, three (3) military ambulances transported three (3) adults, eight ( pediatric patients, and their selected significant others to CGMTYSSH in Barangay Tuboran, Mawab, Davao De Oro.



10th Infantry (Agila) Division Commander MGen Jose Eriel M Niembra personally checked the status of said patients on March 8. He assured the patients that proper medical attention would be given to them while staying inside the military hospital.

Also present during the transfer of patients were 1001st Infantry Brigade Commander Colonel Felix Ronnie B Babac and Davao De Oro 2nd District Congressman Ruwel Peter Gonzaga. PR

https://mindanaotimes.com.ph/2023/03/09/10id-station-hospital-admits-earthquake-victims-in-davao-de-oro/

IP youth leaders empowered

From the Mindanao Times (Mar 9, 2023): IP youth leaders empowered (By RHODA GRACE SARON)

  


From the 17 barangays of Loreto, Agusan del Sur, 69 young leaders from Indigenous Peoples communities completed a three-day municipal-wide Youth Leadership Summit that ended on March 5.

The activity was in collaboration between the Loreto municipal government, the 60th Infantry Battalion, the Youth for Peace Movement- Tanang Lihok Batan-on og Sundalo (YFPM-TALBOS), and Propelling Our Inherited Nation Through Our Youth Incorporated (POINTY Inc.).

Second Lt. Alexelle Joyce Quijano, Civil-Military Operations officer of the 60th Infantry Battalion, highlighted that the summit aimed to bring out the limitless potential of the youth emphasizing their role as future leaders of their communities.

“The participants underwent a series of lectures, interactive challenges, and other team-building activities that developed their camaraderie, teamwork, and their sense of leadership,” Quijano said.

The lectures included Anti-insurgency, Youth Infiltration and NPA recruitment, Drug Prevention, the Role of the Youth in Nation Building, Safety Awareness, and Knowing One’s Self. The topics were complemented by interactive challenges and team-building activities such as Guidon Making, Spiritual Session followed by a Bonfire activity, Poster Making, Chanting Competition, Morning Zumba, Alay Linis, Hunt for breakfast (Obstacle course), and the Kultura Night.

In his message, Lt. Col. Merrill C Sumalinog, commanding officer of the military unit, expressed his appreciation for the intensified collaboration and support of the municipal government and other government agencies, the youth sector and the military as he urged the young leaders to continue advocating peace in their respective communities and inspiring their fellow youth to take part in the advocacy being led by their kind.

Mary Nol P. Aban, municipal government operations officer of Loreto, also expressed her gratitude for the enthusiasm of the facilitators from the organizing groups.

Ablan also assured the participants and facilitators that the municipal government will continue to support the initiative.

The youth leaders also signed the Pledge of Commitment to the Youth For Peace Movement and POINTY- Agusan del Sur which closed the activity.

https://mindanaotimes.com.ph/2023/03/09/ip-youth-leaders-empowered/