US Navy visits Davao City

Today, the US Navy Joint Venture High Speed Vessel – X1 (HSV-X1) visited Davao City, the first US Navy Ship to visit the City in many years.

I arrived at Sasa Wharf in Lanang this morning around 7:45am in expectation of an 8:30 arrival of the ship, but due to some logistical reasons, the arrival was delayed, and the ship finally docked at around 10:30am.

Watching the ship come in was quite interesting, as the Joint Venture HSV-X1 is quite a unique design of vessel, quite different than what I was used to seeing of a Navy Ship. The HSV-X1 is a high speed catamaran designed to transport personnel and equipment. It is currently being tested as a military support vessel, and is primarily being used for humanitarian assistance missions at the present time. For today’s visit to Davao, the Joint Venture HSV-X1 came bearing important cargo for the city, namely about 30 pallets of medical equipment and supplies, which will certainly be appreciated for many years to come as they provide services for sick Davaoenyos.

Shortly after the ship docked, Commander Thomas Shaw, the ship’s Captain came ashore for a short press conference to answer questions from the local media who had gathered at the wharf. Commander Shaw explained the purposes of the visit, and gave some history of previous US military visits to Davao, explaining that it had been a very long time since a Navy vessel had sailed into the City. For those who may be interested, I learned that Commander Shaw is married to a Filipina, who hails from Cebu City, so he is no stranger to the country!

After listening to the information from Commander Shaw, I was able to board the Joint Venture and was given a tour of the ship. My first impression when I entered some parts of the ship was that it looked much like the first class cabin of a commercial jet, with wide seats and plenty of room for comfortable living aboard the vessel. Not only that, but the crew also enjoys a full selection of American TV through it’s satellite TV unit on board. As I toured the ship, some of the crew were enjoying lunch, with corn dogs on the menu today.

The HSV-X1 has no offensive capability, it is strictly a support vessel and is currently being evaluated by the Navy and also the Army for future use. An interesting tidbit about the history of the vessel is that it was originally used as a Ferry boat in Australia before being leased by the US Government for evaluation as a military support vessel! One modification of the ship since it’s days as a ferry is the addition of a fully functional heliport, which is primarily used for re-supply of the ship.

Currently, the crew of 90+ consists of both Navy and Army troops as part of the continuing evaluation of the ship.

I really enjoyed my time aboard the Joint Venture HSV-X1, and I wish them well in their continued operations in Mindanao over the coming months. With good people like the crew of HSV-X1 giving humanitarian assistance to the people of Mindanao, it can’t help but create a lot of goodwill for us Americans. I would like to also thank Commander Katy Wright who assisted in arranging for my visit to the vessel, and a special thanks to all of the personnel who assisted me today! Great job!

A trip to remember

One thing I really enjoy about living here in Mindanao is being able to travel to new and interesting places, places that I have never seen before. Yesterday I had a trip which was by far the most interesting of all of the ventures I have taken into various areas of Mindanao.

It all started on Monday when I read a news article about a Medical Mission that was to be conducted by the Philippine Marines jointly with the United States Armed Forces. The venture between RP and US troops was to be held at Philippine Marine Campo Ranao in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur. Marawi is a place that I have wanted to visit for a very long time, but I have always been sternly advised against it by my friends and associates. One of my friends, however, had told me that he would take me to Marawi (he lives nearby in Iligan City) when the timing was right, and the danger of kidnapping or other problems would be at it’s minimum. When I told my friend (Bobby Timonera) that the US troops would be in Marawi, he agreed that it was a good opportunity to go for a visit. As a credentialed member of the Press, the US Military people gave me permission to cover the Mission (other than patients, only Press members were allowed to the event), so on Tuesday I drove to Iligan for an early Wednesday visit to Marawi City.

When we left Iligan, within about 10 minutes or so we made the turn off the main highway to Marawi and other points in Lanao del Sur. As soon as we made the turn, it was almost instantly noticeable that we were entering an area which was not the same as where we came from. It felt like we were in a different country. All of the people we saw from that point were dressed in traditional Muslim clothing, construction of houses was even noticeable different from what I see as I travel Mindanao. When we arrived at Marawi City, our first stop was at Campo Ranao where the medical mission was to be held. The Doctors and others military personnel were there to provide medical treatment for around 2,000 Muslims from throughout the area. Services provided included Hearing exams, General Medical Check-ups, Dental work, Circumcisions and aid for other needs. Everything was provided for the patients, even free prescription drugs from the on-site Pharmacy.

As the crowd started gathering, I was immediately struck with the number of children that came for medical care. In the area where I was waiting there was probably around 200 or so kids there. At first the kids were quite shy, but as I took a few photos of them, and showed them the results on my digital camera, the children instantly became my friends! Throughout the rest of the day I had groups of kids following me around, and just generally being my friend. It was really a touching experience, and one that I will value for a long time.

After visiting each of the different treatment sites at the Camp, and visiting with so many people there, my friend Bobby and I left for a visit to the Lanao del Sur Provincial capital. When we got out of the car at the Capital complex, there were many flags flying, music in the air (Kulintang and Drum music) and just a festive atmosphere. Soon we learned that the province was in the middle of a celebration of the Province birth anniversary. It was a great time to visit. Hearing all of the Kulintang music, I wanted to go find where it was coming from. There was a 4 story office building inside the complex, and we quickly found that the music was coming from different groups playing their traditional music on each floor of the building. As we went in the building, we visited each of the musical groups to enjoy their sounds. One thing that struck me was how friendly the people were when they saw me. Few foreigners visit Marawi, and for them to see a foreigner who was not there in some kind of “official capacity” was quite a surprise for them. I really felt like they rolled out the red carpet when they saw me. It really made me feel special. Some of the ladies there took my hand and led me to the Office of the Governor’s Wife, where they showed me around the office and posed for some pictures with me. It was quite an experience.

It’s really a shame that a small percentage of people make visiting a place like Marawi somewhat dangerous. I really feel that a very large percentage of the people there are so friendly, some of the friendliest people I have met in the Philippines. Hopefully the day will come when visiting Marawi will just be something that is easy to do, with no danger involved. Over the next few days, I will post a few more articles about the visit. I particularly want to focus on the work that was done at the Medical Mission, because it was really a great way for the United States to create some goodwill with the local Muslim Population.

ARMM Community Leaders Visit U.S. on Peace, Conflict Management Program

Participants in a U.S. State Department-funded program for local government officials, community activists, and educators from the ARMM visited the U.S. Embassy before traveling to the U.S. to learn about conflict management, peace leadership, and community activism.

Deputy Chief of Mission Paul Jones met the participants at the U.S. Embassy and spoke to them about the importance of their activism. The participants in the program, which is being implemented by the International Visitor Program-Philippines Alumni Foundation, Inc., (IVP-PHILS) and Northern Illinois University, will spend three weeks in the United States. The program is focused on conflict management, peace leadership, community activism, and promoting respect for diversity. The participants with meet with American community, religious, and academic leaders in Chicago and DeKalb, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Cotabato eyes strategies for peace and development

Cotabato City (26 June) — The Central Mindanao Media Summit was held at the Estosan Garden Hotel, Cotabato City on 17-19 June 2006. This was participated in by media from all over the former Empire Cotabato Province, now the Cotabato Region or Region XII, except Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao Provinces which were made part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM); and Lanao del Norte which is now with Region X.

NEDA director Hadja Sittie Mariam D. Lim, one of the speakers during said forum, presented the Peace & Development in Region XII.

The Medium Term Regional Development Plan (MTRDP) is part and parcel of the regional strategies toward peace and development in the region, said Lim.

MTRDP serves as the development blueprint of Region XII.

It is anchored on President Arroyo’s10 POINT Legacy and the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) for the period 2004-2010.

Covering five chapters, it contains the strategic development outcomes such as : 1) economic growth and job generation; 2) energy; 3) social justice and basic needs; 4) education and youth opportunity; and 5) governance.

Peace and development, as well as peace and security concerns are covered under Chapter 1 and 5.

Lim mentioned the challenges confronting the attainment of peace and development in the region such as Unstable peace and order condition; Presence of Threat Groups, namely: a) Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), b) Communist Terrorist Movement (CTM), c) Kidnap for Ransom Groups (KFRG), d) Abu Sayyaf (ASG), and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

Delayed prosecution of known criminal elements (e.g. kidnappers, etc.) is another challenge in attaining peace and development.

The prevalence of family feuds (rido); incidence of violation of the rights of indigenous peoples (IPs), and discrimination against Muslim communities by labeling or categorizing them as transgressors, also from part of the challenges.

Region XII shall support the peace building and conflict prevention strategies of the national government, said Lim.

This will be done through the acceleration of barangay focused rehabilitation and development in the municipalities of Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat Province, Pikit, Carmen and President Roxas, Province of Cotabato; and other CPP-NPA-NDF influenced barangays in the region.

The mobilization of the following funds for affected areas in Mindanao, in which Region XII would be benefiting residually from these modalities particularly in areas that have undergone or are still threatened by armed conflict, shall be affected. The said funds are 1) GOP-Multi Donor Programme Successor Phase (ACT for Peace); 2) European Union-UNDP Fund for Rehabilitating Internally Displaced Persons; and 3) Mindanao Trust Fund (operational after the signing of the GRP MILF Peace Agreement).

Another strategy is the strengthening and mobilizing provincial, city, municipal and barangay peace and order councils through: a) adoption of coordination mechanism and structures; b) enlisting participation of the youth in the peace and development advocacy/promotion efforts, and c) enhancing structures and mechanisms like the Civilian Volunteer Organizations, Barangay Tanods.

Implementation of community-affected areas will also be effected so that government can implement culturally-sensitive programs to address the minimum basic needs (MBN) in conflict-affected communities such as food and nutrition, health, water and sanitation, shelter, basic education and literacy.

Provide livelihood opportunities including building of capabilities, opening access to capital and enhance entrepreneurial ability.

Organize community-based structures or utilizing indigenous/cultural structure for development, i.e. women’s organizations and cooperatives.

Government will intensify activities to establish the presence of government in far-flung communities and areas (e.g. civil-military medical/dental outreach campaign); Review and assess the accomplishments of the GRP-MNLF Final Peace Agreement.

Continue supporting the government peace with armed groups through rehabilitation and development and alleviating poverty in conflict0affected and rebel influenced areas; and opening avenues for peace and reconciliation.

Lim ended her talk by saying “Call to Peace is call to Action” and the local media could be Region’s XII voice to the rest of the world and the local media could help in building a good image for Region XII. (wrb/PIA 12)

Ambassador Kenney Visits Davao to View U.S.-Sponsored Programs

U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney visited Davao on June 22 to focus on the many partnerships and initiatives the U.S. Government works on in the city and immediate region. “I have been looking forward to visiting Davao since my arrival in the Philippines,” said Ambassador Kenney. “The wide variety of partnerships between the American people and Davaoeños is a great example of the continuing friendship between our two countries.”

During her visit, Ambassador Kenney met with local government and business leaders, including Vice Mayor Luis Bonguyan, House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles, and members of the Bishops-Ulama Conference and Mindanao Business Conference.

She visited the Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF) to sign a $179,000 U.S. Government grant to help expand halfway house operations for victims of trafficking in persons. The VFF operates the halfway houses constructed by the Philippine Ports Authority in Manila, Davao City, Batangas, and Sorsogon, which provide protective services to victims of human trafficking. The American people have supported VFF’s efforts through several grants over the past five years to support anti-trafficking efforts.

Ambassador Kenney spoke at the Cold Chain Association of the Philippines’s annual meeting about the U.S. Government’s efforts to help modernize the Philippine agricultural and fisheries sector. More than $2 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture grants and programs have improved food product trade between the U.S. and Philippines, leading to economic growth and development for the private sector.

Ateneo de Davao University President Fr. Antonio Samson hosted Ambassador Kenney at the school to talk with students and tour the U.S. Embassy-sponsored American Studies Resource Center, where students can find books and materials about the United States, attend programs on global issues, and participate in Internet chats with U.S. Embassy staff.

Ambassador Kenney noted that Davao is the headquarters of the U.S. Embassy’s only Virtual Presence Post in the Philippines. The “Virtual Consulate Davao” is an Internet resource for citizens to learn more about U.S. Embassy programs and ask questions of Embassy staff.