US Reaffirms Military Ties with the Philippines – Boost bases in Australia

MANILA — during a high-profile visit to the Philippines on Wednesday (November 16, 2011), Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stood on the deck of a American warship in Manila Bay and reaffirmed the strong military relationship between the United States and the Philippines.

Steaming hot day in Manila, Clinton signed a declaration marking sixty years since the US signed a security treaty with the Philippines in a highly symbolic ceremony aboard the Fitzgerald, a US Navy vessel that has operated in the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea).

"We must ensure that this alliance remains strong, capable of delivering results for the people of the Philippines and the United States and our neighbors throughout the Pacific," Clinton said.

Clinton underlined the US military and diplomatic support for the Philippines amid rising tensions between the Philippines and China over resource-rich South China Sea.

The statement called for a "rules-based approach in resolving competing claims in maritime areas".

"The United States does not take any position on any territorial claim because any nation ... has a right to assert it. But they do not have a right to pursue it through intimidation or coercion," Clinton said, not directly mentioning China.

The visit comes at a time of heightening tensions in the South China Sea related to the oil-rich Spratly Islands, which are the subject of disputed claims by China, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations. By some estimates, the energy reserves in the areas being disputed by the various countries could rival those of Kuwait.

"We are making sure that our collective defense capabilities and communications infrastructure are operationally and materially capable of deterring provocations from the full spectrum of state and nonstate actors," Mrs. Clinton said aboard the guided missile cruiser U.S.S. Fitzgerald.

Mrs. Clinton's visit also coincides with a trip to the region by President Obama. On Wednesday, Mr. Obama arrived in the Australian capital of Canberra and announced with Prime Minister Julia Gillard an agreement that allows for an increased military presence in that country. Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton will then attend the East Asian Summit in Indonesia.

In Australia, US President Barack Obama announced an agreement Wednesday to expand the US military presence in Australia; meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed military support for the Philippines, indicating US concerns over an increasingly aggressive China.

The US-Australia agreement, announced during a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, will position more US equipment and increase military personnel in Australia.

"With my visit to the region I am making it clear that the United States is stepping up its commitment to the entire Asia-Pacific region," Obama said.

Deployment of an initial company of 200-250 Marines would begin next year and expand to up to 2,500 eventually, Gillard said.

The move may be seen by Beijing as further evidence of Washington's attempt to encircle China, with US bases in Japan and Korea and now in Australia.

Obama also plans to raise maritime security in the South China Sea at the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Bali this week, defying China's desire to keep this sensitive topic off the agenda.

While in the Philippines, Mrs. Clinton also signed a pact promoting economic growth and attended a lively public forum in which she took questions from the public. But her appearance on the deck of the warship — a highly symbolic event — had greater impact for the militarily weak Philippines as it tangles with a huge neighbor to the north over the Spratly Islands.

"Filipinos appreciate symbolism," said Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Manila-based Institute for Political and Economic Reform. "She did not say anything unusual, but they saw her on a warship in Manila Bay. They received the message."

Mrs. Clinton, whose visit was marked by relatively modest anti-American protests at the American Embassy in Manila, reiterated Washington's position that territorial disputes in the South China Sea should be settled peacefully. In another gesture not lost on her local audience, she referred to the disputed area by its locally coined name: the West Philippine Sea.

"We are strongly of the opinion that disputes that exist primarily in the West Philippine Sea between the Philippines and China should be resolved peacefully," she said during a televised news conference with Philippine secretary for foreign affairs, Albert del Rosario. "Any nation with a claim has a right to exert it, but they do not have a right to pursue it through intimidation or coercion."

Following its independence in 1946, the Philippines signed agreements that allowed American military bases to operate in the country. Large American Air Force and Navy bases were closed in the early 1990s after contentious debate in the Philippine Senate, but the 1952 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty -  upon which the military relationship is based - has remained intact.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, American military involvement in the Philippines focused on Islamic extremist groups operating in the southern part of the country. In recent years, broader defense coordination has taken place, including American assistance for the outdated naval forces of the Philippines.

The United States currently has no military bases in the Philippines, though visits by American Navy ships and joint drills are common. In October, the United States and the Philippines conducted war games on the island of Palawan, 50 miles from the disputed area with China.

Mr. Casiple, the analyst, noted that the Philippine government has been careful to balance these military gestures with the recognition that the country needs to maintain close and cordial economic ties with China.

"The Philippines does not want to be the representative of the U.S. military in Southeast Asia," he said. "I think the Philippine government wants to maintain its friendship with both these great powers and not become a ball in the middle being kicked by both sides."

The US military presence is sensitive in the Philippines due to the colonial legacy, and a small number of left-wing activists protested Clinton's visit, accusing the US of using the former colony for its own profits.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has voiced support for expanding military cooperation with the US.

The Philippines has sought to rally Southeast Asian nations to stand firm with China over the maritime dispute, but Beijing has insisted that it only opens to bilateral negotiations.

Clinton will later visit Thailand ― another US ally in Southeast Asia ― in a show of support for Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra as she faces the devastating months-long floods.

Aside from the South China Sea dispute, the US has accused China of undervaluing its currency and undercutting its intellectual property.

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2 Mindanao provinces of the Philippines swamped with gold rush migrants seeking fortune

A new wave of fortune seekers is swamping areas in two Mindanao provinces believed to be rich in gold deposits and has triggered what officials said was a new gold rush that brought with it a host of problems like killings over conflicting small-scale mining claims.

In Zamboanga del Sur, the mayor of Bayog town said more and more people are descending on his town in search of gold in a frenzy that he said was reminiscent of the gold rush in Mt. Diwalwal in the 1980s.

"People are arriving," said Mayor Leonardo Babasa Jr. "It's bustling, like Diwalwal."

Babasa said it was easy to understand the gold rush. Prices of gold could reach ₱2,100 per gram, he said.

The mayor, however, said the gold rush was giving local officials problems that weren't there before.

"There is an increased report of deaths, either by fighting over an area where to dig or people simply dying due to disasters while digging," Babasa said.

In Compostela Valley, local officials and miners said they believed that the magnet for the influx of fortune seekers are mainly reports of newly discovered gold veins in the mountain of Diwalwal more than reports of rising prices of gold in the world market.

Arturo Uy, Compostela Valley governor, said more small- and large-scale miners are flocking to the province's 11 towns because of reports of better prospects of finding gold.

"The discovery of supposed rich deposits is the main driving force," Uy said in a recent interview.

He said, however, that his province benefited from the spike in gold prices. Gold is bought in Tagum City for ₱1,900 to ₱2,000 per gram.

Eric Luzon, a miner in the gold-rich village of Pamintaran in Maragusan town, said at least 3,000 people have flocked to the village and started digging for gold since June.

"Some portions have good deposits but you have to dig deeper," said Luzon. Many miners, he said, get financing from businessmen in Tagum to sustain their operations.

"What we're after is rich, shallow gold deposits," he said.

Uy said to prevent a repeat of deadly conflicts in previous gold rush episodes, the province has been regulating the operations of both small- and large-scale mining in nine towns.

Mayors, he said, constantly monitor gold rush sites to enforce ordinances on safe mining practices.

In Compostela town, new gold prospects in the community of Bango in Ngan village drew hundreds of people to the area. Workers in banana plantations and other "nonminers" have joined the frenzy, said Mayor Jessie Bolo.

"We really cannot control these people," said Bolo. All that town officials could do, he said, was to enforce rules to reduce mine wastes and prevent pollution. Mining in his town, he said, had been an on-off thing since gold was discovered there in the early 1980s.

In the capital town of Nabunturan, officials are trying to prevent small-scale miners encroaching into the Mainit National Park, which is now threatened by pollution from mine tailings.

A gold rush area in the village of Mainit has been shut down due to complaints from residents and environment officials, said a staffer at the office of Mayor Romeo Clarin. "But they keep coming back," said the staffer, who asked not to be identified.

Governor Uy said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources was "amenable" to a proposal to delineate portions of the national park as mining areas. "We've learned harsh lessons," said Uy

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Gloria Arroyo escapes from the Philippines for her corruption cases barred in NAIA Airport

Philippines government offered to shoulder the medication and all expenses for Mrs. Arroyo's hypoparathyroidism and bone mineral disorder but refused the government's offer and insisted to travel abroad.

Philippines' Government suspected that she might not come back to face all her high level graft and corruption and election fraud case which set to be hear end of this year as her lawyer submitted the list of countries to be visited are non Judicial- extrajudicial treaty countries with the Philippines.

Lately, it has been rumored that she is seeking for asylum to other countries to escape from the cases that filed against her. It has been reported also that early this year (2011) Mrs. Arroyo is lobbying foreign countries to put-up her investments but barred by the OFW associations abroad that are in doubts of her sources of fund as her government is rumored to be the most corrupt government in the Philippine History next to Marcos government.

With Philippine President Benigno Aquino's serious drive against high level of corruption in the country, it already resulted to a few high level ranking officials committed suicide in the midst of trial to escape from answering the government of their corruption charges and connivance with the previous administration of Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo.

Tuesday night (November 15, 20110) the Philippines government blocked former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband from leaving the country despite a Supreme Court (SC) order that allowed the couple to travel.

Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila de Lima said they will appeal the SC decision, adding the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the High Court Tuesday cannot be implemented once a motion for reconsideration has been filed.

Arroyo is expected to see her doctors abroad after suffering from hypoparathyroidism and bone mineral disorder and keep refusing the Government offer to shoulder all expenses to bring his doctors to the Philippines just to let her stay in the country to face her election fraud and corruption case during her 9 year term.

Accompanied by her husband Juan Miguel and son Ang Galing party-list Representative Mikey Arroyo, the former President arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 in an ambulance and was wheeled into a departure hall wearing a facemask and a neck brace around 8:20 p.m.

The Arroyo reportedly booked at least five different flights to Singapore, said DOJ Secretary de Lima.

The first two flights were scheduled at 4 p.m. via Philippine Airlines (PAL) and 5 p.m. via Singapore Airlines, but these flights were cancelled because the former First Couple did not appear.

Three other bookings were supposedly made via PAL and Singapore Airlines scheduled at 7:35 p.m., 7:55 p.m., and 9 p.m., respectively.

The Arroyos were ushered into a VIP lounge while their lawyers, armed with the SC decision, tried to persuade immigration officials to allow them to board a Dragon Air flight bound for Hong Kong.

Arroyo's spokesperson Elena Bautista-Horn said in a television interview late Tuesday that they booked for a flight bound for Hong Kong instead, since they missed the flights that were bound for Singapore. She clarified, though, that Arroyo's destination was Singapore.

She said they planned to go to Spain after Singapore to meet Arroyo's bone mineral disorder specialist.

After about two hours at the NAIA, however, Arroyo's lawyer Raul Lambino said the immigration officials, upon the instructions of de Lima, had prevented the couple from leaving.

"They weren't able to board the airplane," Lambino said, accusing the government of inflicting "inhumane, cruel punishment" on his client.

Arroyo and her husband later left the airport in the ambulance and headed to St. Luke's Medical Hospital in Taguig City where Arroyo was to be checked for stress, said an ally, Albay Representative Edcel Lagman.

"They are very mean. They are very cruel," husband Jose Miguel Arroyo said of the government. "I feel sad. I feel mad. How can they refuse to follow the Supreme Court order? That is tyranny."

The Arroyo camp vowed to file charges against de Lima and the immigration officials who prevented the former First Couple from leaving the country.

But presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the former First Couple, being investigated for alleged corruption and electoral cheating, would be treated with dignity but "we will be firm in our decision not to allow them to leave the country."

"This is all high drama. They want the public to sympathize with them," he said.

De Lima also maintained in a television interview that she ordered the Bureau of Immigration to direct the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and the NAIA "to exhaust all actions to implement the watch list orders."

She maintained that she is not violating any law, and that she takes full responsibility for the order.

De Lima stressed that the watch list orders will stay until the government receives a copy of the SC decision. She also said the order could still not be implemented until the High Court decides on the appeal that the Office of the Solicitor General will file upon receipt of the ruling.

But SC spokesperson Midas Marquez begged to disagree as he warned Tuesday those who will actually defy the order that they may face contempt charges.

"I hope they will realize that this was issued after a full court deliberation, there were concurring votes, and there were dissenting votes. It has to be respected and accepted, that's the rule of law. But let's see. I don't think there's no actual defiance yet," he told reporters.

"They are free to exercise their constitutional rights," Marquez added.

De Lima clarified that the Arroyos will not be arrested when spotted in the airport but only be barred from leaving.

She also insisted that there is "no life and death situation" in Arroyo's medical condition.

The 64-year-old former President is facing a string of plunder and electoral sabotage cases as she asked the court to allow her to travel after suffering from hypoparathyroidism and bone mineral disorder.

Arroyo's husband also benefitted from the injunction order after the court consolidated the separate petitions filed last week by the lawyers of the ex-First Couple, said Marquez.

The SC spokesperson also said the court voted 8-5 in favor of Arroyo's request but she can only leave the country after fulfilling some requirements.

These include the payment of P2-million bail bond, appointment of legal representatives who can receive legal documents such as subpoena, orders, and other legal processes while the Arroyos are out of the country.

Both these requisites were fulfilled by the former First Gentleman's legal representative Ferdinand Topacio, who paid the cash bond to Araceli Layuga, SC collection and disbursement officer, around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Upon arrival at their chosen destination, the SC said the Arroyo couple should also inform the Philippine Embassy or consulate about their whereabouts "at all times" either by personal appearance or by phone.

Topacio said Arroyo will immediately see her doctors in Singapore after failing to show up three times.

"She really needs to have a medical check-up. I think she has an appointment tomorrow (Wednesday)," he said, adding the former presidential couple had no plans of evading prosecution.

The DOJ was asked to give comment in three days as the court scheduled an oral argument on the watch list orders against the Arroyo couple on November 22 at 2 p.m.

Arroyo, now a Pampanga lawmaker, already secured a travel authority from the House Secretary General to leave the country from October 22 to December 5 2011.

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