What's new

Philippines Defence Forum

Firms from Italy, Indonesia, Israel interested to supply two anti-submarine choppers.

In a pre-bid conference for the procurement of two anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters held Tuesday, October 7, four prospective bidders attended. AugustaWestland, PT Dirgantara Indonesia, Israel Aerospace Industries and the partnership of Bell Helicopter Asia (PTE) Ltd. and Serpenair Group Inc. attended the conference.

First stage bidding will be held on October 21. Firms mentioned above are expected to submit their individual bid for the PhP 5.4 billion helicopter procurement project.

Under Medium Term Development Capability Plan of AFP Modernization program, winning bidder must deliver goods within seven hundred thirty days after receiving the notice to proceed.

Early report said that AgustaWestland is a strong contender in the said project and will offer it’s AW-159 “Wildcat”. AgustaWestland is the manufacturer of Philippine Navy and Air Force’s armed AW-109 to be delivered before the year ends.

Specification of two ASW choppers includes endurance of at least two hours in ASW configuration, range of 240 nautical miles in full ASW configuration and has Identification Friend or Foe (IFF)/Selective Identification Feature (SIF).

Firms from Italy, Indonesia, Israel interested to supply two anti-submarine choppers | Ang Malaya Net

==

Choose us, yeah? :p: :tup:
 
Philippine militants free two German hostages
MANILA Fri Oct 17, 2014

r


(Reuters) - Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants in the Philippines released two German hostages on Friday, after saying they would behead one of them if their demands were not met.

The hostages, captured by the Abu Sayyaf group in April from a yacht on the high seas, had been held on the remote island of Jolo, 600 miles (960 km) south of Manila and a hotbed of Islamist militancy in the mainly Roman Catholic nation.

"The hostages, Dr. Stefan Viktor Okonek and (Henrike) Dielen were released in Patikul at around 8.50 p.m. and reached the brigade headquarters at Busbos around 9:20 p.m. for (a) medical check up," said a text message from Brigadier General Charlie Galvez, deputy commander of Western Mindanao Command.

"The kidnap victims will proceed to Zamboanga City, taking a navy ship."

The police said local residents had found the Germans walking outside Patikul town and brought them to the nearest police checkpoint, from where they were taken to the army base.

Officials said that they would stay the night in the southern city of Zamboanga before flying to the capital Manila on Saturday morning.

The German foreign ministry thanked the Philippine government for its "close and trusting cooperation".

"We are relieved to be able to confirm that both Germans are no longer in the hands of their kidnappers," a spokeswoman said. "Both Germans are now in the care of staff of the embassy in Manila."

Okonek, a doctor in his early 70s, had told commercial radio in the Philippines earlier in the week that he was being held in a hole in the ground which his captors had told him would be his grave if ransom demands were not met.

Dielen, the other captive, is in her mid-50s.



REBELS SAY RANSOM PAID

Before officials confirmed the release, Abu Rami, the spokesman for the small but violent Abu Sayyaf group, had told a radio station based in Zamboanga that the hostages had been freed.

The rebels had demanded a 250 million pesos ($5.6 million) ransom and for Germany to stop supporting U.S.-led air strikes in Syria. They had threatened to kill Okonek on Friday afternoon.

Rami said Abu Sayyaf had received the amount in full.

"The (money) arrived, nothing more, nothing less," he said.

Philippines officials did not comment on his claim.

In a separate hostage incident in August, a German foreign ministry spokesman said that "no state money" was paid after a German citizen was freed by Islamist militants in Syria having being held captive for about a year.

The German government was not open to blackmail, the spokesman had said in August.

German government sources told Reuters that Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had sent a special envoy to the Philippines to negotiate a deal with the rebels. The envoy, Ruediger Koenig, arrived in Manila on Thursday evening.

The rebels have a record of kidnappings, killings and bombings.

Some Muslim groups in the southern Philippines have long been fighting Manila's rule, but Abu Sayyaf rose to prominence in 2000 after kidnapping 21 tourists and workers from a dive resort in nearby Malaysia.

Philippine militants free two German hostages| Reuters Philippine militants free two German hostages| Reuters


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


Philippines approves $3.7 bln worth of new PPP projects
MANILA Fri Oct 17, 2014

Oct 17 (Reuters) - Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Friday gave authorities the go-ahead to offer for tender 165.6 billion pesos ($3.7 billion) worth of new infrastructure projects under his flagship Public-Private Partnership program in line with efforts to upgrade ageing roads, airports and ports.

The country needs private funds to upgrade and modernise its dilapidated infrastructure as it aims to lift its growth rate upwards to 8 percent so it can catch up with its richer Southeast Asian neighbours.

To be included in the pipeline of projects that could be offered to investors soon under a PPP scheme are the following: operation and maintenance of the Puerto Princesa Airport (5.23 billion pesos; operation and maintenance of Iloilo Airport (30.4 billion pesos); operation and maintenance of Davao Airport (40.57 billion pesos); operation and maintenance of Bacolod Airport (20.26 billion pesos); Regional Prison Facilities (50.18 billion pesos; and Davao Sasa Port (18.99 billion pesos).

"These approved projects will significantly contribute to the infrastructure investment needed to sustain growth and make it inclusive," Socioeconomic Planning Chief Arsenio Balisacan said in a statement.

Since launching the PPP programme in 2010, the government has awarded eight infrastructure projects worth around 133 billion pesos. They consist of toll roads, schools, an automated fare collection system, a railroad and a hospital.

The government has faced criticism from investors over the slow pace of its infrastructure roll out, but argues it had to rework the deals to prevent the corruption that has plagued similar projects in the past.

Top conglomerates like Ayala Corp, San Miguel Corp , Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc, JG Summit Holdings Inc, Metro Pacific Investments Corp and SM Investments Corp have been active in the PPP biddings. (1 US dollar = 44.8300 Philippine peso) (Reporting By Karen Lema and Erik dela Cruz; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Philippines approves $3.7 bln worth of new PPP projects| Reuters
 
Anti-US sentiment following slaying could threaten US-Philippine security agreement plans
By Paul Alexander
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 17, 2014

1f2510f6b3586f862dad247124dc7e86aff53c0a.jpg


Anti-American protests have long been a staple outside the U.S. Embassy in Manila. It doesn’t take much to get leftists and students riled up, chanting and burning flags and effigies.

But while they’re vocal, protests generally have represented a fairly small segment of Philippine society, except during major flare-ups in bilateral ties. Now the slaying of a transsexual at Subic Bay a week ago, allegedly by a Marine taking part in joint exercises, has the anti-U.S. tide seeping into the mainstream again at a particularly sensitive time.

This was the one thing that neither government wanted to see as they scaled up military ties that badly frayed when the Philippine Senate refused to renew leases for U.S. bases in 1991 but had been on the mend for the past 12 years.

The lurid details of the slaying – the victim’s nude body was found in a hotel bathroom, her head on the toilet, with drowning listed as the cause of death – have dominated newspapers and TV. Four of five U.S. ships that had anchored after the exercise were delayed in departing, and the fifth, with the suspect in the brig, is still there.

Every detail of how the case is handled will be scrutinized for any hint of favoritism toward the Marine, right down to where he’s detained while the legal process unfolds. An American soldier accused of rape several years ago was held on U.S. Embassy property during his trial, which remains a sore spot for many Filipinos.

The U.S.-Philippines relationship has long been a tangled one, not atypical for a former colony and its colonial rulers.

The sprawling archipelago of more than 5,000 islands has embraced American culture. Marriages between foreigners and locals are accepted far more than in most Asian countries. America is the prime target for people seeking overseas jobs and a better life. Americans fought beside Filipinos during World War II, and the U.S. military today is peppered with Philippine faces.

But there also are sensitivities of a country that is proud to have gained its independence but still struggles to deal with problems common in young nations, including an underfunded and undertrained military.

That issue became painfully obvious in 2001. Islamic extremist groups like the Abu Sayyaf had been growing in strength, drawing from the disenfranchised rural poor. When the Abu Sayyaf staged a mass kidnapping at an upscale resort that included three American captives, the Philippine navy tried to follow but couldn’t keep up with the escape boat.

The saga dragged on for a year, with the kidnappers and their captives fleeing at one point from a surrounded hospital. Finally, with the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan having toppled the Taliban, Washington dispatched military counterterrorism trainers to the Philippines to keep the country from becoming a safe haven for terror groups.

Their arrival drew heated protests, and strict rules were drawn up that banned the Americans from combat. U.S. equipment and surveillance assistant trickled in. When the chief Abu Sayyaf spokesman was killed in a sea battle, the presidential palace watched it all live via a U.S. surveillance aircraft.

Today, while the Abu Sayyaf remains a prickly thorn, it has been called a spent force. And the U.S. trainers have been praised for playing a crucial behind-the-scenes role.

So when increasingly expansionist China began flexing its muscles in the South China Sea, clashing with a Philippine vessel, the Philippine government realized it was time to bolster its coastal defenses. At the same time, the U.S. was working on its “Pacific pivot” as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq came to an end.

So in the wake of the goodwill generated by U.S. aid following last year’s devastating typhoon in the central Philippines, Manila and Washington worked out a deal. It was designed to ramp up the U.S. military presence in the Philippines with rotational forces and prepositioned disaster aid without fully reopening the close bases, walking a fine line to avoid sparking too much local dissent.

At the time the deal was announced during President Barack Obama’s visit to the Philippines, analysts forecast that protests against the deal would fade as long as there was no major incident to fan the flames.

That appeared to be happening. Until a week ago.

Anti-US sentiment following slaying could threaten US-Philippine security agreement plans - News - Stripes


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

Aquino vows PCG modernization by 2017 amid new challenges
Oct 16, 2014

The agency's new equipment include more boats, two new helicopters, increased lighthouses, and Multi-Role Responsive Vessels from Japan

161014_rb1_9A6BFD278E1E4BB186EA352AA69C18E5.jpg


MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III emphasized the need to modernize the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in line with evolving challenges, and said new equipment will arrive in full by 2017.

On Thursday, October 16, at the 113th founding anniversary of the PCG, Aquino vowed the Coast Guard would keep up with the change in times.

Isandaan at labintatlong taon na nga po ang Philippine Coast Guard; at sa paglipas ng panahon, nagbabagong-anyo rin ang mga kinakaharap nating hamon,” he said.

Dala nga po ng climate change, nakikita nating dumadalas at lumalakas ang mga bagyo. Alam din natin ang komplikadong sitwasyon sa kanlurang bahagi ng ating bansa. At habang nag-iiba ang mga pangyayari sa tubig, kailangan ding bumagay ng ating mga pamamaraan para tugunan ang mga ito.

(The Philippine Coast Guard is 113 years old; and with the passing of time, the nature of the challenges they face have changed as well. Because of climate change, typhoons are stronger and more frequent. We also know about the complicated situation in the Western portion of our country. And while the incidents in our seas change, our ways to meet these challenges must change as well).

In line with the increase complexity and diversity of the challenges, Aquino said 40 rubber boats and 300 aluminum boats are on their way, to increase the PCG’s capacity to patrol the seas and increase effectiveness of search and rescue operations. Two medium helicopters are also expected to come by 2015.

Additionally, 10 40-meter Mutli-Role Responsive Vessels from Japan are also scheduled for arrival: the first in October 2015, two in March 2016, another two in September of the same year, 3 on April 2017, and the final two in October 2017.

All these are part of the government’s modernization initiative, or the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project, a loan agreement signed in December 2013, worth P9.27 billion ($206.8 million)*.

Aside from new equipment, the construction of 113 new lighthouses have begun. The government said 109 more may be added if the government acquires the plots of land needed for them. He also said the National Coast Watch Center – a center for coordination among agencies for more effective surveillance of the seas – is expected to be completed by April 2015.

"Ang lahat po ng mga inisyatibang ito, nakaangkla sa iisang prinsipyo: Ang pagiging handa sa anumang problema o tensyong maaaring maganap sa ating karagatan," he said.

"Umaga man o gabi, umulan man o umaraw, anumang pagkakataon, dapat mulat tayo at alerto sa anumang nakaambang banta o peligro."

(All these intitiatives lie on one principle: the need to be ready for whatever problem or tension may arise in our seas. Morning or night, rain or shine, whatever the incident, we must be alert for any sort of danger).

The modernization of the Philippine Coast Guard comes amid a maritime dispute with China over territories in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). China's claim to nearly all of the area, which straddles vital sea lanes and is believed to sit on vast oil and gas reserves, has strained its ties with Southeast Asian countries.

On March 29, 2014, the Philippines submitted a nearly 4,000-page document, called a memorial, in a bid to end what it considered decades of bullying by China. The superpower has refused to acknowledge the designated arbitral tribunal's jurisdiction to hear the case. (READ: China rejects PH case, invokes int'l law)

Dog receives medal

In his speech, Aquino also praised the PCG’s courage and dedication in warding off any form of danger, from smugglers, to human traffickers, to poachers, also crediting them for their rescue operations in time of disasters.

The President also hailed the increased coordination of the PCG with other government agencies in addressing various challenges, noting its work with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to avoid instances that could increase tensions in disputed territories.

One of those that were recognized at the event for their service was a Coast Guard working dog named Bosh, who received a Coast Guard Search and Rescue Medal and Ribbon for “being instrumental in recovering 4 cadavers during the search and retrieval operations in the aftermath of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Bohol.”

Bosh, an 8-year-old Labrador Retriever, had also been to Compostela Valley to search for bodies trapped by a landslide.

Aquino vows PCG modernization by 2017 amid new challenges
 
Last edited:
10 Pinoys off to Japan to develop PH’s first microsatellite in space
by Edd K. Usman
October 12, 2014

Microsatellites-Send-Pictures-From-Space.jpg


Unknown to many, the Philippines is seriously into space research and development and that later this week, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is sending 10 Filipino students to Japan to learn how to develop a microsatellite that may be launched into space in 2016.

The DOST said the students will start their research on October 19 at Japan’s Tsukuba University (TU) and then head for Hokkaido University (HU) for their Master of Science (MS) until 2015.

After the study program, unless a hitch comes up, the 10 are expected to be able to develop and produce a microsatellite for launching into space in 2016.

It was learned that this is being undertaken by the government through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), one of DOST’s 20 attached agencies.

The space program has two components, a microsatellite project dubbed the Development of Philippine Scientific Earth Observation (PHL-MICROSAT) and a ground station, the Philippine Earth Data Resources and Observation (PEDRO) Center.

More or less P800 million has been earmarked for the space venture by DOST until 2016, the target launch of the planned microsatellite.

Marie Christie B. Santos, senior science research specialist at PCIEERD, said seven of the trainees will leave first just before the first day of their training, remaining three scheduled for training on November 4.

The microsatellite development is a DOST priority project, she said.

Santos said PCIEERD approved the Special Research Attachment of the 10 researchers: two from DOST’s Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI); four from University of the Philippines Diliman-Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (UPD-EEEI); one from UPD-Training for Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry (TCAGP); and three from UPD-Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (IESM).

She said the first group will be undergoing a study/research on Microsatellite BUS and the second group on microsatellite payload systems.

Their schedules are October 19-31 (the first part); a two-week study at TU; and November 4-16 at HU.

The second part lasts for five months from Nov. 5, 2014 to March, 2015.

“The two researches/studies of the 10 participants will be part of their MS (Master of Science studies) which will start in April 2015. By the end of their MS program, they will be able to produce/develop a microsatellite with the assistance/guidance of the Japanese researchers for Philippines which is targeted to be launched by 2016 (first or second quarter),” said Santos.

She said their thesis will be on the development of a microsatellite.

DOST Secretary Mario Go Montejo and PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Rowena Cristina C. Guevara earlier this year made separate announcements about the country’s venturing into space.

With its own microsatellite, the government can use it to enhance weather detection and forecasts, determine agricultural growth patterns, and monitor forest cover as well as the country’s territorial borders, Montejo said.

He said the government will save much money with its own microsatellite by not relying anymore on expensive data from foreign sources.

Guevara said training on the microsatellite development will be in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

10 Pinoys off to Japan to develop PH’s first microsatellite in space | Manila Bulletin | Latest Breaking News | News Philippines
 
This is why Ninoy Aquino is NOT a hero, but instead a fraud and a TRAITOR
* do note, this is old news but should give reason why the Sabah incursion occurred last year

------

‘Ninoy vowed to drop Sabah claim to get KL support vs Marcos’
By Janvic Mateo (The Philippine Star) | Updated March 13, 2013 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - Former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. had promised Malaysia in 1983 that the Philippines would drop its claim over Sabah in exchange for its support in the move to oust strongman Ferdinand Marcos, a former foreign affairs official revealed yesterday.

Hermes Dorado, former national territory division head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, said Aquino met with then Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammad Mahathir before he went back to the Philippines and was assassinated on Aug. 21, 1983.

Dorado said there were no official records of the supposed meeting between Aquino and Mahathir, but said he “became privy to this bit of intelligence” from former ambassador and retired general Rafael Ileto.

“General Ileto indirectly confirmed that Ninoy Aquino asked for help from Mahathir in exchange for dropping the Sabah claim when he gains power,” Dorado told a forum at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City.

Dorado said Ileto was the person assigned to monitor Aquino’s movement on his journey back to Manila.

“Our hands are tied today because the leadership up to this day is committed to drop the Philippine claim of Sabah,” he said.

According to Dorado, the clearest proof of Ninoy’s supposed pledge to Malaysia will be found in the 1987 Constitution, which was written during the presidency of his widow Corazon Aquino.

Dorado said the 1987 Constitution amended the first article of the 1973 Constitution and removed the phrase, “and all other territories belonging to the Philippines by historic right or legal title.”

The 1987 Constitution revised the definition of Philippine territory and “deleted Sabah as a historic claim backed up by the legal title pertaining to the sultanate of Sulu,” he added.

Dorado said Mrs. Aquino had no choice but to honor Ninoy’s commitment to Mahathir because she needed support from ASEAN nations to legitimize her ascendancy to the presidency through the people power revolution.

“Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir adamantly refused to attend the ASEAN Summit in Manila until President Cory made a firm commitment to amend Article 1 of the 1973 Constitution,” Dorado pointed out.

“Malaysian hard-ball diplomatic and guerrilla war maneuverings, backed by shrewd use of economic leverage, sourced from huge revenues from oil extracted in Sabah, were completed by 1987,” he added.

“They succeeded in forcing the Constitutional Commission to drop the Philippine Sabah claim, hands down.”

Dorado said the amended Baselines Law approved in March 2009 resulted in the exclusion of Sabah from the Philippine territory.

He said the amended law removed Section 2 of the 1968 law that included the phrase, “…the territory of Sabah, situated in North Borneo, over which the Republic of the Philippines has acquired dominion and sovereignty.”

“Removal of the specific reference to Sabah represented a disastrous outcome to the claims of the sultanate of Sulu,” Dorado said.

He claimed the results of the supposed “Ninoy-Mahathir pact” have destroyed all peaceful possibilities of pursuing the country’s claims.

Proprietary rights

Reacting to Dorado’s presentation, Princess Jacel Kiram – daughter of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III – maintained that Filipinos have proprietary rights in Sabah.

“We have so much wealth in Sabah na dapat tayo ang nakikinabang (we should be the ones benefitting),” Jacel said.

She said the lease agreement over North Borneo expired in 1978.

She accused the Aquino administration of protecting the interests of the Malaysian prime minister rather than the interest of the Filipino people.

“I would prefer to be another (nationality) rather than a Filipino citizen under our current set of leaders,” she said.

During the forum, Jacel confirmed the meeting between her uncle Sultan Bantilan Esmail Kiram II and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II.

“This is the first official talk from our side and from the side of the government,” she said, declining to provide additional information as she was not privy to what was discussed in the meeting.

Jacel said the development was a “good gesture” on the part of the government, and that its intention was for the benefit of the Filipino people.

Citing latest information from Sabah, Jacel said Agbimuddin Kiram and his people are safe but a lot of Filipinos have become victims of excessive force by Malaysian security forces. – With Paolo Romero, Jaime Laude, Marvin Sy

------

‘Ninoy vowed to drop Sabah claim to get KL support vs Marcos’ | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

-----
-----
In Other News:

Indian tries to enter PHL as a fake air traffic controller
October 17, 2014 3:48pm


Human smuggling rings at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport appear to have become more brazen, with those involved pretending to be airport employees to skip immigration checks.

The Bureau of Immigration disclosed this Friday following the arrest of an Indian who tried to pass himself off as a NAIA employee. He carried a fake visa.

In a post on its Facebook page, the BI identified the Indian national as Sevah Singh, who arrived via Cathay Pacific flight number CX912 from Hong Kong before noon on Tuesday.

Singh tried to head toward the personnel exit at the NAIA's immigration area but was intercepted after immigration officers Arneliza Parungo and Jeathone Largo noticed him behaving oddly.

"He was seen wearing an airport ID and a reflectorized vest, similar to those worn by air traffic controllers," the BI said.

Further investigation showed Singh was assisted by a Cebu Pacific Air employee identified as Ronnie Ballesteros.

Also, the BI said Singh had no arrival stamp and had a fake entry visa.

“When he was intercepted, immigration officers discovered that his Philippine visa was counterfeit, and he attempted to evade immigration inspection. What happened was illegal and is a serious breach of security,” said lawyer Elaine Tan, the bureau spokesperson.

The BI has filed charges against Singh and Ballesteros for violating the Philippine Immigration Act. Joel Locsin/NB, GMA News

-----
Indian tries to enter PHL as a fake air traffic controller | News | GMA News Online


 
10 Pinoys off to Japan to develop PH’s first microsatellite in space
by Edd K. Usman
October 12, 2014

Microsatellites-Send-Pictures-From-Space.jpg


Unknown to many, the Philippines is seriously into space research and development and that later this week, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is sending 10 Filipino students to Japan to learn how to develop a microsatellite that may be launched into space in 2016.

The DOST said the students will start their research on October 19 at Japan’s Tsukuba University (TU) and then head for Hokkaido University (HU) for their Master of Science (MS) until 2015.

After the study program, unless a hitch comes up, the 10 are expected to be able to develop and produce a microsatellite for launching into space in 2016.

It was learned that this is being undertaken by the government through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), one of DOST’s 20 attached agencies.

The space program has two components, a microsatellite project dubbed the Development of Philippine Scientific Earth Observation (PHL-MICROSAT) and a ground station, the Philippine Earth Data Resources and Observation (PEDRO) Center.

More or less P800 million has been earmarked for the space venture by DOST until 2016, the target launch of the planned microsatellite.

Marie Christie B. Santos, senior science research specialist at PCIEERD, said seven of the trainees will leave first just before the first day of their training, remaining three scheduled for training on November 4.

The microsatellite development is a DOST priority project, she said.

Santos said PCIEERD approved the Special Research Attachment of the 10 researchers: two from DOST’s Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI); four from University of the Philippines Diliman-Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (UPD-EEEI); one from UPD-Training for Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry (TCAGP); and three from UPD-Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (IESM).

She said the first group will be undergoing a study/research on Microsatellite BUS and the second group on microsatellite payload systems.

Their schedules are October 19-31 (the first part); a two-week study at TU; and November 4-16 at HU.

The second part lasts for five months from Nov. 5, 2014 to March, 2015.

“The two researches/studies of the 10 participants will be part of their MS (Master of Science studies) which will start in April 2015. By the end of their MS program, they will be able to produce/develop a microsatellite with the assistance/guidance of the Japanese researchers for Philippines which is targeted to be launched by 2016 (first or second quarter),” said Santos.

She said their thesis will be on the development of a microsatellite.

DOST Secretary Mario Go Montejo and PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Rowena Cristina C. Guevara earlier this year made separate announcements about the country’s venturing into space.

With its own microsatellite, the government can use it to enhance weather detection and forecasts, determine agricultural growth patterns, and monitor forest cover as well as the country’s territorial borders, Montejo said.

He said the government will save much money with its own microsatellite by not relying anymore on expensive data from foreign sources.

Guevara said training on the microsatellite development will be in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

10 Pinoys off to Japan to develop PH’s first microsatellite in space | Manila Bulletin | Latest Breaking News | News Philippines


Good to read this. Do update this development, amigo.
 
Noy to lead anniversary celebration of Leyte landing
By Aurea Calica (The Philippine Star) | Updated October 19, 2014 - 12:00am


MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino will lead tomorrow the 70th anniversary celebration of the Leyte Landing that liberated the country from Japanese rule, Malacañang said yesterday.

The Philippines will commemorate the day when then US General Douglas MacArthur returned to the Philippines to liberate it from Japanese forces.

On the morning of Oct. 20, 1944, American forces led by MacArthur landed on Red Beach in the municipality of Palo, Leyte.

The Battle of Leyte lasted from Oct. 20 to Dec. 31, 1944, resulting in a victory for the Allied forces. It was a milestone in the Second World War in the Pacific that culminated in the end of almost three years of Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

The Leyte landing also marked the re-establishment of the Commonwealth government on Philippine soil after years of government-in-exile in the US.

Australians also fought in Philippines during the Second World War.

To honor the 92 Australians who died during the liberation of the Philippines, a memorial has been dedicated to them at Palo and it will be unveiled today.

The monument stands close to the site where MacArthur first stepped ashore after leading the advance from Australia.

“Australians fought and died in the Philippines from the time of the US surrender in 1942 until the country’s final liberation in 1945,” said Colonel Bruce Murray, Australia’s defense attaché to the Philippines.

“The Royal Australian Navy’s participation in what is arguably history’s largest naval battle at Leyte Gulf, and its role in providing crucial support to nine amphibious landings during the campaign, made a valuable contribution to the overall success,” he added.

But currently, Leyte, particularly Tacloban City, is still recovering from the devastation wrought by Super Typhoon Yolanda that hit the country in November of last year. – With Pia Lee Brago

-----
Noy to lead anniversary celebration of Leyte landing | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com
-----

Goldberg in Leyte Gulf landing anniversary
October 18, 2014 9:50 pm

UNITED States Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg will visit Palo, Leyte tomorrow to join in the commemoration of the 70th Leyte Gulf landing anniversary.

While in Leyte, Goldberg will also preside in the inauguration of projects that support rehabilitation efforts in areas devastated by typhoon Yolanda.

He will visit Barangay Poblacion where he will turn over 36 sari-sari stores reconstructed and restocked through the initiatives of United States Agency for International Development (Usaid) along with Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble.

Goldberg will also announce the establishment of the micro enterprise disaster assistance fund for resiliency, implemented in partnership with Philippine Business for Social Progress.

This P176 million credit facility will enable eligible entrepreneurs from Yolanda-hit communities to borrow money to establish or expand their micro enterprises.

-----
Goldberg in Leyte Gulf landing anniversary - The Manila Times OnlineThe Manila Times Online
-----

Yolanda is the local name for Typhoon Haiyan*
 
REGIONAL AIRPORTS IN THE PHILIPPINES TO BE EXPANDED
OCTOBER 21, 2014


The National Economic Development Board (NEDB) in the Philippines has given the green light to a €355 million transformation project at Bacolod-Silay International Airport.

Work is set to be carried out in three phases and includes extension of the runway along with terminal expansion, and once complete means the airport can handle three million passengers by 2025.

The development will be in a 30-35 year concession period and funded through a public-private partnership.

It was approved by the NEDB along with 11 other new countrywide infrastructure projects in a meeting, which was chaired by Philippines president Benigno Aquino III.

NEDA explains the project will “provide additional facilities and other necessary improvements to enhance safety, security, access, passenger and cargo movement efficiency, and operational efficiency at the airport, excluding air navigation control, air navigation services and their associated services."

Other airports in the Philippines are to also receive funds for operations, maintenance and development projects.

They include Davao Airport, where a €711 million operations and maintenance development has been earmarked, to be completed in three phases, and the concession will be for 30-35 years, as part of a public-private partnership.

Iloilo Airport will also be transformed in three phases as part of €532 million development, through a public-private partnership, and NEDA says the operations and maintenance project will be on a concession period of 30-35 years, and construction will start in January 2016.

davao.jpg

Davao Airport

Puerto Princesa Airport will also be expanded in a €91 million public-private partnership project and will have a concession period of 30-35 years.

NEDA explains: “The project will cover operations and maintenance duties, commercial development of the facility, and future investment in necessary asset to expand capacity and to absorb traffic increase on the horizon of the concession period and beyond.”

All the projects will be done under an 'operate-add-transfer' scheme with the private sector and are expected to start sometime late next year, or early in 2016 with concessions bidding set for later this year.

NEDA economic planning secretary, Arsenio M Balisacan, says: "These approved projects will significantly contribute to the infrastructure investment needed to sustain growth and make it inclusive.

“The projects will allow Filipinos to have more access to social and economic opportunities.

"The transportation and port projects will improve the mobility of people and the efficiency of the flow of goods and services. Also, some of these projects will instill or enhance resiliency of many areas against climate-related risks and disasters."

Regional airports in the Philippines to be expanded - Airport World Magazine
 
I think it is better to look at Russia and Europe for economic ties as it is dead-end to China due to territorial disputes and the "Dodds Report" indicate that the Philippines is just Japan's source for natural resources and enforced by the USA.

The Philippines and Russia: Prospects for Security Cooperation | Foreign Service Institute
European Union - EEAS (European External Action Service) | nomenu


Other prospect country is South Korea...

Prospects in Partnership: The Philippines and South Korea | Foreign Service Institute
 
BSP exec warns of more uncertainty | Business, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com
-----
BSP exec warns of more uncertainty
By Kathleen A. Martin (The Philippine Star) | Updated October 27, 2014 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - Markets should brace for more uncertainty if the US Federal Reserve decides to further hold up raising interest rates or put an end to its monthly asset purchases, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas official said ahead of the Fed’s meeting this week.

“Anything that will delay the normalization of the credit cycle in the US and the conclusion of the quantitative easing will force continuing uncertainty in the market,” BSP Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo said.

The US Fed will meet again this week to decide whether to finally end its massive bond buying program as planned or to defer it for another time. All eyes are on the two-day meeting which starts on Oct. 28 as analysts and market players watch out for the language the Fed will use to convey when it would raise interest rates.



But any delay in the Fed’s expected actions will also give the BSP some policy space, Guinigundo said, especially amid concerns of a slowing global activity.


“That can also provide on the other hand some space in terms of flexibility in maintaining our policy rates or our monetary policy stance at this point especially as growth has become a key issue for both emerging market and the advanced economies,” Guinigundo said.


Monetary authorities last week decided to keep key policy rates steady as inflation is expected to be within the three-to five-percent target range for this year and the two to four percent band in 2015 and 2016. Overnight borrowing and overnight lending were maintained at four percent and six percent, respectively, in a move widely expected by the markets.


BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. last Thursday said latest forecasts showed a “lower inflation path” for 2014 until 2016 as pressures on commodity prices start to ease.


The BSP lowered its forecast for average inflation this year to 4.4 percent from 4.5 percent, while next year’s forecast was downgraded to 3.7 percent from 3.8 percent. The central bank also slashed its forecast for 2016 average inflation to 2.8 percent from three percent.


Inflation decelerated to 4.4 percent in September from 4.9 percent in August and in July due to lower increases in food prices and in housing and utility rates. This brought the nine-month average to 4.4 percent, still above the midpoint of the BSP’s target range for the year.


Tetangco said upside risks to the inflation outlook emanate from the pending petitions for power adjustments and the looming power shortages. However, the uneven prospects of the global economy should reduce pressures on commodity prices, he said.


The central bank will revisit policy settings on Dec. 11, its last rate-setting meeting for the year.


The BSP earlier this year already raised key policy rates by 50 basis points to ensure inflation will remain within target over the policy horizon. At the same time, the reserve requirement ratios and the special deposit account facility rate were hiked to rein in excess liquidity in the system.

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

IMF says Phl should focus on key structural reforms | Business, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com
-----

IMF says Phl should focus on key structural reforms
By Kathleen A. Martin (The Philippine Star) | Updated October 27, 2014 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the country should keep its focus on key structural reforms and continuity even after a new administration takes office in 2016 to sustain the gains it has achieved in the past years.

IMF Resident Representative to the Philippines Shanaka Jayanath Peiris said the strong economic growth the country has been seeing in the last two years was an offshoot of the various reforms instituted by the current and past administrations.

To further grow the economy, Peiris said the country should “focus on continuity, focus on what kind of structural reforms can drive investments.”

This should be done in order to take advantage of its young population through fostering an environment conducive to attract more investments to create more jobs, he said.

“The Philippines has the youngest population in Asia and that alone is a huge opportunity… But demographic dividend without creating jobs won’t mean high growth and won’t mean better income,” Peiris said.

So far, the government has laid a solid foundation to enable a better environment for growth through strong macroeconomic fundamentals.

Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
Peiris said the decline of the credit to GDP (gross domestic product) to below 40 percent in the first quarter, the relatively low inflation which averaged 4.4 percent as of September, and the strong six-percent growth in the first half gives the country the cushion to take on more measures to accelerate economic growth.

“With our young population and with our macro stability, we have the ability to grow faster,” Peiris said.

The Philippines expanded by 7.2 percent last year, sustaining the already faster-than-expected 6.8 percent in 2012.

The government hopes to grow the economy by 6.5 to 7.5 percent this year and further accelerate this to 7.5 to 8.5 percent by 2016.

“The story of the Philippines has improved in the last 10 years and something very striking is that growth has been domestic-led,” Peiris said.

However, he said the country still lags behind other economies in Asia in terms of investments, infrastructure, and even in competitiveness.


 
PNP to buy P133-M sub-machine guns
BBc4OVl.img

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is buying 568 sub-machine guns worth P133.798 million.

In an advertisement in The STAR, Director Juanito Vaño, chief of the PNP Directorate for Logistics, said the police is inviting bids for sub-machine guns for an approved budget contract of P133,798,080.

As provided in the invitation to bid, Vaño said the delivery of the machine guns could be done in two tranches of 300 units and 268 within 60 days after the last day of the first delivery.

“The pre-bid conference is on Nov. 7 at the main conference hall of the PNP national headquarters. Bids must be delivered on or before Nov. 21. Bid opening shall be on Nov. 21 at 9:01 a.m.,” said Vaño.

Since 2013, the PNP has been buying equipment as part of its the Capability Enhancement Program (CEP), but police officials later admitted that the funds came the Disbursement Assistance Program (DAP), parts of which the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional.

10690268_669871019795184_7770472756131824441_n.jpg


For the PNP SAF and PNP mobile companies, P1.5 billion will soon be allocated for the procurement of brand new assault rifles and ammo. Each and every member of the SAF and mobile forces will receive a brand new assault rifle.

Particulars of the bidding will be announced later.

The STAR reported that the fund for the assault rifles will be sourced from the CEP 2012 with P501,475,000, CEP 2013 with P130,845,000 and operational transformation plan worth P883,805,000 for a total of P1,516,125,000.

The PNP earlier scrapped an allegedly questionable P391-million procurement of 3,330 assault rifles after President Aquino noticed the deal to be overpriced.

Based on the President’s own Google search, the price of the rifle should have only been at most P40,000 apiece and not P80,000. The original price of the rifle was listed at P150,000 apiece, then it went down to P119,000.

The PNP Supply Management Division and the Directorate for Logistics were instructed to further study the specifications for the assault rifles.

In September 2013, the Directorate for Logistics and vice chairman of the Bids and Awards Committee said the PNP might bid out the combined 1,500 and 1,800 assault rifles with the same budget.

The 1,500 assault rifles, to be procured at a cost of P178,332,000, will be assigned to members of the Special Action Force (SAF), while the 1,800 long firearms, to cost P213,998,400, will be given to members of the Mobile Forces.

PNP to buy P133-M sub-machine guns

________________________________________________________________________________________

BRP Benguet one of world’s oldest commissioned ship to undergo repair, drydocking

safe_image.php


One of the world’s oldest navy ship commissioned, now serving the Philippine Navy, BRP Benguet will undergo repair and dry-docking. The Armed Forces of the Philippines will apply the sum of PhP40 million for the said project.

BRP Benguet (LT-507) is a tank landing ship designed for US Navy during the World War 2 era. It was first commissioned way back May 1944. The World War 2 vessel USS Daviess County was transferred to Philippine Navy last September 1976. It then was named BRP Benguet.

Benguet is being used by PN to transport soldiers, military cargo and help carry out relief operations. It is also being used to transport civilians when requested.

Philippine Navy is currently waiting for the delivery of two brand-new Makassar-class Landing Platform Dock from Indonesia. When delivered, these LPDs can act as PN’s floating command center while carrying out its main purpose as military sealift and transport vessel.

Two Makassar are expected to be supplied in 2016 and 2017.

These sealift vessels will be carrying landing craft utility/mechanized, including the upcoming Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAV) and attack helicopters.

1900022_669824319799854_2072399861854332838_n.jpg


LST-692 somewhere in Europe during WWII. She is now BRP Benguet.
I dont know if I be happy or Sad from this news :what:

BRP Benguet one of world’s oldest commissioned ship to undergo repair, drydocking | Ang Malaya Net

___________________________________________________________________________________

Commanding officer of USS Stethem fired after destroyer hits canoe off of the Philippines

d1b.jpg


The commanding officer of the destroyer USS Stethem has been fired a week after the ship struck and sank a canoe off of Subic Bay in the Philippines.

Cmdr. John Bradford was relieved by his immediate superior “due to loss of confidence in Bradford’s ability to command,” according to the Navy Times.

Bradford’s relief is related to the incident with the canoe, the release said, and the investigation is ongoing.

“The decision to relieve Bradford came after a recent incident involving a 19-foot wooden vessel reportedly hit by Stethem while the ship was underway from Subic Bay, Philippines, Oct. 13,” a Navy release said.


The USS Stethem (U.S. Navy file)
images


According to Philippine media reports, the unlit canoe crossed Stethem’s course around 8:36 p.m. The boat’s occupants were rescued uninjured by the Stethem’s crew.

Capt. Chris Sweeney, the deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron 15, is in command of the boat until a permanent replacement is named, the release said.

Commanding officer of USS Stethem fired after destroyer hits canoe off of the Philippines | WTKR.com
 
Euronaval 2014: Philippine OPV contract confirmed

The Philippines Coast Guard will receive a new 82 m offshore patrol vessel (OPV) by around 2016, shipbuilder OCEA told IHS Jane's at the Euronaval exhibition in Paris.

A EUR90 million (USD113 million) contract for five vessels from France was announced by Philippine coastguard chief Rear Admiral Luis Tuason in 2012.

At Euronaval in 2012, OCEA confirmed that four OCEA 24 m FPB 72 patrol boats similar to units delivered to Nigeria and Surinam would partly fulfil this requirement, although whether the final vessel would be a larger OPV was still to be finalised at that time.

The larger unit is now confirmed to be based on the company's new OPV 270, with the baseline design featuring an aluminium hull with twin diesel propulsion for speeds of more than 25 kt.

c9a0de1030d2b2b98e646e093a932b6e.jpg

OCEA 24 m FPB 72

3f077eb569e17b5865115c702bd93ea3.jpg

OPV 270


Euronaval 2014: Philippine OPV contract confirmed - IHS Jane's 360
 
PNP general a world-class inventor
By MST Business | Nov. 01, 2014 at 10:30pm
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/11/01/pnp-general-a-world-class-inventor/
Percival Gammad Barba, a high-ranking official of the Philippine National Police, spent his career protecting the public from crimes. With only a few weeks left before his retirement from the service, the 55-year-old father of six children now wants to use his invention to protect motorists and commuters from accidents caused by poorly lit roads.

114a6519d53fff654972ab5b7fc56cdb.jpg

Percival Barba shows his invention — solar-powered
road markers
Barba, who currently serves as the Philippine National Police deputy director for Western Mindanao with a rank of chief superintendent, invented the solar-powered road marker, a world-class device which was awarded a gold medal during the British Invention Show in London on Oct. 26, 2013.

A feature of modern highways, road safety devices enhance road delineation and guide vehicles at low-visibility conditions. Barba says his version of road safety devices glows at night, without using electricity from the power grid, and can supplement street lights, which are costly to build.

“This is a road safety device that we can use on our roads. I call it Barbalite solar-powered road marker. The Barbalite brand carries our name,” Barba says in an interview at the Filipino Inventors Society Producer Cooperative at Delta Building located at the corner of Quezon Ave. and West Ave. in Quezon City.

“There are different types of road safety devices, and all of them have reflectors. What makes Barbalite solar-powered road marker different is that it emits light at night. It is a self-illuminated road pavement stud. During the day, when it gathers solar power, the light turns off, and it is also a reflector on ordinary surface during the day,” he says.

“Three hours of sunlight gathered during the day are enough to power the device for the whole night. So even during the storm and rainy days, it can still gather solar energy and emit lights at night. It is also a reflector,” Barba says.

The invention, made of aluminum alloy, polycarbonate and photovoltaics, flashes red, white and yellow lights that can be seen from a distance of up to 400 meters. Twelve straight hours of flashing mode are enough to guide vehicles from dusk until dawn. Barba says the LED lights have up to 30,000 lamp hours.

Barbalite Technologies, the company established by Barba in Capas, Tarlac in 1987, was also bestowed the Filipinnovation Award by the Department of Science and Technology for excellence in electronics in 2011.

“I am turning 56 on Dec. 15. We are now shifting our focus to our invention. If the orders had pushed ahead last year, I could have retired from the service earlier. So now, on my 56th birthday, I will focus full-time on Barbalite Technologies,” he says.

Barba received a patent and copyright from the Intellectual Property Office for his invention, which also passed the rigid standards of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ Bureau of Research and Standards. The invention also received international certification from SGS, a global testing company.

Barba says the invention has the following components: a rechargeable lithium ion battery, solar panel, control board, light emitting diode and reflector. “This means it is a reflector and a road safety device as well,” he says.

Asked what led him to invent the device, Barba points to his own experience in driving at night. “The reason why I saw a need for self-illuminating road safety devices is when I was assigned as the provincial director in Pangasinan, I would go home to Fairview in Quezon City every Friday night. When I reached Fairview via Commonwealth Ave., it was difficult to drive and follow the ordinary road paints. When it rained, you could not see the lines,” he says.

“Most vehicles were using their blinkers during heavy rain at night, because the drivers could not see the road safety devices implanted on the road. Now, we have a solution,” Barba says.

Barba says the Barbalite solar-powered road marker gathers energy during the day and stores it in the battery. At night, the LED flashes and guides the motorists, he says. “We can reduce accidents at Commonwealth Ave. by installing the solar-powered road markers. The MMDA reported an average of three accidents a day at Commonwealth, especially the stretch of an elevated road divider near Technohub, which was only given a yellow-colored GI sheet,” he says.

Barba says he offered to freely install 24 pieces of solar-powered road markers at Fairview Circle as samples. “Because of what we installed, we received an order for P13.20 million worth of our devices in April. But it remains pending at the Road Board,” he says.

“It is just one of the many requests we received. We received orders from Regions 5, 9, 10 to 13, or the whole of Mindanao. We received orders for P520 million. It sounds good to the ear, but all these remain pending at the Road Board. We are still waiting for their approval and endorsement to the DBM [Department of Budget and Management]. I believe it will eventually be approved, starting with the project along Commonwealth, where accidents often occur,” he says.

“This is a solution and it is more affordable than ordinary road markers. Ordinary road markers cost P3,511.15 and they do not have lights. The Barbalite solar-powered road marker costs only P2,800,” he says.

The Barbalite device comes in three types, including those ideal for elevated dividers, the heavy-duty studs and the more affordable medium-type markers for street gutter.

Barba says the heavy-duty studs can withstand a 27-ton capacity. “It is shock-proof, water-proof and scratch-proof,” he says. He says the device has a one-year warranty. He also offers maintenance-free services.

He says aside from local district engineers, he met with officials of expressway operators. “Lately, we received calls from the Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway. We installed 24 pieces at SCTex in Porac in December, which are still functioning well until today. Because of the free samples we installed, I think they are including us in their budget program,” he says,

Barba says with the help of banks, he can supply the P520 million worth of request all over the country. “At present, I don’t have the capacity to manufacture it here. I just spent my own money for the mold. The DOST helped us prepare the CD and video presentation, which we distributed to district engineers.”

“Many still do not know about our invention. It takes a long process in the bureaucracy, that’s why our funding also takes long. But I believe it will be eventually endorsed by the Road Board,” he says.

Barbalite Technologies’ first order came from the Porac municipal government covering 700 markers worth P1.8 million. “We installed 700 pieces of solar-powered road markers in Porac,” he says.

Barba’s interest in invention started when he was a student. Before joining the Philippine Military Academy in 1978, Barba was among the first batch of Industrial Engineering students at the Mapua Institute of Technology.

He says being an inventor was not unique in the family. His older brother, Roman Gammad Barba Jr., was a member of the Filipino Inventors Society who invented printing and laminating apparatus, a snail killer, an organic fertilizer, barcrete construction materials and other useful devices.

“I am an inventor on the side. My older brother, Roman Barba, was a full-time inventor who won many awards for his inventions from the 1960s to 2000. It was he who taught me. He is credited for many inventions, but he died a pauper. His inventions are still being used to this day. What happened to him was that he became very dependent on financiers,” he says.

“This is the predicament of Filipino inventors. We need support. But I believe that we have better prospects now. Many banks, for example, have expressed interest to finance our project. One private bank even offered to finance our capital, as long as I name the PO [purchase order] for solar-powered road markers after the bank,” he says.

“It is also faster to get a patent, as long as there is no similar innovation. One thing that will help Filipino inventors is the patronage of the public. If the solar-powered road marker will only be patronized, there are a number of jobs that will be created in the Philippines,” he says.

Barbalite Technologies currently has existing partnerships with L-Trend Optoelectronics and GreenPro Technology Inc. of Taiwan and its branch in Indonesia for the production of solar-powered road markers.

“Our dream is to establish a manufacturing plant in the Philippines. I think Subic would be a very viable site,” he says.

Barba says aside from the solar-powered marker, he is pursuing another innovation. “The mufflers of vehicles are now used to muffle or silence the sound of engine. What I am developing is something that will trap the soot [exhaust deposits], the carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and other pollutants released into the air by cars. I now have a prototype. It has no name yet, but it is an anti-pollution filter or anti-pollution device,” he says.

Barbalite Technologies has also designed and developed other novel products and gadgets such as typhoon-proof billboard, floating garbage collector and portable hot tub.

“Now, I understand my older brother who had kept on inventing, even after successfully developing new products. So this is how an inventor feels. You are inspired to keep inventing to help other Filipinos,” he says.

Barba is a member of the Filipino Inventors Society and is among the speakers during the National Inventors Week to be held on Nov. 13 to 16 at the event center of Fisher Mall and at Delta Building in Quezon City.

Filipino Inventors Society Producer Cooperative chairman Popoy Pagayon says the National Inventors Week will showcase outstanding Filipino inventions, which are designed to help the Filipino people.

“We want to show to our nation the Filipino inventors’ talents, innovations and skills that are at par with the best of the world,” Pagayon says. RTD

PNP general a world-class inventor - Manila Standard Today
 

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom