Civic Action project jumpstarts CARAT 2011

PIA, Friday, July 1, 2011

ISABELA CITY, Basilan, July 1 (PIA) -– An Engineering Civic Action Project (ENCAP) jumpstarts the annual joint training exercise of United States forces and the Philippine Navy dubbed as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2011 in Palawan.

The 6th Civil Relations Group of the Armed Forces of the Philippines disclosed that an advance party of the United States naval contingent to participate in ENCAP at Barangay Mangingisda of Puerto Princesa City last week. The ENCAP was started a week earlier than the scheduled opening of the military exercise.

The American Navy personnel headed by Lt. Jun Pilon together with troops from the Naval Task Group Palawan (SEABEES) headed by Ens. Christian Carmona and Naval Forces West (NFW) started conducting excavation, site preparation and layout last June 22 in preparation for the construction of a social hall and comfort rooms in West Elementary School. The project is expected to be finished before the end of the CARAT 2011 Exercise.

CARAT 2011 is a ten-day joint naval tactical operation exercise between the forces of the Philippine and US navies mandated under the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty. This year’s exercise will be held on the eastern waters of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan and in the Sulu Sea.

The annual joint military exercise, which is being held for more than 10 years now, aims to strengthen cooperation between the two naval forces in fighting intercontinental and trans-border crimes that includes piracy, smuggling, human trafficking and maritime crimes.

Aside from holding military exercise, several community service projects are also lined up as part of CARAT 2011. These include community relations, medical and dental and engineering civic actions in host communities.

The US Navy will be sending three of its naval ships for the joint military exercise: the USS Chung Hoon, USS Howard and USNS Safeguard. (6CRGAFP/RVC-PIA9 BaSulTa)

pia.gov.ph

US, Philippine navies kick off 11-day joint exercise

By Xinhua

Philippine Star, Tuesday, June 28, 2011

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Navies from the United States and the Philippines kicked off an 11-day joint exercise this afternoon in waters off the southwestern Philippine island province of Palawan, showcasing the ties and interoperability between the two allies.

Dubbed the 17th "Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training" (CARAT), the exercise was held in the Sulu Sea east of Palawan and is expected to wind up on July 8, both navies said.

Guided missile destroyers USS Chung-Hoon, USS Howard and the diving and salvage ship USNS Safeguard are the US Navy's centerpieces for the exercise, US navy said earlier in a statement, adding that in addition to the three ships, other participants include P-3C Orion aircraft, SH-60 Seahawk aircraft, US Navy Seabees, a US Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team, US Navy Mobile Security Squadron, US Navy Riverine Forces and Medical Support personnel.

On the Philippine side, patrol ships BRP Pangasinan and BRP Rizal are dedicated for the exercise, according to Lt. Noel Cadigal, spokesman of the Philippines' Naval Forces West.

The at-sea phase of the exercise focuses on developing maritime security capabilities in areas such as maritime interdiction, information sharing, combined operations at sea, patrol operations, gunnery exercises, as well as anti-piracy and anti-smuggling exercises.

Ashore training includes such specialties as Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) exercises; diver training; salvage operations; joint medical, dental and civic action projects, aircrew familiarization exchanges, etc.

"The main purpose of the activity is to strengthen the ties and cooperation between the two navies by the exchange of knowledge and skills in the field of navigation and naval operations, particularly maritime defense, port security, resource protection and disaster response," said Philippine Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay, noting the exercise is among the bilateral trainings conducted under the auspices of the Mutual Defense Treaty, which was signed between the Philippines and the United States in 1951.

In a statement issued prior to the exercise, New Patriotic Alliance, known as Bagong Alyansang Makabayan in Filipino, said the fact that the joint naval exercise will be between modern US warships and ageing Philippine patrol ships shows the entire concept of US military assistance is a failure.

However, the exercise and the Mutual Defense Treaty were bombarded by a left-wing group in the Philippines.

"After 60 years of the Mutual Defense Treaty, several decades of US military bases and 12 years of the Visiting Forces Agreement, our AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) has not modernized. We were promised the same in exchange for approving all these one-sided agreements and yet here is our navy, still employing World War II- era ships," said Renato Reyes, Jr., secretary general of the New Patriotic Alliance.

philstar.com

Philippine-US navies unite amid China tensions

By Mynardo Macaraig

Maritime Security Asia, Tuesday, June 28, 2011

PUERTO PRINCESA, June 28, 2011 (AFP) – The Philippines and the United States will launch naval exercises on Tuesday close to the South China Sea, which is the focus of a simmering regional territorial row.

The longtime allies have emphasised the event is an annual one aimed at deepening defence ties, and not linked to rising concern in Manila about allegedly aggressive Chinese actions in the much coveted seas.

“The US and Philippine navies have a long history of working together, and exercises like (these) provide a great venue for us to hone our skills,” said the US commander for the 11-day exercises, Captain David Welch.

Nevertheless the exercises are being seen in Manila as a timely show of unity between the Philippines and its former colonial ruler.

Two state-of-the-art US missile destroyers, along with the host’s World War II-era warships, will patrol the Philippine waters of the Sulu Sea.

The Sulu Sea is separated from the South China Sea only by the narrow Philippine island of Palawan.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims to parts of the South China Sea, which is believed to have vast oil and gas deposits, while its shipping lanes are vital for global trade.

Vietnam as well as the Philippines have in recent months accused China of taking increasingly aggressive actions in staking its claim to the disputed waters and its archipelagos.

In response, China has insisted it wants to resolve the territorial dispute peacefully but remained firm in its claims to most of the South China Sea, even waters within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile economic exclusion zone.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino this month called for US help in containing China’s South China Sea ambitions, saying his country was too weak to stand up to the Chinese alone.

Aquino made his plea after accusing China of inciting at least seven recent incidents in the disputed waters, including one in which a Chinese vessel allegedly opened fire on Filipino fishermen.

Aquino also accused China of breaking international law by entering the Philippines’ economic exclusion zone.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week offered the Philippines some comfort, pledging that the superpower ally would help to modernise the cash-strapped Philippine military.

“We are determined and committed to supporting the defence of the Philippines,” Clinton said.

No specifics were immediately announced but Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario later said the US government had vowed to boost the Philippines’ intelligence capabilities in the South China Sea.

The Philippine-US exercises, called Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT), officially begin at 3:00pm (0700 GMT) on Tuesday with an opening ceremony on Palawan island.

The first of the US vessels, the USS Chung-Hoon arrived at a pier in Palawan’s capital, Puerto Princesa, on Tuesday morning, greeted by a Philippine Navy band playing marching tunes.

US sailors in dress uniforms stood to attention as their vessel was guided into place by tugboats. The second destroyer, the USS Howard, will arrive later in the day said Lieutenant Commander Mike Morley, spokesman of the US forces.

About 800 US sailors and 450 Philippine seamen will be involved in the exercises.

The United States is scheduled to stage similar exercises with Vietnam next month, although it has insisted they too are unrelated to the South China Sea tensions.

maritimesecurity.asia

MVP, AFP to rescue V-L

By Francis Santiago

Manila Bulletin, Sunday, June 26, 2011

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the massive pullouts of collegiate teams, the Shakey’s V-League Season 8 second conference hostilities will push through starting July 17 featuring squads from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and corporate teams owned by business tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan.

The country’s premiere league was left with only three school-based squads – Ateneo, University of Perpetual Help and San Sebastian College – after six regular squads begged off from competition due to the players’ academic work loads.

But V-League commissioner Tony Liao said there was nothing to fret about as they have found equally competitive teams that could fill the slots for an eight-team competition.

He said the heads of three AFP volleyball teams – the Philippine Army, the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Navy – expressed their willingness to join the league during a meeting with the organizing Sport Vision last week.

Ricky Palou, the Sports Vision president, has also convinced Maynilad Waters president Ricky Vargas to field in a team. They are also courting Meralco – also owned by MVP.

mb.com.ph

Rajah Humabon to stay within Philippine borders

By AFP

Manila Times, Monday, June 20,2011

The chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Sunday assured that the country’s naval flagship would not go beyond the country’s 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, as it prepares to deploy near disputed islands and surrounding waters in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

Despite apparent muscle-flexing by claimant-countries to the contested areas, Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. said that he remained optimistic that the territorial dispute would be solved peacefully and avoid a potential armed confrontation.

“We hope it will not reach that point,” Oban told reporters when asked if sending the Philippine Navy flagship Rajah Humabon to the West Philippine Sea could stoke clashes.

He said that the flagship would be confined to its maritime boundaries and would not stray into international waters.

“I am optimistic that whatever conflicts may arise there will be settled peacefully and diplomatically, although what I am saying is that we will have to [also] enforce maritime laws within our 200-nautical mile [exclusive economic] zone,” Oban added.

Manila said that it would deploy the Rajah Humabon to the West Philippine Sea on Friday, a day after China announced that one of its maritime patrol vessels was also scheduled to pass through the area.

Both countries, as well as Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam have competing claims to potentially resource-rich areas in the disputed territories and surrounding waters, particularly Spratly Islands.

China claims the entire South China Sea as its historical fishing grounds, but the Philippines argues that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea states that a country has exclusive economic rights over waters that fall within 200 nautical miles of its continental shelf.

The Philippines’ zone overlaps in some places with those of claims by the other claimants to the Spratlys.

Commissioned in the Philippine Navy in 1980, the Rajah Humabon was a former US Navy frigate that served during World War II and is one of the world’s oldest warships.

Tensions in the long-running dispute over the area flared in recent months on allegations by the Philippines and Vietnam that China has become increasingly aggressive in staking its territorial claims.

The Philippines accused China this month of sending naval vessels to intimidate rival claimants around the Spratly Islands, as well as of installing buoys and posts in nearby areas.

Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario met with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) also on Sunday and called on them to have a common stand against China over the overlapping claims.

Asean groups the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar., Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Hanoi’s cause was pushed further forward also on Sunday by up to 100 Vietnamese who rallied outside the Chinese Embassy in the Vietnamese capital for the third weekend in a row over the escalating maritime row with Beijing in the West Philippine Sea.

The group sang patriotic songs, chanted and carried signs such as “China stop violating the territorial waters of Vietnam,” referring to the dispute over the sovereignty of two archipelagos—Paracel and Spratlys—in the South China Sea.

“The East Sea is not the village pond of China. I come here to show my patriotism,” said one protester, who asked not to be named, using the Vietnamese name for the sea.

Demonstrations are not common in authoritarian Vietnam, where small land-rights rallies are tolerated but advocates of other political causes risk arrest, yet anti-China sentiment recently brought people to the streets.

Police at Sunday’s rally, who outnumbered the crowd, noted their patriotism but told them through loudhailers, “Your gathering here may complicate the situation, influencing diplomatic relations between the two countries.”

The United States and Vietnam also on Friday jointly called for freedom of navigation and rejected the use of force in the sea.

After talks in Washington, the former war foes said that “the maintenance of peace, stability, safety and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea is in the common interests of the international community.”

manilatimes.net

Sea exercises

By Elena Aben

Manila Bulletin, Sunday, June 19, 2011

MANILA, Philippines -- Amid mounting tension over disputing claims to islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the Philippine Navy (PN) joined five other navies from Southeast Asian countries in maritime security exercises with the United States Navy (USN) known as the Southeast Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism (SEACAT), the military said Sunday.

Commodore Miguel Jose Rodriguez, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman, expressed hope that after the 10th annual SEACAT, the PN may soon hold the same exercise with the Chinese Navy.

“It’s normal for navies to conduct drills, the Philippine Navy does them all the time,” Rodriguez said. “We’re now having SEACAT with other Asian countries, then by end of June we will have CARAT with the US Navy. No cause for worry. We hope someday we can exercise with the Chinese Navy.”

SEACAT is led by the US Navy and is centered this year in Changi, Singapore, where the exercise command and control center is located. A battle staff from each participating navy is organized in the respective navy headquarters of the participants to monitor all the activities of the exercise.

CARAT, which means Cooperation Readiness Afloat Training, is an annual bilateral exercise that embodies the spirit of the longstanding cooperative relationship between the Philippine Navy (PN) and the USN.

Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay, PN spokesman, said: “Combined navy units from participating Southeast Asian countries hold the SEACAT 2011 exercises as scheduled with the recent conduct of Command Post Exercise (CPX) and preparations for the forthcoming holding of a Field Training Exercise (FTX) on June 20 - 23, 2011 at strategic points of the exercise area.”

According to exercise orders issued by SEACAT 2011 exercise director for the Philippine Navy, Capt. Franco Sebastian T. Pan, the CPX is designed to exercise communication flow and decision-making processes in preparation for the FTX.

Pan said Philippine Navy liaison officers together with their counterparts from the other participating countries will consolidate and be posted at the Change Command and Control Center in Singapore. He added an FTX will take place throughout the Southeast Asia maritime domain particularly along strategic points of its vital sea lanes.

“This includes the movement of the USS Safeguard as the Contact of Interest (CoI) to Philippine area of responsibility for coordinated surveillance operations, tracking, and eventual conduct of Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) aboard the CoI,” said Pan.

Philippines wants peace not war

While moving to upgrade its defense capability, the Philippine government said it seeks peace not war in a territorial spat with China in the West Philippine Sea.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government has constantly pushed for a diplomatic solution to the maritime conflict with China, especially the adherence to the international law to preserve peace in the region.

Malacañang hailed six Asian neighbors for supporting the call for a peaceful settlement to the sea dispute in the region, saying this has been Manila’s position since the conflict started.

“We welcome the multilateral call of the six ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-member nations for a peaceful resolution. We all have a stake in the peace and stability in the region. That has been our country’s call and approach to this dispute in the West Philippine Sea,” Lacierda said.

During a United Nations (UN) meeting in New York City last week, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos have called for the peaceful resolution to the conflict in the disputed territory in the South China Sea.

The six countries belonging to the ASEAN also pressed the use of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) to settle any maritime dispute among neighbors.

Other members of the regional bloc are the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

“I would reiterate that the Philippines is in total agreement with the statement. ASEAN is united in this,” Secretary Ramon Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) said.

Earlier, President Aquino said the government will not be bullied by China in a conflict over the West Philippine Sea, insisting China should desist from venturing into the country’s legitimate waters.

The President also vowed to increase government spending to upgrade the military’s capability to guard the country’s waters.

“By enhancing the capability of the military, we will no longer be bullied by any nation in times of conflict such as the dispute in the West Philippine Sea,” he said last week.

Meantime, the government is planning to spend around P40 billion in the next five years to enhance the capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in protecting the national territory.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad Jr. said the government intends to allocate P8-billion increase in the modernization program of the AFP starting next year. Abad explained though that the President approved the additional budget for the military “way before the tensions rose.”

Another P8 billion or higher may be allocated in 2012 depending on the government’s fiscal condition, said Abad.

This year, the Aquino administration allocated P11 billion to bankroll the AFP modernization program.

He explained though that the President approved the additional budget for the military “way before the tensions rose.”

“It’s meant to secure the perimeter of Malampaya (gas field in Palawan). Certainly, it’s not enough to cover our requirements but it is substantial enough to start with,” the budget chief said.

AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. welcomed the planned increase in the military’s modernization program, saying they will produce a list of priority acquisition mainly to upgrade the military’s “baseline capability.”

Among the priority military purchases are helicopters, transport aircrafts, and sealift vessels.

Oban said the Hamilton Class Cutter from the United States will be initially deployed to Palawan, around 80 nautical miles from Recto Bank, when it arrives later this year.

He said the military also plans to increase its “coast watch system” within 200 nautical miles of the country’s exclusive economic zone in Palawan.

He said the AFP modernization program is a priority of the Aquino administration “that has been neglected over the years.”

He said the planned increased budget for the AFP does not yet include investments to strengthen the Philippine Coast Guard.

mb.com.ph

PH: We are not picking a fight with anyone, but …

By DJ Yap

Philippine Daily Inquirer, Friday, June 17, 2011

The defense department on Thursday said the removal by the Philippines of foreign markers from areas it claims in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) was a reminder to rival claimants to stay away from those areas but stressed it had no intention of picking a fight with anybody.

Defense Undersecretary Eduardo Batac, who is also the department’s spokesperson, said the Philippine Navy’s action was not meant to stir up trouble but a way to send the message that the Philippines was serious in protecting its territorial integrity.

“We are not picking a fight with anyone, and we do not want to aggravate the matter considering that there have been encouraging statements from China that they would not resort to military force,” Batac said in a phone interview.

“But we would like to remind them, as part of the (code of conduct), that no uninhabited island in the Spratly chain should be inhabited,” he said.

The code is a nonbinding set of guidelines signed in 2002 by China, the Philippines and four other nations claiming ownership of all or some of the isles and reefs in the area to settle their dispute peaceably. It urges claimants to refrain from any action that might escalate tension.

The disputed sea is believed to be potentially rich in oil and minerals.

The Philippine Navy earlier said it removed “foreign” markers installed on three reefs and banks in the Spratlys in May and foiled another attempt last week to reestablish them.

Basis of protest

Asked if such an action would have implications on the dispute, Batac said: “Hopefully not … The Navy took down those markers so they can be used [in our protest over] the incursions. They could belong to China, but we still have no confirmation.”

The Philippines and China have been embroiled in a word war over alleged Chinese intrusions into Philippine territory the past several weeks.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has cited at least six such intrusions. China dismissed the allegation as based on rumor.

In a briefing with reporters, Batac said: “The message is we’re still trying to get China to explain what happened. Our position is that these areas are well within our exclusive economic zone.”

He said it was important to keep calm, noting that some intrusions might have a valid reason, such as Vietnamese vessels taking shelter from a storm.

“Part of the declaration of conduct is to offer aid to those in danger and in distress,” Batac said.

Navy patrols

The Navy chief, Vice Adm. Alexander Pama, said in a radio interview the Navy would continue its patrols in the area, particularly around territories claimed by the Philippines.

“We would like to emphasize that this is within our exclusive economic zone and it is in our mandate to protect these waters,” Pama said.

Batac said on the phone that the defense department preferred that the Spratlys dispute be resolved at the level of the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) plus China,” as opposed to China’s insistence on a bilateral approach.

Talks with Clinton

China is wary of intervention by outside powers, particularly the United States.

China’s use of its economic and military power to assert its claims to the Spratlys will most likely be one of the “main talking points” at next week’s meeting in Washington between Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said a senior Philippine diplomat.

Manila’s “rules-based approach” to settling the dispute will also be discussed, said the source, who asked not to be identified because he has no authority to speak openly on the issue.

Del Rosario will be in Washington from June 20 to 24.

Del Rosario last week said that “where there are disputes, rules provide an effective tool for peaceful and fair resolution.”

The other Spratlys claimants are Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

The markers removed by the Navy were on Iroquois (Amy Douglas) Bank, Recto (Reed) Bank and Boxall Reef, all in the West Philippine Sea.

Joint exploration

The Philippine claims ownership of several isles in the West Philippine Sea which it collectively calls the Kalayaan Island Group, located 425 kilometers (230 nautical miles) west of Palawan.

Former Speaker Jose de Venecia has proposed that the Philippines, China and Vietnam revive a 2005 oil and gas exploration agreement to ease tension in the Spratlys, but Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang on Thursday said “it’s premature to talk about that right now.”

“We have yet to make clear with all other countries what our territory is and what are considered disputed. We still have a lot of things to settle,” Carandang said.

He said the Philippines also needed to first iron out pending issues, such as the code of conduct.

“Ultimately, what we do want to see is a way that the resources in the disputed areas can be jointly explored and jointly exploited by the different claimants. But it’s far ahead into the future,” Carandang said.

President Aquino on Thursday used Manila’s recent spat with China over the Spratlys to underline the need to boost tax collection efforts so the government would have enough funds for its projects, including upgrading the military’s hardware.

Addressing the Court of Tax Appeals on its 57th founding anniversary, Mr. Aquino said: “In developing the capacity of the military, we’d no longer be easily scolded by other countries in times of disagreements such as the dispute in the West Philippine Sea.” With a report from Jerry E. Esplanada and Norman Bordadora

newsinfo.inquirer.net

Philippine Navy removes foreign markers

Tempo, Thursday, June 16,2011

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines said its Navy had removed “‘foreign”’ markers installed on three reefs and banks in disputed areas of the West Philippine Sea.

The removal of the wooden posts took place in May, just before the government formally protested over alleged incursions by the Chinese navy in Filipino territorial waters, Philippine Navy spokesperson Lieutenant- Colonel Omar Tonsay said. “They were foreign markers because they were not installed by our military or our government. So we dismantled them because they are part of Philippine territory,” Tonsay told AFP.

The Philippine government has recently accused China of putting posts and a buoy in Filipino- claimed waters, but Tonsay said the Navy had not been able to determine who placed the wooden posts that it removed in May.

“They did not have a ‘Made in China’ label or anything,” Tonsay said, adding the posts had only numbers on them.

The markers were on Boxall Reef in the Spratly Islands, and in the nearby Amy Douglas Bank and Reed Bank, all of which are in waters of the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines and China.

Aside from the Philippines and China, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have overlapping territorial claims to strategically vital and reputedly resource-rich areas of the South China Sea.

Tensions over the long-running dispute have escalated in recent months amid assertions by the Philippines and Vietnam that China has become increasingly aggressive in staking its claims to the areas.

The Philippines this month accused China of undermining peace and stability in Asia by allegedly sending naval vessels near Reed Bank to intimidate rival claimants, and of installing posts and a buoy in nearby areas.

The Philippines also protested over incidents in February to May, accusing the Chinese navy of opening fire on Filipino fishermen and intimidating a Philippine oil exploration ship.

Raising tensions further, President Aquino said on Tuesday that his country needed help from longtime ally the United States in its dispute with China. Chinese embassy spokespersons in Manila did not answer telephone calls on Wednesday about the foreign markers.

A spokesperson at the Department of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the naval action.

tempo.com.ph

Naval Forces Western Mindanao joins 6-nation exercise

Mindanews, Thursday, June 16, 2011

ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/15 June) – The Naval Forces Western Mindanao is participating in the 10-day annual Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) that kicked off Tuesday, June 14.

A Philippine Navy official said the unit forms part of the Philippine contingent that joined the navy forces from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the United States Navy in the combined exercise aimed to enhance interoperability and share best practices.

Codenamed SEACAT 2011, it is being held in Malacca Strait, Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea and will end on Friday, June 24.

SEACAT 2011 exercise director Navy Captain Sebastian Pan said the other Philippine Navy contingents are from the Naval Forces West and Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao.

Pan said they will participate together with the U.S. Navy in a scenario-driven fleet training exercise against terrorism, transnational crimes and other maritime threats which focuses on real time information exchange, coordinated surveillance operations, tracking, and eventual conduct of Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) to the maritime Contact of Interest (COI).

“This activity will involve surface, air, and special operations units in the conduct of surveillance, tracking, and boarding of the COI from the different participating navies within their respective maritime territories,” Pan said in a statement.

He said three ships from the NFWM, NFEM and NFW commands are participating in this year’s SEACAT 2011 exercise.

As practiced in the yearly SEACAT, Pan said that several ships from each participating Southeast Asian navy will join the training with the one U.S. Navy ship, USS Safeguard, designated as the COI for the participating Southeast Asian navies.

He said one maritime interdiction operations scenario with boarding opportunity will be conducted at the Sulu and Mindanao Seas.

He said the SEACAT exercise is a yearly combined exercise conducted at vital sea lanes in Southeast Asia to ensure control of vital sea lanes from terrorists, poachers, and transnational lawless elements.

“This exercise aims to promote regional coordination, information sharing and interoperability in a multilateral environment,” Pan said.

With this exercise, Pan said the Philippine Navy will be able to enhance regional coordination, information sharing, and combined inter-operability capability with participating navies in the region, test its personnel and naval assets operational readiness and ultimately, improve the defense capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

mindanews.com

Navy officer calls for tougher laws vs foreign poachers

By Ces Oreña Drilon

ABS-CBN news, Thursday, June 16, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - Tougher laws are needed to punish foreign fishermen who poach in Philippine waters, a Navy officer said on Thursday.

Commodore Edgardo Tamayo, head of the Naval Forces West, issued the statement after Vietnamese fishermen on board 7 boats were arrested just 2 nautical miles off Baragay Tamburok in Balabac, Palawan province last May 31.

Tamayo said under Republic Act 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code, foreign poachers can only be fined and deported.

He quoted the code's Section 87, which states: "The entry of any foreign fishing vessel in Philippine waters shall constitute a prima facie evidence that the vessel is engaged in fishing in Philippine waters.Violation of the above shall be punished by a fine of One Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars (US$100,000.00), in addition to the confiscation of its catch, fishing equipment and fishing vessel: Provided, that the Department is empowered to impose an administrative fine of not less than Fifty Thousand U.S. Dollars (US$50,000.00) but not more than Two Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars (US$200,000.00) or its equivalent in the Philippine Currency."

He added that the Navy also lacks enough ships and equipment to protect the country's vast territorial waters.

This could be alleviated by more than P11 billion allotted to modernize the Armed Forces within the next 3 years.

Around P8 billion in the fund will come from the Department of Energy that sourced the money from the government's earnings on oil extraction in the West Philippine Sea.

abs-cbnnews.com