South China Sea Forum

[Malaya]

US warship goes on ‘PATROL’ mode
By Florante S. Solmerin | Posted on Jun. 30, 2013

The United States has deployed a warship to patrol its area of responsibility in the Asia-Pacific region, according to an article posted on the 7th Fleet website.

“The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard completed embarkation of Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in support of joint force operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility, ” the website said in its June 25 post.

USS Bonhomme Richard was loaded with “more than 100 vehicles and 300 pieces of equipment after weeks of preparations before it left Sasebo, Japan, it said.

The warship deployed after American forces and Philippine troops began their annual military exercises in an area near the Scarborough Shoal, which China insists it owns.

The US presence in the Asia Pacific is very important, according to Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, speaking to reporters after a meeting with his Philippine counterpart Votaire Gazmin.

“The US presence is very important. We talked about rebalance strategy of United States but we did not talk about any in the future specific equipment of the US forces,” he said.

The two officials discussed the possibility of a joint hosting of aerial exercises with the US MV-22 Osprey aircraft.

Gazmin said the government can possibly forge an agreement based on the Visiting Forces Agreement to give greater access to military base and facilities of visiting American and Japanese forces.

USS Bonhomme Richard was loaded with equipment and troops as well as logistics.

“This patrol will also feature MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265, embarked as part of the ACE for its first forward-deployed patrol with Bonhomme Richard,” the article said.

The former USS Guardian minesweeper that met its demise on Tubbataha Reef in Sulu Sea, Palawan belonged to the naval fleet.

 

[Malaya]

Aquino vows to rebuild air force by 2016
Agence France-Presse
07/01/2013

MANILA - Philippine President Benigno Aquino vowed Monday to acquire fighter jets, air defense radar and other equipment within three years to bolster the country's weak air force, amid a territorial dispute with China.

"I assure you that before I step down from office, our skies will be guarded by modern air assets," he said in a speech during a visit at an air base in Clark, north of Manila. The speech was broadcast live on radio and television.

Among these are "lead-in fighters, long-range patrol aircraft, close-air-support aircraft", as well as transport planes, attack- and multi-use helicopters, air defense radar and flight simulators.

He gave no details of the aircraft and equipment, or the terms for their acquisition.

In January an Aquino spokesman announced the government would buy 12 South Korean FA-50 fighter jets to be used for "training, interdiction and disaster response".

The Philippines, a former US colony, retired the last of its US-designed F-5 fighters in 2005 and lacks air defense.

Aquino, whose-six-year term ends in mid-2016, has set about modernizing the military in his first three years in office as tensions rise with China over overlapping territorial claims to islands and waters in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

The main focus was initially the navy with the acquisition of two Hamilton-class cutters decommissioned by the US Coast Guard.

The first of the two refurbished vessels became the Philippine Navy's flagship in 2011, replacing a warship initially built for the US Navy in World War II.

The second cutter is set to arrive in the Philippines later this year.

Aquino said Monday he was committed to reversing the under-spending on military capability that he said had characterized the Philippines since the early 1990s.

"Over the past decades the air force had its wings broken and we relied on old and rickety planes and equipment," he said.

Parliament has since authorized the defense department to spend 75 billion pesos ($1.7 billion) on modernizing the military over the next five years, Aquino added.

This is on top the more than 19 billion pesos that it had spent over the past three years for this purpose.

Between 1992 and 2010, the Philippines had spent just 33 billion pesos for military modernization, Aquino said.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/01/13/aquino-vows-rebuild-air-force-2016

 

[Malaya]

‘China action threat to peace’
By AFP | Jul. 01, 2013

DFA chief: Sino buildup violated ‘02 declaration

THE Philippines accused China on Sunday of a massive military buildup in the disputed South China Sea, warning at a regional security forum that the Asian giant’s tactics were a threat to peace.

The statement by Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario ensured that the growing row over rival claims to the strategically vital and potentially resource-rich sea would again be a key focus of the annual four-day ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“Del Rosario today expressed serious concern over the increasing militarization of the South China Sea,” said a Philippine government statement released on the first day of the event in the Brunei capital.

Del Rosario said there was a “massive presence of Chinese military and paramilitary ships” at two groups of islets within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, called Scarborough Shoal and Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.

Del Rosario described the Chinese presence at these islets as “threats to efforts to maintain maritime peace and stability in the region.”

He said the persistence of destabilizing actions in the South China Sea posed serious challenges for the entire region.

Del Rosario did not give details of the alleged buildup but said the Chinese actions violated a pact in 2002 in which rival claimants to the sea pledged not to take any actions that may increase tensions.

The Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea signed by the 10-member ASEAN and China also committed claimants to settle their disputes “without resorting to the threat or use of force.”

China claims nearly all of the sea, even waters approaching the coasts of neighboring countries.

ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia, as well as Taiwan, also have competing claims to parts of the sea.

The rivalries have been a source of regional tension for decades, with China and Vietnam fighting battles in 1974 and 1988 for control of some islands in which dozens of Vietnamese soldiers died.

Tensions have again grown in recent years with the Philippines, Vietnam and some other countries expressing concern at increasingly assertive Chinese military and diplomatic tactics to stress control of the sea.

Setting the tone for the Brunei event, a powerful arm of China’s state-run media warned the Philippines on Saturday that its defiance could lead to aggressive Chinese action.

“If the Philippines continues to provoke China… a counterstrike will be hard to avoid,” said a commentary run by the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party.

Del Rosario on Sunday expressed alarm at such rhetoric.

“The statement on counterstrike is an irresponsible one. We condemn any threats of use of force. We condemn that. And we continue to pursue the resolution of our disputes in a peaceful way,” he said.

ASEAN has been trying for more than a decade to secure agreement from China on a legally binding code of conduct that would govern actions in the South China Sea.

China has resisted agreeing to the code, wary of making any concessions that may weaken its claim to the sea.

Nevertheless, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said ASEAN would continue to press its case with China in Brunei.

“We will be really zeroing in on the need for the code of conduct,” Natalegawa told reporters on Saturday.

The talks will expand on Monday and Tuesday to include the United States, China, Japan, Russia and other countries across the Asia-Pacific, providing the platform for face-to-face diplomacy on many of the world’s hot-button issues.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to hold a series of rapid-fire meetings with his counterparts from the world’s major powers, including Russia’s Sergei Lavrov and China’s Wang Yi.

The United States has been frustrated in recent weeks by perceived Chinese and Russian help for fugitive intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, who is at Moscow’s airport after being allowed to leave the Chinese territory of Hong Kong.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-Se, are also set to hold direct talks in Brunei, the first ministerial meeting between the two countries under their new governments. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

 

[Malaya]

Give Australia, ASEAN access to PH bases
BY CARMELA FONBUENA
07/01/2013

MANILA, Philippines - Former defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr supports a government plan to give the United States and Japan more access to Philippine military bases. He said the same access should be given to Australia and ASEAN countries.

"I favor optimizing access to Philippine bases not only for Japan and the US, but also for other friendly States, such as the ASEAN states and Australia," Teodoro told Rappler on Monday, July 1, when asked to comment on the government plan.

"This will facilitate confidence building and interoperability between our forces and those of others," Teodoro added.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the government is drafting plans to allow US forces to spend extended time on the Philippines' military bases. He said the same plan will be offered to Japan's military.

READ: PH wants to give US, Japan access to bases

Teodoro argued defense exchanges have various benefits, including assisting the Philippine government in improving its disaster preparedness.

"This is useful not merely for traditional defense concerns but also for non-traditional ones such as Humaniatarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR), Peace Keeping Operations (PKO), and responding to pandemics, to name a few," Teodoro said in an e-mail to Rappler.

Teodoro ran for president in 2010 but lost to his cousin, President Benigno Aquino III. He continues to speak on security and defense-related matters.

Concerned camps

Various camps are critical of the government's plan to open access to its bases, notably the one in Subic, Olongapo City. Leftist group Bayan called on government and various sectors to "reject US intervention and manipulation."

"The Philippine government is grossly mistaken if it thinks that the US is the key to defending our national sovereignty. The US is merely out to take advantage of the dispute so that it can position itself strategically in Asia," Bayan said in a statement on Sunday, June 30.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer also ran a July 1 editorial critical of the plan. It reads: "A decision to host allied military forces inside Philippine bases, however, should not be taken lightly; meetings and supply arrangements and joint exercises can all be justified as the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ belated attempts at capacity-building. Allowing foreign troops from allies with a stake in the ongoing South China Sea disputes to operate in and—the crucial difference—from Philippine military bases is much harder to rationalize."

Teodoro said what's important is for government to craft policy guidelines that will guarantee the protection of Philippine interests.

"I used the term optimizing in order to underscore the importance of having carefully crafted policy guidelines on the matter, which shall take into account our national and international interests, responsibilities, and obligations," he explained.

Aggressive China

The plan to give the US and Japan more access to the country's military bases comes at a difficult time for Philippine-China relations.

On Saturday, June 29, China's state-run media warned that the Philippines should brace itself for a possible "counterstrike should Beijing continue to be provoked in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).

The Philippines has accused China of "massive" military buildup in the disputed West Philippine Sea. In a statement released on the first day of the annual Asia-Pacific talks in Brunei, the Philippines warned that the Asian giant's tactics threatened peace in the region.

Japan earlier pledged to help the Philippines defend its "remote islands," as both governments expressed concern over China's robust moves to stake its claims to disputed Asian waters.

READ: Japan vows to help PH amid China Sea row

"We agreed that we will further cooperate in terms of the defense of remote islands... the defense of territorial seas as well as protection of maritime interests," Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told a joint news conference.

The Philippine military also recently held war games with the United States near the disputed Scarborough Shoal. It is a part of a 6-day Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercises that involved 3 US Navy vessels, including the USS Fitzgerald, a guided missile destroyer.

 

[Malaya]

AFP modernization now making significant headway

By Priam Nepomuceno

MANILA, July 01 (PNA) -- Like a phoenix slowly rising from the ashes, the Armed Forces of the Philippines is making significant headway in developing its minimum-credible deterrent capability.

This is also called the ability to forestall attempts by intruders attempting to violate the country's maritime, aerial and land territories, thanks to the commitment given by President Benigno S. Aquino III to the military.

The latter allocated around P75 billion to modernize the AFP. This money will be spent within five years.

"It is a step forward, a keen capability upgrade for all of our forces. We may not be comparable to other countries in the totality of equipage but the (modernization) program addresses a lot of our tactical and operational needs," AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan said of the development.

Highlighting this focus is the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16), the second Hamilton-class cutter acquired by the Aquino administration from the Americans, is now on its way home and is expected to be in Philippine territory by first week of August.

The Aquino government utilized more than USD15 million in refurbishing and re-equipping this ship.

The ship, which naval experts said is more heavily-armed that its sistership, the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PF-15), is expected to be in service by next September.

It is expected to improve the country's domain awareness capability or the capacity to detect, deter and pursue intruders in the Philippines' vast territorial waters

Aside from the BRP Ramon Alcaraz, the Philippine Navy is expecting the delivery of three AW-109 naval choppers by December courtesy of AgustaWestland.

As of this posting, the flight and maintenance crew of these aircraft are now undergoing training at Sesto Calende, Italy (and) these are avionics and maintenance trainings.

"The PN is also very thankful to the present administration for the continued support that the Navy is receiving," PN spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic stressed emphasized.

The contract for the three AW-109 naval helicopters were signed last April and will be delivered this coming December.

These choppers are worth around P1.33 billion.

"With the support we are getting from the present administration and the capability upgrade and modernization efforts in place, the officers and men of the PN are esteemed to serve the country and the people," he added.

Aside from these, Fabic said equipment in the pipeline includes three more multi-purpose assault craft, a anti-submarine helicopter, engineering and other support equipment.

Recently, the Dept. of National Defense announced that it is allocating P4-billion for two strategic sealift vessels and another P18-billion to acquire two brand-new missile-firing frigates as to fully boost the deterrent capability of the PN.

Fabic's earlier sentiments was also echoed by Philippine Air Force spokesperson Col. Miguel Ernesto Okol who stressed that he is very confident with the way the Aquino government is conducting the AFP's modernization.

"Most of (big) ticket items (equipment upgrade for the PAF) we have requested for has been approved," he added.

This includes the so-called surface attack aircraft, lead-in fighter aircraft, surveillance radars, medium lift and light transport and long-range patrol aircraft.

Recently, the PAF has completed the delivery of its eight W-3A "Sokol" combat utility helicopters with the last four being delivered last Nov. 26, 2012 and Feb. 17 this year.

The first batch of four was delivered in sometimes in 2011. These "Sokols' were commissioned and place in PAF service in March 9, 2012.

Aside from this, the Air Force has also beefed up the number of Lockheed C-130 "Hercules" aircraft from one to three, thanks to the ongoing modernization and upgrade programs.

The additional C-130s were activated during the latter part of 2012.

Besides this, DND observers said that the Philippines is now on the closing stages of the contract regarding the acquisition of 12 South Korean F/A -50 "Golden Eagle" jet aircraft which is touted to be the PAF's interim fighter aircraft.

It has allocated P18 billion for this program.

The Government Procurement Policy Board earlier gave the DND the "green-light" to start pre-negotiations with the South Korean government for 12 F/A 50 aircraft last January.

This boost to Philippine military equippage was made possible by the Dec. 11, 2012 signing of President Aquino signing of Republic Act No. 10349 which amends Republic Act No. 7898 or the AFP Modernization Act.

The amendment will "boost the AFP's capability upgrade program as it shifts from internal to external defense capability."

With the passage of the law, the military will be able to push for the acquisition of equipment which is listed in our medium term (2013-2017) acquisition list.

"(This amendment will extend) the implementation of our modernization and capability upgrade program will also provide greater opportunities and enough time for us to finally achieve a minimum credible defense posture which will help us in better fulfilling our mandate to protect the people and the state," the AFP stressed.

Republic Act No. 10349 has a budget of P75 billion for the first five years of implementation subject to the capacity of the DND to utilize and implement the program in accordance with the Defense System of Management.

The new law exempts certain major defense purchases such as aircraft, vessels, tanks, armored vehicles, communications equipment and high-powered firearms from public bidding.

It also exempts from value-added tax and customs duties the sale and importation of weapons, equipment and ammunition to the AFP which are directly and exclusively used for its projects, undertakings, activities and programs.

Republic Act 10349 also institutionalizes the defense system of management, which incorporates a collegial and collaborative planning and decision-making process by senior defense and military leaders.

It also allows additional funding from public-private partnerships entered into by the DND as well as multi-year contracts.

This law will hopefully repair the damage caused by long years of neglect to the military which during the 1960s up to the 70's was considered to be Southeast Asia's best.

DND undersecretary for finance, munitions, installations, and materiel Fernando Manalo earlier said that the signing and passage of the revised AFP Modernization Act will definitely make the military more capable of carrying out its constitutional mandate.

"This law will give the AFP a minimal credible deterrent posture," he emphasized.

Aside from defense equipment, engineering and search-and-rescue materiel will also be acquired, Manalo pointed out, giving the Philippines more assets in its peace and community development. (PNA)
HBC/PFN

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn&sid&nid&rid=539672

 

[Malaya]

China threats unacceptable
Published: 2 Jul 2013

Chinese officials began their meeting with Asean foreign ministers in Brunei this week by accusing their 10 neighbours of an anti-Beijing conspiracy over disputed South China Sea territory. China singled out the Philippines, calling Manila a provocateur and threatening war.

It was hardly a display of Chinese diplomacy at its best. Now, China has agreed to discuss a code of conduct with ASEAN, but Beijing clearly is going to take a hard line in the talks.

Read more at China threats unacceptable | Bangkok Post: opinion

 

[Malaya]

Amid South China Sea tension, PH calls for more ASEAN-US ties on maritime security
By: InterAksyon.com
July 2, 2013

MANILA - Amid the Philippines’ unresolved territorial dispute with China, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has called for an expanded ASEAN-United States cooperation on maritime security.

Del Rosario issued the call in his address of the ASEAN-US Post Ministerial Conference in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam on Monday, noting that maritime security is gaining greater importance in the dialogue partnership.

His suggestion, contained in a news release from the Department of Foreign Affairs, came a few days after he accused China of militarizing the South China Sea (or West Philippine Sea to the Philippines). Del Rosario pointed to "massive presence of Chinese military and paramilitary ships" at two groups of islets within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone called Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal. He described the Chinese military presence at these islets as "threats to efforts to maintain maritime peace and stability in the region."

“To prevent disputes from escalating into conflict,” del Rosario also called for the “full and effective implementation” of the ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in the meantime that a regional code of conduct is yet to be negotiated and concluded.

The pact, which was signed in 2002, enjoins all claimants from actions that would tend to escalate tension in the area. However, it will be noted that according to Philippine authorities, since April last year, Chinese fishing vessels continue to occupy the Scarborough Shoals off Zambales, keeping Filipino fishermen from the fish-rich outcrop.

At the same time, Chinese authorities have bristled at the joint naval exercises of the Philippines and the United States near the Scarborough Schoal, which is 230 kilometers (140 miles) east of Luzon and 1,200 kilometers from the nearest major Chinese landmass.

China claims nearly all of the strategically vital South China Sea, even waters close to the shores of its smaller neighbors.

Tensions between China and other claimants to the sea, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam, have escalated in recent years amid a series of Chinese political and military actions to assert its claims to the waters.

Amid South China Sea tension, PH calls for more ASEAN-US ties on maritime security - InterAksyon.com

 

[Malaya]

Gazmin on China threat: Irresponsible
By Jaime Laude (The Philippine Star)
July 2, 2013

MANILA, Philippines - Beijing was being “irresponsible” by threatening a “counterstrike” in response to the Philippines’ offering its allies access to its air and naval facilities, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said yesterday.

Gazmin said that while he is not worried about China’s threat, he is exhorting Beijing to be more circumspect and not to resort to intimidation and coercion in settling disputes with the Philippines and its neighbors.

Gazmin issued the statement shortly before flying to Clark air base to attend the celebration of the 66th anniversary of the Philippine Air Force.

On Saturday, the People’s Daily – the mouthpiece of the ruling Chinese Communist Party – said the Philippines was inviting a counterstrike for “provoking” Beijing.

In a commentary, the newspaper also accused the Philippines of making the Association of Southeast Asian Nations an “accomplice” in the “violation” of China’s “sovereignty” over some islets and shoals in the West Philippine Sea.

Related story: Chinese news analyst calls Phl a 'troublemaker' in SE Asia

Gazmin said he agrees with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario’s reprimanding Beijing and reminding it of the preeminence of international law in settling issues.

Del Rosario had also said China’s provocative statement had no place among civilized nations.

DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said China is obliged under international laws, specifically the United Nations Charter, “to pursue a peaceful resolution of disputes – meaning without the use of force or the threat to use force.”

“We call on China to be a responsible member in the community of nations,” Hernandez said.

The People’s Daily said that among the “sins” committed by the Philippines were its “illegal occupation” of the Kalayaan Island Group, inviting foreign companies to engage in oil and gas development in the disputed waters and internationalizing the territorial conflict.

The commentary said that if Manila continues to assert its position on the issue, “a counterstrike will be hard to avoid.”

China, citing what it calls historical facts, has been laying claim to almost the entire South China Sea and West Philippine Sea. Aside from the Philippines and China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims in the potentially resource rich areas in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea.

A senior administration lawmaker, for his part, described China’s “counterstrike” threat as “saber rattling.”

“That’s all there is to it. I don’t think China would want to start a war that may have imponderable consequences,” Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, a member of the House committee on foreign affairs in the 15th Congress, said.

Aggabao said such a counterstrike would, for one thing, inevitably push Japan to rearm.

For another, the US will have a pretext to hasten its “pivot to Asia.”

“In sum, it would not be in the interest of China to strike,” he said.

Mutually beneficial

In a press briefing, DFA’s Hernandez said the Philippines would open its bases to the United States only if it would be sure of benefits. He also stressed that such an arrangement would be in accordance with the Philippine Constitution and pertinent laws.

He said discussions on the matter are ongoing, particularly on an increased rotational presence of US forces in the country.

“We continue to talk and define with the US the parameters of this rotational presence,” Hernandez said.

“Most of the activities now that we have with the US fall under the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA),” he added.

“What is important is whatever policies we are able to negotiate with the US, it should be mutually beneficial for both the Philippines and the US and that is in accordance with our laws, especially with our Constitution,” he added.

While Gazmin announced the country’s readiness to open its bases to allies, he clarified that there is no plan to build new bases just to accommodate the US and other allies, saying the Constitution prohibits it.

Gazmin said the access agreement was brought up during the Two Plus Two ministerial consultations held in Washington last year.

CARAT ends

Meanwhile, the joint Philippine-US naval exercise called Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) ends today.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman, said that this year’s joint naval exercise has equipped Filipino and US sailors with additional skills and techniques in naval warfare and in dealing with various types of sea- and land-based calamities.

“The key word here is interoperability. We learned from them and they’ve learned from us,” Zagala said.

The joint naval exercise was held barely 20 nautical miles from Panatag Shoal, a rich Filipino fishing ground only 124 nautical miles from mainland Zambales, but which is currently under the de facto control of China.

The Naval Forces Northern Luzon (Navfornol), however, barred the media from covering the actual naval maneuver and directed journalists instead to Subic to cover their land-based joint civic action activities as well as a concert.

Officials who declined to be named said the media restriction was apparently imposed so as not to intimidate China, whose vessels operate unhampered in the area.

Ensign Bernard Sabado, this year’s CARAT spokesman, said today’s closing ceremonies, as decided by both Philippine and US organizers, would be closed to media.

In Oyon Bay in Masinloc, members of a militant group yesterday held a fluvial protest against the presence of US warships taking part in the CARAT joint military exercise. With Paolo Romero, Pia Lee-Brago

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/07/02/960602/gazmin-china-threat-irresponsible

 

[Fsjal]

Looks like Philippines can't do it alone...

 

[Zero_wing]

Well you guys are threat to all nations in the region

 

[Malaya]

Palace: Philippines not a ‘troublemaker’

MALACAÑANG dismissed Tuesday the accusation of a Chinese analyst that the Philippines is a "troublemaker" in the region amid the territorial disputes of the two countries.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the government does not need to dignify all statements coming from Beijing newspapers or news analysts.

"What is clear is that the Philippines has availed of the right approach – rules based, the right process – arbitration and the right venue – Unclos arbitral tribunal," he said in a text message.

A Chinese news analyst has called the Philippines as a "troublemaker" in the region. He claimed that Manila was sabotaging China's diplomatic relations with other countries, including the United States and Japan.

He also accused Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario of "poisoning the atmosphere" in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers' meeting.

Presidential Communication Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ramon Carandang in a separate text message expressed belief that the international community does not see the Philippines as a troublemaker.

"I believe that international perception of the Philippines remains positive due to our proactive efforts to explain to the world what our perspective is on this and other issues," he said.

The Philippines has brought up its territorial row with China before the United Nations Arbitral Tribunal. (SDR/Sunnex)


****************

Philippines demonized

Meanwhile, the Philippines is being demonized as aggressor by state-controlled media in China, an official who requested anonymity said.

The official said Beijing mounted a propaganda campaign against the Philippines immediately after its forces took control of Panatag Shoal. Accounts by the state media said Manila had deployed dozens of warships including frigates in the South China Sea to expand Philippine territory and harassed Chinese fishermen.

“They have been bombarding their own people with wrong information through their controlled media outlets,” the source said.

A survey done at the height of the Panatag standoff purportedly showed that most Chinese – blinded by state propaganda – were eager to join an invasion of the Philippines, the source said.

“They do not even know where Pag-Asa Island is, yet the mere mention of Nansha Islands, the Chinese without any qualm will jump and declare that the area belongs to them,” the source said.

“Contrary to Beijing’s propaganda they have been peddling with their own people, we don’t even have a missile-firing ship and don’t have that much naval assets to confront the intruding Chinese warships in the West Philippine Sea. It’s their own gunboats which have been harassing us out there in the Spratlys,” he stressed.

At the Supreme Court, militant groups yesterday filed an urgent motion for Temporary Environmental

Protection Orders (TEPO) against the activities of US forces in the country. The motion is part of an earlier petition for Writ of Kalikasan filed in connection with the grounding of the USS Guardian at Tubbataha Reef.

Palawan Bishop Pedro Arigo led the petitioners.

“The growing rotational presence in the country of these US troops renders our marine protected areas highly vulnerable to destruction and degradation given the influx of military personnel, weaponry and naval and ground vessels,” said Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes. – With Aurea Calica, Pia Lee-Brago, Jaime Laude, Rhodina Villanueva

 

[Fsjal]

"They don't even know where Pag-Asa island is"

So do they think the Chinese are dumb.

They know where the bloody island is located. Its just that they don't recognized the name. The real name is Thitu, not this so called "Pag-Asa"

The Chinese sends UAVs everyday to monitor Philippine boats.

Anyway, the Chinese are targeting the island's impoverished airfields. A couple of YJ-62 cruise missiles and not a single plane will fly.

 

[hoangsa]

Bad new : China is too big and too strong in comparision with her neighbors, Chinese like expanding their land by all means.
Good new : China almost has no friend or ally nowaday, to be more and more isolated. Name 3 countries which like and believe in China. It is really hard.

 

[Fsjal]

Bad new : China is too big and too strong in comparision with her neighbors, Chinese like expanding their land by all means.
Good new : China almost has no friend or ally nowaday, to be more and more isolated. Name 3 countries which like and believe in China. It is really hard.

-Pakistan
-Sudan
-Myanmar

And a couple more like Bangladesh and Nepal.

Where is my medal?????

 

[Zero_wing]

Like? maybe paid hahahaha like ask the African continent us and the rest of the ASEAN your stupid mouthpiece said as accomplices