US carrier arriving in Manila today #military #philippines

MANILA, Philippines—While Hong Kong tourists  are avoiding Manila fearful of falling victim to another hostage-taking similar to the Aug. 23 incident at Luneta, the 7,000-plus sailors of the USS George Washington carrier group are apparently unperturbed.

The nuclear-powered American carrier and its warship-escorts are scheduled to drop anchor at Manila Bay this morning for a four-day goodwill visit.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said the Philippine government had given “clearance” to the US naval carrier fleet to visit the country.

The DFA noted that during the ship’s port call here in August 2009 “around $7 million (P313 million in today’s exchange rates) were spent [by the American sailors and pilots] in hotel bookings, sight-seeing, shopping and other activities.”

“Some of the crew’s family members also visited the country to meet up with their loved ones,” said DFA spokesperson J. Eduardo Malaya.

According to Malaya, the George Washington “will dock near the SM Mall of Asia for command level visits, routine ship replenishment, maintenance of shipboard systems and crew liberty.”

“Philippine Navy officers will welcome the fleet, which is made up of four ships—the USS George Washington, the cruiser USS Cowpens and destroyers USS John McCain and USS Campbell,” he said.

The DFA described the US fleet’s visit as a “reaffirmation of the vibrant bilateral ties between the Philippines and the United States and is expected to be a boon to local economy, particularly to the tourism sector.”

Supercarrier

The US Embassy in Manila yesterday confirmed the arrival of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS George Washington (CVN 73), and its escort warships this morning in Manila for a four-day goodwill visit.

The American carrier group’s port call aims to “further enhance the strong historic ties between the US and the Philippines,” according to an embassy media advisory.

The 100,000-ton “supercarrier” will be “anchored out in Manila Bay and the only way to gain access to it is through a ferry service,” it added.

During their visit, some of the George Washington’s 5,500-plus crew and air wing members will take part in “community relations projects and professional exchanges between the US and Philippine navies.”

The supercarrier made its first goodwill visit to the country on Aug. 11 to 15, 2009.

Violation of Constitution

Meanwhile, Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino called the visit here of the USS George Washington as “another blatant disrespect of our Constitution.”

“It’s also an insult to the Sept. 16, 1991 Senate vote to reject US bases,” Palatino added.

For militant teachers’ party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, the US aircraft carrier’s visit here “should be seen as a test case of President Aquino’s commitment to national sovereignty.”

“The USS George Washington is nuclear-powered and capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Unless the government takes effective measures to ensure that no such weapons are onboard, such as through direct inspection, then its presence here violates Philippine sovereignty, particularly the constitutional provision on nuclear weapons within our territory,” Tinio told the Inquirer.

No violation

However, the DFA yesterday said that the entry here of nuclear-powered foreign vessels “does not violate the Constitution.”

Malaya clarified that “the Constitution prohibits the entry of nuclear weapons but not necessarily nuclear-powered foreign naval vessels.”

$4.5-billion carrier

According to the official website of the USS George Washington, http://gw.ffc.navy.mil/index.htm this is the fourth US navy vessel named after the first American president.

Built by the Virginia-based Newport News Shipbuilding Co. at a cost of $4.5-billion, the ship was commissioned on July 4, 1992, the website said.

The 1,092-foot vessel, whose four engines are powered by two nuclear reactors, has a top speed of over 30 knots. With a flight deck area of about 4.5 hectares, the ship can accommodate about 80 aircraft. Yokosuka, Japan, is the warship’s home port.

The George Washington has been deployed to the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean for at least six times.

Korea, Vietnam

Sometime in early May, the supercarrier left Yokosuka naval base for sea trials. The ship and its escorts later made a port call to Busan, South Korea.

In response to the recent sinking of the South Korean navy vessel Cheonan, the George Washington took part in “Invincible Spirit,” a joint military exercise with the Japanese and South Korean navies in the Sea of Japan.

Early this month, the carrier group sailed to Danang, Vietnam, and joined the Southeast Asian country in the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the normalization of US-Vietnam diplomatic relations.

It was the first time an American aircraft carrier visited that country since the Vietnam War.

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