US: We'll stand by PHL
By Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star) Updated May 18, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (183) View comments
MANILA, Philippines -
The United States is ready to stand by the Philippines in the event of threats to its security, US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. said Monday.
“This is a commitment born of our shared histories and close ties, and we are proud to stand by your side,” Thomas said at a reception on board the aircraft carrier
USS Carl Vinson, which docked in Manila Bay after a mission in the Arabian Sea.
“Now and in the future, we will maintain our strong relationship, and we are dedicated to being your partner whenever you are in harm’s way,” he said.
But he stressed that US defense of the Philippines does not include setting up a base.
“We don’t want bases,” he told The STAR the other night, adding he did not discuss this with President Aquino when the latter visited the aircraft carrier. “We want partners, not clients.”
Thomas also announced the turnover to the Philippines of the
US Coast Guard cutter Hamilton in California.
“To that end, may bagong barko ang Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas. We are exceedingly proud that the
ex-US Coast Guard cutter Hamilton – now named the
Barko ng Pilipinas Gregorio del Pilar – was transferred to the Philippine Navy on May 13th. This is yet another example of the United States’ commitment to partnering with the Philippines,” he said.
The turnover of the vessel to the Philippines was part of the US Foreign Military Sales program. Funding for the acquisition of the vessel came from the Department of Energy. The cost of the acquisition was not stated.
But militants said yesterday that Carl Vinson was “a symbol of US aggression and disregard for the sovereignty of other countries.”
The militants, led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and the International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS), picketed outside the US embassy on Roxas Boulevard to protest the four-day port call of the US carrier. The ship lifts anchor today.
“The
USS Carl Vinson, now more renowned as the death ship of Osama bin Laden,
has docked in Philippine waters to further project US military might in the region,” said Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes.
“Its presence in Philippine waters is a reminder of the unequal relations that have persisted between the Philippines and the US, long after the US bases were booted out,” he said.
“President Aquino has been so awestruck by US military might that he even went on a tour of the nuclear-powered Carl Vinson. A few months earlier, he joined US troops in target practice during the Balikatan war games,” he pointed out. “Given these actions by the President, we wonder how the so-called review of the Visiting Forces Agreement will end up. National sovereignty doesn’t seem to rank high in the administration’s priorities,” he said.
It was from the deck of the carrier that the world’s No.1 terrorist Osama bin Laden was buried at sea shortly after his death at the hands of US Navy SEALs in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The group also noted that the civil-military operations by Carl Vinson crewmembers and personnel from the Philippine Navy were merely for publicity aimed at drumming up support for bigger US presence in the country. The civil-military activities were held at the Ana Health Center in Dagat-Dagatan and in Caloocan City.
The activities, according to Bayan, are also part of the new Philippine counter-insurgency program called Oplan Bayanihan.
“Even without formal US bases, the US military gets to use Philippine facilities for its warships and personnel. The entire country can be accessed by US warships and troops under the patently one-sided Visiting Forces Agreement,” said Rita Baua of the
ILPS-Philippines.
“US troops are also permanently stationed in Zamboanga in Southern Philippines, even without any basing treaty, and in clear violation of our national sovereignty and Constitution,” she said.
“This is part of an elaborate regional network of US bases and facilities designed to protect and project US interests,” she added.
Reyes said the Aquino administration should reveal the results of its review of the VFA.
“With US troops continuously and permanently present in our country, it is time Malacañang release the results of the VFA review,” Reyes said. “The issue of the VFA must be resolved. It is high time this agreement is terminated, as proposed by various groups, lawyers and lawmakers.”
New vessel
Meanwhile, Navy chief Vice Admiral Alexander Pama said DOE’s financing the acquisition of the coast guard cutter showed the wisdom of tapping non-traditional sources of funds to help the Navy bankroll its “2020 sail vision.”
“As part of our continuing efforts to generate resources outside of the General Appropriations Act, the PPPO (public-private partnership office) is directed to explore all possibilities and opportunities relating to generation of non-traditional sources of funds to finance the PN capability enhancement programs and projects,” Pama told his commanders.
“The present government of President Aquino, through the DOE, has given significant financial contributions to the Navy, which in effect, pump-primed our capability buildup and upgrade,” Pama said, adding that the new vessel is due to arrive in August.
Pama also required all his commanders to report monthly all non-traditional funds generated by their respective units.
“All unit commanders are required to furnish a monthly report to this headquarters, all other sources of funds generated by your respective units, to include the Philippine Navy Trust Receipt (PNTR) on collections and donations,” Pama said.
Fleet spokesman LtJg. Rommel Rodriguez said that compared with its Southeast Asian counterparts, the Philippine Navy does not have advanced warships and weapons like submarines, anti-submarine warfare equipment, and electronic countermeasures.
“We do not have sufficient funds to finance our acquisition and modernization plans. The Navy still has to compete with other government projects. Nevertheless, President Benigno Aquino has given his directives to the Navy to modernize its fleet,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said that despite its limited capabilities, the Navy has been doing its share in securing vital Philippine installations in the South China Sea including the Malampaya Natural Gas to Power Project.
The Malampaya facility is the largest infrastructure project in the Philippines and is currently supplying some 30 percent of the overall power requirement of Luzon.
“The Navy sustains its conduct of intelligence operations to negate sea-based attacks of terror and threat groups in the country. The Navy’s assets, both on air and at sea are on constant guard against lawless elements,” Rodriguez said.
Chinese warships harassed last March a DOE research vessel conducting seismic surveys in Reed Bank near Palawan. China is claiming the entire South China Sea as its own.
Philippine ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia Jr. formally accepted the Hamilton-class cutter in a ceremony in Alameda, California.
Cuisia said the turnover of the vessel was an indication of the robust Philippine-US partnership and proof of US commitment to help the Philippines protect its maritime domain. The cutter will be the largest patrol ship in the Philippine Navy.
It is considered a multi-mission vessel and will be capable of operations such as search and rescue, maritime security patrols and maritime law enforcement. Captain Alberto Cruz will command the vessel. He is part of a group of eight officers and 13 enlisted personnel from the Philippine Navy, who are currently undergoing training with the US Coast Guard.
The Philippine Navy had acquired other vessels from the US Coast Guard, including two 82-foot patrol boats, the
USCG Point Evans and
USCG Point Doran, in December 1999 and March 2001, respectively.
The US international cadet program benefits students from the Philippines who train and interact with other students at the US Coast Guard Academy located in New London, Connecticut.
Thomas stressed that “it is the people that man those ships and pilot those planes” that form the backbone of the two countries’ navies.
“They are some of the best our nation has to offer, and we are proud to have them here in the Philippines to exemplify the values we hold so dear. And ladies and gentlemen, I am so proud to say that among these great sailors and marines —these dedicated service men and women —are a great number of Filipino-Americans,” he added.
The USS Carl Vinson Carrier Group includes the USS Shiloh, USS Bunker Hill, and USS Gridley. The Carl Vinson is the third US Navy Nimitz class supercarrier. The warship is named after Carl Vinson, a congressman from Georgia. It was launched on March 15, 1980. With Jaime Laude, Rhodina Villanueva
US: We'll stand by Phl | The Philippine Star » News » Headlines
An assurance from the Unites States of America
Originally Posted by arf2
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