National Affairs

Defense, Maritime History, National Affairs 29-Mar-2022

Engaging the Enemy at the Littorals: A History of Coastal Defense in the Philippines from the Pre-Spanish period to the Second World War (Part 2)

The American Era: Coastal Defense Fortifications Take Shape The importance of Corregidor Island in the military complex dates back as far as the beginning of the Spanish Colonial period during the 1500’s, as Spanish Galleons used to anchor at the Island or on other nearby islands. Apart from being a naval anchorage, it was an outpost to alert Manila and…

Events, National Affairs 29-Mar-2022

Preparation for the Proposed New Naval Forward Operating Base Facing the Pacific

01-March-2022, Bagamanoc, Catanduanes – CAPTAIN SALVADOR G LAVAPIE JR PN(GSC), Chairman, Technical Working Group (TWG) Forward Operating Base (FOB) Catanduanes and Commander, Naval Task Force – 31 (NTF-31), paid a courtesy call to Catanduanes Governor, Hon. Joseph Chua Cua on 01 March 2022. The courtesy call is in connection with the proposed construction of a Forward Operating Base (FOB) for…

Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, National Affairs 29-Mar-2022

Relief and Recovery Operations by BFAR-8

Thirty (30) fisherfolks from Barangays Asuncion, Combado and Pasay of Maasin City, Southern Leyte whose fishing boats have been totally damaged by Typhoon Odette on December 16, 2021 have been awarded with 15 units of 20-footer fiberglass boats with engines and accessories by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on 22-January-2022. The said fishing boats with an estimate…

Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, National Affairs 29-Mar-2022

Relief and Recovery Operations by DA-BFAR

The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) continues to expand its relief and recovery drive in coastal communities affected by Super Typhoon Odette. DA-BFAR’s multi-mission vessels have been deployed to fast-track the recovery of Odette-stricken coastal areas. More than Php6 million worth of relief goods and food packs including frozen fish, rice, sardines, clothes, and hygiene…

Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, National Affairs 29-Mar-2022

Naval Forces West Assists in Distribution of Galvanized Iron Sheets to Palawan

Navy’s operating forces in Palawan distributed hundreds of galvanized iron sheets to aid in rehabilitation of Typhoon Odette-affected areas. The Naval Forces West (NFW) together with Civil Military Operations Unit – West (CMOU-W), Naval Installation and Facilities-West (NIF-W), and Joint Task Force I-CARE, facilitated and assisted Lara’s Ark Foundation in the distribution of 580 pieces and 170 pieces of galvanized…

Maritime Security, National Affairs 29-Mar-2022

Joint Law Enforcement Operatives Destroy Php 375 million Worth of Marijuana in Kalinga

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…

Marine Environment, Maritime Law, National Affairs 25-Jan-2022

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE for CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION in the Indo-Pacific/Indochina-Pacific Maritime Region

Phase 1 (4 years) – A Pacific Ocean marine corridor in central Philippines         Background. Phase 1 of the Programme spotlights a Pacific Ocean corridor in central Philippines serves as the initial focus for the wider Indo-Pacific/Indochina-Pacific 3/ maritime region that is critical to global health and security. This large sea area as designated is comprised of interconnected enclosed-semi-enclosed seas…

Maritime Security, National Affairs 25-Jan-2022

Taiwan and the Philippines

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…

Defense, Maritime History, National Affairs 25-Jan-2022

ENGAGING THE ENEMY AT THE LITTORALS: A HISTORY OF COASTAL DEFENSE IN THE PHILIPPINES from the Pre-Spanish period to the Second World War.

“ Coast Defense, in its broadest sense, includes all measures taken to provide protection against any form of attack at or near the shore line as well as within the combat zone immediately in rear thereof. ” -US FM 31-10 Basic Field Manual of Coast Defense INTRODUCTION In October 2019, the Philippine Army activated the Artillery Regiment’s 1st Land-Based Missile…

Chairman's Page, Defense, Maritime Safety, Maritime Security, National Affairs 26-Nov-2021

TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY

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…

Defense, Events, National Affairs, Profiles 26-Nov-2021

Commandant-Philippine Coast Guard – VADM Leopoldo V Laroya

Born in Quezon City, Commandant Vice Admiral Leopoldo V. Laroya PCG began his military career in 1983 when he entered the Philippine Military Academy. Through hard work and discipline, he earned his degree in Bachelor of Science and graduated in the upper percentile of “Maringal” class (number 12 out of 135) in 1988. His competencies enabled him to expand his…

Defense, National Affairs 26-Nov-2021

Philippines to Ignore New China Maritime Law Within West Philippine Sea

Manila, Philippines. The new Chinese law requires vessels passing through the South China Sea to provide information, including positions of their vessels, to Chinese authorities. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Philippines did not recognize the new Chinese maritime law, which mandated foreign vessels in the South China Sea to “report their detailed information” to China. “Our stand on that…

Defense, Events, National Affairs 26-Nov-2021

Bilateral Meeting between SND and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin

Philippine Secretary of Defense Delfin N. Lorenzana visited the United States of America to meet with US senior officials, in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). Following their bilateral meeting in Manila last 30-July-2021, Secretary Lorenzana met with his counterpart, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on 10-September-2021 in Washington DC where…

National Affairs, Sustainable Fishery 26-Nov-2021

PH and ROK Hold First Joint Fisheries Committee Meeting

The Philippines and the Republic of Korea conducted the first joint fisheries committee meeting online on 1-October-2021 to pursue an active partnership between the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) in the field of fisheries and seafood trade. Chaired and co-chaired by MOF-International Cooperation Bureau Director General Dong-sik Woo and DA Undersecretary…

National Affairs, Sustainable Fishery 3-Sep-2021

Some Issues on Food Security

Food security, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is “ensuring that all people at all times have both physical and economic access to the basic food that they need.” The UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) further qualifies food security to mean “people having at all times physical, social, economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious…

National Affairs 3-Sep-2021

Revisiting the Need for a Legally Binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea: Chasing a Moving Target

Legal bindingness is one of the most contentious points in the consultations between ASEAN countries and China on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). Legal bindingness will differentiate the COC from the nonbinding 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC); after all, a legally binding agreement was the original vision…

Domestic Shipping, Marine Transportation, National Affairs, Ports and Harbors 3-Sep-2021

Update on Department of Transportation Projects

In between an important, symbolic landing at the runway of the Bicol International Airport in Daraga, Albay, and its inspection, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade was able to participate virtually in the Megaworld International Philippine Property Expo 2021 today, 30-July-2021, to give a bird’s eye view of the revolutionary transport infrastructure programs, projects, and initiatives rolling out in…

Defense, Maritime Security, National Affairs 29-Jul-2021

The Culture of Maintenance

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,…

Maritime Security, National Affairs 29-Jul-2021

CHINA: Understanding Its Strengths and Weaknesses

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…

Defense, Maritime Security, National Affairs 29-Jul-2021

No Ordinary Boats: Cracking the Code on China’s Spratly Maritime Militias

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…

Events, Maritime Security, National Affairs 29-Jul-2021

MARINES Facilitate the Surrender of 10 ASG Members and Supporters in Sulu

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…

Coast Guard, Defense, National Affairs 29-Jul-2021

Preparing for the Worst

The worrisome situation that continues to intensify across the Indo-Pacific theater – India-China border, Taiwan Straits, East China Sea, South China Sea – is subverting diplomatic efforts to restore peace and order, and escalating the prospects of an armed conflict due to clashing core interests of the great powers between China and the US. While our interdependent foreign policy seeks…

Chairman's Page, National Affairs 23-Mar-2021

Some Notes on the Inter-Organizational Coordination

Early this year, a joint team of the Bureau of Customs (BUCUS) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) apprehended a Chinese dredger “MV Zhonhai 68” for illegal and unauthorized presence in Philippine waters. Carrying a Sierra Leone flag and operated by Malaysian-registered HK Weifeng Hangyu Co. Ltd., the vessel was cleared by Cagayan Province authorities to leave the country more…