Chinese navy plays down South China Sea exercises - Xinhua

Posted to ABS-CBN (Jul 26): Chinese navy plays down South China Sea exercises - Xinhua

The Chinese navy played down recent military drills in the South China Sea and criticized other countries for ''illegally'' occupying islands in the area, the official Xinhua news service reported on Saturday.

China has launched a naval drill in waters to the east of Hainan island, a largely unpopulated region of reefs and shoals in which a number of countries maintain contradictory and overlapping territorial claims.

"Holding sea drills is a common practice for navies with various countries. The annual drill by the Chinese navy aims to test the troops' real combat abilities, boost their maneuvrability, search and rescue power and the abilities to fulfill diversified military missions," Xinhua quoted Chinese navy spokesperson Liang Yang saying.

China's recent assertiveness in the South China Sea has increased military and diplomatic tensions between it and rival claimants including Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.

China's naval stance also clashes with the air and sea movements of units of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, which aims to protect sea lanes critical to U.S. trade with Southeast Asia and the oil-rich Middle East
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Beijing has been building up uninhabited reefs in the area in recent months, constructing airports, defenses systems and even civilian administrations on rocks with no access to fresh water but seen as bolstering legal arguments around its territorial claims by converting uninhabitable reef into defended, populated Chinese islands.

The United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea says countries can't claim sovereignty over land masses submerged by tides or previously submerged but which have been raised above high tide levels by construction.

China has also approved guidelines that would make civilian vessels quickly convertible for military use, according to state media. Many of China's confrontations with neighbors have been conducted with a mixture of military and civilian vessels, including fishing boats.

Other claimants have also built facilities on reefs, they claim.

"Some neighboring countries have long been illegally occupying some of the islands, building facilities there such as airports and even deploying heavy offensive weapons," Liang said.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/world/07/25/15/chinese-navy-plays-down-south-china-sea-exercises-xinhua

Zambo bomb blast fatality a witness of previous bombing incident

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 25): Zambo bomb blast fatality a witness of previous bombing incident

A top police official disclosed that the lone fatality in Thursday night’s bomb explosion was the main target of the bombing suspects.

Sr. Supt. Angelito Casimiro, Zamboanga City police director, made this revelation Saturday citing the lone fatality, who is a massage therapist, is a witness of the case they filed against the suspects behind a previous bombing incident here.

The fatality, Geraldine Miguel, was killed while 10 others were wounded when a bomb exploded around 9:47 p.m. Thursday at the Manly KTV bar and massage parlor at the junction of San Jose road and Melanio Calixto street in Barangay Zone II, this city.

Miguel expired while under medical treatment at the hospital.

Casimiro said Miguel was one of the witnesses in the Nov. 9, 2014 bombing of Deluxe massage parlor and videoke bar along Tomas Claudio Street downtown.

The Nov. 9 bomb explosion injured a policeman assigned with the explosive ordnance demolition (EOD) and “Diego,” the bomb-sniffing dog.

Casimiro said the bomb that exploded Thursday night was cellular phone-triggered ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO) explosive.

The bomb explosion have destroyed the Manly KTV bar and massage parlor.

Casimiro said that investigation continues in a bid to establish the identities of the suspects on Thursday night.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=786259

Ad interim promotions of Army chief, 2 others given green light

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 25): Ad interim promotions of Army chief, 2 others given green light

The Philippine Army on Saturday announced that President Benigno S. Aquino III has approved the ad interim promotions of PA commander Major Gen. Eduardo M. Año and two other officers effective July 23.

"The President has approved effective 23 July 2015 the Ad interim promotion to the next higher grade of: Major Gen. Eduardo M. Año, Commanding General of the Philippine Army; Brig. Gen. Rolando Picar, Chief, Armed Forces of the Philippines Resource Management Center and Col. Leoncio A. Curunay, Jr., Brigade Commander, 801st Brigade, 8th Infantry Division," PA spokesperson Major Enrico Gil Ileto said.

By this order, Año can now used the rank of lieutenant general with Picar getting two-star rank or major general and Leoncio as brigadier general, pending their confirmation from the Commission on Appointments.

Año was appointed as PA chief last July 15.

Año replaces Lt. Gen. Hernando DCA Iriberri who was appointed Armed Forces of the Philippines chief-of-staff last July 10.

He is now the 57th PA commanding general.

Año is a member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1983.

The former took over the helm of the 10th Infantry Division last July.

Prior that, he was the head of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=786277

MILF Is a worthy peace partner to government - AFP

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 25): MILF Is a worthy peace partner to government - AFP

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) remains a worthy and faithful peace partner of the government, said Armed Forces of the Philippines Peace Press Office Chief (AFP PPO), Brigadier-General Buenaventura C. Pascual.

He believed the MILF in general had been a consistent partner in the current administration's quest to restore peace in the Mindanao area of southern Philippines.

"While there may be a few alleged abuses by some of their ground commanders, overall their leadership is able to keep everyone in line," he said in a statement Saturday.

The statement from the Peace Process Media Bureau in Manila was emailed to Bernama here, Saturday.

Pascual said the ceasefire between the government and MILF which was restored just hours after the unfortunate firefight in Mamasapano last January 25 speaks volume on the desire of both parties to pursue the course of peace.

Prior to the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) in 2014, the ceasefire between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the MILF held a record of zero skirmishes for more than three years, since 2012.

The only recorded breakdown was during the unexpected encounter between the police commandos of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force and MILF fighters in Mamasapano, according to the statement.

Pascual said while the encounter left more than 60 Filipinos dead, the ceasefire breakdown did not escalate into a full-blown armed conflict because of the Bangsamoro peace process' built-in safeguards that were immediately activated.

"The latest data from independent polling company Social Weather Stations showed that Filipinos still support the peace process with the MILF.

"We are for peace in the AFP, and I'm sure the PNP will also say the same. We are at the frontlines of armed conflicts and even though that is part of our job, we are also normal, Filipino people with families to go home to. I think no one from the security sector, even from the MILF, wants war anymore," he added.

Meanwhile Pascual said on June 16, 145 MILF fighters were decommissioned and 75 crew-serve and high-powered armaments were turned over to the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) as mandated by the CAB. The MILF combatants who were decommissioned have now started their transition to peaceful, civilian lives.

"The decommissioning process is another concrete proof of the MILF's commitment to the promise they made to the current administration. For some, the weapons are just that - weapons. But to them, those arms represent their decades-long struggle.

"For them to proceed with the decommissioning is admirable. We expect the next phases of the decommissioning to push through until the MILF is truly transformed into a civil movement and no longer a rebel group," he said.

The CAB stipulates that the decommissioning process, which is part of the more comprehensive normalization arrangement, will happen in a phased and gradual process, he added.

As agreed by both parties, the second phase will happen once the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has been ratified, the third phase after the plebiscite and the last phase will happen when the Bangsamoro Government which will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has been established.

Malaysia has been facilitating the peace talks between the Philippine government and the MILF, the country's largest Muslim rebel group, since 2001. Both signed the peace agreement on March 27, 2014.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=786269

US may consider deploying Marines to BRP Sierra Madre if China prevents Philippines resupply

From Ang Malaya (Jul 25): US may consider deploying Marines to BRP Sierra Madre if China prevents Philippines resupply

Senior Advisor and Senior Director of Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Dr. Patrick M. Cronin enumerated ten essential elements of a U.S. foreign policy to deal with the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) during a hearing of United State House Committee on Foreign Affairs-Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific regarding America’s Security Role in the South China Sea July 23, 2015.

One of ten elements Cronin recommended American lawmakers is US “should enumerate a menu of potential cost-imposition policy options that transcend reputational and legal costs and make clear that bad behavior will incur a price.”

“If China tries to prevent the resupply of the grounded Philippine naval vessel BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal, then the United States might not only offer to resupply it, but could also consider deploying a few Marines on rotation as part of the crew’s training detachment,” he said.

Cronin also included in his ten essential elements of US policy in dealing with West Philippine Sea the following: United States should regularly underscore our enduring principles; reinvest in our own long-term economic power; deepen diplomatic and practical support for ASEAN; build a maritime coalition ensuring the issue as top tier of regional diplomacy; maintain a constant presence; support an overlapping regional transparency regime; build national and multinational defensive and deterrent capacity; and seek to clarify types of behavior that would be objectionable.

http://www.angmalaya.net/nation/2015/07/25/12327-us-may-consider-deploying-marines-to-brp-sierra-madre-if-china-prevents-philippines-resupply

NPA rebels gun down ex-Army man, military 'informer' in Bicol

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 25): NPA rebels gun down ex-Army man, military 'informer' in Bicol

New People's Army (NPA) members shot dead a former member of the Philippine Army who was walking alone on Saturday morning at Purok 4, Barangay Ramay, Oas, Albay.

Victim Pfc. Ramil Oray, 29, was a former member of the 2nd Infantry Battalion, 9th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army based in Barangay Tula-Tula Grande, Ligao City and a resident of the village.

An initial police report said the incident happened at about 7 a.m. while Oray was on his way home when the armed rebels blocked his way and gunned him down.

The suspects fled towards the mountainous portion of the village.

The former co-soldiers of Oray immediately responded to the crime scene where authorities recovered empty shells of an M-16 Armalite rifle reportedly used by the rebels.

Police said the rebels suspected the former soldier to be giving information to the the military regarding their activity.

Meanwhile, another group of rebels shot dead a helper in a piggery farm who they suspected to be a military informant on Friday night in Barangay Genorangan, Lagonoy, Camarines Sur.

Police identified the victim as Mario Verdadero, 45, married, and resident of the village.

A police report said that at about 6:30 p.m., Verdadero was busy with his work in the farm when the suspects arrived, poked guns at him, tied his hands and shot him.

The dissidents casually walked away after the execution.

The police said the NPA suspected Verdadero of being a military asset, giving information to the government forces about their activities in the area, which his relatives have vehemently denied.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=786179

Former MILF fighters among TESDA-ARMM graduates

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 25): Former MILF fighters among TESDA-ARMM graduates

About 400 students in Maguindanao completed their skills training under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The number of graduates for the first semester of 2015 reflects an increase of more than 100 percent from 2014.

Last Friday, July 24, during the mass graduation rites, a total of 395 technical vocational students graduated at the Regional Manpower Development Center, Barangay Rebuken, Sultan Kudarat.

The training program, which expanded from 45 to 55 days, has the support of partner institutions and trade schools accredited by the TESDA.

Schools in Maguindanao province and Cotabato City accredited by TESDA include Technology Institute, Inc., Southern Kutawato Empire, CAD-IT, Microspan Software Technology Inc., and Ittihadun Nisa Foundation Inc.

“The marketplace in businesses demands employees with greater level of formal education and the vocational schools have always responded to the needs of employers for labor,” Shaima Agassor, vice-president of Ittihadun Nisa Foundation Inc. said.

Short-term courses offered under the program are computer hardware servicing, automotive servicing, consumer electronics servicing, electrical installation and maintenance, machining, plumbing, commercial cooking, consumer electronics, dressmaking, food and beverage and bread and pastry production, and driving.

Dr. Taugan Kikay, team leader of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)-Project Management Team, said the skills training is an educational component also of the Sajahatra Bangsamoro, which is a socio-economic initiative for Moro communities that avails wider access to opportunities in alleviating poverty.

Another key component is focused on health services, including the issuance of PhilHealth cards. The Sajahatra is aimed at accelerating the transition of conflict-affected communities into productive areas.

“The program caters also to the MILF rebel-returnees and their dependents for key employment and job generation,” said Kikay.

Most of the graduates are MILF members and residents of ARMM and Cotabato City.

They received certificates and tool kits to start their respective trade. The kits are based on the vocational courses they have finished.

Omarkhayyam Dalagan, regional operations division chief of TESDA-ARMM underscored the continuous effort of the agency to deliver quality and relevant technical vocational education to the people of the region.

“Students can gain experiences they need for their job interests,” he added.

“TESDA helped us a lot, now it’s not late for us to start our own business,” 35-year old MILF member Abdulmohaimen Abo said in the vernacular. He has finished metals and engineering machining course and has encouraged other MILF members to take TESDA courses.

“Because of this program, many were employed and we hope its coverage would expand further,” said Noraisa Ambil, a pharmacy services graduate.

TESDA offices offer assessment services on a regular basis and those who pass the assessment are automatically issued a national certificate that serves as seal of excellence.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=786225

DND acquiring Php14.2-M specialized PAF equipment

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 25): DND acquiring Php14.2-M specialized PAF equipment

The Department of National Defense (DND) allots Php14,234,018 for the acquisition of specialized equipment for the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

The amount will come from the DND's Quick Reaction Fund Calendar Year 2014.

The acquisition will be in two lots with the first an urban search-and-rescue equipment, with a budget of Php13,274.018.

Winning bidders are required to deliver this item within 90 days of the issuance of the Notice To Proceed (NTP).

While the second one is for a helicopter bucket worth Php960,000, which is required to be delivered 180 calendar days upon receipt of the NTP.

These will be used by the PAF in the fulfillment of their disaster relief missions.

Interested parties must have completed a similar project within the last five years.

Pre-bid conference is scheduled for Aug. 6, 9 a.m. at the DND bidding and awards committee conference room, basement left wing, DND Building, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

While bid submission and opening is on Aug. 20, at 10 a.m., also on the same venue.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=786111

VIDEO | Supporters form human shield around COURAGE's Tonet Setias-Dizon

From InterAksyon (Jul 25): VIDEO | Supporters form human shield around COURAGE's Tonet Setias-Dizon



COURAGE's Tonet Setias-Dizon explaining her situation to News5. Photographed by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.

After what cause-oriented groups described as harassment tactics and an apparent stakeout by the state intelligence apparatus, leaders and sympathizers of the public sector labor union COURAGE have managed to move Antonieta Setias-Dizon out of the premises of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) building in Ortigas, Pasig City with throng of supporters joining a motor convoy of more than 10 vehicles.

"I still fear for my life," said Ms. Setias-Dizon, who is a member of the council of advisers and former secretary general of COURAGE.

Ferdinand Gaite, national president of the union Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) told their members and supporters who kept vigil outside IBP that they have had to move out of the premises and proceed to their national headquarters in Quezon City.

On Friday, Gaite expressed thanks to all the people who helped keep up their vigilance for the past 11 days.

After a brief program, the convoy of vans, cars and jeepneys made their way along EDSA and went straight to the Commission on Human Rights office to have a dialogue with new CHR chairman Chito Gascon.



Photo above shows Gascon assuring them that the commission will provide assistance and, even if it doesn't have injunctive rights to subpoena persons, CHR has good working relationship with other government agencies, including the military, on matters of human rights.

He also directed the CHR special protective unit, although small, to help Dizon with her safety concerns, especially pertaining to wherever she prefers to stay in the interest of her personal security and safety.

The convoy then went to the COURAGE office in Quezon City, where Ka Tonet, as she is fondly called by members and colleagues, gave a brief update of what happened during the past 11 days.

Dizon thanked IBP profusely for taking care of her, and her COURAGE supporters for all the support and display of vigilance.

Her sister Rosario Setias-Reyes is the national president of the IBP.

After 11 days, Ka Tonet told the gathering, "the fear is still there. The uncertainty ... the difficulty ... of not being with your family ... the feeling is the same. But, it's just that you have to muster up more strength. You have to keep up the fight, to be able to regain your confidence and your freedom of movement, because that is what they want, for me to stop fighting."



http://www.interaksyon.com/article/114835/video--supporters-form-human-shield-around-courages-tonet-setias-dizon
 

3 brigands killed in encounter with policemen in Pagadian City

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 25): 3 brigands killed in encounter with policemen in Pagadian City

Three members of lawless group, reportedly headed by one Ukol Talumpa, were killed during an encounter with government security forces in Pagadian City Friday afternoon

The incident took place near Tulawas National High School at Purok 1, Barangay Tulawas, Pagadian City, said 1st Infantry Division public affairs office Lt. Col. Audie Mongao in a message to the PNA.

He added that operatives from the Pagadian City Police Station and Zamboanga Del Sur Provincial Police Office were responding to reports of armed men in the area when fired upon by 10 of the bandits at 5:43 p.m..

Police officers then retaliated, killing three and wounding four of the suspects, who managed to escape along with their other companions.

In the gunfight, a police officer identified as PO2 Manuel, was wounded in the chest.

Recovered from the encounter scene were three .45 caliber pistols and three motorcycles.

Mongao said troops from the 53rd Infantry Battalion are now helping the police in their pursuit operations.

 http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=786115

Int'l legal experts to discuss China's Spratly reclamation

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 25): Int'l legal experts to discuss China's Spratly reclamation
 

Local and international law experts plan to discuss the consequences and threats created from China's unprecedented reclamation works in the Spratlys archipelago at a conference to be held today (Saturday), the rector of HCM City University of Law has said.

Speaking at a press briefing in HCM City yesterday, Professor Mai Hong Quy, Rector of the University, said that China's expansion on seven reefs that belong to Vietnam violated international law and threatened peace as well as economic and trade security in the region.

At the one-day international conference on the construction of artificial islands in the East Sea and its impact on peace, security, and economic and trade development in the region, organized by the university and the Vietnam Lawyers Association, more than 20 legal experts will offer solutions to help defuse the tension in the region.

Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries in the region had strongly protested China's action, Quy said.

Last year, the university also held a conference in HCM City after China illegally put Haiyang Shiyou 981 drilling rig in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone, she added.

Besides experts from Russia, India, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines, Professor Erik Franck, director of the Center for International Law at Belgium's Vrije Brussels University, will speak today at the conference. Franck is a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague.

"We sent invitations to Chinese experts to attend, but no one has registered to attend the conference," Quy said.

At the conference, experts will focus on issues related to the impact of China's reclamation on freedom of navigation and trade in the East Sea.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=786173

Gifted ships to Philippines refitted in Cairns for $4m

From the Cairns Post (Jul 24): Gifted ships to Philippines refitted in Cairns for $4m



TAKING CHARGE: Philippine navy personnel stand to attention at the handover of the two ex-navy landing craft heavy vessels.Pictures: JUSTIN BRIERTY

TWO former Australian navy warships based and refitted in Cairns at a cost of $4 million are on their way to the Philippines.
              
The two heavy landing craft (LCH), BRP Ivatan and BRP Batak, were gifted to the Philippines navy and handed over with pomp and ceremony at HMAS Cairns yesterday.

Norship Marine chief executive Olav Groot said the two vessels spent a month in their yard, receiving preservation and other refit work, for the journey to the Philippines and service in their waters.

Maintenance and service work was also done, he said.

Three other LCHs – HMAS Wewak, Betano and Balikpapan – remain in Cairns as the Philippines finalises its purchase with the Australian government, due to settle later this year.

The decommissioned HMAS Tarakan and Brunei were handed over to the Philippine naval chief Vice Admiral Jesus Millan and their commanding officers and crews before they sailed from HMAS Cairns yesterday afternoon.

Australian naval chief Vice Admiral Tim Barrett said the devastating super-typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in November 2013 revealed the lack of suitable heavy lifting ships operated by the Asian country’s navy.

“This relief effort highlighted the importance of sea lift due to numerous airfields being inaccessible and land infrastructure impassable,” he said.

Vice Admiral Barrett said this led to a decision by Defence Minister Kevin Andrews to refit and give the LCHs to the Philippines navy.

“These craft will assist the Philippines’ defence modernisation program and improve the Philippine navy’s ability to respond to future natural disasters.”

Vice Admiral Barrett said they were “reliable workhorses that get the job done” with 40 years’ service in the Australian navy, proving invaluable after cyclone Tracy in Darwin in 1974, in the Solomon Islands in 1983 and after cyclone Yasi in the Far North in 2009.

Vice Admiral Millan said the two ships “will definitely boost our humanitarian assistance and response”.

http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/cairns/gifted-ships-to-philippines-refitted-in-cairns-for-4m/story-fnjpusyw-1227454522132

Opinion: Beijing’s political propaganda stinks

Opinion piece in the "Hail to the chair" column by Victor Avilla posted to the Manila Standard Today (Jul 25): Opinion: Beijing’s political propaganda stinks
 

After seizing several reefs and creating numerous artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea, Communist China has the gall to proclaim to the world that it is the victim in the recent arbitration case Manila filed against Beijing before the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in the Netherlands.   That statement is typical communist rhetoric which Beijing’s political propaganda bureau regularly publishes and broadcasts in its state-controlled media, and which their brainwashed citizens have come to expect on a regular basis.

How can Beijing honestly claim that it is the victim when its operations in the once-open South China Sea have virtually converted the entire area into a Red Chinese lake?   Is Beijing suggesting that its big naval armada in the West Philippine Sea, composed of battleships, cruisers, destroyers and submarines, is no match for the few, aging frigates of the Philippine Navy?   If Beijing is really the victim, then why is it unwilling to present its case before the international arbitration court?

Truth to tell, Communist China simply assumed that it can muscle its way in the West Philippine Sea through its intimidating use of superior military and naval might against the manifestly weaker Philippine defense forces.   It did not expect Manila to take legal action on the matter and in the process invite world attention to Beijing’s bullying.

Communist China knows that the Philippines is ill-equipped to defend its maritime territory in the West Philippine Sea.   For this reason alone, Beijing built numerous artificial islands kilometers inside waters which, under the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, constitute the Philippine exclusive economic zone.   In addition, Red Chinese ships drive away Filipino fishing vessels from Philippine waters.     

Tibet, which shares a border with Communist China, is a country of peaceful people with hardly an army to defend it.   The Red Chinese army invaded it and it remains occupied by Chinese troops today. 

Communist China officially considers Taiwan its renegade province, but Beijing is aware that Taiwan has a naval arsenal that can oppose Red Chinese reclamation operations.   For this reason alone, Beijing has not made reclamation operations near Taiwan.

Although Communist China has a border dispute with India, Beijing has learned from a past war with New Delhi that the Indians can fight back.   Beijing has stopped confronting the Indians.

A bully is one who picks a fight with an obviously weaker adversary, and avoids confronting anyone who can fight back.   From the examples cited above, Communist China satisfies the definition of a bully.   

For the past several years, the diplomatic posture of Communist China in the Philippines is all about deceit, duplicity, and equivocal statements. 

A perfect example of Beijing’s loathsome posture is “Window to China” – its paid newspaper advertisement published on a regular basis in another newspaper.   The advertisement consists of a whole page of self-serving propaganda, written in English and printed in color, complete with photographs of smiling officials of the communist government in Beijing.   Each publication of “Window to China” carries statements about Beijing’s alleged desire for peace in Asia, and Beijing’s purported wish to help other nations through vague “development projects.”   The entire material is punctuated with motherhood words and phrases like peace, progress, economic stability, regional development, regional understanding, international cooperation, and friendship between nations.

Like any typical communist propaganda, there are no negative stories in the paid advertisement.   There is no mention of Beijing’s invasion and illegal occupation of Tibet; the role of Communist China in shaping North Korea into the saber-rattling, troublemaker state it is today; the 30 million rural Chinese who died of hunger as a result of Mao Zedong’s compulsory collective farming experiment in the 1960s and the 1970s; its seizure of the Paracel Islands claimed by Vietnam; the Tiananmen Square massacre of pro-democracy civilians in the 1990s; the recent violent dispersal of pro-democracy assemblies in Hong Kong (despite Beijing’s promise of democratic reforms there); the lethal, hazardous, and substandard food and non-food products exported by Communist China to developing countries; and the Red Chinese warships currently stationed in the West Philippine Sea.   

To give a semblance of legitimacy to the advertisement, illustrations of ancient Chinese philosophers, some Chinese calligraphy, and some Chinese proverbs embellish the lower section of the advertisement.   The big irony is that at the height of Mao’s dictatorship, the communist government in Beijing denounced ancient Chinese culture as decadent, and an obstacle to the great leap forward falsely promised by Mao.

The despicable diplomatic posture of Communist China in the Philippines is also visible in the actuations of Beijing before Manila sought relief from the international arbitration court.   When Beijing was seizing islet after islet in the West Philippine Sea, Manila sought to resolve the problem through multi-lateral talks with other concerned countries in South East Asia.   In response, Beijing insisted on bilateral talks.   After Manila took up Beijing on the offer, the Red Chinese leadership imposed so many conditions which practically required Manila to acknowledge Beijing’s maritime claims, and which ultimately made any bilateral negotiation meaningless.   Meanwhile, Beijing continued with its incursions in the West Philippine Sea.

Beijing’s posture continued after Manila brought suit.   Its communist government refused to recognize the jurisdiction of the international tribunal on the Law of the Sea, despite the fact that Communist China is a signatory to the pertinent convention.   Beijing also falsely accused Manila of refusing to consider bilateral negotiations before seeking judicial relief. 

The only plausible explanation for the abominable diplomatic posture Communist China has displayed and continues to display in its dispute with Manila is that the communist government in Beijing is so accustomed to disseminating propaganda without comment or opposition from its own people.   This regimentation has been around for so long that Beijing’s communist masters believe that their formula for effective political propaganda which has worked on their people will also work on others.   Unfortunately for Beijing, its government forgot that in the Philippines, a free and critical press exists and functions.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/07/25/beijing-s-political-propaganda-stinks/

AFP releases PH boxers for Bangkok tourney

From the Manila Standard Today (Jul 25): AFP releases PH boxers for Bangkok tourney

FOLLOWING pleas from Alliance of Boxing Associations of the Philippines president Ricky Vargas and executive director Ed Picson, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has released boxers for the national pool so they can begin training, even belatedly, for the Asian Championships, which opens in Bangkok, Thailand on Aug. 25.

The Bangkok gig serves as a qualifier for the World Championships in Doha, Qatar in October.

Picson informed The Standard/boxingmirror.com that coach Gerson Nietes informed him, that their Air Force commander had asked the boxers and coaches to report to Villamor Air Base first, before leaving for the training camp in Baguio City last night.

Vargas thanked Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and the AFP for their decision to release the fighters after they had been recalled to their various military units when their Detailed Service permits from the AFP lapsed on June 30, with an extension being sought by the Philippine Sports Commission only until days after the DS had lapsed, leaving the AFP no choice but  to recall the boxers and re-assign them to their mother units.

“We are grateful that Secretary Gazmin and our armed forces commanders realized the importance of proper training for combat in the boxing ring, just as they need to be properly trained to effectively defend our people and country’s honor in times of any confrontation. We at ABAP take our task of pursuing the quest for an Olympic gold medal in the 2016 Rio de Janiero Games with the same dedication and commitment that our military men pay to their assigned tasks. If we work together, we can surely fulfill our dreams,” Vargas said.

The agreement on the DS permits was entered into by PSC Chairman Garcia and the AFP, with the ABAP out of the picture.

However, the failure of the PSC to act on time forced ABAP president Ricky Vargas to appeal to Secretary Gazmin to allow the chosen boxers and their trainers to get back into training camp since time was running out.

Eight boxers, including the gold medalists in the recent Southeast Asian Games, where the Philippines won 5 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals to emerge as boxing champions, as well as their coaches,  were reportedly released yesterday.

Among the boxers released were London Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga, Rey Saludar, Wilfredo Lopez, Eumir Felix Marcial, Dennis Galvan, Junel Cantancio. Mario Fernandez, Gerson Nietes, Joegin Ladon and Nico Magliquian, with coaches Pat Gaspi, Ronald Chavez, Harry Tanamor, Romeo Brin, Violito Payla and Elmer Pamisa.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/07/25/afp-releases-ph-boxers-for-bangkok-tourney/

Iriberri will get CA nod: Military

From Malaya (Jul 24): Iriberri will get CA nod: Military

PRESIDENT Aquino yesterday promoted Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri to the rank of general (four stars), 13 days after he succeeded now retired Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang as Armed Forces chief.

Iriberri’s promotion is actually “ministerial” because he is holding a four-star position, said Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato, chief of the AFP’s public affairs office, referring to the top military post.

Detoyato said Iriberri, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1983, will wear his new rank today during rites to be presided by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in Camp Aguinaldo.

Detoyato said the military is confident Iriberri’s promotion will get the confirmation of the Commission on Appointments despite a graft case filed against the military chief by a contractor, Joavi Philippines, before the Office of the Ombudsman last May in connection with an ammunitions deal.

The graft case was lodged while Iriberri was still the Army chief.

Detoyato said Iriberri can answer the case “in the right forum.”

On allegations raised by leftist organizations about supposed human rights violations by Iriberri, Detoyato said: “Those are allegations. Allegations are allegations. They have to prove it,” he said.

Meanwhile, the military has two new J-staff or joint staff members in the persons of Brigadier Generals Guillermo Molina (PMA Class 1986) and Job Yucoco (Class 1984).

Molina, previous deputy commander of the AFP Western Command, assumed the post of AFP deputy chief for plans, replacing Maj. Gen. Raul del Rosario who was earlier named commander of the 1st Air Division in Clark Air Base in Pampanga.

Del Rosario replaced Maj. Gen. Julius Caesar Guillermo who is now commander of the 2nd Air Division in Mactan Air Base in Cebu that was vacated by now retired Maj. Gen. Eusquito Manalo.

http://malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/iriberri-will-get-ca-nod-military