PCG: Initial findings mere speculations

MANILA, Philippines - Preliminary findings in the investigation into the May 9 fatal shooting of a suspected Taiwanese poacher off Batanes are “speculations” and not enough at the moment to make coast guard personnel involved in the shooting liable for criminal negligence.

This was according to the Philippine Coast Guard through spokesman Commander Armand Balilo in reaction to “initial findings” by investigators that the unnamed PCG personnel may have violated rules of engagement when they fired at the fishing boat carrying 65-year-old Taiwanese Hung Shih-cheng.

The report was attributed to a source privy to the case, which is being investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

“These are still just speculations. We would wait for the official findings of the NBI. We would wait for the NBI report because we have to see first what were the circumstances they alluded to in the report and what were the bases used by the NBI,” Balilo said.

“If they say that there was negligence on our part, then the NBI has to explain in what way was the negligence committed,” he added.

He said it was premature to make conclusions regarding the issue, considering that an NBI team of investigators and forensic experts has yet to go to Taiwan to interview more witnesses and examine the fishing boat involved.
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“We would respect the NBI’s finding and we would answer at the proper time and in the proper forum,” the PCG official added.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima earlier said final arrangements were being made for the NBI team to fly to Taiwan to interview Hung’s fishing companions as well as inspect their boat Guang Ta Hsin-28.

Investigators would try to determine if the 50 bullet holes found on the fishing boat all came from the firearms of the PCG personnel.

The unnamed PCG men were on board a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Monitoring Control and Surveillance (MCS) 3001 vessel when they faced off with Guang Ta Hsin-28 near Batanes.

The PCG personnel said they first fired warning shots at the Taiwanese after they reportedly made a hostile maneuver, and later shot directly at the fleeing foreign vessel with an intention to immobilize it.

At Malacañang, President Aquino appealed anew for sobriety as a group of 13 Taiwanese “peace ladies” was allowed inside the Palace to deliver a call for public apology from the president for Hung’s fatal shooting.

The group, led by former Taiwanese councilwoman Chu Mei Fong, left the Palace after delivering its message.

“We have repeatedly asked everyone to avoid taking provocative actions that could further inflame emotions. The investigation is ongoing,” Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang said on behalf of Aquino.

Meanwhile, lawmakers urged Malacañang to speed up resolving the diplomatic row with Taipei over the May 9 incident.

Marikina City Rep. Marcelino Teodoro said resolving the issue swiftly and diplomatically would preserve bilateral relations as well as ensure the safety of Filipinos working in Taiwan.

“We should participate in an unbiased investigation of the incident for it to be resolved at the soonest possible time because our fellowmen in Taiwan are suffering the adverse effects of the shooting incident,” Teodoro said as he urged officials to refrain from issuing statements that might exacerbate the situation.

Gabriela party-list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said Malacañang should be more upfront and stop denying its culpability.

“If the Taiwanese government is already extending a conciliatory move by proposing a joint investigation, what do we lose if we agree? Unless we are hiding something,” Ilagan said.

She said the Aquino administration has to display some amount of cooperation without looking subservient because a lot is at stake, especially the jobs and safety of Filipinos.

“P-Noy should desist from issuing statements that only incense the Taiwanese. Why not wait for the results of the inquiry so that he would not be forced to take back his words should an honest to goodness, unbiased investigation prove him wrong,” Ilagan said. With Paolo Romero, Aurea Calica

SOURCE: PCG: Initial findings mere speculations

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Military Self-Reliance

The rising tension over the recent incursions in areas considered as Philippine territory – the latest of which is in Ayungin Shoal with a Chinese military frigate spotted – heightens the debate once again about our country’s military and defense capability. While President Aquino’s resounding declaration that “what is ours is ours” and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin’s courageous statement that our troops will defend our territory “up to the last soldier standing” strike a proud chord with many Filipinos, there is that lingering question about our capability to defend ourselves from external threats, exacerbated by the perception that we have one of the weakest armed forces in Southeast Asia.

While it may be true that we can rely on mutual defense pacts with allies like the United States should push come to shove, at the end of the day, we must and should not be totally dependent on the US. After all, they, too, have their own budgetary problems, and it can happen that their objectives might not be in confluence with what would be most advantageous for us. Which is why the move to revive the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) program by the Department of National Defense as part of our military’s capability upgrade program is more necessary than ever. After all, if we really want to establish a minimum credible defense posture, we must first show that we can be self-reliant as far as equipping our military is concerned.

Not many know that as far back as the early 1970s, the Philippines already initiated the SRDP program to develop our domestic defense industry that, in the long run, would be able to provide support to the AFP in terms of weapons, platforms and equipment. Those supportive of the SRDP also say that an indigenous defense industry would not only cut costs but also provide much needed employment.

The program achieved a modicum of success in its early years but lost track along the way due to several impediments including budget constraints. In a policy guidance memo issued during the time of Gen. Hermogenes Esperon in 2006, the AFP noted the need for the SRDP to be revitalized but the earlier successes (local production of the M-1 rifle, the mini cruiser and tactical communications requirements) were not sustained because of “failed strategies, lack of focus, mismanagement… the SRDP Program… lost pre-eminence and bearing as a vital component in the development of the local defense industry.”

Indeed, out of the 15 or so defense companies involved earlier in supplying military hardware, only a handful are reliable – like Arms Corporation of the Philippines (Armscor) – which industrialist Don Celso Tuason bought from its American owners and turned into a totally Filipino-owned enterprise 71 years ago. At the recent signing of a memorandum of agreement between Armscor and the Armed Forces (wherein the local manufacturer would provide discounts on firearms to retired and active military personnel), AFP chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista recognized Armscor’s support, saying the AFP’s ability to protect the people and the state depends on the quality of equipment, acknowledging the savings in buying locally made firearms of excellent quality.

Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Francis Chang pointed out in his paper, “Transforming the Philippines’ Defense Architecture,” that the AFP was among the best-equipped in Southeast Asia during the early 1960s owing to transfers of surplus American weaponry. However, the Philippines became overly reliant on its mutual defense treaty with the US to guarantee its external defense. The dependence on military assistance and logistical support by the US bases also hindered the Philippines from investing sufficient resources on its own infrastructure.
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Obviously, the strategic landscape has since shifted, with the recent territorial disputes highlighting the need for enhanced external defense capabilities. It would take a lot of resources to equip our military in a manner that would enable them to adequately protect our sovereignty and maritime claims – something the President is keenly aware of when he allocated P75 billion for the extension of the modernization program to 15 more years last December. Unfortunately, the first modernization program from 1996 to December 2011 fell short, without any significant progress mainly because of funding delays.

Funding was a major reason for the creation of the Bases Conversion Development Authority that would oversee the sale or disposition of military camps. Perceptions continue however that the money was never fully remitted, with amounts turned over for the modernization program (P56.65 billion from 1993 to December 2012) not sufficient (P23.43 billion).

The proposed sale of Camp Aguinaldo (and Camp Crame) may be opportune – that is, if government could go around the “no sale” clause for the lands donated by the Ortigases. Leasing the Navy headquarters is also being mulled, along with the sale of assets in Fort Magsaysay, Camp Peralta and other camps in Bukidnon, Tarlac and Zambales to generate more resources. Insiders say the strategic relocation of Camp Aguinaldo away from the heart of the metropolis would take away the threat of terrorist extremists from civilians.

The central issue for the Philippines is how to exert enough air-sea control in the South China Sea and develop a strategy built around new technologies for lower maintenance costs. A less costly alternative for external defense can be unmanned aerial vehicles or remotely controlled drones that eliminate risks for flight personnel. In this day and age, technology and modern warfare plus land-based anti-ship cruise missiles (aided by sufficient jungle cover) could help repel enemy firepower, Chang posits.

Clearly, military self-reliance is an absolute priority for the Philippines. If we don’t do it now, we may soon find ourselves treading the road to perdition.

SOURCE: http://www.philstar.com

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Coast Guard Website Up Again

The website of the Philippine Coast Guard was up and running again on Sunday after it was attacked by hackers following the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by PCG personnel.

“It just came back and resumed its normal operations,” a staff of the Coast Guard Public Affairs Office.

He said the PCG website was restored last week after it was down since the afternoon of May 10.

The PCG website was among the several government websites which were back online amid the slight easing of tension between the Philippines and Taiwan.

In its website, the Coast Guard reported that a Trans Asia vessel caught fire while underway to Ozamiz City and a steel-hulled passenger vessel encountered engine trouble at sea in separate maritime incidents.

“The smoke came from a defective exhaust manifold,” a PCG report posted on its website said.

MV Weesam 7, on the other hand, was carrying 158 passengers when its starboard propeller accidentally loosened from the shaft at the vicinity of Punta Cruz Point in Maribojoc, Bohol.

The Coast Guard said the vessel was en route to Cebu City when the incident occurred.

The PCG said both of the vessels arrived safely to its ports of destination through the assistance rendered by the agency. – Raymund F. Antonio

SOURCE: http://www.mb.com.ph

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China satellite station now getting info on South China Sea

SANYA - A satellite data receiving station launched on Friday now enables China to obtain observation information about the South China Sea.

The station, in Sanya in south China's island province of Hainan, was launched by the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

China will now be able to obtain satellite remote sensing data of the country's southern territorial waters for civil use directly from its ground-based receiving facilities, according to an institute statement.

The station has two sets of data receiving and transmission systems, getting information from more than 10 satellites, the statement said.

A research center based at the Sanya station was also launched on Friday, which will conduct scientific research on disaster monitoring, marine sciences and of the environment.

SOURCE: http://www.interaksyon.com

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Tagalog Quotes # 13

kung nandito ka siguro sa tabi ko...wala siguro akong magagawa kung titigan ka, tumingin sa mga mata mo, pero sabay ng pagtitig ko sayo ang dalanging "sana mahalin din ako ng tinititigan ko"

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Tagalog Quotes # 11

sabi mo hintayin kita, sabi mo kse babalik ka...bumalik ka nga...may kasama namang iba...ang masakit ng tanungin kita, nakangiti ka pang sumagot..."sorry ha...nakalimutan ko...naghihintay ka nga pla!!!"

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Tagalog Quotes # 12

sorry kung hinayaan ko sarili kong mahalin ka...sorry kung di ko magawang kalimutan ka...pero kung mali man to...ayoko ng itama, minahal kse kita ng di sinasadya...

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