Freed Jordanian names Filipino extremist kidnapper

From the Japan News (Dec 7): Freed Jordanian names Filipino extremist kidnapper

A Jordanian journalist has identified the leader of an Al-Qaida-linked terrorist group that held him for a year and a half in the jungles of the southern Philippines after luring him with a promise of an interview.

Appearing gaunt and bearded, TV journalist Baker Atyani was brought to a hospital in Sulu province under heavy guard after security forces took him into custody late Wednesday.

He said that Abu Sayyaf commander Jul Asman Sawadjaan plotted his kidnapping in June last year with the help of his fighters and civilians in the restive, predominantly Muslim southern province. Two Philippine security officers said authorities were verifying intelligence that Sawadjaan had died due to an illness before Atyani walked free.

Sawadjaan is one of the few surviving Abu Sayyaf commanders based in the jungles of Sulu’s mountainous Patikul town. He has been linked to several abductions and attacks as part of the Abu Sayyaf group, which has carved a brutal image for beheadings, bombings and ransom kidnappings.

“There’s nothing better than freedom,” Atyani said in the hospital, thanking Filipino officials and people who worked for his release.

“I can see people around me, I can communicate, I can smile, I can feel that there are people who can understand me...This is the feeling that I have really lost for the last 18 months,” he said.

Atyani gained prominence for interviewing Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan a few months before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Accompanied by two Filipino crewmen, he traveled to Sulu’s jungles to interview Abu Sayyaf militants. His two companions were freed in February but Atyani was left behind.

“I was really shocked when they told me...‘brother, you are our hostage,’” Atyani said.

Sulu military commander Col. Jose Cenabre said that Atyani either was freed or escaped from his captors. Atyani said that he escaped on his third attempt in the captivity after sensing that the gunmen have let their guard down and studying the route leading to a road by the sea.

Cenabre said it was difficult to verify speculations that a ransom was paid.

Atyani’s Al Arabiya News Channel, based in Dubai and owned by a Saudi broadcaster, said in a statement that the kidnappers handed him over to the local governor’s office late Wednesday and that Philippine authorities would secure his return to Jordan.

Two Philippine security officers who dealt with Atyani’s kidnapping said authorities were verifying information that his captor, Sawadjaan, had grown weak in recent months and died due to an unspecified illness shortly before Atyani gained his freedom. The two officers declined to be named because of the sensitivity of their work.

When asked about Sawadjaan, Atyani said he heard that the Abu Sayyaf commander was suffering from a kidney ailment but he was not sure what had happened to him.

The militants still hold at least 17 captives in their jungle strongholds, including two European bird watchers who were kidnapped last year, Cenabre said. He added that Atyani told him he did not see the other captives.

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000851672

US ‘pivot’ to Asia cannot be derailed — Biden

From the Daily Tribune (Dec 7): US ‘pivot’ to Asia cannot be derailed — Biden

US Vice President Joe Biden yesterday said there should be no doubt about Washington’s commitment to its strategic shift to Asia as he wound up a regional tour dominated by security concerns.

In talks with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye and later in a speech at Seoul’s Yonsei University, Biden reiterated US opposition to a new Chinese air defense identification zone (ADIZ) that has fuelled regional tensions — especially between Beijing and Japan.

The Philippines has also expressed alarm on China’s announcement that it will “establish other air defense identification zones at an appropriate time after completing preparations,” fearing that Beijing’s statement signals that China intends to eventually adopt an ADIZ over the contested Spratly Islands.

In his talks with Park, Biden stressed there would be no change to President Barack Obama’s new security strategy that emphasizes a shift, or “pivot,” toward the Asia region in recognition of China’s growing military power.

“I want to make one thing absolutely clear: President Obama’s decision to rebalance to the Pacific basin is not in question,” Biden said as the two leaders sat down for talks.

“The United States never says anything it does not do. It’s never been a good bet to bet against America... and America will continue to place its bet on South Korea,” he added.

At the same time, he underlined the regional — and global — unity in the face of the “clear and present danger” of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

“Let there be no doubt, the United States is committed to do what it takes to defend our allies and ourselves against North Korean aggression. Period,” he said in his speech.

The threat posed by Pyongyang was underlined by the publication Thursday of new satellite images that appeared to show increased activity at North Korea’s main nuclear site, in line with the regime’s vows to expand its weapons program.

Seoul was Biden’s last stop on a three-country Asia tour that has already taken him to Japan and China.

President Park pressed Biden on Friday on China’s new air defense identification zone which, as well as inflaming Beijing’s territorial disputes with Japan, also overlaps South Korea’s own ADIZ.

Seoul has threatened to announce the expansion of its ADIZ in retaliation — a move Biden was seeking to discourage as Washington seeks to calm what is already a dangerously volatile mood in the region.

Acknowledging the “considerable apprehension” triggered by China’s declaration, Biden stressed that Washington did not recognize the new zone.

But the US has stopped short of calling on Beijing to rescind its new air defense zone, which sent tensions in Asia soaring, especially with its rival Japan.

The White House instead called on Beijing not to “implement” the zone covering a part of the East China Sea, and repeated its stance that it did not recognize Beijing’s “provocative” move.

China’s declaration of the zone has sparked fears that a miscommunication could spark a military confrontation between its forces and other powers and dominated a regional tour by Biden.

“We call on China not to implement it,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
Carney dismissed the notion that his linguistic formulation suggested Washington would accept a situation whereby Beijing did not formally rescind the zone — a move that would be seen as a loss of face — but did not actively enforce it.

“I think you’re looking for nuance and semantics that aren’t really there,” Carney said.

“We, the United States, do not recognize it, and we do not accept it, and it will not change how the US conducts military operations in the region,” Carney said.

Biden spelled out the US line on the zone, in which Beijing says all aircraft must obey its instructions, in meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

A US official traveling with Biden said earlier that it was up to China to take action “to avoid the risk of mistake, miscalculation, accident or escalation.”

China’s decision to declare the zone in an area which includes disputed islands provoked anger in the region and prompted the United States, Japan and South Korea to fly military and paramilitary aircraft through the area.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/us-pivot-to-asia-cannot-be-derailed-biden

MILF sees peace accord by April

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Dec 6): MILF sees peace accord by April

Moro Islamic Liberation Front  chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal has said that a final draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law  that will seal a final peace deal with the government would be finalized in April next year.

“After talking to some lawmakers in Manila, the BTC (Bangsamoro Transition Commission) has set April in 2014 as the timeline that the draft of the BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law) will be finalized and immediately transmitted to the Philippine Congress for their deliberation,” Iqbal said in his statement at the opening of the 42nd round of exploratory talks that began on December 4 in Kuala Lumpur.

“I hope Congress, with their collective wisdom, would pass a ‘good legislation’,” he added.

His comments were posted on the websites of both the Philippine government and the MILF.

The deadline for the draft law has been set even if the government and MILF panels still have to hammer out the annexes on normalization and power-sharing, two of the four documents supplementary to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, touted as the blueprint towards a final peace deal.

Iqbal proposed that the panels “settle power-sharing now without waiting for the normalization (annex) to catch up,” noting that the latter was conceived and discussed much later than the annexes on power-sharing, wealth-sharing, and transitional arrangements and modalities.

He stressed it was “urgent” to do so because the Bangsamoro Transition Committee needs the power-sharing annex to be able to cover much ground and that this annex “is a confidence-building measure of sort to make up for the popular notion that the government is only interested in dismantling and disarming the MILF through a glamorized scheme called ‘decommissioning’.”

Iqbal acknowledged that the disarming of the MILF combatants is “such a sensitive issue… because this process is irreversible.”

“It is the first and last act. On the other hand, the Armed Forces of the Philippines  can deploy and redeploy, and cannot only come back anytime but its fire power and manpower are effectively intact. Come to think it, this is a one-sided equation! But don’t ever doubt the MILF complying with all signed agreements including decommissioning. Who is in need of a gun anyway when there is no need for it or everything comes to normal?” Iqbal said, adding:

“It is not fair to say that bearing firearms is part of Moro culture. The truth is that enemies from without starting from the Spaniards to the Americans and then to the years of Martial Law of Marcos forced Moros to defend themselves.”

Forging a peace agreement with the MILF has been a policy central to the Aquino administration, but after the much-hyped signing of the Framework Agreement in October last year, talks have been going at a sluggish pace.

The talks deadlocked in the middle of the year brought about by contentious points in the wealth-sharing agreement that were eventually ironed out.

In September, a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front loyal to MNLF founder Nur Misuari, launched an attack on Zamboanga City after Misuari accused the government of ignoring its peace agreement  with the  MNLF and was replacing it with the agreement it was forging with the MILF. The MILF is a breakaway faction of the MNLF.

The MILF  has repeatedly said that it was crucial to sign a peace agreement under the watch of President Benigno Aquino, on whom the secessionist group has put its trust.
The urgency was not lost on government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer.
“The Aquino administration has less than 1,000 days left, let us make the most of these days, before we get caught again in the whirlpool of the next electoral campaign, or our national attention and resources again be consumed by the next super typhoon, earthquake or other devastating events,” she said.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/541717/milf-sees-peace-accord-by-april

Int’l law experts laud PH stand on sea row

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Dec 6): Int’l law experts laud PH stand on sea row

Amid rising tensions between claimants to territory in the East China Sea and the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines’ stand of invoking international law in asserting its own claim against an increasingly aggressive China is gaining support from international law experts.

Meeting in Manila on Thursday, international law experts and scholars said the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) should serve as the anchor for nations disputing ownerships of resource-rich islands in the East China Sea, South China Sea and its part within Philippine territory called West Philippine Sea.

Tensions have risen in recent days between Japan and China over Beijing’s declaration on Nov. 23 of an “air defense identification zone” in the East China Sea covering a group of uninhabited islands claimed by both countries, and between the Philippines and China over suggestions that Beijing would declare the next such zone in the West Philippine Sea.

Speaking at a forum organized by the Angara Centre for Law and Economics, a think tank founded by former Sen. Edgardo Angara, Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said China “must bring its claims into line” with the law of the sea.

Storey cited complications posed by China’s nine-dash-line claim to nearly the whole of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.

“[The] nine-dash line is the crux of the South China Sea problem and stands in the way of a resolution and joint development,” Storey said, adding that China’s “commitment to international law is shaky at best.”

“China is claiming ‘historical rights’ within the nine-dash line but the dispute should be settled in accordance with “historical facts and international law,” Storey said.

US stand

Also on Thursday, US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg appealed to all the parties to work toward “reducing tensions.”

“I think you know where we stand and that is we think we should be working very much to reduce tensions, whether that is in Southeast Asia or Northeast Asia,” Goldberg told reporters in a joint briefing with Senate President Franklin Drilon.

Goldberg said China’s declaration of the air defense zone in the East China Sea was “unilateral” and could “raise tensions,” but that the United States has stepped in to preempt any further escalation.

US Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is traveling to Asia this week, and has met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In talks with Abe in Tokyo on Tuesday, Biden condemned China’s action as an effort to “unilaterally change the status quo” and said it had raised “the risk of accidents and miscalculation.” He promised to raise those objections with Xi in Beijing.

In Beijing on Wednesday, Biden laid out the American case against China’s action in discussions with Xi and urged the Chinese leader to show restraint in the zone, which he stressed the United States regarded as illegitimate and a provocation.

Biden stopped short of calling on China to rescind the zone, something it is highly unlikely to do, given the nationalist sentiments that have been animated by its standoff with Japan. But the United States has ignored the zone, sending B-52 bombers last week to fly through it.

Respect for interests

Xi held his ground, suggesting that China and Japan may be able to manage a standoff and, speaking in a conciliatory tone, repeated a phrase he used at a meeting with US President Barack Obama in Southern California in June, said China wanted to build a “new model of major-country relations,” based on respecting each other’s core interests, collaborating on global problems and devising ways to “appropriately handle sensitive issues and differences between us.”

Biden said the relationship between China and the United States needed candor and trust. He urged China to refrain from “taking steps that will increase tension” and to deal better with the other claimants to territory in the region.

China declared the air defense zone in the East China Sea to bolster its claim to five uninhabited islands and three barren rocks there long administered by Japan and known to the Japanese as Senkaku Islands.

The Senkakus are also known as Pinnacle Islands, but the Chinese call them Diaoyu Islands. Taiwan is also claiming ownership of the islands, believed to have potential oil and gas reserves.

Philippine defiance

China and the Philippines are contesting ownership of Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal), a rich fishing ground in the West Philippine Sea off Zambales province, and a group of islands in the Spratly archipelago, off Palawan Island farther to the southwest.

China seized control of Panatag Shoal after a two-month standoff with the Philippines last year, forcing Manila to bring the dispute to the United Nations in January for arbitration.

Beijing has refused to take part in the arbitration but under the rules the proceedings can continue without China’s participation.

The Philippines will file in March next year a pleading detailing the merits of its case against China.

Manila’s defiance has angered Beijing, which authorized the maritime police of Hainan province in January to board and seize foreign vessels entering what it considers Chinese waters.

Shows of force

Beijing also sends large fishing expeditions to the Spratlys accompanied by maritime patrol vessels, in shows of force directed at the Philippines and Vietnam, which also claims territory in its part of the South China Sea that it calls East Sea.

Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also claim parts of the sea, home to vital trade routes where a third of global trade passes, and of islands, islets, reef and atolls believed to be sitting on vast oil and gas reserves.

That China will declare an air defense zone in the West Philippine Sea is not unlikely, with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Ma Keqing saying on Monday night that her country had the “sovereign right” to decide “where and when” to declare the next zone.

Malacañang said on Wednesday that it will oppose through diplomatic channels a Chinese air defense zone in the West Philippine Sea.

But Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Thursday dismissed as “speculative” news reports about China’s considering declaring an air defense zone in the West Philippine Sea, as the Chinese had “not done something yet.”

Gazmin, however, acknowledged that the imposition of an air defense zone by the Chinese in the West Philippine Sea will be a threat to regional security.

Storey called on the parties to work together and assert their position in international forums, underscoring “the critical importance of upholding international law and norms of behavior.”

“Asia-Pacific states have a collective interest in peace and stability in the South China Sea, the free flow of maritime trade, freedom of navigation and protecting rights and responsibilities of coastal states under Unclos,” Storey said.

‘Crucial phase’

He said the dispute would see a “crucial phase” over the next decade, warning that allowing the escalation to continue might be framed into the rivalry between the United States and China, dynamics seen now more than ever as the American side pursues its strategic pivot to the Asia-Pacific region.

China views the US strategy as aimed to contain its rise as a regional military and economic power.

“If the claimants design and implement an effective set of conflict prevention and crisis management mechanisms, provide legal clarity to their claims, and finally muster the political will to pursue a negotiated settlement that resolves their territorial and maritime boundary claims, a bright future beckons,” Storey said.

“But if the status quo continues, and tensions are allowed to fester, the dispute will almost certainly be sucked into the vortex of US-China rivalry, rendering it utterly intractable for at least a few more generations,” he said.

Stanford University senior fellow Donald Emmerson shared Storey’s view, saying clarifying maritime boundaries through the Unclos is a positive step toward resolving the disputes.

“Tensions urgently need to be addressed on multiple fronts in alternative ways. Recourse to international law is a prime option. Other channels include bilateral and multiple negotiations—bilateral, minilateral, and multilateral—designed to induce, end, or alter specific actions by the parties concerned,” said Emmerson in a statement the Angara Centre released ahead of Thursday’s forum.

US support

In a separate interview, the US ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) reaffirmed American support for the Philippines’ peaceful efforts to resolve its maritime dispute with China.

Jakarta-based David Carden, who is visiting Manila this week for a US-led youth summit and to meet with Philippine officials and agencies, also said unilateral moves that tended to raise tensions should be avoided.

“We don’t take sides in … territorial disputes. But we do believe, all disputes of whatever nature should be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law. We have a deep stake, as does the rest of the world in that case,” Carden said in an interview on Tuesday.

“Any actions, unilateral actions that would destabilize a region, no matter what they are, are [steps that] we believe should be avoided and instead resort to dispute resolution mechanisms that already exist for the management of these kinds of concerns,” he said.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/93347/intl-law-experts-laud-ph-stand-on-sea-row

Jordanian journo says will add Abu kidnap ordeal into his book on global 'hotspots'

From InterAksyon (Dec 7): Jordanian journo says will add Abu kidnap ordeal into his book on global 'hotspots'

A Jordanian TV reporter who was held for 18 months by Islamic militants in the Philippines said on Friday his ordeal would be added to a book he is writing on global 'hotspots'.

Al-Arabiya reporter Bakr Atyani, who walked free from the hands of the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group on Wednesday, also said he hoped to return to the Philippines despite his harrowing experience.

In an interview with GMA television, shortly after being flown to Manila, Atyani said his main priorities now, would be "to see my loved ones, to go back to this life and one of the main projects I want to focus on is the book I am writing... on my coverage of the hotspots".

"I will add this experience and I hope this will be a good (addition) to this book," he said.

The gaunt-looking Atyani, who lost a third of his body weight while being held in the jungles of the strife-torn island of Jolo, said he "definitely" planned to return to the Philippines, saying "it's a beautiful place (with) beautiful people".

The Jordanian will undergo a debriefing and more medical tests but could fly home as early as Saturday, said Senior Superintendent Renato Gumban, head of a special police anti-kidnapping unit.

Gumban said Atyani was "normal," and could recall his experiences clearly despite his ordeal.

"He was not physically abused. It's just that his food was also rice and fish so he lost a lot of weight," the police official added.

Atyani earlier said he escaped from his captors when his guards grew lax and left him. But the circumstances of his freedom remain hazy.

Previous Abu Sayyaf kidnapping cases have involved large ransom payoffs.

Military and police sources had previously said the Abu Sayyaf had demanded millions in dollars in ransom, though neither Atyani's family nor employer would confirm this.

Atyani is the Southeast Asia bureau chief of the Al-Arabiya News Network.

The veteran journalist gained fame for interviewing Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden months before the September 11, 2001 attacks.

He hired two Filipino crew members and went to Jolo in June last year to interview Abu Sayyaf leaders, but they were instead taken hostage.

The Filipinos were freed in February this year, and said no money had changed hands.
They said they were separated from the Jordanian five days into their captivity.

Jolo, more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of Manila, is a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, which has been blamed for the country's worst terror attacks, including bombings and abductions of foreigners and missionaries.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/76369/jordanian-journo-says-will-add-abu-kidnap-ordeal-into-his-book-on-global-hotspots

CCCH, AHJAG play key roles in safe release of Marawi police chief

From the Mindanao Examiner blog site (Dec 6): CCCH, AHJAG play key roles in safe release of Marawi police chief

The ceasefire and anti-crime mechanisms of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have played crucial roles in the peaceful and safe release of a police officer abducted by rebels in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur province before dawn Friday.

The military said Superintendent Christopher Panapan, police chief of Marawi City, was freed by MILF rebels at noontime the same day in Balindong town in Lanao del Sur.

"The existing peace mechanisms helped in the successful release of the Marawi City police chief, Supt. Christopher Panapan," said Col. Glen Macasero, commander of the Army's 103rd Infantry Brigade.

He said the release was made possible by joint efforts of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) of the peace panels.

"On top of that, we can also attribute the success due to the rapport with our MILF counterparts in the CCCH and AHJAG," he said. "It is the MILF’s CCCH and AHJAG who facilitated the negotiations for the release of the police chief."

The Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team also helped resolve the problem peacefully.

Supt. Siegfredo Ramos, deputy director of the Lanao del Sur police command, said dozens of MILF gunmen led by Jimmy Rajamuda, commander of the MILF’s Musa Island Base Command, stormed the Marawi police station and rescued two rebels detained for illegally carrying firearms.

Rajamuda is under Abdurahman Macapaar or Commander Bravo, chief of the MILF 102nd base Command.

“The peace process between the GPH and the MILF is having a great momentum. This [isolated] incident must not spoil that momentum,” Ramos said.

Manila is currently negotiating peace with the MILF, the country's largest Muslim rebel group, in an effort to end bloody hostilities in Mindanao.The raid occurred as peace negotiators resumed their talks in Kuala Lumpur.

Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, urged the MILF leadership to restrain their forces in the wake of the ongoing peace talks in Malaysia, which is brokering the negotiations.

“We are calling the leadership of the MILF to rein their ground commanders in respect to the ongoing peace negotiations,” he said.

Manila is currently negotiating peace with the MILF, the country's largest Muslim rebel group, in an effort to end bloody hostilities in Mindanao.The raid occurred as peace negotiators resumed their talks in Kuala Lumpur.

Presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles said upon learning of the incident,  the government peace panel immediately raised the matter to its MILF counterpart for urgent action.

"Our Panels have closely monitored the situation on the ground, and undertook coordination with their respective ceasefire committees to assist in ensuring the incident’s immediate resolution in the soonest possible time. Our ceasefire and security mechanisms on the ground established for matters such as this were immediately put to work and deployed to the area of the incident."

"As already done by the local security force, we give due recognition to our government ceasefire and security committees – (CCCH) with its local monitoring team, the AHJAG, and the IMT which constitute the GPH-MILF ceasefire and security mechanisms, for the crucial role they played in securing the safe release of City Police Chief Panapan, and preventing possible escalation of hostilities that might have compromised the existing ceasefire between Government and the MILF," she said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Deles also gave recognition to the local security forces for their restraint that enabled peaceful resolution of the incident, and to local government officials who worked together with the ceasefire mechanism.

She said iIn accordance with the rules and procedures agreed upon between the GPH and MILF, investigations will be conducted immediately by the joint committees.

"As we have declared many times before, what we are after is peace with justice. We will rely on the established mechanisms to ensure that the rule of law is followed and justice is duly served."

"We give due recognition to the MILF leadership for working with us on this matter. At this point in time when we are in the last stage of the negotiations towards the completion of a comprehensive agreement, it is important that we are able to prove that we have control over our forces, and can protect our communities in our commitment to deliver the much deserved peace and development in the region," she said.

 http://mindanaoexaminer.blogspot.com/2013/12/ccch-ahjag-play-key-roles-in-safe.html

Rebels seized 5 civilians in Southern Philippines

From the Mindanao Examiner blog site (Dec 6): Rebels seized 5 civilians in Southern Philippines

The Philippine military on Friday accused the Moro Islamic Liberation Front of abducting 5 civilians in the southern province of Lanao del Norte.

Captain Jefferson Somera, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division, said MILF rebels under Abdul Macalunto seized the civilians at Poblacion East in the town of Balo-i late Thursday.

“The abducted civilians were believed to have been brought to a rebel camp in Lanao,” he said.

Somera said members of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Battalion were deployed and have put up checkpoints in the province.

No other details were released by the army about the abduction and the MILF has not issued any statement about the military accusations.

On Friday, some 50 MILF fighters led by Jimmy Rajamuda, assaulted the Marawi City police station in Lanao del Sur province and shot a civilian before rescuing two rebels - Johanne Cader and Mesron Borodan - detained for illegally carrying firearms.

They also seized the police chief Christopher Panapan and used him as shield as they escaped to the sea. Panapan was later freed in the town of Balindong in Lanao del Sur.

Rajamuda is a commander under Abdurahman Macapaar, a senior rebel leader who heads the MILF 102nd Base Command.

The MILF is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group which is currently negotiating peace with Manila.

http://mindanaoexaminer.blogspot.com/2013/12/rebels-seized-5-civilians-in-southern.html

Policemen secure witness in shooting of brgy captain

From the Visayan Daily Star (Dec 6): Policemen secure witness in shooting of brgy captain

A witness in the failed assassination attempt on the newly-elected barangay chairman of Minautok in Calatrava town, Negros Occidental, is being secured by the police pending the filing of charges against the two gunmen reported to be members of the New People’s Army Special Partisan Unit.

Senior Inspector Robert Mansueto, Calatrava police officer-in-charge, yesterday said they are preparing frustrated murder charges against the two suspects, the identity of one had been established through the help of some witnesses.

The victim, identified as Fidel Aninon, 63, sustained gunshot wounds in both legs, abdomen and back, and in his face. Despite his injuries, he survived the attempt of his life on Nov. 18.

“We are securing the witness until the filing of the case,” Mansueto said.

Aninon won as barangay captain of Minautok, a remote village in Calatrava town.

Before fleeing from the scene of the crime, the two gunmen, reportedly members of the NPA Special Partisan Unit, left a note admitting responsibility for the shooting of Aninon.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2013/December/06/topstory10.htm

Government, MILF to investigate abduction of Marawi police chief

From GMA News (Dec 6): Government, MILF to investigate abduction of Marawi police chief

Both the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will look into the abduction of the Marawi City police chief and the attack on the city's police station by alleged members of the MILF, presidential peace adviser Teresita 'Ging' Deles said Friday.

“In accordance with the rules and procedures agreed upon between the GPH (government panel) and MILF, investigations will be conducted immediately by the joint committees,” Deles said in a press statement.

She was referring to the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), and the International Monitoring Team (IMT), which also played a role in the release of Police Superintendent Christopher Panapan.

 

The joint CCCH has representatives from the government and the MILF and is charged with checking on the implementation of the ceasefire between the two sides.

 

The AHJAG, meanwhile, is composed of four members each from the government and the MILF and is tasked with coordinating with military and MILF units "to effect the apprehension and arrest of the suspected criminal elements." 

 

The International Monitoring Team is led by Malaysia and checks "the implementation of the Agreement on Peace between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front of 22 June 2001" and other related agreements.

“As we have declared many times before, what we are after is peace with justice. We will rely on the established mechanisms to ensure that the rule of law is followed and justice is duly served,” she said.

Panapan was abducted early Friday morning after some 40 armed men attacked the Marawi City police station reportedly to free two of their detained companions. He was released hours later.

Deles called the incident unfortunate since it happened when the government and MILF panels were in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for talks that are meant to lead to a final peace agreement.

She said the government panel immediately raised the matter with the MILF for urgent action.

“Our panels have closely monitored the situation on the ground, and undertook coordination with their respective ceasefire committees to assist in ensuring the incident’s immediate resolution in the soonest possible time,” said Deles.

She cited the CCCH, AHJAG, and IMT “for the crucial role they played in securing the safe release of city police chief Panapan, and preventing possible escalation of hostilities that might have compromised the existing ceasefire between government and the MILF.”

She also gave recognition to the local security forces for their command and restraint on the ground that enabled peaceful resolution of the incident, and to local government officials who worked together with the ceasefire mechanism.

Deles also lauded the MILF leadership “for working with us on this matter.”

“At this point in time when we are in the last stage of the negotiations towards the completion of a comprehensive agreement, it is important that we are able to prove that we have control over our forces, and can protect our communities in our commitment to deliver the much deserved peace and development in the region.”

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/338646/news/nation/government-milf-to-investigate-abduction-of-marawi-police-chief

MILF releases Marawi police chief

From Rappler (Dec 6): MILF releases Marawi police chief

Hours after his abduction, Police Superintendent Christopher Panapan, police chief of Marawi City, was released by members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Von Al-Haq, spokesman of the MILF's Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, said Panapan was released and turned over to members of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), which was set up for the ongoing peace negotiations between the rebel group and the government.

He said the joint ceasefire committee, the provincial government, IMT and the 603rd Brigade were instrumental in facilitating the safe release of Panapan.
Panapan was not harmed in the incident, Al-Haq said.

Earlier, up to 50 members of the MILF abducted Panapan around 12:30 am Friday.

Al Haq said tensions rose when police arrested two members of the local MILF unit for illegal possession of firearms. “Negotiations were ongoing for the safe release of the detained MILF members,” Al-Haq said.

Philippine officials said the alleged MILF members rescued two of their comrades.

Col Glen Macasero, commander of the Philippine Army's 103rd Infantry Brigade, said in Filipino that abductors seized Panapan “to make it difficult for government forces to catch them.”

"On the lighter side, this incident is proof that all ceasefire mechanisms are operating," Al-Haq said.

Peace talks between the government and the MILF have been ongoing. Both panels are meeting again this week in Kuala Lumpur.

Malacañang condemned the abduction and gave assurances it would use its power to ensure the peace process is not jeopardized, and those opposed to the peace talk will not triumph.

"We deplore attacks and we will go after perpetrators," said Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma. "We view it as an act of desperation."

http://www.rappler.com/nation/45367-marawi-police-chief-released

Air Force chopper for relief ops goes down in Leyte

From Rappler (Dec 6): Air Force chopper for relief ops goes down in Leyte



PREFERRED CHOPPER: Air Force pilots are most familiar with the Hueye. PAF photo

A Philippine Air Force (PAF) chopper carrying social workers involved in Yolanda relief efforts went down in Leyte Friday afternoon, December 6.

A UH1H (Huey) went down between Buraen and La Paz towns around 3:30 pm. The pilot and the two Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) personnel were brought to the Buraen District Hospital to be treated for injuries, according to PAF spokesperson Colonel Miguel Okol.

"Aircraft accident investigation board has been convened to determine the cause of the incident. It may be due to environmental, mechanical, or human factors," Okol said.

It's the 4th week since super typhoon Yolanda flattened towns and cities in the Visayas. Government has started rehabilitation in many parts of central Philippines.

At least 5,786 were killed, 26,33 were injured, and 1,779 are still missing, based on latest report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. (READ: Death toll underreported? Prove it, I'll resign – NDRRMC chief)

Up to 4 million were displaced with about 100,000 still staying in 385 evacuation centers nationwide. The rest are living with friends and families.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/45403-air-force-chopper-leyte-crash-yolanda

AW-109s to boost PN SAR capability

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 6): AW-109s to boost PN SAR capability
 
The Philippine Navy (PN) on Friday announced that its search-and-rescue (SAR) capability will get a big boost upon arrival of the first three AgustaWestland AW-109 "Power" helicopters next week.

Navy spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic said that the aircraft SAR capability was one of the reasons why the AW-109 was selected by the PN.

"With its forward looking infrared (FLIR), the AW-109s have a more enhanced SAR capability than any of our existing aircraft. Also, it is fitted with a night vision gear making it very ideal to conduct missions during the night-time," he added.

FLIR uses an imaging technology that senses infrared radiation.

The sensors installed in forward-looking infrared cameras—as well as those of other thermal imaging cameras—use detection of infrared radiation, typically emitted from a heat source (thermal radiation), to create a "picture" assembled for video output.

Another two AW-109s are expected to arrive during the first quarter of 2014.

The AW-109 "Power" helicopter is a three-ton class eight seat helicopter powered by two Pratt and Whitney PW206C engines.

The spacious cabin is designed to be fitted with a number of modular equipment packages for quick and easy conversion between roles.

The aircraft’s safety features include a fully separated fuel system, dual hydraulic boost system, dual electrical systems and redundant lubrication and cooling systems for the main transmission and engines.

The AW-109 has established itself as the world’s best selling light-twin helicopter for maritime missions.

It's superior speed, capacity and productivity combined with reliability and ease of maintenance make it the most cost effective maritime helicopter in its class.

For shipboard operations the aircraft has a reinforced-wheeled landing gear and deck mooring points as well as extensive corrosion protection measures.

The ability to operate from small ships in high sea state enables the AW-109 to perform its mission when many others helicopters would be confined to the ship’s hangar.

Over 550 AW-109 "Power" and AW-109 light utility helicopters have been ordered for commercial, parapublic and military applications by customers in almost 50 countries.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=594221

42nd GPH MILF formal exploratory talks open in KL

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 6): 42nd GPH MILF formal exploratory talks open in KL
 
After some delay, the 42nd formal exploratory talks between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) opened on Thursday with both peace panels exuding confidence of finally reaching a Comprehensive Agreement at “the end of the year.”

This was the statement of GPH chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer at the opening of the talks now taking place in Kuala Lumpur.

“The Aquino administration has less than 1,000 days left, let us make the most of these days, before we get caught again in the whirlpool of the next electoral campaign, or our national attention and resources again be consumed by the next super typhoon, earthquake or other devastating events. So the time is now!” Ferrer said.

Heading the MILF peace panel is Mohagher Iqbal.

The peace talk is aimed at ending the long-drawn Mindanao armed conflict that had killed over 150,000 the wounding of tens of thousands the past four decades.

The GPH and the MILF will focus their negotiations of completing the issues on power sharing and normalization annexes.

Ferrer apologized in the one day delay for the opening of the talks but thanked host Malaysia and the MILF for accommodating the GPH’s request to postpone the formal opening from Wednesday to Thursday.

But Ferrer said this paved the way for the “sub-panel to work on the draft on the Normalization Annex,” adding that “we believe that they were able to cover significant ground on their meeting.”

In her opening statement, the GPH panel chairman gave a preview of what were accomplished by the two peace panels this year.

“Just a little bit of review of recent history, Ferrer said, ”we signed the first set of consensus between us, the GPH-MILF Decision Points on Principles. In October 2012, in a grand ceremony in Malacañan, we signed the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro. Afterwards, we completed two annexes – the Annex on Transitional Arrangements and Modalities in February this year, followed by the Annex on Revenue Generation and Wealth Sharing in July. In between, we launched in another grand ceremony, this time in Camp Darapanan, in the presence again of President Benigno Aquino III and MILF Chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim on 11 April 2013.”

“So what has the Bangsamoro people gained so far? Starting with the most important,” she said.Ferrer enumerated them as follow:

The acknowledgement of and a good, inclusive and non-imposing definition of the Bangsamoro identity;

The acknowledgment of the legitimate grievances of the Bangsamoro people;

A potentially expanded core territory for the Bangsamoro, based on the consent of the governed;

A ministerial form of government with a unique structure of government, unique because it is the only one of its kind in the rest of the country;

Much-enhanced wealth sharing arrangement. We know that ARMM did indeed suffer from real structural deficiencies that did not allow it to exercise fiscal autonomy, so now we have the additional taxes devolved and new sharing formula from government revenues, increasing the shares for the Bangsamoro;

The most important, the automatically appropriated and to be regularly released Bangsamoro block grant;

The Special Development Fund for rehabilitation and development purposes, to be released upon the ratification of the Bangsamoro Basic Law;

Special socio-economic programs for conflict affected areas, including combatants and their communities that will be part of the Normalization process;

A holistic program to be developed for transitional justice and reconciliation;

A proactive role in keeping the peace in their communities for the MILF;

A new concept called “Bangsamoro waters,” again very unique because we will not find this water regime in other parts of the country;

A plural system for the administration of justice. Ferrer also said a list of powers, including around 50 exclusive powers or fully devolved powers and more than 10-15 concurrent or joint powers relating to the administration of justice, the management and protection of various resources, disaster risk reduction and management, trade and economic development, and matters important to the practices and way of life of Muslims (hajj, umrah, halal certification, Shari’ah courts).

Various intergovernmental mechanisms such as the intergovernmental fiscal policy board, intergovernmental body for environmental and developmental plans and, as contemplated in the Power Sharing Annex, a similar IGR mechanism between the Bangsamoro legislature and the Philippine Congress, she pointed out.

Ferrer also disclosed of the presence of a Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT).which hopes to meet the MILF leadership over the weekend.

“We are extending this message to our counterparts if it can be done, a meeting with the TPMT in Manila on Sunday or Monday before the Chair of the TPMT, former EU Ambassador Alistair Macdonald returns to Myanmar,” she said.

“In all, we have the elements of a promising, just, and principled agreement that will stand scrutiny of informed and concerned students and practitioners of negotiated political settlements,” Ferrer said.

“This much we have proven recently at the Wilton Park conference that brought together government negotiators and third party facilitators, organized with the support of the Foreign Commonwealth Office of the British Government and attended by several of us here including our facilitator here, Tengku Ghafar, along with the Malaysian Facilitator with the Talks on the Southern Thailand process, myself, the former Chair of the Panel Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, and Secretary Deles as well as by Emma Leslie and Tom Phipps of course who is very much on top of organizing this conference,” she said..

Ferrer assured that the “government has committed to all of these elements in good faith, and trust that the MILF will use this chance to prove the potential of Bangsamoro leadership and autonomous governance,” adding “that in return, the MILF will prove that it is ready to transform and participate in nonviolent politics. That it is cognizant of the rights of all sectors who will fall under the administrative and political jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro political entity.”

At the same time, Ferrer said “central government accords the Bangsamoro with respect and parity of esteem, so will it ensure the protection of vested property rights, the recognition of customary laws and rights to communal property of other indigenous peoples (IPs), the recognition of women’s right to meaningful political participation and provisions for plans along the lines of Gender and Development; the basic rights of all regardless of class, creed, disability, gender and ethnicity; and the bridging of differences with other Moro groups – in order to ensure not only broad based support for this process and its implementation but the long-term wellbeing, peace, security and belongingness of those Filipinos and Moros who will live under the politico-administrative jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro political entity that is part and parcel of the Republic of the Philippines.”

”We know that there are details that we still need to come to terms with. But none are so great as to throw away everything that has been achieved,” she said.

Ferrer cited Article IX under the section Miscellaneous of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) that says: “The parties commit to work further on the details of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro in the context of this document and complete the comprehensive agreement by the end of the year.”

In attendance during the opening ceremony were Tengku Dato’ Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed, the Malaysian Secretariat and the members of the ICG, Ueno-san (Japan), Nikash-san (UK), and others who will come eventually from the state and from our very committed civil society members of the international NGO members of the International Contact Group (ICG), Ali Saleem of Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD), Emma Leslie of Conciliation Resources, Dr. Sudibyo Markus (Muhammadiyah), and Alberto Quattrucci (Community of Sant'Egidio).

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=594391

PA chief visits wounded soldiers

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 6): PA chief visits wounded soldiers

Philippine Army (PA) chief Lt. Gen. Noel A. Coballes brought Christmas cheer to 155 wounded soldiers undergoing treatment and rehabilitation at the AFP Memorial Medical Center in V.Luna, Quezon City and the Army General Hospital, in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig Friday.

Each wounded soldier was given gift certificates which they can use to buy various supplies from the Army commissary.

In his message, Coballes expressed his gratitude to the soldiers' commitment in their continued pursuit for peace.

He also expressed his appreciation for the heroism displayed by the soldiers as they carried out their mandated task.

"Nais kong pasalamatan ang mga sundalong andito ngayon. Ang aming handog sa inyo ay maliit lang kung ihahambing sa sakrispisyong binigay ninyo para sa ating bansa. Saludo kami sa inyong dedikasyon para sa kapayapaan at kalayaan ng ating bayan. Patuloy naming ipapanalangin ang inyong agarang paggaling," Coballes said.

The PA chief thanked the doctors for the attention given to the patients, especially those who are from the Army.

"Patuloy nating ipadama ang pag-aruga at pagkalinga ng Armed Forces of the Philippines para sa ating kasundaluhan at sa pamilya nila," he added.

This gift giving activity is a yearly activity conducted by the PA as part of the morale and welfare program for its personnel.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=594476

MILF releases abducted Marawi police chief

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 6): MILF releases abducted Marawi police chief

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels (MILF) has freed the chief of police who was abducted early Friday in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur province.

In a text message sent to Philippine News Agency, Senior Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, Public Information Office chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said that Supt. Christopher Panapan, chief of Marawi City Police, was released by his captors around 12:10 p.m. Friday, or some 12 hours after he was snatched at the city police station.

Panapan was turned over by his captors to former Mayor Benjamin Bagul of Balindong town and Col. Glen Macasero, commander of the Philippine Army's 103rd Infantry Brigade, in Barangay Nosa in Balindong, Lanao del Sur.

Sindac said the release of Panapan was made possible through the negotiation initiated by the local government unit of Balindong municipality.

He added that Panapan was unharmed.

Earlier, Balindong Vice Mayor Edris Manalocon volunteered to negotiate with the abductors led by Commander Bravo, an MILF commander based in Barangay Nusa, Balindong.

Panapan's abduction took place around 12:10 a.m. Friday when around 40 armed men raided the Marawi City police headquarters to rescue two of their detained comrades, who were arrested last week.

At the height of the commotion, the armed men abducted Panapan and shot his brother in law, identified only as Malik.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=594402

Attack on Marawi police station may be desperate bid to disrupt peace process

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 6): Attack on Marawi police station may be desperate bid to disrupt peace process

The attack by armed men on a police station in Marawi City early Friday may be a desperate ploy by some groups to disrupt the government’s peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Malacañang said Friday.

Presidential Communications Operations Office said the administration deplores such attacks and will go after the perpetrators.

“We view these attempts to disrupt the peace process as acts of desperation and we are determined to stop these acts,” he said at a media briefing.

Friday’s attack involved armed men reportedly seizing the police chief of Marawi City and killing a civilian.

The attack also came shortly after peace negotiators from the government and the MILF resumed peace talks.

Coloma said this was not the first time some groups that are “apparently opposed to the peace process” had engaged in “disruptive actions.”

“Ang ating sandatahang lakas handang gawin ang nararapat ... para tigilan sila at di natin sila papayagang magtagumpay (Our armed forces are ready to do what is needed to stop them and will not allow them to prevail),” he said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=594522