Philippines Defence Forum

[Aepsilons]

Minister for Defence – Defence Minister announces the gifting of two Landing Craft to the Philippines
29 January 2015

The Australian Government will gift two recently-decommissioned Landing Craft Heavy vessels, including a package of spare parts, to the Philippines Government, the Minister for Defence Kevin Andrews announced today.

Mr Andrews said the former Royal Australian Navy vessels HMAS Tarakan and Brunei would be gifted to the Philippine Navy after being refurbished with new safety and navigation equipment.

“I expect the vessels will be refitted and ready for hand over in May 2015,” Mr Andrews said.

The Landing Craft will be commissioned in the Philippines Navy and will provide additional intra-theatre sealift capability.

A lack of sealift capability hampered efforts to assist Philippines’ coastal areas devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

“The Landing Craft will greatly improve the Philippines’ ability to respond to natural disasters by enabling heavy equipment and large amounts of aid to be moved to affected areas,” Mr Andrews said.

The Landing Craft Heavy fleet was decommissioned from Australian service at a ceremony in Cairns on 19 November 2014.

The Philippines Government is also considering whether to purchase the remaining three Landing Craft Heavy. The former HMAS Wewak, Betano and Balikpapan were decommissioned from the Royal Australian Navy in 2012.


Media contacts:
Cristy Elliott (Minister Andrews Office)
Defence Media Operations



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Defence Ministers » Minister for Defence – Defence Minister announces the gifting of two Landing Craft to the Philippines
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What if we could put howitzers on it and turning these ships into off-shore bombardment platforms instead?

Good to see this !

 

[Cossack25A1]

Original thread was deleted for "obvious" reasons.

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Philippines Accuses China of Ramming Fishing Boats
Latest Complaint Comes Amid Renewed Maritime Tensions Over the South China Sea

By Trefor Moss
Updated Feb. 5, 2015 12:03 p.m. ET

MANILA—The Philippines has accused the Chinese Coast Guard of endangering the lives of Filipino fishermen by intentionally ramming three fishing boats last week near Scarborough Shoal, a disputed region of the South China Sea.

With Sino-Philippine relations already strained, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs issued a complaint to the Chinese embassy in Manila on Wednesday, in which it also alleged that a flotilla of Chinese boats was flouting international conventions by harvesting endangered sea creatures from the disputed shoal.

Manila’s latest protest against China comes after Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario last week urged Southeast Asian countries to work together to oppose Chinese efforts “to establish full control…over the South China Sea,” in what he termed a “watershed” moment for the “credibility” of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean.

At a daily news briefing Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei reiterated that China considers the area its sovereign territory, and said it would contact its own officials to find out what happened. Mr. Hong also cited a Jan. 29 incident in which he said Philippine boats congregated in the area and bumped each other when the Chinese sent a dinghy to investigate.

“The Chinese side urges the Philippine side to enhance supervision and allocation of its own fishermen to prevent such an incident from happening again,” Mr. Hong said.

China took control of Scarborough Shoal, located roughly 200 kilometers west of the Philippines, in late 2012 after a lengthy standoff between Chinese and Philippine vessels. Since then, Chinese law-enforcement ships have blocked Philippine fishing boats from accessing the area.
Tensions between the Philippines and China have begun to rise again this year after a brief respite following November’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing, at which China made a diplomatic push to reassure its Southeast Asian neighbors. In particular, it set out ambitious plans for a “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” involving billions of dollars of investment in regional ports and other commercial facilities.

The Philippines, however, has grown increasingly distressed by Chinese land reclamation projects in the South China Sea, including the construction of a new island at Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands, where Manila has said China appears to be building a new air base.

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Philippines Accuses China of Ramming Fishing Boats - WSJ
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[Cossack25A1]

Good to see this !

I would rather have these extensively modified, up-armored and be armed with two howitzers (we should order more ATHOS from Israel; this is also were the local drones come in) and other fifties or chain-guns, converting these Landing ships into off-shore bombardment platforms as these ships can't fit inside the Makassar-class LPDs.

 

[Cossack25A1]

The Simba APC

I also wonder if the Simba could be converted into an AFV by removing the turret and replace it with a remote weapons station, particularly the Elbit System's DRWS.

DRWS dual remote weapon station Elbit Systems technical data sheet information specification UK - Army Recognition - Army Recognition

or the Elbit System's ORCWS UT 30

Army Guide - UT 30 / ORCWS 30, Remote controlled weapon station

I did see a glimpse of what is inside the Simba APC when I went into Camp Aguinaldo last December and I can safely say that the DRWS or UT30 can fit on the Simba but in exchange that it would lose its troop-carrying capability, thus I have put "AFV"
above.

As for the V-150, I feel these vehicles are suitable replacements

Panhard VCR

M1117 ICV variant

 

[Cossack25A1]

Business News

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PCCI invites more Japanese firms to access Asean market via investments in Philippines
February 7, 2015

Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) President Dr. Alfredo Yao told a 100-man delegation from the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) that the Philippines is primed for Japanese companies planning expansion in the ASEAN region in the emerging ASEAN Economic Community due to the country’s improving standing in global competitiveness and fast rate of economic growth.

He made the statement as Yao welcomed the high–level delegation during the Philippines-Japan economic dialogue last Thursday between the Japan CCI, PCCI and the Philippine – Japan Economic Cooperation Council.

As head of the country’s largest business organization, Yao said that the partnership of PCCI with the JCCI has been evolving from manufacturing to technology transfer to services and emerging industries.

This evolving partnership covers tourism, the retirement industry, information – technology related services, the capital market, agriculture and agri-business, land development, and energy exploration.

The PCCI president said that Japanese companies would access the Asean integrated market by developing or strengthening their presence in the Philippines.

He pointed out that many Japanese companies have already positioned themselves in the Asean by including the Philippines as part of their global supply chains.

More partnerships could evolved from opportunities in manufacturing, technology transfer, services, and emerging industries such as tourism, retirement industry, IT-related services, capital markets, agriculture and agri-business, land development, and energy exploration.

The PCCI head urged the Japanese and Filipino businessmen to exchange best practices, business missions, and the conduct of trainings and other types of business networking activities as these lead to potential tie-ups beneficial to

Yao acknowledged the leadership of Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa and Dr. Akio Mimura, JCCI chairman and a former chairman and current advisor of Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corporation, for maintaining and further encouraging the interest of more Japanese companies to come to the Philippines and pursue potential collaborations with Philippine companies.

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PCCI invites more Japanese firms to access Asean market via investments in Philippines | Manila Bulletin | Latest Breaking News | News Philippines
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Inflation rate softens to 2.4%
By Jennifer Ambanta | Feb. 05, 2015 at 11:30pm

Consumer prices rose at the slowest pace in 17 months, on lower fuel, energy and transport costs amid the decline in crude prices in the world market, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show.

The PSA said in its consumer price index report inflation rate softened to 2.4 percent in January from 2.7 percent in December and 4.2 percent in January 2014. It was also the slowest rate recorded since August 2013, when the inflation rate settled at 2.1 percent.

The announcement bolstered expectations Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas would refrain from hiking interest rates to support economic expansion and bank lending. Interest rates largely depend on inflation rate.

“The continuous decline in the annual movement of the indices of housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels and transport further pushed down the country’s headline inflation to 2.4 percent during the beginning of the year 2015,” the PSA said.

“The continuing decline in international oil prices is a positive development for the country considering our import dependence on oil,” said Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.

“There were no new major economic and weather shocks that could considerably affect food supply. The supply chain of other food products has normalized because of the lifting of the expanded truck ban in September 2014. So these may have also contributed to the continued easing of inflation,” Balisacan said.

Balisacan said the lower inflation in the first month of the year boded well for consumption growth. “It is aligned with market expectations given the consensus forecast of 2.4 percent for the same period. It is also within the medium-term inflation target set at 2 to 4 percent for the year by the Development Budget Coordination Committee,” he said.

Rice prices, which accounted for 38 percent of total food inflation, continued to ease their year-on-year growth in January.

“Although the prices of rice are still elevated, the rate of price increase was slower because of more favorable supply conditions. Total rice stock inventory continues to register a double-digit year-on-year growth as of December 2014. This is in contrast to the decline in inventory recorded prior to November 2014,” he said.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said inflation rate this year was expected to settle within the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent.

“January inflation at 2.4 percent is largely due to slowdown in annual movements of utilities, gas and transport. It falls within our forecast range and bolsters our view of within-target inflation over our policy horizon,” Tetangco said in a text message.

“We will continue to monitor developments particularly in international oil prices and their impact on financial market volatilities and inflation expectations to see if there is need to make adjustments to our policy levers,” Tetangco said.

Tetangco earlier predicted January inflation would settle within the range of 1.8 percent to 2.7 percent. The inter-agency DBCC set an inflation rate target of 2 percent to 4 percent from 2015 to 2018.

Tetangco said the multi-year target presented a long-term view on inflation and fostered greater predictability which helps economic decision-making by businesses, households, and other economic agents. With Julito G. Rada

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Inflation rate softens to 2.4% - Manila Standard Today
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Japan firm completes e-Trike plant in Cavite
By Alena Mae S. Flores | Feb. 01, 2015 at 11:35pm

A Japanese company said it has completed an assembly plant in Carmona, Cavite and prepares to start mass production of three-wheeled electric vehicles that will replace traditional tricycles.

Bemac Electric Trans-portation Philippines Inc., formerly known as BEET Philippines, said the assembly line for electric vehicles was now in place and was ready for mass production.

“We want only to give the Filipinos a reliable and safe EV product which they can proudly claim as made in the Philippines, backed by Japanese technology,” Bemac president Masato Oda said in a statement.

“We are the only EV manufacturer in the country who does a thorough testing of our product before actually rolling it on the streets,” Oda said.

He said product safety testing included vibration test that would guarantee at least 10 years for its chassis or 100,000 kilometers, slalom test, uphill and downhill run, water proofing and breaking capability often employed only by car manufacturers.

Bemac Philippines’ plant in Carmona is currently on pre-production fine tuning to make sure it can deliver 500 units a month of three-wheeled EVs as projected by the company.

Japanese engineers are currently in the country to train local counterparts in assembling the EVs and to guarantee that the strict controls would be followed by Filipino technicians and local parts manufacturing partners.

Bemac said it was optimistic on the potential of replacing the aging, noisy and pollution- inducing traditional tricycles with their EV-Trikes.

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Japan firm completes e-Trike plant in Cavite - Manila Standard Today
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Government, private sector to fasttrack Clark projects for APEC hosting
By Louella D. Desiderio (The Philippine Star) | Updated February 8, 2015 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - The government and the private sector have decided to fasttrack projects in Clark, Pampanga with the area serving as one of the venues for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) events this year.

In a statement, Clark Development Corp. (CDC) president and chief executive officer Arthur Tugade said the country’s APEC hosting has encouraged both government and the private sector to advance the implementation of their respective projects.

The Philippines is hosting the APEC meetings this year.

The APEC senior officers meeting started in Clark on January 26.

Tugade said projects such as the Clark Rotunda, Clark Museum, Clark 4D

Theatre and Clark Integrated Command Center are to be implemented this year.

The renovation of the Clark Parade Ground, which is in its final stages, is expected to have a rubberized overlay for the jogging path, renovated park bencher, as well as shower room for sports participants upon completion.

Tugade said some locator firms in Clark have also advanced the dates of their development plans.

Among these locators is Fontana Leisure Parks which is expanding the seating capacity of its convention center to more than 1,800 seats from 500, at present, putting up new villas and rooms and adding 1,000 workers.

Oxford Hotel meanwhile, has committed to invest P1 billion in the next five years to put up a new hotel, casino and restaurant with one-stop commercial complex as well as employ 615 individuals.

Widus Hotel and Casino is spending P2 billion for the construction of Tower 3 which has 300 bedrooms, as well as putting up a water theme park and employing 500 additional workers.

Tugade said that while the infrastructure and developments in Clark are being fast-tracked, such are not intended solely for the APEC events.

“The projects are for the CDC and economic zone,” he said.

He also said the hosting of the APEC is expected to be beneficial to the country.

Earlier, trade officials said the hosting of the APEC meetings this year will allow the country to showcase what it can offer and attract foreign investments.

The APEC which groups 21 members, seeks to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

The last time the Philippines served as host for the APEC meetings was in 1996.

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Government, private sector to fasttrack Clark projects for APEC hosting | Business, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com
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Exports growth eases in December
By Kathleen A. Martin (The Philippine Star) | Updated February 8, 2015 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s exports growth could have eased in December amid a moderation in US manufacturing activity during the period, UK-based investment bank Barclays said.

“Export growth is likely to have moderated following the sharp pickup in November, consistent with the cooling in the US ISM (Institute for Supply Management),” Barclays said in a report.

The bank has forecast that outbound shipments could have increased 4.1 percent year-on-year in December, slower than the 19.7-percent rise in November.

ISM data showed the purchasing manager’s index (PMI), fell to a revised 56.5 in December from 58.7 in November. Latest data showed this picked up slightly to 56.7 in January.

The PMI reflects the strength of the manufacturing sector, and also the economy as a whole. A print of 50 and above shows an expanding industry, while the reverse may reflect moderation in activity.

Official December exports data will be released by the Philippine Statistics Authority on Tuesday.

Merchandise exports in November jumped by almost a fifth to $5.178 billion from $4.325 billion in the same month in 2013.

The uptick was driven by increases in the shipments of coconut oil, cathodes and sections of cathodes, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, woodcraft and furniture, ignition wiring set and other wiring sets, electronic products, articles of apparel and clothing accessories, and metal components.

Electronic products, the country’s top export, accounted for 49.2 percent of total shipments and climbed 27 percent to $2.546 billion in November.

Japan continued to be the main destination for Philippine exports in November, followed by the United States, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

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Exports growth eases in December | Business, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com
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For ILP, gov’t secures 738 MW from volunteers
Riza T. Olchondra| Philippine Daily Inquirer 12:43 AM | Saturday, February 7th, 2015
The Department of Energy (DOE) has secured the commitment of more volunteers to the Interruptible Load Program (ILP), effectively raising the capacity to 738 megawatts (MW).

With the ILP, the government hopes to ease the tight power supply situation expected this summer. Under the program, big power consumers with generator sets may volunteer to use their equipment to ease the demand on the Luzon grid during peak hours, in return for fuel cost reimbursement and some compensation.

Of the total capacity that had been committed by far, 261 MW came from customers of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), 469 MW from customers of the Retail Electricity Suppliers Association (Resa), and almost 8 MW from locators at the Cavite Economic Zone.

Of the 196 companies that have so far signed up as ILP volunteers, 119 are customers of Resa, 74 are customers of Meralco, and 3 are locators of the Cavite Economic Zone, the DOE said.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla earlier announced the addition of two entities to the roster of participants under the ILP. The House of Representatives formally signed up on Jan. 27 as an ILP participant, pledging 1.7 megawatts (MW) of deloading capacity. MPOWER, the RES arm of Meralco, also signed up with 92 contestable customers on Jan. 30.

Petilla said energy authorities are aiming for 1,000 MW or more in power capacity under the ILP.

The ILP is one of the main coping mechanisms the DOE is counting on to ease the power supply gap from March to June 2015.

The DOE and other stakeholders like Meralco have been meeting to update how much electricity demand is expected and how much may be filled by short-term measures such as the ILP.

Noting that managing energy demand is just as important as generating supply, Petilla called on consumers to use electricity efficiently.

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For ILP, gov’t secures 738 MW from volunteers | Inquirer Business
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[Cossack25A1]

Military and Defense News

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Philippines, NZ, South Korea participating in Cope North

06 Feb 2015
By Alexie Villegas Zotomayor - avz@mvariety.com - Variety News Staff

THREE allied nations will be joining the U.S., Australia and Japan in the annual Cope North exercise.

In a release from the U.S. Air Force yesterday, the 86th iteration of the annual exercise is taking place at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam on Feb. 15-27.

According to Tinian Mayor’s Office military policy advisor Eric C. San Nicolas, based on information they gathered from the U.S. Air Force, for this exercise, the Pacific Air Forces planning team has determined that Rota International is best suited to be the “hub” location and Tinian West and/or Tinian North best suited to be “spoke” airfields to accommodate the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief objectives.

It isn’t the first time that Cope North has come to Tinian.

Back on Feb. 5-7, 2013, the HA/DR portion of the Cope North exercise was held on Tinian simultaneously with Guam. Military personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and Japan Air Self Defense Force were seen landing C-130s on Tinian in a simulated humanitarian assistance and disaster relief scenario.

The exercise aimed to demonstrate the capability to rapidly execute establishing an operating airfield at a location in the event of a real-world HA/DR operation.

The Cope North Exercise in 2013 involved about 2,000 personnel: 1,000, U.S.; 450, Japan Self Defense Force; and 300, from the Royal Australian Air Force.

San Nicolas said “Exercise COPE NORTH is an annual multilateral field training exercise that is PACAF funded and conducted at Andersen Air Force Base (AAFB), Guam.”

He said the multilateral field training exercise maintains a Combat Air Force focus emphasizing the exchange/execution of tactics, techniques and procedures, while enhancing the interoperability among a variety of missions/airframes to include U.S. components, the Japan Air Self Defense Force, and the Royal Australian Air Force.

He mentioned the participation of the New Zealand Air Force, the Philippine Air Force and the Republic of Korea Air Force.

A key component of the scenario is to develop “hub-and-spoke” operations, with the “spoke” airfields being geographically separated from the “hub” airfield.

San Nicolas said Tinian West Field and Tinian North Field will be used as the “spoke” for the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief portion of the Cope North Exercise.

“Spoke”, Variety learned, is a term used to refer to an alternate airbase utilized for the transport of supplies/cargo.

Cope North Public Affairs Officer Captain Jessica Tait told Variety that there will be about 1,300 participants from the U.S. Air Force and U. S. Navy; approximately 430 from Japan; the Royal Australian Air Force will have approximately 240 participants; the Republic of Korea Air Force will have 20 participants; and the Royal New Zealand Air Force will send approximately eight.

“Approximately 100 USAF, USN, JASDF, and RAAF aircraft from 23 flying units will participate in the exercise,” Captain Tait earlier said.

As of yesterday, there was no word from PACAF whether the Philippine Air Force had confirmed participation; however, a Philippine Star Feb. 1 article indicated that the Philippines is participating in the Cope North Guam exercise.

Cope North 2015 will, for the first time, involve the participation of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

For the Republic of Korea, this will be its second experience with the Cope North exercise.

Captain Tait said this will be the first time during a Cope North exercise “that the USAF, ROKAF and RNZAF will conduct multilateral personnel recovery and search and rescue operations.”


Cope North coming to Saipan not yet confirmed

Last night, 36th Wing Public Affairs Chief Captain Joel Banjo-Johnson clarified for Variety an earlier release indicated the Cope North Exercise would be coming to Saipan.

“Cope North is still occurring on Guam Feb 15-27; however, plans to have Saipan as one of the locations for a one-day training event in support of this international exercise is not yet confirmed. Once we have information confirmed, we will send out a follow-up release,” Captain Banjo-Johnson said.

An earlier release stated that there would be increased fighter and tanker activity on Saipan Monday, Feb. 9 in preparation for the multilateral Cope North exercise.

The release pointed out that CN15, or Cope North 2015, is designed to enhance each country’s air operations.

Since the first COPE NORTH exercise in 1978 at Misawa Air Base, Japan, thousands of U.S. and Japanese Airmen have honed skills vital to maintaining a high level of readiness, vital to the stability of the region, the release said.

CN15 is the fourth iteration of COPE NORTH as a a trilateral exercise with the U.S., Australia and Japan.

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Marianas Variety - Philippines, NZ, South Korea participating in Cope North
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[Aepsilons]

Military and Defense News

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Philippines, NZ, South Korea participating in Cope North

06 Feb 2015
By Alexie Villegas Zotomayor - avz@mvariety.com - Variety News Staff

THREE allied nations will be joining the U.S., Australia and Japan in the annual Cope North exercise.

In a release from the U.S. Air Force yesterday, the 86th iteration of the annual exercise is taking place at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam on Feb. 15-27.

According to Tinian Mayor’s Office military policy advisor Eric C. San Nicolas, based on information they gathered from the U.S. Air Force, for this exercise, the Pacific Air Forces planning team has determined that Rota International is best suited to be the “hub” location and Tinian West and/or Tinian North best suited to be “spoke” airfields to accommodate the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief objectives.

It isn’t the first time that Cope North has come to Tinian.

Back on Feb. 5-7, 2013, the HA/DR portion of the Cope North exercise was held on Tinian simultaneously with Guam. Military personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and Japan Air Self Defense Force were seen landing C-130s on Tinian in a simulated humanitarian assistance and disaster relief scenario.

The exercise aimed to demonstrate the capability to rapidly execute establishing an operating airfield at a location in the event of a real-world HA/DR operation.

The Cope North Exercise in 2013 involved about 2,000 personnel: 1,000, U.S.; 450, Japan Self Defense Force; and 300, from the Royal Australian Air Force.

San Nicolas said “Exercise COPE NORTH is an annual multilateral field training exercise that is PACAF funded and conducted at Andersen Air Force Base (AAFB), Guam.”

He said the multilateral field training exercise maintains a Combat Air Force focus emphasizing the exchange/execution of tactics, techniques and procedures, while enhancing the interoperability among a variety of missions/airframes to include U.S. components, the Japan Air Self Defense Force, and the Royal Australian Air Force.

He mentioned the participation of the New Zealand Air Force, the Philippine Air Force and the Republic of Korea Air Force.

A key component of the scenario is to develop “hub-and-spoke” operations, with the “spoke” airfields being geographically separated from the “hub” airfield.

San Nicolas said Tinian West Field and Tinian North Field will be used as the “spoke” for the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief portion of the Cope North Exercise.

“Spoke”, Variety learned, is a term used to refer to an alternate airbase utilized for the transport of supplies/cargo.

Cope North Public Affairs Officer Captain Jessica Tait told Variety that there will be about 1,300 participants from the U.S. Air Force and U. S. Navy; approximately 430 from Japan; the Royal Australian Air Force will have approximately 240 participants; the Republic of Korea Air Force will have 20 participants; and the Royal New Zealand Air Force will send approximately eight.

“Approximately 100 USAF, USN, JASDF, and RAAF aircraft from 23 flying units will participate in the exercise,” Captain Tait earlier said.

As of yesterday, there was no word from PACAF whether the Philippine Air Force had confirmed participation; however, a Philippine Star Feb. 1 article indicated that the Philippines is participating in the Cope North Guam exercise.

Cope North 2015 will, for the first time, involve the participation of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

For the Republic of Korea, this will be its second experience with the Cope North exercise.

Captain Tait said this will be the first time during a Cope North exercise “that the USAF, ROKAF and RNZAF will conduct multilateral personnel recovery and search and rescue operations.”


Cope North coming to Saipan not yet confirmed

Last night, 36th Wing Public Affairs Chief Captain Joel Banjo-Johnson clarified for Variety an earlier release indicated the Cope North Exercise would be coming to Saipan.

“Cope North is still occurring on Guam Feb 15-27; however, plans to have Saipan as one of the locations for a one-day training event in support of this international exercise is not yet confirmed. Once we have information confirmed, we will send out a follow-up release,” Captain Banjo-Johnson said.

An earlier release stated that there would be increased fighter and tanker activity on Saipan Monday, Feb. 9 in preparation for the multilateral Cope North exercise.

The release pointed out that CN15, or Cope North 2015, is designed to enhance each country’s air operations.

Since the first COPE NORTH exercise in 1978 at Misawa Air Base, Japan, thousands of U.S. and Japanese Airmen have honed skills vital to maintaining a high level of readiness, vital to the stability of the region, the release said.

CN15 is the fourth iteration of COPE NORTH as a a trilateral exercise with the U.S., Australia and Japan.

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Marianas Variety - Philippines, NZ, South Korea participating in Cope North
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Excited to see Japanese train and compete with the Koreans, Philippines, New Zealanders in this year's CN exercises.

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Philippines, Indonesia discuss possible defense equipment partnership
Posted by Maki Catama on 9:13 PM


On 20 June 2012, it was reported that the IPTN NC-212 Aviocar light lift transport aircraft from Indonesia was chosen and a total of 2 units will be acquired for PhP 814 million (USD 18.9 million).


On September 26, 2013 the The Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) declared PT Dirgantara Indonesia/Indonesian Aerospace (PT DI/IAe) as the only qualified bidder.


They are offering the Series 200, Series 300 and the Series 400 versions of the IPTN NC-212 Aviocar.


The version to be delivered is the NC212i, the new generation of aircraft types NC212-200 or NC212-400.


MANILA, -- The Philippines and Indonesia are open to possible defense equipment trade.

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., in a statement Tuesday, said this topic is among those discussed by President Benigno Aquino III and Indonesian President Joko Widodo during their meeting in Malacanang Monday.

He said “the Philippines and Indonesia share common concerns in the areas of political, legal and security issues.”

”Further discussions will be pursued by both countries to identify and flesh out possible areas of cooperation regarding this matter,” he said.

Widodo arrived in Manila last Sunday for his two-day first state visit in the Philippines after being declared as Indonesia’s President in July 2014.

He was given a state dinner Monday before he left the country late last night.

During his visit, the Philippines and Indonesia signed three memorandum of understanding (MOU) focused on wider cooperation on education, enhanced support on vocational training and strengthened fight against drug trafficking.

The two countries also signed a joint declaration on the protection of migrants and migrant workers.

 

[Aepsilons]

Philippines, Indonesia discuss possible defense equipment partnership
Posted by Maki Catama on 9:13 PM


On 20 June 2012, it was reported that the IPTN NC-212 Aviocar light lift transport aircraft from Indonesia was chosen and a total of 2 units will be acquired for PhP 814 million (USD 18.9 million).


On September 26, 2013 the The Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) declared PT Dirgantara Indonesia/Indonesian Aerospace (PT DI/IAe) as the only qualified bidder.


They are offering the Series 200, Series 300 and the Series 400 versions of the IPTN NC-212 Aviocar.


The version to be delivered is the NC212i, the new generation of aircraft types NC212-200 or NC212-400.


MANILA, -- The Philippines and Indonesia are open to possible defense equipment trade.

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., in a statement Tuesday, said this topic is among those discussed by President Benigno Aquino III and Indonesian President Joko Widodo during their meeting in Malacanang Monday.

He said “the Philippines and Indonesia share common concerns in the areas of political, legal and security issues.”

”Further discussions will be pursued by both countries to identify and flesh out possible areas of cooperation regarding this matter,” he said.

Widodo arrived in Manila last Sunday for his two-day first state visit in the Philippines after being declared as Indonesia’s President in July 2014.

He was given a state dinner Monday before he left the country late last night.

During his visit, the Philippines and Indonesia signed three memorandum of understanding (MOU) focused on wider cooperation on education, enhanced support on vocational training and strengthened fight against drug trafficking.

The two countries also signed a joint declaration on the protection of migrants and migrant workers.

Excellent development between Jakarta and Manila. I see a future alliance between these two in the future.

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Excellent development between Jakarta and Manila. I see a future alliance between these two in the future.

Probs. Philippines are Indonesia true friend in the region. While the others are just.... Eh, Associates...

 

[Aepsilons]

Probs. Philippines are Indonesia true friend in the region. While the others are just.... Eh, Associates...

Both also are quite fairly 'homogenous' (Filipino population is primarily of ethnic Malay, with some mixes, but overall majority are Christian Malay, Muslim Malay) tho there are some minorities such as Igorot, Aeta, and foreign mixes. Indonesia is primarily populated with Javanese and Sundanese (overwhelming majority of population) with variuos minorities). Both are representative, participatory democracies , both have a history of dealing with communist threats and separatist forces and dealing with extremists. Both are also the most populous countries in ASEAN. Both are vast Arcihpelagic states; Philippines haso ver 7,000 islands and Indonesia has over 13,000 islands. Indonesia is already 256 million, while Philippines is soon to hit 101 Million !!! Combined Philippines + Indonesia = 356 MILLION !!

 

[Cossack25A1]

Nation Development News:

EDC set to complete 4.1-MW solar power plant in Ilocos Norte
By Alena Mae S. Flores | Feb. 12, 2015 at 11:25pm

BURGOS, Ilocos Norte--Energy Development Corp., a subsidiary of First Gen Corp., is expanding its renewable energy footprint with the expected completion of a 4.1-megawatt solar power plant next month and the start of operation of the largest wind project in this town.

First Gen vice president Aloysius Santos told reporters the solar plant, once completed in March, would add power capacity to the Luzon grid in addition to EDC’s 150-MW wind power project here.

“Whatever wind it can pick up, it can go to the grid. It will add to and augment the capacity that’s needed,” Santos said, referring to the wind project, the country’s largest to date.

The Luzon grid is anticipated to have a tight power supply starting March due to lack of reserves.

The 150-MW Burgos wind project is expected to power around 150,000 homes with a monthly consumption of about 200 kilowatt-hours per month.

“The important thing is it’s all clean energy,” Santos said.

EDC installed 50 units of the Vestas V90 wind turbines with a capacity of 3 MW each.

Santos said EDC was looking at other wind project sites in Luzon. The company has an approved wind service contract in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

Santos said power from the wind and solar projects would be under the feed-in tariff and would be sold to the spot market.

EDC’s Burgos wind project was named the Asia-Pacific Renewables Deal of the Year by Project Finance International, the only project in the Philippines that made it to the 2014 PFI list.

PFI cited the Burgos wind project as a ground breaking project for being the first wind farm project financing in the Philippines to reach financial close.

EDC invested $450 million in the Burgos wind project.

-----
EDC set to complete 4.1-MW solar power plant in Ilocos Norte - Manila Standard Today
-----



The Philippines expands renewables with 303 MW wind farm
By editor
February 12, 2015

Two new wind farms have become operational in the Philippines, supplying 303 megawatts of clean energy to the country’s energy portfolio.

The wind farms are located in Ilocos Norte and Panay region of the Philippines.

Last year, a $220-million, 81-megawatt wind farm was opened in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte as a solution to the power crisis challenge faced by the country.

In another development, the Philippines power-producer Energy Development Corporation (EDC) has grid-connected the nation’s largest 150MW Burgos wind farm worth $450m.

Burgos uses 50 V90 3MW wind turbines from Vestas at Ilocos Norte province.

According to the Wind Energy Development Association of the Philippines, the highest wind energy output occurs during March of each year.

WWF’s Seize the Wind campaign aims to increase the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) allocation for wind energy from 200 MW to 500 MW.

Wind farms need only a year to go online, compared with fossil-fuel power plants which take up four years to complete construction.

In Philippines, around 70 percent of the electricity is generated from fossil fuels.

As the country does not have any considerable amount of fossil-fuel deposits, major portion of the fuel needed for the country is imported from other nations.

On the other hand, President Aquino has urged the country to invest in renewable energy to ensure adequate power supply that would not be harmful to the environment.

The country’s National Renewable Energy Program aims at adding 9,931 megawatts of renewable energy-based capacity by 2030.

The Philippines’ prime renewable sources of energy include geothermal, hydro, wind, and solar.

Sabeena Wahid
editor@greentechlead.com

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The Philippines expands renewables with 303 MW wind farm
-----

 

[Pinoy]

Tetangco Says Philippines Can Hold Rate for Much of 2015
February 13, 2015

(Bloomberg) -- The Philippine central bank can hold its benchmark interest rate for most of 2015 even as a lower inflation forecast gives policy makers more room to maneuver, Governor Amando Tetangco said.

“If things remain as they are, that is inflation expectations are well anchored, domestic demand continues to be resilient, oil prices remain low but not too volatile and Fed normalization is orderly, I think we can keep rates steady for the most part of 2015,” Tetangco said in an interview with Rishaad Salamat on Bloomberg Television from Manila on Friday.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas held its benchmark at 4 percent yesterday and cut inflation forecasts for this year and next. The central bank will watch for the possible effects of sustained low crude prices on global growth and any risk of a delayed increase in U.S. interest rates because of cheap oil, Tetangco said.


“He’s very comfortable with the inflation outlook,” said Euben Paracuelles, a Singapore-based senior economist at Nomura Holdings Inc. “As long as it stays within target there’s no need to move either way. They could think about easing only if inflation falls below 2 percent for a sustained period,” he said, referring to the lower end of the central bank’s 2 percent to 4 percent goal for this year and next.

The peso gained 0.2 percent to 44.26 per dollar as of the noon break in Manila, according to Tullett Prebon Plc. Philippine stocks climbed the most in more than a week, holding near a record. The yield on bonds due August 2024 fell for a second day, according to midday fixing prices at Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp.

More Room

While the inflation outlook gives policy makers more room, firm demand, uncertainty over oil prices, and minimal deflationary risk are being considered, Tetangco said, when asked if there’s more scope to ease monetary policy.

“Real lending rates in the Philippines are the third lowest in the region,” he said. “We kept rates steady because we believe that this is consistent with a symmetric inflation targeting approach. We felt that we had room to wait for additional data to see if the lower end of our target range, for instance, will be breached for a persistent period.”

The Philippine economy expanded 6.9 percent in the three months through December from a year earlier, the fastest in five quarters. Consumer prices rose 2.4 percent in January from a year earlier, the slowest pace since August 2013.

“Consumption will benefit from a steady low-rate environment and will help boost company profits,” said Marc Bautista, head of research at Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. in Manila. “There’s low cost of funds for businesses, while interest rates on government bonds could remain steady or even go down.”


Tetangco Says Philippines Can Hold Rate for Much of 2015 - Bloomberg Business

Shop til you drop? Why Philippine shares can climb
February 13,2015

Philippine shares have charged higher over the past year, and some analysts expect the country's consumers can keep the good times rolling.

"The Philippines stands out in the current environment of collapsing commodity prices, a strong U.S. dollar and increasing capital outflows," Jibo Ma, an analyst at Daiwa, said in a note this week. "Unlike other developing countries, consumer spending in the Philippines accounts for a full 84 percent of GDP (gross domestic product)," he said.

"The economy's growth momentum ought to be especially enduring when one factors in remittances from overseas and considers that a third of the population is aged below 15," he added. Daiwa has increased its recommended portfolio weighting for the market.

But the market has already run higher, rising more than 30 percent since the end of 2013. It is up around 6.4 percent so far this year.

Foreign investors have poured around $704 million into mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) since the beginning of the year, according to data from Jefferies. But that's left the market valuations looking a bit toppish, according to some analysts. The Philippine Stock Exchange Composite Index is trading at 22 times earnings, according to Reuters data.

"The fundamentals are solid. But they aren't supporting those valuations," said Stephen Sheung, head of investment strategy at SHK Private. He's cautious on the Southeast Asian markets, noting valuations in north Asia are more reasonable.

Even though the Philippines has positive long-term trends, such as demographics, "these are valuation levels where you have to have a lot of positives to keep it going. These markets are prone to disappointment," Sheung said.

But the positives may yet win out over the potential for disappointments.

Read More Asia outperforms world markets in January

"It is enjoying low inflation, accommodative interest rates, lower fuel prices, rising foreign reserves and healthy economic growth," Kelvin Goh, an analyst at CIMB, said in a note this week. In addition, he expects the government's infrastructure spending to pick up ahead of the election.

"The Philippine consumer sector will benefit from lower oil prices and strong remittances. Given the solid fundamentals, we see little downside risk to consensus EPS (earnings per share) numbers," he said.

Morgan Stanley is also positive on the market, citing in part expectations that foreign investors could push still more money into stocks there.

Despite headline data suggesting emerging market and Asia ex-Japan investors are overweight on the Philippines, that appears to be driven by just a few funds with large positions, Morgan Stanley said in a note this week.

"One third and one quarter of the emerging market and Asia ex-Japan funds have zero investment in the Philippines," the bank said, noting that the country has a small weighing in benchmark indexes such as the MSCI Emerging Markets index. "The Philippines has the potential to become a significant part of investors' portfolios."

Foreign investors also haven't ventured very deeply in the Philippine market, Morgan Stanley noted, with most overweight on only six stocks out of the 20 in the MSCI Philippines index.

Indeed, even SHK Private's Sheung noted that the market could continue to rise despite high valuations as liquidity remains abundant. "It's pretty common in emerging markets, especially smaller markets like the Philippines, Thailand or Indonesia. The momentum could be driving it for a little while," he said.

—By CNBC.Com's Leslie Shaffer

Shop til you drop? Why Philippine shares can climb

P1.08-trillion infrastructure push to drive growth

The government is banking on the P1.08 trillion worth of infrastructure projects that were approved by the Aquino administration to boost growth this year.

In a presentation on Wednesday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said this covers 93 infrastructure projects, 58 of them already ongoing.

“There are good prospects this year for infrastructure development. A total of 93 projects, amounting to P1.08 trillion, or $24.31 billion, have been approved by the Neda [National Economic and Development Authority] Board under the Aquino administration—seven of which are completed projects, 58 are ongoing or under implementation, and 28 are for implementation,” Balisacan said.

The Neda chief said that the majority of the 93 projects, or around 53 projects, will be financed through official development assistance (ODA).

The majority, or 37, of these ODA-funded projects are already ongoing. The total cost of these projects amounts to P318 billion.

Seven ODA projects, worth P17.6 billion, have been completed; and nine projects, worth P47 billion, are for implementation.

Meanwhile, around 24 of the 93 infrastructure projects, worth P628 billion, will be financed through the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.

Nine of these projects, worth P193.3 billion, are already ongoing, while the remaining 14, worth P435 billion, are for implementation.

Around 17 projects will be funded through local financing. Twelve projects, worth P44.1 billion, are already ongoing; and five are for implementation, worth P23.9 billion.

“Notably, many PPP projects are already in their rollout stage. The government has already awarded contracts for nine Neda Board-approved PPP projects. We can say that we can expect the other 14 projects to eventually reach this stage, barring any major problem in the process,” Balisacan added.

Apart from these infrastructure projects, Balisacan said other sources of economic growth this year include the recovery of the US economy; the country’s hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in 2015; and the implementation of the Asean economic integration by year-end.

He added that other factors, such as the decline in global oil prices, the recent credit-rating upgrades received by the country, and, barring any delays, the passage of the Bangsamoro basic law, will boost economic growth this year.

These upside factors, Balisacan said, may be able to avert the negative effects of external risks, such as the normalization of the US monetary policy; the slowdown in large emerging economies, like China; the weakness in the euro area; and the recession in Japan.

Balisacan said the government is also bracing for the domestic downside risks this year, such as possible disasters, like typhoons and a prolonged El Niño; disruptions in the peace process; infrastructure delays; logistics bottlenecks; and thin power reserves.

“Our goal up to 2016 is to sustain, if not surpass, our growth performance in the past four years and achieve inclusive growth. We are positive that we can take advantage of [these] opportunities,” Balisacan said.

Balisacan also said the government aims to grow the economy by 7 percent to 8 percent this year and in 2016. This growth target will be sufficient in reducing unemployment to 6.6 percent by next year, from 7.1 percent in 2013, and underemployment to 17 percent next year, from 19.3 percent in 2013.

However, consistent with his earlier pronouncements, Balisacan said the country will not be able to meet its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving poverty to 16.6 percent this year.

The MDG target is based on the estimate that poverty incidence in the country was pegged at 33 percent in 1991.

The government said it will only be able to reduce income poverty by 19 percent in 2016. In 2012 the government estimated that the poverty incidence slightly declined to 25.2 percent, from 26.3 percent in 2009.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/p1-08-trillion-infrastructure-push-to-drive-growth/

 

[Cossack25A1]

Historical Commemoration News:
-----
70 years later, pain from Battle of Manila lingers
The Inbox – Fri, Feb 13, 2015

By Norman Sison, VERA Files
-----

“Go to Manila, go around the Nips, bounce off the Nips — but go to Manila.”

It was January 1945. General Douglas MacArthur had landed his forces at Lingayen Gulf early that month to begin his campaign to liberate the main Philippine island of Luzon. With his eye fixed on Manila, MacArthur ordered Major General Verne Mudge, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, to proceed to the capital with utmost speed.

Two other US army divisions competed for the honor of reaching Manila first. It was a virtual tank race.

On February 3, the 1st Cavalry’s Sherman tanks smashed through the gate of the University of Santo Tomas and freed 4,000 mostly American civilians interned there by the Japanese army since 1942. Jubilant Filipinos, who waited for MacArthur to fulfil his famous “I shall return” pledge, spilled into the streets to welcome the American troops.

It was a time for celebration. MacArthur announced on February 6: “Manila has fallen.” But the Battle of Manila was just beginning. When it ended on March 3, what was once the “Pearl of the Orient” became the second most devastated city in World War II after Warsaw — with 100,000 civilians dead.

A number of commemorations are in line this month to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Manila. However, thoughts about the death and destruction weighed so heavily that participants at a recent Ayala Museum forum seemed to have forgotten that the battle also ended three years of Japanese military occupation.

In many ways, Manila never really recovered from its 1945 martyrdom. Much of the Philippines’ historical and cultural treasures were reduced to ash and rubble. Their loss is mourned by today’s generation of Filipino historians and cultural aficionados.

At Ayala Museum, a police officer’s helmet is on display at a newly opened exhibit commemorating the Battle of Manila. Outlandish by today’s fashion standards, the helmet reminds visitors of the old-world charm that Manila was once known for.

Inexplicably, the destruction of the city is one issue that has hounded MacArthur to this day because of his decision to allow US forces to blast the Japanese defenders with artillery.

James Zobel, an archivist at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia, says people today need to understand the conditions on the battlefield. MacArthur had turned down requests from his field commander, General Walter Krueger, to use aircraft because bombs were too indiscriminate. For the same reason, he initially banned artillery.

However, the Japanese were so well dug in that buildings had to be taken street by street, block by block, building by building, floor by floor and room by room. Ricardo Jose, history professor at the University of the Philippines, says the Japanese dug tunnels connecting several main fortified buildings to enable them to reinforce areas under attack — and the Japanese had stockpiled supplies to last them three to six months.

“The Japanese managed to keep the strongest defenses, including the tunnel system, secret. And thus the Americans would only find out how heavily fortified the buildings were after trying to attack them,” says Jose.

The Japanese strategy was to delay the American advance and inflict as many casualties as possible to give the homeland enough time to prepare for an eventual US invasion. The objective: make the fighting so bloody that the Americans would think twice about invading Japan.

When the US body count began to rise and his commanders pressed for the use of artillery, MacArthur reluctantly lifted the ban.

But even with artillery, rooting out the Japanese was exasperating. On Isla de Provisor, an island in the Pasig River, near Ayala Bridge, US troops pumped in over a thousand shells into a heavily fortified building.

“You’d think that would take out anything that’s inside,” says Zobel. “But when Company E of the 129th Regiment went in, they got hammered by the Japanese because the artillery had no effect on them. They were in basements and sandbagged bunkers inside the building.”

Also, US troops had no choice but to move fast because the Japanese were massacring thousands of civilians as they vented their fury on the population. “I don’t see how it could’ve gone differently. If you had let the Japanese stay here, they were going to kill everyone in the city. They were gunning everyone down in the streets,” says Zobel.

Military historians today look at the Battle of Manila as a case study in urban warfare, says Jose, who has, however, found the scholarly scrutiny too cold at times.

“The way some of the military analyses are written, it seems the battle was simply fought by combatants — as if there were no civilians. I find it sad, maybe even criminal, not to mention those who died in the midst of the fighting,” rues Jose.

Today, a black marble memorial resembling a tomb at the Plaza de Santa Isabel in Intramuros — the epicenter of the holocaust — stands as a silent reminder.

"This memorial is dedicated to all those innocent victims of war, many of whom went nameless and unknown to a common grave, or even never knew a grave at all, their bodies having been consumed by fire or crushed to dust beneath the rubble of ruins,” read the inscription.

"We have not forgotten them, nor shall we ever forget. May they rest in peace as part now of the sacred ground of this city: the Manila of our affections."
-----
(VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for “true.”)

-----
70 years later, pain from Battle of Manila lingers | The Inbox - Yahoo News Philippines
-----

...and oh, I already expect the Chinese making private comments about this new because of the "irony" from their own perspective, they still haven't moved on because of their so-called "Century of Humiliation" and they believe now is the time to get their own revenge and kill everyone.

 

[Aepsilons]

Historical Commemoration News:
-----
70 years later, pain from Battle of Manila lingers
The Inbox – Fri, Feb 13, 2015

By Norman Sison, VERA Files
-----

“Go to Manila, go around the Nips, bounce off the Nips — but go to Manila.”

It was January 1945. General Douglas MacArthur had landed his forces at Lingayen Gulf early that month to begin his campaign to liberate the main Philippine island of Luzon. With his eye fixed on Manila, MacArthur ordered Major General Verne Mudge, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, to proceed to the capital with utmost speed.

Two other US army divisions competed for the honor of reaching Manila first. It was a virtual tank race.

On February 3, the 1st Cavalry’s Sherman tanks smashed through the gate of the University of Santo Tomas and freed 4,000 mostly American civilians interned there by the Japanese army since 1942. Jubilant Filipinos, who waited for MacArthur to fulfil his famous “I shall return” pledge, spilled into the streets to welcome the American troops.

It was a time for celebration. MacArthur announced on February 6: “Manila has fallen.” But the Battle of Manila was just beginning. When it ended on March 3, what was once the “Pearl of the Orient” became the second most devastated city in World War II after Warsaw — with 100,000 civilians dead.

A number of commemorations are in line this month to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Manila. However, thoughts about the death and destruction weighed so heavily that participants at a recent Ayala Museum forum seemed to have forgotten that the battle also ended three years of Japanese military occupation.

In many ways, Manila never really recovered from its 1945 martyrdom. Much of the Philippines’ historical and cultural treasures were reduced to ash and rubble. Their loss is mourned by today’s generation of Filipino historians and cultural aficionados.

At Ayala Museum, a police officer’s helmet is on display at a newly opened exhibit commemorating the Battle of Manila. Outlandish by today’s fashion standards, the helmet reminds visitors of the old-world charm that Manila was once known for.

Inexplicably, the destruction of the city is one issue that has hounded MacArthur to this day because of his decision to allow US forces to blast the Japanese defenders with artillery.

James Zobel, an archivist at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia, says people today need to understand the conditions on the battlefield. MacArthur had turned down requests from his field commander, General Walter Krueger, to use aircraft because bombs were too indiscriminate. For the same reason, he initially banned artillery.

However, the Japanese were so well dug in that buildings had to be taken street by street, block by block, building by building, floor by floor and room by room. Ricardo Jose, history professor at the University of the Philippines, says the Japanese dug tunnels connecting several main fortified buildings to enable them to reinforce areas under attack — and the Japanese had stockpiled supplies to last them three to six months.

“The Japanese managed to keep the strongest defenses, including the tunnel system, secret. And thus the Americans would only find out how heavily fortified the buildings were after trying to attack them,” says Jose.

The Japanese strategy was to delay the American advance and inflict as many casualties as possible to give the homeland enough time to prepare for an eventual US invasion. The objective: make the fighting so bloody that the Americans would think twice about invading Japan.

When the US body count began to rise and his commanders pressed for the use of artillery, MacArthur reluctantly lifted the ban.

But even with artillery, rooting out the Japanese was exasperating. On Isla de Provisor, an island in the Pasig River, near Ayala Bridge, US troops pumped in over a thousand shells into a heavily fortified building.

“You’d think that would take out anything that’s inside,” says Zobel. “But when Company E of the 129th Regiment went in, they got hammered by the Japanese because the artillery had no effect on them. They were in basements and sandbagged bunkers inside the building.”

Also, US troops had no choice but to move fast because the Japanese were massacring thousands of civilians as they vented their fury on the population. “I don’t see how it could’ve gone differently. If you had let the Japanese stay here, they were going to kill everyone in the city. They were gunning everyone down in the streets,” says Zobel.

Military historians today look at the Battle of Manila as a case study in urban warfare, says Jose, who has, however, found the scholarly scrutiny too cold at times.

“The way some of the military analyses are written, it seems the battle was simply fought by combatants — as if there were no civilians. I find it sad, maybe even criminal, not to mention those who died in the midst of the fighting,” rues Jose.

Today, a black marble memorial resembling a tomb at the Plaza de Santa Isabel in Intramuros — the epicenter of the holocaust — stands as a silent reminder.

"This memorial is dedicated to all those innocent victims of war, many of whom went nameless and unknown to a common grave, or even never knew a grave at all, their bodies having been consumed by fire or crushed to dust beneath the rubble of ruins,” read the inscription.

"We have not forgotten them, nor shall we ever forget. May they rest in peace as part now of the sacred ground of this city: the Manila of our affections."
-----
(VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for “true.”)

-----
70 years later, pain from Battle of Manila lingers | The Inbox - Yahoo News Philippines
-----

...and oh, I already expect the Chinese making private comments about this new because of the "irony" from their own perspective, they still haven't moved on because of their so-called "Century of Humiliation" and they believe now is the time to get their own revenge and kill everyone.

Indeed. May relations between Manila and Tokyo ever flourish , and the lessons learned some 70 years ago is testament to the power of transformational leadership and change. Salamat and Mabuhay ang Pilipinas at Japan !