LA / ORANGE C / INLAND E
Ina Raymundo, lone survivor of ‘90s-era sexy actresses See ENTERTAINMENT, page 15
VOL. XXIII, NO. 11
LOS ANGELES / ORANGE COUNTY / INLAND EMPIRE
April 16 - 22, 2016
THE LEADING SOURCE OF NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR FILIPINO-AMERICANS
US Defense Chief OFFICIAL SAYS US TO SHARE WITH PHL... in PHL; meets with Aquino MANILA, April 14 (PNA) – President Benigno S. Aquino III met with United States Defense Secretary Ashton Carter during a courtesy call in Malacañang on Thursday. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Foreign Affairs Secretary Jose Rene Almendras joined President Aquino during his meeting with Carter. The American defense chief, who arrived in the country on Wednesday, was accompanied by US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg; Ambassador David Shear, US assistant secretary of defense; Eric Rosenbach, the defense secretary’s chief of staff; Brig. Gen. Eric Smith, senior military assistant to the defense secretary; and Peter Cook, Pentagon Press Secretary and chief spokesman for the Department of Defense. Also present on the Philippines’ side were Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, Department of National Defense; Undersecretary Emmanuel Bautista of the Cabinet Cluster on Security, Justice and Peace; Gen. Hernando Iriberri, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; and Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia Jr. During a joint press conference with Secretary Gazmin in Malacañang, Carter announced the conduct of joint patrols between US and Filipino forces in Philippine territories, especially in the South See DEFENSE CHIEF, page 8
HIGH-POWERED WEAPONS
Shown in right photo is the US HIMARS or High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, a United States light multiple rocket launcher mounted on a standard Army medium tactical vehicle truck frame. Left photo was taken during the successful live-firing of the HIMARS at the Crow Valley Gunnery Range in Capas, Tarlac on Thursday (April 14, 216) as part of the “Balikatan Exercises.” (PNA photos by Joey O. Razon)
CROW VALLEY, TARLAC, April 14 (PNA) – Since the US and the Philippines are key military allies in the Pacific Region, a ranking American military official expressed willingness to share his country’s sophisticated weapons. “You know the truth to the matter is that we are allies and so you know as allies we need to work together and i think that we’ll be more happy than happy to share,” US “Balikatan” exercise director Lt. Gen. John Toolan said. However, he did not disclosed what weapons the US military is willing to share with its Filipino allies. In Thursday’s live-fire exercise at Crow Valley, Capas, Tarlac, Philippine “Balikatan” exercise director Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez expressed his admiration of the US HIMARS weapons system. HIMARS is short for the “M142 High Mobility Artillery
By Kris M. Crismundo
See HOTSPOTS, page 8
See HIGH-POWERED, page 8
No ISIS presence in PHL: PNP
US-based think tank lists PHL among Asia’s investment hotspots MANILA, April 14 (PNA) – United States-based think tank IHS Global Insight has listed the Philippines as one of the top ten foreign direct investment (FDI) destinations in Asia. The Philippines is joined by other Southeast Asian countries which are also projected by IHS to be the FDI hotspots in the region including Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Thailand. IHS also listed China, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh as top FDI destinations in the region. “A key source of strength for Asia Pacific is the rapidly growing size
Rocket System”. It is a US light multiple rocket launcher mounted on a standard Army medium tactical vehicle truck frame. Around six HIMARS practice rockets were fired during Thursday’s live-fire exercises which also demonstrated the American’s M-777 towed 155mm howitzers. It is the second time HIMARS was fired in Crow Valley, with the first being on April 4 where six reduced-range practice rockets were fired. “Well you have seen the capability of the HIMARS, we need this kind of capability you know so that we can raise the skills and the respect for your Armed Forces, not only for the Philippines but within our region,” Lopez said. HIMARS can engage targets up to 300 kilometers and estimated to cost around USD5 million per platform.
President Benigno S. Aquino III meet with the families of the 18 killed soldiers at Edwin Andrews Air Base Multi-Purpose Lounge in Zamboanga City on Wednesday (April 13). Also in photo is Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento. (MNS photo)
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MANILA, April 14 (PNA) – The Philippine National Police (PNP) assured the public that they have not monitored any presence of the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the country. This was confirmed by PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor on Thursday. According to Mayor, they are continuously validating the reports in social media that the group is behind the encounter in Basilan last April that killed 18 soldiers and injured 56 others. Mayor further stressed that the PNP has not yet received any information on the is presence of ISIS members in the country, adding that the police continues its intelligence operations. With this, he said the PNP strengthen its coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly in intelligence sharing. Earlier, Mayor said that the Directorate for Operations (DO) has already directed all units to be alert and vigilant. He also assured the public that the PNP is ready for response through intensified police visibility and strengthened operations. (PNA)
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