Batino says: EDCA to enhance Filipino military capability

From the Philippine News Agency (May 13): Batino says: EDCA to enhance Filipino military capability

Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino said on Tuesday the recently signed Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States will boost the capability of the Filipino military in dealing with aggressive expansionist acts in the Asean region.

In a statement forwarded by the Department of National Defense (DND) to the Philippines News Agency, Batino said this new level of cooperation with the U.S. will also enable the government to respond more rapidly in times of natural disasters, which in the past years had posed a serious threat to human safety and security.

Batino served as chair of the Philippine panel that negotiated the EDCA with the U.S.

“The Philippines faces serious challenges: To our sovereignty and sovereign rights, developments in the region point to an increasingly aggressive acts; to human safety and security, the frequency and severity of natural disasters point to the need to anticipate, address or mitigate their real impact on people and communities,” the DND official said.

“In these very fluid times, we – together – are forced to take a long and hard look at what we can do as one government to respond to the challenges before us,” Batino added.

In Tuesday's Senate hearing on the EDCA, he pointed out that the agreement will contribute to the capability buildup of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the areas of maritime security, maritime domain awareness, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), while the military and the DND are in the process of modernizing and beefing up the country’s defense capabilities and equipment.

“With pre-positioned equipment and materiel, our soldiers will be able to train and develop their capabilities even before the Philippine government acquires such equipment, boosting the speed of our capacity-building efforts for men and women in uniform,” Batino said.

He explained that buildings and other permanent structures to be constructed for the use of U.S. troops visiting on rotational basis will be automatically owned by the government, and as such, “will greatly hasten the development of Philippine military facilities.”

On pre-positioned HADR equipment of the U.S., Batino pointed out that this will allow the government to respond more rapidly in times of natural disasters and other crises.

Batino, however, assured the Senate Committee on Defense that prior consent of the Philippine government is necessary before any U.S. activity can take place in the agreed location, which will be determined through the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board.

“The EDCA does not authorize the establishment of U.S. bases. It allows the U.S. military access to agreed locations,” he told the committee.

“Given the rapidly evolving geopolitical and climatic realities in the Philippines and beyond, and the conduct of joint training exercises, the EDCA is a natural progression of the alliance between the Philippines and the United States,” Batino said.

He added that the EDCA is an implementation of the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, while the status of American forces is governed by the PHL-US Visiting Forces Agreement, a treaty concurred in by the Senate and upheld by the Supreme Court.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=643142

Amid tensions in South China Sea, US hosts China army chief

Posted to InterAksyon (May 13): Amid tensions in South China Sea, US hosts China army chief



US Army chief of staff Gen. Ray Odierno and China's Army chief Fang Fenghui met in Beijing earlier this year on 21 February 2014. AFP FILE PHOTO

China's military chief will tour American warships on Tuesday in a four-day US visit that comes amid heightened tensions between Beijing and its Southeast Asian neighbors over territorial disputes.

An escalating maritime feud between China and Vietnam is expected to come up when General Fang Fenghui, chief of the People's Liberation Army general staff, holds talks this week with his counterpart, General Martin Dempsey, US officials said.

Tensions between China and Vietnam spiked after Beijing said it would relocate a deep-water oil rig to a disputed area of the South China Sea, with Hanoi saying Chinese vessels rammed its patrol ships and turned water cannon on them.

China has rejected criticism from Washington over its dispute with Vietnam as "irresponsible" while a US diplomat has voiced concern about "dangerous conduct at sea."

China's clash with Vietnam is the latest in a series of disagreements between Beijing and its Asian neighbors over territory in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

The United States, anxious about Beijing's growing military might in the strategic area, has suggested China engaged in intimidation of its neighbors and has bolstered its defense ties in the region.

The Pentagon said the visit by the Chinese general was designed to deepen relations between the two countries' militaries, as it comes after a similar visit to China last year by Dempsey, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"General Dempsey looks forward to the opportunity to meet again with General Fang and to continue their conversation on improving our mil-to-mil relationship," press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said on Friday.

Fang's trip begins in San Diego, where he will visit an aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, a new littoral combat ship, the USS Coronado, and a Marine Corps recruitment depot.

The Chinese are keenly interested in aircraft carriers and naval aviation after recently launching their first carrier, the Liaoning. US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel got a tour of the ship during a trip to China in April.

On Thursday, the US military will roll out the red carpet for Fang with a full honors ceremony at the Pentagon, where he will hold talks with Dempsey and then take part in a joint press conference.

The Chinese officer is also due to travel to Fort Bragg, North Carolina before wrapping up his trip in New York.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/86670/amid-tensions-in-south-china-sea-us-hosts-china-army-chief

Chinese media single out 'challenger' PH, urge Beijing: Make Manila pay 'unaffordable price'

From InterAksyon (May 13): Chinese media single out 'challenger' PH, urge Beijing: Make Manila pay 'unaffordable price'

China's state-run media on Tuesday called for Beijing's territorial challengers to be made to pay an "unaffordable price," singling out the Philippines for the recent of arrest of 11 fishermen caught with a boatload of illegally caught sea turtles.

Regional tensions have risen sharply since Beijing moved a deep-water drilling rig into waters disputed with Vietnam for the first time, and a foreign ministry official said Friday Vietnamese ships had rammed Chinese vessels 171 times since May 3. Hanoi says its own patrol vessels were repeatedly rammed by Chinese ships near the Paracel Islands, which China calls Xisha.

Last week, Philippine police detained the Chinese fishermen, caught off the disputed Half Moon Shoal, charging nine of them with poaching on Monday despite Beijing's warning of a dire effect on relations.

"The Philippines has singled itself out as a determined challenger of Chinese national interests and the devoted hatchet man of foreign anti-China forces," the government-run China Daily said in an editorial. "It needs to be convinced that it has made a choice that, if it persists, means paying an unaffordable price."

China asserts ownership over almost all of the South China Sea, which is also claimed in part by Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia as well as Taiwan.

Manila calls the vital sea-lanes the West Philippine Sea.

It is also in a bitter dispute with Japan over small islands in the East China Sea.

Beijing's move to send the oil rig -- described by the United States as "provocative" -- came after President Barack Obama's trip to US allies Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines last month, when China's territorial claims were a constant theme.

The China Daily accused Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam of worsening situations in the region, encouraged by "malicious third parties."

"Beijing must make sure that every claimant knows blackmail and extortion will not work, and that it will not compromise its territorial integrity," it said.

"A rat will not be pacified when we hesitate to pelt it for fear of smashing the vase beside it," it added.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/86699/chinese-media-single-out-challenger-ph-urge-beijing-make-manila-pay-unaffordable-price

Stressed-out Del Rosario: NDRRMC is in Pama's 'good hands'

From Rappler (May 12): Stressed-out Del Rosario: NDRRMC is in Pama's 'good hands'

The new disaster management chief, Vice Admiral Alex Pama, recognizes the 'very, very challenging job,' but is 'looking forward to be of help'

TURNOVER: Former Navy chief Vice Admiral Alex Pama (Right) officially succeeds NDRRMC chief Eduardo Del Rosario. Rappler photo

Retired Army General Eduardo del Rosario raised his arms in celebration as he left the building of the Office of Civil Defense on Monday, May 12, following the a joint press conference with his successor as national disaster management chief, Vice Admiral Alex Pama.

Del Rosario, who resigned in April, said he badly needs to de-stress after a year of dealing with back-to-back natural and man-made calamities that hit the country – flooding in Mindanao in the first quarter; 26 cyclones, including Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan); earthquake in Bohol; and the siege in Zamboang City, among others.

"It was very stressful. I'm just imagining the possible situation this year and I felt that it's time for me to go. We made so many progress in the OCD and I feel that I have to enjoy my retirement," Del Rosario told the media.

Del Rosario had been under fire from the media over the government's poor preparation and response to Typhoon Yolanda. He denied that he resigned out of pressure and refused to discuss an earlier attempt to leave the post. (READ: NDRRMC: Too many cooks spoil the broth)

"No regrets," he added.

Challenge accepted

The new National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) chief is the former Flag-Officer-in-Command of the Philippine Navy who made a mark for his competence, vision, and skills.

He is leaving his post as undersecretary in the office of Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr, particularly under the National Coast Watch Council.

"I'm a soldier. I follow the mission I am given," Pama said.

He recognized that great challenges await him. He assumed the post as the country anticipated two threats: El Niño and the start of the rainy season.

"It is indeed a very, very challenging job. It is a fact that doesn’t escape me. Suffice it to say that I'm coming into the job with eyes wide open. We anticipate the challenges for us," Pama said.

"I'm looking forward to be of help not only to the government but, more importantly, to the Filipino people," he added.

Asked for his advice to his successor, Del Rosario said: "Overcome the challenges and, of course, focus on the job. Kapag hindi ka 24/7 dito maiiwanan ka ng (If you don't focus here 24/7, you'll be left behind by the) changing situation. With Admiral Pama, I know that the OCD is in good hands," he said.

Sunset review

Aware of the limitations of the NDRRMC, Pama said he would work on the current strengths of NDRRMC and hoped to correct the gaps.

Republic Act 10121, which created the NDRRMC, is up for a "sunset review" in the first quarter of 2015. Pama said it would be an opportunity to fix problems with the law, if any. (READ: Can new disaster management chief Pama 'rescue' NDRRMC?)

"We can incorporate the lessons we learned. We will improve on the strengths we already have and look at the gaps so we can talk to the lawmakers for possible amendments," Pama said.

NDRRMC has been seen as a "failure" by stakeholders because of the limited power of the executive director and the limited budget of the agency.
 

 http://www.rappler.com/nation/57845-ndrrmc-turn-over-pama

Rebels ambush military commander in Maguindanao

From Rappler (May 12): Rebels ambush military commander in Maguindanao



Rebels ambushed a two-vehicle army convoy carrying a military commander in Maguindanao on Monday morning, May 12.

Reports said Col Jener del Rosario, commander of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, and his security escorts were on their way to the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division in Datu Odin Sinsuat from their base in Shariff Aguak when an explosion broke the convoy.

The explosion occurred at 10:50 am near Meta Bridge, Barangay Meta, Datu Unsay town, according to 6th Infantry Division spokesperson Col Dickson Hermoso.

A firefight followed, killing one soldier and wounding 4 others.

Hermoso said the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) led the attack. The BIFF broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which recently signed a peace agreement with the government.

BIFF spokesman Abu Misry Mama on Monday afternoon confirmed they were behind the ambush.

The BIFF had opposed the peace negotiations that led to the peace pact, saying the process compromised the independence of Moros in their homeland. Government officials identified the BIFF as an obstacle to the implementation of the peace agreement in areas where it has its forces: in Maguindanao.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/57850-rebels-ambush-military-commander-maguindanao

Photos: Military convoy bomb(ed) in Southern Philippines

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (May 12): Photos: Military convoy bomb(ed) in Southern Philippines













 







A military truck damaged in the bombing and troops inspect the Meta Bridge in Datu Unsay town. BIFF members in Maguindanao province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales)

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/05/military-convoy-bomb-in-southern.html

Explosions rock Pikit town in Cotabato

From GMA News (May 12): Explosions rock Pikit town in Cotabato

Two explosions rocked the town of Pikit in Cotabato province early Monday, causing minor damage but no injuries, police said.

No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, according to a report on GMA News TV's Balitanghali.

The television report quoted police as saying the first explosion occurred at 6 a.m. near the town gymnasium. A second explosion went off near an electric post in Barangay Batulawan.

 

[Video: News report on the explosions]

Meanwhile, an improvised explosive device was found some seven meters away from the site of the second explosion.

 

Police are still trying to determine the identity of the group behind the incident, which caused tension in the area. 

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/360683/news/regions/explosions-rock-pikit-town-in-cotabato

BIFF ambush in Maguindanao leaves 1 soldier dead, 4 wounded

From GMA News (May 12): BIFF ambush in Maguindanao leaves 1 soldier dead, 4 wounded

An ambush staged by members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao left a soldier dead and four others wounded on Monday morning.

According to Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army 6th Infantry Division, 20 BIFF men detonated improvised bombs as a convoy carrying Col. Jener Del Rosario – commander of the 1st Mechanized Brigade – crossed a bridge in Barangay Meta at 10:30 a.m. The detonations "heavy exchanges of fire", Hermoso said.
Del Rosario was not hurt in the fighting that followed.

The 45th Infantry Battalion sent reinforcements and are pursuing the BIFF fighters, Hermoso said.

The BIFF, a breakaway group from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, has been blamed a string of attacks in Central Mindanao over the past several days, including the harassment of two Army detachments in Datu Unsay town last Tuesday.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/360711/news/regions/biff-ambush-in-maguindanao-leaves-1-soldier-dead-4-wounded

DND exec: Any part of PHL can become ‘agreed location’ under EDCA

From GMA News (May 13): DND exec: Any part of PHL can become ‘agreed location’ under EDCA

Any part of the Philippines can become an "agreed location" that US troops can access under the new defense agreement between the two countries, a Department of National Defense (DND) official told a Senate hearing Tuesday.

DND Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, chairman of the Philippine panel which negotiated the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), said the pact "provides flexibility" to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in determining the locations to be shared with US troops.

 

"We expect that this will not be automatic. This will undergo a long series of talks before it is agreed that an installation will be established," Batino told the Senate committees on national defense and foreign relations.

 

He added that the Philippine panel wants "as few agreed locations as possible," and that these locations should promote maritime security.

 

For his part, Ambassador Eduardo Malaya, another member of the EDCA panel, said that agreed locations which will be made available for rotational presence of US troops will be "only those that will promote national interest."

 

"What we are envisioning in agreed locations is not permanent presence but temporary, rotational presence... There is no exclusivity in use for the US," Malaya told senators during the hearing.

 

No limitations

 

Before US President Barack Obama's arrival in Manila two weeks ago, Philippine and American officials signed the EDCA, which will allow an enlarged rotational presence of American troops in the country. The new defense pact is effective for 10 years. 

 

Under the EDCA, the Philippines authorizes US forces to train, refuel aircraft and preposition their supplies within Philippine territory, in locations that have yet to be specified by both parties. 

 

But Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. raised questions regarding the lack of parameters in EDCA on what can be turned into an agreed location for US troops.

 

"As it stands, there are no guidelines on what will be agreed locations... Lugi tayo sa usapan," Marcos told members of the EDCA negotiating panel.

 

He added that the provision in the pact that limits agreed locations to those that promote maritime security seems all-encompassing, since the Philippines is an archipelago.

 

Marcos further said that the Senate will "anxiously wait" while members of the Philippine panel negotiate with their American counterparts on the access of US troops to certain locations.

 

Batino earlier said that up to five Philippine military bases may be made available to US forces after they complete the negotiations on agreed locations under the EDCA.

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/360791/news/nation/dnd-exec-any-part-of-phl-can-become-agreed-location-under-edca

Marawi City raid nets high-powered firearms, IED parts

From GMA News (May 12): Marawi City raid nets high-powered firearms, IED parts

A joint team of the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, and National Bureau of Investigation seized high-powered firearms and detonating devices in a raid on a three-storey buiding in Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur, Monday.

Arrested during the raid was Hadji Cader Sarongsong, the alleged operator of the illegal manufacture of firearms and ammunitions in the building, which is in a residential area.

The raid was conducted past 12 p.m., and followed two months of surveillance operations in the area.

Authorities found 10 high-powered firearms, including an M-16 assault rifle, a .50-caliber sniper rifle, an M-60 rifle grenade and a M-79 grenade launcher. Authorities also seized a detonating device and other equipment used to manufacture firearms.

In an interview with GMA News' “24 Oras”, Sarongsong admitted he was manufacturing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for some members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“Ito ay trabaho lang talaga. Ito ang hanapbuhay ko talaga,” Sarongsong said.

Sarongsong, as well as the recovered firearms, are now in the custody of the Philippine Army's 103rd Infantry Brigade.

“Kapag hindi natin ma-check itong mga ganitong klase ng pagpa-fabricate ng mga firearms ay dadami nang dadami ang illegal firearms dito,” said NBI-Iligan chief Alex Caburnay.

“Ito talaga ang dapat i-pursue natin, na mawala yung mga loose firearms sa area ng Bangsamoro,” Col. Glenn Macasero, commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, said.

[Video: News report on the raid]

A separate report of GMA News TV's “Balita Pilipinas” said the NBI and the military are now investigating Sarongsong's statement that the firearms were for MILF members.

On March 27, the MILF and the Philippine government signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), which aims to end the decades-long armed conflict in Mindanao.

Included in the agreement is a provision on the decomissioning firearms, which means that members of the MILF will no longer use their firearms and instead turned them over to a third party.

Sarongsong will face charges of illegal possession and illegal manufacture of firearms, the report said.

 http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/360731/news/regions/marawi-city-raid-nets-high-powered-firearms-ied-parts

Treason raps readied vs EDCA proponents

From the Daily Tribune (May 12): Treason raps readied vs EDCA proponents

Treason charges are being prepared by various groups led by Bayan Muna in connection with the recent forging of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the United States and the Philippines.

Former Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Teodoro “Teddy” Casiño disclosed this during a recent forum at the Balitaan sa Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City.

He said lawyers of Bayan Muna and various organizations opposed to EDCA are already comparing notes and are in fact seriously looking to file before the Supreme Court charges of treason against those responsible for the agreement.

Casiño said they will seek the audience of SC because the Senate has yet to do something to investigate the matter when in fact there are glaring provisions in EDCA, 11 in all, that violated the Constitution of the land.

“Eleven provisions of EDCA are unconstitutional, but the Senate seemed not interested in looking into it,” Casiño said.

Not only the Constitution has been violated by the said agreement, which was not even a treaty, but also the Local Government Code and the National Telecommunications Laws, he added.

The militant leader said the EDCA provisions not only favored the US government and its forces in terms of using the bases in the country, but they have total control of the facilities they will build and the Philippine government has limited access to it.

Casiño said even private facilities if the US forces see the need for it can be utilized unhampered.

The basing of the foreign government is way beyond the control of the Philippine government because they have all the operational and use of the said facilities.

The proponents of the EDCA, particularly Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, are not interested in bringing the agreement to the Senate for scrutiny because they know the unconstitutionality of the provision can be seen.

“Basically many provisions are violative of Philippine laws and the people are not aware that the US has all the control and supervision of all the facilities they will build,” Casiño said.

To make matters worse, Casiño said the EDCA, which was supposed to be the basis by the Philippine government to be the framework of support in the event foreign incursions occur, is silent on some issues, particularly the Chinese incursion in West Philippine Sea.

Because of this, Casiño said his group will definitely petition the SC to protect the sovereignty of the country.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/nation/treason-raps-readied-vs-edca-proponents

Human-rights groups to probe militarization in Davao, Cotabato

From the Business Mirror (May 11): Human-rights groups to probe militarization in Davao, Cotabato

REPRESENTATIVES of various national people’s organizations, progressive party-list organizations and human-rights groups on Sunday flew to Davao City to join other human-rights workers and peace advocates in Mindanao to investigate alleged rights abuses committed by the military against peasants and indigenous peoples in Davao and Cotabato provinces.

 

The Manila contingent was composed of representatives from the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan); party-lists Gabriela, Act Teachers, and Bayan Muna; Karapatan, Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas; Children’s Rehabilitation Center; Kalikasan, Koalisyon ng Progresibong Manggagawa at Mamamayan;  Kilusang Mayo Uno; Task Force for Indigenous People’s Rights; National Council of Churches in the Philippines; and Health Alliance for Democracy.

 

The National Solidarity Mission was formed because of the adverse impact of the massive military operation and inaction of local and regional government, said a joint statement of the Mindanao-based Exodus for Justice and Peace, Defend Talaingod Save Pantaron Range Alliance, Defend Compostela Valley Alliance, Save our Schools, Sowing Seeds of Peace in Mindanao, Pasaka, Bayan-SMR, and Karapatan-Southern Mindanao Region.

 

The group is blaming “Oplan Bayanihan,” the direct effect in Mindanao of which is the deployment of five divisions,  about 60 percent of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the statement said.

 

“The towns and villages where the AFP conducts its operations are the same towns and villages with the most reported cases of human-rights violations,” the statement said.

 

Of the 192 cases of extrajudicial killings under the current Aquino administration, 25 occurred in Southern Mindanao where the Davao provinces belong to, organizers of the National Solidarity Mission said.

 

They said that on April 3,  some 1,353 Talaingod-Manobo, mostly children under 12 years old, arrived in Davao City after a six-day trek from their ancestral lands in the Pantaron mountains in Davao del Norte, fleeing from conflict areas.

 

The children complained of abuses, threats and harassments, bombings and indiscriminate firing by the soldiers from the 60th Infantry Battalion (IB), 68th IB of 1003rd Brigade, and 4th Special Forces, the statement said.

 

After a dialogue with Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario, Talaingod Mayor Basilio Libayao, and AFP Gen. Ariel Bernardo, the Talaingod-Manobo agreed to go back to their lands once the military pulls out from their communities.

 

The AFP agreed to suspend its operation in Talaingod for the return of the evacuees, but only for two days.

 

“Oplan Bayanihan’s military operation in the Davao region has resulted in the displacement of peasants and indigenous peoples, and gross human-rights violations committed against them,” said the Mindanao human rights and peace advocates’ organizations.

 

Aside from going to Talaingod, Davao del Norte, the NSM also visited the communities in Magpet, Arakan, North Cotabato; Maco, Compostella Valley; and Paquibato, Davao City.

 

http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/regions/31928-human-rights-groups-to-probe-militarization-in-davao-cotabato

Cop killed, another wounded in NPA ambush in Palawan

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (May 12): Cop killed, another wounded in NPA ambush in Palawan
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines—A policeman was killed and another was wounded in an ambush perpetrated by suspected New People’s Army (NPA) members in the village of Tagusao, Quezon, Palawan on Monday.

The fatality was identified by authorities as PO3 Roniel Paduga. The wounded policeman, identified only in the initial police report as PO3
Atrero, was airlifted to a hospital here to undergo medication.

The Palawan police chief, Superintendent David Martinez, said the victim was with two other policemen on Monday morning to serve an arrest warrant in Barangay Tagusao when fired upon by an estimated group of about 10-15 armed men.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/601582/cop-killed-another-wounded-in-npa-ambush-in-palawan

ASEAN fires warning shot across China’s bows

From the Manila Times (May 12): ASEAN fires warning shot across China’s bows

Asian leaders have expressed “serious concern” over worsening territorial disputes in the South China Sea, presenting a rare united front against an increasingly assertive Beijing.

Vietnam and the Philippines led a successful push for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to deliver a thinly-veiled rebuke to China over the standoff in waters home to key shipping lanes and thought to contain huge energy reserves.

The 10-nation bloc, in a statement released on Monday, called for a peaceful resolution to the maritime rows, which flared up this month after China moved an oil drilling rig into waters also claimed by Hanoi.

“We expressed serious concerns over the ongoing developments in the South China Sea,” said the joint statement from Sunday’s summit in Myanmar, without explicitly pointing the finger at Beijing.

ASEAN called on all parties involved to “exercise self-restraint, not to resort to threat(s) or use of force, and to resolve disputes by peaceful means in accordance with the universally recognised principles of international law”.

Observers said the statement marked a change of tone by the regional bloc, many of whose members—including Myanmar—have close economic and political ties with China and have traditionally avoided confrontation with the Asian heavyweight.

In 2012 China’s ally Cambodia caused consternation when it was ASEAN head by refusing to take Beijing to task over its assertive maritime stance.

“This is a far cry from when Cambodia was ASEAN chair,” said Southeast Asia expert Carl Thayer.

The statement “represents a slight tightening of ASEAN’s position,” he said, adding it suggests a rare level of “consensus” on the vexed sea rights issue.

“The statement is so nuanced that it will not offend China but ASEAN leaders are making it clear that they all share a common concern,” said Thayer, a professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia.
There was no immediate response from Beijing.

Under Brunei’s chairmanship last year, China avoided a public rebuke from ASEAN at a major summit in the oil-flush sultanate after Beijing offered an olive branch by calling for peace in the flashpoint region.

Prominent Vietnamese political commentator Nguyen Quang A described the ASEAN declaration as a “big positive” for his country.

Vietnam lobbied energetically at the latest meeting in Myanmar for a strong statement on the maritime issue from its neighbours.

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung slammed Beijing’s oil rig move as “extremely dangerous” and accused Chinese vessels of ramming Vietnamese ships in the disputed waters.

“This is the first time China brazenly brings and installs its drilling rig deep into the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone of an ASEAN country, which gravely violates the international law,” he said, according to an official transcript of his speech.

The spat triggered large anti-China protests in Vietnam at the weekend that appeared to have the tacit blessing of the authoritarian communist regime in Hanoi, which usually limits expression of public discontent.

The demonstrations received unprecedented coverage in Vietnam’s tightly-controlled state media on Monday.

Analyst Quang A said more rallies were likely unless Beijing removes the drilling rig.

“Our fate is that we are situated here, with a big neighbour who always wants expansion,” he said.

China and Vietnam fought a brief border war in 1979 and the pair frequently trade diplomatic barbs over oil exploration, fishing rights and the contested Spratly and Paracel Islands.

China asserts ownership over almost all of the South China Sea, which is also claimed in part by ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia as well as Taiwan.

Manila, which has asked a UN tribunal to rule on China’s claims over most of the sea, also said last Wednesday it had detained a Chinese fishing boat in disputed territory.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino told reporters after Sunday’s summit said that “many leaders” at the summit had voiced concern about the South China Sea spats, which he said were a “cause for worry and concern by all parties.”

The other ASEAN members are Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.

http://www.manilatimes.net/breaking_news/asean-fires-warning-shot-across-chinas-bows/

MILF: Piksalabukam Bansa Subanen spearheads consultation on BBL

From the MILF Website (May 12): Piksalabukam Bansa Subanen spearheads consultation on BBL



On May 6, 2014, the Piksalabukam Bansa Subanen (PBS) spearheaded   advocacy program on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) held at at Malubai, RT Lim, Zamboanga Sibugay in support to the public engagement activities of  the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC).
  

The public consultation was undertaken in collaboration with Mindanao Civil Society Organizations Platform for Peace (MCSOPP) funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) attended by 150 participants from Zamboanga peninsula belonging to the Subanen and Kalibugan ethnic tribes.

The consultation seeks to enlighten and educate the indigenous peoples (IPs) on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panels on March 27, 2014 and seek the support of the IP’s in urging the Philippine Congress to fast track the deliberation and enactment of the BBL.

Timuay Fernando “Nanding” Mudai, a tribal leader described the event as good and timely because the doubts and confusions of the IPs on the issue of BBL and the CAB were satisfactorily answered by Datu Antonio Kinoc of B’laan and Timuay Melanio Ulama of Teduray tribe who were invited as resource speakers.

“We (IPs) are enlightened about the contents of the BBL and the CAB. And there’s nothing to worry about.” he said.

He also expressed his support to the future Bangsamoro government. He said that the Bangsamoro government is not separate from the Philippine Republic and it’s eventual establishment is a great challenge for those who will be in the helm of leadership to look into the needs and demands of their constituents.

He stressed that, “It’s better to join the Bangsamoro Government rather than with the present set-up because IP’s concerns and problems are not fully addressed. The politicians only need them during election time.”

He also called on the present politicians to be righteous and fair to their constituents regardless of their economic and social status.

“Usually poor people experienced injustice and have less access to government services.  We better accept the Bangsamoro government than to stay in the current set-up. ” he said

Datu Antonio Kinoc, an alternate member of the MILF peace panel appreciated the leadership of Timuay Fernando “Nanding” Mudai.

“The leadership of Timuay Fernando “Nanding” Mudai is very receptive of the idea of the Bangsamoro and they wish to be part of the territory.” Kinoc said

“We would like to conduct more of the same information drive to feel the pulse of people residing inside and outside of the Bangsamoro core territory.” he added.

“It’s imperative that we shall continue to engage the IPs in the ground in every way possible to diffuse the wrong information put forward by our detractors.” Datu Kinoc explained.

A replication of similar activities will be done in other parts of the IP territory both inside and outside of the core territory of the Bangsamoro soonest possible time.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/973-piksalabukam-bansa-subanen-spearheads-consultation-on-bbl