Navy removes China markers on West Philippine Sea

By Ces Oreña Drilon and Willard Cheng

ABS-CBN News, Tuesday, June 14, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Navy has removed markers in the West Philippine Sea that were placed by Chinese forces.

One was removed from the Reed Bank, which is now known as Recto Bank, one was taken from the Boxall Reef, while another from Douglas Bank.

The markers were placed by China without permission.

Meanwhile, Chinese and Vietnamese poachers are often sighted by villagers in Barangay Simpokan, Puerto Princesa, whose shores face the disputed Spratlys.

However, barangay officials, armed with only one patrol boat, can't go after them.

The Philippine Air Force recently observed Chinese and Vietnamese forces upgrading their facilities on the Spratly Islands.

In August, a second-hand ship from the U.S. Coast Guard will augment Philippine Navy forces in Palawan.

U.S. support for Philippines

The U.S. has also waded in on the Spratlys dispute.

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas said being a treaty ally, America will support the Philippines.

"I wanna assure you that on all subjects, we, the United States, are with the Philippines. The Philippines and the United States are strategic treaty allies," he said. "We will continue to consult and work with each other on all issues including the South China Sea and Spratly Islands."

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao earlier said Washington should not interfere in the issue, since it is not a party to the Spratlys dispute.

This was echoed by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei after Vietnam also asked the U.S. for help.

The U.S., however, did not categorically state if its support would include military aid if the tension gives way to armed conflict.

President Benigno Aquino III, meanwhile, is happy with Thomas' statement.

Aquino is insisting on the Philippines' right to search for oil within its territory.

He invoked the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that states a country's territory extends 200 nautical miles from its shores.

Recto Bank is 80 nautical miles from Palawan, and is 576 miles away from China.

"So 576 is obviously greater than 200. So suddenly why should there be a dispute if we are conforming to international law?" Aquino asked.

"Siyempre they are a superpower, they have more than 10 times our population, we do not want any hostility to break out. Perhaps the presence of our treaty partner, which is the United States of America, ensures that all of us will have freedom of navigation."

The Philippines and China, however, both reiterate that they would like to peacefully settle the Spratlys dispute.

abs-cbnnews.com

US, Southeast Asian navies hold drills in hotspots

By AP

Philippine Star, Tuesday, June 14, 2011

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The US Navy and Southeast Asian naval forces have begun 10 days of attack drills aimed at combating pirates, terrorists and smugglers in Asia's maritime trouble spots.

Philippine navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay says the annual drills that started Tuesday will involve a US warship with about 100 sailors and counterpart forces from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Tonsay says the USS Safeguard will travel to each of the six Southeast Asian nations and conduct a series of bilateral combat maneuvers, including surveillance, tracking and interdiction of mock enemy vessels while other participants monitor from their countries.

The drills will be held in such trouble spots as the Malacca Strait and the Sulu Sea.

philstar.com

3 US warships join war games

By Dona Pazzibugan, Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Three American warships and four Philippine Navy vessels will take part in naval training exercises between the Philippines and the United States to be held June 28-July 8 in the Sulu Sea.

The Philippine Navy said holding this year’s Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Carat) exercise in the waters east of Palawan province had been arranged before the renewed conflict with China over the disputed Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea.

“It had been planned beforehand,” said Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay, the Navy spokesperson.

“It’s been going on for more than 10 years now … Last year it was held in the Zambales area, this year in the Palawan area, next year it will be in the Zamboanga area,” Tonsay added, explaining that the venue is rotated among the six naval forces around the country.

Tonsay said it was not the first time the annual exercise would be held in the Sulu Sea.

The last Carat exercise took place in October last year at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority area in Zambales province where the former American naval base used to be.

Five Philippine Navy ships with about 1,000 sailors and Marines then trained with more than 3,000 of their American counterparts brought in by six US Navy vessels and three aircraft that participated in the annual exercise.

Tonsay said this year’s Carat exercise involved sea training, salvage, diving, community relations work and experts exchange.

It will not include live-fire drills, he said.

The participating US warships are the destroyers USS Chung-Hoon and USS Howard, and a rescue and salvage ship USNS Safeguard.

Tonsay said the USS Chung-Hoon was in international waters west of the Philippines but had not yet entered Philippine territory.

Carat is conducted in accordance with the PH-US Mutual Defense Treaty. It aims to ensure interoperability between the Philippine Navy and US Navy and a venue for the exchange of doctrinal and tactical best practices.

Inquirer News

P5-B budget increase needed for better maritime patrol

By Johanna Paola D. Poblete, Monday, June 13, 2011

THE CHIEF of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) modernization program said that a budget increase next year is needed to beef up maritime patrol in the western Philippine Sea, even as the Palace announced that it is determined to improve defense capabilities while pursuing a peaceful multilateral approach on the ongoing Spratly Group of Islands tiff.

Brigadier General Roy O. Deveraturda, chief of the AFP Modernization Program Management Office, said that they would like to propose to Congress an increase in the annual budget of P5 billion, which will greatly enhance the modernization process.

"We are proposing more than P5 billion because that is not enough... it would be good if we could get something like the Malampaya funds of P8 billion that was given this year," said Mr. Deveraturda in a phone interview on Monday.

"The Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Navy [have been patrolling] the area... since the 1980s, but we’re talking 24-hour surveillance -- that’s the goal. To protect the integrity of national sovereignty, to record and protect if there are any violations, we need to enhance our capabilities," said Mr. Deveraturda.

Republic Act 7898 or The AFP Modernization Program had originally allotted P331 billion budget, with P164 billion from congressional appropriation and the remaining P167 billion from sources such as the sale or lease of military camps under the Bases Conversion Act.

The budget allotment included acquisitions of air force, navy and army equipment, which was supposed to have been disbursed in amounts of P50 million or P10 million from 1995 to 2000. However, the AFP modernization trust fund got its first P5.2 billion from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) in 2002.

Congress had allotted P5 billion yearly, from 2005 until the law’s expiration in 2010. Mr. Deveraturda confirmed that the P5 billion was received in 2006-2011.

Last April, President Benigno S. C. Aquino III committed P11 billion -- P8 billion of which was taken from the Malampaya Project funds, and P3 billion from the AFP modernization budget itself -- to the acquisition of equipment for 2011. "The P11 billion has been earmarked for different projects that have been identified. We have started the procurement process, and we will have our first [naval vessel] Hamilton Class Cutter in August," said Mr. Deveraturda.

He added that there are additional projects allocated for 2011 in various stages of implementation with deliverables including patrol boats, patrol helicopters with sensors, search and rescue helicopters for the use of the Navy and the Air Force in maritime patrol, particularly in the West Sulu Sea and the west Philippine Sea.

"The question about China, are they going to be very aggressive, are they going to invite direct confrontation? I don’t think so.

"To deter or defeat China, this is not our purpose. We have no intention of going into war. And while the threat of imminent danger will always be there... we want to reinforce our sovereign patrols, which right now are too small or too slow," said Mr. Deveraturda.

Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Monday assured that the government is serious about improving its defense capabilities, even while stressing that the thrust has always been peaceful resolution in the Spratly Islands.

"The administration is determined to improve the capabilities of our military and Coast Guard to enable the effective patrol and protection of our national territory and exclusive economic zone," Mr. Lacierda said at a Palace briefing.

Sought for comment, Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said that an increase in the budget of the Defense department is not in the offing. "We will have substantial increase in the spending for external defense capability," he said in a text message.

"In our meeting with the Defense Minister of China [Liang Guanglie], we also mentioned that these acquisitions of vessels and equipment are not only for protection of our coastline but also our environmental protection," Mr. Lacierda said.

"We would like to emphasize right now that we’re very, very confident and hopeful that a peaceful resolution will be achieved on this matter," said Mr. Lacierda.

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