Territorial Dispute with China: Philippines to Move "Major Forces" to Subic Bay

An article similar to the following appeared in the Washington Post over the weekend; here's the AP version as published by the Manila Bulletin this morning:

The aviation facilities mentioned are those at the former US Naval Air Station at Cubi Point which, following the American withdrawal in 1992, was renamed to Subic Bay International Airport. Its only international flights were freight only but they ceased when the sole operator, FedEx, move its regional hub to China in 2009. There are no commercial flights other than an air taxi service.

(Interestingly, constructing Cubi Point took 5 years, an estimated 20 million man-hours and at a cost of $100 million in the early 1950s; it was undertaken by USN personnel, not local contractors. It involved a massive earth-moving operation equivalent to the construction of the Panama Canal and included relocating a town, cutting a mountain in half, blasting coral, removing 150 foot tall trees that were up to 8 feet in diameter and reclaiming swampland. The adjacent deep water wharf is capable of handling a large aircraft carrier.)

I seem to recall that all the talk was that there would be no resistance?

Japan pledges support for Philippines as both countries confront China over disputed islands

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/0...-countries-confront-china-over/#ixzz2aQ6frs00

Who said there would be any? The story merely states that the Philippines is to take-over Subic Bay as its navy and air force bases.

Talk about a totally misleading headline! The actuality is that the Japanese government will provide a low-interest loan to the Philippines to be spent on an order for some Japanese-built patrol boats. This has far more to do with reviving the flagging Japanese economy than any show of solidarity.

ref above....

There is quite probably a lot more going on than any one of us are aware of.

There are actually two wharves which can accommodate a carrier; one is at Cubi and the other is Nabasan Pier which was the ammunition wharf.

What people often don't realise is that the USN used Subic primarily as a heavy repair facility. That is of course why their ships de-ammunitioned here and why the jungle down to Nabasan Pier is full of concealed nuclear bunkers. The Philippines Government did not understand this and asked for an increase in rent at a time when US unions were pressing for more work to be done in the States...the consequences were that the Americans closed their attache cases and left.

What I find surprising is that the PAF are talking of moving; their base at Clark is large and well equipped and Clark has a space shuttle size runway which Cubi most certainly does not.

I suspect that the PAF will be staying at Clark and their extension to Cubi will allow them to host the USAF at Cubi.

Here's a rather nice bar and restaurant which uses one such bunker:

https://foursquare.com/v/bunker-bobs/4dce058a22718eed7a2eac87

Hmmm not sure how i feel about this as we're looking at moving to Olongapo this year. Still I suppose if anything at does happen it won't be overnight.
That Bunker Bob's looks interesting, I'm all in favour of "normal" bars out there over the more "girlie" type.

Couple of snaps at Bunker Bob's. The owners are an American ex special forces colonel and his Iraqi journalist wife.

This was a quiet night:



I took this snap of a waitress because she has what I call a Subic face - this place is a real melting pot:

Actually, I'm in Subic at the moment - let me know if there is anything that you want looking into - I'm actually here to work this week but will have some free time on Saturday.

The place has come on by leaps and bounds, the Ayala Mall is pretty nice and there is a story that a Peninsular Hotel will be built here. Certainly there is a more than reasonable choice of restaurants, etc.

Hmm the computer I'm using isn't loading up your pcs for some reason?

I'll PM you, thanks

China is unsurprisingly unamused:

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/07/30/1031511/china-target-manilas-transfer-forces-subic

Philippines says US spy planes monitoring China at sea

"The Philippines said Wednesday that US spy planes were providing crucial intelligence on Chinese military activities in disputed areas of the South China Sea.
US Navy P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft frequently fly over areas that the Philippines says are within its legal territory but where China has deployed military vessels, said Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario.
"I think it's of significant importance for us," del Rosario told reporters, when asked about the value of the information gathered by the spy planes.
"We do have an interest in terms of what is going on with our exclusive economic zone, within our continental shelf, and we want to know if there are any intrusions.""


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/0...planes-monitoring-china-at-sea/#ixzz2adrF2YwR

U.S. to boost Philippine military assistance


"MANILA - Washington will raise its military assistance to the Philippines by about two-thirds, Manila's foreign ministry said on Wednesday, helping its oldest security ally in Asia defend vast maritime borders against what it sees as Chinese assertiveness.

Albert Del Rosario said Washington had increased its military assistance package from $30 million next fiscal year to about $50 million, the highest level since U.S. troops returned to the Philippines in 2000.

"For military financing, it's an allocation that is worked out by the U.S. Congress, and its usually for acquisition and maintenance," Del Rosario told reporters.

Rosario said the Philippines may acquire a third Hamilton-class cutter to boost its efforts to patrol sea borders in view of recurring standoffs with China over territory in the South China Sea.

The Hamilton-class high endurance cutter is the largest and newest warship in the Philippine Navy. The first two ships were acquired free of charge under the excess defence articles (EDA) under which Washington provides old equipment no longer in active use. But $25 million was spent to refurbish them.

The second cutter is to arrive next week in Subic Bay, a former U.S. Navy base, 50 km (30 miles) northwest of Manila, where it will be repainted before joining its sister ship on patrols.

A senior military official, however, told Reuters that the Philippines may shelve the plan to acquire the third cutter and use the funds to upgrade the two vessels now in its fleet with a missile system.

Since 2002, the United States has provided the Philippines a total of $312 million in military aid as well as various types of military equipment.

Until the early 1990s, U.S. troops operated from two large military bases in the Philippines, providing a security umbrella in the country's decades of fighting against Maoist and Muslim insurgents.

There are now plans to allow Washington wider access to civilian and military bases to help its former colony enhance its defence capability."

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/31/13/us-boost-philippine-military-assistance

This sentence is all wrong:

It should read:

I remain somewhat, shall we say, cautious. The UK gifted HMS Peacock to the Philippines when HK was handed back to China. The vessel was specially designed for conditions in this part of the world. It was transferred with everything needed to keep it running, including specialist tools. A year later everything not welded down had disappeared. You can't weld missiles to a deck.

New RIB for the Philippine Navy snapped on builders trials in Subic yesterday:

The link doesn't work, unfortunately, but no doubt red faces in the ranks of the builders.

The Philippine Navy's latest acquisition "Ramon Alcarez" - the 40 year old former Hamilton Class USCGC "Dallas" - enters Philippine waters today and will be met tomorrow by her sister ship "Gregorio Del Pilar" off Bolinao, Pangasinan.



There will be a festive welcome for the ship, led by President Aquino, in Subic Bay on 6th August and she is due to enter service in mid-October. (More from the Manila Bulletin)

Changed the picture.

She is 10 metres overalll; the spec. requirement was that she should do 40 knots with 15 men on board; she did 46.5 with 16, so her builders are happy.

240 litres of fuel and she burns 30 litres/hour at 32 knots, so 256 miles range at that speed - spec. was for 200 miles.

Two 250 HP Evinrudes; notably quiet and altogether a well behaved and docile boat. Built by a Welsh-and-Italian owned boatyard in Subic; hull is their standard 10 metre model but the rest of her is a bit different. The yard specialise in composite built power boats which go fast on low horsepower as well as RIBs. Tender was let in 2007 but they were the runners up; the lowest price bidder went bust so the contract eventually reverted to them - at the 2007 price! But they expect to get the next batch of orders so they don't mind taking a loss on the first two boats.

Ah, I see what you mean, now - the boat didn't snap (in two or more pieces) but was snapped (photographed)!