Chinese ship intrudes into Kalayaan Islands - Palawan March 2013

Construction materials unloaded on islet

Military sources said on Wednesday that a Chinese "landing ship" was seen intruding and unloading construction materials in one of the islets of the Kalayaan Island Group in Palawan.

The presence of the Chinese ship was confirmed by local fishermen, who described the vessel as "large" and bearing "Chinese markings."

The military said China's latest provocative action could worsen the territorial dispute between the Philippines and China, which started in April when Chinese maritime officials prevented Philippine authorities from arresting Chinese fishermen caught poaching in Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Panatag Shoal.

The intrusion happened while the country's navy ships were deployed in Southern Mindanao to serve as blocking force against Muslim fighters who had planned to reinforce the members of the "Royal Army," an armed group led by Raja Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram, brother of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram.

The Sultanates' forces were being hunted by Malaysian forces for several days now after the standoff in Sabah.

"These intrusions were monitored during the night and these vessels believed to be Chinese were unloading construction materials on the island that we owned because it is part of the KIG," said a source, who spoke in condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter.

A separate source said the BRP Gregorio del Pilar rushed early this week to Pagasa Island to check on the report and conduct sovereignty patrols in the area.

The four-decade old ship, formerly a Hamilton-class high-endurance cutter, was so far the most modern patrol vessel which the Navy acquired for almost P500 million in 2011 from the United States Coast Guard.

Pagasa is the center of political power of the KIG led by Mayor Eugenio Bito-non. The island-barangay has an airstrip and a military garrison.

It is composed of seven islets and two reefs that straddle the oil-rich Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).. Since Beijing established Sansha City in June last year supposedly to "administer" the three major islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the Chinese had been building several "permanent" structures in the disputed territories to stake their claim, aside from conducting patrols on the waters to prevent "foreign" ships from passing by their territorial waters.

Recently, in its aim to resolve the issue peacefully, Manila brought its case before international arbitration.  It invited Beijing to participate, but Chinese officials declined and stood firm on its position that it owned virtually the entire West Philippine Sea based on its nine-dash claim.

The Chinese intrusion in the KIG also came at a time when the outspoken commander of the Western Commander (Westcom), Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban, was set to retire on April 1.

Sabban, a general of the Marine Corps, has been vocal in exposing and denouncing such intrusions and even suggested concrete steps on how to effectively monitor and prevent intrusions by foreign vessels into Philippine maritime territory.

Reports said that another general of the Marine Corps, incumbent Commandant Maj. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, would replace Sabban.

The report also came out at a time when US Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter was visiting the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Defense Department refused to go into details on the meeting between Carter and DND Secretary Voltaire Gazmin except to say that the visit could signal a more "frequent and energized consultations with the US Defense Department in the coming months to boost the defense cooperation between the Philippines and the US."

"This was discussed during the call of US Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Ashton Carter to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin during his visit here in the Philippines Tuesday morning.  Secretary Gazmin and Dr. Carter also talked about the central role of the Philippines in the region and how to promote and enhance the existing peace and stability, the US support to the AFP's capability upgrade, as well as the training of AFP personnel. Dr. Carter also explained that the rebalancing of US forces is a broad engagement geared towards the promotion of economic stability in the region," the DND said.

Carter serves as Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics from 2009 to 2011 under the administration of President Barrack Obama. He is a national security expert with a doctorate degree in theoretical physics from the University of Oxford.

Since China became more aggressive in pressing its claim on the islands against smaller claimant-nations over the, the US government has refocused its strategy in the Asia Pacific Region.

Manila Standard Today

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Carter: U.S., Philippines Enjoy ‘Longstanding’ Alliance

 

Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter, right center, meets with Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, left center, at the Ministry of Defense in Manila, the Philippines, March 19, 2013. DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett 

On the third stop of his weeklong trip to Asia, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter met with top officials in the Philippines and carried greetings from President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to be delivered to President Benigno Aquino III.

During meetings with the president's executive secretary, Paquito Ochoa, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Carter discussed a range of regional range of regional security issues important to the U.S.-Philippines alliance.

Carter began his visit in Manila by meeting with Gazmin at Camp Aguinaldo, the military headquarters of the Philippine Army and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, or AFP. The men discussed the importance of the U.S.-Philippines alliance, including the continued U.S. commitment to work together on maritime domain awareness, capacity building of the AFP, defense modernization and continued assistance in counterterrorism. Carter emphasized the importance of working together to resolve incidents.

Later in the day, Carter met with del Rosario and senior Foreign Affairs Department officials, followed by a lunch that del Rosario hosted. The two discussed a range of issues including U.S.-Philippine efforts to enhance cooperation across security, diplomatic and economic sectors, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and a code of conduct for resolving disputes in the South China Sea, as well as other bilateral and regional topics.

Carter wrapped up his Manila visit by meeting with Ochoa at the Malacanang Palace complex. The deputy defense secretary addressed issues involving the U.S. rebalance to Asia and concerns about the possible impact to that effort because of defense budget cuts. Discussions ranged from ASEAN and the regional security architecture to Philippine defense modernization efforts.

During a media interview, Carter said he came here "because this region of the world is so important to America's future in many ways -- political and economic, but also in the security sphere."

And because of his position as deputy defense secretary, he said, "obviously, I'm focused on the security area. In that context, the United States has deep and abiding security roots here."

As he met with officials, Carter took time to share a more personal reason for his appreciation of the Philippines. A physicist by training, the deputy defense secretary received part of that training in at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the coffee room there, he got to know a senior fellow from the MIT Center for International Studies.

"He was such a great advisor and mentor to students," Carter said of the man who turned out to be Benigno Aquino Jr., father of the current president of the Philippines. Aquino was assassinated in 1983.

"He and his wife would come to social events at MIT, … and I got to know them and had great affection for them, … so I've always had a little place in my heart for the Aquino family," he said. "And that's another good reason to be here in the Philippines."

The United States and the Philippines "have lots of human connections together, all of us," Carter said, "as well as having important global responsibilities and regional responsibilities that we exercise together."

U.S. engagement is part of what has helped to maintain the region's security structure since World War II, he added. Such engagement has allowed Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia "to rise and prosper because they've had peace and security, and now China and India are rising and prospering."

The Philippines, Carter observed, "is a longstanding friend and ally and partner with us in providing that kind of security."

The United States recognized the Philippines as an independent state and established diplomatic relations in 1946. Except for the 1942-to-1945 Japanese occupation during World War II, the Philippines had been under U.S. sovereignty since the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, according to a State Department fact sheet.

The U.S.-Philippine Bilateral Strategic Dialogue -- the third held last December in Manila -- advances discussion and cooperation on bilateral, regional and global issues. The United States has designated the Philippines a major non-NATO ally, and the nations have close security ties.

The Manila Declaration, signed in 2011, reaffirmed the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty as the foundation for a robust, balanced and responsive security partnership. Such a treaty, Carter said, "opens the door to the U.S.-Filipino relationship, which exists along with other key treaty relationships in the region."

During this week's Asia trip, the deputy defense secretary has visited South Korea and Japan, which are also key treaty partners. And the United States has important treaty relationships with Australia and Thailand.

"These longstanding treaty relationships and other kinds of emerging partnerships are … part of a historical role that we play with countries in this part of the world -- to protect them, to protect us, but also, very importantly, that is what provides the foundation for peace and security in the region," he said.

"That's the climate in which all countries, the Philippines among them, have been able to … develop politically and prosper economically in an environment of peace," Carter said. "That's what everybody deserves, and that's what we're about when we talk about our alliance with the Philippines and our alliance structure in this part of the world."

By Cheryl Pellerin, American Forces Press Service

US Defense Department 

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