From the Sun Star-Davao (Apr 25): Rebels seize soldier in Makilala checkpoint
MEMBERS of the New People's Army (NPA) attacked a military checkpoint and took as prisoner a soldier of the 7th Infantry Battalion-602nd Brigade in Barangay Malasila, Makilala town in North Cotabato province around 4:50 a.m. last April 21, 2016.
In an emailed press release by Dencio Madrigal, identifying himself as spokesperson of the NPA-Far Southern Mindanao Region's Valentin Palamine Command, the soldier was identified as Private First Class Edgardo Hilaga.
The NPA assured that the 24-year-old soldier will be “treated leniently while undergoing investigation for his involvement in war crimes and human rights abuses committed by the 7th IB in North Cotabato”.
In the same statement, the NPA also warned politicians campaigning in areas, which they claimed as part of their territories, not to carry firearms, buy votes, and put out “anti-people propaganda" lest they be taken as captives.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2016/04/25/rebels-seize-soldier-makilala-checkpoint-469854
Monday, April 25, 2016
Aquino to end term failing to crush revolutionary movement
From the often pro-Communist Party of the Philippines publication, The Davao Today (Apr 26): NDF: Aquino to end term failing to crush revolutionary movement
The National Democratic Front said President Benigno Aquino III will be ending his term “frustrated” in defeating the revolutionary movement in Mindanao.
In a statement in celebrating the NDF’s 43rd year anniversary, NDF Mindanao spokesman Jorge Madlos, nom de guerre Ka Oris, said since the Marcos dictatorship in the 1970s, “the NDFP, with its allied organizations, has supported and coordinated closely with the New People’s Army in successfully frustrating all the successive fascist internal security and operational plans until the current Oplan Bayanihan (OPB) of the US-Aquino III regime.”
“Under the OPB of Mr. Aquino, the NDFP has fought against and withstood the brutal attacks and campaigns of the AFP, PNP and paramilitary forces in both cities and the countryside. In Mindanao, there has been an unprecedented surge in the armed struggle despite the 60 percent deployment of AFP troops in the island,” said Madlos.
Madlos said as of April this year the NPAs in Mindanao launched “at least 750” tactical offensives against government troops.
“For the same period, the enemy forces sustained casualties of over 700 killed in action and over 500 wounded in action,” said Madlos.
Madlos said the number of NPA guerrilla fronts in Mindanao has increased from only 40 in 2010 to 46 by the first quarter of 2016.
“In more than 200 cities and municipalities in Mindanao, these guerrilla fronts, from only 1,850 barrios in 2010, presently cover 2,500 barrios, a third of which is consolidated, and many are with standing Organs of Political Power or people’s revolutionary government at barrio and, some, at municipal levels,” he said.
Madlos also claimed that the NPA’s fighting capacity has increased from “a few thousand Red fighters with more or less 10,000 high powered rifles” in 2013, to “more than a hundred formations of squads, platoons and companies” as of March 29, 2016, coinciding with the 44th anniversary of the NPAs.
Belligerent status
The NDF was founded on April 24, 1973.
Madlos said in 1980, the International Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal “recognized the NDFP as a legitimate representative of the Filipino people, which affirmed the revolutionary movement’s status of belligerency.”
Upon its establishment, Madlos said the NDFP put forward a 12-point program that “guided the Filipino people on the path of the new democratic revolution with a socialist perspective for the overthrow of the semi-feudal and semi-colonial system.”
“The NDFP recognizes the political leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It upholds revolutionary armed struggle led by the New People’s Army as the primary form of struggle,” said Madlos.
“It also upholds genuine land reform as the main content of the new democratic revolution, and, national industrialization as the leading factor towards a self-reliant economy,” he added.
At present Madlos said the struggle for genuine agrarian reform including “free distribution of land to till, reduction in the rent of land, tools, implements and farm animals, increase in the wages of farm workers, increase in the farm gate prices of agricultural products, reduction of usury, lowering of prices of farm inputs and basic commodities, and the launching of campaigns to improve cooperative production, self-reliant economy,” have earned support from the people.
“In the whole of Mindanao, the mass base, which covers millions in the populace, has continued to expand, where the number of masses who are direct members of revolutionary mass organizations rose from 130,000 in 2010 to 200,000 at present,” he said.
Madlos added that the NDFP has also established and sustained alliances with Moro revolutionary groups.
Commitment to peace
Since 2010 the peace talks between the NDF and the government have stalled.
However, the NDF said that it has upheld its program of just and lasting peace through peace negotiations with the government despite its “refusal to honor previously signed agreements.”
“Since 2010, the US-Aquino III regime repeatedly sabotaged the peace process through co-optation, imposition of capitulation as a precondition, and infliction of brutal attacks against NDF consultants who are JASIG protected, and, in Utrecht, the Netherlands, the harassment of the NDF’s chief negotiators and consultants and the surveillance and raid of the international office,” said Madlos.
But as its gesture of commitment to continue the peace negotiations, Madlos said they have released 61 prisoners of war in Mindanao.
Currently, there are 11 POWs under the custody of the NPA in Mindanao, which include five police officers captured on April 16 in Paquibato, Davao City.
http://davaotoday.com/main/politics/ndf-aquino-to-end-term-failing-to-crush-revolutionary-movement/
The National Democratic Front said President Benigno Aquino III will be ending his term “frustrated” in defeating the revolutionary movement in Mindanao.
In a statement in celebrating the NDF’s 43rd year anniversary, NDF Mindanao spokesman Jorge Madlos, nom de guerre Ka Oris, said since the Marcos dictatorship in the 1970s, “the NDFP, with its allied organizations, has supported and coordinated closely with the New People’s Army in successfully frustrating all the successive fascist internal security and operational plans until the current Oplan Bayanihan (OPB) of the US-Aquino III regime.”
“Under the OPB of Mr. Aquino, the NDFP has fought against and withstood the brutal attacks and campaigns of the AFP, PNP and paramilitary forces in both cities and the countryside. In Mindanao, there has been an unprecedented surge in the armed struggle despite the 60 percent deployment of AFP troops in the island,” said Madlos.
Madlos said as of April this year the NPAs in Mindanao launched “at least 750” tactical offensives against government troops.
“For the same period, the enemy forces sustained casualties of over 700 killed in action and over 500 wounded in action,” said Madlos.
Madlos said the number of NPA guerrilla fronts in Mindanao has increased from only 40 in 2010 to 46 by the first quarter of 2016.
“In more than 200 cities and municipalities in Mindanao, these guerrilla fronts, from only 1,850 barrios in 2010, presently cover 2,500 barrios, a third of which is consolidated, and many are with standing Organs of Political Power or people’s revolutionary government at barrio and, some, at municipal levels,” he said.
Madlos also claimed that the NPA’s fighting capacity has increased from “a few thousand Red fighters with more or less 10,000 high powered rifles” in 2013, to “more than a hundred formations of squads, platoons and companies” as of March 29, 2016, coinciding with the 44th anniversary of the NPAs.
Belligerent status
The NDF was founded on April 24, 1973.
Madlos said in 1980, the International Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal “recognized the NDFP as a legitimate representative of the Filipino people, which affirmed the revolutionary movement’s status of belligerency.”
Upon its establishment, Madlos said the NDFP put forward a 12-point program that “guided the Filipino people on the path of the new democratic revolution with a socialist perspective for the overthrow of the semi-feudal and semi-colonial system.”
“The NDFP recognizes the political leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It upholds revolutionary armed struggle led by the New People’s Army as the primary form of struggle,” said Madlos.
“It also upholds genuine land reform as the main content of the new democratic revolution, and, national industrialization as the leading factor towards a self-reliant economy,” he added.
At present Madlos said the struggle for genuine agrarian reform including “free distribution of land to till, reduction in the rent of land, tools, implements and farm animals, increase in the wages of farm workers, increase in the farm gate prices of agricultural products, reduction of usury, lowering of prices of farm inputs and basic commodities, and the launching of campaigns to improve cooperative production, self-reliant economy,” have earned support from the people.
“In the whole of Mindanao, the mass base, which covers millions in the populace, has continued to expand, where the number of masses who are direct members of revolutionary mass organizations rose from 130,000 in 2010 to 200,000 at present,” he said.
Madlos added that the NDFP has also established and sustained alliances with Moro revolutionary groups.
Commitment to peace
Since 2010 the peace talks between the NDF and the government have stalled.
However, the NDF said that it has upheld its program of just and lasting peace through peace negotiations with the government despite its “refusal to honor previously signed agreements.”
“Since 2010, the US-Aquino III regime repeatedly sabotaged the peace process through co-optation, imposition of capitulation as a precondition, and infliction of brutal attacks against NDF consultants who are JASIG protected, and, in Utrecht, the Netherlands, the harassment of the NDF’s chief negotiators and consultants and the surveillance and raid of the international office,” said Madlos.
But as its gesture of commitment to continue the peace negotiations, Madlos said they have released 61 prisoners of war in Mindanao.
Currently, there are 11 POWs under the custody of the NPA in Mindanao, which include five police officers captured on April 16 in Paquibato, Davao City.
http://davaotoday.com/main/politics/ndf-aquino-to-end-term-failing-to-crush-revolutionary-movement/
Military’s dilemma: Balancing territorial, internal defense tasks
From the Business Mirror (Apr 25): Military’s dilemma: Balancing territorial, internal defense tasks
In Photo: In this December 24, 2015, photo, provided by Filipino fisherman Renato Etac, a Chinese Coast Guard boat approaches Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
In Photo: In this December 24, 2015, photo, provided by Filipino fisherman Renato Etac, a Chinese Coast Guard boat approaches Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
FOR the past six years, the military has steadily shifted its focus to territorial from internal defense with President Aquino’s modest, but nevertheless, billions of pesos worth acquisition of jet fighters and warships—something that was not accomplished by the previous three administrations combined.
The spin toward the territorial defense posture was influenced by two factors: the urgent need for the country to secure its stakes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) in the face of an aggressive and determined China and the “illusion” that the Maoist-inspired insurgency that has pestered and tormented the country for decades is on the retreat and will be over in a couple of years.
The deceiving belief was etched under and buttressed by the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) Bayanihan, a counterinsurgency campaign that was crafted by former Military Operations Chief Emmanuel Bautista, who was later catapulted to chief of staff.
IPSP Bayanihan is designed to break the three-pronged war that the Armed Forces has been waging against communist rebels, Moro separatists and the bandit Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and even other lawless groups.
However, just two months before the end of the term of the Aquino administration and Bautista already retired for nearly two years, the whole-of-government approach that is Bayanihan is following the track of the other previously military-initiated operational plan—a failed experiment.
At least two reasons were offered by some why the internal security plan Bayanihan—which was supposed to end the country’s domestic threats, more particularly from the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (NPA)-National Democratic Front—was a failure or is failing.
One, because defense and military planners have put too much emphasis on the country’s territorial-defense needs that they have negated or failed to balance the equally pressing need for the country to address its internal security threats, reacting only when the government is attacked by NPA rebels, Abu Sayyaf bandits and even by other lawless groups.
Two, because the Armed Forces is already lost in the notion that IPSP Bayanihan is successfully breaking the backbone of all the threat groups and even showing the exit to the rebels and to the terrorists and bandits in Mindanao.
While it may be true that the memberships of the NPA and the ASG are on the decline as constantly drumbeated by military apologists—owing to the figures of neutralized personalities and key leaders—both groups, though smaller in number, were, however, bolder and more daring, as shown by their encounters with the government during the past couple of weeks.
“The problem with the government is it is totally sold to the idea that Bayanihan is winning. It refuses to reexamine or reevaluate it to the point that it rejects or gloss over facts,” one military observer said.
The government has already scored an initial victory against Moro secessionism, archiving it through the peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), but its conflict with the NPA and the Abu Sayyaf remains, with the two groups escalating it.
From north to south, the rebels tagged by the government as “terrorists” scored successful attacks, even detonating homemade bombs in 11 areas in Masbate on a single day and engaging troops in Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Oriental Mindoro, some places in the Bicol region and the rebel-infested areas in Southern Tagalog.
On the occasion of the NPA’s 47th anniversary in late March, the rebels put up at least seven checkpoints in broad daylight in Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte and in Bukidnon, something that the NPA has not done in many years.
In February eight policemen were killed and several others were wounded in a series of ambushes and attacks in Cagayan, Bukidnon and Negros, which the military said were part of the rebel group’s extortion activities.
On April 16 the rebels also raided a military detachment in Paquibato District, Davao City, taking away several high-powered firearms and five policemen who had the misfortune of passing a checkpoint that they have put up.
In a surprise move, the military, which has been calling the NPA for years as a “terrorist group” and does so whenever it encounter its members, branded those behind the Davao City attack as a “lawless group.”
The Abu Sayyaf, on the other hand, killed at least 18 soldiers and wounded 57 others in a series of skirmishes just two weeks ago in Basilan, while recently in Tawi-tawi and even Sabah, it has snatched more than a dozen of Malaysian and Indonesian boat crewmen in three separate kidnappings.
During the encounter in Basilan, the government killed a Moroccan jihadist, while two months ago, an Indonesian militant was killed in a massive military operation in Lanao del Norte. The operation in Lanao del Norte uncovered the operations and existence of what the military said was a “foreign-affiliated terrorist group” in the country.
The deaths of the two foreign jihadists and even the acts of the Abu Sayya and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in pledging their allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) has confirmed directly or indirectly the presence of the Arab-based terrorist group in the country.
However, for the sake of IPSP Bayanihan, the military refused to acknowledge the presence and existence of Isil in the country, even when reports tell it so. The BIFF broke away from the MILF during the implementation of the “cure all” IPSP Bayanihan.
On assets and equipment, most, if not all, of the acquisitions made by the military was for territorial defense, with the exceptions of M-4 carbines, refurbished armored vehicles and seven alleged poorly repaired UH-1D helicopters, one of which even crashed under questionable circumstances.
NDFP now 43 years old
From the Manila Times (Apr 25): NDFP now 43 years old
The Manila Times rarely runs news and commentary pieces about the Philippine Left. Because of that we presume that most readers, specially the younger professionals, entrepreneurs and other businesspeople who make up the large majority of our readership, have very little exposure to what the “extreme left” – i.e., the Filipino Communists and their allies – are thinking and saying.
We are taking the opportunity of the anniversary of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines to give readers factual look at this outlook by publishing in full a letter from NDFP leaders in detention greeting the NDFP on the occasion of its 43rd anniversary last Sunday. It is on P5.
The authors describe the NDFP as “a solid and deep alliance of 18 national democratic revolutionary organizations with millions in total membership throughout the country and abroad” which “has consistently been growing and gaining significant inroads through the wide swath of struggles these patriotic and progressive people’s organizations have been waging, in the interest of the mass of the Filipino people, in the country and abroad.”
They add: “The NDFP has been carrying on revolutionary struggles of the Filipino people and its various sectors in the country and abroad. Its revolutionary activities have been ranging from arousing, educating, and organizing the masses; waging of mass struggles for agrarian reform, production, health care, environmental protection; waging of revolutionary armed struggle; and building local organs of political power. It has also been promoting extra-parliamentary struggles, and forging various levels of unities and cooperation with other revolutionary, patriotic and other allied forces in the country.”
The existence of the Communist Party of the Philippines, whose military arm is the New People’s Army, is a significant reality of Philippine life. This is true if only because a very great part of the Philippine national budget devoted to the military is used in the government’s effort to contain or terminate the New People’s Army and with it the armed strength of the Communist Party.
Also an important Philippine reality is the existence of the National Democratic Front, which in various ways contributes leftist thinking in many aspects of Philippine life.
Patriotic Filipinos, including businessmen and professionals, do not really know our country as well as they should if they did not know the National Democratic Front and its member organizations and affiliates.
http://www.manilatimes.net/ndfp-now-43-years-old/258378/
The Manila Times rarely runs news and commentary pieces about the Philippine Left. Because of that we presume that most readers, specially the younger professionals, entrepreneurs and other businesspeople who make up the large majority of our readership, have very little exposure to what the “extreme left” – i.e., the Filipino Communists and their allies – are thinking and saying.
We are taking the opportunity of the anniversary of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines to give readers factual look at this outlook by publishing in full a letter from NDFP leaders in detention greeting the NDFP on the occasion of its 43rd anniversary last Sunday. It is on P5.
The authors describe the NDFP as “a solid and deep alliance of 18 national democratic revolutionary organizations with millions in total membership throughout the country and abroad” which “has consistently been growing and gaining significant inroads through the wide swath of struggles these patriotic and progressive people’s organizations have been waging, in the interest of the mass of the Filipino people, in the country and abroad.”
They add: “The NDFP has been carrying on revolutionary struggles of the Filipino people and its various sectors in the country and abroad. Its revolutionary activities have been ranging from arousing, educating, and organizing the masses; waging of mass struggles for agrarian reform, production, health care, environmental protection; waging of revolutionary armed struggle; and building local organs of political power. It has also been promoting extra-parliamentary struggles, and forging various levels of unities and cooperation with other revolutionary, patriotic and other allied forces in the country.”
The existence of the Communist Party of the Philippines, whose military arm is the New People’s Army, is a significant reality of Philippine life. This is true if only because a very great part of the Philippine national budget devoted to the military is used in the government’s effort to contain or terminate the New People’s Army and with it the armed strength of the Communist Party.
Also an important Philippine reality is the existence of the National Democratic Front, which in various ways contributes leftist thinking in many aspects of Philippine life.
Patriotic Filipinos, including businessmen and professionals, do not really know our country as well as they should if they did not know the National Democratic Front and its member organizations and affiliates.
http://www.manilatimes.net/ndfp-now-43-years-old/258378/
Video showing Duterte praising NPA goes viral
From the Manila Times (Apr 26): Video showing Duterte praising NPA goes viral
A video showing Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte cursing Pope Francis and praising the New People’s Army (NPA) went viral after television networks refused to air it.
The video, titled “Pamana ni Duterte,” viewed and shared by thousands in different social media sites, was originally made as an advertisement material but TV networks turned it down because it allegedly did not pass “ethical standards.”
One part of the video shows Duterte cursing and blaming Pope Francis for causing traffic when he visited the Philippines last year.
Another clip shows the mayor threatening workers that he will kill them if they don’t stop organizing unions.
Another clip shows Duterte announcing that it will be bloody if he becomes President.
He was also shown attending a gathering of the New People’s Army and shouting “Mabuhay ang [Long live] NPA!”
The video became controversial as it shows children imitating Duterte’s rude and dirty words.
Some people who watched the video said it should be aired so that voters can assess Duterte as a presidential candidate.
http://www.manilatimes.net/video-showing-duterte-praising-npa-goes-viral/258416/
A video showing Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte cursing Pope Francis and praising the New People’s Army (NPA) went viral after television networks refused to air it.
The video, titled “Pamana ni Duterte,” viewed and shared by thousands in different social media sites, was originally made as an advertisement material but TV networks turned it down because it allegedly did not pass “ethical standards.”
One part of the video shows Duterte cursing and blaming Pope Francis for causing traffic when he visited the Philippines last year.
Another clip shows the mayor threatening workers that he will kill them if they don’t stop organizing unions.
Another clip shows Duterte announcing that it will be bloody if he becomes President.
He was also shown attending a gathering of the New People’s Army and shouting “Mabuhay ang [Long live] NPA!”
The video became controversial as it shows children imitating Duterte’s rude and dirty words.
Some people who watched the video said it should be aired so that voters can assess Duterte as a presidential candidate.
http://www.manilatimes.net/video-showing-duterte-praising-npa-goes-viral/258416/
VIDEO | 5 captive policemen turned over by NPA rebels to Duterte
From InterAksyon (Apr 25): VIDEO | 5 captive policemen turned over by NPA rebels to Duterte
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (C) is seen walking with security escorts after the release of five abducted police officers in Paquibato District April 25, 2016. TV5 SCREENSHOT
(UPDATED WITH VIDEO) The five police officers abducted by communist New People's Army (NPA) rebels on April 16 in Davao City have been turned by their captors to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Monday after the presidential candidate facilitated their release.
The five policemen - Paquibato Chief of Police C/Inspector Leonardo Tarungoy, PO3 Rosenie Cabuenas, PO3 Rudolph Pacete, PO2 Neil Arellano, and PO3 Abdul Azis Ali – were released to Duterte at past 4 p.m. Monday in Purok 1, Barangay Lumiad, Paquibato District.
They were released after Duterte on Sunday night sealed the negotiation with the NPA rebels who abducted them following an attack of the 72nd Infantry Battalion CAA (Civilian Armed Auxiliary) detachment on April 16 in Sitio Quimanao, Barangay Salapawan, Paquibato District.
Their release also followed a video released by the NPA with PO3 Pacete asking his family not to worry as they had been treated well during their 10-day captivity.
Duterte turned over the five officers to Police Regional Office (PRO)-11 Director Manuel Gaerlan at Camp Quintin M. Merecido in Catitipan, Davao City.
Also present were the officers' family members.
All five are now undergoing medical check-up and debriefing.
This was confirmed by Chief Inspector Milgrace Driz, Davao City Police spokesperson, who said that the five police officers "arrived safely at PRO-11 on board a helicopter together with Mayor Rodrigo Duterte from Barangay Lumiad".
At the same time, Duterte emphasized that he is not left-leaning although he could talk the same language as that of the communists.
"I am not (a communist)...I do not subscribe to their armed struggle," he said, in answer to some allegations that he supports the NPA rebel group.
When asked if there was a demand from the rebels in exchange for the release, Duterte implied there was none adding that the rebels owe him a lot.
During the release, the mayor said the rebels admitted to have abducted the policemen because of the belief that they were sent to the place as reinforcement of the Army.
He said he reminded the rebels of their "gentlemen's agreement" to spare the police from any form of armed encounter because they were only fulfilling their task of ensuring the safety of civilian residents against criminality. He added that investigating an incident, such as the attack of the CAA detachment, was part of police work.
"All is well that ends well," Duterte said in his message during the turnover.
Watch a News5 video report:
With this development, the mayor urged the police to continue with their work. "Do not be afraid to go to the mountains," he stressed.
He, however, advised police officers to be extra careful next time. "Armado talaga mga yan (They are really armed). Just introduce that you are there to investigate an incident. Keep calm you are not fighting an appropriate enemy," he said.
Duterte recalled he was also once a victim of NPA atrocity when the rebels drove into a deep ravine a government equipment for road projects in Paquibato during the early years of his term as mayor. He said it cost the city some P2 million. He also cited an incident when he was nearly killed by the rebels.
Meanwhile, PNP Director Gaerlan called the police officers "heroes" because they were abducted while in the performance of their duty. He also thanked Mayor Duterte for facilitating their release.
He condemned the incident and declared they will not be cowed by threats of armed groups to fulfill their duties.
The turnover was capped with the mayor allowing the police officers to go on vacation for needed rest. He also promised them a vacation to Hong Kong with their family after the elections.
Although his lead widened in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey of presidential candidates, Duterte said he does not believe in its results.
Asked about Mar Roxas’ challenge for Duterte to withdraw his candidacy if it was proven that PhilHealth helped residents in Davao City, the mayor did not take on the dare.
Duterte called Roxas a “liar”, saying that as chief executive of the city government he signs documents about PhilHealth, and there was no coverage for employees.
http://interaksyon.com/article/126926/5-abducted-police-officers-freed-in-davao-city
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (C) is seen walking with security escorts after the release of five abducted police officers in Paquibato District April 25, 2016. TV5 SCREENSHOT
(UPDATED WITH VIDEO) The five police officers abducted by communist New People's Army (NPA) rebels on April 16 in Davao City have been turned by their captors to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Monday after the presidential candidate facilitated their release.
The five policemen - Paquibato Chief of Police C/Inspector Leonardo Tarungoy, PO3 Rosenie Cabuenas, PO3 Rudolph Pacete, PO2 Neil Arellano, and PO3 Abdul Azis Ali – were released to Duterte at past 4 p.m. Monday in Purok 1, Barangay Lumiad, Paquibato District.
They were released after Duterte on Sunday night sealed the negotiation with the NPA rebels who abducted them following an attack of the 72nd Infantry Battalion CAA (Civilian Armed Auxiliary) detachment on April 16 in Sitio Quimanao, Barangay Salapawan, Paquibato District.
Their release also followed a video released by the NPA with PO3 Pacete asking his family not to worry as they had been treated well during their 10-day captivity.
Duterte turned over the five officers to Police Regional Office (PRO)-11 Director Manuel Gaerlan at Camp Quintin M. Merecido in Catitipan, Davao City.
Also present were the officers' family members.
All five are now undergoing medical check-up and debriefing.
This was confirmed by Chief Inspector Milgrace Driz, Davao City Police spokesperson, who said that the five police officers "arrived safely at PRO-11 on board a helicopter together with Mayor Rodrigo Duterte from Barangay Lumiad".
At the same time, Duterte emphasized that he is not left-leaning although he could talk the same language as that of the communists.
"I am not (a communist)...I do not subscribe to their armed struggle," he said, in answer to some allegations that he supports the NPA rebel group.
When asked if there was a demand from the rebels in exchange for the release, Duterte implied there was none adding that the rebels owe him a lot.
During the release, the mayor said the rebels admitted to have abducted the policemen because of the belief that they were sent to the place as reinforcement of the Army.
He said he reminded the rebels of their "gentlemen's agreement" to spare the police from any form of armed encounter because they were only fulfilling their task of ensuring the safety of civilian residents against criminality. He added that investigating an incident, such as the attack of the CAA detachment, was part of police work.
"All is well that ends well," Duterte said in his message during the turnover.
Watch a News5 video report:
With this development, the mayor urged the police to continue with their work. "Do not be afraid to go to the mountains," he stressed.
He, however, advised police officers to be extra careful next time. "Armado talaga mga yan (They are really armed). Just introduce that you are there to investigate an incident. Keep calm you are not fighting an appropriate enemy," he said.
Duterte recalled he was also once a victim of NPA atrocity when the rebels drove into a deep ravine a government equipment for road projects in Paquibato during the early years of his term as mayor. He said it cost the city some P2 million. He also cited an incident when he was nearly killed by the rebels.
Meanwhile, PNP Director Gaerlan called the police officers "heroes" because they were abducted while in the performance of their duty. He also thanked Mayor Duterte for facilitating their release.
He condemned the incident and declared they will not be cowed by threats of armed groups to fulfill their duties.
The turnover was capped with the mayor allowing the police officers to go on vacation for needed rest. He also promised them a vacation to Hong Kong with their family after the elections.
Although his lead widened in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey of presidential candidates, Duterte said he does not believe in its results.
Asked about Mar Roxas’ challenge for Duterte to withdraw his candidacy if it was proven that PhilHealth helped residents in Davao City, the mayor did not take on the dare.
Duterte called Roxas a “liar”, saying that as chief executive of the city government he signs documents about PhilHealth, and there was no coverage for employees.
http://interaksyon.com/article/126926/5-abducted-police-officers-freed-in-davao-city
Who are Abu Sayyaf, the group apparently behind the death of Canadian John Ridsdel?
From the National Post (Apr 25): Who are Abu Sayyaf, the group apparently behind the death of Canadian John Ridsdel?
A masked Abu Sayyaf gunman and other rebels gather outside the mosque in Bandang in Jolo island. ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images
In a two-minute video filmed somewhere in the southern Philippine jungle, a diminutive militant with a black mask and a childlike voice read out his “ultimatum” to behead a Canadian hostage unless he was paid an $8-million ransom.
“God is Great,” the gunmen around him chanted.
After officials confirmed Monday that hostage John Ridsdel had been killed, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it “an act of cold-blooded murder” by a “terrorist group” and said Canada would “pursue those responsible for this heinous act.”
But Zachary Abuza, a leading scholar on terrorism in Southeast Asia, isn’t convinced the kidnappers should be called terrorists. Although they project that image and wave ISIL flags, he believes that is theatre meant to drive up their demands.
“I’m not even sure they have a political agenda,” said Abuza, a professor at the Naval War College in Washington, D.C., who has written extensively about Abu Sayyaf. “They like to think they do but, I mean, they don’t have a very clear stated political goal.”
Abu Sayyaf was founded in 1991 by Abdurajak Janjalani, a Filipino who had been part of an international brigade that fought the Soviets in Afghanistan. He and his brother, Khaddafy, who replaced him after his death, advocated for the creation of an Islamic state in the Muslim-majority southern Philippines.
The group was financed by a Saudi businessman named Mohammed Jama Khalifa, according to a Council of Foreign Relations report. But kidnapping for ransom eventually became “the main funding mechanism for the group,” said the Australian government’s national security website.
The Canadian government similarly defines Abu Sayyaf largely as a kidnapping racket. “Ostensibly, the group’s goal is the establishment of an Islamic state government by sharia law,” according to the Public Safety Canada website. “In practice, however, the ASG primarily uses terrorism for profit.”
Abu Sayyaf is composed of between 200 and 400 fighters spread across the Sulu Archipelago, most of them young Filipino Muslims, although the Australian government’s listing said that, “ASG membership at times has included foreign jihadists.”
Abuza said Abu Sayyaf’s claim to be a Muslim separatist movement was undermined by its lack of a mass following. The group has done practically nothing to win over the local population and has not demonstrated a grasp of the faith it claims to follow, he said.
“I don’t think they would know a Koran if it fell from the sky and hit them in the head. I really do think that they are a very opportunistic kidnap-for-ransom gang that is constantly able to forge connections with other groups,” the professor said.
While Abu Sayyaf was once aligned with al-Qaida, it recently pledged allegiance to ISIL. The ISIL flag appeared in the background of the videos it released demanding money to spare Ridsdel, his fellow Canadian Robert Hall, a Norwegian man and a Filipino woman.
There is little evidence, however, of meaningful ties between the ASG and ISIL, said Abuza. For example, ASG members have not been turning up in Syria and Iraq, he said. He believes the ASG is exploiting the ISIL brand for shock value.
“I certainly think it’s done to increase the psychological pressure on the captives, their families and their government. They’ve only pulled out the IS imagery when they’ve kidnapped Westerners, never any of the Asians or Filipinos,” he said.
When they haven’t received the ransoms they wanted Abu Sayyaf, which means “Bearers of the Sword,” has beheaded its hostages, including a Malaysian last November. “They’ve done this many times before, this is not the first time,” Abuza said.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/who-are-abu-sayyaf-the-group-apparently-behind-the-death-of-canadian-john-ridsdel
A masked Abu Sayyaf gunman and other rebels gather outside the mosque in Bandang in Jolo island. ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images
In a two-minute video filmed somewhere in the southern Philippine jungle, a diminutive militant with a black mask and a childlike voice read out his “ultimatum” to behead a Canadian hostage unless he was paid an $8-million ransom.
“God is Great,” the gunmen around him chanted.
After officials confirmed Monday that hostage John Ridsdel had been killed, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it “an act of cold-blooded murder” by a “terrorist group” and said Canada would “pursue those responsible for this heinous act.”
But Zachary Abuza, a leading scholar on terrorism in Southeast Asia, isn’t convinced the kidnappers should be called terrorists. Although they project that image and wave ISIL flags, he believes that is theatre meant to drive up their demands.
Abu Sayyaf was founded in 1991 by Abdurajak Janjalani, a Filipino who had been part of an international brigade that fought the Soviets in Afghanistan. He and his brother, Khaddafy, who replaced him after his death, advocated for the creation of an Islamic state in the Muslim-majority southern Philippines.
The group was financed by a Saudi businessman named Mohammed Jama Khalifa, according to a Council of Foreign Relations report. But kidnapping for ransom eventually became “the main funding mechanism for the group,” said the Australian government’s national security website.
The Canadian government similarly defines Abu Sayyaf largely as a kidnapping racket. “Ostensibly, the group’s goal is the establishment of an Islamic state government by sharia law,” according to the Public Safety Canada website. “In practice, however, the ASG primarily uses terrorism for profit.”
Abu Sayyaf is composed of between 200 and 400 fighters spread across the Sulu Archipelago, most of them young Filipino Muslims, although the Australian government’s listing said that, “ASG membership at times has included foreign jihadists.”
Abuza said Abu Sayyaf’s claim to be a Muslim separatist movement was undermined by its lack of a mass following. The group has done practically nothing to win over the local population and has not demonstrated a grasp of the faith it claims to follow, he said.
“I don’t think they would know a Koran if it fell from the sky and hit them in the head. I really do think that they are a very opportunistic kidnap-for-ransom gang that is constantly able to forge connections with other groups,” the professor said.
Trudeau blasts \'heinous\' killing of Canadian in Philippines
While Abu Sayyaf was once aligned with al-Qaida, it recently pledged allegiance to ISIL. The ISIL flag appeared in the background of the videos it released demanding money to spare Ridsdel, his fellow Canadian Robert Hall, a Norwegian man and a Filipino woman.
There is little evidence, however, of meaningful ties between the ASG and ISIL, said Abuza. For example, ASG members have not been turning up in Syria and Iraq, he said. He believes the ASG is exploiting the ISIL brand for shock value.
“I certainly think it’s done to increase the psychological pressure on the captives, their families and their government. They’ve only pulled out the IS imagery when they’ve kidnapped Westerners, never any of the Asians or Filipinos,” he said.
When they haven’t received the ransoms they wanted Abu Sayyaf, which means “Bearers of the Sword,” has beheaded its hostages, including a Malaysian last November. “They’ve done this many times before, this is not the first time,” Abuza said.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/who-are-abu-sayyaf-the-group-apparently-behind-the-death-of-canadian-john-ridsdel
Abu Sayyaf has 25-year record of kidnappings and bombings
CBC News (Apr 25): Abu Sayyaf has 25-year record of kidnappings and bombings
Filipino militant group purports to want Islamic state in southern Philippines
An image released by police shows a top commander of the Abu Sayyaf group, left, who is on the U.S. list of most-wanted terrorists and who once acknowledged receiving al-Qaeda funds to finance local bombings, poses with comrades. (Philippine National Police/Associated Press)
Abu Sayyaf is a militant group whose leadership swore allegiance to the Islamic State in 2014.
Ostensibly their mandate is to establish an Islamic state and sharia law in the southern Philippines areas of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. But since its inception, the group has carried out a campaign of kidnappings, bombings and extortion as well as conflict with the Filipino military.
Four hostages, including two Canadians, were kidnapped last September and held by the Abu Sayyaf militants. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the killing of one of the hostages — former Calgarian John Ridsdel — on Monday.
Canada, the U.S., Britain, Australian and the Philippines, among many countries, consider Abu Sayyaf to be a terrorist group.
Public Safety Canada says the group was formed in the 1990s and has had links to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah.
Its original leader, Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani, a Filipino national who studied in Libya and Saudi Arabia, was killed in a gun battle with police in 1998. From the beginning, Abu Sayyaf carried out a campaign of bombings, mainly targeting Filipino nationals and the military.
Next to lead the group was Khaddafy Janjalani, a former member of the Moro National Liberation Front, an earlier separatist group, who had been trained in the Middle East. He was killed in 2006, but since then the leadership of the organization has been scattered, according to the Australians.
In July 2014, a video was posted online of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon along with other masked men pledging allegiance to the caliph of an Islamic State.
"We pledge to obey him on anything which our hearts desire or not and to value him more than anyone else. We will not take any emir [leader] other than him unless we see in him any obvious act of disbelief that could be questioned by Allah in the hereafter," they say on the video.
The group claimed responsibility for the biggest act of terrorism in the history of the Philippines, planting a bomb on a passenger ferry in February 2004 and sinking the vessel, killing more than 100 people.
Much of the violence by Abu Sayyaf has involved bombings and shootouts with Filipino military. It also sought to undermine peace talks between the government and the Moro separatist movements.
The group raises money to fund its operations through kidnappings and extortion. Copying al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Sayyaf often threatened to behead hostages if a ransom was not paid.
Among the group's recent actions:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/abu-sayyaf-militants-1.3552346
Filipino militant group purports to want Islamic state in southern Philippines
An image released by police shows a top commander of the Abu Sayyaf group, left, who is on the U.S. list of most-wanted terrorists and who once acknowledged receiving al-Qaeda funds to finance local bombings, poses with comrades. (Philippine National Police/Associated Press)
Abu Sayyaf is a militant group whose leadership swore allegiance to the Islamic State in 2014.
Ostensibly their mandate is to establish an Islamic state and sharia law in the southern Philippines areas of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. But since its inception, the group has carried out a campaign of kidnappings, bombings and extortion as well as conflict with the Filipino military.
Four hostages, including two Canadians, were kidnapped last September and held by the Abu Sayyaf militants. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the killing of one of the hostages — former Calgarian John Ridsdel — on Monday.
Canada, the U.S., Britain, Australian and the Philippines, among many countries, consider Abu Sayyaf to be a terrorist group.
Public Safety Canada says the group was formed in the 1990s and has had links to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah.
- John Ridsdel killed in Philippines after being held hostage, Trudeau confirms
- Kidnapping of 2 Canadians and 2 others in Philippines just the latest in string of abductions
- Al Harakat Al Islamiyya (AHAI).
- Al Harakat-ul Al Islamiyya.
- Al-Harakatul-Islamia.
- Al Harakat Al Aslamiya.
- Abou Sayaf Armed Band (ASAB).
- Mujahideen Commando Freedom Fighters.
Its original leader, Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani, a Filipino national who studied in Libya and Saudi Arabia, was killed in a gun battle with police in 1998. From the beginning, Abu Sayyaf carried out a campaign of bombings, mainly targeting Filipino nationals and the military.
Soldiers head to the mountains to secure the release of two Germans who were held for six months by the Abu Sayyaf militant group on Oct. 17, 2014. (Nickee Butlangan/Associated Press)
In July 2014, a video was posted online of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon along with other masked men pledging allegiance to the caliph of an Islamic State.
"We pledge to obey him on anything which our hearts desire or not and to value him more than anyone else. We will not take any emir [leader] other than him unless we see in him any obvious act of disbelief that could be questioned by Allah in the hereafter," they say on the video.
The group claimed responsibility for the biggest act of terrorism in the history of the Philippines, planting a bomb on a passenger ferry in February 2004 and sinking the vessel, killing more than 100 people.
Much of the violence by Abu Sayyaf has involved bombings and shootouts with Filipino military. It also sought to undermine peace talks between the government and the Moro separatist movements.
The group raises money to fund its operations through kidnappings and extortion. Copying al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Sayyaf often threatened to behead hostages if a ransom was not paid.
Among the group's recent actions:
- December 2011 — Australian national Warren Richard Rodwell was abducted from his residence in Ipil, Mindanao and held for ransom until 2013.
- February 2012 — a Swiss national and a Dutch national were kidnapped near the Tawi-Tawi islands.
- July 2014 — the group killed at least 21 Muslims celebrating the end of Ramadan on the island of Jolo, reportedly in retaliation for their support of a peace process with the Filipino government.
- April 2014 — Kidnapped two Germans from their yacht off the western province of Palawan and threatened to kill them if a ransom was not paid. They were held for six months.
- May 2015 — A coast guard boat and crew were kidnapped and the captain was found beheaded.
- November 2015 — Abu Sayyaf beheaded Bernard Then, a Malaysian businessman kidnapped from a seafood restaurant inside Malaysia.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/abu-sayyaf-militants-1.3552346
Naval TF Tawi-Tawi chases Abu Sayyaf
From Mindanews (Apr 26): Naval TF Tawi-Tawi chases Abu Sayyaf
The Naval Task Force Tawi-Tawi was in hot pursuit Sunday night of a speedboat with heavily armed men on board, believed to be combat fighters of the Abu Sayyaf at the vicinity of West Tumindao and Sipangkot Islands in Tawi-Tawi province.
As this developed, the naval unit commander said borders down south of the Philippines have increasingly become a hot security area in the past four weeks.
The security for the borders is not only to safeguard the country’s patrimonial interests, but also to secure traders from neighboring countries Malaysia and Indonesia doing business with Filipino traders within the Sulu and Tawi-Tawi archipelagic waters, Commander Earl Reyes told MindaNews.
Reyes leads all Philippine Navy boats deployed in Tawi-Tawi, namely, PG381, PG390, PG387, PS28, MPAC BA486, and Augusta PNH430.
“The exchange of fire last night was around West Tumindao, Sipangkot, and Omapoy Islands, all in Tawi-Tawi,” Reyes said Monday, adding that trading relations between Malaysia and the Philippines are severely affected due to the harassment done by the ASG on Malaysian, Indonesian, and Filipino traders plying the Philippines-Malaysia and Philippines-Indonesia routes.
He likewise added that the price of rice has gone up in Tawi-Tawi, thus affecting citizens in the province, who most often secure their goods from nearby trading ports in Sandakan and Lahad Datu in Sabah, Malaysia.
“There were Filipino traders who were about to board their goods in the tugboat at the Malaysian pier, but they were practically driven out by Malaysian authorities leaving behind the goods they had earlier purchased so they suffered much business loss,” Reyes shared.
The ire of, and their strict enforcement of border entry laws by, Malaysian authorities followed the abduction of four Malaysian crew of a tugboat near Pulau Ligitan, Semporna, Sabah on 1 April.
The military earlier reported that the four Malaysian kidnap victims were sighted on April 13 at the vicinity of Sitio Tambuang in Mampalam, Talipao, Sulu, with more or less fifty armed members of the ASG led by sub-leader Angah Adji and selected armed followers of ASG senior leader Yasser Igassan and Idang Susukan.
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2016/04/26/naval-tf-tawitawi-chases-abu-sayyaf/
The Naval Task Force Tawi-Tawi was in hot pursuit Sunday night of a speedboat with heavily armed men on board, believed to be combat fighters of the Abu Sayyaf at the vicinity of West Tumindao and Sipangkot Islands in Tawi-Tawi province.
As this developed, the naval unit commander said borders down south of the Philippines have increasingly become a hot security area in the past four weeks.
The security for the borders is not only to safeguard the country’s patrimonial interests, but also to secure traders from neighboring countries Malaysia and Indonesia doing business with Filipino traders within the Sulu and Tawi-Tawi archipelagic waters, Commander Earl Reyes told MindaNews.
Reyes leads all Philippine Navy boats deployed in Tawi-Tawi, namely, PG381, PG390, PG387, PS28, MPAC BA486, and Augusta PNH430.
“The exchange of fire last night was around West Tumindao, Sipangkot, and Omapoy Islands, all in Tawi-Tawi,” Reyes said Monday, adding that trading relations between Malaysia and the Philippines are severely affected due to the harassment done by the ASG on Malaysian, Indonesian, and Filipino traders plying the Philippines-Malaysia and Philippines-Indonesia routes.
He likewise added that the price of rice has gone up in Tawi-Tawi, thus affecting citizens in the province, who most often secure their goods from nearby trading ports in Sandakan and Lahad Datu in Sabah, Malaysia.
“There were Filipino traders who were about to board their goods in the tugboat at the Malaysian pier, but they were practically driven out by Malaysian authorities leaving behind the goods they had earlier purchased so they suffered much business loss,” Reyes shared.
The ire of, and their strict enforcement of border entry laws by, Malaysian authorities followed the abduction of four Malaysian crew of a tugboat near Pulau Ligitan, Semporna, Sabah on 1 April.
The military earlier reported that the four Malaysian kidnap victims were sighted on April 13 at the vicinity of Sitio Tambuang in Mampalam, Talipao, Sulu, with more or less fifty armed members of the ASG led by sub-leader Angah Adji and selected armed followers of ASG senior leader Yasser Igassan and Idang Susukan.
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2016/04/26/naval-tf-tawitawi-chases-abu-sayyaf/
Canadian kidnap victim executed by Abu Sayyaf
From MindaNews (Apr 26): Canadian kidnap victim executed by Abu Sayyaf
The severed head of a Canadian national was found in front of the municipal town hall in Jolo, Sulu Monday, the deadline set by the Abu Sayyaf for payment of ransom for the release of three foreigners and a Filipina who were abducted on September 21 from a resort in the Island Garden City of Samal.
Supt. Julpikar Sitin, Jolo police chief, told MindaNews that at around 7:30 in the evening, a plastic cellophane was thrown by two unidentified individuals riding in tandem towards a group of young men about to play basketball at the corner of Mayor Salih Yusah and Sari Ahmad Isnani streets in Walled City, Jolo, Sulu.
The unknown riders, described by bystanders as being in their late 20s with long curly hair, were on board a single wave motorcycle, and fled towards the east direction. The police’s attention was immediately called.
Canadian national John Ridsdel (center). Photo courtesy of EastMinCom
Sitin said Scene-of-the-Crime Operatives (SOCO) found inside the plastic cellophane a Caucasian’s head, which SOCO positively identified as belonging to Canadian kidnap victim John Ridsdel. He added the head was brought to Camp Teodulfo Bautista Hospital in Busbus, Jolo, for proper disposition.
In a statement, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he is “outraged” by the news that a, Ridsdel was killed.
“Canada condemns without reservation the brutality of the hostage-takers, and this unnecessary death. This was an act of cold-blooded murder and responsibility rests squarely with the terrorist group who took him hostage.
Ridsdel was Senior Vice President and Chief Executive officer of the TVI Resource Development from August 2008 to April 2011 and later served as President of TVI Minerals Processing, Inc., with main office in Pasig City but with business interests in Mindanao.
Yachts dock at Holiday Oceanview in Barangay Camudmud, Island Garden City of Samal on September 23, 2015, two days after three foreign nationals and a Filipina were abducted at the resort. MindaNews photo by TOTO LOZANO
He was abducted from the Holiday Oceanview Samal Resort in Barangay Camudmud, Babak district in the Island Garden City of Samal at around 11:30 p.m. on September 21, with KjartanSekkingstad, 56, a Norwegian; and another Canadian named Robert Hall, 50 and his Filipina partner Teresita Flor.
Ultimatum
Military intelligence sources told MindaNews Ridsdel was executed at around 3:45 p.m. in the forested vicinity in Lower Sinumaan, Patikul, Sulu, in front of his fellow captives, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstand, 56; Canadian national Robert Hall, 50 and his Filipina partner Teresita Flor mid-afternoon Monday.
Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan of the Abu Sayyaf had warned in a video posted on youtube on April 15 that they would kill one of the hostages at 3 p.m. on April 25, if the ransom demand of 300 million pesos is not paid by April 25. An earlier deadline was set for April 8.
The sources said the execution was carried out by the Abu Sayyaf’s Ben Totoh Sawadjaan.
Appeal
A video uploaded on youtube on April 15, showed the two Canadian nationals, machetes pressed against their necks, appealing to the governments of Canada and Philippines for help.
“We’re told that this is the absolute final warning so this is a final urgent appeal to governments, Philippine, Canadian, and families” to heed their captors’ demand or “they will behead me,” said Ridsdel then.
The Abu Sayyaf demanded C$8.3 million (PhP 306 million at current rate of PhP 36.9 to a dollar) for Ridsdel alone, and a total of C$28 million (PhP 1.03 billion) for all the four victims abducted in Samal.
About 28 captives are reportedly still in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf including Ridsdel’s three companions, 22 among whom are foreigners.
AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla earlier discouraged ransom payment, as this encourages the Abu Sayyaf to demand more from all other victims.
In his statement, Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau also said the Canadian government “is committed to working with the Government of Philippines and international partners to pursue those responsible for this heinous act and bring them to justice.”
“On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Ridsdel. They have endured a terrible ordeal, and this is a devastating moment for all of them. Our thoughts are with them as they come to terms with this loss, and I would ask that the media respect their privacy at this difficult time.”
He said Canada’s first priority is the safety and security of its citizens and the government “will not comment or release any information which may compromise ongoing efforts or endanger the safety of the remaining hostages.”
Reports said the Abu Sayyaf under Ben Tatoh and AlmujerYadah headed back to Talipao town in Sulu, which is covered by the Marine Battalion Landing Team 1. But in a text query for Col. Noel Beleran, the commanding officer, MindaNews was informed that they are still verifying the information on the presence of the Abu Sayyaf sub-group in Talipao.
Earlier, the Patikul municipal police reported an armed encounter on April 22 with the 62nd Marine Company under the Marine Battalion Landing Team 10 and the sub-group of HairullaAsbang, with more or less 100 armed members, at the vicinity of Bud Tanum. The firefight, which ensued for about an hour, resulted to seven wounded soldiers and an undetermined number from the ASG.
Wounded were PFC Allan Guingayan, Sgt. Rodguer Bilbao, Corporals Dennis Buella, JonathnaNatividad, Philip Jaravilla, Michael Galdoel, and Jestlie Allan Tangosan.
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2016/04/26/canadian-kidnap-victim-executed-by-abu-sayyaf/
The severed head of a Canadian national was found in front of the municipal town hall in Jolo, Sulu Monday, the deadline set by the Abu Sayyaf for payment of ransom for the release of three foreigners and a Filipina who were abducted on September 21 from a resort in the Island Garden City of Samal.
Supt. Julpikar Sitin, Jolo police chief, told MindaNews that at around 7:30 in the evening, a plastic cellophane was thrown by two unidentified individuals riding in tandem towards a group of young men about to play basketball at the corner of Mayor Salih Yusah and Sari Ahmad Isnani streets in Walled City, Jolo, Sulu.
The unknown riders, described by bystanders as being in their late 20s with long curly hair, were on board a single wave motorcycle, and fled towards the east direction. The police’s attention was immediately called.
Canadian national John Ridsdel (center). Photo courtesy of EastMinCom
Sitin said Scene-of-the-Crime Operatives (SOCO) found inside the plastic cellophane a Caucasian’s head, which SOCO positively identified as belonging to Canadian kidnap victim John Ridsdel. He added the head was brought to Camp Teodulfo Bautista Hospital in Busbus, Jolo, for proper disposition.
In a statement, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he is “outraged” by the news that a, Ridsdel was killed.
“Canada condemns without reservation the brutality of the hostage-takers, and this unnecessary death. This was an act of cold-blooded murder and responsibility rests squarely with the terrorist group who took him hostage.
Ridsdel was Senior Vice President and Chief Executive officer of the TVI Resource Development from August 2008 to April 2011 and later served as President of TVI Minerals Processing, Inc., with main office in Pasig City but with business interests in Mindanao.
Yachts dock at Holiday Oceanview in Barangay Camudmud, Island Garden City of Samal on September 23, 2015, two days after three foreign nationals and a Filipina were abducted at the resort. MindaNews photo by TOTO LOZANO
He was abducted from the Holiday Oceanview Samal Resort in Barangay Camudmud, Babak district in the Island Garden City of Samal at around 11:30 p.m. on September 21, with KjartanSekkingstad, 56, a Norwegian; and another Canadian named Robert Hall, 50 and his Filipina partner Teresita Flor.
Ultimatum
Military intelligence sources told MindaNews Ridsdel was executed at around 3:45 p.m. in the forested vicinity in Lower Sinumaan, Patikul, Sulu, in front of his fellow captives, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstand, 56; Canadian national Robert Hall, 50 and his Filipina partner Teresita Flor mid-afternoon Monday.
Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan of the Abu Sayyaf had warned in a video posted on youtube on April 15 that they would kill one of the hostages at 3 p.m. on April 25, if the ransom demand of 300 million pesos is not paid by April 25. An earlier deadline was set for April 8.
The sources said the execution was carried out by the Abu Sayyaf’s Ben Totoh Sawadjaan.
Appeal
A video uploaded on youtube on April 15, showed the two Canadian nationals, machetes pressed against their necks, appealing to the governments of Canada and Philippines for help.
“We’re told that this is the absolute final warning so this is a final urgent appeal to governments, Philippine, Canadian, and families” to heed their captors’ demand or “they will behead me,” said Ridsdel then.
The Abu Sayyaf demanded C$8.3 million (PhP 306 million at current rate of PhP 36.9 to a dollar) for Ridsdel alone, and a total of C$28 million (PhP 1.03 billion) for all the four victims abducted in Samal.
About 28 captives are reportedly still in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf including Ridsdel’s three companions, 22 among whom are foreigners.
AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla earlier discouraged ransom payment, as this encourages the Abu Sayyaf to demand more from all other victims.
In his statement, Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau also said the Canadian government “is committed to working with the Government of Philippines and international partners to pursue those responsible for this heinous act and bring them to justice.”
“On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Ridsdel. They have endured a terrible ordeal, and this is a devastating moment for all of them. Our thoughts are with them as they come to terms with this loss, and I would ask that the media respect their privacy at this difficult time.”
He said Canada’s first priority is the safety and security of its citizens and the government “will not comment or release any information which may compromise ongoing efforts or endanger the safety of the remaining hostages.”
Reports said the Abu Sayyaf under Ben Tatoh and AlmujerYadah headed back to Talipao town in Sulu, which is covered by the Marine Battalion Landing Team 1. But in a text query for Col. Noel Beleran, the commanding officer, MindaNews was informed that they are still verifying the information on the presence of the Abu Sayyaf sub-group in Talipao.
Earlier, the Patikul municipal police reported an armed encounter on April 22 with the 62nd Marine Company under the Marine Battalion Landing Team 10 and the sub-group of HairullaAsbang, with more or less 100 armed members, at the vicinity of Bud Tanum. The firefight, which ensued for about an hour, resulted to seven wounded soldiers and an undetermined number from the ASG.
Wounded were PFC Allan Guingayan, Sgt. Rodguer Bilbao, Corporals Dennis Buella, JonathnaNatividad, Philip Jaravilla, Michael Galdoel, and Jestlie Allan Tangosan.
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2016/04/26/canadian-kidnap-victim-executed-by-abu-sayyaf/
Canadian hostage beheaded by Abu Sayyaf in Philippines
From the Mindanao Examiner (Apr 25): Canadian hostage beheaded by Abu Sayyaf in Philippines
Abu Sayyaf jihadists have reportedly executed Monday a Canadian man kidnapped in southern Philippines after his family failed to pay a huge ransom in exchange for his life, military intelligence and police reports said.
It said John Ridsdel, 68, was beheaded in the hinterlands of Patikul town in Sulu, one of five provinces under the volatile Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where the Abu Sayyaf is still holding over a dozen foreign hostages kidnapped in Tawi-Tawi province and in Sabah in Malaysia.
Intelligence reports said Ridsdel, a consultant for international miner TVI, was killed at around 3.45 p.m. by jihadists under Ben Tatoh Sawadjaan in the village called Lower Sinumaan. His severed head was recovered in a plastic bag in the town of Jolo later in the day. Two men on a motorcycle dumped the bag near a group of men playing basketball there.
Philippine media also reported Ridsdel’s beheading. Radio network Bombo said Ridsdel was executed after the Abu Sayyaf did not get their ransom demand. The report can be accessed on this URL: http://www.bomboradyo.com/news/top-stories/item/148048-canadian-hostage-pinugutan-ng-asg-sa-sulu.
Zamboanga City broadcaster Emedia also broke the news of the killing and national television network TV-5 also ran the same story on its late night news.
Ridsdel was kidnapped by 10 gunmen from the resort island of Samal in Davao del Norte province in September 21 last year along with fellow Canadian Robert Hall, 50; and a Norwegian man Kjartan Sekkingstad, 56, and his Filipina girlfriend, Maritess Flor.
The Abu Sayyaf demanded as much as P300 million each for the safe release of the foreign hostages and set April 8 for the deadline, but extended this until April 25. The Abu Sayyaf also released several videos of Ridsdel, Hall and Sekkingstad appealing to their governments and the Philippines to pay the Abu Sayyaf ransoms.
“We’re told that this is the absolute final warning so this is a final urgent appeal to governments, Philippine, Canadian, and families. If 300 million (pesos) is not paid for me by 3 p.m. on April 25th, they will behead me,” Ridsdel said in his last appeal.
There was no immediate statement from the Canadian embassy or the Western Mindanao Command and neither the police in the autonomous region on the brutal murder of Ridsdel, and the fate of the other hostages remain unknown, but President Benigno Aquino has ordered security forces to rescue the captives.
The Abu Sayyaf has pledged allegiance with the Islamic State militant group.
http://mindanaoexaminer.com/%EF%BB%BF%EF%BB%BFcanadian-hostage-beheaded-by-abu-sayyaf-in-philippines/
Abu Sayyaf jihadists have reportedly executed Monday a Canadian man kidnapped in southern Philippines after his family failed to pay a huge ransom in exchange for his life, military intelligence and police reports said.
It said John Ridsdel, 68, was beheaded in the hinterlands of Patikul town in Sulu, one of five provinces under the volatile Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where the Abu Sayyaf is still holding over a dozen foreign hostages kidnapped in Tawi-Tawi province and in Sabah in Malaysia.
Intelligence reports said Ridsdel, a consultant for international miner TVI, was killed at around 3.45 p.m. by jihadists under Ben Tatoh Sawadjaan in the village called Lower Sinumaan. His severed head was recovered in a plastic bag in the town of Jolo later in the day. Two men on a motorcycle dumped the bag near a group of men playing basketball there.
Philippine media also reported Ridsdel’s beheading. Radio network Bombo said Ridsdel was executed after the Abu Sayyaf did not get their ransom demand. The report can be accessed on this URL: http://www.bomboradyo.com/news/top-stories/item/148048-canadian-hostage-pinugutan-ng-asg-sa-sulu.
Zamboanga City broadcaster Emedia also broke the news of the killing and national television network TV-5 also ran the same story on its late night news.
Ridsdel was kidnapped by 10 gunmen from the resort island of Samal in Davao del Norte province in September 21 last year along with fellow Canadian Robert Hall, 50; and a Norwegian man Kjartan Sekkingstad, 56, and his Filipina girlfriend, Maritess Flor.
The Abu Sayyaf demanded as much as P300 million each for the safe release of the foreign hostages and set April 8 for the deadline, but extended this until April 25. The Abu Sayyaf also released several videos of Ridsdel, Hall and Sekkingstad appealing to their governments and the Philippines to pay the Abu Sayyaf ransoms.
“We’re told that this is the absolute final warning so this is a final urgent appeal to governments, Philippine, Canadian, and families. If 300 million (pesos) is not paid for me by 3 p.m. on April 25th, they will behead me,” Ridsdel said in his last appeal.
There was no immediate statement from the Canadian embassy or the Western Mindanao Command and neither the police in the autonomous region on the brutal murder of Ridsdel, and the fate of the other hostages remain unknown, but President Benigno Aquino has ordered security forces to rescue the captives.
The Abu Sayyaf has pledged allegiance with the Islamic State militant group.
http://mindanaoexaminer.com/%EF%BB%BF%EF%BB%BFcanadian-hostage-beheaded-by-abu-sayyaf-in-philippines/
Military says severed head found as ransom deadline passes
From GMA News (Apr 25): Military says severed head found as ransom deadline passes
A severed head was found in Jolo, Sulu on Monday, five hours after the expiry of a ransom deadline set by Islamist militants who had threatened to execute one of four captives, a military spokesman said.
The military would not immediately confirm whether the head was that of one of four people for whom the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf had demanded a ransom. They are two Canadian men, one Norwegian man and a Filipino woman, who had appealed in a video for their families and governments to secure their release.
"We are being very careful, we can't say whose head it was," army spokesman Major Felimon Tan told reporters, adding that tests would be carried out to identify the victim.
Residents found the head in the center of Jolo town. Tan said two men on a motorcycle were seen dropping a plastic bag containing the severed head.
He said Abu Sayyaf militants had threatened to behead one of four captives on Monday if the 300 million pesos ($6.4 million) ransom for each of them was not paid by 3 p.m. local time.
The initial demand was one billion pesos each for the detainees, who were taken hostage at an upscale resort on Samal Island on Sept. 21.
The army received intelligence that Abu Sayyaf had carried out an execution outside Patikul town on Jolo island, a known rebel stronghold.
"We don't know who was executed," Tan said.
However, CBC news reported on Monday that Canadian hostage John Ridsdel had been beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf militants.
Former senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, tweeted an account on how the severed head was found.
He claims that the information was "verified from the ground" and that the PNP has imposed a news blackout on the incident.
Richard J. Gordon@DickGordonDG
6 hours ago
Richard J. Gordon@DickGordonDG
5 hours ago
Richard J. Gordon@DickGordonDG
5 hours ago
Abu Sayyaf is a small but brutal militant group known for beheading, kidnapping, bombing and extortion in the south of the mainly Catholic country.
It decapitated a hostage from Malaysia in November last year on the same day that country's prime minister arrived in Manila for an international summit. Philippine
President Benigno Aquino ordered troops to intensify action against the militants.
Security is precarious in the southern Philippines, despite a 2014 peace pact between the government and the largest Muslim rebel group that ended 45 years of conflict.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/564013/news/nation/military-says-severed-head-found-as-ransom-deadline-passes
A severed head was found in Jolo, Sulu on Monday, five hours after the expiry of a ransom deadline set by Islamist militants who had threatened to execute one of four captives, a military spokesman said.
The military would not immediately confirm whether the head was that of one of four people for whom the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf had demanded a ransom. They are two Canadian men, one Norwegian man and a Filipino woman, who had appealed in a video for their families and governments to secure their release.
"We are being very careful, we can't say whose head it was," army spokesman Major Felimon Tan told reporters, adding that tests would be carried out to identify the victim.
Residents found the head in the center of Jolo town. Tan said two men on a motorcycle were seen dropping a plastic bag containing the severed head.
He said Abu Sayyaf militants had threatened to behead one of four captives on Monday if the 300 million pesos ($6.4 million) ransom for each of them was not paid by 3 p.m. local time.
The initial demand was one billion pesos each for the detainees, who were taken hostage at an upscale resort on Samal Island on Sept. 21.
The army received intelligence that Abu Sayyaf had carried out an execution outside Patikul town on Jolo island, a known rebel stronghold.
"We don't know who was executed," Tan said.
However, CBC news reported on Monday that Canadian hostage John Ridsdel had been beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf militants.
Former senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, tweeted an account on how the severed head was found.
He claims that the information was "verified from the ground" and that the PNP has imposed a news blackout on the incident.
Richard J. Gordon
6 hours ago
The head of a man wrapped in plastic was thrown from a passing motorcycle in front of the Jolo Municipal bldg. at 730PM during a brown out.
Richard J. Gordon
5 hours ago
When the lights went on at 830 PM Jolo Police opened the bag containing the bloodied head of what Jolo police said was a hostage.
Richard J. Gordon
5 hours ago
Information of the beheading was reported to me & verified from the ground. PNP News blackout now imposed. Head appears to be a foreigner.
Abu Sayyaf is a small but brutal militant group known for beheading, kidnapping, bombing and extortion in the south of the mainly Catholic country.
It decapitated a hostage from Malaysia in November last year on the same day that country's prime minister arrived in Manila for an international summit. Philippine
President Benigno Aquino ordered troops to intensify action against the militants.
Security is precarious in the southern Philippines, despite a 2014 peace pact between the government and the largest Muslim rebel group that ended 45 years of conflict.
Abu Sayyaf is also holding other foreigners, including one from the Netherlands, one from Japan, four Malaysians and 14 Indonesian tugboat crew.
Abu Sayyaf Group beheads hostage
From CNN Philippines (Apr 26): Abu Sayyaf Group beheads hostage
The head of one of the foreigners kidnapped in Samal last year was found in Jolo, Sulu on Monday night (April 25).
The Abu Sayyaf Group has beheaded one of four hostages kidnapped on Samal Island last September.
A police report obtained by CNN Philippines said the severed head is believed to belong to Canadian hostage John Ridsdel, who was killed after no ransom was paid by the deadline set by the rebel group.
The severed head was found in Jolo, Sulu on Monday night (April 25).
The police report said two unidentified men aboard a motorcycle without a plate number threw the head somewhere along Marina Street, Barangay Walled City, Jolo at around 7:35 p.m.
It was wrapped in a plastic bag.
Jolo Police Chief Supt. Junpikar Sitin immediately went to the site, cordoned off the area and, informed the Scene of the Crime Operation (SOCO) team, which confirmed the head belonged to Ridsdel.
Ridsdel along with three others were kidnapped on Samal Island in September 2015.
The others kidnapped in Samal were Robert Hall, also Canadian; Kjartan Sekkingstad, a Norwegian; and a Filipina named Marithes "Tess" Flor.
The Abu Sayyaf Group initially asked for P1 billion for each of the four hostages, but lowered it to P300 million after moving the deadline from April 8 to April 25.
Read: Abu Sayyaf demands P4B ransom for Samal kidnap victims
The three men appeared in a video that circulated in March, pleading to their governments to pay ransom within the one-month deadline set by their abductors – or the terrorists would kill them.
Related: Foreign captives held by Philippine militants appeal for help
President Benigno Aquino III earlier ordered the police and military to exert all effort to rescue the victims following the deadline of the Abu Sayyaf.
Read: Who are the Abu Sayyaf?
The government, however, maintained its no ransom policy.
Read: Malacañang reiterates 'no ransom policy' amid Abu Sayyaf threat
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/04/26/abu-sayyaf-group-behead-hostage.html
The head of one of the foreigners kidnapped in Samal last year was found in Jolo, Sulu on Monday night (April 25).
The Abu Sayyaf Group has beheaded one of four hostages kidnapped on Samal Island last September.
A police report obtained by CNN Philippines said the severed head is believed to belong to Canadian hostage John Ridsdel, who was killed after no ransom was paid by the deadline set by the rebel group.
The severed head was found in Jolo, Sulu on Monday night (April 25).
The police report said two unidentified men aboard a motorcycle without a plate number threw the head somewhere along Marina Street, Barangay Walled City, Jolo at around 7:35 p.m.
It was wrapped in a plastic bag.
Jolo Police Chief Supt. Junpikar Sitin immediately went to the site, cordoned off the area and, informed the Scene of the Crime Operation (SOCO) team, which confirmed the head belonged to Ridsdel.
Ridsdel along with three others were kidnapped on Samal Island in September 2015.
The others kidnapped in Samal were Robert Hall, also Canadian; Kjartan Sekkingstad, a Norwegian; and a Filipina named Marithes "Tess" Flor.
The Abu Sayyaf Group initially asked for P1 billion for each of the four hostages, but lowered it to P300 million after moving the deadline from April 8 to April 25.
Read: Abu Sayyaf demands P4B ransom for Samal kidnap victims
The three men appeared in a video that circulated in March, pleading to their governments to pay ransom within the one-month deadline set by their abductors – or the terrorists would kill them.
Related: Foreign captives held by Philippine militants appeal for help
President Benigno Aquino III earlier ordered the police and military to exert all effort to rescue the victims following the deadline of the Abu Sayyaf.
Read: Who are the Abu Sayyaf?
The government, however, maintained its no ransom policy.
Read: Malacañang reiterates 'no ransom policy' amid Abu Sayyaf threat
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/04/26/abu-sayyaf-group-behead-hostage.html
Canadian executed by Abu Sayyaf in Philippines
From The National (Apr 25): Canadian executed by Abu Sayyaf in Philippines
Ottawa // A Canadian held hostage by extremist militants in the Philippines has been executed, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday, after Filipino authorities said they had found the head of a foreign man on a remote island.
“I’m outraged by the news that a Canadian citizen, John Ridsdel, held hostage in the Philippines since September 21, 2015, has been killed at the hands of his captors," Mr Trudeau said.
“This was an act of cold blooded murder and responsibility rests with the terrorist group who took him hostage."
Ridsdel, fellow Canadian tourist Robert Hall, Norwegian resort manager Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipina Marites Flor were kidnapped seven months ago from yachts at a marina near the major city of Davao, more than 500 kilometres from Jolo.
Six weeks after the abduction, Abu Sayyaf gunmen released a video on social media of their hostages held in a jungle setting demanding one billion pesos (Dh77m) each for the safe release of the three foreigners.
The men were forced to beg on camera for their lives, and similar videos were posted over several months in which the hostages looked increasingly frail.
In the most recent video, Ridsdel, a retiree aged in his late 60s, said he would be killed on April 25 if a ransom of 300 million pesos was not paid.
Hours after the ransom deadline passed, police in the Philippines said two people on a motorbike dropped the head near city hall on Jolo, a mostly lawless island that is one of the main strongholds of Abu Sayyaf.
“We found a head in a plastic bag," provincial police chief Wilfredo Cayat said.
He said the head belonged to a caucasian man, but emphasised it was impossible to immediately identify.
Mr Trudeau said Canada was working with the government of the Philippines to pursue and prosecute Ridsdel’s killers, and that efforts were underway to obtain the release of the other hostages.
Abu Sayyaf is also believed to be holding a Dutch bird watcher kidnapped in 2012, and has been blamed for abducting 18 Indonesian and Malaysian sailors from tugboats near the southern Philippines over the past month.
Abu Sayyaf is a small group militants that operates from Jolo and nearby islands.
It is a radical offshoot of a Muslim separatist insurgency in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines that has claimed more than 100,000 lives since the 1970s.
It is blamed for the nation’s worst terror attacks, including the bombing of a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that killed more than 100 people, as well as the kidnappings of dozens of foreigners in the southern Philippines and across to Malaysian Borneo.
The Abu Sayyaf’s leaders have recently declared allegiance to ISIL.
From 2002-2014, the US deployed special forces advisers to train and provide intelligence to Filipino troops, which led to the killing or arrest of many Abu Sayyaf leaders.
However after the US forces pulled out, the Abu Sayyaf launched a series of increasingly bold kidnapping raids, as well as deadly battles with Filipino troops that show it remains a major threat in the south.
http://www.thenational.ae/world/southeast-asia/canadian-executed-by-abu-sayyaf-in-philippines
Ottawa // A Canadian held hostage by extremist militants in the Philippines has been executed, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday, after Filipino authorities said they had found the head of a foreign man on a remote island.
“I’m outraged by the news that a Canadian citizen, John Ridsdel, held hostage in the Philippines since September 21, 2015, has been killed at the hands of his captors," Mr Trudeau said.
“This was an act of cold blooded murder and responsibility rests with the terrorist group who took him hostage."
Ridsdel, fellow Canadian tourist Robert Hall, Norwegian resort manager Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipina Marites Flor were kidnapped seven months ago from yachts at a marina near the major city of Davao, more than 500 kilometres from Jolo.
Six weeks after the abduction, Abu Sayyaf gunmen released a video on social media of their hostages held in a jungle setting demanding one billion pesos (Dh77m) each for the safe release of the three foreigners.
The men were forced to beg on camera for their lives, and similar videos were posted over several months in which the hostages looked increasingly frail.
In the most recent video, Ridsdel, a retiree aged in his late 60s, said he would be killed on April 25 if a ransom of 300 million pesos was not paid.
Hours after the ransom deadline passed, police in the Philippines said two people on a motorbike dropped the head near city hall on Jolo, a mostly lawless island that is one of the main strongholds of Abu Sayyaf.
“We found a head in a plastic bag," provincial police chief Wilfredo Cayat said.
He said the head belonged to a caucasian man, but emphasised it was impossible to immediately identify.
Mr Trudeau said Canada was working with the government of the Philippines to pursue and prosecute Ridsdel’s killers, and that efforts were underway to obtain the release of the other hostages.
Abu Sayyaf is also believed to be holding a Dutch bird watcher kidnapped in 2012, and has been blamed for abducting 18 Indonesian and Malaysian sailors from tugboats near the southern Philippines over the past month.
Abu Sayyaf is a small group militants that operates from Jolo and nearby islands.
It is a radical offshoot of a Muslim separatist insurgency in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines that has claimed more than 100,000 lives since the 1970s.
It is blamed for the nation’s worst terror attacks, including the bombing of a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that killed more than 100 people, as well as the kidnappings of dozens of foreigners in the southern Philippines and across to Malaysian Borneo.
The Abu Sayyaf’s leaders have recently declared allegiance to ISIL.
From 2002-2014, the US deployed special forces advisers to train and provide intelligence to Filipino troops, which led to the killing or arrest of many Abu Sayyaf leaders.
However after the US forces pulled out, the Abu Sayyaf launched a series of increasingly bold kidnapping raids, as well as deadly battles with Filipino troops that show it remains a major threat in the south.
http://www.thenational.ae/world/southeast-asia/canadian-executed-by-abu-sayyaf-in-philippines
Trudeau confirms Canadian hostage decapitated by Philippine extremists
From France 24 (Apr 25): Trudeau confirms Canadian hostage decapitated by Philippine extremists
© HO / Eastmincom / AFP file picture | This undated handout photo released by Eastern Mindanao Command on September 22, 2015 shows Canadian tourist John Ridsdel
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that the decapitated head of a Caucasian male recovered Monday night in the southern Philippines belongs to one of two Canadians taken hostage by Abu Sayyaf militants in September.
Trudeau identified the victim as John Ridsdel of Calgary, Alberta and said his government will work with the government of the Philippines and international partners to pursue those responsible for this “heinous act.”
Two men on a motorcycle left Ridsdel’s head, placed inside a plastic bag, along a street in Jolo town in Sulu province and then fled, Jolo police chief Supt. Junpikar Sitin said.
Abu Sayyaf militants had threatened to behead one of three men - two Canadians and a Norwegian - they kidnapped last September from a marina on southern Samal Island if a large ransom was not paid by 3 p.m. Monday (0800 GMT).
Jolo Mayor Hussin Amin condemned the beheading, blaming Abu Sayyaf militants, who have been implicated in past kidnappings, beheadings and bombings.
“This is such a barbaric act by these people and one would be tempted to think that they should also meet the same fate,” Amin said by telephone.
Philippine forces were moving to rescue the abductees, also including a Filipino woman who was kidnapped with them, as the Abu Sayyaf’s deadline for the ransom payment lapsed, the military said.
The militants reportedly demanded 300 million pesos ($6.5 million) for each of the foreigners, a reduction from their earlier demands.
The hostages were believed to have been taken to Jolo Island in Sulu, a jungled province where the militants are thought to be holding a number of captives, including 14 Indonesian and four Malaysian crewmen who were abducted at gunpoint from three tugboats starting last month.
“Maximum efforts are being exerted ... to effect the rescue,” the military and police said in a joint statement, without divulging details of the rescue operation, which was ordered by President Benigno Aquino III.
About 400 Abu Sayyaf militants were involved in the kidnappings, it said.
In militant videos posted online, Ridsdel and fellow Canadian Robert Hall, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipino Marites Flor were shown sitting in a clearing with heavily armed militants standing behind them. In some of the videos, a militant positioned a long knife on Ridsdel’s neck. Two black flags hung in the backdrop of lush foliage.
The abductions highlight the long-running security problems hounding the southern Philippines, a region with bountiful resources that also suffers from poverty, lawlessness and decades-long Muslim and communist insurgencies.
The Abu Sayyaf began a series of large-scale abductions after it emerged in the early 1990s as an offshoot of a separatist rebellion by minority Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation’s south.
It has been weakened by more than a decade of Philippine offensives but has endured largely as a result of large ransom and extortion earnings. The United States and the Philippines have both listed the group as a terrorist organization.
http://www.france24.com/en/20160425-trudeau-confirms-canadian-hostage-john-ridsdel-decapitated-philippine-extremists
© HO / Eastmincom / AFP file picture | This undated handout photo released by Eastern Mindanao Command on September 22, 2015 shows Canadian tourist John Ridsdel
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that the decapitated head of a Caucasian male recovered Monday night in the southern Philippines belongs to one of two Canadians taken hostage by Abu Sayyaf militants in September.
Trudeau identified the victim as John Ridsdel of Calgary, Alberta and said his government will work with the government of the Philippines and international partners to pursue those responsible for this “heinous act.”
Two men on a motorcycle left Ridsdel’s head, placed inside a plastic bag, along a street in Jolo town in Sulu province and then fled, Jolo police chief Supt. Junpikar Sitin said.
Abu Sayyaf militants had threatened to behead one of three men - two Canadians and a Norwegian - they kidnapped last September from a marina on southern Samal Island if a large ransom was not paid by 3 p.m. Monday (0800 GMT).
Jolo Mayor Hussin Amin condemned the beheading, blaming Abu Sayyaf militants, who have been implicated in past kidnappings, beheadings and bombings.
“This is such a barbaric act by these people and one would be tempted to think that they should also meet the same fate,” Amin said by telephone.
Philippine forces were moving to rescue the abductees, also including a Filipino woman who was kidnapped with them, as the Abu Sayyaf’s deadline for the ransom payment lapsed, the military said.
The militants reportedly demanded 300 million pesos ($6.5 million) for each of the foreigners, a reduction from their earlier demands.
The hostages were believed to have been taken to Jolo Island in Sulu, a jungled province where the militants are thought to be holding a number of captives, including 14 Indonesian and four Malaysian crewmen who were abducted at gunpoint from three tugboats starting last month.
“Maximum efforts are being exerted ... to effect the rescue,” the military and police said in a joint statement, without divulging details of the rescue operation, which was ordered by President Benigno Aquino III.
About 400 Abu Sayyaf militants were involved in the kidnappings, it said.
In militant videos posted online, Ridsdel and fellow Canadian Robert Hall, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipino Marites Flor were shown sitting in a clearing with heavily armed militants standing behind them. In some of the videos, a militant positioned a long knife on Ridsdel’s neck. Two black flags hung in the backdrop of lush foliage.
The abductions highlight the long-running security problems hounding the southern Philippines, a region with bountiful resources that also suffers from poverty, lawlessness and decades-long Muslim and communist insurgencies.
The Abu Sayyaf began a series of large-scale abductions after it emerged in the early 1990s as an offshoot of a separatist rebellion by minority Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation’s south.
It has been weakened by more than a decade of Philippine offensives but has endured largely as a result of large ransom and extortion earnings. The United States and the Philippines have both listed the group as a terrorist organization.
http://www.france24.com/en/20160425-trudeau-confirms-canadian-hostage-john-ridsdel-decapitated-philippine-extremists
5 abducted police officers freed in Davao City
From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 25): 5 abducted police officers freed in Davao City
Five members of the Paquibato Police Station, who were abducted last April 16 by suspected lawless elements, were freed on Monday.
This was confirmed by Chief Insp. Milgrace Driz, Davao City Police spokesperson, who said that the release of the five police officers took place at 4:30 p.m. "They arrived safely at PRO-11 (Camp Quintin M. Merecido, Davao City) on board a helicopter together with Mayor Rodrigo Duterte from Barangay Lumiad, Paquibato District, Davao City," she added. The five officers, identified as Chief Insp. Leonardo V. Tarongoy, PO3 Rosenie L. Cabuenas, PO3 Rudolf Pacete, PO3 Abdul Azis A. Ali Jr., and PO2 Neil C. Arellano, were received by Chief Supt. Manuel Gaerlan and Senior Supt. Vicente Danao together with their staff officers. Also present were the officers' family members. All five are now undergoing medical check-up and debriefing.
The police officers were performing regular law enforcement functions when abducted by more or less 50 heavily-armed men last April 16 at Barangay Mapula, Paquibato District.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=879539
Five members of the Paquibato Police Station, who were abducted last April 16 by suspected lawless elements, were freed on Monday.
This was confirmed by Chief Insp. Milgrace Driz, Davao City Police spokesperson, who said that the release of the five police officers took place at 4:30 p.m. "They arrived safely at PRO-11 (Camp Quintin M. Merecido, Davao City) on board a helicopter together with Mayor Rodrigo Duterte from Barangay Lumiad, Paquibato District, Davao City," she added. The five officers, identified as Chief Insp. Leonardo V. Tarongoy, PO3 Rosenie L. Cabuenas, PO3 Rudolf Pacete, PO3 Abdul Azis A. Ali Jr., and PO2 Neil C. Arellano, were received by Chief Supt. Manuel Gaerlan and Senior Supt. Vicente Danao together with their staff officers. Also present were the officers' family members. All five are now undergoing medical check-up and debriefing.
The police officers were performing regular law enforcement functions when abducted by more or less 50 heavily-armed men last April 16 at Barangay Mapula, Paquibato District.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=879539
Duterte turns over 5 police captives released by NPA to police; junks claims of being 'communist'
From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 25): Duterte turns over 5 police captives released by NPA to police; junks claims of being 'communist'
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=879544
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte turned over the five police police
officers released by the rebels who held them captive to Police Regional Office
(PRO) - 11 Director Manuel Gaerlan at Camp Quintin in Catitipan, this city at
past 4 p.m. Monday.
The New People's Army (NPA) earlier released the chief of
police of Paquibato and four of his officers to presidential candidate Mayor
Duterte in Purok 1, Barangay Lumiad, Paquibato District.
They were released after Duterte on Sunday night sealed the
negotiation with the NPA rebels holding Paquibato Chief of Police C/Inspector
Leonardo Tarungoy, PO3 Rosenie Cabuenas, PO3 Rudolph Pacete, PO2 Neil Arellano,
and PO3 Abdul Azis Ali, who were all taken by the rebels following an attack of
the 72nd Infantry Battalion CAA (Civilian Armed Auxiliary) detachment on April
16 in Sitio Quimanao, Barangay Salapawan, Paquibato District.
Their release also followed a video released by the NPA with
PO3 Pacete asking his family not to worry as they have been treated well during
their 10-day captivity.
At the same time, Duterte emphasized that he is not
left-leaning although he could talk the same language as that of the
communists.
"I am not (a communist)...I do not subscribe to their
armed struggle," he said, in answer to some claims that he supports the
NPA rebel group.
When asked if there was a demand from the rebels in exchange
for the release, Duterte implied there was none adding that the rebels owe him
a lot.
During the release, the mayor said the rebels admitted to
have abducted the policemen because they were sent to the place as
reinforcement of the Army.
He said he reminded the rebels of their "gentlemen's
agreement" to spare the police from any form of armed encounter because
they have their police work to fulfill in ensuring the safety of the civilian
residents against criminality. He added that investigating an incident such as
the attack of the CAA detachment, is part of police work.
"All is well that ends well," Duterte said in his
message during the turnover.
With this development, the mayor urged the police to
continue with their work. "Do not be afraid to go to the mountains,"
he stressed.
He, however, advised police officers to be extra careful
next time. "Armado talaga mga yan (They are really armed). Just introduce
that you are there to investigate an incident. Keep calm you are not fighting
an appropriate enemy," he said.
Duterte recalled he was also once a victim of NPA atrocity
when the rebels drove into a deep ravine a government equipment for road
projects in Paquibato during the early years of his term as mayor. He said it
cost the city some Php2 million. He also cited an incident when he was nearly
killed by the rebels.
Meanwhile, PNP Director Gaerlan called the police officers
"heroes" because they were abducted while in the performance of their
duty. He also thanked Mayor Duterte for facilitating their release.
He condemned the incident and declared they will not be
cowed by threats of armed groups to fulfill their duty.
The turnover was capped with the mayor allowing the police
officers to go on vacation for needed rest. He also promised them a vacation to
Hongkong with their family after the elections.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=879544
Air patrol near Panatag part of US-Philippines pact
From the Philippine Star (Apr 24): Air patrol near Panatag part of US-Philippines pact
The conduct of air operations of four US jet fighters and two attack and rescue helicopters near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Tuesday was part of agreed activities between the Philippines and the US, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said yesterday.
“These are agreed activities that will help enhance maritime security in this part of our seas and an assurance for those who navigate these sea lanes,” AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said.
Padilla issued the statement in reaction to the recent US Pacific Command’s Air Contingent sortie over international waters but within the general vicinity of the Chinese-occupied Panatag Shoal.
The shoal is located 120 nautical miles off Zambales province and is well within the country’s 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
A traditional fishing ground of Filipinos for decades, the area was seized by China in 2012.
At the conclusion of this year’s joint Phl-US Balikatan exercises early this month, visiting US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that 200 US servicemen who took part in the drill, as well as some of the USS Stennis Strike Group’s embarked air power, will be staying behind for joint air patrols with their Filipino counterparts.
The return of US servicemen and their equipment in the country on rotation basis is in line with the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that the two allies have forged in the wake of China’s aggressive actions in pursuit of its nine-dash line maritime claim in the South China Sea.
US jet fighters that are now based at Clark Air Field in Pampanga are five A-10 Thunderbolts attack aircraft, three HH-60G Pave Hawk attack and search and rescue helicopters and one MC-130H Combat Talon, an aircraft designed to perform resupply and infiltration as well as other special operations.
Panatag Shoal is strategically located along the busy international shipping lanes where billions worth of trade pass yearly. China is reportedly planning to transform the shoal into an artificial island for military purposes.
China’s reclamation plan over the area is line with its continuing move to put up its second island defense chain extending from the South China Sea towards the Pacific Ocean, passing through Bashi Channel near the island province of Batanes.
In his lecture on the China’s plan in the region, Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio warned that Beijing is planning to put up a military base on its illegally occupied Panatag Shoal.
This move is part of Beijing’s grand design to enable its attack submarines to sail towards the Pacific with ease and be within the striking distance of the US mainland and US military bases in Guam and Hawaii, Carpio said.
Local and foreign security and defense analysts also issued the same warning, saying China’s first island defense chain in the South China Sea is already nearing operational stage and it is now moving towards establishing their planned second island defense chain, starting from Panatag.
At present, China’s air and naval facilities in its man-made islands on Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef, Zamora (Subi) Reef and Panganiban (Mischief) Reef are almost complete.
Security analysts said that once China’s first island defense chain becomes fully operational, this will impede the free flow of trade and commerce in the South China Sea, affecting not only the Philippines but also almost all neighboring states as well as South Korea and Japan.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/04/24/1576215/air-patrol-near-panatag-part-us-philippines-pact
The conduct of air operations of four US jet fighters and two attack and rescue helicopters near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Tuesday was part of agreed activities between the Philippines and the US, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said yesterday.
“These are agreed activities that will help enhance maritime security in this part of our seas and an assurance for those who navigate these sea lanes,” AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said.
Padilla issued the statement in reaction to the recent US Pacific Command’s Air Contingent sortie over international waters but within the general vicinity of the Chinese-occupied Panatag Shoal.
The shoal is located 120 nautical miles off Zambales province and is well within the country’s 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
A traditional fishing ground of Filipinos for decades, the area was seized by China in 2012.
At the conclusion of this year’s joint Phl-US Balikatan exercises early this month, visiting US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that 200 US servicemen who took part in the drill, as well as some of the USS Stennis Strike Group’s embarked air power, will be staying behind for joint air patrols with their Filipino counterparts.
The return of US servicemen and their equipment in the country on rotation basis is in line with the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that the two allies have forged in the wake of China’s aggressive actions in pursuit of its nine-dash line maritime claim in the South China Sea.
US jet fighters that are now based at Clark Air Field in Pampanga are five A-10 Thunderbolts attack aircraft, three HH-60G Pave Hawk attack and search and rescue helicopters and one MC-130H Combat Talon, an aircraft designed to perform resupply and infiltration as well as other special operations.
Panatag Shoal is strategically located along the busy international shipping lanes where billions worth of trade pass yearly. China is reportedly planning to transform the shoal into an artificial island for military purposes.
China’s reclamation plan over the area is line with its continuing move to put up its second island defense chain extending from the South China Sea towards the Pacific Ocean, passing through Bashi Channel near the island province of Batanes.
In his lecture on the China’s plan in the region, Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio warned that Beijing is planning to put up a military base on its illegally occupied Panatag Shoal.
This move is part of Beijing’s grand design to enable its attack submarines to sail towards the Pacific with ease and be within the striking distance of the US mainland and US military bases in Guam and Hawaii, Carpio said.
Local and foreign security and defense analysts also issued the same warning, saying China’s first island defense chain in the South China Sea is already nearing operational stage and it is now moving towards establishing their planned second island defense chain, starting from Panatag.
At present, China’s air and naval facilities in its man-made islands on Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef, Zamora (Subi) Reef and Panganiban (Mischief) Reef are almost complete.
Security analysts said that once China’s first island defense chain becomes fully operational, this will impede the free flow of trade and commerce in the South China Sea, affecting not only the Philippines but also almost all neighboring states as well as South Korea and Japan.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/04/24/1576215/air-patrol-near-panatag-part-us-philippines-pact
US to China: Resolve sea row peacefully
From the Philippine Star (Apr 24): US to China: Resolve sea row peacefully
In a speech at the University of Southern California on Friday, Russel said the United States was determined not to let China undermine the interests of other nations with conflicting maritime claims. US Navy, file
China has pulled out all the stops in vilifying the Philippines for pursuing arbitration to resolve their maritime disputes in the South China Sea, said Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel.
In a speech at the University of Southern California on Friday, Russel said the United States was determined not to let China undermine the interests of other nations with conflicting maritime claims.
“We don’t object to China exercising international maritime rights, but we do urge it to clarify its South China Sea maritime claims consistent with international law and to recognize other countries possess the same rights it exercises,” he said.
Territorial claims are notoriously hard to resolve, and some disputes pre-date the creation of the People’s Republic of China, he said.
Manila filed a case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague contesting the legality of China’s nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
China cites “historical facts” for justifying its claim to 90 percent of the sea, which is also being contested by Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia. It has expressed intention to ignore the tribunal’s ruling expected in the coming weeks.
“We are committed to a rules-based regional order that benefits all nations and we won’t accept the division of the region into spheres of influence,” he said.
Russel said from day one, the Obama administration has been clear-eyed about the potential for both conflict and cooperation with China.
Obama has had about 30 face-to-face meetings with his Chinese counterparts so far in addition to phone calls, letters and senior envoys to resolve differences and to shape China’s choices to encourage responsible stewardship and contributions to global leadership.
The 1982 UNCLOS covers issues such as who has jurisdiction to fish or drill for oil in any given location. It guarantees freedom of navigation, overflight and other lawful uses of the seas.
“We don’t ask China to renounce its territorial claims in the East or South China Seas, but we do ask China to renounce unilateral and destabilizing actions that change the status quo at the expense of the other claimants,” he said.
“We don’t object to China exercising international maritime rights, but we do urge it to clarify its South China Sea maritime claims consistent with international law,” he added.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/04/24/1576207/us-china-resolve-sea-row-peacefully
In a speech at the University of Southern California on Friday, Russel said the United States was determined not to let China undermine the interests of other nations with conflicting maritime claims. US Navy, file
China has pulled out all the stops in vilifying the Philippines for pursuing arbitration to resolve their maritime disputes in the South China Sea, said Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel.
In a speech at the University of Southern California on Friday, Russel said the United States was determined not to let China undermine the interests of other nations with conflicting maritime claims.
“We don’t object to China exercising international maritime rights, but we do urge it to clarify its South China Sea maritime claims consistent with international law and to recognize other countries possess the same rights it exercises,” he said.
Territorial claims are notoriously hard to resolve, and some disputes pre-date the creation of the People’s Republic of China, he said.
Manila filed a case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague contesting the legality of China’s nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
China cites “historical facts” for justifying its claim to 90 percent of the sea, which is also being contested by Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia. It has expressed intention to ignore the tribunal’s ruling expected in the coming weeks.
“We are committed to a rules-based regional order that benefits all nations and we won’t accept the division of the region into spheres of influence,” he said.
Russel said from day one, the Obama administration has been clear-eyed about the potential for both conflict and cooperation with China.
Obama has had about 30 face-to-face meetings with his Chinese counterparts so far in addition to phone calls, letters and senior envoys to resolve differences and to shape China’s choices to encourage responsible stewardship and contributions to global leadership.
The 1982 UNCLOS covers issues such as who has jurisdiction to fish or drill for oil in any given location. It guarantees freedom of navigation, overflight and other lawful uses of the seas.
“We don’t ask China to renounce its territorial claims in the East or South China Seas, but we do ask China to renounce unilateral and destabilizing actions that change the status quo at the expense of the other claimants,” he said.
“We don’t object to China exercising international maritime rights, but we do urge it to clarify its South China Sea maritime claims consistent with international law,” he added.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/04/24/1576207/us-china-resolve-sea-row-peacefully
DND to buy P40 M spare parts for C-295
From the Philippine Star (Apr 25): DND to buy P40 M spare parts for C-295
With its brand new C-295 Airbus, the Department of National Defense is set to procure P40 million worth of additional integrated logistics support this year.
The DND said the amount would be sourced from the military’s Modernization Act Trust Fund for purchase of 47 line items of aircraft ground support equipment.
In layman’s terms, the line items refer to spare parts that would be needed for the aircraft’s maintenance in the next three years.
The C-295 Airbus is categorized as a medium lift aircraft, similar to the Fokker F-27 being maintained by the 220th Airlift Wing.
With its capacity of 20,000 pounds of cargo or 71 passengers, 50 paratroops and 24 stretchers with seven attendants, the aircraft would be used by the Air Force in ferrying personnel and logistics.
The Philippine Air Force received three C-295 aircraft from the manufacturer Airbus Defense and Space, which delivered them from Spain.
A pre-bid conference for the additional integrated logistics support for the C-295 Airbus will be held on April 29 at the DND bids and awards committee conference room in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/04/25/1576599/dnd-buy-p40-m-spare-parts-c-295
With its brand new C-295 Airbus, the Department of National Defense is set to procure P40 million worth of additional integrated logistics support this year.
The DND said the amount would be sourced from the military’s Modernization Act Trust Fund for purchase of 47 line items of aircraft ground support equipment.
In layman’s terms, the line items refer to spare parts that would be needed for the aircraft’s maintenance in the next three years.
The C-295 Airbus is categorized as a medium lift aircraft, similar to the Fokker F-27 being maintained by the 220th Airlift Wing.
With its capacity of 20,000 pounds of cargo or 71 passengers, 50 paratroops and 24 stretchers with seven attendants, the aircraft would be used by the Air Force in ferrying personnel and logistics.
The Philippine Air Force received three C-295 aircraft from the manufacturer Airbus Defense and Space, which delivered them from Spain.
A pre-bid conference for the additional integrated logistics support for the C-295 Airbus will be held on April 29 at the DND bids and awards committee conference room in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/04/25/1576599/dnd-buy-p40-m-spare-parts-c-295