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

Phl gunship dispatched to Spraty Islands

Phil star with PNA, Thursday, June 16, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - A Philippine Navy gunship was dispatched today to Spratly Islands to monitor the latest developments in the disputed territory.

Defense Undersecretary Eduardo Batac said BRP Rajah Humabon will also check the removal of foreign markers on the reefs and banks in the disputed islands near Palawan.

The official did not says what are the other specific instructions of the Philippine Navy to the gunship, which is the largest capital warship of the Philippine Navy.

The BRP Rajah Humabon (PF-11) is the last Destroyer Escort/Frigate in its fleet, and considered as one of the oldest active ships of the fleet, and in the world. She is one of three ex-USN Cannon-class destroyer escorts that served the Philippine Navy, the others being BRP Datu Sikatuna (PF-5/PS-77) and BRP Datu Kalantiaw (PS-76).

The Philippine gunship was sent to the disputed territory after United States Ambassador to Manila Harry Thomas assured that it will support the Philippines on its territorial dispute with China.

Malacañang has recently announced that it may invoke its Mutual Defense Treaty with the US to help ease tension in the disputed island, which was caused by the alleged incursions by Chinese naval forces.

Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay yesterday said that foreign markers or wooden posts were removed from Reed Bank, Boxall Reef in the Spratly Islands, and in the nearby Amy Douglas Bank.

Tonsay said that the posts were removed last month, before the Philippines formally protested the alleged incursions by Chinese navy in its territorial waters.

“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,” he said.

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

He said that the markers had no "Made in China" labels and oly had numbers on them.

Phil Star

Navy removes China marker, invokes 'active defense'

GMA news, Thursday, June 16, 2011

After dismantling a China marker at a disputed reef in the West Philippine Seas, the Philippine Navy on Thursday vowed to maintain its "active defense" in the area to prevent other parties from placing another marker there.

Navy flag officer-in-command Rear Admiral Alexander Pama said they have a mandate to protect the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile (370 km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

On Wednesday, the military said it removed a marker found at the Boxall Reef, which is about 125 nautical miles from Palawan's western shoreline.

“Tuluy-tuloy sa pag-iikot at pagpapatrolya ang Navy, kasama ang Philippine Coast Guard... I-emphasize natin ito sa loob ng ating exclusive economic zone. Base sa mandato namin ating pinapangalagaan ang lugar na sinasabi na atin at alinsunod doon sa EEZ natin," he said in an interview on dzBB radio.

He also noted Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. had ordered a policy of “active defense" where the Philippines will not trigger tension while defending its territory.

Pama said this means that while the Philippines will not start any conflict, neither will it run away if it is “attacked."

“We strictly follow the Chief of Staff's guideline na active defense lang. Importanteng bagay na hindi tayo mag-uumpisa pero karapatan ng lahat ng tao yan, self-defense. Pag tayo pinutukan, hindi pwedeng manonood lang o tumakbo," he said.

For now, he said the military’s Western Command will continue to have Air Force and Navy assets there maintain their vigilance against attempts to put back the markers.

The Philippines is disputing the Spratly Islands with China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

Recently, the Philippines had exchanged strong words with China following recent encounters between Philippine and Chinese forces in the area.

Pama said the markers they dismantled consisted basically of a steel bar with graduated markings.

GMA news