Need to build up PH defense capabilities

ITWAS loud and clear.

We are referring to the statement by Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. that the Department of National Defense remains committed to ensuring the Philippines remains safe, peaceful, united and progressive for Filipinos.

Coinciding with the celebration of the 125th Independence Day on Monday, the 58-year-old Teodoro, whose appointment by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., enabled him to return to his old post, acknowledged challenges faced by the Philippines.

But he stressed: “Amid current and emerging challenges, we will continue to strive for the protection and betterment of our Motherland.” While he is not new to the DND portfolio – he was defense chief from August 2007 to November 2009 under then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo – Teodoro said manning the post is more challenging now as we are all living in a different world.

“It was not merely the relationship with China which was different then, during that time there was no Middle Eastern implosion yet, there was no Arab Spring, there was no tension between Russia and Ukraine and the relationship between China and the United

The DND chief was deafening when he said the Philippines is not a pawn of anyone in the ongoing ‘geopolitical battle’ in the region

States was different, even in the semiconductor and technology sector there was cooperation so now we live in a vastly different world,” he added. Teodoro said there is a lesson here: the need to build up the country’s capabilities to make sure we are safe from any “world happening or event.”

Many gave their hand when Teodoro said in a television interview the Philippines has the right to build up its credible deterrence without any question from other nations.

“The job of the Secretary of the National Defense is first and foremost building up our credible deterrence, and that will, and the way that we build up our credible deterrence

Infrastructure boost for Mindanao

THE good news for Mindanao is that the national government plans to spend P1.2 trillion for infrastructure over the next six years. According to Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, the administration is committed to provide resources for Mindanao’s infrastructure requirements to boost economic growth in the island.

Based on the Public Investment Program (PIP), 35 percent or 1,310 out of the 3,770 priority programs and projects of the government will be located in Mindanao over the course of the Marcos administration.

The planned investments will be on top of at least 30 out of the 194 high-impact infrastructure flagship projects that will support economic growth in Mindanao.

These include the Mindanao Railway, Samal Island-Davao City Connector, Cagayan de Oro Coastal Road, Davao City Expressway, and preparations for the new Zamboanga Airport, Bukidnon Airport, and Siargao Sayak Airport.

The infrastructure boost for Mindanao is part and parcel of the government effort to sustain the annual infrastructure spending at five to six percent of the economy.

The basic idea, according to the Finance Department, is to link and integrate markets, connect urban centers to rural areas, and facilitate the movement of people and goods to expand access to more opportunities for local industries. Ultimately, all this will boost productivity.

The Mindanao projects will be financed by various development partners through official development assistance (ODA), general appropriations, and public-private partnerships (PPPs).

As of end 2022, there were 97 active or ongoing ODA-loan and grant funded projects and programs being implemented in Mindanao.

There are also 35 ongoing projects with total loan and grant commitments of $4.2 billion from bilateral and multilateral de- velopment partners.

The DOF has likewise committed to assist Mindanao in its implementation of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-MalaysiaPhilippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Vision 2025 to make Mindanao a key economic driver in the sub-region.

The military claims the NPA is now down to around 2,000 regular fighters, from a high of 25,000 in the 1980s

In the past, Mindanao had often been described as the “Land of Opportunity” or the “Land of Promise.” is our business and nobody else’s business and whether we partner with country X or Y in order to build up our own core strength is a question for the Philippines,” he said. We agree with him that other countries should not question this right as the Philippines does not call out other nations engaged in the buildup of defensive and even offensive capabilities.

But it seems that many of its people were neglected by their political leaders and therefore denied the opportunity to improve their lives.

Worse, they were promised deliverance from grinding poverty yet remained destitute and unable to make both ends meet.

The Marcos administration’s enhanced infrastructure program will, we hope, give the people of Mindanao what they truly deserve: a much improved quality of life and a better future.

The end of the road for the insurgency?

If recent news reports are accurate, it would appear the armed rebellion that began in 1969 with the founding of the Maoist New People’s Army is slowly but steadily winding down with successive battlefield losses.

The series of encounters between government troopers from the 62nd Infantry Battalion and the rebels took place in two towns in Negros Occidental on May 20.

He was explicit, if distinct, when he said “Just like we do not question the buildup of not even defensive capabilities but offensive capabilities of other countries, they should not question ours and they should not tie up our buildup of our capabilities to any question of whether it’s Taiwan or whatnot.

“The Philippines is for the Philippines and we leverage that and I think other countries want to help us because they view it as an integral (part of) standing strong with democratic values.”

The DND chief was deafening when he said the Philippines is not a pawn of anyone in the ongoing “geopolitical battle” in the region.

“And so the Philippines is a value (proposition) as we call it by its own self and not a pawn of anybody else in the geopolitical battle that’s raging within our area now,” he stressed. Right on.

In the two encounters, the NPA suffered five casualties. There were no fatalities on the part of the government soldiers.

The soldiers launched combat operations in response to information regarding the presence of the rebels in the towns of Moises Padilla and La Castellana.

Recovered from the rebels were an M-16 rifle, two .38 caliber pistols, a KG9 machine pistol with a magazine assembly, one UZI machine pistol with a magazine assembly, two homemade 12-gauge shotguns, assorted ammunition, and an NPA flag, the 62nd IB said.

The recent encounters in Negros Occidental come close on the heels of similar clashes in other parts of the country, such as Quezon and Northern Samar provinces.

The military claims the NPA is now down to around 2,000 regular fighters, from a high of 25,000 in the 1980s. The number of their guerrilla fronts has also been whittled down to just two.

If this is the case, then the military’s projection of putting an end to the armed rebellion within the year may yet be on the horizon.

The NPA, after all, is led by the Communist Party of the Philippines, whose founder, Jose Ma. Sison, died from natural causes in December last year.

Key leaders, including the husbandand-wife tandem of Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, were killed somewhere in Samar island even earlier.

Others are now in jail or have been killed in military operations, leaving the rebel movement in the hands of a younger set of cadres who apparently have managed to survive intense military operations in recent years.

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

National Artist Gémino Abad graces UST writing workshop

Carmen Guevara, Joel Toledo, Ailil B. Alvarez, Dawn Marfil Burris, Joselito delos Reyes, Paul Alcoseba Castillo, Chuckberry J. Pascual, Mark Angeles, Lito B. Zulueta, and myself. We also teach creative writing and/or literature subjects at UST.

SUMMER is workshop season, when teachers and students are free of the requirements of the school semester and may turn their attention to other activities.

Creative writing workshops last several days to two weeks and aim to mentor writers in an immersive experience to further develop their craft so that they may contribute in their own way to Philippine letters.

Being held right now, online, is the University of Santo Tomas National Writers Workshop. It is the flagship program of the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies (CCWLS).

This year’s writing fellows are Amroding Baraiman, Carmina Cruz, Jannina Del Rio, Rey Isidto, Ian Nievero Jerez, Ivan James Layugan, Alyssa Jude Montalban, Nicolo Nasol, Kimberly Rose Pillo, Antonette Ramos, John Leihmar Toledo, Glenn Ford Tolentino, and Fe Esperanza Trampe.

The guest panelists are National Artist for Literature Gémino Abad, Luna Sicat Cleto, Jerry B. Gracio, and Vim Nadera.

Also serving as panelists and session moderators are the officials and Resident Fellows of the CCWLS: Director Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, CoDirector Augusto Antonio A. Aguila, Assistant Director Ralph Semino Galan, and Jose P. Mojica, John Jack G. Wigley, Ned Parfan, Nerisa del

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Meanwhile, this year’s Ateneo National Writers Workshop ended yesterday. Organized by the Ateneo Institute of Literary Arts and Practices (AILAP), the eight writing fellows had their works critiqued by AILAP director Allan Derain and panelists Luna Sicat- Cleto, Jhoanna Lynn Cruz, Alvin Yapan, Eli Guieb III, Junley Lazaga, Genevieve Asenjo, and Vincenz Serrano. The chosen writing fellows were Ryan Cezar O. Alcarde, Amanda Juico de la Cruz, DJ Ellamit, Elio Garcia, Vincent Imbat, Jehu Laniog, Hunny Laurente, and Jessa C. Suganob.

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After two years of being conducted in virtual mode, the 16th Palihang Rogelio Sicat (PRS) will again be held face-to-face at the University of the Philippines-Diliman on June 21 to 25, 2023.

Organized by the UP Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature (UP-DFPL), PRS is the only all-Filipino language writing workshop in the country.

It also provides continuous mentoring of workshop fellows by the panelists long after the workshop is over.

PRS 16 will also see the launching of its first anthology of former fellows’ works and a special

I call upon the national government and LGUs to consider setting up workshops and writers’ residencies to foster the literary arts in the country and local communities workshop on the visual arts and text to be delivered by Prof. Manolo Sicat of the UP College of Fine Arts.

The fellows for poetry are: John Rafael Alcantara (Quezon), Sofia Angela Federico (Camarines Sur), Kei Gemora (Iloilo/Negros), Jose Velando Ogatis (Cavite), and Nethalie Jane Rojas (Catanduanes).

For the short story: Christian Balagoza (Bulacan), Lance Romulus Dayrit (Pangasinan), and Rica Mae Roberto (Bulacan). For flash fiction: Precioso Dahe (Bukidnon),

Loi Vincent Deriada (Iligan), Melencio Fernando (Bulacan), and Rey Mart Lapiña (Davao).

For the essay: Denmark Soco (Davao de Oro).

For drama: Angel Salvador Chiutea (Valenzuela) and Hannah Adtoon Leceña (Sarangani).

This year’s guest of honor is scholar, critic, editor, writer and editor emeritus of Kritika Kultura, Prof. Maria Luisa Torres-Reyes.

Some of her works are Sipat Salin and the translated version of The February Revolution by Letizia R. Constantino and Renato Constantino.

Comprising the PRS teaching panel are teacher-writers of the UP Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature including Reuel Molina Aguila and Jimmuel Naval, PRS founders, as well as Luna Sicat-Cleto, Vim Nadera, Romulo

P. Baquiran Jr., Rommel B. Rodriguez, Elyrah

L. Salanga Torralba, Will P. Ortiz and Maynard Manansala.

Guest panelists are Joi Barrios-Leblanc, Marne L. Kilates, Fidel Rillo Jr., and Jess Santiago.

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Creative writing workshops are important for the development of writers and the cultivation of a national literature. Workshops provide a nurturing environment where aspiring authors can refine their craft, explore their unique voice, and receive valuable feedback from experienced mentors and fellow writers.

They also offer a space for writers to hone their skills and experiment with different styles and techniques. Through constructive criticism and guidance, participants learn to refine their storytelling abilities, develop compelling characters, and master the art of crafting vivid imagery.

By receiving feedback about their pieces, writers gain the confidence and knowledge needed to produce their best work.

Workshops foster a sense of community among writers.

Writers can learn from one another’s perspectives, receive encouragement during challenging times, and build lasting connections.

The networking developed among participants stand them in good stead later on for collaborations, help with publishing, jobseeking, and so on.

Workshops are also essential for nurturing emerging talents.

Aspiring writers often face barriers to entry in the publishing world, but workshops provide a platform for undiscovered voices to be heard. By encouraging new writers, workshops play a crucial role in ensuring the representation of different perspectives and experiences in the literary landscape.

Writing workshops empower writers to produce more and share their own particular stories, participating in the constant construction and development of national identity.

This is why I call upon the national government and LGUs to consider setting up workshops and writers’ residencies to foster the literary arts in the country and local communities.

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