US to send 2nd Hamilton Ship but uncommitted on the F16's for the PAF

The United States will soon give a second Coast Guard cutter to the Philippines as part of efforts to boost the ally's military amid tensions at sea with China, officials said Tuesday.
The United States last year transferred its Hamilton cutter to the Philippines, which made it the flagship of its notoriously dilapidated navy and recently sent it on a mission to the disputed Spratly islands.
Lawmakers will this week conclude formalities to send to the former US colony another cutter, the Dallas, Representative Ed Royce and senior Pentagon official Peter Lavoy told a congressional hearing.
"It should soon be on its way to Manila," said Royce, a Republican from southern California whose district has a significant Filipino American community.
"The US and the Philippines want peace and stability in this region, which is key to the global economy," Royce said as he chaired the hearing of a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee.
The Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries have accused China of bellicose behavior over disputes in the South China Sea. Despite historical sensitivities about US troops, the Philippines has said it would welcome further rotations by US forces on its soil and more joint exercises.
Lavoy, the top civilian at the Pentagon handling East Asia, said that the United States was "considering a range of military capabilities" as it helps the Philippines move from "an inward focus on domestic threats to an outwardly focused military that needs to be reorganized to address external concerns."

But Lavoy was noncommittal when asked whether the United States would be willing to provide F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, saying it was critical to look at affordability and other factors.
Kurt Campbell, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said that cooperation also depended on human rights. Congress has blocked $3 million due to concerns over extrajudicial killings by the Philippine military.
"Although the pace of killings has declined, trying and convicting perpetrators remains an ongoing challenge," Campbell told the hearing.
But Campbell praised Philippine President Benigno Aquino for addressing human rights and other US concerns, including human trafficking.

New naval warship completes first patrol mission off Spratlys islands

By Redempto D. Anda
Inquirer Southern Luzon

5:23 pm | Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

 

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines—The country’s newest naval warship, which made a port of call here at the Palawan capital on Monday following its first patrol mission around the areas being claimed by the Philippines in the disputed Spratly islands, in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), held a one-day “open house” on Tuesday.
Local residents were encouraged to have a closer view of the Hamilton-class cutter docked at the Naval facility beside the commercial port area during the open house.
Commissioned into the Philippine naval service in December following its acquisition from the United States, the naval war ship boasted of long range patrolling capability and surveillance facilities otherwise unavailable to other Philippine naval vessels and is regarded by defense authorities as a milestone in upgrading the country’s military capability in the tension-filled Spratlys region.
Naval Forces West commanding officer Joseph Rostum Peña announced in a press conference Monday at the BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF 15) the war ship’s completion of “a successful 12-day sovereignty patrol” of what Manila had called the West Philippine Sea.
The patrol also included the Camago-Malampaya gas field, which hosted the country’s lone natural gas extraction facility, and the Balabac Strait adjacent to the Malaysian maritime border, said Peña.
“This ship was more capable and had more endurance than any of our other naval ships,” he said.
Peña added that the Navy has been working to further upgrade the ship’s defensive capabilities with the installation, “hopefully soon,” of its own missile system.
He added, however, that the country’s naval capability in the Spratlys still paled in comparison with China and some of the other claimant countries in the region.
“Compared to other navies, our weapons system is not yet at par. In the next acquisition, we expected sister ships for PF 15 that would have some of the more advanced weapons and missile systems,” he said.
The naval officers described the ship’s main capability in monitoring all naval activities around the area, where it operated, mainly through the use of a computer-based identification system.
Capt. Alberto Cruz, the vessel’s commanding officer, said they did not encounter any incident of unauthorized foreign intrusion in the Philippine-claimed areas during their patrol mission.
“So far, we did not monitor any intrusion, except for the usual merchant ships that plied the area,” said Cruz.
Peña admitted, however, that they were careful to keep a distance from other islets being claimed by China and other nations in the disputed area.
“We distanced ourselves from the other occupied islands. The other countries did the same. The South China Sea was a vital sea lane where you could find so many commercial ships, including our Filipino fishermen,” he said.
“We didn’t go very near (the other islands not claimed by the Philippines) so as not to provoke other countries,” he added.

This earthquake has been predicted already - watch this video

FYI Earthquake Location: 9.964°N, 123.246°E

Just a few hours away from Dumaguete

FEB 06 Earthquake all around the Globe

Latest Earthquakes Today + Latest Earthquake News Worldwide

Below are the latest earthquakes today and earthquake news from around the world updated in real-time by RSS feeds, latest news is lower down the page below the latest quakes!
USGS M 2.5+ Earthquakes

M 6.8, Negros – Cebu region, Philippines

Monday, February 6, 2012 03:49:16 UTC
Monday, February 6, 2012 11:49:16 AM at epicenter
Depth: 46.60 km (28.96 mi)
Posted on 6 February 2012 | 3:49 am

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M 3.1, northern Alaska

Monday, February 6, 2012 02:55:26 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 05:55:26 PM at epicenter
Depth: 7.20 km (4.47 mi)
Posted on 6 February 2012 | 2:55 am

M 4.4, Halmahera, Indonesia

Monday, February 6, 2012 02:14:26 UTC
Monday, February 6, 2012 11:14:26 AM at epicenter
Depth: 114.50 km (71.15 mi)
Posted on 6 February 2012 | 2:14 am

M 5.1, Fiji region

Sunday, February 5, 2012 23:50:41 UTC
Monday, February 6, 2012 11:50:41 AM at epicenter
Depth: 521.00 km (323.73 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 11:50 pm

M 4.7, near the east coast of Honshu, Japan

Sunday, February 5, 2012 22:05:45 UTC
Monday, February 6, 2012 07:05:45 AM at epicenter
Depth: 9.90 km (6.15 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 10:05 pm

M 2.8, Puerto Rico region

Sunday, February 5, 2012 21:52:36 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 05:52:36 PM at epicenter
Depth: 6.40 km (3.98 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 9:52 pm

M 4.7, southern Peru

Sunday, February 5, 2012 20:58:46 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 03:58:46 PM at epicenter
Depth: 189.00 km (117.44 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 8:58 pm

M 2.5, Southern Alaska

Sunday, February 5, 2012 19:27:42 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 10:27:42 AM at epicenter
Depth: 65.80 km (40.89 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 7:27 pm

M 2.5, Oregon

Sunday, February 5, 2012 17:27:52 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 09:27:52 AM at epicenter
Depth: 16.90 km (10.50 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 5:27 pm

M 4.8, Michoacan, Mexico

Sunday, February 5, 2012 17:01:12 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 11:01:12 AM at epicenter
Depth: 82.90 km (51.51 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 5:01 pm

M 5.2, Mindanao, Philippines

Sunday, February 5, 2012 16:46:43 UTC
Monday, February 6, 2012 12:46:43 AM at epicenter
Depth: 490.20 km (304.60 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 4:46 pm

M 4.3, offshore Chiapas, Mexico

Sunday, February 5, 2012 16:45:12 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 10:45:12 AM at epicenter
Depth: 42.70 km (26.53 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 4:45 pm

M 6.0, Vanuatu

Sunday, February 5, 2012 16:40:39 UTC
Monday, February 6, 2012 03:40:39 AM at epicenter
Depth: 10.30 km (6.40 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 4:40 pm

M 4.5, Taiwan region

Sunday, February 5, 2012 16:25:10 UTC
Monday, February 6, 2012 12:25:10 AM at epicenter
Depth: 6.40 km (3.98 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 4:25 pm

M 4.4, Java, Indonesia

Sunday, February 5, 2012 15:52:02 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 10:52:02 PM at epicenter
Depth: 76.80 km (47.72 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 3:52 pm

M 4.8, southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia

Sunday, February 5, 2012 15:05:54 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 10:05:54 PM at epicenter
Depth: 6.20 km (3.85 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 3:05 pm

M 3.0, Dominican Republic region

Sunday, February 5, 2012 15:04:19 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 11:04:19 AM at epicenter
Depth: 10.80 km (6.71 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 3:04 pm

M 4.7, Kepulauan Talaud, Indonesia

Sunday, February 5, 2012 14:44:48 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 10:44:48 PM at epicenter
Depth: 94.00 km (58.41 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 2:44 pm

M 4.8, offshore El Salvador

Sunday, February 5, 2012 14:19:39 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 08:19:39 AM at epicenter
Depth: 92.60 km (57.54 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 2:19 pm

M 4.6, near the east coast of Honshu, Japan

Sunday, February 5, 2012 14:16:58 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 11:16:58 PM at epicenter
Depth: 52.20 km (32.44 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 2:16 pm

M 4.8, offshore Chiapas, Mexico

Sunday, February 5, 2012 13:18:59 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 07:18:59 AM at epicenter
Depth: 78.00 km (48.47 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 1:18 pm

M 4.7, Mariana Islands region

Sunday, February 5, 2012 13:02:24 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 11:02:24 PM at epicenter
Depth: 131.20 km (81.52 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 1:02 pm

M 4.6, Fiji region

Sunday, February 5, 2012 12:15:58 UTC
Monday, February 6, 2012 12:15:58 AM at epicenter
Depth: 596.70 km (370.77 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 12:15 pm

M 5.2, Kyrgyzstan

Sunday, February 5, 2012 07:10:18 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 01:10:18 PM at epicenter
Depth: 20.90 km (12.99 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 7:10 am

M 5.0, southern Iran

Sunday, February 5, 2012 06:10:39 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 09:40:39 AM at epicenter
Depth: 10.10 km (6.28 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 6:10 am

M 4.5, off the west coast of northern Sumatra

Sunday, February 5, 2012 05:10:40 UTC
Sunday, February 5, 2012 11:10:40 AM at epicenter
Depth: 29.30 km (18.21 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 5:10 am

M 3.1, Kodiak Island region, Alaska

Sunday, February 5, 2012 04:34:07 UTC
Saturday, February 4, 2012 07:34:07 PM at epicenter
Depth: 48.40 km (30.07 mi)
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 4:34 am
Earthquake – Google News


Source:http://newsblogged.com/

Magnitude 6.8 - NEGROS - CEBU REGION, PHILIPPINES

2012 February 06 03:49:16 UTC

Earthquake Details

• This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude	6.8
Date-Time	Monday, February 06, 2012 at 03:49:16 UTC Monday, February 06, 2012 at 11:49:16 AM at epicenter
Location	9.964°N, 123.246°E
Depth	46.6 km (29.0 miles)
Region	NEGROS - CEBU REGION, PHILIPPINES
Distances	70 km (44 miles) N (355°) from Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines 79 km (49 miles) WNW (298°) from Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines 80 km (50 miles) SSE (158°) from Bacolod, Negros, Philippines 574 km (356 miles) SSE (154°) from MANILA, Philippines
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 13.5 km (8.4 miles); depth +/- 11.5 km (7.1 miles)
Parameters	NST= 72, Nph= 75, Dmin=744.7 km, Rmss=1.03 sec, Gp= 47°, M-type=regional moment magnitude (Mw), Version=8
Source	Magnitude: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D) Location: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID	usb0007wgq

Finally 2 more additional Cutter class frigates are confirmed for the Philippine Navy

January 30, 2012: The U.S. has agreed to transfer two more decommissioned Coast Guard ships to the Philippines. The United States had already "sold" one of these Hamilton class Coast Guard cutters to the Philippines. The Hamiltons are 3,200 ton ocean going patrol ships. The first one delivered to the Philippines will be the flagship of the Philippine Navy, replacing a World War II era destroyer escort.

Built in the late 1960s, the Hamiltons have been well maintained but worked hard since they entered service over four decades ago. The Hamiltons are armed with a 76mm gun, two 25mm autocannon, and two Phalanx 20mm anti-missile gun systems. The ship has a top speed of 52 kilometers an hour, endurance of 45 days, and a crew of 167. The Philippines is paying an undisclosed sum for the ships but this will mostly cover the cost of some refurbishment and upgrades that will be done in the United States before the ships are delivered.

For most of the last decade the Philippines military has been energetically seeking hand-outs and second-hand weapons. One of the poorest nations in the region (largely because of corruption), the armed forces have not had the money to replace aging equipment. While American training efforts have improved the combat effectiveness of army units, especially special operations and infantry units, there has been much less help for the air force and navy. To help out, the U.S. has provided dozens of cheap, or free, second-hand helicopters and aircraft. The navy has received second hand patrol ships from South Korea and the United States.