June 14, 2024 | NEWS DIGEST

 

By API Desk | Date 06-14-2024

 

Marcos names new AFP area commander

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has named a new commander for the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) to hasten the defeat of the local Communist insurgency movement.

 

Marcos Jr. appointed Major-General Luis Rex Bergante to replace Major-General Jose Maria Cuerpo II, acting area commander after Lieutenant General Greg Almerol retired last month.

 

Cuerpo remained the commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division in northern Mindanao. His command is under the Eastern Mindanao Command based in Davao City.

 

Armed Forces chief of staff, General Romeo Brawner Jr, said General Bergante has a tall order to end the local Communist movement within the year. Davao is among the remaining strongholds of the New People’s Army rebels.

 

 

Navy shadows Chinese warships in Basilan

The Western Mindanao naval forces shadowed two Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) vessels as they passed through the Basilan Straits, a military spokeswoman said.

 

Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said the Navy immediately sent BRP Domingo Deluana, an Israeli-made missile-capable Fast Attack InterdictionCrat (FAIC) after detecting the Chinese warships on Philippine waters.

 

One of the Chinese vessels, Qi Jiquang (BN 83) responded to the Philippine Navy’s challenge that it was conducting normal navigation from its last port of call in Dili, Timor Leste, en route to Dalian, China. 

 

Padilla said the Basilan Strait is recognized as an international sea lane allowing innocent passage of vessels from various nations.

 

 

Philippines rejects China’s demand for resupply notification

The Philippines rejected China’s demand for the Southeast Asian states to notify Beijing before sending supplies to Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, insisting it has sovereign rights on the disputed waters. 

 

In a statement, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said the Philippines will never seek approval from China when conducting rotation and resupply missions on Ayungin Shoal.

 

Año pointed out that Ayungin Shoal is only about 110 nautical miles from Rizal town in Palawan and was within the 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone.

 

Earlier, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning said China can allow delivery of living necessities to grounded Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre, where troops assigned at Ayungin are staying, “if the Philippines notifies the Chinese side in advance.”

 

 

Trilateral air patrol in Southeast Asia’s backwaters

The Philippines held a trilateral air patrol with Indonesia and Malaysia in the Celebes and Sulu Seas, boosting anti-piracy and counter Islamist militants movement in the region’s backwaters.

 

In a statement, the Philippine Air Force said the trilateral drills was part of the collaborative initiative among Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines (INDOMALPHI) to boost peace and security in the area.

 

“The TAP bolstered joint aerial presence in the region, facilitating reconnaissance and surveillance of suspicious foreign vessels and unusual maritime activities,” the statement read.

 

The Philippine Air Force added that the trilateral air activity has contributed to the prevention of cross-border security threats such as terrorism, piracy, and human trafficking, among others.