Peace talks to be held in The Netherlands

From the Manila Bulletin (Mar 18): Peace talks to be held in The Netherlands

The fourth round of peace talks between the Philippine government (GRP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) will be held in The Netherlands, not Oslo, Norway from April 1 to 7.

 

This was confirmed by a member of the GRP Panel, who said that the change in venue was to make sure that Jose Maria Sison, founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the NDF Peace Panel’s chief political consultant who is ailing would be able to attend the talks.

 

Sison, 78, has been living in exile in Utrecht, The Netherlands since 1987 and reported to be not in good health.

 

In fact, during the third round of the peace talks in Rome, Italy last January, Sison fell ill and had to be rushed to the hospital and was not able to attend the last days of the negotiations.

 

The Manila Bulletin source intimated that Sison may not be able to withstand the rigors of the two-hour flight from Amsterdam to Oslo.

The agreement on a bilateral ceasefire is expected to be on top of the agenda of the Netherland talks, which had been formally proposed by the GRP Peace Panel in Rome.

The creation of a Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC), which will oversee the implementation of a bilateral ceasefire is also expected to be tackled.

Discussions on the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER) will likewise be continued, as well as Political and Constitutional Reforms (PRC).

Both parties agreed to return to the negotiation table after informal talks were held in Utrecht last March 5.

The agreement came after the GRP and NDF terminated their respective unilateral ceasefires last month due to escalating conflicts on the ground. President Duterte was incensed over the brutal slay of four government troops that he ordered peace panel negotiators to pack up and return to the Philippines. The atrocities by NPA rebels against government troops were committed while their unilateral ceasefire was in effect.

Following appeals from various quarters to resume the talks, President Duterte relented after back channeling moves to fulfill a campaign promise to bring peace to the country.

But this time he has set conditions to “ensure that genuine peace talks are realized.”

“I want a ceasefire that is reduced in writing and the parameters clearly shown where we should be going and what we should do if it fails,” the President said.

 

http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/03/18/peace-talks-to-be-held-in-the-netherlands/

Philippines to strengthen military facilities in South China Sea

From Reuters (Mar 17): Philippines to strengthen military facilities in South China Sea



FILE PHOTO - An aerial photo taken though a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged on-going land reclamation by China on mischief reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, in this file photo dated May 11, 2015. ... REUTERS/Ritchie B. Tongo/Pool/File Photo

The Philippines said on Friday it would strengthen its military facilities on islands and shoals in the disputed South China Sea and announced initial plans to build a new port and pave an existing rough airstrip.

Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana had been scheduled to inspect an outpost on Thitu, one of the disputed Spratly Islands, but his trip was canceled because of "safety issues" and he spent the day instead at a military base where he unveiled the development plans.

"We will build a runway and a port, a pier, for our ships" on Thitu, Lorenzana told troops at the Western Command's 41st anniversary. "We are a bit blind in that area."

Thitu is close to Subi Reef, one of seven manmade islands in the Spratlys that China is accused of militarizing with surface-to-air missiles and other armaments.

The Philippines has squabbled with China for years over the South China Sea, but relations appear to have improved under President Rodrigo Duterte, who was scheduled to meet Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang in Davao City in the southern Philippines on Friday.

The minister said Duterte had given approval to upgrade facilities not only on Thitu but on the eight other features in the South China Sea it occupies.

Defense ministry spokesman Arsenio Andolong said landing on a porous runway on Thitu after heavy rains would have been dangerous.

A senior Philippine general said, however, the military also blocked a planned trip by a group of lawmakers to Thitu on Thursday, more because of concern over how China would react.

"That is a contested area, that is not 100 percent ours," Lieutenant-General Raul del Rosario told a Congressional hearing on Thursday.

"That's why we are concerned if you fly there. Every time an aircraft flies there, it gets a warning and there are times they fire flares towards the aircraft."

The military declined to comment on Rosario's statement.

A fishing community of about 110 people live on Thitu. China has troops on islands it occupies but not civilians.

China claims most of the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which about $5 trillion of goods passes each year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-southchinasea-idUSKBN16O0SS

Gov't troops score big win as 21 BIFF killed in anti-terror fight

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 19): Gov't troops score big win as 21 BIFF killed in anti-terror fight

Government troops scored a big victory in the fight against terrorism with the killing of 21 members of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the past few days in Central Mindanao, military officials said on Sunday.

Brig. Gen. Arnel de la Vega, commanding officer of the 6th Infantry Division and chief of Joint Task Force Central (JTF-C), said that 26 other BIFF members were also wounded following air strikes and ground combat operations conducted from March 13-16 in Datu Salibo, Maguindanao.

“The deployment of blocking forces proved effective in preventing the terrorists from escaping the mass offensives,” he said in a statement.

The BIFF, which broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, has pledged allegiance to international terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2014.

No casualties from government troops were recorded, de la Vega said.

De la Vega said that government troops also recovered five improvised explosive devices (IED) and numerous bomb-making components during the offensive operation.

The recovery from the area of manuals for IED-making indicate that the slain terrorists are giving instructions on how to assemble explosive devices and launch bomb attacks, he said.

The official said the military offensives were directed against the group of Muhammad Ali Bin Abdulrahman, alias Muawiyah, a foreign terrorist; Salahuddin Hassan, a local terrorist and bomber trained by the latter; and Esmael Abdulmalik, alias Abu Toraype, the Dawlah Islamiyah Maguindanao founder and a BIFF brigade commander.

“Validations are being made on the ground on persistent reports that these terrorist (leaders) were killed in the well-planned, well-coordinated and well-executed massive air and ground operations,” de la Vega said.

He said those killed in the military operations were also “cohorts” of slain Malaysian terror suspect Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, who was killed by members of the elite Special Action Forces of the Philippine National Police in January 2016 in Maguindanao.

Maj. Gen. Carlito Galvez, Jr., Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) commander, said the deliberate military operations delivered a “crippling blow” against foreign and local terrorists holed-up in some parts of Central Mindanao.

"With the recent successful operations, the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) has dealt a severe blow on the reported ISIS cell in Central Mindanao. We are also confident that their bomb making capability was seriously degraded if not negated," Galvez said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=972933

MNLF-IO: MNLF gathers for Bangsamoro Freedom Day

Posted to the Moro National Liberation Front International Office (Mar 18): MNLF celebrates 49th anniversary

SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao: The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is celebrating today (March 18) its 49th founding anniversary with a massive gathering of leaders and supporters in Sulu.

 

Ustadz Murshi Ibrahim, MNLF Central Committee secretary general, told The Manila Times that Founding Chairman Nurullaji Misuari has issued an official advisory to MNLF leaders, Bangsamoro Armed Forces (BAF) officers, commanders and regular members to join the celebration to be highlighted by a parade at the historic town of Jolo.

 

Ibrahim advised the participants to proceed to the Astana (Palace) on Mount Dragon for the final affairs of the 49th MNLF Anniversary that will commence at 3 p.m. where Misuari is expected to deliver his speech and will make an important announcement for the Bangsamoro people.

 

The MNLF adherents, supporters and sympathizers from all over Minsupala (Mindanao, Sulu, Palawan) are expected to actively participate in the celebration.

 

https://www.facebook.com/MNLFINFO/photos/a.1014067655330137.1073741829.404979842905591/1410629525673946/?type=3&theater

 

https://www.facebook.com/MNLFINFO/

MNLF-IO: Photos: MNFL 49th Founding Anniversary Celebration!

Posted to the Moro National Liberation Front International Office Facebook page (Mar 18): Photos:
MNFL 49th Founding Anniversary Celebration!




https://www.facebook.com/MNLFINFO/photos/pcb.1410779928992239/1410778965659002/?type=3&theater



https://www.facebook.com/MNLFINFO/photos/pcb.1410779928992239/1410778978992334/?type=3&theater



https://www.facebook.com/MNLFINFO/photos/pcb.1410779928992239/1410778968992335/?type=3&theater



https://www.facebook.com/MNLFINFO/photos/pcb.1410779928992239/1410779128992319/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/MNLFINFO/

NDF/NDF-Mindanao:On the 49th year commemoration of the Jabidah Massacre

Propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Mar 18): On the 49th year commemoration of the Jabidah Massacre

 Press Statement
18 March 2017

ARMED REVOLUTION IS THE ONLY SOLUTION TO THE BASIC PROBLEMS OF THE MORO PEOPLE



The National Democratic Front of the Philippines – Mindanao (NDFP-Mindanao) is one with the struggling Moro people in commemorating the 49th anniversary of the Jabidah Massacre. The Jabidah Massacre incident was the slaughter on March 18, 1968 of 28 to 64 young Moro men recruited for an operation to invade Sabah, Operation Merdeka.

This was a manifestation of deep chauvinism and the utter lack of respect for the human rights of the Moro people. This unspeakable tragedy sparked the Bangsamoro’s armed resistance against national oppression and the struggle for their genuine right to self-determination.

It has been nearly five decades, and even if the Duterte regime promised that it will do what it can to attain ‘peace’ in Mindanao, militarization in numerous Moro communities, especially in Sulu, Basilan, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat, continue unabated and are escalating. Under the pretext of the ‘war against terrorism’, the Moro masses are in fact the real victims of indiscriminate bombings and attacks in these Moro areas.

Similar to acts of atrocity committed by previous regimes, these resulted in the forced evacuation of thousands of Moro masses. The AFP, for their part, is quick to create a hype on media with regard to members of the Abu Sayyaf or other such terrorist groups whom they have killed, but are, in truth, just ordinary and innocent Moro masses. Even more distressing, these have also resulted in the erosion of livelihood of the Moro people, shoving them further onto the muck of impoverishment. Thus, even as 49 years have passed, the brutality felt by the victims of the Jabidah massacre lives on with the Moro people.

The Bangsamoro continues to be pitted against each other, and suffer in the throes of division. And the gap between Muslims and Christians, and that of the Moro and the majority peoples, widens even further, because of the unresolved problem of the Abu Sayyaf, which was created and coddled by the AFP. The reactionary government continues to suppress the legitimate armed resistance of the Moro people, such as the ones advanced by the MILF, BIFF, MNLF-Misuari and other such groups. The ‘peace talks’ have been used to deceive the Bangsamoro, leading them astray from the path of armed struggle and pushing them to capitulation.

However, the history of the Bangsamoro is rife with the determined struggle against foreign domination, injustice, oppression and the plunder of their ancestral lands. Since Sultan Kudarat’s fight against the Spanish colonizers, to Datu Ali’s rise against US imperialism, until the current struggle against the puppet and reactionary state, the struggle of the Bangsamoro continues to blaze.

In 1969, only a year after the Jabidah massacre, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), under the leadership of Chairman Nur Misuari and Vice Chairman Sheik Hashim Salamat, was founded. Despite Martial Law, it launched successful operations against the US-Marcos regime’s military forces.

Due to the armed resistance begun by the MNLF, Marcos was then forced to open up to the first ever peace negotiations with the Bangsamoro. In 1976, the US-Marcos regime and the MNLF signed the Tripoli Agreement. Marcos however betrayed the MNLF after he junked the agreement because it ran opposed to the provisions of the Philippine constitution.

After the MNLF, then came the MILF, and then the BIFF – all seeking to resolve the Moro problem through armed resistance and win for the Moro people their genuine right to self-determination.

Even with the successive regime changes that followed after Marcos, it is undeniable that oppression and exploitation worsened for the Moro people. After Marcos was ousted from power, the Aquino, Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo and Aquino III regimes all boasted to work towards granting autonomy to the Bangsamoro. But, in spite of consecutive peace (1996 Final Peace Agreement, MOA-AD, CAB, etc.) and ceasefire (1997 GRP-MILF Ceasefire Agreement) agreements, the brutal militarization of Moro areas never ceased. And, until present, with the full recognition of the Bangsamoro’s right to self-determination disregarded, genuine autonomy remains elusive.


Photo from ArkibongBayan.org

In another context, through the imposition of pro-imperialist policies under Duterte, the Moro people are further pushed to destitution. The Bangsamoro do not benefit at all from the thousands of hectares of arable land forcibly apportioned to imperialist mining concessions (e.g. P495-million nickel-mining project by Pax Libera Mining, Inc. in Languyan, Tawi-Tawi) and plantations for banana, oil palm, jathropa, rubber and pineapple (e.g. US-company UNIFRUITTI that owns 5,000 hectares of banana plantation in the towns of Buldon, Matanog, Talayan, Abubakar and Barira, all in the Maguindanao province). The ones that fully exploit Bangsamoro lands are foreign monopoly capitalists and their local cohorts, such as Danding Cojuangco, and by the Moro ruling classes, such as the Ampatuan and Mangudadatu clans.

The NDFP-Mindanao therefore calls upon the Moro people to remain steadfast in their unity and demand that the Duterte government fulfil its promise to genuinely better the lives of the Bangsamoro.

Despite of the continuing AFP and paramilitary attacks, the Bangsamoro must steel its resolve to further strengthen its armed resistance for its genuine right to self-determination and against the fascist and chauvinist reactionary state. Remember that only through armed revolution the basic problems of the Moro people are resolved.

The NDFP-Mindanao, together with its allied organization, the Moro Resistance and Liberation Organization (MRLO), is one with you in your continuing struggle for just and lasting peace and justice.#

Ka Joaquin Jacinto
Spokesperson
NDFP-Mindanao

https://www.ndfp.org/49th-year-commemoration-jabidah-massacre/

NDF/NDF-SMR: Who are getting the worst end of GRP’s all-out war?

Propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Mar 17): Who are getting the worst end of GRP’s all-out war?  

NDFP – Southern Mindanao Region
Press Statement | March 17, 2017

Prisoners-of-War CAA Rene Doller and CAA Carl Mark Nucos

In a recent video released by the NPA Comval-Davao Gulf Sub-Regional Command, Prisoners-of-War CAA Rene Doller and CAA Carl Mark Nucos assert that the Filipino masses, especially the poor Lumad and peasants living in the countryside, are suffering greatly in the face of the AFP’s all-out war against the revolutionary movement.

POW Doller, who has been a member of the Civilians Auxiliary Force and Geographical Unit (CAFGU) for 19 years, exposed the truth about their troops’ combat and civic-military operations long denied by duplicitous mouthpieces in the AFP. “When we conduct operations, there are civilians that we talk to. They get scared because we encamp in communities, in barangay halls and in sitios,” Doller said.

Despite clear rules of engagements in the CARHRIHL and other international protocols, AFP troops bullheadedly utilize civilian communities as virtual garrisons in their counter-insurgency campaign.

He added how AFP troops wage psywar and harassment against the hapless civilians in a fascist attempt to coerce information out of them:


“There are also AFP soldiers who are unpleasant; they harass the civilians and interrogate them where the NPAs are. And those masses who are guileless, they look pitiful because they shudder out of fear. There are other soldiers who do not understand the masses, they just harass them.”

In the past month since the all-out war campaign against the revolutionary movement, and with Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s order to “drop bombs” and “flatten hills” in going after the NPA, AFP troops in the region have gone haywire in committing the most ferocious war crimes against the masses. On March 10, operating troops of the 46IB indiscriminately fired at commuting civilians in Brgy. Caboyoan, Mabini in Compostela Valley. The next day, following the NPA’s successful tactical offensive against said troops, the AFP launched massive aerial strike in the hinterlands of the barangay, destroying communities and farms while close to 500 families of Lumads and peasants evacuated with hardly any belongings with them. Several houses where also ransacked by the marauding troops.

On February 12, Brgy. Bullocan, Laak in Compostela Valley was bombarded by the 60IB with several 105mm Howitzer cannons, prompting more than 300 families to flee their communities. On February 22, residents of Brgy. Fatima, Paquibato district in Davao City were subjected to over an hour of the AFP’s aerial assault.

The AFP’s paramilitaries have also gone on a killing spree of civilians. Peasant leader Willerme Agorde was gunned down by the Bagani in his residence in Pres. Roxas on February 19 while Buyog Bacladan, a Lumad, was killed on February 21 in Magpet, North Cotabato. The Alamara also threatened on February 12 the delegates of a medical and mercy mission who were investigating the epidemic of cholera among the Lumad communities in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.

In Mati City and Lupon, Davao Oriental, soldiers of the 28IB who were conducting so-called rescue operations for the POWs Doller and Nucos trained their guns on farmers Marcial Alameda, Jr. and Eduardo Mandabon. Mandabon was cruelly mauled for failing to provide information on the whereabouts of the NPA.

POW Nucos appealed to AFP troops who are operating in the countryside “to cease their operations because many civilians live in terror, especially when there are encounters close to their communities. Their livelihood are also direly affected.”

Oplan Kapayapaan, like its previous counterinsurgency iterations, not only employs fascist measures but also divisive tactics of pitting the poor against one another. As in the aggressive recruitment of paramilitaries like the Bagani and Alamara that creates schism among Lumads in the region, the AFP enlists CAFGUs as lowly-paid combatants and local assets against their fellow peasants in the countryside.

The two POWs also lamented the miserable situation of working as CAFGUs. POW Doller said that when he joined the service in 1998, they were only paid a meager P900 per month. “This year, 2017, we are getting P4,500.” He further rued, “If we figure into an accident or if we die in combat, our families will only be given P65,000. That’s all they get.”

POW Nucos appealed to his fellow CAFGUs to “leave the service since there are other means of living that we can pursue, and especially to the youth as there are other opportunities for work.” To their principal, POW Doller urged for the resumption of the peace negotiations between the GRP and the NDFP. He added, “I think we should also end the all-out war because it is disastrous to the people, especially those living in the countryside, the poor peasants, so that they may be able to find decent livelihood here. And also, sir, so that Prisoners of War like us may be released immediately.”

The NPA custodial unit of the two POWs is awaiting order for their safe release in consideration to appeals from their families and other well-meaning peace advocates. However, the unit reported that the 28IB is still conducting combat operations that imperil the safety of POWs Doller and Nucos and hinder their speedy release.

POWs Doller and Nucos were arrested in a mobile checkpoint mounted by Red fighters in Brgy. Don Mariano Marcos, Lupon in Davao Oriental last February 14.

RUBI DEL MUNDO
Spokesperson
NDF-SMR

 https://www.ndfp.org/getting-worst-end-grps-war/

Militant groups join “invaders” of NHA housing projects in Bulacan

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 18): Militant groups join “invaders” of NHA housing projects in Bulacan

Some 600 militants belonging to five partylist groups swooped down in one of the rows of occupied housing units of the National Housing Authority (NHA) at the NHA Village Heights 2 in Barangay Mapulang Lupa here where they staged a rally in a show of support to the cause of the urban poor on Saturday morning.

The militant groups composed of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Akbayan, Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anak Pawis and Kabataan Partylist took turns in assailing the government housing programs and vowed to support members of the leftist group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay), who occupied since March 8 at least 6,000 “idle” housing units in different resettlement areas in this town.

Sarah Elago of the Kabataan partylist said that their group, together with the four others partylist organizations belonging to the Makabayan Block, had already filed a resolution in Congress aiming to investigate the idle housing projects of the government.

“The poor has the right to proper shelter and public funds intended for the poor should go to the poor,” she said.

She said, however, that their resolution would have to wait because Congress was now on break.

Elago said that it was high time to probe the incidents so that it would not have spill-over effects in other provinces where NHA housing units were located.

She added that NHA should speed up the processing of papers for the poor since many of them had no means to follow up the requirements.

She said that President Rodrigo Duterte himself did not want people lining up to follow up something in every government offices.

Rep. Antonio Tinio of ACT Partylist said that the police and military should not be allowed in the community and also diverted his speech in the offensive of the government against communist insurgents.

When asked what would they do if the NHA served the notice of eviction this coming Monday, Carlito Badioc, Secretary General of Kadamay, said that their group would not leave the occupied housing units and continue to fight for the right of the poor to have their own dwelling place.

He said that Kadamay was willing to provide the masterlist of the group who took over the NHA housing units but NHA officials did not let it happen that way.

What they want is for us to leave first the occupied housing units before they process it. And also, we want them to acknowledge our wishes --to pull out the police in the area, remove food blockade and provide electricity, water and other needs of the housing sites,"” Badioc said.

The NHA on the other hand, explained that the units that the KADAMAY has occupied has already been awarded to the PNP housing boards while the other units are already awarded to informal settlers whose houses have been demolished and to families who where removed from geological hazard zones.

The NHA also issued statements that they are following instructions of the President who ordered them to provide adequate living conditions for the people by providing them with water and electric supply.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=972819

Bilateral ceasefire deal to top agenda of resumption of peace talks -- Bello

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 19): Bilateral ceasefire deal to top agenda of resumption of peace talks -- Bello

Government chief peace negotiator Silvestre ‘Bebot’ Bello III is optimistic that a bilateral ceasefire agreement would be reached during the resumption of peace talks between the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) on April 2-6 in Oslo, Norway.

In an interview at the the inauguration of SSS - Ilagan branch in Isabela on Friday, Bello said, “topping the agenda of the fourth round of talks is the forging of a ceasefire agreement where both parties would set parameters and mechanisms for an honest-to-goodness observance of the truce.”

Bello also said, once the bilateral ceasefire agreement would be forged, they will start discussion on socio economic issues to include geniune land reform, independent foreign policies, national industrialization, among others, to come up with a Comprehensive Agreeement on Socio Economic Reforms (CASER).

If there would be no major setbacks during the talks, Bello said CASER shall be forged by the end of June and final peace agreement will be possible by the end of August, this year.

This, he said, “is because the other agreement, the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), which was forged during the Ramos administration, has already been adopted by both parties.”

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=972857

Army recovers BIFF guns after brief clash in Maguindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 19): Army recovers BIFF guns after brief clash in Maguindanao

Soldiers serving as blocking force of military offensives against outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Maguindanao clashed Saturday with the lawless elements in Rajah Buayan town, the Army said on Sunday.

Capt. Arvin John Encinas, 6th Infantry Division spokesperson, said the elements of the 40th Infantry Battalion clashed with fleeing elements of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the village of Pidsandawan at about 3 a.m.

Outnumbered, the BIFF dispersed and fled toward the Liguasan marshland, leaving behind five firearms, Encinas said.

Firearms recovered were a Garand rifle, Carbine rifle, M-79 grenade launcher and two 12-gauge shot guns and bomb making devices.

Last week, the Army launched air and ground assaults in the villages of Tee and Andavit, Datu Salibo, Maguindanao after BIFF Commander Bungos and a Jemaah Islamiya senior leader were sighted.

Rajah Buayan town is adjacent to Datu Salibo within the vicinity of the 220,000 hectares Liguasan marsh.

Encinas said the focused military operations left at least 10 BIFF killed, including a suspected foreign terrorists whose identity is still being validated.

Encinas said information from villagers and troops on the ground said the BIFF immediately buried their fallen comrades a day after the offensives.

Brig. General Arnel Dela Vega, 6th ID chief, vowed to relentlessly pursue the bandits blamed for the series of roadside bombings against military personnel stationed in Maguindanao’s second district.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=972874

PN vessels mounting Oto Melara gun rise to six

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 18): PN vessels mounting Oto Melara gun rise to six

With the Philippine Navy (PN) now operating three Hamilton-class cutters in its fleet, the number of Filipino warships mounting the formidable 76mm Oto Melara automatic cannon in the Philippine Navy (PN) has climbed to six.

The third Hamilton cutter (now the Gregorio Del Pilar class frigate in PN service) was delivered and commissioned last December with her first and second sisters being activated on December 2011, and November 2013, respectively.

The other three ships carrying these armaments are the three Jacinto-class patrol vessels (formerly the Peacock-class of the United Kingdom acquired in Aug. 1, 1997).

Naval experts said the Oto Melara was one of the best weapon systems in service with the PN today.

The Oto Melara 76 mm gun of the above-mentioned vessels are all mounted in a turret forward of the bridge.

It has a range of up to 10 nautical miles (20 kilometers).

It is remotely controlled from within the combat information center by the gunnery officer and has no crew within the turret itself.

The gun in Philippine service can fire 80 rounds in 60 seconds from its ready magazine, and the ships can carry a total of 450 rounds.

The Oto Melara 76mm cannon is used by 53 naval forces worldwide.

The gun's high rate of fire makes it suitable for short-range anti-missile point defense.

Specialized ammunition is available for armor piercing, incendiary and directed fragmentation effects and there is also a new guided round that is supposed to be able to destroy maneuvering anti-ship missiles.

Another advantage of this weapon is that it is light and compact enough to be installed in warship weighing 750 gross tons or even less, the configuration of most naval vessels in the PN.

The 76 mm gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian defense conglomerate Otobreda.

It is based on the Oto Melara 76mm/L62 Allargato which is bigger and heavier.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=972828

Number of PAF Mach 1.5 capable aircraft to rise at 8

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 19): Number of PAF Mach 1.5 capable aircraft to rise at 8

At least two more South Korean-made FA-50PH "Fighting Eagle" jet fighters will be joining the Philippine Air Force (PAF) inventory on March 27.

FA-50PHs with tail numbers 007 and 008 will be delivered at Clark Airbase in Angeles City, Pampanga.

With the pending arrival of these aircraft, the number of Mach 1.5 capable jets in PAF inventory will climb to eight, Air Force spokesperson Col. Antonio Francisco said.

The first two FA-50PH units were delivered last Nov. 28, 2015 while the second batch was handed over last December 8.

While the third batch was turned over to the PAF last Feb. 22.

Francisco said they expect Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the aircraft manufacturer, to deliver the remaining four FA-50PHs within the year.

The PAF's 12-plane order from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is worth PHP18.9 billion.

The FA-50PHs has a top speed of Mach 1.5 or one and a half times the speed of sound and is capable of being fitted air-to-air missiles, including the AIM-9 "Sidewinder" air-to-air and heat-seeking missiles aside from light automatic cannons.

The FA-50PHs will act as the country's interim fighter until the Philippines get enough experience of operating fast jet assets and money to fund the acquisition of more capable fighter aircraft.

The FA-50PH design is largely derived from the F-16 "Fighting Falcon", and they have many similarities: use of a single engine, speed, size, cost, and the range of weapons.

KAI's previous engineering experience in license-producing the KF-16 was a starting point for the development of the FA-50PHs.

The aircraft can carry two pilots in tandem seating. The high-mounted canopy developed by Hankuk Fiber is applied with stretched acrylic, providing the pilots with good visibility, and has been tested to offer the canopy with ballistic protection against four-pound objects impacting at 400 knots.

The altitude limit is 14,600 meters (48,000 feet), and airframe is designed to last 8,000 hours of service.

There are seven internal fuel tanks with capacity of 2,655 liters (701 US gallons), five in the fuselage and two in the wings.

An additional 1,710 liters (452 US gallons) of fuel can be carried in the three external fuel tanks.

Trainer variants have a paint scheme of white and red, and aerobatic variants white, black, and yellow.

The FA-50PHs uses a single General Electric F404-102 turbofan engine license-produced by Samsung Techwin, upgraded with a full authority digital engine control system jointly developed by General Electric and KAI.

The engine consists of three-staged fans, seven axial stage arrangement, and an afterburner.

Its engine produces a maximum of 78.7 kN (17,700 lbf) of thrust with afterburner.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=972876

Female NPA killed in Agusan Del Norte clash

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 19): Female NPA killed in Agusan Del Norte clash

A female New People's Army (NPA) rebel was killed during a clash with 29th Infantry Battalion troopers in Kitcharao town, Agusan Del Norte Saturday afternoon.

Col. Benjamin Hao, Army spokesperson, said the encounter took place 3:45 p.m. at Barangay Hinimbagan, Kitcharao town.

Government troops were on security patrols when they encounter rebel forces under Guerilla Front 16, triggering a short fireght, which left the female dead and no losses to 29th Infantry Battalion troops.

Also recovered was an AK-47 automatic rifle. The other NPAs quickly retreated after seeing one of their number fall dead.

Hao said the slain rebel is still to be identified prompting soldiers to turned over the body to the Kitcharao Municipal Police Station for proper disposition. Pursuit operations are still ongoing.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=972894

47 BIFF men, allies neutralized in 3-day operations in Maguindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 19): 47 BIFF men, allies neutralized in 3-day operations in Maguindanao

An estimated 47 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and their allies were reported killed and wounded while five improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and numerous components were seized during a three-day operation in Datu Salibo, Maguindanao.

The offensive against the BIFF started March 13 and ended on the 16th, Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Capt. Jo-ann Petinglay said in a statement Sunday.

The series of military operations, which included artillery and air strikes, was conducted by troopers from Joint Task Force-Central (JTF-C).

JTF-C head Brig. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega said an initial 21 terrorists were killed and another 26 wounded in their operations.

No casualties were reported among pursuing government troops.

In the same vein, five IEDs (four pressure-type and one command detonated) and numerous IED components were recovered in Barangay Tee of the above-mentioned locality.

Dela Vega said the three-day offensive was designed to dislocate forces under Muhammad Ali Bin Abdulrahman alias Muawiyah, allegedly a foreign terrorist; Salahuddin Hassan, a bomber trained by the latter, and Esmael Abdulmalik alias Abu Toraype, the Dawlah Islamiyah Maguindanao founder and a BIFF brigade commander.

Validations are being made on the ground on the persistent reports that these terrorists were killed in the well-planned, well-coordinated, and well-executed massive air and ground operations.

These brigands were reportedly the allies of Marwan, the target of the SAF PNP operations in January 2015, and are responsible for the series of bombing incidents in Mindanao.

Their group is also conducting IED training among newly recruited members from different Provinces including those from the Maute Group, with test missions that target NGCP towers, public areas, and conveyances.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=972887

AFP ready to patrol, conduct mapping survey in Benham Rise

From the Manila Bulletin (Mar 18): AFP ready to patrol, conduct mapping survey in Benham Rise

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said that they are just waiting for the government’s go signal to start patrolling Benham Rise



Credit: fis-net.com / MANILA BULLETIN

In an interview, Air Force Spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said that the AFP is very much ready to heed to any directive to be given by President Rodrigo Duterte with regard to the country’s claim on the area.

“We are just awaiting the green light from government for the AFP to start the patrol and mapping survey at Benham Rise,” Padilla said.

Padilla said the AFP is very much ready to guard and patrol Benham Rise which is part of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Padilla said the AFP also has the capability to conduct the mapping survey to further check the area’s rich mineral resources.

Padilla said the Philippine Navy will be the one to conduct the mapping survey while Philippine Air Force (PAF) has the capability to conduct aerial surveys.

“Our mandate based on our Constitution is very clear and that is we are obligated to protect our citizens all over the country. We are also mandated under the Constitution to guard our territory, territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Padilla said.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said that they are not discounting the possibility of conducting its own survey of Benham Rise to check on the resources of the area.

Lorenzana said as far as he is concerned, Benham Rise is rich with resources, especially of fish species which can benefit the country.

He added that the issue on Benham Rise was tackled during Monday night’s Cabinet Security Cluster Meeting presided by President Duterte.

http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/03/18/afp-ready-to-patrol-conduct-mapping-survey-in-benham-rise/