^^ wow buti pa ang mga marines seafoods everyday.

^^ is lt. gen yano insinuating something when he said he wanted more discipline on the army's fitness? look at his predecessor. :lol:

^^ wow buti pa ang mga marines seafoods everyday.

^^ is lt. gen yano insinuating something when he said he wanted more discipline on the army's fitness? look at his predecessor. :lol:

baka yaong ibang General tumataba ng sobra katulad ni Malu Fernandez

.

By Julie Alipala
Mindanao Bureau
Last updated 05:11pm (Mla time) 08/25/2007


ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The problem on insurgency, terrorism, and other security threats cannot be solved with the use of military force alone, two military generals admitted here Saturday.

The two generals said the keys to solving these problems include the understanding of people’s culture and needs, and community projects.

Earlier, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the military to crush all armed rebellion before her term ends in 2010.

In Basilan and Sulu alone, about 4,000 have been deployed to run after about 350 Abu Sayyaf bandits.

Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, incoming commander of the Marine Corps., said using military force alone is not the solution.

"It would be better if the root causes of terrorism, why it exists, should be seriously addressed," he said.

Experts have always agreed that poverty breeds terror.

Dolorfino said the steps to address threat groups should also involve the deployment of "culture-sensitive" soldiers to the communities -- "To approach and deal with people of different cultures with respect and appreciation."

Dolorfino said that the problems of insurgency and terrorism were "multi-dimensional" so that addressing them required the help of other government agencies.

"The common misconception is that peace and order problems are the sole responsibility of the armed forces," he said.

Major General Reuben Rafael, commander of Task Force Comet in Sulu, agreed by saying community projects would certainly help.

He said that in Sulu for example, his unit has been involved in the implementation of low-cost, high-impact projects.

"It has to be the people's felt needs so that the projects will be more useful to them," Rafael said.

He said his unit has been repairing classrooms, bridges, madaris (Arabic schools) aside from conducting medical and dental services in remote villages.

"It’s not really effective if soldiers just go to the area, build classrooms or bridges, and then leave those projects to the community to take care; they (villagers) have to be directly involved to have the feeling of ownership of community projects," Dolorfino said.

Quoting from a book written by retired general Fortunato Abat titled "The Day We Nearly Lost Mindanao," Dolorfino said, "Victory cannot be measured in terms of the numbers of killed, wounded, or captured but in terms of how much trust and confidence in the government has been developed by those we are trying to win back to the mainstream society."

In his paper, "Road Map to Peace and Development," Dolorfino said that "the problem is that some military commanders do not understand warfare."

"They think warfare is the same throughout the spectrum and that it is fought with the use of military force alone and they think that the military is the heart and end of all internal security operations," he wrote.

Dolorfino said that indiscriminate or too much use of force in military operations "often displaces innocent civilians and results (in) collateral damages, abuses, violation of human rights, civil liberties, and insensitivities to the culture of the people."


http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=84669


VIDEO LINK :


http://www.gmanews.tv/video/10849/Farewell-message-of-one-of-Marines-killed-in-Mindanao



http://www.gmanews.tv/video/10841/Cops-hit-for-tagging-3-Ustadz-as-suspects-in-Basilan-ambush

.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/gmabsslan.jpg

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH ... President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo gets going -- straight to war-shattered Basilan. At the 1st Marine Brigade headquarters in Tabiawan, Isabela City, Ms Arroyo boosts the morale of the troops who had been fighting a war that’s gone to the dogs. She later joined them in a "boodle fight" -- a feast of curacha (a local crab), rice and native noodles. INQUIRER/EDWIN BACASMAS

A front-page photo in the Inquirer yesterday showed President Gloria making a speech before soldiers in Basilan in front of a table full of seafood and rice.

One of those in the background was a Muslim woman who was not identified. She is Gov. Jum Akbar, one of the wives of Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar, himself a former governor.

The President was ill-advised having Akbar with her since the congressman is very unpopular with the troops, especially the Marines.

Akbar’s men were pointed to as allegedly responsible for the beheading of dead Marines who were ambushed by Moro rebels while looking for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi.

Bossi has since been released.

News reports about the President’s trip to Basilan said she dined with Wahab Akbar, among others. The least her military advisers could have done was to keep their Commander in Chief away from Akbar.

If you ask an ordinary soldier in Basilan how he reacted to Akbar’s presence in their camp, he would tell you: a) the President has decided Akbar is innocent, or b) she condones the action of his men.

^^^ i always found it better to keep enemies close to know what they are up to, but it may be that the president was ill informed regarding akbar's standing among the military.

^^^ i always found it better to keep enemies close to know what they are up to, but it may be that the president was ill informed regarding akbar's standing among the military.

Yes, she was mentioned also by Ramon Tulfo and the detained Sen Trillanes as the cause of the Marines debacle in Basilan. But last 2004 Akbars gave more than a million votes for GMA. She was the Administration's political asset in Basilan.

^^^ i always found it better to keep enemies close to know what they are up to, but it may be that the president was ill informed regarding akbar's standing among the military.

Has Marine Corps deteriorated?
By Ramon Tulfo
Inquirer
Last updated 03:17am (Mla time) 07/31/2007

* * *

Who was that Marine officer who allegedly ordered planes and helicopters sent to reinforce the beleaguered Marines back to base?

My sources said politics within the Marines was the alleged reason for the withdrawal of air support.
The Marine officer allegedly wanted to put down a fellow officer.

This Marine officer is also reportedly a friend of former Basilan Gov. and now Rep. Wahab Akbar whose men reportedly took part in the ambush.

At the time of the ambush, Lt. Gen. Eugene Cedo, commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), who has the sole authority to order air support for beleaguered troops, was in Cagayan de Oro City purportedly attending a conference.

Cedo reportedly delegated the authority to the Marine officer.

If the report that was given to me is true, the Philippine Marines have deteriorated into a lousy unit whose leaders fight among themselves for personal gain!

* * *

Up to now, the government has not reacted to my column items about the reported involvement of Akbar’s men in the ambush and mutilation of the Marines.

In fact, if my sources are to be believed, Akbar’s men alone were responsible for the beheading and mutilation.

Why is the government afraid of confronting Akbar?

* * *
why ? another can of worms might be opened .... like the siege of Lamitan Hospital where Abu Sayaff was able to escape together with the hostages Burnham, the nurse Deborah Yap etc, even while the Hospital was surrounded with government troops. They escaped simply when the troops guarding the back of the Hospital were pulled=out on the height of the battle. The Priest Father Nacorda also said the same thing. It was during Estrada's time but still the same local player.


http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?article_id=79602
.

A front-page photo in the Inquirer yesterday showed President Gloria making a speech before soldiers in Basilan in front of a table full of seafood and rice.

One of those in the background was a Muslim woman who was not identified. She is Gov. Jum Akbar, one of the wives of Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar, himself a former governor.

The President was ill-advised having Akbar with her since the congressman is very unpopular with the troops, especially the Marines.

Akbar’s men were pointed to as allegedly responsible for the beheading of dead Marines who were ambushed by Moro rebels while looking for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi.

Bossi has since been released.

News reports about the President’s trip to Basilan said she dined with Wahab Akbar, among others. The least her military advisers could have done was to keep their Commander in Chief away from Akbar.

If you ask an ordinary soldier in Basilan how he reacted to Akbar’s presence in their camp, he would tell you: a) the President has decided Akbar is innocent, or b) she condones the action of his men.


SAME OLD STORY OF DECEIT BY POLITICIANS from Estrada gov to present Admin.


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/hospital1.jpg


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/hsopital2.jpg


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/hospital3.jpg


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/hospital4.jpg


read the web link :

http://newsstand.blogs.com/newsstand/lamitan-siege-horror-hosp.html

.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Basilan Governor that time Akbar is now a Congressman and his wife is the present Governor of Basilan.

Congressman Akbar is one of the founder of Abu Sayaff Group. The other founder was one of the Janjalani brother who was trained by CIA through Osama Bin Lan to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s. According to some sources Osama Bin Laden (of Al Qaeda) was recruited by the CIA to launch the guerilla war against the Soviets that time. However no more records of Bin Laden in the CIA.

There was an allegation before that Abu Sayaff Group was created by our military to infiltrate the MNLF and MILF. But the plan backfired and instead they became a kidnapping gang. There was allegation before that some high offiicials in central government in Manila during Estrada time also received a shares everytime the Abu Sayaff received ransom payments from foreign hostages.

Remember the story of Sipadan hostage and Dos Palmas hostage story and the allegation of who got shares in the ransoms payment.

.

New unit triggers military revamp (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=84685)

MANILA, Philippines -- The creation of a new unit in the Armed Forces of the Philippines that would focus on development projects in conflict areas like Sulu and Basilan has touched off fresh reshuffling in mid-level military posts.

AFP Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon announced Friday the formation of the AFP National Development Command (AFPNDC).

The unit, Esperon said, will undertake infrastructure projects “as directed by the national leadership in support of national development to transform conflict-affected communities into peace and development areas through accelerated barangay (village)-focused rehabilitation and development.”

President Macapagal-Arroyo declared recently the government would launch a “humanitarian offensive” to coincide with the intensified military operations in Sulu and Basilan against the Abu Sayyaf Group and rogue elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Esperon said the President had approved the designation of Major General Jaime Buenaflor as head of the new unit. He said Buenaflor had “vast experience” in civil-military operations (CMO).

Buenaflor previously was assistant chief of staff for the Army’s CMO group (G7) and commander of the AFP Civil Relations Service. Prior to this appointment, he was Deputy Chief of Staff for CMO (J7).

Other movements announced by Esperon included the appointment of Major General Delfin Bangit, chief of the Intelligence Service of the AFP (Isafp), as commanding general of the 2nd Infantry Division based in Tanay, Rizal. This is the unit that guards former President Joseph Estrada who is under house arrest at his Tanay estate.

Bangit is a member of Philippine Military Academy Class ’78 which counts the President as an adopted member. He used to be an aide to Ms Arroyo and commander of the Presidential Security Group which guards her.

He was in the news recently when the Isafp was dragged into the disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos, son of press freedom icon Joe Burgos. Bangit was summoned by the Commission of Human Rights regarding Burgos’s disappearance but he snubbed the summons.

Bangit will replace Major General Fernando Mesa who was appointed head of the AFP National Capital Region Command (NCRComm) vice Major General Ben Dolorfino, who was named commandant of the Philippine Marines.

Taking over from Bangit at Isafp is Brigadier General Arsenio Arugay, chief of the 9th ID based in Bicol. Replacing him at the 9th ID is Major General Jeffrey Sodusta, AFP Internal Auditor.

Major General Melchor Dilodilo will take command of the 5th ID based in Gamu, Isabela, replacing Major General Rodrigo Maclang who was moved to the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom). Dilodilo was Army chief of staff before his new assignment.

Esperon also confirmed the appointment of Brigadier General Rolando Detabali as chief of the Office of the AFP Internal Auditor. Before this, Detabali was Army Internal Auditor.

Brigadier General Alfredo Cayton has been designated Deputy Chief of Staff for CMO (J-7) vice Buenaflor.

Brigadier General Ralph Villanueva, commandant of cadets at the PMA, was named Army chief of staff replacing Dilodilo. Villanueva is also a member of PMA Class ’78.

Commodore Rafael Dacanay, commander of the Naval Construction Brigade of the Navy, has been designated chief of the AFP Real Estate Office.

Army Colonel Ireneo Espino, head of the 101st Infantry Brigade, was named commander of AFP General Headquarters and Headquarters Support Command in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Air Force Colonel Antonio Bautista, vice commander of the Air Force Reserve Command at Clark Air Base, Pampanga, is the new AFP Adjutant General. Bautista replaces Commodore Paterno Labiano who is retiring.

Army Colonel Jesse Dellosa was named commandant of cadets at PMA. Dellosa is commander of the 302nd IB.

Colonel Romulo Bambao, currently deputy commander of AFP NCRCom, will take over the 101st IB.

Army Colonel Cesar Yano, brother of newly installed Army chief Lieutenant General Alexander Yano, will be chief of the 302nd IB based in Carmen, Bohol. The younger Yano was Army assistant chief for operations (G-3).

Army Colonel Romeo Fajardo, deputy commander of the 303rd IB, 3rd ID, is the new deputy chief of the AFP NCRComm.

US considering RP's counter-terrorism strategy as world's model (http://news.balita.ph/html/article.php/20070824115128774)

The United States is considering the Philippines’ counterterrorism strategy as a model worthy to be emulated by other countries worldwide.

This was bared here by Maj. Gen. Roberto G. Sylim, Philippine Defense and Air Attache’ in an interview with Philippine News Agency.

”For insurgency… we are not talking of an all-out war, the US is studying it as a model as there are areas where they can learn from the Philippine experience which the Americans may use in their bigger operations such as in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said.

Sylim said assessment from various circles here has been favorable about the Philippines’ success in counterterrorism warfare.

This is because it is mixed with a humanitarian effort of “winning the hearts and minds of the people called civic action”, he noted.

”They (Americans) are satisfied with what we are doing, we have done so much for so little investment," he added.

Army Col. Rolando B. Tenefrancia, the Philippine military attache’ in Washington, said the Americans have been appreciative of the civic action program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) which is a unique but effective approach in defeating terrorists or insurgents without firing a shot.

The AFP has been implementing this “right hand” effort in rebel-infested areas by conducting medical-dental program, building or repairing modest homes through the so-called “bayanihan” effort, constructing farm-to-market roads and building bridges in remote areas.

Both Sylim and Tenefrancia said this approach of “winning the hearts and minds of the people” is what American troops have learned while conducting joint training with their Filipino counterparts in the Philippines.

”This kind of civic military operation (CMO) was not part and parcel of the US program in their military training but which the Americans learned is very effective,” Tenefrancia said.

He said US troops deployed in southern Philippines for training have helped in constructing artesian wells and drainage, building new schools and repairing dilapidated ones and constructing perimeter roads in remote areas.

”The Americans have learned a lot from us with regards to CMO,” echoed Sylim who has been coordinating with the US State Department on US military assistance to the Philippines, together with Tenefrancia.

In the light of the Philippine experience, the US is now enhancing their own CMO program, according to retired Maj. Gen. Delfin N. Lorenzana, now the minister-counselor and head of the Office of Veterans Affairs in the Philippine Embassy in Washington.

The Philippines is among the countries being provided by the US military assistance in fight against terrorism.

Such assistance is in the form of training LRC units and equipping them with the latest weapons, including night vision goggles (NVG) and armored vests.

The AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have attained considerable success in containing the extremist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in southern Philippines, particularly in the islands of Basilan and Sulu.

The military, under the leadership of AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes C. Esperon Jr., has neutralized Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and other top leaders of the extremist group recently.

In the latest combat engagements in Basilan and Sulu, the military dealt a big blow to the Abu Sayyaf, killing 43 terrorists and forcing them on the run, although the military also suffered 40 casualties.

SAME OLD STORY OF DECEIT BY POLITICIANS from Estrada gov to present Admin.


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/hospital1.jpg


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/hsopital2.jpg


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/hospital3.jpg


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/hospital4.jpg


read the web link :

http://newsstand.blogs.com/newsstand/lamitan-siege-horror-hosp.html

Nakalimutan nyu nb yung joke?

3 people were bragging to each other how effective their police force are;

American: In america, ten minutes after the crime, the police is already at the scene.

Japanese: In nippon, frayv minite after crime, porice at scene.

Filipino: In the pilipins, tree minits bepor the craym, pulis is olredy at da sin.

hohohohohohhohoh

btw, jokes are half meant. ohohohohoh

By Julie Alipala
Mindanao Bureau
Last updated 05:28pm (Mla time) 08/26/2007


ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Brig. Gen. Ruperto Pabustan, Joint Special Operations Force (JSOF) commander, denied allegations that members of his command were involved in torturing arrested suspects, including children.

"(The) Special Forces are decent people at hindi namin pwedeng dungisan ang pangalan namin sa walang kakwenta-kwentang bagay na yan," Pabustan said in a phone interview Sunday afternoon. [We cannot allow these baseless charges to stain our repuations.]

He said the JSOF headquarters is based in Barangay Tagbak in Indanan town, and not in Barangay Bus-bus in Jolo town, where the alleged torture victims were brought.

He said the victims, if indeed there were, should have taken the names of the soldiers who arrested them, or the plate numbers of the vehicles used in transporting them.

Eight children, ages 4 to 16 years old, were allegedly subjected to psychological torture by government soldiers in Indanan, Sulu, said Bai Racma Imam, secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DSWD-ARMM). She said she was furious after receiving reports of the arrest and psychological torture of the children.

"(These) big boys are not just committing human rights violations, they are also committing child abuse," Imam said.

She was referring to members of the JSOF under General Pabustan as the "big boys."

Imam said she was trying to know the whereabouts of the children and their parents "so charges can be filed against those who did the abuse."

And, Imam said, the soldiers involved "should be educated on human rights and child's rights."

Temojen Tulawie of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCC), said the children were arrested with their parents from their homes in Indanan town in Sulu on August 19.

All eight children and six other adults were brought to Camp Teodulo Bautista, main base of Task Force Comet, 104th Army Brigade and Joint Special Operations Force in the capital town of Jolo, Tulawie said.

Tulawie said CBCC took custody of the children and women after their release and turnover to Governor Abdusakur Tan a day after the arrest. "That's when we discovered their ordeal."

A 13-year-old girl (name withheld) told CBCC members that she and two other children witnessed how soldiers tortured their fathers.

"Tinutukan ng baril sa ulo ang tatay nila sa harap nila mismo habang napapaluha ang mga tatay nila," Tulawie said. [They witnessed guns being pointed at the heads of their crying fathers.]

The girl also described how the soldiers treated them.

"Tinutukan din sila ng patalim sa leeg nila kasama yung 6 at 4 years old na mga bata. Naka-bonnet mask ang mga sundalo. Tinanong sila kung nasaan ang baril ng tatay nila at pinagsabihan pa sila na maghukay na ng kanilang libingan," Tulawie added. [A jungle knife was thrust against the necks of the children, even the six and four-year-olds. The soldiers were wearing bonnet masks. The kids were asked where their fathers’ guns were being hidden and they were told to dig up their graves.]

Tulawie said the victims, out of fear, immediately left Sulu.

"All of them had left Sulu. The children stopped schooling because of trauma," he said.

Jose Manuel Mamauag, regional director of the Commission of Human Rights, said they were still gathering information regarding the the alleged arrest and psychological torture, "but what the soldiers committed, if found true, is psychological torture."

But Maj. Gen. Reuben Rafael of Task Force Comet, in a phone interview, denied allegations that there was torture, physical or psychological, on those arrested.

But Rafael confirmed that there were arrests during the implementation of a gun ban in the province, and that those arrested were only interrogated and released later.

He, however, admitted that five persons remained in their custody "because they are suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group."


http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view_article.php?article_id=84789

ii'm not an expert but let's discuss about the strongest military in ASEAN:

my list

1. singapore
2. thailand
3. Indonesia
4. Vietnam
5. Malaysia
6. Myanmar
7. Philippines
8. Brunei
9. Cambodia
10. Laos
11. Timor Lest

so what do you guys think?? Again...i'm no military expert. Perhaps some of us would like to highlight some things that are hidden. And please DONT INCLUDE UNITED STATES military aid.

My rank is based on what i read in wikipedia. I rank those countries based on their military equipment and number of soldiers ( active and reserve).

^^ I'd put either Indonesia or Thailand in the number one spot. But that's just my opinion. :colgate:

to me Indoneisa is number 1.

the biggest and strongest in the list posted and they have also modern equipments. planes and warship.

hmmm i forget about indonesia. In terms of size of personnel they may be the biggest but im sure that singapore has the latest and best equipment. Some of their tanks and fighters, bombers are stored in the united states. Their military capability is far exceeded what singapore really need. Rumour was they are ready to invade malaysia IF malaysia stopped current raw water supply to singapore. Singapore depends alot on malaysia on raw water supply, vegetables and cheap petrols....hehehe

^^ That is indeed true, Singapore is dependent on Malaysia a lot since Singapore has zero natural resources while Malaysia abounds in them.

^^ That is indeed true, Singapore is dependent on Malaysia a lot since Singapore has zero natural resources while Malaysia abounds in them.


most of the equipments of Singapore Armed Forces were stored abroad in US, some were in Thailand and perhaps in Australia also. They even used Clark and Palawan PAF airbase during marcos era.

but i wish someday Indonesia will bring down the chauvinist Singaporeans. i also wish Indonesia to invade the malay peninsula and sarawak, then our country can take sabah same time.

Editorial

Inquirer
Last updated 01:48am (Mla time) 08/27/2007


MANILA, Philippines – We e do not know the exact number of casualties sustained by the Abu Sayyaf group, the target of the military’s ongoing pursuit operations in Basilan and Jolo, or by rogue units of the Moro National Liberation Front. The lack of certainty about enemy casualties increases public concern about the Armed Forces’ own rising casualty toll: Are our soldiers taking a beating?

The massive leaking of information from the AFP’s own command pipelines, about errors and misjudgments committed by both the brass and the rank and file during the three-week-old military offensive, has contributed to public anxiety: Are our soldiers being (mis)led to the slaughter?

Last week, in this same space, we aired the lament of “church and political leaders, civic and women’s groups” about the “waste of lives” in Basilan and Jolo. We did not mean to say that our soldiers died to no end, only that too many of them may have died needlessly.


pls read further on below web link :


http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/editorial/view_article.php?article_id=84845

.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/pic-08260617390404.jpg

SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS. An overloaded jeep passes amidst military trucks in Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/EDWIN BACASMAS




http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/pic-08260617130195.jpg

PATROL. Marines soldiers patrol before dusk to secure the perimeter area of their temporary camp in Barangay Materling, Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/EDWIN BACASMAS

.

By Christine Avendaño
Inquirer
Last updated 04:16am (Mla time) 08/27/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- A senior military officer Sunday said attempts to revive the “Hello Garci” issue could be part of “something big” that anti-administration forces were hatching to coincide with the expected verdict in the plunder trial of ousted President Joseph Estrada.

The officer said the revival of the 2004 election fraud scandal and allegations of military bungling in its operations in Basilan were tied to a possible new destabilization scenario.

“We expect the next two weeks to be crucial,” the officer, who spoke on condition he not be named owing to the sensitive position he holds, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

The senior military officer said the main objective was yet another attempt by these forces to oust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo by riding on the Estrada verdict issue.

He said the military was “monitoring with interest” the developments in line with the expected promulgation by the Sandiganbayan shortly of its decision in the Estrada plunder case.

The military officer said that many “forces” were interested in the outcome of the Estrada case and were expected to “ride” on it.

There are the pro-Estrada groups, the political opposition, the Left and “destabilizers in the military, particularly those under detention,” according to the military officer.

Unifying factor\

He said the Sandigan verdict could be a “unifying factor” for them.

But these groups are unifying “not for Estrada” but for a higher objective and this is “mobilizing people and having a military component (in order to) reach a critical mass,” the officer said.

The officer pointed to recent developments which were “designed to create disaffection to the national leadership and in the military.”

These included allegations made by former Navy lieutenant and now Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV that Marine soldiers who were ambushed by members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Basilan last month were “fed” by some officials to the enemy.

Fourteen Marines were killed in the ambush, 10 of them beheaded.

Malacañang and the military have denied Trillanes’ claim.

Doble’s role

Another development was last week’s privilege speech of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, which included a video testimony of former intelligence officer T/Sgt. Vidal Doble asserting that he was behind the wiretapping of the telephone conversations between Ms Arroyo and former Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

Ms Arroyo and Garcillano supposedly discussed rigging the 2004 presidential election results.

“These issues can be used to get support from the middle forces or the silent majority,” the senior officer said.

Military component

He said the allegations concerning the Basilan debacle were meant to “get support from sympathizers within the military” and from troops in Basilan, as well.

The officer said given the failure of past destabilization attempts, it was difficult now to entice the military into joining another destabilization move.

This was why “Basilan (is) a potential area” for recruitment, he said.

The officer said riding on the Basilan incident “could create disaffection on the part of the Marines and these can snowball in other Marine battalions (elsewhere).”

Estrada funds
“If, say, forces in Basilan declare a withdrawal of support for the government, it can affect military units in other parts of the country,” he said.

As if to further show this supposed connection, the officer noted the recent move by Estrada to donate P7million to the families of the 14 Marines killed in the Basilan ambush, through his foundation for soldiers.

“If this was a sincere move, why did he (Estrada) not also give money to the 27 soldiers who died in Sulu and the other 15 Marine soldiers who were killed recently in Basilan?” he said.

The officer said the P7-million donation was “designed for political purposes.”


http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=84867

.

ii'm not an expert but let's discuss about the strongest military in ASEAN:

my list

1. singapore
2. thailand
3. Indonesia
4. Vietnam
5. Malaysia
6. Myanmar
7. Philippines
8. Brunei
9. Cambodia
10. Laos
11. Timor Lest

so what do you guys think?? Again...i'm no military expert. Perhaps some of us would like to highlight some things that are hidden. And please DONT INCLUDE UNITED STATES military aid.

My rank is based on what i read in wikipedia. I rank those countries based on their military equipment and number of soldiers ( active and reserve).

I would put vietnam in the top of the list.

They had a shooting border war with china and they prevailed.

^^ That is indeed true, Singapore is dependent on Malaysia a lot since Singapore has zero natural resources while Malaysia abounds in them.

In addition, the military doctrine used in Singapore is called "force projection."

meron ba ang mga militar natin na flak vest

you guys have forgotten the humiliating defeat of the americans in vietnam, the only state in the far east that has humbled the americans so far. albeit, i doubt their capability and effectivity to launch an attack, their defense tactics on the otherhand is magnificent.

Solon pushes for purchase of 100 Hueys for combat missions :applause:


By Norman Bordadora
Inquirer
Last updated 09:15pm (Mla time) 08/27/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- A former national security adviser to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo suggested on Monday that the administration invest in old but reliable UH-1H helicopters, more popularly known as Hueys, in its bid to beat the insurgents in three years.

Parañaque Representative Roilo Golez, now a leader of the opposition and deputy minority floor leader, said the Armed Forces should have more equipment and all the assistance from the government’s other line agencies if it were to meet Arroyo’s deadline to end the insurgency in three years.

“Among the first priority for the military should be the mobility to enable it to strike fast and strike hard. I propose that it be given a minimum of 100 Hueys,” said Golez, an alumnus of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis.

Golez said Hueys, despite their age, would be more practical and easier to maintain than modern and more expensive helicopter gun ships. He added that they could also be used for socio-civic operations.

“There are still many good, serviceable Hueys in the world market. Hueys are very cost effective and better than the expensive modern helicopters. They can also perform civic action duties like medical evaluation, rescue and relief during disasters to further justify their acquisition,” Golez said.

“A hundred Hueys would amount to around P3.5 billion, not much compared to the mega-billion economic drain caused by the insurgency,” Golez said.

Golez said the Philippine military, “in relatives terms has the lowest budget among the armed forces of the world, although our armed forces are among the most combat exposed military in the world.”

“The order to defeat in three years Muslim rebels, terrorists and communist insurgents is a tough assignment. It will be more doable if the AFP is given more equipment to fulfill its mission and it is assisted by other line departments,” Golez said.

The Parañaque congressman said the Armed Forces should be helped to win the hearts and minds of people through prompt services by the line agencies such as the Departments of Public Works and Highways, Agriculture, Health, Interior and Local governments, Justice, Education, Agrarian reform, Environment and Natural Resources, Transportation and Communications and Social Welfare and Development.

“The battle must be waged on all fronts not just by military means but by the delivery of basic services. I agree that humanitarian efforts must be used,” Golez said.

meron ba ang mga militar natin na flak vest

mayroon din pero kaunti lang ang bigay ng mga kano... kaya pang photo ops at pang parade lang gagamitin yaon.... :)


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/030124armor05-h.jpg

QUOTE
PHILIPPINES-- Five Philippine Army soldiers try on US armor vests turned over to the Philippine military as part of the RP-US Military Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA). 01/24/2003






mayroon din na modern communications... pero kakaunti lang ...

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/32412142fe6.jpg


QUOTE

New Weapons, equipment acquired by fighting units

The military, using the latest weapons and communication technology, has transformed its basic combat unit -- the ninemember squad -- into a formidable fighting machine capable of wiping out enemy forces three times its number, official said.

Col. David Lucero, executive assistant of Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen, Hermogenes Esperon, said soldiers are now armed with the powerfulk Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), a modern replacement of the heavy M-60 machine gun.

He said the squad is also equipped with the state of the art communication system called Tactical Communication Equipment (TCE) connecting it with other military units and with base headquarters for artillery support and ground to air contact with pilots for air strikes.

"With its firepower and communication capabilities, the squad can go on long-range patrol and engage enemy forces with superior number," Lucero said.

"The SAW particularly is a handy weapon with devastating power. It is the weapon used by US Forces in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said.

The SAW and TCE are part of the acquisitions from 2003-2006 under the Armed Forces modernization program. Total acquisitions during the period were estimated to reach more than P3 billion.

Other acqisitions included vehicles, light aircraft and transport helicopters, gunboats and diving suits, dental and medical equipment. The purchases were made through public bidding and government to government procurement.

Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane said the acqusitions were intended to upgrade the government's capability to deal with threats posed by the New People's Army and the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

"We want the fighting to stop. But we are prepared for war," Ebdane said.

Manila Bulletin
Thursday, March 15, 2007
News, page 7

.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines is preparing for a “worst-case scenario" in case.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines is preparing for a “worst-case scenario" in case the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan convicts former President Joseph Estrada of plunder. Maj. Gen. Ben Mohammad Dolorfino, chief of the AFP National Capital Region Command, said the military is preparing for a situation similar to the May 1, 2001, siege of the presidential palace by Estrada supporters.

“Those are things that we want to prevent because it might lead to widespread rioting or looting," Dolorfino said on Monday. “To maintain peace and order, we have to do something," he added.

Dolorfino said he has been coordinating with the National Capital Region Police Office for contingency measures. "We will be testing corresponding actions of units in reaction to scenarios that will be given to them," he said, adding that “continuous communication" with the police is “very important." Security will be tightened around the presidential palace, he said.

Dolorfino said the military will deploy 2,000 soldiers to assist the police in maintaining peace and order in the capital when the the Sandiganbayan hands its verdict. Estrada supporters are expecting the verdict to be out this week or anytime September.

Dolorfino said he expects the anti-graft court to inform the military and the police when the verdict comes out for security reasons.

“It is always incumbent on our part to anticipate things that might happen. That is the object of our preparations – impending events that might lead to the deterioration of peace and order," Dolorfino said.

Violence may erupt

Dolorfino said violence could erupt even if Estrada is acquitted of the plunder charge filed against him.

"[An acquittal] will also cause mass action, although it will vary in magnitude. If [Estrada] is found guilty, it is expected that the mass action will be bigger," he said.

Dolorfino refused to confirm reports about rumors of a destabilization plot against the Arroyo administration in connection with the forthcoming verdict in the Estrada plunder case.

“What I am saying is that we are anticipating possible things that might happen and we have been preparing for this so that we can maintain peace, order and stability in the National Capital Region," Dolorfino said.

On possibilities that a faction of the military will take part in mass actions, Dolorfino said: “Any group that has an agenda could ride on the event because [the handing down of verdict] can be a unifying factor."

“We cannot really say categorically that some may take advantage [of the situation]. It remains to be seen and it can be a focus of our intelligence efforts to prevent such thing from happening." - GMANews.TV

Test Missions for Scout Rangers & Marines Recon, Is it right or wrong?

!"

spearhead Posted: Aug 24 2007, 09:39 AM


Teniente Coronel


Group: Paratroops
Posts: 320
Member No.: 655
Joined: 14-February 06



Its true. And its indeed sad.

Sino ba dito ang nakakaalam ng eksaktong sistema and procedures sa kanilang combat training? Nagtatanong lang po.

Because I think, any recon trainees should graduate first from a rigid training for a first class level 1 recon team to build up their confidence as they acquired a full knowledge of non-conventional counter-terrorrism warfare before facing up the real challenge. The 2nd level will commence after the graduation and during their 1st real mission granted if any of the members survived. Because sending fresh students with lack of tactical knowledge, confidence, and proper training is a mistake. Even though they had battle experience from the past, to face up a real non-conventional combat operation with real live enemies does make a big difference, as an individual confidence will determine how successfully they can finish a mission with a full knowledge that they have acquired from their training.

Right now, its very obvious na nagmumukhang palpak parin ang ating mga military trainings lalo na sa pagdating ng counter-terrorrism and any other non-conventional military tactics.

Lumalabas din na yung mga biktimang istudyante ay walang full body armor and gears, baka wala pa silang sidearms din, so obviously, hindi sila naalagaan ng tamang sistema at suporta na galing sa ating mga high ranking officers. Napabayaan sila.

One more thing, it looks like the victims were attached with the regular marines, not unless that the whole 100 patrolling marines were aspiring recons. Itsn't the recon trainees were supposedly separated from the main patrol during the operation?

Sa ganitong sistema nila, lalo tayo malalagasan ng mga magagaling na sundalo at talagang nakakademorolized ito para sa kanilang mga comrades.

Lastly, i think in this kind of system, our military is proving nothing but traumas. Because a soldier is a soldier, and an aspiring soldier should know ahead the risks they are taking, that's why they needed a full proper training to build up their confidence and make them tougher and better prepared. A live military training with real enemies is not just right, and indeed unreasonable, for we no longer live in an ancient spartan world!

Rest in peace soldiers.




This post has been edited by spearhead on Aug 24 2007, 09:55 AM

tirad Posted: Aug 24 2007, 09:57 PM


Comandante


Group: Paratroops
Posts: 283
Member No.: 425
Joined: 11-April 05



good points, spearhead.

I've got lots of questions too with this particular test mission where 15 Force Recon trainees died.

Why send the entire platoon-sized training class (44-man daw) to assault what appears to be an Abu Sayyaf mountain/jungle fortress that was probably prepared for over a month since the July 10 ambush? If it was an ASG "camp" as described in reports, shouldn't they have just called in artillery and air strikes to blow up the place and clean up after? What's to be learned in this version of the Charge of the Light Brigade? After all, the graduates of the class would be distributed to FR Bn companies and not operate together as a class after?

RIP to the fallen.

you guys have forgotten the humiliating defeat of the americans in vietnam, the only state in the far east that has humbled the americans so far. albeit, i doubt their capability and effectivity to launch an attack, their defense tactics on the otherhand is magnificent.

Humiliating defeat? You have definitely forgotten also that it was more than just military fighting. It was also a political process that ultimately lead the Americans out of Vietnam....

Vietnam hasn't humbled Americans, IMO. Look at the last visit of the Vietnamese leader to the U.S. in July. There were numerous demonstrations of Vietnamese here in Orange County still boycotting his visit.

I don't see general sentimentality of Americans here who agree that Vietnamese have humbled ourselves or the U.S. military.

My friend is pure Vietnamese. He is in the U.S. military and thanks the U.S. Navy for saving his life from a life of Communism. His brother and sister (still in Vietnam) hopefully will come to the U.S. through his sponsorship....

hippies made the US withdraw, not the vietnamese:)

hippies made the US withdraw, not the vietnamese:)

hooray for hippies! hehehehe i love frisco :)

Reply to: Test Missions for Scout Rangers & Marines Recon, Is it right or wrong?

The military alone can answer the question as to procedure and training of the Marines and the Scout Rangers. They have all these indoctrination stuff before the trainings and the actual test missions. As elaborated by a Marine officer in the papers last week, the test mission is the last test for before they graduate from the course. I know of one Ranger who just went home for a 3-day break from training, like usual soldiers in the field, he had bruises and scars in his body. Well, it's part of the training though. They do it to gain proper skills to perform their duty to the motherland.

Coup rumors ‘psywar of nerves,’ says solon


By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 10:09am (Mla time) 08/28/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- Even an administration ally in the House of Representatives doubts that there are forces planning to destabilize the government, calling it as “more of psywar of the nerves.”

“Besides, if this were true this won’t leak. It will come like a thief in the night,” Davao Representative Prospero Nograles said in a statement.

The alleged destabilization plot by anti-administration forces was first floated by an unnamed military officer, citing the impending decision by the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court on the plunder case of deposed president Joseph Estrada.

This was further bolstered by the military's declaration on Monday that it was ready to prevent such a move by Estrada's supporters or any sector that might take advantage of the situation.

Nograles, head of the House contingent to the Commission on Appointments, was also confident that any destabilization effort would not succeed at this time.

“Hello? Whatever destabilization move won't fly anymore at this time,” he said.

“It's more of psy war of the nerves. It's more connected with the upcoming decision on the case of Erap [Estrada's nickname] to scare the wits out of everyone,” he said.

The lawmaker also warned that any destabilization attempt would be bad for the economy and would only hurt the country more.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=85107



perhaps it's nice experience to be a war (coup) correspondent or a war (coup) photographer .....

I've read news that MILF and Abu Sayyaf members are aged 14 to 16. This is sad news for me considering the fact that they are ruining the lives of those they have encouraged to join them.

These groups should really be dissolved for putting the lives of the youth in jeopardy. I can't imagine what will be the lives of these young people in the next few years but waste their life living a battle they don't understand.

iraq will humble the us. its starting to get vietnam like.

I've read news that MILF and Abu Sayyaf members are aged 14 to 16. This is sad news for me considering the fact that they are ruining the lives of those they have encouraged to join them.

These groups should really be dissolved for putting the lives of the youth in jeopardy. I can't imagine what will be the lives of these young people in the next few years but waste their life living a battle they don't understand.


how to dissolve it ? :lol:

for their peoples the ASG and/or MILF were there patriots / freedom fighters...... to our government and the mainstream filipino society they the ASG and/or MILF were the rebels or terrorist.

remove poverty in their regions and address their grievances, and you have solve more than half of the problems.

.

how can we remove poverty??? when every progress, every road, every tower that is built is being destroyed? every priest, every nurse, every doctor is kidnapped? for ransom? how can progress survive ina hostile place? ERADICATE THEM! theyre useless...

how can we remove poverty??? when every progress, every road, every tower that is built is being destroyed? every priest, every nurse, every doctor is kidnapped? for ransom? how can progress survive ina hostile place? ERADICATE THEM! theyre useless...


how about enlist in our armed forces, they need a brave person like you to
be sent to the warfront..... ?

God Bless

lol! then why not you too? dont you love your country also?

http://photos-536.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v113/20/96/645611536/n645611536_280195_2892.jpg

http://photos-536.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v113/20/96/645611536/n645611536_280196_3190.jpg

http://photos-536.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v113/20/96/645611536/n645611536_280197_3492.jpg
http://photos-536.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v113/20/96/645611536/n645611536_280198_3796.jpg

http://photos-536.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v113/20/96/645611536/n645611536_280199_4100.jpg

http://photos-536.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v113/20/96/645611536/n645611536_280201_4292.jpg

http://photos-536.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v113/20/96/645611536/n645611536_280202_4584.jpg



http://photos-536.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v113/20/96/645611536/n645611536_280203_4864.jpg

http://photos-536.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v113/20/96/645611536/n645611536_280204_5127.jpg


LETS GO DREAMERS!

lol! then why not you too? dont you love your country also?

I intend to joined the war to win their hearts and minds....

you are more suited in the battlefield....:) matapang ka naman

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/marinesnboys.jpg

INNOCENTS IN TIME OF WAR Yakan kids wave to Marines aboard an armored truck in Poblacion Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan, on Monday. The soldiers were on their way to reinforce their comrades laying siege to an Abu Sayyaf camp in Barangay Silangkum. EDWIN BACASMAS


By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 08:02am (Mla time) 08/28/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- Overnight, Marine troops fired 81-millimeter mortar rounds on an Abu Sayyaf position in Basilan, as government troops moved to seal off two towns in the southern island-province to contain the al Qaeda-linked extremists, a regional military spokesman said.

The shelling in Silangkom village, Tipo-Tipo town started at 2:40 p.m. Monday and was ongoing as of Tuesday morning. There were no immediate reports of casualties, said Captain Niel Estrella, information officer for Joint Task Force Thunder, the military unit leading the Basilan pursuit operations.

Estrella said troops have also cordoned off Tipo-Tipo and Ungkaya Pukan towns, where the bandits were believed to be staying since two major encounters on July 10 and August 18 left 29 Marines killed.

pls read further :

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=85101



<embed src='http://us.i1.yimg.com/cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/player/media/swf/FLVVideoSolo.swf' flashvars='id=3855319' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' width='425' height='350'></embed>

I intend to joined the war to win their hearts and minds....

you are more suited in the battlefield....:) matapang ka naman

thank you for the complment!!!! :) :) though i did not get where you got that from. sadly i wasnt trained for battlezones on the field rather like you, on the battlezones of the hearts and minds :cheers:

By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:13pm (Mla time) 08/28/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- The new commanding general of the Philippine Army has vowed to take "drastic action" against troops who would break away amid rumors of a fresh plot to topple the government, saying such action is "non-negotiable."

Lieutenant General Alexander Yano acknowledged that the verdict on deposed president Joseph Estrada, the revival of the wiretapping scandal linking President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to cheating in the May 2004 elections, and the heavy losses suffered by the military in recent encounters with the Abu Sayyaf could be "exploited" by certain groups to rally the troops against the government.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=85168


i smell something fishy that govt / military officials were giving info about "Kuh" and same time others were denying it. it looks like some peoples were cooking something....
.

Sison lawyer, Dutch authorities confirm CPP founder’s arrest :applause:

Arroyo lauds arrest :applause:

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 09:14pm (Mla time) 08/28/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2) A lawyer of Jose Ma. Sison in The Netherlands and Dutch authorities have confirmed the arrest of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Tuesday.

"The communist leader was suspected of giving orders, from the Netherlands, to murder his former political associates in the Philippines, Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara," the Dutch national prosecutor's office said in a statement quoted in an Agence France-Presse report.

Kintanar and Tabara led a faction of the CPP that broke away from the party in the early 1990s. They were subsequently assassinated by the New People's Army, the CPP's armed wing.

Lawyer Jose Jalandoni, son of National Democratic Front (NDF) chief peace negotiator Luis Jalandoni, said he was on his way to see his client but could not confirm if the arrest of Sison was related to the murder charges filed against the CPP founder in the Philippines.

However, Jalandoni said he did not know of any murder charges Sison is facing in The Netherlands, where the CPP founder has been living in exile since 1987.

In a separate phone interview, one of the lawyers helping work for the resumption of peace talks between the government and NDF said a judge and policemen went to Sison's house in the town of Utrecht to interrogate him.

The lawyer then said Sison was brought to The Hague, the Dutch capital.

The negotiations have been stalled for around three years because of the inclusion of the CPP, NPA and Sison in the terror lists of the United States, European Union and other countries.

Carl Ala, spokesman of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines) said Sison could be held for three to as long as 105 days on charges of "multiple murders and for calling for more murders."

Police also reportedly raided Sison's office in Utrecht and seized all computers, said Ala.

"They are really intensifying the attacks on progressive forces," said Ala in a text message.

Renato Reyes, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan, New Patriotic Alliance) secretary general said Sison's arrest showed that the government was not interested in pushing through with the stalled peace talks.

"This bodes ill for the peace process. The arrest was most probably undertaken with the knowledge and prodding of the Arroyo government who is out to sabotage all hopes for peace talks," said Reyes.

http://photos-536.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v113/20/96/645611536/n645611536_280195_2892.jpg

do we already have prototypes for these babies? are we producing them yet?
cool designs, btw, pentagon's recent study shows that v-shaped hulls are more resistant to roadside bombs and landmines, i assume that's where they get that concept.

do we already have prototypes for these babies? are we producing them yet?
cool designs, btw, pentagon's recent study shows that v-shaped hulls are more resistant to roadside bombs and landmines, i assume that's where they get that concept.

no not yet. because thats my own 'barako' and im the one who gave the idea of calling the phil. army's 'mx8' as 'barako'. its not official yet though...

yup, the v-shaped hulls are the trend these days and i heard that the mx8 concept is building another version with a v-hull, and i hope its true.

btw, heres one more, the Bayawak:

http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v113/20/96/645611536/n645611536_281030_4217.jpg

next to come is my Jeepney Armas.

^^ Keep 'em comin'!

I hope you also have concept OPV's for the Navy... :)

Whoever is cooking something like a coup or any action involving the military will not succeed. Not without civilian influence or civilian participation. I doubt if there is even somebody in the military planning something like this. Shame on him for not being able to contain his grievances and address it to the proper forum. The military is so busy right now with offensives in Basilan and Sulu. Engaging in coup plots should not be the agenda.

Some 4000 soldiers will be deployed in preparation for any mass action as the verdict of Estrada is coming very near.

no not yet. because thats my own 'barako' and im the one who gave the idea of calling the phil. army's 'mx8' as 'barako'. its not official yet though...

yup, the v-shaped hulls are the trend these days and i heard that the mx8 concept is building another version with a v-hull, and i hope its true.

btw, heres one more, the Bayawak:

http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v113/20/96/645611536/n645611536_281030_4217.jpg

next to come is my Jeepney Armas.


well done, i like their names.if you have the full specifications and proof that they're your own work? you better pattent them before somebody does. goodluck.

Sison lawyer, Dutch authorities confirm CPP founder’s arrest :applause:

Arroyo lauds arrest :applause:

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 09:14pm (Mla time) 08/28/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2) A lawyer of Jose Ma. Sison in The Netherlands and Dutch authorities have confirmed the arrest of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Tuesday.

"The communist leader was suspected of giving orders, from the Netherlands, to murder his former political associates in the Philippines, Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara," the Dutch national prosecutor's office said in a statement quoted in an Agence France-Presse report.

Kintanar and Tabara led a faction of the CPP that broke away from the party in the early 1990s. They were subsequently assassinated by the New People's Army, the CPP's armed wing.

Lawyer Jose Jalandoni, son of National Democratic Front (NDF) chief peace negotiator Luis Jalandoni, said he was on his way to see his client but could not confirm if the arrest of Sison was related to the murder charges filed against the CPP founder in the Philippines.

However, Jalandoni said he did not know of any murder charges Sison is facing in The Netherlands, where the CPP founder has been living in exile since 1987.

In a separate phone interview, one of the lawyers helping work for the resumption of peace talks between the government and NDF said a judge and policemen went to Sison's house in the town of Utrecht to interrogate him.

The lawyer then said Sison was brought to The Hague, the Dutch capital.

The negotiations have been stalled for around three years because of the inclusion of the CPP, NPA and Sison in the terror lists of the United States, European Union and other countries.

Carl Ala, spokesman of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines) said Sison could be held for three to as long as 105 days on charges of "multiple murders and for calling for more murders."

Police also reportedly raided Sison's office in Utrecht and seized all computers, said Ala.

"They are really intensifying the attacks on progressive forces," said Ala in a text message.

Renato Reyes, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan, New Patriotic Alliance) secretary general said Sison's arrest showed that the government was not interested in pushing through with the stalled peace talks.

"This bodes ill for the peace process. The arrest was most probably undertaken with the knowledge and prodding of the Arroyo government who is out to sabotage all hopes for peace talks," said Reyes.

nakita ko sa ANC, nagrarally ang mga militant groups!!! ANAKBAYAN AND CO.!!!!:bash: :bash: :bash: AT SAAN PA? SA MAKATI CBD!!!!!!!

naku!!!! TAPOS SABI NILA CONSPIRACY DAW NG PINAS AT NETHERLANDS!!!! NAKU!!!!!!WALA BA SILANG PASOK AT NASA LANSANGAN SILA!???? NAKAKAINIS TALAGA!!!! :bash: :bash: :bash:

lumabas na talaga sa lungga yung mga CLOSET COMMUNISTS!!!!!! :ohno:

Military on red alert

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:12pm (Mla time) 08/29/2007


(UPDATE 5) MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines is bracing for retaliatory strikes by communist insurgents after their leader, Jose Maria Sison, was arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion of ordering the murders of ex-allies, authorities said Wednesday.

At the same time, the Arroyo administration will extend its full cooperation with the Dutch government, they said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who has been informed of Sison’s arrest, hailed it “a giant step toward peace.”

Security forces were placed on heightened alert to thwart attacks from the 7,000-strong New People's Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), senior presidential aide Jesus Dureza said.

"We talked about those possibilities. I am sure the security forces are now taking the appropriate measures," Dureza, who is the government's chief negotiator in a stalled peace process with the insurgents, told Agence France-Presse.

Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Calderon confirmed this when they placed the military and police on red and full alerts Wednesday.

Although he insisted that the threat of counter-attacks from the NPA was “not really” serious, Esperon said, “We want to be ready if there are reactions” from the rebels.

“It is better to be cautious side. There is really no indication na magkakagulo [that there will be trouble],” Esperon told reporters.

The red alert was also raised as a standard operating procedure ahead of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s two-day visit to Malaysia starting Thursday.

When the Armed Forces of the Philippines is on red alert, all troops are placed on stand by and are required to report to their commanders. All leave passes are also cancelled.

"We had been anticipating that [attacks]. But I think the NPA will not harm innocent civilians, 'yung military [the military] will also secure installations. We are prepared for that," said Calderon.

Calderon added that public transports and shopping malls would also be under tight watch.

Deputy Director General Avelino Razon, police deputy chief for administration, said the alert status was raised 6 p.m. Tuesday, shortly after Sison was arrested.

A full alert means all policemen on duty must be at their posts at all times. All policemen leaves are also cancelled.

National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales told INQUIRER.net that members of the National Security Council, including Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, in Tuesday night's meeting in Malacañang, agreed to raise the alert levels in preparation for possible attacks from the NPA.

Gonzales said the Philippine government was closely watching Sison's case and would offer assistance to help it prosper.

In Malacañang, the Presidential Security Group (PSG) also raised the alert level to red alert starting 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Brigadier General Romeo Prestoza, PSG chief, said it was their duty to protect the seat of power from possible hostile actions from Sison's supporters and sympathizers.

Prestoza, however, said that despite the red alert, the President would still go about her schedules for the week.

On Wednesday morning, Arroyo inaugurated the Advanced Contact Solutions call center and the Teletec Lipa BPO delivery center in Lipa City, Batangas province. She will return to Malacañang in the afternoon.

Major General Dolorfino, AFP National Capital Region (NCRCom) chief, said Metro Manila was safe from possible attacks by the NPA, which is more likely to target military detachments and government installations in far-flung areas.

He said leftist militants were more likely to mount street protests in the capital to show support for Sison.

"Security measures are in place to prevent these armed actions. If necessary, we will provide security to government [installations],"
Dolorfino told reporters in Fort Bonifacio.

Esperon said Sison's arrest was a "big boost" to the military's campaign against the NPA. The military chief said the communist guerillas continued to receive instructions from Sison even while he was in exile.

"Just imagine, the chairman of the CPP-NPA getting arrested. Remember Joma [Sison’s nickname] has been giving his mission [to the rebels] to intensify as much as possible the attacks, build the party some more," he said.

"The directives are really coming from him [Sison]. With him in prison, he will certainly be preoccupied," he said.

The Dutch police arrested on Tuesday Sison for allegedly giving orders from his residence in the Netherlands to have two of his former associates killed.

The two men, Arturo Tabara and Romulo Kintanar -- who had split with Sison's CPP-NPA for ideological reasons -- were gunned down in separate gangland-style attacks in 2003 and 2006.

"This is a case of the Dutch government against him. He violated a Dutch law for ordering the murder of his former comrades here," Gonzales said.

And because of this, Gonzales said it was not clear yet if Sison could be brought to the Philippines. He added that the Philippines and Netherlands did not have an extradition treaty.

Calderon said despite existing arrest warrants in the Philippines against Sison, police could not immediately implement them due to "diplomatic protocols."

"May restraints dahil may [because there were] diplomatic protocols na dapat sundin [that have to be followed] but this time this is a case filed by the Netherlands police kaya [that is why] this is internal," said Calderon.

Meanwhile in a statement, Migrante-Europe denounced Sison's arrest and accused the Philippine, Dutch, and US governments for "using judicial proceedings to put political pressure on the National Democratic Front to surrender to the Manila government."

"[We] will hold the Dutch government accountable for any harm that may happen to Professor Sison, including rendition to any country outside the Netherlands, while under their custody," said lawyer Jan Fermon, Sison's lead counsel in the European Court of First Instance case.

The group announced that they would hold protest actions in The Netherlands and other countries in Europe.

Sison's arrest comes one month after the CPP rejected an offer of a three-year ceasefire to pave the way for the resumption of peace talks stalled since August 2004.

Prior to the arrest, Dureza said there "were efforts ongoing on all sides" to woo the rebels back to the negotiating table.

The Philippine government had asked Interpol to issue arrest warrants for Sison and other members of the CPP for their alleged role in the killing of suspected "spies and counter-revolutionaries" from 1985 to 1991.

In August last year, forensic investigators recovered the remains of 67 people from what is believed to be a communist "killing field" in the central island of Leyte.

Sison has repeatedly denied the allegations, and says he no longer directly commands the CPP-NPA.

Luis Jalandoni, chairman of the NDF, denounced what he called "false charges" against Sison, and warned that his arrest would lead to a total collapse of the peace process.

Arroyo "wants a military solution... this will surely add to the intensity of the people's revolution in the countryside," Jalandoni told local radio.

The CPP-NPA has been waging a Maoist rebellion against the authorities in Manila since 1969. It is classified as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

the news this week :

marines debacle in the south
senate inquiry on garci tape
rumor of a coup d'etat
the arrest of joma

why not declare martial law .......shooting 3 birds in one shot :)
or perhaps someone is already planning these .... and the pieces were being re-arranged and re-aligned....

A couple of quotes from those who have fought wars.....

..... to some of us who are impatient and want quick results.

"War upon rebellion is messy and slow, like eating soup with a knife."
T.E. Lawrence


..... to some of us who think war is a glorious adventure.

"I confess, without shame, that I am sick and tired of fighting—its glory is all moonshine; even success the most brilliant is over dead and mangled bodies, with the anguish and lamentations of distant families, appealing to me for sons, husbands, and fathers ... it is only those who have never heard a shot, never heard the shriek and groans of the wounded and lacerated ... that cry aloud for more blood, more vengeance, more desolation."
General William Tecumseh Sherman

A couple of quotes from those who have fought wars.....

..... to some of us who are impatient and want quick results.

"War upon rebellion is messy and slow, like eating soup with a knife."
T.E. Lawrence


..... to some of us who think war is a glorious adventure.

"I confess, without shame, that I am sick and tired of fighting—its glory is all moonshine; even success the most brilliant is over dead and mangled bodies, with the anguish and lamentations of distant families, appealing to me for sons, husbands, and fathers ... it is only those who have never heard a shot, never heard the shriek and groans of the wounded and lacerated ... that cry aloud for more blood, more vengeance, more desolation."
General William Tecumseh Sherman


A nice poetry for citizens of war-torn .... coup d'etat-prone country. :)

1 NPA rebel killed, 4 captured in Quezon, Albay--military :applause:

By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 01:22pm (Mla time) 08/30/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) A suspected communist guerilla was killed and four others were captured in engagements with government forces in Albay and Quezon provinces on Wednesday, Army officials said Thursday.

At around 7 a.m., troops from the 65th Infantry Battalion clashed with seven New People's Army guerillas in Sitio (sub-village) Boyog, Tupas village, Ligao City in Albay province, leaving one rebel killed, said Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres Jr., Army spokesman.

Torres identified the slain rebel as Maximo Pederelio. He said a
.45-caliber pistol with one magazine and 15 bullets were recovered from the scene of the encounter.

Later on Wednesday, at around 4 p.m., four suspected NPA rebels were captured after troops from the 76th Infantry Battalion engaged some 30
Communist insurgents in a 15-minute firefight in Almacen village, Unisan town, Quezon province, said Captain Carlo Ferrer, public affairs officer of the Army's 2nd Infantry Division operating in Southern Luzon.

One of the four captured rebels was identified as a certain alias
Marlon, an NPA vice platoon leader, while another was identified only as Joan, Ferrer said in a text message to reporters.

There were no casualties on the government side. The four captured rebels were not wounded, Ferrer said.

The encounters came as authorities were alerted over possible retaliatory attacks from the NPA, following the arrest for murder in the Netherlands of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Ma. Sison.

The NPA is the 6,300-strong armed wing of the CPP. It has been waging a guerilla campaign from the countryside for nearly four decades.

A nice poetry for citizens of war-torn .... coup d'etat-prone country. :)


Ahhh..... I see. Defined as poetry by the uninitiated, a sad and regretable truth for the experienced.

.
08/31/2007 | 02:49 PM

The military in Western Visayas is bracing itself for a possible attack by New People's Army (NPA) rebels, who are reportedly massing in southern Panay Island.

Online news site The News Today (www.thenewstoday.info) reported Friday that the Army's 3rd Infantry Division is monitoring movements of the other rebel fronts as well.

"Their primary objective is to capture military officers. Getting hold of weapons comes only second to them right now," said Capt. Lowen Gil Marquez of the AFP's civil relations group.

He said the rebels plan to capture military officers and hold them as bargaining chips for the release of Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison.

Citing intelligence information the military has received, Marquez said that up to 30 rebels are massing and preparing for an attack in southern Panay.

But he admitted they still do not know when and exactly where the supposed attack would take place.

"Their objective is political right now," Marquez said.

Following the arrest of Sison, the 3ID been placed under red alert status.

"For as long as Sison is not released by Dutch authorities, the threat remains," Marquez said.

He said the NPA has six rebel fronts in Negros island, four in Panay, and three in Bohol.

Aside from its paramilitia units, the NPA has about 100 fighters in Negros; at least 50 in Panay; and about 50 in Bohol, he said. - GMANews.TV

Estrada group gives P1M to kin of slain Army men

By Delfin Mallari Jr.
Southern Luzon Bureau
Last updated 07:04pm (Mla time) 08/31/2007


LUCENA CITY, Philippines -– The families of two Army soldiers killed last week in Sorsogon province wept in gratitude as they received P1 million in financial assistance from former President Joseph Estrada’s Saludo sa Kawal Pilipino Foundation (SKPF or Salute to the Filipino Soldier) in a ceremony here Friday.

Manuel “Beaver” Lopez, husband of Estrada’s daughter Jackie, handed the manager's checks to Almira Martinez, widow of Corporal Ronald P. Aurellana and Raymunda Badaguas, widow of Corporal Jerry Badaguas.

Almira, Aurellana’s common-law wife, received P500,000 while Raymunda got P300,000. Badagua’s mother, Proserfina also received P200,000.

The two soldiers were killed in an ambush by suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels last August 19 at Sitio (sub-village) Palapay, Barangay (village) Jagusara, Juban, Sorsogon.

The SKPF was established by Estrada when he was still president.

Two weeks ago, the foundation also extended financial assistance to the families of the 14 Philippine Marines killed during an encounter with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Abu Sayyaf in Basilan last July 10.

“Erap [Estrada’s nickname] is really kind to soldiers. We will not forget his goodness,” Almira told newsmen after the ceremony held at a restaurant along the Maharlika Highway in nearby Tayabas town.

The two widows assailed the claims of Malacañang that the financial assistance being distributed by Estrada to war orphans is part of a grand destabilization plot against the government.

“The government should not give political color or ill motive to the inherent kindness of Erap. His goodwill to ordinary soldiers is legend,” said Raymunda, an elementary schoolteacher in Daraga, Albay.

“The money is a great help for the families of slain soldiers,” she added. She said the money will be deposited for the education of their only daughter, Yasmin Faye.

Raymunda said she already received P47,000 assistance from the Army battalion to which her husband was assigned.

The widow is still waiting for the financial assistance President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo promised on television.
In his short speech, Lopez admitted he was deeply saddened by criticism hurled by some key government officials against the SKPF assistance to families of fallen soldiers.

“All we want is to help. The families of slain soldiers need our support and criticizing those who do so is not just unfair but completely uncalled for,” said Lopez, son of Manila Electric Company owner Manolo Lopez.

Almira did not hide her disappointment with the government on the way it treats soldiers who die in action as well as their orphaned families

“My husband was killed fighting for the country and yet his remains was not even accorded a decent coffin, not even a flag. I was the one who bought the Philippine flag that draped his coffin during the burial,” Almira said.

SHAMEFUL

‘Abu leaders reported dead are alive’--local officials

wt....?

By Julie Alipala
Mindanao Bureau
Last updated 04:58pm (Mla time) 08/31/2007


ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- Two of the most wanted leaders of the Abu Sayyaf are still alive, contrary to claims by the military that they were killed in clashes with government troops in August.

Puruji Indama and his right-hand-man, Nuruddin Muddalan alias Nod, “"are still alive and are targets of the military operations” in four towns of Basilan province, Senior Superintendent Salik Macapantar, provincial police chief, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

Unkaya Pukan Mayor Joel Maturan and Albarka Mayor Jakilan Karam also confirmed to the Inquirer that Indama and Muddalan are alive.

Both said, however, that Muddalan was wounded in an August 18 encounter in Barangay Silangkum in Tipo-tipo town.

"He’s not the one who was killed by the Marines," Karam said.

Maturan said he received reports that the two Abu Sayyaf leaders were being harbored by influential politicians in Sumisip town :ohno: . "That is why the pursuit operation has been diverted from Tipo-tipo."

Brigadier General Juancho Sabban, deputy chief of the Western Mindanao Command and commander of Task Force Thunder, which leads the operation in Basilan, told the Inquirer earlier that the five junior officers and 10 enlisted personnel who died in the August 18 encounter in Unkaya Pukan town "finally served justice to those responsible for the beheading of 10 other soldiers in Albarka."

Sabban claimed the mission was fully accomplished as Marines were able to kill a total of 42 bandits, including Indama and Muddalan.

"Our soldiers and officers didn't die in vain," he said in an interview the day after the Unkaya Pukan clash.

.

By Jerome Aning
Inquirer
Last updated 08:07pm (Mla time) 09/01/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- Roman Catholic Church leaders led by Manila Archbishop Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales on Saturday renewed appeals to the government to end the military offensive in Basilan and Sulu, saying the civilian population must be spared from further sufferings.

"It's always the civilians who are caught in the middle. The fighting should not go on, and there should be a search for the real reasons why there is a conflict. Nobody will be left alive until kingdom come with all this fighting," Rosales said after Mass at the Manila Cathedral during the ordination of Fr. Francisco De Leon as the new auxiliary bishop of Antipolo

According to Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, "Violence should not be resolved with violence. Never has the Church been in favor of any offensive, only peace and dialogue."

He called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines to stop the fighting in light of the approach of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Rosales said he was sure that those fighting the government in Muslim Mindanao had their reasons and these concerns were "addressable," now or in the future.

"Is it too much to ask the Filipinos who are engaged in battle or war what is the reason behind this fighting?" he said.

The prelate said it was not enough for the government to run after the separatists in Basilan and Sulu because of a "criminal act" such as the ambush and mutilation of soldiers.

"If it's criminal, then address it. But why are the people turning criminal in the first place? We have to educate the people," Rosales said, adding that in his youth he visited Muslim communities and saw for himself the plight of the people there.

Rosales said that if people believe or do something wrong, they should be taught what is right.

"Let's not just say, 'I don't like you, I'll shoot you.' That's not right. The citizens will be wiped out if that happens," he added.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=86063

.


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/Peace.jpg

Mindanao leaders led by Dr. Santanina Rasul speaks to foreign envoys during the Islam and Democracy Forum at the Club Filipino in Greenhills on Friday. GMANews.TV

.
News: PMRF Review 2007: http://www.timawa.net/walkarounds/3-6-07/

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

What’s in it for the US in an independent Moroland?

AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR By William M. Esposo
Sunday, September 2, 2007

http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Opinion&p=49&type=2&sec=25&aid=20070901187

Many Filipinos know little of the sinister nature of superpower politics. Seeing how Islamic extremist groups have already wrought untold damage to American pride, they find it unthinkable that the US will want to act as Protector of an independent Moroland.

In his January 20, 2003 letter to US President George W. Bush, the late MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) Chairman Salamat Hashim called attention to the US pledge to provide an independent Moroland under American protection. Salamat supported his point by citing two historical treaties, the 1898 Treaty of Paris and the 1899 Kiram-Bates Treaty.

Strong media reportage on the problems encountered by the US with extremist Muslims, notably al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah, tends to generalize Muslims and makes the idea of a US-backed Moroland in Mindanao rather incredible. But what is overlooked is the fact that the US has a long history of providing tactical support to whomever and whatever will support their interests. In this case, the US stands much to gain in being the Protector of an independent Moroland.

A Think Tank I meet with regularly (whose members are also consulted by top local leaders and important foreign policy advisers of many countries, including the US) reported to me that since the term of George Bush Sr., the idea of reviving the idea of creating an independent Moroland was already seriously considered.

This became even more compelling given today’s geopolitical realities. Russia and China have renewed their alliance, with India likely to join them. The US will want to keep a strong strategic presence within a crucial area where superpower forces could converge. Territorial control of vital shipping lanes and even areas known to have rich oil and natural gas deposits like the Spratly Islands (claimed by the Philippines, China and Vietnam), presents a strategic advantage in superpower politics.

A US Protector of an independent Moroland will provide the following benefits to American geopolitical interests in the region:

1. The US is able to deal first hand with the threat of extremist Middle East Muslims spreading its clout in the region, especially in Indonesia which has the biggest Muslim population. If you were the US, you would rather deal with that problem yourself than entrust it to a corrupt, incompetent Philippine government.

2. The main objective of Mindanao Muslims to have their own Moroland is not incompatible with US interests especially if such an independent Moroland enhances the US presence in Asia’s strategic region and can be the repository of US weapons, including nuclear (now banned by the 1987 Constitution).

3. It may just be cheaper and easier for the US to serve their geopolitical interests through an independent Moroland under their Protection rather than be dealing with the Philippine government and all its attendant problems with a dysfunctional democracy, worsening poverty and unchecked insurgency. US patronage will always be more enticing to Muslim Mindanao warlords compared to what they are now getting from Philippine politicians. It can only be a blissful union.

The US must have concluded that our Muslims do not really empathize with the causes of the Middle East extremist groups like al Qaeda and Hamas. The main links of our Muslims with the Middle East are with the rulers of Arab States like the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The MILF and the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) are focused on domestic Muslim issues and concerns that center on having their long cherished dream of an independent Moroland.

It has not occurred to many Filipinos that the Americans have been all over Mindanao for the past four years and all this time no American has been targeted by either the MILF or the MNLF. If the MILF and MNLF had really been aligned with the extremist Middle East Muslims, those Americans who are roaming all over Muslim Mindanao would have been fair game.

While our troops are fired at when they enter MILF and MNLF territory, the Americans are welcomed. It also escaped the attention of many that the time when there was an American in the frontline during the current conflict ‑ there was no confrontation. Is that not too much of a coincidence?

Too many Filipinos continue to nurture a romantic fantasy with ‘Victory Joe,’ the icon for the American World War II liberator. To them, America will not take advantage of the Filipino, their “little brown brother.” Being in denial, they will not see the true colors of the US as the superpower perpetually seeking self-preservation.

Frankly, we cannot blame the US for exploiting us whenever it suits their ends. All countries naturally put their own interests ahead of others.

In a similar light, our leaders should always exercise wisdom and discernment when dealing with foreign policy and when receiving seemingly harmless presents and concessions from seemingly well-meaning benefactors. We should learn from history — beware of Greeks bearing gifts, you might just get a Trojan horse.

Unfortunately, our leaders go so far as offering our bodies and souls for trade, like sex slaves in a brothel. Our leaders have no qualms if we all get screwed as long as it promotes their personal interests.

After threatening to wage an all-out war, aren’t you surprised that Madame Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is suddenly talking about giving our Muslims their ancestral domain? Don’t you find this incongruous with all her previous spiel of wiping out the perpetrators of the July 10 beheading of 14 Marines that spawned the current round of hostilities in Mindanao?


It makes sense if the US is forcing her.

« Last Edit: Today at 02:50:33 am by Sabra » Logged

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

http://timawa.net/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=86a17ec94ae91f3fbc79de913b0b74b9&topic=9254.0

.

‘Greedy’ political leaders to blame for Basilan violence

End to military offensive urged

INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:38pm (Mla time) 09/02/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- The bishop of Isabela in Basilan on Sunday blamed “greedy” political leaders for the violence besetting the southern province and appealed for an end to the military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf that, he said, had brought “ugly and painful” suffering on communities there.

An article posted on the web site of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, quoted a pastoral statement from Isabela Bishop Martin Jumoad, which was read in churches in the province, calling on “all religious leaders of every faith to unite and collaborate in building peace and set aside biases.”

In his statement, Jumoad said the political leaders, who he did not name, have “lost their sense of God because they worship power and wealth as their new gods. They are ready to kill people in order to stay and perpetuate [themselves] in power.”

“You do not have the right to gain anything at the expense of the Basileños,” he said.

“As bishop of Basilan, I appeal to all of you to stop the war,” he said. “Do not destroy life because life is sacred. Respect every individual because all of us are children of the Almighty God.”

Jumoad rued the casualties suffered by both the military and the extremists, and the displacement of communities.

He said “nobody likes war” and that both government forces and extremists would rather have peace “so that they can live with their families and attend to the needs of their children.”

The prelate also called on the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to immediately resume negotiations and forge a peace agreement, saying any more delay could only worsen the suffering of the civilian populace.

“You must effect peace agreement now and not tomorrow,” he said. “Allow us once again to breathe the air of peace and freedom here in Basilan.”

At the same time, Jumoad called on media to be “responsible” because “our people deserve accurate and correct data.”

“We condemn any misinterpretation, exaggeration and sensationalism of the issues here in Basilan,” he said.

^^ I've read in the news that there will be a pull-out of the troops in Basilan. The troops form Palawan will be going back to their home camp. On the other hand, the engineering unit of the AFP will be sent to Basilan to help these civilians in Basilan.

We must help our people in Basilan. They have been adversely affected with the conflict because of terrorism caused by these rebels. The military is there to protect and serve them.

I agree with the Bishop in Basilan that war should be ended. But not this time. Not when the rebels are still there hiding in the mountains of Basilan, ready to attack any time. The war in Mindanao will end only when the rebels no longer engage in terror and violence.

The government efforts to defeat the ASG is not an exaggeration of the real situation in Basilan. It is just a means to neutralize the enemy and slowly achieve peace and order.

Chinese defense minister in RP for goodwill visit

By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 10:41am (Mla time) 09/03/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan, in the country for a “goodwill visit,” met with Philippine defense and military officials in Camp Aguinaldo Monday.

Cao, who is in Manila three years after former defense secretary Avelino Cruz Jr. visited China in 2004, was welcomed with full military honors by Lieutenant General Pedrito Cadungog, Armed Forces of the Philippines deputy chief of staff, the Department of National Defense said in a statement.

Cao then met with AFP Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. in a closed-door meeting.

The DND said that the exchange of military students as a "confidence-building" measure would be discussed in the meeting.

I've seen in the news: China donated $2 Million worth of Military Aid, quite a small amount if you ask me (Manalo ka lang ng 2 beses sa Survivor, swak na). Nevertheless any help is better than no help at all.

China to give P90 million grant to Philippine military

By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 06:48pm (Mla time) 09/03/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 3) China has pledged 15 million renminbi (roughly P90 million; $6.6 million) :lol: to the Philippine defense department as part of efforts to strengthen defense cooperation between the two countries, officials from the Department of National Defense (DND) said.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) top brass met with Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan in Camp Aguinaldo for over three hours on Monday. The Chinese official is in Manila for a five-day goodwill visit.

Defense deputy assistant secretary Ma. Joji Aragon, who was at the meeting, said China pledged 15 million RMB, clarifying Teodoro's earlier statement that China pledged 50 million RMB.

"We agreed to continue dialogue, which is mutual exchange of views regarding regional concerns… "[Having] closer ties regionally with all our neighbors is good for the military," Teodoro said.

Aragon said the 15-million RMB grant would most likely come in the form of construction equipment. She said China has donated 10 million RMB worth of construction equipment every year since 2004.

She said the 10-million RMB pledge for 2006 has not been delivered.

"For four years, they've given graders and tractors, this is used by the AFP core of engineers in infrastructure projects," she said.

Aragon said the Philippines did not ask for military hardware from China, saying defense cooperation between the two countries has been limited to dialogues among senior officials, the possible exchange of military students, and humanitarian and disaster relief efforts.

According to a statement from the Department of National Defense (DND), Cao's visit was in response to a 2004 visit of then defense secretary Avelino Cruz Jr. to China.

Earlier Monday, Armed Forces of the Philippines Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Pedrito Cadungog led full military honors for Cao at the DND grounds in Camp Aguinaldo.

(P1= 0.16300 Chinese Yuan Renminbi)

^^ Not funny. They shouldn't be giving us anything at all since we weren't supposed to be irresponsible with our money back then.

Hmmm. Beware of Greeks, este Chinese giving gifts pala. :lol:

Arroyo announces P500-M funding for rebels’ amnesty program

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 11:59am (Mla time) 09/04/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- In efforts to end the violence and fighting that she said has scared away investors, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has announced that she was infusing P500 million as initial funding for the revived amnesty program for rebels.

In an opening statement at the start of the National Security Meeting Tuesday, Arroyo said her administration was investing in peace and the economy to attract more investors.

"An initial funding of P500 will be infused in this program to hasten and ensure peace and security in the regions, with local officials and church groups at the helm and with the help of the national government,” Arroyo said in Filipino.

A draft amnesty proclamation was also discussed during the meeting, which included local executives, who have been at the forefront of initiatives for local peace talks.

"In the past decades, there were similar initiatives in the country but because of too much politicking, investors stayed away and progress was halted. Now that capital and investments are coming in once again, we must all join hands to end our differences, the confusion and conflict that have scared investors previously,” she said.

Arroyo lamented anew that positive news about the Philippine economy have not been reportedly adequately in the media.

"Although there is a lack of positive news locally about our economy, there have been glowing reports by the experts about our amazing economic growth that they have described as the strongest in two decades,” she said.

Arroyo said the 7 percent growth rate in the Gross Domestic Product and the 10 percent increase in investments are the same experienced by economies of Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China.

This is the growth path that the Asian Development Bank has predicted that would bring the country to an economic takeoff, she said.

The order of the President to infuse funds for the government's amnesty program is another step towards achieving peace and order in Mindanao. It is a sign that the government is willing to take back rebel returnees who may have realized that waging terror and violence is nonsense and will produce no good. But of course, the amnesty program is only for the rebels who are willing to turn their backs away from terrorism.

The issues on terrorism do not seem to scare away foreign investors. These foreigners are confident that the leadership of the government is capable of being on top of the matter.

Hmmm. Beware of Greeks, este Chinese giving gifts pala. :lol:

Baka pirated?

Troops adopt terrorists’ tactics (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20070904177)

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Troops hunting down Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists have adopted the guerrilla tactics of their enemies in scouring the jungles of Basilan and Sulu.

“Instead of fighting them conventionally, we have to play their (terrorist) brand of game,” said a senior military official who asked for anonymity.

“With this kind of tactic (guerrilla), we can penetrate and pinpoint their locations with a slim chance of our movement being detected before hitting them hard.”

An Army Special Forces officer said once the targets are pinpointed, the commandos will call in the Marines to attack the enemy positions using conventional methods of warfare.

“They’re the real muscle,” the official said. “They can hit the enemies with everything they’ve got once our small units out there have fixed and pinpointed the targets.”

New Marine commandant Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino is flying to Basilan tomorrow to inspect his men, who have been fighting the Abu Sayyaf for more than a year now.

Dolorfino said while in Basilan he will assess the logistical needs of the Marines, and subject some of them to stress debriefing due to their long exposure to combat.

“We have been focusing on intelligence build-up with an intent that future operations would be surgical to avoid civilian casualties,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Air Force will send some 117 engineers, support personnel, and security forces to Basilan today to spearhead road development programs.

The Navy will also deploy experts, along with heavy equipment and construction vehicles by ship.

PAF spokesman Lt. Col. Jun Panzo said PAF engineers will work on the construction of new roads and the repair of old ones in Basilan.

“We have more than a hundred people, and that does not include the Philippine Navy,” he said yesterday. – Jaime Laude, Michael Punongbayan

NICE.

30 Southern Metro cops to undergo training in US

By Julie M. Aurelio
Inquirer
Last updated 11:34pm (Mla time) 09/06/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- Policemen assigned to cities in Southern Metro Manila may soon get a chance to train in law enforcement, California-style.

Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales, the Southern Police District director, recently announced that he has been talking with police officials in Butte County, California, on joint training opportunities for SPD cops.

Only policemen without administrative or criminal records will be considered for the training program.

If talks push through, around 30 select policemen from the SPD will fly to the United States and train for three to four weeks on investigation and intelligence-gathering.

“I had initial talks with concerned officials and we will be soon drafting the terms of agreement,” Rosales said in an interview.

The district director met with Butte County officials when he went on a trip to the United States two months ago.

The SPD covers the cities of Makati, Pasay, Taguig, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, and Parañaque, as well as the municipality of Pateros.

Rosales said the potential trainees would be screened and evaluated to see if they would be qualified for the US-based training.

“Those who have figured in a number of cases, especially major ones, will not be considered, except for those who only acted in self-defense,” he added.

Apart from polishing their skills in intelligence-gathering and investigation, the chosen ones will also be briefed on the proper management of their resources.

Rosales added that the policemen would have to pay for their airfare :bash: . The rest of the expenses would be shouldered by the SPD. They will also receive an allowance for the duration of their stay in the US.

Only policemen without administrative or criminal records will be considered for the training program.


Wala akong masabi...


ahah! :lol: (ibig sabihin, may pulis sa atin na may criminal record?)





Rosales added that the policemen would have to pay for their airfare

ahhhh.... baka mag TNT na lang yung iba... :lol:

Wala akong masabi...


ahah! :lol: (ibig sabihin, may pulis sa atin na may criminal record?)

Isn't there a maxim that says, you need a criminal to catch a criminal. :lol:

^^ True, that's the best way to catch a criminal, kaya galit sila sa kapwa nila.. :lol:

diba sa atin nga yung "payb minits bepor the craym hapen the pulis is olredi at the scene?" :lol:

Finally! New choppers! Goodbye na sa flying coffins ng PAF!


PAF sends team to evaluate China-made helicopters


By Nikko Dizon
Inquirer
Last updated 07:21pm (Mla time) 09/06/2007


MANILA, Philippines --Air Force choppers made in China?

Why not, says the Philippine Air Force (PAF), as it dispatched this week a team of PAF pilots to China to evaluate some aircraft being offered for sale by a Chinese manufacturer that has partnered with a French company.

The delegation was led by Major General Pedro Ike Insierto, a Huey pilot who heads the PAF's modernization office, said an Air Force official.

The team would conduct test flights on the Chinese-made aircraft, said the official who requested anonymity for lack of authority to speak.

The official said the PAF’s openness to buying Chinese aircraft was merely a “sign of the times,” noting that while RP’s mutual defense partner is still the United States, China has a growing reputation as an industrialized country.

"They made an offer, so why not listen to them?" the official said.

The PAF delegation’s trip to China coincides with the official 5-day visit here this week of Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan.

It also comes amid worldwide alarm caused by large-scale recall of Chinese-made toys, toothpaste, candies, dog food, medicine and agricultural produce because of concerns over harmful chemicals in these products.

The official also said that this was not the first time that Chinese firms had offered their products to the Armed Forces.

"They tried to sell pistols, handguns, rifles, and ammunition before," the official said.

The official described the Chinese offer to the PAF as a "commercial offer" that would have to pass through the PAF bidding procedure.

"It means that there would be a level playing field. Their offer would have to be laid out on the bidding table," the official said.


http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=87103

Harbin Z-9 daw ang plano bilhin ng PAF.

http://www.chinamet.com.cn/proshow/pro_image/fh4201.jpg

chinese helos ?

sa huey na lang ako

Co-production naman siya ng Eurocopter eh. Kaya lang kung sa bagay it still is Chinese made. Now i'm worried.

chinese helos ?

sa huey na lang ako

Co-production naman siya ng Eurocopter eh. Kaya lang kung sa bagay it still is Chinese made. Now i'm worried.


Natakot na baka may lead content yung helicopter?:lol: :lol:


Oi why not Harbin Z-9 is a licensed production of AS365. It's a lot faster than Huey,much wifter in combat and its definitely way to better than Huey in everything else...weight,noise levels,economics,cockpit,ground operations etc...

teka wasn't Sikorsky S-76 was long chosen in the 1980's to replace elder Hueys? That in fact an initial batch of sixteen was bought then?...why not stick with the old plan..pero kung sabagay sa mas mahal nga siya ngaun:ohno:

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee196/ravencute83/PAF20S-76.jpg

allergic lang talaga ako to things made in china :)

most of the made in china stuff (tools, equipment) i've used fail after 2 years of use. tapos na ang warranty. pastilan.

mahirap yan kung mga lumilipad na bagay ang mag-fail. hindi naman langgam ang nakasakay diyan :)

(at oo nga pala, asar na asar ako sa ZTE deal na yan)

Nagbabalik lang sa thread na ito.. :D

Quick browse lang sa thread.. Um, di pa sure yang Z-9 harbin.. I believe they will still go thru bidding or something like that. Evaluation pa lang yan pero no actual purchase. IMO, hesitant din ako dyan sa Harbin Z-9 gawa kasi current reputation ng China regarding sa kanilang products.. Mamya eh maging isa pang "Flying Coffin" yan.

Another news.. About sa Attack Chopper Bidding. Report galing sa PDFF, McDonnell-Douglas won the bidding with their MG-530 choppers(an upgraded version of MG520s). They won over a Polish company and Agusta Westland of Italy.

Binalita kasi sa Umagang Kayganda (ABS-CBN) bibili na daw tayo from China.
Buti na lang may nag-clarify. And yeah may nanalo na nga sa bidding for the procurement of attack helicopters. Sana naman mabili na agad at nang magamit na sa Basilan!

AFP: No decision yet to buy China-made aircraft


By Tarra Quismundo
Inquirer
Last updated 11:18pm (Mla time) 09/07/2007


SENDING a five-man team to look over Chinese-made aircraft being offered for sale to the Air Force was neither an endorsement nor a commitment to buy, Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Horacio Tolentino said Friday.

The PAF team went to China on the invitation of aircraft manufacturer China Aviation Industry Corp. (CATIC) to view its line of utility helicopters and fixed-wing transport aircraft.

"There's an open bidding, but so far they are the only ones who have invited us to look at their products," said Tolentino.

He said the PAF paid for the trip of the team, which is expected to return to Manila this weekend.

The team includes representatives from the Cebu-based 220th Airlift Wing and the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing and is headed by PAF Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Pedro Ike Insierto.

The Air Force is looking to replace its aging fleet, which currently has no China-made aircraft in its roster.

Tolentino said military asset procurement is a long and complicated process and the ocular inspection mission should not be taken as a sign that the PAF would buy China-made aircraft.

The Chinese offer came as questions are being raised worldwide about the integrity of China-made products, from toys to food items.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=87327

Air Force's attack helicopters back in the skies


By Tarra Quismundo
Inquirer
Last updated 06:44pm (Mla time) 09/09/2007


MANILA, Philippines--Three weeks after the deadly crash of a helicopter gunship in a Mindanao battle, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) lifted the grounding ofr its fleet of MG-520 attack helicopters, paving the way for their redeployment to aid the military offensive in Basilan.

Lt. Gen. Horacio Tolentino, the Air Force chief, gave the green light for the gunships to again take flight after some 20 days of being kept on the ground because of the Aug. 18 chopper crash in Basilan.

The lifting took effect Saturday, a day after Tolentino signed the order allowing MG-520s to redeploy. While under the care of PAF's Cavite-based 15th Strike Wing, units of MG-520s are stationed in different air divisions across the country for immediate deployment.

"The order has been lifted and they are already redeployed," Tolentino said on Sunday.

Following post-accident procedure, the PAF grounded its 17 MG-520s immediately after the Basilan crash, which killed co-pilot 1st. Lt. Claudio Udaundo Jr. The gunship was then escorting two OV-10 Broncos over enemy territory when it suddenly lost altitude and crashed in shallow waters off Al-Barka.

"Before they were deployed, I asked the crew to inspect all engines to make sure that there are no problems," said Tolentino in a media briefing held Friday, shortly before he signed the lift order.

The grounding was lifted over the weekend as the Air Force Safety Office pursued its investigation of the Aug. 18 crash, a still inconclusive probe, said Tolentino.

"There are no results yet. We have yet to find the definite cause, but we are looking at the engine. We suspect that's where the problem started," said the commanding general.

The Air Force initially reported that the MG-520 crashed after its engine quit because of a suspected problem in its fuel line.

As they cruised at more than 3,000 feet above ground, the chopper's pilots reported that the fuel filter light on the instrument panel lit. The alert indicated a problem in the fuel line, specifically a possible blockage, said Tolentino.

"We can only surmise there was fuel starvation because of [the warning about] the fuel filter light. There were no problems in the other parts," he said.

It has been difficult to verify the suspicion as the chopper's wreck was submerged in water for 28 hours, drenching the engine and the fuel line. The Air Force suspects the fuel line's blockage may have been flushed out during the time the chopper was under water.

While making do with its modest fleet of gunships, PAF is looking to fortify its air power with the set acquisition of new utility and attack helicopters.

Tolentino said the Air Force would soon acquire new MG-530s, an upgraded version of the MG-52 as it would be equipped with night navigation instruments.

Aircraft-maker McDonnell Douglas won the recent bidding for PAF's procurement of helicopter gunships, said Tolentino, though the bid may still be challenged by losing Polish and Italian bidders.

The Air Force has also opened bidding for makers of utility helicopters and fixed-wing light-lift aircraft to augment PAF's aging fleet of the American-made UH-1H helicopter, currently the military's workhorse, and the versatile N22-C Nomad.

chinese helos ?

sa huey na lang ako

KABAYAN, do not underestimate CHINESE MADE.. Think!! They are now called the FACTORY OF THE WORLD. Their Aircraft, Missles, Tanks, even Radar system is now a treat to US Technology. Please, we must not think of the pass that CHINESE goodies are bad. Para din namang JAPAN noon di ba? Ayaw natin ng Made in Japan dahil madaling masira kaya US lang. Ngayon iba na ang sitwasyun. Di ba?

"Their Aircraft, Missles, Tanks, even Radar system is now a treat to US Technology."

I do not believe the US uses any of the Chinese war machineries. Maybe you are talking of threat not treat.

KABAYAN, do not underestimate CHINESE MADE.. Think!! They are now called the FACTORY OF THE WORLD. Their Aircraft, Missles, Tanks, even Radar system is now a treat to US Technology. Please, we must not think of the pass that CHINESE goodies are bad. Para din namang JAPAN noon di ba? Ayaw natin ng Made in Japan dahil madaling masira kaya US lang. Ngayon iba na ang sitwasyun. Di ba?


Mas matitibay nga gawa ng mga hapon kesa sa mga amerikano.

"Their Aircraft, Missles, Tanks, even Radar system is now a treat to US Technology."

I do not believe the US uses any of the Chinese war machineries. Maybe you are talking of threat not treat.

Then you ask the AMERICANS why they are worried on the CHINESE Muscle Flexing... Defense Budget daw nila masyado ng malaki... Aba aba,,, nanginginig pala ang USA.. Think? Huwag naman tayong maka AMERICA... sobra na!!! Binababoy na nga tayo ng USA, okay okay lang ba ang PINOY? Isa pa, imbakan pa tayo ng mga vintage weapons nila... payag parin ba tayo?? Kawawa naman ang Philippines kung sa ganon. AYAW KO NA SA USA!!!!! Opinyon ko ito, kayo na ang bahala sa inyo.

May malaking pag babago ba sa MG 530 attack helicopters na bibilhin ng PAF comapared sa predecessor nyang MG 520? Or ung night vision lang nadagdag? Nabasa ko sa news this week na 7 ata ang bibilhin nilang brand new MG 530s.

May malaking pag babago ba sa MG 530 attack helicopters na bibilhin ng PAF comapared sa predecessor nyang MG 520? Or ung night vision lang nadagdag? Nabasa ko sa news this week na 7 ata ang bibilhin nilang brand new MG 530s.

The new MG 530 is mainly equipped with front-mounted FLIR pod (thermal & nigth imaging system for day or night) and superior firepower. It is also can be equipped with Stinger (air-to-air missiles) as an optional weapon, including some TOW anti-tank missiles.

Above all, its not an excellent choice but its a better weapon to substitute the old ones. :cheers:

The new MG 530 is mainly equipped with front-mounted FLIR pod (thermal & nigth imaging system for day or night) and superior firepower. It is also can be equipped with Stinger (air-to-air missiles) as an optional weapon, including some TOW anti-tank missiles.

Above all, its not an excellent choice but its a better weapon to substitute the old ones. :cheers:

That's the problem, we cannot afford other optional weapons.. Ang kaya natin hanngang Rocket pod lang at machine gun. Standard iyan sa mga gunship ng pinoy. Ngayon sa Rocket pod ilang cyclinder lang ba ang kaya? oh oh... iyan na nga.. 6 pods lang kabilaan.
Ang gunship na kailangan ng Pinoy ay dapat kayang bumuga ng 24 Rockets kabilaan at may 30mm front gun pa. We are fighting insurgency and we are attacking on the mountain jungle.. I prefer our AFP-PAF to have Mi-24 or the upgraded Mi-30 Helo Gunship (not Hello Garci). Check Indonesia amigo... they are stocking Mi-24.. that's a good descission.

^^Oo nga aanhin natin ung air-to-air missile capabilty. Ok lang optional lang naman un, baka naman mas maraming air-to-surface rocket na kayang dalhin nito ok na din. Saka napaka laking tulong nung additional FLIR pod nya kasi makakpag sagawa na sila ng ma bombardment sa gabi kung saan hirap makagalaw ang mga insurgent.

That's the problem, we cannot afford other optional weapons.. Ang kaya natin hanngang Rocket pod lang at machine gun. Standard iyan sa mga gunship ng pinoy. Ngayon sa Rocket pod ilang cyclinder lang ba ang kaya? oh oh... iyan na nga.. 6 pods lang kabilaan.
Ang gunship na kailangan ng Pinoy ay dapat kayang bumuga ng 24 Rockets kabilaan at may 30mm front gun pa. We are fighting insurgency and we are attacking on the mountain jungle.. I prefer our AFP-PAF to have Mi-24 or the upgraded Mi-30 Helo Gunship (not Hello Garci). Check Indonesia amigo... they are stocking Mi-24.. that's a good descission.

Hindi ko sure kung done deal na ito or pwede pa magcontest ang mga natalong kalaban(Augusta and A Polish Company). Di ko lang sure kung ano yung inoffer ng Augusta pero sa PDFF baka Mangusta daw.

Mangusta
http://www.army-technology.com/projects/agusta/images/agusta6.jpg

This is probably what the Polish offered
http://img.airfoto.pl/my_img/b/52127.jpg

I'm not too sure kung kaya bilhin ng pinas yan pero kung yung pera na gagamitin pambili ng mga attack helos eh pwede pangdownpayment baka siguro pwede. :D

Take note. I'm not too sure kung ito talaga yung inoffer ng mga companies na yun. maybe AH-7Raja could shed more light about it since siya yung aktibo sa PDFF.. Ako.. Lurker lang ako dun.. :D

Philippines asseses Chinese helicopters for army (http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/09/17/216771/philippines-asseses-chinese-helicopters-for-army.html)

China is emerging as a potential supplier of arms to the Philippines, with officials from the latter country assessing the Harbin Z-9 utility helicopter for an eight-aircraft requirement. A licensed copy of Eurocopter's AS365N Dauphin, the Z-9 has since 1980 been manufactured by the Chinese company, a subsidiary of Beijing's state-owned AVIC II. Industry sources say China has offered to sell eight aircraft to the Philippines at a discount price, and also promised an additional $2 million in military aid.

There are over 200 Z-9s in service with China's military. The helicopter can transport 10 armed soldiers, with some aircraft also configured for communications and electronic warfare roles.

China is keen to get into the arms sales market in South-East Asia, which is currently dominated by the USA and Russia. The Philippines, which has mainly relied on US equipment in the past, desperately needs attack and utility helicopters to help in its fight against a separatist movement in its southern islands. In July, president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo released 5 billion Philippine pesos ($106 million) to buy new helicopters as part of a modernisation programme.

The nation's air force has also allocated 1.26 billion Philippine pesos to buy six helicopters with a night attack capability, and industry sources say Boeing's MD530-MG is likely to be offered for the requirement. The service currently operates an ageing fleet of MD520s, Bell UH-1H transports and Sikorsky S-76 assault helicopters.

It’s kites against helicopters in Basilan skies

ABU Sayyaf bandits and their sympathizers may be using an unlikely weapon to strike at attack helicopters and cut the risk of aerial raids on their jungle strongholds: Kites.

A Huey helicopter encountered difficulty while flying back at night from a recent combat mission on the southern island of Sulu after a kite’s thick nylon cord became dangerously entwined in its rotor, Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Horacio Tolentino said yesterday.

The pilots had noticed unusual vibrations but managed to land safely in a military camp in Sulu, he said.

An Air Force officer familiar with the incident told The Associated Press that the kite’s cord most probably struck the Vietnam War-era Huey over a sparsely populated mountainous region, from which the aircraft evacuated soldiers wounded during a clash with suspected Abu Sayyaf militants.

It was unlikely the kite had been flown by ordinary civilians, the officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Several kites may have been flown, then tied to trees surrounding a rebel encampment as an extra buffer against nighttime air attacks, the officer said.

“They really have an intention to bring down our helicopters,” Tolentino told the AP.

After the incident, Tolentino said he instructed Air Force pilots to do “evasive maneuvers” aimed to protect choppers that take off in Sulu, especially at night. Inspectors were deployed to ensure no kites were being flown near Air Force areas, he said.

Kite-flying is a popular pastime on Sulu, a predominantly Muslim island where US forces have been providing non-combat assistance to Filipino troops to wipe out Abu Sayyaf militants and a handful of Indonesian militants.

But residents rarely fly kites at night.

Kites’ potentially lethal power caught the country’s attention last May, when a Huey helicopter crashed on a busy street near an air base in Cebu, killing nine people, seven of them on the ground.

Investigators said the nylon kite cord, which accidentally got coiled in the assembly connecting the main rotor to the aircraft’s body, may have caused the crash.

Tolentino said the Air Force endorsed a bill to Congress that would penalize people who fly kites near airports and air bases nationwide following that deadly accident.

In Basilan, Abu Sayyaf bandits have broken up into small groups to elude pursuing government troops.

“This has made the job much harder,” said Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban, deputy chief of the Western Mindanao Command.

He said each splinter group was made up of seven to 10 men, keeping mobile all the time around Tipo-Tipo, Albarka and Sumisip towns.

Also yesterday, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways to deploy an Armed Forces engineering brigade to finish a P1.32-billion coastal road in Zamboanga del Norte that has been stalled by rebel attacks.

In a meeting with local officials in Dipolog City, Mrs. Arroyo said isolation made it easy for “lawless elements” to thrive, adding it was important that the 117.3-km coastal road be completed quickly.

In the House, Bacolod City Rep. Monico Puentevella urged the government to accept the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s offer to pull out its fighters from Basilan and Sulu as a confidence-building measure ahead of the resumption of peace talks next month. Joyce Pangco Pañares, Dennis Caracamo, Macon Ramos Araneta, AP

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x287/GearX_2007/08boundary_black_lowres.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x287/GearX_2007/04kagawadzz_black_lowres.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x287/GearX_2007/02bumblejeep_black_lowres.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x287/GearX_2007/03colorum_black_lowres.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x287/GearX_2007/05sembreaker_black_lowres.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x287/GearX_2007/06megatren_black_lowres.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x287/GearX_2007/07barricab_black_lowres.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x287/GearX_2007/01prime_black_lowres.jpg

haha that's awesome. it took me a second glance to figure out what it really was. i like megatren lol.

Nagiging katawa-tawa itong Thread na ito dahil nag popost tayo ng imposible. Wag naman itong Transformers, nakaka bagsak lalo ng kalagayan ng ating AFP. Dapat yung ma-encourage natin yung Budget Department natin na maka bili man lang ng medyo pwede nating maipag malaki.

Air Force has 55 new pilots (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20070918185)

By Michael Punongbayan
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Fifty-five new pilots officially joined the Philippine Air Force after graduating yesterday from the PAF Flying School in Lipa City in Batangas.

At least 17 of them come from Metro Manila which makes the National Capital Region (NCR) this year’s primary source of new military pilots.

The new pilots received their Military Aviator Badges at the Fernando Air Base in Lipa City where they were congratulated by Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and the flying school’s commandant Col. Restituto Padilla.

The graduates include 10 residents of Southern Tagalog, 10 from Ilocos, six from Central Luzon, three from Region 8, two each from Regions 10, 11, and 12, and one from CARAGA.

All of them graduated under the Military Pilot Training (MPT) Class 2007 who began flight training one year ago.

The PAF intends to make use of the new graduates as tactical pilots who will fly aircraft with night-vision capability.

The military said 37 of the new graduates came from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and eight of the new pilots are women.

PAF said 16 of the pilots came from the Officer Candidate School and will be assigned to different flying units, while 15 will remain at the Air Education Training Command (AETC) in Lipa City to serve as flight instructors.

Padilla said 15 others will be assigned to the 15th Strike Wing and will fly MG-520 attack helicopters and OV-10 Broncos.

The remaining 25 will join the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing to fly Huey helicopters, the 220th Air Lift Wing to fly light aircraft and C-130 cargo planes, and the Air Defense Command to fly S-211 jets.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

55 New Pilots - 0 new planes to fly. :ohno:

Do you have any pictures, info, or anything to share regarding police and government/swat in the Philippines?

kung ako ang police mas mabuti to replace me into a traffic light,,,para hindi ako ang nag lulupang hinirang

I think we've recently upgraded our vehicles and cameras are really needed especially in big cities.The uniforms are quite formal and computerized traffic lights are better than a man conducting traffic under the heat of the sun or the rain plus the smoke surrounding you.

In some less-busy intersections, it's better not to have traffic lights or policemen. They make the traffic worse.

^^ Agreed

Defense asks for P12b to wipe out insurgents (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=politics1_sept27_2007)
By Fel V. Maragay

The Department of National Defense is asking Congress for additional funding of P11.7 billion next year to carry out President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s objective to put an end to communist insurgency by 2010.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro told the Senate finance committee yesterday that the amount is on top of the P51 billion that has been allocated by Malacañang to his department under the proposed 2008 national budget.

In response to a query from Senator Rodolfo Biazon, Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, chief of staff of the Armed Forces, said the strategy to wipe out communist insurgency during the last three years of the Arroyo administration is spelled out in the Armed Forces’ Oplan Bantay Laya.

Esperon said the military component of this strategy requires the creation of additional 12 infantry battalions, hiring of 600 more marines and recruitment of additional technical administrative personnel, including medical workers and lawyers.

Apart from these, 8,400 members of the Citizens Armed Force Geographical Units (Cafgus) will be drafted.

The present troop strength of the Armed Forces is 120,000 regular soldiers and 61,148 Cafgu troopers. The military establishment has 9,000 regular civilian officials and personnel.

Teodoro also presented the defense department’s additional funding request for P20.6 billion for the full payment of pension adjustments and the resumption of pension payment for military retirees.

But Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, chairman of the finance committee, said the request for additional budget of the defense department may be granted only if extra funds become available, which will depend on the inflow of government revenues.

Already, the defense department has the highest budgetary allocations among the line departments after the Department of Education. Teodoro said the Philippines has actually the lowest budgetary allocation for defense in relation to the gross domestic product among member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The defense department’s proposed budget of P51 billion next year is P1.57 billion or 3.18 percent higher than the P49.47 billion allocated for the current year.

By major services, the defense budget is broken down into P26.1 billion for the army, P8 billion for the air force, P9.2 billion for the navy, P5.6 billion for the general headquarters and P1.9 billion for defense department’s proper and civilian bureaus.

By programs and activities, P33.2 billion will go to internal security operations, P707.3 million to territorial defense, P970.3 million to disaster response, P2 billion to support to national development, P143 million to international defense and security engagement, P102 million to international humanitarian assistance, and P13.8 billion training and support services.

Teodoro said the defense department has requested the allocation of P10 billion for 61 projects under the Armed Forces modernization program for 2008. But he said, only P5 billion was approved by the budget department.

DAVAO CITY 911

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a157/kulaskusgan/911/911mainLogo.jpg

Davao City 911 adapted the concept of 911 that originated in the United States of America. They did not only adapt the concept but the call numbers 911 as well. It is the brainchild of the City Mayor Honorable Rodrigo R. Duterte as part of his peace and order program.

Launched in partnership with the Davao Light and Power Company, whose software – the Electronic Computer Aided Dispatch system or ECAD enables a functional system of saving lives.

CALL CENTER

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a157/kulaskusgan/911/911cc7.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a157/kulaskusgan/911/911cc5.jpg

The 911 Call Center is responsible for answering emergency calls and logging the appropriate information on the ECAD system. The call takers pinpoint the precise location of the emergency on GIS maps projected on their computer monitors. The information extracted is automatically sent to the dispatcher who deploys the appropriate responder nearest to the scene of emergency.


What is the ECAD System?

ECAD or the Electronic Computer Aided Dispatch System is a computer program developed by the Davao Light and Power Company which is being used by Central 911 to pinpoint the exact location of the emergency. It utilizes GIS maps plotted with grid lines to triangulate location of the caller . It also captures stores and recalls data in an electronic database.



URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE SERVICES

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a157/kulaskusgan/911/911usar8.jpg

Another pride of Davao City 's 911 is its elite Urban Search and Rescue Unit. Trained by the Army's Special Forces and the Philippine Airforce, this search and rescue unit is equipped with high-tech and cutting edge rescue tools and equipments for various cases like road accident extrications, high-angle operations, swift-water rescues, open sea and deep water rescues, confined space operations, and even animal control cases.


EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a157/kulaskusgan/911/911ems1.jpg

Central 911 is manned by highly trained and competent emergency medical technicians ready to respond to medical emergencies. Each 911 ambulance is equipped with state of the art basic life support and life saving equipment and has communication gadgets linked to the Call Center and the Davao Medical Center . 911 EMS unit caters to pre-arrival and pre-hospital emergency medical care. They also conduct on-line or telephone triage and transport patients to medical facilities.



FIRE AUXILIARY SERVICES:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a157/kulaskusgan/911/911fas1.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a157/kulaskusgan/911/911a.jpg

To complement the fire fighting ability of the Bureau of Fire Protection, Central 911 has established its own Fire Auxiliary Services Unit. These highly technical and well trained fire fighters operate and follow the incident command system during fire cases for the efficient operation and collaboration with the BFP and other Volunteer Fire Fighters. The 911 Fire Auxiliary Services Unit is trained and equipped to respond to high-rise fires and even the dreaded inner-skirt fires in highly populated areas


K9 UNIT


http://img488.imageshack.us/img488/545/4230568538b70f3bc52myq5nv1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a157/kulaskusgan/911/911k910.jpg

Another feature of Davao City 's 911 is its very own K-9 unit. Its bomb and drug sniffing dogs were specially trained in Camp Crame . The 911 K-9 unit operates daily at the Davao City International Airport and other strategic places to help curb the threats of terrorism.


POLICE ASSISTANCE

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a157/kulaskusgan/911/911.jpg

Central 911 provides police emergency assistance by dispatching mobile patrol units nearest to the crime scene. The City Government has provided the Davao City Police Office with Mobile Patrol Cars each equipped with radio communication equipment linked to the 911 Call Center.

qouted by @Kulaskusgan

i notice yung mgatraffice enforcers ay nag iibang kulang kada ciudad....

ours is green...i remember seeing yellow and red

Nice thread but this should be in another area to get more attention.

Air Force has 55 new pilots (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20070918185)

By Michael Punongbayan
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Fifty-five new pilots officially joined the Philippine Air Force after graduating yesterday from the PAF Flying School in Lipa City in Batangas.

At least 17 of them come from Metro Manila which makes the National Capital Region (NCR) this year’s primary source of new military pilots.

The new pilots received their Military Aviator Badges at the Fernando Air Base in Lipa City where they were congratulated by Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and the flying school’s commandant Col. Restituto Padilla.

The graduates include 10 residents of Southern Tagalog, 10 from Ilocos, six from Central Luzon, three from Region 8, two each from Regions 10, 11, and 12, and one from CARAGA.

All of them graduated under the Military Pilot Training (MPT) Class 2007 who began flight training one year ago.

The PAF intends to make use of the new graduates as tactical pilots who will fly aircraft with night-vision capability.

The military said 37 of the new graduates came from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and eight of the new pilots are women.

PAF said 16 of the pilots came from the Officer Candidate School and will be assigned to different flying units, while 15 will remain at the Air Education Training Command (AETC) in Lipa City to serve as flight instructors.

Padilla said 15 others will be assigned to the 15th Strike Wing and will fly MG-520 attack helicopters and OV-10 Broncos.

The remaining 25 will join the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing to fly Huey helicopters, the 220th Air Lift Wing to fly light aircraft and C-130 cargo planes, and the Air Defense Command to fly S-211 jets.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

55 New Pilots - 0 new planes to fly. :ohno:

after 1yr. there would be 55 new pilots for commercial planes... hahaha! kawawa naman ang airforce.

how long do they need to serve PAF before they can go to airlines? 15 years? honestly i think rotary pilots have low chance to be absorbed into commercial service compared to fellas who fly c130 hercules

RP to acquire 52 trainer aircraft (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=91807)

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine government is to buy 18 new and 34 second-hand training aircraft, military officials said Monday.

Major General Pedro Insierto, head of a military modernization board, said they had just completed the bidding for the new Italian-made SF 260 aircraft.

He said the second-hand T41s will be bought at a "very, very cheap price as trainer aircraft," adding that this was a special favor from South Korea.

Air force spokesman Epifanio Panzo said the 18 SF 260 Marchetti aircraft would arrive this year but he could not say when the US-made T41s would arrive.

The aircraft will be strictly used for training and are not intended for combat, he said, adding that the cost of the deal had not yet been revealed.

The Philippine military is one of the most poorly equipped in the region. There have been growing fears that more of its pilots would leave the service to go to airlines because they no longer have enough planes to fly.

"very, very cheap price as trainer aircraft,"

this worries me

italian made jets again ? ! ?

hindi na talaga natuto. >(

malaki siguro magbigay ang mga italyanong iyan sa mga heneral.

The Special Action Force is the primary special forces unit of the Philippine National Police. It is formed along the lines of the British (SAS) Special Air Service, but have different recruitment and selection procedures instead of basing them from the SAS. The SAF, over the years, has received training from the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), RAID and YAMAM The Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU) of the PNP-SAF is responsible for nationwide Police Counter-terrorism (CT) operations nationwide. Meanwhile, the regions have specially-equipped and trained Regional Mobile Forces (RMF) which used to be the Light Reaction Unit (LRU) in Metro Manila and the Regional SAF (RSAF) in the provinces.

Members or Police trainees who undergo SAF training undergo several special military combat related training such as airborne forces training, military diving (UDT), and K-9 handling.

Some of the best members of the PNP-SAF are chosen to undergo bomb disposal or Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Training, and Very Important Person (VIP) security training with the Detective and Protection Services Division of the PNP. Graduates of these courses are furthermore handpicked to join the ranks of the president's elite bodyguard unit known as the Presidential Security Group (PSG).

SAF members who are distributed either regionally or within Metro Manila are furthermore assigned to SWAT units or SWAT training units.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Special_Action_Force_Operators.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/Special_Action_Force_US_Embassy_guards.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8a/SAF_commandos.jpg

SAF specializes in counter-terrorism

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/Saf.JPG

http://www.ferfrans.net/SOAR/02.jpg

http://www.ferfrans.net/DMR/Dmr01.jpg

italian made jets again ? ! ?

hindi na talaga natuto. >(

malaki siguro magbigay ang mga italyanong iyan sa mga heneral.

Nope they didn't mention jets, SF260 is a turboprop trainer:) , but hey what's bad with italian made jets? other than S211 they make good trainers with great track records like MB339 and M346. Malaysia operates MB339...Besides most them are easy to operate and maintain without too much ground equipment. In comparison to that of our neighbor's Bae Hawk trainer jets who's avionics easily gets fried in our tropical climate

IMO it entirely depends on the operatior not on the aircraft.....

That's the problem, we cannot afford other optional weapons.. Ang kaya natin hanngang Rocket pod lang at machine gun. Standard iyan sa mga gunship ng pinoy. Ngayon sa Rocket pod ilang cyclinder lang ba ang kaya? oh oh... iyan na nga.. 6 pods lang kabilaan.
Ang gunship na kailangan ng Pinoy ay dapat kayang bumuga ng 24 Rockets kabilaan at may 30mm front gun pa. We are fighting insurgency and we are attacking on the mountain jungle.. I prefer our AFP-PAF to have Mi-24 or the upgraded Mi-30 Helo Gunship (not Hello Garci). Check Indonesia amigo... they are stocking Mi-24.. that's a good descission.

Im with the MG530, for economics, easily handling and quick response time.

Mi-24's two Isotov TV3 engines consumes more fuel than MG530 and is very detectible due to its heavy noise. (Remember that Mi24 is also the most easily shot down combat helicopter in history) MG530 engine fuel consumtion is just half of that of Huey while Mi24 burns four times than that of Huey. Its engines also bears commonality with our current SF260 fleet.Since it uses the same yet rotor version of the Allison250 turboprop. Making it easier for ground crews to perform maintenance. I think it is best paired with the Z-9 Dauphin transport aircraft to form a rapid reaction force capability. (since both are swift and fast).

To increase firepower (since you mentioned MG530's diminutive rocket pods) I would also suggest those elder C130B and DC-3 sitting around NAIA to be converted as AC-47 and AC130 aerial gunships. Indonesia's TNI-AU reason of stockpiling Mi24 is actually a form of protest due the sanctions that was imposed to them. but technically speaking It fails to anwer its intended role as their OV-10F replacement in the operational side since majority of their Hawk200 still fulfill the COIN role...

Im with the MG530, for economics, easily handling and quick response time.

Mi-24's two Isotov TV3 engines consumes more fuel than MG530 and is very detectible due to its heavy noise. (Remember that Mi24 is also the most easily shot down combat helicopter in history) MG530 engine fuel consumtion is just half of that of Huey while Mi24 burns four times than that of Huey. Its engines also bears commonality with our current SF260 fleet.Since it uses the same yet rotor version of the Allison250 turboprop. Making it easier for ground crews to perform maintenance. I think it is best paired with the Z-9 Dauphin transport aircraft to form a rapid reaction force capability. (since both are swift and fast).


MG530 is good enough... it has proven its worth in Vietnam, Mogadishu, Iraq and Afghanistan. it is quiet and best for scout and air support for ground forces!

why should we worry about our aircraft the huey's and MG520 are among the top10 best helicopters around the world, we only need to upgrade the airframe and avionics of the aircraft.

even the russians realized this the Mig-29 airframe was used for its very agile and new aircraft the Mig-35. add to that the Royal Airforces and the United States older aircraft. :)

I'm still having second thoughts with the Z9 since we all know what's going with the Chinese right now. If they have proven that Z9 is good one then sige ok lang..

Wala naman siguro problema sa MG530. These helos are mean, fast little birds! If PAF will follow this up with *hopefully* an acquisition of either a couple (or few) Cobras or Mangustas then say goodbye to insurgency. :D

SAF specializes in counter-terrorism

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/Saf.JPG

http://www.ferfrans.net/SOAR/02.jpg

http://www.ferfrans.net/DMR/Dmr01.jpg

hmm ito ba yung ginawa or minodify ng ferfrans?

is this the real SAF or mga Airsoft enthusiasts lang...?

is this the real SAF or mga Airsoft enthusiasts lang...?

Those are real SAF C.T. operators and yes the latter pics use modified FERFRANS rifles / submachine guns.

speaking of airsoft... i know some peeps who have those gear...
not really bulletproof ofcourse... but they look so real

is this the real SAF or mga Airsoft enthusiasts lang...?

Those guns are developed by FERFRANS (Forgotten already, correcit if wrong) and yes, it is used by the PNP i think down in Cebu...

http://images.inquirer.net/media/newsinfo/breakingnews/regions/images/pic-10120337220916.jpg

MASTER SERGEANT PACQUIAO - no need for those M-4, just give him a Magic Sing Mic. :nuts:

^^ Pacquiao was a soldier?

^^ Pacquiao was a soldier?



Manny Pacquiao, an Army reservist, was promoted to the next highest rank, a spokesman for the Philippine Army said Thursday.

Pacquiao was promoted to master sergeant from technical sergeant for "bringing distinct honor" to the Army and the country, after he defeated Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera again during their rematch in Las Vegas last Sunday via a unanimous decision, said Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres Jr.

He is still considered a soldier. He needs to continue his education to achieved a higher rank than that.

yahh. army reserve pala si pacquiao

He is still considered a soldier. He needs to continue his education to achieved a higher rank than that.

How can Manny be rank-promoted based on non-military accomplishments?

Here in the U.S. military, promotion is based on one's accountability of his/her MILITARY accomplishments (time in grade/service, military leadership and awards, etc.) while personal achievements are used as supplemental factors.

I understand personal achievements can definitely help in promotion, but in this case it almost seems like this was the sole reason for his promotion.

:dunno:

How can Manny be rank-promoted based on non-military accomplishments?

Here in the U.S. military, promotion is based on one's accountability of his/her MILITARY accomplishments (time in grade/service, military leadership and awards, etc.) while personal achievements are used as supplemental factors.

I understand personal achievements can definitely help in promotion, but in this case it almost seems like this was the sole reason for his promotion.

:dunno:

Hehehe, me too, I dunno, he is more like an adopted member of the army.
Maybe he had a different Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) .

Philippine Army poster boy?

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/usjets.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/marinesquarter.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/letgames.jpg

Perhaps we should ask the Americans to set-up a military base in
Palawan to prepare for the future military threats from PRC.

We can make it rent-free but they should be under the Philippine Law
especially crimes committed by their servicemen while inside the
Philippine territory.


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/chinanavy3.jpg

PRC Navy



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/chinanavy2.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/chinanavy.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/chinanavy6.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/chinanavy5.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/groundtoairmissile.jpg

PRC missile defense system they may set-up in one of their occupied islands
in Spratly group.


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/chinaairtforce.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/chinaairforce3.jpg

PRC Airforce



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/chinaairfoce4.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/magdiwang/chiinanavy7.jpg

Photos courtesy of Philippine Defense Forces Forum.


.

:guns1: we should not be afraid of what China can do to us. Pray:)

Remember... "The family that prays together, Stays together":D

Mas uunahin ng China ang Taiwan.. :D

For now china is not yet a big threat they are just using intimidation (just like the AOW "when weak try to appear strong") but in the next 10 to 20 years they will be a serious threat not only to taiwan but to it's neighbors. Specially the dispute over the parcel and spratleys.

DND: P73 M combat pay released to AFP, but distribution delayed (http://http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20071019192)
By James Mananghaya
Saturday, October 20, 2007


The Department of National Defense (DND) said yesterday that the P73 million intended for the additional combat pay of soldiers has been released to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), but its distribution is delayed due to the “fine-tuning” of implementing rules and regulations.

In an official statement, the DND said that because the money is not part of the AFP’s annual outlay, its distribution is delayed in view of the formulation of the implementing rules and regulations as guidelines for the disposition of the funds.

“The IRR is undergoing fine-tuning to ensure that the funds will be properly disposed to the intended beneficiaries and avoid improper use of funds,” the statement said.

Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, AFP public information office chief, said in an earlier interview that the increase in soldiers’ combat incentive pay applies to all soldiers nationwide, not only to those who are engaged in the fight against Islamic militants in Sulu and Basilan.

He said that even soldiers engaged in the campaign against communist rebels elsewhere would receive the increase in their combat pay.

He said that its distribution to military personnel would depend on the after battle report of their commanders, following an armed engagement with rebels or terrorists.

“It would be determined by their commanders. They would have jurisdiction over the funds so that it could easily be released to the involved troops,” he said.

The issue on the delayed release of combat incentive pay to soldiers has reportedly caused disgruntlement among soldiers, especially those whose units suffered heavy casualties while battling the Abu Sayyaf in the island provinces of Sulu and Basilan.

There were also reports that soldiers are disheartened over the current controversy over the alleged bribery of local government officials by the Palace.

Before President Arroyo announced the P150 increase, soldiers assigned in the frontlines received P240 a month as combat incentive pay.

On top of this, the Chief Executive has also raised the cash benefits for soldiers who get killed or wounded in action.

speaking of airsoft... i know some peeps who have those gear...
not really bulletproof ofcourse... but they look so real

laro po tayo... :)

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/airsoft.jpg

http://images.inquirer.net/media/networkindex/images/pic-11090721180554.jpg

WALKOUT. Army Scout Ranger and Marine officers linked to the alleged
February 2006 coup plot walk out on court martial proceedings at Camp
Capinpin in Tanay town, Rizal province on Friday to protest the continued
failure of AFP chief of staff Gen Hermogenes Esperon Jr. to sign the pre-trial
advice against them. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIA FLOR QUERUBIN


This is a sign of a breakdown in chain of command. No wonder the AFP is really demoralized.:ohno:

Don't generalize...
Not all soldiers are demoralized...
When you're down south in Jolo and Basilan, the last thing you will ever feel is to be demoralized.
As much as we like to picture it in forums like this where the only idea we have are news reports, the situation of our military forces is actually more encouraging than we think....and do not even think it is because of the presence of American soldiers...

^^ Then they have to step up and be recognized. Sir!!

^^ Then they have to step up and be recognized. Sir!!



If they were not busy fighting the war for us down there...
And even then, most soldiers will not crave for it...

I hope they continue their good job in the southern provinces.

This a sign of a breakdown in chain of command. No wonder the AFP is really demoralized.:ohno:

In a way, I agree. The higher levels of command are the ones that really need to provide the leadership for everyone else below them.

People walking out of court-rooms from alleged coup-plot crimes only show proof of their lack of leadership within the AFP.

If they were not busy fighting the war for us down there...
And even then, most soldiers will not crave for it...

is that a G27 in your avatar?

^^...yup...

he,he. I thought that few in the service favored the 40 over the venerable 1911 derivatives.

Nice to know you're one of the few who likes to make reasonably accurate double taps :)

@ kiretoce


Thanks for posting this thread :)

It helps us know more about the present needs and problems facing our armed forces...

he,he. I thought that few in the service favored the 40 over the venerable 1911 derivatives.

Nice to know you're one of the few who likes to make reasonably accurate double taps :)


still got and shoot more with my 45ACP though...hehehe

Our military issued 9 mm Berretta has a lot of complaints. (as if we fire them all the time) --- hahaha!


I missed my old colt .45.

what kind of complaints ? aren't they very reliable ? 15rd 92f's, right ?

matindi lang talaga ang palag ng 45ACP so I've been meaning to try those 45GAPs but the cartridge is relative rare in the PI (walang reload :))

^^ there are still lots of old M9 they are slowly replacing them with 92f. I think the old M9 doesn't load the next bullet nicely after the first shot. I never had a problem with that. But a Glock would have been nicer as a standard issue. :D

^^ special price ang servicemen sa glock. you guys get it cheaper :)

pero I agree, the 9mm and the 38 are sissy rounds. you need to make accurate shots to disable a BG. Thats not always possible when your hands are shaking badly when you have a screaming jihadist heading straight at you :lol:

45 ACP, well, that's another story. kahit 400 lb samoan, kahit saan mo tamaan, mapapahiga yan kapag 230grain na hornady ang ipasalo mo sa kanya :lol:

^^ Basically because the larger the caliber, more powerful stopping power?

^^ I know of some OPS(Joint Special Forces ) have Heckler & Koch Mark 23, chambered for .45 ACP. And some flyboys/girls - have Glock 19s.

The (JCP) Joint Combat Pistol program (consists of: a Caliber .45 pistol and its other equipment including: Magazines (standard and high-capacity) ~~ was suspended indefinitely.
I think they spend the money on food. :lol:

Glock 19 Full Auto
xpR7AYiNSZw

^^ Basically because the larger the caliber, more powerful stopping power?

not necessarily. physics is responsible for stopping power :)

if you remember college physics, momentum = mass x velocity. A larger, heavier bullet with a slower velocity will have the same stopping power as a lighter bullet with a higher velocity.

the american M16 has a bullet around the size of a caliber 22 but has a large powder case making for a high bullet velocity.

compare this with the 7.62mm round of the russian AK47 which has the equivalent of a caliber 30 but has a slower, subsonic bullet .

the gun afficionados have a running debate over the M16 and the AK47, 5.56 vs 7.62. :lol:

(as a sidebar, the AK47 is a rip off of the German STG44 assault rifle which came out in the dying years of WWII)

^^ I know of some OPS(Joint Special Forces ) have Heckler & Koch Mark 23, chambered for .45 ACP. And some flyboys/girls - have Glock 19s.

The (JCP) Joint Combat Pistol program (consists of: a Caliber .45 pistol and its other equipment including: Magazines (standard and high-capacity) ~~ was suspended indefinitely.
I think they spend the money on food. :lol:

Glock 19 Full Auto


Oy ! bawal sa states ang FSSG attachment :lol:

I borrowed a local version of the FSSG and installed it in my G17 with a 33rd extended mag (feeling matrix-neo, ha,ha). So essentially, naging G18 ang G17 ko.

hirap i-control. three burst shots can be made with proper trigger finger control. pero mahirap iputok accurately. maraming madadamay na sibilyan kapag iputok mo sa full auto yan.

^^ collateral damages nga ang resulta niyan! :lol:
Ubusan naman ng bala ang labanan nowadays. Walisan sila sa Iraq at Afghanistan kaya maraming nadadamay. Perhaps, I would do the same, buti na lang, we were never involved in any firefight during those times. Sa KSA, muntik na, nagbunutan kami ng baril dahil sa isang mutawah. Long story that needs to be forgotten, na reprimend kami... buwahaha!

^^muntik nga na akong matumba nuong unang gamit ko na full auto firing sa G17 with fssg :lol:

pero aliw iputok ang full auto na glock. para kang nag hose ng bala. ang tunog nuon brrrrrat. hindi bratatatatat.

sa 33 na bala sa full clip, ang best score ko 7 lang ang pumasok sa cardboard at 30 feet. kaya kung sa labas ko ginamit yun, ang daming tinamaan ng ligaw na bala.

sarap nyo nga sa states. mura ang pusil at ang bala. dito kami sa pinas, umaasa lang sa reload kung hindi wala na bisyo namin. sobrang mahal na. pinakamurang glock, 35K, gunshow price pa.

Balde balde ang bala dito pag sale sa gunshows. Marami din nag rereload at home mas mura. :lol:

http://www.gmanews.tv/images/gmanewstv.jpg

Air Force jet on search duty missing in Palawan (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/70180/Air-Force-jet-on-search-duty-missing-in-Palawan)

VIDEO LINK (http://www.gmanews.tv/video/14724/Saksi-Air-Force-searching-for-lost-plane-in-Palawan)

Article posted November 26, 2007 - 05:08 PM
(Update) A surveillance jet of the Philippine Air Force was reported missing Monday during a maritime patrol mission off the disputed Kalayaan Group of Islands, to search for a fishing boat that capsized off the island group last week.

Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Epifanio Panzo said the S211 aircraft – a trainer jet converted into a reconnaissance aircraft – left Puerto Princesa City with another S211 jet at around 8:45 a.m. in Palawan to conduct a routine maritime patrol at the island group.

Panzo said the two aircraft were supposed to return to Puerto Princesa City not later than 12:45 p.m. but said only one of the aircraft returned at around 11:37 a.m. He said efforts are underway to locate the missing two-seater aircraft.

“They were on a routine maritime maritime patrol...We don’t know what happened, we don’t know if it crashed. We lost contact with it, its missing. We have alerted our Islander aircraft for the conduct of search and rescue operation," Panzo said.

Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Horacio Tolentino said it was at around 10 a.m. when they last established contact with the missing jet, which he said was also dispatched to find a Filipino fishing boat that capsized off Pagasa island.

The boat capsized last November 22 due to tropical storm “Lando". Chinese fishermen rescued 30 occupants of the sunken boat while 25 others remained missing.

“They were on maritime patrol in Pagasa, Kalayaan (Group of Islands). They were searching for the Filipino fishing vessel that capsized last Nov. 22. They were searching for that. Their mission was to conduct maritime patrol and they were searching for the Filipino fishing vessel," he said.

Tolentino said they have requested the US Pacific Command to help in the search for the missing jet. “We are awaiting the go signal of the Pacific Command so that aircraft of the Americans would fly in the area," the official said.

Apart from the Philippines, the other countries that are claiming in part or in whole the Kalayaan Group of Islands are China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Philippines is occupying a number of the islands, including Pagasa island. - GMANews.TV

baka nabenta na sa sudan

From: Opinion - EDITORIAL - Missing in action (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Opinion&p=49&type=2&sec=25)

http://www.philstar.com/newphilstar/www/image/20071128/startoon.gif


Until yesterday there was no word on what had happened to a military S-211 jet that went missing over the Spratlys in the South China Sea the other day. The jet, intended for training but used by the military for reconnaissance, has been dubbed the “widow-maker” for figuring in too many fatal crashes. But after grounding the remaining S-211 jets following every accident, the Philippine Air Force has been left with little choice but to use the planes again.

In one of Asia’s most poorly equipped air forces, every aircraft counts. Long dependent on the American security umbrella, the Armed Forces of the Philippines was left to fend for itself when the US bases were shut down between 1991 and 1992. There was little effort on the part of the political leadership to make up for what was lost. Among the branches that bore the brunt of neglect was the Philippine Air Force. Aircraft hand-me-downs inevitably deteriorated. Trainer jets used, by force of necessity, for other purposes broke down and crashed. Old helicopters could be brought down by kite strings.

:ohno: Bad maintenance? o' Malas lang talaga....

211s again ! and they're acquiring similar aircraft again :nono:

were the 211's really on a search and rescue mission ? pretty stupid to use fighter jet planes for search operations. they only have an hours' worth of fuel for loiter and they travel too fast to see individuals floating in the sea !

i heard wala daw tayong airforce...

too bad for our country... baka makikita nalang sa kalangitan ibat ibanng mga spylanes etc

i think the country needs to equipped our army,navy and airforce better, not just for other country to respect us, but to gain respect from our own people too.

true... kaawa awa naman tayo kung parati nalang tayo aasa sa america...

i mean san ang ating pride dyan?
ang excuse na naman eh d namandaw tayo naghahanap ng away.
but thats the point, its for defense for an unexxpected eventuality...

^^ well, we have this self defense weapon that can win a title. :lol:
http://images.inquirer.net/media/networkindex/images/pic-11280710030943.jpg
Army Chief Lieutenant General Alexander Yano (left) spars with Sergeant
Harry Tañamor, a three-time SEA Games champion who will attempt to win
the country's first Olympic gold medal in Beijing in 2008.
INQUIRER.net/JOEL GUINTO

http://images.inquirer.net/media/networkindex/images/pic-11280708440019.jpg

FROM ONE HERO TO ANOTHER. Boxing champion Manny
Pacquiao, a reservist Army master sergeant, autographs the boxing
gloves of a soldier in Camp Bautista, Jolo, Sulu, where he and Army Chief
Lieutenant General Alexander Yano (center) gave a pep talk to troops
on the frontlines against Abu Sayyaf extremists.
INQUIRER.net/JOEL GUINTO

Idol! (yung nasa right side)

http://images.inquirer.net/media/newsinfo/breakingnews/regions/images/pic-11280703400674.jpg

Salute the Sarge! - the name of the horse that I bet and run like a burro. :lol:

Asteeg ang M14 ! ! !

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/4052/m14bd6.png (http://imageshack.us)

^^ Still the weapon of choice by some snipers here. now called M25 or XM25, I haven't seen them for quite awhile. I don't know what those marines were using in the range during their qualification round. Parang kanyon na ata yung mga dala nila. :lol:

kuha raw ang photo sa manila pen kahapon.

noteworthy na walang optics yung sniper.

sa pinas, paborito pa rin ang m14 ng sniper kasi hindi madali madeflect ang bala ng undergrowth sa gubat.

meron na ring barret ang marines sa atin, courtesy of balikatan.

^^really, parang namang napakaantiquated na ng mga M-14s. My lolo has one on his bedroom wall from world war 2 pa yon.

the M14 is the predecessor of the M16. It came into service in the mid 50's - early 60's as the replacement for the the venerable M1 garand (the M1 rifle is the one called by Patton as the best rifle in the world).

When the M16 was introduced, the M14 was relegated as the squad sniper rifle, in part because of its longer ranged cal 30 round. It is still a favorite weapon of snipers in mindanao.

However I think you are confusing the the M14 with the WWII era BAR (browning automatic rifle). The BAR is a so-so weapon. It's also very difficult to have the BAR licensed here because civilians are not allowed to own automatic rifles.

^^ah ok so it wasnt an M-14, it was probably a garand, its a shame i couldnt ask him what it was coz he's dead now. It probably isnt a BAR because he's in the engineering battalion and they wouldnt have handed out automatic weapons to them. About the M-14, does that mean that the ones on our arsenal are decades old already or is the M-14 still in production.

yup, they're decades old. they stopped production ages ago. but a properly maintained firearm can outlast several generations of soldiers. an example is the iconic Colt 1911 cal 45 (yes the same pistol originally designed to stop a juramentado pinoy "moro" warrior. no slurs intended).

those pistols were produced in and around WWI era and were in service in the US army until the mid 80's. American servicemen like our very own tsinoy lament having to give up that model sidearm. surplus GI 1911 pistol are still on sale today in the phil for PhP18K.

Garands are still in widespread use in mindanao, with many a farmer possessing an unlicensed one. there is even a cottage industry in minadanao converting these Garands into full auto weapons. these are nicknamed "BARands" :lol:

the M14 is the predecessor of the M16. It came into service in the mid 50's - early 60's as the replacement for the the venerable M1 garand (the M1 rifle is the one called by Patton as the best rifle in the world).

When the M16 was introduced, the M14 was relegated as the squad sniper rifle, in part because of its longer ranged cal 30 round. It is still a favorite weapon of snipers in mindanao.

However I think you are confusing the the M14 with the WWII era BAR (browning automatic rifle). The BAR is a so-so weapon. It's also very difficult to have the BAR licensed here because civilians are not allowed to own automatic rifles.

correct me if i'm wrong the BAR is the predecessor of Armallite (M-16)not the M1? bec they have a hard time in Vietnam handling the BAR or ios it the predecessor of the portable .30 or .50 cal. machine gun ?

trivia : did you know that the Cal. .45 was invented bec of Mindanao Juremnetados.. bec revolvers can't take down tan attacking and bolo yielding moro jurementados :)

correct me if i'm wrong the BAR is the predecessor of Armallite (M-16)not the M1? bec they have a hard time in Vietnam handling the BAR or ios it the predecessor of the portable .30 or .50 cal. machine gun ?

trivia : did you know that the Cal. .45 was invented bec of Mindanao Juremnetados.. bec revolvers can't take down tan attacking and bolo yielding moro jurementados :)

the M60 suceeded the BAR as the squad automatic weapon.

the M16, while capable of firing full auto, is still considered a rifle, hence the successor of the M14. This is because you cannot fire an M16 in full auto for etxended periods of time. your rifle will overheat and you can cook off a round or have the barrel explode.

The M16 actually belonged to a new class of rifles, called assault rifles. this class of weapon was developed because research showed that your average grunt is more likely to fire an automatic rifle rather than a semi automatic one.

The germans were the first to introduce assault rifles in war, with their SG44. It appeared too late in WWIIr though to affect its outcome. the russians promptly copied the sg44 and based their legendary AK47 on the SG44 design.

correct me if i'm wrong the BAR is the predecessor of Armallite (M-16)not the M1? bec they have a hard time in Vietnam handling the BAR or ios it the predecessor of the portable .30 or .50 cal. machine gun ?

trivia : did you know that the Cal. .45 was invented bec of Mindanao Juremnetados.. bec revolvers can't take down tan attacking and bolo yielding moro jurementados :)

I think the M-60 is the replacement for BAR gunner in a squad. hehehe, I dunno, but I love the sound of a .50 caliber Machine Gun.... hehehe, nakakatakot ang tunog.

About the Colt .45, I think US Army were using the cowboy style Colt .45 revolver in the Philippines at first then the Colt automatic replaced the older revolver in the 1900s. I'm sure it wan't invented because of the Juramentados since it was used earlier in the US-Mexican conflict.

IAbout the Colt .45, I think US Army were using the cowboy style Colt .45 revolver in the Philippines at first then the Colt automatic replaced the older revolver in the 1900s. I'm sure it wan't invented because of the Juramentados since it was used earlier in the US-Mexican conflict.

You're right. The Colt .45 wasn't invented because of the Juramentados. However, it was used on them as part of the field tests for the Colt .45. (Source: History Channel)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1911_Colt_pistol

the M1911 was designed specifically to address the problems of troopers with their 38s which were not good enough for stopping pinoys on a warpath :).

"In response to problems encountered by American units fighting Moro guerrillas during the Philippine-American War, the then-standard .38 Long Colt revolver was found to be unsuitable for the rigors of jungle warfare, particularly in terms of stopping power, as the Moros had very high battle morale and frequently used drugs to inhibit the sensation of pain.[citation needed] It's also been reported that the Moros wore a very effective bamboo "armor" that was difficult to penetrate with the smaller caliber revolver.[citation needed] The U.S. Army briefly reverted to using the M1873 single-action revolver in .45 Colt caliber, which had been standard during the last decades of the 19th century; the slower, heavier bullet was found to be more effective against charging tribesmen. The problems with the .38 Long Colt led to the army shipping new single action .45 Colt revolvers to the Philippines in 1902. It also prompted the then-Chief of Ordnance, General William Crozier, to authorize further testing for a new service pistol."

^^ Even a Krag could not stop a determined opponent such as a Juramentado, so the US Cavalry rely on those .45 Automatic Colt Pistol. Buti na lang hindi pa buhay si Dirty Harry. :lol:

Sa tutoo lang, mahirap itama ang .45, unless you are very close to the target. :D

How the US got its Philippine bases back (http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IK28Ae01.html)

MANILA - Last year, the United States Quadrennial Defense Review, a public and official document required by the US Congress from the Pentagon to express US military strategy, announced that: "Of the major and emerging powers, China has the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States and field disruptive military technologies that could over time offset traditional US military advantages absent US counter-strategies."

Capping a series of pronouncements by high-level US officials warning China not to challenge the US as well as a series of actions indicating US moves to encircle China with US military assets and allies, the document confirmed what many had long suspected to be the case: that the US sees China as the rival whose rise it must prevent and whose military power it must contain. One of the countries in which the US has been deepening its military presence in is the Philippines - considered by US analysts as firmly located within what they call "the dragon's lair" - that strategic area around China where decisive battles could erupt in certain war-planning scenarios.

Though the US military officially vacated the Philippines and its mammoth Subic Bay base in 1991, since 2001 it has moved to re-integrate the Philippines firmly within what it now calls its "global defense posture". Despite the US and Philippine governments' efforts to play down their presence, a clearer but still incomplete picture of the extent and depth of the re-establishment of the US's military presence in the Philippines has emerged.

Recurring exercises

First, the US has stepped up deploying troops, ships and equipment to the country, ostensibly for training exercises, humanitarian and engineering projects and other missions, even though its military officially vacated the Philippines and its mammoth Subic Bay base in 1991.

Since 1998, a steady stream of US troops has arrived in the country for regular military exercises involving up to 5,000 troops, depending on the exercise in various locations throughout the country. Through the Visiting Forces Agreement, which was required by the US to conduct the exercises, it was only beginning in 2001 that the number and the size of troops involved jumped significantly. In 2006, up to 37 exercises were scheduled, up from 17 to 24 in the preceding years.

In any given year since then, few are the days or weeks when there would be no US troops somewhere in the country, giving lectures to Philippine troops, participating in large-scale maneuvers, joining command exercises, simulating war games or taking part in other related activities. Compared to any other Southeast Asian country, the Philippines hosts the most number of such exercises and activities. As a result of these continuing deployments, former US ambassador to the Philippines Francis Ricciardone has described the US presence in the country as "semi-continuous".

Though presented largely as efforts to improve the skills of Filipino soldiers, the aim is also to gain strategic ground. As former US Pacific Command chief Thomas Fargo himself has pointed out: "The habitual relationships built through exercises and training and a coherent view of regional security with regional partners is our biggest guarantor of access in time of need ... Access over time can develop into habitual use of certain facilities by deployed US forces with the eventual goal of being guaranteed use in a crisis, or permission to preposition logistics stocks and other critical material in strategic forward locations."

As US troops come and go in rotation for frequent regular exercises, their presence - when taken together - makes up a formidable forward-presence that brings them closer to areas of possible action without need for huge infrastructure to support them - and without inciting a lot of public attention and opposition. For instance, US troops will be able to deploy faster to the South China Sea if they are holding exercises off Palawan or in Zambales than if they were in Hawaii. In the face of domestic sensitivities regarding a permanent US military presence, they would also be able to say publicly that they are only in the Philippines temporarily and that they will be leaving soon. What is left unsaid, however, is that they are also always arriving.

And as US troops depart then come back again, they leave behind the infrastructure that they had built and used ostensibly for the exercises and which could still be of use to the US military in the future for missions different from those for which they were initially built. In General Santos City, for example, the US constructed a deepwater port and one of the most modern domestic airports in the country, connected to each other by one of the country's best roads.

In Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, where US troops routinely go for exercises, the airport has been renovated and its runway strengthened to carry the weight of C-130 planes. In the southern islands of Basilan and Sulu, venues of Balikatan exercises, the US, through United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has also built roads and ports that can berth huge ships.

Along with troops, an increasing number of ships have also entered the country with increasing frequency, ostensibly for exercises and humanitarian missions. On at least one occasion, it appeared that they even came unannounced and unexpected. [6] According to the US Congressional Budget Office, "[T]he Navy counts those ships as providing overseas presence full time, even when they are training or simply tied up at the pier." Though they come and go, the US military sees their regular and frequent "temporary" deployments as part of its global "posture."

As the US National Defense Strategy states, "Our posture also includes the many military activities in which we engage around the world. This means not only our physical presence in key regions, but also our training, exercises and operations. They involve small units working together in a wide range of capacities, major formations conducting elaborate exercises to achieve proficiency in joint and combined operations, and the 'nuts and bolts' of providing support to ongoing operations. They also involve the force protection that we and our allies provide to each other."

Just-in-time basing

Second, the US has secured arrangements and built infrastructure that would allow it to use ports and airfields to pre-position equipment, secure logistics support and engage a broad range of locally-provided services that would enable it to launch and sustain operations from the Philippines if necessary.

In September 2001, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo granted the US free access to its ports and offered it over-flight rights to its airspace. In November 2002, the US and Philippine governments signed the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), which has been described by researchers with the US Congressional Research Service as "allowing the United States to use the Philippines as a supply base for military operations throughout the region". The MLSA obliges the Philippine government to exert "best efforts" to provide the US logistics supplies, support and services during exercises, training, operations and other US military deployments.

The agreement defines these to include food, water, petroleum, oils, clothing, ammunition, spare part and components, billeting, transportation, communication, medical services, operation support, training services, repair and maintenance, storage services, and port services. "Construction and use of temporary structures" is also covered. In other words, the MLSA gives the US access to the full range of services that the US military would require to operate in and from the country. Also through the MLSA, the US has secured the services that it would normally be able to provide itself inside a large permanent base but without constructing and retaining large permanent bases - and without incurring the costs and the political problems that such bases often pose.

In 2003, an analyst reported that among all Southeast Asian countries only the Philippines has provided a "forward positioning site" for the US to store equipment to be used for regional operations. In August 2005, the Overseas Basing Commission, the official commission tasked to review US basing, identified the Philippines as one of the countries - along with Thailand, India and Australia - in which so-called "Cooperative Security Locations" (CSLs) are being developed by the US in the region. According to the Pentagon, CSLs are a new category of bases that refer to facilities owned by host-governments but are to be made available for use by the US military as needed.

The Philippine government has not disclosed the locations and other details about these CSLs. The airport in Mactan, which now hosts a fleet of US Orion reconnaissance planes, is reported to be one site where Pentagon officials intended to establish such a facility, but this has not yet been officially acknowledged or independently confirmed. Yet Arroyo herself had earlier in July 2001 raised the idea of renting out naval facilities in Subic Bay, an oft-used venue for joint exercises to the US military.

Lockheed Martin, a company often contracted by the US military, was reported to have been waiting for approval to establish a regional aircraft maintenance facility at Clark Air Base. Halliburton KBR, another US corporation that has secured US military contracts, was reported as having been granted in November 2001 a US$100 million contract to convert Subic Bay into a modern commercial port. The company had earlier announced that it was exploring redeveloping the former US Navy Ship Repair Facility in Subic Bay for maritime logistics and ship support services.

Arrangements that combine commercial with military activities, noted then US PACOM Admiral Dennis Blair, "opens up possibilities for the sorts of things that we can work together on in the future". Indeed in a recent thesis for the US Naval Postgraduate School, these arrangements are precisely what were recommended by Thomas Garcia: "not a return to the grand infrastructure of the past" but "the use of only a small logistical facility currently utilized by the commercial ship industry, and the port infrastructure of berths and airfield already in place."

Another option suggested by Garcia was to locate the Philippine Navy in Subic and then allow the US to position its ships inside the nominally Philippine-owned base. Former US PACOM chief Admiral Thomas Fargo had in fact announced plans to use Subic and Clark for the transit of personnel and trans-shipment of equipment, as well as a re-fueling post for US ships from Honolulu, Guam, or the US West Coast bound for the US base in Diego Garcia. Though nothing has since been heard of these plans, the reports indicate that such options are still on the table. Given the US government's policy of partial disclosure, it's also possible that such plans have gone ahead unannounced and possibly in other places, in the manner that Kaplan had described above.

The terms of the MLSA and the establishment of CSLs reflect the US's increasing emphasis on just-in-time logistics support and pre-positioning of equipment to ensure that US forces - dispersed as they are around the world, often far away from main bases where they store equipment and tap all kinds of services - are always ready and rearing to go. It is not so much the size of the base that matters, but whether it can provide the US military with what it needs and when it's needed.

As the Council on Foreign Relations recently pointed out, "While host nation support often carries the connotation of basing, its role of staging and access is perhaps more critical. Support for port visits, ship repairs, over-flight rights, training areas and opportunities, and areas to marshal, stage, repair, and re-supply are no less important for both daily US presence in the region and for rapid and flexible crisis response."

Forward operating unit

Third, the US has already succeeded in stationing indefinitely a US military unit in the Philippines. Since 2002, a unit now called the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) has been deployed to and based in Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and other areas in Mindanao in the southern Philippines.

While initially presented as part of on-again, off-again temporary training exercises, it has since been revealed that this unit has continuously maintained its presence in the country for the past six years. With the Philippine government not giving a definite exit date, and with US officials stating that this unit will stay on as long as they are allowed by the government, it is presumed that it will continue to be based in the Philippines for the foreseeable future.

In an apparent effort not to draw attention to the unit, the US and Philippine governments have publicly revealed little about the real nature and mission of the JSOTF-P, except to project it as part of the US-led "war on terror" and to highlight the humanitarian and civil engineering projects that it undertakes. The media, for the most part, have through the years uncovered little about the unit and have reported on it by following the description offered by the US and Philippine governments. Most of what has since been gathered about the unit has come from US military publications and specialist sources not intended for general public consumption.

Headquartered in the Philippine military's Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City, but with its personnel sent to various locations, the JSOTF-P has effectively established a new form of US military presence and basing in the country. When it was publicly revealed in August 2007 that the US Department of Defense via a US military construction unit had granted a contract to a company providing "base operations support" for the JSOTF-P, the US Embassy admitted that the US was setting up allegedly "temporary"structures for "medical, logistical, administrative services"and facilities for "for them to eat, sleep and work."

The Philippine's own Visiting Forces Commission also confirmed that the US maintains "living quarters" and stock supplies inside Philippine military camps. Renowned US military historian Robert Kaplan, who revisited the JSOTF-P inside Camp Navarro in 2006 described these structures as signifying a "more hardened, permanent arrangement." According to a US military publication, the JSOTF-P's area of operations covers about 20,000 square kilometers, covering the entire island of Mindanao and its surrounding islands and seas. According to various media reports, the number of troops attached to the unit has ranged from between 100 and 450, but it is not clear what the actual total number is for any specific period. US Lieutenant Colonel Mark Zimmer, a JSOTF-P public affairs officer, said it varies "depending on the season and the mission."

US officials have consistently maintained that US troops belonging to the unit "train, advise and assist" the Philippine military in their war against alleged terrorists in the country. Though denying that they are involved in "actual combat", US officials also repeatedly assert that they have the right to shoot back when under fire. In US military publications, US troops belonging to the unit have characterized their mission as "unconventional warfare", "foreign internal defense" and "counter-insurgency".

In fact, they have been reported to have exchanged gunfire with and to have been attacked by alleged insurgents. There have also been numerous sightings of US troops in the vicinity of active military operations, some of which have been confirmed by Philippine military officials. At the height of Philippine military offensives against insurgent targets in August 2007, US soldiers were photographed by a press wire agency leading a military convoy in Sulu.

All of this has served to challenge Philippine government claims that the US troops are not involved in the fighting. As Colonel Jim Linder, former head of JSOTF-P, has stated, "We're very much in a war out here ... We'll spill American blood on Jolo. It's only by luck, skill and the grace of God we haven't yet." Referring to their bases in the southern Philippines as "forward operating base-11" and "advanced operating base-921," the JSOTF-P corresponds to the new kind of forward-deployment that the US has introduced as part of its ongoing effort to realign its global posture and overhaul its offensive capabilities.

In terms of profile and mission, the JSOTF-P is similar to the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-Horn of Africa), which was established in Djibouti in eastern Africa in 2003 and also composed mostly of Special Forces. Like the JSOTF-P, the CJTF-Horn of Africa has also been conducting "humanitarian"missions and aid projects. Similar to the Philippines, Djibouti has also seen a dramatic increase in the amount of military aid it receives from the US. As a sample of the US's new austere basing template, the CJTF-Horn of Africa has been described as the "model for future US military operations."

Indeed, more deployments similar to that of the JSOTF-P and CJTF-Horn of Africa are planned in other locations around the world. In 2004, former PACOM commander Thomas Fargo talked about expanding Special Operations Forces in the Pacific. Apparently referring to the JSOTF-P, former secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld also announced that the Pentagon would establish more "nodes for special operations forces."

In his 2005 Annual Defense Report, Rumsfeld said that the US military "will improve its global force posture to increase strategic responsiveness while decreasing its overseas footprint and exposure. In place of traditional overseas bases with extensive infrastructure, we intend to use smaller forward operating bases with prepositioned equipment and rotational presence of personnel ... We will maintain a smaller forward-presence force in the Pacific while also stationing agile, expeditionary forces capable of rapid responses at our power projection bases."

As evidenced by the fact that most Filipinos are not even aware of their presence and their actions, the JSOTF-P has managed to circumvent public opposition and legal restrictions governing the presence of foreign troops in the country. Hence, as Kaplan noted, "The JSOTF had succeeded as a political mechanism for getting an American base-of-sorts up and running ..." C H Briscoe, command historian of the US Army Special Operations Command, under which the units of the JSOTF-P belong, concurs: "After more than 10 years, PACOM has reestablished an acceptable presence in the Philippines."

Though the Abu Sayyaf Group and other "terrorists" are the self-avowed targets of the JSOTFP, its location and capabilities allow it to aim much farther. In fact, the JSOTF-P's "area of operations" covers places in Mindanao in which the communist paramilitary group the New People's Army (NPA) is also active. The US had also tagged the NPA as a "foreign terrorist organization" and therefore as a legitimate target of the "war on terror". In fact, the US has also directly offered to more actively help in fighting the NPA. As it is, US military assistance and training are directly contributing to the Philippine military's war against them.

Strategically positioned between two routes at the entrance of a major sea lane, the Makassar Strait, at the southwestern rim of the South China Sea, closer to Malaysia and Indonesia than most of the rest of the Philippines, the JSOTF-P, according to C H Briscoe, the unit's official historian, is "now better able to monitor the pulse of the region". Indeed, Major General David Fridovich, commander of the US Special Operations Forces-Pacific, has stated that the area including the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia is the "key region where we presently focus our indirect efforts."

Rommel Banlaoi, an analyst with the National Defense College of the Philippines, finds, "The American war on terrorism has provided the US an excellent justification to hasten its reestablishment of a strategic presence in Southeast Asia." Having secured that presence, the US has become closer to that country with "the greatest potential to compete militarily" with the US.

By getting the US "semi-permanently" based south of Luzon for the first time since World War II, Kaplan notes that "the larger-than-necessary base complex" in Zamboanga has delivered more than tactical benefits. In the minds of the US Army strategists, Kaplan notes, "Combating Islamic terrorism in this region [Southeast Asia] carried a secondary benefit for the United States: it positioned the US for the future containment of nearby China."

US has ‘secret bases’ in RP, says Thai think tank: Mactan, Clark, Subic, GenSan tagged as "lily pads" (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=102422)

MANILA, Philippines -- The United States is maintaining “secret bases” in the Philippines, and the primary target of this military presence is China, not the Abu Sayyaf extremist group, according to a special report by a Bangkok-based international think tank.

The bases are listed in the US Overseas Basing Commission as “cooperative security locations” (CSLs), a new category of offshore US military bases, said the report launched in Manila Wednesday by the Focus on the Global South, a policy research organization based at the Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, with country offices in the Philippines and India.

The report, titled “At the Door of All the East: The Philippines in United States Military Strategy,” said the US Overseas Basing Commission, a body created by the US Congress to review the ongoing realignment of US military presence around the world, lists the Philippines as among the countries where the US has been developing CSLs.

Mactan, Subic, Clark

Though the government has neither acknowledged nor identified the locations of these bases in the Philippines, the report suggested that one such CSL is in Mactan.

Other possible leads offered for those with the capacity to probe the issue further include the Subic Bay and Clark free ports and the General Santos airport.

The report’s launch date was timed to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the withdrawal of US troops from their bases in the Philippines on Nov. 24, 1992.

It noted that the Philippine government has neither announced its decision to allow the opening of these CSLs nor has it revealed where these bases are located.

According to the report, the Pentagon categorizes CSLs as US military installations that are nominally owned by host governments but are to be provided for the United States’ use when needed. They would most likely be run and maintained by host-nation personnel or even private contractors. They are useful for pre-positioning logistics support or as venues for joint operations with host militaries.

Lily pads

CSLs are also called “lily pads” intended to allow the US to hop from their larger bases to their destinations rapidly when necessary, said the report, the result of five years of research, interviews and monitoring.

With their low profile, they are envisioned not to attract the kind of attention that has fueled domestic opposition to US military presence in many places around the world, it said.

The report also documented how and why the US has been re-establishing its presence in the Philippines.

Eschewing the usual explanation that US troops are in the Philippines to help hunt down terrorists, the report instead locates US military actions within the larger context of the US global objectives and strategy.

Citing official US documents and examining US actions over the past years, the report identified China as the real target of the US attempts to gain access to the Philippines.

“The current US military strategy is to prevent the rise of any rivals to its sole superpower status. China has been explicitly and officially identified by the US as this potential rival and has since moved to encircle it with US military presence in the various countries surrounding it,” the report said.

Long-term threat

While terrorists may be a concern to US security, China is seen as posing the greater long-term threat that drives US military strategy and actions.

“Explaining US military presence in the Philippines as driven by the Abu Sayyaf is inadequate and misleading,” the report said.

It cited a series of pronouncements by US President George Bush and other top officials citing China as a “threat” to the US move to re-deploy more of its troops from Europe to Asia to support its contention.

It said the US construction of military bases in Central Asia, its efforts to deepen its military alliances with Japan, Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, and more recently, India, were all done with China in mind.

In the Philippines, the report cited these forms of US military presence as being driven by US to deter China’s challenging US military -- the increasing number of joint military exercises; the indefinite stationing of a unit of US Special Forces in the southern Philippines; the securing of an access agreement assuring logistics and other services to the US military; and the building of various kinds of infrastructure facilitating US military mobility.

^^ Sa tutoo lang, mahirap itama ang .45, unless you are very close to the target. :D

very true. but that applies to all handguns, not just 45s. although with 45s it's a bit more difficult to double tap.

I fire 1-200rds a month just retain a modicum of proficiency to hit the cardboard at 30ft (a second, but not necessarily a subordinate reason, is because I find the perfume of gunpowder pleasant - adik pulbura, bwahahaha)

Thus my advice to anyone facing the business end of a colt from an irate motorist - run in a zigzag. a road-rage pistol snapper is not likely to be a licensed gunholder and therefore does not train regularly. he won't be able to shoot straight :lol:

Short vid of my recent vist to Sangley. I wish the weather was better.

Mr_W9mmZGVA

AFP submits ‘wish list’ to Congress
(http://www.mb.com.ph/MTNN20071209111062.html)
By EDMER F. PANESA

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) recently submitted to Congress a "wish list" of what it wants to acquire in 2008 as part of its modernization program, Pangasinan Rep. Arthur Celeste revealed yesterday.


Celeste, chairman of the House Committee on National Defense and Security, said helicopters top the list of priorities that the military wanted to purchase next year under the 15-year AFP Modernization Program, which was launched in 1996 and ends in 2010.

He said that Congress, the House of Representatives in particular, is inclined to support the request of the AFP to give its service commands a boost in their fight against the enemies of the State.

Celeste said the recent coup attempt led by the group of Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV shows the clear and present danger that various threat groups have on the country’s stability, "thus, we need to make sure that our security forces are well armed with modern yet modest materiel."

In a recent briefing conducted to members of the House Defense panel, the AFP disclosed that the most potent threat to the security of the country and the people remains the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), which has 6,200 followers with 6,000 firearms present in 2,200 barangays or five percent of total villages nationwide.

"The AFP is aiming to defeat the CPP-NPA-NDF by 2010 and destroy the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group and other terrorist organizations at the soonest possible time, so we in Congress must support our security forces through their request for military equipment," Celeste said.

He noted that R331 billion is needed for the 15-year modernization program, which is aimed to transform the AFP into a credible and sustainable defense force through the development of identified capabilities and acquisition of weapon systems, materiel, and technological base.

The AFP Capability Upgrade Program is divided into four components, communication equipment, firepower upgrade, mobility improvement, and troop support, Celeste said.

"The modest funding released to the AFP is not enough to realize true modernization but simple equipment upgrades. Our fighting men need congressional support, for starters, we need to provide for acquisition of brand helicopters with R 3 billion needed for combat utility helicopters and another R2 billion for night attack helicopters," Celeste said.

AFP sets new bid for new helicopters (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20071230127)

Monday, December 31, 2007
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has decided to disregard an earlier bidding for suppliers of night-capable attack helicopters after President Arroyo ordered the release of P5 billion for the purchase of more aircraft, a ranking military official said.

“The bids and awards committee has decided to conduct another bidding to ensure that we get the same brand of helicopters,” AFP vice chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Romero said.

The P5 billion that was released by the President is part of the funding for the capability upgrade program of the AFP, intended to modernize the ill-equipped military to enable it to meet the 2010 deadline set by their commander-in-chief to crush the 39-year-old communist insurgency and the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf.

In an interview, Romero said they are set to conduct another bidding for the procurement of night-capable attack helicopters that would be worth P3.2 billion instead of P1.2 billion, which was earlier earmarked for its purchase.

Romero said the AFP also intends to buy utility aircraft such as the Vietnam War-vintage UH1H Huey that would be worth P3 billion.

Romero, who is also chair of the AFP modernization board, explained that getting the same brand of helicopters would be more cost efficient in terms of spare parts and training for pilots. He further said it would not be advisable to get aircraft made by different manufacturers even if they have the same specifications.

“We were advised that it is not good to get different brands of helicopters even if it is a carbon copy of the other,” he said.

Romero, however, did not specify how many attack and utility helicopters could be bought by the military with that amount, but he said out of the P5 billion, P3 billion would be used to purchase cargo helicopters, while the rest would be used for attack helicopters.

Romero added that those who have earlier joined the bidding and placed a higher price for the military hardware would make their costs lower for them to win the contract.

He said that the utility helicopters that would be purchased by the AFP should be able to lift at least a squad of soldiers, for troop insertion during combat, as well as to airlift casualties and bring supplies for frontline forces.

In a separate interview, Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Horacio Tolentino said McDonnel Douglas, a foreign supplier, won the earlier bidding for six units of night capable attack helicopters.

He said he is not certain if the setting aside of the earlier bidding would pose legal problems if the winner pursues the contract, which, according to him, is in its post-qualification stage.

But Tolentino agreed that it would be wise to buy the same kind of aircraft with the money as it would be more cost efficient for the AFP. – James Mananghaya

In my opinion, if the Armed Forces of the Phils. want to purchase a night capable Attack helicopter, I would suggest that the Apache Ah-64 is the Best option and in SouthEast Asia, only Singapore already has in its arsenal.
It has lots of firepower, advance night gadgets and electronics. It has earned
high praise during its role in the Gulf War. (see photo below)

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii223/PositiveThinker_2008/ApacheAH-64.jpg


Another night capable Attack helicopter in the Long Bow Cobra AH-1 Attack helicopter, the Lesser version of the Cobra. Of the Two I prefer the Apache.
It was also used during the First Gulf War.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii223/PositiveThinker_2008/CobraAH-1.jpg


For Troop Mobility and Utility, the Sikorsky BlackHawk is the Best Option.
It can also be converted into a Gunship and had a lot of engine power.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii223/PositiveThinker_2008/SikorskyBlackHawk.jpg

^^ I like your thinking PositiveThinker, but here is a bit of insight from a U.S. Air Force aircraft maintenance technician like me.

Those helicopters are great, but not only is the machine important, but CONSTANT training and REGULAR maintenance is very critical to make these machines potent to their maximum ability.

Can the Philippine Air Force/AFP provide the facilities and annual budgets to maintain constant training not only for the aircrew, but for support and maintenance personnel as well? When parts are broken, will budgetary contraints backlog maintenance requests or reduce the quality of these weapons?

Those weapons you show are made by and operated by western countries whose aircrew and maintenance personnel follow training protocols and regulatory guidelines. While this may sound obvious, the key is also knowing how their operational infrastructure supports the effectiveness of these weapons as well.

There is alot more than what you only see with your eyes. That's why you see many countries with modern weapons (like Iraqis with Russian equipment) fail, because they can't see that the entire weapon system isn't just the machines themselves, but the ENTIRE operational infrastructure these weapons operate in.

That's the real issues, im my opinion, that really need to be addressed before we just say that this country or that country has better weapons. Or that this boat/tank/aircraft/APC/whatever... is good for this or that...

I see so many posts here that seem so careless with only pointing out these weapon specifications, but they are only a part of the picture. I've seen aircraft systems inoperable because of lack of parts, poor maintenance, or operator error. I'm not saying I'm an expert or anything, but from my experiences, I just want to tell you my insight from my experiences and observations....

It's still good though to see the weapons and the specs, nevertheless.. :lol:

^^ I like your thinking PositiveThinker, but here is a bit of insight from a U.S. Air Force aircraft maintenance technician like me.

Those helicopters are great, but not only is the machine important, but CONSTANT training and REGULAR maintenance is very critical to make these machines potent to their maximum ability.

Can the Philippine Air Force/AFP provide the facilities and annual budgets to maintain constant training not only for the aircrew, but for support and maintenance personnel as well? When parts are broken, will budgetary contraints backlog maintenance requests or reduce the quality of these weapons?

Those weapons you show are made by and operated by western countries whose aircrew and maintenance personnel follow training protocols and regulatory guidelines. While this may sound obvious, the key is also knowing how their operational infrastructure supports the effectiveness of these weapons as well.

There is alot more than what you only see with your eyes. That's why you see many countries with modern weapons (like Iraqis with Russian equipment) fail, because they can't see that the entire weapon system isn't just the machines themselves, but the ENTIRE operational infrastructure these weapons operate in.

That's the real issues, im my opinion, that really need to be addressed before we just say that this country or that country has better weapons. Or that this boat/tank/aircraft/APC/whatever... is good for this or that...

I see so many posts here that seem so careless with only pointing out these weapon specifications, but they are only a part of the picture. I've seen aircraft systems inoperable because of lack of parts, poor maintenance, or operator error. I'm not saying I'm an expert or anything, but from my experiences, I just want to tell you my insight from my experiences and observations....

It's still good though to see the weapons and the specs, nevertheless.. :lol:


I agree with your comments here having the firsthand experience in maintaining these machines however the Philippine government when it decides to purchase such hightech weaponry for the armed forces, they already included the package for the maintenance, supplies of ammunition
training, contingencies, spare parts, etc. for this whole package. This is
the AFP modernization plan. Hope you get my point and I think the government has the money and personnel to purchase and operate these
incredible war machines...:banana:

For further consideration Please see below the Chinook Helicopter Used
by many countries in Asia. They are widely used for Troop movements
and as Equipment/Weapons Carrier to Jungle / Mountanious area.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii223/think_2008/CH-47-b.jpg

As Troop Carrier


http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii223/think_2008/CH-47-d.jpg

Equipment / Weapons Carrier

Singapore has them! hehe ang galing... but I've read or watched somewhere that Chinook has a bad reputation with regards to safety? Is it true?

I agree with your comments here having the firsthand experience in maintaining these machines however the Philippine government when it decides to purchase such hightech weaponry for the armed forces, they already included the package for the maintenance, supplies of ammunition
training, contingencies, spare parts, etc. for this whole package. This is
the AFP modernization plan. Hope you get my point and I think the government has the money and personnel to purchase and operate these
incredible war machines...:banana:

Yes, I understand. Thanks for pointing that out.

The U.S. does provide annual military expenditures for approved foreign military organizations.

BUt perhaps I forgot to point out that the AFP operational infrastructure is totally different from their western counterparts. I have spoken to several AFP members already and the way things are done there are sometimes different from what we do here in the states (although some don't go into specifics). Might not sound much, but IMO in makes a big difference over time. For instance, when parts on aircraft break, their importance on replacement or maintenance priority depend on their MICAP (Mission Capable) category. There are guidelines (which can change) how these parts are ordered, fixed, and maintained. What protocols does the Philippines follow? Also, money is one thing, but implementation of resources in the Philippines AFP is another major factor. How are supplies stored and inventoried? Remember the mortar duds in Basilan? Doesn't matter how old they were, the way they were subject to the elements shows the lack of care and quality in the AFP. How is the quality of training for these equipment assessed and what is the process for improving profficiency/competency in these weapons. Here in the U.S., we have job training records that are regularly assessed and updated.

The things I just mentioned is just a partial list of factors and how they affect procurement funding on an annual basis. It's not as simple to say that everything is a complete package. The complete package still has to be utilized as a real-time operational process and be conducted by humans on a daily basis. Failure to see it this way will only increase costs for these so-called "complete packages" every year without better productivity or quality.

I think the AFP modernization program is great, but like what I said in this thread in earlier posts, we need to focus on the human factor side as well. The AFP modernization program needs to also address the Philippine military's operational infrastructure and how military members are trained proficiently in running the whole military organization. If the AFP doesn't, you'll get more stumbling blocks like the AFP/MILF ambush down in Basilan, military coups, and cohorts like Sen. Trillanes walking around like a buffoon at a 5-star hotel with supportive so-called "military" members brandishing weapons in public... :ohno:

I hope you get my point now....

First of all we can afford to buy them.. and if someone donates them to us we still cannot afford to maintain them

And most of all these high tech stuff and machines are useless in the dense jungles and marshes where our troops are figthing an uncovnetional warfare... maybe a simple communications and nightvision will do.. but still the best weapon of all is same the good ol guerilla warfare tactics and 4th generation warfare strategy. ;)

Americans are learning from us more than we learn from them.

They provide us with a few gadgets and knowledge on tech but we provide them the strategy to beat their enemies because they can't (they lost to vietnam... u can add also iraq and afghanistan in the future) thus we are responsible for their survival in this type of warfare in this certain terrain.

That is why thye want to train with us, amercans are never afraid to learn and steal to best ideas from even their vassals.. :P

^^ In my opinion your comments are only partially true...

America's experiences with filipino insurgents in the early 1900s were already written in the books (tactics, strategies, etc.) when the U.S. fought the Vietcong. Changes in technology also had great impact.

You say America lost the Vietnam War. Politically they did. From a military perspective, they never had the chance to finish. If they did, I'm sure America would have nuked the place into glass...

What strategy does the AFP give to the U.S? Financial aid support every year so that some AFP marine commander can lead his troops into ambush and get killed by "fellow" islamic filipino insurgents???

I'm not against the AFP, but they aren't better than the Americans. Keep up the humor though..... :P

nuke the vietnamese ? :eek2:

^^:lol::rofl:

nuke the vietnamese ? :eek2:

Why are you acting surprised? Never heard of a sarcastic rebuttal to sarcastic remarks? Did I overuse the word "nuke" in making reference to the communist Vietcong? Oops, I forgot. Perhaps you would rather say "vietnamese" in the general sense since it's more appalling that way....

how can you nuke the vietcong without nuking the vietnamese civilians and the amer-asian babies in the 'nam ? :lol:

Anyhow, for the younger set out there, here's link to a classic stanley kubrik film -

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Strangelove_or:_How_I_Learned_to_Stop_Worrying_and_Love_the_Bomb

I'd love to get a dvd of that film. last time I saw was in the mid 80's.

I think Nixon wanted to use the nukes during the Vietnam conflict. Some were skeptical about that and his re-election bid and some protest by Americans get on its way.


From: Pres. Nixon
To Henry Kissinger

"The only place you and I disagree ... is with regard to the bombing. You're so goddamned concerned about the civilians and I don't give a damn. I don't care."

To Henry Kissinger

"I'd rather use the nuclear bomb ... Does that bother you? I just want you to think big."


It would have alter the world history... :)

^^ maybe. that makes nixon a looney. and if that's true, that's another good reason why he was cordially compelled to resign. :lol:

By gawd you're right, tsinoy. Tricky Dick Nixon did consider nuking the vietnamese. what a looney :lol:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/02/28/politics/main502490.shtml

Nixon, The A-Bomb, And Napalm
Nixon Considered Using A-Bomb; Doubted Famous Napalm Photo

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Feb. 28, 2002

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

(CBS) America is finding out more about Richard Nixon, as a result of another 500 hours of tapes of Nixon administration conversations, released Thursday by the National Archives.

In one exchange, he talks about the possibility of using a nuclear bomb in Vietnam; in another, he doubts authenticity of the famous photograph of a young girl running naked down a street, fleeing a napalm attack in South Vietnam.

In one startling tape, then-National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger lays out a series of options for escalating the war in Vietnam, and Nixon responds: "I'd rather use the nuclear bomb."

That idea was quickly dismissed by Kissinger, and Nixon responds: "I just want you to think big."

The following month, Nixon ordered the biggest escalation of the war since 1968.

At another point, Nixon chides Kissinger for being too concerned about civilian casualties.

"I don't give a damn," Nixon says. "I don't care."

Vietnam historian Stanley Karnow doubts Nixon gave serious thought to using atomic weapons.

"Just because he said it doesn't mean it was really an option," Karnow said.

On another tape, Nixon sits down on June 12, 1972, with his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, and again discusses the Vietnam War.

This time the focus was on a photo of children running from napalm - which was to become one of the most famous and haunting images of the 20th century.

"I'm wondering if that was fixed," Nixon mused after seeing the photograph.

Haldeman replies, "Could have been."

The photo by Associated Press photographer Nick Ut of 9-year-old Kim Phuc running out of Trang Bang village, about 25 miles west of Saigon, emerged as one of the most compelling images of the war and its impact on civilians. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1972.

Kim Phuc, now in her late 30s, has spoken about the events captured in the photo many times since and still bears burn scars on her back from the napalm.

"This picture won the Pulitzer Prize and has withstood the test of time as an important icon of the Vietnam War," said Vincent J. Alabiso, AP's vice president for photos. "Its authenticity has never been questioned. AP's record on accurate and honest reporting is known to all."

The conversations were in the archives' largest-ever release of Nixon tapes. The material covers mostly the first six months of 1972, including everything from Nixon's groundbreaking trip to China to the early days after the Watergate break-in.

With this release, historians and researchers for the first time are being allowed to use their own recording equipment to copy the Nixon tapes.

"The sheer volume and contents of the tapes will give historians and others plenty of research opportunities," said Karl Weissenbach, director of the Nixon Presidential Materials staff at the archives.

The archives now has made public roughly 1,700 of the 3,700 hours of conversations Nixon taped. Most of the segments related to Watergate had been previously released, but the new tapes contain a few additional conversations, and include full conversations where previously only excerpts had been available.

The public now can hear what was said before and after the infamous 18and-a-half-minute gap in the Watergate tapes three days after the break-in, and hear the full context of the "smoking gun" snippet, which revealed that the president was interested in using the CIA to derail the FBI's investigation of the break-in.

"This time, you're getting the total historical perspective and complete context surrounding the Watergate break-in," Weissenbach said.

how can you nuke the vietcong without nuking the vietnamese civilians and the amer-asian babies in the 'nam ? :lol:

Anyhow, for the younger set out there, here's link to a classic stanley kubrik film -

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Strangelove_or:_How_I_Learned_to_Stop_Worrying_and_Love_the_Bomb

I'd love to get a dvd of that film. last time I saw was in the mid 80's.

How about strategic bombing? Who said that was the only option? The U.S. never used nukes, but it was discussed as an option. What if Japan never surrendered after their bombing? How many more casualties you think might have occured? Perhaps less? I think you need to go to war yourself to see how the enemy really feels about you.

And how do you change the Philippine government without displeasing one filipino? I don't know. Go run for office yourself yourself. :lol:

It's funny how you make references to films and Nixon tapes. Reminds me of the filipino version of the Garci tapes and filipino films. Scandals, scandals, scandals. Filipinos surely love them. And as far as Nixon "not giving a damn" about civilian casualties, then why do filipinos continue to kill each other, especially in the south. Perhaps different reasons, but a killing is a killing. Especially INNOCENTS...

You think in a perfect world, how lovely.....

How about strategic bombing? Who said that was the only option? The U.S. never used nukes, but it was discussed as an option. What if Japan never surrendered after their bombing? How many more casualties you think might have occured? Perhaps less? I think you need to go to war yourself to see how the enemy really feels about you.

And how do you change the Philippine government without displeasing one filipino? I don't know. Go run for office yourself yourself. :lol:

It's funny how you make references to films and Nixon tapes. Reminds me of the filipino version of the Garci tapes and filipino films. Scandals, scandals, scandals. Filipinos surely love them. And as far as Nixon "not giving a damn" about civilian casualties, then why do filipinos continue to kill each other, especially in the south. Perhaps different reasons, but a killing is a killing. Especially INNOCENTS...

You think in a perfect world, how lovely.....

Oh my. I apologize. I didn't know you were a nixon fan. :lol:

But that is why one should never go to war in haste and in hate. To quote some learned old fossil -

"war is delightful to those who have had no experience of it" :lol:


And yes, I am not ashamed to say that I wish for a perfect world. I blame one of the best presidents the united states never had, robert kennedy, for giving me that insiduos disease of idealism with that beautiful quote -

"Some men see things as they are and say, 'Why'? I dream of things that never were and say, 'Why not'?"
Robert F. Kennedy

^^ by George Bernard Shaw yan diba?

"In its original form, the quotation was said by the serpent in George Bernard Shaw's play Back to Methuselah , and was used by President Kennedy in his Speech to the Irish Parliament on June 28, 1963: "Speaking as an Irishman [Shaw] summed up an approach to life: 'Other people,' he said, 'see things and say: why - but I dream things that never were and say: why not.'"

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Quotations+of+Robert+F.+Kennedy.htm

i've never seen a movie portraying an american president so candid and disturbing as the nixon's movie by oliver stone, probably because another "stoned" film.

and, i can't find any document declaring philippines independence from the US sovereignty. was there any signed papers to prove that we are an independent country?

the declaration at malalos i believe is in the archives of the national museum, but how about the dissolution of the commonwealth government? our sort of "declaration of independence" from the americans?

coz if there's none, then technically we're US-owned, and our freedom de facto.

kudos

i've never seen a movie portraying an american president so candid and disturbing as the nixon's movie by oliver stone, probably because another "stoned" film.

and, i can't find any document declaring philippines independence from the US sovereignty. was there any signed papers to prove that we are an independent country?

the declaration at malalos i believe is in the archives of the national museum, but how about the dissolution of the commonwealth government? our sort of "declaration of independence" from the americans?

coz if there's none, then technically we're US-owned, and our freedom de facto.

kudos

There is this treaty to gain the independence with some string attached hidden as a mutual protection for both parties and some regulations in economic progress and commercial competition.
(In short, parating lamang ang kuya) :D

Treaty of General Relations and Protocol, signed at Manila, on
4 July 1946, and Exchange of Notes constituting an
interim Agreement, Manila, 10 and 12 July 1946 (http://untreaty.un.org/unts/1_60000/1/6/00000254.pdf)

Article I
The United States of America agrees to withdraw and surrender, and does
hereby withdraw and surrender, all right of possession, supervision, jurisdiction,
control or sovereignty existing and exercised by the United States of America in
and over the territory and the people of the Philippine Islands, except the use
of such bases, necessary appurtenances to such bases, and the rights incident
thereto, as the United States of America, by agreement with the Republic of the
Philippines, may deem necessary to retain for the mutual protection of the
United States of America and of the Republic of the Philippines. The United
States of America further agrees to recognize, and does hereby recognize, the
independence of the Republic of the Philippines as a separate self-governing
nation and to acknowledge, and does hereby acknowledge, the authority and
control over the same of the Government instituted by the people thereof, under
the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines.

^^good, shame on me for I have not seen this document nor was even aware of its existence. Thanks, Tsinoy (how do you want me to address you though?).

^^good, shame on me for I have not seen this document nor was even aware of its existence. Thanks, Tsinoy (how do you want me to address you though?).

Bond, James Bond --- niyahahaha!


Rey na lang po at your service!

Hi James este Rey. Do you know who I am? :lol: I've been calling you as Tsinoy for several months now and I find it too impersonal. :lol: Ooops, OT.

There is this treaty to gain the independence with some string attached hidden as a mutual protection for both parties and some regulations in economic progress and commercial competition.
(In short, parating lamang ang kuya) :D

Treaty of General Relations and Protocol, signed at Manila, on
4 July 1946, and Exchange of Notes constituting an
interim Agreement, Manila, 10 and 12 July 1946 (http://untreaty.un.org/unts/1_60000/1/6/00000254.pdf)

.

kasama diyan ang infamous "Parity Rights" 'di ba ? :D

^^yes. parity rights, "free" trade agreement and military bases in exchange for rehabilitation after the war. They would only give us $500 if we won't change the constitution. Am I right?

^^yes. parity rights, "free" trade agreement and military bases in exchange for rehabilitation after the war. They would only give us $500 if we won't change the constitution. Am I right?

It would have been nice since on that part of the ACT or Parity Trade Rights, the Peso was pegged to the dollar with equal amount until someone mess it up.... hmmm.. I wonder who did that? :lol:


I think $800 Million in war damages in exchange for some provisions and resources or duties.

Oh my. I apologize. I didn't know you were a nixon fan. :lol:

But that is why one should never go to war in haste and in hate. To quote some learned old fossil -

"war is delightful to those who have had no experience of it" :lol:


And yes, I am not ashamed to say that I wish for a perfect world. I blame one of the best presidents the united states never had, robert kennedy, for giving me that insiduos disease of idealism with that beautiful quote -

"Some men see things as they are and say, 'Why'? I dream of things that never were and say, 'Why not'?"
Robert F. Kennedy

Who said I was a Nixon fan, it's your use of his reference that's too cliche for me. :P

Just because you don't experience war doesn't mean it doesn't exists. There are bad people out there, face it...... :bash:

So you're not ashamed of wishing for a perfect world? Who isn't. But wishing and acting on those wishes are two different things....Think about it. That's some of the reasons why we have war...

though I am no longer a serious catholic, a quote from an atenean friend comes to mind -

"work as if everything depended on you, pray as if everything depended on god"

my generation has won for this generation the right to freely vote the leader of their choice (or sell their vote to :lol:).

we are not a bunch of wishful thinkers. we have dreamed, fought, and made gains :)

There is this treaty to gain the independence with some string attached hidden as a mutual protection for both parties and some regulations in economic progress and commercial competition.
(In short, parating lamang ang kuya) :D

Treaty of General Relations and Protocol, signed at Manila, on
4 July 1946, and Exchange of Notes constituting an
interim Agreement, Manila, 10 and 12 July 1946 (http://untreaty.un.org/unts/1_60000/1/6/00000254.pdf)

Article I
The United States of America agrees to withdraw and surrender, and does
hereby withdraw and surrender, all right of possession, supervision, jurisdiction,
control or sovereignty existing and exercised by the United States of America in
and over the territory and the people of the Philippine Islands, except the use
of such bases, necessary appurtenances to such bases, and the rights incident
thereto, as the United States of America, by agreement with the Republic of the
Philippines, may deem necessary to retain for the mutual protection of the
United States of America and of the Republic of the Philippines. The United
States of America further agrees to recognize, and does hereby recognize, the
independence of the Republic of the Philippines as a separate self-governing
nation and to acknowledge, and does hereby acknowledge, the authority and
control over the same of the Government instituted by the people thereof, under
the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines.

wow. quite a downright statement, a great paradox of the philippine history - "conditional independence." :lol:

thanks

wow. quite a downright statement, a great paradox of the philippine history - "conditional independence." :lol:

thanks


Can you think of or do we have anything better than that? After a few years, that bill was amended and most of the articles were changed until the present US-Phil. agreements.

We never had real freedom after the declaration of independence from Spain by the revolutionary movement. :lol:

though I am no longer a serious catholic, a quote from an atenean friend comes to mind -

"work as if everything depended on you, pray as if everything depended on god"

my generation has won for this generation the right to freely vote the leader of their choice (or sell their vote to :lol:).

we are not a bunch of wishful thinkers. we have dreamed, fought, and made gains :)

Well that's great... :)

If we had dreamed, why don't we speak about them or share them? Why do we only talk about dreams in the past?

If we had fought, why do we always continue doing so with each other? Especially in politics, with NPAs, with Abu Sayef, etc. etc.? :nuts:

If we had made gains, which I think also, why do most filipinos always complain we never have enough? :bash:

wow. quite a downright statement, a great paradox of the philippine history - "conditional independence." :lol:

thanks

You see it as "conditional independence", I see it as a "strategic alliance".

Please look at this from a historical context, not just simple narrow-minded views.

You have to remember, rebels against the government were still active when the U.S. gave independence. There might still have been a situation where the Philippines might have to rely on again with the U.S. (Look what happened right before independence, Japan just tried overtaking us).

You seem to take the past lightly or forget about it's implications.

When the writers wrote this Article, they did not forget (unlike younger generations :ohno:)...

Well that's great... :)

many thanks for the compliment.

If we had dreamed, why don't we speak about them or share them? Why do we only talk about dreams in the past?

because "dreamed" is the past tense of the verb "dream" therefore pertaining to dreams in the past ? :lol: (sorry, couldn't resist that one)

If we had fought, why do we always continue doing so with each other? Especially in politics, with NPAs, with Abu Sayef, etc. etc.? :nuts:

they always fight in politics, be it between the republicans and democrats in the US congress, or the Admin and opposition congs and sens in batasan and GSIS building.

remove a peoples' recourse to justice and fair play, make them feel impotent before their own goverment, and either of two things will happen. individually they can become mass murderers, or they will find a few other like minded and treated fellas, organize, and begin a rebellion.

If we had made gains, which I think also, why do most filipinos always complain we never have enough? :bash:
because we don't have enough ?

many thanks for the compliment.

Your welcome... :)

because "dreamed" is the past tense of the verb "dream" therefore pertaining to dreams in the past ? :lol: (sorry, couldn't resist that one)

It's ok. I understand. But my point was, why STOP?

they always fight in politics, be it between the republicans and democrats in the US congress, or the Admin and opposition congs and sens in batasan and GSIS building.

But in the U.S. Congress, when they fight, at least some of that is productive because it results in regulatory changes. In the Philippines, it drains energy because nothing seems to change there... :bash:

remove a peoples' recourse to justice and fair play, make them feel impotent before their own goverment, and either of two things will happen. individually they can become mass murderers, or they will find a few other like minded and treated fellas, organize, and begin a rebellion.

You can blame corrupt filipinos for that...

because we don't have enough ?

Yes and no. We have accomplished certain gains but need much more. Filipinos need to strive for change without destroying what they already accomplished.

You see it as "conditional independence", I see it as a "strategic alliance".

Please look at this from a historical context, not just simple narrow-minded views.

You have to remember, rebels against the government were still active when the U.S. gave independence. There might still have been a situation where the Philippines might have to rely on again with the U.S. (Look what happened right before independence, Japan just tried overtaking us).

You seem to take the past lightly or forget about it's implications.

When the writers wrote this Article, they did not forget (unlike younger generations :ohno:)...

US foreign policies are always strategic...and it's apparent in the treaty, i won't even call it a loophole coz the hole is too big to be one. however, this doesn't discount the reality that such conditions prior to our independence do exist, no matter what the reasons are. what we can only do is to justify why it is conditional.

also, what do you mean by "japan just tried overtaking us" i felt it's very funny. a military invasion is not possible coz the americans are just at their turfs, besides, they can't act offensive in the first place, they can only defend - a condtion imposed by the americans. even lately when they sent troops to iraq they were deployed as non-combatants in capacity. or overtaking us economic wise? how can japan overtake someone it has long left behind.

US foreign policies are always strategic...and it's apparent in the treaty, i won't even call it a loophole coz the hole is too big to be one. however, this doesn't discount the reality that such conditions prior to our independence do exist, no matter what the reasons are. what we can only do is to justify why it is conditional.

also, what do you mean by "japan just tried overtaking us" i felt it's very funny. a military invasion is not possible coz the americans are just at their turfs, besides, they can't act offensive in the first place, they can only defend - a condtion imposed by the americans. even lately when they sent troops to iraq they were deployed as non-combatants in capacity. or overtaking us economic wise? how can japan overtake someone it has long left behind.

They can only DEFEND because of Americans? What do you mean by that? If the Americans were so bad to the filipinos, let's cut our ties with America NOW!!! :ohno:

Yes, Japan did INVADE the Philippines and tried to OVERTAKE the country. Many filipino AND American deaths occured fighting that war. My tito (my dad's brother) died in the Bataan death march. Even after that, the American government WILLINGLY gave independence to the Philippines after internal deliberation and years of support. You think independence should be without thought and planning? That America should believe the Philippines can now act on it's own after centuries of conflict? America gave assessment of the Philippines ability of independence and it probably didn't get a perfect rating. That's why conditions were set until such a time when things might change again. I don't think you appreciate what America has done for the Philippines, regardless of past mistakes. Be glad America DID give independence, unlike the Spaniards.

Why are filipinos so concerned about "conditions" with America. Is this part of the colonial oppression from the past? I think the Philippines is progressing slowly but nevertheless developing for the better.

If the Philippines is so bothered by America, it should cut all ties with that country then. Simple as that. I'm sure filipinos will want "conditions" if they did though....:bash:

They can only DEFEND because of Americans? What do you mean by that? If the Americans were so bad to the filipinos, let's cut our ties with America NOW!!! :ohno:

Yes, Japan did INVADE the Philippines and tried to OVERTAKE the country. Many filipino AND American deaths occured fighting that war. My tito (my dad's brother) died in the Bataan death march. Even after that, the American government WILLINGLY gave independence to the Philippines after internal deliberation and years of support. You think independence should be without thought and planning? That America should believe the Philippines can now act on it's own after centuries of conflict? America gave assessment of the Philippines ability of independence and it probably didn't get a perfect rating. That's why conditions were set until such a time when things might change again. I don't think you appreciate what America has done for the Philippines, regardless of past mistakes. Be glad America DID give independence, unlike the Spaniards.

Why are filipinos so concerned about "conditions" with America. Is this part of the colonial oppression from the past? I think the Philippines is progressing slowly but nevertheless developing for the better.

If the Philippines is so bothered by America, it should cut all ties with that country then. Simple as that. I'm sure filipinos will want "conditions" if they did though....:bash:

this is getting funnier and absurd.
right before the independence japan unconditionally surrendered. the americans helped them form a new government together with a new "pacifist" constitution, then set up the bases. why would they attack the philippines? ah ah...case closed.
and, no matter what the conditions for our independence are - they do exist, even if filipinos dig their heads under the sand. it's a reality can't be denied.
and what we can only do is to justify or vilify it. and that's what you exactly did - justify it.
i felt that filipinos love america just as much as they hate it. remember when the senate kicked them out in 1990? after that, US simply cut off more than 90% of the development aid for the philippines. they pour investments, we support their war - the cycle continues. nevertheless, they have something that we need, and we have something they needed. and, don't forget world powers come and go.

Guys...There is no Point of Debating if we should "Hate" or "Love" America.
They needed us Stratigically in case of Future Global Conflict. We need them
for Economic reasons and Security and That's It.!..No Arguments...No Bias..
No Issues...- Confrende??.....:banana:

this is getting funnier and absurd.
right before the independence japan unconditionally surrendered. the americans helped them form a new government together with a new "pacifist" constitution, then set up the bases. why would they attack the philippines? ah ah...case closed.
and, no matter what the conditions for our independence are - they do exist, even if filipinos dig their heads under the sand. it's a reality can't be denied.
and what we can only do is to justify or vilify it. and that's what you exactly did - justify it.
i felt that filipinos love america just as much as they hate it. remember when the senate kicked them out in 1990? after that, US simply cut off more than 90% of the development aid for the philippines. they pour investments, we support their war - the cycle continues. nevertheless, they have something that we need, and we have something they needed. and, don't forget world powers come and go.

Americans helped them form a new government? Who, the filipinos? Please be more clear in your statements. You mention Japan and then said "helped them". "Pacificist" constitution then set up the bases? You think those bases were built for nothing? Elaborate!!! Why would they still attack the Philippines? You mean Japan??? Even after it's obvious you still say this? :ohno:

I actually justified what??? Conditions for independence? A reality can't be denied???

Your statements are getting more funnier and absurd.......

Guys...There is no Point of Debating if we should "Hate" or "Love" America.
They needed us Stratigically in case of Future Global Conflict. We need them
for Economic reasons and Security and That's It.!..No Arguments...No Bias..
No Issues...- Confrende??.....:banana:

Exactly.....

Unfortunately, too many filipinos don't see it this way.... :ohno:

Americans helped them form a new government? Who, the filipinos? Please be more clear in your statements. You mention Japan and then said "helped them". "Pacificist" constitution then set up the bases? You think those bases were built for nothing? Elaborate!!! Why would they still attack the Philippines? You mean Japan??? Even after it's obvious you still say this? :ohno:

I actually justified what??? Conditions for independence? A reality can't be denied???

Your statements are getting more funnier and absurd.......

i'm arguing with a gradeschool...sorry, it was a mistake. :hammer:

i'm arguing with a gradeschool...sorry, it was a mistake. :hammer:

Yes, and you're the student who couldn't pass writing. Learn to write your thoughts more clearly.... :bash:

^^ go over the thread and read your postings. :lol: :lol:

^^ There is a difference between expressing your opinions and giving reasons for them. I don't see how your reasons express your opinions. Faulty reasoning perhaps? Read what I wrote earlier. Elaborate! If you want us to view your interpretation of Philippine history, you need to learn how to better explain yourself. All you do is throw out all these ideas that don't make sense... :ohno: It might make sense to people who support your views. But I totally disagree with you......

(UPDATE) AFP chief sees NPA ‘inconsequential’ by 2010
But Army official says military behind target

MANILA, Philippines -- Armed Forces chief General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. predicts a continuing decline in the strength of the communist New People's Army (NPA), until it is reduced to an "inconsequential" 15 guerilla fronts by the end of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's term in 2010.

"The velocity or the speed by which we are neutralizing [the NPA] has acquired momentum," Esperon told reporters following a command conference with military top brass in Camp Aguinaldo.

But a senior Army official said the military is having to redouble efforts to wipe out communist rebel bases in rural areas this year after meeting only half of last year's target.

Esperon said that for five years until 2006, 1,000 NPA fighters were neutralized per year. The momentum picked up in 2007, when 1,400 guerillas were neutralized as the military shifted to phase two of its counterinsurgency blueprint, "Oplan Bantay Laya."

According to AFP estimates, the NPA had 5,760 fighters by the end of 2007, its weakest in terms of manpower in 20 years.

On Monday the military said it had destroyed 13 guerrilla fronts, the politico-military areas of the communist New People's Army (NPA) rebels, in 2007 and hoped to wipe out more than 30 Maoist bases this year.

Esperon said that in the first quarter of this year, the AFP aims to dismantle 17 of the 87 remaining NPA guerilla fronts, and at least 20 more by the third or fourth quarter.

But an army colonel, who declined to be identified because he does not have the authority to speak to the media, said the armed forces were meant to destroy 26 bases last year and would have to make up ground in the first three months of 2008.

"We only hit 50 percent of our target last year," he said. "We could get the other half in the first quarter and hit our target to dismantle 22 more guerrilla fronts for the entire 2008."

He said of the 35 NPA bases the military was now targeting in 2008, at least 17 were nearly destroyed.

Esperon said the NPA could be reduced to 50 guerilla fronts by the end of the year, 25 by 2009, and 10 by 2010, Arroyo's deadline for security forces to defeat communist insurgents and Islamic extremists.

But the AFP chief warned that the NPA could split existing fronts to create an impression that they were growing in strength.

Active across the country and fuelled by staggering inequalities between rich and poor, the NPA is viewed by the government as its most serious security threat.

Arroyo has vowed to crush the near 40-year-old insurgency by the time her final term ends in June 2010 but the NPA continues to engage in tit-for-tat attacks on military and police and extortion.

The conflict to overthrow democracy in the Philippines and replace it with a Maoist-Marxist state has killed more than 40,000 people and stunted economic growth in one of the most resource-rich states in Southeast Asia.

Last year, a classified army report shown to Reuters showed the military has had limited success in destroying the firepower of the rebels, putting it way behind target.

The report said the military successes were not enough to gain strategic victory at the desired rate, projecting that it could only defeat the communist insurgency by 2018.

No, I do not think the NPA will be completely eradicated by the military. not today, not ever.

It has nothing to do with the NPAs ability to wage war.

It has everything to do with the military commanders' intelligence funds and combat budget.

No enemy, no non-auditable intelligence funds and hard to audit combat budget.

Will the generals kill the golden-egg laying geese ?

NPA to build fronts in all congressional districts--Sison

MANILA, Philippines -- The New People's Army (NPA) is working to expand the number of guerrilla fronts to cover all 173 congressional districts in the country, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Ma. Sison said Saturday.

In an emailed statement, Sison said the rebels will also be deploying armed partisan teams, more known as "Sparrow" units, in the cities of 44 of these districts.

Sison has lived in exile for some two decades in the Netherlands and is now chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front (NDF), the umbrella organization of underground groups allied with the CPP and NPA that represents the rebels in peace talks with government.

The communist rebels have been waging armed struggle from the countryside for almost four decades now.

"The NDF National Council has informed its Negotiating Panel that the CPP is already providing politico-military education and training to thousands of CPP cadres and NPA officers for the accelerated expansion and consolidation of the NPA, the development of the NPA regional and provincial commands with their own strike forces, the increase of
guerrilla fronts in order to cover all the 173 congressional districts in the provinces and allow the armed city partisans to operate in 44 congressional districts in the cities and the formation and training of the people's militia units in villages and self-defense units in
mass organizations," Sison said in his statement.

The statement was issued as a follow up to an earlier one released by CPP spokesman Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal dismissing claims by the Armed Forces that government troops had dismantled 13 guerrilla fronts last year and whittled down the NPA's strength to less then 6,000 fighters.

Sison also belittled government statements that the Army would beef up its strength by "a measly" 3000 troops, or six battalions, in its bid to smash the NPA by 2010, when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ends her term of office, saying the administration "is irrationally obsessed with the futile ambition to destroy the armed revolution by
military force."

This, he said, was why the government "continues to ignore proposals for the resumption of the formal talks in the peace negotiations or even only for informal exploratory talks to possibly prepare the resumption of formal talks."

"But it is actually on the side of the armed revolution that there are far more significant developments in accordance with a comprehensive plan to further strengthen the armed revolution and deliver more powerful blows against the reactionary state," Sison claimed.

Currently, Sison claimed, "The number of guerrilla fronts [has] fluctuated between 120 and 130. This is far from the false claim of 87 by the military henchmen of the Arroyo regime."

He claimed military efforts to dismantle guerrilla fronts have filed to destroy NPA units and instead "further incur the ire of the people with gross human rights violations."

"As soon as the enemy armed forces leave, the local units of the NPA completely recover the guerrilla front," he said.

Sison said the "worsening conditions of socio-economic and political crisis" were in the rebels' favor and would allow them, "before and after 2010," to "at will undertake tactical offensives to disprove the false claims of military success by the Arroyo regime."

^^ :lol: someone is really losing his mind.

^^ well if you look into it, there may be substance in what he's saying especially when many in the defense sector know that the NPA has been experiencing an increase and NOT a decrease in it's full-time guerillas. Also, the fact that its guerilla fronts have decreased to 15 guerilla fronts from the previous 59 guerilla fronts during its hayday only means either two things: the NPA is seeing a loss of membership or a consolidation and a slight alteration of its previous dictum of surrounding the citioes from the countryside.

^^kaya nagkaroon ng schism ang CPP dahil sa hidwaan ukol sa pamamaraan ng pagsulong ng armadong pakikibaka. pinag-awayan nila ang stratehiyang "encircling the city from the countryside"

Australia asks RP to ratify defense pact by first half of 2008--envoy

MANILA, Philippines -- Australia has asked the Philippine Senate to ratify within the first half of 2008 the defense pact between the two countries allowing for joint training, education, and exercises for their military personnel.

At Tuesday night's annual meeting with journalists, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Tony Hely said: "One of the things we're hopeful for is that during the first half of the year, the Philippine Senate will ratify the Status of Forces Agreement."

The SOFA, which was signed May 2007 during President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's trip Down Under, was ratified by the Australian Parliament in September 2007, the ambassador said.

"(The Australian Parliament's ratification) is a sign of (Australia's) trust and confidence in the Philippines as a defense partner. We hope that the Philippines will reciprocate that trust and confidence by ratifying the SOFA during the first half of 2008," Hely said.

The ambassador acknowledged that the Senate was busy with its many legislative and oversight functions, including the debates on the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement.

"We recognize that the Philippine Senate has a lot on its plate, including JPEPA...and it's not easy to find time...but we hope that it can look at the SOFA in a positive, quick fashion," he said.

The SOFA will be the second defense pact for the Philippines after the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States.

Hely said the SOFA was a "non-controversial good document."

^^kaya nagkaroon ng schism ang CPP dahil sa hidwaan ukol sa pamamaraan ng pagsulong ng armadong pakikibaka. pinag-awayan nila ang stratehiyang "encircling the city from the countryside"

1987 yung krisis dala ng EDSA revolution. yung split lumabas talaga sa paglathala ni Joma nung "Reaffirm our Party's Basic Principles" na libro kaya nagkaroon ng mga RJ at RA. At hanggat hindi aaminin ng CPP na mali yung armed struggle, tiyak na hindi mag-aadapt ang CPP gaya ng ilang Left parties na legal at kontra-armadong pakikibaka.

na-marginalize ang CPP ng EDSA I. spontaneous ang protest ng EDSA I at hindi gusto ng NDF na gawing martir ang reaksyonistang si Ninoy. kaso lumabas lahat ang tinimping galit ng pinoy sa diktadurya sa pagpatay kay ninoy kaya kahit hindi organisado, martsa pa rin ang tao.

Humina ang NDF sa aftermath ng EDSA I at nagkaroon ng usapin sa istilo ng pagsulong ng armadong pakikibaka. Dadalhin na ba sa siyudad agad-agad ang rebolusyon ? (tulad ng ginawa ng ABB/Sparrows sa kamaynilaan) O ipapatuloy ang maoist na stratehiya na palibutan ang mga siyudad ng mga mandirigmang pulahan mula sa kanayunan ? (sa legaspi city sa albay nagawa nila ito)

Sumabog ang di-pagkaunawaan na ito sa central committee plenary ng 1991 at nahati ang CPP/NDF sa reaffirmist at rejectionist factions.

Dala ng rejectionists na sina Lagman/Kintanar ang Metromanila/Rizal cadres at ang armadong grupo na Alex Boncayao Brigade at ang magiging RPA. Naiwan sa reaffirmists ni Joma ang kadre/npa ng Bicol, Samar, Leyte at ilang bahagi ng Mindanao.

--hirap na ako sa tagalog, hindi ko na kaya ang purong Tagalog-UP :lol: --

@demented, socdem ka naman 'diba ? grupo ng hesuwitang si Fr Romeo Intengan ?

na-marginalize ang CPP ng EDSA I. spontaneous ang protest ng EDSA I at hindi gusto ng NDF na gawing martir ang reaksyonistang si Ninoy. kaso lumabas lahat ang tinimping galit ng pinoy sa diktadurya sa pagpatay kay ninoy kaya kahit hindi organisado, martsa pa rin ang tao.

Humina ang NDF sa aftermath ng EDSA I at nagkaroon ng usapin sa istilo ng pagsulong ng armadong pakikibaka. Dadalhin na ba sa siyudad agad-agad ang rebolusyon ? (tulad ng ginawa ng ABB/Sparrows sa kamaynilaan) O ipapatuloy ang maoist na stratehiya na palibutan ang mga siyudad ng mga mandirigmang pulahan mula sa kanayunan ? (sa legaspi city sa albay nagawa nila ito)

Sumabog ang di-pagkaunawaan na ito sa central committee plenary ng 1991 at nahati ang CPP/NDF sa reaffirmist at rejectionist factions.

Dala ng rejectionists na sina Lagman/Kintanar ang Metromanila/Rizal cadres at ang armadong grupo na Alex Boncayao Brigade at ang magiging RPA. Naiwan sa reaffirmists ni Joma ang kadre/npa ng Bicol, Samar, Leyte at ilang bahagi ng Mindanao.

--hirap na ako sa tagalog, hindi ko na kaya ang purong Tagalog-UP :lol: --

@demented, socdem ka naman 'diba ? grupo ng hesuwitang si Fr Romeo Intengan ?

SOSYALISTA po ako hindi socdem. alam naman ng lahat na nasa kaliwa na pejorative term na yang socdem. Sell-out na kasi yung grupo ni Fr. Intengan. indepndent socialist po ako. Akbayan.

ay nako sori. panahon namin hindi deragatory term ang natdem/socdem. kahit nga gaddem na tawag namin sa mga pala-aral na taga up ay pabiro lang na termino at hindi panlait.

kaibigan ko nga pala si mardi mapa.

Coup plotters running out of funds--military chief

MANILA, Philppines -- Coup plotters appear to be running out of funds after years of trying to oust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, according to Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr.

Esperon said on Sunday that plotters of attempts to stage a coup d' etat against the Arroyo administration have been seeing their funding sources drying up to the point that they themselves have been dipping into their own pockets to keep their dreams alive.

"Some of the plotters are getting money from their old earnings," Esperon told reporters in a phone interview.

Military and police officials have warned the public of an ongoing plot to overthrow the Arroyo administration but have warned the dissidents that they will fail at any attempt to oust President Arroyo.

While some financiers continue to pour money into destabilization attempts, their number has considerably gone down, according to Esperon.

"Some are still giving financial support to the plotters but since this whole thing is a losing proposition, the number of financiers is dwindling," said the military chief, who was scheduled to retire on Feb. 9 if Arroyo does not extend his term.

Esperon said the military earlier received reports of possible "donors."

"Ever since, we've seen some people. We have seen some names of donors," Esperon said, short of saying that the suspected financiers were being monitored by authorities.

He said the Peninsula Manila siege on Nov. 29 "probably" had financiers because the rebellious military officers, led by Army Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a former Navy lieutenant, were able to "reserve" a room in the posh hotel in Makati City.

"Logistics can cost you," Esperon said.

Asked if there were financiers from the business community, Esperon said he believed that most businessmen would "rather contribute to stability than destabilization."

He was also cautious when asked if political organizations were financing the coup plot.

"Probably. But that's not for me to say yet. It's [unfair] to link an organization [to a coup plot]," Esperon said.

Last week, the military arrested four dismissed Scout Rangers, one still in active duty, and a man who, officials said, was a Marine corporal but whose wife and lawyers claimed was never enlisted in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Two of the six arrested, former Scout Rangers Sgt. Orlando Valencia and Cpl. Ramon Perania, were later released after the Department of Justice found no probable cause to file charges of illegal possession of firearms against them.

The men denied involvement in any coup plot.

The Rangers were detained for more than a year in Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal, without a formal investigation of their alleged participation in the failed February 2006 power grab.

They were dismissed from military service last Christmas.

Perania denied owning the firearms that the military claimed were seized from the group of former soldiers arrested in Quezon City last Tuesday.

"We were just looking for jobs because we had been discharged. We had just come from Tanay," Perania said in Filipino.

He said the soldiers who arrested them did not find any guns in their possession.

Perania said he had no intention of launching a destabilization effort against the government although he had heard of such plans.

"There are plans to sow chaos but we are not involved. We just want to find jobs to sustain our families," he said.

Perania said he and the other soldiers who were arrested were trying to get jobs as security for VIPs as they awaited official action on their appeal to be allowed to return to the service.

He said one of their companions was helping them get jobs and that they were just waiting for a call.

Truckload of soldiers in Manila for farmers' Mendiola march
01/20/2008 | 09:34 PM

A truckload of soldiers arrived at the Manila Police District (MPD) headquarters Sunday night to boost security in the city amid claims of a destabilization attempt on January 22.

Radio dzBB reported that the truckload of soldiers arrived shortly after 8 p.m., and will be part of the augmentation force for the 21st anniversary of the Mendiola massacre.

It was the second batch of soldiers to arrive in Manila to boost security in a month’s time. Earlier this month, two truckloads of soldiers were deployed to Manila for security.

The dzBB report said soldiers were in full battle gear when they arrived at the MPD headquarters on United Nations Avenue in Manila’s Ermita district.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez claimed earlier this month that a destabilization attempt could unfurl on Tuesday, when farmers are to march to Mendiola to commemorate the Mendiola massacre.

Gonzalez said this was the reason he issued a memorandum to media to toe the government line when covering crisis situations.

Earlier, police tightened security around the EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City late Sunday afternoon after farmers almost managed to sneak past them and hold a program near the area.

The farmers peacefully dispersed before 6 p.m., after holding an impromptu program following a brief confrontation with riot and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) police.

Mandaluyong City police director Senior Supt. Ericson Velasquez ordered his men to tighten security around the EDSA Shrine, considered a no-rally zone, as more protest actions are expected in the next two days.

Earlier, farmers from Southern Luzon marched to the EDSA Shrine and tried to hold a rally there, but police guarding the shrine stopped them, sparking a confrontation of sorts.

Some of the farmers went to the nearby flyover and tried to unfurl streamers that read “Oust Gloria!" but police stopped them from doing so.

The report said the resulting confrontation disrupted the regular Masses at the shrine, prompting some of the churchgoers to complain.

Also, police remained on alert for Jan. 22, when farmers are expected to march to Mendiola near Malacañang to mark the 21st anniversary of the Mendiola massacre. - GMANews.TV (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/77272/Truckload-of-soldiers-in-Manila-for-farmers-Mendiola-march)

PNP deploys intel operatives for 'destab' plans
01/21/2008 | 08:20 AM

After putting its elite forces in four regions on full alert, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is now focusing on intelligence operations on possible destabilization attempts against the Arroyo administration.

Radio dzBB reported that PNP chief Dir. Gen. Avelino Razon Jr. had ordered PNP intelligence units to intensify the gathering of information about a possible destabilization try tomorrow, Jan. 22.

This, as the PNP chief admitted in a radio interview that they have yet to receive, much less verify, solid leads about a destabilization attempt as claimed by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.

Razon, however, said that as of Monday morning, police are concentrated at Mendiola in Manila, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Quezon City, and the EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City.

"Kami ay naghanda ng contingency measures para ma-ensure ang katahimikan at kaayusan at maiwas ang untoward incident na mangyari (We have prepared contingency measures to ensure peace and order, and avoid untoward incidents)," Razon told DwIZ radio.

On the other hand, Razon said police in Manila have instructions to maintain maximum tolerance and follow the policy in negotiating with protesters trying to march to Mendiola near Malacañang.

He said as much as possible, police should redirect the marchers to "authorized" freedom parks such as Liwasang Bonifacio and Plaza Miranda.

"Ating papaliwanag sa kanila ating paiiralin maximum tolerance at no permit no rally. Ating hiling sa kanila kung pwede doon lang sa authorized areas kung saan pwede mag-rally (We will explain to them we will follow the policies of maximum tolerance and no-permit-no-rally. We will ask them nicely to go to the authorized areas)," Razon said.

Razon added that despite militant groups' claims they will find creative ways to defy the no-rally policy at Mendiola, the police will exhaust all peaceful means to convince the marchers.

The PNP chief said he has placed on full alert the elite Special Action Force (SAF), and police units in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Southern Luzon.

Police regional commanders in other areas will have the leeway to raise the alert level if they see the need to do so, he added.

Meanwhile, dzBB radio reported that as of 7 a.m. Monday, both sides of Mendiola bridge remained passable to vehicles, but a 6-x-6 truck blocked the path to the bridge. Shields of riot police were also lined up along the bridge in case groups try to hold lightning rallies there.

On Sunday night, a 6-x-6 truck bearing fully armed soldiers from the Armed Forces' Metro Manila command arrived at Manila Police District (MPD) headquarters.

At the EDSA Shrine, Mandaluyong City police continued to stay on "double alert" following a confrontation with militant farmers Sunday afternoon. - GMANews.TV (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/77291/PNP-deploys-intel-operatives-for-destab-plans)

Sumabog ang di-pagkaunawaan na ito sa central committee plenary ng 1991 at nahati ang CPP/NDF sa reaffirmist at rejectionist factions.

Dala ng rejectionists na sina Lagman/Kintanar ang Metromanila/Rizal cadres at ang armadong grupo na Alex Boncayao Brigade at ang magiging RPA. Naiwan sa reaffirmists ni Joma ang kadre/npa ng Bicol, Samar, Leyte at ilang bahagi ng Mindanao.



kaya nila pinatumba sina Ka Bernabe Buscayno, Ka Popoy Lagman at Ka Simeon Kintanar...:cheers:

Esperon says RP over destabilization hump

MANILA, Philippines -- After repeatedly raising the specter of destabilization, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Tuesday said the country is “over the hump” in terms of destabilization attempts.

In a talk with reporters in Camp Aguinaldo, Esperon said any more attempts at destabilizing the government would be an “exercise in futility.”

“We are over the hump in so far as destabilization is concerned … because they cannot really succeed. What they are doing is an exercise in futility and if they have not realized it yet, it will not do any good for our country,” Esperon said in a mixture of English and Filipino.

For the past week, Esperon had been saying a destabilization attempt was active, as evidenced by the arrest of five soldiers allegedly involved in destabilization attempts also last week.

But on Sunday, Esperon said destabilizers were running out of funds.

On whether destabilization attempts have been validated by military intelligence, Esperon said “it (attempts) will always be there. Some people will always plan but if they are (planning), if you are to take it from the November 29 Manila Peninsula incident, you will see that there are no new faces.”

Esperon has disparaged civilian supporters who joined the Magdalo soldiers during the Makati standoff were walking with them on “low bat (battery).”

“What I mean is that those who joined them are really old and they are bringing up no new issues. It’s hard to be irreverent to the elderly. What I mean is they have faded,” Esperon said.

He also said he has not heard of any report on the alleged involvement of Makati Business Club Executive Director Guillermo “Bill” Luz on destabilization attempts. He said Luz is not under surveillance by the military.