Philippine Defense Forces [Archive] - Page 43

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 12:18 AM

The Failure of International Law
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JD Chang – Fri Jun 17, 5:56 pm ET
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COMMENTARY | China has been once again been making the news due to a recent upsurge in tensions in the South China Sea. Just recently, China deployed its largest civilian maritime patrol vessel to the SCS amid recent escalations between it and Vietnam due to various incidents in the disputed Spratly Island Chain.

By why do these tensions exist and persist in the first place? It is important to understand that existing international law, instead of calming these tensions, actually exacerbates them due to abstract and poorly defined terms as well as conflicting interpretations. China, Vietnam and the other states that partially encircle the SCS have a long history of mutually overlapping claims of the Spratly and Paracel Island chains, however, recent "advances" in international law have brought these tensions to a boiling point.

Case and point No. 1, the "effective occupation" term used by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 1928 and the International Court of Justice in 2002 (Buszynski 2010). According to these rulings, effective occupation rights takes precedence over the historical context of "first-contact" rights. In other words, a state can legally exercise sovereign control over an area if it can prove that the area in question is already under its control despite the fact that the area may have been discovered and historically used by another state. As a result, states now realize that as long as they are able to demonstrate that an area is under their "control", they have a legal argument in their favor. This unfortunate ruling has resulted in a mad scramble to militarily fortify the disputed islands; the Spratly Islands have become one of the most heavily fortified and defended areas in the world. Vietnam has military outposts on 23 islands, China and Malaysia each occupy seven (Ana 2011).

Case and point number two, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The UNCLOS established the 200 nautical mile concept of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), a zone in which a state can exploit economic resources found within it but, unlike territorial waters, a state does not have full control over the actions that may take place within it.

The problem with the UNCLOS arises from its vaguely defined terms and the semi-enclosed nature of the SCS. Look at the map. The SCS is essentially surrounded by states, as a result, the 200 mile EEZ of every state overlaps, resulting in conflicting claims to natural resources found within it. In addition, the UNCLOS fails to specifically define what actions can and cannot take place within another state's EEZ.

A good example is article 58 of the UNCLOS which states, "all states enjoy subject to the relevant provisions of this Convention, the freedoms -- of navigation and overflight ... and other internationally lawful uses of the sea related to these freedoms, such as those associated with the operation of ships, aircraft." (Valencia 2010). But UNCLOS fails to define what is a "lawful" use of the sea.

Remember the Hainan Island Incident back in 2001 when a Chinese jet fighter collided with an American surveillance plane? That incident happened within China's EEZ. The US claimed that the plane was conducting "tracking" operations, which technically should be legal under UNCLOS (Valencia 2010). However, China argued that "tracking" is the same as "targeting", which technically should be illegal under UNCLOS. Thus, UNCLOS, with its vaguely and poorly defined terms have led to harmful legal wrangling.

International Law has failed to bring peace and security to the South China Sea. What is needed is a comprehensive regional agreement where specifics are hammered out between the affected parties.

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California Tech
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California Tech Sat Jun 18, 2011 11:19 pm PDT Report Abuse

once again we see brutish china trying to steal land that is not theirs......of the countries with competing claims, china is one of the farthest away............china would not tolerate another country from claiming chinese territory, but china has no shame, especially with their land grabbing........

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Vietnambeautiful Forever
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Vietnambeautiful Forever Thu Jun 23, 2011 03:29 pm PDT Report Abuse

China's violation of international territerial laws is just a show. It is designed to distract people attention away from Paracel and Spratly islands. China is trying to create as much as much drama as possible within each country's 200 economic zone. China wants to get smaller countries too worried near shore sovereingnty and let go of their claims of those islands. or at least, it would give the Chinese an upper hand in negotiation. Fortunately, people know too well of Chinese intention.

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J E
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J E Thu Jun 23, 2011 02:47 pm PDT Report Abuse

The problem with your conclusion, JD, is that China might not show up at planned meetings when accused internationally of tampering with sovereignty rights when it comes to dealing with specific use arguments involving the Spratleys.

Mainly, from what I understand when the Philippines is dealt heavy criticisms by China for "being a smaller country", basically, China can't be trusted with being honest about their national intentions involving the Spratley Islands and the surrounding seas and will make deals behind the backs of those involved legitimately, in order to gain favor from a media and political standpoint and control the situation in their favor remotely. (Note: Please remember the US-sponsored "preperatory" SDI "Initiative" and China's apparent violations of UN Space-Based Weapons treaties signed in the 20th century). Overall, though, your paper is excellent and well-written!

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cal
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cal Tue Jun 21, 2011 03:46 pm PDT Report Abuse

To the author: i was wondering if you could send me a copy of your bibliography. I'm doing a paper related to the topic :)

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110617/us_ac/8656781_the_failure_of_international_law_1

Parchie

June 27th, 2011, 02:09 AM

keya it is a good idea for the government to contract our ship and vehicular builders. a military-industrial complex is indeed profitable :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

I do have reservations as to your claim about being "profitable" by way of government spending (contracting means spending)! By saying "profitable", do you mean to say our economy will be better (experience growth)?

I am asking this because I can still remember that government spending also means the government has to source for funds to support its spending (borrow or raise taxes). It will be like pouring water to one end of the swimming pool and drawing some from the other end at the same time; the water level doesn't change at all! Unless of course, the money spent by government comes from out of the blue (as in an injection) can we expect the economy to balloon.

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 02:37 AM

I do have reservations as to your claim about being "profitable" by way of government spending (contracting means spending)! By saying "profitable", do you mean to say our economy will be better (experience growth)?

I am asking this because I can still remember that government spending also means the government has to source for funds to support its spending (borrow or raise taxes). It will be like pouring water to one end of the swimming pool and drawing some from the other end at the same time; the water level doesn't change at all! Unless of course, the money spent by government comes from out of the blue (as in an injection) can we expect the economy to balloon.

If the government contracts local manufacturers, in turn it becomes PROFITABLE. If these companies become profitable, they pay more taxes. More profit means more jobs as companies will expand. More workers = more tax, more purchasing power.

In addition to that, in a military-industrial context, you sell to other countries (usually overpriced)

Not much about ethics, but profitable in a capitalist economy.

mao rong

June 27th, 2011, 02:43 AM

new thread na ulit

gmaer

June 27th, 2011, 03:03 AM

new thread na ulit

PAF to receive P14 billion for modernization (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=700221&publicationSubCategoryId=63)
By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) Updated June 27, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - About P14 billion of the P40 billion allotted by Malacañang to upgrade military capability will go to the Philippine Air Force, PAF chief Lt. Gen. Oscar Rabena said over the weekend.

Under its modernization plan, the PAF will acquire a long-range aircraft to patrol the country’s territorial waters.

Rabena said the P14 billion would be used to acquire radar and aircraft that would enhance the PAF’s patrol capability.

“Those in the lineup are air defense surveillance radars, surface attack aircraft – we call it close air support aircraft – combat utility helicopters... the total is P14 billion... over a period of five years,” he said.

These acquisitions would help the PAF conduct patrols and search and rescue operations and improve its ability to perform its mandate, Rabena said.

“(The acquisitions) will give us greater domain awareness, in what is happening in our territorial waters and in our territorial air space,” he said.

Last week, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the government is ready to implement a P40-billion military modernization project over the next five years starting 2012 to secure the country’s territory in the West Philippine Sea.

The government would allot P8 billion for the next five years for the Armed Forces modernization program to protect the country’s territory, he added.

The P8-billion annual funding for 2012 to 2016 is higher than the current modernization budget being allotted to the Armed Forces, which stands at P5 billion.

The Navy may get a huge slice of the funding, given the high costs of their equipment, said Navy chief Vice Admiral Alexander Pama.

The military is now finalizing the list of items it plans to purchase.

Meanwhile, House of Representatives appropriations committee chairman Joseph Abaya said the Armed Forces must be modernized since the military plays a key role in economic development.

Abaya is confident that the government would give attention to the military’s modernization efforts since it has taken a stance to assert its claims in the West Philippine Sea.

“There was not much measure on the AFP modernization program,” he said. “Perhaps Congress and the defense department need to work closer on this.”

Speaking at the Air Power Symposium in Pasay City Friday, Abaya, a retired Navy officer, said Congress should address the gaps of the AFP modernization program, especially those related to fund allocation.

“Considering the policy implementation shortfalls, Congress would have to amend the existing law or craft a new one to effectively implement the Modernization Act,” he said.

Only P31 billion had been spent for the program after more than 16 years, he added.

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

More than 16 years have passed since the law was enacted.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said the administration is committed to reform the Armed Forces to help it carry out its mission.

“We all want the best for our country and want to help our people weather whatever storms that come their way,” he said.

“Today we have a commander-in-chief who is committed to providing you the support you need to allow you to perform your duties to the best of your abilities,” he added.

Ochoa issued the statement at the conclusion of the Air Power Symposium at the Mall of Asia last Friday.

“The reforms are part of the 16-point agenda President Aquino envisions to re-energize and transform a demoralized but dedicated military, police and civil servants to professional and motivated bureaucracies equipped with means to perform their public service missions,” he said.

Ochoa said the PAF is the most dependent on equipment among the Armed Forces services.

“It goes without saying that our pilots are some of the best in the world, whether they fly for the country or for a commercial airline,” he said.

“But no matter how great our pilots are, their capabilities can only be exploited if they have the equipment that can do them justice,” he said.

Ochoa said Aquino is aware of the need to upgrade the equipment and capabilities of the Armed Forces, noting that one of the priority bills Malacañang is pushing is seeking to extend the life of the military modernization program until 2025.

“This is to enable the military to develop and put in place capabilities that can address threats to national security,” he said.

“Part of this proposed measure authorizes the Department of National Defense and the AFP to forge contracts of sale, lease and joint venture involving real properties owned by the Armed Forces or pursue public-private partnerships in order to raise funds for the modernization program,” he said.

As chairman of the Cabinet cluster on security, justice and peace, Ochoa said he is committed to realizing and implementing the programs and reforms laid down by the President.

He cited military reforms that have been instituted by the administration, among them the comprehensive review of the financial management systems within the AFP to ensure the full implementation of the defense program and that funds earmarked for this purpose are spent judiciously.

Other reforms include the administration’s appropriation of P4.2 billion to build 20,000 houses for low-salaried members of the AFP and Philippine National Police, and the increase in the combat duty pay and incentive pay for officers and enlisted personnel. - With Delon Porcalla

Ang bilis ng thread na ito!

amigo32

June 27th, 2011, 03:13 AM

Oi, mga general may pera na namn:D tiba-tiba na namn tayo jan:D

mapa modernize na natin mga bahay ng kabit natin jan:D

gmaer

June 27th, 2011, 03:35 AM

New US, old PH ships test synergy (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/18372/new-us-old-ph-ships-test-synergy)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
5:36 am | Monday, June 27th, 2011

It’s a show of force that’s likely to raise the hackles of China—and elicit chuckles from the Asian military giant as well.

State-of-the-art US missile destroyers will join aging Philippine warships for naval exercises this week in what has been touted as a timely show of unity as tensions with China escalate over a maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

The 11-day exercise—named Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Carat)—start on Tuesday off the southwest Philippine island of Palawan in the Sulu Sea, close to the disputed waters of the West Philippines Sea, where Manila has complained of increasing Chinese provocation.

The United States will send 800 sailors and two guided missile destroyers, plus a diving and salvage ship, to the 17th staging of the Carat exercise, the US military said in a press release.

Highlighting the disparity between the military capabilities of the two allies, the Philippine Navy said it would deploy two World War II-vintage vessels armed only with cannon for the exercise.

About 300 Philippine sailors will take part, according to the Navy spokesperson, Lt. Noel Cadigal.

For its part, China plans to hold in July an initial sea trial of its first aircraft carrier—a refurbished aircraft carrier of the defunct Soviet Union.

Analysts say the Chinese aircraft carrier’s move toward operability raises the stakes for Washington, long the undisputed naval power in Asia, and jangles the edgy nerves of China’s neighbors, which are upset with what they see as Beijing’s more assertive posture in enforcing claims to disputed territories.

Some comfort for PH

But while the Philippine Navy may be no match to its Chinese counterpart in a one-on-one engagement, the annual Carat exercise nevertheless offers Manila some comfort shortly after it appealed to its long-time ally and former colonial power for help in containing Beijing’s aggressive stance, according to some analysts.

“The exercises show that the Philippines and the US are still very close. They (Philippine leaders) hope that the Chinese will be impressed by this,” said Ben Lim, a political science professor at Ateneo de Manila University.

“It will give the Philippines confidence in regard to diplomatic leverage. When they meet the Chinese again in peaceful negotiations, they can say, ‘The Americans are on our side,’” Lim added.

Nevertheless, both Manila and Washington have emphasized that the Carat exercise is part of long-term US efforts to help the Philippine military.

“The US and Philippine navies have a long history of working together, and exercises like (these) provide a great venue for us to hone our skills and increase our interoperability,” said Capt. David Welch, the US Carat commander.

Intrusions

The Philippines has in recent months complained of Chinese actions in the strategically vital and potentially resource-rich body of water.

Manila refers to the body of water as the West Philippine Sea, while Beijing calls it the South China Sea.

The Philippines and China—along with Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam—claim all or part of the West Philippine Sea, and the area has long been considered one of Asia’s potential military flash points.

President Aquino this month accused China of inciting at least seven incidents recently, including one in which a Chinese vessel allegedly opened fire on Filipino fishermen.

Mr. Aquino accused China of breaking international law by intruding within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer (200-nautical-mile) economic exclusion zone, and called on the United States for help in defending his country’s claims against China.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario last week traveled to Washington, where he won some backing from the United States as the superpower offered to help modernize the cash-strapped Philippine military.

“We are determined and committed to supporting the defense of the Philippines,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a joint news conference with Del Rosario.

No specifics were immediately announced, but Del Rosario later said that US authorities had vowed to help boost the Philippines’ intelligence capabilities in the disputed waters.

US-Viet exercises

Over the past year, China has seen a flare-up in territorial spats not only with the Philippines but also with Vietnam and Japan—all of which have turned to Washington for support.

The United States is scheduled to stage similar exercises with Vietnam next month, although it has insisted they too have nothing to do with tensions in the disputed area.

Vietnam has made accusations similar to those of the Philippines over alleged Chinese actions in the West Philippine Sea recently. Hanoi refers to the body of water as the East Sea.

Amid the spike in tensions, China has repeatedly said it wants to solve the territorial disputes peacefully while warning the United States it has no role to play in the spats. AFP

diz

June 27th, 2011, 03:58 AM

Oi, mga general may pera na namn:D tiba-tiba na namn tayo jan:D

mapa modernize na natin mga bahay ng kabit natin jan:D

:lol:

gmaer

June 27th, 2011, 04:09 AM

US asks China: Ease tension in Spratlys (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=700215&publicationSubCategoryId=63)
(The Philippine Star) Updated June 27, 2011 12:00 AM

HONOLULU – The United States on Saturday called for China to lower tensions in the South China Sea through dialogue as the Pacific powers held first-of-a-kind talks on friction in Southeast Asia.

Senior US official Kurt Campbell said he assured China during the talks in Hawaii that the US welcomed a strong role for Beijing, which has warned Washington against involvement in the intensifying disputes.

“We had a candid and clear discussion about these issues,” Campbell, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told reporters after the session in Honolulu.

“We want tensions to subside. We have a strong interest in the maintenance of peace and stability, and we are seeking a dialogue among all of the key players,” he said.

Incidents in recent weeks have heightened tension in the South China Sea, a strategic and potentially oil-rich area where China has territorial disputes with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The Philippines ordered the deployment of its naval flagship and Vietnam carried out live-fire drills after accusing China of aggressive actions.

While the US and China often talk, Saturday’s session was the first to focus specifically on the Asia-Pacific region. The dialogue was set up during the top-level Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington in May.

Campbell said the US and China would hold another round of dialogue in China at a time to be determined.

“We had a useful and productive exchange of views,” Campbell said. “I thought the overall tone and content was constructive.”

The US and China conducted “open, frank and constructive discussions with the goal of obtaining a better understanding of each other’s intentions, policies and actions toward the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.

Campbell said the US highlighted during the talks in the Pacific state that it is an Asia-Pacific country with an interest in the region’s peace, stability and prosperity.

He said the US explained that it is trying to build new partnerships in the area and that it supports a strong China.

President Barack Obama’s administration has focused on building ties with Southeast Asia, accusing the previous team of George W. Bush of neglecting the fast-growing and often US-friendly region due to preoccupation with wars.

The US has rallied behind Southeast Asian nations amid the high tension in the South China Sea.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged Thursday to help the Philippines - a treaty ally of the United States - to modernize its navy. The archipelago’s flagship warship is an aging vessel used by the United States in World War II.

The United States and Vietnam have also been stepping up cooperation, with the former war foes issuing a joint call during recent talks in Washington for a peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea.

The US plans joint exercises with the Philippines and a naval exchange with Vietnam in coming weeks, although US officials have characterized the activities as routine.

China has insisted that it wants a peaceful resolution of conflicts and has voiced alarm at what some Chinese policymakers consider an effort to hold back the rising power.

China’s top official at the Hawaii talks, vice foreign minister Cui Tiankai, warned ahead of the session that US support of its partners “can only make things more complicated.”

“I believe some countries now are playing with fire. And I hope the US won’t be burned by this fire,” Cui said, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal.

Cui said the US should limit itself to urging “more restraint and responsible behavior from those countries that have been frequently taking provocative actions.”

Campbell said the US also told China that its rapidly growing military spending has raised concern in the region and that “greater transparency and more dialogue will help ease those concerns.”

DFA hails alliance with US

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario hailed the US as the Philippines’ most strategic ally.

He said both countries shared values and ideals, wars that have been fought together, bilateral trade and investment, development assistance, and people-to-people relations.

Del Rosario made the statement when he spoke about the Philippine-US alliance before the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Southeast Asia Program last June 23.

The CSIS is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1962 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It seeks to advance global security and prosperity by providing strategic insights and policy solutions to decision makers.

Its Southeast Asia program, headed by Ernie Bower, serves as a forum for US policy in that region.

Representatives from the academe, government, business, think tanks, media and diplomatic community attended the event.

Del Rosario said Philippine-US ties have become an imperative, to allow the alliance to continue to meet domestic goals, while contributing to global stability.

A question and answer forum was conducted following Del Rosario’s address with many of the queries touching on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) issue.

Del Rosario said, “The primacy of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is the cornerstone on which we define and protect our territory and maritime entitlements in the South China Sea.”

He offered a framework “that transforms the South China Sea from an area of dispute to a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation by a segregation of disputed relevant features from the undisputed waters of the South China Sea consistent with UNCLOS.”

Phl-US set war games

State-of-the-art US missile destroyers will join aging Philippine warships for naval exercises this week in a timely show of unity as tensions with China escalate over a maritime dispute.

The 11 days of exercises start tomorrow off Palawan in the Sulu Sea, close to the disputed waters of the South China Sea where Manila has complained of increasing Chinese provocation.

Officially the training is an annual event not linked to the territorial row, but it nevertheless offers the Philippines comfort shortly after appealing to its longtime ally and former colonial power for help in containing China.

“The exercises show that the Philippines and the US are still very close. They (Philippine leaders) hope that the Chinese will be impressed by this,” said Ben Lim, a political science professor at Ateneo de Manila University.

“It will give the Philippines confidence in regard to diplomatic leverage. When they meet the Chinese again in peaceful negotiations, they can say ‘the Americans are on our side,’” Lim said.

The Philippines has in recent months complained of allegedly increasingly aggressive actions by China in waters claimed by both nations in the strategically vital and potentially resource-rich South China Sea.

President Aquino this month accused China of inciting at least seven incidents recently, including one in which a Chinese vessel allegedly opened fire on Filipino fishermen.

He accused China of breaking international law by intruding within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile economic exclusion zone, and called on the US for help in defending the country’s claims against the Chinese.

Del Rosario last week traveled to Washington, where he won some backing from the US as the superpower offered to help modernize the cash-strapped Philippine military.

“We are determined and committed to supporting the defense of the Philippines,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a joint news conference with Del Rosario.

“The US and Philippine navies have a long history of working together, and exercises like (these) provide a great venue for us to hone our skills and increase our interoperability,” US CARAT commander Capt. David Welch said.

The US will send 800 sailors and two guided missile destroyers, plus a diving and salvage ship, to the 17th staging of the exercises, the US military said in a press release.

Highlighting the disparity between the allies’ military capabilities, the Philippine Navy said it would deploy two World War II-vintage vessels armed only with cannon for CARAT.

About 300 Philippine sailors will take part, according to Navy spokesman Lt. Noel Cadigal.

The US is scheduled to stage similar exercises with Vietnam next month, although it has insisted they, too, have nothing to do with South China Sea tensions.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Commodore Miguel Rodriguez yesterday said the US readiness to boost the Philippines’ capability in securing its maritime territory is a positive development.

Rodriguez said it is the duty of any self-respecting nation to enhance the capability of its security forces.

“We are looking at this as a positive development in terms of the relationship between the US and the Philippines as treaty partners,” Rodriguez said in a phone interview.

“Our defense is not against any country. We are trying to build our defense capability since it is the responsibility of any self-respecting nation,” he said.

Rodriguez said the assurance of US defense officials is just in line with the Mutual Defense Treaty signed by the US and the Philippines in 1951.

China, Vietnam pledge to resolve row

China and Vietnam have pledged to resolve the row over competing South China Sea territorial claims “peacefully,” Chinese state media quoted both sides as saying Sunday after tensions rose over the issue.

The two neighbors pledged to reach a “peaceful resolution of the maritime dispute between the two countries through negotiations and friendly consultations,” a report by China’s official Xinhua news agency said.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese protesters yesterday marched through Hanoi’s streets for a fourth straight week, calling for China to stop entering Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea as tensions between the neighbors continue to flare.

Carrying signs that read “China stop lying. China stop invading” and “Stop violating the territorial waters of Vietnam,” the crowd swelled to about 100 as it snaked through the capital’s humid streets.

Protests are extremely rare in communist Vietnam and are typically quashed quickly by security forces. Still, Hanoi has allowed the demonstrations to go on for the past four Sundays amid tight security.

“The tensions in the East Sea may escalate, but if other countries join together, the Chinese may have to back down,” said Phung Thi Tram, 70, referring to the area by its Vietnamese name. She yelled “Down With China!” as she marched.

Vietnam accuses Chinese vessels of hindering oil exploration surveys in an area 200 nautical miles off its central coast that it claims as its economic exclusive zone. China says Vietnam illegally entered its waters near the disputed Spratly Islands and endangered Chinese fishermen.

The two sides have a long history of maritime scrapes, mainly involving areas around the believed resource-rich Spratly and Paracel islands, which are claimed all or in part by Vietnam, China and several other Asian countries. But the current spat has become much more hostile, with both sides announcing live-fire naval drills were recently held. - Alexis Romero, AP

xxxriainxxx

June 27th, 2011, 04:27 AM

And another email:

U.S.-China Asia-Pacific Consultations June 25, 2011

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
June 26, 2011

Assistant Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell hosted Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai for the inaugural U.S.-China Consultations on the Asia-Pacific on June 25 in Honolulu. The consultations are an outcome of the third U.S-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in May and reflect President Obama's and President Hu's commitment to build a positive, cooperative, and comprehensive relationship.

The United States and China conducted open, frank, and constructive discussions with the goal of obtaining a better understanding of each other's intentions, policies and actions toward the Asia-Pacific region. The United States began the dialogue by highlighting that it is an Asia-Pacific country with an abiding national interest in peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. The United States underscored the growing importance of its alliances, which are the cornerstone of its strategy in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as of its efforts to build new partnerships in the region. The United States reiterated it welcomes a strong, prosperous, and successful China that plays a greater role in regional and world affairs.

The United States emphasized its support for strengthening the role of regional institutions. (ASEAN??) In that context, the United States and China discussed ways for both countries to promote greater cooperation on the challenges facing the region. In particular, Assistant Secretary Campbell and Vice Foreign Minister Cui discussed each sides' objectives for the upcoming meetings of the ASEAN Regional Forum, the APEC Leaders Meeting that will be held here in Hawaii, the Pacific Islands Forum and the East Asia Summit. The United States and China also had discussions about Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, with particular attention on timely issues such as North Korea, maritime security in the South China Sea, and Burma.

The Asia-Pacific Consultations are similar to dialogues the United States holds with many other Asia-Pacific states, and complements existing U.S.-China sub-dialogues on other critical regions of the world. These dialogues enhance cooperation, contribute to better understanding between the United States and China, and promote regional security. The United States' delegation consisted of representatives from the Departments of State and Defense, the National Security Staff, the United States Pacific Command, and the United States Agency for International Development. Assistant Secretary Campbell thanked Vice Foreign Minister Cui for the constructive exchange of views, and the two sides agreed to hold another round of talks in China at a mutually convenient time.

PRN: 2011/1067

xxxriainxxx

June 27th, 2011, 04:44 AM

Beijing on the banner of SSC. Let's rate as 1/5. :D

Pangit ng ciudad na yun. Yak. No amount of photoshop can change that.

Here's my capture of Beijing earlier this month.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/full/331673745.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJF3XCCKACR3QDMOA&Expires=1309143896&Signature=MNqrCZQpnO2mxmv4zd9pYWD5p%2Bw%3D

Manila-X

June 27th, 2011, 05:20 AM

Honestly Beijing isn't my favourite city in The Mainland. Shanghai and Guangzhou is more vibrant.

Anyway, if PAF is going to modernize. How about some fighter planes as well. Some F-18s and Kfirs.

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 05:34 AM

xxxriainxxx

June 27th, 2011, 05:46 AM

Honestly Beijing isn't my favourite city in The Mainland. Shanghai and Guangzhou is more vibrant.

Anyway, if PAF is going to modernize. How about some fighter planes as well. Some F-18s and Kfirs.

Shanghai has a GREAT nightlife but getting a cab is a killer.

Being open and frank isn't really an asian value :lol: We ran about the bush to often, what more with the secretive mainland :lol:

;)

nebelwerferXXX

June 27th, 2011, 05:59 AM

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

Here are my views about the AFP budget.
82.75-billion...AFP GHQ
82.75-billion...Army
82.75-billion...PN and PMC
82.75-billion...PAF

It can buy only 1,000 5.56-mm rounds for rifles, one Danao-made M1 Garand rifle, one 9-mm pistol with 2 magazines, 1 Sarao jeep, 1 AIFV and 1 Scorpion LBT with 4 x 200-liter diesel fuel, one 105-mm howitzer with 40 rounds, 1 WW II-vintage LST without weapons, 1 Vietnam War-vintage UH-1 helicopter with 2 rocket pods and 2 HMGs, 100 second-hand combat boots, 10 body armor, 20 kevlar helmets, 1,000 second-hand camouflage uniforms, one rim of short coupon bond, one laptop, one cellphone and 100 items of canned goods...

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 06:00 AM

xxxriainxxx

June 27th, 2011, 06:06 AM

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 06:08 AM

Take note he said -

"work for China"

Dude's an idiot. :lol:

Ang sarap pagpiyestahan ng mga traidor na ito. Mas traidor pa kay Gloria :lol:

xxxriainxxx

June 27th, 2011, 06:16 AM

Ang sarap pagpiyestahan ng mga traidor na ito. Mas traidor pa kay Gloria :lol:

Mga Bagong Makapili sila. ^^

------------------------------

Meanwhile,

Fil-Ams to Picket Chinese Embassy Over Spratlys Row
BY ABS-CBN NEWS ON June 26, 2011 CATEGORIZED UNDER United States | 0 Comments and 0 Reactions

They are holding a lunch-break picket in front of the sprawling Chinese embassy at 3505 International Place NW, adjacent to the University of District of Columbia, according to a message from Eric Lachica, a community leader who’s been active in promoting Filipino World War II veterans and the proposed medical portability bill in Congress.

This comes after growing US support for the Philippines, which has complained about recent Chinese aggression in what it calls the “West Philippine Sea” (South China Sea).

Visiting Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario revealed at least 9 Chinese intrusions in Philippine territory since the recent tensions started when a Philippine oceanographic research ship was forced to flee from what was considered as Philippine waters.

US Director for National Intelligence James Clapper has reportedly promised Del Rosario of Washington’s assistance to boost Philippine intelligence capabilities in the South China Sea.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates likewise assured US support to upgrade the Philippine military’s outdated weaponry.

Del Rosario earlier proposed to lease US military equipment that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) need to patrol and defend the country’s western frontier.

The Philippines has the only airstrip on the Spratly Islands. The airstrip is located on Pag-Asa Island that is part of the Kalayaan Islands, which is part of Palawan province.

The AFP has long drawn up a list of equipment it needs to operate effectively in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone that encompasses the Philippine claims in Spratly Islands.

They include long-range maritime surveillance aircraft, bigger ships (similar to the Hamilton-class all-weather cutter from the U.S. Coast Guard that is now on its way to join the Philippine Navy), and anti-aircraft radars and weapons, among others.

Clapper, according to a Philippine embassy statement, “pledged to enhance intelligence sharing with the Philippines to heighten the latter’s maritime situational awareness and surveillance in the West Philippine Sea.”

Clapper’s assurance is especially significant because the Chinese are suspected to be building new structures near Recto Bank (that is part of Zambales province in Central Luzon) where the Chinese earlier planted markers that were later removed by Filipino troops. China had also surreptitiously built semi-permanent structures in Mischief Reef near Palawan in the late 1990s.

Defense Undersecretary for Policy Michelle Flournoy, meanwhile, assured del Rosario they will look “into the full range of requirements” of the Philippine military. “We should not allow this perception that you are alone and we’re not behind you,” she stressed.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton became the highest U.S. official to assure the Philippines that America will honor its obligations under the 60-year-old Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

That treaty states that an attack on either the U.S. or Philippines in the Pacific Area would be considered as an attack on both, that in theory, suggest military counter-attack.

She explained that while the U.S. will not take sides in the South China Sea territorial dispute, it will not tolerate the use of force to enforce any claims there.

“We are determined and committed to supporting the defense of the Philippines, and that means trying to find ways of providing affordable material and equipment that will assist the Philippine military to take the steps necessary to defend itself,” Sec. Clinton said.

http://www.pinoy-ofw.com/news/13039-filams-picket-chinese-embassy-spratlys-row.html

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 06:19 AM

^^Buti pa sila, yung mga makabayan este makapili na leftist? Investigate china's intrusion...jusme, kelangan pa ba imbestigahan iyan eh halos ipagsigawan na nila na yung bakod natin kanila daw. Bakit ala sila harap ng Chinese embassy? :lol:

xxxriainxxx

June 27th, 2011, 06:58 AM

Chinese Finance Minster Jin Renqing And Taiwanese Spy Had Affair, WikiLeaks Says

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A U.S. diplomatic cable released by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks says former Chinese Finance Minster Jin Renqing was fired in 2007 for having a sexual relationship with a suspected Taiwanese spy.

The reported affair occurred during the administration of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian, when bilateral tensions were high because of Beijing's anger over Chen's pro-independence policies.

The cable from the U.S. consulate general in Shanghai was dated Sept. 20, 2007. It described the unidentified woman as a promiscuous socialite and said Chinese investigators believed she was a Taiwanese spy.

Taiwan's intelligence agency declined to comment Monday.

Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949. Beijing continues to claim Taiwan as its own.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/26/jin-renqing-taiwanese-spy-affair-wikileaks_n_884907.html?ref=tw

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 07:00 AM

Sleeping with the enemy? Samson and Delilah?

Parchie

June 27th, 2011, 07:19 AM

Sleeping with the enemy? Samson and Delilah?
Samson? sleeping with Delilah, the enemy? A bible story?

Sou-jiro

June 27th, 2011, 07:31 AM

leofriends

June 27th, 2011, 08:06 AM

Deus Ex

June 27th, 2011, 08:06 AM

I'm sure the U.S. would offer them at a DISCOUNT price.

leofriends

June 27th, 2011, 08:09 AM

North Korea soldiers malnourished: report (http://ph.news.yahoo.com/north-korea-soldiers-malnourished-report-034845040.html):lol::lol::lol:

AFP NewsAFP News – 2 hours 6 minutes ago

North Korea is struggling to feed its army, according to new footage obtained from within the secretive state which shows a soldier complaining his unit is weak from a lack of nutrition.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the video was taken by an undercover North Korean journalist over several months earlier this year and smuggled out of the communist country to China.

It shows orphaned children begging for food in the streets and a party official ordering a vendor at a private market to give her a donation of rice for the army -- once quarantined from food shortages..........................

xxxriainxxx

June 27th, 2011, 09:08 AM

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 09:12 AM

Manila-X

June 27th, 2011, 09:15 AM

Wind Shear

June 27th, 2011, 09:27 AM

xxxriainxxx

June 27th, 2011, 09:31 AM

^^^ IDK, NK regime has the money for their nuclear project and missiles yet they have no money for food. Not that I am heartless but it's like giving more "indirect" funds to the NK regime to prioritize its military than its citizenry

Kaya lang pag binigyan natin ng pagkain, baka magalit si Uncle Sam at si Uncle Hu, sabihin nakikialam tayo. :lol:

gmaer

June 27th, 2011, 09:32 AM

Phl, US set maritime exercise in Palawan (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=700366&publicationSubCategoryId=63)
(The Philippine Star) Updated June 27, 2011 02:33 PM

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines – Philippine and United States Navy will start tomorrow the annual bilateral maritime exercise here, the state media said today.

Dubbed as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT), the joint military exercise will be conducted at the height of the tension between the Philippines and China over the Spratlys row.

In an interview, Major Neil Anthony Estrella, spokesperson for the Western Command, said about 1,000 US sailors are expected to participate in the ashore and at-sea phases of the CARAT.

He also said that this year’s exercise promises to be meaningful and relevant for the two navies, and will further strengthen the relationship of the two countries.

He said two destroyer and one salvage ships are to be used by the United States Navy as their centerpieces for the exercise. The Philippines will utilize all the patrol ships deployed under the Naval Forces West.

Apart from the military exercise, there will also be symposia on search and rescue practices and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

CARAT is a series of bilateral military exercises between the United States Navy and the Naval Forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. The exercise in Puerto Princesa City will end on July 4th.

bitoy

June 27th, 2011, 10:00 AM

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5317/5863928062_e4367efa7d_z.jpg

SOUTH CHINA SEA (June 22, 2011) Philippine Navy commandos board USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50) during a Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) exercise in support of Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) 2011. SEACAT is a series of VBSS training exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to enhance relationships and adapt to evolving maritime threats. (The U.S. and Philippine navies will conduct similar training during exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT). (U.S. Navy photo by Navy Diver 3rd Class Ralph Riess)

leofriends

June 27th, 2011, 10:52 AM

^^^ IDK, NK regime has the money for their nuclear project and missiles yet they have no money for food. Not that I am heartless but it's like giving more "indirect" funds to the NK regime to prioritize its military than its citizenry

.. and time will come the investment for war will be meant for nothing..:ohno:

diz

June 27th, 2011, 11:10 AM

this is getting exciting! it's taking a real threat to finally modernize the AFP. :lol:

leofriends

June 27th, 2011, 11:16 AM

this is getting exciting! it's taking a real threat to finally modernize the AFP. :lol:

well, not really, now it is an external treat.. we have to eat more rice to fully refurbished or acquire our weapons, just take the first step.. kill the corrupts...:ohno:

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 11:55 AM

Kaya lang pag binigyan natin ng pagkain, baka magalit si Uncle Sam at si Uncle Hu, sabihin nakikialam tayo. :lol:

Oo nga lalo na ngayon na nagtataray sa atin si uncle hu

Sou-jiro

June 27th, 2011, 11:59 AM

Kaya lang pag binigyan natin ng pagkain, baka magalit si Uncle Sam at si Uncle Hu, sabihin nakikialam tayo. :lol:

kaya nga sensitive issue yan....I can just donate mcdonald gift vouchers and burger kings gift vouchers...it entitles the foot soldiers to free small fries and a free cheeseburger hehhehe :D

I doubt there's MCDO and burger king in north Korea...ow well stick to kimchi for nutrients hehehe.

mrboy

June 27th, 2011, 12:54 PM

Sou-jiro

June 27th, 2011, 01:00 PM

1/72 scale by Hobby Master

http://www.hobbymaster.com.hk/images/info_pict_ha1403.gif
This particular aircraft
In July 1967 John Sidney McCain III survived a deck explosion and fire on the USS Forestall that killed 134. He then joined the USS Oriskany VA-163 Saints and in October 1967 his A-4E Skyhawk was shot down over North Vietnam. Released after 5 1/2 years in prison John retired in 1981 and was elected a Congressman in 1982 and Senator in 1986. While in the Navy McCain was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and the DFC.

General Background
The A-4 Skyhawk is one of the most successful attack aircrafts ever built. This smallest jet aircraft ever deployed on a carrier was the product of Douglas 's Chief Engineer Ed Heinnemann in the 1952. This was the time when a more lightweight aircraft was in demand to fit into those post-war vintage carriers.

The Skyhawk was extensively used during the Cold War period and the Vietnam War by the Navy and the Marines. Because of its small size and powerful performance, the A-4 was also known as the “Heinnemann's Hot Rod”. A total of 2, 960 of Skyhawk were built and many of them were exported to other countries.

Specifications :
Wing Span : 27 ft 6 in
Length : 39 ft 5 in
Height : 15 ft
Weight : 20,000 lbs (loaded)
Maximum Speed : 664 mph
Service Ceiling : 20,100 ft
Range : 1,160 miles
Engines : 1 Wright J65-W-20 turbojet, 8,400 lbs thrust
Crew : 1

Sou-jiro

June 27th, 2011, 01:02 PM

^^wala ba ni isa man sa mga heneral jan sa North korea na maisipan na labanan si kim jung il?

Talo pa pala si Hitler, Noong panahon niya eh ang daming nang nagtangkang patayin siya at mga heneral pa ang nagsabwatan.

mejo mahirap kasi yan....if there's a coup of say 10 generals...againts the rest of N. Korea...then that will be futile....it needs to be the whole country....

If that ever happens...China will more likely act like the good guys in the media saying they see this as a positive development they will then host Peace talks but secretly in reality they are supporting Kim Jung Il.

If even Kim Jung Il is overthrown this would be a great relieve for the region and heck maybe the world.

But for China its one less MAJOR ally, though in Public they wont admit it.

xxxriainxxx

June 27th, 2011, 01:13 PM

amigo32

June 27th, 2011, 01:18 PM

hindi pa daw updated yan:D

xxxriainxxx

June 27th, 2011, 01:22 PM

Updated pwet nila. HEHEHE.

waraywaray architect

June 27th, 2011, 01:39 PM

Sleeping with the enemy? Samson and Delilah?

This gave me a BIG LAUGH this morning!:lol::lol::lol:

waraywaray architect

June 27th, 2011, 01:40 PM

Brown Tiger

June 27th, 2011, 02:00 PM

Interesting sa Wikipedia, hindi kasama ang Kalayaan Islands as part of China.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/People%27s_Republic_of_China_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg/541px-People%27s_Republic_of_China_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg.png

Sabi na nga kasing hindi nila sakop yung sa atin eh, pinagpipilitan pa! :D

========================================================

BusinessMirror.com.ph Home Nation Regular air patrols over disputed areas seen
Regular air patrols over disputed areas seen
Monday, 27 June 2011 00:09 Rene Acosta / Reporter
THE Air Force expects to conduct regular patrols over the West Philippine Sea with the acquisition of long-range patrol aircraft and an air defense system.

Lt. Gen Oscar Rabena, Air Force commander, said the acquisition of the aircraft and the radar system, which will be assisted by two multipurpose helicopters, will also allow the Air Force to monitor activities in the country’s territory in the West Philippine Sea.

The purchase of the new assets for the Air Force was included in the P42-billion, five-year defense budget of the Aquino administration.

The amount is separate from the P11 billion that President Aquino earlier gave to the Armed Forces after the Spratlys issue with the claimant countries, particularly China, heated up.

Part of the P11 billion will be used to repair the Rancudo Air Field on Pagasa Island in the Spratlys. Work will begin as soon as the weather improves, according to the Armed Forces Western Command chief, Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban.

Rabena said the Air Force is currently helping the Navy in patrolling the West Philippine Sea through the use of OV-10 “Bronco” armed observation aircraft.

Aside from the radar system, long- range aircraft and helicopters, Rabena said the Air Force is expecting the delivery of the two C-130 “Hercules” cargo planes that are currently undergoing maintenance checkup and repair.

“One of them is undergoing depot maintenance level in our maintenance wing. We hope it will come out in August or September. The other one is undergoing maintenance in the US, it will be coming in September,” he said.

When the two C-130s were delivered, the Air Force will have three such aircraft.

Palace committed to equipping military

“THE Aquino administration is committed to give adequate operational support to government troops to help the military carry out its missions,” said Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.

“Today we have a Commander in Chief who is committed to providing you the support you need to allow you to perform your duties to the best of your abilities,” Ochoa said at the conclusion of the Air Power Symposium of the Air Force on Friday.

The reforms, he said, are part of the 16-point agenda of President Aquino that is envisioned to reenergize and transform a demoralized but dedicated military, police and civil service to professional and motivated bureaucracies equipped with means to perform their public-service missions.

Ochoa lamented the plight of the Air Force, which is the most dependent on equipment among the military’s major services.

“It goes without saying that our pilots are some of the best in the world, whether they fly for the country or for a commercial airline. But no matter how great our pilots are, their capabilities can only be exploited if they have the equipment that can do them justice,” Ochoa pointed out.

He stressed that the President is aware of the need to upgrade the equipment and capabilities of the Armed Forces, noting that one of the priority bills the Palace is pushing is a legislation that would extend the life of the Armed Forces Modernization Program until 2025 to enable the military develop and put in place capabilities that can address threats to national security.

Part of this proposed measure authorizes the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces to forge contracts of sale, lease and joint venture involving real properties owned by the military or pursue public-private partnerships in order to raise funds for the modernization program.

As chairman of the Cabinet cluster on security, justice and peace, Ochoa said he is committed to realizing and implementing the programs and reforms laid down by the President.

He cited military reforms that have been instituted by the administration, among them the comprehensive review of the financial management systems within the Armed Forces to ensure the full implementation of the defense program and that funds earmarked for this purpose are spent judiciously. --With Recto Mercene

...the Palace is pushing is a legislation that would extend the life of the Armed Forces Modernization Program until 2025....

Sina Teddy Casino unang-una kokontra dito for sure.... 101%

leofriends

June 27th, 2011, 02:17 PM

I think the Russians are in better shape. They gave their armies dog food.:lol::lol::lol:

haha.. sobra ka nmn.. d2 maraeng pigrolak etch..:lol:

leofriends

June 27th, 2011, 02:32 PM

Palace seeks more AFP upgrading (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/324420/palace-seeks-more-afp-upgrading)

By GENALYN D. KABILING
June 27, 2011, 1:49pm

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang is seeking congressional approval of a measure extending the implementation of the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) when session resumes next month.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said the government is determined to reform the military and upgrade its equipment to effectively fulfill its mandate to protect the nation from all kinds of threats.

“We all want the best for our country and want to help our people weather whatever storms may come their way. Today we have a Commander-in-Chief who is committed to providing you with the support you need to allow you to perform your duties to the best of your abilities," Ochoa said during the Air Power Symposium of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) at the Mall of Asia last Friday............................................

U.S. and China meet in Honolulu over South China Sea tensions (http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/124566363.html)

By Bloomberg News
POSTED: 08:42 a.m. HST, Jun 26, 2011

The U.S. told China that tensions must be reduced in the South China Sea when the countries held the inaugural U.S.-China Asia-Pacific Consultations in Honolulu.

Talks with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai were “useful and productive,” Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt M. Campbell said when the forum ended Saturday. Cui didn’t speak to the press after the meetings.

Cui last week told the U.S. not to get involved in territorial disputes over the oil-and gas-rich South China Sea.

China’s recent moves to stop Vietnam and the Philippines exploring for oil and gas in disputed waters have drawn criticism from U.S. Congressional representatives. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on June 23 reaffirmed the U.S.’s commitment to defend the Philippines, a treaty ally.

China asserts jurisdiction over most of the South China Sea, including oil and gas blocks more than 625 miles from its shores. Vietnam and the Philippines have rejected China’s claims as a basis for joint exploration, setting the stage for clashes in areas where Exxon Mobil Corp., Talisman Energy Inc., Forum Energy Plc and Vietnam Oil & Gas Group, known as PetroVietnam, have operations.

Claims to various islands and strategic shipping lanes have been made by the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and Singapore. Vietnamese and Chinese boats have clashed twice in the South China Sea since late May.

Vietnam said China breached the exclusive economic zone that extends 200 miles from its shores when it prevented Vietnamese vessels from conducting oil exploration surveys near the disputed Spratly islands.

China and Vietnam agreed to address their dispute through negotiations and consultations, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday after Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo met with Vietnamese Vice Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son in Beijing yesterday.

Chinese ships chased away a Forum Energy survey vessel under contract from the Philippines in March, and rammed survey vessels operated by PetroVietnam twice in the past month. China has disputed that version of events, saying it is committed to maintaining peace in the seas.

The U.S., which has patrolled Asia-Pacific waters since World War II, has defense treaties with the Philippines and Thailand, and guarantees Taiwan’s security. The U.S. Navy has said it will conduct joint training exercises with both the Philippines and Vietnam over the next two months.

Earlier this week, Campbell said the U.S. had “no intention” of inflaming territorial disputes in the South China Sea. He said he wanted “recent tensions to subside and cooler heads to prevail.”

Campbell said his discussions with Cui in Honolulu included military development, Chinese diplomacy with North Korea and Myanmar and U.S. interests in the region, as part of an effort to promote transparency.

Talks with China will continue at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ meeting in Hawaii in November, at the Pacific Islands Forum in Auckland, New Zealand, and at the East Asia Summit in Bali, Indonesia.

The U.S. “welcomes a prosperous and successful China” and the two sides agreed to hold another round of talks in China at a mutually agreed upon time, Campbell said. “These dialogues enhance cooperation and contribute to better understanding between the U.S. and China.”

waraywaray architect

June 27th, 2011, 03:29 PM

haha.. sobra ka nmn.. d2 maraeng pigrolak etch..:lol:

I'm not kidding... Here's the news:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/19/us-russia-troops-dogfood-idUSTRE74I4TH20110519

waraywaray architect

June 27th, 2011, 03:46 PM

Here's an interesting caption of an article published by the Heritage Foundation exactly a year ago. This is a very relevant and well written that might give us a good insight on what might the US and Philippines would do in implementing territorial defense capability in the West Philippine Sea.

"To shift from internal security to territorial defense, the PAF must
also acquire training aircraft and fighter planes. It also needs to
improve the working conditions of its personnel and invest in training
and logistic support services, among other areas. The Pentagon needs to
emphasize hardware acquisition and long-term financing, as well as
software (attitude and technical knowledge).

To these ends, Washington should:

Bilaterally engage the Philippine Department of National Defense and the
AFP in a comprehensive review of past and current reform efforts.

This review should evaluate the JDA (joint Defense Agreement) , the
Multi-Year Capability Planning System, the PDR (Philippine Defense
Reform), CUP (Capability Upgrade Program), and the Defense System
Management. Hopefully, this will goad the Philippine defense

community into accelerating reform and convince it to factor territorial
security into its defense planning and spending.

Review and reprioritize U.S. security assistance programs to make them
responsive to the AFP's shift from internal security to territorial
defense.

International Military Education and Training (IMET) should include
training PAF pilots and ground support staff in fixedwing aircraft
operations. It should also retrain middle-level PAF and PN officers in
territorial defense and send AFP officers to courses on formulating
doctrine on defense equipment procurement and legislative liaison. The
Pentagon should also consider offering the AFP some defense equipment
for territorial defense through FMS because government-to-government
transactions have been deemed faster and more efficient than the bidding
system established by the AFP Modernization Act.

Identify and finance a major defense project that can indirectly support
the AFP's shift from internal security to territorial defense.

Using the Coast Watch South project as a model, the Pentagon can finance
projects that indirectly support the AFP's shift to territorial defense.
This could be in the form of rehabilitating the country's radar systems,
the PAF's long-range reconnaissance and surveillance capability, or the
PN's (or coast guard's) capability to patrol the western Philippines,
particularly Palawan Island. This project could be financed through FMS.

Encourage and coordinate programs of military assistance by other U.S.
bilateral allies to the Philippines.

In the past, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, and even Japan have
provided the Philippines with some of their excess defense articles.
Recently, the Republic of Korea provided the PN with two Patrol Killer
Medium (PKM) craft. The U.S. can informally encourage its allies to give
Manila more surplus defense articles as grants or as long-term loans and
to guarantee that their security programs aimed at assisting the AFP
will be responsive to the requirements of Philippine territorial
defense.

Heighten diplomatic and military engagement with Manila to impress upon
its ally and the region that the U.S. will remain a Pacific power and
the Philippines' principal strategic

ally far into the future.

No amount of American military assistance will enable the Philippines to
stand alone against an emergent China in the long run. Washington must
reassure Manila that the U.S. will be a Pacific power well into the 21st
century and that the U.S. is a reliable and trustworthy ally that
remains committed to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.

ambott2002

June 27th, 2011, 04:40 PM

asan po ung link sa thread 11 nito ???
pakibigay po pls. .

xxxriainxxx

June 27th, 2011, 05:06 PM

Press Availability Following the inaugural U.S.-China Asia-Pacific Consultations

Press Availability
Kurt M. Campbell
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Honolulu, Hawaii
June 26, 2011

MODERATOR: Thank you for coming, and good evening. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell will give a read-out today of the inaugural U.S.-China Asia-Pacific Consultations which just occurred today at the East-West Center, and he will give remarks.

And following that, there will be a Q&A, and it will be on-the-record Q&A. And make sure that when you do -- when we get into that part, you raise your hands and get called on. And please give your name and affiliation, okay? Thank you.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Thank you very much. First of all, thank you all for coming here this evening. I just want to take a moment to warmly thank East-West Center for their wonderful hospitality. We have had the good fortune over the course of the last couple of years to do many programs with the East-West Center. And when we were contemplating the first U.S.-China Consultations on the Asia-Pacific region, we thought of the East-West Center, given its tremendous history and its record of bringing peoples and nations together. So we are thankful for the hospitality and the warmth we have received.

Let me just read a quick statement, and then I will be able to take just a couple of questions. I am going to read this to you, even though this is in the -- not in the first person.

Assistant Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell hosted Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai for the inaugural U.S.-China Consultations on the Asia-Pacific region on June 25, here in Honolulu. These consultations are an outcome of the third U.S.-China strategic and economic dialogue that was convened in May, and they reflect President Obama and President Hu's commitment to building a positive, cooperative, and comprehensive relationship for the 21st century.

The United States and China conducted open, frank, and constructive discussions with the goal of obtaining a better understanding of each other's intentions, policies, and actions toward the Asia-Pacific region. The United States began the dialogue by highlighting that it is an Asia-Pacific country with an abiding national interest in peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. The United States underscored the growing importance of both of its alliances, which are the cornerstone of its strategy in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as its efforts to build new partnerships in the region, as well. The United States reiterated it welcomes a strong, prosperous, and successful China that plays a greater role in regional and world affairs.

The United States emphasized its support for strengthening the role of regional institutions. In that context, the United States and China discussed ways for both countries to promote greater cooperation on the challenges facing the region. In particular, Assistant Secretary Campbell and Vice Foreign Minister Cui discussed each side's objectives for the upcoming meetings of the ASEAN Regional Forum: the leader's meeting that will be held, obviously, here in Hawaii; the Pacific Island Forum in Auckland, New Zealand; and the East Asia Summit that will be convened in Bali later this year.

The United States and China also had discussions about Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, with particular attention on timely issues such as North Korea, maritime security in the South China Sea, and Burma.

The Asia-Pacific Consultations are similar to the dialogues the United States holds with many other Asia-Pacific states, and complements existing U.S.-China sub-dialogues on other critical regions of the world. These dialogues enhance cooperation, contribute to better understanding between the United States and China, and promote regional security. The United States delegation consists of representatives from the Departments of State and Defense, the National Security Council staff at the White House, the United States Pacific Command, and the United States Agency for International Development.

Assistant Secretary Campbell -- I thank Vice Foreign Minister Cui for the constructive exchange of views. The two sides agree to hold another round of talks in China at a mutually convenient time.

So, let me just conclude with that, and I would be happy to take just a couple of questions before we head off to dinner. So, please, just -- if you would, please, identify yourselves so I just know who I'm speaking with. Thanks. Yes?

QUESTION: I'm (inaudible). Would you please speak about the urgency to hold a meeting between U.S. and China when the South China Sea is such a hot issue?

And also, another question. You mentioned earlier in May that the two countries are seeking to highlight areas of common pursuit, concrete cooperation on specific projects. Would you please elaborate what you mean on --

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Thank you. Well, first of all, we scheduled these meetings a few months ago. And so the timing was propitious for both sides. We had detailed discussions from each other's perspectives on the South China Sea. The United States laid out very clearly our position, as Secretary Clinton has done with Foreign Minister del Rosario the day before yesterday, and particularly last year at the ASEAN Regional Forum.

We firmly believe that it will be important that upcoming multilateral sessions highlight areas where the United States and China -- but other countries, as well -- are able to very clearly articulate areas of cooperation on issues such as disaster preparedness. One of the things that we saw in the aftermath of the tragedy in Japan is that better preparations are possible among all the Asia-Pacific countries to better and more rapidly respond to a crisis such as the earthquake. We face common challenges with respect to piracy, and clearly there are opportunities for the United States, China, other militaries to work to combat these particular problems.

Obviously, there are challenges in places like the Pacific, that face enormous problems with respect to climate change, with respect to health, and poverty. And we think it is incumbent on states who have an interest in the welfare of the people of the Pacific and elsewhere in Southeast Asia to find possibilities for collaboration. And that is part of what we wanted to explore with Chinese friends over the course of the day.

Yes? Hi, how are you?

QUESTION: Hi. (Inaudible.) I have a question (inaudible) issue. So, why is U.S. (inaudible) navigation (inaudible) navigation? So what kind of (inaudible) have you made (inaudible) navigation today?

And, secondly, what kind of (inaudible) did you make about North Korea issue? You just had a U.S. (inaudible) meeting, and you will have three (inaudible) meetings, including Japan and Korea. So today, so what kind of (inaudible) are you getting (inaudible)?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Well, let me just lay out our position on the second issue, if I can. Obviously, the United States stated very clearly our consistent position with respect to developments on the Korean Peninsula. We are looking for concrete progress in North-South relations, and we believe that that is a critical first step towards a larger engagement with North Korea, with respect to a whole host of issues, with the Six-Party Talks and elsewhere. We believe that for North Korea to be effective in its diplomacy, it must responsibly first work and engage with South Korea, and we are encouraging that process as we go forward.

We have made no decision with respect to food assistance. We made that point very clear with Chinese friends. We have asked, again, for China to take critical steps to urge North Korea to reach out and to deal responsibly and appropriately with South Korea, and to refrain from any further provocations.

I am not going to say very much more about the South China Sea. We had a -- I think a candid and clear discussion about these issues. The United States, again, underscored our strategic principles that guide our approach. We want tensions to subside. We have a strong interest in the maintenance of peace and stability. And we are seeking a dialogue among all the key players.

Yes, just a couple other questions. Thank you. How are you?

QUESTION: (Inaudible.) In today's conversation, did the Chinese (inaudible) say that we should keep out of (inaudible)?

And one more question. (Inaudible?)

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: I think I would just simply say that we had a useful and productive exchange of views. I would leave -- I think Chinese friends will be characterizing their approach. And I posit that the overall tone and content was constructive.

Yes?

QUESTION: Thank you very much. My name is (inaudible) from the (inaudible) Newspaper. Before you left Washington you said that in today's consultation you were seeking (inaudible). So I just would like for --

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: China's what?

QUESTION: (Inaudible.) And I just would like you to describe whether or not your exchange (inaudible).

And another part, it seems that your Asia-Pacific strategy is not bilateral. You were emphasizing (inaudible). So how do you (inaudible) the fundamental difference (inaudible)?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Well, first, let me take the second question. I think we spent a good amount of time in discussions about how the United States, China, and other key countries like Japan, South Korea, India, can more effectively collaborate together in the important critical institutions, multilateral institutions of Asia. And we recognize that those institutions, like the East Asia Summit, which the United States is joining, and the ASEAN Regional Forum, are going to be playing a more important role in the years ahead. And we think it is very important that there is greater collaboration among the key nations. And China, I think in our discussions today, expressed a desire to work closely with us, and find areas of common cause. And we support that very much.

Now I've forgotten your first question, so --

QUESTION: (Inaudible.)

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: Yes. I think what we tried to communicate in our discussions with our Chinese friends is that their military expansion, their military capabilities have raised concerns in the region, and that greater transparency and more dialogue will help ease those concerns.

MODERATOR: I think that is going to close it.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CAMPBELL: That's good. Thank you all very much.

eonynx

June 27th, 2011, 05:52 PM

Taken from a philstar comment.

Basically, this dude is saying we kiss China's ass and give them all the resources we have. :lol:

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/8642/unledwy.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/37/unledwy.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

China's joint suggestion is like, we use our money for the tools, they get all the profit and resources. And if they say Palawan was part of their ancient dynastys before the establishment of Las Islas Filipinas, we give it to them. Yes, working "side by side"

Such people should be stripped off their Philippine citizenship and be banished to China (we're actually doing them a favor since they adore China so much)!

another one of those chinese imperial apologists. china's territorial claims are living in an antiquated time capsule. china maybe a rising power but the US is still the lone superpower. in a way, i would somewhat like to see china be a little more carelessly assertive like what she has been doing since last year. this plays right into the US' hands.

when all is said and done, despite other countries' romantic preoccupation for US bashing, Washington still has a much higher trust rating compared to Beijing in terms of respecting other countries' sovereignty. once the conflict would spillover into the international waters involving maritime cargoes going in and out of Singapore, more likely, the US would intensify her interference. the port of Singapore is one of the world's most important trading spots. this port has a lot to do in facilitating and maintaining American and European commercial and trading interests. and when things happen that would negatively affect those interests, it doesn't take a geo-political analyst to guess what would happen next. the outcome that china abhors, of course.

Askal82

June 27th, 2011, 07:21 PM

Taken from a philstar comment.

Basically, this dude is saying we kiss China's ass and give them all the resources we have. :lol:

[/URL]

Uploaded with [URL="http://imageshack.us"]ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/37/unledwy.jpg/)

China's joint suggestion is like, we use our money for the tools, they get all the profit and resources. And if they say Palawan was part of their ancient dynastys before the establishment of Las Islas Filipinas, we give it to them. Yes, working "side by side"

Such people should be stripped off their Philippine citizenship and be banished to China (we're actually doing them a favor since they adore China so much)!

He doesn't know what he's asking for.

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 07:39 PM

How i wish nixon just let china rot during the 70. Kasalanan din niya na cjina is slowly sucking the us economy

mao rong

June 27th, 2011, 08:01 PM

showbiz na...:lol:

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 09:08 PM

another one of those chinese imperial apologists. china's territorial claims are living in an antiquated time capsule. china maybe a rising power but the US is still the lone superpower. in a way, i would somewhat like to see china be a little more carelessly assertive like what she has been doing since last year. this plays right into the US' hands.

when all is said and done, despite other countries' romantic preoccupation for US bashing, Washington still has a much higher trust rating compared to Beijing in terms of respecting other countries' sovereignty. once the conflict would spillover into the international waters involving maritime cargoes going in and out of Singapore, more likely, the US would intensify her interference. the port of Singapore is one of the world's most important trading spots. this port has a lot to do in facilitating and maintaining American and European commercial and trading interests. and when things happen that would negatively affect those interests, it doesn't take a geo-political analyst to guess what would happen next. the outcome that china abhors, of course.

The way China is playing its cards right now, I agree, is very careless, especially that people clueless about the Spratlys in the other side of the world still somewhat rever China as a "good country" (especially in places where anti-US sentiment are quite strong). Beijing, IMO, is thinking somewhat short term by bullying its "hapless" neighbors. Now, all I wish is that the international media would start focusing on Beijing's bullying countries like Vietnam and the Philippines in which we never had historical rife with (maybe with exception for Vietnam, but you get the idea ..Vietnam did not invade China).

One of our best weapons aside from forming alliance is getting the situation out in the international media. Of course Beijing will say it is Western propaganda and all lies and will accuse a poorly equipped Philippine military of "invasion".

Besides, how can Beijing be a more responsible "superpower" when it almost do nothing when international events happen. They comment but that's all. Take for example what Russia and Beijing did on the Libyan conflict. Gone NATO bashing but they only abstained in the decision. They have the power to veto, yet they didn't. Now we hear the rebel leader coming to China. We even don't see Beijing pledging aid to calamity-stricken countries. Japan, with its dwindling economy these past years has still been generous to assist the Philippines and other countries. Beijing? They steal our backyard.

waraywaray architect

June 27th, 2011, 09:18 PM

Guys, I've been trying to research US excess defense materiels online and I've wondered if the mothballed F18 Hornets at AMARC can be offered to the Philippine Air Force and will be at an affordable option? I saw the plight of the mothballed F-14's scrapped and brutally hammered by hydraulic grabbers. There are also F-16's on their inventory that might be looked at as long as AFP is not overly focused on twin-engines for MRF's. F-16's are good as lead-in role for advanced aircraft in the future and will be a good deterrent for China's aggressive behavior. If the modernization plan is extended to 2025, I would say F-16 is a good interim jet fighter say between 2011 thru 2016 or beyond.

eonynx

June 27th, 2011, 09:30 PM

915bungohunter

June 27th, 2011, 09:31 PM

The Decommisioned PN Frigates
Fr http://www.facebook.com/TheWestPhilippineSea?sk=wall
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/264927_131908253556406_100002116968027_239322_6276872_n.jpg
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/251395_131907136889851_100002116968027_239320_1346494_n.jpg
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/263603_131906010223297_100002116968027_239317_6136947_n.jpg
other pics
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/253640_112855068805685_100002435782504_124492_7940148_n.jpg

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 09:38 PM

eonynx

June 27th, 2011, 09:49 PM

One of our best weapons aside from forming alliance is getting the situation out in the international media. Of course Beijing will say it is Western propaganda and all lies and will accuse a poorly equipped Philippine military of "invasion".

Besides, how can Beijing be a more responsible "superpower" when it almost do nothing when international events happen.

unlike western powers, china doesn't have the experience in being a colonizer for hundreds of years. her nascent middle kingdom perspective is at odds with her historical experience of being sidelined by western powers in terms of colonization endeavors.

this lack of overt experience as a colonizer, coupled with her feeling that it's pay back time with regards to regaining that middle kingdom status that everything should revolve around her, are showing themselves in how she handles weaker country-claimants in the SC sea issue. only the prospect of western hard power intervention is preventing her from running roughshod over small countries like us. we have to play that angle to our maximum advantage.

eonynx

June 27th, 2011, 09:53 PM

you mean we can't get either f-16? :ohno:

of course we can. that fighter-bomber will NOT be decommissioned for a foreseeable future. that's why we have a realistic chance of purchasing it, if only our corrupt military higher ups will take a sweeping purge of the system and of themselves. and the f16 is a proven aircraft in aerial combat. it is still in my book, the most slick and beautifully designed fighter aircraft.:cheers:

915bungohunter

June 27th, 2011, 09:54 PM

eto pahttp://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/264048_131916343555597_100002116968027_239412_2549423_n.jpg
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/260265_131917256888839_100002116968027_239425_8206898_n.jpg
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/255103_131918493555382_100002116968027_239438_5291650_n.jpg
Ano nalang kung meron tayong ganito...
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/254381_236370823043178_100000107865738_1147278_5804942_n.jpg

gaLj

June 27th, 2011, 09:55 PM

eonynx

June 27th, 2011, 09:59 PM

^^thank you for the correction.:lol: however, are these aircraft still even in existence? is it still being manufactured?

gaLj

June 27th, 2011, 10:01 PM

^^thank you for the correction.:lol: however, are these aircraft still even in existence? is it still being manufactured?

These jets are still in production:

F-16 block 60
F-18 Super Hornets
F-15 Silent Eagle

Phased out already
F-14 Tomcat

Limited production
F-22 Raptor
B-2 Spirit
F-35 JSF

eonynx

June 27th, 2011, 10:04 PM

You're entirely wrong.

With or Without an aircraft carrier, we can still procure f18s.

The F18s need at least 450 meters of runway, while US Aircraft carriers only have 320m of runway. So to be able to launch them at limited runway -- aircraft carrier uses catapult to hurl the f18s at desirable speed needed for flight.

again, thanks for the correction. upon further verification, the adoption of the f18 for land use was made possible by getting rid of the automatic carrier landing system which was standard feature for those original f18s launched from the air craft carrier.

eonynx

June 27th, 2011, 10:09 PM

These jets are still in production:

F-16 block 60
F-18 Super Hornets
F-15 Silent Eagle

Phased out already
F-14

Limited production
F-22 Raptor
B-2 Spirit
F-35 JSF

my oh my! i got confused between the f18 and the f14. both have naval multi-role fighter lineage. the f35 is like the successor of the f16. but it's still in its development stage. the f22, which already has limited production and utilization, is like a successor to the f15. but i'm quite confident that the f15 and the f16 are not yet going to be phased out by the US military. these are popular military hardwares in the export market.

gaLj

June 27th, 2011, 10:17 PM

^^
With the advent of J-20 and PAK-50, -- F16, F15s, and F18s are nearing their twilight.

Of course, you can always fit them with powerful AESA radars to detect stealth and jammers to reduce the RCS just to be par with J-20 and PAk-50, but it will jack up the cost production.

eonynx

June 27th, 2011, 10:26 PM

^^worst case scenario, unless china would employ her best fighters (either her own stealth aircraft or stealth aircraft exports from Russia), upgrading our radars to detect stealth could be a long term proposition. obviously, we currently can't afford stealth aircrafts. and china doesn't need a stealth fighter to project her power to us.

for the mean time, i think those f 15s and f 16s would be enough for our defense purposes.

gaLj

June 27th, 2011, 10:46 PM

eonynx

June 27th, 2011, 10:49 PM

^^
Warships fitted with PESA/AESA radars will suffice to detect current generations of fighters.

Our Naval force is our 1st line of Defense, so we must bolster their capabilities. Planes/Fighters are just to complement them, as well as to buy time for our Land units to mobilize.

With our Without a massive air force, as long as we have a powerful naval force to defend our shores -- its enough already to deter any aggression from belligerent states.

i agree with you on this one.

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 10:52 PM

http://m.gmanews.tv/story/224569/pakistan39s-taliban-vow-attacks-on-west

Being a US ally, we could potentially be a target too. We should take our military upgrade seriously

Nabartek

June 27th, 2011, 11:01 PM

waraywaray architect

June 28th, 2011, 12:21 AM

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=700551&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Another vague statement from beijing. What do they call what they did to the panganiban reef.

Gladly, the philippines seems close to senator webb. At least someone is takong the issue to the US senate.

The problem that beijing does not realize that it is so clear that what she is saying is opposite of what she is doing

Exactly! I bet the US military already know how to handle their double talk. Lessons learned from Hitler. Actually, this is typical communist tactics. The nations who love freedom and liberty should take note of China's real intentions.

waraywaray architect

June 28th, 2011, 12:29 AM

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 12:35 AM

And japan bombing pearl harbor while diplomatic talks, reason why the us shifted from isolationist to interventionist

gmaer

June 28th, 2011, 03:15 AM

China committed to peaceful development in region (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=700550&publicationSubCategoryId=63)
By Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star) Updated June 28, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - China is committed to the “path of peaceful development” of disputed areas in Southeast Asian waters.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei voiced his country’s stand in a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday in response to a joint US-Japan statement calling on China to play a “responsible and constructive” role in safeguarding regional stability.

“China sticks to the path of peaceful development, upholds the defense policy that is defensive in nature and commits itself to actively developing friendship and cooperation with countries around the world, especially neighboring countries,” Hong said.

“China always staunchly advocates and actively promotes regional peace and stability as well as mutually beneficial cooperation. We hope relevant countries respect the fact, adopt a responsible attitude and do more to safeguard regional peace and stability and enhance mutual trust,” Hong added.

Reacting to the joint statement of the Japan-US Consultative Committee, China said the two countries should not go beyond the scope of their bilateral agreements.

“We have noted relevant report. Japan-US alliance, as a bilateral arrangement forged under special historical circumstances, should not go beyond its bilateral scope,” Hong said.

China also reiterated its rejection of US involvement in the territorial disputes among China and some Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines over some potentially oil-rich islets, atolls, and reefs in the West Philippine Sea.

Since the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea in 2002, China claimed it has been actively engaged in implementing “follow-up actions” like meeting with senior Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) officials.

China signed the DOC with ASEAN to reduce regional tensions as well as pave the way for the resolution of territorial disputes.

Hong noted that a joint working group has also been set up to formulate working plans and specific cooperation projects. The joint working group gives priority to cooperation in maritime scientific research, maritime environmental protection and navigation safety.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario reiterated the vital role played by the US in keeping stability in the region, particularly in protecting Philippine territory.

“The United States remains the Philippines’ foremost strategic ally,” he said, citing “shared values and ideals, wars that have been fought together, bilateral trade and investment, development assistance, and people-to-people relations.”

The Philippine embassy in Washington reported that the Center for Strategic & International Studies Southeast Asia Program invited Del Rosario to speak about the Philippine-US alliance last June 23.

Representatives from academe, government, business, media and the diplomatic community attended the conference.

He added that a review of the Philippine-US ties “has become an imperative, to allow the alliance to continue to meet domestic goals, while contributing to global stability.”

A question and answer forum touched mainly on the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea.

“The primacy of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is the cornerstone on which we define and protect our territory and maritime entitlements in the South China Sea,” he said.

He said a framework is in order “that transforms the South China Sea from an area of dispute to a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship, and Cooperation (ZoPFF/C) by a segregation of disputed relevant features from the undisputed waters of the South China Sea consistent with UNCLOS.”

The Center for Strategic & International Studies is a Washington-based bipartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1962.

It seeks to advance global security and prosperity by providing strategic insights and policy solutions to decision makers.

Noy thanks US for Spratly aid commitment (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=700551&publicationSubCategoryId=63)
By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star) Updated June 28, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines – President Aquino thanked the United States yesterday for its promise of military assistance in the event of a shooting war in the Spratlys, and expressed relief at China’s assurance that it had no plans to invade the Philippines.

“We are grateful to the US for their offer of help,” Aquino told reporters in an informal interview here, where he led the launching of the 200-megawatt power plant of Korean Electric Power Co. in Barangay Colon, Naga City in this province.

“We’re of course glad that the Mutual Defense Treaty has been reiterated,” Aquino said, referring to assurances from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. among others.

But while he is thankful for China’s “no invasion” assurance, Aquino said he is deeply worried about the large presence of Chinese troops as well as permanent structures in the disputed territories.

But he stressed this should not get in the way of diplomatic discussions.

“Although in fairness we have been talking to them (Chinese). I think the only right solution, direction will be to continue talking with all the claimant-countries as far as the Spratlys are concerned,” he said.

“The focus here should be on how to maintain stability and increase trade. That will increase the standards of living for all the people concerned,” he told reporters.

“So we maintain the direction towards improving the standards of living, rather than going into a conflict situation,” he said.

But Aquino said the Philippines, although a small nation, is ready to deal squarely with aggression.

Qu Xing, president of the China Institute of International Studies, said over the weekend that fears of a Chinese invasion of the Philippines were “totally groundless.”

“We have never sent troops to invade other countries and we have never used forces against other countries,” Qu told a media briefing.

Tensions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) have escalated in recent weeks, with Vietnam and the Philippines protesting what they see as China’s increasingly aggressive stance in the strategic region.

“China safeguards its sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, which does not affect freedom of navigation... enjoyed by countries according to international law,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said in a press conference in Beijing recently.

Match words with action

After introducing a resolution condemning China’s reported bullying in Southeast Asia, US Sen. Jim Webb (Virginia) said it’s now time for his country to “back (its) policy with action.”

The Washington Post, meanwhile, aired the same call in its editorial recently.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said Webb relayed to him his position during a meeting recently.

“Senator Webb believes that it is now time to back policy with action,” the DFA said in a statement.

Webb chairs the Senate subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Foreign Relations committee. Webb co-authored his resolution with Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe.

Del Rosario met with Webb in Washington a few days after the resolution was filed.

The resolution calls for “a peaceful and multilateral resolution to maritime territorial disputes in Southeast Asia.”

The senator has expressed confidence that the US Senate will approve his resolution this week.

Webb, an author and a decorated Vietnam War veteran, has visited the Philippines twice - the first as a journalist and later as Secretary of the Navy.

He authored a book on World War II, “The Emperor’s General,” about a third of which is set in the Philippines during the years 1944-1945.

Del Rosario told the media that he was seeking a “clarification” of the mutual defense treaty between the Philippines and the US, particularly its relevance to competing claims over potentially oil-rich areas in Southeast Asia. Del Rosario, in his US trip, had also sought help for beefing up the Philippines’ naval forces.

“These are tricky requests for the Obama administration, which has been trying to avoid taking sides in the increasingly dangerous clashes between China and its neighbors over a huge and vital Asian waterway that Beijing - in apparent contravention of international law - claims entirely for itself,” The Washington Post editorial said.

“I believe the individual countries are actually playing with fire,” Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said Wednesday, “and I hope the fire will not be drawn to the United States,” The Post quoted the Chinese Foreign Ministry official as saying.

“Such menacing language makes clear why the United States needs to exert its influence. Up to one-third of global trade passes through the South China Sea, so preserving freedom of navigation is a national interest,” as expressed by Clinton, the paper said.

“Such rhetoric ought to be coupled with initiatives. Ms. Clinton has suggested the United States could play a role in fostering multilateral discussions on the South China Sea; Washington should press China to formalize a ‘code of conduct’ with Southeast Asian nations for handling territorial disputes,” it said.

“And if Mr. del Rosario’s government wishes to shift its long-standing defense cooperation with the United States from counterterrorism to the patrol and defense of its territorial waters, the Pentagon should be ready to cooperate,” the editorial read.

War games begin

Meanwhile, the joint Philippine-US naval exercises begin today in Palawan, where most of the disputed islets, shoals and reefs are located.

The joint naval maneuver called CARAT 2011 (Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training 2011) would be held near the Sulu Sea.

Two Philippine Navy ships with 300 sailors – BRP Rizal (PS 74) and BRP Pangasinan (PS 31) – will take part in the drill together with the USS Chung-Hoon, USS Howard and USNS Safeguard.

Chung-Hoon and Howard are guided missile destroyers while Safeguard is a dive and salvage warship of the US 7th Fleet.

US Navy Lt. Cmdr. Mike Morley, CARAT’s point of contact, said the 11-day naval exercise will train the sailors in dealing with different operational problems both in land and at sea.

“Ashore training includes such specialties as Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) exercises; diver training; salvage operations; joint medical, dental and civic action projects, and aircrew familiarization exchanges,” he said.

“The at-sea phase of CARAT focuses on developing maritime security capabilities in areas such as maritime interdiction, information sharing, combined operations at sea, patrol operations and gunnery exercises,” he said.

US servicemen are also set to visit Hulugan Bay in the West Philippine Sea for a scheduled tour of the world renowned Underground River.

“Highlights of CARAT 2011 are the personnel exchange between the two ships for the effective communication of information between the PN and USN; friendship games; and PN-hosted and USN-hosted reception dinners to further strengthen the relationship between the two parties involved,” the Philippine Navy said in a statement.

“Civil military operations are also scheduled to be able to reach out to the residents of Palawan, particularly medical and dental civic action at Barangay Tagabinet; engineering civic action at Barangay Mangingisda Elementary School; and community relation activity at Tagburos Elementary School and Gregorio Oquendo Memorial Elementary School,” the Navy’s press statement said.

Naval show

Meanwhile, naval forces from the Philippines and more than 20 other countries will join a fleet review that will highlight the 3rd Brunei International Defense Exhibition (BRIDEX) in Brunei Darussalam on July 2.

Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay said they will join their counterparts from countries including China, Malaysia and Brunei in the activity to learn more about innovations in defense warfare.

A fleet review is a ceremonial gathering of different navies. Other countries that will send naval personnel and equipment to the review are the US, Pakistan, Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand.

Tonsay said the Philippine Navy will send the BRP Apolinario Mabini and BRP Mariano Alvarez to the event. The vessels, with combined crew of 105, will leave Sangley Point, Cavite on June 28.

“This activity will enable the crew of the two patrol vessels and members of the organized task group to gain insights and appreciation on technology advancements and industry developments, particularly on defense warfare,” Navy chief Vice Adm. Alexander Pama said.

“BRIDEX also provides an excellent platform for building vital alliances, forging partnerships and capturing new business opportunities in a fast growing South East Asian region,” Tonsay said. – Jaime Laude, Alexis Romero, Pia Lee-Brago

Chinese Liars! See Battle of the Paracel Islands (http://www.vlink.com/history/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1198868292&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&)

Qu Xing, president of the China Institute of International Studies, said over the weekend that fears of a Chinese invasion of the Philippines were “totally groundless.”

“We have never sent troops to invade other countries and we have never used forces against other countries,” Qu told a media briefing.

The South Vietnamese claim of her own casualties were agreed to by the Chinese. According to the claim, warship HQ-10 was sunk, HQ-16 was heavily damaged, HQ-5 and HQ-4 were both lightly damaged. Fifty-three (53) Vietnamese soldiers including Captain Ngụy Văn Thà of HQ-10 were killed, 16 others were injured.

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 03:20 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmNqFn3houQ&feature=related

Chinese minister says the WPS is owned by no one in front of international representatives yet it UNILATERALLY claims as their "indisputable sovereignty".

This hypocrisy NEEDS to be internationalized. As in international media, UN, etc...to show how hypocritical Beijing is.

Russian Bear, Chinese panda? :lol:

gmaer

June 28th, 2011, 03:29 AM

PAF celebrates anniversary (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/18799/paf-celebrates-anniversary)
Cebu Daily News
8:56 am | Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

THE Philippine Air Force (PAF) will celebrate its 64th founding anniversary on July 1 with the theme, “Ang Inyong Hukbong Himpapawid: Kaakibat sa Kaunlaran at Kaisa sa Kapayapaan.”

The celebration will highlight a medical mission in barangay Alegria, Cordova, Cebu today and tree planting in Mt. Pul-ong, Sibugay, Cebu City on June 30.

The month-long celebration also featured “advocacy biking” event last June 18 to promote peace and good governance. It was participated in by people from the government and private sectors.

Philippines, US navies in show of unity (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/4915/philippines-us-navies-in-show-of-unity)
By Mynardo Macraig
Agence France-Presse
10:49 am | Sunday, June 26th, 2011

MANILA – State-of-the-art US missile destroyers will join ageing Philippine warships for naval exercises this week in a timely show of unity as tensions with China escalate over a maritime dispute.

The 11 days of exercises start on Tuesday off the southwest Philippine island of Palawan in the Sulu Sea, close to the disputed waters of the South China Sea where Manila has complained of increasing Chinese provocation.

Officially the training is an annual event not linked to the territorial row, but it nevertheless offers the Philippines comfort shortly after appealing to its longtime ally and former colonial power for help in containing China.

“The exercises show that the Philippines and the US are still very close. They (Philippine leaders) hope that the Chinese will be impressed by this,” said Ben Lim, a political science professor at Ateneo de Manila University.

“It will give the Philippines confidence in regard to diplomatic leverage. When they meet the Chinese again in peaceful negotiations, they can say ‘the Americans are on our side’.”

The Philippines has in recent months complained of allegedly increasingly aggressive actions by China in waters claimed by both nations in the strategically vital and potentially resource-rich South China Sea.

The Philippines and China – along with Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam – claim all or part of the South China Sea, and the area has long been considered one of Asia’s potential military flashpoints.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino this month accused China of inciting at least seven incidents recently, including one in which a Chinese vessel allegedly opened fire on Filipino fishermen.

He accused China of breaking international law by intruding within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile economic exclusion zone, and called on the United States for help in defending his country’s claims against the Chinese.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario last week travelled to Washington, where he won some backing from the United States as the superpower offered to help modernise the cash-strapped Philippine military.

“We are determined and committed to supporting the defence of the Philippines,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a joint news conference with del Rosario.

No specifics were immediately announced but del Rosario later said that US authorities had vowed to help boost the Philippines’ intelligence capabilities in the South China Sea.

Nevertheless, both nations have emphasized that the naval exercises starting Tuesday – named Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) – are part of long-term US efforts help the Philippine military.

“The US and Philippine navies have a long history of working together, and exercises like (these) provide a great venue for us to hone our skills and increase our interoperability,” US CARAT commander Captain David Welch said.

The United States will send 800 sailors and two guided missile destroyers, plus a diving and salvage ship, to the 17th staging of the exercises, the US military said in a press release.

Highlighting the disparity between the allies’ military capabilities, the Philippine navy said it would deploy two World War II-vintage vessels armed only with cannon for CARAT.

About 300 Philippine sailors will take part, according to navy spokesman Lieutenant Noel Cadigal.

The United States is scheduled to stage similar exercises with Vietnam next month, although it has insisted they too have nothing to do with South China Sea tensions.

Vietnam has made accusations similar to those of the Philippines over alleged Chinese actions in the South China Sea recently.

Amid the spike in tensions, China has repeatedly said it wants to solve the territorial disputes peacefully while warning the United States it has no role to play in the spats.

http://i40.tinypic.com/2dkivpg.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/4u7ybt.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2qtk6c7.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/28012f9.jpg

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 03:34 AM

^^grabe yung kapal ng suot at armor nila, di ba sila naiinitan?

gmaer

June 28th, 2011, 03:45 AM

^^grabe yung kapal ng suot at armor nila, di ba sila naiinitan?

The USMC AAV-7 is air conditioned and the Philippine Marines always wanted this amphibious assault vehicle (http://www.olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_aav7.php) but they never had it.

http://pmcmssr.tripod.com/aav7a1.jpg
USMC AAV-7 being operated by a Philippine Marine crew during an exercise.

The latest upgrade of USMC AAV7+P offered to Philippine Marines by USMC in 1998. Among the requirements submitted by the Philippine Marines to the Philippine Navy Modernization board were the need to acquire suitable amphibious armored personnel carriers. The only vehicle that met the requirement were the LVT-7. Now designated by the USMC as the AAV7P, the "plus" designation is the latest configuration that the USMC vehicles will be upgraded to meet its needs until the arrival of the AAAV.

The Plus vehicle will have a new engines, transmissions, and suspension, as well as additional armor to overcome shaped charge warheads.

It is hopped that these vehicles that were offered by the USMC will be procured in the Philippine’s upcoming modernization program.

http://pmcmssr.tripod.com/pmcarmor.html

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 03:50 AM

^^I meant yung body armor...ang kapal @_@

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 03:50 AM

Senators Webb, Inhofe Introduce Resolution Condemning China’s Use of Force in South China Sea

June 13, 2011

Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and James Inhofe (R-OK), chair and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, respectively, today introduced a Senate resolution condemning the repeated use of force by China in the South China Sea and calling for a peaceful, multilateral resolution to maritime territorial disputes in Southeast Asia.

The text of the resolution is below:

Title: Calling for a peaceful and multilateral resolution to maritime territorial disputes in Southeast Asia.

Whereas, on June 9, 2011, 3 vessels from China, including 1 fishing vessel and 2 maritime security vessels, ran into and disabled the cables of an exploration ship from Vietnam, the VIKING 2;
Whereas that use of force occurred within 200 nautical miles of Vietnam, an area declared by Vietnam as its Exclusive Economic Zone;
Whereas, on May 26, 2011, a maritime security vessel from China cut the cables of another exploration ship from Vietnam, the BINH MINH, in the South China Sea in waters near Cam Ranh Bay;
Whereas, in March 2011, the Government of the Philippines reported that patrol boats from China attempted to ram 1 of its surveillance ships;
Whereas those incidents occurred within disputed maritime territories of the South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, composed of 21 islands and atolls, 50 submerged land atolls, and 28 partly submerged reefs over an area of 340,000 square miles, and the Paracel Islands, a smaller group of islands located south of China’s Hainan Island;
Whereas China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei have disputed territorial claims over the Spratly Islands, and China and Vietnam have a disputed claim over the Paracel Islands;
Whereas the Government of China claims most of the 648,000 square miles of the South China Sea, more than any other nation involved in those territorial disputes;
Whereas, in 2002, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China signed a declaration on the code of conduct of parties in the South China Sea;
Whereas that declaration committed all parties to those territorial disputes to “reaffirm their respect for and commitment to the freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea as provided for by the universally recognized principles of international law,” and to “resolve their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force”;
Whereas the South China Sea contains vital commercial shipping lines and points of access between the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean;
Whereas, although not a party to these disputes, the United States has a national economic and a security interest in ensuring that no party uses force unilaterally to assert maritime territorial claims in East Asia;
Whereas, in September 2010, the Government of China also deliberately provoked a controversy within the waters of the Senkaku Islands, territory under the legal administration of Japan in the East China Sea;
Whereas the actions of the Government of China in the South China Sea have also affected United States military and maritime vessels transiting through international air space and waters, including the collision of a fighter plane of the Government of China with a United States surveillance plane in 2001, the harassment of the USNS IMPECCABLE in March 2009, and the collision of a Chinese submarine with the sonar cable of the USS JOHN MCCAIN in June 2009;
Whereas, on July 23, 2010, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum that “the United States, like every nation, has a national interest in freedom of navigation, open access to Asia’s maritime comments, and respect for international law in the South China Sea”;
Whereas Secretary Clinton further expressed the support of the United States for the declaration by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China in 2002 on the code of conduct of parties in the South China Sea, and stated, “The United States supports a collaborative diplomatic process by all claimants for resolving the various territorial disputes without coercion.”;
Whereas, on October 11, 2010, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Minister’s Meeting, “The U.S. position on maritime security remains clear: we have a national interest in freedom of navigation; in unimpeded economic development and commerce; and in respect for international law.”;
Whereas Secretary Gates further maintained “The United States has always exercised our rights and supported the rights of others to transit through, and operate in, international waters.”;
Whereas, on June 3, 2011, at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Secretary Gates stated that “[m]aritime security remains an issue of particular importance for the region, with questions about territorial claims and the appropriate use of the maritime domain presenting on-going challenges to regional stability and prosperity”: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) reaffirms the strong support of the United States for the peaceful resolution of maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and pledges continued efforts to facilitate a multilateral, peaceful process to resolve these disputes in a manner consistent with customary international law;
(2) condemns the use of force by naval and maritime security vessels from China in the South China Sea;
(3) calls on all parties to the territorial dispute to refrain from threatening force or using force to assert territorial claims; and
(4) supports the continuation of operations by the United States Armed Forces to assert and defend freedom of navigation rights in international waters and air space in the South China Sea.

###

--
http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/06-13-2011-02.cfm

Contact your congressman and representative to support this bill. Hehe

gmaer

June 28th, 2011, 03:59 AM

^^I meant yung body armor...ang kapal @_@

http://www.body-armor.com/images/mtv.gif

http://www.body-armor.com/mtv.php

MODULAR TACTICAL VEST (MTV)

Selected for Use by the United States Marine Corps!

The Modular Tactical Vest (MTV) is a 2-point cut away system, has fully integrated side protection, communication routing channels and increased MOLLE attachment points. In addition to more efficient weight distribution, the MTV provides increased protection to the lateral torso, with less exposed area on the side and under the arms. The MTV also has integrated lower back protection, which is part of the system and can be tucked away if not necessary. Each vest has a removable collar that is 1/2 the bulk of the older collars.

You have to sacrifice a lot in order to get maximum protection!

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 04:12 AM

M5Xmo9WAJko

66V8JQRKDxI&NR
Para tayong anak na pinagaagawan ng mag-asawang magdidivorce :lol:

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 04:43 AM

US "provocative" daw of China ":lol:

China revisionism nga naman. How come CCTV doesn't mention China provoking ASEAN? :lol:

z8oiSqujCtY

Walang kuwentang host :lol: pati representative ng Beijing :lol:

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 04:44 AM

http://newpacificinstitute.org/jsw/?p=6844

China creeping on our east side!

Passing between Miyakojima and the main island of Okinawa, a Chinese naval fleet was sailing in the eastern Philippine Sea on a recent training operation when a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force aircraft spotted a unmanned aerial vehicle in the air, it was announced today. This is the first confirmed sighting of a Chinese UAV. The Chinese fleet has been on a two-week long voyage in the Pacific Ocean to practice its gunnery and other skills. Between the evening of the 22nd and early dawn of the 23rd, the fleet passed between Okinawa and Miyakojima sailing northwest believed on its return to base.

According to the Ministry of Defense, on June 8th and 9th, the Chinese fleet set sail into the East China Sea in a southeastern direction, split into three groups including missile destroyers and frigates. While heading towards the eastern Philippine Sea after its training, an MSDF aircraft on patrol at the time spotted a UAV flying in the vicinity of the fleet and took photographs for further confirmation. The UAV is believed to have taken off and landed on the deck of one of the vessels.

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 06:18 AM

(Reuters) - Risks are growing that incidents at sea involving China could lead to war in Asia, an Australian policy think tank warned on Tuesday.

Concentrated on the South and East China seas, the risk-taking behaviour of the Chinese military, resource needs, and greater assertiveness, raised the possibility of armed conflict that could draw in the United States and other powers, the Lowy Institute said in a report.

"The sea lanes of Indo-Pacific Asia are becoming more crowded, contested and vulnerable to armed strife. Naval and air forces are being strengthened amid shifting balances of economic strategic weight," report authors Rory Medcalf and Raoul Heinrichs wrote.

"China's frictions with the United States, Japan and India are likely to persist and intensify. As the number and tempo of incidents increases, so does the likelihood that an episode will escalate to armed confrontation, diplomatic crisis or possibly even conflict," the report said.

The study on major powers and maritime security in Indo-Pacific Asia was published as China prepares to unveil its first aircraft carrier, perhaps this week, a development has caused worries in the region about China's ongoing military expansion.

Earlier this month, China sent its biggest civilian patrol ship to the South China Sea. That rattled the Philippines, which makes competing claims to some waters thought to hold vast oil and gas reserves.

On Monday, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution that deplored China's use of force against Vietnamese and Philippine ships in South China Sea.

"DANGER ZONE"

Medcalf and Heinrichs said more maritime patrols and intrusive surveillance, coupled with nationalism and resources disputes, all make it harder to manage arguments over maritime sovereignty.

"All of these factors are making Asia a danger zone for incidents at sea: close-range encounters involving vessels and aircraft from competing powers, typically in sensitive or contested zones," the report said.

The report detailed tensions between China and Japan, stemming from the April 2010 Chinese naval exercise near Japan's southern Okinawa islands, followed by Japan's arrest of a Chinese fisherman, whose trawler rammed a Japanese coastguard vessel.

Those incidents provoked a diplomatic crisis and saw China cut its exports of crucial rare earth minerals to Japan.

Despite initial signs of warmer bilateral ties following the March tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan, security relations remain tense after Japan a month earlier scrambled fighter jets when Chinese surveillance planes approached disputed islands.

"Helicopter buzzing incidents have continued, with Japan deploring as especially insensitive an instance that occurred in the weeks following the March disaster," the report said.

It said Beijing has caused concern in other Southeast Asian nations over its "core interest" claim on the South China Sea, and in Australia about China's possible future security behaviour, while there was widespread speculation that competition between India and China at sea was "only a matter of time."

Medcalf and Heinrichs said new efforts were needed to build regional confidence and to involve China in a continued military dialogue with the United States and Japan.

They also said maritime security hotlines were needed between the U.S. and China, and Japan and China, to allow real-time responses to any incidents.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/06/28/uk-southchinasea-idUKTRE75R0CB20110628

xxxriainxxx

June 28th, 2011, 06:21 AM

Japan calls for peace over disputed Spratlys (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/224586/nation/japan-calls-for-peace-over-disputed-spratlys)
06/27/2011 | 08:30 PM

Describing peace and security in Southeast Asia as an international concern, the Japanese ambassador to the Philippines on Monday called for the peaceful resolution of the tensions gripping the Spratlys.

“There should be rule of law and international law which governs the international seas and that is what we would like to see in the situation," said Ambassador Toshinao Urabe in a media briefing at the Japanese Embassy in Manila.

Before Japan, the third largest economy after the United States and China, the US also said the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) should be resolved without the use of force or threat, according to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has commended an American senator for introducing a resolution condemning the use of force in the West Philippine Sea.

Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, whom Del Rosario thanked, filed the resolution calling for “a peaceful and multilateral resolution to maritime territorial disputes in Southeast Asia."

The DFA said Del Rosario expressed to Webb the importance of maritime security and freedom of navigation in the West Philippine Sea. The secretary also said the concerned parties could achieve this by employing a rules-based mechanism and adhering to the principles of international laws, according to the DFA.

The DFA said that Webb, on the other hand, relayed to Del Rosario “his long-time interest on the issue of sovereignty in the South China Sea."

Webb, an author and a highly decorated combat veteran of the Vietnam War, has visited the Philippines twice — first when he was still a journalist and later as Secretary of the Navy, the DFA said. — PE/VS, GMA News

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 06:25 AM

Malacañang on Saturday said China shouldn’t be upset of the United States’ reassurance to help the military forces of the Philippines amid growing tensions in disputed areas of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the assurance was merely part of a “renewed" commitment of both countries to maintain a peaceful environment in Southeast Asia.

“It’s just an affirmation of commitment for peace and stability in the region. [Surely] it will not ruffle any feathers," Valte said on government-run dzRB radio.

The Philippines and China have had a word war of sorts over the territorial row over Spratlys, which are also being claimed by Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assured Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario of the US’ commitment to the Philippines under the PHL-US Mutual Defense Treaty.

“[The US is] determined and committed to supporting the defense of the Philippines… It will assist the Philippine military to take the steps necessary to defend itself," according to Clinton.

Clinton and Del Rosario agreed to consult closely on ways to protect their shared interest in maintaining freedom of navigation and to respect international law and lawful commerce in the West Philippine Sea.

Del Rosario, for his part, said the Philippines will continue to strengthen its capabilities to defend its maritime territory. “[The] Philippines is prepared to do what is necessary to stand up to any aggressive action in our backyard." — JE, GMA News

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/224425/nation/palace-us-commitment-to-phl-shouldnt-upset-china

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 06:26 AM

US Senate deplores China's use of force at West PHL Sea
06/28/2011 | 11:15 AM
Email the Editor Print Share This
WASHINGTON - The US Senate unanimously approved a resolution on Monday that deplored China's use of force against Vietnamese and Philippine ships in the South China Sea (also called West Philippine Sea).

China has shown increasing assertiveness in its claim to the entire South China Sea, believed to be rich in oil and gas.

In its nonbinding resolution, the US Senate urged all parties to refrain from using force to assert territorial claims.

"The Senate ... deplores the use of force by naval and maritime security vessels from China in the South China Sea," the resolution said.

Senator Jim Webb, chair of an east Asian and Pacific affairs subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that "a growing number of nations around the South China Sea are now voicing serious concerns about China's pattern of intimidation."

Dotted red line shows vast area claimed by China. The PHL, which is claiming some islands, has begun calling the region the West Philippine Sea. GMANews.TV

Chinese vessels have harassed Vietnamese oil exploration ships and the Philippines has also complained that one of its ships has been rammed, according to the Senate resolution.

On Sunday, China and Vietnam pledged to resolve their maritime dispute through peaceful negotiations, a sign of possibly easing tension. The dispute was one of several subjects discussed in the first set of talks in Hawaii between the United States and China over the weekend. — Reuters

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/224617/world/us-senate-deplores-chinas-use-of-force-at-west-phl-sea

FKyeahUSSenate :lol:

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 07:35 AM

http://www.eurasiareview.com/china-vietnam-row-on-spratlys-in-south-china-sea-lessons-for-india-analysis-24062011/

http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=publication_details&id=4140&pubType=RusChin

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 09:21 AM

China = hitler like?

Skvw5BqTEO0

jpau2t

June 28th, 2011, 10:46 AM

^^grabe yung kapal ng suot at armor nila, di ba sila naiinitan?

It's better to sweat than to bleed daw nga... :D

Sou-jiro

June 28th, 2011, 10:53 AM

^^F 18s are a naval air superiority fighter. they are launched from an air craft carrier. they were built to establish air superiority requirements of the US navy, not the air force. even if they are still in existence and even if the Philippine military wants to purchase them, it's not possible for the simple reason that we don't have an air craft carrier. f16s are always an option for us. even with the eventual full use of the new f22, the f16 will not be decommissioned for a foreseeable future.

you dont have to have an aircraft carrier to operate either F/A-18 Hornets. The Royal Aust. Airforce almost entire airforce is composed of Normal Hornets and Some Super Hornets. They dont operated any carriers. These are multi role bomber interceptor which is what Australia mainly uses it for.

There are some flag execises being held here in Australia at the moment composed of. USAF F-16 and RAAF F/A-18 Hornets. A mate in the RAAF Airforce (NOT A PILOT) tells me F-16s seems to get the upperhand when combat becomes one one one but when it comes to long chases the F/A-18 can out ran the F-16 at mid to lower altitude.

------------------------
Also I think the Mig-29 is underrated maybe due to western propaganda. swiss F/A-18 againts German Mig-29 shows Mig-29 outran the F/A-18 and also locked on it almost 10 times in the swiss alps. I actually have the documentary on that in 2002.

I think the mig-29 is unfairly misjusge and so is Sukhoi SU-27. what more for the mig-29s, 35 and newer sukhoi's.

Although the articles seem to indicate that the PAF is after F/A-18 or Mig-29. I doesn't really matter what they get. Either way we need them asap...not four or five years.

2 engines/multi role aircraft is best.

---------------------------------
Personally though if i was in charge I would still get the F-16. Based on the budget allocated to PAF. we can get more f-16 A or B if they can get D or C then even better.

realistically that the only modern fighter (also KFiR-C10) that we can afford. rafales, gripen, Eurofighter are way way more expansive. I wont even bother talking about F-35.

mrboy

June 28th, 2011, 01:06 PM

Philippines gets $12M in gear from US for terror fight (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/4979/philippines-gets-12m-in-gear-from-us-for-terror-fight)

WASHINGTON—The Pentagon is sending nearly $12 million to the Philippines as part of the United States’ global defense aid to help counter terrorism.

The aid package for Manila is for the purchase of six patrol boats and trailers, body armor and communications equipment.

The latest aid, laid out in documents obtained by The Associated Press, is part of a $145.4 million package that Pentagon officials approved and sent to Capitol Hill last week as part of a notification process before the equipment can be delivered.

Nearly $45 million in military equipment, including four small drones, will be sent to Uganda and Burundi to help battle the escalating terrorist threat from the al-Qaida-linked group al-Shabab in Somalia.

An airstrike in Somalia late Thursday hit a militant convoy, killing a number of foreign fighters, according to officials there. No nation immediately took responsibility for the latest airstrike, though US aircraft have attacked militants in Somalia before.

US officials, including incoming Pentagon chief Leon Panetta, have warned that the threat from al-Shabab is growing, and the group is developing stronger ties with the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. Panetta told lawmakers earlier this month that as the core al-Qaida leadership in Pakistan undergoes leadership changes, with the killing of Osama bin Laden, the US needs to make sure that the group does not relocate to Somalia.

The Pentagon plan is aimed at helping to build the counterterrorism capabilities of Uganda and Burundi, two African Union nations that have sent about 9,000 peacekeeping forces to Somalia. The military aid includes four small, shoulder-launched Raven drones, body armor, night-vision gear, communications and heavy construction equipment, generators and surveillance systems. Training is also provided with the equipment.

In addition, the Pentagon will send $4.4 million in communications and engineering equipment to Uganda.

Somalia has not had a fully functioning government in two decades. The government had controlled just a small slice of the capital Mogadishu, but officials have said that the peacekeeping offensive is enabling them to wrest swaths of territory in the city and in southern Somalia from the insurgents.

The aid is part of a $145.4 million package that Pentagon officials approved and sent to Capitol Hill last week as part of a notification process before the equipment can be delivered.

Up to $350 million in military aid can be distributed this year to support counterterrorism operations in other countries. The Pentagon routinely releases the military aid in three or four installments each year, and the first package approved earlier this year was for about $43 million. So far, none of the assistance this year has gone to Yemen — which has been a top counterterrorism priority for the U.S.

Last year, the Pentagon allocated $155 million for aid to Yemen, and military leaders had proposed as much as $200 million for this year. But U.S. officials have become increasingly alarmed about the violent anti-government protests and unrest rocking the country.

Protesters are demanding that President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s powerful sons and other members of his inner circle leave the country, even as Saleh remains in Saudi Arabia receiving treatment for injuries he suffered in an attack on his palace earlier this month.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that aid to Yemen has been interrupted by the chaos there, and once that ebbs the U.S. will consider what next steps to take. But U.S. officials consider AQAP in Yemen one of the most serious and immediate terrorist threats, fueled in part by radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has been linked to a number of terror attacks in the U.S., including the Christmas Day 2009 attempted airliner bombing.

The Pentagon aid package also includes funding for a number of other North African countries, including several where there is a continuing terror threat from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. The plan includes:

$22.6 million for Mauritania for a turbo prop aircraft for troop transport and surveillance, and necessary maintenance and training; and $8.1 million for airfield systems and construction and communications equipment to develop a forward operating base in the country.

$17.7 million for an aircraft for Djibouti, where the U.S. has its only Africa military base.

$12.1 million for helicopter upgrades and training for Kenya.

$1 million for Mali for mine detector kits.

Also included in the aid package is $12 million for small boats and communications equipment for Maldives; $12 million for six patrol boats and trailers, body armor and communications equipment for Philippines; $8.4 million for communications equipment and weapons for Bangladesh; $900,000 for biometric data collection devices for Oman; and $850,000 for radar installation services for Malaysia.

There is also about $600,000 in the plan for human rights training in the countries. Associated Press

Inquirer.net

gentlemuscleman

June 28th, 2011, 02:18 PM

kawawang pilipinas pinag nakawan na ng mga kupal na general ng pilipinas wala pang mga missile ang mga barko.darating na ang hamiltoink na walang missile system at searh radar man lang.hahahaha kawawang philippine military ginago na ng mga general kina kwartahan pa ng america.sa huli tayong mga mamamayan ang kawawa daang libo na naman ang mamamatay sa atin.hindi na tayo natuto sa mga kamay ng mga hapon noong 2nd world war,ngayon nandyan na naman ang treat ng china wala tayong magawa at nag kukumahog na naman tayo na ma modernize ang afp.mga tanga at bobo at pulpol ang mga general na pilipino.e aasa na lang sa mga kano ang pag depensa ng bansa laban sa external treat.pipigain ng kano ang gobyerno ng pilipinas hangang lumabas ang dugo nating mga pilipino bago ibigay ang mga amas na kailangan natin.mga tangang heneral bwisit kayo ginagago nyo lang ang sambayanang pilipino.pag nagka gyera lalayas kayo pupunta sa america kasi american citizen na at iiwanan nyo ang ordinaryong pilipino para masakerin ng mga dayuhang mananakop.di na talaga tayo natuto.:ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno::ohno:

leofriends

June 28th, 2011, 02:33 PM

leofriends

June 28th, 2011, 02:40 PM

Thomas: US stands by commitments to defense treaty (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/4995/thomas-us-stands-by-commitments-to-defense-treaty)
‘Standing by your friends — that’s integrity’
By Daxim L. Lucas

Philippine Daily Inquirer
8:28 pm | Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

MANILA, Philippines —US Ambassador Harry Thomas took another opportunity to affirm his country’s long-standing alliance with the Philippines on Tuesday, amid the tension in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) brought about by China’s growing military assertiveness in the region.

Thomas pointed out that no less than US President Barack Obama has named the Philippines as one of four nations that would receive enhanced economic support in the coming years, including military hardware.

“We stand by our commitments under the Mutual Defense Treaty,” he said, in a measured pace, deliberately emphasizing each word, while speaking before the Management Association of the Philippines in Makati City, on Tuesday.

“Standing by your friends — that’s integrity. That’s the principle we uphold,” he added, speaking broadly about the kinds of assistance the US government has been extending to the Philippines in the fields of business, anti-corruption efforts, good governance and defense.

Adding to his comments after his speech, Thomas described the US as “an Asian nation” which has various interests around the region.

“State Secretary [Hillary] Clinton and Defense Secretary [Robert] Gates made it clear last week when they met with your outstanding Foreign Secretary [Albert] del Rosario that the United States will stand by its commitments,” he stressed.

Thomas also pointed out that the Philippines has received more military aid from the US than any other nation in Southeast Asia over the last decade and would continue to do so in the near future.

eonynx

June 28th, 2011, 02:54 PM

you dont have to have an aircraft carrier to operate either F/A-18 Hornets. The Royal Aust. Airforce almost entire airforce is composed of Normal Hornets and Some Super Hornets. They dont operated any carriers. These are multi role bomber interceptor which is what Australia mainly uses it for.

There are some flag execises being held here in Australia at the moment composed of. USAF F-16 and RAAF F/A-18 Hornets. A mate in the RAAF Airforce (NOT A PILOT) tells me F-16s seems to get the upperhand when combat becomes one one one but when it comes to long chases the F/A-18 can out ran the F-16 at mid to lower altitude.

------------------------
Also I think the Mig-29 is underrated maybe due to western propaganda. swiss F/A-18 againts German Mig-29 shows Mig-29 outran the F/A-18 and also locked on it almost 10 times in the swiss alps. I actually have the documentary on that in 2002.

I think the mig-29 is unfairly misjusge and so is Sukhoi SU-27. what more for the mig-29s, 35 and newer sukhoi's.

Although the articles seem to indicate that the PAF is after F/A-18 or Mig-29. I doesn't really matter what they get. Either way we need them asap...not four or five years.

2 engines/multi role aircraft is best.

---------------------------------
Personally though if i was in charge I would still get the F-16. Based on the budget allocated to PAF. we can get more f-16 A or B if they can get D or C then even better.

realistically that the only modern fighter (also KFiR-C10) that we can afford. rafales, gripen, Eurofighter are way way more expansive. I wont even bother talking about F-35.

for all the highlights: as in my previous corrected post, the land based evolution of the F 18 was made possible by getting rid of that automatic carrier landing system. now, i don't know the nuts and bolts of that technology. but the long chases that the F 18 specializes in was for the fact that since this multi-role fighter was originally designed as a naval air superiority fighter/bomber, wide and long distance coverage over oceanic and sea lanes is a requirement. this feature of the aircraft was retained when it was adopted to also be a land based bomber-interceptor.

all i could make is guesswork, but that could also be the reason why our military is interested in the F/A 18. long distance air travel that naval air patrols require would naturally point the military higher ups towards the F/A 18. although, you also could be right. the F16 is also capable of patrolling our territorial waters though the distance covered would be shorter and the need for refueling could be more frequent. so purchasing either aircraft would have its pluses and minuses. wider aerial patrol coverage for the F/A 18 but cheaper price for the F16. for the latter, you could also make the point that in close or short distance aerial combat, the F 16 has the upper hand and has actually a good combat record. on the other hand, in an age of evolving missile technology and sophisticated radar systems, the "no-look, first kill" scenario would place actual dogfights not as frequently as before. so the game changers would be budget, and long and short term defense needs.

leofriends

June 28th, 2011, 03:10 PM

HA? WISET.....:nuts:

drf_U9raX2s

r0mm3l

June 28th, 2011, 03:58 PM

grrrr!^^ ^^ nakaka bwisit.., wew!

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 05:38 PM

^^I think that video is satrical esp that you see the owner of Eng Bee Tin there. Just my penny. ;)

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 07:54 PM

Associated Press
China rejects US Senate criticism over sea dispute
Associated Press, 06.28.11, 08:41 AM EDT

BEIJING -- A U.S. Senate resolution critical of Beijing's actions in the South China Sea "doesn't hold water" and its sponsors should promote peace in other ways, China said Tuesday.

Disputes over the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully through talks between "directly concerned parties," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters, a reference to what Beijing considers to be meddling by Washington.

The resolution adopted Monday by the U.S. Senate deplored China's "use of force" in recent incidents between Chinese vessels and those of other claimants in the potentially resource-rich waters.

The Philippines accuses Chinese vessels of intruding repeatedly into Philippine waters in recent months, while Vietnam says Chinese vessels have hindered its oil exploration surveys in an area 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) off its central coast that it claims as its economic exclusive zone. China says it has sovereign rights over the South China Sea.

"The relevant resolution adopted by the U.S. Senate doesn't hold water," Hong said. "We hope the relevant senators can do more to promote peace and stability of the region."

Democratic Sen. Jim Webb led a bipartisan group of four senators who introduced the resolution. Webb said Southeast Asian countries were worried about China's "pattern of intimidation," and that the U.S. had a strategic interest in facilitating multilateral negotiations.

The Obama administration supports multilateral negotiations but has been less strident in confronting China.

Hong added that China wants disputes to be handled through "friendly consultations" between the parties directly concerned.

"Others without a direct stake should respect the efforts made by those directly concerned to resolve South China Sea disputes through dialogue and in a peaceful manner," he said.

More than 1,200 U.S. and Philippine navy personnel, meanwhile, began 11 days of exercises Tuesday that would include live-fire drills, tracking and interdiction and patrolling maneuvers in the Sulu Sea off the western Philippine province of Palawan, which lies near the disputed Spratly Islands.

The annual maneuvers were unrelated to recent spats between China and the Philippines over the Spratlys. They aim to generally improve both navies' ability to deal jointly with any naval threat, Philippine navy spokesman Lt. Noel Cadigal said.

The U.S. Navy deployed the guided missile destroyers USS Chung-Hoon and USS Howard, along with the diving and salvage ship USNS Safeguard and 800 personnel, including Navy Seabees and Riverine forces. Two Philippine navy patrol ships and more than 450 Filipino sailors joined the exercises, officials said.

Aside from the three ships, the U.S. Navy would deploy SH-60 Seahawk aircraft and the P-3c Orion, a long-range anti-submarine warfare patrol and surveillance plane.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/06/28/general-as-china-us-south-china-sea_8538626.html

Hahaha. China always on defensive mode. When will they learn to take constructive criticism, erflect on their actions rather than throwing 'conspiracy rhetorics'?

waraywaray architect

June 28th, 2011, 08:04 PM

Too many communist mouthpieces. That's the weakness of their arguments.

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 08:06 PM

Senate 'deplores' Chinese actions in South China Sea
By Erik Slavin
Stars and Stripes
Published: June 28, 2011
Related

China's claim on sea leads Asian neighbors to strengthen ties with U.S.

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — A resolution “deploring the use of force” by Chinese vessels in the South China Sea passed the U.S. Senate unanimously Monday.

The resolution, co-sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), was introduced June 13 following an incident where Chinese vessels ran into and disabled the cables of a Vietnamese survey ship.

The incident triggered street protests against China in Vietnamese cities, and was followed by a Vietnamese military live-fire exercise.

The resolution also cited several other skirmishes between Chinese vessels and others from the Philippines, Japan and the United States in recent years.
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China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea and the Spratly Islands, a collection of small islands and reefs. The Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all have partial claims on the islands or its fisheries.

The U.S. and most other nations do not recognize China’s sovereignty over the sea itself, citing commonly accepted interpretations of international law.

The Senate resolution supported “the continuation of operations by the United States Armed Forces in support of freedom of navigation rights in international waters and air space in the South China Sea.”

The U.S. military is currently training with the Philippines as part of the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training program, a series of bilateral exercises the U.S. holds with various nations in south Asia.

The exercises are not directly related to recent tensions in the South China Sea, military officials say; however, most regional analysts acknowledge that the U.S naval presence reassures nations wary of growing Chinese power.

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/china-s-claim-on-sea-leads-asian-neighbors-to-strengthen-ties-with-u-s-1.147599

---

China's claim on sea leads Asian neighbors to strengthen ties with U.S.
By Erik Slavin
Stars and Stripes
Published: June 27, 2011
Related

Royal Malaysian Navy Lt. Cmdr. Emmry Shahril peers at a ship formation aboard USS Howard during a bilateral exercise in the South China Sea on June 13. Recent incidents between Chinese vessels and other nations in the sea, which China claims most of as its sovereign territory, have led Southeast Asian nations to seek closer ties with the U.S. Navy.
Christopher S. Johnson/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy
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YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Naval tensions between the U.S. and China have cooled for now, but recent incidents in the South China Sea have proven that their fundamental differences over the balance of power in the Pacific aren’t going away.

Chinese vessels haven’t been obstructing U.S. ships in 2011 as frequently as they did during the past two years — most notably in 2009, when five commercial ships surrounded the USNS Impeccable. Instead, China is using similar tactics on its smaller neighbors as part of a strategy to solidify its claim on the South China Sea as sovereign territory.

Recent examples include a June run-in that damaged a Vietnamese survey ship’s cable, and a confrontation with a Philippine survey ship near the contested Spratly Islands in March.

As a result, nearly all of the nations bordering the South China Sea are seeking closer ties to the United States through more frequent ship presence and increasingly complex naval exercises, Navy officials tell Stars and Stripes.

Events like the ongoing Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training — a series of annual bilateral exercises with most of Southeast Asia’s seagoing nations — are publicly touted by the U.S. military as “relationship builders” targeting piracy and terrorism. Keeping shipping lanes secure from pirates and fighting insurgents are important parts of U.S. policy. But so is assuring the region’s smaller powers that they won’t have to fight alone for the right to sail freely in what most of the world considers international waters.

“An unspoken benefit [of the exercises] is assuring the region that the USA is committed to helping balance against Chinese power,” said Denny Roy, senior fellow at the East-West Center, a U.S.-based public diplomacy institute.

The flashpoint of friction in the South China Sea is the Spratly Islands, a collection of more than 100 small islands and reefs spread over 158,000 square miles of sea.

They have no native inhabitants and total about 2 square miles of land. But they do have abundant fish and vast potential for oil and natural gas reserves.
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Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan — all of which receive arms from or conduct naval exercises with the United States — have claims on some of the islands and their fisheries. China claims everything within a “U-shaped line” around the sea that omits only the coastal waters of the other countries.

Those claims, combined with China’s growing military might and assertiveness, are leading other nations to ask for more intense bilateral training scenarios than in years past. For example, Malaysia’s June exercise with the U.S. included anti-submarine warfare for the first time.

The U.S. and Vietnam will soon conduct a more low-key exchange. However, that too represents strengthening ties: A few years ago, the U.S.-Vietnam military relationship consisted of little more than ship tours.

Even South China Sea nations without Spratly claims are increasingly looking to the U.S. as a hedge on China’s ambitions. Singapore said this month that it is open to the United States forward-deploying its new littoral combat ships in its territory. Indonesia, which recently welcomed U.S. Seventh Fleet ships based in Japan, wants to increase the frequency and complexity of its bilateral naval exercises.

“There is definitely an eagerness there to move that relationship forward,” Seventh Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Jeff Davis said Tuesday.

China views these developing partnerships as a U.S.-allied bid to prevent their rise on the Asian stage by encircling them, Roy said.

This has led Beijing to ratchet up its rhetoric. Last year, it declared the South China Sea a core national interest on par with Tibet and the recapture of Taiwan.

Last week, it decried attempts to internationalize South China Sea disputes. In a thinly veiled reference to the U.S., the government-vetted Liberation Army Daily published an editorial opposing the meddling of any “unrelated countries” in the area.

The Chinese claim that they have historically navigated the South China Sea, which ought to make the area theirs. They also say that Vietnam and other nations did not raise objections to their sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel Islands until scientists discovered the potential for oil and natural gas in recent decades.

Nations opposing China’s sovereignty contend that there is no basis in the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea for granting an international body of water to one country.

The Obama administration maintains that doing so would wreck the principle of freedom of navigation, which the U.S. has pledged to protect.

The administration’s stance has bipartisan support in Congress. Earlier this month, Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., and Sen. James Inhofe, R.-Okla., cited the principle, along with a long list of Chinese maritime incidents, as part of a Senate resolution they introduced to condemn China’s actions.

Last week, Sen. John McCain cited those same actions as reasoning for U.S. naval resources to be increasingly focused in the region.

“If persistent bullying enabled one state to impose its territorial claims by force, and to turn the South China Sea into a virtual no-go zone for the commercial and military vessels of other nations, including the United States, the effects would be dire,” McCain said at a Central for Strategic and International Studies gathering in Washington D.C. “It would bring us closer to a day when the U.S. Navy judges that it can no longer safely access and operate in the Western Pacific.”

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/china-s-claim-on-sea-leads-asian-neighbors-to-strengthen-ties-with-u-s-1.147599

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 08:09 PM

Too many communist mouthpieces. That's the weakness of their arguments.

All what China does is brag/bully and/or complain (if things don't go their way..whatta spoiled brat!).

spearhead

June 28th, 2011, 08:26 PM

spearhead

June 28th, 2011, 08:27 PM

PH, US HOLD MILITARY EXERCISE IN PALAWAN
06/29/2011 2:04 AM

Kinundena ng US Senate ang paggamit ng puwersa ng Tsina sa South China Sea. Kasabay nito, magsasagawa ng joint naval exercise ang Philippine at US Navy sa Palawan. Magba-Bandila si Ces Oreña-Drilon. Bandila, Hunyo 28, 2011, Martes.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nation/06/28/11/ph-us-hold-military-exercise-palawan

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 08:35 PM

Cayetano cautions Palace on US military aid

By Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News
Posted at 06/29/2011 12:28 AM | Updated as of 06/29/2011 12:28 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines must be cautious in accepting military assistance even from an ally like the United States in its ongoing dispute with China over the Spratly islands, the leader of the Senate's minority said.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters on Tuesday the Philippines must be clear on what kind of assistance it really needs.

He said the country must ask itself the question, "How far is the US willing to go?"

"But we have to be the one to tell them what we need," Cayetano said.

The senator added that the US assistance also comes with a price.

"It's a commercial deal rather than a Big Brother type of helping a nation with the same principles," he said.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/28/11/cayetano-cautions-palace-us-military-aid

Ah, anti-US rhetorics. The problem with these kind of people, you give them your finger, they ask for the whole arm!

When the US said they don't side with anyone, those dumbasses suggested to abrogate the MDT; now the US expresses support, they still complain! As if it is the US' responsibility to develop the AFP.

Kulang nalang sabihin nila, send your Amboys to fight the Chinese and use your US tax to defend the Philippines while we pocket the money of our country

spearhead

June 28th, 2011, 08:41 PM

^^I think those people are the living proof of chinese allies within the philippines.

Nabartek

June 28th, 2011, 08:46 PM

^^ Either way, they will complain about the US while they steal taxpayers money. These people should be stripped off their Philippine citizenship and be banished to China.

shanswizard

June 28th, 2011, 11:43 PM

gaLj

June 28th, 2011, 11:56 PM

Since procuring advanced capability fighter aircrafts is quite a long shot, why don't we settle for cheaper alternatives first such as Air and Naval defense assets. We can purchase SAM batteries to defend our airspace. Shoulder-carry Stringer missiles is also a feasible option.

At our present state, SAM is still too expensive to procure and operate. Per Missile will cost us $2-3m each.

In the mid-1980s, in fact, Congress almost cancelled funding of the Patriot because of its high cost (each Patriot missile costs $1.1 million) and because it was thought to be inaccurate against the latest Soviet aircraft and missiles such as the SS-20.

source: http://multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1991/03/donahue.html

As usual with the Pentagon, cost is no object. But the Patriot is very expensive system and it's getting costlier all the time. Raytheon and Lockheed originally promised to deliver the new Patriot system for $3.7 billion dollars. Now the cost has soared to $7.8 billion. Each Patriot missile unit costs about $170 million. In the first Gulf War, an average of four missiles were launched against a single incoming Scud.

source : http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=11110

The biggest difference between the PAC-2 and the PAC-3, and the thing that allows the PAC-3 to actually hit its target, is the fact that the PAC-3 has its own built-in radar transmitter and guidance computer. The operational differences between the PAC-2 and PAC-3 are discussed later in the article.

PAC-3 missiles currently cost $2 to $3 million each. (See this Web site and this site for details.)
In the next section, we'll take a look at the launcher, radar and ECS systems.

source : http://science.howstuffworks.com/patriot-missile1.htm

Inflation is not yet included in the computation. Moreso, Hand-held or Portable Mistrals might be a cheaper alternative, but in order to be effective we need to install radars at strategic areas.

makatiprime

June 29th, 2011, 02:02 AM

naduwag ang us at philippines sa china...

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 02:10 AM

^^like how?

Sou-jiro

June 29th, 2011, 02:16 AM

^^^ walang kwenta P. Cayetono. puro negativity. pweeh! get out of the senate. Your useless. puro whinneng making useless noise to get media attention.

Askal82

June 29th, 2011, 02:33 AM

Cayetano cautions Palace on US military aid

By Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News
Posted at 06/29/2011 12:28 AM | Updated as of 06/29/2011 12:28 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines must be cautious in accepting military assistance even from an ally like the United States in its ongoing dispute with China over the Spratly islands, the leader of the Senate's minority said.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters on Tuesday the Philippines must be clear on what kind of assistance it really needs.

He said the country must ask itself the question, "How far is the US willing to go?"

"But we have to be the one to tell them what we need," Cayetano said.

The senator added that the US assistance also comes with a price.

"It's a commercial deal rather than a Big Brother type of helping a nation with the same principles," he said.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/28/11/cayetano-cautions-palace-us-military-aid

Simple: stop the corruption in the military ranks so we have bargaining power. Every deal have strings attached and they should stop dreaming that US will always 'dole' us out of the situation and give us their help for free.

Every country has each own interests to protect even they are allies. I hate to see them blame this and blame that but they can't blame themselves for their own greed.

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 02:45 AM

^^Exactly. Maybe, these reklamadors complainign that the US is not doing enough could donate their whopping amounts of pork barrel to the military for equipment

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 02:46 AM

^^^ walang kwenta P. Cayetono. puro negativity. pweeh! get out of the senate. Your useless. puro whinneng making useless noise to get media attention.

Kung tutuusin kaya lang sila kilala ng kapatid niya kasi kilalang politko tatay niya (RIP though) :bash:

Askal82

June 29th, 2011, 02:51 AM

^^Exactly. Maybe, these reklamadors complainign that the US is not doing enough could donate their whopping amounts of pork barrel to the military for equipment

I would love to hear that one day. It proves that they do love the country. :lol:

I hate their stupid dole out mentality - the same mentality that those people expect big and generous prizes in the noon time shows. How can you have a win-win situation on the deals with another country if you have no bargaining power that could make the deal even?

gmaer

June 29th, 2011, 03:09 AM

Phl backs international efforts vs biological weapons (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=63&articleId=700874)
By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star) Updated June 29, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is one with the United Nations and other nations in supporting multilateral efforts to foil biological weapons, fully aware that use of such instruments of massive destruction that harm humans remains a global threat.

In a statement, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said that the administration of President Aquino “is committed to initiatives by foreign governments and international organizations to fight the proliferation of biological weapons and make the world safer.”

“It is no comfort that man’s capacity for invention was for good and for bad. And while we have inventions that enhance health, vigor and longevity, there are an equal number of inventions that have greater and varied capacities to inflict harm or bring death to humans and all living things,” he said.

Ochoa made the statement at the Biological Weapons Convention Conference Week for East Asia and the Pacific held in Makati City Monday night. He heads the Cabinet cluster on security, justice and peace.

“Shall we surrender our optimism to the proliferation of biological pathogens of destruction? We definitely are not giving up. We are fighting for the very survival of humankind itself,” he stressed.

But he said the UN support and the increasing number of organizations and group of experts that will monitor, regulate and control biological weapons will bring assurance that the situation will be turned around.

The Philippines is hosting a regional workshop for countries from East Asia and the Pacific until July 1 in preparation for the upcoming Biological Weapons Convention 7th Review Conference and the Biosecurity and Biosafety cooperation scheduled late this year.

Representatives from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, the United States, Canada, the European Union, Norway and the UN, as well as members of academe and scientific institutions, are participating in the conference.

Ochoa said the conference augurs well for the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC), which he also chairs, as it pursues protective, control and defensive initiatives concerning chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons and forms of warfare.

Part of ATC’s mandate is to enforce the Biological Weapons Convention, an international agreement signed by the Philippines along with other countries banning the development, production and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons for purposes of aggression.

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 03:19 AM

Baka yung SARS at scarlet fever biological weapon ng China yan :lol:

Di ba sinikreto ng China yung epidemic hanggang nakalabas sa Hong Kong :lol:

mao rong

June 29th, 2011, 04:01 AM

^^:lol:...what's next?

Sou-jiro

June 29th, 2011, 04:28 AM

gaLj

June 29th, 2011, 04:31 AM

^^
Without any doubt we can produce Bio-Chemical weapons.

As for Nuclear Warheads that's very unlikely because we're a signatory of Nuclear non-proliferation. Any importation of Plutonium will immediately prompted by UN or Concerned parties.

Askal82

June 29th, 2011, 04:35 AM

^^^^ hehe in regards to the articla above ...just got me curios...does Philippine have capacity to prodice nuclear weapons? :D

If we ever did have it..I wonder how China will act...they will probably make Philippine seem like the bad guy....

North Korea and Burma did it with no economy to begin with. :D

Philippines got economy + technical know how so the country is more than capable of doing it.

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 04:36 AM

^^^^ hehe in regards to the articla above ...just got me curios...does Philippine have capacity to prodice nuclear weapons? :D

If we ever did have it..I wonder how China will act...they will probably make Philippine seem like the bad guy....

That is always what China will do. Since we are poorly equipped and a small state, our best weapon is to play the victim(tayo naman talaga eh). The world will not tolerate and always criticize a bigger and militarily stronger state bullying a small, hapless state. It helps us that Beijing is overly defensive and easily throws tantrums

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 04:38 AM

North Korea and Burma did it with no economy to begin with. :D

Philippines got economy + technical know how so the country is more than capable of doing it.

I was wondering, maybe they feed their population with uranium? :lol:

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 04:41 AM

North Korea and Burma did it with no economy to begin with. :D

Philippines got economy + technical know how so the country is more than capable of doing it.

We're so mabait eh, rather than sending the military to defend our territory, we send our obispos, paris, madres and arm them with holy water, crosses and rosaries....

parang we're battling some aswangs and mananaggals :lol:

AmbutLang

June 29th, 2011, 04:45 AM

Why not be a commonwealth of the Philippines under the U.S. , Just similar to Puerto Rico. You will see intrusion in the Philippines territory will stop. And put back the American base in Palawan.

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 04:48 AM

SO much for the commonwealth and US state aspiration. I doubt the US would want to shoulder our debts :lol:

bitoy

June 29th, 2011, 05:01 AM

http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/webphoto/web_110628-N-NJ145-206.jpg
The Armed Forces of the Philippines Air Force 507th Composite Tactical Wing Band performs for Sailors manning the rails of the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) as the ship arrives in Puerto Princesa to participate in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Philippines 2011.

http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/webphoto/web_110628-N-NJ145-282.jpg
PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines (June 28, 2011) Armed Forces of the Philippines Navy Capt. Ronald Joseph S. Mercado, left, deputy commander of Naval Forces West, and U.S. Navy Capt. David Welch, commander of Task Group 73.1, greet Cmdr. Scott Erb, commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93), as the ship arrives in Puerto Princesa to participate in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Philippines 2011.

http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/webphoto/web_110628-N-XR557-015.jpg

(June 28, 2011) Cmdr. Andree Bergmann, commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG-83), speaks with Armed Forces of the Philippines Navy Cmdr. Reyes before the opening ceremony for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Philippines 2011. CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Katerine Noll/Released)

xxxriainxxx

June 29th, 2011, 05:06 AM

gmaer

June 29th, 2011, 05:07 AM

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 05:07 AM

^^Asa China ka ba?

xxxriainxxx

June 29th, 2011, 05:12 AM

^^Asa China ka ba?

Nope....

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 05:13 AM

^^ Ah. Saan ka ba? Kasi sabi mo kanina yung kausap mo nagulat ng malaman malayo bansa nila sa Kalayaan

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 05:14 AM

Sou-jiro

June 29th, 2011, 05:24 AM

We should develop them I mean why not hehe :D

The bad thing is Countries like Iran and N.Korea are not transparent. Infact very secretive not knowing the even NASA is checking on them. They do not allow they're nuclear facilities to be inspected.

We can develop it and be transparent. Infact work with countries like US and Israel to develop it and agree to regular inspections.

That will put us in the good books. :D Im sure China will be againts it but who Care of China's opinion...none of they're biz......

Get China out of the Security Council....its called security council for a reason....what they do and stand for is completely opposite what the security council does. I hope there's a wy to vote them out. Russia is ok to Stay but not China.

bitoy

June 29th, 2011, 05:25 AM

^^ The Philippine Navy and US Navy officers' white uniform looks the same.

The Chinese navy also have some similarities with the USN on their summer white uniform(milkman). Except for the shoulder board and patches and the way they wear their hats, sa malayo halos pareho. I like the USN service dress blue and full dress whites during special occasions.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3931731550_25cbf02b30_o.jpg

xxxriainxxx

June 29th, 2011, 05:27 AM

^^ Ah. Saan ka ba? Kasi sabi mo kanina yung kausap mo nagulat ng malaman malayo bansa nila sa Kalayaan

VN

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 05:33 AM

^^ I see. Baka distorted mapa nila dyan. LOL

xxxriainxxx

June 29th, 2011, 05:36 AM

^^ I see. Baka distorted mapa nila dyan. LOL

Tayo lang naman kasi palpak ang mga maps na binebenta sa atin.

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 05:43 AM

The Chinese navy also have some similarities with the USN on their summer white uniform(milkman). Except for the shoulder board and patches and the way they wear their hats, sa malayo halos pareho. I like the USN service dress blue and full dress whites during special occasions.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3931731550_25cbf02b30_o.jpg
parang sila yung pangtapat ng china sa girls' generation ng korea:lol::lol:

wynngd

June 29th, 2011, 05:43 AM

North Korea and Burma did it with no economy to begin with. :D

Philippines got economy + technical know how so the country is more than capable of doing it.

Yes we have the capability to create or build nuclear arsenal. we do have a nuclear research facility in UP and I know they are sending researchers all over the globe... Ang tanong lang eh, are they applying what they are learning...

LuckyLady

June 29th, 2011, 05:47 AM

Pinagusapan namin kagabi ang mga isla ng Kalayaan, tapos pinakita ko ang google map. Sabi ko kung sinusunod lang ng mga bansa ang UNCLOS, ang mga isla ng Kalayaan ay nasasakop ng EEZ ng Pinas. Nagulat sila na malayo pala ang bansa nila sa Kalayaan, kasi ang mga mapa dito, parang ang lapit lapit lang.

i've done this before, i guess it's only the gov't of this rogue state fanning the sentiments of their citizens. kahit di nila alam yung claims nila eh kasi sabi ng gobyerno nila so sila parang robot na lang na susunod sunod rin. the first time i saw the map i was so shock na ang lalayo ng mga islands na to sa mga claimants except sa atin, brunei and vietnam perhaps.

palpak kasi talaga bansa natin, we should be strong and consistent dapat sa claims natin. and we could not already trust our neighbors especially china in having a joint exploration here in this contested islands. We should claim, include in our map first, what is ours then after that maybe look for some investors there or if not put military garrison there or put the foreign military bases there.

xxxriainxxx

June 29th, 2011, 05:54 AM

i've done this before, i guess it's only the gov't of this rogue state fanning the sentiments of their citizens. kahit di nila alam yung claims nila eh kasi sabi ng gobyerno nila so sila parang robot na lang na susunod sunod rin. the first time i saw the map i was so shock na ang lalayo ng mga islands na to sa mga claimants except sa atin, brunei and vietnam perhaps.

palpak kasi talaga bansa natin, we should be strong and consistent dapat sa claims natin. and we could not already trust our neighbors especially china in having a joint exploration here in this contested islands. We should claim, include in our map first, what is ours then after that maybe look for some investors there or if not put military garrison there or put the foreign military bases there.

Please correct me if I am wrong, 200 nm ang sakop ng EEZ diba according to UNCLOS? Pag nagkaganun, walang K ang ibang claimants. Unless biglang nag alsa balutan ang mga isla at lumipat sa teritoryo nila. :lol::lol:

Ako naman sarap gawan ng tourist hotel doon and priority tourists ang mga puti like Kano, Europeo, Australyano and Russians. Sama na din ang mga Hapon, Koreano at Singaporeans. Gawin nating human shield. Tignan ko lang kung may magagawa sila.:lol::lol::lol:

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 05:56 AM

^^ IMO, Brunei, Malaysia at Pilipinas lang ang may valid claims. Overlapping kasi ang EEZ...yung dalawang komunista, nakikisawsaw lang. Actually, Paracels lang business nila

LuckyLady

June 29th, 2011, 05:59 AM

LuckyLady

June 29th, 2011, 06:02 AM

Please correct me if I am wrong, 200 nm ang sakop ng EEZ diba according to UNCLOS? Pag nagkaganun, walang K ang ibang claimants. Unless biglang nag alsa balutan ang mga isla at lumipat sa teritoryo nila. :lol::lol:

Ako naman sarap gawan ng tourist hotel doon and priority tourists ang mga puti like Kano, Europeo, Australyano and Russians. Sama na din ang mga Hapon, Koreano at Singaporeans. Gawin nating human shield. Tignan ko lang kung may magagawa sila.:lol::lol::lol:

that is also good since it's very near to palawan, our high end tourist destination. problema lang dyan ang investor ng hotel cause am sure china would exert pressure once thye built there. pede na lang local investor sana na walang business interest sa china.

xxxriainxxx

June 29th, 2011, 06:04 AM

so mas ok na lang silang dalawa mag patayan:lol:

Uyy wag naman, malapit ang Hanoi sa border ng China! Pag wala na ako dito, sige magpatayan sila! :lol::lol:

Malaysia's basis of claims is from Sabah, which is actually invalid considering that Sabah is also another disputed territory.

So Brunei lang and Philippines ang may karapatan dyan sa Kalayaan.

xxxriainxxx

June 29th, 2011, 06:06 AM

^^ IMO, Brunei, Malaysia at Pilipinas lang ang may valid claims. Overlapping kasi ang EEZ...yung dalawang komunista, nakikisawsaw lang. Actually, Paracels lang business nila

Wala dyang K ang Malaysia kasi basis nila Sabah eh disputed din yun.

that is also good since it's very near to palawan, our high end tourist destination. problema lang dyan ang investor ng hotel cause am sure china would exert pressure once thye built there. pede na lang local investor sana na walang business interest sa china.

Tumaya ka sa lotto at pag nanalo, magbubukas tayo ng ala- Aman resort dun. Tignan ko lang kaya ng mga mainlanders mangbomba kung andun ang mga hollywood celebrities. :lol::lol:

btw, Kalayaan is under Palawan. It's a municipality of Palawan. :)

Sou-jiro

June 29th, 2011, 06:09 AM

what about Taiwans claims..kapal nila! not even close.

eonynx

June 29th, 2011, 06:29 AM

^^it's realpolitik that's at play here guys. neighboring countries are well aware of the fact that the PH is one of the weakest links, defensively. that awareness by our neighbors have emboldened some of them to encroach on our lawfully claimed territorial waters and peripheral real estate islands. that's why it's really important that we strengthen our defense and naval and aerial patrol capabilities covering these areas.

manlajay

June 29th, 2011, 06:40 AM

that is also good since it's very near to palawan, our high end tourist destination. problema lang dyan ang investor ng hotel cause am sure china would exert pressure once thye built there. pede na lang local investor sana na walang business interest sa china.

Tas, mga investors mga chinese?:nuts:

Askal82

June 29th, 2011, 06:40 AM

The Chinese navy also have some similarities with the USN on their summer white uniform(milkman). Except for the shoulder board and patches and the way they wear their hats, sa malayo halos pareho. I like the USN service dress blue and full dress whites during special occasions.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3931731550_25cbf02b30_o.jpg

Ano to? Starwars: Attack of the clones na naman? :lol:

eonynx

June 29th, 2011, 06:46 AM

The Chinese navy also have some similarities with the USN on their summer white uniform(milkman). Except for the shoulder board and patches and the way they wear their hats, sa malayo halos pareho. I like the USN service dress blue and full dress whites during special occasions.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3931731550_25cbf02b30_o.jpg

another pic of the beautiful daughters of zion in uniform. the hot women of the IDF (Israeli Defense Force):cool:

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/zingdan/October/Oct%2027/MorekissesfromIsraeliArmyGirls.jpg

eonynx

June 29th, 2011, 06:55 AM

Israel's Fighting Women. :cool:
VyvoHA3prBw

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 06:55 AM

^^matrix forces?

wala lang, naalala ko lang yung zion sa matrix :lol:

Manila-X

June 29th, 2011, 07:03 AM

The Chinese navy also have some similarities with the USN on their summer white uniform(milkman). Except for the shoulder board and patches and the way they wear their hats, sa malayo halos pareho. I like the USN service dress blue and full dress whites during special occasions.

PLA uniforms has changed. The Type 07 uniforms more resemble that of The United States and is look less communist.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/General_Bingde_with_Admiral_Keating.jpg/800px-General_Bingde_with_Admiral_Keating.jpg

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 07:04 AM

WASHINGTON—The Pentagon is sending nearly $12 million to the Philippines as part of the United States’ global defense aid to help counter terrorism.

The aid package for Manila is for the purchase of six patrol boats and trailers, body armor and communications equipment.

The latest aid, laid out in documents obtained by The Associated Press, is part of a $145.4 million package that Pentagon officials approved and sent to Capitol Hill last week as part of a notification process before the equipment can be delivered.

Nearly $45 million in military equipment, including four small drones, will be sent to Uganda and Burundi to help battle the escalating terrorist threat from the al-Qaida-linked group al-Shabab in Somalia.

An airstrike in Somalia late Thursday hit a militant convoy, killing a number of foreign fighters, according to officials there. No nation immediately took responsibility for the latest airstrike, though US aircraft have attacked militants in Somalia before.

US officials, including incoming Pentagon chief Leon Panetta, have warned that the threat from al-Shabab is growing, and the group is developing stronger ties with the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. Panetta told lawmakers earlier this month that as the core al-Qaida leadership in Pakistan undergoes leadership changes, with the killing of Osama bin Laden, the US needs to make sure that the group does not relocate to Somalia.

The Pentagon plan is aimed at helping to build the counterterrorism capabilities of Uganda and Burundi, two African Union nations that have sent about 9,000 peacekeeping forces to Somalia. The military aid includes four small, shoulder-launched Raven drones, body armor, night-vision gear, communications and heavy construction equipment, generators and surveillance systems. Training is also provided with the equipment.

In addition, the Pentagon will send $4.4 million in communications and engineering equipment to Uganda.

Somalia has not had a fully functioning government in two decades. The government had controlled just a small slice of the capital Mogadishu, but officials have said that the peacekeeping offensive is enabling them to wrest swaths of territory in the city and in southern Somalia from the insurgents.

The aid is part of a $145.4 million package that Pentagon officials approved and sent to Capitol Hill last week as part of a notification process before the equipment can be delivered.

Up to $350 million in military aid can be distributed this year to support counterterrorism operations in other countries. The Pentagon routinely releases the military aid in three or four installments each year, and the first package approved earlier this year was for about $43 million. So far, none of the assistance this year has gone to Yemen — which has been a top counterterrorism priority for the U.S.

Last year, the Pentagon allocated $155 million for aid to Yemen, and military leaders had proposed as much as $200 million for this year. But U.S. officials have become increasingly alarmed about the violent anti-government protests and unrest rocking the country.

Protesters are demanding that President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s powerful sons and other members of his inner circle leave the country, even as Saleh remains in Saudi Arabia receiving treatment for injuries he suffered in an attack on his palace earlier this month.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that aid to Yemen has been interrupted by the chaos there, and once that ebbs the U.S. will consider what next steps to take. But U.S. officials consider AQAP in Yemen one of the most serious and immediate terrorist threats, fueled in part by radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has been linked to a number of terror attacks in the U.S., including the Christmas Day 2009 attempted airliner bombing.

The Pentagon aid package also includes funding for a number of other North African countries, including several where there is a continuing terror threat from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. The plan includes:

$22.6 million for Mauritania for a turbo prop aircraft for troop transport and surveillance, and necessary maintenance and training; and $8.1 million for airfield systems and construction and communications equipment to develop a forward operating base in the country.

$17.7 million for an aircraft for Djibouti, where the U.S. has its only Africa military base.

$12.1 million for helicopter upgrades and training for Kenya.

$1 million for Mali for mine detector kits.

Also included in the aid package is $12 million for small boats and communications equipment for Maldives; $12 million for six patrol boats and trailers, body armor and communications equipment for Philippines; $8.4 million for communications equipment and weapons for Bangladesh; $900,000 for biometric data collection devices for Oman; and $850,000 for radar installation services for Malaysia.

There is also about $600,000 in the plan for human rights training in the countries. Associated Press

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/4979/philippines-gets-12m-in-gear-from-us-for-terror-fight

yung iad ng US puede idisguise as anti-terrorism aid pero in fact pang laban sa china :lol:

xxxriainxxx

June 29th, 2011, 07:09 AM

Mercato

June 29th, 2011, 07:10 AM

^^matrix forces?

wala lang, naalala ko lang yung zion sa matrix :lol:biQtrQpyJGo
As long as the Jewish spirit is yearning deep in the heart,

With eyes turned toward the East, looking toward Zion,

Then our hope, the hope of two thousand years, will not be lost:

To be a free people in our land,

The land of Zion and Jerusalem.^^it's realpolitik that's at play here guys. neighboring countries are well aware of the fact that the PH is one of the weakest links, defensively. that awareness by our neighbors have emboldened some of them to encroach on our lawfully claimed territorial waters and peripheral real estate islands. that's why it's really important that we strengthen our defense and naval and aerial patrol capabilities covering these areas.But before we can even begin doin' that, we have to restrain, remove and eliminate all those corrupt to the core generals. All the money in the world that's gonna be poured into the AFP will just go to the pockets of these people and their leeching families.

What, more houses in San Francisco or Los Angeles?

Sou-jiro

June 29th, 2011, 07:25 AM

^^^^ anyone up for voluntary interrogation? :D

leofriends

June 29th, 2011, 09:36 AM

Filipino-Americans to hold anti-China protests in US (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/5019/filipino-americans-to-hold-anti-china-protests-in-us)

INQUIRER.net
12:39 pm | Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO, California–Filipino-Americans are set to picket China’s consular offices in the United States to protest Beijing’s “impending invasion of the Philippines.”

The protesters, set to converge on July 8 in Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, will condemn China’s scheduled oil rig drilling activities in the Kalayaan Islands in the West Philippine Sea.

The coordinated protest actions will be spearheaded by the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), a national organization in the US led by Loida Nicolas Lewis and Rodel Rodis.

Protesters will include leading Filipino-American business, political and community leaders, they said.

The public demonstrations seek to expose China’s “abrogation of its pledge to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to resolve sovereignty disputes peacefully through negotiations,” organizers said.

In March 2010, China unilaterally declared the West Philippine a core national interest similar to its claims to Tibet and Taiwan and therefore “non-negotiable”.

The group also expressed apprehensions over China’s growing military power.

China has 2.17 million armed forces, even larger than the combined military personnel of all the Asean countries.

USP4GG said thay with China’s superior military forces, the socialist state “appears determined to begin its billion dollar oil rig construction activity this July approximately 125 miles from Palawan within the Philippines’s 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).”

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas declares that a nation owns the oil, mineral and other resources within a 200 mile radius from its base.

Last May 27, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) conveyed its concern to China over its state media reports about planned installation of its most advanced oil rig in the West Philippine Sea this July.

According to the Xinhua report, China National Offshore Oil Corp. plans to invest 200 billion yuan ($30 billion) and drill 800 deepwater wells which they expect to have an output of an equivalent 5 million barrels of oil by the year 2020. The target production is equivalent to approximately $50 billion per year.

The Philippine military reported that an an undetermined number of structures were recently built by China in the vicinity of Philippine-claimed Iroquois Reef-Amy Douglas Bank near Palawan.

The site, a DFA statement said, is located southwest of Recto or Reed Bank and east of Patag or Flat Island within the Philippines 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone.

The Philippines has the only airstrip in the Spratly Islands, located on Pag-Asa Island, a municipality of Palawan province.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, while visiting Washington DC last week, revealed at least nine Chinese intrusions in Philippine territory in the last few months after a Philippine oceanographic research ship was chased out of Philippine waters by Chinese warships.

“We call on global Filipinos and Philippine organizations throughout the world to stand up to the China bully and protest its impending invasion of the Philippines by demonstrating in front of consular offices of China throughout the world,” Nicolas Lewis said.

“There are more than four million Filipinos in the US who can mobilize to defend the sovereignty of the Philippines by exposing China’s aggressive acts in the Spratlys. What is also at stake is the Philippines ownership of potentially trillions of dollars in revenue from its oil and natural gas resources,” said Rodis.

The organizers also invited Filipinos in the San Francisco Bay Area to attend a meeting at the Filipino Community Town Hall in the Philippine Consulate Social Hall (447 Sutter Street) at 6PM on Wednesday, July 6, to discuss this issue.

For more information on the USP4GG and its planned actions on July 8, please contact Rodel Rodis at Rodel50@gmail.comor call (415) 334-7800.

Simple Dude

June 29th, 2011, 12:18 PM

biQtrQpyJGo
[FONT="Book Antiqua"]As long as the Jewish spirit is yearning deep in the heart,

With eyes turned toward the East, looking toward Zion,

Then our hope, the hope of two thousand years, will not be lost:

To be a free people in our land,

^^ Shalom :)

gentlemuscleman

June 29th, 2011, 01:53 PM

12 million dollar.thats alot of money,bakit hindi na lang ibili ng mga missile yan at ikabit sa hamiltoink.o baka mas malaki ang magiging kickback ng mga general corrupt dyan sa darating na milyones na yan.dapat pag may mga ganyang pera e dapat ibili na yan bago pa mahawakan ni geeral corrupt ng AFP.:lol::cheers:

spearhead

June 29th, 2011, 02:09 PM

Any updates?

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 03:20 PM

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/06/20/government-using-spratlys-dispute-secure-p40b-military-162205

Government using Spratlys dispute 'to secure P40B for military'

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A PROGRESSIVE party-list lawmaker expressed strong opposition to the additional P40-billion budget to be allocated to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for military modernization.

The military is "just using the South China Sea (locally referred to as the West Philippine Sea) dispute as an excuse for AFP fattening and corruption while the country's poor are wanting and in dire need of resources. Our conflict with China and other claimant countries in the Spratlys can be resolved peacefully," Bayan Muna Representative Teddy Casiño said in a statement.

Win US $500 cash in Sun.Star’s music video contest

During the deliberations of the Development Budget Coordination Committee over the weekend, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad disclosed that the Aquino administration will spend P40 billion from 2012 to 2016 (P8 billion annually) to "catch up" with the AFP modernization program.

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AFP chief of staff Eduardo Oban Jr. on Sunday said "it's the baseline capability that the AFP really needs to improve on" but added that, "the focus is still internal security pertaining to the Internal Peace and Security Plan Bayanihan but we can have parallel moves towards that end."

The Coast Watch system being developed by the AFP consists of ground radars for detection and monitoring and involves two naval ships, such as the Hamilton Class Cutter to be deployed in Palawan, and long-range patrol aircraft for the Philippine Air Force.

"So it's not really baseline security they're after. It's just monitoring and watching and without any real upgrade in capability. The P40-billion is totally unnecessary and a waste of scarce resources," Casiño said.

The party-list lawmaker said the Aquino administration could instead use the P40-billion budget for education.

"Congress has already given P5 billion yearly to the AFP Modernization Program from 2005 until the expiration of Republic Act 7898 in 2010. Last April, President Aquino committed P11 billion for 2011. Now they're asking for P8 billion more next year until 2016. Sumusobra naman sila," Casiño remarked while noting that the education sector is lacking in teachers, textbooks, classrooms and chairs.

He said there should first be an accounting of the previous modernization funds spent by the AFP given various reports of anomalies in its use. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)

---
Who doesn't want this to be resolved peacefully, right? The problem is not with us but with China who is using force.

Hindi sila makaprotesta sa US Embassy sa support ng State Department kasi napansin ng mga tao na hindi nila prinoprotesta ang pambubully ng China. Gotta love situations like this, you see people's true color

http://www.anadpartylist.org/20110622/anad-twits-maoist-pseudo-partylists-and-front-sectoral-groups%E2%80%99-retort-on-spratlys-issue.html

Not a fan of Alcover but here's his point.

ANAD twits Maoist pseudo partylists and front sectoral groups’ retort on Spratlys issue
PostDateIcon June 22nd, 2011 | PostCategoryIcon Posted in Press Releases

The ALLIANCE FOR NATIONALISM AND DEMOCRACY (ANAD) Partylist twitted Maoist pseudo partylist and front sectoral groups for using the alleged issue of “China’s illegal forays in the Spratlys group” to bolster their anti-American sloganeering and campaign.

ANAD Rep. Jun Alcover said that House Resolution No. 1420 filed by Bayan Muna’s Teddy Casiño and Neri Colmenares and the recent statement of Pamalakaya’s Fernando Hicap (6/22/11, www.inquirer.net and 6/21/11,www.gmanews.tv) contains the vicious trappings of Maoist communist deception and pretension.

“Where were they when media reports were abuzz about these illegal Chinese intrusions in the Spratlys? Understandably, their damning silence prompted Secretary Carandang to ask that very timely and relevant question,” he quipped.

“Why are they calling on Congress to investigate? Are they entertaining serious doubts on President Aquino III’s decision and moves? But their actions are too obvious because these are designed to spike any eventual involvement of the US forces that these groups are incorrigibly against since time immemorial. Also, a Congressional Inquiry would just be a pat on the Chinese’ back and tantamount to showboating,” Rep. Alcover retorted.

“As legislatures, Casiño and Colmenares must not forget that the existing Mutual Defense Treaty, between the governments of the Philippines and the United States of America, compels the American government to support any action that the Philippines shall find necessary to protect our country’s territorial sovereignty and integrity. Also, they are duty bound to support the moves of the Philippine government to reach a diplomatic resolution of the issue,” Rep. Alcover explained.

“They (Bayan Muna and Pamalakaya) just wanted Congress to make a statement on the issue with them hiding behind the skirt of the country’s legislature. Why can’t they make a formal statement denouncing the Chinese forces’ illegal intrusions into areas claimed by the country in the West Philippine Sea?” said Rep. Alcover.

The ANAD solon challenged the Maoist communist sectoral front and pseudo partylist groups to issue a strong statement condemning the Chinese government’s aggressive and blatant display of force in the Spratlys. “Instead of doing a zarzuela, they should come out into the open and conduct mass actions in the streets to protest and demand China’s full compliance to international covenants like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other related agreements, particularly on the imposition of a status quo with other claimants of the area,” he explained.

leofriends

June 29th, 2011, 03:33 PM

Philippine-US defense treaty 'legally non-existent' (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/06/28/philippine-us-defense-treaty-legally-non-existent-163779) <--- YUN LANG:ohno:

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

MANILA -- The Philippines may have to defend itself if hostilities break out in the West Philippine Sea even though it has a mutual defense treaty (MDT) with the United States, a former University of the Philippines (UP) dean said.

Speaking at a forum at the UP College of Law, Pacifico Agabin said the MDT is not a "self-executory" treaty. That means US President Barack Obama will have to ask the US Congress for authorization to send troops. That authorization will have to come in the form of a law, he said.

The US Congress will also have to approve appropriations to pay for sending soldiers to the contested Spratly islands, where tensions have been rising between the Philippines and China in recent weeks.

"And we know how hard it is to get a law passed in Congress," Agabin said.

Agabin, UP College of Law dean from 1989 to 1995, said US military action without congressional approval could see a repeat of a probe into the illegal bombing of Cambodia and Laos in 1969 to 1970.

When the operations were revealed to the public in 1972, then US President Richard Nixon was"And we know how hard it is to get a law passed in Congress," Agabin said.

Agabin, UP College of Law dean from 1989 to 1995, said US military action without congressional approval could see a repeat of a probe into the illegal bombing of Cambodia and Laos in 1969 to 1970.

When the operations were revealed to the public in 1972, then US President Richard Nixon was accused of deceiving Congress by keeping the bombings a secret.

He said that without a law to execute the MDT, the treaty is "legally non-existent."

"There will be no automatic participation of US forces in case of a shooting war," Agabin warned.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assured the Philippines last week that her country is committed to help defend the Philippines.

This help will include selling the Philippines military equipment to beef up its ability to defend itself.

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the US declaration of support but said the military aid is "a commercial deal rather than a big brother helping (another) nation."

"Remember, usually this military hardware is 'used' military hardware and we have to buy the parts from them," he said.

"We cannot base our national defense policy on the national interest of another country. Because when their interests conflict with ours, where does that leave us?" the senator said in a press statement Tuesday.

On Tuesday, ships from the US and Philippine navies began training exercises in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.

A militant lawmaker, meanwhile, on Tuesday suggested to Malacañang to go on a diplomatic offensive for international support instead of relying on the MDT.......................

kenken94

June 29th, 2011, 03:38 PM

Is public execution better for Teddy Casino? :D :D :D

Wind Shear

June 29th, 2011, 03:43 PM

@leofriends

Can we get a better title for the article you posted? -_-

As usual, media.

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 03:51 PM

kenken94

June 29th, 2011, 04:01 PM

^^ Even I am not familiar with U.S Law. Also just a small chunk I know of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. tsk3.

But maybe over the years as I continue with my college course, I'll memorize it soon enough and maybe give some more sensible posts. :)

xxxriainxxx

June 29th, 2011, 04:04 PM

Araguy, sakit ng tama ni Nabartek. Sana lang mabasa ng 'law expert' yang sinabi mo. :D

leofriends

June 29th, 2011, 04:09 PM

@leofriends

Can we get a better title for the article you posted? -_-

As usual, media.

haha.. akala ko asusual... komonista ang nagkomento ehh.. este aktibista pala.. :D

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 04:09 PM

Araguy, sakit ng tama ni Nabartek. Sana lang mabasa ng 'law expert' yang sinabi mo. :D

Ewan ko ba sa "law expert" na yun. Baka limited lang sa Philippine COnstitution pero feeling niya alam niya ang US Consitution.

Kaya nga nakapagpadala ng half a million troops nga si Johnson sa Vietnam. The war powers act was passed in the 1970's as the Vietnam war was closing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Powers_Resolution

xxxriainxxx

June 29th, 2011, 04:11 PM

kenken94

June 29th, 2011, 04:15 PM

^^ I know. I was also reflecting you know. I knew he was referring to the person on the article. :)

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 04:16 PM

^^ Yeah, I was referring to that UP Law Dean

kenken94

June 29th, 2011, 04:17 PM

^^ My reply was at post #181. :)

xxxriainxxx

June 29th, 2011, 04:46 PM

^^ Ok cool. ;)

Wind Shear

June 29th, 2011, 05:03 PM

haha.. akala ko asusual... komonista ang nagkomento ehh.. este aktibista pala.. :D

:lol: :lol:

Though my realization came late, here's my bold statement to that so-called "law expert": You didn't do the research, again. :lol:

xxxriainxxx

June 29th, 2011, 05:06 PM

:lol: :lol:

Though my realization came late, here's my bold statement to that so-called "law expert": You didn't do the research, again. :lol:

Kakahiya ano? Hahaha. Bistado! Dapat kasi nasa Twitter kayo. Yari yang 'law expert' na yan. :lol:

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 05:08 PM

:lol: :lol:

Though my realization came late, here's my bold statement to that so-called "law expert": You didn't do the research, again. :lol:

Funny how he was basing the start Vietnam conflict with the War Powers Act (passed as the Vietnam conflict was CLOSING)

I think he is a commie and is in attempt to brainwash people with FALSE information

:lol:

Maybe, they should require US Goverment and Constitution too along side with Phil. Constitution :lol::lol: Just as to avoid the leftist brainwashing

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 05:09 PM

Basically, the US can send troops if undisputed territories will be attacked. By virtue of the MDT, an attack on the Philippines will be considered an attack on the US. And the President can send troops to foreign soil if the US was attacked up to 90 days without the blessing of the Congress.

Parchie

June 29th, 2011, 05:19 PM

That "law expert" forgot that the President has the authority to send troops to foreign soil for 90 days without the permission of Congress. If the president wants more than 90 days then that is the time he needs to ask permission.

These people should read US law, not merely referencing history. By that virtue, yes, the US can send troops!

Thanks for bringing this specific item up (re US war powers act of 1973.) This is recently being questioned when BHObama okayed operations against Libya a few months ago. The US president withdrew their troops when questions were raised by congressmen as to its legality. If I read correctly, it is 60 days and not 90 days prescriptive duration and beyond that, the US president should ask US Congress for approval? You correctly pointed out the essence of the law though.

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 05:25 PM

^^ 60 days plus 30 days withdrawal, as I have read. Let me double check on that

Parchie

June 29th, 2011, 05:27 PM

^^ 60 days plus 30 days withdrawal.

Okay! That's settled then!

kenken94

June 29th, 2011, 05:30 PM

So 60 or 90 days. It all means the same. That the 'law expert' just started blabbing without looking at his old constitution books on the shelf. Poor soul. :D :D :D

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 05:32 PM

^^60 days or 90 days, that UP "law expert" is still feeding false information. I suspect, in attempt to create anti-American feeling rather than encouraging our government and the people to strengthen the military

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 06:25 PM

Last update 27/06/2011 05:00:00 AM (GMT+7)

China’s ‘two no’s policy’ on East Sea disputes

VietNamNet Bridge - China has always insisted that the South China Sea (East Sea) disputes be dealt with through bilateral negotiations and has developed a “two nos” policy regarding the settlement of disputes in the East Sea: no multilateral negotiations and no “internationalization”.

Increasingly, the South East Asian claimants and the US are arguing for multilateral solutions. In response, China maintains that the disputes should be settled via bilateral negotiations, attacks what it sees as the “internationalization” of the issue, and has condemned the US stance.

The Spratlys (Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago) are claimed wholly or partly by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and China (whose position is shared by Taiwan), so this dispute is multilateral by definition. As such, the Spratlys (Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago) dispute requires a multilateral solution involving all the claimants.

Bilateral negotiations are not an appropriate mechanism for resolving multilateral disputes: if the Philippines and Vietnam were to negotiate and settle bilaterally the sovereignty over the Spratlys, would China accept that as a solution?

So why does China insist on bilateral negotiations as the only mechanism to resolve the Spratlys dispute, despite the fact that this mechanism could not be expected to bring about a settlement? Behind this insistence is a two-pronged strategy.

First, if the South East Asian claimants deal with China individually, they will be more likely to succumb one by one to China’s superior strength than if they have a common strategy, a united stance and mutual support for each other.

Second, by insisting on an unsuitable approach, China is effectively blocking progress towards a negotiated settlement. The absence of a settlement gives China, as the strongest claimant by far, increasing opportunities to strengthen its position and weaken those of the others.

While the question of sovereignty over the islands is central to the East Sea dispute, in practice it is maritime disputes that are most likely to spark off conflicts. The events of Chinese naval ships threatening the Philippines’ seismic survey vessel at the Reed Bank and China’s unilateral fishing bans in the East Sea are but examples of this.

Maritime disputes should be resolved according to international law, especially the stipulations of the United Nations Convention on The Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the jurisprudence rendered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

According to UNCLOS, a coastal state has sovereignty only over territorial sea within 12 nautical miles wide adjacent to its baselines.

With respect to maritime zones beyond 12 nautical miles, that state does not have sovereignty, but only some specific rights under the regimes of exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf. In addition, under judgments by the ICJ, small islands such as those in the East Sea are entitled to EEZs and continental shelves that are insignificant in comparison to those of neighboring territories that have longer coastlines.

If a nation claims either too large a maritime zone, or too many rights, or both, for an EEZ or a continental shelf, then that adversely affects the rights of all other nations in the world.

China’s maritime claim in the South China Sea involves an enigmatic U-shaped line that lies well beyond 12 nautical miles of the disputed islands and encircles most of this body of water. This claim adversely affects the rights of all other states.

The U-shaped line: a claim excessive in area

First, let’s consider whether this line can be consistent with the extent of an EEZ and continental shelf belonging to the Paracels and Spratlys.

That line lies beyond the equidistance line between the disputed islands and the territories around the East Sea. Jurisprudence by the International Court of Justice always gives such small islands EEZs or continental shelves that fall far short of the equidistance line, usually not much father than 12 nautical miles from the islands.

Pursuant to these rules, the U-shaped line is too excessive and arbitrary to be justified as the Paracels and Spratlys’ EEZ and continental shelf boundary. Consequently, the maritime zone around Reed Bank rightfully belongs to the Philippines; the area around James Shoal to Malaysia; the Natuna region to Indonesia; the maritime zones around Nam Con Son and the Vanguard Bank to Vietnam. These delimitations are incontestable regardless of the fact that the Paracels and Spratlys and Scarborough Shoals are disputed.

Furthermore, the U-shaped line covers an area in the middle of the East Sea where the international community might well have the right to exploit economically the column of water, for example, to fish.

Thus, that line encircles an excessive area, adversely affecting the rights of the nations entitled to EEZs and continental shelves in the East Sea, as well as those of the international community.

To justify such extensive claim, Beijing would have to adduce the status of historic sovereignty and rights over maritime space.

However, UNCLOS only recognizes historic sovereignty and rights over maritime space within 12 nautical miles of baselines, not over the area enclosed by the U-shaped line. As a signatory to UNCLOS, China must respect this rule and cannot allege historic sovereignty and rights over maritime space in order to justify the U-shaped line. In addition, there is no evidence that China has historical sovereignty over the maritime space enclosed by that line.

Next, let’s consider the U-shaped line in terms of what rights, under international law, China intends to claim for it.

So far, China has been opaque about this claim. This “Middle State” [Editor’s note: Another translation of the ancient name for China are “the Middle Kingdom.”] has never stated exactly what rights it is claiming inside that line, even when it included a map showing the U-shaped line with its note verbale to the United Nations in 2009 to protest against continental shelf submissions by Vietnam and Malaysia.

Whether China claims the maritime space within the U-shaped line as EEZ and continental shelf, or as a maritime zone similar to “historic waters,” such claim is a threat to the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Vietnam. In addition, it affects considerably the rights of the international community, because UNCLOS grants rights within this body of water to all nations in the world.

The U-shaped line is like a dagger pointing at the heart of the East Sea without the holder giving any explanation or saying how he intends to use it. Supported by an increasingly powerful navy, it constitutes a threat to all nations in the world.

While the international community can be neutral on the disputes over the islands, it cannot afford to be neutral on China’s U-shaped line.

Both maritime history and UNCLOS show that the East Sea is an international sea, like the Mediterranean. The international community has an interest and the right to have a say in the maritime claims there. China’s opposition to the “internationalization” of the East Sea issue is tantamount to an attempt to de-internationalize an international sea. Once the East Sea has been de-internationalized, Beijing will be able to bring its strength to bear on the East Sea nations and impose its own rules on this body of water.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/top-hot-news/9907/china-s--two-no-s-policy--on-east-sea-disputes.html

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 06:31 PM

College students advised to avoid joining activist groups

THE military urged college students to avoid joining militant groups since these promote "cynicism, tolerate violence and serve as recruitment grounds for rebels."

Specifically, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) vented its ire on the League of Filipino Students (LFS), which it referred to as one of the groups "deceitfully romanticizing" the idea of armed struggle.

Win US $500 cash in Sun.Star’s music video contest

After convincing the students to join their ranks, militants normally entice them to go against the government and join the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing New People’s Army (NPA).

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/06/29/college-students-advised-avoid-joining-activist-groups-164063
Joining these organizations will be dangerous because this will divert the student’s attention from academics, family, and ambitions, said Brigadier General Eduardo del Rosario, AFP’s Civil Relations Service commander.

He said that based on their experiences, most NPA fighters are students who chose to abandon their studies and later ended up being victims of the decades-old insurgency.

But the AFP’s statement did not sit well with the CHR and the militant groups as they asked the military to focus on implementing much-needed reforms against corruption and impunity.

“It is best they stop commenting about the youth and pay attention to the reforms badly needed in the AFP against impunity and the lack of command responsibility and accountability,” Rosales said.

Clamor and the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), meanwhile, said AFP failed to respect the citizen’s Constitutional right to join associations.

NUPL assistant secretary for legal services Ephraim Cortez said that bad social, economic and political conditions breed discontent and through these organizations, students are able to forward their concerns.

“It is an expression of their desire for change. This is what (Jose) Rizal, (Andres) Bonifacio, and other heroes did in their time,” Cortez told Sun.Star in a text message.

At least 2.6 million college students trooped to schools nationwide early June after a two-month summer break.

Askal82

June 29th, 2011, 07:12 PM

College students advised to avoid joining activist groups

THE military urged college students to avoid joining militant groups since these promote "cynicism, tolerate violence and serve as recruitment grounds for rebels."

Specifically, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) vented its ire on the League of Filipino Students (LFS), which it referred to as one of the groups "deceitfully romanticizing" the idea of armed struggle.

Win US $500 cash in Sun.Star's music video contest

After convincing the students to join their ranks, militants normally entice them to go against the government and join the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing New People's Army (NPA).

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/06/29/college-students-advised-avoid-joining-activist-groups-164063
Joining these organizations will be dangerous because this will divert the student's attention from academics, family, and ambitions, said Brigadier General Eduardo del Rosario, AFP's Civil Relations Service commander.

He said that based on their experiences, most NPA fighters are students who chose to abandon their studies and later ended up being victims of the decades-old insurgency.

But the AFP's statement did not sit well with the CHR and the militant groups as they asked the military to focus on implementing much-needed reforms against corruption and impunity.

"It is best they stop commenting about the youth and pay attention to the reforms badly needed in the AFP against impunity and the lack of command responsibility and accountability," Rosales said.

Clamor and the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL), meanwhile, said AFP failed to respect the citizen's Constitutional right to join associations.

NUPL assistant secretary for legal services Ephraim Cortez said that bad social, economic and political conditions breed discontent and through these organizations, students are able to forward their concerns.

"It is an expression of their desire for change. This is what (Jose) Rizal, (Andres) Bonifacio, and other heroes did in their time," Cortez told Sun.Star in a text message.

At least 2.6 million college students trooped to schools nationwide early June after a two-month summer break.

I think these org should be banned in the first place. But then again, you'll run counter with human rights issue of speech and expression.

mao rong

June 29th, 2011, 07:48 PM

aba at may skirmish...:D

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 07:52 PM

Not a fan of ANAD either but this is intersting

http://www.anadpartylist.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/anad-mail-august-issue.pdf

http://www.anadpartylist.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/anad-mail-january-2011-edition.pdf

Wintertiger

June 29th, 2011, 09:31 PM

Wonder what happened to this? Hopefully this progresses or its replacement programs reaches production.

http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129768.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129768-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129769.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129769-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129770.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129770-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129771.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129771-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129783.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129783-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129782.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129782-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129781.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129781-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129780.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129780-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129779.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129779-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129778.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129778-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129777.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129777-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129776.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129776-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129775.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129775-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129774.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129774-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129773.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129773-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html) http://preview.shareapic.net/preview7/025129772.jpg (http://www.shareapic.net/View-25129772-Philippine-Army-MX-8-AEV-Prototype.html)

waraywaray architect

June 29th, 2011, 09:52 PM

Nagprotesta na naman ang LFS laban sa CARAT exercise. Ang mga batang eto ay walang utak at mga nabrainwash ng mga komunista. Yan lang ang kanilang kayang ululin! Pag-nagkagyera, dapat i-enlist ang mga eto at ilagay sa frontline. Kung hindi sumipot, i-cort marshall!

Nabartek

June 29th, 2011, 10:06 PM

^^ yung authorized ng congress prinoprotesta nilapero yung paangbubully ng china, hindi?

All hail china! Lol

bitoy

June 29th, 2011, 11:06 PM

"...To confuse China, we send the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon to Palawan....they might think it's one of their own..." ~ :lol:

http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/webphoto/web_110628-N-NJ145-160.jpg

PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines (June 28, 2011) An Armed Forces of the Philippines marine sentry stands watch as the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) arrives in Puerto Princesa to participate in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Philippines 2011. CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Clowney/Released)

http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/webphoto/web_110627-N-JL509-038.jpg
PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines (June 27, 2011) Ensign Daniel Rocha explains mine-hunting equipment to Police Senior Superintendent Virgilio C. Parrocha, city director of the Puerto Princesa City Police, other members of the Puerto Princesa City Police and delegates from the U.S. Justice Department aboard the mine countermeasures ship USS Guardian (MCM 5). (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Colby Drake/Released)

Halos pareho nga ang uniporme nila.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/5882178991_d147e1e05c.jpg
USS Chung-Hoon Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Scott Erb, talks with a Philippine Navy captain.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5318/5882739426_b148cdf555.jpg
Philippine Navy Vice Commander Orwen Cortez listens as Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet, Vice Adm. Scott Van Buskirk, answers a question during a press conference following the opening ceremonies for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Philippines 2011.

waraywaray architect

June 30th, 2011, 12:05 AM

That's good. If USAFFE is re-activated, there is no confusion.

Wind Shear

June 30th, 2011, 12:27 AM

As a proof.

The Chinese navy also have some similarities with the USN on their summer white uniform(milkman). Except for the shoulder board and patches and the way they wear their hats, sa malayo halos pareho. I like the USN service dress blue and full dress whites during special occasions.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3931731550_25cbf02b30_o.jpg

amigo32

June 30th, 2011, 12:34 AM

China has similar army uniform. Counterfeit? Chill.

dapat kasi naka boxers lang Navy natin eh,:D para maiba:rofl:

Nabartek

June 30th, 2011, 12:35 AM

dapat kasi naka boxers lang Navy natin eh,:D para maiba:rofl:

Hukbong pandagat ni pacman. Lol

Nabartek

June 30th, 2011, 02:32 AM

Before you open your mouth, think first if it makes sense. You're contradicting yourself... fool.

siya lang daw ang may karapatan na manghusga as he implied :nuts:

At saka nalilito ata siya sa fact, truth, at OPINION :lol: Akala niya truth at fact yung opinion nya :lol:

gmaer

June 30th, 2011, 02:56 AM

That's good. If USAFFE is re-activated, there is no confusion.

USAFFE? No need!

The US Navy 7th fleet (http://www.c7f.navy.mil/) is the permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near South Korea and Japan. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with 50-60 ships, 350 aircraft and 60,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel.

Operations

Of the 50-60 ships typically assigned to Seventh Fleet, 18 operate from U.S. facilities in Japan and Guam. These forward-deployed units represent the heart of Seventh Fleet. The 18 permanently forward-deployed ships of the U.S. 7th Fleet are the centerpieces of American forward presence in Asia. They are 17 steaming days closer to locations in Asia than their counterparts based in the continental U.S.. It would take three to five times the number of rotationally-based ships in the U.S. to equal the same presence and crisis response capability as these 18 forward deployed ships. On any given day, about 50% of Seventh Fleet forces are deployed at sea throughout the area of responsibility.

Area of Responsibility (7F)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/USN_Fleets_%282009%29.png

gmaer

June 30th, 2011, 02:58 AM

Phl to grant more oil search permits in disputed sea (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=701208&publicationSubCategoryId=63)
By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) Updated June 30, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines yesterday said it would grant more permits to private firms to search for oil and natural gas in the West Philippine Sea, where it has a simmering territorial dispute with China.

A total of 15 exploration contracts would be offered today for mostly offshore prospects off the western island of Palawan, the energy department said in a statement.

The government agency did not give details beyond saying the blocks would include East Palawan – an undersea section of the South China Sea – as well as Northwest Palawan and the Sulu Sea basins.

“The contracting round is expected to attract investments in oil and gas exploration activities which will contribute to the realization of the country’s energy self-sufficiency level target of 60 percent,” it said, adding that independent and large-scale international exploration companies have already expressed interest to tender their bid in the various blocks.

The scheduled tenders come amid increasingly assertive insistence by China on its territorial claims over most of the South China Sea, or West Philippine Sea.

President Aquino this month called for US help in containing China’s ambitions in the area, saying his country was too weak to stand up to Beijing alone.

The plea was issued after his government accused China of inciting at least seven recent incidents in the disputed waters, including one in which a Chinese vessel allegedly opened fire on Filipino fishermen.

The Philippines has also alleged that a Chinese patrol ship shadowed a Philippine oil exploration vessel in the area.

China: Indisputable sovereignty

On Wednesday, China reiterated that it has “indisputable sovereignty” over the disputed Spratly Islands after the United States pledged to help the Philippines.

A spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, Yang Yi, also repeated the government position that safeguarding the sovereignty of the area’s potentially resource-rich islets was a “common responsibility” for Beijing and Taipei.

“China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their surrounding waters,” Yang told reporters, according to an official transcript.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims to parts of the South China Sea, which the Philippines has renamed West Philippine Sea, believed to have vast oil and gas deposits, while its shipping lanes are vital for global trade.

Vietnam and the Philippines have in recent months accused China of taking increasingly aggressive actions in staking its claim to the disputed waters and its archipelagos.

In response, China has insisted it wants to resolve the territorial dispute peacefully but remained firm in its claims to most of the South China Sea, even waters within the Philippines’ economic exclusion zone.

The United States and the Philippines on Tuesday launched joint naval exercises in Philippine waters close to the much-coveted islands.

The commander of the US 7th Fleet, Vice Admiral Scott Van Buskirk, described America and the Philippines as “allies” and said “that it is the strongest and most enduring commitment the two nations can make.”

“Our alliance is underpinned by a deep and abiding US interest in the freedom and security of the Republic of the Philippines,” he added.

Big ticket projects to secure borders

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is aiming to fast-track the establishment of a coast watch system in the West Philippine Sea and would spend close to P1 billion for the project to secure the country’s maritime borders.

A coast watch system in the west would allow security forces to oversee the maritime activities in the waters off Palawan, where the disputed Spratly Islands are located.

Brig. Gen. Roy Deveraturda, chief of the Armed Forces Modernization Program Management Office, said the project would cover the equipment, training, radars, and command and control communication equipment.

“Close to P1 billion will be spent for the coast watch system. It would be a combination of facilities and instruments. The requirement is more than P900 million,” Deveraturda told The STAR yesterday.

He said they would fast-track the implementation of the coast watch project without sacrificing transparency and compliance with existing regulations.

“We hope to implement it in two years. We have to follow procedures,” he added.

A coast watch system provides the military maritime domain awareness and allows it to monitor the country’s coastlines. Such system would entail the acquisition of various radars, stations and command and control centers.

“Through the coast watch system, you can monitor the vessels passing through our territory and assess them,” Deveraturda said, adding they would also enhance the coast watch system south which monitors movements of vessels in waters off Mindanao.

He said establishing coast watch systems are important in preventing transnational crimes, monitoring possible territorial incursions, and assisting distressed vessels.

“Even without the developments (in West Philippine Sea), this is important because we are a maritime nation. This will help us address transnational crimes, illegal fishing and exploitation of maritime resources,” Deveraturda said.

Early this month, AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. said they plan to set up a coast watch system in the west in the next two to three years to secure the country’s maritime borders and natural resources.

“We need to know what is happening in our maritime areas. We have a long coastline. We need to monitor or detect the activities in these areas,” Oban said in an earlier interview.

Oban said the coast watch system would be funded by proceeds from a natural gas project in Malampaya. The national government is entitled to a share from taxes, royalties and charges from the project.

Officials have cited the need to upgrade the armed forces’ capabilities in the wake of recent developments in the Spratlys.

The Philippine government has alleged that China had intruded into its territory six or seven times this year.

Last March, two Chinese ships allegedly bullied a civilian vessel commissioned by the energy department while conducting an oil exploration survey at the Recto Bank (Reed Bank) near Palawan.

Philippine officials have maintained that the Recto Bank is well within Philippine territory and not among the disputed areas.

Last month, a Chinese Marine surveillance vessel and other People’s Liberation Army Navy ships were sighted by the military in the vicinity of Iroquois Reef-Amy Douglas Bank in the West Philippine Sea.

The ships supposedly unloaded building materials, erected an undetermined number of posts and placed a buoy near the breaker of the Iroquois Bank.

The Philippine foreign affairs department said the Iroquois Bank is located southwest of the Recto Bank and east of Patag Island (Flat Island) and is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

China has belied the allegations and has asked the Philippines to stop actions that damage its sovereignty.

Nabartek

June 30th, 2011, 03:01 AM

Wind Shear

June 30th, 2011, 03:06 AM

^^IDK ha, I have a feeling that it is better to irritate China more but allowing companies to explore oil.

The Chinese government seem to be ill-tempered. Madaling magalit and they love to twist facts. And that is starting to make them look bad.

Maybe, if we we "irritate" them more by insisting our right to our EEZ, they'd be more careless and do something stupid that will reveal their true intentions and colors:lol:

Just an idea..not a good one though. Pang asar lang sa kanila :lol:

Something like this:

Chicom: This South China Sea is mine!
Filipino: And what's your basis for claming this?
Chicom: Here *shows the 13th century map of China*
Filipino: Ooooooohhh! YOU'RE SOOOOO [insert your favorite expletive here] ANCIENT!

Nabartek

June 30th, 2011, 03:08 AM

^^ I'm sorry but I'm slow with that :lol:

LuckyLady

June 30th, 2011, 03:20 AM

china or any chinese companies or companies of other claimants shouldn't be give a chance or permit to explore there. it would be really stupid to do so.

Nabartek

June 30th, 2011, 03:22 AM

^^ Tap Euro, US and Aussie companies. The US is a huge market for oil and natural gas. More people here drive cars than use public transportation.

Also natural gas: homes here have heaters that use natural gas. Same with the stoves. :D

LuckyLady

June 30th, 2011, 03:25 AM

^^IDK ha, I have a feeling that it is better to irritate China more by allowing companies to explore oil.

The Chinese government seem to be ill-tempered. Madaling magalit and they love to twist facts. And that is starting to make them look bad.

Maybe, if we we "irritate" them more by insisting our right to our EEZ, they'd be more careless and do something stupid that will reveal their true intentions and colors:lol:

China is the center of attention right now due to its economic growth. While it can conceal its down dirty works inside its border, it can't sensor anything beyond their borders esp if they turn to the gossip, este "information" loving Filipinos. :lol:

Just an idea..not a good one though. Pang asar lang sa kanila :lol:

yeah china is slowly showing it's true color pag magalit kaya maganda asarin:lol:

the philippines right now can't win a war againts them but surely we can do things that will cause something to them. pag sila expert sa lies, fakes, deceptions, dapat galingan rin natin wag na tayo pa gentle gentleman, inaabuso na nila eh:bash:

bitoy

June 30th, 2011, 04:30 AM

...party on the sea... :D

Phl Navy to join Brunei International Defense Exhibition (http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=40714)

by Jell E. Guzman

MANILA, June 29 (PIA) –- The Philippine Navy will be joining the naval forces from Brunei, Pakistan, Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States for the 3rd Brunei International Defense Exhibition (BRIDEX) on July 2, 2011.

Navy Flag officer in command Vice Admiral Alexander P. Pama said the activity will help the participants gain insights, at the same time appreciate the technology advancements and industry developments particularly on defense warfare.

The Philippine Navy contingent will be composed of the crew of the participating ships from the Naval Education and Training Command, Fleet Training Center, Philippine Navy Auxiliary Reserve Unit, Naval Modernization Office, Naval Doctrines Office, and the Naval Special Operations Group. A medical team from the Manila Naval Hospital will also join the group to provide medical assistance.

Likewise, the Navy will be sending two of its vessels, the Jacinto Class Patrol Vessel (BRP Apolinario Mabini – PS36) and Cyclone Class Vessel (BRP Gen. Mariano Alvarez – PS38).

BRIDEX 2011 is a week-long event which highlights fleet review. It is also an excellent platform in building alliances, forging partnerships and capturing new business opportunities in a fast growing South East Asian region, as well as for networking, sharing ideas and knowledge, discussing technology advancements and industry developments.

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah of Brunei Darussalam will grace the event.

The premier defense and security exhibition in South East Asia brings together the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of defense and security equipment.

The upcoming event also serves as an exclusive marketplace to showcase the latest, innovative and value enhancing technology solutions in land, sea, air, and security systems to address the wide spectrum of security challenges. (PN/RJB/JEG-PIA NCR)

Nabartek

June 30th, 2011, 04:33 AM

Salamat at bukas na...

okay na sana itong video sa intro kaso sablay sa gitna..parang nagkukuwento sa bata :lol:
wgPcunivDXg

xxxriainxxx

June 30th, 2011, 04:36 AM

Yay!!! Bukas na!! Parang Shopping mall lang. :D

xxxriainxxx

June 30th, 2011, 04:44 AM

Salamat at bukas na...

okay na sana itong video sa intro kaso sablay sa gitna..parang nagkukuwento sa bata :lol:
wgPcunivDXg

The video needs editing.

Nabartek

June 30th, 2011, 04:47 AM

^^ needs a better speaker :lol:

Askal82

June 30th, 2011, 04:54 AM

nebelwerferXXX

June 30th, 2011, 05:47 AM

other pics
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/253640_112855068805685_100002435782504_124492_7940148_n.jpg
Operational pa ito. Replace engine into diesel, up-grade weapons system like SAMs and 30-mm Gatling Guns...From left-to-right, what class of ships are these ?

915bungohunter

June 30th, 2011, 06:10 AM

Operational pa ito. Replace engine into diesel, up-grade weapons system like SAMs and 30-mm Gatling Guns...From left-to-right, what class of ships are these ?
PF 11 ex altherton class now rajah humabon
PS 36 ex peacock class
PS 38 EX USS cyclone
140 kagitingan class

915bungohunter

June 30th, 2011, 06:14 AM

gmaer

June 30th, 2011, 06:35 AM

PF 11 ex altherton class now rajah humabon
PS 36 ex peacock class
PS 38 EX USS cyclone
140 kagitingan class

Correction... :cheers:

BRP Rajah Humabon (PF-11) was formerly known as USS Atherton (DE-169) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Atherton_%28DE-169%29) which is a US Navy Cannon class (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannon_class_destroyer_escort) destroyer escort.

http://www.desausa.org/images3/USS%20Atherton%20DE%20169.JPG

It was awarded one battle star for her World War II service. Crew members of the USS Atherton (DE-169) received a bronze star in the American Theater ribbon for their action in the sinking of the last German submarine of World War II in American Waters.

kahit mga kalahati ng 12 million dollars kayang makabili ng ilang stinger na mas mura pa sa barret sniper.

These are 2 different weapons with 2 different purposes. You cannot use a Stinger missile for sniping while you cannot use a barrett sniper rifle against an aircraft unless it's stationary or hovering (like a helicopter).

gaLj

June 30th, 2011, 07:13 AM

Ano handa dito? :lol:

The venerable " BRP Rajah Humabon " :lol:

gmaer

June 30th, 2011, 07:20 AM

The venerable " BRP Rajah Humabon " :lol:

Nah! According to the news, the Philippines Navy will be sending BRP Apolinario Mabini and BRP Gen. Mariano Alvarez because BRP Rajah Humabon is currently on assignment in the West Philippine Sea.

arcabe

June 30th, 2011, 07:20 AM

Operational pa ito. Replace engine into diesel, up-grade weapons system like SAMs and 30-mm Gatling Guns...From left-to-right, what class of ships are these ?

PS 36 and PS 38 are still operational..kakarepair lang ng ng turbo ng PS 36 according to sa friend ko na nag contract sa mga repairs and maintenance..nakikita ko pa yan sa FF cruz dry dock dito sa Iloilo, everytime na pupunta ako ng Bacolod.:)

LuckyLady

June 30th, 2011, 07:31 AM

Philippine Beauty Queen Wins Crown on Defense of Spratly Claim

By Joel Guinto and Daniel Ten Kate - Jun 30, 2011 12:00 AM GMT+0800
Pag-Asa Island

Sarah Osorio, an 18-year-old resident of a South China Sea coral outcrop, was crowned beauty queen of the Philippines’ Palawan province after she backed her country’s claims in the disputed waters.

The win shows the popular appeal of the contest for control of the Spratlys that has sparked rising tensions between China, the Philippines and Vietnam, all vying for untapped oil reserves made more lucrative by the 24 percent jump in crude prices in the past year. The growing nationalism over the South China Sea islands has seen anti-China protests in Vietnam and Chinese gunboats firing at Philippine trawlers.

Osorio said at last week’s pageant she wanted to defend her home islands against aggression by neighboring countries. Her speech touched “the main issue right now,” setting her apart from her rivals, said Rem Divino, one of the judges.

Her victory also illustrates how governments use civilians to stake their claims to the dozens of islands, reefs and banks that make up the Spratlys -- and with them rights to surrounding seabed and any oil that’s trapped beneath it. Communities on islands are a way of asserting jurisdiction, analyst Earl Parreno said.

“There are many ways of letting everybody know your stake without flexing military muscle,” said Parreno, a fellow at the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform in Manila. “They put up structures, they haul people to the islands. Some of these islands are basically uninhabitable. These are artificial communities.”

China’s Claims

China’s claims to the South China Sea extend more than 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) south from Hainan island. Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week reaffirmed U.S. commitment to defend its Philippine treaty ally, while China June 28 said disputes in the area were a matter for the countries involved.

“I’ve heard stories from my relatives of fishermen being harassed by the Chinese,” Osorio said in a telephone interview. “They don’t have the right to do that. We own Kalayaan,” as the Spratlys are known locally.

The Philippine Navy said this month it removed territorial markers placed by China on reefs near Palawan in May. Beijing- based China Mobile Ltd. (941), the nation’s biggest phone company, last month said it had extended cellular services to cover the Spratlys, which are known as Nansha and are deemed part of Hainan province.

Taiwan-occupied Dongsha islands, known internationally as the Pratas group, share the same zip code as the city of Kaohsiung, more than 400 kilometers east.
Solar, Soil

Vietnam has installed wind turbines and built roads and reservoirs on islands it occupies in the Spratlys, and this month announced plans to develop a marine tourism industry there. Soil is shipped in to grow food, according to state-run Vietnam News Agency.

Vietnam’s claim to the Spratlys dates back centuries, according to a government document. Still, the first recorded Vietnamese child to be born there was in 2009, Vietnamplus said.

China’s rising naval power has rattled its Asian neighbors, giving an opening for the U.S. to tighten military ties with allies such as South Korea, Japan and the Philippines, and forge new relations with former foe Vietnam. The U.S. began drills with the Philippines this week off Palawan and will carry out exercises with Vietnam next month.
Jigsaw Puzzle

Efforts by China, Vietnam and the Philippines to inhabit the islands are an attempt to prove they have occupied and demonstrated control over them to improve their legal claim, said Mark J. Valencia, a maritime lawyer and senior research fellow with the National Bureau of Asian Research, said by phone from Honolulu.

Part of the problem is “you have to also show that at the time, or for a good period of the time, there was no protest by the other parties,” Valencia said. “That’s certainly not the case here over the last two to three decades.”

Sorting out the territorial claims “would become the most complex jigsaw puzzle on earth,” he said.

The Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have troops stationed on the Spratlys. The islands and reefs cover 5 square kilometers of land, 1 1/2 times the size of New York’s Central Park, spread over an area roughly the size of Iraq.

Chinese studies suggest the waters sit atop more than 14 times estimates of its oil reserves and 10 times those for gas.

While the Philippine-occupied islands have around 200 registered voters, only about two dozen stay in Osorio’s home island of Pag-Asa at any one time, Palawan Governor Abraham Kahlil Mitra said by phone. Keeping people there is “of big significance that Kalayaan is part of the country,” he said.
Air Strip

Osorio said she stays mostly in the Palawan capital Puerto Princesa, 500 kilometers from Pag-Asa, the biggest of the occupied islands, which has an airstrip that juts out from either side. The youngest child of a municipal councilor father and accountant mother, Osorio said she stays in Pag-Asa during the summer holiday.

Protests erupted in Hanoi this month after Chinese ships cut survey cables of a Vietnam Oil & Gas Group vessel. Chinese ships in March chased away a boat working for U.K.-based Forum Energy Plc (FEP) that was surveying the area. A Chinese frigate fired warning shots at Philippine trawlers on Feb. 25.

“We don’t have the capability to fight with them,” Osorio said. “The solution to the problem is diplomacy.”

gmaer

June 30th, 2011, 08:48 AM

Philippine Beauty Queen Wins Crown on Defense of Spratly Claim
By Joel Guinto and Daniel Ten Kate - Jun 30, 2011 12:00 AM GMT+0800

Sarah Osorio, an 18-year-old resident of a South China Sea coral outcrop, was crowned beauty queen of the Philippines’ Palawan province after she backed her country’s claims in the disputed waters.

The win shows the popular appeal of the contest for control of the Spratlys that has sparked rising tensions between China, the Philippines and Vietnam, all vying for untapped oil reserves made more lucrative by the 24 percent jump in crude prices in the past year. The growing nationalism over the South China Sea islands has seen anti-China protests in Vietnam and Chinese gunboats firing at Philippine trawlers.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-29/philippine-beauty-queen-wins-crown-on-defense-of-spratly-claim.html

Osorio said at last week’s pageant she wanted to defend her home islands against aggression by neighboring countries. Her speech touched “the main issue right now,” setting her apart from her rivals, said Rem Divino, one of the judges.

Her victory also illustrates how governments use civilians to stake their claims to the dozens of islands, reefs and banks that make up the Spratlys -- and with them rights to surrounding seabed and any oil that’s trapped beneath it. Communities on islands are a way of asserting jurisdiction, analyst Earl Parreno said.

“There are many ways of letting everybody know your stake without flexing military muscle,” said Parreno, a fellow at the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform in Manila. “They put up structures, they haul people to the islands. Some of these islands are basically uninhabitable. These are artificial communities.”

China’s Claims

China’s claims to the South China Sea extend more than 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) south from Hainan island. Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week reaffirmed U.S. commitment to defend its Philippine treaty ally, while China June 28 said disputes in the area were a matter for the countries involved.

“I’ve heard stories from my relatives of fishermen being harassed by the Chinese,” Osorio said in a telephone interview. “They don’t have the right to do that. We own Kalayaan,” as the Spratlys are known locally.

The Philippine Navy said this month it removed territorial markers placed by China on reefs near Palawan in May. Beijing- based China Mobile Ltd. (941), the nation’s biggest phone company, last month said it had extended cellular services to cover the Spratlys, which are known as Nansha and are deemed part of Hainan province.

Taiwan-occupied Dongsha islands, known internationally as the Pratas group, share the same zip code as the city of Kaohsiung, more than 400 kilometers east.

Solar, Soil

Vietnam has installed wind turbines and built roads and reservoirs on islands it occupies in the Spratlys, and this month announced plans to develop a marine tourism industry there. Soil is shipped in to grow food, according to state-run Vietnam News Agency.

Vietnam’s claim to the Spratlys dates back centuries, according to a government document. Still, the first recorded Vietnamese child to be born there was in 2009, Vietnamplus said.

China’s rising naval power has rattled its Asian neighbors, giving an opening for the U.S. to tighten military ties with allies such as South Korea, Japan and the Philippines, and forge new relations with former foe Vietnam. The U.S. began drills with the Philippines this week off Palawan and will carry out exercises with Vietnam next month.
Jigsaw Puzzle

Efforts by China, Vietnam and the Philippines to inhabit the islands are an attempt to prove they have occupied and demonstrated control over them to improve their legal claim, said Mark J. Valencia, a maritime lawyer and senior research fellow with the National Bureau of Asian Research, said by phone from Honolulu.

Part of the problem is “you have to also show that at the time, or for a good period of the time, there was no protest by the other parties,” Valencia said. “That’s certainly not the case here over the last two to three decades.”

Sorting out the territorial claims “would become the most complex jigsaw puzzle on earth,” he said.

The Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have troops stationed on the Spratlys. The islands and reefs cover 5 square kilometers of land, 1 1/2 times the size of New York’s Central Park, spread over an area roughly the size of Iraq.

Chinese studies suggest the waters sit atop more than 14 times estimates of its oil reserves and 10 times those for gas.

While the Philippine-occupied islands have around 200 registered voters, only about two dozen stay in Osorio’s home island of Pag-Asa at any one time, Palawan Governor Abraham Kahlil Mitra said by phone. Keeping people there is “of big significance that Kalayaan is part of the country,” he said.
Air Strip

Osorio said she stays mostly in the Palawan capital Puerto Princesa, 500 kilometers from Pag-Asa, the biggest of the occupied islands, which has an airstrip that juts out from either side. The youngest child of a municipal councilor father and accountant mother, Osorio said she stays in Pag-Asa during the summer holiday.

Protests erupted in Hanoi this month after Chinese ships cut survey cables of a Vietnam Oil & Gas Group vessel. Chinese ships in March chased away a boat working for U.K.-based Forum Energy Plc (FEP) that was surveying the area. A Chinese frigate fired warning shots at Philippine trawlers on Feb. 25.

“We don’t have the capability to fight with them,” Osorio said. “The solution to the problem is diplomacy.”

We were the first to have mobile phone network coverage in that area...

Kalayaan is composed of only one barangay, Pag-Asa. This island has a 1.3 km airstrip that is used both by the military and civilians. It has a regulated civilian population of about 350, most of whom are fishermen. This civilian population is the result of Philippine government initial efforts to put civilians in the Kalayaan. Once a month, a Philippine Navy Ship goes to this island to drop supplies of goods. This island has a water-filtering plant, power generators, weather stations and a communication tower which is built by the Philippine-based SMART Telecommunications.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalayaan,_Palawan

Parchie

June 30th, 2011, 09:10 AM

We were the first to have mobile phone network coverage in that area...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalayaan,_Palawan

If push comes to shove, I guess what we lack in equipment and war machines should covered up with organization and discipline of our armed forces. Let them chicoms stretch their arms, maybe history repeats with over-stretching armies losing every time!

xxxriainxxx

June 30th, 2011, 10:31 AM

My capture of Kalayaan Islands, Philippines

http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/large/334174043.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJF3XCCKACR3QDMOA&Expires=1309423432&Signature=ZNCh%2BpRUWOjw1Wk%2FKN16GGf1by0%3D

LuckyLady

June 30th, 2011, 11:52 AM

eto na siguro sagot natin sa magagandang sundalo ng kaaway:lol: dapat hindi lang sa police sa lahat na sana i encourage nila yung pag join ng gays to our defense forces:cheers:

We need and welcome gay cops
by Alex P. Vidal on Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 4:29pm

The Philippine National Police (PNP) was only stressing the obvious when it announced recently that homosexuals "can still join" the PNP which will recruit 200 more rookie cops before the year ends.

As if a deadline has been set for all interested homsexuals to become members of the police force, which is national in scope and civilian in character.

Aren't homosexuals already present in the organization since December 13, 1990 when Republic Act No. 6975 entitled "An Act Establishing the Philippine National Police under a reorganized Department of the Interior and Local Government and Other Purposes" was passed that extinguished the Philippine Constabulary and the Integrated National Police?

BRAVE

In fact, homsexuals have long been in the country's law enforcement agency since time immemorial; we even have homosexual Katipuneros during the time of Andres Bonifacio, brave homosexual soldiers who fought side by side with American troops during the World War and even five-star generals (they say one of them became a senator).

So far, members of the third sex who are bonafide PNP members have not given the organization a bad reputation. As long as they are not so vulgar and unsanitary in their sexual conquests with male species, we have nothing against homosexual cops.

We have not heard of a PNP subordinate or official caught literally with his pants down in a gay bar (except for a now retired suspected pedophile PNP official in Camp Delgado who fell asleep near the dance floor of a gay bar located on J.M. Basa St., Iloilo City manay years back).

Homosexual cops have proven themselves to be among the best law enforcers in the country and even abroad (I know of some New York and British cops who are kilig-to-the-bones and lovers of nota but are magnificent and respected lawmen).

WOMAN

A homosexual cop has both the compassion of a woman and firmness of a man. Even the most feared homophobic street thugs and maniacs will respect a well-disciplined cop.

Socrates and Plato were among the most ardent believers of a homosexual's capability to help reform a squalid society.

Some historians theorize that if Alexander The Great were not gay, he could not conquer the world. Gay cops, gay priests, gay teachers, gay senators, gay congressmen, gay prime ministers, gay ambassadors, gay NBA and PBA players, gay actors, gay SK chairmen, gay terrorists.

They are everywhere; they are part of society, of our democracy. And we must live with them--whether we like it or don't.

We off our hats off the PNP's plan not to discriminate effeminate members of third sex in the plan to recruit additional members.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/alex-p-vidal/we-need-and-welcome-gay-cops-by-alex-p-vidal/10150685011695181