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More US troops arriving in Mindanao - report |
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Thursday, 01 May 2008 |
AL JACINTO, GMANews.TV
04/30/2008 | 10:50 AM
SULU, Philippines – More US troops are expected to arrive soon in the Philippines to support hundreds already deployed in the southern part of the country aiding Filipino troops in combating terrorism.
At least 30 soldiers, part of the Guam Army National Guard's 1st Battalion under the 294th Infantry Regiment, are heading to support the "Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines," the Guam-based Mariana's Variety newspaper reported Wednesday.
It said the soldiers will serve as security, at least for six months, for a unit of the Special Operations Command-Pacific that is conducting joint civilian-military operations and training with the Philippine military.
US soldiers deployed in the south are under the Joint Special Task-Philippines which is based in Zamboanga City, but its "area of operations," according to a US military publication, spans 8,000 square miles, covering the entire island of Mindanao and its surrounding islands and seas.
With various military facilities now being constructed for their use, members of the unit refer to their bases in Mindanao as "forward operating base-11" and "advanced operating base-921".
Though US and Philippine government officials have consistently claimed that the unit is not involved in actual combat, US troops themselves describe their mission as "unconventional warfare" and "counter-insurgency" operations in the country. US troops join Filipino soldiers on patrol, provide them with intelligence, and assist in various aspects of their operation.
American soldiers are also active in many development and humanitarian activities in the southern Philippines, especially in Sulu province where they built roads and schools and join medical missions with local troops and provincial government mostly in poor areas.
The humanitarian missions is part of the Balikatan, which means "shoulder-to-shoulder," an annual Philippine and US bilateral military humanitarian assistance and training activity.
Sulu Governor Sakur Tan said the humanitarian missions helped many poor families in the province.
Just earlier this year, about 600 US troops worked with civilian authorities and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in various humanitarian projects that included free medical, dental and veterinary care in Sulu province and also in central and Western part of Mindanao.
US and Philippine soldiers, many of them construction engineers, built schools and other community infrastructures in those areas.
In 2006, the United States Navy hospital ship Mercy had treated more than 60,000 mostly poor Filipino patients in separate medical missions in Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi islands, including Zamboanga City, as part of the Project Bayanihan. - GMANews.TV |
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Filipino technopreneur takes over US-based GPS firm |
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Wednesday, 23 April 2008 |
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By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 16:58:00 04/22/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- Noted Filipino IT entrepreneur Diosdado Banatao has taken over the reins of American high-tech firm SiRF Technology, following the resignation of the company's CEO. According to a report from GPS World, Banatao was announced interim president following the resignation of president and CEO Michael Canning.
Banatao, one of the investors in the company, also serves as executive chairman of SiRF Technology Holdings Inc. SiRF specializes in personal navigation devices (PNDs) that make use of global positioning system or GPS technology. According to the report, SiRF's stock price rose on the NASDAQ following the announcement of Banatao as interim president and CEO. The company, however, has been hit by the current economic slowdown in the US and mounting pressure due to the crowded PND market in the US.
Banatao, who is based in Silicon Valley in the United States, is also a managing partner at Tallwood Venture Capital, which invests in high-tech firms. He has also founded several companies in the US including SonicBlue Inc. and Mostron, and has patented commonly used chip technologies including the first Windows graphical user interface (GUI) accelerator chip.
Banatao, who is originally from Cagayan province, graduated from Mapua Institute of Technology and holds a master’s degree in engineering from Stanford University. |
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What Everyone Knows But Is Afraid to Talk About |
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Sunday, 13 April 2008 |
By Yolanda Ortega Stern
Article # 5 on the Mindanao Series
What Everyone Knows But Is Afraid to Talk About
1. MNLF Internal Rift – It happened once, it happened twice, it can happen again. The same old arguments are being used - Ineffective leadership. There is no question but that the men from the former Executive Council of the MNLF who broke off to form their own MNLF 2 feel that they want do a better job, if given the chance.
The rift is about TRUST, as impacting to the human heart as Betrayal. The Chairman is still alive, is still the recognized spiritual as well as the respected elder of the Bangsamoro. There was a way to reach a consensus, but not via the back way, and certainly not by foreclosure. Men who betray are bound to betray again and again, as the saying goes. There were many chances for amends and resolutions, but “loose lips sink ships” and my Muslim relatives in Mindanao always warned me that “Muslims leak like a sieve”. Was there betrayal? Or was there a majority decision that led to some actions? Can the actions of 21 men who planned the second ouster of Misuari be considered beneficial to peace and development in Mindanao? Is coup d ’etat by a minority an acceptable vehicle for transformation?
So the rift is personal, not intellectual or philosophical.
Conflict Resolution of this personal magnitude requires Traditional Mediation. The answer may be addressed by the Koran and with the Shariah experts.
2. MNLF MILF UNITY – Is this possible under 2 separate peace agreements? The answer is obvious. The GRP is calling on the two to unite, so is Libya. The OIC is calling for closure on the 1996 GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement. It also calls for closure of the GRP-MILF Peace Agreement provided it does not contradict the 1996 Peace Agreement. In a perfect world, academically and military, this is a DREAM TEAM. One organization, one enemy.
Here, the rift is not personal for they are united at heart. The rift is political. Conflict Resolution of this kind requires a Political Solution.
3. Moslems in Government – It is vital for the Moslems of Mindanao who fulminate against taxation without representation, to support the brothers who they elect or support into government positions. Choose the most highly qualified for the positions, then make sure they are successful on the job instead of calling them traitors or sell- outs. The battle for Mindanao must be fought and won legislatively for it is government who controls the budgets for Mindanao. The brothers in government are perfectly poised to influence policies to favor Mindanao. |
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