01.04.25 Philippine Outlook
By: API Desk | Published: January 4, 2025
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Philippines acquires six more Super Tucano to replace OV-10 Broncos
Manila – The Philippines has contracted with a Brazilian company to acquire six more A-29 Super Tucano to replace its Vietnam War-era close air support aircraft, an Air Force commander said.
Brigadier General Juliano Llaneras, the 15th Strike Wing commander, said the brand-new A-29 Super Tucano would boost the military’s close air support, surveillance, and forward observation capacity.
The Philippine Air Force has retired the two remaining Rockwell OV-10B Broncos, which were transferred by the US Marine Corps, and two AH-1 Cobra helicopters which were donated by Jordan in 2019.
The Air Force started replacing the OV-10B in 2020 when the first batch of A-29 Super Tucano worth 4.6 billion pesos was delivered by Brazil’s Embraer SA.
The Philippines was among the last operators of OV-10s, which patrolled the West Philippine Sea and saw action in numerous internal security operations against the New People’s Army and Abu Sayyaf Group, including the Marawi siege in 2017.
Former Western Command command retires
Manila – Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, the former commander of the Western Command in Palawan, bows out of military service after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 57 years old.
Carlos was relieved of his command last year after a controversy over an agreement with China to de-escalate tension in the Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal).
Senior security and diplomatic officials denied the existence of an agreement which Carlos made when he spoke with a Chinese embassy official in January 2024.
Carlos was vindicated in July when the two countries’ foreign ministries agreed to de-escalate tensions around Ayunging Shoal. Carlos was a classmate of Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner but graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.
Carlos was also appointed as head of the military’s logistics division before he was designated as commander of the Philippine Fleet in Sangley Point. In 2022, he was appointed commander of the Western Command which has jurisdiction over the disputed West Philippine Sea.
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Army troops kill Maoist-led rebel leader in Capiz
Jamindan, Capiz – Army troops on patrol killed an unidentified leader of the Maoist-led rebel group in Capiz in a chance encounter, an Army general said.
Major-General Marion Sison, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division on Panay island, said the rebel leader died after a 30-minute gun battle with 10 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Sitio Naatip, Barangay Lahug, Tapaz town.
Sison said the troops were checking reports that rebels operating in the area belonged to Regional Sentro De Gravidad (RSDG) and Central Front (CF) Weakened (W) Komiteng Rehiyon—Panay.
Sison said the rebels withdrew and scampered in different directions as army reinforcements arrived in the area, leaving behind their dead comrade. Troops had recovered one rifle and five backpacks.
Sison said the encounter will serve as a reminder of the Army’s unceasing commitment to safeguarding the freedom and security of the people of Western and Central Visayas.
Fishermen recovers undersea drone in Masbate
Manila – Local fishermen found an undersea drone near the Masbate island in the central Philippines , which police suspected to be from China.
But the Armed Forces said it was still trying to determine the origin, make, and purpose of the remote-controlled sub-surface drone.
In a statement, military spokesman Colonel Xerxes Trinidad said the local police had turned over the drone to the Philippine Navy for inspection and further investigation.
An official police report said the drone was found by fishermen on the morning of December 30 while fishing in the area. The fishermen, accompanied by barangay officials, then turned over the item to the PNP.
The yellow drone had the markings “HY-119”, which police said refers to a Chinese underwater navigation and communication system.
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