CPP/NPA-Mountain Province: Mabibigo ang Pakanang Persona non Grata ng Rehimeng US-Duterte

NPA-Mountain Province propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Apr 24, 2019): Mabibigo ang Pakanang Persona non Grata ng Rehimeng US-Duterte

MAGNO UDYAW

NPA-MOUNTAIN PROVINCE (LEONARDO PACSI COMMAND)

NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY

APRIL 26, 2019

Kamakailan, ipinangangalandakan ni Rodrigo Duterte at ng mga opisyal ng Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) at Philippine National Police (PNP) ang sunud-sunod na mga deklarasyon ng mga local government unit sa iba’t-ibang bahagi ng Pilipinas na ang New People’s Army (NPA), kasama ang iba pang rebolusyonaryong pwersa sa ilalim ng Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) at National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), ay "persona non grat. Maging sa sampung munisipyo ng Mountain Province, kung saan sunud-sunod ang pagkatalo ng AFP-
PNP sa kamay ng mga Pulang mandirigma nitong taon, ay ipinagmamalaki ng mga ahente ng rehimeng Duterte ang mga resolusyon na nagbabawal sa pagpasok ng NPA sa mga komunidad ng mamamayang Igorot.

Lumang tugtugin na ang pakanang persona non grata ng rehimeng US-Duterte, katulad ng kampanyang peace zone, pagpapasurender, localized peace talks, at iba pang taktika sa ilalim ng Oplan Kapayapaan na sa huli ay nabigong supilin ang paglakas njg rebolusyonaryong kilusan sa buong bansa, kabilang ang Cordillera. Sa katunayan, itinatambol lamang ito ng rehimen upang pagtakpan ang mga pagkatalo ng AFP-PNP at ang mismong kabulukan ng sistema na kinakatawan ng reaksyunaryong Estado sa ilalim ni Duterte.

Sa ilalim ng kasalukuyang sistema, persona non grata at terorista ang mga nakikibaka para sa tunay na pagbabago — ang mga magsasaka, manggagawa, at minorya na sumampa sa NPA upang direktang lumahok sa rebolusyonaryong kilusan na siyang papawi sa pagsasamantala at pang-aapi. Ang malawak na hanay ng masang api na kumikilos at lumalaban para sa tunay na reporma sa lupa, sahod, trabaho, serbisyong panlipunan, karapatan sa sariling pagpapasya, makatarungang kapayapaan, at pambansang soberanya. Sila ang mga kinukundina, dinarahas, at pinupuksa ng naghaharing sistema. Hindi nakapagtataka na sa loob ng limang dekada ay patuloy ang paglakas at paglawak ng rebolusyonaryong kilusan. Ano pa mang pakana o taktika ang gamitin ng reaksyunaryong Estado upang paluhurin ang mamamayang lumalaban, hindi ito magtatagumpay, hangga't nananatili ang mga ugat ng kahirapan sa bansa.

Lalo lamang mabibigo ang mga ganitong taktika sa Cordillera, kung saan matagal nang katuwang ng Kaigorotan ang NPA at ang rebolusyonaryong kilusan sa paglaban sa mga mapandambong at mapanirang proyekto sa enerhiya, logging, at mina. Lagi't laging patutuluyin at yayakapin ng Kaigorotan sa kanilang mga ili ang kanilang Hukbo at ang rebolusyonaryong kilusan na siyang tunay na kumakatawan at lumalaban para sa kanilang interes — para sa karapatan sa lupang ninuno, likas na yaman, at sariling pagpapasya. At higit pa rito, patuloy na hahagkan ng kabataan at mamamayang Igorot ang landas ng paglaban at armadong pakikibaka para sa makatarungang kapayapaan, kasama ang masang aping Pilipino.

Biguin ang Oplan Kapayapaan!

Ilantad at gapiin ang tunay na kaaway ng mamamayan!

Ibagsak ang rehimeng US-Duterte!

Kaigorotan, lumaban!

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statement/mabibigo-ang-pakanang-persona-non-grata-ng-rehimeng-us-duterte/

CPP/NPA-Ilocos Cordillera Region:Declaring the CPP-NPA-NDF ‘persona non grata’ will not end the people’s armed revolution

NPA-Ilocos Cordillera Region propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Apr 24, 2019): Declaring the CPP-NPA-NDF ‘persona non grata’ will not end the people’s armed revolution

MARTIN MONTANA

SPOKESPERSON

NPA-ILOCOS CORDILLERA REGION (CHADLI MOLINTAS COMMAND)

NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY

APRIL 24, 2019

DILG Secretary Eduardo Aňo and the AFP-PNP officials’ concerted exhortation of Local Government Units (LGUs) and communities to declare the CPP-NPA-NDF as “persona non grata” is nothing but a grand psywar scheme aimed to portray these revolutionary organizations as a “spent force desperately pursuing a lost cause”, “rapidly weakening”, and “losing the support of the masses”. This orchestrated zarzuela, along with the thousands of fake NPA surrenderers and the all out drive to demonize the CPP-NPA-NDF, are all part of the ‘whole-of-nation-approach’ of the US-Duterte regime’s Oplan Kapayapaan counter-insurgency program directed by a National Task Force (NTF) To End Communist Insurgency. In line with this, the AFP-PNP and DILG have exerted increased pressure on all LGUs in all different levels to actively cooperate and participate with the regime’s campaign to quell the people’s armed revolution. Thus, LGUs from the barangay to the provincial level are coerced to make resolutions declaring the CPP-NPA-NDF as “persona non grata” while requiring “all-out support” for the mercenary AFP-PNP, to hold “peace” rallies denouncing NPA “atrocities” and come up with “NPA surrenderers” from the civilian populace.

But no amount of forced declarations of persona non grata and so-called “peace” rallies can isolate the CPP-NPA-NDF from the people. No amount of black propaganda depicting these organizations as terrorists, ruthless murderers, extortionists, spoilers of peace and development, etc can weaken the people’s war. Furthermore, no amount of intensified coercion, intimidation, harassment and brutal violence will make the people cower in fear and turn their backs against the armed revolutionary movement.

Because throughout the fifty years of unwavering and steadfast commitment to serve the true interests of the people in advancing the people’s war, the CPP-NPA-NDF have taken deep roots among the peasant masses in the countryside and all other democratic sectors of society who have long been yearning for genuine societal change. The cadres and mass membership of these revolutionary organizations come from no other than the peasants and other oppressed and exploited people.

The fact that the CPP-NPA-NDF have persevered and continuously grown despite the incessant and ruthless counter-revolutionary and anti-people campaigns of suppression of an overwhelmingly much superior reactionary force, is an undeniable testimony that the national-democratic revolution will surely press forward until total victory. Without the people’s support and participation, the armed revolution would not have advanced and reached its current strength. And with the worsening political and economic conditions under the US-Duterte regime, an ever expanding rank of the masses are grasping the truth that they can only rely on their united struggles and their active involvement with the CPP-NPA-NDF in confronting a tyrant that perpetuates their suffering. More people are increasingly realizing and accepting the reality that only the armed national-democratic revolution will put an end to their perpetual destitution.

In the vast countryside, the NPA has built and nurtured solid links with the peasants. It conscientiously learns from them about their woes and problems, and assiduously works and struggles with them in dealing with and overcoming their oppressors and exploiters and in building their future.

In undertaking painstaking mass work, the NPA conducts extensive political education among the masses and helps them realize political empowerment through setting up of revolutionary mass organizations and revolutionary organs of political power and the utilization of their collective strength and militant struggles to resolve their economic and political problems. The people’s army motivates and assists the peasants in waging economic struggles that confront and resolve different forms of feudal exploitation in the hands of landlords and capitalists. Likewise, it supports the peasants and national minorities in their defense of agricultural and ancestral lands against the reactionary government, landlords, capitalists and other despotic land grabbers; and in protecting and nurturing the environment.

While engaging on their own agricultural production to support their needs, the NPA also participates in the masses’ farm work and other economic activities whenever the security situation permits. In times of calamities, the red fighters actively take part in relief and rehabilitation programs for the victims. NPA medics routinely conduct medical and dental missions and health campaigns that promote preventive medicine while training community health workers to sustain progressive health work among the people. In line with advancing a national, scientific and mass oriented culture, literacy campaigns are conducted wherever needed. The people’s army also actively promotes nationalist and pro-people culture through launching cultural programs and trainings and participating in cultural and sports activities of the masses.

The NPA implements revolutionary justice against criminals, vicious oppressors and violators of the people’s human rights. In its areas of operation, the NPA helps in promoting peace and order where sustained campaigns are pursued to eradicate crimes such as cattle-rustling, robbery and rape and anti-social acts such as gambling, alcoholism and use of illegal drugs. The people’s army also actively participates in resolving contradictions among the people such as land disputes among the peasants and tribal wars among the communities of national minorities. And whenever the red fighters immerse with the communities, they participate in day to day work such as gathering firewood and even ordinary household chores.

History has shown that the NPA has always been on the side of the people against their oppressors and exploiters. It has unfailingly proven itself to be a steadfast servant of the masses. Thus, ordinary people cherish the NPA because they have seen and experienced how the red fighters have defended them and fought with them for their class interests. They are aware that this is an organization whom they can solidly rely on. Consequently, they have long embraced the NPA as their rightful army. Truly, it is an army of their best sons and daughters.

So how then can the people declare an organization which they so cherish as persona non grata? Side by side with the people’s army, the vast mass base of the armed revolution has been tempered in decades of collective struggle against their class enemies. The widening and deepening support of the masses to the NPA and their active participation in the armed revolution has almost always kept the AFP-PNP blind and deaf to the real situation of the guerilla fighters during their combat operations, making them vulnerable to tactical offensives of the NPA. On the other hand, the AFP-PNP often vent their ire on the community people they accuse as NPAs or NPA supporters, thereby earning the people’s wrath. It is the AFP-PNP that is the real terrorist and on the losing course, not the CPP-NPA-NDF.

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statement/delaring-the-cpp-npa-ndf-persona-non-grata-will-not-end-the-peoples-armed-revolution/

CPP/NDF-EV: Strengthen the united front for the armed struggle and the overthrow of the US-Duterte regime

NDF-Eastern Visayas propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Apr 24, 2019): Strengthen the united front for the armed struggle and the overthrow of the US-Duterte regime

FR. SANTIAGO “KA SANNY” SALAS

SPOKESPERSON

NDF-Eastern Visayas

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES
APRIL 24, 2019

We greet the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) on its 46th anniversary today. The NDFP was founded as a united front for the armed struggle a year after the declaration of martial law by the fascist dictator Ferdinand Marcos. It is the secret and most consolidated alliance of the basic revolutionary forces who are advancing the national democratic revolution through people’s war. Today, with 18 allied organizations led by the Communist Party of the Philippines, the NDFP remains more than ever relevant as we confront the emerging fascist dictatorship of the US-Duterte regime.

The prospects for resumption of peace talks between the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) are extremely dim at present. The GRP uses the slogan of peace to legitimize its brutal pacification program, Oplan Kapayapaan. GRP President Rodrigo Duterte has approved a virtual civilian-military junta called the National Task Force (NTF) to “end the communist armed conflict.” Thus, on top of appointing more than 60 ex-generals and military officers to various civilian agencies, the entire civilian government is now subordinated to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and its “counterinsurgency campaign.”

Thus, every aspect of government is tailored for political repression. Through the NTF and the “whole-of-nation/government” policy, Duterte intends to compel all to bow down to his tyranny and to extend his family’s plunder.

Even before formally approving the NTF, the AFP in the region had already been actively using local government officials to cooperate in psywar and military operations. Those who resist are threatened with legal repercussions and physical harm. For example, barangay officials in San Jorge and San Jose de Buan towns in Western Samar were threatened with the massacre of their entire villages. Others, like those in Can-avid, Eastern Samar, and Calbiga, Western Samar, were duped into “surrendering” and joining anticommunist gatherings in the guise of “peace rallies.” The Duterte regime is also active with the Red-tagging of progressive personalities and organizations as well as the political oppostion.

These actions are violations of human rights and international humanitarian law as well as the 1987 constitution. Duterte’s despotism hasten his isolation and the formation of the broad united front against his rule.

Aside from becoming ever more oppressive and exploitative in advancing the neoliberal agenda of US imperialism, the US-Duterte regime also sabotages the peace talks with promoting “local peace talks.” But the local peace talks that the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army now promote are but an old hat method to attempt to divide and rule over the revolutionary forces. These overtures do nothing more than serve up a framework for surrender and inclusion into the Enhanced Community Livelihood Integration Program (E-CLIP). The E-CLIP is a major corruption racket where fake surrenders running into unbelievable numbers are made up and simply recycled while military officials rake in millions from these false “accomplishments.”

With fascism and a full-blown dictatorship menacing the Filipino people, there is no other recourse but to unite and wage all forms of resistance to stop and eventually overthrow the nascent Duterte dictatorship. Even as he has yet to complete his dictatorial scheme, Duterte has surpassed his idol Marcos in rights violations with the mass murder of tens of thousands. The Filipino people certainly need to stop Duterte in his tracks and fulfill their vow in 1986 after ousting Marcos to never again allow a fascist dictatorship in the Philippines.

The NDFP in the region thus calls on its allied organizations to advance the unity, cooperation and coordination of all patriotic and progressive classes, sectors and forces, within as well as outside the framework of the NDFP. We must strengthen the united front to for the armed struggle and support the advancement of the people’s war towards full-scale guerrilla warfare. The NDFP in the region must fulfill the tasks in paving the way for the establishment of the people’s democratic government, serving as the voice of the allied organizations in various national and international issues, linking the revolutionary movement to the broad masses of the people and garnering the broadest support for thearmed revolution, and representing the revolutionary forces and government.

Let us fight through armed and unarmed means the fast rising US-Duterte fascist dictatorship. Let us fight for national and social liberation towards a just and lasting peace.

Long live the NDFP!
Long live the Filipino people!
Long live the Philippine revolution!#

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statement/strengthen-the-united-front-for-the-armed-struggle-and-the-overthrow-of-the-us-duterte-regime/

NDF/NPA ROC-SMR: 5 enemy troops killed in NPA offensives in North Cotabato, ComVal

NPA Regional Operations Command-Southern Mindanao Region (ROC-SMR) propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Philippines (NDFP or NDF) Website (Apr 26, 2019): 5 enemy troops killed in NPA offensives in North Cotabato, ComVal

New People’s Army 

Regional Operations Command 

Southern Mindanao Region
PRESS STATEMENT 

April 26, 2019

New People’s Army units in the provinces of North Cotabato and Compostela Valley actively countered combat operations of Armed Forces of the Philippines troops this week, inflicting casualties in three separate tactical offensives. Shortly after, the fascist enemy deployed heavy bombardment that forced communities to evacuate and spun fake news in an attempt to smokescreen its defeat.

Red fighters under the Mt. Apo Sub-Regional Command launched snipe operation against a platoon of operating 19th IB troops in Sitio Upper Tiwayan, Brgy. Badiangon in Arakan, North Cotabato, at around 9am on April 23. Later, at around 10am, another unit of Red fighters gave battle to fully-armed reinforcement troops at a crossing road in Sitio Anoling. After these two offensives, Red fighters safely withdrew from their positions, while 2 enemy officials were killed in action.

The enemy troops, however, went haywire following these NPA military actions. During the second offensive and minutes after Red fighters had already disengaged, the 19th IB’s reinforcement troops fired indiscriminately, effectively hitting their escort, CAFGU Jonel Bayaan, who was onboard a motorcycle with another CAFGU member. Bayaan, a resident of Brgy. Katindo, is also an active member of the paramilitary group Bagani in the area. An hour later, the 19th IB launched artillery fire 14 times and fired from MG-50 helicopter gunships in the midst of farms and communities. The AFP’s indiscriminate bombardment forced hundreds of civilians in Brgy. Badiangon and other adjacent barangays to flee their homes.

Meanwhile, on April 24, at around 9:45am, the 71st IB—notorious child-killer and rights abusers in Compostela Valley—were hit in a demolition operation by Red fighters under the ComVal-Davao Gulf Sub-Regional Command in Brgy. Cabuyuan, Mabini town. Three enemy troopers were killed while several others were wounded. The 71st IB promptly launched artillery fire and aerial bombing several times after the NPA’s military action.

Spinning fake news, such as misrepresenting an active CAFGU and paramilitary member as a civilian caught in NPA crossfire or concealing the fact that it is their indiscriminate bombings that instigate forced evacuations, has become a standard-operating procedure in the US-Duterte regime’s martial law in Mindanao.

To be sure, this year’s heightened militarization of rural areas in North Cotabato and Compostela Valley and in other parts of Southern Mindanao is not merely to serve Duterte’s manic but ultimately futile attempt to defeat the NPA and realize his pernicious plans to sell-out Mindanao to his imperialist masters. It also serves to browbeat the masses and ensure his ilk and minions are elected in positions in the reactionary government necessary to maintain his tyranny.

RIGOBERTO F. SANCHEZ
Spokesperson
Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command
New People’s Army
https://www.ndfp.org/5-enemy-troops-killed-in-npa-offensives-in-north-cotabato-comval/

NDF-Negros Island: Fight against Duterte’s tyranny, fight for justice

NDF-Negros Island propaganda/press statement posted to the National Democratic Front Philippines (NDFP or NDF) Website (Apr 22, 2019): Fight against Duterte’s tyranny, fight for justice

SLAIN COUNCILOR, HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE. Reelectionist Escalante City Councilor Bernardino Patigas is killed on April 22, 2019.

Since Duterte assumed power and became the head bureaucrat capitalist in the country, uninterrupted killings and crimes have plagued the Philippines. Duterte is spilling the blood of the Filipino masses in his vicious wars to establish himself as fascist dictator. Duterte’s utter disregard for human rights, human life per se and justice exposes his anti-people, anti-poor character.

Today the Negrosanons, especially the people of Northern Negros, is grieving the merciless killing of human rights defender and Escalante City incumbent councilor Bernardino “Toto” Patigas, Sr, 72 years old, late this afternoon. Councilor Patigas was active in supporting the struggles of sugar workers and peasants for wage, benefits and land to till and consistently stood for human rights. He was an Escalante massacre survivor during Marcos’ martial law, founding member of the North Negros Alliance of Human Rights Advocates and highly regarded servant of the people for most of his life. And now he is the 70th victim of Duterte’s de facto martial law in Negros.

This heinous crime was done after forces of the AFP Central Command and PNP Regional Office 7 ran amuck during Oplan Sauron II (or the sychronized enhanced managing of police operations) leaving 14 dead bodies and devastating hundreds of families. If we recall, last February, HR advocates in north Negros exposed a hit list of the military that ushered in the spread of Oplan Sauron in Negros Occidental. These are aftermaths of Duterte’s Memorandum Order 32 and Executive Order 70. There is no doubt that the same diabolical minds that created Oplan Sauron are behind this attack against human rights advocates.

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in Negros strongly condemns the brutal killing of Councilor Patigas and condoles with his family, friends and colleagues. Together with all Negrosanons, the NDF demands justice for Councilor Patigas and all victims of state fascism.

However, revolutionary forces and the masses are aware that the call for justice falls on deaf ears under the US-Duterte regime when Duterte himself is the perpetrator of senseless killings and injustice and is the main promoter of impunity. Justice can only be given by the people’s democratic government through its New People’s Army. Utmost justice can only be attained by overthrowing the semicolonial and semifeudal system starting with the US-Duterte regime.

Councilor Patigas’ murder as well as the murder of fellow human rights defender and peasant lawyer Atty. Ben Ramos and the killings of Negrosanons who struggle for their rights like the Sagay 9 massacre victims and SEMPO 1 and 2 victims further inflame the people’s wrath and gives strength to their resistance against Duterte’s fixation to perpetuate his tyranny. The people will surmount the terror that Duterte and his cabal wants to escalate. They will launch an all-out resistance and tread the path of revolution. Duterte makes it crystal clear that the principal means to topple his regime is through armed struggle.

Justice for all victims of state fascism!

Fight tyranny!

Resist de facto martial law in Negros!

Overthrow the US-Duterte regime!

REFERENCE:

National Democratic Front of the Philippine – Negros Island

https://www.ndfp.org/fight-against-dutertes-tyranny-fight-for-justice/

NDF/Sison: The people seek the ouster of Duterte with mass movement as in the case of Marcos

Jose Maria Sison propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Philippines (NDFP or NDF) Website (Apr 22, 2019): The people seek the ouster of Duterte with mass movement as in the case of Marcos

Comment by Jose Maria Joma Sison

NDFP Chief Political Consultant

April 22, 2019

It is correct for people to think and act in order to oust him as soon as possible. They will not be frightened and shaken down by mere matrices and threats of Duterte against groups of journalists and lawyers, whom he accuses of conspiracy.

Even some officers and men of the AFP and PNP think of withdrawing support from the Duterte regime and joining the ouster mass movement against it when the protest mass actions become gigantic.

In the first place, Duterte is responsible for the growing ouster mass movement against him because of the intolerable crimes of treason, mass murder, plunder and others that he has committed against the people.

The desire of the people to oust Duterte has become a mass movement and not the mere conspiracy of a few because of the intolerable crimes of Duterte and his evil regime against the people.

https://www.ndfp.org/the-people-seek-the-ouster-of-duterte-with-mass-movement-as-in-the-case-of-marcos/

MILF: TPMT releases its Fifth Public Report

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Website (Apr 25, 2019): TPMT releases its Fifth Public Report



In photo Dr. Rahib Kudto, President of the United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD) and member of the Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT)

COTABATO CITY - The Third-Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) has released its fifth public report, and says that it has reviewed the final text of the BOL in detail, and it is our assessment that the Law passed by Congress and approved by the President reflects the spirit and intent of the Parties as outlined in their Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), and serves to enact the key provisions of the CAB.

However, R.A. 11054 falls short of fully implementing the CAB as it leaves out several important provisions of the CAB, and it also introduced some revisions to provisions in the CAB, the report added.

TPMT said, maintaining scrutiny of the implementation of the peace agreement is important – although the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) is the enabling legislation to implement the peace agreement, it does not replace nor substitute that agreement. Both are now in force, the CAB as an executive commitment between the Filipino people (represented by the President) and the MILF, and the BOL as a law of the Republic of the Philippines.

TPMT scores that any variances between the BOL and the CAB as these are important for the national journey towards peace, and these are noted in the report, including: The majority of the core elements of the CAB, particularly the ministerial form of government and some provisions on fiscal autonomy, are fully reflected in the BOL; There are also some amendments that expanded the powers of the BARMM, such as the revenue sharing and revenues related to natural resources.

In addition, the BOL clarified certain elements of the CAB, such as the formula for the block grant and Special Development Fund. Some key CAB provisions have been left out of the law, particularly the “opt-in” clause, delineation of powers, and policing; There are also several amendments which depart significantly from the CAB, such as the consent of respective “mother units” for inclusion of North Cotabato barangays and Lanao del Norte municipalities, as well as changes to the proposed exclusive powers over energy-providing inland waters.

TMPT lauded the parties’ continuing strong commitment to the peace process serves as the best guarantee of success.

For the next phase of the peace process, now that the BARMM is established and the BTA in place, “the TPMT is of the view that it will be imperative for the Parties to:

Discuss and agree on the way forward so that the CAB provisions that have been deleted or amended in the BOL may still be implemented. There is a need to clarify the timeframe and the process on how the recommended constitutional amendments of the BTC will be translated to a piece of legislation, whether as part of the federalism project or a separate set of constitutional amendments;

Finalize and implement an overall transition plan. It should lay down the primary and essential steps to be undertaken to ensure a smooth administrative and bureaucratic transition from ARMM to BARMM, including priority parliamentary actions and development programs for the BTA as well as the necessary trainings for BTA officials and staff;

Revisit the Normalization Program and if necessary make amendments to the CAB in terms of policing as this may entail changes to the schedule of the various normalization components;

Start implementing key recommendations of the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission;

For the GPH to implement a viable plan on the disbandment of private armed groups, as this will greatly impact the MILF decommissioning process and the security situation in the region during the transition;

Further strengthen efforts to make the process more inclusive, and particularly for the MILF-led BTA to demonstrate their sincerity and willingness to partner with all groups in the region; and

Monitor and support efforts to ensure the immediate rehabilitation of Marawi City that respects and responds to the proposals of the local residents especially of the most affected area. Programs that will holistically and proactively prevent violent extremism should also be developed.”

The TPMT said that “collective commitment of all parties to continue to strive for peace has been impressive. With continued diligence in implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro the foundations of a peaceful future for Mindanao will strengthen.”

The TPMT was formally established in 2013 as part of the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, with a mandate to monitor and review the implementation of the Bangsamoro peace process.

http://www.luwaran.com/news/article/1785/tpmt_releases_its_fifth_public_report

MILF: Groundwork for decommissioning of MILF forces, weapons, communities readied

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Website (Apr 26, 2019): Groundwork for decommissioning of MILF forces, weapons, communities readied



CAMP SIONGCO, DOS, Maguindanao– Top military and police officials together with front and base commanders of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) gathered here last Tuesday in a security and socio-economic forum to lay down the groundwork for the smooth implementation of the Normalization Track of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr. emphasized the main objective of the forum is to further strengthen the relationships among the parties for the successful implementation of the normalization track, which deals largely with the decommissioning of the MILF combatants and their weapons, and the transformation of their camps into peaceful communities.

“There should be a harmonious relationship among the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police, and the BIAF. It should be mutually reinforcing,” he said.

Galvez said the goal is to help the MILF forces make the transition to mainstream society by putting their weapons beyond use.

He said this development comes in the heels of the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) that catapulted the MILF leadership to lead the region’s interim parliamentary-form of government.

“As what Chief Minister Murad used to say, ‘moral leadership is inclusive’. What we need are sincerity and genuine concern in order to achieve human transformation inspired by individual, organizational, social, societal, and universal awareness,” Galvez said.

For this year, at least 12,000 MILF combatants will be decommissioned.

Galvez asked the BIAF front and base commanders to work together with the state security forces to ensure order in their communities once the formal decommissioning process begins this year.

“We would like to encourage you (MILF-BIAF) to help us. Let us police our own communities. Let us help the AFP and PNP in maintaining peace and order and our government’s fight against drugs, criminalities and violent extremism,” he said.

The Normalization Process is one of the annexes of the CAB signed between the Philippine government and the MILF in 2014.

The peace agreement has two tracks: the Political Track, which pushed for the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), and the Normalization Track, which covers the decommissioning of MILF fighters and their weapons, the dismantling of Private Armed Groups, as well as the transformation of several camps into progressive and resilient communities.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte had earlier approved in principle the proposed Executive Order (EO) on Normalization. It is a comprehensive plan of the national government that is designed to aid former combatants as they undergo the delicate transition process.

The Normalization process has four major components: the security aspect, socio-economic development program, confidence-building measures, and transitional justice and reconciliation.

The event on Tuesday centered on the security and transitional justice components of the Normalization process.

The chief presidential peace adviser said there is a need for all concerned parties to create a conducive and enabling environment for the entire process to be fully and effectively implemented.

According to Galvez, local forms of conflict such as rido or family feud and the presence of private armed group, which are major concerns among ethnic minorities in the southern Philippines, should also be addressed in the Normalization process.

He noted the reasons that fuel such conflict include land disputes, local politics, grid for power and resources, “generational” ethnic misunderstanding and stereotyping among warring families.

Sammy Almansoor, also known as Sammy Gambar, former MILF’s Chief of Staff and now Minister for Environment in the BARMM, agreed with Galvez’ observation.

“It is crucial to take away the sense of insecurities in the communities for our combatants not to use their arms anymore,” he said.

Alamzor said “the real normalization begins from the heart.”

“In Islam, once you enter an agreement, regardless of religion, you have to follow (said agreement). Since this normalization and this decommissioning is part of an agreement, we are obliged to follow or adhere to that agreement,” he added.

Almanzor admitted that it may be difficult for some of the MILF combatants to give up their firearms because of their great dependence on these weapons for more than 40 years of struggle. However, he reaffirmed the MILF is fully committed to the decommissioning process.

“We used to carry our firearms on our shoulder bags. But right now, our shoulder bags are just full of medicines for athritis, vitamins and maintenace medicines,” he shared.

Under the Normalization track, Galvez said several transitional bodies will be created. This include the Joint Peace and Security Teams that will need at least 6,000 personnel. Half of this number will come from the MILF, who will undergo proper military trainings.

These bodies will form part of the transitional security arrangements that will ensure peace and in communities as the MILF fighters undergo the decommissioning process.

The transitional security arrangements will also deal with the disbandment of private armed groups, and the proliferation of loose firearms.

Galvez said President Duterte recently approved the creation of a Presidential Commission on Bail, Release and Pardon that will oversee the amnesty and pardon process for MILF combatants and CPP-NPA former rebels.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega, commander of the Western Mindanao Command, said that he was pleased with the sincerity being shown by MILF in the implementation of the Normalization process.

Dela Vega added the armed forces is ready to assist in carrying out the Normalization track.

For his part, Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, pointed out that the presence of BIAF members inside the military camp indicates the mutual trust and respect that has been established between the AFP and the BIAF.

“To our brothers from BIAF, we welcome you here at Camp Siongco – this is your camp, this is open to all of you. Consider it as your home as we consider your communities as our home as well,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ebrahim vowed that the “Bangsamoro Government is morally bound to see to it that security becomes stable in the region and the people become productive in an environment that offers opportunities for growth.”

The combatants and their communities are the principal actors and beneficiaries of the Normalization Track that seeks to transform recognized MILF camps into show windows of peace and development.

“The first recipient of the true dividends of peace must be these individuals and their communities. If we can be successful in this respect, we would have the best argument that there is indeed value and hope in peace process, contrary to what other groups believe in,” Ebrahim said in speech read by Eduardo Uy Guerra, BARMM’s Minister of Finance, and Budget and Management and co-chair of the Joint Normalization Committee.

The activity was attended by high-ranking Officials from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity, the Office of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the Philippine Army, the Police Regional Office-BARMM, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-BARMM, and the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB).

The presence of the BIAF base commanders coming from the MILF-recognized camps during the meeting is considered a milestone of the Normalization process.

The group was led by Central Mindanao Front Commander Suwaib L. Oranon; Eastern Mindanao Front Commander Jack Abas; National Guard Front Commander Sameer Hashim; North Western Mindanao Front Commander Abdulla Macapaar; Southern Mindanao Front Commander Kagui Abdulla; and Western Mindanao Front Commander Suwaib Musa.

Among the government forces present during the event were Police Lt General Archie Gamboa; Police Major General Benigno Durana Jr, Director, Police Community Relation; Police Brigadier General Graciano Mijares, Police Regional Office – BARMM; Police Brigadier General Gerardo Rosales, Chief, Peace and Development Office; Brigadier General Cesar De Mesa, Chief, AFP Peace and Development Office; and Police Brigadier General Madid Paitao, Chairman, Ad Hoc Joint Action Group.

http://www.luwaran.com/news/article/1786/groundwork_for_decommissioning_of_milf_forces__weapons__communities_readied

MILF: Editorial - Leading by Example

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Website (Apr 16, 2019): Editorial - Leading by Example

During the inauguration of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) held in the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Center in Cotabato City on March 29, 2019, Interim Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim (aka Al Hajj Murad Ebrahim) led the members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) in taking the Oath of Moral Governance in front of a Holy Qur-an.

The members of the BTA swore, in part, thus:

“I shall perform my duties and responsibilities entrusted to me as part of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with utmost dedication, devotion, honesty, justice, integrity, completely devoid of all the evils in governance especially graft and corruption.”

Simply put, graft is acquisition of gain in dishonest or questionable ways while corruption is the misuse or the abuse of public office for private gain.

Among the consequences of corruption are the following:

a) It leads to poor quality of government services;

b) It produces substandard quality of government projects;

c) It lowers the effectiveness and efficiency of government performance;

d) It breeds distrust in one another, thereby destroying the culture of trust;

e) It undermines cultural traits and institutions;

f) It discourages investors;

g) It weakens respect for the duly constituted authorities that in turn leads to innumerable serious problems that deprive government of public support, and

h) It reinforces massive poverty.

To attack the problems of graft and corruption, our leaders must lead by example and possess a strong political will.

People look up to their leaders as role models. More than what they say, what the leaders do greatly influence the followers.

Besides, any campaign against graft and corruption must be well-coordinated and uncompromising. Those who will be found guilty must be prosecuted without fear or favor and put behind bars to prove once and for all that the government is determined and serious in its campaign.


http://www.luwaran.com/news/article/1787/-leading-by-example

Peace adviser wants ex-MILF rebels empowered to become agents of peace and development

From Politiko (Apr 26, 2019): Peace adviser wants ex-MILF rebels empowered to become agents of peace and development



The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process is poised to transform former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) into agents of peace and development.

This will be the key in the smooth implementation ofthe Normalization track of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, said Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr. Friday.

Galvez earlier participated in a multi-sectoral policy dialogue attended by representatives from the academe, civil society, and religious sector at the Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City.

“We need to change the mindset of the MILF leaders. Or else, we will go nowhere,” the chief peace adviser said, adding that mentoring former rebels is one of the strategies being employed under the normalization phase.

Galvez identified “ideology” and “social conditions” as primary drivers of conflict in communities.

“These factors are mutually reinforcing,” Galvez said as he cited the Maute group, who aligns themselves with the Islamic State, as an example of an ideology-driven organization.

“If we don’t change the mindset of these fighters, we won’t have sustainable change and development. We can’t have another Mamasapano,” he concluded.

https://politics.com.ph/peace-adviser-wants-ex-milf-rebels-empowered-to-become-agents-of-peace-and-development/

Galvez: P1.2B needed as aid to MILF fighters

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Apr 26, 2019): Galvez: P1.2B needed as aid to MILF fighters

PATH TO PEACE Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters brandish their firearms at Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, in this file photo. The government and the MILF are working for the decommissioning of the group’s members and weapons as part of a peace agreement. —BONG S. SARMIENTO

The government will need P1.2 billion as “goodwill” cash aid to some 12,000 combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who will be decommissioned as part of the normalization process in areas under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Thursday.

Galvez said each decommissioned MILF fighter would be receiving P100,000 in cash once the foreign-led Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) had validated their identities.

“There is no provision in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro [CAB] that surrendered firearms will be remunerated but as a goodwill of the government … the immediate cash of P25,000 and initial livelihood cash support of P75,000 will be given [to each decommissioned MILF member],” Galvez told the Inquirer in a text message.

Education, skills training

He said the fund would be sourced from the 2019 budget of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, now known as Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.

Scholarships and skills training would also be provided to the decommissioned MILF fighters and their families to help them become competitive and productive members of mainstream society, Galvez added.

The decommissioning of MILF fighters and the surrender of their weapons were spelled out in the Annex on Normalization of the CAB, the final peace agreement signed by the government and the MILF in 2014.

The peace agreement provides for a political track, which was completed with the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law and the creation of the BARMM; and the normalization track, which includes the dismantling of private armed groups, as well as the transformation of several MILF camps into “progressive and resilient communities.”

IDB’s main task

Galvez said the names of the 12,000 MILF combatants for decommissioning this year had been submitted to the IDB, chaired by a representative from Turkey and composed of a representative each from Norway and Brunei, and four local experts jointly nominated by the Philippine government and the MILF.

The IDB’s main task is to verify, register and inventory the MILF fighters and their weapons.

Galvez said the IDB had assured that if it would start the verification, processing and validation in June, it could finish the decommissioning of 12,000 MILF combatants by October or November this year.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1110850/galvez-p1-2b-needed-as-aid-to-milf-fighters

Only handful give in to NPA’s ‘extortion racket’ – Army

From The Daily Guardian (Apr 26, 2019): Only handful give in to NPA’s ‘extortion racket’ – Army

The Philippine Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion claimed that only a handful of political bets gave in to the New People’s Army’s (NPA) alleged extortion racket in the guise of a permit to campaign (PTC).

Lt. Colonel Joel Benedict Batara, 61st IB commander, said they only monitored 3 to 5 politicians who gave money for the NPA’s PTC demand.

These politicians, however, did not admit to authorities that they struck a deal with the rebels.

“But we received these information from civilians confirming that these politicians opted to give in,” Batara said.

It was also unclear how much they gave to the NPA so they can freely campaign in villages believed to be controlled by rebels.

Batara did not identify who the politicians were but claimed they are from Panay Island and are seeking the mayoralty and town council posts.

As the May 13 midterm elections near, Batara admitted that the rebels are slowly inching nearer to town centers to advance their extortion racket.

Aside from politicians, even small entrepreneurs and established businessmen are not spared by the NPAs.

“Nagsusumbong na sila ngayon. Most of them went to us and gave us copies of extortion letters sent to them,” he said.

Batara admitted that it’s hard to confirm if these businesses also gave in.

This information, based on 61IB assessment, could be a far cry from the monetary gains the NPA had in previous elections.

Last year, Philippine Army’s 301st Infantry Brigade modestly pegged the “earnings” of the NPA – Komiteng Rehiyon Panay (KRP) from its alleged extortion activities at around P30 to P40 million a year.

The amount was based on the documents seized from Maria Concepcion “Concha” Araneta-Bocala, the CPP-NPA-NDF secretary general of KRP.

Araneta-Bocala was arrested in a rented house at Juntado Subdivision, Barangay Calumpang, Molo, Iloilo City on Aug. 1, 2015.

Her arrest carried a reward of P7.8 million based on the joint DND-DILG Reward List No. 14-2012 dated Nov. 12, 2012.

But a year later, local courts granted her urgent motions for release on bail as she participated in the resumption of formal peace talks between the government and the NDFP on Aug. 20 to Aug. 27, 2016.

“Given that the arrest happened three years ago, the number could increase,” said former 301st IB commander and now 303rd IB head Brigadier General Benedict Arevalo.

He earlier said that with the 2019 elections, they expect that the group would further intensify its extortion racket.

https://thedailyguardian.net/local-news/only-handful-give-in-to-npas-extortion-racket-army/

Dissecting Duterte’s amped-up West Philippine Sea rhetoric

From Rappler (Apr 26, 2019): Dissecting Duterte’s amped-up West Philippine Sea rhetoric (By Pia Ranada)

President Rodrigo Duterte's stronger words on the sea dispute so far revolve around one specific part of the West Philippine Sea – Pag-asa Island. Here's why it's special to him.

Observers are abuzz with what some describe as a change in tune in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s rhetoric towards China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea.

From his usual placating tone, he has threatened to send Filipino soldiers on a “suicide mission” to protect an island that had been swarmed by Chinese ships over several months.

“The Pag-asa Island belongs to us…Hindi ako papayag kung pati Pag-asa i-occupy nila (I won’t allow it if they occupy even Pag-asa),” said Duterte on April 4, from Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.

What could be behind the strong words? And what’s prompting Duterte to speak in such a tone now?

There are key things to note about Duterte’s recent West Philippine Sea remarks. First, they revolve around one specific part of the West Philippine Sea – Pag-asa Island (known as Thitu internationally).


When Duterte brought up the maritime dispute with Xi during their meeting on Thursday, April 25, it was Pag-asa Island he mentioned specifically.

(READ: PH plans for Pag-asa to test Duterte's friendship with China)

TALKING THINGS THROUGH. President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk to the hall where they will hold a bilateral meeting on April 25, 2019. Malacañang photo

The last time Duterte seriously ruffled Chinese feathers was in April 2017, and it also had to do with Pag-asa.

Back then, he had ordered the military to fortify Pag-asa Island, and all Philippine-held islands in the West Philippine Sea.

In the same speech (notably also delivered in Puerto Princesa, a boat ride away from Pag-asa), Duterte said he would even visit Pag-asa Island on Philippine Independence Day. The Chinese were not happy, prompting Duterte to renege on the promise a few days later.

But he didn't stop there. He allowed Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to make the visit, which China tried to stop too. Feet planted firmly on land China claims is theirs, Lorenzana and Filipino soldiers sang the Philippine national anthem proudly.

Clearly, when it comes to Pag-asa, Duterte takes a tougher stance.

Pag-asa vs Panatag

One just needs to compare his vow to protect Pag-asa with his defeatism when it comes to that other famous West Philippine Sea feature, Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.

“We cannot stop China from doing [these] things,” said Duterte when asked what he would do about a Chinese mayor’s plan to put up a environmental monitoring station on the shoal.

He had also once said: "Huwag na muna natin pakialaman 'yang Scarborough [Shoal] kasi hindi natin kaya eh. Magalit man tayo, hangin lang.”

(Let's not dwell on Scarborough Shoal because we don't have the capabilities. Even if we express anger, it will just amount to nothing.)

Compare this to how he reacted when China blasted as "illegal" the repairs he ordered on Pag-asa Island facilities.

"That's part of our duty as a nation," Duterte parried in 2017, even advising China to just "look away." In the same breath, he reminded China that Filipinos have occupied Pag-asa since 1974.

So while Duterte's recent declarations on the sea dispute are stronger than usual, they are actually consistent with his previous remarks specifically about Pag-asa.

Why is Pag-asa worth making uncompromising statements for? Pag-asa has something that Panatag Shoal, Mischief Reef, Ayungin Shoal, and other talked-about features don’t – a commnunity of Filipino civilians actually living on it.

(READ: The residents of Pag-asa: Life on a disputed island)

Pag-asa is home to around a hundred civilian Filipinos. It has a municipal hall and health center. While China believes the island belongs to them, so far the Philippines has managed to hold on to it, and Duterte wants to keep it that way.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who was a high-ranking official in Malacañang at the time Duterte ordered Pag-asa Island repairs, said the President differentiates the island from other parts of the West Philippine Sea.

Duterte appears to adopt a “more flexible approach” when it comes to features where the Philippines’ exclusive rights to use resources is the main issue, the Cabinet member told Rappler.

“But when we speak of Pag-asa Island, which is actually occupied by a Filipino community, we are treading on issues of territory and security,” said Guevarra.

“The President’s tough stance in this regard indicates that his clear priority is on human lives and territorial integrity, which, unlike fishing rights and other economic privileges, are non-negotiable,” he added.

PAG-ASA ISLAND. Philippine construction on Pag-asa Island provokes a paramilitary response from China. Photos courtesy of CSIS/AMTI/DigitalGlobe

This way of thinking may not sit well with maritime law experts. All islands and features within the West Philippine Sea deserve to be protected with the same tough rhetoric, whether occupied or not, because any encroachment violates the country’s sovereign rights.

But Duterte may not think this way. Occupation of Pag-asa by the Chinese crosses one of his red lines: physical harm to Filipinos.

“I assure you, if they kill or arrest people there who are Filipino then that would be the time when we would decide on what to do,” he had said on April 4.

So why deliver such strong remarks against China over Pag-asa now?

Days earlier, the military’s Western Command (Wescom) reported the presence of 275 Chinese ships near Pag-asa Island from January to March this year.

They recorded over 600 incidents of trespassing during these months. The Department of Foreign Affairs slammed them as part of China’s “swarming” tactics.

The presence of Chinese ships around the island began escalating as the Philippines started repairs of Pag-asa facilities, specifically a beaching ramp that is supposed to enable the delivery of construction materials and equipment needed to upgrade, among others, a dilapidated runway.

The beaching ramp was supposed to be finished in early 2019, Lorenzana had said.

But Philippine Ambassador to China Chito Sta Romana doesn’t think the Chinese ships mean to invade Pag-asa Island. So far, they have not intercepted any supply lines to the island, a crucial area of agreement between Beijing and the Duterte administration.

“The areas of agreement are the access lines, the supply lines. You know, that’s why we’re able to continue our construction in Pag-asa, and there has been no effort [to intercept]. If there is any interdiction, that would be a major issue,” he told reporters on Wednesday, April 24, in Beijing.

So why are the Chinese ships there?

“They’re watching Sandy Cay,” said Sta Romana.

The Sandy Cay element

Sandy Cay is a string of sandbars only 3 nautical miles from Pag-asa Island. It’s in the middle of the island and Subi (Zamora) Reef, which China has turned into an artificial island with military capability.

Why is Sandy Cay special to China? Sandy Cay is a naturally-formed feature that only recently became permanently visible above the water surface. Previously, it could only be seen during low tide but deposits from China’s illegal dredging in Subi Reef elevated it in 2017.

China covets Sandy Cay because it could generate a new 12-nautical-mile swathe of territorial waters, said Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.

Because Subi Reef lies within that 12-nm area, China, by controlling Sandy Cay, would legitimize its claim over their man-made island.

But do you hear Duterte threatening suicide missions to protect Sandy Cay? Quite the opposite.

When Chinese ships were spotted near it back in August 2017, Duterte retorted, “Why should I defend a sandbar and kill the Filipinos because of a sandbar?”

That month, when the military tried to construct a nipa hut on Sandy Cay as “shelter” for Filipino fishermen, Duterte called it off, citing an agreement with China that neither side build anything on the sandbars.

If Duterte feels he can afford to be softer on China when it comes to their island-building, he draws the line when it comes to physical harm to Filipinos.

This could explain his other strong remarks against China in the past – his appeal to them to “temper” their radio warnings to Filipino Air Force pilots and his serious concern over the safety of Navy soldiers harassed by a Chinese chopper on the way to Ayungin Shoal.

Elections, U.S. promise

Other factors that make Duterte’s strong remarks on Pag-asa Island significant is that they were made weeks before the May 13 elections and after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo affirmed that America would act on China aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

Surveys show most Filipinos don’t agree with Duterte’s soft stance on the West Philippine Sea and don’t trust China as much as the US and Japan.

Though Duterte remains popular despite his accomodation of China, he knows the opposition capitalize on the unpopularity of his foreign policy.

He’s labelled ex-foreign secretary Albert del Rosario as among the “yellows,” his term for the Liberal Party which is fielding its own senatorial candidates.

Undoubtedly, Duterte’s amped-up rhetoric looks good on his senatorial bets who can use it to fend off questions about the administration’s pandering to China.

POLITICS. The opposition's senatorial candidates Samira Gutoc, Pilo Hilbay, Gary Alejano, and Chel Diokno hit President Rodrigo Duterte for his soft stance on the West Philippine Sea. Photo by Ben Nabong/Rappler

Could Duterte and the government be gaining confidence to stand up to China from the US’ affirmation of the Mutual Defense Treaty last March?

South China Sea expert Gregory Poling said Pompeo's words are a "clear deterrent" for the Chinese as it sends a message that "violence against Pag-asa (Island) or the (BRP) Sierra Madre (stationed in Ayungin Shoal), for instance, would result in a US response."

Lorenzana gave a rather underwhelming reaction to Pompeo’s remarks.

“He just reiterated what is in the treaty. Nothing of new import,” he had told Rappler back then.

But there’s another question underlying all of Duterte’s surprising public declarations. Does he mean it or is he bluffing?

“From my past experience with him, his position, his public position, you know, that’s what he states also in his discussion,” said Sta Romana.

Duterte government’s red lines

Will Duterte step up his rhetoric against China when it comes to other West Philippine Sea features, like Panatag Shoal?

He might, given that his administration's other red lines specifically involve such features. Bilateral talks between Filipino and Chinese diplomats have led to key agreements that, if violated, could draw a response from the Chief Executive.

According to Sta Romana, who participates in these talks, these crucial agreements are:

• No building on Scarborough Shoal

• Allow Filipino and Chinese fishermen to fish in Scarborough Shoal

• No obstruction of supply and access lines to Pag-asa Island

• No construction or occupation of “new” features like Sandy Cay

The Philippines and China have agreed to these 4, which is why China has not begun reclamation in Scarborough Shoal, why the Philippines continues construction on Pag-asa Island, and why the Philippines stopped building a nipa hut on Sandy Cay.

But the situation in Pag-asa and Sandy Cay is tense because of their proximity to Subi Reef, where China paramilitary ships have congregated and Chinese military planes have landed.

Once a lowly reef, Subi is now an island outfitted with runways, lighthouses, radomes, hangars, and communication facilities. Residents of Pag-asa Island can see the structures on Subi Reef with a naked eye.

“We are occupying one area (Pag-asa Island) and they’re occupying the other feature (Subi Reef) and they are very close to each other and in between is the Sandy Cay. This is really the root of this issue right now,” said Sta Romana.

Duterte and Xi have agreed for their country's diplomats to talk it out. Rappler got no response from Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana when we asked if Duterte asked Xi to order Chinese ships to increase their distance from the island.

The vague Palace statement about the meeting also did not mention if Duterte brought up the 2016 Hague ruling, which struck down China’s claim to the West Philippine Sea, including Pag-asa Island.

Some say the ruling could be a powerful galvanizing force for other countries against China – only if the Philippines would use it. Rather than involve the international community though, the Duterte government prefers to dialogue directly with China.

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/229034-dissecting-duterte-amped-up-west-philippine-sea-rhetoric

WESTMINCOM: 40IB celebrates 44th Founding Anniversary

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Apr 26, 2019): 40IB celebrates 44th Founding Anniversary



The 40th Infantry (Magiting) Battalion celebrated its 44th Founding Anniversary yesterday, April 25.



Anchored with the theme: “Leading Peace and Unity Through 44 Years”, the activity held at the Headquarters 40IB in Barangay Zapakan, Rajah Buayan, Maguindanao was highlighted with the giving of awards to the outstanding enlisted personnel and stakeholders who have been the unit’s partners in its peace initiative.



In his message, Joint Task Force Central Commander, Major General Cirilito Sobejana, who was the guest of honor and speaker during the said activity, commended the officers, men and women of the 40IB for reaching another milestone of winning peace.

Also present during the said activity representatives from the different local government sectors, PNP and other stakeholders.

http://www.westmincom.com/40ib-celebrates-44th-founding-anniversary/

WESTMINCOM: Joint Integrated Defense System Patrol held in Basilan

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Apr 26, 2019): Joint Integrated Defense System Patrol held in Basilan



A Joint Integrated Defense System Patrol was held by the 18th Infantry (Deo Et Patria) Battalion, in coordination with the Barangay Captains and Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams of Ungkaya Pukan, Tipo-Tipo, Al-Barka (UPTAL) and Hadji Mohammad Ajul (HMA) in the UPTAL and HMA area, yesterday, April 25.

This was in accordance with the local government units’ covenant signed during the Joint Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC) Meeting on April 17.

Said activity was done purposely to ensure the safety of the people and for a peaceful and orderly national and local elections on May 13.

The 18IB troopers remain steadfast in securing and protecting the communities under the UPTAL and HMA area.

http://www.westmincom.com/joint-integrated-defense-system-patrol-held-in-basilan/

WESTMINCOM: Redskin troopers: ‘We are here to maintain peace and order in the community’

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Apr 26, 2019): Redskin troopers: ‘We are here to maintain peace and order in the community’



The 6th Infantry (REDSKIN) Battalion under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Clairemont Pinpin, conducted security operation during the proclamation rally held at the Sampiano Compound, Hoffer Street, Barangay Poblacion, Balabagan, Lanao Del Sur on April 23.



Redskin troopers are always ready to maintain the local peace and order in their area of operation.

Security operations are also done to ensure that any activity conducted by the local politicians prior to the forthcoming midterm election will be peaceful and that safety and protection of the community are sustained.

http://www.westmincom.com/redskin-troopers-we-are-here-to-maintain-peace-and-order-in-the-community/

EASTMINCOM: Former Rebels turned over to DSWD and DILG

Posted to the Eastern Mindanao Command (EASTMINCOM) Website (Apr 26, 2019): Former Rebels turned over to DSWD and DILG

NSFA, Panacan, Davao City - Nine Former Rebels (FR) who surrendered to subordinate units of Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) were formally turned over by Lt. General Felimon T. Santos Jr., Commander of Eastmincom to Karen Gayonan, Representative of DSWD, and Carl John Mahinay and Edwin Mayormita of DILG, during a simple ceremony at Headquarters Eastmincom, Naval Station Felix Apolinario, Panacan, Davao City in the afternoon of April 25, 2019.

One of the surrenderees was identified as @ALEM, 21 years old, a resident of Malabon City and former Political Guide of CPP-NPA Terrorist Group that is being monitored in the tri-boundary of Davao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Compostela Valley.

In her revelation during the press briefing, she said that she was a 3rd year BS Architecture student of Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, Metro Manila and was an active organizer of several left-leaning youth organizations such as the League of Filipino Students (LFS) in PUP, Anakbayan in Caloocan City and Pandi, Bulacan, and Samahan ng Kabataang Demokratiko sa Asyenda Luisita (SAKDAL) in Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac City.




She further said, that together with other 24 students from Manila joined the return of the participants of Manilakbayan protest march to Mindanao on September 2017. They joined and together organized the rally of Madaum Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association Incorporated in Tagum City, Davao Del Norte before their immersion and eventual integration to the New People's Army in Mindanao.

Together with her live-in partner @Jinggoy, former CO of the unit of the armed group in the tri-boundary of Compostela Valley-Davao del Norte and Agusan del Sur, whom she met in the organization, they voluntarily surrendered on April 22, 2019, to Ltc. Jaime Datuin of 75th Infantry Battalion in Bislig, Surigao del Sur after they were disillusioned on the authoritarian policy of the armed group.

Their wish to surrender was further boosted when they were encouraged by the parents of @Jinggoy. Along with them is their 4-month baby boy.

The other seven FRs voluntarily surrendered in two batches to the troops of 39th Infantry Battalion. The first batch composed of three (3) CNTs surrendered last April 19, 2019, followed by four (4) CNTs last April 21, 2019.

The surrender of these seven CNTs was facilitated by the different government agencies and Barangay Council of Colonsabak, Matanao, Davao del Sur. With them are their high powered firearms composed of one Bushmaster Rifle, one M203 Grenade Launcher, one Baby Armalite, one M16 Rifle, M14 Rifle, one Garand Rifle, and ammunition.

Tired of running, hiding, and walking to include lack of sleep and starvation, the seven saw a glimpse of hope after reading a leaflet from aerial dropping and tarpaulin posters containing information about Enhance Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).

During the turnover, the DSWD and DILG representatives committed to assist the surrenderees as part of their mandate in the implementation of E-CLIP and the would be implemented National Task Force on Ending Local Armed Conflict which was signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte last week.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gen Santos gave emphasis on the case of @Alem as a classic example of NPA's student recruitment.

"Alias Alem is a classic example of how NPA recruit students. They deceptively indoctrinate students using social issues to mask their real objective until they become student activists, joining and organizing rallies and undergo exposure and immersion with the armed group before finally integrated," Lt. Gen. Santos said.

"Let this be known by our parents, teachers and learning institutions in order to prevent our youth to be recruited to the futureless armed group," he added.

Source: Public Information Office, Eastern Mindanao Command, AFP

https://www.eastmincomafp.com.ph/2019/04/former-rebels-turned-over-to-dswd-and.html

Army holds outreach in Canlaon

From the Visayan Daily Star (Apr 26, 2019): Army holds outreach in Canlaon

A total of 636 residents of Canlaon City benefited from the medical and dental outreach program and other government services jointly conducted by the Philippine Army’s 302nd Infantry Brigade and the Philippine National Police recently in the Brgy. Panubigan Gym, in Canlaon City.

Brig. Gen. Ignacio Madriaga, commander of the 302nd IB, said that, as a continuing program, this activity intends to deliver free health services to the constituents of Canlaon, especially those who need medical attention.

Bringing the government services and programs closer to the people counteracts the deception of the CPP-NPAs who promise to help the barangay residents, the army officer said.

PNP reported that during the medical outreach, some 227 individuals availed of free medical consultation, 112 had tooth extractions, 139 young boys were circumcised, 8 patients had minor surgeries, 112 vaccinated for anti-cervical cancer, 220 received vitamins and medicines, 150 kids received dental hygiene kits, and 150 persons had their eyes checked and received eye glasses.

On top of the medical services, the team also offered free massage therapy for 40 individuals, 121 males had their free haircuts, 45 individuals had their nails manicured/pedicured, 500 pairs of slippers were distributed as well as 50 balls for basketball and volleyball, and 340 children received candies, chocolates and stuff toys.

Meanwhile, a representative from the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office of Canlaon City explained the importance of preserving the watershed of Negros Island and the reasons why tenants inside the reservations were advised to leave and vacate the area.

Some 400 residents, including the barangay chairpersons of Binalbagan, Pula, Lumapao, Bayog, Aquino, Linohangan, Masulog, and Panubigan, all in Canlaon City, participated in the dialog.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2019/April/26/topstory11.htm

NDF denial unmasked: Arevalo

From the Visayan Daily Star (Apr 26, 2019): NDF denial unmasked: Arevalo

After many years of deception and denial, the National Democratic Front admitted that one of its real purposes is to fill in the ranks of the New People’s Army and its political wing, the Communist Party of the Philippines, Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said yesterday.

This admission came from Concha Bocala, spokesperson of NDF-Panay and former secretary of the Panay Regional Party Committee, in a press statement published on its social media site on April 24, in line with the 46th founding anniversary of NDF.

Araneta disclosed in a statement that "Members of the Kabataang Makabayan, Makibaka, PKM, Revolutionary Council of Trade Unions, and allied organizations of the NDF have continually filled in the ranks of the NPA and CPP, immersing themselves with the masses in the countryside and cities while others perform underground work in urban areas."

Other NDF allied organizations include Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, KMU, ACT, ANAKBAYAN, MAKABAYAN, MIGRANTE, LFS, Gabriela, Kabataan, Karapatan, Katribu, Kalikasan, COURAGE, KADAMAY, IBON, PISTON, National Union of People’s Lawyer, National Federation of Sugarcane Workers, PAMALAKAYA, among many other deceptive front organizations, according to Arevalo

"The statement of Concha Araneta is very revealing and clearly proves that the NDF is in cahoots with the NPA and the CPP, contrary to their claims that the NDF is only involved in the legal struggle, Arevalo added.

The United States, the European Union, and the Philippine government have declared the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization

Based on the statement of Araneta, Arevalo said that the primary source of terrorists and extortionists in the country is the NDF, which is hiding under the cloak of legalities, but in essence are doing illegal acts.

They had been fooling the people that they are for democracy and promoting peoples welfare, but in reality the CPP, NPA and NDF are in conspiracy to overthrow the government through armed means using their revolutionary dual tactics, he also said.

What the NDF does is bordering on Conspiracy to Commit Terrorism, or an Accomplice in violation of the Human Security Act of 2007". Arevalo said, He also noted that the CPP-NPA-NDF applied dual revolutionary tactics using the law against the government to justify their activities that are actually violating the rule of law, and getting inside the government to destroy it from within.

"This is the reason why Karapatan and NUPL, both NDF organizations, after so many killings perpetrated by the NPAs against civilians, off duty soldiers, policemen and CAFGUs in Negros Island never condemned even a single killing done and admitted by the NPAs, the Army general said

In the past several months, the NPA claimed the brutal killings Moises Padilla Councilor JolomarHilario, JunibertSabeco and Cornelio Morales in Brgys. Camansi and Carol-an, all in Kabankalan City, andJojo De Baguio in Brgy. Buenavista, Himamayalan, and numerous others.

Arevalo said he has been challenging Karapatan ever since to condemn even a single killing by the NPAs, but they never did.

This is because they are in cahoots with the NPA, he also said.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2019/April/26/topstory10.htm

Calabarzon soon an insurgency-free region, pres'l adviser says

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 26, 2019): Calabarzon soon an insurgency-free region, pres'l adviser says



Presidential Adviser for Southern Tagalog, Secretary Dennis Hernandez, expressed optimism on Wednesday the Calabarzon region will soon become insurgency-free.

He said this in his remarks during Wednesday’s closing rites of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF ELCAC) 4A’s Indigenous People’s Summit here.

Hernandez said Calabarzon is seen to eradicate the insurgency soon following the recent dismantling of the New People’s Army (NPA) front operating in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite.

Hernandez said this development was followed by the declaration of Cavite as the first province in the country with Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS).

“President Rodrigo Duterte is very serious in ending insurgency and the key to attaining this is convergence, something that we have been doing in Southern Tagalog,” said Hernandez, who also serves as chair of the RTF ELCAC 4A.

Local peace talks and initiatives have contributed to the efforts to ensure an all-inclusive peace and development in the region, he said.

He said through the teamwork and convergence among government agencies, local government units and development stakeholders, poverty and insurgency in the region would be addressed. Aside from Batangas and Cavite, included in the Calabarzon region are the provinces of Laguna, Rizal and Quezon.

During the summit, Undersecretary Reynaldo Mapagu of the Department of National Defense’s Task Force Balik-Loob lauded “Team Southern Tagalog" for the activation of RTF ELCAC, implementation of the enhanced comprehensive local integration program, and addressing the needs and concerns of the IP community.

Organized by the Army’s 202nd Infantry Brigade based here, the IP Summit has drawn the participation of local stakeholders, especially of at least 23 tribal chieftains of the Dumagat Indigenous Peoples (IPs).

Undersecretary Allen Capuyan, Presidential Adviser for IP Affairs, also lauded the regional task force’s initiative to involve the IPs in the government’s counterinsurgency program.

“IPs should be given importance since they are very critical and one of the most vulnerable parts of our society who often end up as victims of the NPA’s deception to further their protracted people’s war,” Capuyan said.

Military officials also said that on March 29 this year, around 45 former rebels – all of them Dumagats – returned to mainstream society and surrendered firearms to authorities.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1068240

40 Army soldiers in NegOcc get commendation medals

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 26, 2019): 40 Army soldiers in NegOcc get commendation medals

RECOGNIZED FOR BRAVERY. Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of 303rd Infantry Brigade, pins a Military Commendation Medal on a soldier of the 62nd Infantry Battalion during a ceremony held at the battalion headquarters in Isabela, Negros Occidental on Wednesday (April 25, 2019). A total of 40 troopers of two Army battalions in Negros Occidental received the medals for fighting the communist rebels. (Photo courtesy of 303rd Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army)

A total of 40 troopers of two Philippine Army battalions in Negros Occidental received Military Commendation Medals for their successful operations against the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army (CPP-NPA) earlier this month.

The 303rd Infantry Brigade said in a report on Friday the recipients are from the 62nd Infantry Battalion based in central Negros, and the 79th Infantry Battalion headquartered in northern Negros.

Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of 303rd IB, who awarded the medals in separate rites on Wednesday, said it is his duty to keep the troops under him motivated. "I see to it that their hard work, sacrifices, and bravery in the battlefield are recognized," he added.

The awarding program for the 62nd IB troopers was held at the battalion headquarters in Barangay Libas, Isabela town, and for the 79th IB soldiers, in Barangay Bato, Sagay City.

Arevalo joined the troops in their respective boodle fights to celebrate their achievements.

On April 14, 62nd IB troopers encountered NPA fighters in Sitio Kampong-oy, Barangay Cabcaban in Bindoy, Negros Oriental. They seized the rebels' lair and recovered two M16 rifles and an M4 rifle, along with food items, cooking utensils, medical kits, and subversive documents, among others.

Three days after, soldiers of the 79th IB engaged the communist rebels in Sitio Banwa Minatay, Barangay Marcelo in Calatrava, Negros Occidental. The encounter led to the death of three rebel fighters and the recovery of an M16 rifle, an AK47 rifle, and numerous rounds of ammunition.

This year, Negrense troops have engaged the NPA in a total of eight encounters since February.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1068278

NPA terror haunts north Samar community

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 26, 2019): NPA terror haunts north Samar community

VICTIMS OF ATTACK. Jerome Capoquian receives first aid treatment from the military after alleged members of the New People's Army attacked them on Thursday (April 25, 2019). His father-in-law Apolinario Lebico, the village chief of San Miguel, Las Navas, Northern Samar died on the spot. (Photo by Philippine Army 20th Infantry Batallion)

A week after losing a 10-year-old boy to a blast perpetrated by communist rebels, the remote village of San Miguel in Las Navas, Northern Samar remains grieving after its village chief was gunned down by alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) on Thursday.

A group of communist terrorists ambushed village chief, Apolinario Lebico, and his son-in-law, Jerome Capoquian, as they were heading back to Quezon village on board a motorcycle from the town center at around 4 p.m.

Capoquian, driver of the motorcycle, sustained injuries.

Lebico died on the spot from multiple gunshot wounds, according to reports from the Philippine Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion (IB) based in Las Navas town.

“He was known to be working hand and hand with our soldiers deployed in the area. He was passionate to deliver the basic services for his constituents. The NPA is so desperate and has done nothing but kill and destroy people's hope,” the 20th IB said in a statement. “We condemn (in) the strongest terms this atrocity perpetrated by the communist terrorist.”

San Miguel village, which is about 15 km. away from the town center, can be reached by motorcycle through a bumpy and muddy road.

The attack took place a day after the burial of Armando Raymunde, the 10-year-old boy killed when rebels detonated a landmine near a temporary patrol base of the 20th IB in San Miguel village at about noon of April 17 with the intention to kill soldiers.

Culture of fear

On the day of the boy’s burial, about 150 people from the religious sector, academe, and youth leaders joined a rally in Las Navas, condemning the atrocities committed by the communist terrorists.

The boy was buried in their farm a few kilometers from their residence. About a hundred, mostly children who were Armando’s schoolmates, joined the funeral procession, said the boy’s sister, Girlie Jane Raymunde.

“My brother’s death, followed by an attack of our village chief, has created a culture of fear in our community. Ever since, we never wanted to see NPAs. They have spoiled our peaceful village,” Raymunde said in a mobile phone interview.

The attack on the child has sparked outrage from the boy’s family, villagers, and netizens who tagged the NPA as heartless and labeled their 50-year armed struggle as senseless.

The boy was killed two days after two soldiers were slain by rebels while inspecting an ongoing road project in San Antonio and Catotogan villages, also in Las Navas, a fourth-class town in Northern Samar province.

The military also condemned the NPA for using anti-personnel mines in their attacks, which shows disrespect for basic human rights for their disregard for the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

Another village chief slain

Meanwhile, the village chief of Beri, Calbiga, Samar, Wilmar Calutan, was gunned down by a group of bonnet-clad men during the fiesta celebration at his residence Thursday night, the Philippine National Police said in its initial report released Friday.

The remote village of Beri was the location of a fierce gun battle early Tuesday that killed six government troops and wounded six others.

The Philippine Army said an undetermined number of NPA members detonated anti-personnel mines at about 2:45 a.m. on Tuesday when they spotted patrolling soldiers in the upland village of Beri, some 12 km. from the Calbiga town center.

After the blast, soldiers of the 46th Infantry Battalion based in Calbiga, engaged the terror group in hours of gun battle that lasted until Tuesday morning.

The NPA, which has been engaged in a five-decade armed struggle, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1068289

NCMF hands out books to correct misimpression on Islamic schools

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 26, 2019): NCMF hands out books to correct misimpression on Islamic schools

CORRECTING MISIMPRESSION. NCMF Bureau of Cultural Affairs head Laman Piang speaks before the distribution of textbooks that will help improve Islamic studies in Mindanao in Davao City on Thursday (April 25). (Photo courtesy of NCMF)

To help address incorrect information that some Madrasah (learning) institutions in Mindanao have been breeding violent extremist ideologies among Muslim Filipino youth, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) began distributing on Thursday textbooks on the traditional “madaris” or Islamic school system.

“The distribution of the textbooks seeks to provide quality Islamic education to our Muslim Filipino youth,” Jun Alonto Datu Ramos, NCMF Public Relations and Information Division head, said in a phone interview here Friday.

Ramos said the textbooks’ launch took place at the El Bajada Hotel in Davao City on Thursday with NCMF - Bureau of Muslim Cultural Affairs Director Laman Piang spearheading the event.

He added that NCMF Secretary Saidamen Pangarungan is very optimistic about the effects of the textbooks in cutting misinformation among the students.

Ramos said there has been an uproar regarding the alleged role of some institutions of the madrasah system in breeding violent extremist ideologies among Muslim Filipino youth.

“The concern about veering away from the true teachings of Islam was repeatedly raised during a recent meeting between the United Nations Development and the NCMF regarding violent extremism in the Philippines, with Secretary Pangarungan challenging the youth to know what Islam truly is about,” he said.

Present during the launch were writers, validators, critiques, and madrasah administrators from Davao City, General Santos City, Compostela Valley, Davao del Sur, Davao Norte, Digos City, Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, South Cotabato, Sarangani, Marawi, Lanao del Norte, and Lanao del Sur.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1068256

Westmincom directs troops to ensure safe, peaceful elections

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 26, 2019): Westmincom directs troops to ensure safe, peaceful elections

PEACEFUL ELECTIONS. Lt. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief (left), orders the troops to secure the conduct of the May 13 mid-term polls during his visits to the different Westmincom field units. To his left is Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Army's 6th Infantry Division commander. (Photo courtesy of Westmincom Public Information Office)

The Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) has directed its troops to ensure the safe and peaceful conduct of the 2019 midterm elections in their respective areas of operations.

Lt. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, Westmincom chief, issued the order as he reminded the troops to remain apolitical during his visits to the different units of Westmincom.

Dela Vega on Friday visited the Joint Task Force Sulu, which is under the operational control of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division. He visited earlier the Army’s 6th and 1st Infantry Division headquarters in Maguindanao and Zamboanga del Sur, respectively.

Dela Vega said field commanders should prepare contingency plans to promptly address any situation that may arise on the day of the election on May 13.

“We must ensure that there will be no failure of elections in any polling centers; otherwise, it will reflect on us that we are incapable of ensuring the conduct of an orderly, peaceful, and credible election,” dela Vega told his field commanders.

He also reminded the ground commanders to ensure that the troops exercise their right of suffrage through the absentee voting.

“We are bound and committed to be nonpartisans. The only activity where we can manifest our partisan duties, on our own volition, is when we cast our votes,” he said.

“It goes with our intent to ensure the credible, orderly, and peaceful conduct of elections here in Sulu. In our intent to be non-partisan, we should not be involved in any election frauds,” he added.

Westmincom covers the Army’s 1st and 6th Infantry Divisions that have jurisdiction over Western and Central Mindanao regions.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1068292