Philippine Navy Launches BRP del Pilar & BRP Tagbanua for Spartlys

The country's largest warship will be deployed in the West Philippine Sea before Christmas to guard the country's borders, a Navy officer said yesterday.

Speaking at Navy headquarters in Manila, Navy Capt. Alberto Cruz, commanding officer of BRP Gregorio del Pilar, said they are awaiting orders from the military leadership on the ship's deployment.

"It will be deployed within this month, before Christmas. This will secure the territory of the Philippines," Cruz said.

Cruz said the ship's travel time from Manila to the West Philippine Sea would be about 24 hours.

The ship's crewmembers were selected from various naval units, he added.

Cruz said the sailors manning the ship are part of the Navy's "cream of the crop."

"The crewmembers will spend Christmas inside the ship," he said.

The Navy commissioned the Gregorio del Pilar at Pier 13 in South Harbor, Manila at 10 a.m. yesterday.

It is the country's first Hamilton-class cutter.

President Aquino witnessed the commissioning of the Gregorio del Pilar, which was acquired from the US Coast Guard early this year.

Aquino also led the commissioning of the BRP Tagbanua, a landing craft utility that is 100 percent Filipino made and the BO105 helicopter donated by the Tourism department.

Three of Aquino's sisters served as principal sponsors of the two ships and aircraft.

This was in line with a tradition of tapping females to serve as sponsors of maritime assets to be commissioned.

 

BRP Tagbanua - Philippines' locally made ship

Navy officials and the principal sponsors broke a bottle of local basi wine on the ships' bows for good luck and smooth voyage.

In other countries, bottles of champagne are used for the ceremony.

Basi, made of sugarcane, was also poured on the newly commissioned BO105 helicopter.

Navy chief Vice Adm. Alexander Pama said the Gregorio del Pilar is "the symbol and icon of our capability upgrade and modernization program."

"The (BRP Gregorio del Pilar) will now steam as the vanguard of your Navy as she now leads our fleet in fulfilling our obligation to secure our maritime nation's territorial integrity and sovereignty and protect our exclusive economic zone," he said.

"All these have become a reality for us only because of the obstinate desire of our President and Commander-in-Chief to provide your Navy with the necessary wherewithal to perform its missions and functions."

Aquino's elder sister Maria Elena "Ballsy" Cruz served as the principal sponsor of the warship.

Early this year, the government acquired its first Hamilton-class vessel from the US Coast Guard to enhance the military's external defense capabilities.

The 380 feet-long vessel Gregorio del Pilar was acquired under the US Foreign Military Sales program.

The ship's transfer cost was pegged at about ₱450 million and was bankrolled by proceeds from the Malampaya funds.

The Navy also commissioned the Tagbanua, a locally built Navy landing craft utility named after an indigenous group in Palawan.

Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay said the ship is primarily designed to transport combat personnel, tanks, vehicles and cargo.

The government spent ₱180 million from the military's modernization funds for the ship, which was manufactured by shipbuilder Propmech.

Presidential sister Victoria Elisa "Viel" Dee served as the principal sponsor of the ship.

Robert Cursod Jr., leader of the Tagbanua tribe after which the ship was named, was present during the ceremony.

Also commissioned yesterday was a BO105 helicopter named Philippine Navy Helicopter 422.

The helicopter was donated by the Tourism department's Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority last August.

Tonsay said the helicopter is ready for deployment after the Naval Air Group undertook a few repairs. Presidential sister Aurora Corazon "Pinky" Abellada served as principal sponsor of the helicopter.

In the same event, the Navy renamed the presidential yacht Ang Pag Asa (hope) to Ang Pangulo.

The yacht was renamed "to continue the heritage and carry the honor and prestige of the Philippine presidency."

The Ang Pangulo has been the presidential yacht since the time of President Diosdado Macapagal and was originally named RPS Roxas.

5 new choppers

The Navy is set to acquire five new helicopters next year.

Marine Col. Ariel Caculitan, Naval Air Group commander, said acquisition of the helicopters is already on the pipeline.

"The acquisition of the additional five helicopters is a big lift to our naval air capability," he said.

The Navy has 10 operational fixed wings air assets, four of which are trainer planes, six islanders and three helicopters, he added.

Caculitan said the five helicopters will be deployed on board two Hamilton-class cutters which the Navy is acquiring from the US in the first quarter and second quarter next year.

Dellosa orders reforms

New Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa has ordered his troops to continue undertaking reforms in their financial system and to implement security plan Bayanihan and disaster response measures.

Armed Forces spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said yesterday Dellosa issued the directives during his first command conference as chief of the 120,000-strong military last Monday.

"He (Dellosa) asked the commanders to continue the reforms started by (former military chief) Gen. (Eduardo) Oban," he said. "He said we should continue enhancing our financial and logistics system."

Burgos said Dellosa outlined his four priority areas during the command conference, namely the internal peace and security plan Bayanihan, disaster preparedness, territorial defense and organizational reforms.

The command conference was held immediately after Dellosa assumed as military chief in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, he added.

The meeting only lasted for about 30 minutes, Burgos said.

Dellosa was installed as the 43rd chief of the Armed Forces last Monday.

During his assumption, Dellosa vowed to continue adhering to the principles of Bayanihan by engaging with civilian stakeholders.

"Many efforts are now being focused on poverty, social injustice, and graft and corruption," he said.

"In this aspect of work, it should be clear that the role of your AFP is not to lead but to support.

"To further ensure that we achieve the desired end state, we shall vigorously engage all stakeholders, especially the local chief executives in affected areas."

Dellosa also stressed the need to prepare for climate change and other natural hazards.

"We shall enhance our commitment to cushion the effects of climate change by envisioning a very comprehensive approach on disaster preparedness, enjoining all local community assets and human resources," he said.

Dellosa also vowed to continue upgrading the military's capabilities to protect the country's territory and sovereignty.

"Development of navy and air force bases and facilities to efficiently respond to untoward incidents is something we can no longer ignore," he said.

He also promised to work for the realization of the Philippine defense reform and to improve AFP's structure to achieve a lean and capable active force.

Meanwhile, Dellosa witnessed on Monday the turnover by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. of P4.5 million in financial aid to three Army hospitals.

Army spokesman Maj. Harold Cabunoc said the assistance would be used to acquire equipment for the Army General Hospital in Fort Bonifacio, Kuta Major Cesar Sang-an Station Hospital in Zamboanga del Sur and Camp Siongco Station Hospital in Maguindanao.

"The new hospital equipment that will be purchased will greatly improve the delivery of health services for the Army personnel," said Col. Mariano Mejia, commanding officer of the Army General Hospital.

Aquino and Army chief Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista were also present during the turnover of the financial assistance.– With Aurea Calica

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Philippines & China Send Warship to Disputed Seas

The tensions is fueled again for China vs. Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam and ASEAN Nation

Breaking News: The Philippines has relaunched an U.S. Coast Guard Hamilton Cutter Class as its biggest and most modern warship to guard potentially oil-rich waters that are at the center of a dispute with China.

President Benigno Aquino III witnessed the commissioning of the 3,390-ton Philippine navy frigate BRP Gregorio del Pilar in an austere ceremony Wednesday (December 14, 2011)  that he said symbolized his country's struggle to modernize its underfunded military despite many obstacles.

Aquino said the Philippines cannot guard its territorial waters and islands "with dilapidated vessels and old and faulty equipment."

The newly repainted warship can carry a surveillance helicopter and is mounted with anti-aircraft guns. The navy says it will be deployed near contested waters in the South China Sea.

China sends patrol ship to disputed waters

China has sent its largest patrol ship to the East China Sea to guard the country's territorial rights, state media said Wednesday (December 14, 2011), in a move likely to fuel tensions over the disputed waters.

China has repeatedly locked horns with its neighbors Japan and Taiwan over a group of uninhabited islands -- called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in Chinese -- which Beijing claims are in its territorial waters.

Japan and Taiwan also claim sovereignty over the area, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas.

The 3,000-tonne Haijian 50 began its maiden voyage on Tuesday, the Global Times reported, citing the head of the East China Sea branch of the country's marine law enforcement agency.

The vessel will visit Rixiang Rock, Suyan Rock and the offshore oil and gas fields of Chunxiao and Pinghu, as well as China-Japan joint development zones, Liu Zhendong was quoted saying.

The Chinese-made vessel is equipped with the country's "most advanced marine technology and is capable of accommodating China's Z9A helicopters", the report said.

It will conduct joint patrols with the Haijian 66, a 1,350-tonne ship deployed in March.

Disputes over the East China Sea and South China Sea have intensified recently, with Chinese President Hu Jintao earlier this month urging the navy to prepare for military combat and a US campaign to assert itself as a Pacific power.

Several Asian nations have competing claims over parts of the South China Sea, believed to encompass huge oil and gas reserves, while China claims it all.

Separately, Beijing and Seoul are involved in a dispute over the Yellow Sea, where a South Korean coastguard was stabbed to death by a Chinese fisherman this week.

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‘God particle’: Scientists close in on evidence How God Created the Universe

Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research have narrowed the range where the hypothetical "God particle" created at the beginning of the universe may be found, closing in on evidence of its existence.

The particle, also known as Higgs boson, most likely has a mass in the region between 116 and 130 gigaelectronvolts of energy being studied by one research team and between 115 and 127 gigaelectronvolts under observation by another team, according to data presented today by the Geneva-based research institute. Independent measurements point to a range of 124 to 126 gigaelectronvolts, researchers said.

The Higgs boson, named after U.K. physicist Peter Higgs, in theory allows other particles to have mass. Finding the Higgs boson could be a gateway to discovering new physics, such as superparticles or dark matter, part of the universe's building material that went missing at the beginning of time. While the scientists found "tantalizing hints" of the particle, it's too early to say whether it exists, the scientists said.

No Conclusions

"We cannot conclude anything at this stage," said Fabiola Gianotti, a spokeswoman for the institute's ATLAS experiment, one of the two research teams. "We need more study and more data. We will not need to wait long for enough data and can look forward to resolving this puzzle in 2012."

Scientists at the research institute, also known as CERN, are using the Large Hadron Collider, a 27-kilometer (17-mile) circuit of magnets running under the French-Swiss border, to smash beams of atomic particles and record the resulting collisions. The researchers have been creating conditions as close as possible to the so-called Big Bang that formed the universe 13.7 billion years ago in their search for the Higgs boson.

"Higgs bosons, if they exist, are very short-lived and can decay in many different ways," CERN said in a statement. "Discovery relies on observing the particles they decay into, rather than the Higgs itself."

Both groups exclude a broad range of possible Higgs masses, from 115 to 600 times the weight of a proton, Lawrence Sulak, chairman emeritus of Boston University's physics department, said via e-mail.

Significant Hints

"The significance of the hints reported today could turn into proof beyond a doubt come next October," Sulak said.

If the researchers don't find the particle by the end of next year, they will exclude its existence, Rolf-Dieter Heuer, director-general of CERN, told reporters in Geneva in October. Failing to find the Higgs boson would lend credibility to alternate theories that explain the mechanism that allows particles to have mass.

The results of further experiments will have implications for theories on dark matter, which makes up about 23 percent of the universe. Such research could help scientists gain a better understanding of the universe and how galaxies hold together, according to CERN.

CERN said in September that an experiment showed a neutrino beam appears to have moved faster than the speed of light. The finding, if confirmed, would contradict Albert Einstein, who said nothing can exceed light speed.

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