Rao bulletin 15 September 2016 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles pg Article Subject
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- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a National Heroes Day commemoration at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes Cemetery) in Taguig city, Metro Manila in the Philippines August 29, 2016.
- Philippine U.S. Bases Update 02 ► Duterte Puts Alliance in Jeopardy
- The new rotations into the Philippines has affected all four military services. U.S. Army
- Philippine U.S. Bases Update 03 ► Treaty Will be Honored
- Have You Heard ► The Haircut || Peeing On My Flowers
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Philippine U.S. Bases Update 01 ► Obama & Duterte Discussions Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on 31 AUG he was ready to discuss any issues with Barack Obama when they meet in Laos next week, but added that the U.S. president must listen to him first before bringing up the question of human rights. Washington has expressed concern about a surge in drug-related killings since Duterte became president two months ago promising to wipe out narcotics in the Southeast Asian nation. Asked if he would be willing to discuss human rights at his meeting with Obama on the sidelines of an East Asia summit scheduled for 6 SEP, Duterte told reporters: "Depends to what degree. "They must understand the problem first before we talk about human rights. I would insist, listen to me: this is what the problem is, then we can talk." 
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a National Heroes Day commemoration at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery) in Taguig city, Metro Manila in the Philippines August 29, 2016. In a statement, the foreign ministry said the meeting would be an opportunity for the president to "communicate his advocacy to improve the peace and order situation in the country, especially toward eradicating the scourge of illicit drugs". Police data released on 30 AUG showed that the number of drug-related killings since Duterte took office now stands at around 2,000, nearly half of them in police operations and the rest in shootings by unidentified gunmen. Duterte has been unapologetic over unleashing the police on drug users and dealers and has responded robustly to criticism from the United Nations and other countries over his campaign. Recently he lashed out at Washington's ambassador to the Philippines, branding him a "gay son of a whore". The White House said 29 AUG that Obama would raise concerns about some of Duterte's recent statements when the two meet. The two leaders were expected to discuss ways to strengthen the security alliance after Manila allowed the U.S. military to rotate its forces in five local air and army bases, foreign ministry spokesman Charles Jose said. Duterte warned President Barack Obama on Labor Day not to question him about extrajudicial killings, or “son of a bitch I will swear at you” when they meet in Laos during a regional summit. Duterte said before flying to Laos that he is a leader of a sovereign country and is answerable only to the Filipino people. He was answering a reporter’s question about how he intends to explain the extrajudicial killings to Obama. More than 2,000 suspected drug pushers and users have been killed since Duterte launched a war on drugs after taking office on June 30. In his typical foul-mouthed style, Duterte responded: “I am a president of a sovereign state and we have long ceased to be a colony. I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody. You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions. Putang ina I will swear at you in that forum,” he said, using the Tagalog phrase for son of a bitch. Duterte has earlier cursed the pope and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. It isn’t clear whether Obama planned to raise the issue of extrajudicial killings with Duterte during a scheduled meeting on the sidelines of the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Asked at a news conference in Hangzhou, China, whether he still intends to meet with Duterte and raise the issue of extrajudicial killings, Obama said he had instructed his aides to assess whether it is still possible for the two leaders to have a constructive meeting in Laos. “I always want to make sure that if I’m having a meeting that it’s actually productive, and that we’re getting something done,” Obama said. “We recognize the significant burden that the drug trade plays not just in the Philippines but around the world, and fighting narco-trafficking is tough. But we will always assert the need to have due process and to engage in that fight against drugs in a way that’s consistent with basic international norms. And so, undoubtedly, if and when we have a meeting this is something that is going to be brought up,” said Obama, who has been attending a meeting of the Group of 20 nations. “Who is he to confront me?” Duterte said in his remarks, adding that the Philippines had not received an apology from the United States for misdeeds committed during its colonization of the Philippines He pointed to the killing of Muslim Moros more than a century ago during a U.S. pacification campaign in the southern Philippines, blaming the wounds of the past as “the reason why (the south) continues to boil” with separatist insurgencies. Last week, Duterte said he was ready to defend his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs, which has sparked concern from the U.S. and other countries. Duterte said he would demand that Obama allow him to first explain the context of his crackdown before engaging the U.S. president in a discussion of the deaths. On 6 SEP Duterte expressed regret for referring to President Obama as a "son of a bitch" and said his nation seeks closer ties with the United States. His statement concerning Obama and the United States was high on compromise, low on bluster. "We look forward to ironing out differences arising out of national priorities and perceptions, and working in mutually responsible ways for both countries." In the interim Obama cancelled his planned meeting with Duterte in Laos. [Source: Reuters, AP, & USA Today | August 31, 5 & 6 SEP, 2016 ++] ***************************** Philippine U.S. Bases Update 02 ► Duterte Puts Alliance in Jeopardy The U.S. military’s growing alliance with the Philippines may be at risk after the Pacific nation’s president on Monday issued a stunning call for American troops to end their longstanding mission in the country’s southern region. It was the first time that the newly elected Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, a brash populist who took office in June, has made public remarks opposing the presence of American troops. Duterte said in a speech in Manila that the 100-plus American special operations troops in the southern Mindanao region should leave, and he pointed to past abuses by U.S. forces during the period when the Philippines was an American colony before 1946. “Duterte is putting in jeopardy the alliance," said Patrick Cronin, director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security in Washington. Cronin said the U.S. should take a wait-and-see approach to determine whether it was just an off-the-cuff remark, which is common for Duterte. “There’s a lot of extemporaneous speaking from the new president. I don’t take those statements at face value,” he said. But, Cronin added, “He does needs to figure out what kind of relationship he wants to have with the U.S. Speaking whatever comes into his mind, he’s going to ruin this alliance before he knows it.” The U.S. military alliance with the Philippines expanded significantly under Duterte’s predecessor, In March, the two countries announced plans for a permanent American military presence and five military bases that will support rotational deployments of U.S. forces near the contested South China Sea. Military leaders view the Philippines as a key ally for containing China and its territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. Duterte did not offer any deadline for the removal of American troops. A Pentagon spokesman said there has been no official discussion of changing the current U.S. mission in the southern Philippines. “We have not been contacted by authorities regarding this issue,” said Cmdr. Gary Ross, a spokesman. “U.S. Special Forces have been providing support and assistance in the southern Philippines for many years, at the request of several different Filipino administrations. Over the last two months, we have been consulting with our Filipino partners at senior levels on ways we could increase our assistance to support the new Administration's counter-terrorism efforts. We will continue to consult closely with our Filipino partners to appropriately tailor our assistance to whatever approach the new Administration adopts,” Ross said in a statement Monday. U.S. military operations in the southern Philippines began in 2002, targeting the militant group Abu Sayyaff, which has sought to establish a separate Muslim state. In 2014, Abu Sayyaff’s leaders swore allegiance to the Islamic State group that holds territory in Iraq and Syria. But last year the U.S. officially ended that mission, which involved about 600 troops. Only a small group of American forces remains there, advising the Filipino military and providing intelligence support. The new Filipino president is originally from the southern Mindanao region, a mostly Muslim patch in a majority Catholic country, and his comments may reflect personal or emotional sentiments about the region that has been racked by heavy crime and Islamic extremist activity. "For as long as we stay with America, we will never have peace in that land," Duterte said in the speech in Manila, according to The Associated Press. "The special forces, they have to go. They have to go in Mindanao, there are many whites there, they have to go," he said. "I do not want a rift with America, but they have to go." The rise of Islamic extremism in Asia is a growing concern for the U.S. military. U. S. Pacific Command head Adm. Harry Harris said in July that the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is trying to “rebalance” and expand its presence in the Pacific. The new rotations into the Philippines has affected all four military services. U.S. Army: The Army has supplied Green Berets for the ongoing mission to counter Abu Sayyaff. In addition, American soldiers have trained in the Philippines in recent years as part of the Army’s Pacific Pathways program. Pacific Pathways, first launched in 2014, employs a single unit through what officials call a “training pathway.” This unit spends three to four months in a series of bilateral and multilateral exercises and engagements with foreign militaries. This summer, during one of the Army’s "pathways," the 25th Infantry Division headquarters stood up a tactical command post on Fort Magsaysay in the Philippines. The headquarters ran mission command from there while soldiers from 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division trained with the Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian armies. U.S. Marines: Currently, about 80 Marines from III Marine Expeditionary Force are in the Philippines on a rotational training mission. For now that footprint is unlikely to grow. “There are no plans to significantly increase the number of Marines in the Philippines in the near future, Lt Gen. John Toolan, former commander of Marines in the Pacific, told Marine Corps Times in September. The Marine Corps works with the Philippine military on the full spectrum of operations, including responding to natural disasters, theater security cooperation and preparing to defend the Philippines, said Lt. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson, III MEF commander. “I was just there a couple weeks ago inspecting a suite of gear,” Nicholson told Marine Corps Times recently. “We’ve got about 80 vehicles that are there, principally for humanitarian and disaster relief operations. But every time we do a large scale exercise, we try to pull that gear out, make sure it’s fresh; make sure it’s ready to go.” Nicholson stressed that the team of roughly 80 Marine planners in the Philippines and other Marines who come to the country for exercises are not permanently assigned there. “You’ll see a couple thousand Marines in the Philippines for training, but they’re in there for three, four weeks and then they’re out,” he said. Air Force: In April, five Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II “Warthogs” from the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea, and three HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters with the 18th Air Wing from Kadena Air Base, Japan, traveled to Clark Airbase in the north-west part of the nation. The aircraft conducted joint training flights with the Philippine air forces before leaving at the end of the month. Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, speaking to reporters at the Pentagon 7 SEP, said there were no immediate plans to send another air contingent to Clark Air Force Base. The secretary did say, however, that the U.S. and the Philippines were working on improving a second base, Basa, which could receive Air Force aircraft in the future. “This would be one location where we would see, over the next few years, more presence from a rotational standpoint for training,” she said. Navy: The U.S. Navy has increased its port visits this year, typically to Manila and Subic Bay. And the U.S. Navy has also begun conducting joint patrols with the Filipino Navy in the South China Sea, in part a response to China's increasingly aggressive operations. In July four Navy EA-18G Growlers from Electronic Attack Squadron 138 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash., visited Clark Air Base for joint training operations. -o-o-O-o-o- U.S. officials, both military and civilian, will likely meet with the Duterte to discuss the future of the military relationship, Cronin said. "We just need to sit down with him and say 'You want this? Fine. You don’t want this? Fine. If he really wants the U.S. removed from the southern Philippines, then we would oblige him," Cronin said. Tentative plans call for installing advanced sensors in the Philippines to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance on a scale far beyond the Filipino military's current capabilities. That would help the Filipinos to both counter Islamic extremists in the south and also track the Chinese off the northwestern coastline. "This is the kind of information system we can create for the Philippines. I don’t think the president really wants to discard the benefits of working with us over a few offhand comments," Cronin said. [Source: Military Times | Andrew Tilghman, September 12, 2016 ++] ***************************** Philippine U.S. Bases Update 03 ► Treaty Will be Honored The Philippines moved to shore up relations with the United States on 13 SEP with guarantees that a treaty between them would be honored and security ties were "rock solid", despite President Rodrigo Duterte's railings against Washington. The firebrand leader launched more verbal salvos on 12 SEP about what he called atrocities under American colonial rule, calling for the pullout of U.S. special forces stationed in the restive south that he said were complicating counter-insurgency operations. Duterte is hugely popular at home for his brash remarks and take-charge style, but his frequent tirades against Washington, including calling both President Barack Obama and his ambassador to Manila a "son of a bitch", have tested a relationship of strategic importance to both sides. Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said Duterte's remarks, including that the southern Philippines "would never have peace" while allied with Washington, were not a signal that a pact between them would be abrogated. "The president has said ... that we will respect and continue to honor our treaty obligations and commitments," Yasay said in a radio interview. As his administration scurried to put out fires, Duterte followed up with a guarantee of his own, saying the Philippines would not "cut our umbilical cord" with allies, but would pursue its own path. "We are not, we could never be, just a small country and to be shouted at or lectured upon," he said in a speech at an air force event. It was the latest sign of the abrasive former lawyer hinting at taking decisive measures, then later ruling them out, adding to concerns in Washington about his volatility. Obama last week canceled a meeting with Duterte after his outburst, saying the mood was not conducive to productive talks. At an official ceremony on Monday, Duterte said U.S. special forces could become high-value targets for Abu Sayyaf rebels notorious for kidnapping and beheading foreigners. But that, the military said in a statement, would entail the exit of a "token" number of Americans, and broader defense programs with the United States would remain intact. "Philippine-U.S. defense relations remain rock solid," armed forces spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla said. Duterte had on Monday shown pictures of what he said were victims of colonial-era atrocities against Muslims in Mindanao, repeating assertions that Americans were to blame for the instability that has dogged the region. Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella described Duterte's presentation as a "backgrounder" for Filipinos that explained his independent foreign policy. "These actions, these references that he's making, are intended to communicate to one and all that we need to be ready to chart our own course," Abella told reporters. White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Monday emphasized shared concerns and interests with the Philippines, then took a thinly veiled swipe at Duterte, who won a May election by a big margin, appearing to compare him outspoken Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. "Elections do say a lot about what kind of person is going to represent your country on the international stage..." he told reporters. 
President Rodrigo Duterte (C) clenches fist along with other Philippine Air Force officials during the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing (PAW) anniversary at the Villamor air base in Pasay city, Metro Manila, Philippines September 13, 2016 The United States has only a few troops remaining in Mindanao after the conclusion last year of a program that once had 1,200 personnel providing technical and logistics support. Washington's security priority has since shifted toward the South China Sea, where the Philippines in among several countries at odds with China. Ranhilio Aquino, a Catholic priest and dean of the San Beda Graduate School of Law, said Duterte's complaints about Washington were not without cause, but he should think carefully about important alliances. "When you are being bullied, and you want international rule to prevail, you need help from your friends," he said. [Source: Reuters | Enrico Dela Cruz & Manuel Mogato - Manila | September 13, 2016 ++] ***************************** Have You Heard? ► The Haircut || Peeing On My Flowers A teenage boy had just passed his driving test and inquired of his father as to when they could discuss his use of the car. His father said he'd make a deal with his son, "You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, and get your haircut. Then we'll talk about the car." The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer, and they agreed on it. After about six weeks his father said, "Son, you've brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I'm disappointed you haven't had your hair cut." The boy said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair, and there's even strong evidence ) that Jesus had long hair." (You're going to love the Dad's reply!) "Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?" -o-o-O-o-o- A little old lady was walking down the street dragging two large plastic garbage bags behind her. One of the bags was ripped and every once in awhile a $20 bill fell out onto the sidewalk. Noticing this, a policeman stopped her, and said,"Ma'am, there are $20 bills falling out of that bag." "Oh, really? Darn it!" said the little old lady."I'd better go back and see if I can find them. Thanks for telling me, Officer." "Well, now, not so fast," said the cop.” Where did you get all that money? You didn't steal it, did you?" "Oh, no, no", said the old lady. "You see, my back yard is right next to a golf course. A lot of golfers come and pee through a knot hole in my fence, right into my flower garden. It used to really tick me off. Kills the flowers, you know. Then I thought, 'why not make the best of it?' So, now, I stand behind the fence by the knot hole, real quiet, with my hedge clippers. Every time some guy sticks his thing through my fence, I surprise him, grab hold of it and say, ‘O.K., buddy! Give me $20 or off it comes!' "Well, that seems only fair," said the cop, laughing."OK. Good luck! Oh, by the way, what's in the other bag?" "Not everybody pays." ***************************** 
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