War games in Zambales give respite to fisherfolk

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (May 12): War games in Zambales give respite to fisherfolk



MASINLOC fishermen are getting some respite from the hostility of Chinese coast guard personnel, who have been barring them from the disputed Panatag Shoal, with the Balikatan exercises near their area. RAFFY LERMA

SAN ANTONIO, Zambales—Fishermen in Masinloc town in Zambales province said the joint military exercises of Philippine and American troops at Naval Education Training Center here could provide them some respite from the hostility of Chinese coast guard personnel who have been barring them from the disputed Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal, or Bajo de Masinloc to locals).

Although the Balikatan-related exercises are taking place some 240 kilometers from Panatag Shoal, a territory being disputed by the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), several fishermen in Masinloc said the war games could give them “a sense of security,” knowing that Filipino and American forces are training in their province.

The exercises, which started here on May 5, are focused on the demonstration of maritime surveillance equipment.

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Nilo Elejorde, 55, a fisherman, said they knew about the ongoing military drills between Filipino and American troops in the province and that they expected these exercises to work to their advantage. “We feel secure while they are here,” Elejorde said on Thursday.

Alberto Esmende, 46, also a fisherman, said they did not have to worry about being harassed by Chinese coast guard personnel if ever they get close to Panatag Shoal since they could immediately get help from the Filipino troops and their American counterparts “if necessary.”

Esmende said they were hoping that tension between local fishermen and the Chinese coast guard personnel would not escalate.

He said that while local fishermen had been banned by the local government and the Philippine Coast Guard from fishing near Panatag Shoal for several months now, there were times when they needed to take refuge in the shoal during rough sea conditions.

Enrique Raquino, 56, who serves as a dispatcher of fishing vessels in Masinloc, said many fishermen were afraid to go near  Panatag Shoal after several incidents of harassment from the Chinese coast guard.

In January, a group of fishermen were driven away by Chinese coast guard vessels using water cannons.  http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/601315/war-games-in-zambales-give-respite-to-fisherfolk

Army hunts down BIFF who ambush Army convoy in Maguindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (May 12): Army hunts down BIFF who ambush Army convoy in Maguindanao

The military in Maguindanao has launched a massive manhunt against a band of Moro bandits who ambushed a ranking Army brigade commander in Datu Unsay town on Monday morning, officials said.

The mid-morning ambush left two soldiers killed and two others wounded.

Colonel Dickson Hermoso, speaking for the 6th Infnatry Division, said Colonel Gener del Rosario, commander of 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, survived the ambush but two of his subordinates perished while two others sustained injuries when suspected Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) set off roadside bombs and sprayed their disabled vehicles with automatic rifles and rockets.

The ambush happened in Barangay Meta, Datu Unsay, Maguindanao at around 11:00 a.m.

Colonel Gener del Rosario, 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade commander based in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, was on his way to the 6th Infantry Division headquarters in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao when suspected members of the BIFF set off improvised bombs and sprayed the Army vehicles with rifle grenades.

"Our troops are pursuing the guerrillas who fled to the hinterlands of Shariff Aguak and South Upi, all in Maguindanao. We inflicted casualties on the enemy side," Hermoso said.

At least five BIFF members were believed killed and scores wounded when soldiers returned fire, triggering a running gunbattle that lasted for two hours.

Because of the incident, government forces temporarily shut down portions of the Cotabato-Davao highway until the area was cleared of booby traps possibly left by the ambushers.

One of Del Rosario’s escorts was killed on the spot while another expired while being treated at Camp Siongco hospital.

Hermoso said their identities were withheld pending notification of their next of kin.

Two other soldiers were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.

Hermoso said the BIFF rebels tried to close in and finish off the infantrymen but retreated to higher portion of the highway when elements of the 45th Infantry Battalion, led by Colonel Donald Hongitan, responded.

Elements of the 45th IB are still pursuing the fleeing BIFF members, Hermoso said.

Hongitan said many BIFF rebels were believed killed when the Army fired .50-caliber machine guns.

“Unfortunately, we lost two enlisted soldiers in that encounter,” Hermoso said.

As of posting, Hongitan and his men have launched a massive pursuit of the ambushers who fled to the hinterlands South Upi, Shariff Aguak, and Dau Saudi towns, all in Maguindanao and believed to be the base of BIFF, a renegade group opposed to the GPH-Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace process.

Traffic along portions of Cotabato-Gen. Santos highway was reopened to commuters at 2:00 p.m.

BIFF bandits used two powerful roadside bombs fashioned from 81-mm and 60-mm mortars and set them off as Col. Del Rosario's convoy was approaching.

The Maguindanao incident came hours after suspected BIFF set off two of three improvised bombs at a roadside in Barangay Batulawan, Pikit, North Cotabato at 6:00 a.m. Monday.

Two IEDs went off while police and military bomb experts were defusing one IED found about five meters from the highway in Barangay Batulawan.

Because of the incident, traffic along portions of the Cotabato-Davao highway was rerouted until midday.

Following the series of IED bombings in North Cotabato and Maguindanao, Hermoso said more soldiers were deployed as road security to ensure the safety of the riding public.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=642908

Soldiers participating in Balikatan conduct humanitarian works in Nueva Ecija

From the Philippine News Agency (May 13): Soldiers participating in Balikatan conduct humanitarian works in Nueva Ecija

Philippine and American soldiers engaged in the current Balikatan 2014 are conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster response, apart from doing live fire exercises.

Recently, US Army troops mended fences of an elementary school in Barangay Soledad in Sta. Rosa and constructed a solar driver-cum-basketball court for use of the village farmers in drying their palay crops and the youngsters in their sports activities.

US Army 1st Lt. Dane Sawyer, chief public affairs officer and Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry (“Kaugnay”) Division public affairs officer Capt. Mark Anthony Resuelos said in an interview over private radio station DWJJ-MultiNetwork Community Network Television 16 based in Cabanatuan City, that the joint military undertaking which is already in its 30th year “aims to win the peace” in the countryside as well as in the Pacific region.

“Balikatan” means “shoulder to shoulder,” and connotes the long time alliance between the Philippines and America.

Sawyer said the current joint military exercise is intended to beef up the two countries' military capability and combat readiness to respond to any security threats as well as extending humanitarian assistance and disaster response, whenever needed.

Sawyer emphasized that after the Balikatan 2014 exercises, the American troops will withdraw and rejoin their mother units.

The two-week joint military exercises here started on May 5.

In general principle, to quote Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, Balikatan is “a key factor in advancing peace and security in the Asia-Pacific despite the ever evolving regional security challenges.”

About 5,500 Filipino and American troops are said to be taking part in the two-week undertaking in different parts of Luzon.

The exercise is expected to display US F-18 fighter jets conducting bombing runs and troops engaged in live fire drills.

Venues of this year’s Balikatan are Eastern Visayas, the Bicol Region, Palawan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales, and Nueva Ecija.

In the Eastern Visayas and Bicol, the joint exercises are mainly humanitarian activities.

In the Central Luzon area, live air and ground fire exercises will be held at Crow Valley in Tarlac, while joint and survival combat training will be held in the jungles of Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=643091

Goldberg tells officers' group of 'ironclad commitment' of US to defend PHL

From the Philippine News Agency (May 12): Goldberg tells officers' group of 'ironclad commitment' of US to defend PHL

US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip S. Goldberg reiterated the "ironclad commitment" of his country to defend the Philippines against external attack.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala Monday said Goldberg made this statement during the annual meeting of the Association of Generals and Flag Officers Inc. (AGFO) on May 8 where he was the guest speaker.

The Philippines is the US's oldest ally in the Pacific.

Goldberg said that the US remains committed to the security and humanitarian interests of the Philippines.

“The recently signed Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement will help the US-Philippine alliance to continue to promote peace and stability during this age of remarkable economic growth in the past six decades,” he added.

“We also had the recent visit of our president (US President Barack Obama) and he made it clear that time to reaffirm our ironclad commitment to our alliance and our Mutual Defense Treaty,” the US Ambassador stressed.

Zagala said the fellowship meeting was led by AGPO president and chair Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan (retired) and other officers and directors of the association along with some active military officers.

AGFO has over 800 members from the AFP, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Penology and Jail Management, and Bureau of Fire Protection.

The organization remains involved in the discussions of significant issues concerning defense and security.

This is the third time a US Ambassador addressed AGFO, after Kristie Kenney and Harry Thomas.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=642870

PN delegates to RIMPAC to leave by June 2014

From the Philippine News Agency (May 13): PN delegates to RIMPAC to leave by June 2014

In a bid to further professionalize its ranks and give international exposure to its officers, the Philippine Navy (PN) on Tuesday announced that it will be sending two delegates to this year's RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific Exercise).

The naval war games will be held this June and July.

Navy spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic said the PN delegates, he did not identify, will be flying by June to Hawaii.

He added that the two delegates also attended the RIMPAC planning conference in California last April.

"The said officers will act as staff officers during the exercises," he added.

When asked whether these PN officials will be observing the exercises aboard one of the naval vessels, Fabic stressed that this will be determined during the planning conference.

"Usually they join other staff in (US Pacific Fleet) headquarters (in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii) during exercises. They will act as staff officers during the war games," the PN spokesperson stressed.

RIMPAC is the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise.

It is held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years from Honolulu, Hawaii.

It is hosted and administered by the United States Navy's Pacific Fleet, headquartered at Pearl Harbor, in conjunction with the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and Hawaii National Guard forces under the control of the Governor of Hawaii.

The US invites allied military forces from the Pacific Rim nations to participate.

With RIMPAC, the United States Pacific Command seeks to enhance interoperability between Pacific Rim armed forces, ostensibly as a means of promoting stability in the region for the benefit of all participating nations.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=643043

155mm howitzers, one of the most powerful weapons of the Filipino military

From the Philippine News Agency (May 13): 155mm howitzers, one of the most powerful weapons of the Filipino military

The 12 155mm howitzers, being procured by the Department of National Defense (DND) for the Philippine Army (PA) and Marines, will be one of the most powerful weapons employed by the Filipino military.

The project is worth P438,620,000 million.

The money will be sourced from the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program Funds.

The contract also includes 240 rounds of ammunition and integrated logistic support.

Bidders are required to be the manufacturers of the weapons themselves.

As of this posting, the PA is known to operate 10 units of these heavy guns.

Army officers said these field pieces have a maximum range of 14,600 meters.

These guns have a "kill zone" of 50 meters and "casualty zone" of 100 meters.

The former refers to a spot, once hit directly by a 155mm shell, will mean the obliteration or death of living things in that spot.

While latter refers to the place, once hit, will mean the wounding or incapacitating of all living things in that particular area.

Having these weapons at hand ensure that the PA has the capability to provide massive fire support to its troops in the field if needed.

The 155mm field gun is the heaviest and most powerful weapon of the PA.

All artillery weapons are placed under the supervision and control of the Army Artillery Regiment.

The PA, as of this writing, boast of operating 273 artillery pieces.

This number does not include artillery pieces owned by the Philippine Marine Corps.

Around 10 of these weapons are the heavy 155mm howitzers with the remaining guns consisting of various models of the 105mm howitzer, an artillery piece capable of being towed or tracked into combat.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=643052

Gunsmith with several high-powered weapons arrested in Marawi City

From the Philippine News Agency (May 13): Gunsmith with several high-powered weapons arrested in Marawi City

Troopers from the 103rd Infantry Brigade together with other security and law enforcement agencies have arrested a gunsmith and recovered several high-powered weapons and gun-making equipment during operations in Marawi City Monday afternoon.

The operations took place around noon, said Capt. Jefferson Mamauag, spokesperson of the 1st Infantry Division, the military unit supervising the operations of the 103rd Infantry Brigade.

Arrested in the operation was Hadli Ali Cader Sarosong, who was nabbed at his shop along Unayan St., Barangay Lumbac Madaya in Marawi City. He is known to be a notorious gunsmith in the area.

Seized from his establishment were three locally assembled .50-caliber Barrett sniper rifles, one assembled M-60 machine gun, a disassembled M-60 machine gun, one M-79 grenade launcher, a .223 rifle, an M-14 airsoft rifle, five pieces of .50 caliber rounds, four Barrett rifle barrels, one disassembled .38-caliber revolver, one Bushel 6x24x50 optical scope, one crossbow with scope, three M-60 butt stocks, one M-16 butt stock, M-60 handguard, one set of "Lexing" component, 13 pieces of tampering tools, one Nokia cellphone and one portable generator, one computer and several portable hand drills and welding tools.

Mamauag said that local police and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also helped in the operation.

He added that all the confiscated weapons and equipment is now at the custody of the 103rd Infantry Brigade. Sarosong is now being detained by the NBI in Marawi City.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=643108

EDCA does not authorize establishment of US bases – DND

From the Philippine News Agency (May 13): EDCA does not authorize establishment of US bases – DND

The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) does not authorize the establishment of the United States bases in the Philippines, Department of National Defense (DND) undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino said Tuesday.

”It only allows the US military access to Agreed Locations in AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) bases,” Batino explained during the Senate inquiry conducted by committee on national defense into the EDCA signed during recent state visit of US President Barack Obama to the Philippines.

”The defining features of “foreign military bases” – extraterritoriality, exclusively in use and foreign ownership – will not be applicable in the Agreed Locations,” Batino, chairman of the EDCA panel, added.

Batino also told the Senate hearing chaired by national defense committee vice chair Loren Legarda that the EDCA is an implementation of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) reached between the Philippines and the United States in 1951.

He said EDCA is an implementation of the MDT while the status of the US forces is still governed by the PH-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), a treaty concurred in by the Senate and upheld by the Supreme Court.

”The entry of the US military troops for military exercises and other approved activities is already allowed under the VFA,” Batino said.

Batino also explained that the provisions of EDCA are consistent with the Philippine Constitution, laws and relevant jurisprudence.

The DND official told the Senate panel that the former US military bases in Subic is not among the agreed locations for the US military forces and equipments.

Batino also assured the country’s environmentally-protected areas will not be included the list of the agreed locations.

”Still we don’t have any certain location although Fort Magsaysay is being studied as possible humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR). Still, it has to go through the process,” Batino said.

Batino told the committee the EDCA will help build up the capability of the military and support efforts in dealing with aggressive expansionist acts in the region.

He said EDCA will also enable the government to respond more rapidly in times of natural disasters similar to super typhoon Yolanda that left almost 6,000 people dead in eastern Visayas last year.

”The EDCA will support efforts to prepare our nation for these challenges,” Batino said.

Batino also said the EDCA will facilitate defense cooperation with the US by undertaking the construction of facilities and infrastructure upgrades and storage and prepositioning of defense and HDAR equipment, supplies and material.

Batino said EDCA will also further benefit the Philippines economically “through the provision of jobs and other economic provisions in the construction activities in the Agreed Locations and procurement of local goods and supplies by the US military and personnel.”

Legarda said more hearing will be held soon to allow other senators including committee on national defense chairman Antonio Trillanes IV and Miriam Defensor Santiago who questioned the legality of the EDCA,

Legarda said Trillanes is out of the country.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=643145

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