Left, Right ‘Building Bridges of Peace’


By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:56:00 01/23/2008


MANILA, Philippines -- On the streets, they are constantly at odds -- one side pushing forward with banners, chants and clenched fists, the other pushing back with shields, truncheons and water cannons.

Still, they are striving to find a common ground -- convergence instead of collision -- and walk together to cross the long bridge to peace.

The party-list group Akbayan, the University of the Philippines Law Center’s Institute of Human Rights and the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court are breaking barriers for an initiative aimed at bringing the police and military, on one hand, and communities, on the other, closer together.

“We aim to engage the police and the military with the community in activities and dialogue to put together a multisectoral formation to address problems of human rights,” former Akbayan Rep. Loretta Ann “Etta” Rosales told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Tuesday night.

“It’s a tall order, but we would like them to look at it collectively, not operating in the usual theme of polarized enemies,” she said.

Dubbed “Building Bridges of Peace,” the project seeks to replace a climate of mutual suspicion with one of trust and respect, with both sectors recognizing that human rights violations, forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have been staining Philippine democracy.

“They (the police and military) are accused of being the No. 1 human rights violators, but through this project, we would like to build their self-esteem and self-worth, [to show] that they are part of a modernizing process,” Rosales said.

She conceded that results could not be expected overnight. “But through dialogue, we can discuss how to create a zone of peace and human rights in communities,” she said.

3 provinces

The peace initiative will begin with multisectoral discussions in chosen communities in the provinces of Quezon, a hotbed of insurgency; Misamis Oriental, where locals continue to fight for ancestral domain, and Negros Occidental, where sugar farmers struggle against their landlords.

It is envisioned to bring local police and military officials together with representatives of the local government, church, civil society and the organizers.

Rosales has begun touching base with local government officials to jump-start the project as she continues to network with police and military officials.

According to Rosales, the unprecedented summit on extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances, which was initiated last year by the Supreme Court to find a solution to the worsening human rights situation, inspired organizers to take on the ambitious project.

Headway

Speaking engagements in the military and police headquarters have helped Rosales hurdle the barrier between the militant sector and government security forces, which was built through years of conflict in ideology and physical confrontations in street protests.

The former lawmaker has made considerable headway in the Philippine National Police, having gained the commitment of its human rights office and its chief, Director General Avelino Razon Jr.

Talks with junior military officers during in-camp seminars have also helped her get through to the Armed Forces. And negotiations with the top brass continue, she said.

Rosales expects to further solidify the cooperation on Jan. 26, when she leads a gender justice seminar with female police and military officers -- a consultative meeting where the women can freely discuss gender-related problems on the job and at home.

Primary on the peace agenda is the promotion of “mutual respect and tolerance” among the involved sectors, deviating from what has long been a “combative and confrontational” relationship, said Rosales.

“What we want to do is to get a grasp of how [the police and military] think, their perspective on human rights... And we hope to shift their framework from counterinsurgency [operations] to the protection of human rights,” she said in a separate interview.

Reorientation

The initiative likewise seeks to reacquaint the security forces with their constitutional mandate as “protectors of the people and the state,” Rosales said, emphasizing that the 1987 Constitution places the people ahead of the state.

“We are trying to reorient them to their mandate, which I see as an expression of the people’s uprising in Edsa I. We would like to remind everybody, the soldiers, the police, that there was once Edsa I, when people engaged in a peaceful revolution [against deposed strongman Ferdinand Marcos],” she said.

On the ground, the initiative hopes to establish a monitoring system for human rights violations and a peace zone of sorts, where members of the community can feel free to redress complaints without fear of persecution from those who carry the gun.

A database for human rights violations is also being planned. In the long run, the project hopes to draw up recommendations for enhanced human rights training in police and military camps.

Taking a risk

Asked how sure she was that the state agents would stick to the agenda and not snoop around for the usual suspects, Rosales answered with faith:

“That’s a gamble we are taking. There’s no guarantee, but we have to take risks. Why are we doing this? Because they are Filipinos, they are human beings.”

PNP hit for witch-hunt
Faeldon-reporter tape does not show much

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine National Police came under fire Wednesday for allegedly engaging in a witch-hunt in an attempt to justify a tough stand against journalists reporting on coups and other crisis situations and deflect criticism that its move infringed on press freedom.

After weeks of insinuating that a female journalist helped Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon escape during the Peninsula Manila standoff last Nov. 29, the PNP finally leaked to the Philippine Daily Inquirer the name of the alleged culprit while officially withholding confirmation.

Two PNP officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed Tuesday that Dana Batnag, a reporter of the Tokyo-based news agency Jiji Press, had provided Faeldon with a press card and that he allegedly used it to slip out of the hotel.

The officers said that the act of the woman with curly hair was captured in news footage taken by a crew of the sequestered television network RPN-9.

However, a clip provided the Inquirer Wednesday shows a woman, said to be Batnag, apparently interviewing Faeldon in the hotel and not handing him a press card. She appears to be holding a tape recorder instead. Also, her hair was not curly.

Marigold Haber-Dunca, RPN-9 News and Current Affairs director, said in a statement the footage showed “Faeldon in one corner of the Peninsula lobby, speaking with one lady reporter.”

This was apparently before police using an armored personnel carrier and tear gas ended the seven-hour takeover of the Peninsula by rebel soldiers.

Dunca said the footage was taken accidentally. She said the network was not taking sides and was making the TV clip available to anyone in the interest of transparency.

‘My conscience is clear’

She said the network submitted raw footage of the Peninsula siege to the PNP in compliance with a subpoena.

“I am honored to be one of the victims in the government’s witch-hunt against the media. But my conscience is clear for I have done nothing wrong,” Batnag said in a text message to the Inquirer Wednesday.

She said she had not been informed by the police that she was a suspect in Faeldon’s escape.

“I appeal to the authorities to file the proper charges before the courts to prove that this is a government of laws,” she said.

Scapegoat

Faeldon’s lawyer, Trixie Cruz-Angeles, said the PNP was using a woman as a “scapegoat.”

“They are putting the blame on someone else to negate their liability that with 1,500 Marines and 500 cops at Manila Pen, one woman succeeds in helping Faeldon escape, as they claimed ... They are trying to excuse themselves from the culpability,” Angeles told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

She recalled that police arrested some 30 journalists at the end of the standoff against former Navy Lt. Antonio Trillanes IV, now a senator, allegedly because one of them had helped Faeldon escape. But she said at that time authorities did not know that Faeldon was no longer in the hotel.

“The insinuation is the media are coconspirators,” Angeles said. “It is distracting us from the main issue, which is press freedom.”

Intimidation campaign

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, in a statement issued by its chair, Jose Torres Jr., accused the PNP of engaging in an “insidious campaign” to “intimidate media and control the flow of information.”

“We challenge the police to show the RPN footage that it claims shows Batnag helping Faeldon. We challenge them to file the case if they have a case to file. Otherwise, they should stop the witch-hunting and rumor-mongering done behind the skirt of anonymous and unofficial sources,” Torres said.

Earlier, veteran journalists Ellen Tordesillas of Malaya and Ces Drilon of ABS-CBN slammed the PNP for insinuating that they were involved in Faeldon’s escape.

Faeldon, 42, was among those arrested and charged with rebellion in connection with the 2003 Oakwood mutiny. He escaped in December 2005 and was recaptured a month later. Following the Peninsula incident, a P1-million reward was put up for his capture.

Revelations about the alleged involvement of media in Faeldon’s escape came amid claims by Malacañang and police officials of a new threat to oust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and warnings journalists covering emergencies face arrest.

ABS-CBN news people have gone to the Supreme Court to contest the threat of future arrests.

‘It’s about time’

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Wednesday if the PNP had evidence against journalists involved in the Peninsula incident it should furnish evidence so that his department could prosecute them.

“It’s about time,” Gonzalez said. “There were not too many females there, so if we use the process of elimination, it will not be difficult to narrow down (the list).”

Senior Supt. Nicanor Bartolome, PNP spokesperson, Wednesday stuck to the official line.

“Unless the operations and investigation are complete, we cannot divulge the name of the reporter,” he said.

:ohno: this illustrates the pathetic state of our defense department


RP Air Force to swap spare parts with Thailand (http://www.asianjournal.com/?c=186&a=25680)

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine Air Force will swap aircraft spare parts with the Thai military in a bid to prolong the life of its aging fleet of turbo propellers, which are used extensively for counter-insurgency operations.

The PAF chief, Lieutenant General Pedrito Cadungog, said the PAF reached an arrangement with the Royal Thai Air Force to acquire the parts needed to maintain its OV-10 Bronco fighter planes.

"It's planned that we swap spare parts with Thailand. They will give us parts of the OV-10 while we will give them parts of the F-5," Cadungog said.

The PAF acquired at least 20 F-5 jets in the mid 1970s but the fleet was retired in December 2005 as it could no longer find the spare parts needed for maintenance.

Thailand will give $7.5-million worth of spare parts for the Broncos, while the PAF will supply it with parts of the decommissioned F-5 fighter jets.

Cadungog said what the PAF would be trading was worth less than $7.5 million but did not give a figure. He also did not say when the swap would take place.

^^ Kung ibenta na lang nila por kilo yung scrap metals, mas mabuti pa. Wala pang buhay ang maitataya sa pagpapalipad ng mga bulok na eroplano ng PAF.

‘Military supports me,’ Arroyo tells Swiss TV

DAVOS, Switzerland (via PLDT) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared to the international community on Friday that the military is "supporting me fully" even as talk of an alleged power grab attempt made the rounds prior to her trip here for the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Arroyo made the statement in an interview on the news program "Davos Today," aired on local television. The interviewer asked her if she thinks she has the military's support.

"They have been supporting me fully in all of the challenges to peace and order that we have been having," said Arroyo, who was wearing a bright purple suit dress and a black coat.

Arroyo said the Filipino people would not support military adventurism since this would scuttle economic growth.

"People want peace and order, and they want progress, and they want jobs, they don't want political instability," she said.

Arroyo did not take questions from reporters outside the Davos library, who wanted to confirm reports she has extended the term of Armed Forces chief of staff, General Hermogenes Esperon Jr.

She said she would take questions over coffee with the Philippine media delegation late Friday evening here [before dawn Saturday in Manila], when she winds down her trip to Switzerland before proceeding to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Esperon is set to retire on February 9 when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56. He would have served as military chief for 18 months if he retires on schedule.

Administration critics have said the recent coup rumors are meant to justify the extension of Esperon's term.

Defense department voids P1.2B night-vision chopper contract

MANILA, Philippines -- Following allegations of irregularities in the bidding of night-vision helicopters, the Department of National Defense voided the P1.2-billion purchase contract, it said in a statement.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, in a memorandum dated January 24, declared the bidding process for the Night Capable Attack Helicopter (NCAH) null and void, the statement said.

An investigating committee, led by Defense Undersecretary Ariston Delos Reyes, found that the bidding process was "not properly observed" and that the only qualified bidder, Asian Aerospace Corporation (AAC), "did not meet the technical specification on the minimum requirement of the 3,000 lbs payload as required by the Philippine Air Force."

The committee also said that the AAC did an "unauthorized alteration of the technical specifications for the Night Capable Attack Helicopter."

Teodoro tasked Delos Reyes to investigate the bidding after a losing bidder, Poland's PDL Swidnik S.A., complained it "favored" AAC, the local partner of Boeing Co.'s McDonnell Douglas.

Earlier, authorities warned that if the bidding would be scrapped the delivery of the MG-530F helicopters would be delayed for three months. The first batch of deliveries should have started this month.

btw the dnd is also buying two brand new bell civilian helicopters for the president's use...is it true????

^^ok lang sana kong isa, bat ba ginawang pa nlang dalawa

PAF keeping helicopters in the air despite crash

MANILA -- The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has decided not to ground its fleet of UH-1H helicopters and allowed the chopper's missions to continue despite a Huey crash in Balamban, Cebu, late Saturday afternoon.

In a statement, PAF said that the Air Force chief, Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog, did not order the grounding of Hueys “due to operational concerns.” It also noted initial reports which indicated that the chopper involved showed no mechanical or engine problems during the crash.

It is standard post-accident procedure in both military and civil aviation to ground the entire fleet of an aircraft which figured in an accident pending investigation.

Instead of the choppers, Cadungog grounded the two pilots involved in the crash, Captains Nilo Aranez and Jackray Mosomos, saying “the pilots missed the right mix of aircraft power” to safely land at an elevated and sloping landing zone.

Reached by phone, Cadungog said the chopper, with its two pilots and a pair of flight crew, were on a training flight from Iloilo to the PAF base in Mactan, Cebu, carrying 12 soldiers to simulate a troop insertion mission when it crashed.

“The pilots miscalculated the [use of the engine's] power. That's why they were not able to control the landing.... They crash landed. Thank God no one was hurt badly, some just had bruises. They have all returned to base safe,” said Cadungog.

The Vietnam War-era Huey was, however, a total wreck and could no longer be salvaged.

Cadungog lamented that the ill-equipped Air Force has been forced to do actual flights for training missions due to lack of simulators.

“There is great risk during training flights and that's why we have been fighting for a simulator because, right now, we are using actual air assets for training when supposedly, we can do that through simulation,” Cadungog said.

PAF has sent investigators to the crash site.

The crash brought down PAF's fleet of Hueys to 44, only 35 of which are operational as the rest are undergoing repairs.

To boost its fleet, the PAF is renewing its bid for much-needed attack choppers after a deal to acquire them was cancelled due to ‘serious flaws’ in the bidding process.

Cadungog said that the Air Force was confident that a renewed bid would proceed faster this time as PAF's technical working group (TWG) already had its list of requirements ready.

In September, the military opened a bid for night-capable attack helicopters for its anti-insurgency operations.

But the defense department cancelled the award of a P1.2-billion ($29 million) contract to Asian Aerospace Corp., a local partner of Boeing's McDonnell Douglas, to supply PAF with six MG-530s, night-capable attack helicopters, after it found “serious flaws” in the bidding process. Losing bidder PZL-Swidnik S.A. of Poland complained that McDonnel Douglas’ chopper did not satisfy PAF's requirements.

Cadungog said PAF's TWG recommended a night-capable attack helicopter that could carry a total payload of 3,000 kg based on operational requirements. But the offered helicopter could only carry a total load of 1,500 kg.

^^ok lang sana kong isa, bat ba ginawang pa nlang dalawa

para daw hindi madaling masira pag dalawa at tsaka sa presidente kailangan dalawa for safety reasons daw

para daw hindi madaling masira pag dalawa at tsaka sa presidente kailangan dalawa for safety reasons dawparang decoy. tulad nung sa sona 2007.

Esperon: 4 months ahead may be bloody

General expects stiff NPA resistance

MANILA, Philippines -- Declaring his final mission is to defeat the communist insurgency, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. Sunday said his last months in office “could be bloody” because the rebels would certainly fight back.

Esperon’s statement followed renewed peace overtures from the communist-led National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), which said it was willing to hold informal exploratory talks with the Arroyo administration to revive the peace negotiations that have been stalled since 2004.

The NDFP proposed that the exploratory talks be held in Oslo, Norway.

“The insurgency problem has always been a bloody one. With 5,700 NPAs left to defeat and who would fight back, there will be necessary violence,” Esperon said in a phone interview, referring to the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Asked if the next few months until May would be bloody, Esperon replied: “It could be bloody.”

Esperon was scheduled to retire on Feb. 9 but President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo extended his term for three months up to May 9, saying his leadership was needed to sustain the momentum of the government campaign against the 4-decade-old insurgency.

Esperon said that in the Jan. 7 AFP command conference with Ms Arroyo, “we agreed to pursue the course of action for the whole year,” referring to the avowed government target of eliminating the NPA threat by 2010.

Esperon reiterated that the military aimed to dismantle 17 of the 87 so-called guerrilla “fronts” in the first quarter of this year.

“Then we will switch to the other guerrilla fronts,” he said.

Esperon has described himself as “someone who fights the NPA all the way.”

‘No letup’

In a separate interview over radio dzBB, Esperon reiterated that the military aimed to reduce the CPP-NPA to an “inconsequential organization.”

“We’ve already seen it … They are at their lowest strength [in more than 20 years], which is why there should be no letup,” he said in Filipino.

“I take the challenge of leadership … to lead the people’s Armed Forces to defeat the NPA,” he said.

The AFP claims only 5,760 NPA fighters are left, compared to the rebels’ peak strength of more than 26,000 in the late 1980s. It says the NPA strength was reduced by 20 percent in 2007 alone, or by some 1,400 members.

Esperon credited the military’s success to the so-called master plan of stamping out internal security threats, dubbed “Bantay Laya” 1 and 2.

Bantay Laya 1 and 2 consisted of combat operations, intelligence gathering, a campaign to persuade rebels to surrender, and civil-military operations to address community needs. They succeeded the Oplan Lambat Bitag strategy of the 1990s.

The Philippine Army, headed by Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano, is set to enlist some 3,000 men for six new battalions to help the 80,000-strong Army deliver what the military claims would be the “final blow” against the CPP-NPA.

While Esperon said that Yano -- whom Ms Arroyo has designated as the next AFP chief of staff after Esperon -- might do more than he in the fight against the insurgents, his edge was that his one year and seven months as chief of staff made him knowledgeable about the “style and right force mix” needed to crush the guerrilla fronts.

Esperon said that his three-month term extension would pave the way for a smooth transition in the military leadership.

In a statement the other day from his self-imposed exile in the Netherlands, the NDFP’s chief political consultant, Jose Maria Sison, said that if the Arroyo administration really wanted to resume the peace talks, it must first comply with prior agreements and eliminate impediments that violate those agreements.

“Informal exploratory talks in Oslo can thus lead to formal peace talks,” the CPP founding chair said. The NDFP is the CPP’s political wing and the umbrella organization of underground leftist groups.

Peace negotiations broke down in 2004 in the wake of moves by the European Union and the United States to place the CPP and NPA on their lists of foreign terrorist organizations.

Obstacles to peace talks

The NDFP has accused the government of putting up 12 major obstacles to the resumption of talks. These included a demand for the rebels to cease fighting before there can be any formal talks and before there can be any substantive accord on social, economic and political reforms, it said.

The Arroyo administration in 2006 ruled out the resumption of peace talks unless the rebels agreed to an immediate ceasefire nationwide.

Such a precondition, Sison said, violated the two sides’ earlier joint declaration that no one should impose any precondition that would undermine the peace negotiations.

“It is utterly wrong for the Arroyo regime to lay aside the agenda on social, economic and political reforms and convert the peace negotiations to one of surrender and pacification at the expense of the Filipino people and revolutionary forces,” he said.

The NDFP “cannot agree to the surrender and pacification of the revolutionary forces and people under the guise of an indefinite ceasefire,” he said.

US to send troops for training with RP forces--general

MANILA, Philippines -- The United States is to send some 6,000 troops for joint exercises with Philippine forces in areas where Islamic separatists operate, military chief General Hermogenes Esperon said.

The two-week exercises are to begin on February 18 and come a year after Washington scaled down its participation following a row over a US Marine convicted of raping a local woman.

They will mainly focus on development programs in towns and municipalities on Mindanao island where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) operate, Esperon said.

About 2,000 Filipino soldiers will take part in the annual Balikatan (shoulder to shoulder) exercises and help their American counterparts in medical missions and in building roads, artesian wells, cooperatives and day care centers, among others.

"From the American side, there will be close to 6,000 (troops) while it will be as needed from the Philippine side," Esperon told foreign correspondents in a briefing late Monday.

"But initially, we will be deploying some 2,000," he said, adding that the areas covered are townships that "need some development work."

The US last year called off large-scale joint exercises with Manila when Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Smith was convicted of raping a Filipina.

Smith was initially detained at a local jail pending an appeal, but was later transferred to a detention facility inside the US embassy.

US soldiers taking part in the exercises will be armed, but are restricted from joining combat patrols. They will mostly be engaged in "humanitarian work," Esperon said.

The 12,000-strong MILF has been waging a separatist rebellion since 1976. It has signed a truce with Manila and is in the final stages of peace talks with government.

MILF officials were not immediately available to comment, but the group is known to be highly territorial and has often engaged Filipino forces straying into its areas in fierce gunbattles.

Bang! Bang! Bang away folks! :lol:

Link the Thread II (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=455536) in the Archives. :colgate:

there's nothing good goin on in our shitty armed forces...

^^always be positive...you never know... some loving country could donate a mess load Ships, planes and what not.. be Positive! :D

there's nothing good goin on in our shitty armed forces...

Lets go ask Japan to share their multi-billion dollar military budget :) they wont need'em anyway hehehe

what is the age limit for applying candidate soldier?:lol:

^^most of the AFP's equipments are obsolete. how many jets do you they have? :lol:

i.donate ko nlang mga military jets, helicopters, ships, tanks, tsaka baril ko... TAMIYA ang brand lahat! hahahahaha! :)

There are things that are very frustrating to talk about and this is one of them.

The good thing is, most planes and helicopters are grounded after all of those crashes.
The bad thing is those soldiers in the south are not fully equipped while the rest of the soldiers in Metro Manila are equipped like they are in a war zone.

Send those body armors and new auto-machine guns to those soldiers that are really fighting the terrorists. (gardemet) <-- as our ROTC commander in USTe used to yell!.... :lol:

US military aid to RP up, tied to rights--advocacy group

MANILA, Philippines -- The United States has raised its military aid to the Philippines for 2008 by a “few million,” but tied it to the unsolved extrajudicial killings in the country following the successful lobby of Church leaders in the US, an advocacy group has said.

The $30 million US military aid to the Philippines for 2008 is higher than the $23 million in 2006. There is no available data for 2007.

But the Ecumenical Advocacy Network (EAN) on the Philippines claimed that its lobby successfully caused the inclusion of the provision tying the release of $2 million of the $30 million military aid to human rights issues in the Philippines.

In a report to its members, a copy of which was sent to INQUIRER.net, the network of church peoples said that the “Foreign Military Financing Program” section of the US 2008 Appropriations Act provides that the $2 million would only be released to the Philippines “after the Secretary of State reports to the congressional Committees on Appropriations that:

• The Philippine government is implementing the recommendations of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions;
• The Philippine government is implementing a policy of promoting military personnel who demonstrate professionalism and respect for human rights, and is investigating and prosecuting military personnel and others who have been credibly alleged to have committed extrajudicial executions or other violations of human rights; and
• The Philippine military is not engaging in acts of intimidation or violence against members of legal organizations who advocate for human rights.”

EAN, which wrote congressmen and senators about the state of human rights in the Philippines and pointed out how its sad state might be improved through the US military aid, said this meant that the State Department must report to the appropriations committees in the House and Senate about the Philippine military.

“The government of the Philippines will be given $28,000,000 and if they respond positively to items 1 to 3, an additional $2,000,000 will be given. Of course, the government of the Philippines can just ignore this provision and forgo the extra $2,000,000. Also, the State Department could release the $2,000,000 after reports that represent only token compliance,” the report said.

The US military aid to the Philippines for 2008 became final only on Dec. 26, 2007, when US President George W. Bush signed a large omnibus appropriation bill that included this item in the State Department Foreign Operations funding.

The lobby group said the campaign to raise the issue of unsolved extra-judicial killings of activists, pastors, union officers, and journalists in the US was a partial success.

“With the help of…many other groups across the country, the EAN was successful in getting human rights language in the bill. The language was not as strong as we would have liked, and we were not successful in getting a decrease military aid. In fact, the aid increased by a few million,” it said.

“At the beginning of 2007 few in Congress had even heard of the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. However, we were at the core of a growing and galvanizing movement in the US demanding accountability for our military assistance. We have made incredible progress over the past year,” it added.

The successful lobby of the ecumenical group caused, among others, separate hearings at the US House of Congress and US Senate on the Philippine human rights situations. These hearings last March were attended by Filipino Protestant bishops, who detailed the tortures, warrantless arrests, and harassments to their flock.

Impasse could scuttle peace talks with MILF (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/78964/Impasse-could-scuttle--peace-talks-with-MILF)
02/01/2008 | 09:35 PM

A new impasse could scuttle years of peace talks between the Philippine government and Muslim separatists and reverse recent gains against al-Qaeda-linked militants in the violence-torn Mindanao.

Rebel negotiators refused to attend a planned meeting in December, accusing the government of going back on previously settled points.

The breakdown threatens negotiations that have brought the two sides close to agreement on creating an autonomous Muslim territory in the southern Mindanao region, the traditional homeland of Muslims in the Philippines.

If the impasse drags on, the more militant groups in Mindanao could exploit it to win new recruits and derail the peace process, analysts and negotiators warned.

The government, through a mix of military operations and humanitarian aid, has weakened the extremists and killed or captured several top leaders in recent years with the help of US troops, said terrorism analyst Kit Collier from the Australian National University.

But this two-pronged strategy may not hold without a peace accord, he said.

''Until the peace process is seen as a vital third prong in the counterterrorism campaign, I don't think the successes are likely to be sustainable,'' Collier told reporters in Manila recently.

xxx xxx xxx

The government is negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a mainstream rebel organization that signed a 2003 cease-fire with government troops.

A peace deal would not necessarily stop Abu Sayyaf from launching attacks, but a government negotiator said it would help isolate the group as well as militant factions within the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

''I think if you are able to come out with a good peace agreement, a good end or closure to these negotiations ... the peace process itself is counterterrorism,'' said Rodolfo Garcia, head of the government negotiating team, in an interview with The Associated Press.

Mohagher Iqbal, the chief negotiator for the rebels, said his group wants to end the fighting too. ''We will be the first to stop the violence because, after all, we would be the first to be affected,'' he said.

Though the talks, brokered by nearby Malaysia, have stalled before, the latest hurdle has thrown the negotiations into their most serious crisis yet.

Both sides had announced in November that they had reached consensus on several crucial points, including the concept of creating a Muslim region, its boundaries and how it would be governed.

But in December, the rebels said, the government shifted its position at the instigation of higher-ups in Manila.

''If they continue to renege on the consensus points, we will stop talking,'' Iqbal said. ''The ball is within the court of the Philippine government.''

Neither side would discuss specifics of the dispute. Government negotiators only acknowledged differences in the way they presented the consensus points.

One point of contention has been the government's insistence that the final agreement conform with the Philippine Constitution.

Presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza said last month that the government may ask Congress to amend the constitution to create the autonomous Muslim territory in Mindanao.

Rebel negotiators fear any deal could be watered down if it goes through Congress or is vetted by voters, who would have to approve any amendment to the constitution.

Garcia, the government negotiator, expressed concern that younger rebels may be enticed to join more radical factions of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or MILF.

''It would be a waste if we squander this opportunity of successfully concluding these negotiations,'' he said. ''If we do not and these pragmatists _ the elder leaderships of the MILF _ fade away, it's a big question on who will take over the leadership.'' - AP

I saw a fighter jet prototype made by this Filipino inventor featured in Magandang Gabi Bayan years before. I couldn't remember his name though, but by the looks of the jet, it was perfect. I think he tried to approach the government about it if they were interested on mass producing the jet for our very own Air Force instead of struggling on those hand-me-down jets from the USA but was turned down. The sad thing was, Malaysia was the one interested on the jet and they were ready to buy the whole concept from the inventor. But because he was a Filipino he didn't caved in to what Malaysia was offering. He still have the belief that one day the Philippine government will ask the concept jet from him.

Wag po sana kayong magagalit, I saw this from my uncle's file, nakakatawa po diba :lol:

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h129/rajah_soliman/9999%20DAVAO%20PIX/135339331_f75d729418.jpg

I saw a fighter jet prototype made by this Filipino inventor featured in Magandang Gabi Bayan years before. I couldn't remember his name though, but by the looks of the jet, it was perfect. I think he tried to approach the government about it if they were interested on mass producing the jet for our very own Air Force instead of struggling on those hand-me-down jets from the USA but was turned down. The sad thing was, Malaysia was the one interested on the jet and they were ready to buy the whole concept from the inventor. But because he was a Filipino he didn't caved in to what Malaysia was offering. He still have the belief that one day the Philippine government will ask the concept jet from him.

really? nasan na yun gusto kosyang makita? :)

^^ It's been years man. I think that was around '02 or '03. But I remember it so well because I found it as a major lost cause it was turned down by the government. Noli De Castro was even the one who interviewed him. the jet has a resemblance with that F-CK-1 Chingkuo of Taiwan.

Idodonate ko na lang iyong mga diecast fighter jet collection ko sa AFP :lol:

not even the europeans now have the moolah to develop new jet fighters. they're just waiting to buy the next gen fighters of the US. It's takes one heck of a big techinal team with development costs bigger than the national budget of many countries and around 10 years to turn out a new jet fighter.

the pinoy who's jet fighter of his own design is either a looney or a scammer :)

i think that's why the eurofighter project really works. cost are spread out among the euro countries developing that technology. hope we have something like that in ASEAN, philippines has the engineers, and singapore has the means per se.

is there still a eurofighter in the works ? I thought they will just buy raptors from the US.

^^ orders for the eurofighter are on the pipeline.

here's a refresher: the backbone of the PAF, i got the photos from google.

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18910390/302147642.jpg

C130 Hercules, an airborne military transport. Donated by the US. Only one in the PAF inventory.

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18910390/302147627.jpg

S-211 for ground support and training.

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18910390/302147629.jpg

SF-260 for primary training and counter-insurgency.

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18910390/302147636.jpg

MG520 attack helicopters.

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18910390/302147634.jpg

Fokker 28 for VIP transport.

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18910390/302147638.jpg

OV-10 Bronco. We received a squadron or 2 as gift from Thailand.

Here are some of our fleets that needs to be decommisioned.

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18910390/302147643.jpg
vietnam era Huey-1
http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18910390/302147632.jpg
Fokker 27

And here's what PAF wanted to buy:

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18910390/302150781.jpg

F-16 Fighting Falcon

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18910390/302150789.jpg

JAS 39C/D Grippen

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18910390/302150784.jpg

F/A-18 Hornet

When are we going to have it? Once the congress approves it's budget.

^^ orders for the eurofighter are on the pipeline.


And here's what PAF wanted to buy:

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18910390/302150789.jpg

JAS 39C/D Grippen

When are we going to have it? Once the congress approves it's budget.

Those Grippens are handsome. Me like. Me love.:tongue4:

Ano ba airforce natin, puro lang air, wala namang force. PAF should be PA only or Philippine Air. :lol:

Lets go ask Japan to share their multi-billion dollar military budget :) they wont need'em anyway hehehe

japan has a multi-billion dollar military budget? are you sure? last time i checked, they didn't have a military force. i could be wrong, but i thought that's part of japan's WWII surrender agreement...

^^their self defense force is essentially their "military" and they do have a multi billion budget

They do have Japan Air Self-Defense Force which is under Japan Self-Defense Force.

it's because japan upholds a pacifist constitution. although they were involved in iraq, their forces act in a non-combatant capacity. just like refuelling US warplanes in the indian ocean, or an engineering brigade in afghanistan for that matter.

Military expects more rebel attacks on mining firms (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080204-116713/Military-expects-more-rebel-attacks-on-mining-firms)

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 16:13:00 02/04/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- The military said Monday it expects communist rebels to stage more attacks against mining firms in the country, as it defended the deployment of Army-trained private militias.

An attack by the communist New People's Army (NPA) on a copper project involving Swiss-based global mining company Xstrata on the southern island of Mindanao in December was not an isolated event, said Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres.

He said the 5,700-strong NPA, the armed wing of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), had vowed to "carry out more and more punitive actions" against mining concerns, which they accuse of damaging the environment.

The attacks are part of the NPA's "strong-arm tactics of forcing the mining firms to give in to their extortion demands," Torres said.

"The military shall actively take part in securing these economic facilities in tandem with the [police] to ensure that economic activities will continue and remain unhampered," by the rebel threats, he said.

Last week, military chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said the Army would train and equip "special civilian auxiliary" forces for deployment in mining compounds.

The militias will be given firearms, ammunition and training by the Army but will be paid by the private firms.

"[The] military and businesses mutually support each other to ensure that developmental efforts could proceed without interference from lawless groups," Torres said.

The Philippines has been struggling to defeat the CPP-NPA, which has been waging an armed struggle since 1969.

While their numbers have fallen in recent years, the group continues to stage surprise attacks on mining firms and even remote military and police outposts.

Esperon has vowed to step up the army's anti-insurgency campaign in a bid to crush the rebel force by the time he steps down in May, after a three-month extension of his tour of duty.

Why did PAF retired their F-5 fleet? And how many do we have?

Why did PAF retired their F-5 fleet? And how many do we have?


That is one of the best decision of the PAF. Since there is really no outside threat, the budget for those F-5s(ony 2 or 3 can really fly now) can be diverted to other (hopefully) flying objects owned by the military.

Why did PAF retired their F-5 fleet? And how many do we have?

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302368020.jpg

we acquired several F-5s in the 60s. though they were decommissioned last 2005 after four decades of service, they are still maintained at flyable standards to meet any demands in the future.

That is one of the best decision of the PAF. Since there is really no outside threat, the budget for those F-5s(ony 2 or 3 can really fly now) can be diverted to other (hopefully) flying objects owned by the military.

Ok, now I understand.:)

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302368020.jpg

we acquired several F-5s in the 60s. though they were decommissioned last 2005 after four decades of service, they are still maintained at flyable standards to meet any demands in the future.

I see, thanks.:okay:

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302368020.jpg

we acquired several F-5s in the 60s. though they were decommissioned last 2005 after four decades of service, they are still maintained at flyable standards to meet any demands in the future.

what is under that thing? reminds me of one of those orange cruise missiles... and wat air force?

i think floater yan :lol:

what is under that thing? reminds me of one of those orange cruise missiles... and wat air force?

obviously it's not a sidewinder missile...most likely it is a "cluster bomb" - once dropped it ejects a number of submunitions in the air for maximum damage.

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302479058.jpg

it looks like a danish royal air force. i made a guess from the insignia on its tail.

what is under that thing? reminds me of one of those orange cruise missiles... and wat air force?

That's a fuel drop tank(painted Red for easy recovery)

That F-5 is from Austrian Air Force that they rented from the Swiss Air Force.


http://www.bmlv.gv.at/images_skaliert/draken_tiger_768x509_1197398494.jpg (http://www.bmlv.gv.at/english/organization/airforce.shtml)

Ckick on the photo for more information.

Ano ba airforce natin, puro lang air, wala namang force. PAF should be PA only or Philippine Air. :lol:

di naman... meron din naman tayong wind force at mas malakas yun :lo:

That's a fuel drop tank(painted Red for easy recovery)

That F-5 is from Austrian Air Force that they rented from the Swiss Air Force.


http://www.bmlv.gv.at/images_skaliert/draken_tiger_768x509_1197398494.jpg (http://www.bmlv.gv.at/english/organization/airforce.shtml)

Ckick on the photo for more information.

thats what i thought at first but the orange color confused me... they wouldnt be able to use smart bombs with an F-5 anyway right?

thats what i thought at first but the orange color confused me... they wouldnt be able to use smart bombs with an F-5 anyway right?

It can carry any bombs or precision-guided munition(smart munitions, smart bombs, guided bomb units) up to its ordnance payload.

A smart bomb is usually a "dumb bomb" or gravity bomb that just fall to the ground but with the addition of :


an electronic sensor system(laser, infra red...etc...)
a built-in control system (an onboard computer)
a set of adjustable flight fins that can be remotely controlled
other latest technologies that are classified


But just like with your any electonic device, a smart bomb can go haywire also.

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302631360.jpghttp://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302630440.jpg
photos and article from the inquirer.net

Arroyo showcases first all-female police commando unit

‘Police girl power’ not limited to counseling

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has launched the first all-female police commando unit to be deployed during hostage-taking and other crisis situations.

"We want to show that police girl power is not limited to sisterly counseling. It packs a mean punch as well," Arroyo said in a speech during the 17th anniversary of the Philippine National Police (PNP) at Camp Crame on Wednesday.

The President also ordered that women's desks in police stations be painted in "cool pastel or feminist purple."

It should also be equipped with a "friendly reception room," a "clean comfort room," and shelves filled with reading materials on domestic violence.

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302631360.jpghttp://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302630440.jpg
photos and article from the inquirer.net

Arroyo showcases first all-female police commando unit

‘Police girl power’ not limited to counseling

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has launched the first all-female police commando unit to be deployed during hostage-taking and other crisis situations.

"We want to show that police girl power is not limited to sisterly counseling. It packs a mean punch as well," Arroyo said in a speech during the 17th anniversary of the Philippine National Police (PNP) at Camp Crame on Wednesday.

The President also ordered that women's desks in police stations be painted in "cool pastel or feminist purple."

It should also be equipped with a "friendly reception room," a "clean comfort room," and shelves filled with reading materials on domestic violence.

All hail the female cops! :cheers:


BTW, i just want to share these Philippine Army photos in Korean war (from PDF) as a remembrance for our heroes:

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/yanuks/S6300530.jpg
Philippine display

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/yanuks/S6300535.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/yanuks/S6300540.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/yanuks/S6300537.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/yanuks/S6300538.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/yanuks/S6300534.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff49/yanuks/S6300542.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/8402/snv30197oq2.jpg[/

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302631360.jpghttp://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302630440.jpg
photos and article from the inquirer.net

Arroyo showcases first all-female police commando unit

‘Police girl power’ not limited to counseling

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has launched the first all-female police commando unit to be deployed during hostage-taking and other crisis situations.

"We want to show that police girl power is not limited to sisterly counseling. It packs a mean punch as well," Arroyo said in a speech during the 17th anniversary of the Philippine National Police (PNP) at Camp Crame on Wednesday.

The President also ordered that women's desks in police stations be painted in "cool pastel or feminist purple."

It should also be equipped with a "friendly reception room," a "clean comfort room," and shelves filled with reading materials on domestic violence.

this is ridiculuous and stupid ! membership in elite units should be based on capabilities and not on gender !

some say femmes make better marksmen though.

also being female in the armed forces shouldn't qualify one for a "clean" toilet. they can have separate latrines but one which are furnished similarly as for the male grunts (save for the urinals of course)

@ spearhead, wonderful pics indeed! :okay:

http://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302631360.jpghttp://pic60.picturetrail.com/VOL1698/10588304/18969014/302630440.jpg
photos and article from the inquirer.net

Arroyo showcases first all-female police commando unit

‘Police girl power’ not limited to counseling

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has launched the first all-female police commando unit to be deployed during hostage-taking and other crisis situations.

"We want to show that police girl power is not limited to sisterly counseling. It packs a mean punch as well," Arroyo said in a speech during the 17th anniversary of the Philippine National Police (PNP) at Camp Crame on Wednesday.

The President also ordered that women's desks in police stations be painted in "cool pastel or feminist purple."

It should also be equipped with a "friendly reception room," a "clean comfort room," and shelves filled with reading materials on domestic violence.

ganda ng motor! Blue zaido! :lol:

Filipino WWII vets to get benefits from RP, US :applause:

MANILA, Philippines -- After waiting for more than half a century, Filipino veterans who fought side by side with the Americans during World War II will soon be allowed to receive benefits from both the Philippine and the United States governments, according to Philippine Ambassador to Washington Willy Gaa.

In a talk with the Inquirer before he took a Philippine Airlines flight back to Washington on Friday night, Gaa said the Filipino Veterans' Equity Act of 2007 in the US Congress has been set for floor debates both in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Gaa was in the Philippines for a week to host a golf tournament for more than 100 Filipino-Americans in Sherwood in Cavite and Mimosa in Angeles City.

Gaa said that the bills in the US Congress seek to amend existing US legislation so as to recognize the service rendered by Filipino soldiers and members of the Philippine Scouts during World War II and thus make them qualify for benefits under programs administered by the US Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

"This is the farthest that we have reached in our long road toward equity. Together with our veterans and many Filipino-American groups solidly behind them, we hurdled every obstacle and overcame every challenge to win over the Veterans' Committees of both Houses of the US Congress," Gaa said, adding that previous equity bills did not even reach the sub-committee level.

The Senate bill was earlier blocked twice by Senator Larry Craig of Idaho when presented for unanimous consent.

But Gaa described this as a "minor setback," saying the Philippine government was addressing the concerns raised by Craig and a few US senators who wanted the veterans to continue receiving their P5,000 monthly pension from the Philippine government once they start receive theirs from the US government.

Gaa said the proposed Senate Bill 142 filed by Senator Richard Gordon in the Philippine Senate will amend a veterans law here to allow Filipino veterans currently residing in the country to receive pensions from both Manila and Washington.

The current law, Republic Act No. 6948 also known as "An Act Standardizing and Upgrading the Benefits for Military Veterans and Their Dependents," forfeits pension given by the Philippine government to Filipino veterans once a similar benefit is granted by the US.

Gordon said his Senate Bill 142, having passed in third reading, will now go to the bicameral committee to reconcile it with the House version.

He said the amendment would allow veterans residing in the country to receive their pensions from both Manila and Washington.

The bill will benefit more than half of the estimated 16,000 surviving World War II veterans or their surviving spouses residing in the Philippines.

Gaa said the imminent enactment of Gordon's proposed bill came at the right time, especially since Washington may soon be inclined to pass similar legislation.

Gaa said that retired Army Major General Delfin Lorenzana, Manila's envoy on veterans' affairs, also expressed optimism that the Equity Bill will finally become law.

He said the proposed legislation, which he said will give veterans in the Philippines some $200 to $375 monthly, will be endorsed in Capitol Hill soon.

The pension proposals in the US Congress are as follows: veterans with dependents -- $700 a month in the House version and $375 a month in the Senate version; veterans without dependents -- $500 a month in the House version and $300 a month in the Senate version; widows of veterans -- $300 a month in the House version and $200 a month in the Senate version; medical assistance -- $142 a month in both versions.

Gordon said he was pleased with these positive developments in the US Congress, saying it was one step closer to getting the recognition the veterans deserve.

"Perhaps there is nothing more painful than the sight of one who has offered his life to defend his country, wasted away by decades of neglect," he said.

Last year, Gordon met with US Senators Daniel Inouye and Patrick Leahy and Representatives Bob Filner and Dana Rohrabacher, all advocates of the equity bill in the US Congress. All of them assured Gordon the bill would be enacted.

^^ sad that my vet Lolo did not live long enough for this... :ohno:
i hope my Lola will though :/

^^ let's hope it'll get passed soon.

GRP, MILF strengthen Balikatan (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/net/2008/02/10/grp.milf.strengthen.balikatan.html)
By Bong Garcia

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The joint Committee on Ceasefire and Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) have agreed to maximize coordination and information drive on the conduct of the RP-US Balikatan 2008 in line with the guidelines and principles of the GRP-MILF peace process.

The agreement is aimed at preventing the occurrence of untoward incidents during the conduct of the 15-day Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) 2008 exercises to be conducted in Central and Western Mindanao, Sulu archipelago, and Palawan.

With the agreement, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)-CCCH chairman Von Al Haq said they would list sufficient information on the conduct of the Balikatan 2008 "so that once and for all we can inform our field commanders."

The information will be provided by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP)-CCCH chaired by Brigadier General Reynaldo Sealana, the counterpart of Al Haq in the GRP-MILF peace process.

The agreement was made during the two-day 41st regular meeting of the GRP-MILF-CCCH held Friday and Saturday in this city with Philippine Army chief Lieutenant General Alexander Yano as guest speaker.

Al Haq said the MILF have political and military components in areas where the Balikatan 2008 exercises will be conducted.

However, he did not disclose as to how strong and big in numbers are the MILF's political and military components in Central and Western Mindanao, Sulu archipelago, and Palawan.

"Later, may be if you allow me, we'll inform you later with a full information about it," Al Haq told reporters during the press conference Saturday.

He said: "There are number of places, which are places of MILF, where Balikatan 2008 exercises will be implemented."

The US Embassy earlier announced that approximately 600 American troops would participate in the RP-US military exercises dubbed as Balikatan 2008.

It also said 23 humanitarian assistance projects has been lined up to be conducted in the four areas -- Central and Western Mindanao, Sulu archipelago, and Palawan -- since there will be no war games during the Balikatan 2008 in Mindanao or Sulu.

The US will construct and repair schools and other community infrastructures in areas of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago that are in great need of assistance, the US Embassy added.

Majority of US personnel are construction engineers and medical specialists since they will be working side-by-side with their Philippine counterparts who will be in charge of all projects.

During the two-day 41st meeting of the GRP-MILF-CCCH, the two committees vowed to further strengthen collaboration with each other and all the stakeholders, particularly the local government units, in order to significantly complement the forging of a comprehensive solution to the Bangsamoro problem. (Sunnex)

US National Guard unit to train in RP

CRUCES, New Mexico - A unit of the National Guard is scheduled to leave Monday for a training exercise in the Philippines, the first time New Mexico guard troops will visit the Pacific islands since World War II.

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 200th Infantry, based in Las Cruces, will participate in the Balikatan 2008 Training Exercise later this month. The unit is commanded by Lt. Col. Marc Arellano.

New Mexico has a special connection to the Philippines because of the infamous Bataan Death March, which included captured troops from the New Mexico National Guard's 200th Coast Artillery.

Some 70,000 American and Filipino troops who surrendered to Japanese forces on the Bataan Peninsula in April 1942 and were forced to march 65 miles without food or water to prison camps.

Those who collapsed along the way were shot or bayoneted. About 1,800 of the captives were from New Mexico; fewer than 900 of those men survived the march or the following years in prison camps.

''It's a historic event,'' Arellano said. ''We feel proud and honored to be able to represent the New Mexico National Guard and our Bataan veterans by attending this training exercise. We look forward to re-establishing our ties with the Philippine people.'' - AP

@ spearhead, wonderful pics indeed!

Thanks man and lets be proud of them! Atleast 800 of them were killed during the korean war.

US National Guard unit to train in RP

CRUCES, New Mexico - A unit of the National Guard is scheduled to leave Monday for a training exercise in the Philippines, the first time New Mexico guard troops will visit the Pacific islands since World War II.

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 200th Infantry, based in Las Cruces, will participate in the Balikatan 2008 Training Exercise later this month. The unit is commanded by Lt. Col. Marc Arellano.

New Mexico has a special connection to the Philippines because of the infamous Bataan Death March, which included captured troops from the New Mexico National Guard's 200th Coast Artillery.

Some 70,000 American and Filipino troops who surrendered to Japanese forces on the Bataan Peninsula in April 1942 and were forced to march 65 miles without food or water to prison camps.

Those who collapsed along the way were shot or bayoneted. About 1,800 of the captives were from New Mexico; fewer than 900 of those men survived the march or the following years in prison camps.

''It's a historic event,'' Arellano said. ''We feel proud and honored to be able to represent the New Mexico National Guard and our Bataan veterans by attending this training exercise. We look forward to re-establishing our ties with the Philippine people.'' - AP


Hmm no wonder why everytime i look at my "Illustrated Stories of WWII" book before about the Death March, i've seen a lot of mexican looking american soldiers. Now i know... Thi is a good development for our troops too, great experience its gonna be! :)

What is the latest with regard to the plan of purchasing latest helicopter for the Air Force? That is capable of flying at night and etc, blah, blah, blah...

What is the latest with regard to the plan of purchasing latest helicopter for the Air Force? That is capable of flying at night and etc, blah, blah, blah...

AS usual, nothing beats the pinoy corruptions... go figure.

More photos of RP troops during the korean war:

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC03998.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC03999.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04000-1.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04001.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04002.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04003.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04004.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04005.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04006.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04007.jpg

From PDF, thanks medic!

And more photos:


I missed this one this should have been 2nd pic.
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC03996.jpg
Remember the spirit of 1898 this giant hero of the Philippne revolution urged a tankman.

The man on the right is Gen.Emilio Aguinaldo,This was a predeparture parade.My father said the armor 17 m24 tanks was sent by ship to Pusan SK ahead of the men July 1950, most of them were destroyed during the big push of the communist.This was before the infantry set foot in SK.


Thanks again to medic from PDF.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04009.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04011.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04012.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04014.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee55/medic223/DSC04015.jpg

http://timawa.net/forum/index.php?action=post;quote=102383;topic=11376.0;num_replies=22;sesc=8ade6f6b8197402eb411fddc02a4f499

Thanks man and lets be proud of them! Atleast 800 of them were killed during the korean war.

i'm damn proud. my grandpa served in the korean war. probably, that was the largest philippine military expedition ever.

What is the latest with regard to the plan of purchasing latest helicopter for the Air Force? That is capable of flying at night and etc, blah, blah, blah...

there was an issue about the bidding that halts the project. you can read my previous posts in this thread. :cheers:

Southeast Asia defence market opens up (http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/02/11/221436/singapore-2008-southeast-asia-defence-market-opens-up.html)

With South-East Asian air forces looking to update their fleets across the board, some fascinating manufacturer tussles are afoot

South-East Asia is developing into a very open and competitive market for military aircraft, with regional air forces looking to renew fleets which have some aircraft that have been in service for more than 40 years.

Almost all major defence contractors have a chance of selling to the region. Singapore has ordered US fighters and is choosing between South Korean, Italian and UK advanced jet trainers. Indonesia and Malaysia have gone for Russian Sukhoi fighters in recent years, while Thailand warmed Swedish hearts with an order for the Saab Gripen multi-role combat aircraft.

http://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=21469

Not just fighters

All four are likely to order more aircraft in the next few years, and Vietnam could begin a major fighter replacement exercise early next decade. And it is not just fighters that are required - maritime patrol aircraft, airborne early warning capability, attack, utility and transport helicopters, and trainers are all on the region's shopping list.

"This is not a classic arms race as there is no real animosity among the players," says Richard Bitzinger, a senior fellow at Singapore's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. "Most of the purchases are needed to replace old inventory and prevent a drop in relative capability. But there is also an element of 'keeping up with the Joneses' - tit-for-tat, non-aggressive procurement rivalries."

One official at a major Western defence contractor points out that although North-East Asia and India grab most of the headlines, South-East Asia is a key market. "Singapore, for example, has a big budget and its decisions are often taken very seriously elsewhere," he says. "Its order of the F-15, for example, was seen as a vote of confidence in the aircraft. Its decision in the advanced trainer competition will also be closely monitored."

Tough market

Boeing says the region will remain a tough, open market. "Competition is intense, and always will be. We believe customers will make their decisions based on technology access, low risk, proven capability and value for money."

Leading the way is Singapore, with tactical fighters, advanced trainers and maritime patrol aircraft all on the horizon. The South-East's biggest operator of Lockheed Martin F-16s has ordered 24 F-15SGs, and is looking to increase its "strategic depth" in the next decade, says air force chief Maj Gen Ng Chee Khern.


[b]Buyers' requirements and possible suppliers

Singapore: Fighters (Boeing F-15, Lockheed Martin F-35), maritime patrol aircraft (Boeing P-8, Lockheed MartinP-3C), advanced jet trainers (BAE Systems Hawk, Korea Aerospace Industries T-50, Aermacchi M-346)

Malaysia: Fighters (Sukhoi Su-30, Boeing F/A-18), utility helicopters (AgustaWestland AW101, Eurocopter EC725, Sikorsky S-92, Kamov KA-31), airborne early warning (Embraer R-99, Saab 2000, Northrop Grumman E-2)

Indonesia: Fighters (Su-30, Lockheed Martin F-16), light attack aircraft (Aero Vodochody L-159, Hongdu K-8, KAI KO-1), attack helicopters (Mil Mi-35), utility helcopters (unconfirmed)

Thailand: Fighters (Saab Gripen, F-16, Su-30, F/A-18), attack helicopters (Boeing AH-64)

Vietnam: Fighters (Su-30, ChengduJ-10, F-16, F/A-18, Gripen)

Philippines: Attack helicopters (MD Helicopters MG530F, PZL-Swidnik Kania), utility helicopters (Harbin Z-9)

Brunei: Light attack aircraft (Hawk, KO-1)

Myanmar: Fighters (Chengdu J-10, MiG-29), utility helicopters (Harbin Z-9, Hindustan Aeronautics Advanced Light Helicopter)


Singapore aligned itself with the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme in 2002 at the "security co-operation participant" level, the lowest rung of the four-tier international teaming set-up. Delays in the fighter's development have kept the country waiting for the final configuration, but that information should be delivered this year. Singapore will then have to choose between a second batch of F-15s and going ahead with the F-35.

Hawk viability

Advanced jet trainers are also on Singapore's wish-list. It is evaluating the AermacchiM-346, BAE Systems Hawk 128, and Korea Aerospace Industries T-50. The Hawk has been the standard for more than 30 years, but its viability has come into question after it was eliminated from an United Arab Emirates contest, where it faced the same rivals.

Singapore's choices could have an impact on those of its neighbour. Bitzinger points out that when Singapore ordered F-16s, Malaysia bought 18 Sukhoi Su-30MKMs to complement its fleet of 18 MiG-29s, eight Boeing F/A-18Ds and 13 Northrop F-5E/Fs. Its first all-Sukhoi squadron should be combat ready in the first quarter of 2009.

Kuala Lumpur is keen to buy more fighters and is likely to choose between a second batch of Su-30s and possibly F/A-18E/Fs for delivery from 2011. A contract must be awarded in 2009 if funding is to be secured in time for the country's 2011-15 five-year plan. Both internal and external politics will play a role in its decision.

"General elections are expected this year and the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition should win again," says a Kuala Lumpur-based observer. "Some factions favour the Russians and others favour the Americans, and we must see who gains the upper hand. Russia has been a reliable supplier, but the MiGs have faced technical problems. But if Malaysia buys American fighters, it must induct aircraft that are very different from what it already has. It may make sense to stick to one type."

Malaysia's priorities are maritime patrol aircraft and utility helicopters, however, says the observer. "Malaysia must live up to its commitment to monitor its waters. It also needs new utility helicopters to replace its ageing 'Nuris' [Sikorsky S-61] after recent high-profile crashes."

Financial considerations may lead to upgrades of the F/A-18s and MiG-29s, which have six years' life left without modification, instead of new fighters, he adds.

Neighbouring Indonesia, the region's most populous and largest country, also needs to upgrade its aircraft. A fleet of 12 F-16A/Bs, 10 F-5s and 11 A-4 Skyhawks are a testament to the country's historical close relationship with Washington. But much of the fleet was grounded after a US arms embargo, imposed in the late 1990s after the Indonesian government's bloody crackdown on separatist forces in East Timor, cut off the supply of spare parts.

Cancelled orders

Jakarta turned to Russia and ordered 12 Su-30s in 1997, but cancelled that order in 1998 after the Asian financial crisis. In 2003, former Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri unexpectedly confirmed an order for two Sukhoi Su-27s and two Su-30s during a visit to Moscow. Eventually, Indonesia plans to buy 48 new aircraft to replace its front-line fighters. It is also looking to replace its ageing Rockwell OV-10 Broncos and BAE Systems Hawk 53s, and is considering the Aero Vodochody L-159, Hongdu K-8 and KAI KO-1B turboprop.

The USA lifted its embargo on Indonesia in 2007, which should lead to the availability of spare parts, possibly upgrades to existing fighters, and maybe even an order for newF-16s. But many in Jakarta are still unhappy. "How can we be sure the USA won't impose another embargo?" says an Indonesian defence ministry official. "The Russians seem to be more reliable, especially during difficult times for our country."

Search and Rescue

Indonesia also has a requirement for utility and search and rescue helicopters, a shortfall that was highlighted by the army's difficulty in reaching victims of the December 2004 tsunami. Jakarta has already been in talks with Russia to buy four Mil Mi-35 attack helicopters and five cargo helicopters of an unspecificed type.

A tight budget could halt those ambitions, however. "Indonesia says it wants 48 fighters by 2010, but I doubt it can afford half of that, even if the Russians give a good discount," says one defence contractor. "And while new fighters will bring bragging rights, the priority has to be helicopters. The government can't be seen to spend too much on defence procurements as well. Poverty alleviation remains a big goal."

Like Indonesia, Thailand postponed plans for new F/A-18s and F-16C/Ds after the 1998 economic crisis and stuck to its 60 F-16A/Bs and 35 F-5E/Fs. Last year, however, the air force said it would spend $1 billion on new helicopters and aircraft over the next five years. The first phase began in December last year with an order for six Saab Gripens and an option for six more to replace the F-5s. The deal includes two Saab Erieye airborne early warning aircraft, with the first likely to be delivered in 2010.

Thailand's choice of Sweden's Gripen over its traditional source, the USA, has raised eyebrows. "Talks have been ongoing for several years and the Swedes have developed a very good relationship with the Thais," says a Singapore-based observer. "Saab is also keen to get export sales and it must have made a very good offer."

The observer says he expects Bangkok to exercise its options for Gripens around late 2009, forming a proper squadron of the type. Thailand will then need to decide on a follow-up order between the F-16, F/A-18 and the Gripen. "The Thai-US relationship stretches back to the Vietnam war. Things were a little rocky during the 2006 military coup, but both countries will continue to be good friends. Gripen gave Thailand a very good deal this time around, but I doubt it can continue doing that," says the observer.

Swedish success

All the major contractors will also be eyeing Vietnam, which will require new fighters early in the next decade. Hanoi has about 220 combat-capable aircraft, mostly 1970s and 1980s-era fighters such as the MiG-21 and Su-22. It tried to modernise in the 1990s, buying Su-27s and Su-30s from Russia and reconditioning Su-22s and L-39s. But plans to buy Dassault Mirage fighters from France fell through under pressure from the USA and it did not go ahead with upgrades for the MiG-21s.

Defence contractors say Vietnam's growing economy has boosted state coffers, possibly paving the way for a competition. Dislodging the Russians could be tough, given the close relations between the countries, but Vietnam's growing economic ties with the USA and Europe could help defence contractors from those two regions.

But there is no such optimism about the Philippines, which is short of money and has a track record of corruption tainting tenders. Its air force has Aermacchi SF-260 and S-211 aircraft, many of which are not operational, and a helicopter fleet mainly comprising Vietnam War-era Bell UH-1H Hueys and MD Helicopters MG520s. But Manila desperately needs to renew its fleet, especially to help its army cope with separatist rebels.

Last year, after a delay of several years, Philippines president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo set aside a budget of about 1 billion pesos ($30 million) to buy attack helicopters. But this month the defence department overturned a decision to buy MD Helicopters MG530F helicopters following irregularities in the selection process and ordered a fresh tender. The government has also said it would set aside7 billion pesos for 20 attack and utility helicopters over the next few years.

Contractors are not rushing in to show off their wares, however. "We don't know if the money will come in, and the best equipment might not win anyway due to the corruption," says one official. "The best thing to do when it comes to the Philippines is to roll your eyes, offer your products with a shrug, and not expect anything to happen."

Countries such as Laos and Cambodia are in a similar position, with a shortage of cash and the taint of corruption putting off defence contractors. Oil-rich Brunei may have the money, but has dithered for years on a deal for light combat aircraft.

Myanmar, on the other hand, has been shunned by most contractors following an arms embargo imposed on its ruling military junta for its brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists. The country bought 10 second-hand MiG-29s from Russia in 2001, but its main supplier is China. Beijing has sold it about 60 Chengdu F-7Ms, derived from the MiG-21, 42 Nanchang A-5s, which are modified MiG-19s, and 12 K-8 primary trainers that can be used for light ground attack.

China is seen as a potential alternative supplier of relatively cheap weapons to the region. It has offered to sell eight Harbin Aircraft Z-9, a licensed copy of Eurocopter's AS365N Dauphin, to the Philippines for its utility helicopter requirement and has reportedly held talks with Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia. Its new Chengdu J-10 and Chengdu/PAC JF-17 fighters could be an alternative to Russian and US aircraft.

Beijing may need to improve the quality of its exports, however. Myanmar has had problems with the performance and reliability of many of its Chinese aircraft, and has reportedly lost several F-7s through accidents. It has also had trouble obtaining spare parts. China may find it tough to convince a market weaned on Western weapons that it offers viable alternatives.

Still, South-East Asia has an annual arms budget of around $2 billion, so the likes of China will not stop trying. And defence contractors will keep flocking to events such as the Singapore Air Show to display their offerings and talk to prospective customers.

"Look at China and India - they mainly buy Russian," says Bitzinger. "Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are all good customers of the USA. In South-East Asia, almost everyone has a fair chance of winning something. This is one of the most open and competitive markets around, and it will continue to be so for some time."

well we need to keep the generals fat and happy. otherwise they will get adventurous.

that's the drawback of institutionalized corruption practiced by the lowest bureaucrat up to the highest elective official. :(

^^ :lol: funny but true.

In every Transactions there is Corruption ^8^ expect it ...That's was already a culture in our government T_T sad 2 say lang

Sandatahang Walang Lakas ^8^ Emagine the sacrifice of those soldier fighting w.out l8test equipments ..!!

Naalala q 2loy ang story ng Dos Palmas Hostages: Kaya daw pala di naabutan ng authority ang mga kidnappers (abu sayaff) bcoz their boats are faster than what they are using ^8^ kumbaga sa scene ay naiwan sila sa karera ^8^

Its hopeless people.

I think we need some adventurous filipino spec-ops to ____ these bastards.

We badly need fighter jets. The Grippens would be the best choice. But as what the news says, I think it's too farfetched for the government to purchase them partly because of lack of resources and corruption.

parang lahat ata sila fighters ang binibili. :lol:

Maybe the Philippines doesn't need fighters, maybe what it needs are lovers. :lol: (corny pills!) :bash:

In every Transactions there is Corruption ^8^ expect it ...That's was already a culture in our government T_T sad 2 say lang


law of motion ba yan..:D

"for every transaction there is an equal and opposite corruption.."

wala lang..

law of motion ba yan..:D

"for every transaction there is an equal and opposite corruption.."

wala lang..

Yeah ..true naman talaga papz eh..!!? Biruin mo un l8test na bidding for attack Helecopters over price pa ata ng kwentado ng mga patal na un di sana doble pa dun or mas magandang klase pa sana ang nanalo sa bid..!?

Dapat sa mga yan ihulog sakay ng F-5 ^8^V or gawing elisi...^8^V

S-211 Disappearance

In late 2007 a Philippine Air Force S-211 has disappeared. It was in a reconnaissance mission over the South China sea looking for a fishing boat that went missing, and lost communication with the air base. At first it was thought that it crashed but now it is suspected that it was shot down. The aircraft is yet to be found

^8^V

Sila un naatasang mag-hanap sa mga missing fisherman but now, the fishermans were looking 4 them..? hehehehhehe ..Baka naman pinasabog na yan ng Chinese Navy..Malay natin eh until now wala pa rin balita sa kanila...!! Poor Pilots T_T

^^yan ba ung nawala sa spratly's?? afaik even the pacific fleet from US navy went looking for them.. maybe they were shot down, accidentally entered the chinese airspace perhaps..??

That S-211 must have crash pretty bad, there was no locator beacon signal that was traced by the rescue ships. The plane should be equipped with this beacon and even their flight suit should have some emergency survival/rescue device that are water activated.

more like it malfunctioned on air.... kase palitan nayan sila

Kasi even if the jet is already past its prime the Air Force still try to stretch the functionality of the aircraft until only the nuts and bolts are left from the aircraft. But I really wonder what really happened to them.

ok naman sana ang Aermacchi S211 Jet ..The jet is one of the latest Aircraft of the Phil. Air Force inventory.. I can say na bago pa naman kung tutuusin ang Aermacchi S211 Jet compared to other aircraft.. I think we need this kind of aircraft rather than those Vietnam Era aircraft ..!!

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w227/axelSparxx08/800px-Aermacchi_M-311.jpg

General characteristics
Crew: Two (student and instructor)
Length: 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)
Height: 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 12.6 m² (136 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,850 kg (4,070 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 2,750 kg (6,050 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney JT15D-4C turbofan engine, 11.1 kN (2,500 lbf)

Performance
Maximum speed: 665 km/h (359 knots, 416 mph)
Range: 2,848 km (1,538 nm, 1,780 miles)
Service ceiling 12,800 m (42,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 1,555 m/min (5,100 ft/min)
Acceleration limits: +7.33g (+71.9 m/s²)/−3.5g (−34 m/s²)

Armament
Up to 660 kg (1,455 lb) of weapons on four hardpoints, including gunpods, bombs, and rockets.

We had at least: ^8^

Philippine Air Force - (19 aircraft, including 15 assembled locally by Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation)
105 Training Squadron
7th Tactical Fighter Squadron

*Minus the missing one in South China Sea

for the life of me I cannot imagine why the S211 is even considered a tactical fighter.

it cannot carry even the most basic air-to-air missiles. thus it cannot perform interception/interdiction roles.

from what is posted above, it can carry only a couple of 500 pound, unguided iron bombs. that's crappy for a ground attack role.

It does not even have onboard guns ! not a single 50cal or 20mm machine gun. pucha it needs to carry gunpods for projectile armaments.

That shitty airplane was only good for lining some politicians' and generals' pocket with sebo :(

ok naman sana ang Aermacchi S211 Jet ..The jet is one of the latest Aircraft of the Phil. Air Force inventory.. I can say na bago pa naman kung tutuusin ang Aermacchi S211 Jet compared to other aircraft.. I think we need this kind of aircraft rather than those Vietnam Era aircraft ..!!

We had at least:

Philippine Air Force - (19 aircraft, including 15 assembled locally by Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation)
105 Training Squadron
7th Tactical Fighter Squadron

*Minus the missing one in South China Sea


Unfortunately, this aircraft is meant for training, not for combat.

Unfortunately, this aircraft is meant for training, not for combat.

That's the sad thing, pagtapos ng training, papano na ang pang-combat?

suited for patrol and training aircraft lang ang S211

That aircraft is good enough for me kesa sa mga other available in PAF inventory. But if we can afford to buy advanced aircraft eh di mas ok un mga papz. Yes we can afford it like other country did.

we cannot say something bad about it coz it was our very own kasi kung may pagpipilian lang sana tayo rather than those jet eh di cool, but none eh. simple lang dba ^8^V wahikhik:

The problem is the governing institution itself, CORRUPTIONS ^8^v

General characteristics
Crew: Two (student and instructor)
Length: 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)
Height: 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 12.6 m² (136 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,850 kg (4,070 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 2,750 kg (6,050 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney JT15D-4C turbofan engine, 11.1 kN (2,500 lbf)


I haven't really paid much attention to the S211, pero ngayong nakita ko ang specs, lalo akong nagpuyos :bleep:

Empty weight: 1,850 kg (4,070 lb) this is the weight of the airplane without fuel or pilot
Max takeoff weight: 2,750 kg (6,050 lb) this is the max weight of the plane and still be able to get off the runway.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_aircraft_empty_weight

This means that the net MAX load of the plane of 900 kg. kargahan mo ng jet fuel at piloto ang S11 ano pa ang matitirang net load para sa armaments ?

so ano gagawin ng piloto ng S211 kapag naka engkwentro ng pilotong intsik sa spratly's ? ngangat-ngatan na lang :tongue: ?

:bleep:

^^lol.. eh diba may mga pistol na dala ang mga piloto..:D

ground to air na lang tayo nyan..:lol:

2,000 cops secure Metro; troops on stand-by
02/15/2008 | 03:58 PM

A total of 2,000 policemen have been deployed to secure major areas in Metro Manila Friday as thousands of anti-Arroyo protesters gathered in Makati City calling for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's resignation.

National Police chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr said the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) deployed the policemen in Makati City, Manila and at the EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City.

Razon said augmentation troops from the Armed Forces National Capital Region Command (NCRCom) are on stand-by at Camp Aguinaldo, to be tapped whenever necessary.

Before dawn Friday, the first batch of augmentation troops belonging to the Light Armor Division arrived from Capas, Tarlac. Before noon, the second batch arrived in Manila.

Capt. Carlo Ferrer, NCRCom information chief, said the undetermined number of augmentation troops were on board three V150 tanks, three Simba tanks and two Scorpion tanks.

The NCRCom had earlier said that communist insurgent might infiltrate the ranks of the protesters and initiate violence in the conduct of the rally.

"We brought in the troops not because of the rally but because we have reliable sources of information that the NPA is out to infiltrate the ranks of the rallyists to create trouble," said Maj. Gen. Fernando Mesa, NCRCom chief.

"With the strong presence of the Armed Forces (in Metro Manila), we will see to it that our democracy is preserved. We will see to it that our people are protected, we will see to it that the socio-economic and political activities in our country, particularly at NCR, are not hampered," Mesa added. - GMANews.TV (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/80724/2000-cops-secure-Metro-troops-on-stand-by)

I haven't really paid much attention to the S211, pero ngayong nakita ko ang specs, lalo akong nagpuyos :bleep:

Empty weight: 1,850 kg (4,070 lb) this is the weight of the airplane without fuel or pilot
Max takeoff weight: 2,750 kg (6,050 lb) this is the max weight of the plane and still be able to get off the runway.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_aircraft_empty_weight

This means that the net MAX load of the plane of 900 kg. kargahan mo ng jet fuel at piloto ang S11 ano pa ang matitirang net load para sa armaments ?

so ano gagawin ng piloto ng S211 kapag naka engkwentro ng pilotong intsik sa spratly's ? ngangat-ngatan na lang :tongue: ?

:bleep:

^^lol.. eh diba may mga pistol na dala ang mga piloto..:D

ground to air na lang tayo nyan..:lol:

:lol: We're hopeless.

lets improvise :D

yung abu sayaf nga gumagamit ng sarangolang may bomba :D

I think one of the reasons why the government doesn't aspire on purchasing 3rd or 4th generation fighter jets is due to the high cost of maintenance of these said aircrafts. If you look at it, the government is just being practical on not buying them because there's no impending danger or external threat to country for us to use F15s or Grippens.

Juan de la Cruz can always count on the help of his dear old Uncle Sam. ;)

Maybe the Philippines doesn't need fighters, maybe what it needs are lovers. :lol: (corny pills!) :bash:

apparently, that's what the filipinos were doing for the last 20 yrs, both making love and war.... :lol:

Recent deployment of pinoy military might around manila.

A half filipino soldier on guard.
http://a686.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/87/l_1e803a29509feee1a7046b62b8cdcf55.jpg
http://a618.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/27/l_6c8abc0b4e192a98661e6a3457af4781.jpg
http://a534.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/54/l_e3f85a600efb36351c484ecc7f68830d.jpg
http://a997.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/58/l_671eaca875ab1d8a2a69849e8d973b94.jpg
http://a475.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/59/l_8431b8db43428277043edb4a0c44e82a.jpg
http://a887.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/89/l_68bd688fc7fbecda2a55e3f0bdccf8f6.jpg
http://a265.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/17/l_c2110b2a2e7808cdaf3419f6a90caf58.jpg
http://a377.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/57/l_226eaa5ab109813c4ca0fe937b99bb78.jpg

Some PSG unit.

http://a446.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/24/l_87f2b3dac1d499dbba356d1a12190265.jpg

wow ginagamit papala natin yang mga scorpion tank na yan! yung dalawang maliliit na tanke

Esperon okay with airing of ‘Hello Garci’ tapes

MANILA, Philippines – Armed Forces chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said he is in favor of the airing of the controversial "Hello Garci" wiretaps after the Supreme Court nullified a government ban on the tapes’ public playing.

Esperon is one of four generals mentioned in the tapes, purportedly from military intelligence wiretaps of what appear to be President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo talking to former elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano about alleged plans to rig the 2004 election results in her favor.

"Yes. It can be aired," Esperon told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo, when asked if he favored the airing of the wiretaps even amid the corruption scandal triggered by allegations of corruption surrounding the botched national broadband network (NBN) deal

The military chief, the only one of the so-called "Hello Garci" generals who remains in the active service, said the tapes had been played in public before, including at an investigation by the House of Representatives.

"I know that everybody in town knows what's in the tapes so I don't know if that should [have] any effect on us," he said.

"I don't think so, there have been formal investigations on that matter...Let it come out if the Supreme Court decides to allow the open airing," he said.

The tapes insinuated that Esperon had a hand in the relief of Brigadier General Francisco Gudani as commander of the First Marine Brigade based in Marawi City for allegedly supporting Arroyo's chief rival, movie actor Fernando Poe Jr., who died months after the May 14, 2004 elections.

Esperon, then the deputy chief of staff for operations, has repeatedly denied the charge.

Two other generals were mentioned in the tapes -- retired generals Roy Kyamko and Gabriel Habacon.

A military fact-finding board cleared the four officers of involvement in alleged vote rigging, but its report was never made public in full.

By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net

while hindi pa tayo nakakabili ng F16 or F18 man lang eh mag-u-upgrade na naman ang mga neighbors natin.

Lockheed Martin to sell 500 F-35 jets in Asia-Pacific

SINGAPORE - Lockheed Martin aims to sell about 500 F-35 aircraft to governments in the Asia-Pacific region during the life of the stealth fighter's production program, an executive said Tuesday.

''I think 500 is about right, plus or minus 50,'' Vice President for F-35 Business Development George Standridge told Dow Jones Newswires at the Singapore Airshow.

He said Lockheed Martin is in talks with four likely buyers, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Singapore. Lockheed will focus on countries that are positioned to upgrade from models such as the F-16, F-18, or the Harrier.

The F-35 Lightning II fighter has been described by the manufacturer as a multinational effort to build an affordable, supersonic stealth fighter, and is designed to replace a wide range of aircraft.

The sales target suggests revenue from the region exceeding $20 billion (€13.6 billion), as the US government's initial orders were priced at $45 million (€30.7 million) per plane in 2002.

Australia has already signaled an intent to buy 100 F-35s, but the contract has yet to be signed.

- AP

hell, kung mayaman ako, bibili ako ng m1 abram, tapos sasakupin ko ang malakanyang

PNP cracks down on Fake Journalists!

Report:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=109815

hell, kung mayaman ako, bibili ako ng m1 abram, tapos sasakupin ko ang malakanyang

hindi siguro kaya :)

you know what the US marines say, "hunting tanks is fun and easy" :lol:

accepted military doctrine is specific, tanks cannot operate alone unsupported by infantry.

^^ Just to add.

Even in World War II, American tanks are meant to be supported by and for infantry, they let tank destroyers, anti-tank guns, and bazookas do the engagement against tough Panzers.

y, ano bang weapon na e tatapat natin sa "m1 abram" ko? mga m14?-16? mortar? not unless my apache kayo or javelin. den patay ako sa inyo. kahit yang mga militaray cymba nyo at yang 2 scorpion tank eh. and tanks have changed a lot na since ww2. active armor, etc....

Recent deployment of pinoy military might around manila.

A half filipino soldier on guard.
http://a686.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/87/l_1e803a29509feee1a7046b62b8cdcf55.jpg
[g]

the guy is half what

overdose lang yan ng glutathione at papaya soap :lol:

Anak araw lang yan: well e2 pala hitsura ng F35


http://www.airforceworld.com/fighter/gfx/jsf/f35_payload.jpg


oh see ..un mga kapit-bahay natin binabalak ng bumili nyan wahikhik ^8^

More CCTV cameras to be installed in Metro - PNP

The National Police announced Friday that more cameras will be installed all over Metro Manila, even as its spokesman assured the public that the installation is aimed at monitoring traffic and crimes in the metropolis.

In a statement, Senior Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome said a total of 56 cameras will be installed in key points in Metro Manila, 26 of which, including the one in front of La Salle Greenhills in Mandaluyong City, are already working since the project was launched last year in time for the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) meeting in Manila.

"Our people in Metro Manila need not be afraid of these CCTV (close-circuit television) cameras but rather feel safer that with them, our children are far more secured in our streets and other
public places," Bartolome said.

Bartolome issued the appeal as PNP chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr assured that the cameras "will not be used to spy on anyone."

The project was officially launched in October last year at the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) headquarters in Bicutan, Taguig City wherein no less than Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in-charge for the National Capital Region Wilhelm Soriano assured that the use of the CCTV cameras on the streets "is not an invasion to rights to privacy because there is no compulsion."

NCRPO chief Director Geary Barias announced then that some of the areas with cameras are the Sandiganbayan area in Quezon City, EDSA Magallanes in Makati City, EDSA-Ortigas in Mandaluyong City, EDSA-Ayala Avenue in Makati City, and Mendiola in Manila.

The video footage captured go to the Central Command Center of the NCRPO, and then transmitted to the Command Center at the PNP National Headquarters in Camp Crame.

For the same purpose, the PNP recently entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Metro Manila Development Authority for data sharing of videos, Bartolome said.

He also encouraged private business establishments "to set up their own CCTV security cameras in their respective areas to help in crime prevention and monitoring."

At the same time, Bartolome clarified that the reported camera installed in front of the St. Scholastica's College in Manila "is not a PNP CCTV camera, but rather a photo-sensor device that is used to automatically switch off lights during the daytime."

A nun executive of the school had complained on Thursday that they felt being monitored by authorities because of the setting up of the suspected CCTV camera similar to the one at La Salle Greenhills.

The installation of the camera at La Salle Greenhills sparked skepticisms against its supposed purpose of monitoring traffic because it was done days before an anti-Arroyo mass was held there last Sunday.

- GMANews.TV

PNP setting up more ‘spy cams’

MANILA, Philippines -- Amid accusations it has been installing surveillance cameras to trace the movements of Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., key witness in the national broadband network (NBN) scandal, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Friday more closed-circuit television (CCTVs) would be set up all over Metro Manila.

PNP Director General Avelino Razon Jr. said about 30 more CCTV cameras will be installed as part of the police’s anti-criminality drive and mainly intended to monitor traffic, not administration critics.

Lozada himself first raised the alarm after one of the cameras was installed by what he described as hooded men in civilian clothes in front of De La Salle Greenhills in Mandaluyong City, where he and his family have sought shelter while he testifies in the Senate inquiry into the NBN deal.

Wednesday night, another camera was discovered outside St. Scholastica’s College in Manila, where Lozada was guest at a forum on Thursday.

"[The] CCTV cameras are mainly for traffic monitoring and anti-crime monitoring only and will not be used to spy on anyone," aid Razon in a statement Friday.

At least 26 cameras have been installed since October last year, including the one at La Salle Greenhills in Mandaluyong, Senior Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome, PNP spokesman, said.

Bartolome also clarified that the device installed on a lamp post in front of St. Scholastica's "was not a PNP CCTV camera but rather a photo-sensor device that is used to automatically switch off lights during the daytime."

The use of CCTV cameras against crime was first tried during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) the Summit in Cebu City in January 2007 and again during the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Manila in August 2006.

"Our people in Metro Manila need not be afraid of these CCTV cameras but rather feel safer that with them, our children are far more secure in our streets and other public places," said Bartolome.

He said the images captured by the cameras reach the National Capital Region Police Office Central Command Center and are remotely transmitted to the Command Center at PNP national headquarters in Camp Crame.

By Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net

y merung f35? papalitan n ba yung f22?

^^ yup. eventually. the gestation period for new aircraft from conception to production is 10-15 years.

so, hinde pa nagagamit yugn raptor, gagawa na sila ng kapalit nito... mag kaka f22 cguro tayo pag nasa f350 na main attack craft ng tate

the guy is half what

half woman..:D

F22 and its Manufacturer is the winning Aircraft for the US Armed Forces while F35 withs its manufacturer yung losser parang ganun pagkakaunawa ko!

F 22 sa boeing while f350 or f35 is for the Lockheed Martin

tama ka jcb, naalala ko, merun din sila joint strike plane... parehas ng f22 kaso isang jet lang, any news about the mig and the su ?

F 22 sa boeing while f350 or f35 is for the Lockheed Martin

the F22 is also lockheed, and is an air superiority aircraft, just like the F15C.

the F35 is a strike aircraft which means it is designed for both air to ground and air to air missions. It is also single engined with STOL/VTOL capabilities. the single engine config means it is easier to maintain and is cheaper. It will be replacing the F-16 of the Air Force, F18 of the navy and the harriers of the marines.

MILF rebels trying to retake their former camp that been recently overun by government troops:

VmR3Y61QXPc

http://a686.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/87/l_1e803a29509feee1a7046b62b8cdcf55.jpg

OMG, I don't know if I am just seing things but I think i knew this gentleman, his last name is Sarmiento, a spanish mestiso I believe, he and my brother were two caucasian looking students in our school at that time. My brother and I was shipped back to the Philippines back then. Sarmiento has been expressing his desire to join the Philippine military since he came from a family of military there in the Philippines.

his camo is diff...

half woman..:D

half nanay nga
[I. My brother and I was shipped back to the Philippines back then. Sarmiento has been expressing his desire to join the Philippine military since he came from a family of military there in the Philippines.

perhaps u were in the navy(?)

http://a686.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/87/l_1e803a29509feee1a7046b62b8cdcf55.jpg

OMG, I don't know if I am just seing things but I think i knew this gentleman, his last name is Sarmiento, a spanish mestiso I believe, he and my brother were two caucasian looking students in our school at that time. My brother and I was shipped back to the Philippines back then. Sarmiento has been expressing his desire to join the Philippine military since he came from a family of military there in the Philippines.

He must be the one. :)

his camo is diff...

laba sa tide....

anyways, any1 who knows the scandal about the afp purchasing night attack choppers? ang anomalya daw ay kung talaga bang 3,000 lbs ang payload ng chopper or hinde, yung daw kasi ang binayaran ay dapat sa chopper na merun ganung payload, anong chopper ba yun?

sa mi-24 or hind, sya kasi ang heavy attack helicopter na ppwede rin magsakay ng personnel, unlike apache or mangusta...

or better yet, why hinde natin bilhin yung comanche... sayang nga lang at na r.i.p. na yun.........

laba sa tide....

anyways, any1 who knows the scandal about the afp purchasing night attack choppers? ang anomalya daw ay kung talaga bang 3,000 lbs ang payload ng chopper or hinde, yung daw kasi ang binayaran ay dapat sa chopper na merun ganung payload, anong chopper ba yun?

sa mi-24 or hind, sya kasi ang heavy attack helicopter na ppwede rin magsakay ng personnel, unlike apache or mangusta...

or better yet, why hinde natin bilhin yung comanche... sayang nga lang at na r.i.p. na yun.........

They will renew the bidding. The gunships they're looking for are either the AH1-S/Z or the AH-6 Little Birds, no more. In the other hand, they have a sparate budget for the utility helos, and the chinese Dauphins are one of the favorites, imnot sure about those russian made helos or if they gonna get those american made as well.

BTW, some more photos:
http://a254.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/114/l_4e97fbeb3ce16ddfd9ba8389048ad87d.jpg
http://a346.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/58/l_f4d4ced85ffd2f12e764392f77bce6b9.jpg
http://a468.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/71/l_b56019117eff8a601b2ba3564a4cfc3b.jpg

More photos of security forces deployment around manila:
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/lancero111/fevereiro/e19f9b0b.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/lancero111/fevereiro/115ea26e.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/lancero111/fevereiro/170376a7.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/lancero111/fevereiro/aa8d7266.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/lancero111/fevereiro/e565341f.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/lancero111/fevereiro/97dca9bc.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/lancero111/fevereiro/04dae9cf.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/lancero111/fevereiro/1ea006ad.jpg

More Army Rangers and Marines gathering in manila:
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/lancero111/fevereiro/c8fa3a99.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/lancero111/fevereiro/c6a0d67f.jpg

US and RP troops in Balikatan Military Exercise:
http://aycu06.webshots.com/image/43045/2002696738171577480_rs.jpg
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/7236/img1770me9.jpg
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/2816/img1766og6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/He219/photobucket/new/armymil-2008-02-25-112518.jpg

wow lol. what are we in a war? :lol:

that last pics with the paratroopers, is that the philippines? can't be!

I heard there was an EDSA celebration....

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080223/capt.c0e83c46b4e749be80478f7a774166d5.philippines_corruption_mla102.jpg?x=400&y=308&sig=vEXA_Iva2YwRTOFI5gmkKA--
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080223/capt.26486e4ab0a64ed186e30eb9ddf8366c.philippines_corruption_mla103.jpg?x=262&y=345&sig=BqZPgE7Xl08YQ_QkUf7Dtg--
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080223/capt.18ce3c001e2848b5a22b3047f7c2e986.philippines_corruption_mla105.jpg?x=400&y=280&sig=SIQMi1mNXqbqRe4n865Edg--
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080223/capt.5a2311eecadf46bb9e421d957bccb0de.philippines_corruption_mla101.jpg?x=400&y=280&sig=LRXUZgcLZaowsoIKpMb4RQ--
http://cache4.gettyimages.com/xc/79973501.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1935FB17706AA75D2012AFDD0B55801C0ED284831B75F48EF45
http://cache3.gettyimages.com/xc/79973492.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1935FB17706AA75D201873AF6EF601E4082284831B75F48EF45
http://cache4.gettyimages.com/xc/79973484.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1935FB17706AA75D2017960261D846C7EFC284831B75F48EF45
http://cache4.gettyimages.com/xc/79974453.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1935FB17706AA75D20166C3431B3A2273BD284831B75F48EF45
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p107/bonangelo76/AFP-9.jpg

I heard there was an EDSA celebration....
http://cache4.gettyimages.com/xc/79973484.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1935FB17706AA75D2017960261D846C7EFC284831B75F48EF45


Is that an automatic grenade launcher on top of the V150 turret ?

baka merun ka mga pics at specs ng mag sinabi mo. mukhang hinde sikat yung mag yun eh, hinde pa na feautre sa disco or nat geo (hahahahha demonic laugh)

half nanay nga


perhaps u were in the navy(?)


No, I wasn't in the navy not in Philipines or US. My brother joined the US airforce, i almost followed him. He didn't say very long so why should I ?? LOL


These pictures here are awesome!!!

wow lol. what are we in a war? :lol:

that last pics with the paratroopers, is that the philippines? can't be!

yeah, psychological, the art of intimidation.

that's the combined Manila and US forces, but those guys are GIs. their camouflage fatigues are not AFP-issued.

nice pics there spearhead, btw, where did you get all these photos?

baka merun ka mga pics at specs ng mag sinabi mo. mukhang hinde sikat yung mag yun eh, hinde pa na feautre sa disco or nat geo (hahahahha demonic laugh)

the automatic grenade launcher replaces the 50Cal machinegun. Primary user in the US are the marines.

I read sometime back that the phil army acquired a dozen or so of these.

this is primarily a long range antipersonnel weapon, though it can make short work of infantry fighting vehicles as well.

yeah, psychological, the art of intimidation.

that's the combined Manila and US forces, but those guys are GIs. their camouflage fatigues are not AFP-issued.

nice pics there spearhead, btw, where did you get all these photos?

Pinoy yung tisoy. tignan mo ang unit shoulder patch, parehas ng sa mga native. at nakilala siya duon sa isang forum ko ng mga barako.

nice pics there spearhead, btw, where did you get all these photos?

some military forum:
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=129463

:)

IN THE DRAGON'S LAIR
US prowls for China in the Philippines
By Herbert Docena
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JB28Ae01.html

Since the closure of its military bases in the country in 1991, the United States has incrementally regained, transformed and deepened its military presence and intervention in the Philippines. The manner in which the US has attempted to re-establish basing in the Philippines illustrates its attempts to radically overhaul its global offensive capabilities to become more agile and efficient while overcoming mounting domestic opposition to its presence around the world.

The objectives with which the United States has sought to achieve this in the Philippines - a country that is firmly within what US analysts and strategists call "the dragon's lair" - point to the emerging US strategy toward what it has officially identified as the one country with "the greatest potential to compete with the United States" - China. In this strategy, the Philippines, by virtue both of its location as well as its political disposition towards the US relative to its neighbors, plays a crucial role.

Basing without bases

After George W Bush came to power, the US began to attempt in earnest to implement what its proponents bill as the most comprehensive reconfiguration of its global military presence since World War II. The underlying rationale is clear: the positioning and forms of US military bases of the past - built as they were for the Cold War - no longer suffice for the present. The US overseas basing must therefore be transformed so as to enable the US military to become leaner and meaner, quicker and more agile.

In the Philippines, as in a growing number of places around the world, the one persistent constraint for both the US and Philippine governments, however, has been the long-standing domestic sensitivity to US bases in the country. This opposition was actually an important - if not the decisive - factor in the decision to close the bases in 1991 and in the adoption in the post-Ferdinand Marcos 1987 constitution of provisions banning foreign military bases in the country.

As it has embarked on the project of transforming its global presence, the US has also sought to adapt to and undermine domestic opposition to its bases. In this, the US military's reconceptualization of its global military presence - no longer as merely a collection of physical structures but as a global "posture" - is illuminating. By posture, explained US Under Secretary of Defense Douglas J Feith, "We are not talking only about basing, we're talking about the ability of our forces to operate when and where they are needed."

Thus, recognizing that the local political situation is not yet ripe for the re-establishment of the kind of large military bases it once had in the Philippines, the United States has instead moved to achieve this ability in various other ways.

Recurring deployments

The United States has been deploying a growing number of its troops, ships and equipment all over the Philippines ostensibly for training exercises, humanitarian and engineering projects, and other missions. In 2006 alone, up to 37 military exercises were scheduled - up from around 24 in the preceding years. As many as 6,000 US troops are involved, depending on the exercise.

Although packaged as on-and-off temporary programs to train US and Filipino troops, such exercises are seen as an alternative way for the US military to secure access to the Philippines. "The habitual relationships built through exercises and training," former US Pacific Command head Admiral Thomas Fargo noted in March 2003, "is our biggest guarantor of access in time of need." He continued: "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 and 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. 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."

Along with troops, an increasing number of ships have also been entering the country's territorial waters and docking at various ports with growing frequency. Such ship visits are also seen as ways to establish presence. As the US Congressional Budget Office has pointed out, "[T]he Navy counts those ships as providing overseas presence full time, even when they are training or simply tied up at the pier."

Dual-use infrastructure

Apart from the troop deployments and ship visits, the US has also been constructing an increasing number of structures and facilities that could be useful for the US military when the contingency arises - while at the same time allowing it to buy political support from the national and local governments. In various parts of the country, especially in the southern regions of Mindanao, the US has been engaged in a flurry of construction activities, building or renovating airports, piers, wharves, roads and other infrastructure.

In General Santos City, for example, the US constructed a deep-water port and one of the most modern airports in the country, connected to each other by one of the country's best roads. Why the United States was so intent on financing and building this modern airport in a small city where relatively few passenger or cargo planes land could not be explained if not for its potential military use. 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 Sulu, the US is renovating the airport, upgrading roads, and building ports that can berth huge ships.

All this is consistent with a US Air Force (USAF)-funded study which recommended having more deployments to have more infrastructure. By increasing deployments, notes the study, the United States can get into arrangements that "include measures to tailor local infrastructure to USAF operations by extending runways, improving air traffic control facilities, repairing parking aprons and the like".

Cooperative security locations

The US is also establishing in the Philippines a new category of military installations it calls "Cooperative Security Locations" (CSLs).

As part of the innovations introduced in the ongoing revamping of the global US network of bases, CSLs refer to facilities owned either by host-governments or even by private companies that are to be made available for use by the US military as needed. According to the Pentagon, these CSLs are to be run and maintained by either host governments or private contractors and are as useful for prepositioning logistics support or as venues for joint operations with host militaries. While intended to be small so as not to attract attention, they could be expanded to become larger bases when necessary.

In August 2005, the US Overseas Basing Commission, the official commission tasked to review US basing, categorically identified the Philippines as one of the countries where such CSLs are being developed by the US in the region. The Philippine government, however, has refused to disclose the locations and other details about these CSLs.

Base services without basing

The US has obliged the Philippines to provide it with a broad range of locally provided services that would enable it to launch and sustain operations from the Philippines when necessary.

In November 2002, the US and Philippine governments signed the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), which researchers with the US Congressional Research Service describe 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 provide the US with logistical supplies, support and services during exercises, training, operations, and other US military deployments. These supplies include food, water, petroleum, oils, clothing, ammunition, spare parts 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, through the MLSA, the US has secured for itself the services that it would normally 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 pose.

Forward operating base

Finally, the United States has succeeded in indefinitely stationing a US military unit in the country. Since 2002, a unit now called the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTFP) has been deployed to the southern Philippines. Contrary to the US and Philippine governments efforts to present the troops belonging to the unit as part of temporary training exercises, this unit has maintained its presence in the country continuously for the last six years. With the Philippine government not setting an exit date, it will continue to be based in the Philippines for the long haul.

The unit, which is composed of about 100-500 mostly Special Forces troops, is headquartered inside a Philippine military camp in Zamboanga City, but its "area of operations", according to a US military publication, spans 8,000 square miles, covering the entire island of Mindanao and its surrounding islands and seas. With various military facilities now being constructed for their use, members of the unit refer to their bases in Mindanao as "forward operating base-11" and "advanced operating base-921".

Though US and Philippine government officials have consistently claimed that the unit is not involved in actual combat, US troops themselves describe their mission as "unconventional warfare" and "counter-insurgency" operations in the country. They have confirmed that they join Filipino troops on patrol, provide them with intelligence, and assist in various aspects of their operation. Eyewitnesses claim to have seen them in the vicinity of operations. Most recently, US troops have been accused of joining Filipino soldiers when they perpetrated what was described as a massacre of innocent civilians in Sulu.

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, also composed mostly of Special Forces, and which has been described as the "model for future US military operations".

Greatest potential competitor

Taken together - the increasing troop deployments, the construction of more and more infrastructure to guarantee US military mobility, the designation of facilities as "cooperative security locations" to be used by the US military when needed, the assurance of support services in case of operations, and the indefinite stationing of US troops in the country - have significantly improved the US ability to operate in and from the Philippines, thereby locking the country firmly within the US global posture.

The determination to ensure and strengthen this ability cannot be adequately explained by the supposed threat posed by local or regional "terrorist" groups in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. As brutal or as violent as the deeply splintered Abu Sayyaf Group has been in its operations, for example, the threat that its remaining 300 or so members pose to the US is quite low and cannot explain the magnitude, the form, and locations of US presence in the country. Not only doesn't the Abu Sayyaf pose an existential threat to the US, neither does it affect US strategic interests or limit its freedom of action in country or beyond. Nuisance does not a national security threat make.

Rather, the US military presence in the Philippines appears to be part of the US drive toward global military dominance in general, and, in particular, of the emerging US strategy towards China - the one power that has now been officially identified by the US as posing the greatest challenge to its global supremacy. As indicated by the series of provocative pronouncements by US officials against China in the past years, the actual US moves to encircle it with military bases and other forms of military presence, and its ongoing efforts to enlist various countries on its side and assemble a de facto anti-China coalition in Asia, US military basing in the Philippines appears to be part of what its advocates have proposed as a strategy for preserving US lone-superpower status by preventing the rise of potential rivals.

Location, location, location

If such a strategy is indeed being put into action, the Philippines appears to be of crucial strategic importance. Since the late 1990s, a growing chorus of US military strategists and foreign policy thinkers concerned with China's rise have warned about the deficiencies in the US military presence in Asia, particularly in Southeast Asia. In their recommendations for addressing this, the Philippines has since been repeatedly explicitly singled out as among the countries in which the US must move decisively to regain its presence. As various studies have concluded, in any possible face-off with China - whether in a long-drawn out competition or in an outright confrontation - the Philippines, by virtue of its location, can be pivotal.

At the same time, the US does not have many other choices. Other countries in the vicinity of China are either geographically less than ideal, or else, have proven to be unwilling to consent to US requests for basing or access. While Singapore, for example, has proven more accommodating to the US than others, its small size is seen as limiting US options. Indonesia and Malaysia, on the other hand, have not only openly castigated US actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, they have also rejected US demands to station in and operate from their countries. Even Thailand, which is a close US ally, has actually rejected US overtures to be allowed to station ships in or to deploy troops to its territory. Regardless of their attitudes toward the United States, most countries in the region simply do not see China as a threat and have therefore refused to go along any strategy that could antagonize it.

Hence, the United States finds that it needs the Philippines more than ever. Not only is it ideally located geographically, its government has so far stood out among its neighbors for being far more willing to align itself with US demands. But with China also aggressively courting Filipino leaders, this too could change. As the ensuing geopolitical competition heats up, the Philippines could tip the balance one way or the other.

Herbert Docena is a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus (www.fpif.org) and a research associate at the Bangkok-based Focus on the Global South.

The bottom point is we need the Philippines to arm itself with the most capable and advance military equipments and weaponries. Otherwise, we will be forever in debt w/ our american friends who are helping us to defeat the terrorrists.

^^ true, but the americans are getting a lot, out of this too... the Philippines' location, makes it very important strategically..and the fact that our neighbors are unwilling to go along with the US, magnifies that ...aside from that China is also trying to make inroads to the Philippines, that's why it's been willing to loan us money..

now , only if the government plays it's cards right,....

Yes, indeed! If ties with the two countries are managed well, this could be a win-win situation for the Philippines. (Not everyone will share this view, though, because some people may protest that this goes against sovereignty, etc. etc.)

that last pics with the paratroopers, is that the philippines? can't be!

another "parang hindi sa pinas" moment?:D

another "parang hindi sa pinas" moment?:D

yes, and i'm still doubtful! :lol:

It's up in midair and the background looks like it's far from Manila and in an open field area. It's really hard to tell from that point. The paratroopers I would assume are all american marines based on the photographer who is down on his belly taking all the shots.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/He219/photobucket/new/armymil-2008-02-25-112518.jpg

wow lol. what are we in a war? :lol:

that last pics with the paratroopers, is that the philippines? can't be!

another "parang hindi sa pinas" moment?:D

yes, and i'm still doubtful! :lol:

Sa Pinas nga ata yan, parang tail yan ng C-17, galing ng Japan for the Baliktaran exercise. :lol:



(Parang Tarlac or Pampanga landscape...wala sa ayos ang land zoning.) :lol:

^me-airborne ka rin ba?
No, I wasn't in the navy not in Philipines or US. My brother joined the US airforce, i almost followed him. He didn't say very long so why should I ?? LOL


These pictures here are awesome!!!

well you shouldve! and nothing should be scared off, it is only the airforce :lol:


joke lang kay tsinoy, airforce works very hard, we all know it hehe

^me-airborne ka rin ba?


well you shouldve! and nothing should be scared off, it is only the airforce :lol:


joke lang kay tsinoy, airforce works very hard, we all know it hehe

SERE training, papano tumalon sa eroplano na huwag kalimutan ang parachute.. :lol:

Nah, we don't work that hard. The ground combat troops like you do all the hard work. We just give some rides and security.

DO they have to do this unity walk? :lol:

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080225/capt.8c75280e5f2949d98789326ca513c43a.philippines_people_power_xbm101.jpg

Philippine Armed Forces Chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., sixth from left front row,
and Philippine National Police Chief Director-General Avelino Razon, seventh from
left front row, link arms with other major service commanders during their 'unity walk'
following the 22nd anniversary celebration of the 'People Power' revolution at EDSA
suburban Quezon city, north of Manila Monday Feb. 25, 2008. Military and
police generals pledged their support for the embattled Philippine president Monday as
a deepening corruption scandal unleashed a fresh wave of nationwide protests on the
anniversary of a 'people power' revolt.
(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)


Meron daw kasing "Unity Patriotic Funds" ---- :D

Balita nanaman dito sa canada ang pilipinas, baka magkaroon nanaan daw ng kudeta....

History is repeating again, some foreign nations are gettin' interested with us (philippines), in the case of china and united states..... but this time, ibang paraan naman..... pati yang kudeta nayan, baka maulit nanaman.....

wala na ngang philippines sa cnn, mukhang sawa narin ata sila. hindi na mabili ang paulit-ulit na balita. :lol:

^^ meron, "fresh waves of protes daw.."

I heard there was an EDSA celebration....
XqbqRe4n865Edg-- [/img]
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080223/capt.5a2311eecadf46bb9e421d957bccb0de.philippines_corruption_mla101.jpg?x=400&y=280&sig=LRXUZgcLZaowsoIKpMb4RQ--
http://cache4.gettyimages.com/xc/79973501.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1935FB17706AA75D2012AFDD0B55801C0ED284831B75F48EF45
http://cache3.gettyimages.com/xc/79973492.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1935FB17706AA75D201873AF6EF601E4082284831B75F48EF45
http://cache4.gettyimages.com/xc/79973484.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1935FB17706AA75D2017960261D846C7EFC284831B75F48EF45
http://cache4.gettyimages.com/xc/79974453.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1935FB17706AA75D20166C3431B3A2273BD284831B75F48EF45
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p107/bonangelo76/AFP-9.jpg

ang laki yata ng name nung ma'ma
makikilala agad sya ni titser

MECHANIZED infantry division yan. :)

More photos:

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x137/Lancero4/fevereiro/c1618260.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x137/Lancero4/fevereiro/54b97db4.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x137/Lancero4/fevereiro/44be4de9.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x137/Lancero4/fevereiro/aa3883a4.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20080229/i/r1251308449.jpg?x=400&y=271&sig=ZaTGqA52S7IQfGs8OscuQw--

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20080229/i/r3925649030.jpg?x=400&y=262&sig=JHn7ROoUNe54yHaqRiRp5Q--

unVnu3jaWhg#GU5U2spHI_4

This video (photo slideshow) is about the Philippines' new war against some of the terrorrist organizations: The communist New People's Army (tagged as a new terrorrist group), the muslim extremists such as the Al Queda-financed Abu Sayaff Group, the MILF and MNLF rebels.

I dedicated this video as my humble tribute and honor to all Filipino soldiers, specially to those who fought and died for the freedom of our nation. Our heroes will bring us forth and regain the long lost glory we had in the past.

Mabuhay Pilipinas!

I hope you like it. :cheers:

Sa Pinas nga ata yan, parang tail yan ng C-17, galing ng Japan for the Baliktaran exercise. :lol:



(Parang Tarlac or Pampanga landscape...wala sa ayos ang land zoning.) :lol:
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/shadowars/armymil-2008-02-25-120623.jpg?t=1203997553
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/shadowars/armymil-opened.jpg?t=1203997926
HALO jump Members of U.S. Army Special Forces soar out the back of a C-17 Globemaster III at an altitude of 6,000 feet during a high altitude, low opening training exercise, Feb. 22 during Balikatan 08 in the Philippines. Photo by Lance Cpl. Ronald W. Stauffer

Feb 25, 2008
BY Sgt. Matthew C. Moeller

CLARK FREEPORT, Philippines-Language and cultural barriers all but disappeared for paratroopers of two nations as they jumped from a low-flying U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft Friday.

Special Operations service members from all branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and their U.S. military counterparts took part in the airborne operation with the goal of building friendship and trust during this year's Balikatan exercise.

Balikatan is an annual, bilateral humanitarian assistance and military exercise between the Republic of the Philippines and United States.

"Every year the Americans come here and we train together," said an AFP Air Force Special Operator before his 16th training jump with American forces. "It helps us out, and them out. We teach each other things."

The jump was unique because it was meant to be fun, but also provided valuable development.

"It gives us a chance to take a break from the other training and do something that is both fun and sustainment training," said a U.S. Army Special Forces officer.

"(It's my) first jump with (the) U.S.," said one Philippine Army Soldier.

Following a morning of safety inspections conducted at the Clark International Airport, the large group of special operators boarded two U.S. Air Force C-130s for a short ride, then a quick fall toward the drop zone several miles away.

"It went very well. The winds appeared to be high, but when we jumped they were all but gone," said an American Special Forces Soldier.

"It was good!" agreed an excited AFP service member after landing safely. "I want to go again."

For the third and final jump, Philippine and American Special Operations service members conducted a High Altitude, Low Opening, or HALO jump.

At heights of up to10,000 feet, a HALO jump is one of the most difficult and dangerous military maneuvers to accomplish, where paratroopers freefall several thousand feet before deploying their parachute.

After rigorous preparation, the small group of experienced jumpers boarded a U.S. Air Force C-17 airplane, and upon reaching 6,000 feet, jumped.

But training wasn't the day's only aim; building trust is one of the main missions of Balikatan and an integral part of this jump.

"We're more than shoulder to shoulder," said the American Special Forces officer, "we're brothers."

(Sgt. Matthew C. Moeller serves with the Combined Joint Information Bureau, Clark Field, Republic of the Philippines.)

http://www.army.mil/-news/2008/02/25/7586-us-philippine-troops-jump-in-balikatan/

This is an old footage taken betwen 2000-2001 during the first mindanao war under ERAP.

Sout Rangers was ambushed, 13 dead, 3 of them were beheaded.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvWq-n_ux3U
GvWq-n_ux3U

grabe naman nilagay na lang sa bayong yung iba

grabe naman nilagay na lang sa bayong yung iba

mga ulo tsaka kalahating ulo...... may they rest in peace......

Watch this Gladiator music video, "Now we are free", its the best and that's why i used it on my videos, it fits for our country although its still looking for a true freedom, from insurgency and corruptions..... Nice video.

D89Lv80TnCs&feature=related

Here's my "Tribute for our soldiers II"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA0FfqwETIc&feature=related
In honor of our soldiers who are fighting our homegrown terrorrists, specially those at down south. This slideshow is also partly concerning about our AFP modernization plan.

Many thanks to Opus224 AFP forum, PDFF, skycraper.com, and all forumers.

Enjoy.

Mabuhay Pilipinas!
NA0FfqwETIc&feature=related

:cheers:

^so how long did you spend the philippine army?

^so how long did you spend the philippine army?

It wasn't, me in the picture... Im not a soldier man. Im just a military enthusiast and dreamed to become a filipino fighter pilot since i was 8, but obviously it never happened. :)

It wasn't, me in the picture... Im not a soldier man. Im just a military enthusiast and dreamed to become a filipino fighter pilot since i was 8, but obviously it never happened. :)

That was my dream also since my ninong was a major of PAF, kaso it never happened at saka wala naman masakyan na ngayon. mas marami pa ata ang Heneral sa PAF kaysa sa eroplano. :lol:
I'm just glad that I get see and feel on what a real Air Force is all about.

http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/web/060314-F-2034C-003.JPG

Exactly. Pero sayang talaga, wala kasi kaming pera nun eh.... :)

It wasn't, me in the picture... Im not a soldier man. Im just a military enthusiast and dreamed to become a filipino fighter pilot since i was 8, but obviously it never happened. :)

Same here, even at least at AFITC in PAF (Air Force Information Technology Center).

But I've been to Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base... for Sunday mass with my girlfriend. :)

It wasn't, me in the picture... Im not a soldier man. Im just a military enthusiast and dreamed to become a filipino fighter pilot since i was 8, but obviously it never happened. :)

ever tried joining the rotc or is it jrotc? to ,atleast, get a feeling of how is't like being a soldier

Senators worry over Kenney visit to MILF

MANILA, Philippines -- Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Senator Rodolfo Biazon on Thursday expressed concern over last month's visit of United States Ambassador Kristie Kenney to the main camp of the Moro International Liberation Front (MILF).

Pimentel said he has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) if Kenney's visit had its approval, but has not gotten any response until now.

On February 19, Kenney, escorted by American security personnel and aid officials, visited the MILF’s Camp Darapanan and met with secessionist chairman Murad Ebrahim and members of the group’s central committee.

Pimentel said that, while Kenney’s visit did not violate any specific law, it is “diplomatic practice” to seek the permission of the host when foreign diplomats travel around a country.

“It is part of [diplomatic] custom and tradition that has ripened into an enforceable practice...It is unusual for any ambassador of any accredited country to just go to any rebel camp to talk with a rebel leader,” he said.

Normally, Pimentel said, such visits are cleared with the DFA or the Office of the President.

“What if the Chinese ambassador met with…Murad? The issue I'm trying to raise is, the US is our ally...why does it treat us as if we are still a colony?” the Senate minority leader asked.

Biazon had stronger words on Kenney's visit to the MILF camp, calling it possible “interference” in the country’s internal affairs.

“Remember, even while we are already talking peace with MILF, they are still considered enemy of the state. There could possibly be the question of interference,” he said.

Biazon, who chairs the Senate committee on national defense and security, said at least two questions need to be answered about that visit: Whether US forces provided security for the ambassador, and whether there was coordination or authority from the Philippine government for Kenney's meeting with Murad.

Biazon said that from his own personal inquiries, Kenney coordinated with the Office of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

“But is that a sufficient level of authority for [such] a serious affair?” he asked.

By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net

Same here, even at least at AFITC in PAF (Air Force Information Technology Center).

But I've been to Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base... for Sunday mass with my girlfriend. :)

Well that's nice man. :)

ever tried joining the rotc or is it jrotc? to ,atleast, get a feeling of how is't like being a soldier

I've been in ROTC pero wala namang quality and education dun puro pahirap lang at nakabilag sa araw, mabuti sana kung tinuturuan kami na humawak ng totoong rifles, kahit mag laro man ng paintball pero wala....
:)

Today's philippine military photos:

http://www.dezh.de/imghosting/95a5df9129e834339f3602e873b451fe.jpg
A child touches one of the weapons on display at a show by Philippine Army in Marikina city suburban Manila on March 9, 2008.

http://www.dezh.de/imghosting/0b0de45d0e18b87121afc6eb5a2a1a1a.jpg
A soldier explains to children about the 105mm howitzer canon during a show by Philippine Army in Marikina city suburban Manila on March 9, 2008. The Army is holding a caravan of awareness campaign showing their skills and weapons around Metro Manila to culminate during their anniversary on March 22. AFP PHOTO/Jay DIRECTO (Photo credit should read JAY DIRECTO/AFP/***** Images)

nung 03 bumili ako ng jungle boots nung nauwi ako sa pnas para magamit dito sa tate,
di ko magamit, ang sakit sa bukong bukong. natapon ko na lang, sayang tuloy

Maybe you are not just used to it, it's really not a very comfy shoes. you'll have to really get used to it, not to mention the callouses you'd be getting from it. Unless you bought something that is too small for your size and never noticed it until you brought it back home ...

^nah you dont need to break that type of boots since the body is composed of garter.so, the boots i bought at recto(manila) is supposed to be like that, and not nylon hehehe

Ladies and gentlemen, here is the latest sneak preview of the MK-II "Barako" AEV of the philippine army, designed and built locally by the Steelcraft (no full photos yet that has been published).

Based on the 2 comparisons, the MK-II seem to have a sleeker rear design than its brother, MK-I. The antenna though is relocated, and i can't find it.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m109/40niner_com/MX8_mk1_vs_mk2.jpg

Here's a latest war video from mindanao:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tt5nY8pQME&feature=related
3tt5nY8pQME&feature=related

PMA junks "Demi Moore" hair cut for female cadets (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/84544/PMA-junks-Demi-Moore-hair-cut-for-female-cadets)

For more than a decade, female cadets of the Philippine Military Academy were sporting what is known as the Demi Moore cut or the short hairdo worn by the actress in the movie, Ghost.

Two inches lower than the close cropped hair of their male counterparts, the Demi Moore cut allowed the female cadets to look a bit feminine.

PMA Chief Superintendent Maj. Gen. Leopoldo Maligalig decided that the "Demi Moore cut" is tomboyish and now allowed the female cadets to grow their hair longer.

"Kaya nga babae. They are supposed to look like women. Our only request is that they groom their hair well," Maligalig said.

He said that the female cadets have their own hairdresser and allowed to behave more like women.

In fact, female cadets have won the cheering squad of the Baguio Benguet Educational League for two years in a row.

In 2002, female cadets were also allowed to have ballroom dancing to entertain guests and as part of their physical training.

Maligalig, however, said that female cadets can be allowed to act feminine and join the cheering squad as long as they prioritize their studies.

"Whatever they do is subject to the rules. What I meant is that, they should have good grades before joining the basketball team or pep squad," he said.

Maligalig has good reasons to remind the overachieving female cadets about studies.

In a long while since women were allowed to join the PMA in 1994, this is one of the rare times that there was only one female cadet in the Top Ten. Cadet First Class Me-Ann Sinson of Ligao City in Albay graduates third among the Baghawi Class or the Bagong Halaw ng Lahi Class. She will receive the Secretary of National Defense Saber and the Air Force Professional Courses Plaque. There are 23 female cadets among the 220 members of the Baghawi Class.

The only other time that there was only one female cadet among the Top Ten was in 2002.

US, Australia helping RP secure its borders

MANILA, Philippines -- Two of the world's major defense powers have been helping the Philippines keep its territorial lines clear in the porous south to shield the backdoor from terrorism and cross-border crimes.

The United States and Australia have been providing technical aid to Philippine authorities in an initiative aimed at bolstering border protection in Mindanao, a military official and embassies of both countries confirmed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer this week.

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) chief, Lieutenant General Pedrito Cadungog, among the top generals involved in the program, said the initiative dubbed Coast Watch South involved the installation of a more effective radar system and enhanced offshore patrolling through more advanced sea and air vessels.

“It's a multilateral arrangement that involves major leagues like the US and Australia... The concept is still being studied because it's going to be a massive system and the main idea is to improve protection in our porous border in the south with Indonesia and Malaysia,” Cadungog told the Inquirer.

“It involves maritime patrolling... with the Philippine Navy and the Air Force is involved in aerial patrolling of the water area. They (US and Australia) have offered their expertise and technology to improve the surveillance system,” he said.

Both close defense allies, the two states have been working with local authorities tasked to guard the Philippine maritime borders in Mindanao, a vulnerable backdoor where suspected terrorists were known to have slipped through.

Smuggled goods ranging from illegal drugs to regular commodities, and even persons trafficked across borders have also breached the southern coast.

“The United States and other partner nations are supporting this initiative and have contributed to the Philippine efforts to build a network of radar stations, surface vessels, aircraft and communication equipment in the southern Philippines to identify and interdict individuals or vessels involved in transnational crime or terrorism,” US Embassy spokesperson Rebecca Thompson said.

The Australian Embassy, meanwhile, said its role in the southern Philippines border watch was part of Canberra's existing defense pact with Manila.

“...[T]he Australian Department of Defense and Australian Customs Service have been providing assistance to the Philippine authorities tasked with establishing a Coast Watch South organization which, once set up, will be responsible for monitoring maritime security in the southern Philippines,” the Embassy said in a comment sent to the Inquirer.

The Embassy said Australia's participation “complements the contributions being made by other nations towards enhancing the Philippines' capability to respond to maritime security issues in this region.”

The United States and Australia have existing counter-terrorism agreements with the Philippines, both of which provide joint troop exercises without stipulating basing arrangements or combat roles for the foreign soldiers.

In 1999, the Philippine Senate ratified the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement, which allow joint training of Filipino and American soldiers.

The US has also been pouring military aid to the country and maintains an undisclosed number of soldiers from the Special Operations Command-Pacific as part of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines to share tactics and technical know-how with the AFP.

Australia and the Philippines, meanwhile, signed the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) in June 2007, an accord that also provides for joint military training of both countries. Australia has donated 28 high-speed gunboats last year to patrol parts of Mindanao that are known to be haven to suspected terrorists.

By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

remember the news wherein we donated an airplane sa australia?






sa australian museum of aviation...

US, Australia helping RP secure its borders

MANILA, Philippines -- Two of the world's major defense powers have been helping the Philippines keep its territorial lines clear in the porous south to shield the backdoor from terrorism and cross-border crimes.

The United States and Australia have been providing technical aid to Philippine authorities in an initiative aimed at bolstering border protection in Mindanao, a military official and embassies of both countries confirmed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer this week.

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) chief, Lieutenant General Pedrito Cadungog, among the top generals involved in the program, said the initiative dubbed Coast Watch South involved the installation of a more effective radar system and enhanced offshore patrolling through more advanced sea and air vessels.

“It's a multilateral arrangement that involves major leagues like the US and Australia... The concept is still being studied because it's going to be a massive system and the main idea is to improve protection in our porous border in the south with Indonesia and Malaysia,” Cadungog told the Inquirer.

“It involves maritime patrolling... with the Philippine Navy and the Air Force is involved in aerial patrolling of the water area. They (US and Australia) have offered their expertise and technology to improve the surveillance system,” he said.

Both close defense allies, the two states have been working with local authorities tasked to guard the Philippine maritime borders in Mindanao, a vulnerable backdoor where suspected terrorists were known to have slipped through.

Smuggled goods ranging from illegal drugs to regular commodities, and even persons trafficked across borders have also breached the southern coast.

“The United States and other partner nations are supporting this initiative and have contributed to the Philippine efforts to build a network of radar stations, surface vessels, aircraft and communication equipment in the southern Philippines to identify and interdict individuals or vessels involved in transnational crime or terrorism,” US Embassy spokesperson Rebecca Thompson said.

The Australian Embassy, meanwhile, said its role in the southern Philippines border watch was part of Canberra's existing defense pact with Manila.

“...[T]he Australian Department of Defense and Australian Customs Service have been providing assistance to the Philippine authorities tasked with establishing a Coast Watch South organization which, once set up, will be responsible for monitoring maritime security in the southern Philippines,” the Embassy said in a comment sent to the Inquirer.

The Embassy said Australia's participation “complements the contributions being made by other nations towards enhancing the Philippines' capability to respond to maritime security issues in this region.”

The United States and Australia have existing counter-terrorism agreements with the Philippines, both of which provide joint troop exercises without stipulating basing arrangements or combat roles for the foreign soldiers.

In 1999, the Philippine Senate ratified the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement, which allow joint training of Filipino and American soldiers.

The US has also been pouring military aid to the country and maintains an undisclosed number of soldiers from the Special Operations Command-Pacific as part of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines to share tactics and technical know-how with the AFP.

Australia and the Philippines, meanwhile, signed the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) in June 2007, an accord that also provides for joint military training of both countries. Australia has donated 28 high-speed gunboats last year to patrol parts of Mindanao that are known to be haven to suspected terrorists.

By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

kakailangan natin 'to, yung mga kariton, potpot o palo-palo natin walang panlaban vs sa communist vietname'z n chine'z

Finally we'll have a chance to get some advance radar system! It's about time.

Military declares truce with rebels for Pacquiao fight

MANILA, Philippines -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has declared a seven-hour unilateral ceasefire in its campaign against communist insurgents on Sunday to give troops time to watch the fight of boxing hero Manny Pacquiao, the chief of staff said.

The suspension of offensive military operations (SOMO) will start at 8 a.m. and will end at 3 p.m., General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said in a phone interview Saturday.

"I suggest that they also watch the fight," Esperon said jokingly of the communist New People's Army (NPA).

Esperon said he declared a SOMO so that "the conduct of soldiers is clear" during Pacquiao's bout with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez. He said the AFP declared an "informal" SOMO during Pacquiao's last fight in 2007.

"To tell you the truth, we will all be watching the fight because Pacquiao is a soldier. Rather than not knowing what to do, we decided to declare the SOMO," Esperon said.

"There are some constraints and reminders. If [soldiers] are members of patrols, they are excluded from the SOMO. If units have to address a security problem, they can suspend the SOMO," he said.

The hugely popular Pacquiao, who has also dabbled in movies and television, is a reservist master sergeant in the Philippine Army.

Asked if a Pacquiao win would be a morale boost for the troops, Esperon said: "Oh yes, that's true for all us Filipinos, especially for us because Pacquiao is a soldier."

"Win or lose, he [Pacquiao] will remain to be the pride and idol of the Army, the Filipino soldier, and all Filipinos. But I have no doubt that he will bring home the bacon," Army Chief Lieutenant General Alexander Yano said.

The Pacquiao fight will be shown at the AFP Theater in Camp Aguinaldo and at the Philippine Army gymnasium in Fort Bonifacio.

The AFP last declared a SOMO against communist insurgents during the Christmas and New Year holidays last year.

As a matter of policy, it does not declare a SOMO against Islamic extremists in the south. Esperon said there was no need for a SOMO against the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), with whom the AFP has a long-standing ceasefire.

By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net

yung mga generals lang ba? pano yung mga wala sa mga base?

choco i miss ur previous avatar heehhe

Philippine military Special Operation Units (Scout Rangers & Light Reaction Force)

LRF
http://a224.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/72/l_c3b7b47b7d52633c446b5a5f5d25a26f.jpg
http://a802.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/24/l_83691319ca1b20b9b2a335651b050ab9.jpg

SR
http://a605.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/104/l_c4b308ddd77b92177ea440783a9cfd3c.jpg

Follow up report about last year's Basilan ambush by MILF & ASG:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU1myBtA7t0&feature=related
HU1myBtA7t0&feature=related

[b]
http://a605.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/104/l_c4b308ddd77b92177ea440783a9cfd3c.jpg


stupid, stupid soldiers :ohno:

it is the height of political in-correctness, and it certainly violates gun safety tenets to let small children fiddle with firearms.

elite troopers pa mandin who are better trained. they should therefore know better.

^ They're not stupid.

natural lang yan pinapakita lang yan sa mga bata ganun din naman kadalasan ang ginagawa ng ilang sundalo hindi lang phil. pati sa ibang bansa yung iba pinasasakay pa sa tanke.kaysa naman sa ginagawa ng mga rebelde na pinagagamit ang mga guns para pumatay

stupid, stupid soldiers :ohno:

it is the height of political in-correctness, and it certainly violates gun safety tenets to let small children fiddle with firearms.

elite troopers pa mandin who are better trained. they should therefore know better.

ye usually thats natural in u.s
but what i dont get is the white camo paint in the face
only green, black, and brown...hommi

a firearm is not a toy. ! ! !

even if one is a card bearing NRA firearms afficionado, the first thing you impress upon a child about firearms is that it is not a friggin' toy.

It is to be treated with respect, and it is to be treated like it is always loaded.

pucha, pinapasalat-salat pa ng mga bugoy iyong mga M16 nila sa mga bata !

pero sige, na challenge ako sa inyo. pakitaan ninyo ako picture ng amerikanong sundalo na pinapahawak casually ang kanilang firearm/s sa mga batang ka-edad ng na pic. pustahan tayo na court martial na ang bugoy na iyon.

stupid, stupid soldiers :ohno:

it is the height of political in-correctness, and it certainly violates gun safety tenets to let small children fiddle with firearms.

elite troopers pa mandin who are better trained. they should therefore know better.

suubra ka naman dong di naman cguro... pinapakita lang nila yung rifles, dito nga sa canada eh dinidisplay pa pati mga tangke sa mga sinihan minsan at pinasasakay pa pati mga bata, pati pa shoulder-fire anti-tank eh pinapahawak din sa mga bata.... hindi sila stupid tsaka kung istupido sila di sila magiging rangers, i think ur just over reacting.... :cheers:

a firearm is not a toy. ! ! !

even if one is a card bearing NRA firearms afficionado, the first thing you impress upon a child about firearms is that it is not a friggin' toy.

It is to be treated with respect, and it is to be treated like it is always loaded.

pucha, pinapasalat-salat pa ng mga bugoy iyong mga M16 nila sa mga bata !

pero sige, na challenge ako sa inyo. pakitaan ninyo ako picture ng amerikanong sundalo na pinapahawak casually ang kanilang firearm/s sa mga batang ka-edad ng na pic. pustahan tayo na court martial na ang bugoy na iyon.

pucha sino ba nagsabing toy guns yang pinapakita ng mga rangers sa mga bata?!?

pustahan tayo mahirap makakita ng photos na pinapahanap mo kasi di big deal yan dito sa america kasi di naman nila pinapakarga o pinapahawak yung mga baril sa mga bata na magisa lang sila, always, the soldiers are still holding on the rifles/weapons while the kids are touching it, and im sure di ganun kaengot yang mga pinoy rangers dahil meron silang full training before hand for safety reasons. ano huh O A kananaman dyan manong....

o eto para sayo gen1, mag strike ka na! hapi?!? :lol:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/150/436193541_16a1f7c195.jpg?v=0
http://www.sptimes.com/News/61399/photos/flo-guns7.jpg
http://www.sptimes.com/News/61399/photos/flo-guns3.jpg
http://www.sptimes.com/News/61399/photos/flo-guns8.jpg
:lol:

[QUOTE=spearhead;19341212]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/150/436193541_16a1f7c195.jpg?v=0

kalokohan ito ! pero yan ang dapat, laruan lang ang pahawak sa bata :lol:

http://www.sptimes.com/News/61399/photos/flo-guns7.jpg

kalokohan din ito ! ayos lang, dahil laruan lang naman din ito :lol:

http://www.sptimes.com/News/61399/photos/flo-guns3.jpg

re-enactment photo ito, marunong ka bang tumingin ng ng baril sa pumuputok ? :lol:

http://www.sptimes.com/News/61399/photos/flo-guns8.jpg

Ito ang tama na pagtuturo ng paghawak ng baril.

Sa gun range ginagawa ang pagtuturo.
Down range ang pagtutok ng baril.
Halatang nakakaintindi ang nag tuturo.
kumpleto sa safety glasses at hearing protection.
Finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
Body braced to in preparation to absorb the recoil.
Adult instructor on the ready to support the child at the moment of firing.

Look how serious and concentrated they are with what they are doing !

Ganito ang dapat.

hindi katulad ng mga ungas na ginagawang laro ang pag-handle ng mga tunay na pusil :nuts: ay ! mga bubu talaga. :lol:

But seriously, as a gun owner with a permit to carry a firearm outside of residence. I will not suffer jerks who make light of the responsibilites attached to possessing a firearm.

It is these irresponsible clowns who make us look bad, and the ones likely to discharge FAs in a criminal manner.

Maraming Rules ang Firearm Safety

Here are some of the basic ones that we follow:


Always point the muzzle in a safe direction; never point a firearm at anyone or anything you don't want to shoot.
Keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.
Keep the action open and the gun unloaded until you are ready to use it.
Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
Never pass a firearm to another person, or accept a firearm from another person, until the cylinder or action is open and you've personally checked that the weapon is completely unloaded.


My main rule is always treat every firearm as always loaded.

Sa armory lang dito sa amin, marami ng nadidisgrasya, buti ngayon, they are well trained, walang incident for a very long time.
Parang may sa demonyo yang mga baril na yan, minsan pumuputok makanti lang ng konti. :lol:

I used my uncle's airsoft rifle when I was five and shot my first rifle when I was six. :D

I used my uncle's airsoft rifle when I was five and shot my first rifle when I was six. :D

And?

wala lang.. ^^

it's like they wanted to be attacked, really.

Absence of attacks on anniversary means NPA weakened--PNP

MANILA, Philippines -- After the New People's Army's failure to launch attacks during their 39th anniversary over the weekend, the Philippine National Police claimed that the communist rebel force has weakened, a PNP spokesman said Monday.

Senior Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome said this was also a sign that they were on the right track in wiping out the NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, by 2010. Police have placed the number of communist rebels at 5,200.

"If we recall, in their previous anniversaries they were able to perpetrate attacks but because of their dwindling number and the dismantling of several fronts, during their anniversary they were not able to do any atrocities," said Bartolome in a press conference.

The NPA warned through its website that it would execute offensives on March 29, as it expected “greater victories” against the “capitalist depression” of the current administration.

"There have been no reports of atrocities committed by the NPA. We attribute this to preparations of the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines," he added.

Bartolome said they were confident that security forces would be able to beat the 2010 deadline set by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in wiping out the insurgents.

He said the AFP would also soon give several areas under its jurisdiction to the PNP but refused to name them.

By Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net

wala lang.. ^^
Ayun ang isa sa mga answer, I was expecting Diz shot his first rifle with an arrow. :lol:


Naku Diz, maraming na didisgrasya sa ganyan, unless you are being supervised by a gun instructor, ok lang yan. Baka maging ala Dick Cheney ka... hehehe :lol:

[QUOTE=spearhead;19341212]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/150/436193541_16a1f7c195.jpg?v=0

kalokohan ito ! pero yan ang dapat, laruan lang ang pahawak sa bata :lol:

http://www.sptimes.com/News/61399/photos/flo-guns7.jpg

kalokohan din ito ! ayos lang, dahil laruan lang naman din ito :lol:

http://www.sptimes.com/News/61399/photos/flo-guns3.jpg

re-enactment photo ito, marunong ka bang tumingin ng ng baril sa pumuputok ? :lol:

http://www.sptimes.com/News/61399/photos/flo-guns8.jpg

Ito ang tama na pagtuturo ng paghawak ng baril.

Sa gun range ginagawa ang pagtuturo.
Down range ang pagtutok ng baril.
Halatang nakakaintindi ang nag tuturo.
kumpleto sa safety glasses at hearing protection.
Finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
Body braced to in preparation to absorb the recoil.
Adult instructor on the ready to support the child at the moment of firing.

Look how serious and concentrated they are with what they are doing !

Ganito ang dapat.

hindi katulad ng mga ungas na ginagawang laro ang pag-handle ng mga tunay na pusil :nuts: ay ! mga bubu talaga. :lol:

But seriously, as a gun owner with a permit to carry a firearm outside of residence. I will not suffer jerks who make light of the responsibilites attached to possessing a firearm.

It is these irresponsible clowns who make us look bad, and the ones likely to discharge FAs in a criminal manner.


uto uto ka naman :lol:

anyway, puro ka dada dyan! first of all paano mo naman nalaman at gaano ka naman kasigurado na pinakarga ng pinoy ranger yung kanyang baril sa bata uh ano? eh paano kung pina-touch lang ano uh? the problem of you is not only you were over reacting, you were also quck to judge the photo! haaaayyyy... :ohno:

And?

and I just gone through rehab. :)

But yes, the gun owner was obviously present.

Defense to screen members of bids, awards committee (http://http://www.bworldonline.com/BW040108/content.php?id=077)

IN LIGHT of anomalies hounding the bidding process for the acquisition of six night-capable attack helicopters, the Department of National Defense (DND) will tighten the screening process for members of the bids and awards committee (BAC).

Nelson Victorino, head executive assistant to the Secretary of National Defense, said since the botched procurement contract, the DND has exerted extra effort in confirming the integrity of prospective BAC members.

"The problem starts when miscommunication happens due to failure to review the rules on the bidding process, whether deliberate or not," he told BusinessWorld.

To be sure, he said a thorough background check was conducted for the new BAC members, headed by Defense Assistant Secretary Roberto Feliciano.

Contract to sell

In September 2007, Asian Aerospace Corp. (AAC), a local partner of United States-based McDonnell Douglas Helicopters, won a government contract to sell six MD530F night-capable attack helicopters for P1.2 billion.

But a review of the bidding process showed that the MD530F did not meet the technical specifications required by the Philippine Air Force (PAF), including a 3,000-pound payload.

It was subsequently found out that AAC’s helicopters could not comply with the requirement.

On Jan. 25, the Defense department stopped the contract’s award after an inquiry showed alleged irregularities in the tender procedures.

Mr. Victorino said AAC contested the cancellation. "AAC officials said that they felt that the 3,000-pound payload requirement was much too heavy for fighter helicopters.

Since AAC’s claim was endorsed by the former BAC members, they said that there was no liability on their part," he said.

Mr. Victorino said they will find out if AAC deliberately mislead the government, or if there had only been a misunderstanding on the part of the company.

If found guilty of conspiracy, AAC may be blacklisted from all state contract bidding for a year, and BAC members may be criminally charged, he said. — JFSV

Military told to get ex-troops’ statements vs erring general (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080401-127711/Military-told-to-get-ex-troops-statements-vs-erring-general)

By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:26:00 04/01/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- Military prosecutors could gather statements from ex-soldiers as part of evidence in an extortion case against a two-star general and his subordinate, a spokesman for the Army said.

Although the former troops who had since been discharged after it was discovered that they had been enlisted illegally could not be compelled to appear before military investigators, they could be invited to testify as "resource persons" against Major General Jose Barbieto and Staff Sergeant Roseller Echipare, Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres Jr. told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Army announced the cancellation of the enlistment of 184 soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division in Cagayan de Oro City amid allegations that Barbieto and Echipare had extorted money from them in exchange for their entry into military service.
Barbieto was the former commander of the 4th Infantry Division. The two are restricted to quarters in Fort Bonifacio and are facing pre-trial investigation in preparation for possible court martial.

Torres said it was not clear however whether all 184 former soldiers were victims of the alleged extortion racket where some of the troops had been accepted despite being below the required height or had faked their birth certificates.

"That [alleged extortion] is precisely what the investigation is looking at in the case of Major General Barbieto and Staff Sergeant Echipare. That is what the investigation is trying to establish," the spokesman said.

"They [184 ex-soldiers] may be asked to give their testimonies to shed light on the case," he said.

Torres said there was no immediate plan to pursue charges against the former soldiers who had paid for their enlistment. "The fact that their enlistment was terminated, that's a big deal," he said.

At the same time, Torres denied suspicions that the Army was treating Barbieto, a classmate of Military Chief General Hermogenes
Esperon Jr., with kids’ gloves.

The Army started investigating Barbieto's case in late February but he was restricted to quarters only last March 18, five days after the order was issued. His restriction was announced only last Monday.

Moreover, Barbieto was allowed to go on leave when the investigation started. He was relieved as 4th Infantry Division commander only in early March, after the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court ordered his suspension.

"I don't see any difference as to investigating somebody else, another officer, let's say a lieutenant or a captain, because we are investigating everybody according to the existing laws and we are applying them equally," Torres said.

Barbieto is the second major general, after retired general Carlos Garcia, to face court martial for alleged corruption.

Garcia, a former military comptroller, was convicted in December 2006. His benefits were forfeited and he was sentenced to imprisonment and hard labor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Finally, they should investigate other military branches on this issue.

And about General Garcia, I doubt if he was sentenced already.

napakarami talagang kalokohang nangyayari dyan sa afp, pati nga pnp ganun din lalo nayang latest controversials na awol at nangingibang bansa na mga pulis na di nagpapaalam, nandadaya sa sweldo.... haay hirap naman kasi talaga ang buhay sa pinas ano....

‘Inferior’ Navy will ‘fight to last man’ for Spratlys (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080402-127926/Inferior-Navy-will-fight-to-last-man-for-Spratlys)


By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:12:00 04/02/2008


MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) The Philippine Navy said it would "fight to the last sailor and Marine" to defend the country's claim to the disputed Spratly Islands, rejecting allegations it would give up the reportedly oil-rich islands without a fight.
Rear Admiral Amable Tolentino, Navy vice commander, issued the statement in reaction to criticisms of his earlier statement that diplomacy is better than going to war over the Spratlys, since the Philippine Navy lacks firepower.

Nevertheless Tolentino said it is the "bitter truth" that the Navy is "inferior" to those of other Spratlys claimants and other countries.

Still, Tolentino said, "Let the people know that our Navy will support every peaceful resolution of the territorial issue with other claimant countries, but is also ready to fight to the last sailors and Marines in defending the territorial integrity of our nation."

"That is our sworn duty, that is our mandate, that which we are willing to die for," Tolentino said.

In an interview with reporters at Navy headquarters in Manila, Tolentino stressed he never said that the Navy would not defend the country's interests in the Spratlys.

"While having admitted that ours is a relatively inferior Navy compared to other claimant countries' navies, I never said that the Philippine Navy would not put up a fight to defend the territorial integrity of our country when faced with [the] external aggression of a mightier navy," Tolentino said in the statement.

"My statement of 'inferior navy' was merely capability-based which, sad to say, is the bitter truth. While other countries enjoy a modern navy that has newer ships and over-the-horizon scanning and targeting system[s], ours remain far behind," he said.

The Philippine Navy has 112 vessels in its arsenal including 69 big ships and 43 small craft, Navy spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan said.

.........

The Spratlys is being claimed in whole or in part by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

Last week, Armed Forces chief General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., visited Pag-asa Island to "reinforce" the country's claim on the islands.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Pag hindi pa naman sila natakot sa ating mga Navy at marines, ewan na lang. :)





(sana umistart yung mga barko)

^^ kawawa naman mga navy at marines walang tulong sa Army at Air Force ...LOL

^^ :lol: balik balik ang mga barko to put some boots on those islands. Forget the Air Force, meron nag pa-patrol na isang jet, nawala pa.:bash:

The Philippine Navy has 112 vessels in its arsenal including 69 big ships and 43 small craft, Navy spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan said.

The biggest we have is about the size of a WWII type destroyer and the rest are most likely frigates and patrol boats.

uto uto ka naman :lol:

anyway, puro ka dada dyan! first of all paano mo naman nalaman at gaano ka naman kasigurado na pinakarga ng pinoy ranger yung kanyang baril sa bata uh ano? eh paano kung pina-touch lang ano uh? the problem of you is not only you were over reacting, you were also quck to judge the photo! haaaayyyy... :ohno:


You are not one of us. That much i can tell. It is obvious that you are not connected with the military nor with any gun afficionado group.

It is useless to discuss things military with you.

(Do you know why I can tell you're not one of us? Ang bastos mo kasi. All of us afficionados are very, very polite with each other, even when we are arguing. Konti lang kasi kami, and we will run into each other eventually in the circuit)

Tama na nga ito. Back to discussing MANLY stuff :lol:

You are not one of us. That much i can tell. It is obvious that you are not connected with the military nor with any gun afficionado group.

It is useless to discuss things military with you.

WHY WHO THE FUCK TOLD U THAT IM A SOLDIER? :bash:

Nakaka-high blood ka tsong! :ohno:


(Do you know why I can tell you're not one of us? Ang bastos mo kasi.

Bakit naman ako naging bastos eh ikaw dyan ang naunang manggulo dito! You called the soldiers in the photo "stupid" and now ako pa ang naging masama?!? Sino ba nagsbing "stupid" di ba ikaw? So ikaw ang bastos. :lol:

Napaka judgemental mo talaga! :ohno:


All of us afficionados are very, very polite with each other, even when we are arguing. Konti lang kasi kami, and we will run into each other eventually in the circuit)



Sinong "kami" na tinutukoy mo meron kabang fraternity dito o meron bang nangaapi sa inyo dito? Sinong "kami"?

Matuto ka pare makipag argue, wag kang basta basta nalang manghuhusga. Next time be nice, watch and learn!

Ok cheers for you! :cheers:

Anyway, for everone specially for those who live outside the philippines, i got some video here about the previous controversial Test Mission by the marines. Was it right or wrong for your newly recruited marines to faceoff w/ live enemies in an actual battle?

http://www.probetv.com/view_video.php?viewkey=3b337800875b5d382a07

The extent of the experience of a particular poster in this thread. :lol:

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1964/250pxcounterstrikeboxtp1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


His Favorite Boys :lol:

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2060/musclethsz0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Finally, the reason why he is what he is :nuts:

http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/8987/210pxtransgenderinterseaz5.png (http://imageshack.us)

bwahahaha ! ! !

:booze: maybe this'll make you happy, if you're old enough for it.

(OK, ok. very last post ko na talaga ito for this. OT na talaga. I just couldn't resist making the crack :))

‘Inferior’ Navy will ‘fight to last man’ for Spratlys (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080402-127926/Inferior-Navy-will-fight-to-last-man-for-Spratlys)


By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:12:00 04/02/2008


MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) The Philippine Navy said it would "fight to the last sailor and Marine" to defend the country's claim to the disputed Spratly Islands, rejecting allegations it would give up the reportedly oil-rich islands without a fight.
Rear Admiral Amable Tolentino, Navy vice commander, issued the statement in reaction to criticisms of his earlier statement that diplomacy is better than going to war over the Spratlys, since the Philippine Navy lacks firepower.

Nevertheless Tolentino said it is the "bitter truth" that the Navy is "inferior" to those of other Spratlys claimants and other countries.

Still, Tolentino said, "Let the people know that our Navy will support every peaceful resolution of the territorial issue with other claimant countries, but is also ready to fight to the last sailors and Marines in defending the territorial integrity of our nation."

"That is our sworn duty, that is our mandate, that which we are willing to die for," Tolentino said.

In an interview with reporters at Navy headquarters in Manila, Tolentino stressed he never said that the Navy would not defend the country's interests in the Spratlys.

"While having admitted that ours is a relatively inferior Navy compared to other claimant countries' navies, I never said that the Philippine Navy would not put up a fight to defend the territorial integrity of our country when faced with [the] external aggression of a mightier navy," Tolentino said in the statement.

"My statement of 'inferior navy' was merely capability-based which, sad to say, is the bitter truth. While other countries enjoy a modern navy that has newer ships and over-the-horizon scanning and targeting system[s], ours remain far behind," he said.

The Philippine Navy has 112 vessels in its arsenal including 69 big ships and 43 small craft, Navy spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan said.

.........

The Spratlys is being claimed in whole or in part by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

Last week, Armed Forces chief General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., visited Pag-asa Island to "reinforce" the country's claim on the islands.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Pag hindi pa naman sila natakot sa ating mga Navy at marines, ewan na lang. :)





(sana umistart yung mga barko)

Matibay ang marines natin. Pero against a superior force, it's a waste to fight to the last man. Live and fight another day, that's the smart move.

It's also interesting to note that in their border wars with vietnam, the vietnamese prevailed over the chinese. There's always hope if the defenders a very determined.

This fellow cancelled that scandalously overpriced helo deal. Maybe he will make a difference in the DnD.

He was one of the congressmen who spearheaded the impeach move against Chief Justice Davide, but for his effort in overturning the helo deal, I forgive him :lol:

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6438/teodorolo6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://www.op.gov.ph/profiles_teodoro.asp

Profile :: The Honorable GILBERTO C. TEODORO, JR.
Website: http://www.dnd.gov.ph
Tel#: 911-0488 911-1746 912-9281

Early in life, Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gilbert” Cojuangco Teodoro, Jr., already showed the makings of a leader and public servant. In his youth, he was elected President of the then Kabataang Barangay for Central Luzon and later, member of the Sanguniang Panlalawigan of Tarlac from 1980 to 1986.

After completing his primary education at the Xavier School, he then pursued his secondary studies at the same school as he also dabbled his involvement in political offices and organizations.

Even with his hands full, Secretary Teodoro successfully completed his Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Major in Financial Institutions at the De La Salle University in 1985.

Since then, he focused his sights on acquiring for himself further education and knowledge to aid him in his desire to pursue public service. In 1989, he completed his Law studies at the University of the Philippines where he was awarded the Dean’s Medal for Academic Excellence. In the same year, he topped the Philippine Bar exams.

For seven years, he honed his skills as a lawyer in the famed EP Mendoza Law firm. Armed with years of experience, he went to the Harvard Law School in Cambridge for his Master of Laws and completed it in 1997. He was also admitted to the State Bar of New York during the same year.

Secretary Teodoro holds memberships in the following— Integrated Bar of the Philippines, UP Alumni Association, UP Law Alumni Association, Harvard Alumni Association and the Harvard Law Alumni Association.

In 1998, Secretary Teodoro resumed his interrupted political pursuits when he ran and successfully won a seat in Congress. He was Congressman of the First District of Tarlac for three (3) consecutive terms. At the House, he was an Assistant Majority Leader (11th Congress), Head of the Nationalist People’s Coalition House members and a member of the House contingent to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

It was during his three-year terms that he forged friendships and memberships with individuals and institutions, including military.

His desire to learn the intricacies involved in the military prompted him to take the Command and Staff Course Class at the Air Command and Staff College of the Philippine Air Force in 2001, where he was the Leadership and Seminar Academic Excellence Awardee. Two years later, he also completed his Joint and Combined Staff Officers Course at the Joint Command and Staff College where he, too, was bestowed the Leadership Award.

Secretary Teodoro, a licensed commercial pilot with a rating in Lear Jet 31, is a reserve colonel in the Philippine Air Force. He was also an assistant faculty member of the Command and General Staff Course and a lecturer at the Air Command Staff College.

Secretary Teodoro has also since been very supportive of various undertakings by the military and the police. As such, he holds the chairmanship of the Philippine National Police Foundation Inc. he is also an Honorary member of the PMA Alumni Association Sponsoring Class – ’76, Philippine Air Force Aviation Cadet Alumni Association Sponsoring Class – ’80, Association of Chiefs of Police of the Philippines, Inc., and a lifetime member of the Armor-Cavalry Association of the Philippines

Secretary Teodoro is also the recipient of numerous military awards, decorations and commendations such as—the Basic RASS Aeronautical Badge, Honorary Command Pilot, the Caliber .45 Pistol Expert Marksmanship Badge, M-16 Rifle Marksmanship Badge, Military Merit Medal, AFP General Staff Course Badge, Presidential Flight Crew Badge, Military Civic Action Medal (Plain), Military Civic Action Medal with Bronze Service Star, and the Military Civic Action Medal with Second Service Star.

Secretary Teodoro, son of the former SSS Administrator Gilberto, Sr., and Mercedes Cojuangco, has a string of accomplishments and notable achievements to his name. At 43, he serves as the youngest Secretary to hold the Defense portfolio.

Secretary Teodoro is married to Representative Monica Prieto-Teodoro; they have one son – Jaime Gilberto.

Matibay ang marines natin. Pero against a superior force, it's a waste to fight to the last man. Live and fight another day, that's the smart move.

It's also interesting to note that in their border wars with vietnam, the vietnamese prevailed over the chinese. There's always hope if the defenders a very determined.

No doubt we have the finest soldiers that we can count on. But being under equipped and led by some bad senior officers would turn all of their bravery and dedication into waste.

Mahirap pag nasa labanan sila at tumawag ng additional air and ground support tapos walang dumating all they can do most likely is to pray.
Well, it happened anywhere when there is some confusion or lack of communications.

Philippine Armed Forces really need to have a big budget. Yung tunay na makikita, not those ghostly purchases. :D

The latest ugly thing I've read was the lack of medicines and equipment in our military hospitals.

(It involves the wife of a top tanking generals? Ithink)

^^mag reretire na namin si general. kaya mawawala na rin si doktora :lol:

at the current state of our armed forces, hindi tayo pwdeng lumaban ng sabayan sa conventional warfare.

guerilla type tactics lang tayo. pero kung mainland chinese ang kalaban, malamang makakasama natin ang kapatid nating muslim sa laban. man for man, magagaling ang milf at mnlf.

you know what's sad ? the current crop of generals we have are the idealistic junior officers from EDSA 1. pag-upo nila sa posisyon, wala silang pinagkaiba sa mga matatabang heneral na nilabanan nila sa edsa uno. :(

parang ganun naman yata talaga.. power corrupts people. it is a sad truth.

...that our Navy... is also ready to fight to the last sailors and Marines in defending the territorial integrity of our nation."


this is very inspiring but I can't help but to feel sorry for them...

The extent of the experience of a particular poster in this thread. :lol:

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1964/250pxcounterstrikeboxtp1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


His Favorite Boys :lol:

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2060/musclethsz0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Finally, the reason why he is what he is :nuts:

http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/8987/210pxtransgenderinterseaz5.png (http://imageshack.us)

bwahahaha ! ! !

:booze: maybe this'll make you happy, if you're old enough for it.

(OK, ok. very last post ko na talaga ito for this. OT na talaga. I just couldn't resist making the crack :))
OT

What do you think of me, thinking of you? Are you a homo, cuz i am not. I shit you not though, cuz i always believe in anti-discrimination law and i respect people.

Hey whoever you are, you cannot measure your manly behavior by insulting and disrespecting other forumers here. You are guilty of hijcaking this thread.

You started all this crap by disrespecting and insulting your coforumer. FYI, my avatar is my sign of respect and a show of support to all the filipino soldiers who gave their lives for freedom! Its my little tribute for them and ill be using it until the war ends, if ever.

Nevertheless, i am sorry, that i have never and whatsoever had any interest in engaging with your arrogant behavior and negative comments about me. Your behavior is unacceptable and you better live up with your promises to stop insulting me.

New videos to share:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xuomf-Hqc&feature=related
u1xuomf-Hqc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rumd37mlHlU&feature=related
rumd37mlHlU&feature=related

Army MTV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ0GFoDGV0s&feature=related
BZ0GFoDGV0s&feature=related

This fellow cancelled that scandalously overpriced helo deal. Maybe he will make a difference in the DnD.

He was one of the congressmen who spearheaded the impeach move against Chief Justice Davide, but for his effort in overturning the helo deal, I forgive him :lol:

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6438/teodorolo6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://www.op.gov.ph/profiles_teodoro.asp

Profile :: The Honorable GILBERTO C. TEODORO, JR.
Website: http://www.dnd.gov.ph
Tel#: 911-0488 911-1746 912-9281

Early in life, Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gilbert” Cojuangco Teodoro, Jr., already showed the makings of a leader and public servant. In his youth, he was elected President of the then Kabataang Barangay for Central Luzon and later, member of the Sanguniang Panlalawigan of Tarlac from 1980 to 1986.

After completing his primary education at the Xavier School, he then pursued his secondary studies at the same school as he also dabbled his involvement in political offices and organizations.

Even with his hands full, Secretary Teodoro successfully completed his Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Major in Financial Institutions at the De La Salle University in 1985.

Since then, he focused his sights on acquiring for himself further education and knowledge to aid him in his desire to pursue public service. In 1989, he completed his Law studies at the University of the Philippines where he was awarded the Dean’s Medal for Academic Excellence. In the same year, he topped the Philippine Bar exams.

For seven years, he honed his skills as a lawyer in the famed EP Mendoza Law firm. Armed with years of experience, he went to the Harvard Law School in Cambridge for his Master of Laws and completed it in 1997. He was also admitted to the State Bar of New York during the same year.

Secretary Teodoro holds memberships in the following— Integrated Bar of the Philippines, UP Alumni Association, UP Law Alumni Association, Harvard Alumni Association and the Harvard Law Alumni Association.

In 1998, Secretary Teodoro resumed his interrupted political pursuits when he ran and successfully won a seat in Congress. He was Congressman of the First District of Tarlac for three (3) consecutive terms. At the House, he was an Assistant Majority Leader (11th Congress), Head of the Nationalist People’s Coalition House members and a member of the House contingent to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

It was during his three-year terms that he forged friendships and memberships with individuals and institutions, including military.

His desire to learn the intricacies involved in the military prompted him to take the Command and Staff Course Class at the Air Command and Staff College of the Philippine Air Force in 2001, where he was the Leadership and Seminar Academic Excellence Awardee. Two years later, he also completed his Joint and Combined Staff Officers Course at the Joint Command and Staff College where he, too, was bestowed the Leadership Award.

Secretary Teodoro, a licensed commercial pilot with a rating in Lear Jet 31, is a reserve colonel in the Philippine Air Force. He was also an assistant faculty member of the Command and General Staff Course and a lecturer at the Air Command Staff College.

Secretary Teodoro has also since been very supportive of various undertakings by the military and the police. As such, he holds the chairmanship of the Philippine National Police Foundation Inc. he is also an Honorary member of the PMA Alumni Association Sponsoring Class – ’76, Philippine Air Force Aviation Cadet Alumni Association Sponsoring Class – ’80, Association of Chiefs of Police of the Philippines, Inc., and a lifetime member of the Armor-Cavalry Association of the Philippines

Secretary Teodoro is also the recipient of numerous military awards, decorations and commendations such as—the Basic RASS Aeronautical Badge, Honorary Command Pilot, the Caliber .45 Pistol Expert Marksmanship Badge, M-16 Rifle Marksmanship Badge, Military Merit Medal, AFP General Staff Course Badge, Presidential Flight Crew Badge, Military Civic Action Medal (Plain), Military Civic Action Medal with Bronze Service Star, and the Military Civic Action Medal with Second Service Star.

Secretary Teodoro, son of the former SSS Administrator Gilberto, Sr., and Mercedes Cojuangco, has a string of accomplishments and notable achievements to his name. At 43, he serves as the youngest Secretary to hold the Defense portfolio.

Secretary Teodoro is married to Representative Monica Prieto-Teodoro; they have one son – Jaime Gilberto.

kamaganak ko pa pala:lol:

OT

What do you think of me, thinking of you? Are you a homo, cuz i am not. I shit you not though, cuz i always believe in anti-discrimination law and i respect people.

Hey whoever you are, you cannot measure your manly behavior by insulting and disrespecting other forumers here. You are guilty of hijcaking this thread.

You started all this crap by disrespecting and insulting your coforumer. FYI, my avatar is my sign of respect and a show of support to all the filipino soldiers who gave their lives for freedom! Its my little tribute for them and ill be using it until the war ends, if ever.

Nevertheless, i am sorry, that i have never and whatsoever had any interest in engaging with your arrogant behavior and negative comments about me. Your behavior is unacceptable and you better live up with your promises to stop insulting me.

im with you. just observing folks here, akala ko rin meron fraternity di2. marami ksi "tigasin" di2. "there a big difference when you are being shot at, and shooting". pero pagnasa.field kna parang paputok lng sa newyear yan...

******

i still respect those soldiers and policemen some "AWOL" who have worked abroad after being granted special US Visas after working with the United Nations. i know for a fact that UNsoldiers are underpaid and are not bein g compensated by the Philippine govt. even if these are funded by the UN. mahirap na talaga ang kalagayan ng pinas, cyempre they have to Decide and grab those opportunities. after being granted US visas retire kaagad and fly to the US. I have known alot of Police, AFP officers and enlisted personnel working in groups in the United States, theyve have suffered enough. theyre just working for the betterment of their families in the Philippines.

im with you. just observing folks here, akala ko rin meron fraternity di2. marami ksi "tigasin" di2. "there a big difference when you are being shot at, and shooting". pero pagnasa.field kna parang paputok lng sa newyear yan...

******

i still respect those soldiers and policemen some "AWOL" who have worked abroad after being granted special US Visas after working with the United Nations. i know for a fact that UNsoldiers are underpaid and are not bein g compensated by the Philippine govt. even if these are funded by the UN. mahirap na talaga ang kalagayan ng pinas, cyempre they have to Decide and grab those opportunities. after being granted US visas retire kaagad and fly to the US. I have known alot of Police, AFP officers and enlisted personnel working in groups in the United States, theyve have suffered enough. theyre just working for the betterment of their families in the Philippines.

thanks man. i feel the same thing for them too, i mean, no one can really dictate us when it comes to urgent needs or seeing ur family starving, all of us have to be creative in some way or do what we have to do to be able to survive. in short, our life is like the "survival of the fittest" thing.... its a never ending battle.... beside in the first place, its our government's fault why these soldiers and policemen were starving.....

Elite Marines tapped to end Reds (http://www.tempo.com.ph/news.php?aid=37717)

The military’s elite Philippine Marines deployed yesterday a newly-created quick reaction team that will serve as a strike force against the communist rebels and extremist groups in Palawan and nearby areas.

Aside from anti-insurgency and antiterrorism operations, Lt. Col. Jonas Lumawag, Marine spokesman, said their newly-formed quick reaction strike force called Marine Raiders will also be tapped against piracy and other crimes in the seas.

"The Marine Raiders is the quick reaction unit that will deal to missions which are emergency in nature, it is the most mobile," said Lumawag.

The newly-created unit is just company-size (more or less 100 soldiers) but Lumawag said their numbers would be increased in the future in order to cover strategic areas in the country, particularly in Mindanao area.

Members of the Marine Raiders, Lumawag said, came from the equally elite Marine Force Recon, which was also instrumental in the neutralization of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani in Sept. 2006. (Aaron B. Recuenco)

New Philippine Marines Force Recon site, the asia's most experienced and meanest marines:
http://www.marinesforcerecon.com/

b'z2;19868322"]Elite Marines tapped to end Reds (http://www.tempo.com.ph/news.php?aid=37717)

The military’s elite Philippine Marines deployed yesterday a newly-created quick reaction team that will serve as a strike force against the communist rebels and extremist groups in Palawan and nearby areas.

Aside from anti-insurgency and antiterrorism operations, Lt. Col. Jonas Lumawag, Marine spokesman, said their newly-formed quick reaction strike force called Marine Raiders will also be tapped against piracy and other crimes in the seas.

"The Marine Raiders is the quick reaction unit that will deal to missions which are emergency in nature, it is the most mobile," said Lumawag.

The newly-created unit is just company-size (more or less 100 soldiers) but Lumawag said their numbers would be increased in the future in order to cover strategic areas in the country, particularly in Mindanao area.

Members of the Marine Raiders, Lumawag said, came from the equally elite Marine Force Recon, which was also instrumental in the neutralization of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani in Sept. 2006. (Aaron B. Recuenco)

So i guess the army wll take care of the muslim terrorrists then.

More photos by he way:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/adroth92/docs/p1.png
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/adroth92/docs/p2.png
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/adroth92/docs/p3.png
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/adroth92/docs/p4.png

what magazine?

I love the Philippine Marine Force Recon Website! looks so cool!!!

^^ question: gawa ba iyon (website) ng AFP.. if so, should it be .mil instead of .com??
i agree, its sick..:)

thanks for scanning spearhead
anong magazine yan

Combat Magazine ata yun... tol pag makita mo yang magazine pwede bang mag-scan ka ng more photos pls? nakita ko lang kasi yang mga photos sa ibang pinoy military forum na sinasalihan ko...

bitin nga yung force recon site, kulang sa mga photos na may mga mas astig-looking na marines... :)

^^ question: gawa ba iyon (website) ng AFP.. if so, should it be .mil instead of .com??
i agree, its sick..:)

not sure.

This is interesting, i never knew that jamaica have their own forces which first thought that they rely on United States.
http://www.jdfmil.org/

Soldiers (army of reggae rastafaras)
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/PolarisBrian/Carribean/JAMIACA/10.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/PolarisBrian/Carribean/JAMIACA/18.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/PolarisBrian/Carribean/JAMIACA/09.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/PolarisBrian/Carribean/JAMIACA/02.jpg

Huey
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/PolarisBrian/Carribean/JAMIACA/j01.jpg

Armors
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/PolarisBrian/Carribean/JAMIACA/304266149ggmgnU_ph.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/PolarisBrian/Carribean/JAMIACA/04.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/PolarisBrian/Carribean/JAMIACA/03.jpg

The net effect of the US' need for presence in Asia, and the Philippines' need for infrastructure is a blessing for these strategic areas which have been neglected in the past. You may be interested in the article below.

US prowls for China in the Philippines
By Herbert Docena

Since the closure of its military bases in the country in 1991, the United States has incrementally regained, transformed and deepened its military presence and intervention in the Philippines. The manner in which the US has attempted to re-establish basing in the Philippines illustrates its attempts to radically overhaul its global offensive capabilities to become more agile and efficient while overcoming mounting domestic opposition to its presence around the world.

Read the rest of the article (http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JB28Ae01.html)... (http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JB28Ae01.html)

The net effect of the US' need for presence in Asia, and the Philippines' need for infrastructure is a blessing for these strategic areas which have been neglected in the past. You may be interested in the article below.

US prowls for China in the Philippines
By Herbert Docena

Since the closure of its military bases in the country in 1991, the United States has incrementally regained, transformed and deepened its military presence and intervention in the Philippines. The manner in which the US has attempted to re-establish basing in the Philippines illustrates its attempts to radically overhaul its global offensive capabilities to become more agile and efficient while overcoming mounting domestic opposition to its presence around the world.

Read the rest of the article (http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JB28Ae01.html)... (http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JB28Ae01.html)

I actually like the idea, but the US should help us more to upgrde our AFP's capabilities because at the end, the US alone cannot win any war without the help of their allies like us specially in the pacific. Kung maari lang, bukod sa mga tulong nila sa infrastructures ng bansa natin like in general santos city, dapat bigyan pa nila tayo ng mga modernong gunships like AH-1 Cobra, MRFs, radars, SAMs, and atleast some warships. Yan na ang pinakang bayad nila sa kanilang overseas basing sa pinas kasi di enough yung mga trainings and small military gadgets and small firearms na binibigay nila... although i am truly grateful pero still kulang parin lahat yan!

Hence, the United States finds that it needs the Philippines more than ever. Not only is it ideally located geographically, its government has so far stood out among its neighbors for being far more willing to align itself with US demands. But with China also aggressively courting Filipino leaders, this too could change. As the ensuing geopolitical competition heats up, the Philippines could tip the balance one way or the other

Hirap kasi dito eh pinagaagawan tayo ng tsina at amerika....


:cheers:

I actually like the idea, but the US should help us more to upgrde our AFP's capabilities because at the end, the US alone cannot win any war without the help of their allies like us specially in the pacific. Kung maari lang, bukod sa mga tulong nila sa infrastructures ng bansa natin like in general santos city, dapat bigyan pa nila tayo ng mga modernong gunships like AH-1 Cobra, MRFs, radars, SAMs, and atleast some warships. Yan na ang pinakang bayad nila sa kanilang overseas basing sa pinas kasi di enough yung mga trainings and small military gadgets and small firearms na binibigay nila... although i am truly grateful pero still kulang parin lahat yan!


^^ The US DoD has some proposals on military aid cutback because of the Philippine gov't alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings.
Hangga't hindi itinatakwil ng bung Pilipinas ang Amerika, Uncle Sam will be there to fight side by side with the Filipinos when needed.
Kung yung mga kino-kotong ng mga politicians ay maisasama sa military budget ng Pinas, makakatulong din yun.




Hirap kasi dito eh pinagaagawan tayo ng tsina at amerika....
:cheers:

Hindi naman sa pinagaagawan. :) Part lang yan ng US foreign policy to gain as many friendly nations on its side so that the US have some areas to put their base of operation and support of the troops.
Diba meron nang ginawang maliit na US naval repair yard sa Jolo/Sulu?

^^ The US DoD has some proposals on military aid cutback because of the Philippine gov't alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings.
Hangga't hindi itinatakwil ng bung Pilipinas ang Amerika, Uncle Sam will be there to fight side by side with the Filipinos when needed.
Kung yung mga kino-kotong ng mga politicians ay maisasama sa military budget ng Pinas, makakatulong din yun.

yup i agree.



Hindi naman sa pinagaagawan. :) Part lang yan ng US foreign policy to gain as many friendly nations on its side so that the US have some areas to put their base of operation and support of the troops.
Diba meron nang ginawang maliit na US naval repair yard sa Jolo/Sulu?

yup and they call it forward bases.... meron nang deep naal dock doon na ginawa ng mga kano...

BTW, may tanong ako para sa lahat...

Is it possible to integrate the moro fighters into an AFP regiment once the RP became a federal state? Im sure we wouldn't waste this big asset for our AFP, as for several decades, the moro fighters were able to thwarf our government troops and the same goes to some communist fighters.

Your idea pls. Thank you!


:)

Newly added mtv for AFP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc8khTkm2bQ

BTW, may tanong ako para sa lahat...

Is it possible to integrate the moro fighters into an AFP regiment once the RP became a federal state? Im sure we wouldn't waste this big asset for our AFP, as for several decades, the moro fighters were able to thwarf our government troops and the same goes to some communist fighters.

Your idea pls. Thank you!
:)

Heard of integree? :) It would be nice if the Philippines goes federal, the Moro fighters will earn the national guard status. :)

This Google photo was taken in 2007. From my observation, those are F-16 Falcons. Is it possible, our own AirForce already have this in our arsenal and they are keeping it as secret for National Security? Is it possible that they declared the old F-5 to be retired and replaced by F-16's ? If this are american planes (for wargames) what I understand should be carried based
or F-18's.

Just an observation... You can comment on theses....


http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn320/ferrarilover08/PAF_Clark.jpg

^^ Those are the old PAF F-8 Crusaders.

^^ Those are the old PAF F-8 Crusaders.


Huh...F-8 Crusaders? They are all in the PAF museum. Those Google photos are taken sometime in 2007 and location somwhere in Airport city, Clark, Pampanga, Philippines, home of the Philippine Air Force.

See below photos: :banana:


http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn320/ferrarilover08/F8_Old1.jpg


http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn320/ferrarilover08/F8_Old2.jpg


...Watch the difference on the wing pattern...You have to be a military analyst to crack this...hmmmmm.....:ohno:

Open this link : PAF F-8H Crusaders for Sale (http://www.hueybravo.net/Airforcepage/f-8sale.htm)

PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE
Headquarters 420th Supply Wing
Clark Air Base, Angeles City, Pampanga
SALE THROUGH PUBLIC NEGOTIATION
The PAF Disposal Committee is accepting tender for the sale of the following disposable properties on “As Is — Where Is” basis through negotiation.

Eight (8) F-8H aircraft
Eighteen (18) T-28 engines
Two (2) lots of assorted aircraft parts
For details and schedule of inspection: call Cpt. Nick Ventura PAF at (045) 599-2014/2015 loc. 6524 or cell 0919-673-4092.
(Sgd.) BRIG GEN CLAUDIO P. ESTALILLA AFP
Chairman, PAF Disposal committee -
PDI — March 12,13 & 14,2003)


The Google Earth Photo was taken in 2003
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6185/f83viewkg3.jpg

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/24/f163viewpx8.jpg

:nocrook::nocrook:

:drunk:

:applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:


Very Good ... More Puzzles to Come.....

Well i cant wait for more puzzles! :okay:

BTW, more photos:

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd66/lancero11/maio/20080502095820ENLUS0133175612097223.jpg
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd66/lancero11/maio/20080502095809ENLUS0133175512097222.jpg
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd66/lancero11/maio/20080502100037ENLUS0133176112097224.jpg
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd66/lancero11/maio/20080502095800ENLUS0133175412097222.jpg
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd66/lancero11/maio/20080502100014ENLUS0133176012097224.jpg
RP troopers based in Kalayaan Island greeted their visiting love ones and had a lot of fun.

Wow very fine white sand!

Heard of integree? :) It would be nice if the Philippines goes federal, the Moro fighters will earn the national guard status. :)

I did, so yeah its so possible na magkaroon tayo ng national guards, pag matuloy ang federalism. :)

Was gonna say the same!! HAHA. They can develop the area as a beach resort as well..LOL

Well i cant wait for more puzzles! :okay:

BTW, more photos:

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd66/lancero11/maio/20080502095820ENLUS0133175612097223.jpg


I wonder if that ship on the foreground (behind the rotten LST) is a Philippine Navy asset or just a civilian ship?

And what about the runway? are they going to continue expanding it for military and civilian purposes?

I hope they would install some solar panels and/or wind turbines to help generate electricity for this municipality.

Did they also visit the other islands where some of our troops are garrisoned?

Army chief vows ‘back-to-basics’ policy

By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080506-134861/UPDATE-2-Incoming-Army-chief-vows-back-to-basics-policy)
First Posted 13:01:00 05/06/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- The incoming commanding general of the 75,000-strong Philippine Army has vowed a "back-to-basics" policy that stresses military discipline in the largest branch of service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Lieutenant General Victor Ibrado will replace incumbent Army Chief
Lieutenant General Alexander Yano when he takes over from General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., who will retire on May 9.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. announced Ibrado's appointment in a statement released on Tuesday.

Ibrado, an elite-trained Army officer, also said that he would not tolerate his men who would be involved in extra-judicial killings and disappearances.

"We will emphasize going back-to-basics, especially on military discipline," Ibrado told reporters in a phone interview.

Asked if his thrust was prompted by the involvement of Army men in alleged power grab attempts, Ibrado said: "Maybe… Basic discipline means they should follow military regulations."

On persistent allegations linking the Army to human rights abuse, Ibrado said: "Just like General Yano, we are very specific and categorical. We will not condone or tolerate anybody who does that."

"We will assist in the prosecution of guilty individuals," he added.

The Army was most recently linked to the disappearance of activist
Jonas Burgos, son of the late press freedom icon Jose "Joe" Burgos
Jr., allegedly abducted by troops from the 56th Infantry Battalion based in Bulacan province.

Ibrado is the current chief of the Armed Forces Central Command
(Centcom) operating in the Visayas.

Prior to heading the Centcom, Ibrado was chief of the Army Special Operations Command (Socom), which includes the Scout Rangers and Special Forces regiments and the US-trained Light Reaction Battalion.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, commander-in-chief, will preside overt the turnover ceremonies.

With a three-month extension, Esperon served as chief of staff for 22 months, the longest under the Arroyo administration.

Lieutenant General Pedro Ike Insierto, the incumbent deputy chief of staff, will replace Ibrado as chief of the Centcom based in Cebu City, which operates in the entire Visayas region, Teodoro said.

Lieutenant General Rodrigo Maclang, chief of the Northern Luzon
Command (Nolcom), will replace Insierto as deputy chief of staff, the third highest position in the military hierarchy.

Major General Isagani Cachuela, chief of the Light Armor Division, will replace Maclang at Nolcom. There was no immediate word on who will replace Cachuela.

Lieutenant General Cardozo Luna, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), was appointed vice chief of staff, the second highest post in the AFP. He will replace Lieutenant General Antonio Romero who will retire this week.

Major General Armando Cunanan, chief of the 8th Infantry Division, will replace Luna. There was no immediate word on who will replace Cunanan.

Yano, Ibrado, Maclang, and Cachuela are alumni of the Philippine Military Academy's 1976 class. Teodoro is their adopted "mistah" or classmate.

Walang magagalit ano pero may nabasa ako last year tungkol sa anniversary ng Philippine Airforce...

Philippine Airforce: Mostly air but with little force...

I dream of a very strong armed forces with a potent external defense capability......

An Army with mobile missile forces...and anti-aircraft and missile capabilities

Scout Rangers with modern and sophisticated armaments and gadgets...


An Airforce with modern multi-role aircrafts i.e. F-16 or Su-29 with missil capabilities


A Navy with an aircraft carriers and fast crafts with missile capabilities
also with multi-role attack aircrafts...i.e. Harrier/Grupen..

Marines with heavy amphibious vehicles...

A Civilian Coast Guard with modern and numerous fast crafts with missile capabilities


So that the country can protect its territory from foreign economic saboteurs and re-take Sabah or protect Scarborough or Kalayaan islands...

^^ Then we better start the donation process... :lol:

http://www.hueybravo.net/images/Airfoirce/F8Hpark032403.jpg


Kidding aside, wala sa ayos sa tingin ko ang military budget ng Pinas. Napupunta lang sa senior officers lahat ata ng pera. The gov't should make every soldiers and their family live a good life.

yun nga e puro kurakot ata yung ibang mga general .........


Kala ko pa naman bili ang PAF ng Kfir sa Israel and buy locally-made machine guns para makatipid......

pagawa na lang kasi ng fast craft sa FBM Bobcat ng CEBU at wag ng mag-import....

Refurbished na lang mga armored vehicles or pagawa sa mga local fabricators. I know a local fabricator offered an armored carrier for the AFP.....

^^ Then we better start the donation process... :lol:

Kidding aside, wala sa ayos sa tingin ko ang military budget ng Pinas. Napupunta lang sa senior officers lahat ata ng pera. The gov't should make every soldiers and their family live a good life.Tama, kulang na kulang yung budget para sa mga lower ranks hindi lang salaray kundi pati na rin benefits para sa family nila. No wonder nagco-coup sila. :lol:

Guys napansin nyo ba? Why AFP buying military ship to other country kung kaya naman natin gumawa mismo sa atin sa ating mga shipyard? kung ang ilan sa atin eh mag-sasabi hindi kaya ng pinas Why other country like UK, Mexico etc. order military ship sa CEBU shipyard?

nagtataka ako kasi dati talaga military ang may pinakamalaking budget galing sa government, ngayon second na lang siya pero malaki pa rin ang nakukuha nila. pero bakit ganito pa rin ang armed forces natin?

nagtataka ako kasi dati talaga military ang may pinakamalaking budget galing sa government, ngayon second na lang siya pero malaki pa rin ang nakukuha nila. pero bakit ganito pa rin ang armed forces natin?At san mo naman nakuha yang info na iyan?

At san mo naman nakuha yang info na iyan?

sa textbook namin noong HS

sa textbook namin noong HShahahaha.. :lol: ang tagal na noon manong. tsaka hindi second sa budget ang military pang third. ;) dapat kasi ang tinitingnan diyan ay kung ilang % ang budget ng isang department relative sa GDP or minsan sa whole budget. For several decades, the military expenditure is only 1% or lower of GDP compared to our neighbors who spend much higher than that.

kguys another one FYI before during World War One dahil under tayo ng USA and to support them in the war the Philippine kung hindi ako nag-kakamali eh send/contribute/order? one gunship and submarine to support USA in Europe! dagdag kaalaman.

b'z2;20390726"]Army chief vows ‘back-to-basics’ policy

By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080506-134861/UPDATE-2-Incoming-Army-chief-vows-back-to-basics-policy)
First Posted 13:01:00 05/06/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- The incoming commanding general of the 75,000-strong Philippine Army has vowed a "back-to-basics" policy that stresses military discipline in the largest branch of service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Lieutenant General Victor Ibrado will replace incumbent Army Chief
Lieutenant General Alexander Yano when he takes over from General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., who will retire on May 9.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. announced Ibrado's appointment in a statement released on Tuesday.

Ibrado, an elite-trained Army officer, also said that he would not tolerate his men who would be involved in extra-judicial killings and disappearances.

"We will emphasize going back-to-basics, especially on military discipline," Ibrado told reporters in a phone interview.

Asked if his thrust was prompted by the involvement of Army men in alleged power grab attempts, Ibrado said: "Maybe… Basic discipline means they should follow military regulations."

On persistent allegations linking the Army to human rights abuse, Ibrado said: "Just like General Yano, we are very specific and categorical. We will not condone or tolerate anybody who does that."

"We will assist in the prosecution of guilty individuals," he added.

The Army was most recently linked to the disappearance of activist
Jonas Burgos, son of the late press freedom icon Jose "Joe" Burgos
Jr., allegedly abducted by troops from the 56th Infantry Battalion based in Bulacan province.

Ibrado is the current chief of the Armed Forces Central Command
(Centcom) operating in the Visayas.

Prior to heading the Centcom, Ibrado was chief of the Army Special Operations Command (Socom), which includes the Scout Rangers and Special Forces regiments and the US-trained Light Reaction Battalion.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, commander-in-chief, will preside overt the turnover ceremonies.

With a three-month extension, Esperon served as chief of staff for 22 months, the longest under the Arroyo administration.

Lieutenant General Pedro Ike Insierto, the incumbent deputy chief of staff, will replace Ibrado as chief of the Centcom based in Cebu City, which operates in the entire Visayas region, Teodoro said.

Lieutenant General Rodrigo Maclang, chief of the Northern Luzon
Command (Nolcom), will replace Insierto as deputy chief of staff, the third highest position in the military hierarchy.

Major General Isagani Cachuela, chief of the Light Armor Division, will replace Maclang at Nolcom. There was no immediate word on who will replace Cachuela.

Lieutenant General Cardozo Luna, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), was appointed vice chief of staff, the second highest post in the AFP. He will replace Lieutenant General Antonio Romero who will retire this week.

Major General Armando Cunanan, chief of the 8th Infantry Division, will replace Luna. There was no immediate word on who will replace Cunanan.

Yano, Ibrado, Maclang, and Cachuela are alumni of the Philippine Military Academy's 1976 class. Teodoro is their adopted "mistah" or classmate.

aalis na si sir as Centcom chief... one of the Best CG's assigned here. :) goodluck sa new assignment as new head of Philippine Army. would never forget his stint di2 sa Visayas, he even bought a cake for my moms bday. hehehe

hahahaha.. :lol: ang tagal na noon manong. tsaka hindi second sa budget ang military pang third. ;) dapat kasi ang tinitingnan diyan ay kung ilang % ang budget ng isang department relative sa GDP or minsan sa whole budget. For several decades, the military expenditure is only 1% or lower of GDP compared to our neighbors who spend much higher than that.

Mas nakapokus kasi ang government sa education at economy kaysa sa military. Sa atin insurgency lang ang problema, sa ibang bansa gaya ng South Korea, world war talaga ang pinaghahandaan nila against North Korea.