http:\/\/newsinfo.inquirer.net\/inquirerheadlines\/nation\/view\/20100221-254441\/Fil-Am-officer-heads-15-B-US-military-buildup-in-Guam<\/a><\/p>\nFil-Am officer heads $15-B US military buildup in Guam<\/h1>\n
By Robert Gonzaga<\/p>\n
Philippine Daily Inquirer<\/p>\n
First Posted 00:32:00 02\/21\/2010<\/p>\n
OLONGAPO CITY\u2014As a young recruit in the US Navy 30 years ago, the man who would rise to the highest reaches of the world\u2019s remaining military superpower could not have dreamt of the impact he would have on the world.<\/p>\n
But Capt. Ulysses Zalamea, 53, the Filipino-American US naval officer in charge of the planning and execution of the $15-billion US military buildup in Guam, would show through his rapid rise soon after he joined the US Navy that he had \u201cthe right stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zalamea said about $1 billion worth of projects are scheduled to be completed or begun this year.<\/p>\n
After finishing his training at Recruit Training Command in San Diego, California, he was assigned as enlisted recruiting officer to the US Navy in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
From there, he went on to command the USS Oak Hill and serve in the Pentagon and various posts in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as the US representative.<\/p>\n
Today, he is the deputy director of the Joint Guam Program Office.<\/p>\n
Zalamea, who hails from Pagsanjan, Laguna, is the highest ranking Filipino-American in the US Navy, Dean Alegado, executive director of the Association of Pacific Islands Local Government (APILG) Conference, told businessmen, contractors, Olongapo City officials and tourism workers on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Bemedalled officer<\/strong><\/p>\nZalamea, who was recruited by the Navy here in Subic in 1977, distinguished himself and received the Meritorious Service Medal Award thrice, the Navy Commendation Medal six times, and the Navy Achievement Medal. These were only a few among the many accolades he has received over the years.<\/p>\n
Alegado said Zalamea was the \u201cmain draw\u201d of the opening last Feb. 18 of the third APILG conference that tackled the Guam military buildup that would need the services of skilled Filipino workers and contractors. The conference ends Sunday.<\/p>\n
Zalamea, who earned his undergraduate degree from the Far Eastern University in Manila, will be in charge of the \u201cmost important and biggest infrastructure projects in the Pacific region in the last 30 years,\u201d Alegado said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe objective of the conference is to take advantage of the massive development in Guam in terms of supplying skilled workers and creating business opportunities for Filipino contractors and service providers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The buildup came about after the US government approved the relocation of its naval base from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam starting 2012.<\/p>\n
Zalamea said the project will start this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have over 200 proposals from contractors from all over and we are going to narrow it down to four or five,\u201d Zalamea said.<\/p>\n
He said four or five companies will tap subcontractors in Guam, the Pacific region or the US mainland for the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope I can open doors for other Filipinos as the US Navy has given me so much opportunity when I was starting out. The buildup in Guam is one such opportunity for Filipino businessmen and workers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Alignment of stars<\/strong><\/p>\nAlegado said: \u201cWith Zalamea attending the conference and being the main speaker, all the stars are aligning for us. I hope we can take advantage of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
So far, the response of local governments and Filipino businessmen has been \u201coverwhelmingly positive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said over 1,500 contractors had signed up for contractual bidding processes, which were earlier conducted in Washington, Honolulu and Guam. About 50 of them are Filipino-owned, mostly contractors for manpower services.<\/p>\n
Major engineering work will proceed for the next four years, while 14,200 military personnel and their 38,070 dependents will move to Guam from Okinawa from 2012 to 2016.<\/p>\n
Aurelio Pineda, president of the Metro Olongapo Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MOCCI), said Filipino contractors who plan to operate in or send workers to Guam for the build-up project are getting a shot at being close to the key players during the conference,<\/p>\n
\u201cContractors will process those who will work in Guam. They will have to be accredited by the US Navy for security reasons, but the responsibility will be up to them. This policy protects our workers against illegal recruiters,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAttending this conference will clear up all the questions in the minds of contractors and community leaders. The key players in the Guam buildup will be here to do that. This is a networking opportunity for Filipino businessmen.\u201d<\/p>\n
To waive US visas<\/strong><\/p>\nPineda said Olongapo establishments were preparing a \u201cwarm welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are thankful that they have chosen Olongapo to host this conference. We want to expose them to the tourism attractions in Subic and Olongapo,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Councilor Edwin Piano, who heads the city\u2019s Guam Build-Up task force, said the quota of Filipino workers who can be sent to Guam, pegged at only 7,000, had been waived. Olongapo\u2019s target of sending more than 20,000 skilled workers to Guam is now possible, he said.<\/p>\n
Paving the way for the hiring of Filipino workers is a bill filed in the Guam legislature that would also waive the need for US visas, Piano said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting those visas is hard and expensive so this is another welcome development for us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mayor James Gordon Jr. said that after two years of working to create opportunities for workers and businessmen in Guam, \u201cwe are prepared for the buildup. Our intent is to bring skilled workers and Filipino investors to Guam. We want a piece of that action.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the exodus of skilled workers to Guam had started in Olongapo with the shipyard there \u201crecruiting exclusively Filipinos who are well trained.\u201d<\/p>\n
Underwater welders<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cMost are underwater welders. They are highly paid. We are the preferred source of workers in Guam,\u201d Gordon also said.<\/p>\n
He also said the island\u2019s nearness to the Philippines would create an opportunity for medical tourism for Olongapo and the rest of the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuam is only three and a half hours away from here. Everything is falling into place in medical tourism. In Olongapo, there are high-quality hospitals. We want patients in Guam to come here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
US military personnel, contractors, and mayors from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Belau, the American Samoa, Hawaii and Guam are taking part in the APILG conference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This article illustrates how militarism turns the victims of Empire into cannibals, feeding on other lands and peoples through the process of militarization.\u00a0\u00a0 It highlights the rise of Capt. Ulysses Zalamea, a Filipino-American U.S. naval officer who was recruited in Subic and who now heads up the $15 billion military expansion on Guam.\u00a0 Politicians and … <\/p>\n
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