Most Filipinos distrust China and Russia: Pulse Asia survey

From InterAksyon (Jan 12): Most Filipinos distrust China and Russia: Pulse Asia survey

In a recent survey by Pulse Asia, majority of Filipinos expressed distrust toward China and Russia, two countries being touted by President Rodrigo Duterte as the Philippines’ new political and economic allies.

In contrast, trust is the majority sentiment toward the United States (76%) and Japan (70%), the survey also showed.

Only 38% trust China, while 61% expressed distrust.  For Russia, 38% of the respondents said they trust the country, while 58% said they distrust it.

Great Britain got a 39% trust rating and 55% distrust rating.  The United Nations received a 74% trust rating and 25% distrust rating, while the European Union got a 50% trust rating and 47% distrust rating.

In its nationwide survey on Public Trust in Selected Countries and International Organizations, Pulse Asia asked the respondents, “Generally speaking, how much do you think the Philippines can trust (country/organization).

The survey, which was part of its December 2016 Ulat ng Bayan was conducted from December 6 to 11 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 respondents.  It has a +/-3% error margin at the 95% confidence level.

The following developments were present in the weeks leading up to and during the conduct of the survey:

*The resignation of Vice President Leni Robredo as head of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council;

*The decision of the Supreme Court by a 9-5 vote to dismiss the consolidated petitions against the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani;

*The investigation by the Senate and the National Bureau of Investigation into the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr.;

 *The Sandiganbayan’s acquittal of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband in connection with a graft case stemming from the NBN-ZTE deal.

In his past speeches, President Duterte had openly expressed his intention to cut ties with the United States, the Philippines’ biggest military ally, and pivot to China and Russia.

Since assuming office in June last year, the 71-year-old leader has questioned his country’s ties with the US, while extolling the economic gains of closer alliances with China.

LINK TO PULSE ASIA SURVEY:

http://www.pulseasia.ph/december-2016-nationwide-survey-on-public-trust-in-selected-countries-and-international-organizations/

 

http://interaksyon.com/article/136121/most-filipinos-distrust-china-and-russia-pulse-asia-survey

Avoiding China's wrath, Philippines puts off upgrades to South China Sea isles

From InterAksyon (Jan 12): Avoiding China's wrath, Philippines puts off upgrades to South China Sea isles



The rusting BRP Sierra Madre has been stranded since the 1990s near the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the Spratlys, some 194 km west of Palawan, Philippines. REUTERS/File

The Philippines is deferring plans to repair and upgrade features it occupies in the disputed South China Sea, the country's military chiefs said on Thursday, to avoid provoking China while the two traditional foes seek to bury the hatchet.

The Philippines would continue to observe a moratorium on construction in the Spratly islands that it adopted while an international tribunal handled an arbitration case it lodged against Beijing in 2013.

Even though a ruling handed down in July last year went in favor of the Philippines, its military top brass felt the timing was not right to start upgrades.

The decision to defer upgrades was to avoid "any aggressive action in the West Philippine Sea," Military chief General Eduardo Ano told a news conference at an army base, using the name by which the Philippines refers to the South China Sea.

He said the move aimed to preserve a new era of friendlier relations with China under President Rodrigo Duterte, who decided to engage Beijing, rather than confront it in the wake of an arbitral award it bitterly opposed.

Duterte says he is in no hurry to discuss that ruling and will do so only when China is ready.

The Philippines has been occupying nine features in the Spratlys, including a submerged reef on which a rusting transport ship ran aground in the late 1990s.

The Philippines has by far the weakest defense structures in the disputed area and most facilities are dilapidated. Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and China also occupy areas of the contested archipelago.

China has reclaimed seven reefs, building man-made islands with anti-aircraft and anti-missile batteries. Satellite imagery shows development has continued lately, despite the arbitral ruling declaring that illegal.

Vietnam, which occupies the largest number of features in the South China Sea, has also enhanced its facilities.

"I don't know if we can now lift the moratorium," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters. "We're on status quo for now."

Lorenzana said the government had allocated 800 million pesos ($16.15 million) to upgrade an eroded runway on an airfield on Thitu Island, but that work would not happen soon.

Rex Tillerson, US President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, told US legislators he wanted to send China a clear signal to stop building islands and leave those it has already made.

http://interaksyon.com/article/136123/avoiding-chinas-wrath-philippines-puts-off-upgrades-to-south-china-sea-isles

Duterte's talks with NDF: The meat of the matter

From Rappler (Jan 12): Duterte's talks with NDF: The meat of the matter (By Teddy Casino)

What is at stake in the peace talks is the economic future of the country   

Later this month, the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) enter their third round of talks under the Duterte administration. Foremost in the agenda is the second substantive agreement - the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER).

NDFP Peace Panel chairperson Fidel Agcaoli has labeled this the “crux” of the peace process.

Indeed, the resolution of the age-old problems of chronic poverty, gross inequality and underdevelopment is at the heart of the 48 year old communist-led revolution. An agreement that addresses these issues will be the agreement that will shape all past and future agreements. It will be the key to resolving the armed conflict.

 

In this round, the burden of proposing alternative solutions to the country’s myriad of social and economic problems falls on the NDFP. They are, after all, the ones who have been fighting for radical socio-economic reforms to the extent of taking up arms against the government. More than providing a critique of past and existing economic policies, the NDFP is expected to present a set of concrete and doable policy reforms that will lead not just to a prosperous but a just economic system for the country.

 

NDFP’s robust proposal

 

A peek at the NDFP’s draft agreement certainly points to this effort. It is a truly comprehensive document, 84 pages long and counting, covering practically all aspects of the economy. It is composed of a preamble and six main parts, the most substantial being Part III on “Developing the National Economy,” Part IV on “Upholding the People’s Rights,” and Part V on “Economic Sovereignty for National Development.”

 

The document paints a stark assessment of the current socio-economic situation, traces the worsening problems of underdevelopment, mass poverty and social inequity to the neoliberal economic framework of the last three and a half decades, and proposes a radically different, nationalist and socialistic model of development to be jointly pursued by both sides.

 

Among the key reforms proposed by the NDFP are:

1. An agrarian reform and rural development program premised on the free distribution of land, cooperativisation, farm mechanization and the development of agriculture-based rural industries;
2. A Filipino-first industrialization program based on agriculture but directed towards the building of heavy industries, with light industries as the bridge. The program includes provisions on nationalizing strategic industries, integrating regional and sectoral development, developing local industrial science and technology, development financing, and even the participation of the New People’s Army (NPA) and mass organizations in industrial development.
3. An environmental protection policy that heavily restricts large-scale mining and marine wealth extraction, prohibits the exports of logs, bans the patenting of life, and ensures the wide participation of local communities in ecological protection and management.
4. A comprehensive and rigorous policy of protection for the social and economic rights of the working people and other vulnerable sectors, namely: peasants, farmworkers, fisherfolk, workers and semi-workers, professionals, OFWs, women, LGBTs, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities. Also included are guarantees for the public’s right to basic services and utilities like social services, education, health, housing, water, energy, mass transport, communications, waste management and disaster preparedness and response.
5. Policies to promote Filipino culture, including the promotion of the arts and literature, advancing the rights of educators, media practitioners, artists and cultural workers.
6. Greater guarantees for the rights of the national minorities to their land and culture, including the right to self-determination, economic development and non-discrimination.
7. A whole set of policy reforms on trade and investments as well as on finance, monetary and fiscal policy aimed at ending the country’s colonial trade relations and establishing a relatively independent and self-reliant economy. This includes rejecting harmful neoliberal economic policies imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) and World Trade Organization (WTO) and establishing better ties with neighboring countries in East Asia as well as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries.

The robust proposal from the NDFP actually adopts a number of proposals from the National People’s Summit held in June 2016 that presented a 15-point “People’s Agenda for Change” to both the GRP and the NDFP.

 

Sure to applaud the NDFP’s proposal are the marginalized and impoverished classes and sectors in Philippine society who stand to gain from such sweeping policy changes. Expected to vehemently oppose are those tied to oligarchic and foreign interests who have much to loose in terms of economic and political clout.

 

The GRP’s desired outcomes

 

 

PEACE TALKS. The government and the NDF held the second round of talks in Oslo October 6-10, 2016. File photo courtesy of OPAPP

 

In contrast, the GRP has proposed a generalized set of “Desired Outcomes” to include the following:

1. Rural equality and development to achieve food self-sufficiency and security;
2. A sovereign, self-reliant and industrialized national economy;
3. Protected and rehabilitated environment, just compensation for affected populations, and sustainable development;
4. Social, economic and cultural rights of the working people upheld and discrimination eliminated;
5. Sustainable living for all;
6. Affordable, accessible and quality social services and utilities;
7. Sovereign foreign economic policies and trade relations supporting rural development and national industrialization; and
8. Monetary and fiscal policy regime for national development.

No details were given as to how the desired outcomes would be achieved. These could very well have been lifted from any policy paper churned out by the neoliberal-oriented technocrats in the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) or undergraduate students in the UP School of Economics.

 

The great debate

 

In the last round of talks last October, both panels were able to come up with a common outline for CASER which basically merged the outline of the NDFP’s draft agreement with the GRP’s list of desired outcomes (see Annex A of the October 9, 2016 GRP-NDFP Joint Statement). But there is much work to be done and acrimonious debates are expected before a final agreement is forged, hopefully within the year. Even as the talks progress, both sides are expected to continue consulting with stakeholders to further refine their proposals at the same time generate public support for their positions.

 

The government side will, of course, insist that there is nothing inherently wrong in its existing social and economic policies and that problems of poverty, inequality and underdevelopment can be solved by simply implementing current neoliberal, market-oriented policies at a faster and more efficient manner. The government’s official response to any challenge to its economic dogma is to say that on the contrary, we liberalized our economy too little and too late.

 

Just like previous governments, the Duterte administration aims to further open up the economy to foreign trade and investments, privatize public assets and utilities, and remove all constraints on private businesses. In other words, allow private (ideally foreign) capital to rule and relegate government's role to keeping the peace, ensuring the rule of law, and providing safety nets for the poor.

 

The NDFP, on the other hand, rejects neoliberalism, repeatedly points out its failures even in advanced capitalist countries, and offers a diametrically opposed framework for development. It will insist on developing local, Filipino-owned industries, massive public spending for development, greater government control over the economy, and comprehensive programs for wealth redistribution and social welfare.

 

The GRP will probably concede on some items – like increasing wages, ending contractualization or lowering income taxes. But they will resist key proposals on limiting foreign investments, the nationalization of key sectors, genuine agrarian reform and the re-establishment of state-run enterprises and utilities.

 

Many may not be aware of it, but what is at stake in the peace talks is the economic future of the country. The implications of CASER will be felt not only by constituents of the NDFP but by all Filipinos.

[Teddy Casiño served as the partylist representative of Bayan Muna for 3 terms, from 2004-2013. Prior to his stint in Congress, he was secretary-general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and was a columnist for BusinessWorld. He earned his degree in sociology from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños in 1993.]

 

http://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/158112-duterte-ndf-talks-meat-of-matter

Further delay looms in PH-NDF joint ceasefire deal

From Rappler (Jan 12): Further delay looms in PH-NDF joint ceasefire deal

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana says the military is ready to go back to war if the negotiation fails due to the difficult demands by communist rebels


DEFENSE CHIEF. Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. Rappler file photo 

Defense officials and military officers met with chief presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza this week to present their inputs for the proposed bilateral ceasefire deal that will impose common rules for the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the communist New People's Army (NPA) to avoid misencounters on the ground.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday, January 12, threw back to the communist rebels allegations of ceasefire violations that they made against the security forces, and demanded that these be addressed in the joint deal.

"Mayroon kaming inputs diyan. We would like also to be heard. Mailagay naman sa agreement ang mga hinaing din namin sa armed forces. Discussion lang ito, wala pa naman sinasabing magpipirmahan na eh," Lorenzana said. (We gave our inputs. We would like also to be heard. We want the complaints of the armed forces considered in the agreement. These are just discussions; we're not talking about something ready for signing.)

What is in place at the moment are separate indefinite unilateral ceasefire declarations. They have been holding for 5 months, but the complaints are growing from both camps. Thus, the need for a joint ceasefire deal.

Lorenzana said the agreement cannot be rushed: "This process will take a little bit longer than we hoped [it] to be. But hopefully we will be able to agree on this bilateral ceasefire agreement."

He said that while the military supports the peace process and hopes to sign a joint ceasefire deal, it is also ready to go back to war if the negotiation fails due to what he called difficult demands by the communist rebels. He did not elaborate.

"It's 50-50," Lorenzana said when asked if he is confident that the ceasefire will continue to hold.
"They have difficult demands that the President is not willing to give," he said in Filipino.
 
NDF chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili said there is real threat that the ceasefire could collapse because of delays in the release of political prisoners and the military's alleged ceasefire violations. (READ: Ceasefire with Reds in danger)

Agcaoili said the military is taking advantage of the ceasefire by occupying areas – schools and residences, among others – that they previously could not reach because of the presence of the NPA.

Lorenzana said the communist rebels have difficult demands. He also accused them of burning facilities owned by businessmen who refuse to pay revolutionary taxes. This is one issue that the ceasefire agreement should settle.

"While both sides have unilateral ceasefires, some people are making trouble in the south, like extorting money from businessmen, burning facilities and buses," said Lorenzana, who wants these activities to stop.

The military and the NPA declared separate unilateral ceasefire. The absence of common rules has made the situation on the ground untenable, however. They originally aimed to sign in October 2016 the joint ceasefire deal that should establish the clear rules, but the signing has been repeatedly delayed.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/158156-delay-ph-ndf-joint-ceasefire-deal

Lorenzana warns NPA over continued extortion activities

From Business World (Jan 13): Lorenzana warns NPA over continued extortion activities

GOVERNMENT forces are ready to resume armed operations against communist rebels, the country’s Defense secretary said, as he expressed dismay over the alleged continued extortion and attacks by members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana, in a press conference on Thursday, said the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), has been carrying out these attacks in parts of Mindanao amid the unilateral cease-fire issued by both the government and the CPP.

 

“One side unilateral, the other side’s people keep on making trouble in the south like extorting money from businessmen, burning facilities and buses, they were trying to extort money from one of the buses, bus company in South Cotabato, they refused to pay, they burned total of five buses last month,” Mr. Lorenzana said.

He added that should the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF), under which the CPP-NPA belongs, fail to reach a bilateral cease-fire agreement, the military would not hesitate to launch retaliatory attacks against the armed rebels.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Mr. Lorenzana said, will support this.

The government and the NDF-CPP-NPA peace talks will resume later this month in Rome.

“Hopefully they will be able to agree on this bilateral agreement, cease-fire,” said Mr. Lorenzana, “(it is) very important” to pursue development programs.

“You know, development won’t flourish in those places because of the agitators,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Defense secretary expressed confidence that the newly appointed chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Gen. Eduardo M Año, will be able to meet the six months target to eradicate other enemies of the state such as the Abu Sayyaf Group and Maute Group.

“I have great confidence on his... leadership of the Armed Forces,” Mr. Lorenza said.

 

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=lorenzana-warns-npa-over-continued-extortion-activities&id=139050

PNP: tribal chieftain slay won’t affect peace talks

From the often times pro-Communist Party of the Philippines online publication the Davao Today (Jan 11): PNP: tribal chieftain slay won’t affect peace talks

Police Chief Supt. Manuel Gaerlan of the Police Regional Office 11. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

The killing of Mandaya chieftain Cupertino Banugan was a “criminal act” and would not affect the peace talks, a ranking police official here said in a press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 11.

 

“We treat this as an ordinary crime committed by an armed group who introduced themselves as members of the New People’s Army. [Banugan] was not a member of the security forces. He was not a [member of the ] police, nor the Armed Forces. So this is not part of the peace talks,” said Police Chief Supt. Manuel Gaerlan of the Police Regional Office 11.

Gaerlan also said they are investigating the four vans allegedly used in the killing. Gaerlan said they received reports that one of the vehicles was rented and paid P8,000. They are also investigating the identity of the owner of a Chevrolet Trailblazer that was used in the killing.

“These are still subject to verification. [We’re looking] for witnesses who may have taken note of the vehicles’ plate numbers,” Gaerlan said.

In a statement dated Jan. 6, the New People’s Army owned up to the killing of Banugan, whom they said had attacked them in Sitio Calatagan, Barangay Poblacion, Caraga town in Davao Oriental.

NPA spokesman Roel Agustin II said they acted on self defense and four rebel fighters were wounded in the resulting firefight. Banugan’s brother Roel, and relative, Dodo perished in the encounter.

Agustin also said Banugan was a leader of the paramilitary group Mandaya Ancestral Defense Unit. He said Banugan used his position as the tribal chieftain to usurp 14,000 hectares of land owned by five clans in Caraga.

Read related story: NPA owns up to disarming, killing tribal chieftain, 2 others in Caraga town

Army spokesman Capt. Andrew Linao refuted the NPA’s claim, saying Banugan was attacked in his own residence.

Linao also denied any knowledge of Banugan’s activities as a leader of the Manadu. Linao said Banugan was simply known as a tribal chieftain who held a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title that covered 13 hectares of land in Sitio Sangab, Barangay Pichon in Caraga.

Read related story: Army: ‘Lawless armed group’ intentionally killed tribal chieftain

Linao said there may be a case of personal interest at play because of the natural resources found in the land covered by Banugan’s CADT.

http://davaotoday.com/main/politics/pnp-tribal-chieftain-slay-wont-affect-peace-talks/

Gov seeks probe of ‘lumad’ leader’s murder amid peace talks

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Jan 11): Gov seeks probe of ‘lumad’ leader’s murder amid peace talks

NPA: Mandaya leader fought back

Davao Oriental Gov. Nelson Dayanghirang has called on the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) panels to investigate the killing of a “lumad” leader in Caraga town on Dec. 30.

The New People’s Army (NPA), in a statement, said it was planning to disarm Mandaya tribal chieftain Datu Copertino Banugan and his men but the rebels were forced to kill him, his brother Ramon and a relative, Benny Banugan, because they fought back.

But Dayanghirang said no such NPA operation should have been conducted because of the ongoing ceasefire and peace talks.

The peace panels are scheduled to hold the third round of the talks in Rome later this month. A ceasefire, unilaterally declared by the NDFP and the government, has been holding for more than two months now.

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“Why do it when there is a ceasefire? Why do it in the middle of the peace talks?” Dayanghirang said in an interview with the Inquirer on Friday.

Col. Michelle Anayron, chief of the Army’s 67th Infantry Battalion, said the NPA’s claim that it killed Banugan as an act of self-defense was “nothing but a lame excuse.”

“How can they call it self-defense? They tried to disarm him, it was only natural that [Banugan] would resist,” Anayron told the Inquirer.

Anayron said electricity supply in Banugan’s house was cut off before the attack. Authorities, he said, recovered three gallons of gasoline and unexploded Molotov bombs from the crime site.

Anayron also said the military could not launch pursuit operations against the rebels because of the ongoing ceasefire.

“Such violence was unwarranted. This is contrary to what they (rebels) want. They say they want peace talks and yet they perpetrate violent acts,” Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, chief of the Army’s 28th Infantry Battalion, said.

Dayanghirang said Banugan’s death is a “huge loss to the peace-loving Mandaya people of Davao Oriental.”

Banugan was a leader of a Mandaya community in upland village of Pichon in Caraga town. Last year, the Inquirer visited Pichon’s subvillage of Sangab during its Kalidugan Festival. Sangab is one of 13 Pichon subvillages comprising CADT (Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title)-01.

Awarded to the tribe in 1997 and covering about 14,000 hectares, CADT-01 is the first such title given to indigenous communities in Southern Mindanao. Residents have opposed the entry of NPA rebels in their land.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/861194/gov-seeks-probe-of-lumad-leaders-murder-amid-peace-talks

Ceasefire with Reds in danger

From Rappler (Jan 12): Ceasefire with Reds in danger

(UPDATED) The 3rd round of talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front, to be held in Rome from January 18 to 25, will be critical



CHIEF NEGOTIATOR. Fidel Agcaoili is the newly appointed chief negotiator of the communist National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Rappler photo

The 5-month-old ceasefire between the Philippine military and the New People's Army (NPA) is in danger of collapse as communist rebels protest delays in the release of over 400 political prisoners and alleged military advances in areas they claim to occupy.

Fidel Agcaoili, chief negotiator of the communist National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF), said the 3rd round of talks to be held in Rome from January 18 to 25 will be "critical."

The government has previously committed to address the two sore points affecting the talks.
 

"Malaki. Malaki ang danger na mabe-break 'yan kasi nga hindi mo mapipigilan (There is a big danger that will break [the ceasefire] because it can't be helped anymore)," Agcaoili said in a no-holds-barred interview on Rappler Talk. (WATCH: Rappler Talk: Fragile talks with the Philippine left)
 

If the issues are not addressed, Agcaoili is looking at a scenario where there still will be negotiations as fighting resumes on the ground. "Talk while fighting. That could really happen," Agcaoili said, citing similar arrangements during past administrations.

In a separate interview on Thursday, January 12, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the chance of the ceasefire holding is "50-50."

While the military supports the peace process and hopes to sign a joint ceasefire deal, Lorenzana said the military is ready to go back to war if the negotiation fails due to what he referred to as difficult demands coming from the communist rebels. He did not elaborate.

"It's 50-50. Kasi marami silang hinihingi na ayaw ibigay ni presidente (They have difficult demands that the president is not willing to give)," Lorenzana told Rappler.

'Talk while fighting'

A broken ceasefire should not stop the talks, he said.

"We can continue talking whether there is a ceasefire or there is no ceasefire. We challenge him. Kung walang (If there is no) ceasefire, hindi ba puwedeng mag-usap (can't we talk)? Kung talagang (If indeed) you are for reforms,welcome mo 'yan, di ba (it, right)? Reporma naman ang ating pinag-uusapan (We are talking about reforms here). At saka ikaw naman (Besides) you said, 'Change is coming',"Agcaoili said.

The NDF aims to complete talks on socio-economic – focusing on agrarian reform and national industrialization – and political and constitutional reforms.

The successful first round of talks in Norway in August 2016 resulted in the declaration of separate unilateral ceasefires by the military and the New People's Army. The government committed to recommend the amnesty of political prisoners while the NDF agreed to sign a bilateral ceasefire agreement that will guarantee a prolonged ceasefire.

The process of granting amnesty to political prisoners is taking time, however, because it requires Congress approval. No new timeline was set for the signing of a bilateral ceasefire deal – one that will put in place common rules for the military and the NPA to follow to avoid misencounters on the ground – that they originally wanted to be in place by October 2016.

In August, the government released 22 detained NDF consultants to join the talks, including tagged high-ranking leaders of the New People's Army. Among them was Benito Tiamzon, who was appointed as the newest member of the NDF negotiating panel. In December, 4 convicted NPA rebels were granted pardon.

The government is working out the release of over 100 more political prisoners, but President Rodrigo Duterte said he will only allow it if the NDF signs a bilateral ceasefire agreement that is meant to guarantee the continuation of the ceasefire. (READ: Duterte sets condition for freeing 130 political prisoners)

Ceasefire violations

The communist rebels are accusing the military of taking advantage of the ceasefire by conducting military operations in areas the rebels claim to occupy. The military denied this and some officers, who refused to be quoted because they are not authorized to speak on the matter, are accusing the NPA of the same violations.

Agcaoili said the NPA combatants are avoiding the military to protect the ceasefire but the situation is becoming "untenable" because troops, he said, are occupying schools, day care centers, public plazas, and even bus stops.

For 2017, the military announced a new campaign plan – Development Support and Security Plan (DSSP) Kapayapaan or DSSP Kapayapaan – that adjusts its military operations to support the peace initiatives under the Duterte administration. (READ: AFP chief: Reds should work with military in new campaign plan)

Agcaoili said they welcome commitments that the new campaign plan will uphold the peace talks, but they have yet to see the document. "Hindi pa namin nababasa (We haven't read it yet). We’ve heard about so-called enhanced Oplan Bayanihan but only from paper," he said.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/157926-ceasefire-reds-in-danger-agcaoili

China Flies Bomber Around Disputed Spratly Islands: US Official

From Epoch Times (Jan 11): China Flies Bomber Around Disputed Spratly Islands: US Official



A Chinese H-6K bomber patrols the islands and reefs in the South China Sea, in this file photo. (Liu Rui/Xinhua via AP)

A Chinese bomber was seen flying around the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in an apparent show of force, according to a U.S. official.

The strategic Xian H-6 bomber was detected flying around the island chain and other features—disputed by Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and China—over the weekend. It was the second such flight around the South China Sea in 2017, with the first taking place on Jan. 1, the unnamed official told Reuters on Wednesday.

The official said the flight was likely a show of “strategic force” by the Chinese regime.

The Spratlys are important for strategic and economic reasons, as it holds unexplored reserves of natural gas and oil, has fishing grounds, and has busy commercial shipping routes.

Taiwan, China, and Vietnam have made claims on the islands based on historical sovereignty. The Philippines has claimed part of the area under an agreement.

Last month, satellite photos revealed Beijing fortified its Spratly Island reefs with gun towers and anti-aircraft installations. All seven of China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea are fortified with arms, News.com.au reported. The Chinese Defense Ministry wrote in a statement last month about the fortified islands, saying: “As for necessary military facilities, they are primarily for defense and self-protection, and this is proper and legitimate.”

Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, told Reuters that he had no comment on China’s recent warplane activities in the area. But he added, “We continue to observe a range of ongoing Chinese military activity in the region‎.”

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2209187-china-flies-bomber-around-disputed-spratly-islands-us-official/

PEZA invites defense contractors to invest in PH

From the Manila Times (Jan 12): PEZA invites defense contractors to invest in PH

THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is inviting defense contractors to locate in the economic zone called the Defense Industrial Complex.

“We’ll be inviting defense industries around the world like manufacturers of military aircraft, ships, arms and ammunitions, drones, combat clothing and other supplies of the military and the police to locate their companies in our Defense Industrial Complex,” Charito Plaza, PEZA director general said on January 9. 

The 300-hectare industrial complex in Bataan houses Camp Gen. Antonio Luna, the government arsenal established 50 years ago as a munitions plant for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has since expanded its activities to include manufacturing and repair of small firearms.

“So, the Department of National Defense is also inviting defense industries to locate in their property,” Plaza said.

PEZA is looking at expanding industrial complexes throughout the country. “We are eyeing many, depending on the potentials. I would suggest that we have two in Mindanao, one in Puerto Princesa, and two or three in Luzon—one in Zambales,” she said.

This is the first foray of PEZA into the defense ecozone. “We are inviting all types of industries, except the mass destruction. And it will be exported,” she added.

Hermosa, Bataan Mayor Antonio Joseph Rivera Inton is donating 3,000 hectares near the government arsenal, Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron is donating 1,500 hectares, according to the PEZA official.

“To minimize importation, we will invite more industries that will manufacture and process our raw materials, so there will be massive modernization and transfer of technology,” Plaza said.

Plaza noted the Japanese prime minister will be visiting the Philippines on January 12 and 13.

“We, will have a roundtable discussion in Malacañang. I will represent PEZA, as the PM will be accompanied by some investors,” she added. Almost 30 percent of PEZA locators are Japanese companies.

http://www.manilatimes.net/peza-invites-defense-contractors-invest-ph/306483/

1 Army officer killed, 4 soldiers wounded in clash with Abu Sayyaf

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Jan 12): 1 Army officer killed, 4 soldiers wounded in clash with Abu Sayyaf

One military officer was killed and four soldiers were wounded on Thursday as Army troops pursued the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf in a gunbattle in Basilan.

The soldiers have been going after the rebels under Furuji Indama alias Abu Dujana in Cabcaban in Sumisip town, Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Major Filemon Tan said.

The firefight started at 7:10 a.m. as troops from the Army’s 19th Special Forces Company of the 4th Special Forces Battalion chased the terrorists.

Soldiers from the 64th Infantry Battalion and the 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion were sent for reinforcement and to block possible withdrawal routes, Tan said.
Identities of the casualties were withheld pending the notification of their families.

“As of now, airstrikes continue to be carried out,” Tan said.

Early this week, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Eduardo Año said they were looking at a six-month deadline to eliminate terrorists groups like the Abu Sayyaf as part of a new campaign strategy dubbed Development Support and Security Plan Kapayapaan.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/861802/1-army-officer-killed-4-soldiers-wounded-in-clash-with-abu-sayyaf

AFP urged to help clear Marcelino

From the Manila Bulletin (Jan 11): AFP urged to help clear Marcelino

Atty. Persida Acosta, legal counsel of Marine Lieutenant Coroner Ferdinand Marcelino, urged the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to help their comrade in proving to the court that Marcelino was doing covert drug operations in the past.

 

After the hearing of the drug case against Marcelino and his Chinese companion Yan Yi Shou on Tuesday before the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 49, Acosta expressed that they are open for help the AFP can give.

 

“If the AFP wants to help their comrade, they can do so because this case involves national security and national interest while the war on drugs of the government is at stake,” Acosta said.

 

Marcelino’s camp was asked to submit a certification that Marcelino was indeed helping in the anti-illegal drugs operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) prior to his arrest in a drug facility in Manila last year.

 

Acosta said evidences that will strengthen the case of Marcelino to defy the court’s decision against him will be revealed soon.

 

Acosta said they already have “evidences that will strengthen and solidify” the claims of Marcelino that he was involved in the legitimate anti-narcotics operations of the AFP.

 

“We already have several submitted documents but the judge wants some other documents, so we will try our best,” Acosta said.

 

Furthermore, the Public Attorney’s Office Chief said that this time, the certification on the role of Marcelino in the anti-drug operations “will be more specific”  saying that the “manner of how Marcelino conducted the covert operations” will be included on the said documents.

 

According to Acosta, Judge Daniel Villanueva wants that Marcelino’s role in the anti-drug campaign be documented even if Marcelino’s camp was able to show the same in a court in Quezon City which dismissed the case.

 

Meantime, the urgent motion for Commitment Order filed by the AFP on Jan. 3 seeking the custody of Marcelino has been submitted for resolution. Legality of the detention of Marcelino under AFP’s watch is still being studied, according to the court.

 

Marcelino and Yan, who face charges of possession of illegal drugs, were arrested by authorities in an alleged shabu laboratory in Manila in January last year. Marcelino has  claimed that he was doing surveillance operation that night following a tip from Yan, who served as an asset for 11 years.

 

Marcelino and Yan’s arrest warrant came out late December. They both surrendered on the same day. Marcelino turned himself over the AFP while Yan surrendered to the NBI.

 

http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/01/11/afp-urged-to-help-clear-marcelino/

Malaysia defense official meets with MILF leaders to talk peace

From the Philippine Star (Jan 12): Malaysia defense official meets with MILF leaders to talk peace



Malaysian Deputy Defense Minister Johari Baharom (2nd from right) was welcomed to Cotabato City by his compatriots and the Bruneian and Indonesian members of the International Monitoring Team, which is helping enforce the ceasefire agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the government. JOHN UNSON

The deputy defense minister of Malaysia on Thursday met with leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for a dialogue on the gains of the MILF's peace overture with Malacañang the Malaysian government is helping push forward as third party facilitator.

 

Deputy Defense Minister Johari Baharom also visited the headquarters in Cotabato City of the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT), which is helping oversee since late 2003 the enforcement of an interim ceasefire pact between the MILF and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

 

The IMT is comprised of military and police personnel from Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia and non-uniformed conflict resolution experts from Japan and Norway.

 

Baharom and his entourage arrived at the nearby Maguindanao Airport about 8:30 a.m. on Thursday via a C-130 plane from Sandakan, Malaysia.     

 

He was briefed by IMT officials led by Malaysian Army Gen. Wira Zamrose for two hours on the security situation in areas covered by the ceasefire accord between the MILF and Malacañang before proceeding to the rebel group's main bastion, Camp Darapanan, in Sultan Kudarat town in the first district of Maguindanao.

 

Baharom held a dialogue with senior members of the MILF's central committee and discussed with them prospects of the Mindanao peace process while in Camp Darapanan.

 

The Malaysian government has been helping facilitate the bilateral peace initiatives of the MILF and Malacañang since 2003.

 

While at the IMT headquarters in Rosary Heights District in Cotabato City, Baharom lauded the efforts of the multinational peacekeeping team in maintaining the fragile peace in conflict flashpoint areas in southern Mindanao where there are MILF bastions.

 

The peace talks between the government and the MILF started on January 7, 1997, but gained headway only in 2003 with the help of Malaysia, a member-state of the influential Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a bloc of more than 50 Muslim nations, among them petroleum-exporting countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

 

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2017/01/12/1662046/malaysia-defense-official-meets-milf-leaders-talk-peace

 

 

Still no plan to fix PH runway in West PH Sea

From Rappler (Jan 12): Still no plan to fix PH runway in West PH Sea

China has 3 runways in the South China Sea


Rappler photo

The Duterte administration continues to defer the repair of the Philippines' only runway in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) even as China has reportedly built runways on at least 3 reefs it illegally reclaimed. (READ: PH runway in Spratlys erodes as China reclaims to build own)

"Because of warming relations with China, we are not going to make any aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea," said Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Eduardo Año on Thursday, January 12.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said they will keep the "status quo" and will continue to set aside the money – up to P800 million ($16 million) – already allocated by the previous administration to repair the runway.

The Rancudo Airfield was built in the '70s on Pag-asa Island, one of the biggest in the disputed territory where a community of about a hundred Filipinos reside. The military continues to use the runway, particularly for small transport aircraft like the Fokker and the Nomad of the Philippine Air Force and Islander of the Philippine Navy.

But the short 1.3-kilometer airstrip could be dangerous for bigger aircraft such as the C130 cargo plane that the military traditionally uses to bring supplies around the country.

In comparison, China built military-grade runways on Mischief Reef, Subi Reef, and Fiery Cross Reef.

PAG-ASA ISLAND. The second biggest island in the disputed South China Sea is home to about a hundred Filipinos. File photo by SSg Amable Milay/Philippine Air Force

 

Lorenzana plans to visit the troops deployed in the West Philippine Sea. But it is not clear yet if he will fly going to the disputed area or he will take one of the navy ships. The last high-profile visit to Pag-asa Island was made by former AFP chief General Gregorio Catapang in 2015.

Duterte has sought warmer ties with China, a turnaround from the foreign policy of former president Benigno Aquino III who took China to court over its claims on maritime features located inside the country's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

Aquino also sought the assistance of the Philippines' longtime defense treaty ally, the US, which calls for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

The Philippines won the case before the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration. The ruling effectively dismissed China's 9-dash-line claim over the South China Sea and declared that Mischief Reef – where one of China's runways is located – belongs to the Philippines.

The previous administration had hoped to fix the runway on Pag-asa Island after the arbitration court's ruling.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/158131-pagasa-runway-philippines-repair

Trump choice to State: China should be denied access to South China Sea islands

From InterAksyon (Jan 12): Trump choice to State: China should be denied access to South China Sea islands



Images of China's airstrip on Fiery Cross (Reuters file)

The United States must send a clear signal to China that its island-building in the contested South China Sea must stop and that its access to those islands will not be allowed, US President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state said on Wednesday.

In comments certain to enrage Beijing, Rex Tillerson told his confirmation hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China's building of islands and putting military assets on those islands was "akin to Russia’s taking Crimea.”

Asked whether he supported a more aggressive posture toward China, he said: “We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed.”

The former Exxon Mobil Corp. chairman and chief executive did not elaborate on what might be done to deny China access to the islands it has built up from South China Sea reefs and equipped with military-length airstrips and fortified with weapons.

Tillerson said the United States needed to reaffirm its commitment to Taiwan, a country which Beijing regards as a renegade province, but stopped short of Trump's questioning of Washington's long-standing policy on the issue.

"I don’t know of any plans to alter the 'one China' position," he said.

Tillerson said he considered China’s activity in the South China Sea "extremely worrisome" and that it would be a threat to the "entire global economy" if Beijing were able to dictate access to the waterway, which is of strategic military importance and a major trade route.

He blamed the current situation on what he termed an inadequate US response. "The failure of a response has allowed them just to keep pushing the envelope on this," Tillerson said.

"The way we’ve got to deal with this is we’ve got to show back up in the region with our traditional allies in Southeast Asia, and I think use the existing structure to begin the re-engagement," he said.

Tillerson characterized both China's island-building in the South China Sea and declaration of an air defense zone in waters of the East China Sea it contests with Japan as "illegal actions."

"They’re taking territory or control, or declaring control of territories that are not rightfully China’s," he said. "Building islands and putting military assets on those islands is akin to Russia’s taking Crimea (from Ukraine). It’s taking of territory that others lay claim to."

Tillerson also said the United States could not continue to accept "empty promises" China had made about putting pressure on North Korea over that country's nuclear and missile programs.

He also accused China of failing to live up to global agreements on trade and intellectual property, echoing past remarks by Trump, who has threatened to impose high, retaliatory tariffs on China.

"China has proven a willingness to act with abandon in the pursuit of its own goals, which at times has put it at conflict with American interests. We have to deal with what we see, not what we hope," he said.

At the same time. Tillerson said, it was important to see "the positive dimensions" of the US relationship with China, the world's second-largest economy after the United States.

"The economic wellbeing of our two nations is deeply intertwined," he said, adding that China had also been an important ally in curbing elements of radical Islam.

"We should not let disagreements over other issues exclude areas for productive partnership," he said.

http://interaksyon.com/article/136096/trump-choice-to-state-china-should-be-denied-access-to-south-china-sea-islands