As Rough As It May Seem,It's Still Steady As You Go...
MANILA, Philippines -- Three warships from the United States
arrived here Wednesday for a “goodwill visit,” authorities said.
The USS Milius and USS Chung-Hoon arrived at Pier 13 in Manila
while the USS-Chosin docked in Cebu province. They will stay in
the country until Sunday, Navy spokesman Giovanni Carlo Bacordo
said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Senator Rodolfo Biazon, who disclosed the
arrival of the US warships, questioned the timing of their arrival
because they were here at about the same time that the Sandigan-
bayan anti-graft court handed down a guilty verdict for plunder
against former president Joseph Estrada.
“This morning while the Sandiganbayan was preparing for the
promulgation of the decision of the court, I received reports that
two US warships, both guided missile destroyers, were asking
permission from the port authorities to dock at Pier 13. Is this
coincidence or not?” he asked.
Biazon said that the presence of the navy ships usually signaled the
concern of the United States of a possible political upheaval, and their
sudden presence caused some Filipinos to worry.
“It is SOP [standard operating procedure] that when there's political
event that may lead into a political upheaval, they send warships or
helicopters to protect their citizens here,” Biazon, who heads the
national defense and security committee, said.
“Their presence is adding up to the concerns being raised by our people
on the possible consequences of the promulgation this morning. We hope
that the promulgation is not going to cause any undue threats to our
stability as a country,” he added.
But military and US officials dispelled notions that the ships were here
for defensive purposes should violent protests break out following the
Estrada verdict.
"Well we are saying that this has nothing to do with the promulgation of
the case of former president Estrada… They are here on a goodwill visit,"
said Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro, military spokesman.
Bacordo said there were 280 personnel on board the USS Milius, 300 on
the USS Chung-Hoon, and 339 on the USS Chosin. All three ships came
from a port visit in Hong Kong.
Bacarro said the troops on board the three ships would help the non-
government organization Bahay Kalinga build houses for the poor.
He said the American troops were also in the country for a "passage
exercise," with their Filipino counterparts.
In a separate statement, the United States embassy in Manila said the
three shipswere tasked to "protect vital world trade routes, and
participate in regional naval exercises to foster international naval
cooperation."
The captain of one of the ships, USS Milius, is a Filipino-American,
Commander Edmund Hernandez, according to the same statement.
“It is a goodwill mission. This is scheduled port visit. This is a
community building exercise. This is only the scheduled stop in the
Philippines. The ships will be here starting today through the morning
of September 16,” Karen Schinnerer, US embassy deputy press attaché,
said at Pier 13 during the arrival of USS Milius and USS Chung-Hoon.
Captain Michael G. Brooks, US embassy naval attaché, said the number
of US ships coming to the Philippines, including those that come only for
fueling purposes, is increasing as more Filipino-Americans join the navy.
He said that on average, some 60 US ships would come every year.
“The number has been increasing. The primary port that we use for
military ships is the Subic Bay. [Coming to the Philippines] is
convenient plus the large percentage of those ships is crewed by Filipino
Americans. So basically, it is a coming home for them,” Brooks said.
The US naval attaché said the increasing number of US ships that dock
in the Philippines showed the “strong relationship and ties” between the
Philippines and the US.
“There is large number of Filipino-Americans in the ships. The CO
[commanding officer] of one of our ships here is a Filipino American…
A lot of these ships enjoy coming to the Philippines not only because of
strong ties that we have with the Philippine Armed Forces and people of
the Philippines, but a large number of our crews are Filipinos,” he
said.
“They do enjoy coming here. The crew can go out and actually enjoy
themselves. It is not like in Hong Kong which is very expensive for the
average sailor to go out and buy a meal. Here, they can go out and enjoy
themselves, and the people are great plus the common language,” he
added.
The US embassy said that while here, naval personnel would turn over
a variety of itemsdonated by Americans, including toys, library books,
and medical supplies to the Philippines’ Department of Social Welfare
and Development for distribution to the less fortunate.
In addition, the sailors from the vessels will participate in Gawad
Kalinga projects, working to build homes for local citizens, it said.
“These ships that are visiting the Philippines demonstrate the strength
of our partnership, and I know that the dedicated men and women on
board are looking forward to seeing this beautiful country,” US
Ambassador Kristie Kenneysaid in a statement.
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