US challenges 13 states’ sea claims

From the Philippine Star (Apr 27): US challenges 13 states’ sea claims

US forces last year challenged the excessive maritime claims of 13 countries throughout the world including the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan, the Pentagon said.      

In a report released on Monday, it said a US Freedom of Navigation (FON) program was implemented actively every year against excessive maritime claims by claimants in every region of the world in support of the Defense Department’s global interest in mobility and access.

The FON program encompasses all of the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea and airspace available to all nations under international law.

The report provided a summary of excessive maritime claims challenged by US forces in fiscal year 2015 from Oct. 1, 2014 to Sept. 20, 2015.

Eight of the 13 countries challenged were Argentina, Indonesia, India, Iran, Libya, the Maldives, Nicaragua and Oman.

The other five have competing claims to parts of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.             

China’s excessive maritime claims were listed as excessive straight baselines, jurisdiction over airspace above the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), restriction on foreign aircraft flying through an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) without the intent to enter national airspace, domestic law criminalizing survey activity by foreign entities in the EEZ; and requiring prior permission for innocent passage of foreign military ships through territorial sea.

The Philippines was cited for claiming archipelagic waters as internal waters and Vietnam for excessive straight baselines and requiring prior notification for foreign warships to enter its territorial sea.

Taiwan was faulted for requiring prior notification for military or government vessels to enter its territorial sea and Malaysia for requiring nuclear-powered ships to enter its territorial sea and requiring consent for military exercises or maneuvers in the EEZ.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia underlined the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

At the 28th ASEAN-Australia Forum held in Canberra last April 21 and 22, ASEAN and Australia agreed that disputes should be resolved peacefully, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes, and without resorting to the threat or use of force, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

The Philippines, led by Assistant Secretary Helen de la Vega of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)-Office of ASEAN Affairs, participated in this year’s forum that was co-chaired by Australian Gary Quinlan and Country Coordinator Aung Lynn of Myanmar.

During the dialogue, ASEAN and Australia reviewed the status of political security, economic and socio-cultural cooperation in support of ASEAN’s Vision 2025. Both sides committed to deepen existing cooperation as they prepare for the 1st biennial ASEAN-Australia Summit in September 2016 in Laos.

The DFA said there was an extensive discussion on regional and international developments.

De la Vega said “the Australians want to deepen engagement with ASEAN and regional partners would maintain a rules-based regional order.”

Both sides concurred that the regional architecture must continue to evolve as an ASEAN-centric and rules-based order and agreed to explore further joint action under ASEAN-led mechanisms.

ASEAN and Australia are both keen to advance ASEAN-Australia connectivity.
Both sides welcomed the creation of the ASEAN-Australia Council, which is taking a lead in promoting women’s economic empowerment and educational exchanges.

Japanese ship visit

Another Japanese warship made a port call in the Subic Bay Freeport yesterday, underscoring the increasing visits of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) vessels amid the strengthening of defense cooperation between the Philippines and Japan.

The Japanese helicopter carrier JS Ise docked at the Alava Pier for a four-day goodwill visit and maritime training and cooperation between Japanese and Philippine Navy personnel.

The ship carries four helicopters and has 360 officers and men, headed by Capt. Masaki Takada.

JS Ise’s visit to Subic is the third time that JMSDF ships made a port call in the country this year.

Two warships, Uraga and Takashina of the JMSDF Minesweeper Division 51 under the command of Capt. Toshiro Takaiwa, visited Manila on March 2.

The ship visits took place after the two countries signed an agreement for Japan’s transfer of defense equipment and technology to the Philippines.

Submarine ship Oyashio (SS-551), along with two destroyer ships, also visited Subic on April 3.

The ship visits, according to Japanese and Philippine Navy officials, aim to enhance “the already strong relationship” of the Philippine Navy and the JMSDF and promote regional peace and stability.

It also aims to enhance maritime cooperation, according to Philippine Navy Capt. Lued Lincuna, director of the Naval Public Affairs Office.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/04/27/1577249/us-challenges-13-states-sea-claims

Beheading highlights lucrative kidnap business of PHL rebels

From GMA News (Apr 26): Beheading highlights lucrative kidnap business of PHL rebels

When the deadline for his ransom passed this week, Canadian John Ridsdel was beheaded by his captors, the Abu Sayyaf, whose network in the Philippines is only gaining in strength thanks to vast sums earned from kidnappings that pay.

The Islamic State-linked group has made tens of millions of dollars from ransom money since it was formed in the 1990s, security experts say, channelling it into guns, grenade launchers, high-powered boats and modern equipment.

The Philippine military is finding it increasingly difficult to weaken Abu Sayyaf, whose name translates as "Bearer of the Sword" and is based in the southern island of Jolo.

Although it is a rebel group fighting for an independent Islamic nation in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic Southeast Asian nation, its militants often seem more motivated by the money they can make from kidnappings and piracy.

Neighboring Indonesia said last week after 14 tugboat crew were kidnapped that piracy on a shipping route along its sea border with the Philippines could reach Somalian levels and warned commercial vessels to avoid the area.

Sidney Jones, a Jakarta-based counter-terrorism expert, said there were links between Abu Sayyaf Group—known as ASG—and Islamic State-backed groups in Indonesia, the faction behind Monday's beheading appeared to be in it for the money.

"This ransom business has been hugely successful for Abu Sayyaf ... it's gotten them lots of money and freedom to operate," she said.

Ridsdel, 68, was snatched from a high-end holiday resort last year and beheaded on Monday when the deadline for buying his freedom expired. The group's price for his life was P300 million ($6.41 million), the same set for another Canadian, a Norwegian and a Filipino woman who appeared with him in a video appealing to their governments to save them.

"Board and lodgings" A Philippine Army spokesman said Abu Sayyaf had threatened to behead one of four captives on Monday if the P300 million ransom for each of them was not paid by 3 p.m. local time.

The Philippines rarely publicizes payments of ransom, but it is widely believed no captives are released without them.

Security experts say brokers, messengers and go-betweens are involved at multiple levels, some taking substantial cuts. Payments are euphemistically called "board and lodgings."

A German couple seized on their yacht in 2014 was released after $5.3 million was paid and, in 2000, the Libyan government, acting as an intermediary, handed over $10 million to free 10 European and Middle Eastern tourists.

Security analyst Rommel Banlaoi said executing Westerners raised Abu Sayyaf's profile and the potential sums involved would encourage other rebel groups to play supportive roles in the business.

"The beheading of John Ridsdel has just increased ASG's leverage," he said. "The risks for other captives have become higher as ASG just demonstrated that the it was not bluffing when imposing deadlines."

ASG is holding 23 hostages, including Japanese, Norwegian, Dutch and Malaysian citizens, and the 14 Indonesians.

Outgoing Philippine President Benigno Aquino has ordered security forces to hunt down Abu Sayyaf militants.

The army says 2,500 troops are involved in operations and on Tuesday were pounding rebel mountain positions with artillery fire.

A Philippine intelligence source said that a political solution was vital because the group's ransom earnings were entrenching its network and complicating the military's job.

The region in which Abu Sayyaf operates is impoverished, making it easy to recruit jobless, unschooled youths with the promise of money and gang prestige.

"It's the lifeblood that keeps the lawlessness in the area. Money from kidnap-for-ransom activities is used to buy weapons, faster boats and communications equipment," the source said.

 "More unschooled children are joining them and taking up arms. The military cannot solve this problem alone."

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/564115/news/nation/beheading-highlights-lucrative-kidnap-business-of-phl-rebels

6 NPA members surrender

From Update.Ph (Apr 25): 6 NPA members surrender  

Six former NPA members returned to the folds of the law on March 23 and April 14, 2016 through the efforts of 73rd Infantry Battalion (73IB).

In a press conference held at Headquarters Task Force Gensan on Monday, April 24, the 1002nd Infantry Brigade, 73IB and Task Force Gensan commanders; Col Ronald Villanueva, Ltc Felix Ronnie Babac and Col Paterno Reynato Padua respectively, presented the six Former Rebels (FRs) to the local media of General Santos City.

All six were members of Guerilla Front 71 namely, alias Jomar, alias Jerome, alias Rex, alias Anghel, alias Dondon and alias Daniel. Among them were two minors, Alias Dondon and Alias Daniel, both 17 years old. Alias Jomar brought with him a remote controlled landmine when he submitted himself to 73IB. They jointly revealed that they were deceived by the NPA that led them to join the armed group.

In an earlier interview by troops of 73IB, alias Anghel said that he and other NPA members felt the hardship and trauma after they were encountered by the troops of 73IB last March 28, 2016. He added that two of their members were fatally wounded. Meanwhile, alias Rex said that he was promise a monthly salary of Php2,000 which did not really materialized.

MGen Rafael Valencia, 10ID commander said, “We urge other active members of the NPA to emulate what their former companions did.”

“It is high time that altogether, soldiers, rebels and ordinary citizens alike, should all work towards peace and development without violence and armed struggle,” he added.

(From Philippine Army 10th Infantry Division)

http://www.update.ph/2016/04/6-npa-members-surrender/4693

PVAO, FILVETS launch digitized WWII records

From the Philippine Information Agency (Apr 27): PVAO, FILVETS launch digitized WWII records

The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), in collaboration with the Filipino War Veterans Foundation Inc. (FILVETS), launched on Maonday the digitized surviving records of Filipino soldiers and guerillas during World War II (WW II) at the AFP Museum at Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

The digitization project is presented as the “Bgen. Francisco H. Licuanan, Jr. Collection,” in honor of the memory of the late BGen. Francisco H. Licuanan, Jr., the father of the project sponsor, Mr. Francisco H. Licuanan III.

According to Usec. Ernesto G. Carolina, PVAO Administrator, PVAO, FILVETS, and Mr. Licuanan "aimed at putting together the bits and pieces of the history of World War II in our country which are scattered in different institutions."

The found records about WWII in the Philippines are in the custody of the United States National Archives and Records Administration in Maryland, USA. Starting last year, a team led by a former historical researcher, Marie Vallejo, worked for four (4) months to digitize the records and bring them to the Philippines.

“Nine years ago, I embarked on a personal quest to find out what my father did during World War II…Continuing my search in the US, the US National Archives in Maryland yielded a gold mine of Philippine WWII records called the Philippine Collection composed of 1,665 boxes of primary source records of our World War II history.” Vallejo said during her testimonial at the launching of the digitized WWII records.

“This is just the beginning. A pioneering team has successfully done the first phase. There are more boxes of our history waiting to be digitized and brought back. Help us bring them home,” Vallejo added.

The digitized output is composed of more than 284,000 records of Filipino soldiers and guerillas in WWII and was compiled under the Philippines Archives Collection portal. The portal will be installed to different libraries and museums nationwide starting next month.

“Hopefully, the results of this project will serve as a base for historians and historical writers to fill in some blanks in our nation’s history.” Licuanan said in his message during the launch.

“Our father never talked that much about his exploits. It is only after Marie chanced upon these records that we found out that he was actually the head of his unit. I say this not to glorify what my father did but to say that there are so many vignettes of Filipino history that individual Filipinos can access and find out what their parents or grandparents did,” Licuanan added.

Meanwhile, Usec. Carolina also said that a Philippine Center for World War II Studies will be established at the Dambana ng Kagitingan at Mt. Samat, Bataan which will be the depository of the complete history of World War II in the Philippines. Mt. Samat was declared as a Tourism Enterprise Zone last year.

PVAO release stated that the digitized records include memoirs of freedom fighters, officers, soldiers, and civilians. The digitized files were indexed and categorized into military units, regions, prominent leaders, personalities, anecdotes, historical chronology, timelines, among others.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2561461660111/pvao-filvets-launch-digitized-wwii-records

DFA, PIA to bring WPS communication campaign to Bacolod

From the Philippine Information Agency (Apr 28): DFA, PIA to bring WPS communication campaign to Bacolod

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine Information Agency – Negros Occidental (PIA) have paired up to conduct a  communication campaign on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue on April 27-28 here.

DFA Assistant Secretary Charles Jose will be here to interact with mediamen in a press conference and media interviews on April 27 and talk about the country’s rights and measures to gain possession of the much disputed territory, which China also claims as its own, at a multi-sectoral forum on April 28.

The topics that will be tackled during the forum are core issues of the WPS dispute, China’s activities in the area and principles underpinning the Philippines' position on the issue.

The sectors that will participate in the activity are from national government agencies, local government units, business sector, the academe, students, religious, media, farmers and fisher folks.

Participants of the forum are urged to give their suggestions, assessment and views with regard to the country’s stand on the territorial claim.

DFA has targeted 15 WPS fora to be conducted in the different regions, which started last year, and Negros Occidental has been chosen as one of the areas of the said forum.
The activity will be held at the Sugarland Hotel here.

The West Philippine Sea is considered as an abundant source of maritime life, as well as livelihood for the fisher folks.

As of November 2014, there are 1,403,202 registered municipal fisher folks, data from the Bureau of Fish and Aquatic Resources showed.

Further, the Philippines is 7th among countries in the world in fish production and 3rd in production of aquatic plants (including seaweeds).

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2971461667315/dfa-pia-to-bring-wps-communication-campaign-to-bacolod

MESSAGE FROM CAMP BAGONG DIWA: Greetings from detained members of NDFP on its 43rd anniversary

From the Manila Times (Apr 25): MESSAGE FROM CAMP BAGONG DIWA: Greetings from detained members of NDFP on its 43rd anniversary

[The following is the unedited greeting to the NDFP sent to The Manila Times by National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultants and other political prisoners in Camp Bagong Diwa and in other detention areas throughout the country.]

Militant Greetings to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines on the 43rd Anniversary of its Founding (April 24, 2016).

We, foully detained National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultants and other political prisoners in Camp Bagong Diwa and in other detention areas throughout the country, send our militant greetings to the NDFP on the 43rd anniversry of its founding.

The NDFP, a solid and deep alliance of 18 national democratic revolutionary organizations with millions in total membership throughout the country and abroad, 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.

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.

It has also been actively supporting people’s wars and other struggles of fraternal people’s organizations in other countries, joining a number of international organizations, leagues and associations of peoples, and participating in international people’s fora, tribunals and other progressive people’s activities abroad.

The NDFP, a solid and deep alliance of 18 national democratic revolutionary organizations with millions in total membership throughout the country and abroad, 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.

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.

It has also been actively supporting people’s wars and other struggles of fraternal people’s organizations in other countries, joining a number of international organizations, leagues and associations of peoples, and participating in international people’s fora, tribunals and other progressive people’s activities abroad.

The NDFP has, since the downfall of the outright fascist regime of Ferdinand Marcos, also been engaged in peace talks with successive post-martial law regimes.

Just as it had been doing with earlier post-martial law regimes, the NDFP has consistently been seeking peace talks with the current — even if outgoing – ruling regime of Benigno S. Aquino III.
It has, however, been under the present reactionary puppet regime of Benigno S. Aquino III, where practically nothing has been achieved in the peace process. Nor has the latter shown any real interest in the peace process with the NDFP.

Since the downfall of the outright Martial Law regime, it has also been under the present regime where the biggest number of NDFP peace consultants and other political prisoners have been foully hurled into and viciously kept in jail on the basis of trumped-up charges – all, in violation of standing peace agreements, as well as of local and international protocols and laws. Despite the clear, documented existence of more than 500 NDFP-related political prisoners at present, the ruling reactionary regime of Benigno S. Aquino III has even kept on denying the existence of political prisoners.

Since Day One of its rule up to the present eve of its exit and replacement, the current reactionary puppet regime of Benigno S. Aquino III has only shown that it knows nothing and has done nothing, but to kowtow to the interests of its US imperialist master and the interests of the big compradors, big feudal lords and big bureaucrat capitalists.

Worse, it has conditioned the committing of outright fascist violence against hungry, exploited and oppressed people asking for their right to land, food and protection from violence.

The massacre committed in 2004 against peasants and their supporters demanding agrarian reform in the Hacienda Luisita of Benigno S. Aquino III’s clan has recently been followed by the firing of bullets, beatings, arrests, harassments, hurling into jail and other gross acts of violence – against other hungry, exploited and oppressed masses – committed under the reign of Benigno S. Aquino III.

Most recent among these have been the Sept. 2015 and onward killings and other acts of fascism against the Lumad and their communities, their educators and the shutting down of their schools.
They have instigated forced evacuations and further acts of fascism against Lumad refugees seeking protection in the Haran compound of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) in Davao del Norte; the Nov. 2015 total burning down of the Lumad Alternative Learning Center for Livelihood and Development (ALCADEV) and harassment of surrounding Lumad communities in Tandag City; and the April 1, 2016 and onward killings and other acts of fascism against hungry peasants merely asking for rice and seeking protection from violence in the Methodist compound in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato.

Even as it relies mainly on the people’s war – waged by the New People’s Army and related NDFP forces – for as long as such fascist acts will only continue unabated and even be heightened further, and for as long as the other age-old basic problems of the people continue to be ignored and unresolved, and for as long as the people’s demands for substantive solutions are met only with deaf ears and violence from the reactionary ruling state and regimes, still the NDFP remains always open to peace talks with the other side. This, for as long as the other side would also be open to peace efforts.

Aside from its many crimes against the people – including the aforementioned grave acts of violence against the displaced Lumad and hungry peasants – because of the lack of intent and little time left for it to change, the outgoing regime of Benigno S. Aquino III is already a dead duck.

On its 43rd anniversary, the NDFP celebrates the all-rounded victories of the people’s war and the continuing defeat of the US and its local puppet regime’s Oplan Bayanihan and the latter’s arrogant objective of defeating and marginalizing the NPA within a few years.

At the same time, the NDFP always remains open to peace talks and hopeful for the progress of such, and is thus always willing to sit at the negotiating table with its opposite at the helm of the ruling state – for as long as the latter is also truly open to it and serious enough about it.

The NDFP looks forward to more victories for the people at present and in the future!

Long live the NDFP and its allied organizations!

Victory to the causes and struggles of the NDFP and the Filipino people!

[By National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultants Adelberto Silva, Alan Jazmines, Ernesto Lorenzo, Loida Magpatoc, Ruben Saluta, Tirso Alcantara and other political prisoners in Camp Bagong Diwa.]

http://www.manilatimes.net/greetings-from-detained-members-of-ndfp-on-its-43rd-anniversary/258362/

The Group Behind Canadian Execution by Philippine Militants

From the Asia Sentinel (Apr 25): The Group Behind Canadian Execution by Philippine Militants
[by Criselda Yabes]

Cycle of violence and futility feeds latest Abu Sayyaf outrage in Mindanao



Criminals or rebels?

The discovery Monday, April 25, of the beheading of a Canadian tourist held hostage by Islamist militants in the Philippines outraged foreign leaders and locals alike as the outside world again was touched by the country’s seemingly endless cycle of violence in remote parts of Mindanao.

 

John Ridsdel, held hostage with three others since September, was killed after a deadline set by Abu Sayyaf militants passed. The others, a Norwegian and a Filipina, are sill under threat with a demand for $27 million in ransom still on the table. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the death “an act of cold-blooded murder” by terrorists.

The people behind the terror

It is an act of murder that goes back in a long line to thousands of senseless deaths on the strife-torn island. We try to make sense of the senseless through the reporting of Criselda Yabes, who recently spent a week in Mindanao reporting on the conflict. Here is her report:
Scrolling through Facebook posts on her phone, Amina Aban saw the face of the man who had killed her father. He had been a rebel and later a government soldier when he met his end. The photograph was one of many that went viral after 18 soldiers were killed in a long-running gun battle in the southern Philippines.

The man who gunned down Amina’s father was a Muslim, a rebel at the peak of an all-out military campaign that took place nearly two decades ago. He later switched sides and became a sergeant in the Philippine army. Joining the a armed forces was part of an earlier peace resolution with the dominant rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the mid-1990s.

Amina’s story is a simple narrative buried in the complexities of the Mindanao south where both sides – the government and the rebel groups – have failed to build the conditions for peace in what was once a fertile promised land.

The Cycle Starts Again

The Mindanao problem does not end because of corruption, incompetence, tribal rivalries, clan feuds, lack of governance, an entire gamut born of historical misunderstandings.

For Amina, her grief has come full circle, quietly. For the country, Mindanao’s violence has perpetuated itself for nearly half a century of strife and rebellion.

The bloody firefight that claimed the lives of the men of the 44th Infantry Battalion on the island of Basilan two weeks ago was but another example of the chain of setbacks in military strategy. It undergoes repetitions and revisions, strategies that are not consistent in finding an end to the Mindanao saga.

Casualties of this magnitude have occurred twice before in the past decade on Basilan island alone. Always it was a scene of carnage and some beheadings by the rebels, creating shock-waves in Manila when it reaches the news, as if what people read still carries the shades of the pre-colonial wars during the era of the sultanates.

Terrorism in the south has made different turns since the 1970s when independence was the war cry of Filipino Muslims. Years of fighting and losses have narrowed claims for autonomy in five provinces, themselves divided among varied ethnic groups from the mainland of Mindanao to the islands of the Sulu Archipelago, where radicals easily roam.
Abu Sayyaf and ISIS

Today rebels of the extremist Abu Sayyaf Group – many say they are criminals hiding under the banner of Islamism – are seeking an alliance with the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, with the younger generation splitting away from older rival leaders previously allied with Al-Qaeda. Some are just in their 20s, forming factions within the rim of the archipelago, according to an army source on the ground.

Military intelligence classifies them as “ISIS-inspired” looking for external support and attention for their so-called jihad in Mindanao. Following the near demise of their elders and leaders that was brought on by a “war against terror” aided by American forces in the south during the 2000s, the Abu Sayyaf used kidnappings in exchange for ransom to sustain their militancy.

Acting like pirates from the old days, the Abu Sayyaf kidnap their victims even from across the maritime border in Malaysia and Indonesia. Eighteen have been taken as of late, and millions of pesos have been demanded for their freedom. The Canadian was one such victim; a Malaysian captive was beheaded late last year upon failing to pay ransom, an new development in Abu Sayyaf’s horrific record.

“There is a probability that since they had nowhere else to go, the more radical ones among the Islamists could communicate with ISIS and that could easily be done through social media,” said a retired military analyst. The Abu Sayyaf has done just that by posting videos showing allegiance to ISIS – although intelligence has yet to verify links, if so, that ISIS has made it to the southern shores.

This has left the military virtually helpless in being unable to patrol the seas, poorly equipped as it is. It has downplayed the threat for some time, preferring to strike head on against lairs mixed with poor civilian populations, again resorting to old combat tactics. But at the same time, the value of intelligence has somewhat diminished, resulting in flaws and debacles such as what happened on Basilan in mid- April.

Nation-building Out the Window

It has also wavered from its overall “Bayanihan” campaign based on the concept of “nation-building” as the name suggests, with the help of local government units and civilian organizations. It has reverted to the harsh operations of the past rather than pursuing already -tested results of commanders finding creative ways to lessen the conflict on the ground. It chose the wrong commanders for the job.

The incident in Basilan two weeks ago allegedly stemmed from an army order that the Abu Sayyaf leader there must be arrested or taken down before the chief of staff’s retirement this month, to make it a “legacy” of his term. Such deadlines or quick fixes obviously do not work, as they have failed in the past.

There was no formal ceremony for the 18 soldiers who died, and circumstances of another operation that went wrong received a partial news blackout. So the spate of condolences rolled on Facebook – where Amina was among those who posted that time has a way of healing without the bitterness or the anger that feeds bloodshed.

Local Chieftains Rule

The autonomous region of Muslim Mindanao has underscored a system “characterized by datuism” – the rule of local chieftains – “where political clans have been used by national government officials to promote electoral interests and in return political clans were tolerated to rule and control their municipalities,” according to a confidential report assessing the “ills” in the south.

This description fits the picture in the Sulu archipelago, for example, where one dynastic political family has been ruling for years and which has given the military a dilemma in running after the Abu Sayyaf, whose families too are intertwined with those of local politicians. It gives the terrain a bigger space of grey in which interests complicate the war against the Islamic extremists.

Amina said she wants an entirely different outcome. She has turned her father’s jihad into good, by transforming his former camp into a village for community service – which for her is seeking to end the cycle of violence and aiming for peace. But in many parts of Muslim Mindanao, reports of violence has gone up from incidents in the past three years, according to International Alert monitoring the situation in the region.

Much of it has to do with political competition among warring clans for the coming elections in early May. The root of the problem then is not only about the Islamic rebels but also from those who are supposed to serve the nation.

[Criselda Yabes, a prize-winning Manila-based journalist, is a regular contributor to Asia Sentinel]
 http://www.asiasentinel.com/society/death-futility-mindanao-philippines/

Abu Sayyaf Militants Thriving as Hostage-Takers in Philippines

From the New York Times (Apr 26): Abu Sayyaf Militants Thriving as Hostage-Takers in Philippines



A soldier in the southern town of Jolo in the Philippines on Tuesday. As soldiers continue to battle Abu Sayyaf, some analysts have begun to question whether the group can be defeated. Credit Ben Hajan/European Pressphoto Agency        

After the militant group Abu Sayyaf kidnapped a group of foreign citizens and killed six soldiers in the southern Philippines in late 2014, President Benigno S. Aquino III vowed to wipe the terrorists out.

“We have several battalions,” he said, not only line infantry but “some of our most elite forces.” Those troops had been ordered into “all of these mountain lairs and very heavily wooded jungle and dense areas to precisely deprive them of safe havens.”

 

Instead, Abu Sayyaf has kidnapped several more foreign citizens in the nearly year and a half since, bringing the total to at least 19, and its heightened campaign of high-profile abductions has attracted growing international attention.

 

This month, it killed 18 soldiers in a single battle. On Monday, the head of one of its hostages, John Ridsdel, a mining executive from Canada, was left in a plastic bag on a street in the southern town of Jolo.

 

Abu Sayyaf has conducted kidnappings, bombings and battles with soldiers for more than 20 years in the southern Philippines, where many members of the impoverished local population regard it as an ally. Since 2002, the United States has periodically advised the Philippine military on combating the group.

 

With an estimated strength of fewer than 500 fighters, the group was once linked to Al Qaeda but has more recently produced videos vowing allegiance to the Islamic State. There is little evidence beyond the videos, however, that it has received any substantive financial or technical assistance from the terrorist network.
 

Abu Sayyaf’s stated goal is to establish an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines, but the military says it is at bottom a profit-driven criminal organization.
 

In March, 10 sailors from Indonesia were abducted by the group, Philippine military officials said. Less than a week later, four sailors from Malaysia were also abducted in the region where Abu Sayyaf operates. The Malaysian and Indonesian authorities responded by calling for increased patrols of the area, and Indonesian officials have offered to send in their own special forces to help rescue their citizens.
 

Some analysts and political leaders have begun to question whether the armed forces are capable of carrying out Mr. Aquino’s order to defeat the group.
 

“Considering how long this problem has been with us, it appears that the government — not just under this administration but under past administrations as well — has failed miserably to put an end to the kidnapping for ransom operations of the Abu Sayyaf,” wrote Ramon J. Farolan, a former military official, in a column for The Philippine Daily Inquirer this month.
 

Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is a presidential candidate in an election set for May 9, is among those who have called for more efforts to eliminate kidnap-for-ransom groups operating on the island of Mindanao.
 

“These groups are bandits, not rebels, and should be dealt with immediately and decisively,” he said.

Though the military vastly outnumbers Abu Sayyaf and has better training and more sophisticated weaponry, the soldiers face formidable obstacles fighting in the dense jungles where the group operates, said Col. Restituto Padilla Jr., a spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
 

“At the tactical level, the bandits have the edge on mastery of the terrain,” he said. “They have clearly mapped the whole area and know every nook and cranny.”
 

In the last two decades, the group has kidnapped dozens of foreign citizens, receiving millions of dollars in ransom money, and some of that has been distributed to the local population, Colonel Padilla said. In addition, many of the Abu Sayyaf fighters have relatives and traditional clan ties to residents, all of which puts them at odds with government troops.
 

“They have become local Robin Hoods, sought and revered by quite a lot of the locals,” the colonel said.
 

Matt Williams, country director in the Philippines for Pacific Strategies and Assessments, a risk management and security company, agreed with the military’s assessment of a hostile theater of operations.
 

“The area where the Abu Sayyaf operate is a nexus of crime, clan rivalries and endemic corruption,” said Mr. Williams, who has been involved in hostage negotiations with the group. “Ransoms paid for the release of foreign hostages pump millions of dollars into an underground economy that is shared by armed clans, corrupt officials and intermediaries promising fast solutions to victims’ families.”
 

In the areas where the group operates, nearly two-thirds of the population lives below the national poverty line, Mr. Williams said. There are also high levels of mistrust of the government and the military in those areas, and many young men see collaboration with Abu Sayyaf as prestigious and lucrative, he said.
 

“The Philippine military has the technical capability to contain and erode the Abu Sayyaf’s operational capacity,” Mr. Williams said. “What is lacking is the political will to resolve this growing security concern. President Aquino’s government does not appear to have a workable military solution to eradicate the Abu Sayyaf.”

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/world/asia/abu-sayyaf-philippines-kidnappings.html?_r=0

Waiting to be freed: 22 foreign hostages in Sulu

From Rappler (Apr 26): Waiting to be freed: 22 foreign hostages in Sulu

They include 14 Indonesians and 4 Malaysians



 The beheading of a Canadian hostage in Sulu on Monday, April 25, was a grisly reminder of the state of lawlessness in the province, where at least 22 foreign hostages are held captive by the Abu Sayyaf.

 

KILLED. John Ridsdel before he was kidnapped and during his captivity in Sulu. Photos courtesy of PNP

 

John Ridsdel, a tourist who visited Samal Island in Davao del Norte in September 2015 with fellow Canadian Robert Hall, was killed Monday afternoon after ransom talks for his freedom collapsed. A retiree in his early 60s, Ridsdel was from Calgary, Alberta.

Two months after the September 2015 abduction, the Abu Sayyaf, in a video, demanded P1 billion ($21 million) each in exchange for the release of Ridsdel, Hall, the other foreigner caught with them, Norwegian resort manager Kjartan Sekkingstad, as well as a Filipina, Marites Flor.

In that one-minute 27-second video released on November 3, 2015, the 4 hostages were shown sitting in front of armed men, whose faces were covered with masks.The video, posted by the United States-based jihadist monitor SITE Intelligence Group, showed the hostages in a jungle setting

 

HOSTAGES. John Ridsdel, Robert Hall, and Kjartan Sekkingstad prior to their abduction (above) and during captivity (below).

 

In the video, one unmasked militant is seen holding up a knife to the 3 foreigners, who took turns appealing for help and asking that the ransom be paid. Similar videos were posted over several months in which the hostages looked increasingly frail.

Dropped to P300 million

The ransom demand dropped to P300 million ($6.4 million).

Canada sent a crisis team to Manila after talks bogged down and the Abu Sayyaf threatened to kill them, according to intelligence sources.

Police sources said the Abu Sayyaf set an ultimatum on April 8, but later agreed to extend it to April 25.

In the most recent video before his beheading, Ridsdel said he would be killed on April 25 if the P300 million ($6.39 million) was not paid.

The gunmen beheaded him afternoon of April 25 then threw his head, wrapped in plastic, on a street in Jolo.

The same sources told Rappler that the foreigners were monitored on April 4 to have been under the close watch of the ASG’s top guns led by Radullan Sahiron, Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, Yasser Igasan, Mujer Sawadjaan, Hairulla Asbang and Idang Susukan. They were spotted in Barangay Lumping Pigi Daho in Talipao, Sulu.

Indonesians, Malaysians

At least 22 foreign captives remain in Sulu.

They include 14 Indonesians who were abducted in two instances this year, 4 Malaysians, one Canadian, one Norwegian, one Dutch, and one Japanese.

Ten of the Indonesians were sailors who were kidnapped while sailing off Sulu waters on March 26 this year. The crew were traveling on a tugboat pulling a barge from Borneo island to the Philippines when they were hijacked. The vessels' owners received a ransom call from someone claiming to be from the Abu Sayyaf group the same day, according to Indonesian officials.

Four Indonesians were again kidnapped on April 14.

On April 1, gunmen kidnapped 4 Malaysians from a ship off the east coast of Sabah, Malaysia.

Intelligence sources said the 4 were brought to Sulu as well.

Last year, Malaysian Bernard Then was kidnapped from a seaside restaurant in Sabah. He was later killed by the Abu Sayyaf.

Dutch birdwatcher

One of the two European birdwatchers abducted in Tawi-Tawi in 2012 is still being held in Sulu, Dutch national Ewold Horn.

His companion, Swiss national Lorenzo Vinciguerra, managed to escape from his captors on December 6, 2014.

 

ESCAPE. Swiss Lorenzo Vinciguerra was in captivity for 2 years. File photo from Western Mindanao Command

 

Japanese Toshio Ito was kidnapped nearly 3 years ago from Pangutaran Island in Sulu on July 16, 2010.

At one point, the Philippine police believed the 64-year-old “treasure hunter,” a Muslim convert, had joined the Abu Sayyaf – a form of Stockholm Syndrome which had him acting as the group’s cook. However, this was disputed by other nations, including the United States, which includes him on its list of kidnap victims. (READ: The men Rodwell leaves behind with the Abu Sayyaf)

Rodwell's ransom

An Australian was also a former Abu Sayyaf captive: Warren Richard Rodwell, who was kidnapped in December 2011 in Ipil, Zamboanga del Sur, and was also brought to Sulu.

 

RELEASED. The Abu Sayyaf released Australian national Warren Rodwell (L) on March 23, 2013, more than 14 months after kidnapping him from his home in Zamboanga. Photo by Jong Cadion/AFP PHOTO

 

The Abu Sayyaf initially demanded P1 million ($21,327.92) for his release, then upped it to P40 million ($853,116). When he was freed two years later, in March 2013, Rodwell's kidnappers had agreed to reduce the ransom to P5 million ($106,659). (READ: The inside story: Ransom and Rodwell)

The Abu Sayyaf has turned kidnapping-for-ransom into a cottage industry.

Handing hostages to larger, better armed groups is a common practice. Larger groups can better protect and evade authorities. All involved then get a cut of the ransom, according to Abu Sayyaf members.

The Indonesian company that employs the 10 kidnapped Indonesian sailors is willing to pay $1 million for their release, according to Indonesia's Chief Security Minister Luhut Pandjaitan.

Indonesia also banned its ships from sailing to the Philippines – for now. As for those with permits already, they must be escorted by the military.

Transport Minister Igansius Jonan earlier told Indonesian media that coal barges currently in Philippine waters will be escorted back by the Indonesian military. For ships that cannot be escorted back by the military for the moment, like those in Tarakan and Manado, Jonan said the ships will remain there.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/130796-abu-sayyaf-22-foreign-hostages-sulu

Duterte, Joma on Skype: Ceasefire if Davao mayor becomes president

From Rappler (Apr 27): Duterte, Joma on Skype: Ceasefire if Davao mayor becomes president

The ceasefire will cover not just the Communist Party of the Philippines-National democratic Front (CPP/NDF) but revolutionary groups like the Moro Islamic Libration front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)



DUTERTE. Photo by Editha Caduaya

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and exiled communist leader Jose Maria Sison have agreed to observe a ceasefire between government and New People’s Army (NPA) forces if Duterte gets elected as president.

The ceasefire – meant to pave the way for peace negotiations for Mindanao – will cover not just the Communist Party of the Philippines-National democratic Front (CPP/NDF) but revolutionary groups like the Moro Islamic Libration front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

Duterte revealed this agreement on Tuesday, April 26, as he spoke to the community in Barangay Batang in Tulunan, North Cotabato, before the release of PFC Eduardo Hilaga Jr.

Hilaga is the 6th of the 11 prisoners of war whom the NPA has released to Duterte this week. Five POWs are still being held by the rebels in southern Mindanao.

Duterte said he talked with NDF founding chairman Sison via Skype Monday night. Sison is in The Netherlands.

"Now it's time to stop. Nag storya mi ni Sison sa Skype gabii, wala kabalo ang mga military sa pikas kuarta nga angn akong kaistorya sa pikas kuarta si Sison, kana si Sison 1970 naminaw ako ana niya. Una ko nga membro sa Kabataang Makabayan niadto, mao na nga 1970 kutob anang pagka aktibista. Karon 70 anyos na lang ko naa lang gihpaon ang gira. Maestro ko man na mao akong gi ingan, sir, pauli diri kay ma istorya ta, unsaon na lang na, magsige na lang ta ug gira ning saad sya gabii nga ug modaug ko mouli sya ako syang dad on ngari aron maka programa programa ta,” Duterte said.

(Now it's time to stop. I talked with Sison last night on Skype. The military in the other room did not know I was talking to Sison. Since 1970 I'd been listening to Sison because I was among the first members of the Kabataang Makabayan. Now, I am 70 years old, still there is war. He was my teacher, so I told him, sir, please come home, let's talk. We are always at war, what will happen? So he promised to me if I win the presidency, he will come home and I will bring him here, let's have a program."

A ceasefire, according to Duterte, is necessary for leaders of different groups to talk and hopefully achieve peace. “It will take about two to three years, but we must talk," he told reporters.

A teary-eyed Hilaga told reporters he was taken by the rebels on April 21, when the NPA established a checkpoint along Malasila, Makilala, North Cotabato.

Rushing on his motorbike, and to report to his headquarters, he identified himself at the checkpoint as member of the 7th Infantry Brigade of the 602nd brigade based in Tulunan. He thought those manning the checkpoint were fellow soldiers.

Duterte turned over Hilaga to the Eastern Mindanao Command late Tuesday afternoon.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections/2016/130906-duterte-joma-skype-ceasefire

2 killed, 1 hurt in Davao Sur clash

From MindaNews (Apr 26): 2 killed, 1 hurt in Davao Sur clash

Two persons were killed and another one was wounded in a clash between soldiers and suspected New People’s Army rebels on Tuesday morning in Davao del Sur.

The encounter occurred in Sitio Tubison, Brgy. Astorga in Sta. Cruz town.

It came a day after the NPA Guerrilla Front 54 ambushed members of the 84th Infantry Battalion in Sitio Colorado, Brgy. Sibulan in Toril, Davao City.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, Capt. Rhyan B. Batchar, chief of 10th Infantry Division’s Public Affairs Office said the fatalities were a soldier and a civilian whose names were withheld pending notification of their families.

He said the firefight on Tuesday was between the 1002nd Infantry Brigade and NPA Guerrilla Front 51 under alias Jasmin, and lasted for about an hour.

He said MGen Rafael C. Valencia, commander of the 10th Infantry Division, has ordered a pursuit operation while police and military checkpoints have been set up to prevent the suspects from fleeing the area.

“We wish to further inform the public that the situation in Brgy .Astorga is manageable and under control by government forces and agencies. The different agencies of government are closely working together to address and mitigate the effects of this incident on the people. We are asking for the understanding and cooperation of the community affected by the armed encounter,” he said.

Last Monday, the NPA released five police officers in Davao City who were held as captives since April 16.

Chief Insp. Leonardo V. Tarongoy, the commander of Paquibato police station, PO3 Rosenie Cabuenas, PO3 Rudolf Pacete, PO3 Abdul Azis A. Ali Jr. and PO2 Neil C. Arellano were released in Purok 1 Brgy. Lumiad in Paquibato.

They were heading toward Brgy. Salapawan to attend to a civilian who was injured in a clash between the military and NPA on April 16 when they were flagged down in Brgy. Mapula.

The NPAs said they thought the police officers went there to reinforce the soldiers.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2016/04/26/2-killed-1-hurt-in-davao-sur-clash/

Japan ship arrives in Subic for 3-day visit

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 26): Japan ship arrives in Subic for 3-day visit
 

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) JDS Ise (DDH-182), a Hyūga-class helicopter destroyer arrived here on Tuesday for a three-day goodwill visit.

JDS Ise docked at Alava Pier where US Navy’s USNS Tippecanoe is also docked.

The arrival of JDS Ise, one of the Japan’s most modern defense ships, marks the third visit of Japanese ship to the Philippines.

Serving as flagships for the JMSDF, JDS Ise's is an anti-submarine warfare carrier with enhanced command-and-control capabilities, complimented with 11 units of SH-60K anti-submarine helicopters.

The ship carries 16-cell Vertical Launch System (VLS) carrying the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile surface-to-air missile, along with the Phalanx close in weapon system, for self-defense.

It is also equipped with the ATECS command system and FCS-3 phased-array radar system.

During the visit, JMSDF delegates will render a courtesy call on the Commander, Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), Rear Admiral Renan C. Suarez.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=879762

1 soldier killed, 1 wounded in clash with NPA in Davao del Sur

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 26): 1 soldier killed, 1 wounded in clash with NPA in Davao del Sur 

At least one soldier died and another wounded as the Philippine Army’s 39th Infantry Brigade (IB) patrol team and the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels engaged in a firefight in the hinterland of Sitio Tubison, Barangay Astorga, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur early morning on Tuesday.

The spokesperson of the 39IB, Capt. Danny Tapang, said an encounter ensued at 5:15 a.m. resulting to one injury and one casualty from the troopers' side.

As of this posting, the names of the casualties are still withheld.

Tapang said they are still investigating further and conducting hot pursuit against the rebels.

The operation is taking place while Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was about to fetch a soldier held captive by the NPA in North Cotabato. Duterte was facilitating the release of the soldier following request by the family of the soldier.

As of 11:00 a.m. Monday, Tapang said pursuit operations are ongoing. In fact, he said they can still hear gunbursts from their location.

As this developed, 10th Infantry Division commander, MGen Rafael Valencia ordered the pursuit of the fleeing armed rebels while a joint checkpoints by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) were set up to block the possible escape points of the rebels.

The firefight, which lasted one hour, prompted residents to evacuate but 10th ID spokesperson Capt. Ryan Batchar said the 1002nd IB has coordinated with the local governments of Sta Cruz and Davao del Sur for the necessary assistance to the populace who were affected by the said armed conflict.

“We wish to further inform the public that the situation in Barangay Astorga is manageable and under control by government forces and agencies,” Batchar said.

According to Batchar, the different agencies of government are closely working together to address and mitigate the effects of this incident on the people.

“We are asking for the understanding and cooperation of the community affected by the armed encounter. We also commiserate with the family, relatives and friends of our soldier who valiantly died in pursuit of peace for Davao del Sur and the rest of Davao Region,” Batchar said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=879823

PAMANA projects now big help to Bicol agri-communities, says DA

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 26): PAMANA projects now big help to Bicol agri-communities, says DA

Projects implemented for the agricultural sector in Bicol during the last three years under the government’s Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program are now providing great help to its recipient communities in the region, according to the regional office here of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

PAMANA is a priority program being undertaken by the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) towards the attainment of economic progress in conflict-affected areas (CAAs) in line with the Aquino administration’s peace agenda geared at ending internal armed conflicts.

The program is also described as a peace and development framework that empowers conflict areas in the country towards attaining economic progress.

From 2011 until last year, the program had already implemented nearly Php.5 billion worth of projects that are now benefiting hundreds of communities in Bicol’s priority areas and DA’s share in the implementation came starting in 2013 when the agency’s regional office got a total amount of about Php110 million for works focused on food security and poverty alleviation.

Out of that 2013 funding, the DA-Bicol implemented in Camarines Norte the Php54.2-million project focused on corn and pineapple production in nine barangays of Sta. Elena and San Lorenzo Ruiz towns.

Its implementation involves social mobilization, preparation and capability enhancement, farm input support, agri-machinery and post harvest, land preparation as well as crop insurance and farm to market roads (FMRs).

For Masbate, on the same year, the provision of production input and farm mechanization equipment was made a primary intervention to improve farm productivity in two municipalities—Mobo and Uson.

Mobo had 11 barangays placed under the PAMANA and allotted a total of Php4.2 million while Uson got Php2.3 million for four barangays.

Putting up of multiplier farms for the production of superior quality breeder cattle for dispersal to pre-indentified beneficiaries was the project initiated, he said.

For Sorsogon, abaca industry rehabilitation, Small Water Impounding Project (SWIP) and the improvement of the Sorsogon Provincial Nursery worth a total of Php25 million to benefit seven municipalities were the DA PAMANA projects implemented in the same year.

In addition, for Sorsogon, the establishment in Gubat town of mechanical dryer worth Php4.9 million; construction of two agricultural tramlines worth Php6 million in the municipality of Irosin; and the Php13-million concreting of the Colambis-Gogon FMR in Cariguran were funded.

Camarines Norte, Masbate and Sorsogon are three of the six Bicol provinces initially considered as “priority” CAAs and the municipalities identified into the program were selected and prioritized based on the criteria set by the OPAPP, the lead agency in the implementation of PAMANA.

The municipal governments in these areas have agreed to provide counterpart funds for the projects they themselves identified as priority towards peace building, CAA reconstruction and economic empowerment of vulnerable communities.

Florentino Ubalde, PAMANA focal person of DA-Bicol, on Tuesday said that last year, a total of Php147.5 in PAMANA budget allocation for the DA was provided and ongoing projects under this include the concreting of the Inoyonan-San Roque Heights FMR in Bula town worth Php10 million; concreting of Gubat-Pinamihagan FMR in the municipality of Lagonoy worth Php12 million; and concreting of Zone 5 to Sitio Maynaga FMR in Tinambac worth Php7.5 million, all in Camarines Sur.

Also from this latest fund release, the province of Camarines Norte got a total amount of Php70 million projects that include the concreting of Manguisoc-Gaboc, Mambungalon and Cayucyucan roads in Mercedes town; Poblacion-Mampili and Mocong-San Jose roads in Basud; and Bagong Silang II and III roads in Labo, Ubalde said.

Masbate got a Php28 million from the 2015 fund for the concreting of Lomocloc FMR in Mobo town; and Maglambong MacArthur-Sto. Niño road and Sitio Estampa to Sito Bayanihan FMR in the municipality of Monreal, he said.

Sorsogon, on the other hand, got Php20 million for the concreting of Guruyan-Mangog-Catanusan FMR (Phase II) in Juban town; and Gogon-San Rafael Road (Phase V) in Prieto Diaz.

All those PAMANA road projects implemented in support to agricultural productivity in Bicol, according to Ubalde, are now helping residents gain access to social services and reduce transport cost and travel time from farms to markets in town centers.

Since PAMANA is additional way towards attaining economic progress for the region as its objectives are based on initiating reforms and development projects in CCAs in line with the national government’s peace agenda and ending internal armed conflicts, its implementations are entrusted to local governments, he said.

This is in response to the need to communicate these initiatives of government for the awareness of the constituency that should be highlighted and well-articulated as the primary tool to build the culture of peace and development in communities that are resilient against the anti-government whims of the NPAs, Ubalde stressed.

PAMANA underscores that building resilient communities is one of the two tracks of the Aquino administration in pursuit of a just and lasting peace, the first being the negotiated political settlement of all armed conflicts through formal peace talks.

The program, which has been included in the Philippine Development Plan for 2011 to 2016, aims to respond to and strengthen peace-building, reconstruction and development in CCAs in line with the government’s goal of putting a permanent and just closure to internal armed conflicts, Ubalde added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=879835

Security forces confirm beheading of one of ASG's Canadian hostages

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 26): Security forces confirm beheading of one of ASG's Canadian hostages
 

Military and police authorities have confirmed Tuesday that Canadian John Ridsel, of the four hostages taken by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits last Sept. 21 in Island Garden City of Samal, Davao Del Norte, has been beheaded by his captors.

"We extend our sympathy and condolences to the Canadian government and to the family of Mr. John Ridsdel who died in the hands of the ASG bandits," the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police said in a joint statement forwarded by AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla.

Last Monday, unconfirmed reports came out claiming that the ASG has beheaded one of its three foreign captives after the government of the latter refused to give in to the bandits' ransom demand.

The brigands earlier demanded a PHP1-billion ransom from each of the three foreign captives and threatening to kill them if the ransom is not paid.

The ASG earlier set an April 8 deadline for the ransom but this was moved to April 25, hence the brutal beheading of Ridsel somewhere in Sulu.

Still at the ASG clutches are Canadian Robert Hall, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingtad and Filipina Marites Flor, Hall's girlfriend.

"There will be no let up in the determined efforts of the joint AFP-PNP task group's intensive military and law enforcement operations to neutralize these lawless elements and thwart further threats to peace and security. The full force of the law will be used to bring these criminals to justice," Padilla added.

President Benigno S. Aquino III has earlier directed acting AFP chief Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda and PNP head Director General Ricardo Marquez to conduct appropriate military and law enforcement operations to effect the rescue of the hostages.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=879642

DND condemns ASG beheading of Canadian hostage

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 26): DND condemns ASG beheading of Canadian hostage

The Department of National Defense (DND) strongly condemns the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) for its brutal beheading of Canadian hostage John Ridsel on Monday.

"We strongly condemn this brutal act by this barbaric extortionist group," DND spokesperson Dr. Peter Paul Galvez said.

"This further fuels our resolve for the continuous operations until all remaining hostages are rescued and they are neutralized," he added.

On Monday, unconfirmed reports came out claiming that the ASG has beheaded one of its three foreign captives after governments of the latter refused to give in to the bandits' ransom demand.

The brigands earlier demanded a PHP1-billion ransom from each of the three foreign captives and threatening to kill them if the ransom is not paid.

The ASG earlier set an April 8 deadline for the ransom but this was moved to April 25, hence the brutal beheading of Ridsel somewhere in Sulu.

Hostages still held captive by the ASG clutches are Canadian Robert Hall, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingtad and Filipina Marites Flor, Hall's girlfriend.

"There will be no let up in the determined efforts of the joint AFP-PNP task group's intensive military and law enforcement operations to neutralize these lawless elements and thwart further threats to peace and security. The full force of the law will be used to bring these criminals to justice," Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla earlier said.

President Benigno S. Aquino III has earlier directed acting AFP Chief Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda and Philippine National Police Chief Director General Ricardo Marquez to conduct appropriate military and law enforcement operations to rescue the hostages.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=879713

Next admin should implement CAB and pass BBL --Ferrer

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 26): Next admin should implement CAB and pass BBL --Ferrer 

For Government of the Philippines chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, the response of all five presidential candidates in last Sunday's third and last leg of PiliPinas Debates 2016 on the issue of Mindanao peace showed that “there is no other way to go but to fully implement the CAB (Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro) and to pass a BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law).”

“The debate showed that there is no escaping the need to find a lasting solution to the Bangsamoro question. We believe all of them see the wisdom in our peace efforts although they highlighted different angles. All these angles are actually addressed in the CAB,” said Ferrer.

The peace and order situation in Mindanao, as well as the peace process between the GPH and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the stalled BBL were thoroughly discussed during the presidential debate yesterday with the five hopefuls expressing desire to put an end to the armed conflict that has ravaged southern Philippines for decades.

“The war in Mindanao runs deep. You know, this may sound funny to you but when Magellan landed in Leyte, Islam was already planted firmly in Mindanao... We have to talk and we have to correct the historical injustice,” said Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte, a known proponent of federalism, is the only Mindanaoan among the five presidential candidates. “It has to be a development but you have to make the peace there before you can do anything. If we don’t engage them in peace talks, everything will fail. I would like to tell you, nothing will appease the Muslims, the Moro people, if you do not give them the BBL."

The BBL is based on the 2014 negotiated peace settlement between the GPH and the MILF known as the CAB. When passed, the BBL will abolish the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and establish a parliamentary government with more political and fiscal autonomy. However, the 16th Congress adjourned last February in light of the upcoming elections without acting on the bill.

“Kaya natin isinulong yung Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro, para magkaroon na nga ng kapayapaan. Alam natin kung walang development, walang kapayapaan. Pero kung wala namang kapayapaan, wala ding progreso at development (That’s why we pushed for the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, to have peace already. We know that without development, there will be no peace. But without peace, there will also be no progress and development),” said former Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, the current administration’s presidential bet.

“Kaya't dalawang – dalawang kilos po ito. Sa isang bahin, yung ating gobyerno, sinusulong ang usapin para sa kapayapaan sa lahat ng mga sektor lalung-lalo na sa MILF doon sa Mindanao. At sa kabilang bahin, yung development, yung imprastraktura (That’s why this is a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, our government is pushing for peace with all sectors especially with the MILF in Mindanao. And on the other hand, development and infrastructure),” he added.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, for his part, explained that the armed conflict in Mindanao is due to the prevailing poverty and under development in the region. “Sa aking palagay, yan hong lasting peace na yan eh makakamit kung mahaharap po natin ang problema ng kahirapan na naglipana po don sa inyong lugar. Yan po ang pinagmulan kung bakit meron hong gustong umalis, ito ho ay gumagamit ng dahas para ibagsak ang pamahalaan. Pero, ang puno't dulo po n'yan ay yung kahirapan (In my opinion, lasting peace in Mindanao can be achieved if we are able to find a solution to poverty. That’s the reason why some people are choosing to leave or take up arms against the government, but the root of all those is poverty).”

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago advocated incorporating the Bangsamoro’s customary and traditional laws into the country’s prevailing concept of justice. “To stop the conflict in Mindanao, we have to adapt their customary or traditional law into our Western style model of justice – of the justice system.” She added that there was also a need “to dismantle private armies.”

Senator Grace Poe took the strong-arm approach among all the candidates, explaining that there had to be an all-out war against terrorists alongside all-out development for conflict affected and poverty-torn communities.

“Doon sa mga terorista na nananakit o pumapatay, hindi natin dapat sila pagbigyan kung ayaw nilang makipagbalikan, makipagusapan sa gobyerno. All-out war sa mga nagbabanta sa atin, pero dapat all out-development rin (To terrorists who hurt and kill, we will not give them anymore chances if they don’t want to return to the fold and to talk with the government. All-out war to those who threaten us, but all-out development is also necessary).”

PiliPinas Debate 2016 is a debate series conceptualized and administered by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in preparation for the upcoming May 9 elections in partnership with major television networks and newspapers.

The first leg was held in Cagayan de Oro City, followed by the next one in Cebu City. The third leg was held last Sunday at the Student Plaza of the University of Pangasinan in Dagupan City.

Preserve peace gains

Santiago’s suggestion to incorporate the traditional and customary laws is not new, as it had already been addressed both in the CAB and the original draft of the BBL.

According to the signed document, three justice systems will prevail in the Bangsamoro autonomous region: the regular courts, the Shariah courts, and the traditional courts to address the different needs of the Bangsamoro’s mixed population of Muslims, Christians, and Lumads.

Both Poe’s and Santiago’s suggestions to dismantle private armed groups and go after terrorists are found in the Normalization Annex of the CAB.

President Benigno S. Aquino III signed last year an executive order for the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to conduct law enforcement operations against private armed groups and terrorist groups in the area.

Binay, Duterte, and Roxas all spoke of socioeconomic development alongside the peace process – something that is already being done in the implementation of the CAB. In fact, socioeconomic programs comprise an important aspect of the Normalization Component of the peace agreement.

Aside from the Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program that was designed in order for the communities in the area to immediately reap the dividends of peace through health, education and livelihood interventions, several task forces such as the Task Force for the Transformation of Camps and the Task Force for the Decommissioned Combatants and their Communities were established for this purpose.

Ferrer underscored the various headways of the current administration and called on the presidentiables to preserve its gains and immediately move forward with its continuity.

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