MANILA (Mabuhay) — Malacañang on Friday said any proposal that would give US troops access to Philippine military bases would be made within the confines of the Constitution. “Allow us to stress that any proposal that will come out of it will certainly be done in accordance with the Constitution and the Visiting Forces Agreement,” […]
By Christine O. AvendañoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 3:18 am | Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013 lipino students burn a mock US flag during a rally in Manila on Tuesday, July 2, 2013. Militant groups on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to stop the United States from holding war games in the country, as well as from making port calls, following the damage wrought in the Tubbataha protected area by one of its Navy warships, the USS Guardian, when it ran aground in January. AP PHOTO/AARON FAVILA MANILA, Philippines—Militant groups on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to stop the United States from holding war games in the country, as well as from making port calls, following the damage wrought in the Tubbataha protected area by one of its Navy warships, the USS Guardian, when it ran aground in January. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Kalikasan and other groups filed an urgent motion for a temporary environmental protection order (Tepo) in the high court. In April, they asked for a writ of “kalikasan” on the same case against the US government for the damage in Tubbataha. In an 87-page petition, the groups sought for an ex-parte Tepo or a writ of kalikasan aimed at ordering the respondents led by Scott Swift, commander of the US 7th Fleet, and Mark Rice, commanding officer of the Guardian, “to stop port calls and military exercises in the absence of clear environmental guidelines, duties and liability schemes for breaches of those duties.” The Guardian ran aground in Tubbataha on Read More …
‘Our strategic partners need knowledge of PH terrain’ By Michael Lim UbacPhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:05 am | Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013 President Aquino said for the first time on Tuesday that the United States and Japan would have access to the former US bases in the Philippines to be able to forge a “credible alliance” but dismissed Chinese claims that Manila was provoking Beijing. In an ambush interview in Camp Crame, Aquino stressed that giving the two countries access to the installations was “not permanent.” The United States had maintained Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base—America’s largest overseas military facilities—until Mt. Pinatubo erupted in June 1991 and forced the shutdown of the installations. Three months later, the Senate voted 12-11 against renewing the Philippines-US Military Bases Agreement. In 1999, the Philippines ratified the Visiting Forces Agreement allowing the United States to conduct joint exercises with Philippine forces in the country. “Let’s clarify the access. They will not be a permanent fixture in the bases—but they are our allies. There are only two strategic partners that we have—it is America and Japan,” he said, explaining that “interoperability” was key to prepare forces allied with each other for any conflict. This explains why the country has regular Balikatan exercises, which calls for “joint or shoulder-to-shoulder” military exercises, he said. He stressed that failure to “coordinate” or “synchronize” the military deployment systems between forces of allied countries in case of a conflict “in my view is a wrong way to prepare, Read More …
By Frances MangosingINQUIRER.net 7:25 pm | Tuesday, July 2nd, 2013 USS Fitzgerald (C). INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine-US joint military exercise, Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training, concluded on Tuesday after six days of a series of shore-based and at sea events. The ceremony was held on board the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), the United States Embassy said in a statement. Shore-based training events covered several naval competencies, including jungle warfare and marksmanship; tactical combat casualty care; riverine small boat operations; visit, board, search and seizure; and diving and salvage. In the exercises 60 nautical miles east of Panatag, an area claimed both by China and Philippines, the Fitzgerald conducted maneuvering, communications and gunnery exercises with the Philippine Navy flagship BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF 15) and the Philippine coast guard salvage and rescue vessel BRP Edsa (SARV 02). Panatag Shoal, an area contested by Philippines and China, is located 124 nautical miles off Zambales, but is well within the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. The dispute led to a maritime standoff between the Philippines and China last year. The incident prompted Manila to seek the United Nations’ arbitration. Participating ships included the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) with embarked Commander, Task Group 73.1/ Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7 staff, and the diving and salvage ships, USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50) and USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52). A company of Marines from India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment participated in the shore-based events. “It was a Read More …
PNoy vows to modernize PAF . President Benigno Aquino III, along with PAF chief Lt. Gen. Lauro dela Cruz (left) and Col. Domingo Palisoc (right), presents the command plaque and streamer during the 66th anniversary rites of the Philippine Air Force at Clark Air Base, Pampanga on Monday, July 1. Aquino vowed to purchase new aircraft, including attack helicopters, in the next five years to beef up the country’s air force.This year’s celebration is anchored on the theme ‘Makabagong Lakas, Matatag na Bukas.’ Benhur Arcayan President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday expressed support for the plan to give the United States and Japan access to Philippine bases. Aquino said it is only a “natural circumstance” to allow these countries into Philippine bases “to build a credible alliance” with them. “Kung hindi tayo makikipag-ugnayan sa kanila, maling paghahanda iyon,” the President said. He however said that US and Japanese troops will not be “permanent fixtures” in the country’s bases. The President made these statements amid an ongoing territorial dispute with China over parts of the South China Sea. —KG, GMA News
MANILA (Mabuhay) — More than a year since she staged her successful “Annebisyosa” concert at the Araneta Coliseum, actress Anne Curtis continues to tour the show, which has is also called “No Other Concert.” Just recently, Curtis presented the concert in the US and she said she hopes to do more concerts in the future. […]
US troops’ use of PH bases to be temporary By TJ Burgonio, Nikko Dizon and Norman BordadoraPhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:51 am | Saturday, June 29th, 2013 Malacañang on Friday defended a plan to give the United States, Japan and other allies access to military bases in the Philippines, saying the country was free to do anything within its territory. But the plan, which coincides with the United States’ “pivot” to Asia, a strategy that would see 60 percent of America’s warships shifting to the region by the end of the decade, has yet to be approved by President Benigno Aquino III, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said. Several senators acknowledged that the Philippines needs the assistance the United States and other allies can bring by their presence in the country, but they said the proposed access agreements under the plan would need Senate approval. The Senate voted to expel US military bases from the Philippines in 1991, but ratified the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) in 1999 to allow US forces access to the country through joint exercises with Philippine forces. No longer visiting Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, one of the 12 senators who voted to expel the US military bases, said the VFA allowed only a temporary stay of US forces in the country. “They cannot establish any military base in the Philippines,” Enrile said. “Temporary or whatever term they use, no military bases. If it assumes a certain degree of permanence or stability, then it’s no longer visiting forces,” Read More …
SENATORS SAY By Maila AgerINQUIRER.net 1:50 pm | Friday, June 28th, 2013 Sen. Gregorio Honasan and Sen. Panfilo Lacson INQUIRER file photo MANILA, Philippines—Two senators have raised an alarm over the Philippines’ plan to allow the United States and other allies “temporary access” to its military bases, one saying it might be a violation of the Constitution. “Technically, I think it may be a violation of the Constitution,” Senator Gringo Honasan said in a text message on Friday. “But if our national interest and security are at stake, we have limited choices because we are still a developing country at the mercy of and dependent on powers like the US and China,” he said. Honasan said the “temporary access” might be a violation of the 1987 Constitution, which prohibits foreign military bases in the country. Despite this, the senator said he would back the plan if only to stop China from “bullying” the Philippines on the issue of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). “For practical purposes, our national security is an urgent matter given the fact that China is not moving away. It’s only with the US that China could be cowed,” Honasan said in Filipino in a phone interview. Senator Panfilo Lacson said the Department of National Defense should exercise prudence by consulting first the Senate. “There is a wide gray of area of interpreting the planned move of allowing temporary access to our military bases by the US and other allies. Having said that, the DND Read More …
MANILA, Philippines – Hefty recoveries in global and regional markets spread to the local bourse yesterday, allowing the main index to rally for the second straight day en route to returning to the 6,300 level. The Philippine Stock Exchange index climbed 3.42 percent or 209.06 points to end at 6,328, while the broader All Shares index jumped 3.14 percent or 117.94 points to 3,877.61. Justino Calaycay Jr., an analyst at Accord Capital Equities Corp., said investors kept an eye on overseas development amid lack of market-moving news locally. “With share prices in Europe posting decent gains and US stocks extending a triple-digit advance to day two, local counters joined its regional peers in the green,” Calaycay said. On Wednesday, Wall St. rose for the second straight day on the back of a downward adjustment in US first quarter economic growth, which might prompt the Federal Reserve to keep its stimulus program longer. The Dow Jones industrial average picked up one percent or 149.83 points to 14,910.14 while the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 index gained one percent or 15.23 points to 1,603.26. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 In regional markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 2.96 percent or 379.54 points to 13,213.55 while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index inched up 0.52 percent or 104.80 points to 20,443.35 on easing worries over the credit crunch in China. Locally, all counters were in positive territory, led by holding firms that rallied 4.15 percent or 225.81 points to 5,669.50.
MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) – The three-digit gain of the US equities lifted the Philippine stock market for the second time today. The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index jumped by 3.42 percent, or 209.06 points, to 6,328. The broader all-share index rose by 3.14 percent, or 17.96 points, to 3,877.61. Trading volume reached 3.56 billion shares worth P12.11 billion ($278.99 million) with 139 stocks advancing, 37 declining, and 32 unchanged. All six counters were up. “On a slow news day from the domestic front, investors kept eyes turning on unfolding events overseas. With share prices in Europe posting decent gains and US stocks extending a triple- digit advance, local counters joined its regional peers in the green,” analyst Justino Calaycay of Accord Capital Equities Corp. said in his daily stock market comment. European markets were supported by the easing of concerns over China’s credit crunch and a better-than-anticipated consumer confidence numbers. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Likewise, American investors appear to have found incentive to enter the equities despite reports that the economy is growing a less-than-expected pace. First quarter gross domestic product was revised to 1.8 percent, significantly lower than the 2.4 percent preliminary estimate as the gains in household purchases, accounting for 70 percent of growth, was lowered to 2.6 percent from the 3.4 percent estimate last month. “Sentiments have turned yet again, almost seemingly at a single flip. The main source of fears, namely the US Fed and the Chinese credit crunch, appears to Read More …