Navy removes China markers on West Philippine Sea

PNoy welcomes U.S. envoy's support over Spratlys row

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Navy has removed markers in the West Philippine Sea that were placed by Chinese forces.

One was removed from the Reed Bank, which is now known as Recto Bank, one was taken from the Boxall Reef, while another from Douglas Bank.

The markers were placed by China without permission.

Meanwhile, Chinese and Vietnamese poachers are often sighted by villagers in Barangay Simpokan, Puerto Princesa, whose shores face the disputed Spratlys.

However, barangay officials, armed with only one patrol boat, can't go after them.

The Philippine Air Force recently observed Chinese and Vietnamese forces upgrading their facilities on the Spratly Islands.

In August, a second-hand ship from the U.S. Coast Guard will augment Philippine Navy forces in Palawan.

U.S. support for Philippines

The U.S. has also waded in on the Spratlys dispute.

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas said being a treaty ally, America will support the Philippines.

"I wanna assure you that on all subjects, we, the United States, are with the Philippines. The Philippines and the United States are strategic treaty allies," he said. "We will continue to consult and work with each other on all issues including the South China Sea and Spratly Islands."

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao earlier said Washington should not interfere in the issue, since it is not a party to the Spratlys dispute.

This was echoed by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei after Vietnam also asked the U.S. for help.

The U.S., however, did not categorically state if its support would include military aid if the tension gives way to armed conflict.

President Benigno Aquino III, meanwhile, is happy with Thomas' statement.

Aquino is insisting on the Philippines' right to search for oil within its territory.

He invoked the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that states a country's territory extends 200 nautical miles from its shores.   

Recto Bank is 80 nautical miles from Palawan, and is 576 miles away from China.

"So 576 is obviously greater than 200. So suddenly why should there be a dispute if we are conforming to international law?" Aquino asked.

"Siyempre they are a superpower, they have more than 10 times our population, we do not want any hostility to break out. Perhaps the presence of our treaty partner, which is the United States of America, ensures that all of us will have freedom of navigation."

The Philippines and China, however, both reiterate that they would like to peacefully settle the Spratlys dispute. - Reports from Ces Oreña Drilon and Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News; ANC

Envoy assures US supports Phl on Spratly dispute

MANILA, Philippines - The United States today assured that it will give full support to the Philippines as tension escalates in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

"I assure you and all subjects, we the United States, are with the Philippines. The Philippines and the United States are strategic treaty allies. We are partners. We will continue to consult and work with each other on all issues including the South China Sea and Spratlys Islands,” US Ambassador to Manila Harry Thomas said in his speech in today's launching of the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Program.

President Benigno Aquino III led the launching of the program in Makati City.

Thomas's assurance came following Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.'s announcement that the Philippines may invoke its Mutual Defense Treaty with the US to reduce tension with China over the dispute in Spratly Islands.

“The relevant portion of that treaty is that the US has been our ally and they will come, and we expect na talagang kasama natin sila (they are with us) in any problem that will require their help,” Ochoa said.

“It’s a diplomatic problem, it’s a political and diplomatic issue, so we will solve it along those lines,” he said. “We don’t want to encourage anything that will exacerbate the issues there.”

Meanwhile, Ochoa called for caution in handling the conflict, emphasizing that the issues involve international law and are being addressed diplomatically.

The Philippines has protested several incidents involving China in the disputed territory, including the harassment of a Philippine-owned vessel by two Chinese Navy gunboats in the vicinity of Recto (Reed) Bank, 250 kilometers west of Palawan last March.

US senator urges Washington to act

A US senator, meanwhile, urged Washington to condemn China's alleged use of force and push for multilateral negotiations to resolve territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Amid tensions between China and the Philippines, Vietnam fired live artillery rounds Monday off its central coast in naval drills staged after alleging that Chinese boats disrupted oil and gas exploration.

The United States irked China last year by asserting that Washington had a national security interest in the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea, resource-rich waters where China has competing claims with several nations and territories and rejects outside interference. It maintains that the disputes should be handled bilaterally.

Senator Jim Webb, a Democrat who chairs the Senate subcommittee overseeing American policy toward east Asia, said Vietnam and other countries were watching whether "we are going to back up those words with substantive action."

"That does not mean military confrontation, per se, but we have to make a clear signal," he told a Washington seminar organized by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Webb and Sen. James Inhofe, ranking Republican on the subcommittee, introduced a Senate resolution condemning China's actions. It supports continued operations by US forces to defend freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and urges the United States to facilitate a multilateral process to settle the territorial disputes.

The US diplomatic intervention last year was welcomed by countries in the region, most notably Vietnam, which has a historic rivalry with China, against which it fought a bloody border war in 1979.

The latest spat between the communist-led countries has prompted rare protests in Vietnam, which says Chinese boats cut a cable attached to a vessel conducting a seismic survey off its coast May 26 and hindered operations of another vessel June 9. For its part, China accuses Vietnam of illegally entering its waters and putting fishermen's lives at risk. It has not commented on Vietnam's naval drills.

Webb described China's actions as a clear interference in "proper activities by Vietnam."

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Friday that the recent incidents in the South China Sea had raised concerns about maritime security. He urged a collaborative diplomatic process to resolve the territorial disputes, saying that shows of force only served to raise tensions further. (With AP)

US not coming to Philippines' aid vs China

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - The United States has said it will not side with any party in the Spratlys conflict, which is to say that the Philippines' most powerful ally will not be coming to its aid should its spat with China escalate into a shooting war.

The US Embassy made this clear in reaction to a Malacanang (the presidential palace) statement expressing confidence that Washington would honour its commitment under the two countries' Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT) to come to the aid of a beleaguered ally.

"The US does not take sides in regional territorial disputes," the US press attache Rebecca Thompson said in an e-mailed statement when contacted for comment to deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte's invoking of the 60-year-old MDT.

Thompson said the US was "troubled by incidents in the South China Sea in recent days that have raised tensions in the region" and that Washington opposes "the use or threat of force" by any of the countries with rival claims to the Spratly islands.

The brief statement said the US "shares a number of national interests with the international community in the South China Sea" but did not mention the Philippines or the two countries' over-a-hundred-year-old ties and mutual defence pact.

In an interview on state-run dzRB radio earlier on Saturday, Valte figured the Philippines could count on its superpower ally should the situation with China deteriorate because of the MDT.

"I haven't seen the terms of the MDT quite recently but I know that as an ally, the United States will help if ever it reaches that point because of the Mutual Defence Treaty," she said.

"Hopefully, it doesn't get to that point because, again, we are committed to the resolution of the issue in the most diplomatic and the most peaceful way possible," she added.

Armed Forces Chief General Eduardo Oban was also earlier quoted as saying that the military remained "hopeful that the Americans will not stand aside should the conflict erupt and that they can invoke the MDT with the US".

The MDT was signed on Aug 13, 1951, in Washington, DC with both parties declaring "publicly and formally their sense of unity and their common determination to defend themselves against external armed attack".

Under the eight articles of the treaty, both parties agree to aid and support each other in settling any international disputes by peaceful means, among others.

Sentor Francis Escudero said the Department of Foreign Affairs should be designated as the lead agency to talk about the Spratlys issue in public.

Avoid any mistakes

He said Malacanang should not do so through its spokespersons "in order to avoid any faux pas on our part".

Escudero said the government should also review the MDT to ascertain if US forces would indeed come to the rescue if the Philippines is attacked because of the Spratlys dispute.

He said Palace officials should carefully review the MDT, read through its fine print and get confirmations from the US government "if indeed this situation is covered".

But he remained optimistic that US military support would be given in case of an armed conflict as "a gesture of longstanding friendship".

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the House would leave it to the Department of Foreign Affairs assert the country's sovereignty claim over the West Philippine Sea.

"The DFA is articulating our position and we're supporting it," he said.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Commodore Miguel Rodriguez said the AFP leaves it to the DFA to make an official comment on the developments in the Spratlys issue.

Not joining Viet Nam

"We submit our reports to the DFA and the DFA crafts the country's position on KIG [Kalayaan Island Group] affairs," he said, referring to the portion of the Spratlys claimed by the Philippines.

He also said the military was not joining Viet Nam, another Spratlys claimant, in the deepening rift with China over the issue.

"We are not looking at partnering with one country against another country," he said.

At a Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Independence Day dinner Saturday night, President Aquino came face to face with Chinese Ambassador Liu Jiangchao who only a few days ago had warned claimant states to stop exploring for oil in the Spratlys.

"Like all neighbours, I know we may have our disagreements sometimes," Aquino said in his speech, acknowledging Liu's presence.

"(But) no one can deny the benefits our relationship has brought to both our countries throughout the years," he added.

Liu adverted to "incidents" that have arisen between the two countries since Aquino came to power.

"But facts have manifested we are stronger than these tests," he said.

Liu said the August 23 botched hostage crisis involving Hong Kong tourists had been settled with a "loving and understanding heart".

"The last thing the Chinese government and people want to see is that the [Spratlys] dispute stands in the way of the progress of our wonderful relations and the friendship and brotherhood of our two peoples," Liu said, who hinted at a visit to China from Aquino later this year.

In the past two weeks, the Philippines has accused China of making at least six incursions into Philippine territory in the past four months, a charge that Beijing has dismissed as rumors.

Recently, the Aquino government has made a point of referring to the South China Sea as the West Philippine Sea to bolster its claim to certain parts of the Spratlys. With reports from Christian V. Esguerra, DJ Yap and Cynthia D. Balana

Restored Noli, Fili manuscripts for public viewing starting June 19

The celebration of the 150^th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal on June 19 becomes more meaningful because the public will be able to view the original manuscripts of his famous novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, at the National Library, courtesy of the German conservators who have meticulously restored the national hero's works.

Aside from "Noli" and "Fili," the conservators worked on Guillermo Tell, Rizal's translation of Friedrich Schiller's William Tell.

The project of restoring Rizal's works is a joint project of the National Library of the Philippines and the German government.

"The ultimate objective (of the restoration project) is to leave a legacy to another generation," said NLP Director Antonio M. Santos.

Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, scathing commentaries of the Spanish colonial rule of the Philippines, inspired a nationalist revolution and caused the execution by firing squad of Rizal on Dec. 30, 1896.

The restoration project is more than three years in the making, when it was first conceptualized in 2007 by the NLP's then director Prudenciana Cruz as a joint undertaking with Germany where Rizal studied and wrote the two novels. The first copies of Noli Me Tangere were published in Berlin in 1887.

Rizal also has a statue in his honor in the German town of Wilhelmsfeld, where he met Pastor Karl Ullmer who opened his home to him. Ullmer's grandson Fritz donated the Ullmer Collection to the country in 1961, which includes letters and sketches by Rizal.

The Department of Budget and Management gave P2 million as seed fund for the library's conservation room, furnished with basic tools and equipment used by German restorers Monika Gast and Katrin Hüpeden.

"We established the Conservation Center to mark the first major step in achieving a better storage condition and a better preservation program for the posterity of our collections," Anne Rosette Crelencia, NLP Rare Books and Manuscripts head, said.

The Philippine government acquired Noli Me Tangere in 1911 along with other manuscripts by Rizal for P32,000. El Filibusterismo was acquired in 1925  for P10,000.

In January 1945, during World War II, the manuscripts were stored in vaults in the Manila City Hall but were found to have been looted during the Battle for the Liberation of Manila that started in February that year.

Efforts to retrieve the manuscripts bore fruit in April 1946 when a messenger of an unidentified individual offered to return the manuscripts on the following conditions: The individual would not be identified, no questions about the return would be asked, and no publicity regarding the return.

The NLP recovered 106 out of 120 stolen manuscripts. In 1953, the Spanish government also donated manuscripts of Rizal in its possession to the country. Rizal's manuscripts are kept in three vaults in the Rare Books and Manuscripts section.

Conservation, according to Crelencia, has a bigger scope than restoration.

Conservation consists of the storage of objects not limited to manuscripts and the monitoring the conditions of the area where these objects are stored, including boxes, air and temperature in the storage area. Restoration, on the other hand, is focused on the object or manuscript being repaired.

The restoration done on Noli Me Tangere includes reattaching loose pages, replacing missing areas in the manuscript's pages, taking off previous repairs done to the manuscript that have degraded, and mending breaks and tears in the manuscript.

El Filibusterismo was repaired by reattaching pages to the book block and mending some tears that are in the book's binding.  Guillermo Tell, as it only has one-section binding, was sewn again and the tears on its pages mended.

"On the whole, the state of the manuscripts is quite good," said Gast. But she suggested improvement of the room where the manuscripts are kept.

Crelencia said  the ideal conditions to slow down a manuscript's decay involve a round-the-clock and unvarying air-conditioning system, set at 18 to 22 degrees Celsius, with a temperature and humidity meter to monitor the conditions; clean air inside the storage room, minimal exposure to light especially ultraviolet light that can negatively affect the manuscript's pages, and minimal handling of the manuscript.

As of now, she said the air-conditioning of the section she heads operates only on the NLP's working hours.

"With the technology and discoveries today, we need to adapt some changes to keep our valuable collections in superb condition so many more generation of Filipinos can see and use all those resources,"  said Crelencia.

She said, too, that conservation of resources is "a very tedious process," and having a conservation room is just a part in preserving these resources.

The works next in line if ever, according to Crelencia, are Rizal's diary entries, postcards, other manuscripts, sketches and correspondences, as well as letters written to and by the revolutionaries such as Andrew Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini.

The NLP plans to present the restored manuscripts to President Benigno Aquino and afterwards hold an exhibit showcasing these for the public to be able to view them in time for Rizal's birthday.

"Dr. Jose Rizal's manuscripts will always be a remembrance to every Filipino that our country is worth its freedom and liberation," said Crelencia.

(VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for "true.")

Guinness names Filipino as world's shortest man

SINDANGAN, Philippines (AP) — A Guinness World Records representative has declared the son of a poor Filipino locksmith who measured 23.5 inches (60 centimeters) tall as the world's shortest man.

Guinness official Craig Glenday says Junrey Balawing, who turned 18 on Sunday, broke the record of Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal, who is 26.4 inches (67 centimeters) tall.

The announcement drew a loud applause from Balawing's parents and townmates in Zamboanga del Norte's remote Sindangan township in the southern Philippines, who showered the new celebrity with a feast, a cake, balloons and cash gifts.

Balawing thanked the crowd and posed for pictures.

PNoy leads flag-raising to kick off Independence Day rites

President Benigno Aquino III kicked off early Sunday the celebration of the Philippines’ 113th Independence Day by leading flag-raising ceremonies in Kawit, Cavite at 7 a.m.

Aquino received arrival honors at the Aguinaldo Shrine and took part in wreath-laying ceremonies before raising the Philippine flag, radio dzBB’s Tuesday Niu reported.

He arrived at the shrine at 6:30 a.m. With him were Cabinet secretaries led by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

Present at the ceremonies were Cavite Governor Juanito Victor Remulla Jr., Kawit Mayor Reynaldo Aguinaldo, and Imus Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle.

The shrine stands where Philippine independence was first declared on June 12, 1898.

In Manila, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino led the flag-raising ceremonies at the Rizal Park.

The Philippine Coast Guard sounded horns while the Armed Forces of the Philippines started a static display in Manila, radio dzBB’s Glen Juego reported.

Also present at the Manila rites were Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Secretaries Alberto Lim (tourism), Armin Luistro (education) and Jose Rene Almendras (energy).

Security was tight in the area, particularly along Roxas Boulevard, as militant umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) was to hold a protest action near the US Embassy.

At the Monumento area in Caloocan City, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo led flag-raising ceremonies following a 6 a.m. Mass, dzBB’s Allan Gatus reported.

Robredo said the spirit of patriotism must be kept alive in Filipinos even if it is not Independence Day.

“Ang pinakahamon manatili hindi lamang sa panahon na tayo nakikipaglaban sa dayuhan kundi sa bagay na pwede nating sabihing kinikitil ang kasarinlan ng mamamayan. Kung hindi natin mabibigyan ng buhay ang damdaming yan naroon lang siya sa isang tabi," he said

(Our challenge is to keep the spirit of patriotism alive, not just at a time when we are fighting foreign invaders. We should not neglect our sense of patriotism.)

In San Juan City in Metro Manila, students showed up early for the flag-raising ceremony at the Pinaglabanan Shrine led by Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, dzBB’s Mao dela Cruz reported.

Mayor Guia Gomez and son Rep. Jose Victor Ejercito arrived early for the flag-raising ceremony.

In Bulacan province, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and provincial officials led similar activities at the Barasoain Church.

The church was a temporary residence of General Emilio Aguinaldo, and was the venue of the convening of the First Philippine Congress (September 15, 1898).

It was also where the drafting of the Malolos Constitution took place, and where the First Philippine Republic was inaugurated on January 23, 1899. — LBG, GMA News

US greets PHL on Independence Day

Filipinos received a congratulatory message for Independence Day from the United States, where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reassured them of the US' commitment as "long-time friends and partners."

In her statement for the Philippines' National Day, Clinton said the Philippines and the US continue to work on many new fronts, after a long history of standing together to defend liberal democratic values.

"On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to congratulate the people of the Philippines on the 113th anniversary of your declaration of independence this June 12," she said in her statement posted on the US Embassy in Manila's website.

"The United States and the Philippines are long-standing friends and partners. We stood together during World War II to defend liberal democratic values. Today, we are working together on many new fronts. Whether we are working to find ways to catalyze economic growth, helping victims of natural disasters, combating extremism, or calling for greater protection of human rights, our two countries share a vision of a better world," she added.

She said the US supports the Philippine government’s commitment to fight corruption, promote judicial reform, reduce poverty, and create opportunities for its people.

Both countries are "cooperating in new ways on everything" from the Partnership for Growth joint effort to boost prosperity in the Philippines, to the Open Government Partnership initiative to improve governance and transparency around the globe, she added.

"Together through our Millennium Challenge Corporation compact we are working to reduce poverty through economic growth. The Philippines is a committed partner on so many issues," she said.

"Please accept my sincere thanks for your friendship and best wishes for your continued success and prosperity on this special day," she added. — LBG, GMA News

Philippines names disputed Spratly areas 'West Philippine Sea'

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - The Philippine government has apparently made it settled doctrine to use "West Philippine Sea" to refer to the waters west of the country where the Philippines has overlapping territorial claims with five other nations, instead of the all-embracing tag of "South China Sea".

Tellingly, Malacanang (the presidential palace) Friday (June 10) used "West Philippine Sea" for the first time in a statement reacting to China's warning on Thursday (June 9), issued through Ambassador Liu Jianchao, to rival claimants to the disputed Spratlys island group to stop searching for oil in the contested region without permission from China.

"The Republic of the Philippines has stated its position on the various territorial issues in the West Philippine Sea. We are committed to hold dialogue with other claimants," presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told a news briefing.

"We call on all parties to refrain from inflammatory statements that would make it more difficult to reach a mutually agreeable solution," he said.

In the past two weeks, the Philippines has publicly accused Chinese forces of being behind seven confrontations with Filipinos in the Spratlys in less than four months.

However, Liu said the reported incidents were mere "rumours" or exaggeration, even as he asserted China's claim to the reputedly oil-rich Spratlys island chain.

The islands are claimed in whole or in part by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Viet Nam.

Based on history

Lacierda said the Palace was taking its cue from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) which has been using "West Philippine Sea" in the series of letters and notes verbales protesting China's incursions into areas that the DFA claims were well within Philippine territory.

The DFA earlier explained that using "West Philippine Sea" to refer to the waters where the disputed territories lie was "in keeping with our tradition and history as well as reflective of its proper geographic location".

The same waters "have long been called Dagat Luzon, or Luzon Sea by our fisherfolk and the rest of our people, and referred to as such in published maps since time immemorial after the major Philippine island of Luzon", DFA spokesperson Eduardo Malaya explained earlier.

"On the other hand, South China Sea in Chinese is simply South Sea, while for the Vietnamese it is East Sea," he said.

Akbayan party-list member Walden Bello has filed House Resolution No 1350 proposing to officially name the region the "West Philippine Sea" to "strengthen [the Philippines'] claim to these controversial waters and the natural resources found within".

Subliminal message

On Friday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) weighed in, saying it has deliberately been using West Philippine Sea to refer to the area.

"What's in a name, but when people keep saying that it is the South China Sea, there is a subliminal message that this is indeed a sea belonging to a country whose name appears in the name," said Commodore Miguel Jose Rodriguez, the AFP deputy chief of staff for civil military operations who is also the military spokesperson.

'Kalayaan Sea'

"Viet Nam calls it their East Sea and China calls it their South Sea. We in the Philippines should call it West Philippine Sea," he said.

Rodriguez (Philippine Military Academy Class of 1980) recalled that at the PMA, they were taught to refer to the area as "Kalayaan Sea" based on a newly issued presidential decree at the time naming the area claimed by the Philippines as the Kalayaan island group, or the "Luzon Sea" or "West Palawan Sea".

The United States on Friday called on the Asian countries fighting for control of the Spratlys to resolve the issue peacefully.

"As Ambassador Harry Thomas, (Defence) Secretary (Robert) Gates and other US officials have said, we urge all claimants to exercise restraint in dealing with competing claims in the South China Sea. These issues need to be resolved peacefully within the framework of international law," said Rebecca Thompson, US Embassy press attache, in a statement apparently issued in response to Liu's warning.

Rules-based approach

The DFA on Friday reiterated the Philippines' rules-based approach to ending the dispute.

It has proposed the concept of a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation in which disputed territories could be recognised from undisputed areas as provided under international law.

"The Philippines has offered a specific framework for the resolution of differences and the pursuit of cooperation in the form of the ZOPFFC," said Malaya.

In the ZOPFFC, the disputed islands could be "enclaved" by segregating them and adjacent waters from the rest of the waters of the South China Sea.

The DFA has said the enclaved area could be designated as a Joint Cooperation Area where joint activities could be conducted, such as marine scientific research, search and rescue operations, oil spill preparedness and conservation projects.

Defence posture

AFP Chief General Eduardo Oban Jr. said the military is careful to "avoid any miscalculation" that would provoke open hostilities in the Spratlys.

Speaking at the Manila Overseas Press Club forum on Thursday, Oban said the military has been keeping an "active defence posture" following China's incursions this year into Philippine territory.

"If a Chinese vessel or any foreign vessel becomes hostile to us to the point of shooting at our own people, then we have to shoot back. We try to avoid that," said Oban, a former Air Force fighter pilot.

Presence as deterrence

"We just hope they won't (make further incursions). We will maintain our presence as a deterrent to incursions," he said.

While there have been six incursions from China, the military also recorded "some" incursions from Viet Nam, he said.

Oban said the Philippines' diplomatic protests against the Chinese incursions were backed by reports from military field units.

Despite the ongoing spat with China, Oban does not consider the tensions serious.

"I give a low rating (between 1 to 10) in terms of the seriousness based on the incursions because of the statements made by [Chinese Defence Minister] General Liang Guanglie. That's quite reassuring, (that) they're open for a peaceful resolution of the conflict," he said.With reports from Jerry E. Esplanada and Julie M. Aurelio

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