The return of the Americans follows a deal hammered out with the Philippine military last spring. The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement grew out of concern here over China’s spread into waters just off the coast here, and China’s claim over more than 80 percent of the South China Sea that extends far below the Chinese mainland.
In Olangapo today, a city of 220,000, enthusiasm is strong for a US return. That’s due not only to the perceived China threat, but also because the Philippine armed forces, not the Pentagon, will govern the sprawling old base with new rules designed to curb off duty behavior.
After World War II, Subic gained prominence as the largest US naval facility in the Pacific, cherished for its deep water, sheltered spots to anchor ships, and elaborate repair infrastructure.
Yet during the heyday of Subic, US naval personnel gained notoriety for helping turn the area into a zone of hostess bars and prostitution that fostered local crime.
Now, the returning military must stay on approved parts of the base, which has added a well-groomed Harbor Point shopping mall with cinemas and some 200 stores including Starbucks, TGI Friday’s, and eventually Gold’s Gym. A midnight to 5 a.m. curfew will be enforced around the base.
To short-circuit charges of a new form of colonialism, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, a local governing body, is authorizing Philippine forces to oversee the former base and its returning inhabitants in segments of 15 years. [The Christian Science Monitor]
It is going to be interesting to see how this plays out. The Chinese have so much invested in these South China Sea islands I just don’t see them backing down even if the UN court rules against them. The domestic political blowback would be too much with accusations of the Chinese government backing down to foreigners. The UN court though could legitimize the freedom of navigation patrols which are currently being executed by the US Navy. The ruling is supposed to be released sometime in 2016:
The Hague (AFP) – An international tribunal ruled Thursday it had the power to hear a case brought by the Philippines over disputed islands in the South China Sea, in a move likely to trigger fury in Beijing.
Manila has insisted the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which the Philippines and China have both ratified, should be used to resolve the bitter territorial row over isolated reefs and islets, which has triggered growing international alarm.
But China has refused to participate in the proceedings, arguing the Permanent Court of Arbitration — which is more than a century old and based in The Hague — had no jurisdiction over the case.
“Reviewing the claims submitted by the Philippines, the tribunal has rejected the argument” by China that the “dispute is actually about sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and therefore beyond the tribunal’s jurisdiction,” the court said in a statement.
Instead, the court ruled the case reflects “disputes between the two states concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention” — something which falls within its remit.
China insists it has sovereign rights to nearly all of the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which about a third of all the world’s traded oil passes.
The disputed waters — claimed in part by Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Brunei — have also become the stage for a tussle for regional dominance between Beijing and Washington, the world’s two largest economic and military powers.
Following a stand-off between Chinese ships and the weak Filipino Navy in 2012, China took control of a rich fishing ground called Scarborough Shoal that is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. [Associated Press]
Another month and more dead Koreans found in the Philippines:
Another Korean couple was shot to death in the Philippines, confirmed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul on Friday, again in the coastal province of Cavite, 21 kilometers (13 miles) south of Manila. A middle-aged man was shot by an unidentified assailant on the road right outside the couple’s residence early Friday morning, according to the Korean Foreign Ministry. His wife was shot inside the house, where she was discovered dead.
The man, reported to be a 54-year-old surnamed Lee, held Korean nationality. However, his wife, a 47-year-old surnamed Park, was an ethnic Korean with Chinese nationality.
Park called the local police at around 1:30 a.m., which is likely around the time the shooting began. Philippine police are still investigating the fatal shootings to confirm details. Cavite is the same province in which a 64-year-old Korean man surnamed Na and his 60-year-old wife Kim were shot to death in their retirement home by an unidentified gunman on Aug. 19.
Police have yet to find a lead on that case, which was suspected to be an armed robbery. This brings the number of Koreans killed in the Philippines this year to 10, including Korean-Chinese Park, raising questions about how to bolster security for Koreans residing in or traveling to the Southeast Asian country. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
South Korea and the Philippines on Monday signed a pact to protect classified military information in a bid to exchange military intelligence, Seoul’s defense ministry said.
South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Filipino counterpart Secretary Voltaire Gazmin signed the deal in Manila following their talks, according to the ministry.
Han arrived in the Philippines on Monday for a two-day visit following his trip to Australia for a so-called “two plus two” meeting among the two nations’ defense and foreign chiefs.
The ministry said that the pact calls for exchanging comprehensive military information between Seoul and Manila, which will help them deepen military cooperation. [Korea Herald]
The murder of Koreans in the Philippines continues:
A South Korean couple living in the Philippines were found dead in their home apparently by gun-inflicted wounds, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.
The bodies of the husband and wife, both in their 60s, were found at around 7 a.m. local time by a neighbor inside their homes located in a village south of Manila, the ministry said.
The two, only identified by their surname Na and Kim, reportedly had gun-inflicted wounds in their necks and chests with their bodies lying in the living room.
Local police suspect armed robbery as the motive but are still considering the possibility of murder driven by personal grudge.
The couple reportedly settled down in the Philippines seven years ago after retirement. [Yonhap]
Could you imagine what the reaction would be if these were American servicemembers accused of this even if the story didn’t add up like this one apparently isn’t according to the report:
Eight Korean men are embroiled in a rape scandal in the Philippines, which has prompted other Korean expats there to fear for their safety.
Broadcaster GMA reported Monday that the eight Korean men are suspected of raping a Filipino woman in her 20s after plying her with alcohol and taking her to a hotel.
The Filipino broadcaster said the woman met one of the men in online chat and agreed to meet him for drinks. The woman says the two then went to another bar, where seven other Korean men sexually molested her and took her to a hotel where they raped her. She says the men physically assaulted her when she tried to resist and she had to go to hospital.
Police have not yet been able to find definitive evidence to corroborate the victims’ claims of rape.
The report created a public uproar in the Philippines and went viral on the Internet. But a Korean Embassy inspector says the woman’s claims do not add up.
The inspector told the Chosun Ilbo, “A close inspection of surveillance camera footage showed no trace of the seven other men who the woman claimed took part in the rape.”
Police in the Philippines are investigating the prime suspect. An embassy official said, “We are concerned that the report by a major broadcaster could harm Korea’s image and lead to revenge attacks on Koreans. We plan to seek a review of the police investigation and launch an official response.” [Chosun Ilbo]
Hopefully the truth will eventually come out, but this is another example of why people should wait and see facts come out before drawing conclusions on crimes like this. However, she did go to the hospital which should be able to provide a wealth of physical and forensic evidence to help determine if she was gang raped even if the video evidence does not support it. So it will be interesting to see what comes of this case.
The Philippines would definitely be a much cheaper option than sending kids off to an English speaking country to attend school:
Over the past three years alone, roughly fourteen thousand Koreans have traveled to the Philippines to study the language at private academies for a fraction of the price of classes in many other English-speaking nations.
Kang Tae-won is among a group of 11 students from the city of Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, who are spending their winter vacation at the Widest Asian Learners English School, or WALES, in Baguio, 250-kilometers north of Manila.
On a recent morning, the 17-year old came down from his dorm room into the “English Speaking Zone” where for the rest of the day he practiced conversational English with several Filipino ESL teachers.
Mr. Kang said that after a few weeks of studying here his English has improved. Baguio, he says, “has a good atmosphere for learning English” so that Koreans can get higher test scores.
South Korean families spend billions of dollars a year on private education to prepare their children for standardized tests that are required for entrance into university, study overseas and many white collar jobs. Those include English competency exams like the TOEIC. Some parents believe that total emersion into English speaking countries will give their kids an advantage in taking those tests.
Yoo Moon-young, the owner of the EZ Foreign Language School in Pyeongtaek, brings some of her pupils to Baguio every winter. On average, a high school student’s family pays $5,200 for an all-inclusive, two-month sojourn in a learning environment she describes as “Spartan. Students study, eat and sleep in the school, with supervised excursions out of the academy only on weekends. [Wall Street Journal-Korea Real Time]
I have to think this US Marine is pleading not guilty for murder in the hopes that he will instead be charged with a lesser manslaughter charge:
A Philippine court entered a not guilty plea Monday for a U.S. Marine charged with murdering a transgender Filipino, allegedly after he discovered her gender when they checked into a hotel.
Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton refused to enter a plea in the brief proceeding in a court in Olongapo city northwest of Manila, according to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. Journalists were barred from the courtroom.
Dozens of left-wing protesters waved red flags outside the courthouse, demanding justice and an end to the U.S. military presence in the former American colony. Gay and lesbian groups have also staged protests denouncing the killing of Jennifer Laude, whose former name was Jeffrey, as a hate crime.
Monday’s arraignment paves the way for Pemberton’s trial, which lawyers of the victim’s family said is scheduled to start next month. [Stars & Stripes]
