PH, US to sign military deal April 28

From Rappler (Apr 27): PH, US to sign military deal April 28

The agreement will be signed in time for the arrival of US President Barack Obama in Manila

The Philippines and the United States will sign on Monday, April 28, a military deal that will give American troops wider access to military bases here, a Rappler source confirmed.

This comes as US President Barack Obama is set to arrive in Manila Monday, for the final leg of his Asian tour.

Details of the agreement, called the Enhanced Defense Cooperation, have yet to be released. It will be signed at 10 am in Camp Aguinaldo.

Evan Medeiros, senior director for Asian Affairs on the National Security Council, said the deal was a "skeletal and muscular" framework that would allow the two sides to discuss rotations of US troops, naval visits and training exercises.

He said the deal was "the most significant agreement that we have concluded with the Philippines in decades."

The "scope, duration and location" of US forces in Philippines remained to be worked out "in the coming weeks and years," Medeiros said.

But US officials said the agreement would last for 10 years, with provision for renewal. They said it would be signed by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US ambassador to Manila Philip Goldberg.

Against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between the Philippines and China over disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the Philippines has sought the military assistance of US, a treaty ally. (READ:Obama visit to give 'clearer understanding' of PH-US alliance)

'Not because of China'

Medeiros, however, dismissed the notion that Washington saw the agreement through a prism of containing China's rising military might.

"We are not doing this because of China. We are doing this because we have a longstanding alliance partner. They are interested in stepping up our military-to-military" interaction, he said.

Defense would be on top of the agenda during Obama's visit, Malacañang earlier said.

While details of the pact have yet to be released, the Philippine panel earlier said it would allow more US troops, aircraft, and ships to pass through the Philippines.

It would also allow the United States to store equipment that could be used to mobilize American forces faster – particularly in cases of natural disasters.

Different sides

Former lawmakers who voted to remove US bases in the Philippines in 1991 have criticized the lack of transparency in the negotiatons.

Other critics have slammed the military deal as a “de facto basing agreement disguised as an access pact” but Philippine negotiators have stressed it would not allow the US to establish a permanent base or bring in nuclear weapons.

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago earlier questioned the constitutionality of the agreement, saying it should have been approved by the Senate.

But Malacañang insisted the agreement was temporary and only implemented the general provisions of the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement, and therefore did not need Senate concurrence.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/56527-us-ph-reach-military-deal

Obama in Manila: What to expect

From Rappler (Apr 28): Obama in Manila: What to expect

When US President Barack Obama visits Manila on Monday, April 28, it will be the first time since 2003 that an American president has visited the Philippines.

But this time, the agenda is different.

When George W. Bush met with former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in October 2003, Bush addressed a joint session of the Philippine Congress wherein he pushed the Philippines to back its war against terror.

This time, the main focus of talks will still be on security, but rather than terrorists, the concern is towards the rising superpower China.

On the first day of Obama's visit, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation (EDC) agreement, a military deal that will give American troops wider access to military bases here, will be signed.

The signing comes amid ongoing tensions between the Philippines and China over disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). (READ: Obama visit to give 'clearer understanding' of PH-US alliance)

The Philippines has sought the military assistance of the US, a treaty ally, to shore up its weak defenses while the United States is refocusing its attention to Asia.

While some of those working on the deal have insisted the agreement is not because of China, the United States has repeatedly spoken out against China's aggression in the region.

Obama himself was quoted by ABS-CBN as saying he has been "clear and consistent in stressing that the United States and China need to support efforts among claimants to peacefully manage and resolve maritime and territorial issue through dialogue, not intimidation, including in the South China Sea."

In the same written interview, Obama also said the agreement would "help the Philippines continue to build its defense capabilities, and it would help us promote security cooperation across the region."

Obama is staying in Manila until Tuesday, April 29 before flying back to the United States.

Support vs China

The Philippines is Obama's final stop in his Asian tour, after visits to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia respectively.

Coming to Asia, the United States was expected to argue that its rebalancing policy – of withdrawing US military, economic and human resources from the Middle East and deploying them to emerging Asia – remains on track.

In Japan, Obama pledged support for Tokyo, which is also in the midst of a territorial dispute with China. He gave assurances to their ally that US support will continue, adding the islands claimed by both countries are covered by a defense treaty that would oblige Washington to act if they were attacked.

Like Manila, Tokyo craved reassurance that the US was prepared to support it if push comes to shove with Beijing over their separate sovereignty rows.

Obama is expected to give a similar statement during his visit here. In the ABS-CBN interview, Obama cited the Mutual Defense Treaty between the two countries, which has pledged US support for the Philippines for more than 60 years.

"Our treaty obligations are iron-clad. The United States stands by its allies, in good times and in bad," he said. "In fact, one of the main purposes of my visit will be to reaffirm our treaty commitments to the Philippines and to make it clear that just as we’ve relied on each other in the past, we can count on each other today."

Agenda

Aside from security and defense issues, Obama told ABS-CBN his visit is an "opportunity to begin a new chapter in the relationship between the Philippines and the United States" in a "whole range of areas."

Topics to be discussed by the leaders when they meet in Malacañang are political and security cooperation, trade and investments expansion, tourism and development cooperation, deepening people-to-people ties, and the rehabilitation of areas affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

Obama is expected to arrive in the country at 1:30pm Monday, and will proceed to Malacañang for bilateral talks with Aquino, followed by a joint press conference. He will be feted to a Palace dinner in his honor.

Obama will spend the second day of his trip with Filipino troops at the military headquarters in Taguig and is expected to visit the World War II American cemetery in the same city.

Shared similarities

The two leaders will end their respective terms in 2016.

Both elected against the backdrop of a previously unpopular government, Obama and Aquino - who are relatively young in their early 50s - ran on the campaign of change.

Both presidents, Obama since 2008 and Aquino since 2010, have succeeded in passing controversial laws despite stiff challenges.

Among them is the the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act –passed under Obama's administration in 2010 – a law reforming health care by seeking universal coverage, and one of Obama's key campaign promise.

But Republicans, who have campaigned for years to repeal the law, charge that it is a failure. They point out that Obama has delayed several key aspects of the program and allege that modifications were meant to protect Democrats from damage in mid-term elections in November.

As of April 2014, Obamacare reached its sign up target of 7 million people.
Aquino tackled a similar challenge from the Catholic Church when the Reproductive Health Law was passed. The law funds the distribution of free modern contraceptives, requires government hospitals to provide reproductive health services, and mandates public schools to teach sex education. Critics have argued the law is anti-life.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court declared the law constitutional.
The two are also credited for a change in attitude towards government among the youth.

Obama's campaign mobilized American youth to get involved in elections and government. Even Obamacare targeted increased youth signups, resulting in Aquino too has repeatedly encouraged the youth to participate in helping change the Philippines. He considers a shift in attitude among Filipinos – from nonchalance to caring about the country's future – as one of his administration's biggest achievements.

Both Obama and Aquino are praised for their integrity. A recent poll of American historians found Obama was rated highly on that trait, while Aquino's trust ratings continue to be unprecedentedly high midway through his term.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/56560-know-about-obama-manila

Defense pact with US to be signed Monday - DND

From InterAksyon (Apr 27): Defense pact with US to be signed Monday - DND

The Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation, more known as the pact for the increased rotational presence of US forces in the country, will be signed on Monday, the Department of National Defense confirmed Sunday.

However, DND information officer Prime Berunia, could not give any details about the agreement’s contents, nor would he comment on the impact it would have on the country’s security.

All Berunia would say is that the pact will be signed at 10 a.m. Monday at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Officers Club in Camp Aguinaldo by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg.

Monday is also the day US President Barack Obama arrives in the country for a two-day working visit.

New 10-year military pact, part of Asian pivot

The new security pact allows American forces an increased military presence in the Southeast Asian country now struggling to raise its defense capabilities amid territorial disputes with China.

The Enhanced Defense Cooperation agreement will run for 10 years, shorter than what the United States was originally asking for, two senior government officials said on Sunday, asking for anonymity due to lack of authority to speak on details of the pact.

But the deal is renewable depending on the needs of the two oldest allies in the Asia-Pacific region, one of the sources said.

The agreement is a significant step in the United States' "pivot" to Asia as it disentangles itself from costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It comes as China has strengthened its maritime presence in disputed areas in the South China Sea after seizing control of Scarborough Shoal in 2012.

The pact will be signed just a few hours before U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Philippine President Benigno Aquino in Manila, as part of Obama's week-long tour of four Asian allies.

Ships, aircraft, troops rotated for longer periods

The agreement allows the United States to rotate ships, aircraft and troops for a period longer than the current maximum of two weeks during joint military exercises by the two nations, a senior military source told Reuters.

The United States is expected to gradually deploy combat ships, a squadron of F18s or F16s and maritime surveillance aircraft, the same source said.

Last year, there were 149 U.S. navy ship visits to the Philippines, up from 68 in the previous year, and that number is likely to rise further under the new pact.

"We are considering bases in Northern Luzon like Clark and Subic, and Fort Magsaysay, to accommodate the U.S. forces. We will set aside space in those bases for their troops," the military source said.

Clark and Subic were the two military bases maintained by the United States northwest of Manila until 1991, when the Philippine Senate voted to evict American troops. Eight years later, the Senate approved an agreement providing for temporary visits by U.S. forces, allowing the staging of joint military exercises.

The new military accord also allows the storage of U.S. humanitarian equipment and supplies for disaster response such as generators, water purifiers, fork lifts, tents and shelter materials, with some of these equipment already in the country and utilized after super Typhoon Haiyan devastated central Philippines in November, the military source also said.

Pio Lorenzo Batino, undersecretary of Defense and chair of the Philippine panel negotiating with the United States, earlier said the agreement complied with the Philippine Constitution, which meant U.S. forces will have no permanent presence and will not set up military bases.

But Philippine Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago had said she will scrutinize the pact, adding any agreement involving posting of troops and war equipment in another sovereign state becomes a treaty requiring Senate ratification, unless it was linked to an earlier treaty.

Palace reticent 

Until Sunday noon, Palace officials had been reluctant to confirm any signing, with Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma telling reporters they were still awaiting updates from the Philippine panel led by Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino. On Saturday, also briefing the press, Undersecretary Abigail Valte had said consultations were still ongoing between two sides.

Replying to reporters’ queries, Coloma said Sunday noon, speaking in Filipino, that, “we continue to await a communication from our Philippine panel. According to its head, Undersecretary Pio Batino of the Department of National Defense, until now they are still consulting with their US counterparts and will keep us posted accordingly.”

Coloma likewise declined to give details of the kind of access that Philippine authorities will give to the US in terms of military facilities.”Maybe it’s better for us to await the outcome of their talks, as we don’t have those details yet.”

Bayan slams ‘treachery’

Militant groups described as a “brazen display of treachery” the Aquino government’s move to sign Monday April 28 at 10am the agreement, just hours before the arrival of US President Barack Obama. “The signing is obviously a gift by the puppet president to his imperialist master. Aquino now gains the distinction of reversing all the gains of the Senate's removal of US bases from the country. The puppet president ushers in a new period of US military occupation, underscoring the status of the country as an American neo-colony,” Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said in a statement.

The militants shot down the “supposed assurance that the new pact will not lead to permanent US presence and basing,”  noting that US forces have already been permanently stationed in the country since 2002 under the Visiting Forces Agreement. The new accord “only makes the VFA worse because now, the permanently stationed US troops can access PH facilities, they can set up their own facilities and they can preposition their weapons and equipment here.” It said the new agreement also does not state how many troops can enter the country and how long they can remain here.
“The 10-year agreement is tailored to meet the US objective of moving 60% of its warships to Asia by 2020. Once the US forces establish a firmer foothold, they would seek to acquire more concessions for their basing.”

The group noted the calls from current and former senators and other legal luminaries who are all asserting that the new defense pact should pass Senate scrutiny and should not be treated as a mere executive agreement.

“We will continue to resist this new US violation of our sovereignty as we hold nationwide protests tomorrow in time for the visit of US imperialist chieftain Barack Obama. We call on patriotic Filipinos to defend our sovereignty from all forms of foreign intervention, whether in the form of US bases or China’s incursions in our waters.”

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/85552/defense-pact-with-us-to-be-signed-monday---dnd

SLIDE SHOW | Amid protest plans, AFP says no threat monitored on Obama visit to Manila

From InterAksyon (Apr 27): SLIDE SHOW | Amid protest plans, AFP says no threat monitored on Obama visit to Manila

Despite threats of widespread protests by militant groups, the Philippine military said Sunday no security threat has been monitored in connection with the arrival Monday of United States President Barack Obama, who is visiting four Asian countries as Washington signals a determination to add heft to its presence in the region.

“So far, none. At my level, we have not monitored any threat [to] disrupt his (Obama) visit,” Brigadier General Manuel Gonzales, commander of the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, said.

Despite this, authorities will continue tracking well-publicized plans by left-leaning party-list groups and organizations to mount protests against the visit of Obama. The militants have said earlier Washington’s visit is meant to exploit the state of uncertainty and tension generated by Manila’s run-ins with Beijing over the West Philippine Sea—the part of the South China Sea that the Philippines asserts is part of its territory.

The groups are mobilizing rallies as part of a coordinated global protest against what is described as a fresh wave of US imperialism. In Manila, that sentiment is fanned by the expected signing of an agreement on enhanced defense cooperation between Washington and its former colony, which once hosted its largest overseas bases at Clark and subic.

A security official who spoke on condition of anonymity said no movements of threat groups, especially from the communist New People’s Army (NPA), have been monitored.

Other armed groups like the Abu Sayyaf Group and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters have been checked, but all indications show they are contained in Mindanao. “No movement has been monitored here in Manila. So I think everything will run smoothly,” the source added.

Gonzales, meanwhile, said a standby force of 200 men is on call and ready to be mobilized immediately if needed by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

“We are just a support unit for the Philippine National Police. Actually, we also did our own security plan for his (Obama) visit but we are all in support, in coordination with the PNP as they are the primary [units for this event],” he said.

Photos below, by Bernard Testa, provide an advance glimpse of the kind of protests local authorities will be dealing with on Monday and Tuesday. The first three photos are on Akbayan's flash mob at a Quezon City coffee shop Sunday; the fourth and fifth show BAYAN activists preparing masks and effigies; and the last photo shows migrant workers' support group Migrante burning the US flag.













http://www.interaksyon.com/article/85559/slide-show--amid-protest-plans-afp-says-no-threat-monitored-on-obama-visit-to-manila

      

 

Barack should answer destruction of marine sanctuary by US warship

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Apr 28): Barack should answer destruction of marine sanctuary by US warship

A Filipino youth group called Anakbayan said the United States should be held accountable for the destruction of the Philippines marine sanctuary Tubbataha Reefs following the grounding of an American ship there.

It said the grounding of the USS Guardian in Tubbataha in 2013 destroyed more than 2,300 square meters of the marine protected area and that President Barack Obama who is visiting Manila today should answer for the destruction of the reefs.

"The US should be held accountable for the destruction of Tubbataha. The Philippine government should raise the issue, stand up for our sovereignty and make sure justice is exacted," Vencer Crisostomo, Anakbayan national chairperson, said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

The US has not responded to repeated demands by Manila to pay for the destruction of the reefs. The USS Guardian not only ignored warnings by Filipino park ranger to change course to avoid hitting the reefs, but also threatened them if they go near the vessel.

Crisostomo said they are appalled that no action has been made to make the US accountable a year after the destruction of the US heritage
site.

"It seems the US and Philippine governments want us to forget this episode along with other crimes committed by the US in our country," he said.

He said the atrocities related to US presence during recent years should also be raised like the toxic waste issues, prohibited drone entry in Philippine airspace, and the Subic rape case involving US soldiers.

"Even the agenda of the talks is skewed in favor of the US. Why can't our government have the slightest courage to raise Philippine sovereignty issues? It is like the master visiting the slave; the human petting his puppet," he said.

Crisostomo said the Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation under the US' "Asia pivot" should be rejected by the Aquino government and the Filipino people.

"The agreement is US military bases version 2.0. Worse than the US-Philippine bases pact rejected in 1991, the AEDC will allow unlimited, eternal access to all of our country. It will turn our nation into one big US military base, turn our land into a US rape and recreation facility," he said.

Various youth groups are set to hold protests actions during the Obama visit.

"Aquino, the puppet, is not expected to stand up for Philippine interests during his talk with Obama. It is up to the patriotic and freedom-aspiring Filipino people to stand up and in solidarity with the peoples of the world against US oppressive might. Let us take action," he said.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/04/barack-should-answer-destruction-of.html

Filipino pet owners hold ‘solidarity pet walk’ for Philippine sovereignty

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Apr 28): Filipino pet owners hold ‘solidarity pet walk’ for Philippine sovereignty



A day before US President Barack Obama arrives in Manila for a two-day state visit, youth groups led by Kabataan party list and the League of Filipino Students held a “solidarity pet walk” to oppose the planned increased rotational presence of US troops in the country.

Pet owners paraded their dogs and puppies in Quezon City Memorial Circle early Sunday in a symbolic action that aimed to emphasize how President Benigno Aquino is acting as a “US lapdog,” particularly in the way his administration is fast-tracking the inking of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which seeks to allow greater rotational presence of the US military in the Philippines and the US military’s use of existing Philippine military bases.

“We are holding this symbolic protest to show that unlike our very own pets, President Aquino is behaving like a mad lapdog ready to obey his US master’s every order,” LFS spokesperson Charlotte Velasco told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

During the event, pet owners posed for photos with their dogs while holding bone-shaped placards with the calls “US troops out now,” “Junk VFA,” “Stop EDCA,” and “Obama, you are not welcome.”

“In this protest activity, we want to show that we love and trust loyal pets who definitely have a concept of ‘territory’ and how it should be defended from ‘foreign intervention’ – but we despise a president who is willing to sacrifice our sovereignty just to please his foreign masters,” said Kabataan party list Rep. Terry Ridon.

“In Obama’s upcoming visit, we vividly see how the Aquino administration is falling for an old trick. For what we know, the new US-PH pact could be tantamount to legalized invasion. The government is worrying about Chinese encroachment of Philippine territory, yet it allows another foreign country – the US – to deploy more troops in more areas in the country, a situation equivalent to de facto invasion,” Ridon said.





Filipino pet owners parade with their dogs to dramatize protest against President Barack Obama's visit to Manila on April 28 until 29.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/04/filipino-pet-owners-hold-solidarity-pet.html

2 mining workers kidnapped in Tawi-Tawi freed

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Apr 27): 2 mining workers kidnapped in Tawi-Tawi freed

Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants have freed two mining workers after almost a year in captivity in the southern Philippines, reports said.

It said Marcial Espana and Eddie Reubal, who were freed in the town of Patikul in Sulu province, arrived on a ferry in Zamboanga City over the weekend. The two men were seized in May last year in Tawi-Tawi province while working for SR Languyan Mining Corporation and brought to Sulu.

Espana and Reubal were on a boat when gunmen on another vessel seized them along with Mar Hadjula, who was later freed.

It was unknown if ransom was paid to the kidnappers for the freedom of the two workers. Security officials and mining executives have not issued any statement about the release of the duo.

Local environmentalists are opposing the nickel ore mining project of SR in Languyan town. Most of the nickel ore are being shipped to China.

The Abu Sayyaf is still holding several hostages, including at least 3 foreigners, in the restive southern region.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/04/2-mining-workers-kidnapped-in-tawi-tawi.html

CPP/NDF-Masbate: NDF- Masbate, mariing kinundena ang walang habas na pagyurak sa karapatan pantao ng mga Masbatenyo !

NDF propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Apr 25): NDF- Masbate, mariing kinundena ang walang habas na pagyurak sa karapatan pantao ng mga Masbatenyo !

NDFP Masbate Chapter

 

Mariing kinukondena ng NDF-Masbate ang walang habas na pagyurak ng mga kasapi ng AFP/PNP/Paramilitar sa karapatan pantao ng mga Masbatenyo habang todo-todong inilalarga nito ang Oplan Bayanihan ng rehimeng US-BS Aquino.

Nitong Abril 22, 2014, bandang alas 8 ng gabi ay dinukot ang isang magsasaka na si Molong Carreon, 50 anyos, may-asawa’t tatlong anak at residente ng Bgry. Liong, San Fernando, Masbate. Pwersahang hinila na parang kalabaw si G. Carreon nang pinagsanib pwersang militar at pulis na nakilalang mga kasapi ng PNP Regional Public Safety Battalion at Philippine Army. Dinala sa isang madilim na bahagi ng kanilang baryo at doon ay pilit na pinaaamin si Molong na siya ay kasapi ng BHB Masbate.

Nang di ito umamin sa akusasyon sa kanya dahil sa di naman talaga siya kasapi ng BHB Masbate, at lehitimong residente ng Brgy. Liong, San Fernando, Masbate ay binugbog at sinaksak sa ibabang bahagi ng kanyang leeg na tumagos hanggang balikat. Ang mga sundalo at pulis na nagsagawa ng pagdukot, pambubogbog at tangkang pagpatay kay Molong Carreon ay nakabase sa katabing bayan ng San Jacinto, Masbate.

Samantala, noong Marso 30, 2014, isang pamangkin ng Meyor ng Cawayan, Masbate ang dumanas ng matinding pambubogbog sa kamay ng Division Reconnaissance Company ng 9th ID, Philippine Army. Habang binabaybay ni Dongdong Condor, nakatira sa Brgy. Del Carmen, Uson, Masbate ang National Highway mula Del Carmen papuntang Pob. Cawayan ng pagdating sa So. Pulang lupa, Brgy. Tuburan, Cawayan, Masbate ay pinara ito ng mga armadong grupo ng 93rd DRC, 9th IDPA.
 Dahil sa harang sa daan at pagkagulat na din ay di agad nakahinto si Dongdong na kung kaya’t ng makahinto ito ay bigla na lang siyang pinagbubogbog ng makailang beses na nagresulta ng maraming pasa sa katawan na halos dila na lang ang walang latay.

Ang katulad nitong mga insidente ay lansakang paglabag sa karapatan pantao, ganundin sa nilagdaang kasunduan sa pagitan ng GRP at NDFP Negotiating Panel alinsunod sa Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law o CARHRIHL.

Nanawagan ang NDF Masbate sa mamamayang Masbatenyo at mamamayang Pilipino na magkaisa at magtulungan upang ipagtanggol at ipaglaban ang karapatan pantao na nakasaad sa saligang batas ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas at labanan ang Oplan Bayanihan ng rehimeng US-BS Aquino.

At, para naman sa lokal na pamahalaan ng Probinsya ng Masbate na protektahan ang karapatan pantao ng mamamayang Masbatenyo at huwag hayaang abusuhin na lang ng mga sundalo’t pulis na mula sa dugo at pawis ng taong bayan ang nagpapasahod sa mga ito.

Labanan at ilantad ang kasamaan ng PNP-RSPB at 93rd DRC,9th ID!

 Biguin ang Oplan Bayanihan ng Rehimeng US-BS Aquino!

 Mamamayang Masbatenyo at Pilipino, ipagwagi ang Demokratikong Rebolusyong Bayan!

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20140425_ndf-masbate-mariing-kinundena-ang-walang-habas-na-pagyurak-sa-karapatan-pantao-ng-mga-masbatenyo

CPP: Oppose Obama’s twin agenda of new basing treaty and “chacha”—CPP

Propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Apr 27): Oppose Obama’s twin agenda of new basing treaty and “chacha”—CPP

Communist Party of the Philippines

 

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today urged the Filipino people to oppose the US’ twin agenda of forging a new basing treaty to allow more US forces and their warships to be stationed in the Philippines and securing the commitment of Aquino government officials to amend the 1987 constitution (chacha or charter change) in order to pave the way for the participation of the Philippine government in negotiations for the US-initiated Trans-Pacific Partnership trade block.

“The four-country Asia visit of US imperialist chief Barack Obama seeks to boost its declared Asia pivot plan to deploy up to 60% of its overseas naval forces to the Asia-Pacific to enable the US to project military power in the region, secure the flow of US surplus goods to Asia and contain the growth of China as a military power and challenger of US hegemony,” said the CPP.

Obama will be arriving in the Philippines tomorrow after visiting Japan, South Korea and Malaysia. Japan and South Korea are the sites of the biggest US bases in Asia, hosting nearly 50,000 troops. Over the past five years, the US imperialists have actively strengthened economic and military ties with Malaysia which has allowed the US military to build up its presence in the Malacca strait, the narrow sealane between the Indian and Pacific Oceans where up to one-fourth of traded goods pass through.

“The visit of US imperialist chief Obama to the Philippine affirms the neocolonial relations between the US government and the Philippine client state currently headed by the Amboy president Benigno Aquino III,” said the CPP.

“The puppet Aquino regime will be welcoming its master Obama with a pledge allowing more US warships, jetfighters, drones and war troops to be stationed in the Philippines, secure within US military facilities and enclaves carved inside the military bases of the local armed forces, upgraded to enable hosting of US war machines” said the CPP. “This pledge will be affirmed with the signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) which will further deepen US military entrenchment in the Philippines and in the Asia-Pacific.”

“The EDCA is no other than a military basing agreement as it will allow the US military to maintain its facilities, station its troops for rest and recreation, dock its sea vessels, land its jetfighters, operate its spy drones and plan, prepare and launch operations, including power projection maneuvers ang wars of aggression within and outside the region,” said the CPP. The EDCA comes on top of the permanent basing of the 700-strong Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) since 2002 within the AFP’s Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City.

“Aquino and his puppet officials will also be informing their master Obama of the all-out efforts being undertaken to amend the 1987 Philippine constitution in order to remove restrictions against full foreign ownership of strategic economic enterprises and a prohibition on foreigners practicing their professions in the country,” said the CPP.

“The Obama government has made it crystal clear to the Aquino regime that it needs to amend the Philippine 1987 constitution in order to participate in talks to build the US-initiated Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP),” said the CPP. The US position for amending the Philippine constitution was publicly declared by then US Ambassador Harry Thomas in 2011 and is contained in the book Arangkada!

commissioned by the American Chamber of Commerce which asserts that the removal of restrictions against foreign ownership of land and enterprises is the key to raising so-called Philippine competitiveness.

“The EDCA and chacha serve to virtually reestablish US colonial rule in the Philippines,” said the CPP. “The Filipino people must vigorously protest the visit of US imperialist chief Obama. Through the EDCA and chacha, the Aquino regime perpetuates and strengthens US military and economic domination in the Philippines, further undermines Philippine sovereignty and makes a complete mockery of so-called Philippine independence.”

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20140427_oppose-obama-s-twin-agenda-of-new-basing-treaty-and-chacha-cpp

PA's 'Kubar' boots now undergoing operational tests

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 27): PA's 'Kubar' boots now undergoing operational tests
 
The Philippine Army (PA) has said that its "Hukbong Katihan Boots" (Kubar) are now being tested operationally by Scout Rangers based in San Miguel, Bulacan.

"The 'Kubar' boots are now undergoing operational testing. Soldiers wearing them are being made to march in rough, muddy, and mountainous terrain to determine if they are durable enough for field use," Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato said.

Once the "Kubar" passes this series of tests with flying colors, the boots will be ordered and distributed to line units, he added.

The PA earlier announced that it will be acquiring 79,066 pairs of jungle olive green "Kubar" boots for the use of its soldiers.

Detoyato said the "Kubar" boots were inspired by the latest athletic shoes and military boots construction technology.

He added that the boots offer protection, maximum stability, and comfort in actual combat training and operations.

There are three color options for the finished "Kubar" boots and these are urban black, jungle olive green, and desert Mojave khaki.

Detoyato said that after a series of research and consultations with the best shoe manufacturers, and the test and evaluation conducted at the Research and Development Center of the Army Support Command, the PA introduced the "Kubar" on Nov. 27, 2013.

He added that the PA believes that soldiers deserve only the best so that they in turn can provide excellent service, especially in performing their duties in combat- related missions.

This project is in tune with the Army Transformation Roadmap, which is geared towards making sustainable impact not only on the Army’s systems, processes and organizational capability, but more importantly in the individual soldiers.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=638347

Navy joins search for Malaysia kidnap victims

From the Manila Times (Apr 26): Navy joins search for Malaysia kidnap victims

Philippine police remain silent over reports that a Chinese woman and a Filipina resort worker kidnapped from a resort in Sabah, Malaysia are being held captive in the southern island of Sulu.

Malaysia has tagged an Abu Sayyaf group responsible for previous ransom kidnappings in Sabah as behind the abduction of Chinese holiday–maker Gao Huayun, 29, and Filipina Marcy Dayawan, 40, from Singamata Adventures and Reef Resort in the town of Semporna in Sabah on April 2.

The duo is allegedly being held in a jungle lair by the Abu Sayyaf militants, a group linked to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya and blamed for the spate of terrorism and kidnappings in      the Philippines.

The victims were first taken by their captors led by Murphy Ladja to the Filipino province of Tawi-Tawi and then by boat to Sulu where they were turned over to another Abu Sayyaf group under Alhabsi Misaya in Mount Taran in Sulu’s Indanan town.

Other reports said a Filipino woman, Sugar Diane Buenviaje, is also being held captive by Misaya’s group. The 33-year old woman, whose family owns Cagayan Enterprises and General Merchandise, was kidnapped in Tawi-Tawi’s Mapun town in February. Misaya was also tagged in the series of bombings in Sulu in recent years.

Director Geneneral Datuk Mohammad Mentek of the Eastern Sabah Security Command said the Chinese woman and the Filipina resort worker are being held by Abu Sayyaf militants who were also involved in the 2000 kidnappings of 21 mostly European holiday–makers and Asian workers at the Pulau Sipadan resort; and also in the kidnapping in November of a Taiwanese woman on Pom Pom Island, according to a report by Malaysia’s online newspaper The Star.

Malaysian Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamid said the kidnappers have demanded a P500-million ransom in exchange for the safe release of the Chinese woman, whose photograph was sent by her captors to her family.

Sulu police chief Supt. Ab–raham Orbita declined to confirm nor deny the reports. “Let’s keep silent about that,” he told The Manila Times.

The military’s Western Min–danao Command said the navy has joined the search for the victims. “We are exerting efforts to search and locate the kid–napped victims in probable areas in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi where they could have been brought. Naval Task Force 62 is now conducting extensive search while other units in the area have been on high alert,” Marine Capt. Maria Rowena Myuela, a spokes–woman for the Western Minda–nao Command, said.

The Abu Sayyaf was largely blamed for the daring raid on the posh Pulau Sipadan resort in 2000 where they kidnapped 21 people and ransomed them off to Malaysia and Libya for at least $25 million.

In November, the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped Taiwanese tourist Chang An Wei, 58, after killing her husband Hsu Li Min, 57, in a daring cross-border raid on Sabah’s Pom Pom Island.  The woman was eventually released a month later near the village of Liban in Talipao town in Sulu after paying ransom. The Abu Sayyaf has resorted to ransom kidnappings to raise money for the purchase of weapons and to fund terror attacks in the Philippines.

http://www.manilatimes.net/navy-joins-search-for-malaysia-kidnap-victims/92101/

Australia, Philippines scrambling to boost air forces

From the Nikkei Asian Review (Apr 25): Australia, Philippines scrambling to boost air forces

Australia and the Philippines are scrambling to boost their air forces in a bid to counter China's increasingly aggressive maritime advances into the South China Sea and Indian Ocean.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced on Wednesday that his country will purchase a total of 72 F-35 fighter jets, 58 more than initially planned. The F-35 is a state-of-the-art fighter jet made in the U.S.

   
The Philippines will procure 12 South Korean-made FA-50 fighter jets. The Southeast Asian country is also set to conclude a new military pact with the U.S. during U.S. President Barack Obama's visit there later this month.

Australia expanding

The Australian government has decided to procure an additional 58 F-35 fighter jets. The F-35 is a "fifth-generation" fighter that is difficult to track on radar because of its high stealth capability.

Australia plans to procure a total of 72 F-35 fighter jets by 2023. The first 14 are to be delivered in 2018 and go into service in 2020.
The F-35 procurement program costs 12.4 billion Australian dollars ($11.6 billion), making it one of Australia's biggest-ever military purchases.

Prime Minister Abbott said that the F-35 procurement program will allow his country to maintain its military supremacy in the region over the next few decades.

He also expressed the view that buying the F-35s will help strengthen Australia's alliance with the U.S. and boost defense cooperation with countries such as Japan and South Korea.

The massive F-35 purchase program has sparked a national controversy as Australia is now facing the challenge of restoring its fiscal health following the end of its resources boom.

Abbott said at a press conference on Wednesday that the money for the F-35 fighter jets has already been set aside under a long-term plan and will not come out of any new budgets.

Abbott also said that his government has decided to acquire 58 more F-35 fighter jets to prepare for contingencies. He did not elaborate, apparently out of consideration to relations with China, now Australia's largest trading partner.

Philippines -- up from zero

The Philippine government signed a contract in March to purchase 12 South Korean-made FA-50 fighter jets for 18.9 billion pesos ($422 million).

The Philippine military currently possesses no fighter jets.

When China hinted last year that it might establish an air defense identification zone in the South China Sea, the Philippines saw exposed its inability to cope with violations of its air space by foreign military planes.

The governments of the U.S. and the Philippines are set to conclude a new military pact during Obama's visit to the Southeast Asian country later this month.

The U.S. withdrew its military forces from the Philippines by 1992 following the end of the Cold War. The stationing of foreign troops in the Philippines is currently banned under the nation's constitution.

The new military pact will allow U.S. forces the joint use of military bases in the Philippines, virtually clearing the way for the U.S. to station its troops there again.

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/Australia-Philippines-scrambling-to-boost-air-forces

Palace mum on defense pact with US

From the Philippine Star (Apr 27): Palace mum on defense pact with US

Malacañang has given no indication whether the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the United States will be ready for signing by tomorrow’s visit of US President Barack Obama.

“We will await word from the panel,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said yesterday.

Coloma said nothing in the deal would come as a surprise since the provisions had been discussed publicly.

“Any agreement with any country will be open for public scrutiny in keeping with the administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability and good governance,” he said.

Philippine panel chairman Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino said the Philippines and the US panels are in continuing consultations on the agreement and will give “progress updates.”

The agreement is supposed to be the centerpiece of Obama’s visit but Malacañang said inter-agency vetting must be done as regards the implementation of the accord.

The key points of the agreement will also have to be reviewed by President Aquino.

The proposed agreement will allow the US wider access to Philippine military bases amid increasing tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippine negotiators said there was consensus on key provisions and modalities that would reflect, among others, full respect for Philippine sovereignty, non-permanence of US troops and no US military basing in the Philippines and a prohibition against weapons of mass destruction.

The draft agreement grants the US access to and use of facilities and bases of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), but it will be at the invitation of the Philippine government and with full respect for the Constitution and Philippine laws.

The accord will also include the protection of the environment, human health and safety.

The negotiators said the proposed agreement would provide the Philippines the “critical and timely support” for AFP modernization to achieve a minimum credible defense posture.

It also provides for more expeditious humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and the provision of jobs and other economic opportunities through the procurement of local goods and supplies by the US military.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/04/27/1316578/palace-mum-defense-pact-us

MILF fears watering down of Bangsamoro bill in Congress

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Apr 25): MILF fears watering down of Bangsamoro bill in Congress



Ahud (aka Murad) Ebrahim. FILE PHOTO/MALACANANG PHOTO BUREAU
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Friday admitted that it fears the watering down of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law in Congress.

“Congress may try to change some provisions of the Basic Law. It could be watered down. This is one of the challenges we foresee,” MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad told European ambassadors in Camp Darapanan, Maguindanao.

Murad said that is one of their worries when the bill, which was drafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Council, is submitted to Congress.

The Bangsamoro Basic Law will pave the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro political entity following the comprehensive peace agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF.

The draft has been submitted to President Benigno Aquino III. Upon the President’s approval, the proposed bill will have to be submitted to Congress to undergo the legislative process before being enacted into law.

Murad said they will have to convince lawmakers that the law should not be diluted because it is a crucial part of the peace agreement and a product of four decades of “hard negotiations…hard struggle of the Bangsamoro (people).”

The MILF camp was the second stop of the European Union delegation’s mission to Mindanao.

The delegation was led by Ambassadors Guy Ledoux of EU, Thomas Ossowski of Germany, Massimo Roscigno of Italy, Josef Muellner of Austria, and Roland van Remoortele of Belgium.

Delegates from the United Kingdom, Romania, France, and Spain were also present.

The group on Friday met with the MILF, officials of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and other stakeholders.

EU has a number of projects being implemented in Mindanao in support of the peace process. It is also the biggest donor to the World Bank-administered Mindanao Trust Fund, which provides for various livelihood and development programs in the region.

 http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/597350/milf-fears-watering-down-of-bangsamoro-bill-in-congress

UK backs PH in sea row

From the Manila Standard Today (Apr 27): UK backs PH in sea row

THE United Kingdom is ready to stand firm if security in the South China Sea, where 90 percent of its energy and mineral resources pass, is threatened and will remain a friend of the Philippines “in fair weather and in turbulent times,” according British Ambassador Asif Ahmad.

“We believe in a rules-based world covering critical issues of security, commerce and transportation. We have shared values, we must be ready to speak out when these are threatened...not on a tactical basis... but based on principles,” Ahmad said at a reception for Queen Elizabeth’s 88th birthday.

“We care and we want to make a difference. Great Britain, with its economic strength, our role in the UN, the Commonwealth and the European Union... is a country that believes in freedom, human rights and justice. We are nation that cares about the world we live in,” he said.

“We are here as a friend of the Philippines. We are with you in fair weather and in turbulent times,” he added.

Ahmad said the UK supports Manila on its rules-based approach in solving the ongoing dispute with China and most of the international community also want a United Nations ruling on the sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea.

“If I will judge the mood of the international community, most of them feel the same way. They don’t want an escalation or any difficulty. They would like a ruling from the UN which makes it all very clear,” Ahmad said.

“What the international community wants is to use the rules-based approach, to have it resolved,” the envoy said, adding that all countries under the UN system are required to follow rules “which are clear to everybody.”

Highlighting Britains’ ties with the Philippines, Ahmad said the friendship was embedded more than 250 years ago when the British left Manila in 1764.

As a result of the Seven Years War, Britain invaded Manila in September 1762 and took possession of Manila for two years until the conclusion of the war. The British returned Manila to the Spanish in April 1764.

“Ang relasyon ng ating mga bansa ay nakatatak na sa kasaysayan. Ang Abril ay isang importanteng buwan. Ito ay ang ika-250 anibersaryo ng pag-alis ng mga British sa Pilipinas (The relationship of our countries is embedded in our history. April is an important month. It is the 250th anniversary of Britain’s departure from the Philippines),” said Ahmad who studied Filipino in London.

Ahmad joked that had the British decided to stay in the Philippines, Filipinos today would be driving left instead of right, enamoured with football instead of basketball and “meron na rin kayong tunay na British accent (you would have a real British accent).”

But in the end, Ahmad said “pinakamabuti ang may autonomiya at mas mahalaga pa rin ang kalayaan ang Republika ng Pilipinas (autonomy was the best course and the freedom of the Republic of the Philippines was more important).”

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/04/27/uk-backs-ph-in-sea-row/