U.S. Foreign Policy on the Philippines

Christening of Philippine Navy's newly acquired JUNKS!!!

BRP Gregorio del Pillar was a retired US Coast Guard Ship, built December 18, 1965.

Decommissioned, Sold and Transfered to the  Philippines

Commissioned March 7, 1959

was built in Japan as part of that country’s war reparations to the Philippines. At the initiative of President Carlos P. Garcia

The LCU Acquisition Project was part of the 2002 Revised Reprioritized Project List with an approved budget of PhP 189 million and was commissioned DEC 11, 2011

this might be something to be proud of but its designs is tool old. Looks like scraps from WWII

The refurbished chopper was a donation to the Philippine Navy by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) of the Department of Tourism (DOT).

By Jaime Laude 

(The Philippine Star) 

Updated December 11, 2011 

MANILA, Philippines - Two presidential sisters will be standing as ninangs or principal sponsors in next week’s christening of four floating and air assets of the Philippine Navy, a senior Navy official said yesterday.

Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay said that aside from President Aquino who is the official guest at the christening of the four Navy assets slated on Wednesday next week at Pier 13 in South Harbor, his sisters Maria Elena “Ballsy” Aquino-Cruz and Victoria Elisa “Viel” Aquino-Dee will stand as principal sponsors of the newly-acquired BRP Gregorio del Pilar, BRP Tagbanua, BRP Ang Pangulo and the newly-refurbished helicopter PNH-422.

As principal sponsors, the presidential sisters will be leading other guests in the traditional breaking of a champagne bottle on the three warships and on the newly refurbished helicopter.

BRP Gregorio del Pilar is a high endurance cutter that was still in the active service of the US Coast Guard when it was transferred to the Philippine government.

Following the vessel’s arrival in the country on Aug. 23, the warship underwent dry-docking for refitting and repainting to the standard Navy haze grey.

With its scheduled deployment to the West Philippine Sea, the high endurance cutter will have a primary role of securing the Malampaya gas-to-power project as well as protecting and defending the country’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone in the hotly-contested region.

Categorized as a patrol frigate, BRP Gregorio del Pilar is christened after the country’s revolutionary war hero, Gen. Gregorio del Pilar, the hero of the Battle of Tirad Pass.

On the other hand, BRP Tagbanua, the first locally-built Navy Landing Craft Utility (LCU), is configured to transport combat personnel, tanks, vehicles, artillery equipment and cargo in support of military amphibious operations.

As a transport vessel, Tagbanua, christened after Philippine ethnic Tagbanua tribes of Palawan, can also perform non-combat seaborne operations, particularly during disaster, rescue and relief operations as well as support government economic projects in the country’s island provinces.

Next week’s christening event will also boost the Navy’s limited air defense capability with the commissioning of the newly refurbished BO105C-Type German Messerschmitt Bolkow helicopter.

The refurbished chopper was a donation to the Philippine Navy by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) of the Department of Tourism (DOT).

“This type of helicopter is the standard helicopter in the Philippine Fleet’s inventory,” Tonsay said.

Tonsay added that after the christening, the presidential yacht BRP Ang Pangulo would be ready to serve as President Aquino’s “floating Malacañang.”

Named Republic of the Philippines (RPS) Roxas during time of the late President Diosdado Macapagal, the presidential vessel was renamed BRP Ang Pangulo by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

During the term of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the presidential yacht was again renamed BRP Pag-Asa with a primary role as a disaster relief and rehabilitation craft.

Tonsay said the vessel, which will reassume its old name BRP Ang Pangulo, underwent essential refurbishing to ensure seaworthiness and operational readiness, to serve as a floating government center or while serving as an advance command post of the President and Commander-in-Chief, in times of man-made and natural calamities anywhere in the country, being an archipelagic and maritime nation.

President Aquino, on the other hand, revealed plans to seek more assistance from the US to upgrade the country’s military capabilities to further improve the condition of the troops and policemen.

Aquino said that when he went to Bali, Indonesia to attend the ASEAN summit, he saw three F16s, a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed for the US, at the airport.

He learned that Indonesia was also given two squadron, a naval unit consisting of two or more divisions of a fleet, by “American friends.”

The President quipped the assistance seemed lopsided in favor of Indonesia since “we were given one ship” by the US.

“So I suppose, (US) President Barack Obama and I will meet next year, maybe April, I will remind him that we have a strategic partnership and maybe they will remember we don’t have anymore fighter (jets) here,” Aquino said in an impromptu speech during the Philippine Air Force Invitational Shoot Fest and firing range blessing at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City. – With Aurea Calica

How to donate your PHP 5.00 to Sendong Victims

There are 25 million Filipinos on Facebook. If each one donates 5 pesos to Red Cross we could raise 125 million for Sendong victims.

Here's how (from the Philippine Red Cross website):
SMS
Text RED<space>AMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4143 (Smart)
... G-Cash
Text DONATE<space>AMOUNT<space>4-digit M-PIN<space>REDCROSS to 2882

You can donate the following denominations:
Globe: 5, 25, 100, 300, 500 or 1000
Smart: 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 or  1000

From:

Philippine Red Cross | Donate

 

www.redcross.org.ph

 

Chinese stealth breakthrough?

SHAME ON YOU KRIS AQUINO AND ABS-CBN - Please share and repost this guys!

SHAME ON YOU KRIS AQUINO AND ABS-CBN - Please share and repost this guys!

(They made the victims and volunteers wait for the relief goods because the place isn't viable for a photo opp.)

RE-POST: Actual report by Volunteer =Tess: last dec. 19 @ 2pm more or less my son with other abs cbn volunteers reported for duty.. when the truck abs cbn streamer was full of relief goods already, the team was instructed to proceed to Balulang evac. center to download and be ready for distribution the goods in the truck. while on their way to balulang, a call from the base instructed them to stop and wait for kris aquino and party. so the team waited for for these people. @ 6pm, a call from the base advised them to proceed instead to Brgy. Consolacion since Kris and party was there already. Imagine 3 hrs naghulat mga volunteers only to be instructed to go to Consolacion instead. Nag yawyaw na volunteers ngano ing ana pamaagi and my son even said in a loud manner " kang Kris ba diay ning mga relief goods? but the wala choice man but to heed to the instructions given...unsay pagtuo nila sa mga volunteers mga robot nga bahalag abtan midnight hulat2x ok lang di na kailangan foods to sustain them from doing the tasks? again, the team proceeded to Consolacion. sobra kaayo jud ka heavy ang traffic so hinay jud ang dagan sa truck....dawbe kay ang mga tao didto gutom na jud kaayo kay halos man pangbirahon na ang mga sinako relief goods but no instructions given yet if i distribute ang goods. ila na lang gi explainan volunteers ra sila and have to wait for further instructions..ga singgit na sila" unsa man na bay inyo ra na paibog. para unsa ra man na nga gidala dala dili ihatag?"gutom na daw sila kaayo. kinsa sad kaha wala nagutom sa nahitabo. hadlok na kaayo ang volunteers basin musaka na ang mga tao then sakwaton mga sinako nga goods.wala sad sila gipakuyugan ug volunteer-soldier or police for security reasons unta.. after a while, there came vans in convoy. Kris and party naman diay muagi with arrogant PSG men shouting "tabi kayo..saan ba mga pulis dito. sus nakurat tawon ang team nga mulakaway naman diay kris and party why pa man paadto pa sila didto? minutes after, a call from the base instructed them to leave Consolacion and head for Balulang again. OMG, ang relief goods gipalaway lang jud diay...upon reaching Balulang around 9pm more or less gisunodsunud jud tawon ang truck sa mga victims..wala lang gihapon instruction if i download na relief goods sa evac center. gihikap na pud sa mga evacuees ang sako2xng goods..they are shouting na nga manghatag na kay gutom na kaayo. wa man jud sila instruction as in pa lamo2x na lang sila di mamansin. kay nakita man lagi nila ang atreamer abs cbn relief ops. ug wala man sila balebaleha..nisinggit sila "aha naman inyong presidente?" Among Binay gkan na dinhi...nadawat nasad dayon sila call from the base instructing them to go back to base..grabe ila kauoy sa mga tao nga grabe pa trauma gidaladala then wla pa tagda ila pangamuyo tagaan sila. wal choice ang team but to go back to base but ni sekreto sila open sako then secretly hand in goods sa malabyan nila pero ila sad sinyasan "psst ayaw saba sa uban". hadlok man sila basin kalit mangdasuk mga tao..maapsan baya sila kay traffic pud hinay dagan sa truck.. mao na ila ordeal murag mas na trauma sila sa mga actuations sa network kay kita nila mismo ang mga situations sa mga areas affected nga ila naadtuan unya nag location-hopping lang man diay sila. ako na siya pa stop volunteer sa network and instead get involved thru NGO's or schools or any parish.

Typhoon sendong in Iligan City