 |
| http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/05/18/ph-looks-to-acquire-facial-recognition-software-drones-to-boost-counter-terrorism-efforts |
The Philippines is looking to acquire new technology and re-train its troops for urban warfare to fortify its counter-terrorism efforts, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.
Lorenzana said the months-long siege in the southern city of Marawi last year showed how technology was used by extremists "to recruit or to orchestrate their movements, to send money."
Another lesson learned from the battle was the need for the troops to learn about fighting in urban areas, which was a skill previously taught to them, but was lost because it was not used.
"Now, we have to reacquire that skill plus the necessary equipment that come with it," he told ANC's Early Edition in an interview aired Tuesday.
Among the "technical capabilities" the Philippines is planning to acquire are facial recognition software "so it's easy for us to track down the bad guys," said Lorenzana.
"Intelligence capabilities are only as good as the people who manage them, those going to pitch the data. We still need human intelligence, people who go down and see things on the ground with their own eyes and report to higher quarters," he said.
Watch the interview at that link. Every time Lorenzana sits down for a candid interview about Marawi and lessons learned we always learn something more and more pathetic about the DND and AFP. How in the world did the AFP lose their urban warfare training?
"It's a skill we used to have but we lost along the way because we didn't use it. We keep training our people in what we call the military operations in urban terrain, MOUT. But we seldom use it, we never use it, so we stopped teaching our people at the Marawi camp. So now we have to reacquire that skill plus the necessary equipment that goes with it.
The AFP stopped training in urban warfare because they never use it? Outstanding! What kind of military stops training for war just because there is no war? But in the Philippines war has never ended. So why did they stop training? No wonder Duterte called the AFP the best military in the universe. Well they sure are training now. And its the US and Australian militaries that are doing the teaching. As shocking as this claim is maybe we should not be so hard on the AFP. After all how can they train if they don't even have ammunition?
 |
| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/997693/dnd-ph-military-has-no-reserve-ammo-for-use-in-emergencies |
“I think we have no wherewithal to use our ammunition. We have no ready reserve ammunition for our troops in case of emergency… so we are always dictated by the importation or ammunition supply (from) other countries just like what happened (in) Marawi and other insurgencies that we had since the total war in (2000),” Ramos said, responding to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian’s queries.
Gatchalian went on anyway and asked: “So there was an instance during the Marawi that we could not, no one, we can’t source bullets?”
“Yes sir but we found some allies to supply us, sir,” Ramos added.
The official also answered yes when asked about the possibility that there would be a scarcity of ammunition in the future and that no other countries would send help to the Philippines.
“There is, just like what happened in our helicopters. They gave some conditions before Canada will supply us helicopters,” Ramos said.
The AFP out of bullets? That is not what they said last year.
 |
| http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/613045/afp-we-ll-never-run-out-of-ammunition-airstrikes-in-marawi-to-continue/story/ |
“Your Armed Forces will never run out of ammunition, my dear,” he told reporters during the Mindanao Hour in Malacañang.
How can Ramos say no other countries will help and then cite the case of the Canadian helicopters as proof of this? Canada did not cancel the deal. They merely said they wanted to know how they helicopters would be used and it was Duterte who cancelled the deal. And if no other countries will help the USA certainly will. It has been the USA who has been providing assistance from the beginning. But no one wants to talk about that.
With no bullets and no training how will the AFP keep the nation safe from all the threats it faces?
Duterte has given assurances that talks with the CPP will start in July. Maybe.
 |
“Istoryahon nako ang mga rebelde [I will be talking to the rebels]. I’m talking to [Jose Maria] Sison. We will start the talks maybe [in] July,” the President said, referring to the Communist Party of the Philippines founder.
Some reports said the talks could resume as early as June 28 with an interim peace deal expected to be signed.
Duterte also called on the communist rebels to give up their arms should peace talks with the government succeed.
“Ug di mo mu-decomission sa inyong armas, wala’y mahitabo [If there will be no decommissioning of firearms, nothing will happen],” the President said in his native Cebuano.
Maybe they won't start talks at all. The talks being in a state of potentiality has not prevented the government from actually allowing more NDFP-CPP criminals to leave the country and join the talks in the Netherlands.
 |
| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/999136/courts-let-6-red-leaders-join-fresh-talks-in-netherlands |
Judge Thelma Bunyi-Medina of Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 32 granted the motion “to participate in the conduct of informal and formal talks” to five CPP leaders led by party chair Benito Tiamzon, according to human rights lawyer Edre Olalia, legal consultant for the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
Tiamzon and the four other CPP central committee members — Rafael Baylosis, Adelberto Silva, Vicente Ladlad and Randall Echanis — are accused of involvement in the killing of 15 civilians in 2006 in Inopacan, Leyte province.
On Tuesday, another central committee member, Alan Jazmines, who is facing rebellion and murder charges, was granted temporary liberty by the Taguig City RTC.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the government was sincere in wanting a peace agreement with the communist rebels.
“We hope they will show similar sincerity as we need to end the world’s longest-running insurgency soon,” he said in a statement.
Sincerity? The CPP has been sincere in its desire to overthrown the government and set up a Communist state but it has never been sincere when it comes to "decommissioning of firearms" as Duterte said.
 |
| http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/07/18/defense-chief-doubts-planned-stand-down-deal-with-reds |
The proposed agreement, a copy of which was obtained by ABS-CBN News, calls on the the 2 sides to "stay where they are" and "not commit any offensive action or operation against combatants and civilians."
Negotiators hope to turn the arrangement into a coordinated unilateral ceasefire, which would form part of an interim peace agreement to be signed on June 28.
The proposed preliminary peace accord would also include an amnesty proclamation for political prisoners, and initial agreements on agrarian reform and the nationalization of certain industries.
Lorenzana recalled that a previous ceasefire arrangement allowed the rebels to take control of villages.
"Nadale na kami nung minsan nyan," he said. "Yung mga nakuha namin, nabawi nila. So lets see ano ibig sabihin nila ng stand down. Baka kami lang mag stand down, sila hindi."
(We fell for that before. They took back what we got from them. So let's see what they mean by stand down. We could be the only ones standing down and not them.)
The NPA has never been faithful to any stand down agreement. They have broken them all. At least Lorenzana has some sense in not trusting the CPP-NPA when they say they will abide by a ceasefire. Joma Sisson says Lorenzana is full of it and its trying to sabotage the talks. As if the DND Sec. needed to do that. The CPP-NPA has sabotaged the talks by continuing its violent campaign.
 |
| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/998980/joma-solons-hit-back-at-ceasefire-cynics |
At the House of Representatives, members of the Makabayan bloc on Friday called on defense and military officials to stop sabotaging the talks.
“Stop monkey-wrenching the GPH-NDFP peace talks,” Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said in a statement.
He said Lorenzana and the military should instead “concentrate on the defense of the Philippines from China and the US [which] are now increasing their military activities in our territories.”
Zarate said Lorenzana and the military were questioning the rebels’ intentions but could not offer any solution to the nearly half-century-old communist insurgency, which peace negotiators were trying to end “for a just and lasting peace and uplift the lives of majority of Filipinos.”
The argument that if one cannot offer any solutions then they should shut up is a common one in the Philippines. Lorenzana points out the obvious, the CPP-NPA does not honour ceasefires, and he is told to sit down and shut up because he cannot offer any solution. The only proper solution is to stamp them out with force. Too bad the AFP does not have that capability. Nothing will come out of these peace talks. Any so-called peace that might be accomplished won't last long because the demands of the CPP are not demands to which the government can readily commit. The CASER is too ambiguous and has a timeframe of enactment that is not reasonable.
It's not only the peace talks with the Reds that some are accused of being sabotaged
 |
| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/998487/zubiri-claims-some-groups-political-clans-want-to-derail-bbl |
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri expects that once the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is signed into law, it would be questioned before the Supreme Court (SC) as some political clans and groups allegedly want to derail the BBL.
“I am sure may magpa-file laban dito sa Korte Supreme pag napirmahan na. I’m sure about it because there are political clans who want this derailed. There are certain groups that don’t want to see this approved because this would change the landscape in the autonomous region,” Zubiri said at the weekly Kapihan sa Senado forum on Thursday.
He also stressed the importance of a constitutionally sound final version of the BBL before President Rodrigo Duterte signs it into law on July 23.
"That is why it is important that the final outcome is constitutionally compliant because if not, it will strike down," he said, noting that another failure to pass the BBL could lead to conflict.
"If it is a strike against the SC, it will be a lot of trouble because it is the government's final step in the comprehensive agreement of the Bangsamoro, which is the peace agreement for the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) to surrender their weapons and commission them. signing of the final peace agreement with the government, "Zubiri explained.
"If we can not comply and strike down this SC we will be at peace with Mindanao," he stressed.
A lot of hope is riding on the BBL. A lot of misplaced hope. Zubiri is right in saying that the BBL would change the landscape in the ARMM. The region would become a separate political entity governed by Muslims. An Islamic State. That is the hope of both the MILF and the MNLF anyway. Challenging this law, if it does become law, before the Supreme Court would be a matter of routine especially for a bill like the BBL. But then there is the blackmail aspect of "if it doesn't pass there will be war" so that if the SC strikes it down then they would be responsible for war. And who wants to have the blood of their countrymen on their hands?
Commies and jihadis are the big plague in Mindanao and elsewhere but the largest threat to the stability of the Philippines is Filipinos! Criminal Filipinos.
 |
| http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/656090/duterte-thumbs-down-martial-law-as-means-to-address-crime/story/ |
No nationwide martial law? Thank goodness. For now.
No comments:
Post a Comment