Latest news with #LouieDema-ala
Filipino Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Filipino Times
Korean Army delegation honors Filipino Korean War veterans
A delegation from the Republic of Korea Army honored Filipino troops who fought in the Korean War and engaged in activities to strengthen military cooperation between the Philippines and South Korea. Philippine Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said the ROKA delegation held a wreath-laying ceremony on Monday at the Korean War Memorial Pylon inside the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. The Philippines deployed the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea on June 25, 1950, to help defend South Korea against communist forces during the Korean War. The three-day visit also aims to further build the Army-to-Army partnership and reinforce bilateral cooperation between the two countries, Dema-ala added. He said the long-standing partnership between the Philippines and South Korea has fostered ties across defense, education, labor, trade, culture, and tourism. The Philippines and South Korea have maintained diplomatic relations since March 3, 1949.
The Star
01-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Philippines, Australia end six-week cyber warfare drills
MANILA: The Philippine Army (PA) said on Tuesday (July 1) it has conducted six weeks of cyber warfare exercises with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to strengthen their cyber defence and resilience through collaborative cyber operations. The Philippine News Agency reported that the exercises, dubbed "Joint Defence Forward Training Activity," were held at the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City from mid-May to June 26, PA spokesperson Col Louie Dema-ala (pic) said in a statement. "This activity aimed to strengthen cyber defence and resilience by conducting collaborative cyber operations focused on detecting, analysing, and mitigating sophisticated digital threats," Dema-ala said. Among the key activities in the exercises were joint malware forensics, advanced threat intelligence exchange, and reverse engineering of malicious software. Dema-ala said these activities enabled both forces to gain critical insights into current and emerging cyber threats. "The joint undertaking significantly enhanced the PA's cyber posture by tapping into ADF's advanced technological expertise and operational best practices," he said. Dema-ala added that the drills "also reinforced the strategic partnership between the Philippines and Australia in addressing the dynamic challenges of cyberspace and hybrid warfare." - Bernama-PNA
Khaleej Times
04-03-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
Philippine fighter jet goes missing during mission against rebels
A Philippines FA-50 fighter jet is missing after flying a mission against communist rebels in the country's south, military officials said on Tuesday, although hopes remain its two-member crew could still be alive. Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala told AFP the missing jet was part of a squadron sent "to provide air support" to troops engaged in a firefight overnight in Mindanao's Bukidnon province. It was still too early to say if the fighter had crashed or made an emergency landing, air force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo told AFP. However, locator beacons for both the crew and the FA-50 were active in a potentially "hot" or hostile area, she said in an interview with local television. "Beacons worn by the two crew as well as on the plane are emitting signals, and troops are working their way to the general area," which was mountainous and forested, Castillo told ABS-CBN. Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Garello of the 4th Infantry Division told AFP that air support had been called in overnight during a firefight with the New People's Army. "There was a firefight between the 403rd Infantry Brigade (Philippine Army) and the rebels, and they made a request for air support, so the air force supported the encounter," Garello said. The long-running Maoist insurgency is now believed to have fewer than 2,000 guerrilla fighters. Local search efforts While the air force declined to disclose a location, a disaster official in Bukidnon province told AFP preparations were being made for local forest rangers to search the area where the fighter's signal was lost. "We are sending two teams up tonight to the area, one in Mount Kilakiron and another in Mount Kalatungan," said Ramil Gulahab, an air force reservist. At 2,880 metres, Kalatungan is the fifth-tallest mountain in the Philippines. "They will conduct a search there because that was where the signal was lost," he said. The fighters flew out of Mactan–Benito Ebuen Air Base, which shares a runway with the airport in Cebu, the Philippines' second-largest city. Castillo told reporters it was the "first major incident involving" its squadron of FA-50s, which have been used in exercises over the disputed South China Sea. The Philippines has a dozen of the fighters, which it purchased from South Korea in the past decade. Deadly crashes The FA-50s have taken part in joint air patrols with treaty ally the United States over contested areas of the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines have been involved in increasingly tense confrontations. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the crucial waterway, through which trillions of dollars in commerce transits each year, despite a ruling from The Hague that its assertion has no legal basis. Philippine outlet the Inquirer reported in January that the government was considering purchasing 12 more FA-50s. There have been a number of deadly crashes involving Philippine military aircraft in recent years. Two navy pilots were killed last April when their Robinson R22 helicopter crashed near a market south of the capital Manila during a training flight. Two PAF pilots were killed in January 2023 when their Marchetti SF260 turboprop plane crashed into a rice field.
Daily Tribune
04-03-2025
- General
- Daily Tribune
What Happened to the Philippine Fighter Jet?
A Philippines FA-50 fighter jet is missing after flying a mission against communist rebels in the country's south, military officials said on Tuesday, although hopes remain its two-member crew could still be alive. Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala told AFP the missing jet was part of a squadron sent "to provide air support" to troops engaged in a firefight overnight in Mindanao's Bukidnon province. It was still too early to say if the fighter had crashed or made an emergency landing, air force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo told AFP. However, locator beacons for both the crew and the FA-50 were active in a potentially "hot" or hostile area, she said in an interview with local television. "Beacons worn by the two crew as well as on the plane are emitting signals, and troops are working their way to the general area," which was mountainous and forested, Castillo told ABS-CBN. Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Garello of the 4th Infantry Division told AFP that air support had been called in overnight during a firefight with the New People's Army. "There was a firefight between the 403rd Infantry Brigade (Philippine Army) and the rebels, and they made a request for air support, so the air force supported the encounter," Garello said. The long-running Maoist insurgency is now believed to have fewer than 2,000 guerrilla fighters. - Local search efforts - While the air force declined to disclose a location, a disaster official in Bukidnon province told AFP preparations were being made for local forest rangers to search the area where the fighter's signal was lost. "We are sending two teams up tonight to the area, one in Mount Kilakiron and another in Mount Kalatungan," said Ramil Gulahab, an air force reservist. At 2,880 metres (9,450 feet), Kalatungan is the fifth-tallest mountain in the Philippines. "They will conduct a search there because that was where the signal was lost," he said. The fighters flew out of Mactan–Benito Ebuen Air Base, which shares a runway with the airport in Cebu, the Philippines' second-largest city. Castillo told reporters it was the "first major incident involving" its squadron of FA-50s, which have been used in exercises over the disputed South China Sea. The Philippines has a dozen of the fighters, which it purchased from South Korea in the past decade. - Deadly crashes - The FA-50s have taken part in joint air patrols with treaty ally the United States over contested areas of the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines have been involved in increasingly tense confrontations. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the crucial waterway, through which trillions of dollars in commerce transits each year, despite a ruling from The Hague that its assertion has no legal basis. Philippine outlet the Inquirer reported in January that the government was considering purchasing 12 more FA-50s. There have been a number of deadly crashes involving Philippine military aircraft in recent years. Two navy pilots were killed last April when their Robinson R22 helicopter crashed near a market south of the capital Manila during a training flight. Two PAF pilots were killed in January 2023 when their Marchetti SF260 turboprop plane crashed into a rice field.
Khaleej Times
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Philippines to train with US Typhon missile system next month
A Philippine platoon will be trained on using a US mid-range missile system next month, ahead of joint drills, Manila's military said on Tuesday, in a move that will likely further fuel tensions with China. The US military deployed the Typhon missile system in the northern Philippines last year as part of an annual joint exercise, but it was not removed after the war games ended. The system's presence on Philippine soil has angered Beijing, whose forces have engaged in several confrontations with Philippine vessels in recent months over disputed reefs and waters in the South China Sea. Last month, the Philippine Army said it was planning to acquire the Typhon system as part of a push to secure its maritime interests, sparking warnings from China of a regional "arms race". A new platoon from the Philippines' Army Artillery Regiment will receive "orientation and familiarisation" training on the system, starting in the second or third week of February, army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala said in a press conference. The week-long training will involve troops from the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force of the US Army Pacific, Dema-ala added. "This is a continuation of what we've learned in the first (training) iteration. New units will be involved in the training and a continuation of the previous platoon that was trained last year," Dema-ala said. "As long as MRC (mid-range missile capability) is here, we maximise its utilisation to train our personnel in new technology," he added. Dema-ala said the training is in preparation for this year's Salaknib, an annual joint exercise between the Philippines and US armies. The training location cannot be disclosed, he told reporters, noting that there will be no firing of the Typhon system. Philippine military spokeswoman Colonel Francel Padilla said moving the launcher from its initial location to a different part of the country is a test "to see how these logistical trains can be transported to certain locations, to certain salient points." Philippine military officials have said the Typhon system would be able to protect vessels up to 370 kilometres off the coast, the limit of its maritime entitlement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Last week, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning renewed calls for the Philippines to "stop going further down the wrong path". "Let me stress again that by bringing this strategic offensive weapon into this part of the world, the Philippines is essentially creating tensions and antagonism in the region and inciting geopolitical confrontation and an arms race," she said.
