The first time I came across the term “dangerous ground” was during my sea phase training in September 1976 on board BRP Rizal, a fleet minesweeper, when the ship conducted resupply of the marines deployed in Spratlys. The nautical charts then were blueprint copies but one could not miss the words “dangerous ground” printed in the charts in bold letters….
National Security Policy 2017-2022 is a declaration of the government’s commitment to continuously develop a national security system that is rules-based, able to effectively respond not only to security threats but also to opportunities beneficial to the national interest. Enhancing the process, scope, and organizational cohesiveness of the national security system is imperative for the Government, with the support of…
CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City–The Armed Forces of the Philippines through the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) and the United States Marine Corps (USMC) Forces Pacific opened the Marine Aviation Support Activity 2022 (MASA 22) on 6-June-2022 at the PMC headquarters in Taguig City. Activities commenced on 6-June-2022 in the province of Palawan which includes combined joint forward arming and refueling demonstration,…
Naval Station Jose Andrada, Manila. Philippine Navy frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FF151) docked at U2 Pier on June 12 in time for the commemoration of the 124th Philippine Independence Day. Members of the Naval Task Group 80.5 proudly saluted the National Flag as it was raised while BRP Antonio Luna (FF151) was docked at Naval Base Guam. To also mark…
The Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao welcomes the Philippine Navy’s Littoral Combat Force’s 4th Boat Attack Division comprised of three Mk3 class Multi-Purpose Assault Craft (MPAC) at Naval Station Felix Apolinario, Panacan, Davao City. These attack boats increase the capabilities of the Philippine Naval Forces in Eastern Mindanao and boost the maritime security in the area These assets are part of…
Maritime Police in Tawi-tawi nabbed a 50-year old male for possession of alleged smuggled gasoline in the seawaters of Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi on 21-June-2022. Operatives of Tawi-Tawi Maritime Police Station led by PLT ROBERT D SAMSON, Officer-in-Charge together with Tawi-Tawi PIT, RIU 9 and Coast Guard Central Station, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi onboard HSTW No.17, conducted an intel driven seaborne patrol operation regarding…
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant, CG Admiral Artemio M Abu participated in the 7th Contact Group on Sulu and Celebes Seas (CGSCS) in Makati City on 28-June-2022. The Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) initiates CGSCS every two years. It brought together PCG Commandant, CG Admiral Abu; Indonesian Maritime Agency…
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) successfully installed five 30-FOOT-LONG NAVIGATIONAL BUOYS CARRYING THE PHILIPPINE FLAG in four critical islands in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) – Lawak Island, Likas Island, Parola Island, and Pag-asa Island. On 18-May-2022, PCG Commandant, CG Admiral Artemio M Abu led the arrival ceremony for the five Coast Guard vessels that laid out the SYMBOLS OF…
Admittance alone into the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland is already an achievement in and of itself. The USNA admission is the most selective with an acceptance rate of 9%. Half of the midshipmen have an SAT score somewhere between 1230-1450. A quarter of midshipmen admitted score even higher. To enter, first, you would need to be a…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
In August 2017, Chinese coast guard and navy ships were seen close by Sandy Cay, a sandbar neighboring Philippine-occupied Thitu (Pag-asa) Island in the South China Sea (SCS). Then Senior Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, Antonio Carpio, warned that Sandy Cay was “being seized (to put it mildly), or being invaded (to put it frankly) by China.” President…
05-March-2022. Joint law enforcement operatives have destroyed 1,837,200 fully-grown Marijuana plants, 30,000 grams of dried fruiting tops, 6,000 grams of Marijuana seeds, 70,000 grams of powdered Marijuana, and 492,666 grams of dried Marijuana leaves and stalks with a total estimated market value of PHP 375 Million during their 10-Day Air and Land Interoperability Operations Against Illegal Drugs in the province…
In the event tensions escalate to a conflict between China and Taiwan, will the Philippine be involved? This may be one of the risk scenarios in 2022.* China’s President Xi Jinping blamed the U.S. for the tensions between the two world economic and military powers on “Repeated attempts by Taiwan authorities for U.S. support in their independence agenda as well…
Over the past few decades many nations in Southeast Asia, including the ASEAN, have increased their defense budgets to procure and upgrade weapons systems. Some accounts indicate that the increase in the regional defense spending is two to three times the world average. Interestingly most of the weapons acquisitions are for their air and naval forces that are incredibly more…
The Philippine Navy’s Naval Forces Central (NAVFORCEN) and the Philippine Naval Reserve Centers of Eastern Visayas (NRCEV), as well as Western Visayas (NRCWV), conducted the unilateral exercise with reservists on August 16-20, 2021. The activity is dubbed Exercise Pagsasama 2021, carrying the theme “Strengthening Integration, Cooperation and Interoperability of the Philippine Navy Reserve Force to the Regular Force.” The exercise…
Before Congress abrogated the 1947 RP-US Military Bases Agreement (MBA) the maintenance of most of the country’s defense equipment depended on the American logistics system. Some combatant ships and aircrafts were sent overseas for depot maintenance. Most spares came in handy with a robust supply system. In the 1960s the nation’s air force, with its Blue Diamond unit, and navy,…
Chinese leader Xi Jinping promised his people that by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the People’s Republic, “China would become a global leader in terms of composite national strength and international influence and would build a stable international order in which China’s national rejuvenation would be fully achieved.” This statement alone is already pregnant with meaning. This article will attempt…
A Chinese fishing vessel appears in a sensitive location —near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, a South China Sea reef, or just offshore from a U.S. military base. Is it an “ordinary” fishing boat, or is it maritime militia? This straightforward question seldom yields straightforward answers. China does not publish a roster of maritime militia boats. That…
A total of ten (10) individuals surrendered to government authorities in Seit Lake, Poblacion l, Panamao Sulu on 23-April-2021. According to reports, of the ten (10) individuals, four (4) were identified to be regular members of the terrorist group under ASG sub-leader SABSIBAR BENCIO, and the others were ASG supporters, who are identified as: Marisa Marajan 35 years old, wife…