Maritime Review (May – June 2022 Issue)
(Click the cover to download the PDF version of the magazine.)
May 2022
Protecting the Protectors
In the early 2000s, the AFP created an ad hoc committee to conduct a feasibility study on the acquisition of three (3) 90-meter corvettes offered by a Canadian firm. As former skipper of a similar vessel, I was designated as the vice chair. The “project” did not materialize because the proposal lacked certain requirements. Had the government pursued it, the…
PH-US BALIKATAN in 2022
Manila, April 8, 2022—Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the U.S. military gathered today to celebrate the successful completion of Balikatan 22, the 37th iteration of the annual bilateral exercise. Over the last two weeks, nearly 9,000 exercise participants from the AFP and U.S. military trained shoulder-to-shoulder from the northern coast of Luzon to Palawan, focusing…
Bridges Opened to Public in April 2022
CEBU-CORDOVA LINK EXPRESSWAY The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) Corporation has announced that it will be open in April-2022. CCLEX is the first toll expressway in the Visayan region of the country and comes with a massive investment of at least Php30 billion pesos. CCLEX will be the third connection between Mactan Island and mainland Cebu. The 8.9-kilometer toll expressway connects…
Marine Corps Assault Boat Battalion Receives Boat Maintenance Facility at Marine Base Ternate
TERNATE, Cavite – A newly constructed maintenance bay and boat ramp for the Marine Corps Assault Boat Battalion (MCABBN) was turned-over on 10-February-2022 in a ceremony attended by BGen. Raul Jesus L. Caldez PN(M), Deputy Commandant, Philippine Marine Corps. The construction of the maintenance bays and beaching ramps was supported by the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG)-Philippines. It was…
How A Navy Should Decide to Buy Their First Diesel Electric Submarine With Air Independent Power (AIP)
INTRODUCTION This article is a research paper titled “How A Navy Should Decide To Acquire to Buy the First Diesel Electric Submarine” with confidence. If and when the government so decides to acquire the first diesel electric submarine with Air Independent Power (AIP), a NAVY should be prepared and capable to support such a decision. Some of the information are…
PN and PCG Assists Filipino Fishing Boat After Running Aground in Pag-Asa Island
Filipino Fishing Boat (FFB) Queen Lorena-1 was rescued and assisted by Philippine Navy (PN) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel deployed in Pag-asa Island on 11-March-2022. According to CAPT Jeorge G Sambilad, boat captain of the said FFB, the engine had minor derangement while making their way towards the sheltered port of Pag-asa Island. However, as they entered the said…
DENR-NCR Fetes Manila’s Estero de San Miguel as ‘Most Improved Estero’
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-National Capital Region (DENR-NCR) has recognized the Estero de San Miguel in Manila as Metro Manila’s “most improved estero” during the 2nd Gawad Taga-Ilog awarding ceremony on March 22. The Gawad Taga-Ilog recognizes the efforts of local governments in Metro Manila—barangays in particular—in keeping their waterways clean and trash-free, as well as their active…
Trash Traps, Clean-up Drives Stop 800+ Tons of Wastes from Draining into Manila Bay
More than 800 tons of trash coming from the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and Rizal were kept from finally draining to Manila Bay through the trash traps installed along the waterways and the regular cleanup activities of the river rangers on the first quarter of 2022, per report of the Manila Bay Site Coordinating and Management Office (MBSCMO)-4. About…
GemVer Fishermen Abandoned at sea by Chinese Vessel to Finally get Compensation
FB GemVer, the Filipino fishing boat sunk by Chinese vessel Yuemaobinyu 42212 on 9-June-2019 near Recto Bank within the Philippine EEZ had 22 Filipino fishermen onboard. The Yuemaobinyu 42212 is a Chinese steel-hulled fishing vessel operating from Guangdong, China. It is 44 meters (144 ft) in length with a beam of 8 meters (26 ft). The FB Gem-Ver is a…
Zonal Approach to the ‘West Philippine Sea’
The sea referred to as the ‘West Philippine Sea’ comprises different maritime zones, not all of which actually pertain to the Philippines as its territory from the perspective of international law. Given that the Philippines is a member of the international community, it is only advisable that it employ an approach consistent with international law in respect of its territory…
DA registers 5.4 M farmers and fishers in RSBSA
More than five million farmers, fishers, and farm workers have to date registered under the national Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) that serves as a major requirement, prioritizing them to receive various assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA). “As of March 8, 2022, we have registered 5,463,735 farmers, fishers, and farm workers, exceeding our target amid…
Underused Subic Airport Eyes Role as Alternate Hub to NAIA, CLARK
Continuous upgrades are being carried out at Subic Bay International Airport to develop its potentials as a gateway; The airport is eyed as an alternate hub to decongest NAIA; a logistics hub; and for aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul operation; Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority is exploring public-private partnership development of Subic Bay International Airport. Upgrades at Subic Bay International Airport…
BFAR Region 7 Disperses 50,000 Tilapia Fingerlings in Bohol
BFAR Region 7, through Fisheries Production and Support Services Division (FPSSD), has dispersed 50,000 tilapia fingerlings in the open waters of Candijay and Guindalman towns of Bohol Island on 30-March-2022. This activity was spearheaded by the division’s aquaculture section and in coordination with the Bohol Provincial Fishery Office and Local Government Units of the said towns. Over 20,000 pieces of…
Shared Maritime Border Secured!
On 28-March-2022, Malaysian Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, and yours truly, representing the Philippines, held our Ministerial Meeting on Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement (TCA). To further strengthen the security of Sulu and Sulawesi Seas, we agreed to develop the TCA beyond the current security landscape through multiagency combination, accelerate the placement of Trilateral Maritime Patrol Relations Officers in…
Modern Day Coastal Defense Operations and Its Implications for the Philippines
INTRODUCTION. Vampire! Vampire! Vampire! yelled the Fire Controlman aboard BRP Vicente Catalan (DDG-01) as the blips came into his scope. Countermeasures! as the Ship’s Weapons Officer shouted, decoys launched. Enemy Missiles destroyed. –A fictional futuristic scenario in which Philippine Navy warships may encounter in a modern high intensity conflict from a mobile land-based anti-ship missile systems. On 04-April-2022, the Shore-Based…
PCG Confirms Increasing Presence of Filipino Fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has confirmed the increasing presence of Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc, Zambales. During the intensified maritime operations from 28 February to 05 March 2022, the PCG has monitored approximately 45 Filipino fishing boats conducting fishing activities at the vicinity waters off Bajo De Masinloc. Through the ongoing “Bayanihan sa Karagatan,” personnel of BRP Capones…
PMC Activates New Shore Based Anti-ship Missile Battalion
FORT BONIFACIO, Taguig City – The Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) led by Commandant MGen Nestor C Herico PN(M) activated the new Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile (SBASM) Battalion (Provisional) on 3-April-2022. The SBASM Battalion, the first in the Philippines, will be operating an anti-ship missile system that can quickly detect, track, chase, and destroy maritime targets. “The activation of SBASM will certainly…
New Assets of the Philippine National Police
To complement police operations, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has added more marine and land mobile assets, as well as communication technology. During simple rituals at the PNP National Headquarters on 9-February-2022, PNP Chief, Police General Dionardo B Carlos, led police officials in blessing new equipment worth Php576,667,540. Ten police high-speed Tactical Watercraft with twin 250 horsepower engines are the…
Book Review: Marine Maxims Turning Leadership Principles Into Practice
The author, COL Thomas J Gordon USMC (Ret), said “Though I am presenting these maxims as leadership tactics, techniques, and procedures, I do not pretend that they will make you a good leader –Marines see through insincere ploys and hollow rhetoric.” Just reading a book on golf will not make you a good golfer, and just reading about leadership will…