15-year-old is New Miss Teen Philippines

by Robert R. Requintina

A 15-year-old student from East Manila who pushes for women empowerment was crowned 2014 Miss Teen Philippines in a glittery pageant at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

Reissha Nicole Magadia, who studies at St. John’s Wort Montessori International School in Antipolo City and stands 5’9”, wowed the audience not only with her stunning beauty and poise, but also with her winsome charm and clever response to the question: “What’s the best advice you’ve learned from your mother?”

Magadia also received P2.6 million worth of prizes, including a college scholarship package and Sun Cellular products.

Other winners were Chiara Marie Ocampo, from Las Piñas City, first runner-up; Miss Teen Philippines-Luzon Abby Gael Angel, Olongapo City; Miss Teen Philippines-Visayas Jeri-Anna Henares, Bacolod City; and Miss Teen Philippines-Mindanao Victoria Leslie Ingram, Talisay City.

“The best advice I’ve learned from my mom is woman empowerment,” Magadia said, before she was proclaimed the first Miss Teen Philippines in seven years.

She was also the recipient of the Sun Cellular People’s Choice Award after getting the most number of text votes in the competition.

With her victory, Magadia becomes the Department of Education youth ambassador tasked to promote the value of education among the youth nationwide.

Magadia will also represent the Philippines in several global youth conferences, including the Southeast Asian Youth Program and the National Youth Parliament.

As a role model for the youth, Magadia said: “I plan to inspire the youth by embodying those values in all my actions, my deeds, and my thoughts and I guess the best way to inspire them is being the change they want to see.

“So if you want to see them that they are doing their best in their studies, you should also do it yourself.”

Sun Cellular, the pageant’s telco partner, also welcomes Magadia as the newest member of the Sun Cellular Family.

“Sun Cellular’s support for Miss Teen Philippines underscores our commitment to the youth and the advocacy they represent,” said Joan Marie Dueñas, VP and Head for Sun Cellular Postpaid.

Full Force of the Law

Re-published Editorial from MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR dated June 4, 2014 with friendly permission of the publisher Marietta F. Siongco.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte expressed anew his iron-fist stance against police scalawags in Davao City, most especially those involved in illegal drugs and "akyat bahay" burglaries that have hit a number of residences. His warning is as grim as his previous ones: policemen who are found to be involved in such crimes will be killed, a concrete display of an extraordinary mayor being so vocal about putting the law into his own hands. Davaoenos have already gotten used to Duterte's hard-hitting pronouncements against unlawful elements and even welcomes them with recognition and adulation. There are those, however, who disagree.

Duterte's confirmattion that some Davao City cops are involved in illegal drugs and are in cahoots with notorius robbers is certainly frustrating, and it is understandable that many accept the need to warn such cops that they could face liquidation if they do not stop. Policemen, after all, are supposed to protect people, not harm them. These erring policemen, regardless of their rank, are a bane to society.

But we do live in a democracy. Our system does not allow for the extrajudicial settlement of debts to society. Government itself is bound by law, and officials must show themselves as the prime practitioners and followers of the legal process. Besides, what sweeter way to punish a rogue cop than to throw the book at him and have him face the full force of the law?

Eleven Coolest Towns in The Philippines

By Al Gerard de la Cruz, CNN

 

 

Lake Sebu spills into seven waterfalls -- two are connected by a high zipline. The air in its namesake town feels good on the skin, with temperatures seldom warmer than 77 F (25 C).

 

• Easy temps aren't the only things that make these 11 towns the coolest in the Philippines
• In Sagada the climate is cool enough to grow lemons
• Towns at a higher altitude, such Baguio and Canlaon City, are popular summer escapes

Framed by the equator and Tropic of Cancer, the Philippines is one sunshiney place.

Some locals cope with the heat by hitting the sugary beaches.

Tacloban's small businesses still hurting

2012: Above the tree tops in the Philippines

Gambling on gaming in the Philippines

 

Others turn air-conditioned malls into their second living room.

Then there are those who seek refuge in the upland barangays (villages), such as Bucari in Leon or Mantalongon in Dalaguete, where the elevation offsets the Philippines' equatorial warmth.

In its provincial boondocks, the Philippines has the ultimate paradox: the cool tropical town.

Lower temps, however, aren't the only things that make these towns cool.

1. Baguio

Inspired by the British Raj, American colonists built a sanatorium in the chilly heights of Benguet Province in 1903 for heat-oppressed, homesick soldiers.

By 1909, the place was transformed into an American town, Baguio, with the help of Flatiron Building architect Daniel Burnham.

For a few summers, the American governor-general would move the seat of government here from humid Manila.

At 5,200 feet above sea level, Baguio enjoys low temperatures -- in 1961 it dropped to a recorded low of 43 F (6.3 C).

Even though the governors-general are long gone, the city remains a summer capital and vacation favorite, packed to the precipice, especially during Holy Week.

Tourists eat peanut brittle and strawberries fresh from the nearby fields of La Trinidad.

Getting there: From Manila, an eight-hour bus ride is the standard way to reach Baguio (flights are rare, save for the odd charter). Buses leave from Manila's Caloocan, Cubao and Pasay residential areas.

Tagaytay: Like the Hamptons, only with fishermen on bamboo rafts.

2. Tagaytay

Tagaytay is to Manila what the Hamptons are to New York City.

Just more than an hour from Manila, this city hosts second homes of the capital's well off, who are drawn to the lower temps and authoritative views of Taal Volcano, the smallest active volcano in the world.

Imelda Marcos once invited Ronald and Nancy Reagan here to check out her "palace in the sky," a mansion roosting 2,300 feet above sea level.

Today, moneyed locals live out only slightly less Imelda-like retirements in the city's Swiss-style log homes.

Getting there: Tagaytay-bound buses travel along Manila's Taft Avenue near the MRT station or from the corner of Gil Puyat Avenue.

If driving, follow the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) toward Tagaytay via the Santa Rosa or Carmona exits.

Or get on Mabini Superhighway after SLEX, exit to Tanauan and follow the Talisay-Tagaytay route.

3. Sagada

Episcopal missionaries resided in Sagada in the 1900s, where they were pleased to discover the climate was cool enough to grow lemons.

The locals still grow the lemons in their yards.

Jutting 5,300 feet above sea level, the so-called Philippine Shangri-La offers an ideal climate to grow a variety of fruit.

After dark, the town can turn wintry, reaching the low 50s F (10s C) in January and February.

Kape alamid (civet poop coffee), one of many local delicacies, is one way to warm up.

Travelers can see just how cool it gets by hopping into the teeth-chattering waters of Sumaguing Cave or climbing to the top of Kiltepan, a vantage point offering views over an ocean of clouds.

Getting there: Regular buses and jeepneys depart Baguio's Dangwa terminal for Sagada, a five-hour ride.

4. Don Salvador Benedicto

"Little Baguio" is used to describe pretty much any place in the Philippines with any coniferous vegetation whatsoever.

But the moniker fits Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB), a town 2,500 feet above sea level on Negros Island.

From the 60 F chill (16 C) to the pine-lined thoroughfares and random lion monuments, DSB is a micro-Baguio, sans crowds.

Fun experience for motorists: at Magnetic Hill along KM34 on SB13, the road's subtle incline creates the illusion of an invisible force tugging vehicles.

Getting there: From Bacolod, DSB is an hour trip by bus or van; it's a half-hour flight or a day's ferry ride from Manila.

5. Canlaon City

Canlaon City rivals Don Salvador Benedicto as Negros Island's summer capital.

At 2,600 feet above sea level at the foot of Canlaon Volcano, the city experiences a cool micro-climate warmed up by hot springs that dot the terrain.

Numerous waterfalls, including some that have carved natural slides down the mountains, are a great way to experience the city's refreshing feel.

It's colder on the Saddle in the Sky, the ridge dividing the volcano's two craters.

Midsummer nights are dreamlike at the gargantuan balete tree, located in the city's Japanese-run agricultural estates.

The famous tree, believed to be more than 1,300 years old, draws innumerable fireflies nightly.

Getting there: Scenic land routes lead to Canlaon City from Bacolod, Dumaguete and San Carlos.

6. Davao City

Encompassing 244,000 hectares, Davao City on the island of Mindanao takes in towering mountains and dramatic green landscapes, as opposed to the heaven-scraping high-rises and concrete jungles that dominate other large Philippine cities.

The durian capital of the Philippines, it's one of three cities that share Mount Apo, the highest peak in the country.

You can walk a tough trail all the way to the top of Apo (9,692 feet/2,954 meters), but the hot and the restless can make faster, less grueling ascents in districts like Toril, Marilog and Calinan, whose mountain resorts offer untainted air, pine-canopied trails and invigorating falls.

Getting there: There are direct flights to Davao City from Manila, as well as from regional points like Singapore.

7. Lantapan

Splayed on a high plateau, Bukidnon province is full of cool locales, such as the provincial capital Malaybalay (another "Little Baguio") and Dahilayan, a foggy barangay turned zipline resort.

The coldest of the cold is Lantapan, a breakaway district of Malaybalay on the slopes of the Kitanglad mountain range.

Lantapan is so cold that dew sometimes lingers as late as noon.

Spared by typhoons and seated on fertile earth at 4,000 feet above sea level, the cool climate has made Lantapan one of the Philippines' prolific vegetable baskets.

Mountaineers know Lantapan as the gateway to Dulang-Dulang, the country's second-highest point after Mount Apo.

Getting there: Buses ply the scenic highway between Cagayan de Oro and Malaybalay every day.

Jeepneys bound for Lantapan are stationed at the Malaybalay public market.

Manila-Cagayan de Oro flights run daily.

8. Marawi

In a predominantly Catholic, tropical country, Marawi is an oddity, as much for its largely Muslim populace as its climate.

Mosques and torogans (royal houses) dot the city.

On the island of Mindanao, the city's 2,600-foot-high elevation ensures temperatures regularly plummet to at least 57 F (14 C).

Marawi's reputation as a dangerous town has stunted its tourism potential.

The local university is a "zone of peace" -- at 1,000 hectares it's virtually a city within a city, complete with a hotel.

Getting there: Head to Iligan by bus or jeepney from Cagayan de Oro. Marawi is a jeepney ride away, along the Amai Pakpak Avenue from Iligan.

The rice terraces of Ifugao are more than 2,000 years old.

 

9. Banaue

Banaue is one of four towns in Ifugao province that make up the UNESCO-listed Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras.

While these stunning monuments of ancient engineering are widespread in Asia, those in Ifugao trump most in terms of altitude and steepness.

The highest ones tower around 4,900 feet above sea level.

The variety of rice grown here adapts to freezing temperatures.

Getting there: Overnight buses depart Manila for Banaue nightly.

10. Lake Sebu

With its flotilla of lilies and schools of tilapia fish, Lake Sebu on the island of Mindanao is full of postcard-caliber beauty.

Even better, the namesake town feels good on the skin, with temperatures seldom warmer than 77 F (25 C).

Sebu and two other lakes in the town empty down into seven waterfalls, two of which are connected by a high zipline.

Tourists can also settle for canoe rides with the T'boli, a tribe of weavers.

Weather-induced shivers are eased by their warm hospitality, if not the traditional cloth (t'nalak) that's sold around town.

Getting there: Fly or sail to General Santos City, then take a bus to Koronadal. Ride another bus to Surallah, where vans and jeepneys shuttle you to Lake Sebu.

11. Itbayat

Itbayat is the only low-altitude town on this list.

But what it lacks in altitude it makes up for in latitude.

As the northernmost town in the Philippines, and thus the furthest from the equator, Itbayat experiences four seasons instead of two.

It can out-winter Baguio between November and February, when temperatures crash to 44 F (7 C).

Itbayat looks more like an English moor than a tropical island town. (English seafarers settled the area in the 17th century and called it Orange Isle.)

Ivatans, the native inhabitants of this frontier town, brave the cold winds with thermal garments called vakul and kanayi.

Their houses are built with sturdy walls of coral bound by lime.

Getting there: Flights from Manila and Tuguegarao serve Basco, Itbayat's neighboring island, at least once a week.

A four-hour boat ride or 10-minute flight links Itbayat and Basco.

The Philippines and the European Union

As I wrote already in one of my previous columns: the European Parliament is elected five years by member states' citizens - in 2014 this coming Sunday, May 25.

I agree with EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux saying that the significant increase in the number of European politicial leaders to the Philippines confirms the increasing interest of the European Union in the country. It was interesting to listen Ledoux's speech during the Europe Day reception. Yes, indeed the flow of bilateral visit of ministers from European member states as well as Philippine Cabinet members visiting European countries has been steady.

The increase in the number of visits is no accident, as word of high economic groth and good governance in the Philippines has reached Europe.

Already last June, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario met European Council Prsident van Rompuy in Brussels. And yes, that's the right path to take: the Philippines decided to resolve maritime issues peacefully and within the framework of international law.

And let's keep in mind: the lifting of the air ban for major Philippine air carriers is indeed one of the major achievements in European-Philippines relations.

Tourists in the Philippines is not always a great topic comparing to other Asian countries and their visitors' numbers. Good to know, that the Philippines has recently be named as one of the top 20 destinations for 2014 by an European newspaper. Anyway, European hospitability companies should invest more in the Philippine tourism industry by creating jobs and sharing their experience.

As expatriate living in this wonderful country since 1999, I can only underline Ledoux's statement saying Filipinos are known worldwide for their amazing hospitability because when they have visitors they do make feel them at home. The same thing told me Deputy Head of Mission (Germany Embassy), Mr. Michael Hasper during my last Manila visit.

(Pre-published in MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR from Monday, May 19, 2014 in my column "IN MY OPINION".)

Cholera Outbreak in Cotabato Town

By GMA TV

A cholera outbreak in Alamada town, Cotabato province, where at least eight people died after showing symptoms, was confirmed Friday afternoon by the province Gov. Lala Mendoza.

Mendoza said that the outbreak was confirmed after samples from the town were tested.

The World Health Organization defined cholera as an "acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae."

Cholera has a short incubation period of a maximum of five days. It produces an enterotoxin that causes a "painless, watery diarrhea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given."

Vomiting also occurs in most patients.

Mendoza said the tests had included chemical, bacteriological for water, and rectal swabs.

According to a separate report from GMA News stringer Garry Fuerzas, health officer Dra. Rosario Bandala said they examined more than 700 patients. Of these, 438 tested positive for Vibrio Cholerae.

Figures from the Alamada Municipal Health Office showed 769 were brought to hospitals or clinics, with 438 testing positive for Vibrio Cholerae.

The governor said the Department of Health, the provincial government and Alamada local government unit were "now taking intervention to control this outbreak."

Alamada Municipal Administrator Robin Cadava said a state of calamity, which was first declared last Wednesday, would remain over Alamada until the patients recover. The state of calamity allows the local government to use its calamity fund.

Meanwhile, Town Councilor Nolie Doromal added they had allocated P986,000 in calamity funds to help the patients.

Relatives of the eight fatalities had been given financial aid, according to the governor.

New patients

A report by GMA Davao's Jan Bautista on "24 Oras" Wednesday evening added several residents had gone to the local community hospital for treatment. They complained of vomiting, loose bowel movement, stomach pains, and dizziness.

Dr. Mary Joy Posada, chief of the Alamada Community Hospital, said in a Phlippine News Agency report that though many patients had been discharged, new patients kept complaining of stomach pain and diarrhea.

“On Monday, the patients came by batches, by 20s, even 50s, on board trucks and military vehicles,” Posada said. She added only about 178 remained in the hospital.

Still, she said the situation was better compared to the previous few days.

Hospital figures showing 600 patients were vomiting, had diarrhea and stomach pain. More than 70 percent of them have recovered and returned home.

 

 — Joel Locsin/DVM, GMA News

Philippine German Relations

I am back from a three days visit in Manila full of meetings, especially with Deputy Head of Mission (German Embassy) Mr. Michael Hasper.

Soon, I will be meeting the new appointed German Ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Thomas Ossowski.

While staying in Manila, "Europe Day" had been celebrated. Europe Day was formally recognize by the European Parliament in 2008. Also known as Schumann Day, Europe Day commemorates the historical declaration by French Foreign Minister Robert Schumann proposing the creation of a European Coal and Stell Community which ultimately became the European Union (EU). The event is an annual celebration of peace and unity in Europe.

Various forms of activities such as parades, exhibitions, seminars, and parties have been held during Europe Day in member states of the European Union. The holiday is an opportunity to educate people on history of the EU and promote support for the region's integration.

Important institutions of EU are the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the Court of Justice of the EU  and the European Central Bank. The European Parliament is elected every five years by member states' citizens - in 2014 on May 25.

Later this is year, in October,another great event is coming up. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to visit the Philippines to cap the 60th year of di0plomatic relations between the Philippines and Germany. A diplomatic source said Merkel already agreed to accept President Aquino's invitation to visit Manila.

So, the Philippines and Germany will celebrate the 60th anniversary of establishment of their diplomatic relations.

Philippine German relations are excisting since long time, although the existence of a German Community in the Philippines during the years before 1836 was impossible. The Royal Decree of February 2, 1800 prohibited foreigners to reside in the Philippines. In 1844, another royal decree prohibited foreigners even to travel to the Philippines under any pretext wathsoever. It was evident that Spain wanted to keep foreigners out of Philippine soil, believing in some way, that the Philippines a dollar gained by a foreigner was one taken from the pocket of a Spaniard.

Once upon a time... . Time had changed.

(Pre-published in my column "IN MY OPINION" in Mindanao Daily Mirror from 16th May 2014!)

Philippines 11th Biggest Source of Spam

 The Philippines moved up by nine notches in the list of countries considered as top sources of spam or unsolicited e-mail during the first quarter of 2014, according to a report by secure content and threat management solutions developer Kaspersky.

The report conducted from January to March showed that the geographical distribution of spam by country saw little change in the first quarter of 2014. The top three spam sources remained unchanged: China, the United States and South Korea.

While the rankings of the other countries in the list did not vary significantly, Kaspersky Lab noted that there was a noticeable shift in the second half of the top 20 spam sources, with the Philippines climbing up from 20th to 11th place. The report said that the share of spam based in the Philippines was 1.23 percent.

The rating of the top sources of spam by region also did not have any major change from the previous quarter. Asia remained the number one regional source of spam although its share decreased by 3.2 percentage points.

According to the Kaspersky Lab’s report, the percentage of spam in total email traffic during the first quarter of 2014 was pegged at 66.34 percent, down 6.42 percentage points from the previous quarter. But compared with the same period in 2013, the share of spam in the first quarter this year barely changed, falling by only 0.16 percentage points.

After being ranked third in the previous quarter last year, the United States once again topped the list of countries most frequently targeted by spam or malicious emails.

 

The country's share (14 percent) grew by 3.68 percentage points while the contribution of the United Kingdom (9.9 percent) and Germany (9.6 percent) decreased by 2.27 and 1.34 percentage points, respectively.


Favorite spam targets

The Kaspersky Lab’s report said the widespread use of mobile devices has triggered the emergence of email spam targeting smartphone and tablet users.

Malicious programs and mass mailings containing malware for Android-based devices are sent out regularly though they are not yet appearing in huge numbers.

"Recently we have seen a growth in the number of attacks targeting mobile users. Gadgets have become popular even among those who had little interaction with computers and are less familiar with computer security. This opens up new vectors of attacks for spammers and phishers," said Darya Gudkova, head of Content Analysis & Research Department at Kaspersky Lab.

The report warned that while malicious applications for Android operating systems being distributed via email are still quite rare however an increase in the amount of mobile malware can be expected soon.

"In the future, this will only become more common. We also expect an increase in the volume of phishing mailings which target passwords for mobile app accounts," Gudkova added.

Another trend was also seen during the first quarter of the year: fake notifications distributed in spam are now imitating messages from mobile applications.

Spammers especially like the popular mobile messengers WhatsApp, Viber and Google Hangouts. The notifications purportedly sent from these applications are being used to spread malware.

These findings of the Kaspersky Lab report are alarming for a country like the Philippines, which has been considered as the fastest-growing market for smartphones in Southeast Asia.

According to Singapore-based research firm GfK, the Philippines scored a staggering 326-percent increase in smartphone sales in 2012.

In the same year, the country also recorded the highest growth in smartphone market share among its neighboring countries in the region, from nine percent to 24 percent.

Kaspersky Lab is now reminding users in the Philippines and in other countries to protect themselves from spam by not opening emails from unknown senders and by not clicking any links in these emails.

"Clicking unsafe links threatens user security regardless of which device is used – they pose a danger to desktop computers and mobile gadgets alike," Gudkova said.

Brownouts Blamed For Crime Rise in Davao City

The long rotational brownouts are being blamed for a rise in crime in Davao City – by as much as 20 percent – with police noting the rising trend since the outages started, a Mindanao news site reported late Thursday.

Davao City police head Senior Superintendent Vicente Danao Jr. said the 20-percent rise negated a 35-percent drop in crime from the fourth quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014.

“Stay home. If you really don’t have somewhere to go during the brownouts, don’t leave your homes because that’s when the criminals are taking advantage of the cover of darkness,” he advised residents, according to a report on MindaNews.

He also asked the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) to immediately address the power situation.

The DLPC had said Wednesday its power allocation was reduced by 18 megawatts, dropping power supply from 120MW last week to 102MW starting Wednesday.

Because of this, DLPC was forced to extend daily brownouts from six hours to seven-and-a-half hours.

Citing police data, Danao said most of the incidents committed since the brownouts started were crimes against persons and against property.

Police were also affected by the brownouts as "(w)e can’t see in the dark,” he added.

Even closed-circuit television cameras would be of little use as they may not be able to capture images in in the dark.

Anti-terror efforts

MindaNews also said Task Force Davao, a batallion tasked to combat terrorism in the city, is helping maintain peace and order.

Task Force Davao head Casiano Monilla said TFD has deployed seven four-member, two-motorcycle teams to help monitor the area, especially during brownouts.

Business

Meanwhile, a separate report on Davao Today said the brownouts have worsened effects on local businesses.

The report said traders had to buy more ice to preserve meat in abattoirs and pay workers of full salary for undertime work.

“Aside from the power failure, increased cost of labor and low productivity, the power cost is very high because the distributors have to buy from suppliers who are running their diesel-fired power generators,” local business leader Bonifacio Tan told Davao Today on Thursday.

Local traders have been mulling retrenchment of workers and cutting down on production to cope with lost working hours.

For its part, the City Council committee on energy (COE) has promoted alternative energy sources such as portable solar panels. — By: Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News

Communist Rebels Use Miners as Shields

Communist rebels seized dozens of prospectors in a remote Philippine gold rush site and used them as “human shields” against pursuing troops, a military official said on Sunday. 

About 80 members of the New People’s Army (NPA) “prevented” 39 miners, including four children, from leaving the mining site in Compostela Valley on Saturday to stop government troops from advancing and capturing them, regional army chief Lt. Col. Michael Logico told Agence France-Presse.

Capt. Ernest Carolina, spokesman of the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said gunmen from the NPA’s Front 2 and Pulang Bagani (Red Warrior) Company 6 herded the 39 residents from Mahayahay village at around 10 a.m. and brought them to Sitio (settlement) Tabon, Panamin, in the nearby town of Mabini. 

In a text message to the Inquirer, Carolina said Juanito Torcende and Alejandro Hoylar Sr., Mahayahay barangay chair and councilor, respectively, reported the alleged hostage-taking to the 66th Infantry Battalion and asked for assistance.

Local officials persuaded the rebels to free most of the miners, although it is believed that around a dozen were still being held at the site. 

“It’s a desperate move,” Logico said. “They are using them as human shields. They know that without the civilians they are vulnerable to an assault.”

Logico said the military launched an assault on two fronts last week to flush out the rebels amid reports that they were harassing villagers. 

“We had been conducting platoon-size combat operations that forced them to flee,” he said, adding that in all, two battalions, or around 800 men, were involved in the operation. 

“Negotiations are still ongoing,”Compostela Valley Gov. Arturo T. Uy said in a text message, without giving further details. 

The NPA still has to issue a statement on the incident.

The mountainous area where the offensives took place is a mineral-rich site that has over the years attracted thousands of prospectors who operate illegal gold mines. 

Entire villages have been set up around such mines, which have also become a lucrative source of extortion money from the rebels, officials said. 

The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, whose Maoist rebellion has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1969.

AFP and Frinston L. Lim, Inquirer Mindanao

Philippines and U.S. to Sign New Military Pact

By Rosemarie Francisco and Matt Spetallnick

Members of the Philippine marines are transported on a rubber boat from a patrol ship after conducting a mission on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, as they make their way to a naval forces camp in Palawan province, southwest Philippines March 31, 2014.

 "We're not doing this because of China," Evan Medeiros, Obama's top Asia adviser, told reporters.

The United States and the Philippines will sign a new 10-year security pact on Monday that will allow for a larger U.S. military presence as it struggles to raise its defense capabilities amid territorial disputes with China.

The agreement, which establishes a framework for a beefed-up rotation of U.S. troops, ship and warplanes through the Philippines, will be formally sealed just hours before U.S. President Barack Obama arrives on a two-day visit to Manila, U.S. and Philippine officials said.

White House officials touted the deal as part of a "rebalancing" of U.S. resources toward the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region.


The Philippines will be Obama's final stop on a four-country tour aimed at showing sometimes skeptical allies he is serious about the strategic shift.


It comes as China has strengthened its maritime presence in disputed areas in the South China Sea after seizing control of Scarborough Shoal in 2012.

The accord allows for enhanced "rotational presence" of U.S. forces in the country - but not a return of U.S. military bases, U.S. officials said.

It will allow U.S. forces to train and conduct exercises with Philippine forces for maritime security, disaster assistance and humanitarian aid, the officials said.
The White House said the pact did not specify how many U.S. military assets can be deployed but established a legal basis for deciding on a mission-by-mission basis.
Still, Manila's acceptance of an increased U.S. military presence, a politically sensitive issue in the independent-minded archipelago nation, reveals the scale of Philippine anxiety over China.


The Philippine Senate voted to evict the U.S. military from their bases in 1991, ending 94 years of American military presence in the Philippines, and has only gradually allowed the return of U.S. forces for limited operations.


RENEWABLE PACT

The Enhanced Defense Cooperation agreement will run for 10 years, shorter than the United States was originally asking for, two Philippine government officials said, asking for anonymity due to lack of authority to reveal details.


But the deal is renewable depending on the needs of the two oldest allies in the Asia-Pacific region, one source said.


It will be signed by Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg shortly before Obama meets Philippine President Benigno Aquino in Manila.


The agreement allows the United States to rotate ships, aircraft and troops for a period longer than the current maximum of two weeks during joint military exercises by the two nations, a senior Philippine military source told Reuters.
The United States is expected to gradually deploy combat ships, a squadron of F18s or F16s and maritime surveillance aircraft, the same source said.


Last year, there were 149 U.S. navy ship visits to the Philippines, up from 68 in the previous year, and that number is likely to rise further under the new pact.
"We are considering bases in Northern Luzon like Clark and Subic, and Fort Magsaysay, to accommodate the U.S. forces. We will set aside space in those bases for their troops," the military source said.


Clark and Subic were bases maintained by the United States northwest of Manila until 1991, when U.S. troops were evicted.


Eight years later, the Senate approved an agreement providing for temporary visits by U.S. forces, allowing the staging of joint military exercises.


The new accord also allows the storage of U.S. humanitarian equipment and supplies for disaster response, with some already in the country after super Typhoon Haiyan devastated central Philippines in November, the military source also said.


Pio Lorenzo Batino, undersecretary of Defense and chair of the Philippine panel negotiating with the United States, earlier said the agreement complied with the Philippine Constitution, which meant U.S. forces will have no permanent presence.
Philippine Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago said she would scrutinize the pact, adding any agreement involving the posting of foreign troops and equipment required Senate ratification.


While most Filipinos support the pact to help counter China, there is some opposition on the left.


"We condemn in the strongest terms the brazen treachery of the Aquino regime which is set to sign tomorrow the US-PH Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement," said Renato Reyes of leftist group Bayan.