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Sunday, April 23, 2023 Vol. 18 No. 188
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 12 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
AFP Western Command starts exercises in El Nido as part of Balikatan. PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE
‘Balikatan’ exercises simulate a combat scenario to retake a petroleum facility seized by an ‘enemy’
MISSION: LIBERATE FUEL PLATFORM AT ALL COSTS! P By Rex Anthony Naval
ROTECTING key energy infrastructure like offshore oil drilling rigs and platforms is of paramount importance during peacetime, as any operational interruption could spell severe damage to a nation’s economy.
FILIPINO special troops from the Air Force and Navy conduct a rehearsal of the “gas-oil platform” (GOPLAT) takedown simulation exercise at the Matinloc platform off El Nido, Palawan, on Sunday, April 16. The drills are part of a rehearsal for the Balikatan GOPLAT, which was tentatively scheduled for April 20 and 21. AFP WESTERN COMMAND
In war time, defending such assets from enemy attack is a top priority, as capture of such vital infrastructure could cause the defeat of the country through energy deprivation, which could halt production essential to its war effort.
With this in mind, the iteration of this year’s “Balikatan” exercises between the Philippines and the US includes embarking on a socalled “gas-oil platform” (GOPLAT) takedown among the major drills the troops will undertake.
The GOPLAT for this year’s Balikatan was tentatively scheduled this April 20 (Thursday) and 21 (Friday) at the Matinloc platform off El Nido, Palawan. As a warm-up practice for this specialized exercise, jointly conducted by Filipino and American troops as part of Balikatan, Philippine Air Force (PAF) and Philippine Navy (PN) units conducted a unilateral version of the exercise off the above-mentioned platform on Sunday, April 16. “GOPLAT takedown and recovery is performed in cases of attacks and takeover of the Malampaya Natural Gas to Power Project (MNGPP) by the enemy. A swift and coordinated movement must be performed in order to recover the platform from an enemy force. Two types of insertion and extraction [were] performed—by air, and by sea,” the Western Command
(Wescom) said in a Facebook post on Monday, April 17. Malampaya is classified as a deep-water, onshore, ultra-deepwater pipeline project. It uses state-of-the-art technology to extract natural gas and condensate from the depths of the Palawan basin and process the gas in a nearby shallow-water production platform and transport it to three provinces through an underwater pipeline. An onshore gas plant in Batangas receives the gas for further processing before sending it to five power-plant customers. On that date, PN unmanned aerial systems conducted reconnaissance followed by the deployment of the boat assault force composed of a sea, air and land (SEAL) team on board a rigid-hull inflatable boat. Meanwhile, the PAF provided the Bell 412 combat utility helicopter for the so-called helicopter assault force, which consists of one SEAL team and high-angle snipers. The helicopter is part of the PAF’s 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing. Wescom said these drills were sequentially arranged to simulate the preparation of the platform up to the insertion of the operatives. “As the operatives [were] inserted, a close-quarter combat and deck clearing in respective sectors ensued. Likewise, one multipurpose attack craft with a medical team served as escort vessel of the boat assault force,” it added.
Special tactics
WESCOM said a “fast rope insertion and extraction system” (FRIES) was also performed where troops are inserted to and extracted from the platform using the Bell 412 combat utility helicopter and ropes. FRIES is a specialized mechanical system that enables rapid tactical insertion and extraction of personnel in areas where helicopter landings are not permissible. The same training event was conducted by the Philippines and US militaries on Wednesday, April 19. Continued on A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.0800 n JAPAN 0.4166 n UK 69.7691 n HK 7.1449 n CHINA 8.1451 n SINGAPORE 42.0295 n AUSTRALIA 37.6465 n EU 61.4525 n KOREA 0.0422 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.9538 Source: BSP (April 20, 2023)