u/MELONPANNNNN

Video Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzPEQrpAGMg
Article Source: https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/10/05/regions/10-wounded-in-tipo-tipo-ambush/2438698

TIPO-TIPO, Basilan — Ten government personnel, including two army officers, were wounded after a group of armed men ambushed a convoy of six vehicles in Barangay Badja in this municipality on Monday morning, Oct. 5.

Brig. Gen. Frederick Sales, commander of the 101st Infantry Brigade, reported that the ambush targeted a convoy of vehicles led by Lt. Col. Franco Baylon, commanding officer of the 45th Infantry Battalion, consisting of three KM450 military trucks and three civilian vehicles carrying composite security troops.

The convoy was traversing the road from the municipality of Tipo-Tipo en route to Lamitan City when armed men opened fire on the vehicles at around 7:45 a.m.

The ambush resulted in 10 individuals sustaining gunshot wounds, with four of the victims reported in critical condition due to the severity of their injuries, he said.

Sales said the four critically wounded soldiers were airlifted via a Philippine Air Force helicopter to a medical facility in Zamboanga City for specialized emergency treatment.

Among those critically injured were Sgt. Rolando Tumbali Jr. and 2Lt. June Joseph Madla, who both sustained gunshot wounds to the head.

Sgt. Carinio Guyod suffered gunshot wounds to the back of his head, back, and right finger during the heavy volume of fire.

Cpl. Anton Gregory De Guzman sustained a gunshot wound to his lower right leg, while SSgt. Allan Veniegas suffered a gunshot wound to his right hip.

Pfc. Glen Estardo of the 113th Division Reconnaissance Company and Civilian Active Auxiliary Nursifa Asani both sustained gunshot wounds to the abdomen.  Cpl. Roel Hagonoy, also of the 113th Division Reconnaissance Company, suffered a gunshot wound to his right leg.

Pfc. Almer Sinarellos and Pfc. Jay Taripe both suffered shrapnel wounds to their right fingers.

Pfc. Mark Anthony Abianares of the 14th Cavalry Armor Division also sustained a gunshot wound.

Sales identified the primary suspect behind the morning ambush as Saddam Sidick, the leader of a lawless element operating in the province. Sidick was previously implicated in a similar ambush incident targeting troops at an Infantry Support Unit in the area.

In addition to ambush attacks, Siddick’s group has been linked to various armed assaults against government positions across the province. Among these previous attacks was an assault on a Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit patrol base in Barangay Sabong, along the Lamitan City-Tipo-Tipo border.

Security forces have previously conducted multiple targeted counter-operations against Sidick's group to neutralize their threats in rural Basilan.

During  those past counter-operations, military personnel successfully recovered improvised explosive devices and various bomb-making components from hideouts maintained by the group.

Following Monday's attack, military and police units immediately deployed pursuit teams and heightened security checkpoints across nearby municipalities to track down Sidick and his followers.

"We will not let off the military operation until we can neutralize him and his group," Sales said, emphasizing that joint security forces are determined to track down those responsible.

On Tuesday, Saddik’s wife, Nermalyn Musa, was killed  during an encounter while authorities tried to serve her a warrant for three counts of murder issued without bail on Aug. 20, 2026, by Branch 1 of the Regional Trial Court in Isabela City, Basilan.

The CIDG operating team confirmed it will submit a formal warrant return to the issuing court, while all recovered items were turned over to the CIDG office in Isabela City for proper documentation and disposition. 

Source: Remembering guerrilla Aniceto "Buddy" Farola

What kind of fires is California fighting man goddamn

Developed as a highly modernized successor to the successful Fokker F-27 Friendship Maritime Patrol Aircraft, the Fokker F-50 Enforcer Mk.2 introduced more advanced Pratt & Whitney Canada PW125B turboprop engines. To excel at its specialized role, it was outfitted with a prominent belly radome housing an AN/APS-134 360-degree search radar, a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) turret, Electronic Support Measures (ESM), and external weapons pylons capable of deploying AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

The Enforcer Mk.2 formally entered service with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) in 1994 and continues to safeguard Singapore's vital sea lanes to this day. However, a phased retirement is now on the horizon. Singapore finalized plans to replace the aging turboprops with a state-of-the-art jet fleet consisting of four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and three Gulfstream G550 Maritime Surveillance Aircraft.

Source: Marines Help Philippine Armed Forces Develop Strike Plans for BrahMos Anti-Ship Missile | USNI

U.S. and Philippine Marines are training how to defend Manila’s coastal waters through maritime strike rehearsals that simulate the use of recently acquired BrahMos anti-ship missiles, USNI News has learned.

According to images recently released by the Pentagon, the drills practiced the process of forming a kill chain using notional Armed Forces of the Philippines drones and ground-based anti-ship missiles against simulated maritime targets.

At Manila’s northernmost Marine base in Luzon on Aug. 25, American and Filipino planners plotted Air Force Hermes drones to track a surface action group in support of a BrahMos anti-ship missile strike. The simulated maritime targets were represented by two Type 052D-class guided-missile destroyers, a Type 054A-class frigate and a Type 901 fast combat support ship – vessels currently in service with China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy.

“Training alongside the Coastal Defense Regiment gives Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia Marines and Sailors valuable insight into how our Philippine counterparts approach maritime defense within the unique geography and operating environment of the Philippines,” Capt. MacKenzie Margroum, a spokesperson for the Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia, told USNI News.

The training occurred during Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum 26.4 and allowed forces from both nations to practice target identification and fire planning on maritime targets, Margroum said.

The bilateral Marine Corps efforts are part of Washington’s broader effort to increase the alliance’s long-range strike capabilities against adversary naval forces near the Southeast Asian archipelago’s waters. In recent years, U.S. and Philippine forces have held annual small to large-scale exercises increasingly focused on defending coastal waters. These drills involved the debut of new American long-range missile systems in the Northern Philippines near Taiwan, USNI News reported in April.

Manila’s Marine missileers are developing the procedures and tactics required to operate the Indian-made BrahMos. Capable of traveling at three times the speed of sound with a 400-pound explosive warhead, the missiles were previously procured by the Philippines through a $375 million deal in 2022 to meet coastal defense requirements amid China’s assertive posture in the South China Sea. The missiles are the first of their type to be operated by the Philippine military.

The Coastal Defense Regiment’s first BrahMos facility was built at a base in Western Luzon facing Scarborough Shoal, a contested maritime feature between Manila and Beijing. Chinese warships, such as the Type 052D destroyers and Type 054A frigate represented in the maritime strike drill, have been involved in incidents at Scarborough. Last summer, a Chinese guided-missile destroyer collided with a China Coast Guard cutter in a fatal incident that killed two people.

Additional detachments and facilities are planned for Northern Luzon and Palawan. From these planned deployments, the Philippine Marine Corps can hold transiting warships and artificial island bases under threat.

“Their experience operating across the archipelago reinforces the importance of mobility, adaptability, local knowledge, and integrating capabilities across distributed locations,” Margroum said.

Author: Aaron-Matthew Lariosa

The Philippine Air Force formally accepted several vehicles on 18 August 2026 at Clark Air Base in Pampanga. Among them are 18 units of 1 1/4-ton troop carrier trucks, 9 units of armored personnel carriers and 2 units of passenger buses.

These 9 APCs are Kia KLTV Raycolt light tactical vehicles, specifically the Korean-spec K152 or internationally known as the KLTV181 which is also the first confirmed order (paid) of the type after Kia sent a few vehicles as donation/test vehicles to the Philippine Army and Philippine Marine Corps.

The K152 is a variant of the KLTV Raycolt light tactical vehicle, but the rear is configured with an armored box compartment that can fit 4 more people in bench sitting (similar to a Philippine jeepney). It has a canopy opening and can be fitted with a manually-operated 12.7mm or 7.62mm machine gun, or an automatic grenade launcher, or an anti-tank missile launcher like the AT-1K Raybolt. It can even mount a remote-controlled weapon station, but this will reduce troop carrying capacity due to the space needed for the RCWS control panel and mechanical/electrical system.

Source: MaxDefensePH | Aug 20, 2026

Following his appointment as Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), Maj. Gen. Jose Rancudo spearheaded the pioneering Self-Reliance Defense Posture (SRDP) program. To bypass a heavy reliance on foreign arms imports, he established the Air Force Research and Development Center (AFRDC) as a hub for native military engineering, field modifications, and experimental aviation prototypes.

Among the center's most ambitious innovations was the conversion of the venerable Douglas C-47 Dakota transport aircraft into a localized heavy gunship, heavily inspired by the U.S. Air Force’s legendary AC-47 "Spooky." Lacking the sophisticated miniguns of their American counterparts, PAF engineers cleverly harvested the heavy .50-caliber AN/M3 machine guns from retired F-51D Mustangs and bolted them directly to the aircraft. Though exact production numbers and timelines remain obscure, surviving photographs reveal a highly unique, asymmetric 10-gun configuration: four weapons fixed on the port side, two on the starboard side, and four mounted to fire directly through the underbelly.

This experimental weapon system faced its ultimate trial by fire during the pivotal Battle of Jolo in February 1974. When Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels launched a surprise assault to capture the town, the Sulu Air Task Group (SATAG)- under the aggressive leadership of LTC Ernesto Ravina - was called in to deliver desperate close air support. As Philippine Army troops methodically reclaimed the burning streets behind WWII-era M4 Sherman tanks, LTC Ravina personally piloted the heavily armed AC-47 into harm's way, braving intense ground fire to suppress rebel mortar positions. The aircraft encountered intense ground fire with its left wing and main fuselage having direct hits but he was able to pilot the aircraft to finish the mission and return to the airfield. For this LTC Ravina was awarded the Distinguished Aviation Cross and the Distinguished Conduct Star for his broader contributions during the battle.

While this engagement stands as the only documented combat deployment of the PAF's dedicated .50-caliber gunship, battlefield accounts from Jolo also noted a C-47 conducting traditional "bombing runs." Military historians suggest this may have been the XCB-47 (Experimental Cargo Bomber), a parallel SRDP project engineered with underwing racks to drop conventional ordnance. Whether it was a singular airframe pulling double duty or two distinct variations fighting side by side, these modified Dakotas proved to be vital lifelines during one of the most intense urban battles in Philippine military history.

Sources:

BGen. Francis Neri, PAF | THE PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE's AC-47 "BATTLEWAGON"

BGen. Francis Neri, PAF | THE GREATS OF THE PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE: COLONEL ERNESTO RAVINA

INQUIRER PH | Col. Ernesto Ravina, Air Force hero

Source: [1:43:23 - 1:46:00] LIVE: House hearing on 2027 proposed budget of DND | August 25, 2026

Rep. Jefferson G. Khonghun asked if the Philippine Navy has plans to transfer the naval base in Subic which then SND Gibo responded yes and theyre now simply awaiting the Presidential Proclamation and the transfer of titles.

SND Gibo further emphasized that PN can no longer make use of NOB Subic and that its utilization is marginal because of its shallow depth and that NOB Subic is already earmarked as the expansion site for the HHI's Agila Shipyard whereupon the first Filipino-Korean co-production of an LSS is expected to be done.

Source: [From: 3:05:10] LIVE: House hearing on 2027 proposed budget of DND | August 25, 2026

Source: https://x.com/EUinthePH/status/2080610328946090019

Actual press release: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/philippines-eu-and-philippines-deepen-security-and-defence-cooperation_en

Note: Pictures are for illustration purposes only. Details are yet to be publicly shared.

Maritime Domain Awareness allows the PCG & AFP to track and record Chinese intrusions into Philippine territory even if the ships turn off their transponders or spoof AIS. Canada's Dark Vessel Detection Program is one such system that we already use.

As far as I know, the Philippine Space Agency already works with the European Space Agency as well as with the AFP to provide such services - such as the use of the UK satellite NovaSAR-1 which PhilSpA's PEDRO ground receiving station already has guaranteed access to 10% of its capacity throughout its entire lifetime.

Source: https://www.army.mil.ph/home/press-releases-archive-2/3197-exercise-carabaroo-2026-philippine-and-australian-armies-conduct-range-firing-drills

The Philippine Army delegation and Australian Army troops carried out range firing drills ahead of Carabaroo's Field Training Exercise at the Townsville Field Training Area (TFTA), Queensland, Australia on July 20, 2026.

Exercise Carabaroo, which is being hosted by the Australian Army's 1st Brigade, is part of the broader Exercise Predator’s Run 2026 that includes coalition militaries. This year’s iteration of the Army-to-Army exercise tests the concept of employment of a Light Dismounted Brigade and focuses on defensive operations, dismounted tactics, and operations in restricted terrain. The 120-member contingent is being embedded as an infantry company with the Australian Army during the course of the drills.

Carabaroo Exercise, which is the Philippine Army's largest out-of-country training exercise for 2026, advances the Philippine Army's modernization thrust and capability development by working together and training side by side with the Australian Army.

Photos by PFC Adriel M Paglinawan PA/OCPA

Source: 第１空挺団　比国における米比海兵隊等との共同訓練（カマンダグ２６） from: 陸上自衛隊 第1空挺団

Source: https://x.com/war_noir/status/2077617608468168794/photo/1

Salute to the fallen heroes 🇵🇭

Source: Royal Australian Airforce - Sunset Touch Down - Welcome Philippines Air Force | Pitch Black 2026

😭🙏 Nakakalungkot naman po... Sana maging maayos na si Sen. Marcoleta. 😔💔
Kahit ano pa sabihin ng mga bashers, andito pa rin kami para sumuporta. 💪✨
Get well soon po, Senator! Hwaiting~ 🌸🌸🌸
#MarcoletaNaticsNation
#PrayersForSen
#GetWellSoonPoHz

Source: Embassy of the Philippines in India - FB Post

Source: https://x.com/wuthi11_/status/2072664040846045579

These units are intended for Peacekeeping Operations for our UN blue helmets - https://x.com/Drethegrater/status/2072686106047611183

Source: 𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍, 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒

Headquarters Naval Forces Central (HNFC), Naval Base Rafael Ramos (NBRR), Lapu-Lapu City – Naval Forces Central (NFC) successfully hosted a series of engagements for the visiting Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) delegation on June 24, 2026, highlighted by the Arrival Ceremony to RMN ships KD PAUS (3507) and KD YU (3508) in Cebu; the official Courtesy Visit of the RMN Head of Delegation (HOD); and the combined Royal Malaysian Navy – Philippine Navy Dinner - Cocktail Reception. The activities underscored the enduring partnership between the Philippine Navy (PN) and the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), and reaffirmed their shared commitment to regional maritime security, cooperation and mutual understanding.

In support of international defense engagements and regional maritime cooperation initiatives, NFC facilitated the arrival of the two (2) RMN ships at Captain Veloso Pier (CVP), Naval Base Rafael Ramos (NBRR), Lapu-Lapu City with an Arrival Ceremony led by COMMO JOSELITO E DE GUZMAN PN, Commander, Naval Forces Central (CNFC), ably represented by CAPT WELMER C BASE PN(GSC), Deputy Commander, Naval Forces Central (DCNFC) and concurrent Commander, Naval Task Force 50 (CNTF50), together with the NFC Key Officers, Commanders and Commanding Officers of OPCON shore units and surface assets, and other selected personnel. A ceremonial honors was rendered to warmly welcome the Officers and crew of the Royal Malaysian Navy ships. The visiting contingent were headed by CDR MUHAMMAD IZAR BIN ALIAS RMN, Commanding Officer of KD PAUS (3507), and LCDR MOHD NAZAR BIN BAHRIL RMN, Commanding Officer of KD YU (3508).

Following the Arrival Ceremony, NFC warmly welcomed RADM IVAN MARIO ANREW RMN, Commander of Naval Region 2 (Mawilla 2) during his Courtesy Visit aboard Headquarters Naval Forces Central. Upon his arrival, Team NFC rendered Side Boys Honors and was received by COMMO JOSELITO E DE GUZMAN PN, CNFC. This was followed by a Guest Book Signing and Photo Opportunity at the Bohol Lobby. The engagement continued with an Executive Session at the Hall of Flags that was attended by the NFC Command Team, Key Officers, and Commanders and Commanding Officers of OPCON shore units and surface assets. During the session, NFC presented a comprehensive information on its accomplishments, operational activities, ongoing projects, and future initiatives. The discussion served as a valuable platform for exchanging insights, enhancing mutual understanding and exploring opportunities for greater cooperation between the Philippine Navy (PN) and the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).

To further strengthen camaraderie and foster meaningful interaction among naval personnel, NFC hosted the combined Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and Philippine Navy (PN) Dinner - Cocktail Reception at the NFC Gymnasium. The reception brought together Officers, sailors, and distinguished guests from both Navies in a spirit of friendship and partnership. The event was highlighted by fellowship activities and cultural presentations showcasing both Filipino and Malaysian heritage, as well as the opportunity for the Command to highlight the Filipinos’ hospitality, providing the visiting delegation with a memorable experience during their four-day port visit in Cebu from June 24 to 27, 2026. Relatedly, also present on the occasion was the Commander, Visayas Command, AFP ably represented by its Acting Deputy Commander – COL ARTHUR M ROMANILLOS JR (MNSA) PA.

The series of engagements demonstrated the strong and enduring relationship between the PN and the RMN, reflecting both organizations' dedication in promoting regional peace, stability and maritime security. These activities likewise reinforced interoperability, strengthened professional relationships and contributed to deeper cooperation among maritime forces committed in safeguarding shared maritime interests.

Naval Forces Central, Your Navy in the Visayas remains steadfast in supporting international defense engagements, enhancing maritime partnerships and promoting goodwill among allied and like-minded navies. Through initiatives such as these, NFC continues to play a vital role in advancing cooperation, fostering mutual trust and contributing to a secure and stable maritime environment in the region.