Monday, February 11, 2013

Soldiers discover NPA logistics cache

From the Sun Star-Cagayan de Oro (Feb 12): Soldiers discover NPA logistics cache

Government forces operating in the hinterlands of Agusan del Norte discovered a logistics cache allegedly belonging to the New People’s Army (NPA) on Sunday morning.

Troops from the 3rd Special Forces Battalion, Special Operations Command of the Philippine Army discovered the logistics cache in Sitio Bato-Batohan, Barangay San Antonio, Remedios T. Romualdez, Agusan del Norte.

Recovered are two 10-kilogram (kg) and one 20-kg anti-personnel/anti-tank landmines, one container containing 20 liters of gasoline, two rolls detonating cord with an approximate length of 250 meters and subversive NPA documents.

Lieutenant Colonel Potenciano Camba, commanding officer of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion, thanked the people in the community for tipping them off about the presence of the NPAs, which resulted in the discovery of the cache.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2013/02/12/soldiers-discover-npa-logistics-cache-267745

Soldiers discover NPA encampment in Negros Oriental

From the Sun Star-Bacolod (Feb 12): Soldiers discover NPA encampment in Negros Oriental

ARMY troopers pursuing New People's Army (NPA) rebels who are behind the massacre-ambush in Barangay Puso, La Castellana discovered an empty encampment believed to have been occupied by the fleeing communists.

Colonel Oscar Lactao, 303rd Brigade commander, said that one section from the 3rd Scout Ranger Company of the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion discovered the empty encampment in Barangay Humay Humay, Guihulngan, Negros Oriental during the weekend.

The encampment is believed to have been occupied by more or less 30 NPA rebels for about two weeks ago, he added.

The troops discovered in the area used firewood, empty wrappers of biscuits, energy drinks, insect repellant, sotanghon, used clothing and bottles of softdrinks and alcoholic beverages.

Earlier, 302nd Brigade commander Colonel Franciso Patrimonio said the pursuing troops have pinpointed the area were the NPA rebels sought refuge.

He said that after the ambush-massacre that left nine dead and 14 others injured, the rebels retreated toward Moises Padilla town passing through Barangay Quintin Remo, and crossing to the Oriental side of the island.

Meanwhile, the Diocese of Kabankalan in Negros Occidental joined various sectors in condemning the massacre.

It said the admission of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) came with "distortions of facts, a bundle of justification and promises of indemnification, which were meant to sanitize the barbarity of the act and impress the world of the group's faithful adherence to agreements it signed with the government."
The peace advocate group headed by Delia Locsin, chair of the Paghiliusa sa Paghidaet-Negros, also said that the rebels were "not only tolerating" abuse of civilians but were in fact "allowing it."

The group has called on “Frank Fernandez, NPA Negros spokesman, and Luis Jalandoni, chief negotiator of the National Democratic Front, who are both former priests" and "pray for their better discernment."

“Jalandoni's warning that charges of war crimes against the NPA led by Magno Flores could jeopardize the ongoing peace negotiation is a bluff. The CPP-NPA-NDFP leadership must surrender their members and those who ordered the ambush must be made accountable,” it said.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/local-news/2013/02/12/soldiers-discover-npa-encampment-negros-oriental-267764

EU officials to visit Mindanao in support of peace process between PH gov’t, MILF

From Philippine Daily Inquirer (Feb 12): EU officials to visit Mindanao in support of peace process between PH gov’t, MILF

Amid renewed optimism over peace and development in Mindanao, a seven-member delegation of parliamentarians from the European Union (EU) have announced they are going to the region this week to express their support for the Philippine peace process.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will visit Mindanao on Wednesday and Thursday to meet with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), according to officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and representatives of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), of which the EU is a member.

The European Parliament is a regional legislative body that works with individual European governments to legislate measures for some 500 Europeans.

The visiting delegation will be led by Werner Langen, chairman of the Delegation of the European Parliament for Relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Six other members—Robert Goebbels, Ivo Belet, Roger Helmer, Barbara Weiler, Slawomir Nitras and Adam Bielan—hold positions in the following powerful EU Parliament committees: Economy and Monetary Affairs, Industry, Research and Energy, Employment and Social Affairs Petitions, Internal Market and Consumer Protection and Organized Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering.

The delegation comes following President Aquino’s visit to a camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to launch the Sajahatra Bangsamoro, a new initiative by the Aquino government to bring socio-economic services to Moro communities, particularly Moro combatants to boost the peace negotiations.

EU Ambassador to the Philippines Guy Ledoux said the visiting parliamentarians would like to “lend their political support to the peace process.”

The European officials are also set to meet non-government and civil society organizations in Mindanao, for long a priority in EU’s development aid program in the Philippines.

The EU said the delegation would also launch a de-mining project in Cotabato City, where mines were known to remain in areas earlier torn by conflict.

“It aims to reduce the threat from landmines and unexploded ordnances and will be implemented in collaboration with both the Government of the Philippines and the MILF,” said the EU.

The visit is part of the group’s five-day official trip to the Philippines, where the delegation is set to also meet with Philippine government officials, particularly those relevant to the trade and investment sector.

“The European Parliament visit underscores EU support for President Aquino’s good governance and anti-corruption efforts that are making the country more attractive to European investment.”

Business and investment “will be high on the agenda” when the MEPs meet with key trade and banking officials and top names in the private sector, the EU said.

The EU Parliament’s delegation will also meet with House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Senator Edgardo Angara, Commission on Human Rights chairperson Etta Rosales and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/64055/eu-officials-to-visit-mindanao-in-support-of-peace-process-between-ph-govt-milf

Soldiers, Moro rebs to see each other on Facebook

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Feb 12): Soldiers, Moro rebs to see each other on Facebook

This time around, the female soldiers and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters standing side by side in Simuay, Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao, were not gearing for battle.

Traditionally adversarial, the two groups were preparing to tag each other on Facebook, as friends from either side took pictures of them together.

“Just tag us. See you in Facebook,” the soldiers and MILF fighters bantered among themselves in a light moment during President Aquino’s visit to the rebel territory Monday to deliver social services.

The soldiers and villagers from MILF communities later faced off in a totally different battle—on a football field in Maguindanao.

“Things are really different now,” said Pfc. Gromyco Realda from the 603rd Brigade in Camp Iranon. “It’s weird but in a good way,” he added.

Realda is one of the players who joined the kick-off of the soccer for peace initiative of the government and the Maharlika Sports Foundation, part of President Aquino’s itinerary during his visit to the MILF territories.

“Unlike in the battlefield, you don’t get killed when you get hit in soccer. On this field, there are no casualties,” Realda said.

“With every encounter in the soccer field, you don’t kill, but instead gain friends,” he added.

In a five-minute friendly match, the composite teams demonstrated the potential of soccer as a means for winning the peace in Mindanao.

Soccer training

The peace initiative included soccer training for the players and coaches in the community level that, according to the Maharlika Sports Foundation, promotes not only excellence in the sport, but also imparts values.

“When you enter the (soccer) field, the principle (to remember) is that you are facing playmates and not enemies,” the foundation said.

Realda recounted how, in the past, villagers would shun them when they enter communities carrying rifles.

“This time our former adversaries automatically greet us because what we’re bringing now are soccer balls,” he added.

Playing barefoot

Even parents from MILF communities are now pushing their children to join and learn soccer, although they have little access to quality sports gear and equipment, with most of them playing barefoot, Realda said.

“I am appealing to President Aquino and the leaders of the MILF to support this initiative because it is very effective. Donors are always welcome. Even ukay-ukay (used) shoes will be appreciated,” he added.

Elsewhere in the area, hopes were as buoyant that peace would finally prevail in the strife-torn MILF communities.

“We are happy and grateful that President Aquino visited us,” said Bartonina Abdullah, a mother of three.

“We are praying hard that the final peace deal would be signed soon. With a more secure village and clear access to government services, we are confident that the lives of our children would be better,” added Abdullah, who also thanked the MILF leaders and fighters “for defending the rights and interests” of the Bangsamoro people.

‘Face value’

But in Cotabato City, Kabataan nominee Bai Ali Indayla cautioned the public against taking at “face value” the President’s peace offering through a package of socioeconomic services in the area.

“We should not be easily carried away by the President’s gesture which was merely symbolic. The Moro people deserve more than just another experiment designed to momentarily offset the social and economic hardship of select beneficiaries,” Indayla said in a statement.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles, however, defended Aquino’s attempt to bring back normalcy on the ground through community development.

“It may take some time, but we have laid down the groundwork, acknowledging and rectifying lapses of previous administrations,” Deles said.

Closing the gap

“We’re trying to stop the cycle of violence and break the socioeconomic deprivation among (Moro insurgents) by closing the gap (and going) from the negotiating table to humanitarian services on the ground,” she added.

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, head of the government peace panel, maintained that the Aquino formula to bring peace is on the right track.

“The MILF forces are ready to get out from the shadows of the underground,” Ferrer told reporters, citing the trust and support shown by the MILF leadership of Ebrahim Murad to the peace efforts of the Aquino government, and the almost zero reported cases of Moro insurgency-related atrocities by police and military authorities from 2012 to the present.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/356851/soldiers-moro-rebs-to-see-each-other-on-facebook

Aquino wants peace process completed when he steps down

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Feb 11): Aquino wants peace process completed when he steps down

President Aquino on Monday paid a historic visit to the stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) here and said the peace talks must be speeded up.

As hundreds of military troops and MILF fighters stood guard outside the Moro rebel’s Camp Darapanan, Aquino and MILF chairman Ebrahim Murad handed out educational, health and livelihood benefits to the families of the rebels to show the government’s intention to improve the lives of the Muslims in Mindanao.

It was the first presidential visit in peace to the MILF’s stronghold in Maguindanao province, which has a recent history of major battles between government forces and Muslim insurgents, who were at times suspected to have been aided by al-Qaida-linked terrorists.

In his speech during the ceremonies for the launch of Sajahatra Bangsamoro, a social development program for the MILF and Moro communities, Aquino said the peace process should be completed before his term ends in 2016.

“We have just three years and four months left. We have to speed up everything we are doing now to make this (peace) permanent,” Aquino said.

The President said the completion of the process during his term would ensure that future peaceful relations would not depend on who is in office.

‘Heartbreak Hill’

He said the peace process had reached “Heartbreak Hill,” a reference to the final but uphill stretch of the famed Boston Marathon, and “there should be no turning back.”

“We are near the fruits of our labor. This is not the time for our hearts to grow faint,” Aquino told MILF leaders, Moro residents of the sprawling camp, and foreign diplomats who came here to see the launching of social services for the Muslims of Mindanao.

Under the new program, the Aquino administration is pledging to provide health insurance, assistance in finding jobs and funding for schools for the rebels’ families.

“As we near the top of Heartbreak Hill, more intrigues will come our way. The process is difficult. But remember, what has brought us here is trust,” Aquino said.

The Aquino administration and the MILF signed last October a “framework agreement” for the establishment of Bangsamoro, a new autonomous region in Mindanao, by 2016 to end a decades-long Muslim rebellion for a separate state in Mindanao.

But the full details of the agreement are still being thrashed out, and Aquino warned that unnamed figures were putting up “obstacles” to peace.

He said friends had warned him not to enter MILF territory but he replied, “If I can be a bridge, then the sacrifice of one Noynoy (his nickname) is worth it to help so many of our countrymen.”

Applause interrupted the President’s speech.

Muslims’ trust

“I’m just returning the trust you’ve given me; we understand each other so much because we’re ready to sacrifice for one another,” Aquino said.

“I think before I step down, the problem will not be fighting but traffic,” he added, drawing chuckles from the crowd.

Speaking for his community, Murad said the MILF was humbled by Aquino’s “grand gesture” of personally launching the socioeconomic program “on this hallowed ground that has seen many battles that we have fought to win freedom and the right of our people to chart their own history.”

While welcoming the government’s initiative, Murad cautioned both sides against plunging headlong into development without a comprehensive peace agreement lest the effort go to waste.

Development, Murad said, must “stand on the solid foundation of peace,” the kind that is achieved by dealing with the fundamental political issues that fueled the conflict in the first place.

Muslim rebels began fighting since the 1970s for independence in Mindanao, the southern third of the mainly Roman Catholic Philippines that the country’s Muslim minority claim as their ancestral homeland.

An estimated 150,000 people have died in the conflict.

Most important task

A comprehensive peace agreement “must remain the single most important task of this partnership, for only when we achieve this can we be assured of real development,” Murad said.

Facing reporters with Murad later, Aquino said he agreed with the MILF leader’s views.

“I agree with the concept,” Aquino said. “For instance, what kind of problems will take place? There is what we call ‘donor fatigue’? And there is a saying that ‘success has many fathers; failure is a lonely orphan.’”

Murad shrugged off comments by Nur Misuari, chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who is opposing a separate peace agreement between the government and the MILF, that the preliminary peace accord was unconstitutional.

“Perhaps we could influence them,” Murad said. “They’ll realize what good this will bring.”

Cabinet officials helped the President symbolically turn over PhilHealth cards, vouchers for scholarship grants, and certificates of eligibility for livelihood training to MILF rebels and their families.

“Through the Sajahatra Bangsamoro program, we’re showing that we need not wait for a long time to experience transformation,” Aquino said.

“The 11,000 beneficiaries of the MILF need not grow old to be covered by PhilHealth or cash for work program,” he said.

Extensive strategy

Aquino said the program, which would be implemented in Bangsamoro communities in 18 months, was only part of an extensive strategy to improve the lives of the Muslims of Mindanao.

The President pointed to verdant rolling hills beyond the MILF camp. “There are many idle lands that tillers could benefit from,” he said. “Why can’t development in other areas happen here in your place?”

He mentioned the development of sea-and-land travel to Mindanao, which would shorten travel to the island from Luzon from days to just 15 hours.

After the Sajahatra Bangsamoro launching, the President and his party moved to Datu Odin Sinsuat, where he opened a football match between government soldiers and MILF guerrillas.

Volleyball and softball matches were also lined up for the afternoon.

Government officials who traveled to Camp Darapanan with Aquino were Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Deles, Strategic Communication Secretary Ricky Carandang, Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Secretary Lualhati Antonino of the Mindanao Development Authority, Heath Secretary Enrique Ona, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, Higher Education Commissioner Patricia Licuanan and Director Joel Villanueva of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/356843/aquino-wants-peace-process-completed-when-he-steps-down

MNLF fighters refuse to leave Abu Sayyaf camps

From the Philippine Star (Feb 12): MNLF fighters refuse to leave Abu Sayyaf camps

Fighters of the Moro National Liberation Front remain holed up in the jungle lairs of the Abu Sayyaf that the MNLF overran in Patikul, Sulu last week, a security official said yesterday.

“They are still in the area. For what purpose we don’t know yet,” Sulu police director Senior Superintendent Antonio Freyra said, referring to the MNLF group led by Habier Malik.

The fighting between the MNLF and the Abu Sayyaf last week left eight MNLF fighters and 21 Abu Sayyaf guerrillas dead.

Freyra said the continued presence of MNLF forces in the captured Abu Sayyaf camps could be meant to prevent the bandits from regrouping and use the area as the hideout for their kidnap victims.

“The MNLF forces have considered the Abu Sayyaf as lawless elements,” he said.
Habib Mujahab Hashim, MNLF’s senior member to the central committee and chairman of the Islamic Command Council, said they received reports that some MNLF members have pulled out.

Hashim also lauded the MNLF for reaching out to the families of slain Abu Sayyaf members to explain their operation to ensure stability in the province. “It’s good that there were efforts to prevent possible continuous bloodshed,” Hashim said.

Meanwhile, Hashim reiterated his appeal to their founding chairman, Nur Misuari, to order a halt in the offensive against the Abu Sayyaf to avert a possible clan feud or rido.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/02/12/907623/mnlf-fighters-refuse-leave-abu-sayyaf-camps

GOVT-MILF PEACE EFFORT--Aquino: Spoilers out to derail plan

From the Manila Standard Today (Feb 11): GOVT-MILF PEACE EFFORT
Aquino: Spoilers out to derail plan


President Benigno Aquino III on Monday warned the “spoilers” who will try to derail the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front—even as he said the signing of a peace deal with the group will take place next month.

He made the warning following the launching of the Sajahatra Bangsamoro socio-economic program in Sultan Kudarat which, he said, would soon allow Mindanao to fulfill its potential as a land of promise.

He launched the program at the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute following a historic and first visit by a Philippine president to the MILF’s main camp in an attempt to further peace and end several decades of conflict there.

Mr. Aquino and MILF chairman Murad Ebrahim led the event at the institute, where government troops and members of the MILF-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces worked together on Sunday to secure it for the President’s visit.

“The most important point is this: we have reached an understanding because the people in the MILF central leadership are just like me who prioritize the needs of others,” Mr. Aquino said.

“With this in mind, how can we be stopped from fulfilling the vision of Mindanao as a promised land?”

But the President warned that, just like Heartbreak Hill in the United States—the last stretch of the Boston Marathon where most runners falter—the peace process with the MILF could suffer the same fate unless all stakeholders worked together.

“We are now at this crucial juncture. We have journeyed long and hard to reach this point of understanding and cooperation,” he said.

“But we know there are also people who profit out of conflict and who want to return to the old ways.”

Murad said big-ticket investments would soon be launched in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao once a final peace agreement had been signed with the government.

MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar said that while former President Joseph Estrada was the first chief executive to visit their territory, the visit was intended to insult the Bangsamoro people.

“Former President Estrada brought with him a truck of alcoholic beverages and lechon [roast pig] and ate inside a mosque,” Jaafar said.

“But President Aquino came bringing socio-economic services to the Bangsamoro people.”

According to presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles, the government does not want the MILF to wait until 2016 to feel the impact of the peace agreement that is being finalized by both sides and is expected to be signed next month.

Deles said the peace panels of the government and the MILF were working double time to meet their mutually agreed target of signing a comprehensive peace agreement.
She said the annexes on power-sharing, wealth-sharing and transitional arrangements would likely be completed within the month.

The annex on normalization, however, will likely take up to March after which a final peace deal can be forged.

“There are difficult issues, but no issue is insurmountable,” government chief negotiator Miriam Ferrer said.

Mr. Aquino said the administration’s goal was to “accelerate the transition of the MILF communities steeped in armed struggle to a productive citizenry that buys into the national agenda and contributes to our shared goal of equitable progress.”

“Once they treated themselves with herbs from the jungle, [but] soon they will have health insurance and will be cared for by trained doctors and nurses in state-funded health centers,” Mr. Aquino said.

“When once children were taught merely the histories of suffering inside their madaris, soon they will also learn that peace can triumph.”

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/02/11/govt-milf-peace-effortaquino-spoilers-out-to-derail-plan/

NPAs abandon camp after clash with government troops in Camarines Norte

From the Business Mirror (Feb 11): NPAs abandon camp after clash with government troops in Camarines Norte

A New People’s Army camp was captured by the 49th Infantry Battalion on Monday at Sitio Palale, Barangay Exciban, Labo, Camarines Norte, following a firefight between 25 soldiers of the Philippine Army (PA) and 20 NPA members.

Two soldiers were wounded during the hour-and-a-half firefight, said Lt. Michael Buhat, commanding officer of the 49IB.
 
Buhat identified them as Pfc. Dexter O. Debil and Pfc. Donhel A. Catangay.
 
“My troops were conducting a security patrol for an Army Bayanihan Team pulong pulong in a nearby barangay when they chanced at what turned out to be a rebel camp,” Buhat said.
 
The battalion commanding officer said they found bunkers equipped with huts and bleachers, and scattered food items.
 
Maj. Angelo Guzman, 9ID spokesman, said, “The NPA in Bicol has been weakened in terms of number and firearms. Their leaders in Catanduanes, Sorsogon and Camarines Norte have already surrendered. Frequent encounters do not mean they are strong because the government initiated counter-offensives against the rebels.”
 
“Since the arrest of Camarines Norte top NPA leader Nancy Ortega on February 5, stricter security measures for the Bayanihan teams were being implemented as the NPAs make desperate attacks to avenge the arrest of their leader,” said Col. Ricardo Lagrana, commanding officer of the 902nd Infantry Brigade in Tulay na Lupa, Camarines Norte.
 
“The camp is a good staging point for attacks on our soldiers especially since our Bayanihan Teams are deployed in adjacent communities,” said Lagrana who asked for additional troops to pursue the rebels.
 
A medical evacuation team picked up the wounded soldiers at the designated casualty evacuation point, said Guzman. 
 

Karapatan calls for pullout of troops from mining areas

From the Business  Mirror (Feb 11): Karapatan calls for pullout of troops from mining areas

KARAPATAN has called for the immediate pullout of Task Force Kitacom (Kiblawan, Tampakan, Columbio and Malungon) troops from communities surrounding a mining area straddling four provinces in Mindanao after another member of the Capion family was killed on Jan. 29 in Barangay Kimlawis, Kiblawan, Davao del Sur.
 
The human-rights watchdog said members of the 39th and 27th Infantry Battalions and the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) comprise Task Force Kitacom.
Karapatan condemned on the killing of Kitari Capion and the forcible evacuation of some 150 residents of barangay Kimlawis.
 
“We view the recent military operation as another violation of the B’laan’s right to their ancestral lands, as if the incursion of the mining company is not enough to wipe out the B’laan community,” said Karapatan Secretary-General Cristina Palabay.
 
Capion was killed during a military operation on Jan. 29, three months after her sister-in-law, Juvy Capion, and her two sons were killed.
 
Initial reports from the community indicated forced evacuation of the B’laan started on Feb. 1.
 
Military operations resumed in B’laan ancestral land after the forced evacuation was completed.
 
Members of the B’laan tribe opposed to the incursion of the Xstrata-SMI operation have employed pangayaw, traditionally a “war” waged by the tribes against intruders into their defined territory but is now waged against the mining company as a way of defending their ancestral land rights.
 
“The military operation is meant to protect the interests of the mining company by silencing dissent in the community,” added Palabay.
 
Kitari is the fourth member of the Capion clan killed by state forces under the Aquino administration.
 
He is the younger brother of Daguil Capion, the husband of Juvy, who was seriously hurt by troops of the 27th Infantry Battalion in October 2012.
 
“The involvement of the 27th IB in the recent military operations confirms our position that the AFP’s[Armed Forces of the Philippines] earlier announcement to punish those involved in the massacre of Juvy Capion and her sons was just for show,” Palabay said.
 
The AFP pulled out the 27th IB and replaced it with the 39th IB after the Capion killings.
 
“However, both battalions are now involved in the killing of another Capion,” Palabay said.
 
“President Aquino’s Oplan Bayanihan has already resulted in the forced evacuation of thousands of people in Mindanao, literally wiping out courageous indigenous peoples who lead their people to stand up against anti-people policies of this government,” Palabay said.
 
“With people being driven away from their lands and their leaders killed, the B’laan have all the right to defend their ancestral lands, their source of life,” she said.
Karapatan also called for “justice for the Capions and all Lumad victims who have been killed to pave way for big businesses.”
 

Reject NPA’s demand for ‘permit to campaign’ fees, candidates told

From the Business Mirror (Feb 11): Reject NPA’s demand for ‘permit to campaign’ fees, candidates told

THE military on Monday urged candidates in the May elections to reject the so-called permit to campaign (PTC) fees being imposed by the New People’s Army (NPA) so that they can enter and campaign in areas where the rebels claim political influence among voters.
 
Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., spokesman for the Armed Forces, said the military has been monitoring some areas in Northern Luzon where rebel groups were distributing PTCs to local candidates.
 
“The Northern Luzon Command [Nolcom] has been monitoring NPA groups in some areas. The rebels sre distributing their so-called PTCs to candidates who have presumably paid,” Burgos said in an interview.
 
Lt. Gen. Anthony Alcantara, Nolcom chief, confirmed this and said they have intensified intelligence operations to thwart the NPA’s plan to extort money from politicians.
 
Alcantara declined to identify the areas where rebels were distributing PTCs in order not to derail ongoing intelligence operations.
 
The rebels’ asking PTC prize varies from position a certain candidate is aspiring for, from hundreds of thousands of pesos to millions, if a candidate is vying for national elective position such as senator or party-list congressman.
 
“Kung sakaling makatanggap sila [candidates] ng demand o extortion letter mula sa NPA, huwag silang magbigay. Ang pinakamaiging gawin ay lumapit kaagad sa mga pulis at ating mga sundalo na nasa lugar kung nasaan man sila,” Burgos said.
 
Meanwhile, Burgos said the military is “all systems go” for the May elections.
 
“All systems go na tayo. Ang mechanism namin with the police is gumagana na. Iyong Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Council at saka ’yung mga security counter-measures are already in place. We have directed our commanders to intensify ang mga proactive security patrols,” he said.
 
He said the military is helping the National Police (PNP) to trace, identify and conduct arrest of suspected members of private armed groups (PAGs) used by politicians.
 
“As usual, we provide operational support to the police such as checkpoints and operations to arrest suspected criminal elements in line with the gun ban policy of the Commission on Elections,” he said.
 
“As of this time, we have not monitored any significant threat, but we are always ready to respond if there is any. The chief of staff, Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, has directed military commanders to intensify proactive security patrols in coordination with the National Police in random checkpoints and enforcement of the gun ban to make sure that there is no proliferation of arms and explosives,” he added.
 
The military and the police have been conducting periodic security assessment since the Comelec started the implementation of the gun ban on January 13.
 

Pres. Aquino, Murad launch “Sajahatra Bangsamoro” on 10th anniversary of Buliok war

From MindaNews (Feb 11): Pres. Aquino, Murad launch “Sajahatra Bangsamoro” on 10th anniversary of Buliok war

Neither the government nor the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) remembered.

February 11, 2013, the day they launched “Sajahatra Bangsamoro,” a socio-economic peace initiative of government in partnership with the MILF, was exactly 10 years to the day the Philippine government, under then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, launched aerial bombings to signal the start of the Buliok war on the day of Eid’l Adha (Feast of Sacrifice).

The 2003 war, initially launched purportedly against a kidnap-for-ransom gang, but later admitted by the military to be against the MILF, disrupted the peace negotiations, displaced nearly half a million residents, and drove the MILF leadership, then under Chairman Hashim Salamat, out of their base in Buliok.

Exactly ten years later, President Benigno Simeon Aquino set foot in the MILF’s turf at the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI), accompanied by eight Cabinet secretaries and other key officials, the Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff and Philippine National Police director-general, armed not with bombs and other war materiel but Philhealth cards, scholarship grants and livelihood projects for MILF communities.

MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim and members of his Central Committee lined up to welcome the President as he disembarked from his vehicle at 11:22 a.m.
But neither Murad nor the President looked back to February 11, 2003 in their speeches.

In his 13-minute welcome address, Murad said they are “humbled by this grand gesture” of the President to personally launch socio-economic projects in partnership with the MILF “on this hallowed ground that had seen many of the battles that we fought to win freedom and the right of our own people to chart their own destiny.”
“We welcome these initial dividends of peace. We welcome development. We welcome the continuing partnership between government and the MILF…. but while we welcome this sincere gesture of the government to make immediate the dividends of peace to our people, we caution all not to lose sight of the imperative and the challenges of the works ahead, that of achieving in the soonest possible the signing of a comprehensive compact between the government and MILF.”

The two parties signed in Malacanang on October 15, 2012 the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and are still working on the four annexes on wealth-sharing, power-sharing, normalization and transitional arrangements and modalities. The annexes, which will complete what would be the comprehensive peace agreement, were supposed to have been completed by December 31, 2012.

Under the FAB, the parties agreed to “intensify development efforts for rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development of the Bangsamoro, and institute programs to address the needs of MILF combatants, internally displaced persons, and poverty-stricken communities.”

Sajahatra Bangsamoro, according to its primer, focuses on “uplifting the health, education and livelihood conditions in MILF communities towards realizing long-term peace and development.”

The Office of the Cabinet Secretary convenes the inter-agency technical working group but all activities are jointly undertaken by both government and the MILF.
“Sajahatra” is an Arabic-Bahasa-Melayu derivative denoting blessings, prosperity and peace.

“Abot-kamay”

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles said the FAB signing promised a new dawn. “Ngayon po ako ay nagising sa umagang kay ganda” (Today I woke up to a beautiful morning).

For the President, “abot-kamay na po ang bunga ng kapayapaang kay tagal nating inaasam-asam” (The fruits of peace that we have long cherished are now within reach).
In his 14-minute speech interrupted by applause nine times, the President likened the stage of the peace process now to the “Heartbreak Hill” of the Boston Marathon.
The President’s family lived in exile in Boston for a couple of years during the Marcos dictatorship.

He said on the last mile of the marathon, when the runner already sees the finish line, the terrain goes uphill.

But there is no stopping, he said.

“While nearing the peak of ‘Heartbreak Hill’ there will be more intrigues, more difficult process. But our trust for each other will get us through,” the President said.
He said there is trust and understanding because MILF leaders do not say “what’s in it for me” but “what’s in it for our people?”

“Eh kung ganyan po ang mga numumuno sa atin, eh paano po tayo mapipigilan sa ating pag-asenso at maging kaganapan na po iyong lupa ng pangako ng Mindanao ay maging pangakong nakita na, namalasan na, at talaga namang nangyayari na” (If those who govern are like them, how can we stop progress and the fulfillment of Mindanao, the Land of Promise?)

Aquino said he has three years and four months left before he bows out of office on June 30, 2016.

He said he agrees with Murad that peace should be permanent and not dependent on the persons negotiating now so “kailangan po nating paspasan lahat ng ginagwa natin para nga maging permanente na ito” (we need to work fast so we can make the peace permanent).

Trying to inject humor, the President made a slip when he said he hopes that when his term ends and he’d go on honeymoon, Chairman Murad might invite him for snacks and he will be “turista na sa ARMM” (a tourist in ARMM) because by then it would be a peaceful area.

He must have meant “Bangsamoro,” the new autonomous political entity that the FAB said would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) by June 30, 2016.

Benefits

Representatives of recipients of the Health, Education and Livelihood components under Sajahatra Bangsamoro, received their cards and certificates of eligibility for scholarships , assistance and livelihood projects on stage and had group photos taken with the President and Murad.

Under the Health component, 11,000 members of MILF communities will be given PhilHealth cards with the national government paying for their premium for two years.
The Department of Health will also assist in establishing and upgrading health
facilities in target Bangsamoro communities. These communities have yet to be identified.

Under Education, the Commission on Higher Education will award grants to beneficiaries who will pursue college degrees in State Universities and Colleges while the Department of Education will provide mobilization grants to selected madaris and private schools catering to children in Bangsamoro communities, in order to enable schools to prepare for adoption of the Standard Madrasah Curriculum and fulfill requirements for the “Financial Assistance to Madrasah” Program, as provided in DepEd Order 18, series of 2008.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will provide vocational scholarships to identified beneficiaries.

Under the Livelihood component, a needs assessment will be conducted in Bangsamoro communities to determine which livelihood program under the Department of Agriculture and TESDA are “responsive to the needs of target Bangsamoro communities.”

While the needs assessment is going on, a cash for work program will be implemented in the area by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, with community members employed for 10 days per month for three months.

Critics have pointed to these projects as “counter-insurgency” but Peace Process Undersecretary Louie Montalbo told MindaNews that Sajahatra Bangsamoro is “closing the gap between what’s on the negotiating table and what’s on the ground.”
MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal told MindaNews that socio-economic development is part of the FAB.

He said they are “very confident of the correctness” of the program and while acknowledging there are risks, “we cannot do away with it because it’s part of the Framework Agreement.”

http://www.mindanews.com/peace-process/2013/02/11/pres-aquino-murad-launch-sajahatra-bangsamoro-on-10th-anniversary-of-buliok-war/

Army discovers NPA camp abandoned in Guihulngan

From the Visayan Daily Star (feb 11): Army discovers NPA camp abandoned in Guihulngan

Troopers of the Army’s 3rd Scout Ranger Company, in pursuit of the fleeing New People’s Army rebels responsible for the ambush of civilians and policemen in La Castellana, discovered recently an abandoned NPA camp in Brgy. Humay-Humay, Guihulngan, Negros Oriental, military said.

Col. Francisco Patrimonio, 302nd Infantry Brigade commander, said yesterday that occupants of the abandoned camp were part of the rebel group that staged the ambush in Brgy. Puso, La Castellana, last month.

Patrimonio said the camp can accommodate about 30 persons, who had left behind bottles of energy drinks, softdrinks and alcoholic beverages, used firewood, used clothing and biscuit wrappers, among others.

He said their pursuit operations against the fleeing rebel ambushers led by Medardo Sayosa, secretary of the Kilusang Larangan Central Negros, also known as the Leonardo Panaligan Command, with sub-commander, Magno Flores, are ongoing.

The rebel ambushers who had been dislocated from their camp, that was seized by 11th Infantry Battalion soldiers in Brgy. San Agustin, Isabela, were monitored to have fled southeast, passing Brgy. Quinten Remo in Moises Padilla, in going to the hinterlands of Guihulngan.

Police Officer 1 Richard Canja, the lone policeman fatality in the ambush on Jan. 27 in Brgy. Puso, La Castellana, was buried 12 noon Saturday at the town public cemetery, with full military honors. The burial of slain civilian Ulysses Tamayor is scheduled today.

The seven other fatalities in the Jan. 27 ambush were buried Feb. 2 at the public cemetery of Brgy. Cabacungan, La Castellana, Negros Occidental.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2013/February/11/negor2.htm

Come out of comfort zone, Army challenges Jalandoni

From the Visayan Daily Star (Feb 11): Come out of comfort zone, Army challenges Jalandoni

Maj. Gen. Jose Mabanta, commander of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, yesterday challenged Negrense priest-turned-rebel Luis Jalandoni to come out from his comfort zone in the Netherlands, to see for himself what had actually transpired in La Castellana.

This was after Jalandoni justified the military action of the New People’s Army on January 27 in Brgy. Puso, La Castellana, by saying that the passengers of the truck were legitimate targets, citing the recovery of several high-powered firearms from them.

Mabanta said Jalandoni, a member of the NDFP National Executive Committee, is desperately trying to distort the truth behind the La Castellana massacre, that claimed the lives of nine persons, including a rookie policeman, and caused injuries to 12 others, and two other PNP members.

Jalandoni, in his statement, said “ The NPA was able to capture high-powered rifles, proving that the principal passengers and the vehicle were legitimate targets of the NPA”.

Citing investigations of the police and the testimonies of survivors, Mabanta said the civilians and the slain policeman were shot in the head, after having been initially shot.

He also dismissed as a “bluff” the warning of Jalandoni that the filing of war crime charges against those behind the massacre, could jeopardize the ongoing peace negotiations.

“The CPP-NPA-NDF leadership must surrender their members and those who ordered the ambush must be made accountable,” Mabanta added.

While all the stakeholders remain committed to pursuing the peace and development program of the government, the Philippine Army in Negros will continue to pursue the perpetrators of the La Castella massacre, and help the victims attain justice for their loved ones, he said.

The NDFP and the Communist Party of the Philippines also commended the NPA Leonardo Panaligan Command for offering humanitarian assistance to the victims and their families, despite what they alleged to be the culpability of the government for the incident and for issuing firearms to paramilitary men.

Family members of the victims, however, rejected the offer of the rebel group, stressing that what they want is justice.

The parties aggrieved by the La Castellana incident can seek redress under the Rules of the NPA, the policies of the Democratic People’s Government and provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), the CPP said in the statement it issued.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2013/February/11/topstory3.htm

Former RPA chief joins poll battle

Visayan Daily Star (Feb 11): Former RPA chief joins poll battle

After spending 27 years of his life in the revolutionary movement, Stephen Paduano, alias Carapali Lualhati, who has renounced the armed struggle, is now raring to pursue a non-violent form of struggle, one that is parliamentary in nature.

Paduano had served as the national commander from 1992 to 2012 of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade, that had entered into peace talks with the government in year 2000. He joined the New People’s Army in 1985 and stayed with it until 1992, the rift between mainstream and the rejectionist group started, that later led to the formation of the RPA-ABB.

He resigned from his position as the RPA-ABB national commander in June last year, and said yesterday that he is the first nominee of the Abang Lingkod Partylist group.

Paduano said he is joining mainstream politics, with the imminent signing of the closure peace agreement between government and the RPA-ABB. The final draft of the peace agreement was reported to be on the desk of President Benigno Aquino III for approval.

While he expects a 100 percent support from his former colleagues at the RPA-ABB, Paduano said the use of guns in campaigning for Abang Lingkod is strictly prohibited, and will not be allowed, or tolerated.

If they successfully get a seat in Congress, he said they will focus their resources on Negros Occidental, where the bulk of their members are located.

Paduano also expressed support to the Sugarcane Act of Rep. Alfredo Benitez. He however, said the campaign for land for the landless, which they have been pushing for ever since, did not solve the problem of poverty in the countryside.

This is due to the lack of support from the government, he added.

The partylist group will hold a nationwide caravan on Feb. 15 as their opening salvo for the 2013 election campaign season. It aims to heighten the people’s awareness on our presence and what we represent, Paduano said.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2013/February/11/topstory4.htm

Dealing with an angry Misuari

From Rappler (Feb 11): Dealing with an angry Misuari

Two days before President Benigno Aquino III's visit to a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) territory, a fuming Nur Misuari arrived in Manila, again accusing the government of derailing peace treaty agreements with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

"The government does not want peace in Mindanao at all because they would rather deal with the traitorous groups like the MILF," Misuari said.

The MILF, a breakaway group of MNLF, signed the historic Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) with the Aquino government in October 2012.

At the height of its strength, the MNLF itself entered into various peace deals, including the historic 1996 Final Peace Agreement. According to Misuari, the peace accord with the MILF negated the government's earlier peace deal with the MNLF, which faces unresolved issues until today.

Peace obstacles

Aquino took a swipe at critics of his government's peace efforts with the MILF, but stressed that his government is determined not to commit the same mistakes that his predecessors made.

"May ilan pa ring nagtatayo ng balakid upang hadlangan ang ating tagumpay." (There are still people who build obstacles to hinder our success), Aquino said in a speech on Monday, February 11, at the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI) compound in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

President Aquino and MILF chief Al Haj Murad Ebrahim met in the rebel group's territory to roll out Sajahatra Bangsamoro, a package of socio-economic programs that will hasten the transition of MILF communities following the signing of the peace accord.

Undersecretary Lesley Cordero of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary encouraged the MNLF to join the government in addressing gut issues in war-torn Mindanao.

"It's time for us to come together to work for peace. Services like health, education and livelihood are very basic. Communities of MNLF also need those services," Cordero said in an interview with Rappler.

In the framework agreement, the government and MILF agreed "to intensify development efforts for rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development of the Bangsamoro, and institute programs to address the needs of MILF combatants, internally displaced persons, and poverty-stricken communities.”

More people in Mindanao support the framework agreement, the annexes and the proposed basic law of Bangsamoro, Cordero claimed.

Diminished power

Cordero said that Sajahatra Bangsamoro seeks to empower people in MILF territories and nearby communities, but suggested that it also weakens the legitimacy of MNLF's claims.

"At some point when more people would want peace, their (MNLF) power will diminish. The government is not only offering peace but also concrete economic initiatives," Cordero said. "People would see who really has the legitimate cause to fight for. More people want to have a sustainable and lasting agreement," Cordero said.
Claiming that the MNLF still enjoyed a sizable following, Misuari earlier said that about 17,000 armed MILF forces will rejoin the MNLF following the signing of the framework agreement.

The government refuted the claim, saying that when the peace accord was signed in 1996, the MNLF's strength was nearly 14,000 while the MILF grew into about 12,000 armed troops.

In the 1990's, about 5,000 MNLF forces were integrated into the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police based on government data. Since then, the group splintered into at least 3 factions.

Struggling to keep his influence afloat, Misuari is running in May for ARMM governor -- a post he once held -- as an independent. He is up against the President's favored bet, ARMM officer-in-charge Mujiv Hataman, and former Sultan Kudarat Rep Pakung Mangudadatu of the United Nationalist Alliance.

The recent deadly clashes between the MNLF and the Abu Sayyaf Group were believed to be election-related, an allegation which Misuari denied.

Asserting influence

Beyond his bellicose stance, Misuari is also using MNLF's recognized status in the international Muslim community as another platform to air his sentiments.

Misuari has just arrived from a recently concluded summit of heads of government of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) held in Cairo that called on MNLF and the Aquino government to address unresolved issued related to the autonomous region, revenue sharing, definition of strategic minerals and the transitional mechanism.

"We reiterate the need to resolve the issue of Muslims in Southern Philippines promptly. We urge the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to continue their efforts in order to find a solution to pending issues, consistent with the 1976 Tripoli Agreement and the 1996 Final Peace Agreement," the OIC said in a communique even as it welcomed the framework agreement with the MILF.

Since 1977 MNLF has enjoyed an observer status in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the second largest international organization of states after the United Nations. The Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States (PUIC) also granted MNLF the observer member status in 2012.

Misuari's pride

The 1996 Final Peace Agreement, which OIC brokered, is under review to resolve disagreements on the implementation of sensitive provisions of the peace pact.

"The government is making it sure that everything under previous peace agreements will be upheld if they are beneficial in the long term," Cordero said.

But government assurances would not easily appease Misuari. Also at stake is Misuari's pride, according to Rodelio Ambangan, Director of the Institute for Peace and Development Studies of the Southern Christian College in Cotabato.

"He (Misuari) felt betrayed because there is an ongoing monitoring of the final peace agreement which was not fully implemented," Ambangan said.

Ambangan explained that peace agreements have "ownership" issues, noting that Misuari's peace deal was displaced by the FAB.

Ambangan said that peace advocates in Mindanao are calling for "unity and solidarity among Bagsamoro stakeholders," including a dialogue between the MILF and the MNLF.

"They are bringing the agenda of the Bangsamoro. They should face the government with one agenda. After all, they both fight for right to self-determination," Ambangan said.

MILF chief Al Haj Murad Ebrahim has already expressed openness to dialogue with MNLF, but Misuari remains combative.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/21540-dealing-with-an-angry-misuari

PNoy, first president who sets foot in MILF camp, tells communities long wait for progress is over

From InterAksyon (Feb 11): PNoy, first president who sets foot in MILF camp, tells communities long wait for progress is over



President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his speech during the Ceremonial Launch of Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program: Peace Dividends of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) at the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI) in Barangay Salimbao, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on Monday (February 11, 2013). The strong partnership between the government (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has become more evident as both sides work together in the process of identifying beneficiaries and their immediate needs that will be addressed by the Sajahatra Bangsamoro program. The FAB indicated that â??the Parties agree to intensify development efforts for rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development of the Bangsamoro, and institute programs to address the needs of MILF combatants, internally displaced persons, and poverty-stricken communities.â? (Photo by: Ryan Lim / Malacañang PhotoBureau).

They need not wait for their hair to turn grey before they achieve progress. What can be done will be done now.

This, in essence, was the promise that President Benigno Aquino III gave to communities under the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Monday as he became the country’s first chief executive to set foot in an MILF camp in Maguindanao to spearhead the launching of the Sajahatra Bangsamoro program in Sultan Kudarat's Da’awah Center in Simuay district.

The socio-economic initiative aims to uplift the health, education, and livelihood conditions of war-torn MILF communities.

"At ngayon po, ang ipinapakita natin sa pamamagitan nitong Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program -- Hindi na kailangang maghintay ng mahabang panahon upang madanas ang pagbabago; ang puwedeng simulan o ipatupad ngayon, sisimulan at ipapatupad natin ngayon,” Aquno said.

[And now, what we what to show through the Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program is that there is no more need to wait for a long time to experience change, that what can be started or implemented now will be started and implemented now.]

Hindi na kailangang tumanda ng labing-isang libong benepisyaryo ng MILF nang hindi nasasaklaw ng PhilHealth coverage o ng Cash for Work program. Hindi na po kailangang mamuti ng buhok ng mga komunidad sa kakahintay. Hindi na kailangang mag-abang ang 500 kabataang Moro ng maraming taon para makapag-aral, dahil sa ipamamahaging mga scholarship sa ilalim ng programang ito," he added.

[The 11,000 MILF beneficiaries need not grow old before they get included in the Philhealth coverage or in the Cash for Work program. Their hair need not turn grey as they wait endless . The 500 Moro youth need not wait for years to be able to study, because scholarships will be given under this program.]

The President said the administration's goal is to "accelerate the transition of MILF communities steeped in armed struggle to a productive citizenry that buys into the national agenda, and contributes to our shared goal of equitable progress."

"When once they treated themselves with herbs from the jungle, soon they will have health insurance, and will be cared for by trained doctors and nurses in state-funded health centers. When once children were taught merely the histories of suffering inside their madaris, soon they will also learn that peace can triumph," he said.

Aquino said this would only happen if "we open our hearts and allow ourselves to trust our fellow men. And when once they felt oppressed under the cloud of conflict, soon they will feel empowered, illumined by the daylight of peace."

Possible signing in March of comprehensive peace pact

At the sidelines of the launching of the Sajahatra Bangsamoro, Aquino told reporters that the signing of the much-awaited comprehensive peace agreement between the government and the MILF might happen in March.

"I think we’re very, very close to agreements on all the points. Pero [But] , as you know, I don’t like to give deadlines even to people investigating crimes," said Aquino.
"This is a consensual process. We are trying to achieve consensus and it will take its natural course but we think it might be earlier... at least earlier than the end of March," the President added.

According to Aquino, the peace negotiations moved forward "unhindered by secrecy and manipulation, and propelled by solidarity towards the shared goal of empowering every Filipino in the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao)."

"Others have stumbled in the past. We were determined not to make the same mistakes, we were determined not to succumb to indiscriminate knee-jerk reactions borne out of anger, or to cast aside true consensus, or favor concealment over transparency in negotiations," the President said.

MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim said the people were honored with Aquino’s spearheading of the socio-economic initiative in MILF communities where so many lives were sacrificed in the past as government forces and Moro rebels engaged in battles.

Murad said that aside from peace and independence, the Bangsamoro also needed change and progress, which could only be achieved if there would be lasting peace in Mindanao.

While admitting that there’s much to be done to achieve progress, Murad assured the Aquino administration that the MILF would always support the government’s quest for peace and progress for the Bangsamoro.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/54830/pnoy-first-president-who-sets-foot-in-milf-camp-tells-communities-long-wait-for-progress-is-over

Japan plans to give patrol boats to Manila - report

From InterAksyon (Feb 11): Japan plans to give patrol boats to Manila - report

Japan plans to donate patrol boats costing $11 million each to the Philippines, ramping up regional efforts to monitor China's maritime activity in disputed waters, a newspaper said Monday.

The Japanese government plans to finance the deal in its fiscal 2013 budget starting in April and hopes to officially sign it early next year, the Nikkei business daily reported.

Japan will then provide the Philippines with the newly built patrol vessels, which will cost more than one billion yen ($11 million) each, the newspaper said, without specifying the number of boats on offer.

Both countries are locked in separate territorial disputes with China.

Japan's dispute is over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea known as the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyus in China.

The Philippines is one of several Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, that are rowing with China over claims to parts of the South China Sea. Two of the hotspots are the Spratly islands and Scarborough Shoal.

The Japanese coastguard also plans to train Philippine and Vietnamese personnel as part of additional efforts to boost security cooperation with Southeast Asia, the Nikkei said.

In the fiscal 2013 budget draft, 2.5 billion yen has been allotted for such expenditure, it said.

Last month, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida visited Manila and called for stronger ties with the Philippines to help ensure regional peace.

Japan's coastguard last month said it would create a special unit comprising 10 new large patrol boats to boost its surveillance of the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.

The long-running row over the islands intensified in September when Tokyo nationalised part of the chain, triggering fury in Beijing and huge anti-Japan demonstrations across China.

In the most serious high-seas incident yet, Japan last week said that a Chinese frigate locked its weapon-targeting radar on a Japanese navy vessel on January 30. China has angrily denied the charge.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/54784/japan-plans-to-give-patrol-boats-to-manila---report

AFP, NCIP to determine ancestral domain in Central Panay

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 11): AFP, NCIP to determine ancestral domain in Central Panay

The 3rd Infantry Division (ID) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) based in Jamindan, Capiz has agreed to re-survey their 33,310-hectare camp to determine which part belong to the indigenous people (IP) in the area.

The re-survey of the military reserve will be done later this month following the signing of memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the AFP and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) last February 7 in Metro Manila.

AFP Chief of Staff General Emmanuel Bautista and NCIP Chairperson Brigida Zenaida Pawid signed the MOU with 3rd ID Commander Major Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. and 301st Infantry Brigade Commander Col. Arnold Quiapo as primary witnesses.

Other witnesses include NCIP Executive Director Atty. Basilio Wandag, NCIP Regional Director Alfonso Catolin, AFP Vice Commander Major Gen. Essel Soriano, and Panay Bukidnon tribal leader Norma Chavez.

Panay Bukidnon is the indigenous people’s (IP) group inhabiting Central Panay that covers part of the hinterland towns of Jamindan and Tapaz in Capiz. Mabanta said they are ready to give out the portion of the military reserve for the welfare of the IPs in Central Panay if it is part of their ancestral domain.

The re-survey will clearly determine the boundary of the IPs ancestral domain. Mabanta said the NCIP survey team will closely coordinate with other concerned parties like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the IP communities of Jamindan and Tapaz.

The result of the survey and agreed recommendations will be submitted to the AFP and NCIP for appropriate action. It will likewise be presented during the general assembly of applicants for the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title.

Mabanta said the MOU is the product of their continued engagement and collaboration with NCIP and local government units of Tapaz and Jamindan to settle the land dispute in the area.

On his part, Quiapo said the MOU also signifies their commitment to help the IPs. “We sympathize with the plights of the IPs and we consider their well-being in the military reservation area and we look forward for the development where the IPs can surely benefit,” Quiapo said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=496252

Army helps organize IP community in Tapaz, Capiz

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 11): Army helps organize IP community in Tapaz, Capiz

In order to win the respect and trust of Panay Bukidnon, the Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion (IB) is helping organize the indigenous peoples’ (IPs) community in Tapaz, Capiz.

61st IB Commander Christopher Sab-it reported that the organization of IPs in Tapaz, Capiz stemmed from the series of consultative meetings they held with them last week in the town’s covered gym.

The consultative meetings were supported by 301st Infantry Brigade Commander Col. Arnold Quiapo and Community Development Officer Jornelito Española of the National Commission on Indigenous People in Capiz.

Datu Ramon Bayaan, a Manobo tribal leader from North Cotabato, was also present to share their best practices in Mindanao. Merlyn Delfin of NICP-Iloilo also shared their experiences in organizing the IPs in Calinog.

Sab-it said IPs formal organization in Tapaz aims to ensure their representation in the municipality and in the society as a whole. Giving the IPs the voice to air their concerns will also help the government set policies and programs that are responsive to their needs, he added.

The tribal leaders of IPs in Tapaz have selected an interim working group composed of seven leaders who will craft their organization’s by-laws.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=496251

3 soldiers hurt in Army-NPA clashes; landmine found along Cotabato-Davao highway

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 11): 3 soldiers hurt in Army-NPA clashes; landmine found along Cotabato-Davao highway

Three soldiers were wounded when they encountered a group of communist guerillas in Barangay New Israel, Makilala, North Cotabato, around 10:30 a.m., Monday, a military official said.

Lt. Nasrullah Sema, chief of the civil military operations of the 57th IB, identified the casualties as Cpl. Jonathan Santos, Cpl. Antonio Grafil, Jr., and Cpl. Allan Laurea, all from the 62nd Division Reconnaissance Company of the 6th Infantry Division.

Sema said the soldiers were conducting clearing operations along the boundary of Barangays New Israel and Bulatucan in Makilala town when they chanced at least 20 NPAs in the area.

Two hours later, elements of the Charlie Company of the 57th IB recovered along the Cotabato-Davao highway an anti-personnel mine, which weighed 10 kilos, a detonating cord and a 100-meter electrical wiring attached to it.

Sema hinted the landmine was placed along the highway not only to inflict injuries among the soldiers but also to commuters plying the Cotabato-Davao route. “If our troops did not recover the landmine, we’re certain it would cause death, injuries and damage to properties,” said Sema.

The troops were positioned on a higher ground when they recovered the explosive, he added.

Three weeks ago, armed fighting between the NPAs and government troops broke out in Barangay Kisante, which resulted to death of a soldier and the wounding of seven others.

Barangay Kisante is located next to Barangay New Israel. Armed skirmishes also ensued in Barangays Cabilao, Bato, and Old Bulatucan, all in Makilala town.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=496405

Aquino eyes signing of GPH-MILF comprehensive peace agreement by March

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 11): Aquino eyes signing of GPH-MILF comprehensive peace agreement by March

President Benigno Aquino III Monday said the signing of the much-awaited comprehensive peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front might happen this March.

"I think we’re very, very close to agreements on all the points. Pero, as you know, I don’t like to give deadlines even to people investigating crimes," the President said in an interview with the media at the sidelines of the launching of the "Sajahatra Bangsamoro" program here. "This is a consensual process. We are trying to achieve consensus and it will take its natural course but we think it might be earlier... at least earlier than the end of March," he noted.

In his speech at the launching of the "Sajahatra Bangsamoro," Aquino said the peace negotiations moved forward "unhindered by secrecy and manipulation, and propelled by solidarity towards the shared goal of empowering every Filipino in the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao)."

"Others have stumbled in the past. We were determined not to make the same mistakes, we were determined not to succumb to indiscriminate knee-jerk reactions borne out of anger, or to cast aside true consensus, or favor concealment over transparency in negotiations," he said.

"At ngayon po, ang ipinapakita natin sa pamamagitan nitong Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program -- Hindi na kailangang maghintay ng mahabang panahon upang madanas ang pagbabago; ang puwedeng simulan o ipatupad ngayon, sisimulan at ipapatupad natin ngayon. Hindi na kailangang tumanda ng labing-isang libong benepisyaryo ng MILF nang hindi nasasaklaw ng PhilHealth coverage o ng Cash for Work program. Hindi na po kailangang mamuti ng buhok ng mga komunidad sa kakahintay. Hindi na kailangang mag-abang ang 500 kabataang Moro ng maraming taon para makapag-aral, dahil sa ipamamahaging mga scholarship sa ilalim ng programang ito," he stressed.

The President said the administration's goal is to "accelerate the transition of MILF communities steeped in armed struggle to a productive citizenry that buys into the national agenda, and contributes to our shared goal of equitable progress."

"When once they treated themselves with herbs from the jungle, soon they will have health insurance, and will be cared for by trained doctors and nurses in state-funded health centers.

When once children were taught merely the histories of suffering inside their madaris, soon they will also learn that peace can triumph," he said.

President Aquino said this will only happen as long as "we open our hearts and allow ourselves to trust our fellow men. And when once they felt oppressed under the cloud of conflict, soon they will feel empowered, illumined by the daylight of peace."

The launching of the Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program was just the beginning, the President said, a broad strategy of the government to uplift the lives of the people in Mindanao, and go to ensure that nobody will be left behind in the pursuit of the "tuwid na daan" (righteous path).

"Kinakaya po nating pangarapin ang mga ito, dahil sa tiwalang ipinapakita ng liderato ni kapatid na (MILF peace panel chair) Al Haj Murad (Ebrahim) at ng central committee ng MILF at pati na rin po ang inyong mga fighters," he noted.

"Alam ko pong hindi madali ang magbukas ng puso sa gobyerno matapos ang apat na dekadang pakikipaglaban. Ngunit nakita po ni Al Haj Murad -- Ito na ang pagkahinog ng mga sakripisyo ninyo, ni Hashim Salamat na nauna sa kanya, at ng napakarami pang mga kapatid na dumaan sa pasakit upang makamtan ang kapayapaan at sapat na kalinga mula sa estado at sa gobyerno. Hindi na kailangang baril ang ipamana sa susunod na henerasyon ng mga Moro," he added.

Aquino said: "Darating ang panahon, kung papalarin po akong may susunod ho sa akin, ay maipamana natin sa susunod na salinlahi, hindi na karahasan, hindi na pananakot, hindi na kaba ngunit talagang tanda na lahat ay maatim o makukuha ng Pilipinong nakakaisa. Magagawa po natin ‘yan ‘wag lang tayong bibitaw sa pagtitiwala sa isa’t isa."

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=496337

President Aquino launches Sajahatra Bangsamoro in Maguindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 11): President Aquino launches Sajahatra Bangsamoro in Maguindanao

President Benigno S. Aquino III led the formal launching of the Sajahatra Bangsamoro project Monday which is aimed at accelerating the transition of conflict-affected communities into productive areas while the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) iron out the final peace agreement with the Muslim secessionists.

In his message during the launching ceremonies here, the President said the program intends to provide education, health care and education to poor Muslim communities to empower them.  "Simula pa lamang po itong Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program; isang sangay sa malawak na istratehiya ng pag-aangat ng buhay ng ating mga mamamayan, at pagsigurong walang Pilipinong maiiwan sa pagtahak ng tuwid na daan,” the President said.

The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed by the government and the MILF is expected to bring a lasting peace in the region after several decades of conflict, he said.

He pointed out that peace entails development for the benefit of the people, adding that this is the reason why the government is optimistic about pushing for further development in the country.

The President acknowledged that it was not easy for the MILF leadership to immediately trust the government at the start of the negotiation because of many years of war.

He noted that the signing of the Framework Agreement became possible because of the mutual trust expressed by both sides. 

The government and the MILF built mutual trust after President Aquino and MILF Chair Al Haj Murad met in Japan in August 2011.

Despite the positive developments that happened, the President said there are groups who still want to derail the quest for a lasting peace in the region.  “Lahat po ng naghirap para makarating sa puntong ito—ang liderato ng MILF, mga LGU na nakikiisa sa ating adhikain, mga coordination agency, mga ulama, mga CSO—pati na rin po ang ating security sector, lahat po ng pinaghirapan natin, mapupunta sa wala... gayong abot-kamay na po ang bunga ng kapayapaang kay tagal nating inasam-asam, ngayon pa ba tayo panghihinaan ng loob?” he stressed.

The President also said the government and the MILF should work double time to seal the final peace deal so that bigger development projects could start in Mindanao. He said the comprehensive peace pact may be signed by March this year.

“Mayroon pa tayong natitirang three years and four months. Dapat naman ho sana’y, sabi nga kanina ni chairman, kailangan maging permanente ito at hindi depende sa mga taong nag-uusap ngayon. So kailangan po nating paspasan lahat ng ginagawa natin para nga maging permanente na ito,” he said.

The project launching, rites which was held at the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI), is part of the Aquino administration's socio economic initiatives designed to uplift the health, education and livelihood conditions of the Bangsamoro people.

The MILF, in collaboration with the government, identifies the target beneficiaries while the different government agencies extend the assistance. The government agencies involved are the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Department of Agriculture and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Among those who accompanied the President Monday were DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro, Transportation and Communication Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, Mindanao Development Authority head Lou Antonino, Commission on Higher Education chief Patricia Licuanan, Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Health Secretary Enrique Ona and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=496421

President Aquino opens Sports for Peace in Maguindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 11): President Aquino opens Sports for Peace in Maguindanao

President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III led Monday the opening in this Army camp of the Sports for Peace program highlighted by a 15-minute football exhibition game between Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel and combined players from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

The President, obviously pleased with the football game, applauded as he witnessed the ARMM/MNLF team score a goal over their AFP opponents at the football grounds of this camp, which is the headquarters of the Army’s Sixth Infantry Division.

"Pwede pala magsama ang mga dating magkaaway sa pamamagitan ng sports (Former foes can unite through sports),” the President said in his speech referring to the AFP soldiers and former MNLF rebels.

The MNLF, once the largest Moro rebel group fighting for self-determination in Mindanao, inked a final peace accord with the government on Sept. 2, 1996.

Currently, the Aquino administration is negotiating peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which broke off from the mainstream MNLF in the late '70s due to ideological differences.

“Buwagin natin ang pagkakanya-kanya. Sama-sama tayong kumilos tungo sa kapayapaan na kung saan ang bawat Pilipino ay panalo,” the President stressed.

The 6ID has the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and parts of Lanao del Sur and Davao del Sur under its area of jurisdiction.

It is in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, where the MILF maintains its Camp Darapanan, the rebels’ largest enclave in Mindanao, whose area the President visited earlier today to launch the “Sajahatra Bangsamoro” program for MILF communities long deprived of basic health, education, social service, technical education and livelihood services.

Maj. Gen. Cesar Ronnie Ordoyo, 6ID commander, said the sports program was conceptualized late last year in a bid to champion the idea of achieving peace through sports.  “Today’s sports program opening by the President signals the series of other sports games such as volleyball and softball, among others, which would be competed upon by soldiers and former rebels,” Ordoyo said.

Office of the Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Deles said she would talk to the management of the Azkals, the country’s premier football team and its female counterparts Malditas, to conduct football trainings to the former rebels by summer this year.  The MILF said it would also form its team for the peace games later this month.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=496418

Aquino says visit to MILF signifies trust given to gov't

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 11): Aquino says visit to MILF signifies trust given to gov't

President Benigno S. Aquino III Monday said his visit to a Moro Islamic Liberation Front community signifies the trust given to his government by the MILF led by its chairman, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, and the entire central committee towards the achievement of a just and lasting peace in Mindanao.

The President made this statement when asked in a chance interview to describe his thoughts upon stepping into an MILF lair, which has not been done by any president before him, following the launch of the government’s Sajahatra Bangsamoro program at the Bangsamoro Leadership Military Institute compound here.

“Unang-una, pagkilala ito syempre sa pagtitiwala rin naman na ipinagkaloob ni Chairman Murad at sampu ng Central Committee, sampu ng kanilang mga kasapi, tungo sa pagkakaroon ng kapayapaan,” President Aquino said.

“Hindi naman hingi ang nangyari. Pwede nating sabihin napakaraming ibinigay para nga maipakita ang sinseridad sa pagkakaroon ng tunay na kapayapaan at kaunlaran lalo na sa ARMM (Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao),” he added.

Upon his arrival, the President said he was amazed at the community’s green environment adding that he could not help but imagine how great its potential would be once peace is achieved in Mindanao.

“Pagdating natin dito, syempre, hindi natin maiwasan na tingnan kung gaano kaluntian ang buong paligid; kung gaano kayaman… Hindi mo maiwasan na hindi i-imagine ‘pag may kapayapaan talaga kung gaano kaunlad—kung gaano kalaki ang potensyal at gaano kaunlad ang mangyayari sa lahat ng tao dito,” the President said.

“Kung lahat ng energies na naidulot doon sa pakikipag-bakbakan ‘nung araw, ngayon naman ay sa pagpapaunlad dadalhin, ay talagang mabilis ang pagbabagong mangyayari dito sa kapakanan ng lahat,” he emphasized.

President Aquino was at the BLMI to personally witness the official launch of the Sajahatra Bangsamoro program which is his administration’s concrete socio-economic initiative aimed to uplift the health, education, and livelihood conditions of the MILF communities.

The MILF has been collaborating with the government in naming the target beneficiaries of the services to be delivered by government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Department of Agriculture, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=496423

Aquino may announce composition of Bangsamoro Transition Commission this week

From the  Philippine News Agency (Feb 11): Aquino may announce composition of Bangsamoro Transition Commission this week

President Benigno Aquino III may announce the composition of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, a vital body mandated to draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law as provided in the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

"Sana within this week matapos ko na. Sinubmit sa akin (draft of the Transition Commission) late last week," the President said on Monday in an interview with the media at the sidelines of the launching of the Transition Commission held at the Bangsamoro Leadership Management Institute (BLMI) here.

Aquino said the specifics of the composition of the proposed Commission were already submitted to him including the personalities nominated by all stakeholders. "We would want to give justice by reading all of the resumes submitted and the CVs (curriculum vitae) to come up with the best group of people that will come up with the organic law," he said.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles earlier said the composition of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission "shall have gender, ethnic and generational balance. "This is to ensure that voices of all Bangsamoro stakeholders, including women, indigenous peoples, and the youth, will be part of the Transition Commission that will craft the Basic Law," she noted.

Once drafted, Deles said, the Bangsamoro Basic Law will be certified urgent by the President and submitted to Congress for passage. It will then undergo a plebiscite in the envisioned core territory of the Bangsamoro. Upon ratification, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is deemed abolished, according to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed Oct. 15, 2012 in Malacanang by the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Deles said the GPH nominees to the Transition Commission have been processed by the Search Committee. The MILF likewise submitted their list of nominees to the GPH panel on the first day of the 35th Formal Exploratory Talks held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Jan. 21-25, 2013. Last December, President Aquino signed Executive Order 120, which paves the way for the creation of the Transition Commission.

Meanwhile, MILF peace negotiating panek chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim said the Framwork Agreement was supported by majority of the people in the ARMM. Murad, however, said there are some who still doubt on the Framework Agreement. "Itong Framework Agreement ay alam naman natin na suportado ng karamihan. So hindi natin maiiwasan na meron ding mga iba na hindi sumasang-ayon but titingnan natin. Baka sakali na maimpluwensyahan na din, ma-realize din nila ‘yung talagang kabutihan nito," he said.

When asked about the statement made earlier by Moro National Liberation Front chair Nur Misuari that he does not support the Framework Agreement, Murad said: "That is his own opinion." "Pero nakikita naman ng lahat kung ano ang maidudulot nitong Framework Agreement," he said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=496440