Navy seizes over P10-M worth of smuggled goods

2 Tuesday July 28,2009

Manila Bulletin

By ELENA L. ABEN

The Philippine Navy has confiscated more than P10 million worth of smuggled goods, including some 10,800 sacks of Vietnamese rice and 4,000 sacks of refined sugar, during a maritime patrol in Sulu and Basilan. Navy spokesman, Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo, said reports reaching the Philippine Navy headquarters on Roxas Boulevard in Manila showed that BRP Jose Loor (PG 390), skippered by Lt. Reymond Umbac, was conducting maritime interdiction operation last week off Belan Point in Jolo when it sighted a watercraft transiting to Jun Dilan wharf in a suspicious manner. Arevalo said the Navy vessel immediately intercepted the watercraft and conducted board and search procedure. The watercraft with 12 crew and 10 passengers was identified M/L Menham and owned by a certain Hadji Hamsi Puntukan Hamsiraji. Inspection of the watercraft reportedly yielded some P8.25 million worth of dutiable goods comprised of 8,800 sacks of Vietnamese rice, 2,000 sacks of Thailand refined sugar, and other assorted food stuffs in cartons. Arevalo said it was also discovered that 800sacks of rice and 1,000sacksof sugar were misdeclared. The origin of the smuggled items is still unknown. The confiscated items were immediately turned over to the Bureau of Custom (BoC) Jolo port operation officer in the presence of Cdr. Ronnei Paba, Commander of the Naval Task Group "Sulu."Earlier, the Philippine Navy vessel IBRP Anastacio Cacayurin (PG387)'1skippered by Lt. Bernie Lim was also conducting maritime patrol in the west coast of Basilan province when it sighted an unknown watercraft transiting the vicinity northeast of Pilas Island. The Navy vessel immediately intercepted the watercraft and conducted board and search procedure. The watercraft was identified as M/L Fatima Zhiea operated by a certain Nursin Aukusa and owned by a certain Hji Eyam Kajibon of Isabela City. An inspection of the intercepted watercraft reportedly yielded some P2.7 million worth of dutiable goods from Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia.

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Philippine Navy steps up anti-terror operations

The manila Times thursday july 23, 2007 a7
By: AL JACINTO

ZAMBOANGA City: The Philippine Navy has stepped up its patrol in the southern region of Mindanao following the spate of bombings and attacks blamed on terrorists. Authorities blamed the lndonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiah and the Abu Sayyaf and Mora rebels for the series of bombings in Sulu and Mindanao in recent weeks that left scores of civilians among fatalities

and the wounded. Indonesia also tagged the Jemaah Islamiah for the recent suicide bombings of the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta, which killed nine people and wounded at least 53 others. We have stepped up our security patrol. We are fighting terrorism here,' said Admiral Alexander Pama, the Navy's regional commander in Mindanao. He said Navy gunboats regularly

patrol the Moro Gulf, the Mindanao, Sulu and Celebes seas where pirates are actively operating.

Last week, authorities seized some 350 kilos of banned ammonium nitrate and 1,800 pieces of blasting caps and detonating cords from a cargo vessel in Cebu that was heading for Iligan City in Mindanao. The spikes in bomb attacks in Mindanao and Sulu also coincided with the release of three kidnapped Red Cross workers held by the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiah. The military has last week deployed hundreds of soldiers in Basilan and Sulu provinces to crush

the Abu Sayyaf.

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Navy bantay-sarado

'Abante: July 23, 2009
By: Al Jacinto

ZAMBOANGA CITY --- Naghigpil Ngayon ang Philippine Navy at lalong pinaigting ang pagpapatrulya sa karagatan ng Mindanao matapos ang sunud-sunod na pambobomba ng mga terorista at rebeldeng grupo. lbinintang ng mga awtoridad sa Indonesian terror group na Jemaah Islamiya at Abu Sayyaf, gayundin sa rebeleng Moro ang mga pagsabog sa Sulu at Mindanao na ikinasawi at ikinasugat ng maraming sibilyan. Sa Indonesia ay isinabit rin ng mga awtoridad doon ·sa Jemaah Islamiya ang pambobomba sa Marriott at Ritz-Carlton hotels sa Jakarta na ikinamatay ng siyam nakatao at pagkasugat ng 53iba pa."We have stepped upour security patrol. We are fighting terrorism here,"ani Rear Admiral Alexander Pama, ang commander ng navy sa Mindanao, Patuloy ang patrulya ng navy sa Moro Gulf, Mindanao, Sulu at Celebes Seas, mga lugar na kung saan ay aktibo ang mga pirata.

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Navy fights hunger with garden project

Manila Bulletin Sunday, July 19, 2009 13

By ELENA L. ABEN

The Philippine Navy has embarked on a new project dubbed "urban vegetable gardening." "From eliminating, we now do growing," Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo, Navy spokesman, said, as he discussed the Naval force’s new project. Arevalo said that from eliminating enemies in line with the governments, war on terror to conducting rescue and relief missions, the Philippine Navy led by its Flag Officer-in-Command, Vice Admiral Ferdinand Golez, focuses on a new program aimed at fighting bigger enemy - hunger. In support of the government's campaign against hunger, the Philippine Navy has converted a 600-square meter former trash site at the Bonifacio Naval Station in Taguig City into an organic vegetable garden. Arevalo said that the organic garden is one of the Navy's environment friendly projects. He said that the program will showcase an eco-friendly garden in Metro Manila, which can also be a good source of healthy diet and additional income. The urban vegetable gardening is pioneered by the Navy's engineering arm, the Naval Construction Brigade (NCBde) or Seabees. In promoting the "green project," the Team Navy collaborated with the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) in transforming the land into a garden. "The Navy's urban garden was realized thru the initiative of the Seabees

aided by the technical expertise and seedlings from BPI. Organic fertilizers like compost and farming methods were used to grow vegetables like alugbati, upland kangkong, bush sitaw, s31uyot, pechay, raddish, eggplant, and ginger. At the launching ceremony, the Navy chief expressed cited the health benefits of organic-grown vegetables. He said: "Vegetable is an important ingredient of our diet and input for good health." Seeing the potential of the garden,

Golez challenged Navy personnel to replicate the project in all units of the Command and to sustain the project and make vegetable gardening "a part of our daily life in the Navy." Arevalo said the project which targets optimum yield over minimum inputs will showcase technologies

in growing vegetables, herbs and spices. He added that the new project will serve as a model for other communities in the urban area to grow vegetables in their backyards or even in containers.

"This in a way will produce quality vegetables for home consumption, generate income, and help minimize waste in the area through composting," the Navy spokesman said. The Philippine Navy has expanded its role to include the protection of our environment. After launching its own Ecological Waste Segregation Program at Fort San Felipe, Cavite City early this year, the Navy now embarks into another eco-friendly project, the Urban Garden. "This project further attests to the Navy's commitment in preserving our natural resources," Arevalo said. Josephine Garcia, representative from the BPI, said: "The garden is not only a good source of organic vegetables

that promotes one's health, but is also a good source of additional income."

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