NDF: Release of political prisoners should not be incidental to final accord, NDF insists

Propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Oct 4): Release of political prisoners should not be incidental to final accord, NDF insists  

PRESS RELEASE

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) today decried the “continuing non-compliance” of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) with previously signed agreements especially the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) and the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) saying that the release of all political prisoners should not be an outcome of a final peace agreement.

The NDFP issued the statement after recent reports quoted GRP Peace Panel Chairperson Silvestre Bello III saying that “a draft amnesty proclamation that enables the release of the political detainees is ready for submission during the second round of peace talks” but, qualified that “a general amnesty could be declared by President Duterte, with the concurrence of Congress, once the peace talks are successfully concluded.”

NDFP photo

NDFP Negotiating Panel Chairperson Luis Jalandoni insists that “the release of all political prisoners should not be an outcome of the successful conclusion of the peace talks.”

“Anchoring an amnesty proclamation to a final peace agreement would make the more than 400 detained political prisoners and the recently released NDF consultants as virtual hostages to the peace talks. Their immediate release is a matter of compliance with the CARHRIHL and the JASIG,” Jalandoni said.

He added that “there seems to be a disconnect between President Duterte, who commits to the expeditious release of all political prisoners through an amnesty proclamation, the GRP Peace Panel, and the legal courts in the Philippines.”

“The fabricated criminal cases that are not yet dropped are like swords of Damocles hanging over the heads of JASIG-protected consultants of the NDFP. Their freedom of movement is being restricted,” says Jalandoni, urging the GRP Peace Panel not to use the political prisoners and the recently released NDF consultants as trump cards in the peace negotiations.

In the August 26, 2016 Joint Statement, the Parties agreed that “the GRP Panel will immediately recommend to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte the issuance of an Amnesty Proclamation, subject to concurrence of Congress, for the release of prisoners who are listed by the NDFP and who have been arrested, imprisoned, charged, and/or convicted for alleged acts or omissions within the ambit of the Revised Penal Code or special laws in connection with alleged crimes in pursuit of one’s political beliefs.”

“The Parties will discuss the content and language of the Amnesty Proclamation,” the Joint Statement stated.

The second round of peace negotiations is set to take place in Oslo, Norway from October 6-10, 2016 with social and economic reforms as among the focus of the discussions.

Last month, the NDFP exchanged with the GRP a proposed “framework and outline” for the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms, the second substantive agenda of the peace negotiations according to the framework agreement set by The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992.

According to the NDFP proposal, the main CASER objectives are: a) carry out agrarian reform and national industrialization; b) advance the rights of exploited, oppressed, discriminated and disadvantaged sectors of society; c) uphold, protect, defend and promote economic sovereignty; and d) conserve the national patrimony and protect the environment. #

Reference:
NDFP Information Office
0031302310431

http://www.ndfp.org/release-political-prisoners-not-incidental-final-accord-ndf-insists/

CPP: CPP denounces the US’ thinly-veiled threats against Duterte; calls for urgent EDCA abrogation

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines Website (Oct 4): CPP denounces the US’ thinly-veiled threats against Duterte; calls for urgent EDCA abrogation

Press Release

Information Bureau, Communist Party of the Philippines

October 3, 2016

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) denounces US officials for continuing to issue thinly-veiled threats against GRP President Duterte. At the same time, the CPP urged Duterte to follow through with his statement that he might just abrogate the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) in the face of continued meddling by the US government and its officials in the internal affairs of the country.

“The abrogation of the EDCA has become an urgent matter amid growing threats by US officials against the Duterte regime,” said the CPP.

The other day, US Assistant State Secretary Daniel Russel was quoted in media reports saying “I think it would be a serious mistake in a democratic country like the Philippines to underestimate the power of the people’s affinity for the US. That’s people power.”

“The statement by Russel is an outright threat to subvert the Duterte regime which has been increasingly critical of US meddling and hypocrisy in the Philippines,” said the CPP. “It reveals US contempt of the Filipino people and their aspiration for national freedom long suppressed by US neocolonial dominance.”

“The Duterte regime and the Filipino people must take this US threat seriously,” said the CPP. “Over the past several decades, the US government has long carried out both outright and clandestine acts of subversion wherever governments have stood up to defend their national interests and chose to tread a path independent to US geopolitical and economic interests.”

The US is known to have repeatedly planned and failed to carry out the assassination of Cuban leader Fidel Castro and is accused of carrying out the murder by poisoning of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. Outgoing US ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg was once declared persona non grata in Bolivia for having connived with local oppositionists to plan the overthrow of President Evo Morales.

The CPP pointed out that in recent years, the US has bankrolled right-wing groups in Ukraine which carried out the overthrow of the pro-Russian government. On various pretexts, the US government also carried out wars of aggression to overthrow the Taliban government in Afghanistan, the Saddam Hussein government in Iraq, the Muhamma Qadaffi government in Libya and many others.

“The US has arrogantly assumed the self-assigned role of global police and demanded all countries to comply with the rules it has itself set,” pointed out the CPP. “It has fomented social unrest and has bankrolled so-called social movements with the aim of subverting legitimately elected governments.”

“With the anti-US Duterte regime, it is will come as no surprise that the US is already conniving with local anti-Duterte groups as well as with key officials of the armed forces, to undermine and subvert the anti-US government.”

“The Filipino people must unite against any attempt of the US government to undermine Philippine national sovereignty and subvert efforts of the Duterte regime to promote an independent foreign policy,” said the CPP.

“With the heightened threats being issued by US officials, the presence of US troops and military advisers within the country can no longer be considered a benign matter and should be considered outright threats to Philippine national sovereignty.”

“The abrogation of the EDCA, which allows the US to build military camps and facilities inside Philippine military camps and maintain contingents of armed troops, has become an urgent matter of survival for the Duterte regime,” said the CPP.

http://www.cpp.ph/cpp-denounces-us-thinly-veiled-threats-duterte-calls-urgent-edca-abrogation/

BIFF renegades launch more radical ISIS-style group

From the Philippine Star (Oct 1): BIFF renegades launch more radical ISIS-style group

 

The radical group had also pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Philstar.com/File photo

Five radical clerics bolted from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and tagged themselves genuine “moassesseen” of the Mindanao counterpart of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Arabic term moassesseen literally mean “founders” in English and can also contextually imply as either progenitors or pioneers.

Local officials in three towns in Maguindanao on Saturday confirmed the separation early this week of the five preachers and their followers from the BIFF during a gathering in the second district of the province.

The radical group had also pledged allegiance to ISIS, whose black flag they now use as their revolutionary banner.

The BIFF leadership distributed on Thursday a written press statement confirming that the five clerics, Salahudin Hassan, Abdulmalik Esmael, Bashir Ungab, Nasser Adil and Ansari Yunos, have left the group to form a breakaway faction focused on establishing an Asian Islamic caliphate allied with ISIS.

Relatives said the five jihadists broke away from the BIFF after forging alliances with the Maute terror group in first district of Lanao del Sur and the more notorious Abu Sayyaf in Sulu.

The Maute group is led by ethnic Maranaws Abdullah and Omar, both surnamed Maute.

They both studied Islamic theology while employed as contract workers in the United Arab Emirates before they established their so-called “black flag movement” in Lanao del Sur.

Barangay residents said Salahudin and Esmael, both of Maguindanaon lineage, were trained by the slain Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, most known as Marwan, in fabrication and handling of improvised explosive devices in Mamasapano town southwest of Maguindanao.

They are both from Shariff Saidona town in Maguindanao, according to local officials.

“They are no longer with BIFF and the BIFF has nothing to do with their activities now,” BIFF’s spokesman, Abu Misry Mama, said on Saturday.

The BIFF earlier split into two factions, one led by Karialan and the other by Bongos, both Imams, but differed in their views on Islamic militancy and on how to relate with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, (MILF) which is helping the military restrain them from pulling off IED attacks in Central Mindanao.

The government and the MILF are bound by a 1997 ceasefire accord to mutually cooperate in maintaining law and order in flashpoint areas in Mindanao.

The BIFF was founded in late 2010 by Imam Ameril Ombra Kato, who started as commander of the MILF’s 105th Base Command.

Kato bolted from the MILF in late 2010 due to irreconcilable differences with its central committee, whose figurehead, Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim, is keen on pursuing a negotiated peace deal with Malacañang.

Kato died of a lingering illness in 2014 at Datu Saudi town in Maguindanao, after half of his body was paralyzed as a result of a hypertensive stroke two years before.

Like the Abu Sayyaf, the BIFF also boasts of its loyalty to ISIS and incites people in areas where it operates to hate non-Muslims and treat them with animosity for being kuff’r, which means unbelievers.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2016/10/01/1629294/biff-renegades-launch-more-radical-isis-style-group

It’s Time to Suspend America's Alliance with the Philippines

From The National Interest (Oct 1): It’s Time to Suspend America's Alliance with the Philippines

 

The United States has an unfortunate history of acquiring ugly authoritarian allies even when America’s security interests do not justify making such moral compromises. Malou Innocent and I described many of those unfortunate relationships in our book Perilous Partners, noting that a majority of the security relationships did not involve situations in which America’s vital interests were imperiled.

Washington faces another increasingly problematic relationship: its alliance with the Philippines. As I’ve noted previously on this site, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is the personification of a “loose-cannon” ally. Among other things, he referred to President Obama as “a son of a bitch,” and made it clear that he had no intention of necessarily following Washington’s lead on foreign policy.

Since I wrote that article, his erratic behavior, both domestically and internationally, has grown worse. After indicating that he wished to conclude alliances with both Russia and China, Duterte stated that there will be no further military exercises with U.S. forces because China objects to such exercises. Now he has compared himself to Adolf Hitler, affirming that he was gladly slaughtering thousands of alleged drug dealers and drug users—all without the inconvenient obstacles of due process—and would like to kill millions, just like Hitler killed millions of Jews.

U.S. officials seem strangely tone-deaf to the outrages of their East Asian ally. Even as Duterte was cozying up to China and waxing about Hitler, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter was affirming that Washington’s alliance with the Philippines was nothing less than “ironclad.”

That is an unwise position for several reasons. First, it is generally a bad idea for a great power to pass out security guarantees in a promiscuous manner, since any one of them has the potential to entangle it in a dubious military confrontation. The United States has violated that rule in a spectacular fashion, undertaking explicit, treaty-bound security obligations to more than four dozen countries and implicit commitments to many more. The “mutual” defense treaty with Manila is actually one of the older obligations, having been concluded when the Philippines were granted independence in the late 1940s. But the venerable nature of the treaty does not make it a wise one.

A second reason a great power should avoid alliances like the relationship with Manila is that the security client’s agenda can create embarrassments or even great dangers. The Philippines have ambitious territorial claims in the volatile South China Sea—along with several other countries. At a minimum, having a treaty ally in that position creates a headache for the United States.

Finally, a security relationship makes America at least indirectly culpable for the domestic behavior of the client regime. Throughout the Cold War, Washington embarrassed itself (if not shamed itself) by its close relationships with an assortment of thuggish “allies.” American officials may have deluded themselves into believing that such relationships were essential for the republic’s security, but in the vast majority of cases, that simply was not true. Now in the absence of the kind of existential threat that the Soviet Union posed, the justification for tossing basic moral values overboard is even weaker.

The United States needs to take an immediate stand regarding the Philippines. It is absurd for America to be putting its security on the line to defend a country ruled by an individual who is showing his unreliability on foreign policy issues and engages in utterly odious domestic behavior.
Washington should suspend the alliance with Manila indefinitely. In the 1980s, the United States suspended its defense commitment to New Zealand through the ANZUS pact because Wellington would not allow U.S. nuclear vessels to operate in its waters. Duterte’s actions are vastly worse than that and at least warrant a similar response.

[Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow in defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute and a contributing editor at The National Interest, is the author of 10 books and more than 600 articles on international affairs.]

[Image: An F/A-18E Super Hornet refuels from a KC-130T Hercules. Flickr/U.S. Navy]

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-skeptics/its-time-suspend-americas-alliance-the-philippines-17896

Philippines opens what could be final war games with US

From the Philippine Star (Oct 4): Philippines opens what could be final war games with US



FILE - Photo provided by the US Marine Corps shows Philippine Marines conducting an amphibious landing utilizing Philippine Navy logistical ships during the Balikatan exercise in Antique earlier this year. STAR

The Philippines and the United States opened their joint military exercises on Tuesday despite a recent statement from President Rodrigo Duterte that he wants to end the war games during his term.

Last week, Duterte declared his intention to end the joint military exercise between the Philippines and the US, noting that China is not in favor of the war games.

The president said that he wants to establish new alliances with Beijing for trade and commerce.

READ: Duterte wants end to Philippines' war games with US

Philippine Marine Corps Commandant Maj. Gen. Andre Costales Jr. said the Philippine Marine and the US Marine have been strong allies in the Asia Pacific region for more than three decades.

"With commitment from our marine forces, we have continuously kept our goal to sustain good relationship and cooperation thereby upgrading each other's capabilities and competencies," Costales said in his keynote speech.

 

Costales added that this year's amphibious landing exercise will focus on integration and inter-operability.

"For 2016, our mission is to integrate the use of strategic sea vesses and other non-traditional platforms," the general said.

The recent acquisition of the Philippine Navy's new strategic sealift vessel, the BRP Tarlac, as well as the future acquisition of its sister ship, the BRP Davao Del Sur, will strengthen the capability of the government to respond to any incident from the sea.

The US Marine vowed to be partners with the Philippine Marine to "grow the most versatile capability possible."

"Beyond all these visions and aspirations, what must prevail is brotherhood of marines regardless of color of our uniform and our skin," Costales said.

RELATED: Philippines-US war games set in Luzon

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana clarified that there is no official order yet to end the ear games between the Philippines and the US.

"One of the course of action that we are going to do in the next couple of weeks is to sit down with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)... and to let them tell us what's happening in these exercises," Lorenzana said in an interview with CNN Philippines' The Source.

Lorenzana said that he would discuss first with the AFP if there is a need to continue the exercises with the US.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/10/04/1630246/philippines-opens-what-could-be-final-war-games-us

Philippines To Commence Attack Helicopter, Close Air Support Aircraft Procurement in 2017

From Defense World.net (Oct 3): Philippines To Commence Attack Helicopter, Close Air Support Aircraft Procurement in 2017



The initial 3 Philippines AW109 naval helicopters during commissioning rights.

The Philippine Air Force is likely to commence procurement of attack helicopters and close-air support (CAS) aircraft in 2017 for possible purchase the following year.

In addition, the Philippines is looking to procure additional KAI FA-50 aircraft from Korea as well as additional AW 109 attack helicopter from Agusta Westland.

“The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has identified several procurement priorities as it continues its medium-term modernisation programme, Flight Plan 2028. These priorities include securing orders of additional light combat aircraft and attack helicopters,” a senior PAF officer involved in the planning of Flight Plan 2028 was quoted as saying by IHS Janes during at the Asian Defence and Security 2016 (ADAS 2016) exhibition in Manila last week.

Near-term procurement priorities include close air-support (CAS) aircraft and additional transport aircraft, while a longer-term requirement is multirole combat aircraft.

CAS aircraft such as the Brazilian Embraer Super Tucano, US Beechcraft and IOMAX, Leonardo-Finmeccanica, Airbus Defense and Space, and Israeli Elbit Systems had expressed interest had expressed interest to participate in the bidding for the aircraft acquisition in October last year after Philippines planned to acquire six CAS aircraft.

The PAF ordered 12 FA-50 light combat aircraft in March 2014, with deliveries starting in December 2015 and scheduled to conclude in late 2017. In order to meet a requirement specified in Flight Plan 2028 to "detect, intercept, and neutralise" any perceived threat in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

PAF would look to secure government approval for the additional FA-50s following the delivery of the initial 12 aircraft, he said.

In addition, the official said the PAF is seeking to procure 12 more AW109 light attack helicopters produced by Finmeccanica-Leonardo.

http://www.defenseworld.net/news/17239/Philippines_To_Commence_Attack_Helicopter__Close_Air_Support_Aircraft_Procurement_in_2017#.V_MoGcJSNjo

ADAS 2016: Philippine Navy charts modern course

From Shephard Media (Oct 3): ADAS 2016: Philippine Navy charts modern course



The Philippine Navy (PN) is undergoing a period of modernisation quite unlike anything it has previously experienced thanks to the arrival of new vessels in coming years.

New ships are mostly replacing older vessels, but new capabilities are being added too as laid out in the Philippine Navy Sail Plan and Active Archipelagic Defense Strategy. The PN contains approximately 23,000 sailors and marines, plus around 1,000 civilians.

The most capable platform will be two 2,000t frigates set to be constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea. These will be the PN’s first brand new frigates and the navy’s most advanced warships ever.

One PN official told Shephard that this contract should be signed in October. These frigates will operate with Leonardo AW159 Wildcat anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters, two of which will reach the Philippines in September 2018.

‘We’re looking forward to receiving these new assets. You can see the young officers looking forward to it. They’re a symbol of our modernisation,’ the spokesperson said.

Strategic Sealift Vessels (SSV) are another important platform since they can be used for amphibious operations, command and control, and disaster relief. The first, BRP Tarlac, was commissioned in June, while the second vessel is due on 14 May 2017.

Launched by PT PAL on 29 September about two months ahead of schedule, the future BRP Davao del Sur SSV could be delivered early to the Philippines. Under Horizon 2 of the Navy Long-Term Capability Plan covering 2018-22, the PN wants three additional SSVs and it has an option for two from PT PAL already.

The renewed focus of the Armed Forces of the Philippines currently is to finish off the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). The spokesperson said this means new requirements for fast interdiction boats less than 12m long. These would operate with SSVs as motherships to create cordons and restrict the manoeuvre space of the ASG.

The PN is currently in the research determination phase of this requirement that is being fast tracked.

Other new assets will bolster the PN too, with a number of acquisitions already in the pipeline and set to be realised in coming years.

VAdm Caesar C. Taccad, flag officer in charge of the navy, told Shephard, ‘The PN is also set to receive this November its third Hamilton-class cutter from the US. Aside from these, the PN will have in its inventory a Pohang-class corvette, frigates, amphibious assault vehicles and missile-capable multipurpose attack craft (MPAC).’

Three MPACs being built by Propmech in conjunction with Lung Teh of Taiwan are supposed to be finished by April next year, but Shephard understands these may be delayed till June because of challenges in integrating onto the hulls the Mini-Typhoon mount that carries a machine gun and Spike-ER missiles.

The PN wants 25 additional missile-capable fast attack craft under Horizon 2 (2018-22), and at ADAS 2016 Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) was promoting its Super Dvora Mk III design.

As Taccad mentioned, the Philippine Marine Corps is to receive eight AAV7A1 amphibious assault vehicles from Hanwha Techwin in South Korea. Four will arrive in August 2018 and four more in December.

More frigates (x2), corvettes (x6), an auxiliary vessel, maritime patrol aircraft (x5), a mine countermeasure vessel, LCUs (x6), 16 further AAV7A1s, ASW helicopters (x2), medium-lift helicopters (x10) and close air support helicopters (x2) are all on the cards for the navy under the Horizon 2 modernisation plan.

Looking even further into the distance, the PN is eyeing submarines. A submarine group has been set up within the PN fleet to look at requirement analysis. Interestingly, Saab, Thyssen Krupp and DCNS had representatives at ADAS promoting their submarine designs.

https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/imps-news/adas-2016-philippine-navy-charts-modern-course/

Defence ministers see emergence of Daesh-like entity in Southeast Asia

From the Gulf News (Oct 3): Defence ministers see emergence of Daesh-like entity in Southeast Asia

Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia to mount joint air patrols to guard against common threats



U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, left, and Delfin N. Lorenzana, right, Republic of the Philippines, Secretary of National Defense pose for a group picture after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense minister's meetings at Aulani Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii.

Defence ministers of the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia are considering launching joint air patrols over transit corridors, in a bid to address common security and peace concerns in areas infested by militants.

Meeting in Hawaii for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-United States Defence Dialogue last October 1, Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, and Malaysian and Indonesian Defence Ministers Hishammudin Hussain and Ryamizard Ryacudu, agreed to explore the possibility of mounting joint air patrols in common border areas where pirates and terror groups like the Abu Sayyaf operate.During the meeting, the ministers of the three Southeast Asian countries agreed to discuss the conduct of joint air patrols, although they are yet to agree on finalising parameters for conducting maritime watches over agreed transit corridors.According to Lorenzana, the planned sea and air patrols are primarily driven by rising incidents of armed robbery, kidnapping as well as piracy in common border areas. Last June, the three countries agreed to hold trilateral meetings in the face of kidnappings and hijackings carried out by lawless groups such as the Abu Sayyaf in the area of the Sulu Sea.

During their meeting in Indonesia last September 9, Presidents Joko Widodo of Indonesia and Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines discussed ways of strengthening cooperation including maritime security and law enforcement.“We agreed to step up joint measures to address the issue of piracy and lawlessness in the waters in our region,” Duterte said at that time.There had been a noticeable increase in piracy attacks and kidnap-for-ransom carried out by lawless groups in the Sulu Sea area in recent months.On Sunday, the Abu Sayyaf released three kidnap victims they snatched from a tugboat and barge transiting the Sulu Sea from Indonesia to Davao.The release of the Indonesians brought to 16 the number of kidnap victims released or rescued from the Abu Sayyaf since July.According to Lorenzana, aside from being a platform to address common concerns such as piracy, kidnap-for-ransom and robbery, an emerging concern among the three countries is violent extremism.“The phenomenon of returning fighters from the conflict in the Middle East could eventually create security challenges for the three countries, something which the ministers recognised and hence their decision to further get their act together,” said Lorenzana.“With the political support of their respective political leaders, Presidents Rodrigo Duterte and Jokowi Widodo and Prime Minister Najeeb Razzak, the three ministers are confident that the apparent intent of Daesh-affiliated groups in their respective countries to establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia, similar to what the extremist movement intends to put up in the Middle East, would not become a possibility,” he said.

http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/philippines/defence-ministers-see-emergence-of-daesh-like-entity-in-southeast-asia-1.1906077

Police arrest 3 Abu Sayyaf bandits in Zamboanga

From the Sun Star-Zamboanga (Oct 3): Police arrest 3 Abu Sayyaf bandits in Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA City Police Office (ZCPO) operatives have arrested three alleged Abu Sayyaf bandits as security has been tightened to ensure the peaceful celebration of the 2016 Zamboanga Hermosa Festival.

Chief Inspector Edilberto Alvarez, ZCPO chief of intelligence, identified the suspects as Jabar Ignohassim, 24, Abdula Yusof, 26 and Asde Dela Cruz, 27 who are followers of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Alhabsy Misaya.

Alvarez said the suspects were arrested shortly before 3 p.m., Monday, near a pension house in the village of Canelar, Zamboanga City.

Alvarez said the suspects were arrested after they received reliable information about their presence at the pension house.

The arresting team seized one time fuse, two detonating cord, two blasting caps, three fragmentation grenades, a caliber .45 pistol with three magazines of ammunition, two motorcycles and cellular phone batteries from the suspects’ possessions.

The suspects have checked-in at the pension house around 6:45 a.m., Monday.

The authorities have tightened the security measures to ensure the peaceful celebration of the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival that started on Saturday, October 1.

The highlight of the festival is the feast day of Our Lady of the Pillar, the most revered saint of this city, on October 12.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/local-news/2016/10/03/police-arrest-3-abu-sayyaf-bandits-zamboanga-501343

Panic about IS in the Philippines masks a very real war in the country

From The Conversation (Oct 3): Panic about IS in the Philippines masks a very real war in the country



Filipinos protest after a huge bombing in Davao. EPA/Eugenio Loreto

For the past six months, the Philippine Army has been ramping up an offensive against the Abu Sayyaf Group. President Rodrigo Duterte talks about “going full force in all-out operations against it”, framing the operation as a crackdown on a group with links to Islamic State. But the connection is tenuous.

Duterte isn’t the first to over-egg the group’s jihadist links. While you’d struggle to find any mention of this “war” outside of Filipino news outlets, you will find plenty of international stories about a connection between IS and the conflict in the southern Philippines. Regularly describing the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) as IS “affiliates” or similar, these scare stories overlook the local dynamics of a complex and protracted conflict. This is an old trick – or rather, an old mistake.

The journalists and “security experts” reporting a “connection” between IS and the ASG generally provide scant evidence for their claims. A picture of armed men in the jungle posing with the IS flag does not a south-east Asian IS network make, and the scaremongering talk of IS creating an exotic island sanctuary-cum-breeding ground is salacious, inaccurate and logically flawed.

It also means that deeply complex conflicts such as the one in Mindanao are being prosecuted on flawed premises. The Filipino authorities have until recently been cautious about adopting a grand global anti-jihadist narrative, but now Duterte’s claims of an IS-ASG connection are obscuring the difficult local realities that underpin the very violence his government is fighting.

History repeating

As the recent spate of “untethered” IS-branded attacks in Europe have demonstrated, open-sourced jihad is not bound by physical geography. But while IS has successfully created a sense of global menace, speculation about a global jihadist network expanding into South-East Asia was also common more than a decade ago, when al-Qaeda was the bogeyman of the moment.

As long ago as 2002, South-East Asia was dubbed the “second front” in the so-called “war on terror”. It seems this old and flawed al-Qaeda-centric view, which meant Muslim rebellions in the region were understood as “connected” or “networked”, has simply been revived and refitted into an IS-centric one.

It’s not confined to the Philippines: the August 2016 bombings in Thailand, as well as incidents in Malaysia and Indonesia, have all raised the spectre of IS influence in the region – and all with little in the way of reliable evidence. Although a number of academics challenged the myopic “second front” narrative at the time, the idea was quickly taken up.

Filipino soldiers head off to fight the ASG. EPA/Ben Hajan, CC BY           

ASG is the group most commonly cited by those who inflate the jihadist threat in the region, but despite its apparent role in a recent Davao night-market bombing, its primary tactic remains kidnapping for ransom. It should be obvious that ASG draws susbstantial propaganda benefit from being conflated with IS, especially given that the reality is rather less impressive when viewed with clearer eyes.

Yes, IS has recognised ASG leader Isnilon Hapilon, but this is far from the “game-changer” some in the West have called it. Hapilon jumped on the IS bandwagon back in 2014, and it took two years for him to win any reciprocal gesture from his ostensible allies.

About-face

As things stand, the war between the government and the ASG is heating up and getting worse. Soon after Duterte apparently hinted at some sort of rapprochement with the ASG, the group beheaded Patrick Almodovar, an 18-year-old Filipino it had taken hostage. Duterte quickly changed tack, threatening to “eat them alive with salt and vinegar”.

In April and June, captives Robert Hall, and fellow Canadian John Ridsdel were beheaded when ransom deadlines were not met. Norwegian hostage Kjartan Sekkingstad, meanwhile, was released in September after the ASG was paid a 50m peso (US$1m) ransom.

President Duterte rallies the troops. EPA/Ben Hajan

The authorities’ seek-and-destroy strategy is simply not working. The military has been vulnerable to deadly attacks, and its losses are mounting; innocent children and peace workers are frequently caught in the crossfire.

In August 2016, Duterte promised that the ASG would be eliminated “in a week” and announced a naval blockade to intercept reinforcements, but evidently the war is set to continue. The ASG has been outgunned and outnumbered for years, and yet its campaign continues.

All the while, this hugely violent and costly conflict remains drastically under-reported. Instead, the media focuses on sensational claims that drug kingpins are joining up with IS affiliates to assassinate Duterte. More scare stories of IS extending its “tentacles” are surely on the way.

For now, the spectre of IS in South-East Asia is a case of an awful lot of smoke and very little fire. And as Duterte joins in the hyperbole, many of the Philippines’ same old mistakes are already being repeated.
http://theconversation.com/panic-about-is-in-the-philippines-masks-a-very-real-war-in-the-country-65196

Letter-to-the-editor: AFP trolls’ continuing attacks on Karapatan

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Oct 4): AFP trolls’ continuing attacks on Karapatan

IN RECENT weeks, the Inquirer ran two letters (“Karapatan grandstanding with false, malicious charges,” Opinion, 9/14/16; “Karapatan still living in heartless fantasy world,” Opinion, 9/19/16) parroting the usual lines of the Armed Forces of the Philippines against Karapatan and our analysis on the role of the AFP and the US government in the creation and operation of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group.

We have no doubt that the persons behind those letters are AFP minions who routinely attack people’s organizations that expose, online and through other forms of media, covert operations and misdeeds of the the US government and the mercenary AFP. We respond, not to dignify their existence, but to expose the continuing efforts of such entities to undermine efforts geared toward the realization of people’s and human rights in the Philippines.

It is this kind of military line that makes Karapatan human rights workers targets of threats, harassment and “neutralization.” Karapatan workers have been harassed, threatened, implicated and charged in ridiculous criminal cases, and even killed (e.g., William Bugatti of the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance) in the course of advancing people’s and human rights in the Philippines. Many other members and leaders of progressive organizations of peasants, workers, indigenous peoples, women and youth also face these kinds of vilification and other worse forms of rights violations.

It is the same line that has been persistently used against human rights and peace advocates, in violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law signed by both the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front, to frustrate their efforts to resume the peace talks between them. These threats continue mainly because of the counterinsurgency programs that target people’s organizations and civilian communities.

CRISTINA PALABAY, secretary general, Karapatan
 http://opinion.inquirer.net/97873/afp-trolls-continuing-attacks-on-karapatan

For now, U.S. tries to ignore Philippine president's broadsides

From Thomas Reuters Foundation News (Oct 4}: For now, U.S. tries to ignore Philippine president's broadsides

U.S. officials are doing their best to ignore Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's hostile rhetoric and taking comfort in the fact that he has yet to translate his words into less military cooperation.

The United States is trying not to give the new Philippine president, who recently appeared to liken himself to Hitler, a pretext for further outbursts while at the same time pressing ahead with military and other cooperation at lower levels, U.S. officials said on Monday.

Two U.S. officials said that while an open break with Manila would create problems in a region where China has grown increasingly aggressive, there are no serious discussions about taking punitive steps such as cutting aid to the Philippines.

Mindful of anti-colonial sentiment, despite the estimated 3 million people of Philippine descent living in the United States, U.S. officials do not want to say or do anything that might encourage Duterte to turn his rhetoric into reality.

"He is like Mr. Trump," a senior Southeast Asian official said, referring to U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. "He craves attention, and the more he gets, the more outrageous he becomes. It is wisest to ignore him."

In the last month, Duterte has appeared to call U.S. President Barack Obama a "son of a bitch," leading the White House to cancel a planned meeting, and to liken himself to Hitler, saying he would "be happy" to kill 3 million drug users and peddlers in the country.

Duterte said he regretted using that language to describe Obama and apologized to the Jewish community for his references to the Holocaust.

In his latest broadside, Duterte on Sunday said he got expressions of support from Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and from an unnamed Chinese official after he complained of ill-treatment by Washington.

While Duterte has publicly suggested he would end joint military exercises, push U.S. special operations forces out of the southern Philippines, and review a defense pact signed two years ago, U.S. officials stressed none of this has happened.

'ALL BLUSTER'

U.S. military officials said they were well aware of Duterte's comments, but their counterparts in the Philippines had reassured them that business continues as usual.

"No one is really losing sleep over it," said one U.S. defense official on condition of anonymity.
"It is all bluster," said a second defense official, saying Duterte's remarks "have not bled over into our world."

There are about 100 U.S. soldiers in Zamboanga City, a Philippine military spokesman said, well below the 1,200 U.S. forces initially deployed to help train and advise local troops fight the Abu Sayyaf Group, an Islamist militant group.

The Philippine military spokesman said he was not aware of any plan to pull them out.

Other than Japan's 1942-1945 occupation, the United States effectively ruled the Philippines from 1898, when it acquired the island chain from Spain following the Spanish-American War, until recognizing its independence in 1946.

The two nations signed a mutual defense treaty in 1951, but their close cooperation diminished a quarter century ago, when the Philippines kicked U.S. forces out of two large military installations, including the naval base at Subic Bay.

ENHANCED COOPERATION

Two years ago, however, the two signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which allows U.S. troops to build storage facilities for maritime security and humanitarian and disaster response operations.

Under the agreement, two C-130 transport planes and 100 U.S. servicemen have been at an air base in the central Philippines since Sept. 25 as part of a two-week exercise.

Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said the EDCA is an international agreement, and the United States and Philippines are bound by international law. Citing the agreement's text, Ross said it has an initial term of 10 years, after which either side may end it with a year's written notice.

The former colony is a key element of the Obama administration's policy of "rebalancing" its foreign policy toward Asia, and the two nations have begun joint patrols in the South China Sea as China asserts its territorial claims.

China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas, its claims overlapping with those of the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.

U.S. officials are disturbed by the fact that more than 3,100 people have been killed since Duterte took office three months ago and launched a promised drugs war, yet they value the country's long-standing military ties.

"Sometimes you have to hold your nose about the individuals and deal with the countries. The United States doesn't have the luxury of writing off the Philippines, so we have to find a way to deal with this extraordinarily distasteful leader while still conveying our opposition to his human rights policies," said Frank Jannuzi, a former Senate Foreign Relations Committee Asia specialist now at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation.

U.S. lawmakers have conveyed their concerns in repeated conversations with the Philippine Embassy, where diplomats are torn between their need to represent Duterte's government and their concerns about what he has been saying.

The United States has sent the Philippines hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid and military and development assistance in recent years, making it the third-largest Asian recipient of U.S. military aid after Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Two influential senators, Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Patrick Leahy, the top Democrat on the subcommittee that handles foreign aid, said Congress would take Duterte's policies into account when deciding on aid for the current fiscal year.

One U.S. official said that while the Obama administration is more worried about Duterte that it is letting on publicly, there is no great concern about the defense implications of a political break because the United States has alternatives.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said these include the Navy Region Center Singapore, training facilities in Brunei, and the possibility of greater naval access in Vietnam.

http://news.trust.org/item/20161004002650-nm8vv

Duterte says China, Russia supportive when he complained of US

From InterAksyon (Oct 3): Duterte says China, Russia supportive when he complained of US

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Sunday he had received support from Russia and China when he complained to them about the United States, in another broadside that could test his increasingly fragile alliance with Washington.

Duterte said that during a meeting on the sidelines of a leaders' summit in Laos last month, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had agreed with him when he railed against the United States.

"I met with Medvedev, I am revealing it to you now," Duterte said in a speech. "I told him this is the situation: They are giving me a hard time, they are disrespecting me; they are shameless.

"He said: 'That is really how the Americans are.' He said: 'We will help you.'"

Duterte gave no further details about the nature of his complaints.

His ire toward the United States has intensified since US President Barack Obama said he would raise concerns about Duterte's deadly war on drugs.

The White House canceled a meeting between them in Laos after he told reporters before flying to Laos for the ASEAN Summit that he would curse Obama if he lectures him on human rights in connection with the drug-related killings."

Duterte said on Sunday he had raised objections about the United States to China also.

China said the Philippines would not benefit from siding with the United States, according to Duterte. It was not immediately clear which Chinese official he was quoting and when the remark was made.

Duterte has said repeatedly during recent, frequent speeches that he planned to open new alliances with Russia and China, particularly for trade and commerce, as part of his pursuit of an independent foreign policy.

Several commercial and diplomatic sources have confirmed to Reuters that a Philippine business delegation will accompany Duterte on a visit to Beijing from Oct. 19-21.

Doubts over security deal

In another swipe at Washington, Duterte said he would review a landmark security deal agreed upon with the United States, arguing it may not be legally binding because “it does not bear the signature of the president of the republic”.

Duterte's remarks show his intent to challenge or test the limits of a historic alliance that US Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday called "ironclad."

That came the day after Duterte declared joint US-Philippines war games starting this week would be "the last."

The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), signed a few days before Obama visited the Philippines in 2014, allows US troops to build storage facilities for maritime security and humanitarian and disaster response operations.

It also provides broad access to five Philippine military bases.

Duterte said the agreement would be reviewed because it was signed by the then Philippine defense secretary and the US ambassador, and not the country's president.

Duterte did not explicitly say that he would try to scrap the deal, but in comments aimed at the United States, he said: "It does not bear the signature of the president of the Republic of the Philippines ... "Better think twice now, because I would be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether."

[Read related story: Duterte hints at move to cancel EDCA, saying it's 'not signed by the President']

In a response, the Pentagon said the United States and Philippines had a long history of working together on security issues and that conversations between Carter and his Philippine counterpart last week in Hawaii had been "positive."

"We will continue to honor our alliance commitments, and we expect the Philippines to do the same," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook.

"We will continue to work closely with the government of the Philippines to address any concerns they may have," Cook said.

Under the defense agreement, two C-130 transport planes and 100 US servicemen have been at an air base in the central Philippines since Sept. 25 as part of a two-week exercise.

Analysts saw the agreement in part as a deterrent to ward off moves by China to advance its interests in the South China Sea.

Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Armed Services, John McCain, has previously said the agreement was a landmark deal with a significance "not witnessed in decades."

Any indication it could be halted would be a big setback for US efforts to boost its influence in Asia and counter that of a fast-rising China.

Washington's defense agreements with the Philippines, its former colony, are more substantial than with any other country in Southeast Asia.

Duterte's comments come at a time when US defense ties with Thailand, another traditional ally, have been temporarily scaled back following the military's 2014 coup.

The defense deal with the Philippines faced a legal challenge from some of the Asian country's lawmakers and activists. They were concerned that it represented a challenge to sovereignty and would make the Philippines a launching pad for US military intervention in the region.

The Supreme Court ruled in January that it was constitutional.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/132989/duterte-says-china-russia-supportive-when-he-complained-of-us

Philippines, US hold war games after Duterte tirades

From InterAksyon (Oct 4): Philippines, US hold war games after Duterte tirades



US Navy personnel taking part in joint US-PH war games. InterAksyon file photograph

The Philippines and the United States launch war games on Tuesday against the unusual prospect of American forces possibly being ejected from the Southeast Asian nation as its firebrand leader pivots to China.

President Rodrigo Duterte has launched a sustained verbal assault on the United States, the Philippines' former colonial ruler and mutual defense partner, since he took office on June 30 in response to criticism of his deadly war on crime.

Duterte has in recent days warned the war games will be the last of his six-year term, and threatened to scrap a defense pact implemented by his predecessor that was meant to see more US troops in the Philippines to counter Chinese expansion in the South China Sea.

"Better think twice now because I will be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether," Duterte said on Sunday as he launched a tirade against the Americans full of typical invective.

"The Americans, I don't like them... they are reprimanding me in public. So I say: 'Screw you, fuck you'," he said, while signaling again that he wanted to forge closer alliances with China and Russia.

Last week Duterte, 71, also claimed the CIA was plotting to assassinate him.

This came after he branded Barack Obama a "son of a whore" in response to being told the US president planned to raise human rights concerns over his drug war.

Duterte has vowed to eradicate illegal drugs in the Philippines, warning the nation is in danger of becoming a narco-state.

His crime war has seen more than 3,000 people killed, with the United Nations, the European Union and rights groups raising concerns about alleged extrajudicial killings and a breakdown in the rule of law.

Duterte has insisted he is not doing anything illegal, yet at the same time said he would be "happy to slaughter" three million drug users.

He also likened his crime war to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's effort to exterminate Jews, but following an outcry apologized for referring to the Holocaust.

China circling

Two thousand troops from both sides will take part in the war games, including in waters close to flash point areas of the South China Sea.

China claims nearly all of the sea, even waters close to the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations, and has in recent years built artificial islands in the disputed areas capable of hosting military bases.

To counter China, the Philippines' previous president, Benigno Aquino, sought to draw the United States closer. This included the signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that Duterte now wants to scrap.

Duterte appears intent on adopting the opposite tactic, saying recently he hopes to travel to China and meet with President Xi Jinping.

On a related matter, the United States has not been contacted by Philippines defense authorities about President Rodrigo Duterte's comments on ending joint military exercises, the U.S. State Department said on Monday, noting it expected Manila to live up to its commitments.

"We've not been officially contacted by the Philippine defense department authorities regarding President Duterte's statement," State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters. "I'd also note that we'll live up to our commitments and we'll expect them to live up to theirs."

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/132999/philippines-us-hold-war-games-after-duterte-tirades

AFP to give space for rehabilitation center for drug dependents

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 3): AFP to give space for rehabilitation center for drug dependents

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was tapped to provide a space for the drug rehabilitation center in major Army camps throughout the country.

3rd Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Harold Cabreros issued the confirmation during a peace forum in Negros Oriental with Gov. Roel Degamo held at the Negros Oriental Convention Center in Dumaguete City during the culmination of the celebration of the Peace Month over the weekend.

Cabreros reported that the drug rehab center in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija is undergoing construction, and when completed will be the site for drug dependents from Metro Manila.

This will be followed with the construction of another drug rehabilitatin center inside the army camp in Jamindan, Capiz, which is home to the 3rd infantry division with a requirement of at least 10 hectares where drug dependents undertake a lot of exercises, sports activities and livelihood projects.

The third being planned is the home of the 79th IB in Camp Leon Kilat in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, according to Cabreros.

In the same forum, Gov. Degamo has assured funds will be allotted for the operation of a drug rehabilitation center in next year’s budget.

This developed as the camp of the 303rd brigade in Murcia, Negros Oriental was already used as wellness camp in cooperation with the local government unit.

In fact, it has already conducted rehabilitation of 71 drug dependents who are moderate drug users in two batches.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=928315

Police, Marines seize firearm, bullets in Sultan Kudarat anti-drug raid

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 3): Police, Marines seize firearm, bullets in Sultan Kudarat anti-drug raid

Joint police and military authorities in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat recovered a high powered firearm, ammunition and prohibited drugs during an anti-drug operation and implementation of an arrest warrant.

But authorities missed the suspect, a certain Mads Pagabangan, when lawmen raided his house in Barangay Kinudalan, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat at 1 a.m. Monday.

Chief Inspector Benhur Catcatan, Lebak town police chief and Lt. Colonel Edwin Joseph Olaer, commanding officer of Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT-7), led the team that served the warrant of arrest against Pagabangan who, Catcatan said, fled before the raiding team arrived.

Catcatan told DXOM-AM Radyo Bida Koronadal that the raiding team recovered 23 sachets of suspected shabu and paraphernalia, an AK-2000 rifle, magazines, 200 pcs of ammunition for M-16 Armalite rifle, magazine for M-16, a mobile phone, bandolier, a set of fatigue military uniform and a blonde wig.

Catcatan said Pagabangan was in the police drug watch list. He has warrants of arrest for murder and qualified piracy charges.

Catcatan appealed to residents to Lebak to help the police and Philippine Marines locate the suspect.

"Report to police if you have information about Pagabangan since he is wanted by law," Catcatan said.

He could not say what armed organization Pagabangan belonged.

Supt. Raul Supiter, Sultan Kudarat town police chief, said a woman suspected of illegal drug pushing was arrested by police operatives of Lambayong town police personnel during anti-drug operation Monday afternoon.

Supiter identified the suspect as Bainot Nemenzo, a resident of Barangay POblacion, Lambayong.
Supiter said police seized 83 sachets of prohibited drugs with an estimated street market value of more than PHP400,000.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=928369

3 suspected Sayyaf bombers captured in Zamboanga City

From the Mindanao Examiner (Oct 3): 3 suspected Sayyaf bombers captured in Zamboanga City



Grenades and a pistol seized by policemen from the three suspected Abu Sayyaf bombers. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Ely Dumaboc)





Police on Monday arrested 3 people who are suspected as Abu Sayyaf bombers in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

It said 3 other men escaped the police operation in the village of Canelar near downtown Zamboanga and that authorities were tracking down the militants whose group is tied to the Islamic State.

The names of the suspects were not immediately available, but police said the men allegedly checked in at the Atilano Pension House and used the name Alfad Fahad Kulayan.

Police did not say if the name was fictitious or not, but sources said the identities of those arrested were Jabar Ignohassim, 24, and Asde dela Cruz, 27, both of Jolo town in Sulu province, and Abdula Yusof, 26, of Talipao town, also in Sulu, one of 5 provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

It was unknown whether the room was searched by the police or not, but it said operatives seized from those arrested three hand grenades, a .45-caliber pistol and four magazines loaded with bullets; and 3 rolls of time fuse, two blasting caps and at least a dozen cell phone batteries and two motorcycle.

Police said the suspects were believed to be followers of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Alhabsy Misaya, whose group was tagged as behind the spate of terrorism in Sulu province and ransom kidnappings in Sabah, Malaysia.

The arrest of the trio coincided with celebration of the month-long Hermosa Festival in honor of the Virgin Mary. 

Mayor Beng Climaco has appealed to all hotel owners here to ensure an efficient and effective profiling of guests to help authorities in its anti-crime and anti-terrorism efforts.

“Hotel owners should require submission of valid identification cards of all transient guests as this can be part of the security measures not only of the said establishment, but of the city as a whole. In cases of emergencies, the profiling records can be coordinated with the authorities or concerned agencies,” she said.  

Climaco said the profiling of hotel guests should be done all year round. “The responsibility to secure the city does not rest on the shoulders of the police, military and the local government alone, but should be a shared responsibility of all sectors,” she said.

Two pension houses were previously bombed in Zamboanga City.

In October 2011, at least 11 people were killed in a bomb explosion that ripped through a room inside the Red Palm Pension House and at a cockfighting arena during the Hermosa Festival.

And the following month, a powerful explosion also destroyed the second floor of the two-storey Atilano Pension House that killed at least 3 people and injured more than two dozen people. Police said they traced evidence of TNT from one of the rooms of the pension house, but no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack.

http://mindanaoexaminer.com/3-suspected-sayyaf-bombers-captured-in-zamboanga-city/

Rights group urges Pres. Duterte to release all political prisoners

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 3): Rights group urges Pres. Duterte to release all political prisoners

A human rights group here appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to release all political prisoners who are still languishing in jail, including the wrongly convicted prisoners.

Karapatan (Rights), a rights group in Northern Mindanao, issued the appeal Monday as the second round of formal peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) resumes in Oslo, Norway this month.

The group said the general amnesty and release of all political prisoners is an "issue of justice for activists and political dissenters who were illegally arrested, detained and some, wrongly convicted, for crimes they did not commit”.

“We urge the Duterte administration to render justice to political prisoners, their families and the communities they serve by making good its commitment to release [them],” said Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay in the statement released to the media Monday.

One of the provisions negotiators from both sides had agreed during the first round of the peace talks to recommend to the President the issuance of an “Amnesty Proclamation” to all detained political prisoners subject to concurrence of Congress.

Peace panelists wanted President Duterte to free detainees who are listed by the NDFP and who have been “arrested, imprisoned, charged, and/or convicted for the alleged acts or omissions within the ambit of the Revised Penal Code or special laws in connection with alleged crimes in pursuit of one’s political beliefs”.

Karapatan said that other political detainees lauded the government for releasing on bail 21 of their colleagues, the majority of whom were NDFP peace consultants, last August.

The group added it also expects the release of three wrongly convicted NDFP peace consultants, “at the soonest possible time to enable their full participation in the ongoing peace talks”.

Convicted were Eduardo Serrano from Eastern Visayas, Leopoldo Caloza and Emeterio Antalan from Central Luzon.

 

Kaparatan said that the three have been serving prison time for false charges filed against them.

“Just and lasting peace can be achieved by addressing the needs and democratic interests of the marginalized sectors. We need to maximize the knowledge and experience of people who worked with the poor, such as Sarmiento, Caloza and Antalan. We hope that they will be released immediately,” Palabay said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=928349

House panel approves declaration of Jan. 23 as working holiday to commemorate birth of First Philippine Republic

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 3): House panel approves declaration of Jan. 23 as working holiday to commemorate birth of First Philippine Republic

The House committee on revision of laws has approved a proposal to declare January 23 of every year a special working holiday in the entire country to commemorate the declaration of the First Philippine Republic.

The committee chaired by Rep. Marlyn L. Primicias-Agabas (6th District, Pangasinan) approved House Bill 477 authored by Rep. Jose Antonio R. Sy-Alvarado (1st District, Bulacan) who said the holiday declaration will commemorate the declaration of the First Philippine Republic on Jan. 23, 1899 at the Barasoain Church in the City of Malolos, Bulacan.

The bill is a refilled proposal that was approved on third and final reading during the 16th Congress according to Agabas.

“The significance of Jan. 23, 1899 is that the First Philippine Republic came into being as the sovereign choice of the people. It was a conscious choice to reject a dictatorial and revolutionary government and establish for all the future Filipino generations the groundwork for democracy,” said Sy-Alvarado.

As the First Republic in Asia, Sy-Alvarado said Filipinos are proud of their strong democratic and republican ideals as a nation. He said it was on June 12, 1898 when General Emilio Aguinaldo declared the Philippines free from the yoke of foreign subjugation.

“The upheaval of nationalistic fervor leading to our independence was followed with cool and calm which was thought to make the gains for Philippine democracy and republicanism more lasting and permanent through the enactment of the first organic law for the Philippine Republic,” said Sy-Alvarado.

Hence, he said it is of much importance that Filipinos need to commemorate Jan. 23 every year. “The beginning of Filipino democracy and self-government, indigenously concluded, magnifies the political maturity and readiness of our forefathers at the turn of that century,” said Sy-Alvarado.

The lawmaker said the beliefs and aspirations of Filipinos as a nation, united in pursuit for life, liberty and enjoyment of the benefits of their democracy, is encapsulated by the nation’s rich and noble history.

“I hope that we can give due recognition with this great feat and achievement of our forefathers in commemorating January 23 as a national holiday,” said Sy-Alvarado.

The bill declares January 23 of every year as "the First Philippine Republic Day" and shall be a special working holiday in the entire country.

The National Historical Commission (NHC), in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd), shall plan and implement activities for "The First Philippine Republic Day" and ensure that the significance of the historical event will continue to inspire and instill pride among Filipinos on the rich and noble history of the nation.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=928184

AFP is seriously looking into coup reports

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 3): AFP is seriously looking into coup reports

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it is seriously looking into alleged coup attempts against the Duterte administration.

"(While news of possible coup attempts are unknown) to us, we are seriously looking into it," AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said in a press briefing Monday.

Earlier reports claimed that some groups affected by Duterte's reforms will stage a coup.

Padilla declined to give other details as it would telegraph their moves.

He also dismissed reports that some ranks in the AFP are part of the ouster moves as military personnel nationwide are very happy with the attention being given them by the President.

Very early in his term, the Chief Executive took time in his busy schedule to visit various camps nationwide and interact with enlisted personnel and officials.

This interaction and communication with troops have contributed vastly to the high morale being experienced by all AFP personnel, Padilla added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=928223