Aquino to lead 2011 PMA graduation rites on Sunday
President Benigno S. Aquino III will commission 196 first-class cadets of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) as second lieutenants and ensigns of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during the PMA graduation rites at the Borromeo Field in Baguio City on Sunday.
Cadet First Class Angelo Parras, 21, of Apalit, Pampanga, who will join the Navy, will receive the Presidential Saber from the President for topping the Laon Alab Class of 2011.
Cadets First Class John Gregor Guiang, 21, of Zamboanga del Norte, and Jason Cortes Luna, 23, of Enrile, Cagayan, ranked second and third, respectively.
Included in the list of the PMA top 10 graduate are Aljay Cabriga Dino of Naic, Cavite; Rigor Narag Pamittan of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan; Janice Baniaga Matbagan of Baguio City; Bobby Gabayno of Cainta, Rizal; Ramon Kristofer Ganab Engay of Tuao, Cagayan; Norman Avila Carual of Tabaco City, Albay; and Jason Fabros Parinas of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.
This year’s graduating class is the youngest in the last five years, with their median ages at between 20 and 22.
PMA officials said the class has at least 10 members who will graduate at 20. They would need a waiver to serve as officers in the military because the Armed Forces require its members to be at least 21.
Of the 196 graduates, 22 are females. One hundred and five cadets (105) will join the Army, 51 will go to the Navy, and 40 will join the Air Force. (PCOO)
Aquino to visit Indonesia, Singapore to strengthen bilateral, regional ties
President Benigno S. Aquino III will embark on a five-day state visit to Indonesia and Singapore to strengthen bilateral and regional ties with the two nations.
In a press briefing at the Palace on Friday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said that apart from strengthening ties, the President’s visit follows a tradition for new heads of state to pay courtesy visits to fellow ASEAN-member countries.
The Chief Executive will be in Indonesia on Mar. 7 to 9 and in Singapore from Mar. 9 to 11.
“By observing these traditions, the Philippines shows its commitment to ASEAN as its most important regional partner in development, peace and security efforts”, Del Rosario said.
“This year, 2011, is Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship, thus, the visit has a two-fold objective: to enhance bilateral relations and to strengthen ASEAN solidarity”, he added.
President Aquino and his delegation will meet with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudyohono and other Indonesian officials to discuss various issues of bilateral and regional concerns.
The President will also witness the signing of three agreements, the Memorandum of Understanding on Basic Education, Sports Cooperation and Cooperation on Preventing and Combating Transnational Crimes and Capacity building.
Such agreements aim to enhance people-to-people linkages between both countries.
The Chief Executive will also meet with the Filipino community as well as Indonesian businessmen to drum up support for the administration’s economic policies, particularly the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives. He will also visit the Palita Harapan University.
On Mar. 9, President Aquino will travel to Singapore from Jakarta where he has scheduled visit and hold briefings at the Changi Reclamation Plant, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore Technologies Kinetics and the Changi International Airport.
The Singaporean government will confer on President Aquino the honor of having an orchid breed named after him, a courtesy accorded to visiting heads of state.
President Aquino will also meet with the Filipino community in Singapore as well as with business taipans and organizations to gain support for government investments. (PCOO)
Aquino leads WWII bombs disposal exercise in Tarlac
President Benigno Aquino III led Saturday the culmination of the joint explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) exercise for World War II ordnances in Crow Valley in Capas, Tarlac.
President Aquino detonated the last two pallets of 287-pound Mk 6 depth charges and two pallets of 190-pound Mk 9 depth charges using radio firing device. He led the last phase of the exercise triggering the explosion of 2,000 pound explosive composed of antisubmarine explosives. Also present during the exercise was US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas.
Saturday’s event was part of an agreement between the Philippines and the US government after President Aquino met US President Barack Obama last year. The President asked the US leader to assist the Philippines in getting rid of the bombs that puts a civilian population at risk.
The ordnance disposal exercise was spearheaded by the Philippines Naval Special Operations Group (NAVSOG) in collaboration with the US military. Representatives from other services of the Philippine armed forces also joined the Navy in disposing the bombs.
The President commended the Armed Forces and all the personnel involved in the activity for safely disposing of the ordnances, completing the job way ahead of schedule.
The target date for completion was March 26, but they managed to complete it on March 5.
The exercise is the last phase of the ordnance disposal that started February 9 in Crow Valley in Tarlac where more than 4,000 pieces of World War II ordnances were detonated.
President Aquino said the safe disposal of the World War II leftover was very important to ensure public safety. The vintage ordnances were originally stored in Caballo Island in Cavite and experts said a detonation could trigger a domino-effect type of explosion that could be very destructive within 32-kilometer radius.
“There was a danger that an unattended explosion could detonate roughly about 400,000 pounds of explosives. I was told that the blast area for that would be something like 30 square kilometers that would affect portions of Cavite, Bataan and even the NCR [National Capital Region]. Hence, the need to adequately disposed of the same materials,” the President said.
The ordnance disposal had three phases: stabilization and rendering of the ordnances, segregation and pallet placements at Caballo Island from January 20 to February 4, 2011.
Under the second phase, the US government hired a commercial landing craft tank to transport the bombs from Caballo Island to Crow Valley. The third phase was the safe detonation of the bombs.
The Philippines still suffers from environmental damage from World War II and the post-war US military presence in the country aside from the unexploded munitions as a result of conflict in Mindanao and the communist insurgency.
Until now there are occasional reports on discoveries of these bombs and deaths appear to occur from time to time from such incidents. (PCOO)
