Navy Rescue Teams Dispatched to La Union Today

By: LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDGARD A AREVALO PN(M)

Director, Naval Public Affairs Office

Monday, 18 October 2010

The Philippine Navy’s Disaster Response and Rescue Teams (DRRT) based in Manila and Cavite left for La Union today, 17 October 2010. The teams will augment the DRRT of the Naval Forces Northern Luzon Command (NFNL) to readily respond to residents in affected areas in the Northern Luzon region where Typhoon “Juan” is expected to hit the strongest.

Past 2 PM today, two DRRT from the Philippine Fleet were dispatched to NFNL. Fourteen officers and personnel on board an M35 truck brought along with them 2 rubber boats and several rescue equipment. Meanwhile two other teams from the Philippine Marines with 30 officers and personnel were also dispatched. The Marine rescue teams are equipped with two rubber boats, one dehaviland boat and other life-saving equipment.

Two other DRRT from Sangley Pt, Cavite City with 31 officers and personnel also left for La Union at 4:05 PM today. The teams carried a DRO Trailer loaded with rescue paraphernalia. The Philippine Fleet is also organizing additional rescue teams as reserve teams after PAGASA reported that “Juan” is even stronger than “Ondoy” that hit the country last year.

Also at 9 AM today, a 17-men team from the NFNL Headquarters was dispatched to Vigan, Ilocos Sur. The team is now prepositioned at the capitol awaiting deployment.

Since last Friday, 15 October 2010, the Philippine Navy has put its DRRT on alert status before “Juan” made a landfall. These DRRT were prepositioned in Naval Forces Northern Luzon (NFNL), La Union, Naval Forces Southern Luzon, Legaspi City, and Manila and Cavite under the operational command of the Fleet-Marine Ready Force.

The Philippine Navy is continuously monitoring events in relation to Typhoon “Juan”. Its rescue teams are prepared to help residents and local government units. It enjoins everyone to be vigilant and cooperate with local officials to ensure their safety.

Disaster Response Task Groups ng Navy Nakaalerto Para kay “Juan”

By: LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDGARD A AREVALO PN(M)

Director, Naval Public Affairs Office

Saturday, 16 October 2010

Nakaalerto na simula kahapon, 15 October 2010 ang mga Disaster Response Task Groups (DRTG) ng Philippine Navy sa pagdating ng bagyong si “Juan”. Ang mga DRTG na ito ay nasa Naval Forces Northern Luzon (NFNL) na nakabase sa La Union, Naval Forces Southern Luzon (NFSL) sa Legaspi City, at ang Fleet-Marine Ready Force (FMRF) na nakasasakop sa Metro Manila.

Sa Northern Luzon area ay may nakaantabay na tatlong teams na i-de-deploy pag kinakailangan. Dalawa sa teams na ito ay nasa NFNL Headquarters samantalang ang ikatlong team ay nasa Naval Detachment Bonoan. Ang team na ito ay kinabibilangan ng mga naval reservists na inaasahang ogmentasyon ng regular forces ng Philippine Navy. Kada team ay may 10 katao at may kanya-kanyang rubber boat at iba pang life-saving equipment.

Samantala, dalawa ring teams ang nakaantabay ngayon sa Naval Education and Training Command sa San Antonio, Zambales na handang tumugon sa ating mga kababayang maapektuhan ni “Juan”.

Bukod pa dito ay may tatlong teams ang nakaalerto ngayon sa Legaspi City na i-de-deploy sa Camarines Sur at shorelines ng Legaspi City. Ang barkong PG-374 ay handa ring i-deploy sa oras ng pangangailanga sa lugar ng Catanduanes at Albay. Mayroon din tatlo pang teams ang nakaalerto sa Infanta, Quezon na kinabibilangan ng 10 Sailors at Marines kada team. Katulong rin ng Navy sa Infanta ang mga naval ROTC cadets sa lugar. Kasama rin nila ang isang team ng Navy Seals.

Sa Maynila naman, nagsagawa ng preparasyon ang mga teams na nakabase sa Naval Reserve Command sa Intramuros. May dalawang teams na kinabibilangan ng 10 katao ang naghanda na ng kanilang rubber boats, trailer trucks, M35 trucks, at iba pang life-saving equipment. Bukod dito ay may 20 reservists ang naka-standby sa Navotas.

Apat namang teams sa pamumuno ng FMRF ang nakahanda ngayon sa PMC Headquarters at Seabees, Ft Bonifacio at Philippine Fleet, Cavite City. May minimum na 10 teams at maximum na 20 teams na kinabibilangan ng 24 officers at 159 enlisted personnel. Mayroon silang 9 rubber boats, 10 M35 trucks, 3 LARC, 2 ambulance, 1 amphibian truck, at 1 communications van.

Ang Philippine Navy ay patuloy na nagmomonitor sa magiging kaganapan kaugnay ng napabalitang Super Bagyo at handang tumulong sa ating mga kababayan. Hinihimok namin ang ating mga kababayan sa mga naturang lugar na maging mapagmatyag at makipagtulungan sa mga kinauukulan upang matiyak ang kanilang kaligtasan.

Philippine Navy is All Set for the Conduct of CARAT and PHIBLEX

By LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDGARD A AREVALO PN(M)

Director, Naval Public Affairs Office

Wednesday, 06 October 2010

Sailors and marines of the Philippine Navy stand to benefit militarily in a nine-day training while civilians from Central Luzon stand to gain in humanitarian assistance and development projects American sailors and marines will undertake in tandem with their Filipino counterparts.

More than 3,000 sailors, marines, and aviators to include logistics support units of the US Navy and the US Marines have arrived for the exercises namely: CARAT and PHIBLEX. Around 6 US Navy vessels and 3 aircrafts participate in this annual event that involve five Philippine Navy ships and around 1,000-strong PN contingent of sailors and marines.

CARAT or Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training between ships and sailors of the two countries kicks-off 13th of October at Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority in Zambales and winds up in a closing ceremony on the 22th of October also in the same venue. It shall be comprised of "in-port" and "at-sea" training activities. Included in the "in-port" events are: Subject Matter Expert Exchanges, community service activities like medical/dental/engineering civic action and other humanitarian activities. Meanwhile, "at sea" events are comprised of Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure Procedure, Maritime Interdiction Operations, Maritime Surveillance, and Naval Gunfire Support, among others.

PHIBLEX or Amphibious Landing Exercise will involve American and Filipino marines and amphibious vehicles. A boat raid exercise will be held in Marine Base Ternate in Cavite and a mechanized raid will be had in the coast of Naval Education and Training Command in Zambales. It will commence on the 14th of October in an opening rites at Clark, Pampanga and closes on the 22nd of October at the Philippine Marine Corps Headquarters at Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown at the Naval Station Jose Francisco in Taguig City.

The exercises hope to attain inter-operability between the two armed services of both countries. Particularly, it seeks to bolster the inter-operability of the participating country's armed services in territorial defense in pursuit of our national defense strategy.

Statement of the Navy Spokesperson re Deferment of the Bidding of Two Multi-Purpose Helicopters

Tuesday, 05 October 2010

LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDGARD A AREVALO PN(M)
Director, Naval Public Affairs Office

1. On the issue of alleged collusion: the Navy provided the technical specifications of the heli considering the peculiarities of Fleet-Marine operations that require those air assets. The specs originating from the inputs of the end users (like the Naval Air Group and the Sailors and Marines in the frontline) were submitted to higher headquarters thru channel-- passing through the Technical Working Group to Weapons Systems Board of the Navy-- all the way to similar offices at GHQ going to DND. It isn't possible to influence the specs to suit a particular manufacturer in that bottom-up process. Given the specs, there certainly are other companies who can comply, but the budget that the AFP has for the heli could be that major delimiting cause why other bidders may have backed out as in this case.

2. On the issue of the impact that the deferment would have in Naval operations: We hope that the issue can be resolved really soon. We have an acute need for air assets like helicopters. Right now, we do not have any helicopter. Considering the requirements we have for these helis in consideration, such as Search and Rescue, resupply, deployment of personnel during combat and counter-terrorism operations the need is urgent.

3. The Navy, however, defers to the decision of higher headquarters for a process that may be required for the procurement of these much-needed aircraft for the Naval Air Group.

Press Advisory re Turnover of Public Toilet to Navotas Townsfolk

By: LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDGARD A AREVALO PN(M)
Director, Naval Public Affairs Office

Monday, 13 September 2010

WHO: Philippine Fishport of Navotas Neighborhood Association
in partnership with the Philippine Navy

WHAT: Turn Over of Public Toilet

WHEN: 14 September 2010 @ 8:00 a.m.

WHERE: Market 3, Barangay North Bay Boulevard North (NBBN),
Navotas City

DETAILS:

The Philippine Navy, led by the Fleet-Marine Ready Force,
will turn-over the public toilet to the Philippine
Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) - Navotas Fish
Port Complex (NFPC) and transfer its management to the
officials of Fishport of Navotas Neighborhood Association
(FONNA) in a simple ceremony on Tuesday, 14 September 2010
at 8:00 a.m. MAJOR GENERAL ARTHUR I TABAQUERO, Commander,
National Capital Region Command will be the guest speaker.

The local residents of Market 3, Barangay NBBN, Navotas
City in partnership with the Naval Construction Brigade,
the engineering arm of the Navy, constructed the project
from 14 June 2010 to 10 July 2010. The turn over ceremony
will be preceded by feeding program, free haircut for men
and women, storytelling and film showing with the help of
other PN units and naval reservists.

Friends from the media are invited to cover the said event.
Interested parties may coordinate with LIEUTENANT COMMANDER
LEVI CARANE PN at mobile telephone number 0928-326-7949
for other details.

Navy Statement re Capability Demonstration by the Naval Special Operations Group (NavSOG) 10 Sep 2010 at the NavSOG Hqs, Sangley Point, Cavite

By: LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDGARD A AREVALO PN(M)
Director, Naval Public Affairs Office

Friday, 10 September 2010

 This demonstration by the Navy’s Special Operations
Group is part of the President’s and Commander-in-Chief’s
inspection and capability assessment of the AFP units
under his command;

 This is, by its nature, an actual briefing for the
CIC to learn about the competency and expertise of the
Philippine Navy to appraise him as to the options available
to him during crises situations like hostage-taking,
hijacking, piracy, and the like;

 By such appraisal, we made the CIC aware that he
has the control, so to speak, of the buttons that represent
all the AFP’s elite units available at his disposal – it’s
just a matter of him knowing which button to press to
address any given emergency situation.

Press Advisory re Capability Demo of NAVSOG with P-Noy

LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDGARD A AREVALO PN(M)

Director, Naval Public Affairs Office

Thursday, 09 September 2010

WHO: His Excellency President Benigno Simeon

Cojuangco Aquino III

WHAT: Capability Demonstration by Naval Special

Operations Group

WHEN: 10 September 2010 @ 10 a.m.

(Media are encouraged to be at the venue by 8 a.m.)

WHERE: Headquarters (NAVSOG), Naval Base Heracleo Alano,

Sangley Point, Cavite City

DETAILS:

President Benigno S. Aquino III will visit the Navy’s

elite force, Naval Special Operations Group (NAVSOG)

or the Philippine Navy version of the US Navy SEALS,

based in Sangley Point, Cavite City on Friday,

10 September 2010 to witness their capability to

readily respond during crisis situations and terrorist

threats.

Among the special skills that they will show are Visit,

Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS), inland demo raid,

rappelling and fast roping techniques, and training

demonstration such as basic physical training exercises

and obstacle course.

Two SEAL teams will assault a suspicious vessel that

was taken over by terrorists in Manila Bay. They will

use two 11 Meter Rigid Hull Inflated Boats (RHIB)

and a special boarding equipments to conduct the

raid while underway. This scenario is part of the

capability demonstration that will be presented

to President Aquino, who will also be onboard

one of the RHIBs.

After the sea assault demonstration, President Aquino

will also inspect the troops and their equipments

which includes a rebreather – a special diving

equipment that converts exhaled carbondioxide into

breathable oxygen, a decompression chamber used in

treating diving sickness and other gadgets used for

bomb disposals and diving- salvage operations.

There will also be an inland demolition raid

SEALS landing stealthily on an enemy infested

beach, detonating targets with explosives and

their extraction back to sea. The President will also

inspect the firing range where he will try to shoot

plate targets using Navy Seal weapons.

With the recent hostage drama staged by the late

S/Insp. Rolando Mendoza that left eight Chinese

tourists dead, President Aquino’s visit intends to

address the level of readiness of NAVSOG in terms

of training and equipment.

Navy Captain Rommel Jason Galang, NAVSOG’s Commander

will tour the President during his visit.

Friends from the media are invited to cover the

said event. Navy ship Diesel Fast Craft (DF 351)

will depart at exactly 7 a.m. in Commo Divino Pier

at the Navy Headquarters for Sangley Point, Cavite City.

Please be advised that there will be designated areas

for the members of the media. Interested parties may

coordinate with LTJG ROMMEL B RODRIGUEZ PN at mobile

telephone number 0939-127-8324 and LTJG LIEZL M

VIDALLON at mobile telephone number 0916-242-9920 for

other details.