Philippines Defence Forum

[Bienvenido]

Philippines' tourism sector bullish on 2015 Asean integration
Saturday, Sep 06, 2014

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines' tourism sector is catching up with its neighbours and is more optimistic on its prospects with the ASEAN integration moving into full swing by 2015, tourism officials said on Friday.

"We are really catching up in terms of standardization in the tourism industry. We have to be at par with the competencies of our ASEAN neighbours," said Cesar Cruz, president of the Philippine Tour Operators' Association (Philtoa) which leads a three-day travel trade exposition called the Philippine Travel Mart from Sept 5 to Sept. 7.

The Philippine Travel Mart, where travelers can find travel and holiday packages and airline tickets on sale, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

The vision of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) integration which seeks to create a single market and production base through the free flow of goods, services and funds by 2015 is evident during the travel sale held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Apart from the country's best and emerging tourist destinations, some destinations in other ASEAN countries were also presented to prospective travelers.

As part of the Philtoa's support for the ASEAN integration efforts, it presented travelers packages it called "twinnings" where they can choose one of their favourite Philippine destinations and pair this with another destination in another ASEAN country.

"They can choose Boracay and Bali or Cebu and Singapore," Cruz said in an interview. This, he said, their group is doing in support of the idea of the "borderless" travel.

But Cruz sees some problems once the ASEAN integration goes on full swing by the end of 2015.

"With our entry level skills, the Filipinos will be lagging behind our Asian neighbours since we have just started our K to 12 system," he said.

K to 12 programme, which has added two years to the country's basic education cycle, was implemented in 2013 through a law signed by the President.

But he said there are remedies for the tourism industry. "We are initiating short courses for tourism professionals just to fill in the gap," he said.

Philtoa, an organisation of 352 tour operators in the country, also plans to set up a tourism academy in Makati that will offer short tourism courses.

Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez who attended the event on Friday said the tourism industry is becoming more optimistic, especially with the ASEAN integration fully realised by next year.

"The attitude of the Filipinos towards tourism has changed completely. There is a willingness to learn and perform better than we did before and that includes our ability to catch up," Jimenez said.

The tourism sector has began to consider the advantages of including in the marketing its neighbours in the region.

"The world doesn't just travel in just one specific place. The people go to a region, especially if they have come from a far place. What is good for Philippine tourism is good for ASEAN tourism," he said.

"We will bridge the gap. If we have to smile wider, we will," Jimenez said.

Earlier, Jimenez announced that his department would be launching a campaign "Visit Philippines Year 2015" to capitalise on the successes of the earlier "It's more fun in the Philippines."

The tourism sector in the Philippines has become a serious business, growing into a US$4.8 billion (S$6 billion) industry as of last year.

Philippines' tourism sector bullish on 2015 Asean integration, AsiaOne Relax News

 

[Cossack25A1]

Infra can push growth to 9%
Sep. 05, 2014

The Philippine economy may grow faster by as much as 9 percent if the necessary infrastructure are in place, a leading economist said Friday.
Bank of the Philippine Islands lead economist Emilio Neri Jr. said the government must speed up the construction of priority infrastructures, especially on transportation.

“We need more seaports, airports, even trains to speed up the safe transport of goods and services. Within the new regional setup in the Asean, we have to upgrade our infrastructure if we are to compete and not lag behind,” he told reporters in a forum at the BPI head office in Makati City.

He said the Philippine economy had the potential to expand faster and would continue to lead growth in Asean if the government would seriously consider the needed reforms to push infrastructure.

“The potential of the economy will be eroded if the problem on infrastructure development will not be immediately addressed,” Neri said.

He cited the recent results of the World Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum. The Philippines, he said, still had much to do to catch up with more than a hundred economies in terms of good infrastructure network.

Infra can push growth to 9% - Manila Standard Today

___________________________

Current Philippine GDP 2nd Qtr 2014

PH economy picks up steam in 2nd quarter

We are also going to have the need to build many bridges over Manila and expand in Cebu (for Visayas) and Davao (for Mindanao)

Philippines' tourism sector bullish on 2015 Asean integration
Saturday, Sep 06, 2014

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines' tourism sector is catching up with its neighbours and is more optimistic on its prospects with the ASEAN integration moving into full swing by 2015, tourism officials said on Friday.

"We are really catching up in terms of standardization in the tourism industry. We have to be at par with the competencies of our ASEAN neighbours," said Cesar Cruz, president of the Philippine Tour Operators' Association (Philtoa) which leads a three-day travel trade exposition called the Philippine Travel Mart from Sept 5 to Sept. 7.

The Philippine Travel Mart, where travelers can find travel and holiday packages and airline tickets on sale, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

The vision of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) integration which seeks to create a single market and production base through the free flow of goods, services and funds by 2015 is evident during the travel sale held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Apart from the country's best and emerging tourist destinations, some destinations in other ASEAN countries were also presented to prospective travelers.

As part of the Philtoa's support for the ASEAN integration efforts, it presented travelers packages it called "twinnings" where they can choose one of their favourite Philippine destinations and pair this with another destination in another ASEAN country.

"They can choose Boracay and Bali or Cebu and Singapore," Cruz said in an interview. This, he said, their group is doing in support of the idea of the "borderless" travel.

But Cruz sees some problems once the ASEAN integration goes on full swing by the end of 2015.

"With our entry level skills, the Filipinos will be lagging behind our Asian neighbours since we have just started our K to 12 system," he said.

K to 12 programme, which has added two years to the country's basic education cycle, was implemented in 2013 through a law signed by the President.

But he said there are remedies for the tourism industry. "We are initiating short courses for tourism professionals just to fill in the gap," he said.

Philtoa, an organisation of 352 tour operators in the country, also plans to set up a tourism academy in Makati that will offer short tourism courses.

Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez who attended the event on Friday said the tourism industry is becoming more optimistic, especially with the ASEAN integration fully realised by next year.

"The attitude of the Filipinos towards tourism has changed completely. There is a willingness to learn and perform better than we did before and that includes our ability to catch up," Jimenez said.

The tourism sector has began to consider the advantages of including in the marketing its neighbours in the region.

"The world doesn't just travel in just one specific place. The people go to a region, especially if they have come from a far place. What is good for Philippine tourism is good for ASEAN tourism," he said.

"We will bridge the gap. If we have to smile wider, we will," Jimenez said.

Earlier, Jimenez announced that his department would be launching a campaign "Visit Philippines Year 2015" to capitalise on the successes of the earlier "It's more fun in the Philippines."

The tourism sector in the Philippines has become a serious business, growing into a US$4.8 billion (S$6 billion) industry as of last year.

Philippines' tourism sector bullish on 2015 Asean integration, AsiaOne Relax News

During my time as a Data Encoder in the Department of Tourism from 2012 to 2014, the yearly number of tourists arriving here is over 6 million...and surprisingly, the most numerous visitors here from South Korea, Mainland China and Taiwan.

 

[JayMandan]

Kind of late but this is good news.

September 3, 2014 7:00 pm JST

Japanese companies turn Filipino workers into overseas leaders

MINORU SATAKE, Nikkei staff writer


MANILA -- The Philippines has long provided the Western world with highly skilled and motivated workers, especially in such fields as nursing, domestic help and back-office services. Now, Japanese companies are tapping into the potential of Filipino engineers and technicians.

A growing number of Japanese manufacturers are setting up "mother factories" in the Philippines and dispatching Filipino engineers to work as leaders in other parts of the world. Mother factories are responsible for product design and for standardizing production specifications and conditions.

Philippine-based Tsuneishi Heavy Industries, a subsidiary of Tsuneishi Holdings in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, has been working to pass its expertise and skills on to Filipino workers. Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Chief Director Kenji Kawano said the aim is to develop THI into one of the world's mother factories.

Since its establishment in 1994, THI has been steadily expanding its factory on the island of Cebu, where it builds bulk container ships and other vessels of 30,000 to 180,000 gross tons. The number of workers has grown apace, recently reaching 13,000.

Orders are up thanks to a rebound in global demand, and the company aims to increase the number of ships it builds each year by 50% to 30 by 2018. THI exerts a significant influence over the region's economy, including its job market.

THI sends Filipino hires to Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, a core company of Tsuneishi group, in Fukuyama, for training in Japanese craftsmanship. Kawano said the company's goal is to dispatch engineers from Cebu as instructors in Tsuneishi factories around the world.

Fifty THI employees have already been sent to Paraguay to work as technology instructors at a Tsuneishi Holdings dock that began building river boats in 2011. Tsuneishi also plans to build a new shipyard in Southeast Asia and dispatch THI technology instructors there too.

Learning to lead

Toyota Motor is already employing Filipino workers for global assignment to address surging demand for automobiles. In 2013, Toyota Motor Philippines, a local unit of the Japanese automobile giant, opened Toyota Motor Philippines School of Technology in Santa Rosa, Laguna, near Metropolitan Manila. The school is aimed at preparing Filipino technicians for work in the Japanese carmakers' factories there and abroad.

Upon completion of the two-year program in automobile maintenance and repair, the 600 members of the inaugural class will be eligible to land jobs as mechanics at Toyota-certified car dealers anywhere in the world. English-speaking Filipino mechanics have been often headhunted by dealers abroad.

In 2013, Nippon Yusen increased the number of new-student slots at NYK-TDG Maritime Academy Opens, near Manila, by 50% to 180 as part of efforts to recruit and develop more human resources.

The Japanese shipping company sets great store by its Filipino sailors. Already 70% of NYK's crew members are Filipino, the first Filipino to be appointed captain of a liquefied natural gas tanker. Captaining an LNG tanker requires a high-level of knowledge and specialized skills.

Filipino engineers also pay a key role in designing and operating plants. Japanese plant builder JGC and Chiyoda, an integrated contractor for the hydrocarbon and chemical industries, have each established a base in Manila. U.S.-based engineering construction company Fluor Daniel employs several thousand Filipinos to design plants in the Middle East and Australia.

For Japanese companies, one of the benefits of establishing mother factories in the Philippines is the nation's English proficiency, as it provides a common language for explaining technology. The large workforce is another attraction. The country's population has already topped the 100 million mark and the average age is just 23 years old. The International Monetary Fund estimates that the country's population will reach 109 million by 2019.

Unlike Western rivals, Japanese makers have tended to focus on other Asian nations, such as Thailand and Indonesia, where there are already many subcontractors. With more and more Western businesses outsourcing call-center work and other back-office services to the Philippines, however, such operations are now spilling over to the islands of Mindanao and Panay, where labor costs are cheaper than elsewhere in the country.

 

[Zero_wing]

Philippine designed/built CES-Craft [link: Boat Shop - 400 Vigilante ]

400 VIGILANTE ASSAULT BOAT

SPECIFICATION

• Length over all: 30 ft.
• Beam: 7 ft. 8in.
• Depth: 4 ft.
• Recommended Power: 3×300 HP Outboard

Something for the Coast Guard not for the military they should just built more MACPACs just my personal opinion.
But hey anything to boost the Military defense of the Country aganist the red imperialist sure why not.

 

[Ayan81]

KOREAN, JAPANESE SHIPYARDS EXPANDING IN DAVAO TO CREATE 40,000 JOBS
Ang Malaya Net | Page 10

Hanjin Heavy Industries Corporation Philippines (HHIC Phil.), a South Korean shipyard, will be expanding its ship building capabilities in the Philippines. Hanjin will start its expansion works next year in Davao del Sur.

“It is part of the company’s expansion process overseas,” Davao del Sur Governor Claude Bautista told Edge Davao.

HHIC Phil will put up a shipyard in a 272 hectares industrial park in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. Along with the Korean shipbuilder, a Japanese shipbuilder is also eyeing to put up a yard in Malita, Davao del Sur.

“As of now, the province cannot provide the manpower requirement of each company. That’s why we are preparing as early as today,” the governor said.

Bautista added that they are working with TESDA to train skilled personnel.

Bautista sees 40,000 job positions for welders in Davao next year. Additional jobs for human resource and administrative positions will also be available when these two shipyards start operating.

“I already talked to the president of San Miguel Power Consolidated Corporation (SPCC) and they said that construction can be started since there will [be] enough power supply,” Bautista added.

 

[Cossack25A1]

Philippine designed/built CES-Craft [link: Boat Shop - 400 Vigilante ]

400 VIGILANTE ASSAULT BOAT

SPECIFICATION

• Length over all: 30 ft.
• Beam: 7 ft. 8in.
• Depth: 4 ft.
• Recommended Power: 3×300 HP Outboard

Is it possible to have this boat converted into an armed unmanned boat or at least have the front gunner replaced with a remote-operated gun.

 

[Cossack25A1]

Outgunned Philippine General Seeks Arms Upgrade as China Expands
By Karl Lester M. Yap and Clarissa Batino September 05, 2014

Philippine military chief Gregorio Pio Catapang likens his task to a boxing match. Dwarfed by neighbors like China, with whom ties are strained, he’d like his forces to last at least a few rounds in the ring.

“Even if we are a bantam-weight fighting against a heavy weight, we are going to defend our sovereignty and national interest,” General Catapang, 55, said in an interview in his office in Manila yesterday. “We renounce war as a national foreign policy, but we will have to stand and show the world we are a principled country.”

Sitting in his office surrounded by history, philosophy and psychology books Catapang, who has been in the job since July, sets out his priorities for an army that for years was occupied by an insurgency in the south. With China building artificial islands in the resource-rich South China Sea and boosting its naval presence to support its territorial claims, the focus for the Philippine military is turning outward.

Catapang is looking to boost defenses in Ulugan Bay on the island of Palawan, the Philippine military post about 160 kilometers (99 miles) from the disputed Spratly archipelago. He’s also seeking lawmakers’ approval for about $10 billion to buy fighter jets and warships to achieve a “world-class armed forces” by 2028. China’s defense budget this year is about 47 times that of the Philippines’ 123 billion pesos ($2.8 billion) -- 1 percent of gross domestic product.

Spratlys Dispute
The Spratlys are a collection of more than 100 islands or reefs that dot the waters of the southern South China Sea, and have been at the center of sparring for decades, claimed in part by Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and China.

China is carrying out construction on some islands and shoals claimed by the Philippines and plans to erect five lighthouses there. The Philippines has sought international arbitration over its disputes with China, a process that country refuses to join.

China is “projecting the image that they own the South China Sea, but it’s still under litigation,” Catapang said, adding he doesn’t view conflict with China as inevitable. “While it is being arbitrated, we want to show that we really own those islands. That’s why we’re putting the marines, the navy, the army in the islands that we possess.”

Modernization Plan
Under the first phase of the modernization plan which lasts until 2017, the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, will buy three frigates to take its stock to six, Catapang, who is responsible for 120,000 servicemen and women, said. The military plans to increase its squadrons to three from one and install a nationwide early warning radar system and air defense artillery, he said.

“The modernization program is primarily focused on upgrading military capabilities, equipment and infrastructure,” Budget Secretary Butch Abad said in e-mailed comments. “It’s especially critical now, as the country faces threats to its security.”

Catapang, who is scheduled to retire in July next year, was an army commander who rose to become head of the Northern Luzon Command. In the 1980s, he joined the Reform the Armed Forces Movement, a group of junior military officers whose attempt to stage a coup against former dictator Ferdinand Marcos helped spur protests that led to Corazon Aquino, President Benigno Aquino’s mother, taking power.

The head of the military has traditionally been picked from among the most senior officials. The mandatory retirement age of 56 means most military chiefs serve for one to two years.

‘All Global’
As other countries focus on projecting power outward, building longer-range naval and air capacity, the Philippines too wants to be part of a “bigger community,” Catapang said.

“Twenty-first century wars will all be global,” he said. “Global terrorism, global climate change, global warming, global maritime concern, global transnational crime, and hopefully not, global proliferation of weapons of mass destruction like nuclear war. Those are what we’re preparing for.”

President Xi Jinping has sought to extend China’s reach since coming to power in November 2012, and the navy is modernizing and expanding its nuclear submarine base at Yalong Bay on Hainan Island, its gateway to the South China Sea. The Communist Party leadership has for the first time stated a national goal of making China a maritime power, with a more combat-ready military to bolster its territorial claims.

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Outgunned Philippine General Seeks Arms Upgrade as China Expands - Businessweek
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A year after siege, Zamboanga City evacuees still struggling
Julie M. Aurelio, Julie S. Alipala |Inquirer Mindanao, Philippine Daily Inquirer
1:03 am | Monday, September 8th, 2014

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—A year after Moro rebels attacked the renowned southern City of Flowers, Junior Santander Morte is still trying to put normalcy back to his life while more than 12,000 others are painfully struggling to cope with appalling conditions in evacuation centers.

Morte was one of the 198 residents taken hostage by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) since Day One of the siege of Zamboanga—Sept. 9 last year. He was able to escape from his captors seven days later.

A soldier-turned-businessman, Morte said he, his wife Quirina and five children were still living in constant fear, especially when they would see men in camouflaged uniform.

This, despite the assurance of Senior Supt. Angelito Casimiro, city police chief, that the provincial capital’s 98 barangays (villages) are in safe hands following the setting up of a comprehensive defense plan.

Called the Guardian Shield, the plan serves as protection to Zamboangueños from possible attacks, but Casimiro refused to give details.

Morte said “good intelligence work,” not the number of uniformed personnel patrolling the streets, would thwart any possible attack.

“I remember last year, the city had enough security forces but the rebels managed to penetrate the city and everyone was caught flat-footed,” he said, referring to the deployment of soldiers to vital installations following the declaration of independence by MNLF leader Nur Misuari at his house in Barangay San Roque.

Barely a month after Misuari’s declaration, residents woke up to a fire fight and reports of armed men taking hostages in Barangays Santa Catalina, Mampang and Talon-Talon. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said 198 people were taken hostage and used as human shields by the attacking forces.

Senior Supt. Chiquito Malayo, former acting city police chief, last year told the Inquirer that about 200 to 300 MNLF rebels attacked the city, occupying some areas near the shorelines of Talon-Talon, Mampang, Rio Hondo, Mariki and Kasanyangan, and the mainland areas of Santa Barbara and Santa Catalina.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the fighting had left 20 soldiers and five policemen dead, and 194 wounded on the government side. Zagala said 208 MNLF members were killed, including their leader Habier Malik, while 294 others were captured. Twelve civilians were killed, including four hostages, while 79 residents were wounded.

The DSWD said 118,819 people, or 23,794 families, were displaced during the fighting. Some 2,304 families, or 12,476 individuals, are still in ragged tents at Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex, which has been turned into a makeshift evacuation center.

Appalling conditions in the facility and other smaller evacuation sites have resulted in 167 deaths from diseases and malnutrition in the past year, prompting concerns from local and international humanitarian groups working in the encampments.

Long road

Zagala announced Sunday that the AFP and law enforcement agencies were putting up a detachment near the seaside Rio Hondo, where the fighting last year was centered. He said the Zamboanga City government had offered a piece of land at Rio Hondo, which had been reduced to ashes.

There, the military, the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fire Protection can set up its offices, he said.

“We will have an area which will have joint law enforcement agencies stationed there that will contribute to the normalization, at least in the security and law enforcement aspect,” he added.

“It’s still a long road but we are getting there; I am talking about normalization in terms of law enforcement and security…. On the security side, we have some detachments in place so we have access there, unlike before when there was none. Before, lawless elements can do whatever, but not now,” he stressed.

Zagala said law enforcers were close on the heels of Misuari. “Misuari’s faction was heavily debilitated as a consequence of their failed attack on Zamboanga City. Right now, he is in hiding and eventually, the law will catch up to him,” he said.

The AFP spokesman commended the heroism and sacrifices of government troops who valiantly defended Zamboanga.

“We all witnessed the restraint and focus of our soldiers, who successfully rescued the civilians being used as human shields. This manifests the maturity and professionalism and respect for human rights of our soldiers,” he said.

September to remember

Jimmy Villaflores, village chair of Santa Catalina, said that as barangay folk prepared for “September to Remember,” an event commemorating the siege, they wanted the “healing of minds and hearts” of those who went through the experience “so our people can start to move on.”

“Every time our people hear about talk of an attack or reported movement of armed men or suspected MNLF forces, they panic and become so afraid,” Villaflores said.

Santa Catalina and neighboring Santa Barbara village were the hardest hit during the standoff.

“It was not just burning. Houses were destroyed by bombs, bullets and looting,” Villaflores said. “We want to remember how it was and how we can stand up, rise again and restore normalcy in our day-to-day living.”

Villaflores said Monday’s event would be capped with sharing, prayers, vigil, Mass and candle lighting.

Unfortunate lesson

Habib Mudjahab Hashim, commander of the MNLF Islamic Command Council, told the Inquirer by phone that there would be no more such incidents.

“We have learned our lessons. It was not a siege. It was supposed to be a peaceful caravan to manifest displeasure with the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro [that the government signed with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front]. Unfortunately, it resulted in the standoff and fire fights,” Hashim said.

The MNLF rebels claimed that they were supposed to march to City Hall to hold a rally. They were, however, armed when they arrived in the city from the provinces of Sulu, Basilan and Zamboanga Sibugay.

Peter Medalle, assistant regional state prosecutor, said all captured MNLF members were still awaiting court proceeding for charges of rebellion and violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the use of civilians as human shields.

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A year after siege, Zamboanga City evacuees still struggling | Inquirer News

 

[Nike]

Armor vests for Zambo troops still sitting in warehouse



MANILA, Philippines – At the height of the Zamboanga siege in September 2013, the Department of National Defense (DND) tried to rush the delivery of armor vests to its troops.

The delivery had been delayed to begin with. As early as December 2012, Serbian company UM-Merkata was awarded the contract to deliver 3,480 units of armor vests – force protection equipment, as they are called in bid documents – worth P120 million ($2.7 million)*.

About 3,000 troops were to be deployed to Zamboanga in the biggest operation of the Philippine military in recent history. They badly needed the armors as protection in the combat zone manned by an estimated 500 heavily-armed followers of Moro National Liberation Front Commander (MNLF) Habier Malik. (At least 25 policemen and soldiers were killed while 194 were wounded in the 20-day conflict.)

But the vests from the Serbian company never reached the troops, forcing the Philippine Army to request an emergency purchase of about 1,000 vests for an additional cost of P28.3 million (about $630,000). The emergency purchase was made through the Philippine International Trading Corporation, a unit under the Department of Trade and Industry.

One year after the siege, the armor vests that the Serbian company was supposed to deliver have yet to reach soldiers in the battlefield. They are locked in a warehouse inside Camp Aguinaldo because of defects, a defense official told Rappler.

Worse, the supplier of the armors for the emergency procurement, Stone of David Tactical Equipment Company, is curiously linked to the Serbian company UM-Merkata. Christopher Manaluz, the local representative UM-Merkata, is the general manager of Stone of David.

Failed tests

What happened after the emergency purchase was made?

UM-Merkata eventually delivered the body armors to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in January 2014. Buttest after test showed they are defective. The vests can repel bullets but they're not thick enough to prevent internal injuries that could be fatal.

"The samples (Soft Ballistic Panels) failed to comply with the Back Face Signature requirement since it exceeded the maximum allowable of 44 mm.... Exceeding the required BFS even without bullet penetration can cause fatal internal injuries to the user (soldier)," read the analysis portion of the May 26, 2014, Initial Technical Inspection Report.

Rappler learned that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin ordered the termination of the contract after it failed the tests twice. But the Serbian supplier is still exhausting its appeal. It is the Department of National Defense (DND) that is on top of the procurement of military equipment and supplies.

"There's still appeal, submission of a position paper. Then there's a request for arbitration. There's a clause in the contract that allows that," according to Patrick Velez, Defense Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Installations, and Logistics.

Favoritism?

Last year's DND bidding for the armor vests was marked by allegations of favoritism. It appeared at the time that one person was set to win 3 separate contracts totalling about P2 billion (about $45 million).

UM-Merkata was also set to win in 2013 the succeeding bidding for a much bigger project – 44,0000 units of armor vests worth P1.76 billion (about $40million) following the curious disqualification of the lowest bidder Kolon Global of South Korea.

But UM-Merkata's luck changed in 2014, coincidentally when the leadership in the DND bid and awards committee also changed.

UM-Merkata was disqualified in the P1.7-billion project because of questionable documents. Now, it also stands to lose the first project worth P120 million because of defective units.

Rappler obtained documents on the controversy-riddled bidding processes for the two projects for the military's armor vests. What is happening shows the continuing struggle inside the defense establishment, which has been notorious for corruption, to fix its systems.

Transparency of government contracts would have prevented delays because it would have allowed the public to flag down the problems that persisted in the contracts since the beginning. It is critical in a department that is getting up to P80 billion (about $1.8 million) for the revived Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization program.

The officials who have been on top of the first project for body armors last year were:

Fernando Manalo – Defense Undersecretary for Finance, Munitions, Installations, and Materiel
Undersecretary Efren Fernandez, former Bid and Awards Committee (BAC) chairman
Patrick Velez, Assistant Secretary
Editha Santos, Defense Acquisition Office lawyer
(BAC shuffles officers every year. In 2014, Defense Undersecretry Natalio Ecarma III succeeded Fernandez to become chairman of the BAC that was in charge of the armor vests.)

Armor vests for Zambo troops still sitting in warehouse

 

[Cossack25A1]

Other than America, who produces protective vests and gears that are cost-effective?

 

[Ayan81]

Its not about cost its about what suits the best on our troops in the field, i don't know if vest deteriorate fast when use in marshes/rivers. Personally i just want all afp modernization projects to go GtoG, there's this false belief that the government shows that if the projects go to a bidding all is corruption free, well in 15 years of contracting theres not a single honest bidding I attended.

There's also the problem of our newly acquired kubar boots, they say that it does not perfrom well in the field.

 

[Nike]

Other than America, who produces protective vests and gears that are cost-effective?

nah, UK, US of A, France, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Russia, Germany, Italy, Singapore, South Korea, India, and many more countries can produce their own protective vests and gears for their soldiers en masse and economically

 

[Zero_wing]

You guys to are making your own right?

 

[Bienvenido]

DND seeks P25 B for modernization projects
By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) | Updated September 8, 2014

MANILA, Philippines - A total of P24.7 billion is needed next year to fund 12 projects to enhance the military’s capabilities.

The STAR obtained data showing that among the projects that the Department of National Defense (DND) wants to include in the 2015 budget are lead-in fighter trainer jets ammunition, long-range patrol aircraft, multi-purpose attack craft, rocket launchers and base upgrades.

Four of the 12 projects will go to the Air Force: six units of close air support aircraft (P4.968 billion), two units of long-range patrol aircraft (P5.976 million) and basing support systems in three provinces (P187.43 million).

Also in the list is the purchase of munitions for the 12 FA-50 lead-in fighter trainer jets acquired from South Korea for about P4.52 billion.

The Navy will have three projects: two units of helicopters capable of anti-submarine warfare (P5.402 billion), three units of multi-purpose attack craft (P1.18 billion) and support and logistics for naval bases (P313.62 million).

Four of the projects seek to improve the Army’s capabilities: 4,464 units of night fighting systems (P1.116 billion), 744 units of rocket launchers (P407.41 million), 1,446 units of 2-5W handheld radios (P430.8 million) and 60 units of high frequency 50W radios (P144 million).

The DND also needs P133.4 million to buy 46 units of light utility vehicles for the Armed Forces of the Philippines general headquarters.

Officials expect the upgrade projects to strengthen the military’s territorial defense and internal security capabilities.

Last month, The STAR reported that the DND is seeking a P10-billion supplemental budget to support the modernization of the military.

It would fill in the amount that was not provided to the upgrade program this year.

Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said the DND needs P20 billion for 2014, as programmed. “However, only P10 billion was included in the (General Appropriations Act), hence the request,” he said.

A supplemental budget is on top of the annual national budget passed by Congress.

In 2012, President Aquino signed a law allocating P75 billion for the first five years of the military’s modernization program.

The 2015 budget proposed by Malacañang allocated P20 billion for the Armed Forces Modernization Program.

So far, the administration has completed 37 military upgrade projects worth P9.2 billion.

Fourteen projects worth P6.2 billion are slated for completion before the end of the year, including the delivery of assault rifles for the Army and Marines, additional UH-1H helicopters for the Air Force, close combat optics and explosive ordnance disposal equipment.

Ten projects worth P17.3 billion are scheduled for delivery in 2015, including Army armored vehicles, attack helicopters, combat utility helicopters, light lift and medium lift aircraft and naval helicopters.

DND seeks P25 B for modernization projects | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com


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Philippine Navy BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force ship JS Hatakaze (DDG 171) conduct Officer of the Watch drills with HMAS Sydney (FFG 03) during Exercise KAKADU 2014 off the coast of Darwin.

 

[Bienvenido]

PNoy: Manila port congestion is hurting the economy
Reuters
9/09/2014

MANILA - Severe congestion at the Philippines' main seaport due to rules restricting truck access is hurting the economy, President Benigno Aquino said on Monday, hinting it could put this year's growth target at risk.

Aquino said the government is doing all it can to ease congestion at the Manila port, and to prevent the supply chain problem from pushing up food prices, which have reached five-year highs.

"We ask for forgiveness from the public," Aquino told reporters. "There is an impact of this congestion on the growth of our economy."

Import growth fell for two straight months in May and June, a sign of the economic impact of the port congestion.

The congestion began in February, when the city government of Manila - the historical part of the much larger Metropolitan Manila area - banned trucks from being on roads between 5 am and 9 pm to address monstrous traffic in the city.

That effectively prevented trucks from leaving or entering the country's busiest port for 16 hours a day.

To try to deal with the problem, the government has opened a "trade lane" into the port area that is always open. That has cut the backlog of containers to load and unload, but far from ended it as trucks face long waiting lines.

USING OTHER PORTS

Also, authorities have urged shipping firms to use under-utilized seaports outside Manila. It has opened yards in economic zones where empty containers can be moved.

Aquino said he does not want the situation to "exacerbate problems like increasing prices for food because of the difficulty in the transport and logistics."

"Bear in mind that we can sacrifice somewhat here or have longer-term effects that everybody will suffer from because of this phenomenon that has happened," the president said.

Consumer prices hovered at near three-year highs in August, while core inflation, which takes out volatile items in the consumer basket to measure the underlying trend in prices, climbed to a 17-month high last month, due to higher food costs.

The government wants to keep inflation between 3-5 percent this year as it aims to get the consumption-driven economy to grow 6.5-7.5 percent this year after 7.2 percent last year.

To achieve this year's target, growth should be least 6.9 percent in the second half of the year, according to Arsenio Balisacan, socioeconomic planning secretary said, following a 6.0 percent growth in the first half.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/09/08/14/pnoy-manila-port-congestion-hurting-economy


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DOE pushes solar power in schools, gov’t hospitals
By Iris C. Gonzales (The Philippine Star) | Updated September 8, 2014

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Energy (DOE) is pushing for the use of solar power in schools, government hospitals and eventually, in homes.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla led yesterday the ceremonial switch-on of the solar photovoltaic (PV) net metering Facility in La Consolacion College – Manila (LCCM), the first school under the DOE’s solar pilot project.

Under the program, solar companies will install the system in schools at no cost to the educational institutions and to the DOE, with the schools agreeing to use solar energy for roughly 15 years.

Petilla is also eyeing to have the system installed in other schools, including Manuel L. Quezon University, St. Scholastica’s College and Miriam College, this year.

“When we started this endeavour, we envisioned it to project an idea that can convince other institutions from different sectors to follow the bandwagon of putting solar panels in their respective buildings,” Petilla said.

Petilla said the project is a win-win scenario both for the institution and the company that installed the panels. He also noted that the maintenance of the panels will be handled by the company.

DOE pushes solar power in schools, gov’t hospitals | Business, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

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P20-B expansion project for Bacolod airport OK’d
(The Philippine Star) | Updated September 8, 2014

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – A P20-billion project for the expansion of the Bacolod-Silay airport in Silay City, Negros Occidental has been approved by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Bacolod Rep. Evelio Leonardia, vice chairman of the House committee on transportation and communications, said yesterday DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya confirmed the project during abudget hearing of the House committee on appropriations last Wednesday.

Leonardia said the expansion would be implemented in three phases over the next 20 years.

“Work is expected to start late next year or early 2016. The bidding is scheduled late this year,” Leonardia said in a press statement.

The project will be implemented by the DOTC under an “operate-add-transfer” scheme with the private sector, he added.

“The P20-billion project is expected to create a multiplier effect on the economy because this will also be a private sector investment,” Leonardia said.

P20-B expansion project for Bacolod airport OK’d | Nation, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com
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Philippine committee approves bill banning mineral ore exports
MANILA, Mon Sep 8, 2014

(Reuters) - A Philippine bill seeking a halt to exports of unprocessed mineral ores has been approved at the committee stage in the lower chamber of Congress, one of two bills aimed at extracting more value from the country's mineral resources.

The measure will go next to a full session of the lower house of Congress for discussion and voting, but no schedule has yet been set, said Ronald Madrigal, staff to Congressman Erlpe John Amante who introduced the bill in July.

A counterpart bill has also been introduced in the upper house Senate by Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino, a first cousin of President Benigno Aquino.

The bills, which would require domestic processing of all minerals extracted in the country prior to export, have raised concern at the possibility of a halt to exports of nickel ore from the Philippines, in line with similar action by Indonesia.

London Metal Exchange nickel rose 1.7 percent in early European trade on Monday and have risen more than 7 percent since news of the potential Philippines ban was revealed last week.

The Philippines currently supplies China with virtually all of the nickel ore that it uses to make nickel pig iron, a raw material used by steelmakers, following the Indonesian ban that took effect in January.

The bills aim to generate more income from the Philippines from mining, which has vast but largely untapped mineral resources.

If passed, nickel miners would be have to build more smelters to process ore before shipment.

The Philippines currently has two processing plants for nickel, both owned by the country's top producer Nickel Asia Corp, two for gold, and one for copper, according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

Philippine committee approves bill banning mineral ore exports| Reuters

 

[Cossack25A1]

This will have negative effects on donations if the Philippines suffer a disaster
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COA: Yolanda fund, donations did not reach victims
Reynaldo Santos Jr. Published 8:42 PM, Sep 08, 2014

The OCD had P692.77 million for quick response in 2013, while the NDRRMC received P48.82 million in donations, but these were used for operations or kept in banks

MANILA, Philippines – Hundreds of millions of pesos in funds intended for the relief and rehabilitation of disaster victims did not reach them in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 because government offices used them up for operations or kept them in banks.

This was the finding of the state auditors in a report on how the quick response funds (QRF) of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the donations received by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) were utilized.

In its assessment report, the Commission on Audit (COA) said OCD had a total of P692.77 million in available QRF for 2013, while the NDRRMC – which is administered by the OCD – had received a total of P48.82 million in donations for the typhoon victims.

However, not a single centavo of these amounts has so far reached the typhoon victims, according to COA.

The QRF should serve as a “stand-by to be used for relief and rehabilitation programs in order that the situation and living conditions of people living in communities or areas stricken by calamities, epidemics, crises, and catastrophes occurring during the year may be normalized as quickly as possible.”

Based on the COA report, at least 17% of the total QRF for 2013, or P121.18 million, was spent on Yolanda-related operations.

COA identified the items on which the P121.18 million was spent:
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NATUREAMOUNT
Cash advances for operational requirements of the NDRRMC Operations Center = P 1,600,000

Cash advances for operational requirements of ROVIII Operations Center = P 200,000

Office supplies = P 56,445.00

Fund transfer to AFP for petroleum, oil and lubricant (POL) reserve for disaster operations, subject to liquidation = P 118,645,912

Various groceries and medicines intended for daily subsistence of duty personnel at Command Center and RDRRMC VIII Operations Center = P 680,193

TOTAL = P 121,182,550


____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The biggest disbursement was for “petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL),” which amounted to 98% of the total amount spent by OCD for its Yolanda-related operations.

OCD said the amount was transferred to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reportedly as “reserve for disaster operations” and is subject to liquidation.

There were various groceries and medical supplies purchased, but they were allotted for OCD-NDRRMC personnel. Also, these items remained unused as of March 5, 2014, after NDRRMC’s activities in Yolanda-hit areas had ended. Many of the supplies were nearing expiry dates, according to COA.

“[T]he funds were spent for the requirements of the Operations Centers and POL, while nothing was reported for the basic subsistence needs of calamity victims notwithstanding the guidelines and other issuances on the matter,” said the report.

COA mentioned a study by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) which shows that OCD was able to fully utilize its QRF prior to 2012. But since 2012, restrictions on the use of funds affected how the fund was utilized.

“Before 2012, QRF can be used for pre-disaster activities, but starting 2012, QRF was designated as standby fund, thus, it can only be used at the onset of disasters or for response activities,” COA said.

Untouched donations

COA also noted that local and foreign cash donations have not been utilized by the NDRRMC.

“The donations remained intact with the depository bank. There were no donations to date out of the donations received,” COA said.

This is despite NDCC Memorandum Order 13, signed in 1998, which states that families affected by disasters were supposed to receive P10,000 cash assistance for each dead relative and P5,000 for those injured subject to submission of required documents including medical or death certificates.

“It will be noted that under this Memorandum Order, financial assistance can only be availed if claims are filed at the RDCC supported by the documents enumerated above. However, in case of emergencies, the production alone of the documentary requirements would be very cumbersome for the victims, thus, provision of assistance takes some time,” COA said.

COA added that this has been “depriving the disaster/calamity victims of timely assistance in their lowliest times and defeating the purpose of the donations.” – Rappler.com

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COA: Yolanda fund, donations did not reach victims