Final Salute

Final Salute:Marines salute as the remains of seven comrades arrive at Marine headquarters in Fort Bonifacio Sunday. Military officials say Sayyaf bandits beheaded two of the seven Marines they killed in one of the fiercest clashes this year in Sulu.AP

Lady Eagles seek No. 2; Army, Navy clash

Daily Tribune, Tuesday, August 2,2011

Ateneo hopes to sustain the momentum of its big opening day victory in the Shakey’s V-League Season 8 Open Conference as it takes on Perpetual Help today even as Army and Navy make their debut at The Arena in San Juan City.

The Lady Eagles, chasing a second straight championship after toppling the Adamson spikers in the first conference, held off the Maynilad tossers in three tough sets, pulling off a 25-23, 25-17, 25-22 victory in Sunday’s opener of the league’s inaugural Open tournament.

Alyssa Valdez fired away 20 hits, including 16 kills and three blocks, while Fille Cainglet added 14 kills and wound up with 15 points to help power the Loyola-based team past the fancied Maynilad squad.

The power-hitting Valdez and Cainglet are again expected to lead the Lady Eagles’ charge against the Altas in their 4 p.m. encounter and give the team a big headstart in the seven-team tournament featuring three regular member schools, three military teams and one commercial squad.

Perpetual will pin its hopes on guest player Giza Yumang, Arianne Argarin, April Sartin, Nheray de la Cruz, Sandra de los Santos, Kath Bulatao, Janice Abar and Royse Tubino.

San Sebastian College, winner in the 2008 second conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s Pizza, also posted a straight-set win over Philippine Air Force, 25-15, 25-21, 25-22.

Focus will also be on the 2 p.m. match between Army and Navy, two teams backstopped by former MVPs of the league organized by Sports Vision and supported by Mikasa, Accel and Maynilad Water.

Rachel Daquis and Maiah Manukay head the Army side that includes 2005 first conference MVP Michelle Carolino and sister Mayeth, Dahlia Cruz and MJ Balse, the first MVP winner in 2004.

Navy, on the other hand, will be led by former two-time MVP Suzanne Roces and Nene Bautista, the top player in 2008 first conference, along with Micmic Laborte, Janet Serafica, Joan Carpio and Daphne Mata making the “military” teams encounter a game to watch.

www.tribuneonline.org

Navy Seabees constructing 'starshell' on Patag Island

By Jaime Laude
Philippine Star,Sunday, July 31, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Navy (PN) is about to finish construction of a second star shell-like structure on Patag Island in the Spratlys, which is intended to shelter and protect troops guarding and securing the country’s maritime domain in the hotly-contested West Philippine Sea from inclement weather.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, in the meantime, is eagerly awaiting the US Hamilton-class ship acquired by the PN, which stopped in Hawaii yesterday for refueling before continuing its voyage to Manila.

The Navy’s 3rd Naval Mobile Construction Battalion is now nearing completion of the “Star Shell,” construction of which was started in late May, according to the the PN’s Naval Construction Brigade.

Once completed, Patag Island, the sixth largest among the nine islands being occupied by Filipino troops in the West Philippine Sea, will complement another star shell facility constructed by the Navy for the troops deployed in the area.

The islet has a land area of 5,700 square meters and is also being claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan.

The construction is aimed at improving the living conditions of the troops and was done way ahead of the brewing tensions among Spratlys claimant-countries.

The island is considered highly strategic, as it is located within the vicinity of Recto Bank where local and foreign partners have been conducting oil drilling exploration operations.

Recto Bank, which is within the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEC), is believed to be sitting on huge natural gas and oil deposits.

At present, a 25-man strong Seabees groups headed by Lt. Armelito Alcazar are still in Patag Island building the structure, using pre-fabricated materials brought in by the Navy’s BRP Laguna (LT 501) from Cavite.

The AFP has also programmed the repair and rehabilitation of the Rancudo Airfield in the Pag-Asa Island, the biggest island in the Kalaayan Island Group (KIG), to be able to accommodate C-130 military planes and other civilian aircraft.

AFP spokesman Commodore Miguel Rodriguez said the US Hamilton-class ship will proceed to another port in Guam before proceeding to the Philippines.

“According to the Filipino community in the area, they are giving BRP Gregorio del Pilar a warm reception. We are excited about this,” Rodriguez said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

“It is not a voyage per se so there are a lot of trainings. Even the crew members want to familiarize themselves with the ship,” he added.

Rodriguez said the ship would complement the skills of Navy personnel, whom he described as “among the best in the world.”

A total of 95 Navy personnel are manning the US Hamilton-class cutter that will arrive in Manila in three weeks.

The ship would be used to secure the natural resources and the Malampaya energy projects in the West Philippine Sea. The transfer cost has been pegged at P450 million while the operational cost for two years is estimated at P120 million. A cutter is a high-speed vessel that can cut through waves.

The newly acquired ship is the Navy’s first Hamilton-class cutter and would become its largest vessel.

www.philstar.com

12 Vietnamese fisherman rescued after boat sinks

Times Live, Friday, July 29,2011

A Philippine fishing boat rescued 12 Vietnamese fishermen whose vessel sank in the country's western waters, says a navy spokesmen.

The Vietnamese fishermen were found on Thursday off Roxas town in Palawan province, 630 kilometres south-west of Manila, said Lieutenant Colonel Omar Tonsay, a spokesman at the navy headquarters.

"The rescued Vietnamese appear to be in good physical condition," he said.

The rescued man told investigators they were fishing in Malaysian waters when their boat encountered engine trouble and they began to drift, said Lieutenant Noel Cadigal, a regional navy spokesman.

Cadigal added that according to the Vietnamese, their boat eventually sank while they were taking shelter near the Philippine coast from bad weather.

They were found stranded on a rocky outcrop by local fishermen, who turned them over to the navy on Friday.

The spokesman said authorities were verifying the fishermen's accounts and determining if they trespassed into Philippine territory and were fishing illegally.

www.timeslive.co.za