Thursday, June 26, 2014

Army encounters NPA rebels, seizes claymore mines and other war materials in hinterland village of Ormoc City

From the Samar News (Jun 20): Army encounters NPA rebels, seizes claymore mines and other war materials in hinterland village of Ormoc City

recovered war materials from NPA in Ormoc

The war materials recovered after the encounter in Brgy. Patag, Ormoc City on June 17, 2014.

By 19th Infantry Battalion, 8ID PA
June 20, 2014

KANANGA, LeyteTroops under Army’s 19th Infantry Battalion encountered New People’s Army rebels around 2:05 p.m. on June 17, 2014 at So. Nabunturan, Brgy. Patag, Ormoc City.

Lt. Col. Nedy C Espulgar, commanding officer of 19IB, said his troops were on to confirm reports previously tipped by civilians regarding presence of armed group roaming aforesaid hinterland village, when fired upon by undetermined number of NPA rebels.

The 30 minute firefight caused the rebels to withdraw from their position which was discovered to be an NPA encampment which can accommodate around 15 to 20 persons.

Recovered from the encounter site were three (3) unexploded claymore mines, magazines with ammunitions and back packs with personal belongings and subversive documents.

Espulgar furthered, his men were in advantage position during the firefight and managed to maneuver despite the difficult terrain. Withdrawing enemies were unable to inflict casualties against government forces. Rebels neither suffered casualties, but eye witnesses said that some of the fleeing rebels were severely wounded.

In an interview with Roberto Dejon of Leyteño Peryodiko, Espulgar said there will be no let-up in its support to the development programs it has introduced in the hinterland barangays of Ormoc, despite the Tuesday incident.

On the other hand, he is calling on the NPA rebels to surrender, take advantage of the government programs and return to the mainstream society.

“We will pursue with our development efforts, especially in our advocacy on Land Bank’s sustainable integrated natural and organic mini farm program. But our troops are always ready should similar eventuality arises”, Espulgar stressed.

It can be recalled that an NPA leader was apprehended by 19IB troops in the same village on January this year. According to Espulgar, 19IB and the Leyte Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) are now facilitating the necessary assistance entitled for the said former NPA rebel.

http://www.samarnews.com/news2014/jun/d063.htm

Sulu militants may be behind spate of kidnappings in Sabah

From the Rakyat Post (Jun 27): Sulu militants may be behind spate of kidnappings in Sabah

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Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi believes certain figures in southern Philippines are trying to revive Sulu militant groups.

The Home Ministry does not rule out the possibility that the spate of kidnappings in Sabah is due to attempts to revive Sulu militant groups in southern Philippines.
 
Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Sulu militants have resorted to kidnapping to fund their cause after they suffered huge losses following the assault by Malaysian security forces for invading Lahad Datu, Sabah.
 
“I believe that certain figures in southern Philippines are trying to revive Sulu militant groups.
 
“We have good cooperation with Philippine security forces to ensure that the militant groups are not revived,” he said, commenting on the arrest of six suspected Sulu militants, including a woman, in Kunak, Sabah, yesterday.
 
Speaking to reporters after witnessing the launch of I-Kad for international students, Zahid said the arrest was a short-term measure as the list of suspects was long.
 
“The police are hunting down the other suspects and the public will be informed of any development.”
 
The arrest of six suspected Sulu militants was announced by the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar in a statement yesterday.
 
A police corporal was among those arrested in a special operation conducted by Bukit Aman Special Branch and Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom).
 

Tapping into the psyche of Tausugs

From the Star Online (Jun 27): Tapping into the psyche of Tausugs

KOTA KINABALU: A news story is etched in the mind of academician Wan Shawaluddin Wan Hassan. 

Many years ago, he remembers reading a story of a man from the southern Philippine province of Sulu who came to Sabah and worked as a labourer.

After working for about three years, the man killed a fellow migrant worker from Sulu. Both were Tausugs. The motive was said to be revenge. The man was avenging the death of a relative many years before that in Sulu.

For Shawaluddin, that incident illustrated the psyche of vengeance among Tausugs, one of the southern Philippines ethnic groups.
It is for this reason Wan Shawaluddin wonders about the unintended consequences of the Malaysian brokered peace framework in southern Philippines.

The framework was inked between the Philippines government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last March. The MILF was a breakaway faction of another rebel group, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) that had been virtually marginalised under the deal.

As Shawaluddin observes, the MILF comprises largely the Magindanao community while its arch-rival, the MNLF, is made up of the Tausugs and headed by fugitive leader Nur Misuari who was arrested by Malaysian police in Sabah in 2001.

(Misuari claimed that Malaysia lent a helping hand to the MNLF in its “struggle” against the Philippines government for an independent homeland in the 1970s.)
“Historically the Magindanao and the Tausugs have been the dominant forces in southern Philippines. Both have had their respective sultanates,” the Universiti Malaysia Sabah School of Social Sciences senior lecturer told The Star

As Shawaluddin points out that some in the MNLF, especially the Nur Misuari loyalists, are frustrated and though they may not have proclaimed it, they may have vented it against Malaysia. 

A case in point is the intrusion of the so-called Royal Sulu Army at Kampung Tanduo, a remote coastal village in the Lahad Datu district in early 2013.

“I am not surprised if that the Sulu Army had been supported by Nur Misuari or those close to him in some way,” said Shawaluddin. 

Several ex-MNLF leaders told the lengthy Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Sabah’s illegal immigrant problem last year that they had settled in the state. 

“Again we cannot discount the possibility of some ex-MNLF members in Sabah acting as spotters or providing information to enable trans-border crimes to happen such as kidnappings. Or they could be involved in it directly,” he said.  

“After all, kidnappings have been a way of life in southern Philippines,” Shawaluddin said, adding that he would not be taken aback if cross-border crimes including intrusions persisted. 

He should know as his research had seen him talking to a cross-section of migrants in Sabah’s east coast and some of his interview subjects have been involved in the MNLF. 

Shawaluddin, however, noted that since the Lahad Datu intrusion, some of these former MNLF members he had interviewed had returned to southern Philippines.

He said the setting up of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) to coordinate the operations of the Malaysian security forces in the state's east coast since the intrusion has been a right move in tackling trans-border crimes in 10 districts designated as the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone).

And Esscom’s planned relocation of those living in water villages in the east coast was a good start. 

“From what I have seen, those involved in trans-border crimes such as smuggling (notably cigarettes from southern Philippines and subsidised petrol and cooking gas from Sabah) are operated from these settlements,” said Shawaluddin. 

“Those involved are small in number and so they can easily hide among the thousands in these kampung air,” he added. 

Reigning in trans-border crimes in Sabah’s east coast will take time and part of it is tapping into the psyche of the communities involved including Tausugs.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/06/27/Psyche-of-vengeance-among-Tausugs/

Tracps, cops lack equipment to track, arrest bandits in south

From the Philippine Star (Jun 25): Tracps, cops lack equipment to track, arrest bandits in south

A former police general who is the uncle of a freed kidnap victim here said there is a need for the military and police to upgrade their communication monitoring equipment in tracking down and neutralizing the kidnapping syndicates operating in the region.

Retired police general Sukarno Ikbala, former Autonomous  Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police director, made this observation following the successful recovery of his niece businesswoman Sabrina Ikbala Voon Wednesday, who was reportedly freed due to the operation pressure applied by the security forces.

Voon, 28, a dealer of personal collection cosmetics, was abducted in February by six gunmen, who were members of a kidnapping syndicate linked to the Abu Sayyaf and other bandit groups,  inside their house at Barangay Mercedes.

The former police general said that no ransom was paid for the release of his niece.
“We did not pay any ransom. Perhaps the kidnappers were trying to evade from and avoided being tracked down as the operations kept on closing in,” Ikbala said.

Ikbala said the  series of operations conducted by the police and military in locating the victim forced the suspects to free Voon in this city Wednesday noon.

“The operation of the military and the police had pressured this group,” Ikbala said.

Ikbala said the military and police could have tracked down and possibly arrest or neutralize the kidnappers moments after the release if they were equipped with a communication monitoring device.

“I saw the dedication of the police, military, but somewhat lacking in the communication monitoring equipment. This is the problem of the security forces and I hope the government should prioritize acquiring the equipment to monitor the communication of the suspects,” Ikbala said.

Ikbala also vowed to file charges against the abductors of his niece.

He said they will also cooperate with the authorities in the debriefing of the former captive victim with the information that will help them firm up their case against the kidnappers.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/06/26/1339282/tracps-cops-lack-equipment-track-arrest-bandits-south

MILF: MILF-BIAF holds CAB,BBL Awareness Program

From the MILF Website (Jun 27): MILF-BIAF holds CAB,BBL Awareness Program



The 2nd Brigade Interim Base Command of Central Mindanao Front (CMF) of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (MILF-BIAF) with the participation and support of MILF Civil Committee and the Social Welfare Committee  (SWC) held one -day Awareness Program  on the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) and the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) on  June 23, 2014 at Pinbalakan, Mamasapanu,  Maguindanao.
  
The program was attended by approximately 500 participants from the afore-mentioned sectors of the MILF and members of MILF Civil Committee from Buayan Provincial Committee and Mamasapanu Municipal Committee. 

Resource speakers were Prof. Esmael A.  Abdula, Chairman of the Campaign and Mass Mobilization, Sub -Committee on Information, Committee on Information, MILF-CC and member of the Steering Committee of Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI) and the same time BLMI Training Officer and Mr. Moidjoddin K. Talusob, Executive Director of Kalilintad Development Foundation Inc. (KDFI). Professor Abdula discussed the CAB, the BBL and the upcoming Bangsamoro new political entity with a ministerial form of government. On his part, Mr. Talusob delved on the Islamic perspective of a ministerial form of government.

Professor Esmael  Abdula elucidated on the CAB and urged every Moro to know and understand its contents so that they may know what awaits for them under Bangsamoro.
 
Among other issues and concerns brought out by the participants during the open forum include the strict requirements imposed by COMELEC on the registration of voters and the non-availability of COMELEC personnel in their areas or towns that will handle and manage the biometric registration. In the absence of these personnel, residents are deprived from registering and cannot vote during the plebiscite for the ratification of the BBL.

Other important issues were also raised and were responded well by the speakers.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1059-milf-biaf-holds-cabbbl-awareness-program

MILF: UNYPAD-Maguindanao chapter holds oath taking ceremony

From the MILF Website (Jun 26): UNYPAD-Maguindanao chapter holds oath taking ceremony



Elected officers of the United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD) provincial and municipal chapters in Maguindanao cluster-1 from the municipalities of Parang, Matanog, Barira, Buldon and in Kapatagan, Lanao del Sur pledged their loyalty to faithfully uphold the vision, mission, goals, objectives and programs and services of the UNYPAD in an oath taking ceremony conducted on June 15 held at Barangay Nituan, Parang Maguindanao.
  
Ustadz Abedin Tago, provincial chairman of Maguindanao cluster-1 said, “We are so blessed to become members of this organization because we will be part in spreading peace in our community.”

“By joining the UNYPAD, we became productive Bangsamoro youth…we work voluntarily in UNYPAD to support initiatives and activities related to the achievement of justice, peace and holistic developments in our communities”,  he  said.
Meanwhile, Ustadza Hasana Balitok, Vice Chairwoman of UNYPA-Maguindanao cluster-1 chapter, in her message, reminded her co-officers that the gains achieved in the peace process are due to sacrifices of every Moro and the Filipino people. “We need to treasure these fruits of sacrifices in the peace talks because this is all we want to happen in our community”, she said.

She also said that the UNYPAD have contributed to the development of Moro women in their places.

“Now, women in our community have learned the importance of wearing  appropriate dress for a Muslim women,” she disclosed.

Ustadz Abdulmunain Kudto also shared an input on how to build and strengthen the organization based on the teaching of Islam.

This writer extended UNYPAD national chapter’s congratulatory message to the newly installed officers, shared some milestones achieved by UNYPAD since its inception in 20014. It also spearheaded the oath taking ceremony. 

The Maguindanao cluster-1 chapter was organized in 2009. It was previously the Shariff Kabunsuan province chapter comprising mostly of the Iranon areas. It was renamed Maguindanao cluster-1 chapter when the creation of then Shariff Kabunsuan province was declared illegal by the Supreme Court which said in its ruling that only congress has the authority to create province/provinces.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1058-unypad-maguindanao-chapter-holds-oath-taking-ceremony

Remington rifles to replace M16s of soldiers

From the Manila Bulletin (Jun 26): Remington rifles to replace M16s of soldiers

The military is set to acquire more than 50,000 long firearms to replace the old M16 rifles currently being used by soldiers in the field.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the acquisition of new rifles is part of the modernization program initiated by the Aquino administration.

“Our modernization is now gradually being cascaded down in the field units,” said Gazmin.

At least 100 units of the M4 Remington rifle have already been delivered to the Defense Department, according to Gazmin.

By August, the official said they expect additional 27,200 units and another 23,000 by December this year.

“These are from the US. These will replace the old M16 rifles being used by our soldiers,” he added.

This year, the Philippine Air Force is set to receive seven of the 21 refurbished Huey helicopters that will be used for transport of personnel and military equipment. The choppers, he said, will also be used for disaster response.

By September next year, two of the 12 fighter jets bought from South Korea will be delivered. But Gazmin said they will be sending Air Force personnel to South Korea for training on how to fly the fighter jets.

President Aquino has embarked on aggressive modernization program in the light of the ongoing intense territorial dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippine Navy is also being modernized with the  procurement of brand new warships in the coming year.

http://www.mb.com.ph/remington-rifles-to-replace-m16s-of-soldiers/

Retiring AFP chief to start farewell calls

From Malaya (Jun 27): Retiring AFP chief to start farewell calls

ARMED Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista will begin his farewell visits to major military units next week.
 
Bautista, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1981, is reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56 on July 20 but he will step down two days earlier. He assumed the post in January last year.
 
His first stop will be the Philippine Army, his branch of service, which will accord him a testimonial parade at the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio on Friday next week, Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato, Army spokesman, said yesterday.
 
It was not immediately clear when Bautista will make his farewell visits to the Navy and Air Force, the two other major services.
 
Detoyato said Army chief Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri will host the testimonial parade for Bautista. Incidentally, Iriberri is among the top contenders for the post of AFP chief.
 
Apart from Iriberri, other contenders to succeed Bautista are Lt. Gen. Gregorio Catapang, AFP vice chief; Lt. Gen. Virgilio Domingo, AFP deputy chief; Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado, Air Force chief; Vice Adm. Jesus Millan, Navy chief; Lt. Gen. John Bonafos, chief of the AFP Central Command; and Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, AFP Western Mindanao Command chief.
 
Catapang, Guerrero, and Domingo are classmates of Bautista at the PMA while Delgado, Millan and Bonafos are members of the PMA Class 1982. Iriberri is from PMA Class 1983.
 

High-powered guns, ammo seized in raid at Sta. Clara Subdivision

From the Visayan Daily Star (Jun 26): High-powered guns, ammo seized in raid at Sta. Clara Subdivision

Photo by Andy Alvarez

Twenty high-powered firearms, ammunition, bayonets, and magazines, were seized in a raid on a residence at Santa Clara Subdivision in Brgy. Banago, Bacolod City, last night.
 
A team from the Regional Intelligence Unit-6 recovered 16 AK-47 rifles, 11 boxes containing bullets, 140 empty magazines, 30 bayonets, 26 leather magazine pouches, 12 cleaning kits, and several rifle slings, from a wood box in a Toyota Grand Hiace van.
 
The van, with plate number BDW 122, was covered with a canvas canopy and was parked at the garage of the two-storey house.
 
Two other shotguns, a rifle, two .45 caliber pistols, and assorted ammunition were discovered and seized from a steel cabinet in one of the rooms of the house.
 
However, Eugene Gawat, the subject of the search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court, Branch 51 Judge Anita Guanzon-Chua yesterday, was not at the house during the raid.
 
Only the three helpers and the mother of Gawat were allegedly at the house when the raiding team arrived, one of the intelligence operatives told the DAILY STAR.
 
Joy Barbasa, the lawyer of the Gawat family, who went to the compound last night, told the media that they will present the licenses of the firearms, but need to first inventory the seized items, and get a copy of the search warrant.
 
The house is owned by the Jalandoni family but is being rented by the Lacson and Gawat family, reports said.
 
The seized items will be turned over to the Provincial Crime Laboratory, an RIU operative said.
 

Phl, Indonesia to beef up border patrol activities

From the Philippine Star (Jun 27): Phl, Indonesia to beef up border patrol activities

The Philippines and Indonesia have agreed to further enhance their border patrol activities, as they recently settled their 20-year maritime border dispute.

The two countries addressed various issues affecting their borders during the 33rd Republic of the Philippines-Republic of Indonesia Border Committee Vice Chairmen’s Conference here on Wednesday.

The Philippines and Indonesia, represented by the Eastern Mindanao Command and the Indonesian Naval Command based in Manado, North Sulawesi, respectively, agreed to conduct more joint search and rescue operations at their borders.

They also vowed to improve information sharing between the Naval Operations Center of the Philippine Navy and the Command Control Center of the Indonesian Navy to better monitor the movements of people and goods.

Such information sharing will also be improved between the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao Operations Center and the Eastern Fleet Command of the Indonesian Navy.

The two countries would also provide additional personnel in designated border posts where border-crossers would be advised to pass through.

They recently forged an agreement delineating the boundaries of their overlapping exclusive economic zones in the Mindanao Sea, Celebes Sea and Philippine Sea.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/06/27/1339364/phl-indonesia-beef-border-patrol-activities

More raps filed vs communists

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Jun 27): More raps filed vs communists

State prosecutors are seeking to amend the government’s murder case against prominent leftist figures, filing 14 more charges in connection with the mass grave that the military allegedly found in Inopacan, Leyte.

The prosecution has asked the Manila Regional Trial Court to consolidate the latest information with the case that is pending in Branch 32 against Jose Ma. Sison, Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, Satur Ocampo and other alleged members of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

“These cases are founded on the same facts and form part of a series of offenses of similar character which may be tried jointly,” said the motion to consolidate filed by senior state prosecutor Peter Ong and assistant state prosecutor Gino Paolo Santiago.

The mass grave allegedly contained the bodies of the victims of a communist purge of suspected government spies in 1985.

Militant groups have denounced the case, saying they were trumped-up charges against political activists.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/614828/more-raps-filed-vs-communists

US to disband anti-terror team

From Rappler (Jun 26): US to disband anti-terror team

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin says the group of 500 to 600 American servicemen was cut back to 200 starting this year

ANTI-TERROR TEAM. An Explosives Ordinance and Disposal personnel from US Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) prepares pounds of C-4 explosives to detonate more than a ton of defaced and defective assorted rounds of ammunition in a mining site in the mountains of Sirawai town, Zamboanga del Norte province, southern Philippines on July 10, 2010. Photo by Laurenz Castilio/EPA
 
ANTI-TERROR TEAM. An Explosives Ordinance and Disposal personnel from US Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) prepares pounds of C-4 explosives to detonate more than a ton of defaced and defective assorted rounds of ammunition in a mining site in the mountains of Sirawai town, Zamboanga del Norte province, southern Philippines on July 10, 2010. Photo by Laurenz Castilio/EPA

The United States on Thursday, June 26, announced it will disband its anti-terror task force in the Philippines after more than a decade, but will keep many of its functions under a special team.

In a statement, US Embassy spokesman Kurt Hoyer confirmed that the US Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) “will no longer exist” after a transition plan is set.

Hoyer said the “success” of JSOTF-P has led the Special Operations Command, Pacific and JSOTF-P planners, “in coordination with our Philippine partners, to begin working on a transition plan where the JSOTF-P as a task force will no longer exist, but many of the capabilities will remain” under the Pacific Command Augmentation Team.

Hoyer explained: “Our partnership with the Philippine Security Forces has been successful in drastically reducing the capabilities of domestic and trans-national terrorist groups in the Philippines – to the point where they have largely devolved into disorganized groups resorting to criminal undertakings to sustain their activities.”

The US formed the JSOTF-P in 2002 to help the Philippine military respond to extremist threats. (READ: What is EDCA? Look at Zambo's PH-US joint operations)

'Reducing their numbers'

In an interview with reporters, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the group of 500 to 600 American servicemen rotating through the strife-torn southern Philippines was cut back to 200 starting this year.

“They were never permanent. They just teach, they train our people, and they are satisfied with what we have learned so they are reducing their numbers,” he said.

Gazmin said the work of Filipino troops had improved sharply since their US counterparts, primarily special forces, started rotating through the south around 2002, adding that the Americans had also learned "jungle warfare" from the Filipinos.

Gazmin also said that American training and loans of US equipment had played a crucial role in weakening the Abu Sayyaf, a Filipino Muslim extremist group linked to the worst terror attacks in the country's history.

This includes the bombing of a ferry in Manila in 2004 that killed more than 100 people, as well as dozens of kidnappings in the remote and Muslim-populated south, often targeting foreigners including Americans.

Abu Sayyaf's 'serious setbacks'

Founded in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, the Abu Sayyaf has survived over the past decade by drawing support from poor Muslim communities that have become a fertile recruiting ground.

But it has suffered serious setbacks in recent weeks, including the arrest of one of its top leaders Khair Mundos, listed by the US government as one of its "most wanted" terrorists with a $500,000 reward on his head.

The cutback of US troops in the southern Philippines comes after Washington and Manila signed a new defense agreement in April, allowing American forces greater access to bases in its former colony. (READ: Senators pinpoint 7 flaws in EDCA)

Washington announced a "pivot" towards Asia in 2011, including a stronger military presence.

The defense pact also comes as the Philippines seeks more US help in dealing with territorial disputes with an increasingly assertive China.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/61725-us-disband-philippine-anti-terror-team

Aquino, Murad hold 'surprise' talks in Japan on delays in implementing peace pact

From InterAksyon (Jun 26): Aquino, Murad hold 'surprise' talks in Japan on delays in implementing peace pact



President Benigno Aquino III and MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim before the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in March (file photo)

President Benigno Aquino III and Moro Islamic Liberation Front chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim held a surprise meeting in Japan to address growing concerns over delays in implementing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, their aides said Thursday.

The meeting took place Tuesday on the sidelines of a peace conference in Hiroshima where Aquino and Murad were guests, Malacanang spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

A rebel spokesman said the MILF sought the meeting to raise concerns over delays in implementing the CAB, which was signed in March, after the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law that is crucial for a final peace was not passed by Congress this month as planned.

Lacierda divulged few details of the meeting, other than it was a 15-minute encounter and that they talked about the BBL, which would the Bangsamoro autonomous region.

"It is safe to assume that the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law was discussed," Lacierda said.

Muslim rebels had been battling for independence or autonomy in the southern Philippines since the 1970s, with the conflict claiming tens of thousands of lives.

The MILF, with 10,000 armed followers, is the biggest rebel group and its signing of the CAB raised hopes of an enduring peace in the south, despite other breakaway groups still vowing to fight.

The pact made the MILF and the government partners in a plan to create the Bangsamoro by mid-2016, when Aquino is required by the Constitution to stand down.

The Bangsmoro transition commission, composed of rebel and government nominees, drafted the BBL, which was submitted to Aquino in April as part of a timeframe to have Congress pass it by June.

Aquino, however, is still reviewing the planned law.

His aides have said this is because he wants to ensure it withstands scrutiny of the legislative body.

MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar told AFP Thursday Murad had sought the meeting to "express our concerns over the delays" and had been partly appeased by Aquino's response.

"We accepted explanations given, but any further delays could impact on the full ratification of the deal," Jaafar said, while emphasizing that MILF fighters remained "deeply concerned" about the slowdown.

He said Aquino must marshal his allies in Congress to pass the law this year.

Aquino, in his Tuesday speech before meeting Murad, highlighted a similar encounter between the two in Japan in 2011 that built momentum in the peace process.

"Trust was established between brothers, and a genuine dialogue was possible," Aquino said.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/89951/aquino-murad-hold-surprise-talks-in-japan-on-delays-in-implementing-peace-pact

After release of 'expansive' map, PH told to brace for China's more aggressive intrusion

From InterAksyon (Jun 26): After release of 'expansive' map, PH told to brace for China's more aggressive intrusion

The Philippines should brace for more aggressive intrusion into its waters by China's navy after the country's publication of a new map covering broader territorial claims over South China Sea, a former lawmaker and national security adviser said Thursday.

"The Chinese navy may be preparing to violate in depth our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with the new China 10-dash line," former Parañaque representative Roilo Golez said.

"We face the danger of the Chinese navy (PLAN) patrolling our seas well within our EEZ and getting close to our territorial sea, with the Chinese navy commanders citing the newly minted map as their authority for violating in depth our EEZ," Golez said.

The new Chinese map, which was first published in January 2013 by China's state mapping authority Sinomap Press, features 10 dashes -- one dash more than its previous demarcation -- marking what it claims as its territory.

Earlier, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs called China's nw official map "exclusively expansive."

Golez said, "China is making a more expansive claim by the simple act of map drawing without basis in law, facts and history."

"This map, even if not an official claim lodged with the UN, is an irresponsible act that destabilizes regional peace and security," Golez said, adding that the new line is closer to Palawan.

"The old nine-dash line was already within our EEZ, at approximately 100 nautical miles, in violation of the UNCLOS (United Nations on the Convention on the Law of the Seas)," he said.

"The new one is much closer, and virtually tangent to our Contiguous Zone, which per UNCLOS, extends between 12 and 14 nautical miles from the coastline, and getting closer to our 12-mile territorial sea," he added.

Golez, national security adviser during the Arroyo administration, said that the lines in the new map are also close to the coastline of North Borneo and deeply penetrating the Natuna Sea of Indonesia.

He said Indonesia and Malaysia are also expected to expreas strong opposition to China's latest move.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/89966/after-release-of-expansive-map-ph-told-to-brace-for-chinas-more-aggressive-intrusion

US scales down anti-terror taskforce in Philippines

Posted to InterAksyon (Jun 26): US scales down anti-terror taskforce in Philippines

The United States is scaling down a taskforce that has been training Philippine troops to hunt down local Al-Qaeda extremists, Manila's defense chief said Thursday.

The group of 500-600 American service personnel rotating through the strife-torn southern Philippines was cut back to 200 starting this year, Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters.

"They were never permanent. They just teach, they train our people and they are satisfied with what we have learned so they are reducing their numbers," he said.

The US-Philippine cooperation had weakened local Islamic extremists "to the point where they have largely devolved into disorganized groups resorting to criminal undertakings to sustain their activities," a US government statement said. The success of the US task force had led the American and Philippine militaries to begin working on a transition plan, it added.

"The task force will no longer exist, but many of the capabilities will remain," the statement said, under what it termed an "augmentation team".

Gazmin said the work of Filipino troops had improved sharply since their US counterparts, primarily special forces, started rotating through the south around 2002, adding that the Americans had also learned "jungle warfare" from the Filipinos.

Gazmin also said that American training and loans of US equipment had played a crucial role in weakening the Abu Sayyaf, a Filipino Muslim extremist group linked to the worst terror attacks in the country's history.

This includes the bombing of a ferry in Manila in 2004 that killed more than 100 people, as well as dozens of kidnappings in the remote and Muslim-populated south, often targeting foreigners including Americans.

Founded in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, the Abu Sayyaf has survived over the past decade by drawing support from poor Muslim communities that have become a fertile recruiting ground.

But it has suffered serious setbacks in recent weeks, including the arrest of one of its top leaders Khair Mundos, listed by the US government as one of its "most wanted" terrorists with a $500,000 reward on his head.

The cutback of US troops in the southern Philippines comes after Washington and Manila signed a new defence agreement in April, allowing American forces greater access to bases in its former colony.Washington announced a "pivot" towards Asia in 2011, including a stronger military presence.

The defense pact also comes as the Philippines seeks more US help in dealing with territorial disputes with an increasingly assertive China.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/89981/us-scales-down-anti-terror-taskforce-in-philippines

US backs PH protest over Chinese reclamation, twits '10-dash' line

From InterAksyon (Jun 27): US backs PH protest over Chinese reclamation, twits '10-dash' line



US Ambassador Philip Goldberg (AFP file)

US Ambassador Philip Goldberg backed the Philippines’ protest over Chinese reclamation in disputed South China Sea territory while twitting China’s new “10-dash” map, saying it had no basis in international law.

The Philippines says the reefs where China has been undertaking reclamation are within its exclusive economic zone.

The US envoy said the creation of artificial islands is not covered by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and that attempts by a country to infringe on another’s lawful use of the seas should be raised as a concern.

"We think that there should be a code of conduct to further that, and perhaps make it mandatory, as opposed to just a document that people agreed to observe, but make it a document that will have some teeth," the envoy told the Philippine Constitution Association in Makati City late Thursday.

"Obviously, artificial creations are not part of that, so I think you can take it from there, and UNCLOS speaks about artificial creations not being the kind of features that would be covered," he added.

On the 10-dash map, Goldberg said: "The basic principle remains the same on the nine-dash line which is that it's not basis in international law to decide these issues, that it is something that the Chinese have articulated as a historical reason on their side, but we don’t see that as that basis."

Goldberg said the Philippine government is right to seek a resolution issues through diplomatic means and lodging protests before the appropriate tribunal, in this case the United Nations.

"We may have historical arguments for many things but we believe that the way forward of settling this issue are through tribunals, code of conduct, observance of declarations of conduct, negotiations directly with parties, not through intimidation but legitimate kinds of discussions like Philippines and Indonesia's agreement on economic zones. It can be done," he said.

The Philippines has filed several protests in recent years over China's growing military and civilian presence in the disputed waters, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.

This month, the country lodged a new protest over China's reclamation on McKennan (Hughes) Reef in the Spratly Islands.

“China’s end game is to have de facto -- if not de jure -- control over adjacent waters, the Western Pacific,” said Richard Javad Heydarian, a political science lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University, in an interview with Bloomberg.

“The only question is if and how it will achieve it. China might need to consider more coercive measures to do so given the hardening resistance of other claimant states,” he added.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/90004/us-backs-ph-protest-over-chinese-reclamation-twits-10-dash-line

Davao’s public safety office uses drone owned by private firm

From MindaNews (Jun 26): Davao’s public safety office uses drone owned by private firm

The city’s Public Safety and Security Command Center has added a heavy-duty unmanned aerial vehicle or drone to its fleet of emergency response vehicles.

PSSCC chief Frank Villaroman posted on Facebook Wednesday the test flight footage of a drone which he said was acquired by his private security firm Black Mace.

Villaroman said the drone cost around P120,000, which was assembled and test-flown in two months.

This includes a “high-end camera” worth P26,000 imported from the United States and attached to the drone’s frame chassis, he said.

“The item was bought by my son for my use in my office,” he clarified.
 
Villaroman said Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte wanted to buy a unit for the city, but “the Commission on Audit is very rigid [in its rules].”

The unit that Villaroman and his team acquired and assembled is a six-wing drone with a battery life of 12 minutes. Its camera could zoom in and record events on the ground while airborne, and can be used during heavy rainfall and at night as it is equipped with infrared vision.

He assured the drone would not be used to violate anybody’s privacy.

Earlier this month, the New People’s Army admitted to kidnapping four contractors of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for reportedly conducting aerial surveillance of the NPA’s camps in Compostela Valley.

The contractors, Ken Wong, Chrisandro Favela, Tim Sabino, and Nico Lasaca, as well as their driver Jonas Loredo, were released upon the intervention of Duterte.

The NPA confiscated three drones from the contractors.

The DENR had denied the drones were used for military purposes, saying they were used for a government forest survey.

“The NPA maintains that the DENR/Skyeye’s anti-logging aerial reconnaissance is merely a pretext to intensify imperialist mining plunder and counter-revolutionary intelligence in Southern Mindanao. The motives of Skyeye’s reconnaissance are suspicious, considering that Maco is not a hotspot for logging as its forests are largely denuded and its mountains mainly mineral-rich,” the rebel group said in a statement dated June 2.

“It would appear that Sky Eye is mainly protecting, if not linked towards the big mining operations in Maco and mountain boundaries of Pantukan and Mabini, areas under the control of foreign large scale mining concessionaires Apex Mining and St. Augustine Mining Corp,” it added.

“The DENR’s UAV use is far from protecting the environment, but is mainly to defend the interest of the big mining companies that are guilty of destroying and plundering our environment.”

“The CPP/NPA hierarchy must not worry about this machine because i am no longer in the armed services,” Villaroman said. “We are not supposed to dip our fingers on purely military matters.”

The drone, he said, is not capable of bringing weapons.

In August last year, Duterte rejected a request from the US government to use the old airport as a launching pad for UAV operations in Mindanao.

Villaroman earlier this year said he was impressed with the capabilities of the Quad Copter Phantom 2 unit, which gave city officials a wider visual perspective of the extent of the damage of the fire that hit barangays 22c and 23c last April 4 and displaced some 3,000 families.

He used the footage and photos from the drone in a presentation to the city council a week after the Isla Verde fire, which wiped out 8.8 hectares of the 12-hectare residential area.

“For example, during a robbery, it would be very easy to spot a car that escaped [from] a crime scene if we had something like that,” Villaroman said in a phone call.

In July last year, police failed to catch two of three SUVs believed to be Monteros that were used by the kidnappers of Manila-based businesswoman Sally Chua despite a city-wide lockdown ordered by Duterte.

Chua was abducted in Manila on July 5, 2013, and was brought to Davao to withdraw P15 million in ransom.

Five alleged kidnappers were shot dead during a rescue operation headed by then city police director Supt. Ronald Dela Rosa.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2014/06/26/davaos-public-safety-office-uses-drone-owned-by-private-firm/

Top criminal killed in Zamboanga province

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Jun 26): Top criminal killed in Zamboanga province

Security forces shot dead two suspected rebels, one of them among Western Mindanao’s most wanted criminals, after they fought off Thursday an attempt by authorities to arrest them in Zamboanga del Norte province, officials said.

Officials said police commandos, backed by soldiers, were armed with a warrant and trying to arrest Jaojin Salam on a coastal village in Gutalac town when the rebel and another armed man opened fire on security forces, sparking a firefight that eventually killed the duo.

The two men were tagged by the police in several kidnappings cases and that Salam was listed as the region’s second most wanted man.

Officials said commandos also recovered two M14 rifles from the slain rebels, who were allegedly allied with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which signed a peace deal with Manila in March.

Details of the police operation were not disclosed by officials, saying security forces were still searching for other members of Salam’s gang also blamed for many highway robberies in Zamboanga provinces.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/06/top-criminal-killed-in-zamboanga.html

CARAT exercise between U.S., PHL Navies opens

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 26): CARAT exercise between U.S., PHL Navies opens

SUBIC BAY, Olongapo City -- The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) between members of the United States Navy (USN) and the Philippine Navy (PN) formally opened on Thursday at the Rivera wharf here.

Rear Admiral Jaime Bernardino, Philippine Fleet commander of the Philippine Navy, declared the formal opening in a simple program on board BRP Ramon Alcaraz.

“I encourage all participants to take advantage of the learning opportunity up ahead. Take advantage of this exercise. Learn and share,” Bernardino said.

Lt. JG Rommel Rodriguez, Philippine Fleet public affairs officer, said 700 sailors from the US Navy and 300 from the Philippine Navy are participating.

USN will deploy three ships and the PN, also three ships.

Docked at the Rivera and Alava wharfs in Subic Bay are BRP Alcaraz and BRP Emilo Jacinto and on the side of the USN, the guided missile destroyer USS John McCain.

Laurene Demsey, USN public affairs officers, said two other ships are arriving to join the guided missile destroyer.

Bernardino said BRP Gregorio del Pilar will also be deployed for the exercise.

He considered BRPs Caparaz and Jacinto as two of the latest ships of the Philippine Navy that will be tested for its capabilities in the exercise, including two newly-acquired helicopters.

Rear Admiral Stuart Munsch, commander of USN Task Force 74, described the two navies as having good working relations since 1995 when the exercise started in the Philippines.

“Each year, the partnership has become better. It is a proud partnership between two countries,” Munsch said.

Commodore Ronald Mercado, offshore combat force commander of the Philippine Navy, said CARAT is on its 20th edition in the Philippines.

CARAT is part of the bilateral exercise between the USN and PN.

Bernardino said the good relation between the two navies was tested in the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda where the two forces quickly and effectively responded.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=657339

Cache of high-powered firearms, ammos recovered in Bacolod City raid

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 26): Cache of high-powered firearms, ammos recovered in Bacolod City raid

A hidden cache of high-powered caliber of firearms and voluminous rounds of live ammunitions were recovered by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in a Wednesday evening raid in Bacolod City.

Report reaching Iloilo City Thursday morning said that operatives of the Regional Intelligence Unit (RIU-6)led by Police Supt. Ronald Alan Gepana swooped down on a house being rented by one Eugene Gawat located along San Carlos Avenue West, Sta. Clara, Banago, Bacolod City.

A thorough search of said house led to the seizure of 16 units of AK-47 assault rifles and live ammunitions inside the Toyota Grandia van parked in the garage inside the compound.

Also recovered inside the subject house were two .45 caliber pistol, two 12-gauge shotgun and a sniper rifle, magazines and hundreds of rounds of live ammos for AK-47 as well as thousands of live ammos of various high-powered caliber bullets.

The raiding team, however, said the subject person was not around during the said police operation that was conducted by virtue of the search warrant issued by Executive Judge Anita Guanzon-Chua of Bacolod City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 51, for violation of Republic Act 10591 or illegal possession of firearms and ammunitions.

The RIU-6 said the suspect was reportedly linked to former Pulupandan Mayor Magdaleno “Magsy” Pena whose residence was also raided by the police before the May polls last year, also for hiding cache of high-powered firearms.

The Bacolod raid which led to the recovery of assault AK-47 rifles and ammunitions also came following the seizure of AK-47 rifles at a checkpoint in Agusan del Sur on Wednesday.

The RIU-6 is presently in the process of verifying with the higher PNP hierarchy to determine if these AK-47 assault rifles recovered in Bacolod raid were part of the missing 1,000 units of AK-47 rifles earlier alleged to have been sold by several erring police officials to the underground rebels.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=657151

Analysis: South China Sea dispute pits power-hungry China against weaker regional neighbours

Australian Broadcasting Network (Jun 21): Analysis: South China Sea dispute pits power-hungry China against weaker regional neighbours

The dispute over the South China Sea pits China against its smaller, weaker regional neighbours.
 
Vietnam is one of them, and right now there is a concerning flash point that could have deep, significant implications for the region.

Around Vietnam you find propaganda billboards denouncing China's actions after it built a billion-dollar oil rig about 200 nautical miles off the Vietnamese coast.

It is condemnation that spilled out onto the streets in the most significant protests seen in the one-party state for many years.

Chinese nationals were forced to flee the country as their businesses were burned to the ground. Beijing says at least four of its nationals were killed.

The oil rig sits about 30 kilometres south of the Paracel Islands, which China says it has irrefutable sovereignty over, along with the Spratly Islands to south.

Vietnam says the islands and the seas around them belong to it, and so the two communist nations are now in the depths of the most serious deterioration of relations since the 1970s.

Vietnam is accusing China of bullying tactics as it tries to force its ships out of the area; China says its smaller neighbour is taunting it, and Beijing has warned its tolerance is low.

In one case Vietnam says a fishing boat was sunk after being rammed by the Chinese.

Beijing rejects the allegation, and accuses Vietnam of sabotage.

China says its boats have been rammed by Vietnam more than 1,000 times and has now gone to the United Nations to try to have the case heard.

Vietnam says there are almost 120 Chinese ships stationed around the oil rig, including warships, but says it will not send military assets to the disputed seas.

It does not want to provoke unwanted hostility from Beijing.

Is China's stance more a show of strength than oil drilling exercise?

There is a question mark over whether China is actually drilling for oil, or even if there is oil below the sea bed, or whether this is much more about military positioning and a show of strength.

Vietnam has the support of the Philippines, which has its own territorial dispute with China.

Troops from the two nations recently gathered on one of the contested islands to play a game of volleyball, a move condemned by China.

Beijing says Vietnam has been forcibly and illegally disrupting operations on the rig.

Several other countries have territorial claims over the waters, including Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.

China claims to have sovereignty over more than 90 per cent of the resource-rich ocean.

Taking a journey close to the Chinese oil rig, you see first-hand the very real tensions at sea.

According to the Vietnamese, just 10 of its coast guard boats are now stationed in the area. One of them is the Coast Guard ship 8003.

With about 40 crew on board, it has been patrolling waters adjacent to the oil rig since May.

Twice a day it ventures closer to within eight nautical miles of the rig and via loudspeaker warns China it is breaching Vietnamese sovereignty and breaking international law and orders them to leave.

In turn, the Chinese chase the ships out of the area, in what looks like a bullfight at sea.

An up-close observation of the tensions provides an appreciation of a maritime power play where the most powerful nation is winning. And it's not Vietnam.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-19/samantha-hawley-analysis-south-china-sea-dispute/5534252

New vertical Chinese map gives greater emphasis to South China Sea claims

From the Australian News Network (Jun 26): New vertical Chinese map gives greater emphasis to South China Sea claims

China map

This image posted on the Twitter account of the official Xinhua news agency shows the new vertical map which emphasises China's South China Sea claims

China has unveiled a new official map of the country giving greater emphasis to its claims on the South China Sea, making the disputed waters and its numerous islets and reefs more clearly seem like national territory.
 
Previous maps published by the government already include China's claims to most of the South China Sea, but in a little box normally in a bottom corner to enable the rest of the country to fit on the map.

The new, longer map dispenses with the box, and shows continental China along with its self-declared sea boundary in the South China Sea - stretching right down to the coasts of Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines - on one complete map.

"The islands of the South China Sea on the traditional map of China are shown in a cut-away box, and readers cannot fully, directly know the full map of China," the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily said on its website.

Old maps make the South China Sea's islands appear more like an appendage rather than an integral part of the country, which the new map makes "obvious with a single glance", the report added.

"This vertical map of China has important meaning for promoting citizens' better understanding of ... maintaining (our) maritime rights and territorial integrity," an unnamed official with the map's publishers told the newspaper.

China's foreign ministry said people should not read too much into the issuing of the new map.

"The goal is to serve the Chinese public. As for the intentions, I think there is no need to make too much of any association here," ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing.

"China's position on the South China Sea issue is consistent and extremely clear. Our stance has not changed."

Beijing claims about 90 percent of the South China Sea, but parts of the potentially energy-rich waters are also subject to claims by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Philippine Foreign Ministry spokesman Charles Jose said the publication of the map showed China's "unreasonably expansive claims" that he said contravened international law.

"And it is precisely such ambitious expansionism that is causing tension in the South China Sea," he told reporters.

Tensions have risen sharply in the region in recent months, especially between China and both Vietnam and the Philippines.

China's positioning of an oil rig in waters claimed by both Beijing and Hanoi last month has lead to rammings at sea between ships from both countries and anti-Chinese violence in Vietnam.



Rich in resources and traversed by a quarter of global shipping, the South China Sea is the stage for several territorial disputes that threaten to escalate tensions in the region.
At the heart of these disputes are a series of barren islands in two groups - the Spratly Islands, off the coast of the Philippines, and the Paracel Islands, off the coasts of Vietnam and China.
 

'Sekyu' falsely accused - and tortured - as a rebel seeks review as DOJ drops AFP, PNP men from raps

From InterAksyon (Jun 26): 'Sekyu' falsely accused - and tortured - as a rebel seeks review as DOJ drops AFP, PNP men from raps



This is how security guard Rolly Panesa looked like soon after he was arrested by military and police intelligence agents who wrongly accused him of being a ranking communist rebel leader. (file photo)

A security guard who had been tortured and detained for close to year after he was mistakenly accused of being a ranking communist rebel has asked the Department of Justice to review a resolution absolving a number of military and police officers of the charges he filed.

The human rights group Karapatan said Rolly Panesa filed his petition for partial review on Thursday after the DOJ dropped Major Generals Alan Luga and Eduardo Del Rosario, police Chief Superintendent James Andres Melad, Senior Superintendent Manuel Abu, and Chief Inspector Reynaldo Mendoza from charges of violating the anti-torture law.

The DOJ also cleared Judge Adocate General Office lawyer Alex Alberto Propanes of icriminatory machination and said there was no probable cause to indict Colonel Generoso Bolina and the military’s “witnesses” -- Luis Grajo Rayos, Michael Rojo Alvarado and Erwin Rosales -- for perjury.

The only ones indicted by the DOJ were Inspector Bonifacio Guevarra, Senior Police Officer 1 Christopher Flores, Police Officers 2 Ariel dela Cruz and Joseph Fernandez, for less serious physical injuries, violation of section 4b (mental and psychological torture) of the anti-torture law (Republic Act 9745), violation of the rights of arrested persons (RA 7438), and grave coercion.

Panesa, a native of Negros Occidental, was arrested by military and police intelligence agents in Cubao, Quezon City on October 5, 2012, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines later claiming to have captured Benjamin Mendoza, an Ilocano who supposedly is a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines’ Central Committee.

The military stuck to its claim even after human rights groups presented evidence Panesa had apparently suffered severe torture after his arrest and despite information tending to disprove that the security guard, then 48, could not be the rebel leader, who was 61 at the time.

On August 27, 2013, the Court of Appeals, acting on a petition for habeas corpus filed on Panesa’s behalf, ordered him released after it was “convinced that this is a case of mistaken identity.” Among others, the appellate court said the evidence presented by the military actually helped demolish its own case, including what it called lies told by the police and the supposed “witnesses” who identified Panesa as Mendoza.

Ironically, two weeks before the CA decision, the military even handed an “informant” a P5.6-million reward for the “capture” of “Mendoza.”

Despite the CA ruling, the military tried to delay Panesa’s release and also attempted to re-file the charges against him.

This prompted Panesa to file his own charges against those responsible for his arrest.

However, in its resolution, the DOJ said while the anti-torture law was violated by state security forces, it belied Panesa’s claims of physical torture, describing the security guard’s injuries as “superficial much less not severe.”

It also said there was no “mental torture at the time of arrest because complainant could not accurately recount what happened after his arrest.”

Reacting to the DOJ findings, Karapatan chair Marie Hilao-Enriquez said: “It is a clear and established fact that Panesa was harassed, intimidated and tortured not only mentally and psychologically but also physically to force him to admit he is ‘Benjamin Mendoza.’ His badly beaten face is a telling evidence that he was heavily tortured, while being interrogated by the PNP and the AFP.”

“The DOJ’s resolution shows how sham the anti-torture law is. This is how the government commemorates today, June 26,  the International Day in Support of Victims of Torturem” she added.

Enriquez maintained that the military and police officers cleared by the DOJ had “obvious knowledge” of the arrest and torture of Panesa.

“They were the brains behind the arrest of Panesa. They even bragged about the capture of this supposedly high-ranking NPA commander with a P5.6 million-peso bounty,” she added.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/89960/sekyu-falsely-accused-of-being-rebel-seeks-review-after-doj-drops-vs-afp-pnp-officials-from-raps

Rep. Lobregat addresses generals on Bangsamoro

From the Zamboanga Today (Jun 26): Rep. Lobregat addresses generals on Bangsamoro

The Association of General and Flag Officers (AGFO) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) last Tuesday, July 24 invited District 1 Congressman Celso Lobregat to address the issue on the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) during its fellowship gathering in Quezon City.
 
Led by Retired LGen. Edilberto Adan, the AGFO which is an organization with more than 700 retired and active duty individuals has keenly followed the CAB, which is now being drafted into the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) before it is submitted to the House of Congress for deliberations and approval.
 
The AGFO’s invitation to Lobregat to talk about the critical issue came barely two weeks after the international community also sought out Lobregat to brief ambassadors and other foreign dignitaries in a roundtable discussion on issues relative to the framework agreement on the Bangsamoro.
 
Gen. Alexander B. Yano, former Chief of Staff, who was one of the attendees said that Lobregat’s presentation was a “very impressive and well researched presentation. Point by point discussion on key points was appreciated by AGFO members.” He further stated that, “most of them had served in Mindanao during the height of the MNLF/MILF rebellion.” Making it “nostalgic and emotional for them.”  
 
Former Southcom Commander and former Commanding General of the Philippine Army, Gen. Generoso Senga very much appreciated Lobregat’s presentation as he said, “Hinimay na ni congressman ang mga issues at ngayon mas madali nang intindihin.”
 
Rep. Lobregat was introduced as the Guest of Honor and Speaker by LGEN Adan, who mentioned that many of the members may already know Rep. Lobregat from their times in service during the 90’s while Rep. Lobregat’s late mother Maria Clara L. Lobregat was serving as Congresswoman then later on as the Mayor of Zamboanga City or during their official visits while Rep. Celso L. Lobregat served Congressman from 1998-2004 or as Mayor of Zamboanga City for 3 terms, 9 years, between 2004-2013.  
 
Rep. Lobregat opened his speech thanking LGEN Adan and AGFO for giving him the honor of speaking to a very influential and patriotic group of Filipinos. He also stated that without the Draft Basic Law the “meat” or the substance of the agreement is still the FAB and its annexes and addendum.
 
Lobregat’s presentation touched upon a number of issues that were taken very seriously by the generals. Among the points discussed include the role of congress in the Bangsamoro, the issue on territory and plebiscite, sovereignty and national integrity.  Lobregat also touched on the constitution and the constitutionality of the Framework Agreement which has also been questioned by legal luminaries such as Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, Retired CA Justice Mario Guariña III and Retired Supreme Court Justice Manuel Lazaro, Chairman of the Philippine Constitutional Association (PHILCONSA).
 
Lobregat further discussed how the Bangsamoro Agreement may worsen the already difficult power situation in Mindano. Also discussed was, the  repeated recognition of the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) in the Annex on Normalization which raises red flags on the Agreement.
 
In the open forum, Lobregat’s presentation was given praise as a well researched and in-depth report by the generals. According LtGEN Oscar Rabena who led the open forum, Lobregat addressed the issue  “not only as a representative of his district but as a representative for our country.”
 
BGen Rosalino A. Alquiza, AFP (Ret), AGFO Director, thanked Lobregat for his presentation and said that the AGFO should abide by its pledge of dedicating themselves “to the preservation of the Republic of the Philippines, so that justice, liberty and democracy shall always prevail in our land.” He then motioned that the AGFO come up with a position paper on the matter.
 
LtGen Adan responded that Lobregat’s presentation and inputs during the forum would be of great help in coming up with AGFO’s position paper on the Bangsamoro.
 
Many of the attendees asked for copies of the presentation, including Gen. Yano, who said that it would serve as a “reference for our own advocacy on the issue on the Bangsamoro.”
 
The AGFO is an organization withmore than 700 retired and active duty individuals whose interests include the preservation of the Republic, the welfare of it’s people and the promotion of the well being of the retirees and veterans of the uniformed services.
 

4 newly-acquired Huey choppers arrive in Clark

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Jun 26): 4 newly-acquired Huey choppers arrive in Clark



File photo

With less than a week before the 67th anniversary of the Philippine Air Force on July 1, four new helicopters arrived at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga as part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization program.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the four new combat utility UH-1′s, also known as Hueys, are part of the 21 units that the AFP acquired from North American suppliers.

He added that the four are being assembled at the air base.

“The four helicopters are being assembled so they can be displayed during the Air Force anniversary,” Gazmin said Thursday.

Lieutenant Colonel Enrico Canaya, PAF spokesman, said the four Hueys arrived Sunday and would be used to transport troops and equipment during disaster response.

Gazmin added that three more Hueys might arrive within the next month.

“There were slight delays in the unloading of equipment in Port Area because of the traffic but hopefully, we will be able to complete all these projects within the year,” Gazmin said.

In December of 2013, the AFP awarded the contract to Rice Aircraft Services Inc. of the United States and Eagle Copters Ltd. of Canada to supply the 21 Hueys worth P1.26 billion.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/614676/4-newly-acquired-huey-choppers-arrive-in-clark

APNewsBreak: US ends Philippines anti-terror force

From the Associated Press (Jun 26): APNewsBreak: US ends Philippines anti-terror force 

After more than a decade of helping fight Islamic militants, the United States is disbanding an anti-terror contingent of hundreds of elite American troops in the southern Philippines where armed groups such as Abu Sayyaf have largely been crippled, officials said Thursday.

But special forces from the U.S. Pacific Command, possibly in smaller numbers, will remain after the deactivation of the Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines (JSOTF-P), to ensure al-Qaida offshoots such as Abu Sayyaf and the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah do not regain lost ground, according to U.S. and Philippine officials.
 
The move marks a new chapter in the long-running battle against an al-Qaida-inspired movement in the southern Philippines, viewed by the U.S. as a key front in the global effort to keep terrorists at bay. It reflects shifting security strategies and focus in economically vibrant Asia, where new concerns such as multiple territorial conflicts involving China have alarmed Washington's allies entangled in the disputes.
 
A year after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the U.S. military established the task force in the southern Philippines to help ill-equipped Filipino forces contain a bloody rampage by Abu Sayyaf gunmen, who carried out bombings, terrorized entire towns and kidnapped more than 100 people, including three Americans.
 
Although U.S. forces are barred by the Philippine Constitution from engaging in combat, the advice, training, military equipment and intelligence, including drone surveillance, that they provided helped the underfunded Philippine military beat back the Abu Sayyaf. U.S.-backed Philippine offensives whittled the militants' ranks from a few thousand fighters - mostly drawn from desperately poor hinterland villages - to about 300 gunmen, who survive on extortion and kidnappings for ransom while dodging military assaults.
 
"Our partnership with the Philippine security forces has been successful in drastically reducing the capabilities of domestic and transnational terrorist groups in the Philippines," U.S. Embassy Press Attache Kurt Hoyer said in a written response to questions sent by email by The Associated Press.
 
The remaining terrorists, he said, "have largely devolved into disorganized groups resorting to criminal undertakings to sustain their activities."
 
That success has led U.S. military planners in coordination with their Philippine counterparts "to begin working on a transition plan where the JSOTF-P as a task force will no longer exist," Hoyer said, adding there were currently about 320 American military personnel left in the south.
 
Before the drawdown, about 500 to 600 Americans had been deployed there.
 
Hoyer said a still-unspecified number of U.S. military personnel would remain under a new unit called the PACOM Augmentation Team to provide Filipino forces with counterterrorism and combat training and advice, and "ensure that violent extremist organizations don't regain a foothold in the southern Philippines."
 
He suggested the remaining American staff would move away from training exercises to working with Philippine security forces at unified commands and headquarters units.
 
The timing of such withdrawals from counterterrorism campaigns from the southern Philippines to Afghanistan has been a dilemma for the U.S., which must ensure that remaining extremist forces are not able to bounce back.
 
While Abu Sayyaf attacks have considerably gone down, ransom kidnappings have increased, with some militants even crossing into neighboring Malaysia to snatch tourists.
 
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Philippine officials have been notified of the U.S. move and expressed confidence that Filipino forces could deal with any lingering threat in the south, scene of a decades-long Muslim separatist rebellion in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation.
 
Gazmin said that with the scaling down of the U.S. presence in the south, the Americans would renew a presence elsewhere in the country to help address another security concern - China's increasingly assertive behavior in the disputed South China Sea, where Beijing, Manila and four other governments have been locked in increasingly tense territorial disputes.
 
"It's like they never left," he said.
 
After closing down military bases in the Philippines in 1991, the U.S. signed a 10-year pact in April with Manila, a defense treaty ally, that will allow possibly thousands of American forces temporary access to selected military camps and enable them to preposition fighter jets and ships.
 
The Philippines' efforts to protect its territory have dovetailed with Washington's aim to pivot away from years of heavy military engagement in the Middle East to Asia, partly as a counterweight to China's rising clout.
 
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