Monday, May 1, 2017

Duterte to China: It's PH duty to 'repair' Pag-asa Island facilities

From Rappler (May 1): Duterte to China: It's PH duty to 'repair' Pag-asa Island facilities

The Philippine President says repairs of facilities in Pag-asa Island will push through despite China's displeasure

PUSHING THROUGH. The Philippines will not junk its plans to improve Pag-asa Island facilities, says President Rodrigo Duterte, who is shown here as he visited Chinese warships docked in Davao City on May 1, 2017. Malacañang photo

PUSHING THROUGH. The Philippines will not junk its plans to improve Pag-asa Island facilities, says President Rodrigo Duterte, who is shown here as he visited Chinese warships docked in Davao City on May 1, 2017. Malacañang photo

President Rodrigo Duterte defended his plan to improve facilities in disputed Pag-asa Island amid China's declaration that such activities are "illegal."

"Yes of course, that's part of our duty as a nation," he said when asked by a reporter if he would continue his plans to improve facilities, including a runway and bunkhouses for military, in the island.

Duterte was giving an interview on Monday, May 1, right after visiting 3 Chinese warships docked at Sasa Wharf in Davao City.

Asked about statements from the Chinese embassy calling any activities by the Philippines on Pag-asa Island "illegal," Duterte downplayed the government's plans.

"It's just repairs. Well, they can always look away, look around," he said.

Visits by government officials to Pag-asa Island are routine. The island is home to around 100 Filipino civilians, and has a school building and town hall. (READ: PH military chief says nothing like singing nat'l anthem on Pag-asa)

"We have been there since 1974, by the way," said Duterte, as a reminder.

Despite this, China continues to claim Pag-asa as its own since the island is within the 9-dash line the Asian giant uses to claim virtually all of the South China Sea.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, during his visit to Pag-asa Island, spoke of the government devoting funds to building facilities there and improving the lives of its Filipino community.

"Maraming gustong ipagawa ang ating mahal na Presidente. Mayroon tayong nakalaang pera rito," Lorenzana had said. (Our beloved President wants to build a lot of facilities. We have allotted money for the island.)

The plans include repairs of the dilapidated runway and construction of new facilities, such as a solar power tower, radio tower, desalination plant, fish port, and sewage facility.

It remains to be seen if Duterte will cave in to pressure from China and stop these plans. He already took back a plan to himself fly to Pag-asa Island to raise the Philippine flag on Independence Day, after China asked him not to. (READ: PH plans for Pag-asa to test Duterte's friendship with China)

http://www.rappler.com/nation/168536-duterte-philippines-duty-repair-pag-asa-island-facilities

Duterte inspects China warships, jokes of missiles pointed to PH

From Rappler (May 2): Duterte inspects China warships, jokes of missiles pointed to PH

During a tour highlighting China's growing military might, Duterte writes a message of peace on a warship's guest book: 'Weather the waves, journey on seas of peace, freedom and friendship'

MILITARY MIGHT. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte inspects various equipment aboard Chinese guided missile destroyer Chang Chun. Malacañang photo

MILITARY MIGHT. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte inspects various equipment aboard Chinese guided missile destroyer Chang Chun. Malacañang photo

While President Rodrigo Duterte said the visit of 3 Chinese warships to his hometown prove the friendly ties between the Philippines and China, he was quick to point out another observation: the Asian giant's military might and the risks this poses to his country.

"Very impressive," said Duterte about the warships on Monday, May 1, during a chance interview with reporters.

"It's run by a computer and look at the way their missile launchers are pointed at us. It will be lowered a little. At the angle, sabog tayo dito lahat (we'll all get blown up)," he joked.

The 3 ships Duterte inspected are China's guided missile destroyer Chang Chun (DDG150), guided missile frigate Jin Zhou (FFG532), and type 903 replenishment ship Chao Hu (890).

All are docked in Davao City's Sasa Wharf until Tuesday, May 2.

"It is part really of confidence-building and goodwill. And to show that we are friends," said the Philippine President.




VISITING WARSHIP. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is given a tour inside the Chang Chun with Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua. Malacañang photo
It was he, apparently, who asked China to let him aboard their warships.

"That's why I welcome them here and I was the one who asked it, 'Show me your warships,'" said Duterte.

He was accompanied during the inspection by Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, and Chinese navy officers.

Though the tour impressed upon him China's military might, Duterte's message in guided missile destroyer Chang Chun's guest book was one of peace.

"Weather the waves, journey on seas of peace, freedom and friendship," wrote Duterte.



'SEAS OF PEACE.' The Philippine President writes a message of peace as he signs Chang Chun's guest book.

First visit in years

It has been 7 years since Chinese warships docked at a Philippine port. The last time was in 2010 under the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was also on friendly terms with Beijing.

During the administration of Arroyo's successor, Benigno Aquino III, no Chinese warship visited the Philippines. It was under the Aquino presidency that the Philippines filed a case against China for its expansive claim in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) before an international court.

The move angered China. It was not until Duterte's state visit to Beijing last year that diplomatic ties were "fully restored."



CAPABILITIES. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is briefed about the Chinese warships.

The visit of the Chinese warships came after the end of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit chaired by Duterte.

Under his leadership, Southeast Asian leaders acquiesced to China's demands to leave out any mention of the arbitral award won by the Philippines in Duterte's chairman's statement.

Their soft stance toward Beijing is said to signal China's growing influence over the region. Warships in Duterte's hometown also indicate his determination to be on China's good side.

Despite this, Duterte risked earning China's ire by insisting that his government's plans to "repair" facilities in Pag-asa Island in the South China Sea will push through.

China claims Pag-asa Island as its own, and says any activities by the Philippines on the island are "illegal."
 http://www.rappler.com/nation/168556-philippines-duterte-inspects-china-warships

LOOK | NPA Front Committee 16 releases prisoner of war in Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte

From InterAksyon (May 1): LOOK | NPA Front Committee 16 releases prisoner of war in Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte

Tearful NPA POW release

Tearful reunion after NPA POW release rites. Phographed by Erwin Mascariñas, News5-InterAksyon

Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte – Hundreds of people on Saturday afternoon gathered at the small hinterland village here to witness the New People’s Army (NPA) release of Pfc Erwin Salan, whom they treated as a prisoner of war, after three months in captivity.

After a 4-day trek through the mountains of Surigao del Sur province, Pfc Salan, of the Philippine Army’s 30th Infantry Battalion, was handed over to the custody of representatives from the provincial government in Barangay Camam-onan.



Marching out NPA POW to release venue. Phographed by Erwin Mascariñas, News5-InterAksyon



Setting up camp in preparation for NPA POW release ceremony. Phographed by Erwin Mascariñas, News5-InterAksyon



Guarding NPA camp in Surigao del Norte. Phographed by Erwin Mascariñas, News5-InterAksyon

“The release is a show of goodwill toward the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). The prisoner should have been released last month but, unfortunately, due to the ongoing military operations it was postponed and moved to this day,” said Rey Calaste, also known as Ka Oto, spokesperson of the NPA Front Committee 16.

Ka Oto pointed out that the prisoner was treated humanely and properly while under the care of their custodial force.

“I’m very thankful I was not hurt or treated inhumanly while I was in their custody. I was taken care off as a prisoner of war and fed each day throughout the entire time I was held prisoner. I’m also very thankful to those who helped arranged for my release, especially to third party facilitators,” said Salan.



Medical check-up as part of NPA POW release procedure. Phographed by Erwin Mascariñas, News5-InterAksyon

Salan added that escaping from captivity never crossed his mind, and he has no plan to file legal action as he is just happy to return to his family.

A teary reunion ensued between Pfc Salan and his father, mother and brother after they hugged the released prisoner following after his release.

Dr. Maria Isabel Makinano, provincial health officer of Surigao del Norte confirmed that the captive soldier was in good health after she examined him.

“Based on this examination, the patient is in good health both physically, and mentally since he is coherent. From blood pressure, heart rate and breathing, everything is within normal limits. He also does not have any laceration or bruises in his body,” said Makinano.

Bishop Rey Timbang of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) or the Philippine Independent Church, who led the third party facilitators, said his hopes the release of Salan is a good means toward peace.

“There is a chance for lasting peace in our land if we find ways to achieve this, if only we try to find ways to talk in terms of peace. We support the peace talks and President Rodrigo Duterte for his efforts to achieve peace. His term has not yet reached a year, but there have already been four rounds of peace talks and several agreements signed between the Government and the National Democratic Front. In fact this release of prisoner is part of that good will towards the talks, and, we hope political detainees will also be released soon,” said Timbang.



Truck transporting villagers to an NPA POW release venue. Phographed by Erwin Mascariñas, News5-InterAksyon



NPA scout standing watch at POW release venue. Phographed by Erwin Mascariñas, News5-InterAksyon

Salan was captured by elements of the NPA on January 29, 2017 while conducting Community Organizing for Peace and Development (COPD) activity in Barangay Budlingin, Alegria, Surigao del Norte.

The NPA’s Front 16 is known for several abductions and capture of police and soldiers in their area of operation in Surigao del Norte.



Porters carry suppies to NPA POW release venue. Phographed by Erwin Mascariñas, News5-InterAksyon



NPA scouts at rest near POW release venue. Phographed by Erwin Mascariñas, News5-InterAksyon



NPA scouts in formation. Phographed by Erwin Mascariñas, News5-InterAksyon



NPA fighters perform symbolic dance. Phographed by Erwin Mascariñas, News5-InterAksyon

On July 2016, three police officers and a civilian employee in the town of Malimono, Surigao del Norte were abducted while inside the cock fighting arena. They were released a month later in Surigao City.

On November 2014, NPA fighters seized two police officers from Alegria. They were released to then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte three months later, in the hinterlands of Gigaquit town in Surigao del Norte.

On July 10, 2014, four police officers were captured by the NPA during a raid in the Alegria police station, they were released after 19 days in captivity.

http://beta.interaksyon.com/prisoner-of-war-npa-front-committee-16-releases-soldier-in-gigaquit-surigao-del-norte/

Military pension ramps up to P137B

From the Business Mirror (Apr 30): Military pension ramps up to P137B

The cost of financing the retirement benefits of the country’s military has gone up by 164 percent this year to more than P137 billion, from only P71 billion last year, based on data supplied by the Department of Finance (DOF).

That cost, the DOF and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said over the weekend, were to ramp up some more over eight years and already approximate the country’s annual budget for the entire defense department of more or less P188 billion.

That cost, the DOF said, has panicked fiscal planners, as the benefits escalate every year that a self-sufficient pension system is not in place to assume the role once played by the hopelessly corrupt and broken Armed Forces of the Philippines—Retirement and Separation Benefit System.

The DOF and the DBM are even now studying further a retirement fund for soldiers through the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and finishing it within the year, to address the increasing pension costs of soldiers serving the military.


According to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, the DOF and the DBM are addressing the necessity of a sustainable retirement system for military personnel. One proposal is to incorporate such an entity with the GSIS and do away with subsidies from the government.

“Yes, we are working closely together with the budget to make sure the uniformed personnel will have a retirement fund of their own. One of the ideas that were examined precisely, is to include them in the GSIS,” Dominguez told financial reporters.

The DOF targets to complete the proposed fusion with the GSIS within this year, adding this was a priority measure under President Duterte needing to go through legislation quickly.

“We certainly want to complete it within the year. It is a very important measure because you know this is really quite complex and it requires a lot of work with actuaries. And you know, usually those studies take time, quite a bit of time, because it is not only the current retirees but the future,” as well, he added.

In February budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said addressing the cost of military pension through the annual budget was not sustainable. He also said the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council in January agreed to a review of the pension system for military personnel and policemen.

According to the Development Budget Coordination Committee, the budget for 2016 pension amounted to P71 billion, and that without reforms this will balloon to more than double in eight years to P187.9 billion.

“Under the current [system], according to Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana, the cost of the pension for the retirees will almost equal the budget of the operational side of the DND [Department of National Defense]. He mentioned it several months ago. That was what triggered the study,” Dominguez said.

To correct the deeply flawed pension system of military personnel, a seed fund equivalent to P5.57 trillion is required. Without so-called indexation and active personnel contribute to the seed fund, the cost was lower at only P2.03 trillion based on the latest actuarial study conducted by the GSIS.

Under the 2017 General Appropriations Act, President Duterte is seeking a total of P3.35 trillion, with the Philippine National Police allotted a budget of P110 billion and the DND with P137.2 billion.

The Bureau of the Treasury in a fiscal risk report released in 2016 blamed the challenges faced by the current pension system to “the features in the retirement laws of the uniformed services such as the automatic adjustment of a retiree’s pension based on the prevailing scale of base pay for similarly ranked active personnel and early entitlement to pension benefits even before a retiree attains the compulsory retirement age of 56”.

Under the current military pension system, uniformed personnel may receive three pensions upon retirement including a regular pension, another pension upon reaching 65 years as veterans of the service and a temporary administrative staff disability pension at the age of 80 years. While the GSIS has yet to issue a statement regarding the proposal, Dominguez said officials from the DND are amenable to the measure.

“Well certainly from the DND, I think they will welcome such a plan,” he added.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/military-pension-ramps-up-to-p137b/

Letterr gto the editor: More flexibility for defense chief, not clipped power

Letter to the editor posted to the Philippine Daily Inquirer (May 1): More flexibility for defense chief, not clipped power
We wish to clarify some of the points raised in the article titled, “Duterte order curbs defense chief’s power on contracts” (News, 4/19/17).

Executive Order No. 18 does not “clip” the power of the defense secretary to engage in defense procurement, as the title of the article suggests. On the contrary, it gives the defense secretary more flexibility to exercise supervision over the procurement process.

EO 18 amended EO 235 which provides that the defense secretary may only delegate to the Armed Forces of the Philippines the authority to approve procurement projects that cost below P50 million. Beyond that amount, procurement projects must be elevated to the Department of National Defense for approval. With AFP projects amounting to hundreds of millions of pesos based on actual requirements, the P50-million cap has become unrealistic, making the procurement process cumbersome; in effect, it holds back the AFP from performing missions which are now at an increased operational tempo.

EO 18, on the other hand, will enable the defense establishment to fast-track its procurement process, especially for materiel that are badly needed by the operating units in the field. In fact, the defense department initiated the repeal of EO 235 to give the defense secretary the authority to increase the procurement ceiling on projects that can be undertaken at the level of the AFP or its major services, based on its operational and day-to-day requirements.

At this point, we can assure the public that all processes in the DND are in accordance with the law, particularly Republic Act No. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act of 2003 and RA 10349 or the Revised AFP Modernization Act.

ARSENIO R. ANDOLONG, chief, Public Affairs Service, Department of National Defense

http://opinion.inquirer.net/103609/flexibility-defense-chief-not-clipped-power

General Año upset, takes action vs soldiers spreading fake news

From Rappler (May 1): General Año upset, takes action vs soldiers spreading fake news

Apologizing to Rappler executive editor Maria Ressa, the military says the online attacks of some soldiers against her – on the basis of fake news – are 'not in keeping with the AFP as an institution that is committed to the protection and advocacy of human rights, especially those of women'

NO TO FAKE NEWS. Philippine military chief General Eduardo Año orders a probe into 'ungentlemanly' actions of retired and active military officers online. Rappler photo

NO TO FAKE NEWS. Philippine military chief General Eduardo Año orders a probe into 'ungentlemanly' actions of retired and active military officers online. Rappler photo

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Eduardo Año said he was upset to learn that active officers of the military have been spreading fake news about Rappler executive editor Maria Ressa, attacking her for a statement she did not make.
 
The military issued a statement on Monday, May 1, calling the actions of retired and active soldiers online "ungentlemanly" and "not in keeping with the AFP as an institution that is committed to the protection and advocacy of human rights, especially those of women."

Colonel Edgard Arevalo, chief of the AFP Public Affairs Office, said the Provost Marshall was ordered to investigate the matter.

"The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief General Eduardo Año was very upset by the reports that have spread [on] social media. It was not sanctioned and will never be tolerated by the AFP. Such behavior was not taught at the Philippine Military Academy," Arevalo said in a statement.

"We publicly apologize to Miss Maria Ressa for the emotional pain, anxiety, and humiliation those irresponsible comments and unkind remarks might have caused her," Arevalo added.

Ressa was the subject of a fake article that got viral on the internet, mangling a statement she made to Canadian television network CBC which was doing a story on, ironically, fake news.
 
The fake article – 'Rappler's Maria Ressa claims 90 people per minute wanted to rape her' – remains active as of this posting.

Ressa's actual statement was: "An average of 90 hate messages an hour.... That's what I dealt with for a month." The TV report was also published as an article on the TV network's website. (READ: 'Democracy as we know it is dead': Filipino journalists fight fake news)
 
Please note that the following article peddles fake news.

The title alone is highly erroneous. The correct quote is:

"After Rappler published a series called "Weaponizing the internet," the threats came flooding in.
'An average of 90 hate messages an hour," Ressa said. 'That's what I dealt with for a month.'"

You may read the correct quote from the original article here: http://www.cbc.ca/…/democracy-as-we-know-it-is-dead-filipin…
 
 
 
Rappler debunked the fake story and got some help from netizens, with one of them writing an open letter to Año.

The open letter showed screenshots of an alumnus of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), a certain Richard Nicanor Carlos, sharing the fake article to attack Ressa. His post prompted similarly malicious comments, the open letter showed.

"We would like to assure the public and the netizens that your AFP is comprised of professional officers and enlisted personnel whose main preoccupation is combating the enemies of the state that disrupt the peace in the communities and threaten the security of the country," Arevalo said.

Complete statement

The military's complete statement is posted below:
 
AFP Statement re "Open Letter to AFP Chief Gen Eduardo Año":

The "open letter" has come to the attention of the AFP leadership.

It's disappointing that such comments were made in social media on an alleged "fake news" concerning Miss Maria Ressa by the reported active and former members of the organization.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief General Eduardo Año was very upset by the reports that has spread in social media. It was not sanctioned and will never be tolerated by the AFP. Such behavior was not taught at the Philippine Military Academy.

Much as the original post was made by someone who is no longer part of the military, the ungentlemanly comments posted by some who are still in the active service, though in their personal capacities, were nonetheless of poor taste and do not bespeak well of them as members of the military organization.

Gen Año has ordered the Provost Marshall General of the AFP to conduct thorough investigation on the matter forthwith.

We would like to assure the public and the netizens that your AFP is comprised of professional officers and enlisted personnel whose main preoccupation is combating the enemies of the state that disrupts the peace in the communities and threatens the security of the country.

The AFP is composed of Officers and men who have made and are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the nation and for fellow Filipinos.

But we will not allow any conduct unbecoming of officers and gentlemen by some individuals who do not represent the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines.

We publicly apologize to Miss Maria Ressa for the emotional pain, anxiety, and humiliation those irresponsible comments and unkind remarks might have caused her.

This is certainly not in keeping with the AFP as an institution that is committed to the protection and advocacy of human rights especially those of women.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/168525-military-apology-fake-news-maria-ressa

Commentary: The hydra-headed Abu Sayyaf

Commentary by Makabangkit B, Lanto in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (May 1): Commentary: The hydra-headed Abu Sayyaf

Just give me vinegar and salt and I will eat their liver.” Thus declared President Duterte in his usual profanity-laced Cebuano patois during the opening of the Palarong Pambansa last April 23. He was visibly exasperated, angered even, by the resilience of the problem posed by the bandit group Abu Sayyaf. Expectedly, he again raised the specter of declaring martial law in Mindanao.

Seemingly unfazed, the Abu Sayyaf has expanded its operations beyond Mindanao. The bandits’ tragic misadventure in Bohol (the media reported other sightings in the Visayas) caught security and intelligence authorities literally with their pants down. It was pathetic that foreign governments were the first to know about the threat, and warned their nationals through their respective embassies. Now, the bandits have upped the ante by beheading a Filipino soldier, a fellow Tausug, to send the strong message that no one is safe from their bestiality.

What gives the Abu Sayyaf a hydra-like life, surviving the onslaught of the full force of the government? Will the President finally decapitate this hydra, like Heracles of Greek mythology?

A discussion of the cause of the problem results in the constant factors: historical injustices to Moros, poverty, illiteracy, and government neglect. Allow me to share my thoughts on that last factor—the neglect of local governments which has served to strengthen the Abu Sayyaf.

In 2005 when I was serving as justice undersecretary, I chaired a 7-man fact-finding team of the Department of Justice to investigate the “root cause” of the crisis in Sulu in February of that year, which was threatening to engulf other Moro provinces. The crisis was triggered by the alleged massacre of a family in Maimbung. Our fact-finding team’s mandate was unique in the sense that it was to determine why it happened rather than who were responsible.

One of the highlights of our report, which included the testimony of personalities representing a cross-section of society, was that the crisis was rooted in the fact that residents “cannot find succor from municipal officials, who rarely report to the municipal hall but instead frequent Zamboanga City or Manila.” One witness blamed the “habitual absence” of mayors, which “hampered the delivery of basic government services,” and their misuse of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) at the expense of local development.

The team recommended, inter alia, that the Department of the Interior and Local Government require the presence of local executives in their area of responsibility and monitor the management and disbursements of local funds especially the IRA. It was recommended as well that a financial and management audit be conducted by the Office of the President and the Commission on Audit.

The Abu Sayyaf and also the Moro rebels subsist and thrive on community support. They fill up the vacuum of local leadership brought about by the chronic absenteeism of mayors. They dispense speedy justice when somebody complains to them. They help bring sick residents to the rural health clinic and console the bereaved in times of grief.

If a farmer complains of the theft of his carabao, they recover it posthaste. They play Robin Hood, sharing ransom money with residents and possibly local executives. The latter are chummy with them and covertly extend support to protect their turf and perpetuate themselves in power. Indeed, local executives have struck a modus vivendi with the rebels, as shown in the failure of the mayors of Basilan to report that two motorboats filled with armed men had set sail for the Visayas.

Given this situation, as in the mythical hydra, you cut off one of its heads and more heads will sprout. Instead of declaring martial law, perhaps the President should think about cracking the whip on recalcitrant mayors. He has to intervene personally in the campaign to bring the government to the people, and not entrust it to the local executives who hold the electorate hostage through the traditional “3 Gs”—goons, guns and gold.

[Macabangkit B. Lanto (amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com), UP Law 1967, was a Fulbright Fellow to New York University for his postgraduate studies and has served the government in various capacities.]

https://opinion.inquirer.net/103646/hydra-headed-abu-sayyaf

Duterte: Philippines, China can have military exercises in Sulu Sea

From the Philippine Star (May 1): Duterte: Philippines, China can have military exercises in Sulu Sea



In this October 16, 2016 photo, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands after a signing ceremony in Beijing, China. On Labor Day, Duterte said taht he is open to have joint military exercises with China. AP/Ng Han Guan, Pool
 
President Rodrigo Duterte told reporters on Monday that he is open to joint military exercises with China.
 
"Yes, I said I agree. We can have joint exercises here in Mindanao, maybe in the Sulu Sea," Duterte said after visiting a warship of the People's Liberation Army Navy docked in Davao City for a port visit. 
 
Russia, which has also sent ships on goodwill visits to the Philippines, has also hinted at holding training exercises with the Philippines.
 
In contrast, the annual Balikatan military exercises between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US military have been scaled back this year. The exercises will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster response and on counter-terrorism, the US Embassy in Manila announced last month.
 
Duterte also said that the docking of two Chinese warships and a support vessel in Sasa Wharf  is part of confidence-building and goodwill.
 
"To show that we are friends. That's why I welcome them here," Duterte, who has been building up relations with China and Russia as part of an independent foreign policy, said.
 
On Sunday, the three Chinese ships docked at Sasa Wharf in Davao City as part of  a goodwill cruise to  Association of Southeast Asian Nations member-states. The ships will leave on Tuesday.
 
The vessels include the guided missile destroyer Chang Chun (DDG150), the guided missile cruiser Jin Zhou (FFG 532) and Chao Hu (890), a replenishment ship.
 
 
Duterte visited the ships after the Labor Day celebrations in Davao and said that he was the one who asked to see the ships.
 
Asked if the visit of the Chinese ships "cements" the president's belief that the AFP cannot match China's military,  Duterte instead said that any kind of violence "would not be good."
 
"Any violence now would result only with both sides losing. There is no winner, actually," Duterte said.
 
In March, Duterte said that the Philippines will lose all military and police personnel if the country tries to engage China in response to reports that the country will be installing a radar station in Panatag, also known as Scarborough, Shoal.
 
"We cannot stop China from doing its thing. Even the Americans were not able to stop them," Duterte said during a press conference at the Davao International Airport before leaving for a two-day official visit in Myanmar.
 
 
Duterte however asked the Chinese "not to do anything" to the Philippine Coast Guard as it patrols the country's maritime waters.
 
"Kasi you (China) claim to own it, I claim it to be mine. In the meantime, just keep open at ’wag mong galawin ’yung mga Coast Guard ko," Duterte said.
 
Advocates of taking a harder stance on China over disputes in parts of the South China Sea within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone have said that the country can use international pressure and international law to assert its claim.
 
Those advocates, including Senior Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, have said that the Philippines can bring up a 2016 arbitral tribunal decision finding China' s nine-dash-line claim invalid without going to war.
 

Photo: Balikatan send-off

From the Manila Bulletin (May 1): Photo: Balikatan send-off

Philippine and US servicemen pose for a photo during the send-off ceremony in Camp Lapu Lapu Central Command Monday for joint civil and military operation as part of this year’s Balikatan. The troops will be deployed to different parts of Eastern Visayas to conduct medical missions and other civic action projects. (Juan Carlo de Vela|Manila Bulletin)

Philippine and US servicemen pose for a photo during the send-off ceremony in Camp Lapu Lapu Central Command Monday for joint civil and military operation as part of this year’s Balikatan. The troops will be deployed to different parts of Eastern Visayas to conduct medical missions and other civic action projects. (Juan Carlo de Vela|Manila Bulletin)
 

American troops join two-month Balikatan

From the Cebu Daily News (May 1): American troops join two-month Balikatan


Maj. Henry Sabjon (right) of Central Command shares input with his US counterparts after the opening ceremony of Balikatan Exercise 33.  CDN Photo/Junjie Mendoza

AS the military continues to hunt down the three remaining Abu Sayyaf bandits in Bohol, about 50 American soldiers will join the civil military exercises dubbed Balikatan in some parts of the Visayas.

Col. Medel Aguilar, commander of the Philippine Joint Civil and Military Operations Task Force, clarified that the Balikatan is not related to any terrorist threats.

“Our activities are intended for humanitarian and civilian assistance and to transfer knowledge and skills on how to react during emergency situations like typhoons,” he said during yesterday’s Balikatan launching.

The trainings include the construction of disaster-resilient facilities, classrooms, disaster preparedness and building community relations and partnership for civic action programs.

The two-month Balikatan exercises are focused on the islands of Panay, Leyte, and Samar and are seen to strengthen the ties between the two countries.

Lt. Col. Ryan Scott of the US military engineering department said they welcome the partnership between their country and the Philippines.

Since April 11, eight Abu Sayyaf bandits were killed in two gun battles in the towns of Inabanga and Clarin.

http://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/131489/american-troops-join-two-month-balikatan

50 US troops to hold next ‘Balikatan’ with AFP in Visayas

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (May 1): 50 US troops to hold next ‘Balikatan’ with AFP in Visayas
Joint military exercises not related to ongoing hunt for Abu Sayyaf men in Bohol - Colonel Aguilar



 U.S. military armored personnel carriers take their positions during the 11-day joint US-Philippines military exercise dubbed “Balikatan 2016″ (Shoulder-To-Shoulder 2016) Thursday, April 14, 2016 at Crow Valley, Tarlac province north of Manila, (AP File Photo/Bullit Marquez)

As the hunt to arrest three remaining Abu Sayyaf bandits in Bohol continues, some 50 American troops will participate in the two-month civil-military exercises dubbed Balikatan in some parts of the Visayas.

The latest Balikatan started on Monday (May 1). Colonel Medel Aguilar, commander of the Philippine Joint Civil and Military Operations Task Force, however, said the holding of the Balikatan has long been scheduled and the decision to hold it in Visayas has not been related to the terrorist threats that have struck Bohol.

“Our activities are intended for humanitarian and civilian assistance and to transfer knowledge and skills on how to react during emergency situations like typhoons,” he said in an interview after the launching of the Combined Joint Civil Military Operations Task Force at the Armed Forces’ Central Command in Cebu City on Monday morning.

Among the activities the soldiers will undertake include the construction of disaster-resilient facilities, classrooms, capability training to enhance disaster preparedness, developing good working relationship with the people, and building partnership with stakeholders for civic action programs.

The two-month Balikatan exercises are focused on the islands of Panay, Leyte, and Samar.

Colonel Camilo Ligayo, chief of the Unified Command Staff, said the Balikatan would strengthen the ties between the country and the United States.

“This is the most evident manifestation of a shared commitment between the Philippines and United States’ Armed Forces to move shoulder to shoulder for stability, security, and development,” he said.

“I believe that we are changing lives and making a difference one classroom building at a time,” he added.

Lt. Col. Ryan Scott of the United States’ military engineering department, welcomed the partnership between their country and the Philippines to improve the lives of Filipinos.

“I am not worried at all (with regard to our security). The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is outstanding,” he said.

Some members of the AFP continue to look for the three remaining bandits who entered Bohol three weeks ago.

Since April 11, eight ASG members were killed in two gun battles in the municipalities of Inabanga and Clarin, Bohol.

Among those killed were Mouamar Askali, the leader of the group; bomb experts Abu Sufyan and Edimar Isnain; Joselito Melloria, a native of Bohol who guided the ASG; pumpboat operator Aldimar Taib; alyas Richard; alyas Omil; and an unidentified man.

Three others remain at large: Alyas Asis, Kaifar Sawadjaan also known as Um Ammra, and alyas Ubayda.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/155929/50-us-troops-hold-next-balikatan-afp-visayas

2 rebels killed in attack on Lapanday farm

From MindaNews (May 1): 2 rebels killed in attack on Lapanday farm

Two rebels were killed in a clash with security personnel of a cattle ranch and banana plantation in Barangay Pangyan in Calinan, Davao City owned by the Lorenzo family, the New People’s Army (NPA) said Sunday.

In a statement, NPA Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command spokesperson Rigoberto Sanchez congratulated the NPA’s 1st Pulang Bagani Battalion for “serving the punishment against the Lorenzo family”.

Sanchez claimed the ranch “coddles criminal elements and counter-revolutionary fanatics who are employed by the despotic Lorenzo clan to protect its anti-people business interest.”

The rebels attacked the ranch and plantation at around 3 a.m. Saturday, an hour after they raided a box plant in Mandug and Macondray Plastic Plant in Bunawan which are also owned by the Lorenzos, he said.

At around 2 am, he said rebels wearing National Bureau of Investigation uniforms attacked the box and plastic manufacturing plants of Lapanday Foods Corp. in Barangay Mandug.

“The NPA disarmed security guards and gutted down the company’s compound along with its equipment. Seized firearms included 13 shotguns, two caliber .45 pistols, eight caliber .38 pistols and 9 UHF radios. Red fighters also hit the reinforcement troops of Task Force Davao with command-detonated explosives in the nearby Brgy. Tigatto at around 5 am,” he said.

One hour later, the rebels raided the ranch and plantation and seized one caliber .30 sniper rifle, two M16 rifles, six shotguns, three caliber .22 rifles with scope, vests and magazines, ammunition and military radio. They suffered two casualties in a clash with the company’s security personnel.

It was in this ranch where late Leoncio “Ka Parago” Pitao, commander of the NPA, arrested retired M/Sgt. Jose Manero, chief of security for Lapanday, on May 11, 2008, the statement said.

The NPA claimed Manero revealed “the company’s numerous violations on human rights, including the killing of several plantation workers, in its bid to ensure huge profit and expansion of its operations.”

“The NPA’s annihilative and punitive action against the Lorenzos in Davao City serves as revolutionary justice for landless tillers and exploited workers of its banana plantations and manufacturing plants in the region,” it said.

In a statement Sunday, National Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana condemned the attacks, calling the communist rebels “anti-progress, anti-development, and anti-people”.

Lorenzana said the attacks “confirmed without a doubt their terrorist designation” and questioned their sincerity to work for peace as it appears everything is “just lip service and double talk”.

“Dito po natin makikita ang totoo nilang anyo (It only shows us who they really are),” he said, noting that the attacks occurred even as the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) are talking peace.

Both sides have terminated early this year their unilateral ceasefire declarations issued last year over mutual accusations of bad faith and insincerity. They are yet to agree on a proposed bilateral ceasefire.

Lorenzana said the NPA wanted to “cow the entire nation into subservience by sowing fear and violence. Iyan lang ang alam nilang gawin (That’s the only thing they can do).”

He said the “atrocities” reveal the “disconnect and lack of communication” between the NDF, Communist Party of the Philippines, and its forces on the ground.

“We cannot stress enough that for the peace talks to succeed, government must be talking to the real representatives of the communist movement. There must be an assurance that we are dealing with the actual leaders of their organization and not just some figureheads who are devoid of any control or influence,” he said.

Lorenzana called on the Filipino people to continue “resisting and condemning the communists who challenged President R. Duterte’s resolve to bring peace and build a nation that is worthy of the Filipino people”.

In a statement, Lapanday said the attacks will lead to the displacement of hundreds of employees and adversely affected those who have existing businesses with the box and plastic plant.

“It is they who are now jobless and shall bear the brunt of the consequences of this vicious act,” it said.

It said no employees were harmed or injured during the attacks but their mobile phones, computers, and other properties of the company were stolen.

The company called on the “Philippine National Police (PNP) as it investigates this latest criminal act of this armed group the company urged law enforcement agencies, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to exert effort to prevent these unidentified elements from further endangering the safety and security of people and inflicting damage to private property.”

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio also scored the attacks, calling them an “act of terrorism”.

“Hypocritical”

But in a statement Monday, the Pambansang Katipunan ng mg Magbubukid (PKM), called the mayor an hypocrite.

PKM, a member of the NDF, said the mayor’s husband, Mans Carpio, is a legal counsel of Lapanday.

“We can only expect that a GRP local chief executive who has vested interest in the companies of a landgrabbing comprador-landlord to be the latter’s spokesperson and defender,” the group said.

“Sara Duterte hardly made noise when Lapanday’s armed goons opened fire and wounded nine unarmed civilian peasants three days after the latter’s land occupation of the landgrabbed Lapanday banana plantation in Tagum City last December,” it said.

“Duterte also supported the appointment of PNP Supt. Alexander Tagum as Davao City Police Chief, the same fascist police officer who led the massacre of barricading El Niño victims in Kidapawan City in April last year.

“Thus, for Sara Duterte to claim the NPA’s assault in the Lorenzo-owned businesses in Davao City a ‘personal insult,’ is not only hypocritical but downright self-serving,” it added.

“Separate entities”

Duterte-Carpio, in a statement posted on the Facebook account of the City Government of Davao on Monday, hit back at PKM.

“My husband and I are separate entities. In fact, we do not discuss the job that we chose to do, we just commit to sincerely work and earn money for the benefit of our children.

“So let me make you understand why I condemned what the New People’s Army have done. On or about 8 o’clock in the morning of April 29, 2017, I was standing in the middle of the trauma room of the Southern Philippines Medical Center praying that the civilian who was injured in the IED blast — courtesy of the terrorist NPA — will not die,” she said.

The mayor said the victim named Larry “had no one with him so I was the one who had to read through his text messages to look for a family member. I was the one who called his wife, broke the bad news, and asked her to come and stand by her husband’s side.”

Larry sells fruits and fish for a living.

“The victim was the very person that you say should be defended from injustice,” Duterte-Carpio said.

“So when I condemned what the NPA did, I spoke for Larry. But you did not know that, did you? You just assumed when I say personal, it is all about my life. Because that is how you are. You are selfish individuals and you think the world is all about you,” she added.

Duterte-Carpio said the incidents in Kidapawan and Tagum, alluding to the bloody incidents of dispersal in these cities last year, “are of no concern of mine”.

She said she would “never dip my fingers in affairs outside of my area of responsibility”.

She said the NPA’s “punitive action” against Lapanday “was nothing but an action against peace, economic stability, and the security in Davao City. We now have 130 employees without work and Larry still in a coma. And yet the Lorenzos will still have money that you and I can only dream about in this lifetime. It did not even make a dent in their bank accounts.”

“I maybe a hypocrite to you, but you are stupid to me and all the peace-loving Dabawenyos. Terrorists and fake organizations do not have the right to talk about social justice. Show me your faces and then maybe I will listen to your rant about social justice,” she added.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2017/05/npa-seizes-guns-ammo-in-attack-on-lapanday-2-rebels-killed/

Sayyaf frees 2 kidnapped Muslim men in Sulu

From the Mindanao Examiner (May 1): Sayyaf frees 2 kidnapped Muslim men in Sulu

Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants on Monday freed 2 government workers they kidnapped in the southern Philippine province of Sulu.

The duo – Alidznur Halis and Aljimar Ahari – were released over the weekend in Bangkal village in Patikul town. Both men are working for the Department of Public Works and Highways in the province.

It was not immediately known whether their families paid ransom or not for the freedom of the 2 locals who were kidnapped on April 29 while on their way to work. Ahari works as a driver for the DPWH while Halis is a truck helper.

The kidnappings of the victims were not reported to the media by the police and military. Security forces were battling militants in Sulu, one of 5 provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

Just recently, an Abu Sayyaf leader Alhabsi Misaya, a former Moro National Liberation Front rebel, was killed by his own follower for a still unknown reason in Silangkan village in Parang town.

But the military was quick to lay claim on Misaya’s killing after his body was handed over to government soldiers in exchange for government bounties on the head of the notorious militant blamed by authorities for the spate of terrorism and ransom kidnappings in Sabah, Malaysia. 

http://mindanaoexaminer.com/sayyaf-frees-2-kidnapped-muslim-men-in-sulu/

Rebel attack in Davao City sparks ‘word war’

From the Mindanao Examiner (May 1): Rebel attack in Davao City sparks ‘word war’

It’s a war of words and insults now between the New People’s Army and presidential daughter and current mayor of Davao City, Sara Duterte-Carpio who branded the communist rebel group as “stupid and bumbling idiots” after calling her a “hypocrite”.

The rebels recently attacked a factory of the Lapanday Foods Corporation owned by the wealthy Lorenzo family in Davao City and shot one of its security guards and wounded a civilian; and accused the company of land grabbing and exploitation of its workers. Carpio, who strongly condemned the attack, said it was an act of terrorism and a personal insult.

Restituto Baguer, a spokesman for the “Pambangsang Katipunan ng mga Magbubukid” allied with the rebel group, accused Carpio of being a hypocrite, saying his husband, lawyer Mans Carpio works as a legal counsel for the Lapanday Foods Corporation. He also tagged the mayor as a spokesperson and defender for Lapanday Foods Corporation.

“It is understandable that Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte (Carpio) views the May 29 NPA’s punitive action in the city as an “act of terrorism” against the Lorenzos, given that her husband, Atty. Mans Carpio, is a legal counsel of the Lorenzo-owned Lapanday Foods Corp. We can only expect that a GRP local chief executive who has vested interest in the companies of a land grabbing comprador-landlord to be the latter’s spokesperson and defender,” Baguer said.

He added that Carpio was silent when armed men allegedly working for Lapanday Foods Corporation shot and wounded 9 farmers at a banana plantation last December in nearby Tagum City in Davao del Norte province. And even appointed Senior Superintendent Alexander Tagum, then the provincial police chief of North Cotabato as Davao City police chief despite his alleged human rights abuses.

“Sara Duterte hardly made noise when Lapanday’s armed goons opened fire and wounded nine unarmed civilian peasants three days after the latter’s land occupation of the land grabbed Lapanday banana plantation in Tagum City last December. Duterte also supported the appointment of Superintendent Alexander Tagum as Davao City Police Chief, the same fascist police officer who led the massacre of barricading El Niño victims in Kidapawan City in April last year,” Baguer said.

“Thus, for Sara Duterte to claim the NPA’s assault in the Lorenzo-owned businesses in Davao City a “personal insult,” is not only hypocritical but downright self-serving. Nothing can be farther from the truth when she scored the NPA as a group that pretends to champion social justice and equality. For peasants around the region, the NPA’s series of raids in Lapanday’s plants in Mandug and Bunawan, and ranch in Pangyan, Calinan (also in Davao City) is a fitting retributive action by a true people’s army against a greedy feudal lord and capitalist,” he added.

Inday Sara retaliates
Carpio, known for her feisty character, said she and husband are separate entities and do not discuss their jobs to each other, but are only committed to work for their own family. “My husband and I are separate entities. In fact, we do not discuss the job that we chose to do, we just commit to sincerely work and earn money for the benefit of our children,” she said.

She also narrated how she rushed to the hospital to personally look at the situation of the wounded civilian, Larry, who is a fruit and fish vendor who fell victim to an NPA bomb explosion during the April 29 raid at Lapanday Foods Corporation.

“So let me make you understand why I condemned what the New People’s Army have done. On or about 8 o’clock in the morning of April 29, 2017, I was standing in the middle of the trauma room of the Southern Philippines Medical Center praying that the civilian who was injured in the IED blast – courtesy of the terrorist NPA – will not die. Larry had no one with him so I was the one who had to read through his text messages to look for a family member. I was the one who called his wife, broke the bad news, and asked her to come and stand by her husband’s side.”

“One of his text messages spoke of his work as a simple laborer, who sells fruits and fish. The victim was the very person that you say should be defended from injustice. So when I condemned what the NPA did, I spoke for Larry. But you did not know that, did you? You just assumed when I say personal, it is all about my life. Because that is how you are. You are selfish individuals and you think the world is all about you. As Mayor tasked with the responsibility of the safety of civilians, the injury of Larry is my injury,” Carpio said.

She further said the incidents in the cities of Kidapawan and Tagum were not her concern being the mayor of Davao City. But she admitted that she personally favored Tagum to be the chief of the local police force because of his tough stance against the NPA.

“I personally made it happen that Senior Superintendent Alexander Tagum come in as Director of the Davao City Police Office, because he stood his ground against you. The so-called punitive action against the company was nothing but an action against peace, economic stability, and the security in Davao City. We now have 130 employees without work and Larry still in a coma. And yet the Lorenzos will still have money that you and I can only dream about in this lifetime. It did not even make a dent in their bank accounts.”

“I maybe a hypocrite to you, but you are stupid to me and all the peace-loving Dabawenyos. Terrorists and fake organizations do not have the right to talk about social justice. Show me your faces and then maybe I will listen to your rant about social justice. Look, you cannot even spell the word ‘Pambansang’ correctly. Bumbling idiots,” Carpio said.

The NPA, which is fighting for a separate state, is currently negotiating peace with the government.

http://mindanaoexaminer.com/rebel-attack-in-davao-city-sparks-word-war/

AFP, MMC renew partnership to improve military hospitals

From the Philippine Information Agency (May 1): AFP, MMC renew partnership to improve military hospitals

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Makati Medical Center Foundation (MMC) recently renewed its partnership to provide health care services to the men and women of the armed forces.

AFP chief of staff General Eduardo Año and MMC Foundation chairman Manuel Pangilinan led the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) at the AFP General Headquarters in Quezon City.

MMC Foundation Chair Manuel Pangilinan, recognizes that the lives of the soldiers are always on the line in protecting and defending the lives of the people.

He said that he felt the need to reach out to the soldiers and for them to feel their significance and importance in the society.

“We cant say thank you enough for all the services you have rendered and it is just a small way of saying thank you from the private sector,” Pangilinan said.

Through its Health Heroes Program, the MMC Health Services department agreed to help coordinate and facilitate the health management and care of the qualified AFP Officers and enlisted personnel.

This means that soldiers can now have access anew to the best health care facilities in all 21 AFP partner hospitals throughout the country.

This flagship program is a renewal and expansion of the MOA signed by the AFP, AFPMC and MMC Foundation on 19 June 2013, providing for the organizational Strengthening of the AFP Medical Center.

This partnership was also renewed on 10 September 2015 - providing for an expansion of the PPP Program for Organizational Strengthening in an additional 19 AFP hospitals and military medical treatment facilities.

The agreement will also allow MMC to share its technical resources and open their hospital facilities to training, coaching, workshops, conferences, and mentoring sessions free to all AFP and partner military hospitals resident doctors and management staff.

This also means that through their partner hospitals, MMC Foundation will give or donate more hospital equipment, beds, supplies and fixtures to improve all military hospitals throughout the country.

The AFP also designated the MMC Foundation as an official Blood Donation Institutional partner to facilitate the regular conduct of blood donation drives between the AFP and MMC Foundation.

General Eduardo Año said the renewal of partnership is very timely for the military since the armed forces is currently engaged in multi-faceted operations against the forces that seek to destroy the peace and order of our nation. “Simple as it may seem, but it will bring enormous impact on the lives of the soldiers."

“Through our Health Heroes Program, our soldiers can now have access with the exceptional health services in our first rate hospitals in the country. The men and women of the AFP will be more inspired to fulfill their mandate in protecting the peace and security of the country knowing that a health care program supports them” General Euardo Año added.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/241493305655/afp-mmc-renew-partnership-to-improve-military-hospitals

Maddela Police Station nilusob ng NPA

From the Philippine Information Agency (May 1): Maddela Police Station nilusob ng NPA

Nilusob ng  New People’s Army (NPA) ang Maddela Municipal Police Station sa Quirino kahapon bandang 10:30 ng gabi.

Ayon sa ulat ng 86IB, ang mga miyembro ng NPA ay gumamit ng dumptruck at huminto sa harapan ng PNP Station at dito na nagsimula ang pag-atake na tumagal ng halos 45 minuto na sanhi ng pagkamatay ng isang miyembro ng PNP at pagtangay sa hindi pa mabilang na mga baril ng PNP Maddela.

Sapilitan ding ipinamanehao ang mobile patrol car ng PNP sa isang pulis na ginamit sa pagtakas ng mga bandidong NPA patungo sa barangay San Pedro.

Sa kalagitnaan ng boundary ng barangay San Pedo at Kabua-an ay inabandona ang patrol car at ang PNP personnel at sumakay ulit ang mga bandidong NPA sa dumptruck patungo sa barangay Kabua-an.

Inaalam pa sa ngayon ng mga otoridad ang buong detalye ng pangyayari at kasalukuyan ang pag-iimbestiga sa nasabing insidente.

Samantala, ipinag-utos ni LTC Jose Vladimir Cagara, tagapamahala ng 86IB, na magsagawa ng pursuit operation ang kanyang tropa upang tugisin ang mga bandidong NPA.

Hinikayat din ni LTC Cagara ang mga residente na maging mapag- matyag at ipagbigay alam agad sa mga atoridad kung may mapansin na kaduda- dudang kilos ang mga grupo sa kanilang lugar.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/451493545272/maddela-police-station-nilusob-ng-npa

Troops rescue 2 government workers abducted by Abu Sayyaf in Sulu

From the Philippine News Agency (May 1): Troops rescue 2 government workers abducted by Abu Sayyaf in Sulu

State security forces rescued early Monday morning two government workers abducted by Abu Sayyaf bandits two days ago in the nearby town of Patikul,Sulu.

Rescued were Alidznur Halis, driver, and his assistant, Aljima Ahari, according to the Joint Task Force Sulu (JTFS).

The task force said the rescued victims are employees of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) first engineering district in this province.

The JTFS said the two were rescued in Barangay Bangkal,Patikul town by the Army’s 35th Infantry Battalion headed by Lt. Col. Vladimir Lenos Villanueva.

The victims were abandoned by the Abu Sayyaf due to the intensified military operation against the bandits, Villanueva said.

The Abu Sayyaf bandits, led by Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, seized the two government workers on Saturday, April 29, while they were working at a project site in Sitio Bauno, Barangay Bangkal.

The rescued workers were turned over to Col. Divino Rey Pabayo, Army’s 101st Infantry Brigade commander, who brought them to the JTFS headquarters for medical check-up and debriefing.

Government troops continue the conduct of focused military operations in a bid to rescue all hostages from the hands of the Abu Sayyaf bandits in this province.

The Abu Sayyaf bandits based in this province are still holding 27 people captives. Most of the hostages are foreigners.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php/articles/984005

Maddela police chief relieved amid NPA attack in Quirino

From the Philippine News Agency (May 1): Maddela police chief relieved amid NPA attack in Quirino

The Maddela police chief in Quirino has been officially relieved of his post on May 1 following the attack of at least 50 suspected New People’s Army rebels at the town police station on Saturday night (April 29).

Police Chief Supt. Eliseo Tam Rasco, Cagayan Valley regional police director, said the relief of Police Chief Inspector Jhun-jhun Balisi took effect on May 1 to pave the way for a deeper probe on the attack.

Balisi has accepted his relief, saying he immediately heeded the order from higher authorities.

He, however, denied earlier reports that he was abducted by the New People’s Army rebels.

He said he left the station to go to the Quirino provincial police office when the communist guerrillas attacked the town station.

Police Senior Inspector Reynaldo Gonzales, erstwhile 1st Maneuver Platoon commander of the Quirino Public Safety Company based in this town, will temporarily replace Balisi.

Police Officer 2 Jerome Cardenas was killed in the attack as he was the first hit by a volley of fire from the communist rebels.

The rebel-attackers were also tagged in the burning of a dump truck while fleeing.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php/articles/984031

NPA attacks sow insecurity, says Davao RPOC chair

From the Philippine News Agency (May 1): NPA attacks sow insecurity, says Davao RPOC chair

The chair of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) in Davao region condemned the attacks staged by the communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels at the facilities of Lapanday Foods Corporation (LFC).

RPOC chair and Compostela Valley Governor Jayvee Tyon Uy on Monday said the series of attacks last Saturday only brought fears and insecurity among the residents where the attacks occurred.

Uy lamented the fact that the attacks took place while the country is hosting the Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) Summit.

“We sympathize with the victims of these attacks, especially the civilians in the affected areas,” Uy said in a press statement released Monday.

LFC on Sunday said hundreds of workers, including their partners, will be affected due to the destruction of their facilities.

The NPAs burned on Saturday two facilities of LFC – one, its box plant in Mandug and the other, the Macondry Plastic Plant in Panabo City. They also attacked Lorenzo Farms in Calinan, Davao City.

“These attacks will not bring us to the realization of peace and order and the delivery of services, implementation of development programs and projects to our people,” Uy said.

The RPOC chair also expressed concern the NPA attacks will affect the peace talks with the government.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php/articles/984049

Maguindanao gov offers to give reward for suspects in mosque grenade attack

From the Philippine News Agency (May 1): Maguindanao gov offers to give reward for suspects in mosque grenade attack

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu today offered reward money for any information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects in the Grand Mosque grenade attack in Talayan, Maguindanao.

“We are ready to raise the amount so justice will be served to the victims,” Mangudadatu told reporters of the April 21 bombing of a mosque in Talayan town that injured members of the town’s political family.

He, however, did not say how much is the bounty.

In the grenade attack that came after the Friday congregational prayer, Mayor Nathaniel Midtimbang of Datu Anggal Midtimbang town was injured, including his father, Datu Ali Midtimbang, former mayor of Talayan.

Six others, including two police escorts of the town mayor, were also injured.

Police said two men on board a motorbike tossed two hand grenades as the victims and other participants to the Friday prayer were emerging from the Mosque located along the national highway fronting the Talayan town hall.

The second grenade did not explode.

Police said the motive of the attack remained unknown.

The elder Midtimbang ran but lost to Mangudadatu in last year’s gubernatorial elections.

Mangudadatu stressed that he already reconciled with the Midtimbangs and his other political opponents after he was proclaimed.

Senior Supt. Agustin Tello, Maguindanao provincial police director, said responding policemen have recovered a motorbike abandoned along a dirt road leading to Datu Anggal Midtimbang town.

Tello said the suspects abandoned the motorbike and transferred to a waiting white Toyota Innova and sped away.

The police took custody of the motorcycle, he said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php/articles/984051

North Cotabato soldiers turning to farming as ceasefire holds

From the Philippine News Agency (May 1): North Cotabato soldiers turning to farming as ceasefire holds

With the relatively stable peace and order condition in its jurisdiction in North Cotabato and parts of Maguindanao, members of the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade based in Carmen, North Cotabato will go into corn farming for food and to increase their income, an Army official said.

Newly-promoted Brig. Gen. Manolo Samarita, 602nd Infantry Brigade commander, said that soldiers will plant corn inside the 200-hectare camp so that soldiers and their families will have additional income.

“The peace process in Mindanao has provided breathing space for our troops,” Samarita said, referring to the government’s ceasefire agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“President (Rodrigo) Duterte, through Agriculture Sec. (Manny) Pinol, has vowed to give the brigade one tractor, seeds and other farm inputs,” Samarita told reporters.

To effectively manage the farming activities of infantrymen, elements of the 602nd Army brigade have formed a cooperative.

The 602nd Brigade covers areas where MILF and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members operate.

With the ceasefire mechanism working well, the soldiers can now venture into productive farming, Samarita said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php/articles/984052

46 'lumads' complete mobile literacy training in Misamis Oriental

From the Philippine News Agency (May 1): 46 'lumads' complete mobile literacy training in Misamis Oriental

BALINGASAG, Misamis Oriental – Forty six members of the Higaonon tribe completed a month-long basic computer literacy training (CLT) here spearheaded by the Philippine Army.

Lt. Janelle Diaz, spokesperson of the Army’s 58th Infantry Battalion, said Monday the program aims to provide basic computer literacy for the lumads or indigenous peoples in Balingasag.

Datu Cesar G. Asapon, a representative of the indigenous people in Balingasag, expressed his gratitude to the sponsors of the training.

"This only shows that the military is one of the agencies of the government that look into the future of our tribal brothers," he said in the vernacular.

Diaz said the CLT was conducted in cooperation with the Army’s 403rd Infantry Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, the local government unit of Balingasag, the Technical Education Skills Development-Misamis Oriental, and the Department of Education through the Alternative Learning System.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php/articles/984082

2 rebels killed, firearm recovered in fresh Samar clash

From the Philippine News Agency (May 1): 2 rebels killed, firearm recovered in fresh Samar clash

At least two members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed when they attacked an army detachment in remote Hilumot village in San Jose de Buan, Samar Monday dawn.

Lt. Cherry M. Junia, chief of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division public affairs office, said the foiled attack staged by a group of rebels around 5:00 a.m. has resulted to the killing of communist rebels and recovery of high powered firearms.

“Five were reported wounded-in-action on the government side while the communist rebels suffered an undetermined number of wounded. The troops also recovered one AK47 rifle and two handheld radios,” Junia said.

Troops are still scouring the area. Other detachments to include municipal police stations were alerted for probable similar attacks.

Major Gen. Raul M. Farnacio, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division , lauded his troops for a job well done and for successfully defending their detachment and dedicating their lives in the accomplishment of the mission.

Samar is known to be one of the hotbeds of armed rebels in the country. Several encounters between the army and NPA have been reported in Samar in the past years.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php/articles/984088

Chinese naval goodwill visits could reduce tension in disputed West PHL Sea

From the Philippine News Agency (May 1): Chinese naval goodwill visits could reduce tension in disputed West PHL Sea

Chinese naval goodwill visits could help reduce tensions in the disputed West Philippine Sea (WPS), a Defense official said.

"Goodwill visits are excellent confidence building measures which will go a long way in fostering good relations between our peoples and reduce tensions in the West Philippine Sea," said Department of National Defense (DND) public affairs office chief Arsenio Andolong.

Three Chinese warships are docked at Sasa Wharf in Davao City, President Rodrigo Duterte's hometown, for a three-day goodwill visit.

The visiting Chinese ships are the guided-missile destroyer Chang Chun (DDG-150), guided-missile frigate Jin Zhou (FFG-532) and Type 903 replenishment ship Chao Hu (890).

"If they express their intent to send more vessels on a goodwill visit to the Philippines in the future, we are ready to welcome them," Andolong said.

Due to the congestion of various ports in Manila, the Chinese decided instead to dock at Sasa Wharf.

"The ports of Manila are congested at this time and it would have been difficult to accommodate their vessels this weekend," Andolong said.

Allowing Chinese ships to visit the country does not mean that the country is veering away from the United States, a long-standing ally of the Philippines, but merely expanding horizons, Andolong said.

"It is also part of the Philippine government's pursuit of an independent foreign policy," he said.

Lt. Jetmark Marcos, Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao public affairs office chief, earlier said the visit is aimed at expanding communication, promoting cooperation and improving friendship of the Philippine Navy and PLA Navy.

Marcos said the flotilla is commanded by Rear Admiral Shen Hao, the Deputy Commander of the East Sea Fleet deputy commander and head of Navy Task Group 150.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php/articles/983970

Davao attack highlights NPA terroristic inclinations - Lorenzana

From the Philippine News Agency (May 1): Davao attack highlights NPA terroristic inclinations - Lorenzana

The New People's Army (NPA)'s unprovoked attacks on various Lapanday Food Corp. (LFC) facilities in Davao City last April 29 emphasizes the group's terroristic inclinations.

This was stressed by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana even as he strongly condemns the NPAs for this latest atrocities.

"They just confirmed without a doubt their terrorist designation. They also confirmed my accusations that they are anti-progress, anti-development, and anti-people," he added.

Lorenzana also lamented the fact that the NPAs still continue with these heinous acts even while their companions at the National Democratic Front (NDF) and other legal front continue to negotiate for peace.

"They continue these heinous acts even while their comrades in the NDF and other legal fronts talk about peace. With each passing day, it is becoming clear to the Filipino people that what these communist terrorists want is to cow the entire nation into subservience by sowing fear and violence. Iyan lang ang alam nilang gawin," the defense chief added.

"The attacks in Davao and other crimes done by the NPA also make the Filipino people question the sincerity of the entire communist movement to push for peace, since it seems everything is just lip service and double talk. It also brings to light the disconnect and lack of communication between the NDF, the Communist Party of the Philippines, and its cadres on the ground," Lorenzana pointed out.

The unprovoked attack on LFC's box and plastic manufacturing plants in Barangay Mandug, Davao City last April 29 caused millions of pesos in damage worth of equipment and theft of other items.

"We cannot stress enough that for the peace talks to succeed, government must be talking to the real representatives of the communist movement. There must be an assurance that we are dealing with the actual leaders of their organization and not just some figureheads who are devoid of any control or influence," the defense head stressed.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php/articles/983999