Catapang on Mamasapano, Malampaya shutdown, Pacquiao in training | The wRap

Today on Rappler.

• Military chief Gregorio Catapang looks back at the Mamasapano clash – says there was failure in planning.
• The Malampaya plant powering half of Luzon will shut down on March 15.
• On his third training day, Manny Pacquiao says he feels slow.

CATAPANG ON MAMASAPANO: FAILURE IN PLANNING, EXECUTION
Military chief Gregorio Catapang says there was a failure in planning in Mamasapano.
44 policemen, 18 rebels, and 5 civilians were killed in the clash that started as a manhunt for terrorist Marwan.

GREGORIO CATAPANG, AFP CHIEF OF STAFF: We will have to recognize that there were tactical, operational lapses on the ground. As the saying goes, you plan well because if you fail to plan well, you are planning to fail. You will see there was a failure in planning and of course, after that, there was also failure on the execution.

Catapang says the first step in winning the peace, the military has to move forward.

GREGORIO CATAPANG, AFP CHIEF OF STAFF: We have to move on. We have to give due honor to the fallen SAF 44. We should not only win peace, we should also have to win progress and, ultimately, prosperity.

A week ago, Catapang called for all-out war between the military and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters or BIFF, a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF.
But Catapang says he thinks the peace agreement with the MILF can still push through.

GREGORIO CATAPANG, AFP CHIEF OF STAFF: I’m still not that pessimistic. I think it still will pass, but there will be a delay, with the BBL being extremely scrutinized.

Catapang has this to say to those calling for war.

GREGORIO CATAPANG, AFP CHIEF OF STAFF: It’s easy to call for war. I hope they’ll be the first ones willing to be called to active duty. I hope they’re the first ones to volunteer to be in the front lines. I don’t think they even know what kind of war they’re talking about.

MALAMPAYA SHUTDOWN STARTS MARCH 15
The Malampaya natural gas plant in Palawan will shut down for 30 days from March 15 to April 14.
The Luzon grid is dependent on Malampaya.
Power officials say this may result in a power shortage. 
Malampaya operators Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. or SPEX says it would do its best to complete maintenance work ahead of the 30-day shutdown.
The installation also coincides with the maintenance shutdown of the Malampaya gas facility.
An association of Philippine independent power producers says the Malampaya shutdown may jack up power rates by at least P1 or $0.23 per kilowatt hour.

US AMBASSADOR SLASHED IN BLOODY SEOUL ATTACK
An armed man attacks US ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert Thursday in Seoul. 
Citing police sources, South Korea’s YTN news channel says the armed man attacked Lippert while he was walking to a breakfast meeting in central Seoul. 
The network shows a photo of Lippert, with his right hand raised to his face and his left hand smeared with blood.
A US embassy spokesman says Lippert is in “stable” condition.

PACQUIAO FEELS SLOW IN THIRD DAY OF TRAINING
On his third training day, champion boxer Manny Pacquiao admits he has not yet fully achieved his signature speed.
On his Instagram account, Pacquiao wrote “I feel slow, but I’m not worried because I still have a lot of time.”
Since Monday Pacquiao’s been preparing for what he calls the “fight of his life” versus Floyd Mayweather on May 2.
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach earlier said he will closed down the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California from the public…
to make sure Pacquiao’s focus is razor-sharp.
Pacquiao’s speed was one of the key factors of his success in boxing, capturing 12 world titles in eight different weight classes.

EUROPEAN UNION CONSIDERS TIERED INTERNET SERVICES
The European Union or EU follows a different tack on Net Neutrality by offering fast lanes that don’t slow down everyone else.
The Financial Times reports there is a proposal to potentially allow Internet Service Providers or ISPs to “enter into agreements” with companies or individuals for faster Internet speeds.
A Wall Street Journal report adds, EU digital chief Günther Oettinger said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona…
the rules might be agreed as early as summer this year.

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