IN PHOTOS: China's creeping expansion

From Rappler (Jun 18): IN PHOTOS: China's creeping expansion

China is busy building military fortresses in the West Philippine Sea




China has reclaimed from the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) a total of 383 hectares in 7 of its occupied reefs there, latest aerial photos show.

On Tuesday, June 16, Beijing announced that reclamation activities in the disputed territory will soon be completed.

 

Photos taken as of May 2015 showed that the Kagitingan Reef (Fiery Cross) had the biggest expansion with a total reclaimed area of 222 hectares. A report of the international news network CNN said China has built an airport tower and an early warning radar on Kagitingan Reef. (READ: Airport tower, radar on China’s 1st runaway in Spratlys)

 

A military report said China has constructed a 2.6-kilometer airstrip and 5 jetties.

In Subi (Zamora) Reef, 76 hectares have been reclaimed, with 3 port facilities built.

 

The third largest reclamation was pulled off in Mischief Reef, with a reclaimed area of 27 hectares. Mischief Reef is within the Philippines' 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as it lies only 134 nautical miles (NM) from Palawan. In contrast, Mischief Reef is 602 NM from China.

In Calderon (Cuarteron) Reef, China has reclaimed 24.6 hectares, with photos showing a 6-story building constructed there. It also has a helipad, one jetty and one pier that can accommodate a 130-meter ship.

 

In Gaven Reef, China has a reclamation area of 15.3 hectares on which it also built a 6-story building and a permanent pier.

 

In Mabini (Johnson) Reef, which is 194 NM from Palawan and thus well within the country’s 200-mile EEZ, 10.9 hectares have been reclaimed. It likewise has a 6-story building, one jetty and a pier.

And finally, in Keenan Reef, which is 187 NM away from Palawan, as against 784 NM away from China, Beijing reclaimed 7.2 hectares and built a 6-story building, a jetty, and a pier.

Still, in the face of the massive reclamation efforts, Foreign Affairs spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Charles Jose urged “China to resist reclamation, respect international laws and exercise self-restraint."

 

The photos however tell a totally different story.

 

http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/96695-in-photos-china-creeping-expansion

Cops foil Zamboanga Sibugay kidnapping

From InterAksyon (Jun 18): Cops foil Zamboanga Sibugay kidnapping



Police in Zamboanga Sibugay province rescued a businesswoman kidnapped by gunmen in Imelda town Wednesday evening when they intercepted the suspects and engaged them in a firefight, forcing them to leave their victim and flee.

A report from Police Regional Office 9 reaching Camp Crame said a flash report was sent to different police units in the province as soon as Kit Cunting was seized around 8:15 p.m.

The vehicle used by the kidnappers was eventually intercepted by alerted police in Kabasalan town, some 30 kilometers from Imelda, and Cuting rescued.

Authorities are still hunting the suspects.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/112598/cops-foil-zamboanga-sibugay-kidnapping

MILF virtually surrenders self after symbolic decommissioning of weapons – BIFF

From the Mindanao Examiner (Jun 16): MILF virtually surrenders self after symbolic decommissioning of weapons – BIFF

A rival rebel group has criticized the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the decommissioning of its weapons on Tuesday and said leaders of the MILF have virtually surrendered to the Philippine government.

Abu Misri Mama, a spokesman for the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF), said many of the MILF members have already joined their group which is fighting for independence in southern Philippines.

The BIFF was founded by Ameril Umra Kato, a senior leader of the MILF who split after accusing its chieftain Murad Ebrahim of abandoning their struggle. Kato had died from a heart attack and left the BIFF in fragments and without a unifying leader, although it continues to attack military targets in the restive region of Mindanao.

The MILF has decommissioned more than 100 weapons, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns in a symbolic ceremony inside a former rebel camp in Sultan Kudarat town.

Mama said they will continue their struggle for independence in Mindanao.

The MILF signed a peace deal with the Aquino government last year and part of the accord is the decommissioning of its weapons. The MILF has thousands of weapons and munitions in their arsenal and the government said it would pay for them and even offered livelihood air for rebels to ensure they return to the folds of the law.

http://mindanaoexaminer.com/milf-virtually-surrenders-self-after-symbolic-decommissioning-of-weapons-biff/

DND: China must face truth reclamation in South China Sea is illegal

From GMA News (Jun 17): DND: China must face truth reclamation in South China Sea is illegal

China needs to accept the truth and heed the call of the international community, the Department of National Defense (DND) said Wednesday, amid reports that China will soon finish its land reclamation projects in the disputed South China Sea.

“What they are doing is really contrary to international law, so we call on them, magising na kayo sa katotohanan,” DND spokesperson Peter Paul Galvez said as he admitted that China's reclamation activities are “really something of concern” for the Philippines.

Galvez said China's claims over the South China Sea is based on its nine-dash claim, and goes against the Code of Conduct (COC) of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“All these things is contrary to the COC. Usapang matino iyon di ba? So bakit ganyan...? They should stop, they should dismantle and they should keep iyong napag-usapan sa COC,” he said.

Back in 2002, the 10-member ASEAN and China came up with an informal COC which calls on the countries from building structures complicating territorial disputes.

A Reuters report said China will soon complete its land reclamation activities on the Spratly Islands, indicating that Beijing is close to setting up new outposts in the maritime heart of Southeast Asia.

China is currently undertaking land reclamation in seven disputed features in the South China Sea.

Galvez said the Philippine government needs to step up its efforts with the international community to pressure China into halting its reclamation activities.

“Let's not discount the value of informing and telling people making them understand what's really happening, kasi ang mahirap dito we need to counter itong mga lies behind these claims,” he said.

“We have to maintain our moral high ground, wag tayong maging tulad nila na gagawin yung ganyan...tayo we want to maintain na tayo pag kinausap tayo usapang lalaki, usapang matino,” Galvez added.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/505622/news/nation/dnd-china-must-face-truth-reclamation-in-south-china-sea-is-illegal

EDCA military deal, already on ice, could face further delays

From GMA News (Jun 18): EDCA military deal, already on ice, could face further delays

A U.S.-Philippine defense agreement that would help counter China's growing naval power in the disputed South China Sea has yet to be implemented more than a year after it was signed, and could now face a fresh political hurdle in Manila.

 

The deal gives U.S. troops wide access to local military bases and approval to build facilities to store fuel and equipment for maritime security, but it was effectively frozen after left-wing politicians and other opponents challenged its constitutionality in the Philippine Supreme Court last year.

 

The court is expected to issue a ruling before U.S. President Barack Obama visits Manila for an Asia-Pacific summit in November. The deal, called an Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), was signed just days before Obama last travelled to Manila in April 2014.

 

In another complication, 13 senators in the 24-member Philippine Senate have signed a draft resolution insisting the upper house scrutinise the deal before it takes effect.

 

"In this resolution, we are saying we will not allow the power of the Senate to be eroded," Senator Miriam Santiago, the principal author of the measure, said in a statement last week. The proposed resolution will be lodged in late July, when the Senate reconvenes after a recess.

 

While a Senate resolution would not be binding on President Benigno Aquino, it would put pressure on him to allow senators to debate the agreement, which would delay it further, Philippine political experts told Reuters.

 

With national elections due in May 2016, politicians are already focusing on who will contest the presidency when Aquino steps down, possibly putting some congressional business on the back-burner. The Philippine constitution allows presidents to only serve a single six-year term.

 

"Aquino is increasingly losing his power to influence Congress," said political expert Ramon Casiple.

 

Further delays might raise eyebrows in Washington, experts said, given Manila has been the most vocal critic of Beijing among the claimants to the South China Sea and has urged the United States to be more assertive in pushing back against China's rapid land reclamation in the waterway.

 

Senators have said they also want to review an agreement to be negotiated with Tokyo that would allow Japanese military aircraft and naval vessels to use bases in the Philippines for refuelling and picking up supplies.

 

The Senate has ratified previous Philippine defence agreements, including a decades-old security treaty with the United States.

 

Aquino has said the EDCA only needs executive approval because it's an addition to existing security arrangements.

 

BASE ACCESS

 

To be sure, U.S.-Philippine military ties are already robust.

 

Philippine military officials say there has been an increase in U.S. exercises, training and ship and aircraft visits in the past year under Obama's "rebalance" to Asia.

 

But the EDCA would take the relationship a step further, partly by giving U.S. forces broad access to the Philippines.

 

Washington for example wants to use Philippine military bases in eight locations to rotate troops, aircraft and ships, the Philippine military chief said in April.

 

One of those is a base on Palawan island, about 160 km (100 miles) from the Spratly islands, where China's creation of seven artificial outposts will allow Beijing to project power into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia.

 

The agreement would also allow the U.S. military to build infrastructure such as barracks, logistic warehouses and fuel depots for its visiting forces.

 

U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Pool, a Pentagon spokesman, acknowledged that the court process had delayed implementation.

 

"There have been informal, working-level discussions of potential locations and next steps, but no final decisions have been made nor are there any plans to begin implementing the EDCA until the Supreme Court completes its review," said Pool.

 

WRONG SIGNAL

 

A Senate resolution on the EDCA would not go unnoticed at the court, the Philippine political experts added.

 

While the court is independent, it would be taking note of the political winds while also paying attention to concerns over China's muscle flexing in the South China Sea, they said.

 

Even if the court ruled the agreement was constitutional, it might say it needed Senate approval, they said.

 

Theodore Te, the Supreme Court spokesman, said the resolution would not influence the court's decision, although he noted that the issue of a Senate review of the defence deal had been raised during oral arguments in court.

 

Any delays in the court decision could send a signal to Beijing that Manila was uncertain about its alliance with the United States, said Ernest Bower, a Southeast Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

 

"If the Supreme Court does not move expeditiously on the EDCA and the agreement is not in place before Obama's visit, the White House will have to ask whether the Philippines is serious about implementing its treaty alliance with the United States," Bower wrote recently.

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/505958/news/nation/edca-military-deal-already-on-ice-could-face-further-delays

UN case won’t settle territorial row — DFA

From the Daily Tribune (Jun 18): UN case won’t settle territorial row — DFA

The territorial claims on the South China Sea will not be settled under the arbitration proceedings at the United Nations (UN) but only the maritime entitlements of an economic zone, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

DFA Assistant Secretary Charles Jose said “who owns what” would not be settled in the Permanent Court of Arbitration since the Philippines merely seeks to determine only its “maritime entitlements” under the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea.

The Philippines is basing its claims on its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone which is provided under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, signed by 163 UN member-states, including China.

China, meanwhile, will have the capability to maintain and sustain large military aircraft in an airstrip it is building at Fiery Cross Reef or what the country refers to as the Kagitingan Reef within the disputed Spratly islands which the Department of National Defense (DND) suspects is a prelude to enforcing a Chinese air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on South China Sea.

“If they can sustain and maintain the airfield, they can put there a (fighter) jet anytime and you know it can be (used) in enforcing (an) ADIZ anytime,” DND spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said.

China in 2013 declared an East China Sea ADIZ covering most of the East China Sea in which it has a territorial dispute with Japan. “I’m not so sure (on the state of the airstrip’s completion), they were saying that it’s like 75 percent, I’m not so sure on how long it is but its already more than halfway, they were saying that it is three kilometers long approximately, (with that length), it can (handle) large aircraft, like cargo and military ones, “ he added.

China, however, claimed the structures being built on the reclaimed areas are those that will help with maritime search and rescue, disaster relief, environmental protection and offer navigational assistance as well as undefined military purposes.

China’s top planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said in a statement it had drawn up a plan for the use of civil facilities on the Spratly Islands.

These facilities would help improve living conditions there and also fulfill China’s international obligations on environmental monitoring, disaster relief and navigational safety, the NDRC said.

Large lighthouses for navigation are included in the building plan, along with base stations for wireless navigation equipment, weather stations to monitor for tsunamis, scientific research stations and equipment to tackle oil spills, it added.

Facilities will also be provided for the supply of search and rescue ships and places for fishing boats to seek shelter from storms and undergo repairs, the NDRC added, though did not specifically mention what sort of harbors or docks would be built.

In order to protect the environment, waste water and garbage handling facilities will also be built, the NDRC said.

It did not provide a timeframe for when these facilities would be completed and nor did it name the specific islands they were being built on.

Galvez said the continued and aggressive action is creating a lot of speculation among nations involved in the territorial dispute.

“We have to validate that report (first), with regard to all these issues, let us not forget that the main issue here is that their nine-dash line is very erroneous, second is that the Chinese build-up in the West Philippine Sea is contrary to the DOC or the 2002 Declaration of Conduct between Asean and China which prohibits parties from constructing new facilities in disputed areas and third, the constructions are really alarming as we don’t know what they will be putting there,” he added.

It is creating speculations as all activities are not transparent and illegal if based on the DOC, Galvez pointed out.

China is conducting reclamation and building activities in seven locations in the South China Sea or what the government prefers to call as the West Philippine Sea.

And to ease tensions, Galvez said China could stop all construction activities and dismantle all facilities it has set-up on the disputed areas.

“They (China) should comply with the DOC,” Galvez added.

RP to stick to ‘advocacy’

The only countermeasure available to the country, with its far inferior armed forces will be to continue its advocacy of informing the international community to counter China’s claims, Galvez said.

“We have to make them realize that these are really without basis, (hopefully once pressure reaches a high point), they will heed the call of the international community for them to stop,” he disclosed.

Earlier, member states of the European Union, G-7, the United States, Australia and Japan have called upon China to stop its reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea.

The Palace was also clueless on the effect on the territorial dispute of a cooperation agreement between the armies of the United States and China.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda brushed off worries that may result from the deal.
“We shouldn’t be worried on that. We have our own strategic interests and the US has their own strategic interest as well,” he said.

“We hope that whatever interest they have are in sync with our interests, but we also know that the United States has already, in a number of occasions, made mention and expressed concern on the South China Sea… we hope everything will work better in respect of the South China Sea situation,” he added.

An invitation from the United States has been given to China to participate in the Rim of the Pacific exercise next year, the world’s largest international maritime drill.

The move of the United States came abruptly following its strong objection to China’s reclamation work in the South China Sea.

The Philippines expects the initial hearing of the case on the South China Sea filed by Manila before a Netherlands-based international tribunal next month.

“By next month there will be hearings in the international tribunal on the law of the sea, so our petition would be heard next month. So we have taken the diplomatic track, we have taken the arbitration track,” Lacierda said.

“And also, we have taken the diplomatic track in the sense of coming up with a code of conduct for the South China Sea. The Code of Conduct is now with China to look into so we have to take the diplomatic track or set the limitations that we have,” he said.

“We continue to raise the profile of the reclamation activities, not only because of the concerns that surround the country claimants but also recently in the United Nations we have raised the environmental impact of these reclamation activities,” he added.

China has repeatedly ignored calls from the Philippines to participate in the arbitration proceedings, standing firm with its claims and continuing its reclamation work nonetheless. Beijing insists on bilateral talks with Manila, but the Palace denied such as there are other claimants in the South China Sea.

 http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/un-case-won-t-settle-territorial-row-dfa

Troops thwart Abu Sayyaf bomb plot in Basilan

From GMA News (Jun 17): Troops thwart Abu Sayyaf bomb plot in Basilan

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) foiled a bomb plot by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits after government troops discovered an improvised explosive device in Maluso, Basilan on Wednesday.

In a statement, the 4th Special Forces Battalion said elements of the 14th Special Forces Company securing the Maluso Water District (MAWAD) area found the IED hidden beside the pipeline where a maintenance team was supposed to be doing repair works. 

 

Lt. Col. Eliglen Villafor, commander of the battalion, described the IED as "made from a mortar round capable of inflicting huge damage on the pipeline or to any person within a close proximity." 

 

Villaflor said government troops have been securing the area after suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits sent extortion letters to the firm handling the water district. Troops have also organized and established community defense system to prevent untoward incidents. 

 

Last June 6, a CAFGU Active Auxiliary died and one got seriously wounded when they were ambushed by suspected bandits while performing security patrol along the pipeline. 

 

Authorities said the bandits were hoping to destroy the MAWAD pipeline, which majority of Maluso constituents depends on to for water supply, to extort monthly "protection money."

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/505630/news/regions/troops-thwart-abu-sayyaf-bomb-plot-in-basilan

Japan: The Philippines' New Best Friend?

From The Diplomat (Jun 17): Japan: The Philippines' New Best Friend? (By Richard Javad Heydarian)

“More than ever, the Philippines has come to rely on an external partner other than the United States.”

Image Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

 

The Unite States has long stood as the backbone of the Philippines’ national security. During its 333 years of colonial rule, Spain had limited impact on the modernization of the Southeast Asian nation’s institutions, but things changed with the advent of full-scale American colonial rule in the early 20th century.

 

Though the Philippines gained formal independence toward the end of World War II, it effectively outsourced its external security obligations to its former (and most benign) colonial master. Thanks to a series of landmark agreements, namely the Military Assistance Pact (1947), the Military Bases Agreement (1947), and the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) of 1951,Washington became the de facto guarantor of (the nominally-sovereign) Philippine national security.

 

Throughout the Cold War period, Manila stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Washington, providing much-needed logistical support during the Korean and Vietnam wars while hosting the United States’ biggest overseas military bases in Subic and Clark. In the post-Cold War period, however, the Philippines has had to navigate a more fluid strategic landscape, with its leadership exploring new partnerships in an evolving regional order.

 

After decades of strategic stupor, and amid growing worries over a resurgent China and a wobbly America, Japan has gradually transformed into a key security partner of the Philippines. Philippine President Benigno Aquino’s four-day state visit to Tokyo was one of both great historic and strategic significance.

 

Post-American Foreign Policy

 

Throughout the 1990s, the Ramos administration (1992-1998) made a concerted effort to build the foundations of a more self-reliant Philippines, implementing the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Act and astutely utilizing multilateral diplomacy, under the aegis of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to push for greater regional integration as well as manage territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

 

The exit of American bases in 1992 provided a strong impetus for Manila to revisit its U.S.-centric foreign policy. Though rising territorial tensions with China, especially during the 1995 Mischief Reef incident, forced the Philippines to seek a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, the subsequent Arroyo administration (2001-2010) consciously adopted, especially in the mid-2000s, an equi-balancing strategy, which was responsible for an unprecedented, albeit short-lived, “golden age” in Sino-Philippine relations.

 

Confronting an increasingly assertive Beijing, however, the administration of Benigno Aquino effectively dumped the equi-balancing strategy of the previous leadership in favor of a more overt tilt towards Washington, with Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario emerging as one of the most vocal proponents of a greater American military footprint in Asia.

 

The problem, however, is that the Obama administration has repeatedly refused to openly declare — in clear juxtaposition to its stance over the Senkaku/Diaoyu dispute — any commitment to come to the Philippines’ rescue in an event of conflict with China over disputed features in the South China Sea.

 

Marriage in Heaven

 

Eager to avoid any Thucydides trap, Washington has explicitly declared neutrality over sovereignty claims in the area, confining its interest to freedom of navigation — both for merchant fleets and American naval assets — in key sea lines of communications (SLOCs) such as the South China Sea. In short, Washington has refused to offer its military muscle as the Philippines’ deterrence against China’s maritime ambitions.

 

Meanwhile, Japan, especially since 2011, has stepped up its strategic partnership with like-minded regional states such as the Philippines. It was, however, the return of Shinzo Abe to office in late-2012 that spawned a qualitative transformation in Japan’s posturing in the region in general and Japan-Philippine relations in particular. Along with Junichiro Koizumi, Abe is largely seen as Japan’s most charismatic leader in recent memory.

 

Decisive, nationalistic, and ambitious, he has invested much of his political capital in upending Japan’s post-war foreign policy. But Abe’s efforts at carving out a new security role for Japan faces stiff opposition among pacifists at home as well as suspicious neighbors abroad, particularly China and South Korea. Operationally speaking, Abe’s call for “proactive pacifism” and “collective security,” anchored by the revised U.S.-Japan defense guidelines, cannot materialize unless Tokyo gains access to overseas bases that support far-flung military operations.

 

Enter the Aquino administration, representing one of the biggest victims of Japanese imperial aggression during World War II, which has openly embraced a greater Japanese security role in the region and has expressed its openness to granting Japan’s Self Defense Forces access to its bases close to the South China Sea. Back in 2012, Aquino’s foreign secretary, Del Rosario, openly declared: “We are looking for balancing factors in the region and Japan could be a significant balancing factor.”

 

In a direct rebuke of growing anxieties over the alleged erosion of Japan’s pacifism, Aquino, before the joint session of the Japanese Parliament, chose to instead portray China as the regional aggressor, which has supposedly imperiled “the prosperity of maritime and coastal East and Southeast Asia.” Abe needs the Philippines’ diplomatic support, while Aquino needs Japan’s military muscle. It is a perfectly symbiotic relationship.

 

The two leaders also discussed the potential export of advanced defense assets such as P-3C anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft and radar technology to the Philippines. Additionally, under a $150 million deal financed by a Japanese soft loan, Tokyo is expected to deliver ten multirole patrol vessels to the Philippine Coast Guard. Manila also expressed its openness to a bilateral Visiting Force Agreement, which would allow Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces to refuel and resupply in an event of joint patrols in the South China Sea.

 

More than ever, the Philippines has come to rely on an external partner other than the United States. And China’s maritime assertiveness has gradually empowered its archrival Japan to reinvent its role in the region.

 

 

[Richard Javad Heydarian is an assistant professor in political science at De La Salle University, and a policy adviser at the Philippine House of Representatives. He has authored more than 400 articles and policy papers on Asian geopolitical affairs for a range of online and print publications.]

http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/japan-the-philippines-new-best-friend/

Video: Expert doubts MILF combatants will disarm completely

From CNN Philippines (Jun 17): Video: Expert doubts MILF combatants will disarm completely

[Video report: Interview with University Professor Julkipli Wadi]

 

Both anti- and pro-Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) congressmen say the decommissioning of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) firearms can be a good gesture to strengthen the mutual trust between the government and the MILF.

But their opinions differ when asked if the decommissioning process can affect the passage of the BBL, and if it will solve conflict in the south.

http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2015/06/17/Expert-doubts-MILF-combatants-will-disarm-completely.html

MILF: IMT Indonesian contingent hopeful for BBL passage

Posted to the MILF Website (Jun 16): IMT Indonesian contingent hopeful for BBL passage



“If you are climbing a mountain, the hardest time is when you are approaching the top,” an Indonesian contingent of International Monitoring team told the members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) and Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH).

“We know the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is still in the Senate, but I believe it will be passed, “Indonesian Contingent Col. Pribadi Jatmiko, IMT Team Site 4 leader, said during an exit meeting with BIAF of 107th Base Command at Barangay Pananag, Maasim, Sarangani Province.

As their year-long tour of duty ends this June, Pribadi and his fellow peace monitors of IMT Team Site 4 bade farewell to the MILF combatants.

He said, “We always pray that peace in Mindanao will come true” stressing that “development for Mindanao is hard to achieve when peace is not in place.”

The BBL is a measure agreed by the Government of the Philippines and MILF which is hoped to end the decades of conflict between the Moro rebels and the state.

The proposed legislation faces a rough sailing in the Lower and Upper House of Congress following the Mamasapano incident last January 25 which claimed lives of police commandos, MILF forces, Moro armed groups and civilians.

Once approved, the BBL will pave way for the establishment of autonomous political entity to be called Bangsamoro that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The BBL, still at the two chambers of Congress, is criticized for having unconstitutional provisions. The lawmakers have noted the so-called constitutional infirmities of the BBL and plan to amend or delete questionable provisions.

The MILF leaders said diluted BBL is unacceptable since it will not solve the problems hounding the Bangsamoro region for decades.

The 107th Base Commander thanked the departing peace monitors comprised of contingents from Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei for their efforts to help in the Mindanao peace process. “We also pray that your dream for us will be realized,” he said.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/new/item/426-imt-indonesian-contingent-hopeful-for-bbl-passage

MILF: Bangsamoro dev’t also covers Christians and IP communities: MILF local political Chair

Posted to the MILF Website (Jun 16): Bangsamoro dev’t also covers Christians and IP communities: MILF local political Chair



Acknowledging the importance and giving due respect to fellow Mindanaoans, a municipal chairman of political affairs committee in Sarangani province said, “Development for Bangsamoro people also covers Christian and Indigenous People’s (IPs) communities.”

“Despite the Bangsamoro has no authority yet to govern, we see to it that you also benefit in this initial development we have,” Mohammad Arfan Hassan, Maasim Municipal Political Chairman, told the project beneficiaries of Barangay Lumasal in Maasim.

Barangay Lumasal is a community dominated by Christian Settlers and T’boli, an indigenous tribe, which has received development projects under the Mindanao Trust Fund Reconstruction and Development Program (MTFRDP).

The community was granted with two sea crafts for deep sea fishing, one solar drier, one mobile corn sheller and spring development project by the program.

 “We spent tears, sweat, energy, blood and even the lives of our Mujaheedins were sacrificed, in our quest for peace and development,” Hassan stressed in his inspirational message during the project turn-over ceremony on June 9, 2015.

Hassan said he related those narrative in order to remind the beneficiaries the hardship encountered by the Moro people and encourage them to do their best to sustain the project.

MTFRDP is a multi-million foreign assisted development program implemented by the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA,) the economic arm of the revolutionary group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which aims to assist economic and social recovery conflict-affected and vulnerable areas of Mindanao.

The program is supported by Australian Aid for International Development(AusAID), New Zealand Aid for International Development (NZAID), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), United States Aid for International Development (USAID), the World Bank, and the European Union (EU). It had been successfully implemented for three (3) consecutive Program Partnership Agreements (PPAs).

It is again embarked under PPA4, covering 65 barangays in 21 municipalities. BDA, with the help of its partners- the Community and Family Services Internation (CFSI) and Mindanao Land Foundation (Minland), takes lead in the implementation of the PPA4.

BDA operates in seven regions namely Southern Mindanao, Lanao, Central Mindanao, Davao, Zamboanga Peninsula, Zamboanga-Basilan, Sulu-and Tawitawi. Its central management office is located in Cotabato City.

Aside from MTFRDP, BDA facilitates the implementation of other programs  funded by foreign donors. Among these are Strengthening Capacities for IDP Protection Program, Programme for Local Economic Development through Enhanced Governance and Grassroots Empowerment (PLEDGE), Community Development in Conflict Affected Areas in Mindanao (CD-CAAM) and , Tahderriyah Program, Water Hygiene and Sanitation and Child Protection System funded by UNICEF.
BDA also spearheaded the formulation of the Bangsamoro Development Plan, the blueprint for the holistic development of Bangsamoro communities within and outside the Bangsamoro core territory.  

MILF: “Today, we begin the long walk towards transformation, not surrender”: Chairman Al Haj Murad

Posted to the MILF Website (Jun 17): “Today, we begin the long walk towards transformation, not surrender”: Chairman Al Haj Murad



Speaking at the symbolic decommissioning of 145 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and 75 firearms at the former Maguindanao Provincial Capitol in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on June 16, 2015, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim said, “Today, we begin the long walk towards transformation, not surrender, to a higher struggle, the start of the transformation of the MILF from a revolutionary organization to a political organization ready to govern and serve the Bangsamoro people”.

Chairman Murad appealed to Filipinos to appreciate rather than underestimate the significance of their action.

“We cannot thank President Aquino enough for his unwavering commitment in our partnership to build a truly democratic, peaceful and safe society in the Bangsamoro. For some people, Chairman Murad said, the event was only about statistics: 145 MILF and 75 firearms.

“But this is not about statistics. It is something deeply personal to us. As I look at the faces of each of our 145 brothers here in this small room, I see 145 stories of struggle, of pain, of hopelessness and even of death. Yet, I also see 145 stories of hope and faith that, indeed, peace is near and that all the sacrifices have been worth it,” Chairman Murad said.

“I see not only their stories, but my story as well and the stories of all the mujahideen that have given their lives, their intelligence, their talents to the struggle to protect the Bangsamoro people. What we have today are not the stories of only 145 fighters. What we have today are the stories of the whole Bangsamoro: oppression, tyranny, and – yes – liberation,” he added.

While there were veteran rebels among those who were decommissioned and registered to the government fold, the average age of the MILF fighters was about 46 years old. Some of them were younger while the weapons and firearms appeared to be in good shape.

Chairman Murad stressed the “road to this symbolic decommissioning” had not been easy.
“This decision is rooted in our firm commitment to comply with the principled agreements we have signed with the Philippine government. This decision was helped in part by the fact that we know that the President understands and feels what we have been going through, how it is to be under an oppressive regime, to thirst for justice and to have a firm resolve that it should never happen again,” he said.

Chairman Murad said they were looking at the transformation of the Bangsamoro from a state of conflict and underdevelopment to that of peace and prosperity that could expand to the rest of the country.

“This is also about the transformation of the Philippines to become more just and inclusive, and granting space to the Bangsamoro people to direct our lives as we wanted,” he noted.

Chairman Murad said the start of decommissioning even before the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) would be enacted is a sign of strength.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles said she was optimistic that the symbolic decommissioning would have a positive effect on the BBL.

“Despite the uncertainties they would face, the MILF fighters chose to adhere to their agreement with the government under the peace process,” she said.

She revealed that the government allotted P2.4 billion in the 2015 budget to ensure continuous support for the MILF members who would start leading normal lives. She added they were looking at the possibility of establishing a normalization trust fund for the MILF.

“The weapons that are gathered here are to be surrendered to the International Decommissioning Body, headed by the representative of Turkey with members from Norway, Brunei and from the Philippine government and the MILF, and are to be stored in a designated place agreed on by the parties,” Chairman Murad said.

“This is an important point in the decommissioning process that we have to clarify, lest misinformation is again disseminated to create confusion and engender rumors adversarial to the peace process,” he said.

Chairman Murad sought for the passage of a BBL that would comply with both the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

On his part, MILF Chief Negotiator and Bangsamoro Transition Commission Chairman Mohagher Iqbal shared his vision of a Bangsamoro despite a crossroads after over 17 years of long and hard negotiations.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/new/item/429-today-we-begin-the-long-walk-towards-transformation-not-surrender-chairman-al-haj-murad

Japan currently sees no need for Self-Defense Forces response in West Philippine Sea

From Ang Malaya (Jun 17): Japan currently sees no need for Self-Defense Forces response in West Philippine Sea

The Japanese government currently believes that situation in West Philippine Sea does not need response from Japan Self-Defense Forces. “At this point in time, the Government does not consider the situation in the South China Sea to be a situation that will have an important influence on Japan’s peace and security and that would require the SDF to take responses,” Japan Defense Minister Nakatani said in a regular press conference dated June 12.

Nakatani explained that he will not answer questions about hypothetical scenario on how situation in the South China Sea could turn into a situation that will have an important influence on Japan’s peace and security.

“This is something that would be determined in detail, on a case-by-case basis, by holistically taking into account the scale of the situation that actually took place, what trends led up to it, and what the actual circumstances were at that moment in time,” the Defence chief of Japan said. “This would be something that ought to be decided at that moment in time, based on what the implications were for the security of Japan.”

Philippine Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force are set for a Navy-to-Navy activity from June 22 to 26. Reports say that Japan navy will deploy one P-3C Orion anti-submarine, maritime surveillance aircraft for a joint training during the said JMSDF visit.

“This Navy-to-Navy engagement envisions to share new tactics, techniques, and procedures as well as best practices to further maritime operations especially now that the Philippines is nearing the rainy season,” PN said.

Staff-to-staff talks will also be conducted during the visit of JMSDF to “strengthen and institutionalize information-sharing between the PN and JMSDF to step-up maritime situational awareness.”

http://www.angmalaya.net/nation/2015/06/17/11496-japan-currently-sees-no-need-for-self-defense-forces-response-in-west-philippine-sea

Philippines not alarmed by US-China military engagement

From Ang Malaya (Jun 17): Philippines not alarmed by US-China military engagement

The Office of the President said the Philippine government is not affected by the recently signed China-United States Army-to-Army Dialogue Mechanism and possible future joint exercises. “We have our own interests. We have our own strategic interests,” Presidential spokesman Secretary Edwin Lacierda said.

“The US has its own strategic interests as well,” he added. “Will it be better for us? We’d hope that whatever interests that they have will be also in sync with our interests.”

The Presidential spokesman added that US, with its government officials, already expressed concern over China’s behavior in West Philippine Sea.

Last week, Vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission General Fan Chonglong and US Army Chief-of-Staff General Raymond Odierno witnessed the signing of China-US Army-to-Army Dialogue Mechanism at the National Defense University in Washington DC.

The said mechanism will open a new channel for leaders in the two armies “to raise and discuss issues of mutual concern such as humanitarian assistance and disaster response practices,” according to the Pentagon.

http://www.angmalaya.net/nation/2015/06/17/11499-philippines-not-alarmed-by-us-china-military-engagement

Japan: Completion of Chinese islands in West PHL Sea do not constitute sovereignty

From Ang Malaya (Jun 17): Japan: Completion of Chinese islands in West PHL Sea do not constitute sovereignty

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said today that China’s newly created islands in West Philippine Sea do not constitute China’s sovereignty over disputed territories. “With the completion of the reclamation, we must not accept the land reclamation as a done deal. We demand [China] not take unilateral actions that bring irreversible and physical changes.”

The statement from Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary came after China revealed that some of its reclamation and construction activities in West Philippine Sea are nearing completion.

“We hold serious and significant concerns about the unilateral actions aimed at changing the status quo, which are bound to increase tension,” Suga said.

The Chinese foreign affairs ministry was quick to react. “This kind of argument is not new to us. It is pointless for relevant people in Japan to continue to make an issue of this topic,” a spokesman from the Chinese ministry said.

“I want to stress that China has indisputable sovereignty over relevant islands and reefs in the South China Sea, which does not need to be proven by the construction work,” the Chinese spokesman said.

China is known to be currently doing reclamation and construction activities in at least seven reefs in Spratly Islands in West Philippine Sea.

http://www.angmalaya.net/world/2015/06/17/11505-japan-completion-of-chinese-islands-in-west-phl-sea-do-not-constitute-sovereignty