Marines home for holidays after 10 years in South

By Alexis Romero
The Philippine Star, Thursday, December 16, 2010

Marine Cpl. Amando Marquez, who has been assigned to critical areas like Lanao del Norte and Basilan, is excited to celebrate the holidays with his mother and siblings.

Marquez, who hails from Tanza, Cavite, has not celebrated Christmas with his family for a couple of years since he has been deployed to the South, which is said to be the lair of various armed groups.

“We plan to eat together on Christmas. I will make up for the times that I was not with them,” Marquez, who has been in the service since 2006, told The STAR in Filipino.

Marine S/Sgt. Albert Ekid, who got enlisted in 1995, wants to visit his wife and three children in Zamboanga City as well as his father and siblings in his hometown in Mt. Province.

While Ekid was lucky to have been given the chance to visit his wife and children every Christmas, he has not seen his family in the North for years.

“We have not seen each other for a long time and we hope we can gather together (this holiday season),” said Ekid, who was involved in various operations against the Abu Sayyaf.

Marquez and Ekid are members of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 6, which returned to Manila the other day for retraining after 10 years of battling lawless elements in Mindanao.

The battalion members were honored in a ceremony led by Navy chief Rear Adm. Danilo Cortez.

Lt. Col. Robert Velasco, commander of the 380-strong battalion, said his soldiers will be given the opportunity to visit their loved ones during the holidays.

“It feels great that we are returning (in Manila) during the Christmas season. All Marines are happy. They will be given the chance to be with their families,” Velasco said.

“When they were in the field, they celebrated in far-flung detachments. We also hang lanterns but it feels different if Christmas is celebrated with your family,” he added.

Velasco nevertheless said the Marines are already used to celebrating the families away from their families.

Members of the battalion will undergo retraining in various Navy headquarters, including those in Manila and Cavite. They will be replaced in Basilan by the Marine Battalion Landing Team 9.

Among the battalion’s achievements was the killing of key Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad last February in Indanan, Sulu.

The team was also instrumental in the release and subsequent rescue of Red Cross workers Mary Jean Lacaba, Eugenio Vagni, and Andreas Notter in 2009.

The battalion also saw action in Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, North Cotabato, and Lanao del Norte.

Navy planning to acquire seven vessels next year

By Alexis Romero

The Philippine Star, Wednesday, December 29, 2010

MANILA, Philippines - The Navy plans to acquire seven vessels next year to improve its operations and upgrade its capabilities.

Navy spokesman Capt. Giovanni Bacordo told The STAR that they want to buy three offshore patrol vessels, three multipurpose attack craft and a landing craft utility in 2011.

“We seek to upgrade the capabilities of the Navy. The acquisition will help us perform our duties,” Bacordo said.

He said the attack craft, which will be used to insert troops during combat operations, would cost P89 million each.

On the other hand, the P178-million landing craft utility would be used to transport troops and logistics.

Bacordo said the patrol vessels would be used to conduct patrols at the Malampaya natural gas offshore facility in Palawan.

Information about the cost of the patrol vessels is not yet available.

Bacordo said the Navy has three multipurpose attack vessels in its inventory.

Two are deployed in Western Mindanao while another is stationed in Palawan.

He said they also have three landing craft utility but no offshore patrol vessels.

Bacordo said the purchase of a multi-role vessel is still in the pipeline but this would depend on the availability of funds.

He said they could not rely solely on the Navy’s annual budget for funds to cover the purchases since 70 percent of it goes to salaries while the rest is used to fund maintenance and operating expenses.

The purchase of the multi-role vessel, which costs about P5 billion, has been planned since 2007. Its acquisition, however, was stalled due to lack of financial resources.

A multi-role vessel is capable of delivering basic services to far-flung areas and can be used for disaster and humanitarian missions.

Earlier, the military announced plans to lease its properties to private firms to generate funds for its modernization program.

Officials said such a scheme would allow the military to procure equipment without bloating the deficit, which is expected to hit P325 billion this year.

Authorities are still determining how much would be generated from the project.

Last November, acting Navy chief Rear Adm. Danilo Cortez told The STAR that at least six firms have expressed interest in the project.

One of the six firms – Malaysian Resources Corp. Berhad – has submitted a proposal that would involve the lease of a 33-hectare Navy property in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig.

The Armed Forces Modernization Act, which took effect on Feb. 23, 1995, has given the military the opportunity to modernize in 15 years with a total fund of P331 billion.

More than 15 years have passed since the law was enacted but there are views that the military is not even close to what may be called a modern battle force. The delay in the law’s implementation has been attributed to the lack of state resources.

Philstar.com

Never say die

By: Bert Amoroso
Daily Tribune, Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Members of the Philippine Marine Battalion Landing Team 6 (MBLT-6) land in Manila after 10 years of battling lawless elements in Mindanao. In recognition of the battalion's role in neutralizing the operations of terror groups in the South, the 380-man team will be accorded honors at the Navy headquarters along Roxas Boulevard, Manila

500 Marines tigil muna sa 10-taong pakikipagbakbakan

By: Joy Cantos
Pilipino Star Ngayon, Wednesday, Disyembre 15, 2010

MANILA, Philippines - Matapos ang isang dekada o 10 taong pagsabak sa combat operations, nabigyan ng pagkakataon para sa Christmas break at reunion ang isang batalyon o 500 tropa ng Philippine Marines.

Pinayagan nang makauwi sa kani-kanilang mga pamil­ya ang mga elemento ng Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) 6 makaraan ang mahabang panahong walang puknat na pakikipaglaban sa iba’t ibang klaseng kriminal partikular ang bandidong Abu Sayyaf Group sa Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, North Cotabato at maging sa Lanao del Norte.

Ang naturang grupo ay elite force na panlaban sa mga ASG dahil sa kakaibang training ng mga ito.