President Rodrigo R. Duterte said the country is preparing for a war that will come “sooner than later” and ordered the deployment of additional troops to critical areas.

“The Philippines is going to experience another spasm. When? I do not know. Sigurado? Sigurado ‘yan. So we prepare within our limited talent, our capacity. We cannot really produce the missiles and things. But ‘yung ating nalaman lang how to fight the war, win or lose, wala na tayong pakialam. Basta we fight. It will come, maybe sooner than later,” Duterte said.

The President did not specifically point to groups or nations against whom the country must prepare for war but pointed out that Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana had asked for 20,000 additional forces and that he only authorized the deployment of 10,000 soldiers.

“There’s always the standing army to protect us. Never mind how many, even if it really causes an imbalance in the budget. It is always good to have men there ready to fight and die, rather than having them at all and just surrender just like a meek lamb there,” he said.

Duterte added that the country must also get over the “small wars,” pertaining to armed conflicts with the New People’s Army (NPA), Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and focus on the new war.

The war, he said, is certainly not against China as he reiterated that “we avoid trouble with them. Hindi pa natin kaya.”

He said that he spoke with the Chinese Ambassador recently but added he refused to discuss about the disputed West Philippine Sea.

“Sinabi ko: Mr. Ambassador, I will not talk about it but when we are in front of each other in a bilateral talk, ‘yung tayong dalawa lang, then I would state my case. ‘Yan. I have this arbitral judgment. We will not go out of the four corners of this paper. Then, let us talk. But not now. It’s not the right time to talk about it,” he said.

He discussed the dangers of engaging China in multilateral talks on the disputed territory “because pag nag-withdraw ang China sa formal talks, it could only mean one thing.”

BREAKTHROUGH AGREEMENT

A breakthrough agreement that will help address terrorism, piracy, human and drug trafficking, kidnapping for ransom, and other allied criminal activities in the country’s vast and porous borders was forged among local government and key agencies of government at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, on Thursday.

Marine Col. Edgard A. Arevalo, AFP Public Affairs Office chief, said a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that shall promote and ensure cooperation for maritime safety and security in the archipelagic areas of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and other critical areas of the country was formally signed.

He said through the MOU, the AFP is empowered to enforce regulations governing the use of high-speed watercraft at three gross tonnage or smaller.

The AFP is likewise deputized thereby to confiscate unregistered sea crafts and dismantle illegally constructed ports; mitigate movements of terrorist and criminal groups; and negate their ability to endanger national security.

General Ricardo Visaya, AFP Chief of Staff has lauded the collaboration that provides the AFP legal wherewithal to address terrorism, piracy, human and drug trafficking, kidnapping for ransom, and other allied criminal activities in the country’s vast and porous borders.

Signatories to the MOU were Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno, Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director Eduardo B. Gongona, OTS OIC Miguel FF Oraa, MARINA Administrator Marcial Quirico C. Amaro III, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Daniel R. Santiago, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant William M Melad, ARMM Gov Mujiv S Hataman and General Visaya.

WAR VS. ASG

The military said Sunday that a total of 19 Abu Sayyaf fighters have already been killed since fighting between government soldiers and the bandit group erupted in Patikul, Sulu, last Friday.

Reports coming from the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Western Mindanao Command, said an additional eight Abu Sayyaf bandits were added on the list of those who were killed in the firefight as of 5 p.m. Saturday.

Seventeen soldiers, meanwhile, were hurt on the government side.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Antonio L. Colina IV and Francis T. Wakefield

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