US could increase Pacific presence with return to the Philippines

Twenty years after the US pulled out of its military bases in the Philippines, Washington is in talks with Manila about once again permanently basing ships and soldiers in the Southeast Asian nation.

American troops were a permanent presence in the Philippines for almost a century until 1992  

Alarmed by China's increasingly aggressive posturing over territorial disputes and energy rights in the South China Sea, officials from Philippines are holding talks today and tomorrow in the US capital about the possibility of US Navy ships operating out of the Philippines in the future. More joint exercises between the two countries and the deployment of American ground troops are also being discussed.

Following the announcements late last year that US marines will be based in Darwin, Australia and US navy ships stationed in Singapore, the news that the Pentagon is contemplating a return to the Philippines is certain to anger Beijing. While there has been no immediate reaction from China, Beijing has already protested about the plan to increase the presence of US forces in the region, which it sees as an attempt both to encircle it and to counter its influence in southeast Asia. America already has large bases in Japan and South Korea.

While a final decision will be made in March, the proposed return to the Philippines is the first concrete indication of the US's future strategic priorities since President Obama announced plans three weeks ago to streamline the US armed forces. In his January 5 speech, President Obama spoke of a shift in focus towards the Asia-Pacific region, which has been ignored in recent years as Washington concentrated on the Middle East and Afghanistan.

That has allowed China to assert its own presence in the area and in particular in the South China Sea, much to the concern of its weaker neighbours. China insists it has sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, including the disputed Paracel and Spratly Islands, which a number of countries including the Philippines claim as their own. The Spratlys are believed to be rich in natural gas and oil deposits coveted by Beijing.

Tensions over the islands have been rising steadily over the last year with a number of clashes between Chinese patrol boats and vessels from the Philippines and Vietnam. In September, Filipino President Benigno Aquino announced the South China Sea was being renamed the West Philippine Sea in an effort to reinforce its claim to the Spratlys.

With China preparing to deploy its first aircraft carrier, Manila is keen to have a US military presence in the Philippines as a deterrent to the might of the Chinese navy. "We can point to other countries; Japan, Australia, Singapore," a Philippines official involved in the Washington talks told a US newspaper anonymously. "We're not the only ones doing this, and for good reason. No wants to have to face China, or confront China."
American troops were a permanent presence in the Philippines for almost a century until 1992, when the giant Subic Bay naval base was shut after local lawmakers refused to renew the lease on the land. Since 2002, around 600 US Special Forces troops have been deployed to the Philippines to assist in the fight against a long-running Muslim insurgency on the southern island of Mindanao.

Philippines anti-crime head Magtanggol Gatdula sacked

The head of the top Philippines police investigation unit has been dismissed over his alleged involvement in a kidnap and extortion case.

Magtanggol Gatdula could face charges over the 2010 abduction of Noriyo Ohara, a Japanese woman.
He was the chief of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and officials claim he knew of the plot to detain Ms Ohara and extort money.
Ten other senior agents were also alleged to have been involved.
Mr Gatdula has been on a voluntary leave of absence since late last year and appears to have made no public comment on the allegations.
Ms Ohara was staying in the Philippines illegally while on the run from Japanese gangsters, who were apparently pursuing her after she inherited a large amount of money, media reports say.
According to an NBI inquiry, NBI officers extorted about 6m pesos ($139,000) from Ms Ohara's host family for her release.
The internal inquiry said that Mr Gatdula knew about the plot and helped cover up the crime afterwards, according Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
"The [investigating] panel made recommendations for the filing of administrative and criminal charges [against] the NBI director himself who based on testimony, had personal knowledge of the crime," Ms de Lima is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

Cebu: Nightlife

Nightlife in Cebu is lively and really starts rocking after 8pm. The seedier go-go dance places are concentrated on Mango Avenue (now General Maxilom) with establishments like Viking, Papillon and Blackhole. Arena. The latter is a larger place filled with more scantily-clad dancers who will come up and ask the S.O.P., "helloooo sirrrrrr, wear rrrrrrrrr yoooooooo froooooom, sirrrrr?" Not too far from Mango Avenue is Jaguar KTV and go-go dance place. This is located in a plush theatre.
If your looking to avoid the sleazy people & prostitues of Mango/Bikniki Bars then you should check out The Taproom located at 1 Maria Luisa Rd. in Banilad, Cebu.  It's off the radar of the downtown Mango crowd & you'll find many ex-pats & foriegners partying in a classy environment.  The prices are resonable (cheaper then most a-class nightclubs in cebu) & the party generally starts around 10-11PM.  Thursday nights you'll find the place packed early for their Trivia Nights.  Music can vary, but is generally house/electro.  There are also monthly events where they bring in a big name dj.  Dress code is casual & not enforced as it's assumed by the crowd, but since most dress to impress.  There is a large parking lot, so no worry about parking your car.  Enterance is free before 11PM, but after that you may encounter a cover charge of 100P to 300P depending on the event/night.  They also have great food as it is an Italian Restuarant as well, but is only served until 11PM with Pizza's being served until 1AM.
Right  in the heart of Uptown district Cebu City is El Gecko Restobar. A popular haunt of expats and locals with great international food, the cheapest beer in town, 30 peso and fantastic people. Multi screen TVs playing music DVDs and very welcoming staff!!
 Cebuanos are very proud of their local cuisine and so they should be. Whether it is tender calamari frittos that simply melt in your mouth, a tasty lechon manok (charcoal grilled chicken), or a grilled tuna belly garnished with calamansi juice, you will be spoiled for choice with the array and assortment of culinary delights on offer.

One should definitely experience some of the sugba or sinugba (barbecue) restaurants or stalls.

Search continuing for Philippine landslide missing

 

Flimsy homes belonging to gold prospectors were buried by the landslide

Rescue teams are continuing to search for up to 150 people thought to be missing after a landslide struck a mining village in the southern Philippines.

The landslide occurred on Thursday in Pantukan, Compostela Valley province, on Mindanao island.
At least 25 bodies have been recovered from the rubble.
Sixteen people have also been treated for injuries, according to disaster management officials.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said eight of the missing had been named by relatives.
But it said that up to 150 people - likely from other parts of the country - were missing, based on estimates from local officials.
The settlement was home to miners prospecting for gold. Unregulated mining activities have made the mountain area unstable and caused a series of accidents.
A nearby village was also hit by a landslide last year that left 14 people dead.
Police teams and the armed forces are joining in the rescue operations and the area has been designated a state of calamity.
"Based on what we saw, we are expecting a lot of casualties because it happened very early in the morning and there are a lot of shanties and small houses in the side of the landslide path," Lt Col Lyndon Paniza, spokesperson for the local military, said.
Civil defence chief Benito Ramos said that the landslide was triggered by "continuous rain" over two days.
Heavy rains and the area's remote location have been obstacles to rescue operations

Filipino flight attendants treat passengers to safety dance

Flight attendants for a Philippine airline have treated passengers to some festive cheer with a dancing safety demonstration complete with Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You in the background. 

Manila-based Cebu Pacific airline gained fame by dancing through their safety routine to the backing of Lady Gaga, but this time have updated it for the holiday period.

The airline says the choreographed dance helps passengers pay more attention to the demonstration, which instructs passengers of how to use their seat belts and life jackets.

Candice Iyog, an airline spokesman, said: "Now that it's Christmas, we wanted to bring a little more fun into the flight."

She added that passenger reaction had been good.

Video of the routine shows four attendants in orange shirts and khaki shorts dancing away on select flights. It has since become popular on YouTube, being watched more than 30,000 times.

They airline made headlines back in October when performances featuring Lady Gaga and Katy Perry went viral on YouTube.
Cebu Pacific Airlines is the largest airline in the Philippines and is renowned for its low cost fares and gimmicks that include in-flight games and giveaways.

Australia issues travel warning for Philippines after Aussie Warren Rodwell kidnapped

Australian Warren Rodwell is missing in the the Philippines with fears he was abducted by Muslim militants. 

THE AUSTRALIAN Government has issued a travel warning for parts of the Philippines as the search for a Sydney man who was kidnapped at gunpoint from a seaside town continued yesterday. 

Warren Rodwell was snatched from his home late Monday in the town of Ipil on the main island of Mindanao and authorities appear to be no closer to tracking down his armed captors.

Local police said the 53-year-old was shot in the foot during the abduction as he wrestled with up to six gunmen.

Police recovered an empty bullet casing and found blood outside the property, the Mindanao Examiner reported.

"Rodwell was shot in the foot while trying to fight off the kidnappers, who are members of a local gang, but with links to the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan province," Army Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang said without further elaborating.


The Abu Sayyaf terror group was founded in 1990 with al Qaeda funding and has been blamed for the Philippines' worst terrorist attacks, including a ferry bombing that killed more than 100 people in 2004, as well as the beheading of foreigners. It is part of a Muslim separatist rebellion which has been raging for 40 years.

Cabangbang said security forces have launched a massive search for Mr Rodwell, who was born in Sydney but has spent the past decade teaching English across Asia.

He was living in Ipil, in the southern Philippines, where he and Filipino wife, Miraflor Gutang, 27, also known as Grace, ran a store. She reportedly walked out on him after an argument only days before he was kidnapped, The Sydney Morning Herald reported, citing information from police.

Ipil acting Mayor Alberto Alcoriza told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Mr Rodwell had been warned about the dangers of the region and offered security protection -- but told authorities he could protect himself.

"He told us then that he'd fight back in case he encountered security problems," Mr Alcoriza said.

Mr Rodwell is the 10th foreigner to be kidnapped in the southern Philippines this year.

The Australian Government has established a consular task force to deal with the kidnapping, while in an increased travel warning, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Transport urged people not to travel to central and western Mindanao, and reconsider plans to visit eastern Mindanao, because of the threat of terror attacks and kidnapping.

It said, "If you are in central and western Mindanao, you should consider leaving. If, despite our advice, you decide to visit central or western Mindanao, you should put in place robust measures to ensure your personal security."

ANGELES CITY The Center of Nightlife For Many

Angeles City is the centre of nightlife for many. Angeles City offers 24-hour entertainment in its many pubs, bars and restaurants but it is after dark that Angeles city really comes to life, especially for singles seeking a companion with whom to explore the rest of the Philippines. Angeles City / Clark History Angeles City in history was the place where to escape the seasonal flooding that plagued the provincial capitol of Pampanga - San Fernando City - for centuries. Angeles City, built on higher ground then San Fernando, and away from the flood plains, became famous as the playground for U.S. Forces stationed at the adjacent Clark Air Base - "Clark Field" (renamed Clark International Airport and very recently renamed, Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA)). The area surrounding historic Clark Field and Angeles City is marked with shrines and monuments to many wars, conflicts and disasters, from the Philippine American War (1899-1902) through World War II and to more recent times. You can still find sections of railroad track in Angeles City and on Clark Field that transported prisoners of war, who survived the infamous Bataan Death March (1942), North to La Union from where they were loaded into Hell Ships and shipped to Japan for slave labour. Most recently Clark Field and Angeles City were covered in layers of ash from the eruption of Mount Pinatubo (1991), and the surrounding valleys & plains were swamped by lahar flows - changing some of the landscape beyond recognition. During World War II the rice fields adjacent to the modern Clark International Airport were dotted with airstrips from where the first kamikaze flights, by the Japanese Air Force, took to the air. Flying is still a significant part of life and sport around Angeles City, although kamikaze flights are now banned. In Angeles City / Clark Field many of the World's best commercial pilots are now trained in flight simulators, as well as in real aircraft. The Angeles City Flying Club offers pleasure flights and full flying training courses in ultralight / microlight aircraft. Angeles City Hotels Angeles City hotels come in all shapes and sizes, giving the choice of anything from backpacker pension houses to 5-star luxury hotels, some with jacuzzis in every room. Hotel bookings in Angeles City hotels are easy if you contact Swagman Travel Service. Things To Do In Angeles City / Clark Things to do in Angeles City / Clark include visiting Mount Pinatubo, which remains a significant tourist attraction - being the site of the World's largest volcanic eruption in the 20th century. Mount Pinatubo offers hiking enthusiasts superb hiking tours. Hiking too strenuous? you can take flying tours from Clark Field, flying into the Mount Pinatubo crater. Take home some spectacular photographs of Mother Nature's awesome power. Ask Swagman Travel Service about arranging adventure tours, hiking or flying to Mount Pinatubo. Meet also the Aeta, the indigenous people of the area, many of whom were displaced by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo and now eke out a living around Clark Field, selling attractive handicrafts and novelties in both Clark and Angeles City. Visit Angeles City and Clark Field also for motor racing, drag racing, horseback riding, golf, casinos and the annual international hot air balloon festival, which takes place on Clark Field every February. Angeles City Nightlife Angeles City nightlife (in the city itself) is very modest but nightlife along Fields Avenue, Balibago, is legendary for its variety & color. Angeles City nightlife in the area of Fields Avenue, is the major attraction for many. Fields Avenue features scores of bars overflowing with minimally dressed receptionists and Guest Relations Officers, all aiming to remove a traveler's boredom and loneliness. Dive into the Angeles City nightlife for the coldest-cheapest beers, warmest welcomes and coziest casinos. Also along Fields Avenue (and in the adjacent streets), more than a kilometer of pubs, bars and restaurants aim to satisfy every taste and whim, at any time of day or night. Some of the best value-for-money restaurants in the Philippines, offering a mouth-watering choice of North American, European, Australian & Asian cuisine, can be found in Angeles City's Fields Avenue, Balibago area . . . and most are less expensive than alternatives in Metro Manila.