China continue Expanding Hold in Mischief Reef of Palawan Province

Photos show the development of China's structures on Panganiban Reef, also known as Mischief Reef: a 1995 photo of the original octagonal structures on stilts; a concrete fort being built in 2005; and an AFP-Wescom photo taken last July showing an expanded structure which includes a windmill.  AP/AFP-Wescom

China continues to tighten its grip in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), building new structures on Mischief Reef, one of the areas being claimed by the Philippines. Mischief reef is a reef with only few kilometers distance from Main Island Palawan and well within Philippines territory. Chinese captured the reef during the government of Fidel V. Ramos granting china asking for temporary shelter for their fishermen and never leave the place since then and claimed it together with many other islands and reef in Palawan Province.

Rommel Banlaoi, executive director of think tank Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said the latest structures to be spotted in the area were a windmill, solar panels, a concrete platform suitable for use as a helipad and a basketball court.

"Improved facilities bolster PRC's (People's Republic of China's) effective occupation and increased vigilance in the disputed areas," Banlaoi said in a text message to The STAR yesterday.

Banlaoi said he acquired a photo of the structures last June but believes it was taken months before.

He said he could not release the photo since only the one who provided it has the authority to do so.

"The point is China continues to improve its facilities and I think other claimants too," Banlaoi said.

Mischief Reef is close to Ayungin Shoal, where the Philippines has a coast watch station. The reef is about 70 nautical miles from Palawan.

Mischief Reef, which the Philippines calls Panganiban Reef, has been occupied by China since 1995.

The Chinese initially constructed structures on stilts at Panganiban Reef, supposedly to provide shelter for fishermen, and later transformed them into a military garrison equipped with powerful radars and other air and maritime monitoring equipment.

 Earlier, China also installed a powerful radar station in Subi Reef, an islet just 12 nautical miles southwest of Pag-asa Island, which is part of Kalayaan Island. The Chinese began building the four-story structure, including a lighthouse, six years ago.

The Philippines, on the other hand, has built a town hall, a health center, a 1.3-kilometer airstrip, a naval station and recently a kindergarten school at Pag-asa Island.

Based on records, Kalayaan Island is a sixth-class municipality in the province of Palawan and is composed of only one barangay, Pag-asa.

The Philippines is claiming several islets, shoals, reefs and sandbars in the Spratly Group of Islands, which is being claimed in whole by China.

China has been boosting its presence in the West Philippine Sea in a move seen as an effort to assert what it described as "indisputable sovereignty" over the area.

Aside from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim part of the islands, which are rich in natural resources.

All Spratly claimant countries have troops in the region, except for Brunei.

Philippine Navy joins Coast Watch exercises with US Participation

Meanwhile, 200 Navy personnel will join the five-day Coast Watch System Capability Exercise 2012, which starts today.

The activity aims to harmonize the coordination of agencies with maritime platforms namely the Navy, Coast Guard and the Philippine National Police's Maritime Group.

A US spy plane P3C Orion will participate in the activity and will complement the Philippine Navy Islander aircraft during a maritime surveillance exercise.

Participants from law enforcement organizations in Davao and General Santos will also be involved in the exercise. Observers from Australia, Malaysia, and Indonesia were also invited to the event.

Among the local assets that will be used in the exercises are two Navy ships, a Navy islander aircraft, a Navy Reservist ship and two police patrol fast boats.

"The exercise intends to promote inter-agency collaboration in line with the establishment of the National Coast Watch System," Navy chief Vice Adm. Alexander Pama said.

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15 year old Martinez puts the Philippines on the map for figure skating

Michael Christian Martinez of the Philippines missed the podium Friday (August 31, 2012) by a mere 0.37 points while competing at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Lake Placid, New York.

Although the Philippines is not a natural skating country, they have a naturally talented figure skater that began turning heads last season: Michael Christian Martinez.

The 15-year-old from Muntinlupa, a city of 400,000 inhabitants south of the capital Manila, confirmed just this week that he is an emerging young skater by finishing fourth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) in Lake Placid, USA. The teen missed the podium by a mere 0.37 points.

Martinez hit his first ever triple Axel in competition in the short program at Lake Placid, but was so focused on this jump that he went on to double the solo flip and the Lutz in combination. He ranked seventh.

The short program to Toccata and Fugue, however, was not the program he originally had planned.

"In August, I joined two local US Figure Skating competitions which were endorsed by our Philippine Federation just to have a warm up competition prior to the Lake Placid JGP," Martinez explained. "I used these competitions to test my two new programs and test my triple Axel. I did not have good PCS (program component scores) in my short program in these two competitions, and a judge told me that the music and program does not fit me, so I decided to change it."

With Andy Chang, he quickly mounted a new program just a week before Lake Placid.

"I was so nervous during my short program, because it was just a week old and has not been polished yet," Martinez admitted. "It was a rushed choice and I didn't have much time to choose good music and just decided to use my novice music so at least I would be familiar with it."

"We will change the program after the JGP (in Lake Placid) as we still have two weeks before my next competition in mid- September," Martinez he added.

In his free skate to King Arthur, the Filipino pulled off the triple Axel again as well as four triples and three level-four spins to move up three spots. The mistakes in the short cost him the medal in the end, which would have been a historical first for the Philippines. However, Martinez will get another chance when he competes in his second JGP in Zagreb.

Before the event in Croatia, however, Martinez will debut at the international senior level at Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany, at the end of September.

The skater is currently training in California, mostly with Ilia Kulik, but also with John Nicks and Peter Kongkasem. Over the summer he learned the triple Axel.

"I was actually landing the triple Axel since 2011, but was very inconsistent and sometimes cheated so we decided not to put it in my programs as it might harm my scores," the teenager shared.

Martinez' talent is obvious; otherwise he would not have made it from a recreational skater from the Philippines back in 2005 to a Junior Grand Prix contender with a triple Axel seven years later. Especially since he started out in a shopping mall.

When training at home, the skater faces a lot of challenges.

"It's an Olympic-size rink that we have in Manila, however, it is mainly intended for public use and there is no freestyle session," Martinez revealed. "The ice is cut (resurfaced) only a maximum of twice a day and is not properly zambonied. It does not have the same smooth surface as in the USA. As a result, it's very hard to execute multi-rotational jumps."

"The ice is rough and has too many bumps and too many people," he continued. "I need to stay in the rink for six to eight hours, transferring from one rink to another, just to be able to execute my needed elements and to be able to practice."

Martinez always has to check which of the two mall rinks available have less people before practicing.

"Over the years I suffered many injuries as a result of the poor ice condition like two torn ligaments on my ankle and a torn medial ligament in my knee," he said. "Also, the coaches are all recreational coaches only; nobody has been properly trained for ISU coaching, so the coaching style is very different."

In order to progress, the young skater had to go abroad. In 2008, he trained in Colorado Springs, USA as he wanted to become a competitive skater.

"I was a Pre-Juvenile skater in 2008 and was training under Janet Champion and other coaches," said Martinez. "I landed my first triple jumps, triple toe and triple Salchow, in June 2008 with their Russian guest coach Mr. (Alexander) Zaitzev."

Martinez was deeply impressed by the level of skating in Colorado Springs.

"I thought I could never be the same as the elite skaters," he recalled. "I was just watching then during the elite sessions since their maneuvers looked so impossible to do."

He did learn his first two triples, nevertheless. Unfortunately, he lost them again when going back to the Philippines as he was not able to receive professional coaching, but this setback didn't stop the skater.

He went on to compete in novice competitions in 2009 in Europe.

"I took first place in three out of my three competitions in Slovakia, Slovenia and Austria," noted Martinez. "After those competitions, I set my eyes on even higher competitions. Even though I was just 13 with just a couple of triple jumps, my mother pushed me to be a Junior skater to have the experience in competing at a higher level."

Martinez went back to the USA to attend training camps and started to work with Ilia Kulik in December 2010.

"In 2011, we went to the USA again and I had lessons with Ilia for a total of four months," he confirmed. "So far this year I have taken lessons with him for three months."

Martinez also went to California in July and August in 2010 to train with John Saita in Anaheim and also a few times with John Nicks in Aliso Viejo.

"Mr. Nicks helped me with triple jumps," offered Martinez. "The lessons with Mr. Nicks, though, was very limited since his rink in Aliso Viejo was too far from the house we were staying at, but Mr. Nicks was very helpful."

Martinez, then 13 years old, competed in September 2010 at the Golden West Championship in California, landing his triples and finishing third. Shortly thereafter, he debuted at the Junior Grand Prix in Japan, finishing 17th.

"I was so nervous," he recalled, "but my mother told me I have nothing to lose, just to gain, from this competition."

Since then, Martinez has progressed significantly. He was ranked seventh at the Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck. He considers this event as his highlight of the past season, although he was disappointed with his result.

"I felt so lucky being part of the top 16 young skaters in the world that competed in the Youth Olympic Winter Games," he said. "I was very proud of my accomplishment; especially as I came from a developing-skating country. Not even our skating federation could believe that I would make it to the YWOG."

"My final placement was a complete disappointment though," Martinez continued. "I wanted to finish in the top five, but failed. I was in third place in the short program, but fell to seventh in the free skate."

"We could not bring my coach, Ilia Kulik, to the competition because we did not have enough money to pay for his fees," Martinez explained. "Prior to and during the Youth Olympic Winter Games, there was no financial support from our Philippine government, so it was just my mother (Maria Teresa Martinez) who coached me in such a prestigious competition. I was so saddened about it."

Martinez added that he received a little support by the Philippine Skating Federation and Philippine Olympic Committee only after the competition.

Last March, Martinez went on to finish in a respectable 15th place in his debut at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

"I landed six triple jumps," he pointed out. "My program component score was low, thus I was in 15th place. In the short program, my technical score was the 8th highest, but due to low component scores, I ranked only 16th in the short program. I realized that I needed a good program and not just land my jumps."

At Junior Worlds he also realized that he needed a triple Axel and triple-triple combinations to be competitive.

"This meant that I would have to train more and harder," acknowledged the teen. "It also entails a lot of sacrifice and hard work on my part, and more expenses for more lessons, not to mention the sacrifice by my family in terms of time and finances."

Martinez has set high goals for himself this season.

"The goal is to land two triple Axels in the free skate and to learn a quad," he announced.

"My ultimate dream is to win an Olympic medal for the Philippines," he added.

Although figure skating is an unusual sport in his country, the athlete feels that he gets recognition by people at home.

"Whenever they see me on the ice, they are fascinated with the moves, the jumps and spins that I can do," he said.

In skating, Martinez looks up to Patrick Chan, however, off the ice, his mother is his idol.

"She is a single parent, yet she managed to give us all a good life," he shared. "If not for her persistence and dedication, I could have not done what I have accomplished in figure skating in such a very short time."

In addition to being proud of his mother, Martinez is also proud of his heritage.

"I can say that I am a truly "home grown talent" and that I can truly represent the Philippines being born and raised there and having started and skated in the Philippines. Not like other team members that come from another country to the Philippines just for a couple of days to compete during our national championships then leave immediately right after the competition."

In April 2012, the skater suffered a severe injury, tearing ligaments in his knee.

"I was off the ice and could not jump for two months," Martinez explained. "I had to re-learn my jumps again, which was so disappointing."

Martinez' doctor suggested to the skater that he discontinue the sport due to the injuries he had accrued over the years.

"Then I would start asking myself if what I'm doing is really worth it," he said. "I had been out of regular school since 2008, and my time had been eaten up by skating and gym and competitions. I've learned many important lessons in life through the sport of figure skating, and one is to never give up."

When asked what he wants people to say about him at the end of the 2012-13 season, Martinez gives a precise answer: "That I deserve to represent the Philippines in the 2014 Olympic Games.

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Philippine Air Force holds-up New Air and New Forces

Philippines to Grab F-16 Fighting Falcon Capability Jets from South Korea

BASA AIR BASE, Floridablanca, Pampanga— Not too long ago, the Philippines Air Force was frequently ribbed as being all air with no force, but PAF chief Lt. Gen. Lauro Catalino de la Cruz hopes the snickering will soon stop with the looming acquisition of 12 TA-50 light attack jets from South Korea.

"There's an ongoing top-level discussion at the Department of National Defense for the acquisition of the much needed air assets," De la Cruz said during the 51st anniversary of PAF Air Defense Wing stationed at this air base.

The defense department announced the selection of the South Korean jets last Aug. 1 and officials expect the signing of the purchase contract within the next few months.

De la Cruz said top defense officials want to request the immediate delivery of two TA-f0 jets so that PAF pilots can begin training and be ready for the delivery of entire order of 24 jets by 2016.

"This is a realization of the dream we have dreamt a long, long time ago," De la Cruz said. "That is why many of our personnel will be sent to schooling abroad for air traffic control and related courses."

Aside from the jets, De la Cruz said the PAF will also construct three radar stations at Lubang Island, Palawan and Zamboanga  by 2013, boosting the air force's ability to monitor all aircraft entering Philippine territory.

"We will make sure that the proposed facilities and aircraft are tailored-fit to our requirement," De la Cruz said, noting that even the choice of the South Korean jet was based on the advantages it offered to the military in consideration of the situation in the West Philippine Sea.

The TA-50 is the light attack version of the T-50 Golden Eagle, South Korea's first indigenous supersonic aircraft and one of the world's few supersonic trainers, built by Korea Aerospace Industries and Lockheed Martin of the United States.

The jet's design is largely derived from the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and they have many similarities: use of a single engine, speed, size, cost, and the range of weapons.

The TA-50 mounts a M197 20mm three-barrel cannon and a fire control radar system. It can accommodate the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile and a variety of additional weapons can be mounted to underwing hardpoints.

Compatible air-to-surface weapons include the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile, Hydra 70 rocket launchers, CBU-58 and Mk-20 cluster bombs, and Mk-82, 83, and 84 general purpose bombs.

Manila Standard Today

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US surveillance aircraft will join Philippine Naval exercise

A U.S. Lockheed P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft will be participating in the Philippine Navy's naval exercise off Maasim Point, Sarangani Bay, from September 3 to 7.

The P-3C Orion is described as a "land-based, long-range, anti-submarine warfare patrol aircraft" by the web site of the US Naval Air Systems Command.

The activity, which is the second part of the Coast Watch South Capability Exercise 2012, will involve the deployment of BRP Teotimo Figuracion (PG-389), with BRP Salvador Abcede as alternate vessel, a Navy Islander aircraft, a naval boarding team, two light patrol boats and reserve units.

A fishing boat, the FB Explorer, will serve as contact of interest.

Participating also is a Coast Guard boarding team, one Philippine National Police fast boat, a police boarding team and a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency boarding unit.

Navy Lt./JG Juffrey P. Alonzo, acting spokesman of Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao, said 10 local government agencies from Davao and General Santos cities will also be on hand.

He added that this maneuvers are focused on simulating the actual operations of the coast watch systems and its coast watch stations in addressing maritime security in Eastern Mindanao.

The Orion is a four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s.

Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.

The aircraft is easily recognizable by its distinctive tail stinger or "Mad Boom," used for the magnetic detection of submarines.

Over the years, the aircraft has seen numerous design advancements, most notably to its electronics packages.

The P-3 Orion is still being used by numerous navies and air forces around the world, primarily for maritime patrol, reconnaissance, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare.

A total of 734 P-3s have been built  and, by 2012, it will join the handful of military aircraft, such as the Boeing B-52 "Stratofortress," which has served 50 years of continuous use with its original primary customer, in this case the United States Navy.

The US Navy's remaining P-3C aircraft will eventually be replaced by the Boeing P-8A Poseidon.

(PNA)

Specifications:

Primary Function: Antisubmarine warfare(ASW)/Antisurface warfare (ASUW) 
Contractor: Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems Company 
Unit Cost: $36 million 
Propulsion: Four Allison T-56-A-14 turboprop engines (4,900 shaft horsepower each) 
Length: 116 feet 7 inches (35.57 meters) 
Wingspan: 99 feet 6 inches (30.36 meters) 
Height: 33 feet 7 inches (10.27 meters) 
Weight: Max gross take-off: 139,760 pounds (63,394.1 kg) 
Speed: maximum - 411 knots (466 mph, 745 kmph); cruise - 328 knots (403 mph, 644 kmph) 
Ceiling: 28,300 feet (8,625.84 meters) 
Range: Maximum mission range - 2,380 nautical miles (2,738.9 miles);  
for three hours on station at 1,500 feet - 1,346 nautical miles (1,548.97 miles) 
Crew: 11 
Armament: 20,000 pounds (9 metric tons) of ordnance including:Harpoon (AGM-84D) cruise missile, SLAM (AGM-84E) missiles, Maverick (AGM 65) air-to-ground missiles, MK-46/50 torpedoes, rockets, mines, depth bombs, and special weapons 
Date Deployed: First flight, November 1959; Operational, P-3A August 1962 and P-3C August 1969

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Philippine Official Regular and Special Holiday 2013

The Malacañang Palace on Saturday, September 1, 2012 released its list of Official Philippine holidays for 2013. President Benigno Aquino III announced the 2013 holidays through Presidential Proclamation 459, which is posted on the Palace website.

The following are 2013's regular holidays:

January 1 - New Year's Day (Tuesday)

March 28 - Maundy Thursday

March 29 - Good Friday

April 9 - Araw ng Kagitingan (Tuesday)

May 1 - Labor Day (Wednesday)

June 12 - Independence Day (Wednesday)

August 26 - National Heroes Day (Monday)

November 30 - Bonifacio Day (Saturday)

December 25 - Christmas Day (Wednesday)

December 30 - Rizal Day (Monday)

The following are the special non-working days next year:

March 30 - Holy Saturday

August 21 - Ninoy Aquino Day (Wednesday)

November 1 - All Saints' Day (Friday)

November 2 (Saturday), December 24 (Tuesday) - Additional non-working days

December 31 - Last day of the year (Tuesday)

The Edsa Revolution anniversary, February 25 (Monday), will be a special holiday for schools.

"The proclamations declaring national holidays for the observance of Eid'l Fitr and Eidul Adha shall hereafter be issued after the approximate dates of the Islamic holidays have been determined in accordance with the Islamic calendar (Hijra) or the lunar calendar, or upon Islamic astronomical calculations, whichever is possible or convenient.

To this end, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) shall inform the Office of the President on which day the holiday shall fall," the Palace added.

"The Department of Labor and Employment will be issuing proper pay guidelines with accordance with this Proclamation," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said

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PAL will Build 2000 HA - Philippines largest Airport Near Manila

 

Jean-Francois Laval, center, senior vice president for sales Asia of Airbus; Lucio Tan, left, chairman and CEO of Philippine Airlines, and Ramon S. Ang, president and COO of Philippine Airlines hold an Airbus A321 model aircraft in a news conference Tuesday Aug. 28, 2012, in Manila, Philippine Airlines signed a $7 billion deal to buy 54 Airbus jets. PAL on Thursday disclosed plans to build what could be the largest airport in the Philippines. AP PHOTO/BULLIT MARQUEZ

Shortly after signing a multibillion-dollar deal to acquire 54 new Airbus planes—the biggest aircraft order in the country's history—flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) on disclosed plans to build what could be the largest airport in the Philippines.

The planned airport would be able to handle four times as many flights per hour as the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in Pasay City. Naia, built in the 1950s, has been criticized as obsolete with decrepit facilities. It can handle 36 flights per hour.

PAL president Ramon S. Ang said investments in infrastructure was part of the company's aggressive expansion program, which could include rehiring some of the 2,600 employees PAL retrenched in October of last year.

"We have a plan for our own terminal and runway. We still have to clear this with the government but we are hoping they will support us," Ang told reporters at the sidelines of the firm's annual shareholders' meeting.

He said the new airport would be closer to Manila than the Clark International Airport in Pampanga, which the government is grooming to replace Naia.

Ang, who also serves as president of PAL's controlling shareholder San Miguel Corp., declined to disclose the prospective location for the new facility, but said the company would need at least 2,000 hectares of land for the project.

The new airport, which will be exclusive to PAL and sister firm PAL Express (formerly Air Philippines), would have two parallel runways when it opens, with the option of having two more. Parallel runways mean two planes can take off and land at the same time—now impossible at Naia's perpendicular runways.

Ang said the government's plan to turn Clark into the country's premier gateway might be ill-advised, given the facility's distance from Manila. "If you want to fly [from] Clark, how long will it take you to get to the airport? Two hours if you are coming from Makati. Then you have to wait two more hours for your flight," Ang said.

 

He said plans to build a new high-speed railway between Metro Manila and Clark—at an estimated cost of $10 billion—would be too heavy a burden for the government to carry.

Ang said the company would shell out about $500 million in equity for the airport project. The rest of the project cost would be financed using loans from foreign or local banks.

Once approved by the government, he said PAL could complete the project in three years. "We plan to pitch this to President Aquino in January or February. Hopefully, this is aligned with the government's plans," he said.

Ang said the new airport, together with other components of PAL's expansion, could lead to a solution to the labor problems that have hounded the airline for more than a decade.

Inquirer 

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Philippine Economy Grow 6.1% first half 2012 outperforms Asian neighbors, but not China

Philippines is among the fastest-growing Asian economies for the first half of the year, so far topped only by China and Indonesia, the country's chief state economist claimed Thursday (August 30, 2012).

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the announced gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 5.9 percent from April to June  2012 showed the Philippines' "continued resurgence in economic activities from a moderate growth of 3.6 percent in the same period in 2011."

With its strong second quarter result, the Philippine economy posted growth of 6.1 percent January to June, outperforming most its neighbors, Balisacan said.

"Within the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the Philippine economic growth performance was above the preliminary average growth (4.7%) of the region..." he noted.

The Philippine economy grew faster compared to Malaysia, which posted an expansion of 5.4 percent in the first half; Thailand, 4.2 percent; Vietnam, 4.4 percent; and Singapore, 2 percent.

However, its GDP growth was lower than that of China at 7.8 percent and Indonesia at 6.4 percent.

Bulk of the country's economic growth in the second quarter was due to expansion in the services sector, including the continuously growing business process outsourcing industry, official data showed.

The sector grew by 7.6 percent from April to June, and contributed 4.3 percentage points to the 5.9-percent total GDP growth.

The top contributors to growth in this sector were increased economic activities in transportation, storage and communication; real estate and renting; as well as trade and financial services, among others.

Industry, meanwhile, contributed 1.5 percentage points to the total, growing by 4.6 percent.

This was due to a boom in construction; electricity, gas and water supply; as well as manufacturing. These offset a contraction in mining and quarrying.

Agriculture posted the slowest growth of 0.7 percent in the three-month period, contributing only 0.1 percentage points to the GDP growth.

Balisacan noted that the government expects the Philippine economy to continue growing over the next two quarters.

"We are optimistic that the resiliency of our economy, as reflected by the strong real GDP performance in the two quarters of 2012, will not dissipate in the succeeding quarters despite the uncertainties," the Cabinet official said.

He added that the government is maintaining its full-year growth target of 5 to 6 percent.

This, as he noted that external and internal risks continue to pose threats to the local economy.

"Further weakness of a struggling global economic recovery will remain a strong challenge in the near-term, with the slowdown of China reining in on global growth," Balisacan said.

He also cited the potential impact of an intensification of the euro area problem.

"Another downside risk is the El Niño phenomenon, which, according to experts, will commence on the third quarter of the current year until the first quarter of 2013," Balisacan said.

He added, however, that its impact onthe GDP will be weak to moderate.

Recent weather disturbances which hit the country will also have very small impact, which Balisacan estimated at only 0.5 percent of GDP.

Yahoo Philippines

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Philippines, USA and ASEAN 5 day Naval WAR Drill kicked off August 29

USS Safeguard (ARS-50) is a Safeguard-class salvage ship, the second United States Navy ship of that name. Safeguard was laid down on 8 November 1982 by Peterson Builders, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin; launched on 12 November 1983; and commissioned on 17 August 1985. Photo from Wikimedia

Navy units from the Philippines, the United States and five other Southeast Asian countries on Tuesday commenced a fleet training exercise at the Malacca Strait, Sulu Sea and Subic Bay.

Four ships and one islander aircraft from the Philippine Navy will participate in this year's exercise. As in the previous Seacat exercises, several ships from each participating country will join the training with one US Navy ship, USS Safeguard, designated as the COI for the participating Southeast Asian Navies

With the Philippines; Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand also joined SEACAT 2012 with the United States of the Philippines, which will be held August 29 until September 2, 2012.

The exercises are being held two months after the nuclear-powered US submarine USS Louisville made a port call at Subic.

Louisville is the second US attack submarine that visited the Philippines since Washington bared plans to enhance its presence in the Asia Pacific. The first was USS North Carolina which docked in Subic Bay last May.

Another US vessel, the hospital ship USNS Mercy, also docked in Subic last month to replenish its supplies.

Navy spokesman Col. Omar Tonsay said the five-day training exercise, called the Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT), will involve surface, air and special operations units from the participating countries.

"They [Southeast Asian countries] will participate with the US Navy in a scenario-driven fleet training exercise against terrorism, transnational crimes and other maritime threats which focus on real time information exchange, coordinated surveillance operations, tracking and eventual conduct of Visit, Board, Search and Seizure to the maritime Contact of Interest or the designated target vessel," said Tonsay.

 Tonsay added the U.S. is deploying the USS Safeguard for the exercise, a rescue and salvage ship which will be serving as the Contact of Interest. The Philippine Navy has earmarked 200 personnel, four ships and an aircraft for SEACAT.

"They will participate together with the US Navy in a scenario-driven fleet training exercise against terrorism, transnational crimes and other maritime threats," Tonsay said in a statement.

The exercises focus on real-time information exchange, coordinated surveillance operations, tracking, and visit, board, search and seizure of target vessels.

"This activity will involve surface, air, and special operations units in the conduct of surveillance, tracking, and boarding of the COI (contact of interest) from the different participating navies within their respective maritime territories." Navy chief Vice Adm. Alexander Pama said.

A maritime interdiction operations scenario will be conducted at the Subic Bay and at the Sulu Sea.

Coast Watch stations of the participating countries will also be used to exercise their capabilities in surveillance, tracking, communications, and operations.

"With this training, the Philippine Navy will be able to enhance regional coordination, information sharing, and combined inter-operability capability with participating navies in the region," Tonsay said.

He claimed the activity would also improve the maritime security capability of the military.

Tonsay could not say what personnel and assets the other Southeast Asian countries have committed to SEACAT, but these units will not enter Philippine waters

 Tonsay said maritime interdiction operation scenarios with boarding opportunities will be conducted at Subic Bay and at the Sulu Sea.

 "At the same time, Coast Watch stations in the different participating Naval Forces AORs [areas of responsibility] will be utilized to exercise their capabilities in surveillance, tracking, communications, and operations," he added

 SEACAT is an annual exercise conducted at vital sea lanes in Southeast Asia to secure the area from terrorists, poachers, and transnational lawless elements.

"With this training, the Philippine Navy will be able to enhance regional coordination, information sharing, and combined inter-operability capability with participating navies in the region, test its personnel and naval assets operational readiness and ultimately, improve the maritime security capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines," he explained.

Singapore will serve as the war games' command and control center.

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54 Jets China Made Airbus of $7 Billion USD Ordered by Philippine Airlines

Philippine Airlines, the country's flag carrier, has ordered 54 jets from Airbus, company president Ramon Ang said on Tuesday.

The airline has ordered 10 long-haul A330-300s, and 44 jets from the 321 family, with delivery starting in 2013, it said in a statement. EADS [EAD.PA  29.80     0.17  (+0.57%)] unit Airbus was expected to have offered hefty discounts as  lobbying adds fuel to an ongoing price war with Boeing.

Mr. Ang did not immediately give the value of the deal.

Some industry sources said Tuesday's anticipated deal may not be the last word on PAL's fleet renewal, with potential demand for longer-range, wider-bodied jets up for grabs.

The airline has not yet decided its needs but Boeing could start with the advantage of an existing presence, whereas Airbus dominates smaller and medium parts of PAL's fleet, they added.

Airbus Eyes Big Order from China

Airbus hopes to win orders to sell up to 100 A320 planes to China when German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits the country this week, industry sources said on Monday.

The order, potentially worth around $9 billion, would be the first significant Airbus deal with China since a row between Beijing and the European Union over emissions trading interrupted earlier deals worth up to $14 billion.

However, such an order would not by itself signal an end to the dispute.

"There is already a framework agreement for utilization of the existing assembly line in the Chinese city of Tianjin which must now be supported with concrete orders," an industry source told Reuters.

Merkel heads to China on Wednesday accompanied by a large business delegation including Tom Enders, CEO of Airbus' parent company EADS .

During the trip she is due to visit the plant at Tianjin with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, a native of the city.

Small Airbus aircraft, partially built in China for the world's fastest growing aviation market, have been spared any fallout from the emissions row since hitting those deliveries would not be in Beijing's interests as domestic travel expands.

China continues to block the purchase of some 35 larger A330 aircraft to protest against the EU's plans to enforce a carbon reduction scheme that opposing nations deem unfair.

China has continued to take delivery of workhorse Airbus A320 short-haul jets, some of which are assembled on its soil, even while the dispute hampers larger jets.

Beijing regularly buys small models like the Airbus A320 family and competing Boeing 737 in three-figure batches coinciding with European or U.S. state visits.

Merkel's visit to China, her second this year, aims to further strengthen booming trade ties between the world's two biggest exporting nations.

Premier Wen, who is due to stand down soon as part of China's transfer of power to a younger generation of leaders, visited the annual trade fair in the German city of Hanover earlier this year.

CNBC

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SC 44 - Gas2Grid to drill 3 wells in Cebu for 50 million barrels oil

Australian firm Gas2Grid Ltd. is embarking on a three-well exploration drilling program starting September this year, to tap the potential oil and gas resources in Cebu.

 In a regulatory filing, Gas2Grid reported that the new wells, which would be drilled within areas covered by Service Contract 44, would test three prospects namely Jacob-1, Gumamela-1 and Ilang-1 to depths of 1,000 to 1,300 meters.

 "These prospects vary in size and resource potential of several million barrels with Jacob-1 having an un-risked potential of up to 50 million barrels recoverable oil. All wells have been approved by the Philippine Department of Energy, landholders' approvals have been granted and site preparations and road access are almost complete," the company said.

 Gas2Grid plans to complete the three-well drilling program between now and 2014, after it was given an extension by the DoE of up to Jan. 28, 2014. The original deadline was July 28 this year.

 "This extension of time will provide plenty of opportunity for the company to complete its work program, although it is the company's intention to complete these works before the end of 2012," the company said.

 For its planned drilling program in the Philippines, Gas2Grid was able to purchase recently Rig-2 (800 HP, Gardner Denver 500 SCR) with a capacity to drill to a depth of 2,750 meters. The drilling rig arrived in Cebu from Taiwan in mid-June, several months later than the schedule. Rig-1, or the workover rig, has been undergoing extensive maintenance.

 "After the completion of the drilling and workover program, the company will own two good drilling rigs. This will prove extremely beneficial for appraisal and development drilling of oil/gas discoveries using equipment owned and operated by the company.

Inquirer 

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Philippines Defeated Mighty Americans in Jones Cup – Crowned

Members of Smart Gilas II whoop it up after securing a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the United States, 76-75, to capture the 34th Jones Cup crown in Taiwan yesterday. PHOTO COURTESY OF YU CHIH-SHENG OF APPLE DAILY 

The Smart Gilas Pilipinas National team defeated a taller American squad Sunday to take home the 2012 William Jones Cup title, 76-75, in Taipei, Taiwan.

In Taipei, Taiwan 34^th William Jones Cup; Philippine Team Smart Gilas II fought a tall and mighty American team with all its weapons of destruction, from its tallest man to the smallest, and hacked out a 76-75 victory to annex the country's fourth crown in 34 editions of the William Jones Cup last night at the TPEC Gymnasium here.

The national team's tall men, led by naturalized player Marcus Douthit, took turns in containing the fury of the American squad of future NBA players but in the end, it was its smallest player, 5-8 L.A. Tenorio, who delivered the killer blows that gave the Filipinos the scary win before cheering Filipino fans in the capital city.

Tenorio played the game of his life, cutting the Americans down to size with his game-long brilliance as the Filipinos enjoyed their grandest time on the international stage in a long, long while.

Barely three weeks together, the Nationals won the crown – the country's first championship in the Asian level since the Phl Centennial team of coach Tim Cone also reigned supreme here in 1998.

Clinching the championship with a win over the tough US team made Smart Gilas' feat so amazing.

"Before the game, we just said imagine the Philippines playing the US for the gold in a basketball game. I know it's just a Jones Cup, an Asian level, but I don't know if it's going to happen again in our lives. We said we take this opportunity," said Gilas coach Chot Reyes.

As in their games against Japan, Korea and Iran, the Filipinos fought with great resolve, coming from behind to pull the rug from under the athletic and quick Americans.

"This might be the weakest Philippine team, the least prepared, smallest. What it has got is a big heart," said Reyes.

"Heart won it for us versus Japan, Korea, Iran and the US. These guys just don't know the meaning of quit," added Reyes whose wards ruled the tournament with a 7-1 win-loss showing.

Iran, the 2007 and 2009 FIBA Asia champion, placed second at 6-2 with the US coming in at 5-3. Korea (5-2) and Chinese Taipei (4-3) were still playing at press time.

With his 5-foot-8 frame, Tenorio stood tall, making the biggest plays, the biggest shots and even the biggest rebound as the Philippines nailed its fourth Jones Cup championship.

The Northern Cement team beat a Sweden side in ruling the 1981 event and returned to upend the US team in the finals in 1985. The Centennial squad humbled the home team in the gold-medal game in 1998.

Tenorio collected 20 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter mostly on a two-man game with Marcus Douthit.

The Alaska Milk playmaker personally rallied Gilas from a seven-point deficit and himself clinched the victory as he knocked in the go-ahead basket with 20 seconds left then collared the rebound as Mychal Kearse flubbed a jumper 12 seconds later.

Sent to the stripe with 1.9 seconds left, Chan deliberately missed his second free throw after he muffed the first one.

As the ball went out of bounds, the US team was left with .9 second to run one last play – court to court.

As the long inbound landed in Freddie Williams' hands, the final buzzer sounded, sending the Gilas team and cheering Filipino supporters in the venue in wild celebration.

"I thought our guys played with their heart out, doing everything possible to get it. But that's basketball and we have to give the Philippines the credit. They came back when they're down and made the shots down the stretch," said US coach Travis McAvene.

"No. 5 (Tenorio) was the big difference. I think we did a good job on him in the first half but he started getting into the groove in the second half. He penetrated too much, creating plays and hitting shots himself," McAvene said of Tenorio.

Douthit did his job by piling up 17 points and 12 rebounds while Chan was again a solid contributor with five triples and a total of 20 markers.

The scores:

Smart Gilas Pilipinas 76 – Tenorio 20, Chan 18, Douthit 17, Fonacier 9, Norwood 5, David 5, De Ocampo 2, Thoss 0, Mercado 0.

United States 75 –Arnold 17, Justice 17, Marshall 14, Barnes 13, Dearman 10, Vandermeer 2, Reese 0, Williams 0.

Quarterscores: 12-13, 23-34, 51-59, 76-75

Inquirer

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Philippines plan to phase out domestic workers (DH) overseas

Filipino domestic workers seeking refuge from abusive employers sit in the basement of their embassy's shelter in Amman, Jordan on October 6, 2008. Photo: Nader Daoud/AP

The Philippines government is developing a plan to stop sending domestic workers overseas in five years, according to a Manila newspaper.

The phase-out program, which officials hope to finalize at the end of this year, aims to provide alternative jobs for household service workers (HSWs), either in their home country or abroad.

Details on about 180 countries which would no longer be sent domestic workers from the Philippines were not available. But critics said reducing the number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) would hurt families who rely heavily on remittances.

Zero deployment of HSWs was "out of the question", Hans Cacdac, the head of the Philippine overseas employment administration (POEA), told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in Manila at the weekend.

He said there were certain types of domestic work, particularly in some parts of Europe, which were "high-paying and protective", and may be allowed to continue.

If there are work options available to HSWs in their home country, then the POEA could reach out to government agencies to facilitate their employment, Mr. Cacdac said.

"The first step is to identify prospective OFWs' skills, further develop these skills, and then move on to the industries through those government agencies," Mr. Cacdac told the Inquirer.

Maids, nannies, gardeners, private tutors and family drivers are among the jobs that fall under the category of household service workers. Most of them are women.

The Philippines sent about 499,495 Filipinos to work as HSWs worldwide from 2006 to 2011. However, this figure does not include undocumented workers.

The UAE, Kuwait and Qatar together accounted for almost half (46 per cent) of the 96,583 Filipinos who went to work overseas as domestic staff in 2010.

Hong Kong was the top destination, with 28,602, followed by Kuwait with 21,554, and the UAE was third with 13,184. Saudi Arabia was fourth at 11,582, and Qatar was fifth with 9,937.

Abused Filipina Domestic Helper. Photo: NADER DAOUDASSOCIATED PRES

The phase-out program, which is still in the "conceptual framework and development stage", will involve a review of the HSW data: their education and job profile, age, gender and region of origin in the Philippines.

Mr. Cacdac said the Philippine labor secretary Rosalinda Baldoz told him that she wanted the POEA, which monitors overseas employment, to develop a broader program to help provide job options other than domestic work.

Mr. Cacdac, who assumed his post in January, also told the newspaper that there was "nothing shameful about being a maid or a domestic worker". Many are nurses and teachers who would be able to find alternative jobs in the Philippines or abroad, jobs that would pay them well and make them less vulnerable to underpayment and mistreatment.

The POEA is analyzing its statistical data on the profile of overseas foreign workers who are employed as domestic workers. Mr. Cacdac said the sector did not represent a majority, but that their numbers were increasing: in 2011, it reached more than 142,000, compared to an average of 60,000 to 70,000 a year in previous years.

"The government should take a reality check," said Lito Soriano, the chief executive of LBS Recruitment Solutions in Manila.

"There is a decline in the deployment of skilled and professional male workers abroad because many lack work experience. Female college graduates, however, have job recourse. There are unemployed female accountants, nurses and teachers who end up working as domestic workers abroad to support their families."

Mr. Soriano, who is also adviser to the Coalition of Licensed Agencies for Domestic Services, said families rely heavily on remittances from family members overseas. The phase-out program, which seeks to reduce the number of Filipinos seeking domestic work, will lead to a sharp decline in OFW remittances to the Philippines, he said.

"It will not work," he said. "Filipinos will still leave the country and will be among those who are undocumented or did not go through the POEA."

The UAE chapter of Migrant, a migrant right's group, welcomed the government's move, which it said was "long overdue".

But domestic workers should be consulted on the phase-out program, said Karen Tanedo, the group's chairperson.

"The procedures should be laid down properly to the HSWs who will be directly affected," she said. "Plans must be disclosed to answer the real root cause of the program, which is poverty."

She said the government should have a "genuine" solution to provide jobs in the country, instead of sending workers to other countries.

"We haven't been informed about the phase-out program," said Nasser Munder, the labor attaché in Abu Dhabi. "But I believe it will apply to selected countries where abuse is rampant."

The National

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