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By APD writer Melo M. Acuña
MANILA – Newly-appointed Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Chief of Staff, Lt. General Noel Clement said his command is “well aware of the situation” in the South China Sea.
“We continuously provide support to our troops assigned to secure those areas. The AFP abides by the tenets in our (1987) Constitution, as a national policy, that war is not a primary instrument in resolving international conflict,” General Clement told members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP).
He said the Armed Forces of the Philippines continues to monitor the situation in the South China Sea and the results from the activity is forwarded to higher civilian authorities including the Department of National Defense.
“We support the (national) government’s strategy in resolving this conflict through peaceful and diplomatic means, so as to prevent the escalation of tension between countries,” he explained in his opening remarks. He added they are also coordinating with the civilian-led Philippine Coast Guard and the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
Asked of the possibility of purchasing armaments from China, General Clement said decisions to buy specific military hardware are made by members of the Technical Working Group. Replying to questions from foreign correspondents, Lt. General Clement said he is not inclined to meet his Chinese counterpart due his tight schedule in the Philippines.
Regarding the threats from different armed groups in the Philippines, General Clement confirmed the presence of at least seven foreign nationals believed to be holed up in Southern Philippines. He said these are terrorists from different countries. However, he said the Armed Forces of the Philippines is working with other national government agencies as well as foreign governments in addressing threats from violent extremists.
Other government agencies are assisting the Armed Forces of the Philippines in trying to identify conduits used in fund transfers from abroad.
Speaking of the recent kidnapping for British national Allan Hyron and his Filipina wife Wilma in Zamboanga del Sur last Friday, October 4, he said military personnel from the AFP WestMinCom are doing the necessary follow-up operations.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
