From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Aug 26, 2019): Rebel leader, ‘amazon’ yield to cops in Isabela
TUGUEGARAO CITY — Two high-ranking leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA), have surrendered to authorities, police said Monday.
Police Brig. Gen. Jose Mario Espino, Cagayan Valley regional police director, identified the rebel returnees as Joey Ramos, alias Ka Jerome, 48, and his partner Baby Jane Morales, alias Ka Barbi, 30.
Espino said Ramos was the team leader and supply officer of the Team Uno-Platoon Remo of the Reynaldo Pinon Command’s central front while Morales was a medical officer of the same unit.
Army soldiers and policemen from Isabela province and San Mariano town helped facilitate the rebels’ surrender.
According to police, Ramos has standing arrest warrants for six cases, including murders, attempted murder, arson, robbery, and direct assault.
Ramos was immediately committed in a jail facility because of these cases, Espino said.
“I urge the communist rebels in Cagayan Valley to surrender and lay down their arms to the authorities and enjoy a peaceful life with their relatives,” Espino said.
Ramos was among the 50 NPA rebels charged with murder in December 2012 in connection with the killing of seven Army soldiers and wounding of eight others in an ambush on November 17 in Echague, Isabela.
Monday, August 26, 2019
BARMM parliament proposes that July 13 be declared “Hashim Salamat Day”
From the Manila Bulletin (Aug 26, 2019): BARMM parliament proposes that July 13 be declared “Hashim Salamat Day”
COTABATO CITY – The interim Bangsamoro parliament wants to immortalize the ideals and teachings of late Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) founding Chairman Hashim Salamat by declaring July 13, or the day when he died, an annual “special non-working holiday” in the new autonomous region.
Late MILF founding-Chairman Hashim Salamat before his July 13, 2003 death from heart and ulcer ailments (File Photo via Ali Macabalang/ MANILA BULLETIN)
An enabling bill is now pending deliberation at the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) parliament, seeking to declare July 13 as a yearly holiday in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), according to author lawyer Paisalin P. Tago.
Tago, a former legislative speaker of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), furnished The Manila Bulletin over the weekend an e-copy of his proposal docketed as BTA Bill No. 13.
The bill, titled “an Act declaring July 13 and every year thereafter as Hashim Salamat Day, a special non-working holiday in areas of (BARMM),” is one of legislative measures filed by Tago following the inaugural session of the 80-member BTA last March.
Salamat died of complications from a heart ailment and an acute ulcer on July 13, 2003 in Butig town, Lanao del Sur where he had remarried, and sought refuge after reclusion from the government’s erstwhile manhunt against him and other top MILF leaders.
Salamat used to be one of three vice chairmen of Nur Misuari in the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the then mainstream Moro secessionist group organized in 1969 to fight government forces, and their allied Mindanao settlers in fierce guerilla operations during the “repressive” regime of the late former President Ferdinand Marcos.
If passed, Tago said, the bill would authorize the “office of the Chief Minister…to plan and implement the appropriate ceremonies or activities commemorating or in observance of the (regional holiday).”
The BARMM interim Chief Minister is Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim, the immediate successor of the late Salamat as MILF chieftain.
Over policy differences with Misuari, vice chairmen Salamat of Maguindanao and Dimas Pundato of Lanao del Sur bolted the MNLF in 1977, and subsequently formed the MILF and the MNLF-Reformist Group, respectively.
COTABATO CITY – The interim Bangsamoro parliament wants to immortalize the ideals and teachings of late Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) founding Chairman Hashim Salamat by declaring July 13, or the day when he died, an annual “special non-working holiday” in the new autonomous region.
Late MILF founding-Chairman Hashim Salamat before his July 13, 2003 death from heart and ulcer ailments (File Photo via Ali Macabalang/ MANILA BULLETIN)
An enabling bill is now pending deliberation at the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) parliament, seeking to declare July 13 as a yearly holiday in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), according to author lawyer Paisalin P. Tago.
Tago, a former legislative speaker of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), furnished The Manila Bulletin over the weekend an e-copy of his proposal docketed as BTA Bill No. 13.
The bill, titled “an Act declaring July 13 and every year thereafter as Hashim Salamat Day, a special non-working holiday in areas of (BARMM),” is one of legislative measures filed by Tago following the inaugural session of the 80-member BTA last March.
Salamat died of complications from a heart ailment and an acute ulcer on July 13, 2003 in Butig town, Lanao del Sur where he had remarried, and sought refuge after reclusion from the government’s erstwhile manhunt against him and other top MILF leaders.
Salamat used to be one of three vice chairmen of Nur Misuari in the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the then mainstream Moro secessionist group organized in 1969 to fight government forces, and their allied Mindanao settlers in fierce guerilla operations during the “repressive” regime of the late former President Ferdinand Marcos.
If passed, Tago said, the bill would authorize the “office of the Chief Minister…to plan and implement the appropriate ceremonies or activities commemorating or in observance of the (regional holiday).”
The BARMM interim Chief Minister is Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim, the immediate successor of the late Salamat as MILF chieftain.
Over policy differences with Misuari, vice chairmen Salamat of Maguindanao and Dimas Pundato of Lanao del Sur bolted the MNLF in 1977, and subsequently formed the MILF and the MNLF-Reformist Group, respectively.
NDF: Another arrest, another obstacle to peace
Propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Philippines (NDFP or NDF) Website (Aug 26, 2019): Another arrest, another obstacle to peace
Press Statement
NDFP Negotiating Panel
August 26, 2019
Release Esterlita Suaybaguio!
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines Negotiating Panel condemns the illegal arrest and detention of Esterlita Suaybaguio, consultant of the NDFP in the peace negotiations with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP). Suaybaguio’s arrest is another obstacle to the peace talks which the Duterte regime wants to bury.
Suaybaguio is covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) with Document of Identification (DI) Number ND 978447 as second consultant for Mindanao. A copy of her DI is deposited in the safety deposit box under the name of Archbishop Joris A.O.L. Vercammen.
The Duterte regime remains on a fascist rampage that adds more and more obstacles to the resumption of the peace negotiations with the NDFP.
Since the unilateral termination of the talks in November 23, 2017, a number of NDFP personnel, including consultants Vic Ladlad, Adel Silva and Rey Casambre, have been rounded up and continue to be imprisoned based on trumped up criminal charges. The Duterte regime’s violations of previous agreements such as the Hague Joint Declaration and the JASIG show its contempt for the aspirations of the Filipino people to achieve a just and lasting peace.
Instead of creating the conditions to enable the resumption of the negotiations, the Duterte regime has unleashed fascist attacks all over the country, especially in Mindanao under martial law as well as in Negros, Bicol and Samar under de facto martial law. To date, Duterte’s Executive Order No. 70 has resulted in the murder of over a hundred activists from different sectors in Negros.
The “anti-insurgency” campaign of the Duterte regime continues to wreak havoc to the human rights of the Filipino people. Duterte’s Proclamation 374 designating the CPP-NPA as so-called terrorist organizations is also used to tag critics of the Duterte regime and social activists as “terrorists” and justify the most brutal attacks against civilians and whole communities marked as bases of the revolutionary movement.
Instead of promoting just peace, the Duterte regime and its military even send psywar and spy teams in schools and communities and even abroad to muddle the facts about the peace talks, sow disinformation on activist organizations and NGOs, and hide the widespread extrajudicial killings and rampant human rights violations in the country.
The NDFP Negotiating Panel calls for the immediate release of Suaybaguio and the dropping of false charges against her, as well as the scores of other detained NDFP consultants and personnel. The intensifying acts of terror manifest the scheme of the Duterte regime to impose fascist dictatorship on the Filipino nation.###
Reference:
Fidel V. Agcaoili
Chairperson
https://www.ndfp.org/another-arrest-another-obstacle-to-peace/
Press Statement
NDFP Negotiating Panel
August 26, 2019
Release Esterlita Suaybaguio!
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines Negotiating Panel condemns the illegal arrest and detention of Esterlita Suaybaguio, consultant of the NDFP in the peace negotiations with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP). Suaybaguio’s arrest is another obstacle to the peace talks which the Duterte regime wants to bury.
Suaybaguio is covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) with Document of Identification (DI) Number ND 978447 as second consultant for Mindanao. A copy of her DI is deposited in the safety deposit box under the name of Archbishop Joris A.O.L. Vercammen.
The Duterte regime remains on a fascist rampage that adds more and more obstacles to the resumption of the peace negotiations with the NDFP.
Since the unilateral termination of the talks in November 23, 2017, a number of NDFP personnel, including consultants Vic Ladlad, Adel Silva and Rey Casambre, have been rounded up and continue to be imprisoned based on trumped up criminal charges. The Duterte regime’s violations of previous agreements such as the Hague Joint Declaration and the JASIG show its contempt for the aspirations of the Filipino people to achieve a just and lasting peace.
Instead of creating the conditions to enable the resumption of the negotiations, the Duterte regime has unleashed fascist attacks all over the country, especially in Mindanao under martial law as well as in Negros, Bicol and Samar under de facto martial law. To date, Duterte’s Executive Order No. 70 has resulted in the murder of over a hundred activists from different sectors in Negros.
The “anti-insurgency” campaign of the Duterte regime continues to wreak havoc to the human rights of the Filipino people. Duterte’s Proclamation 374 designating the CPP-NPA as so-called terrorist organizations is also used to tag critics of the Duterte regime and social activists as “terrorists” and justify the most brutal attacks against civilians and whole communities marked as bases of the revolutionary movement.
Instead of promoting just peace, the Duterte regime and its military even send psywar and spy teams in schools and communities and even abroad to muddle the facts about the peace talks, sow disinformation on activist organizations and NGOs, and hide the widespread extrajudicial killings and rampant human rights violations in the country.
The NDFP Negotiating Panel calls for the immediate release of Suaybaguio and the dropping of false charges against her, as well as the scores of other detained NDFP consultants and personnel. The intensifying acts of terror manifest the scheme of the Duterte regime to impose fascist dictatorship on the Filipino nation.###
Reference:
Fidel V. Agcaoili
Chairperson
https://www.ndfp.org/another-arrest-another-obstacle-to-peace/
CPP: Block sell-out of Philippine oil in Duterte’s 5th China visit
Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Aug 27, 2019): Block sell-out of Philippine oil in Duterte’s 5th China visit
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today urged the Filipino people to guard against the possibility of “another sell-out” over the possibility of the signing of a “lopsided and anomalous” oil drilling agreement when Rodrigo Duterte visits China starting tomorrow.
In a statement released yesterday calling for a “national patriotic front against Chinese economic encroachment and military intrusion,” the CPP argued that “considering the fact that the country has all rights over its exclusive economic zone, such a deal is anomalous and utterly lopsided.”
“The country can freely choose when, how and with whom to carry out the drilling of oil in the area ensuring that it serves primarily the country’s interests.”
Oil reserves in the South China Sea is estimated by Chinese agencies to be worth $60 trillion.
Duterte is set to go on another China visit starting August 27-September 1. This will be his fifth official visit since assuming the presidency in mid-2016 during which the CPP expects him to “commit ever greater acts of treachery.”
The CPP said that in previous visits, “Duterte and his large retinue of big business friends, politicians and family members have received imperial treatment.” It also pointed out that “business deals and state agreements have been forged” where “most have been kept secret.”
The CPP scoffed at Duterte’s statement that he will discuss with Chinese President Xi Jinping the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) which declared invalid China’s historic claims in the West Philippine Sea.
“The mendicant Duterte is merely putting up a purposeless drama to overstate his importance as he has already prejudicially declared he could do nothing if China insists on refusing to recognize the ruling.”
Several new loan agreements and contracts are expected to be signed during Duterte’s visit including China’s proposed joint oil exploration in the West Philippine Sea which the Philippine president has already declared willingness to approve.
https://cpp.ph/2019/08/27/block-sell-out-of-philippine-oil-in-dutertes-5th-china-visit/
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today urged the Filipino people to guard against the possibility of “another sell-out” over the possibility of the signing of a “lopsided and anomalous” oil drilling agreement when Rodrigo Duterte visits China starting tomorrow.
In a statement released yesterday calling for a “national patriotic front against Chinese economic encroachment and military intrusion,” the CPP argued that “considering the fact that the country has all rights over its exclusive economic zone, such a deal is anomalous and utterly lopsided.”
“The country can freely choose when, how and with whom to carry out the drilling of oil in the area ensuring that it serves primarily the country’s interests.”
Oil reserves in the South China Sea is estimated by Chinese agencies to be worth $60 trillion.
Duterte is set to go on another China visit starting August 27-September 1. This will be his fifth official visit since assuming the presidency in mid-2016 during which the CPP expects him to “commit ever greater acts of treachery.”
The CPP said that in previous visits, “Duterte and his large retinue of big business friends, politicians and family members have received imperial treatment.” It also pointed out that “business deals and state agreements have been forged” where “most have been kept secret.”
The CPP scoffed at Duterte’s statement that he will discuss with Chinese President Xi Jinping the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) which declared invalid China’s historic claims in the West Philippine Sea.
“The mendicant Duterte is merely putting up a purposeless drama to overstate his importance as he has already prejudicially declared he could do nothing if China insists on refusing to recognize the ruling.”
Several new loan agreements and contracts are expected to be signed during Duterte’s visit including China’s proposed joint oil exploration in the West Philippine Sea which the Philippine president has already declared willingness to approve.
https://cpp.ph/2019/08/27/block-sell-out-of-philippine-oil-in-dutertes-5th-china-visit/
CPP: CPP demands release of NDFP peace consultant
Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Aug 27, 2019): CPP demands release of NDFP peace consultant
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today demanded the police and military forces to immediately release National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant Esterlita Suaybaguio who was arrested yesterday in an early morning raid at her apartment in Cubao, Quezon City.
The CPP said the arrest of Ms. Suaybaguio by joint military and police forces was carried out in brazen disregard of her rights under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) signed by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the NDFP. According to the NDFP, Ms. Suaybaguio possesses a Document of Identification (DI) with number ND-978447 where she is identified as a consultant for Mindanao concerns.
At the same time, the CPP demanded the release of other NDFP peace consultants Rey Casambre, Vicente Ladlad, Adel Silva, Renante Gamara, Ferdinand Castillo, as well as hundreds of other political prisoners who are suffering from prolonged detention.
The Party denounces the filing of trumped up charges of illegal possession of explosives against Ms. Suaybaguio. The CPP said it holds PNP Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar and AFP Brig. Gen. Alex Luna, who were reported to have led the arrest, directly responsible for the planting of evidence against Ms. Suaybaguio, with the aim of causing her prolonged detention,” said the CPP.
“The arrest of Ms. Suaybaguio is but the latest attack against democratic forces perpetrated by the military and police under Duterte’s undeclared nationwide martial law,” said the CPP. “Ms. Suaybaguio’s arrest again puts to focus the grave abuses perpetrated daily by military and police forces against the people especially in Mindanao under open military rule, as well as in Negros, Samar and Bicol where Duterte has deployed large numbers of military troops,” added the CPP.
“Duterte and his fascist agents are using ‘anti-communism’ and ‘anti-terrorism’ to justify their campaign of suppression against the broad democratic forces which have been actively campaigning against the regime’s brutality, treachery, corruption and oppression against the people.”
https://cpp.ph/2019/08/27/cpp-demands-release-of-ndfp-peace-consultant/
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today demanded the police and military forces to immediately release National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant Esterlita Suaybaguio who was arrested yesterday in an early morning raid at her apartment in Cubao, Quezon City.
The CPP said the arrest of Ms. Suaybaguio by joint military and police forces was carried out in brazen disregard of her rights under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) signed by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the NDFP. According to the NDFP, Ms. Suaybaguio possesses a Document of Identification (DI) with number ND-978447 where she is identified as a consultant for Mindanao concerns.
At the same time, the CPP demanded the release of other NDFP peace consultants Rey Casambre, Vicente Ladlad, Adel Silva, Renante Gamara, Ferdinand Castillo, as well as hundreds of other political prisoners who are suffering from prolonged detention.
The Party denounces the filing of trumped up charges of illegal possession of explosives against Ms. Suaybaguio. The CPP said it holds PNP Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar and AFP Brig. Gen. Alex Luna, who were reported to have led the arrest, directly responsible for the planting of evidence against Ms. Suaybaguio, with the aim of causing her prolonged detention,” said the CPP.
“The arrest of Ms. Suaybaguio is but the latest attack against democratic forces perpetrated by the military and police under Duterte’s undeclared nationwide martial law,” said the CPP. “Ms. Suaybaguio’s arrest again puts to focus the grave abuses perpetrated daily by military and police forces against the people especially in Mindanao under open military rule, as well as in Negros, Samar and Bicol where Duterte has deployed large numbers of military troops,” added the CPP.
“Duterte and his fascist agents are using ‘anti-communism’ and ‘anti-terrorism’ to justify their campaign of suppression against the broad democratic forces which have been actively campaigning against the regime’s brutality, treachery, corruption and oppression against the people.”
https://cpp.ph/2019/08/27/cpp-demands-release-of-ndfp-peace-consultant/
Philippines has 'weak capability' to defend own waters — Lorenzana
From the Philippine Star (Aug 27, 2019): Philippines has 'weak capability' to defend own waters — Lorenzana
MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday admitted that the Armed Forces of the Philippines has a "very weak capability" to respond to intrusions in its waters.
During the budget hearing of the Department of National Defense at the House of Representatives, the Defense chief cited insufficient resources to defend the country's territorial waters.
MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday admitted that the Armed Forces of the Philippines has a "very weak capability" to respond to intrusions in its waters.
During the budget hearing of the Department of National Defense at the House of Representatives, the Defense chief cited insufficient resources to defend the country's territorial waters.
Lorenzana made this comment in reaction to questions raised about the reported presence of Chinese warships and survey vessels inside the Philippine exclusive economic zone.
The Defense chief told the House panel that the Sibutu Strait in Tawi-Tawi will be guarded.
Lorenzana earlier bared that four Chinese warships passed through Sibutu Strait since February.
In an interview with One News' "The Chiefs" earlier this month, Lorenzana said Beijing appears to be "taunting" Manila by deploying warships through Philippine waters.
According to Lorenzana, the Philippine Navy is currently drawing up protocols to challenge foreign warships entering the country's territorial waters.
The secretary, however, clarified that other navies, such as those from the United States. New Zealand, Australian, United Kingdom, Japan and Russia have been passing through Philippine waters, although they inform the government if they are passing through.
"Ang nakapagtataka lang po doon sa Sibutu Strait ay daan nang daan ang mga barkong pandigma ng Tsina. Di man lang sila nagsasabi," Lorenzana told the House panel. (What is puzzling is that Chinese warships keep on passing through Sibutu Strait. They don't even tell us about it)
RELATED: Government vows ‘unfriendly’ response to ship intrusions
"To avoid misunderstanding in the future, the president is putting on notice that beginning today, all foreign vessels passing our territorial waters must notify and get clearance from the proper government authority well in advance of the actual passage," presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on August 20.
The country generally does not require foreign ships to ask permission as it is considered an international maritime passageway.
Chinese warships turn off their automatic identification system when passing through the country's waters, the Defense secretary said.
"Had they just told us that they are coming or they are passing through (there would be no problem)," Lorenzana said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. earlier announced that his department would be firing off a diplomatic protest following the passage of Chinese warships through the Sibutu Strait.
Locsin's decision came after Lorenzana said the Chinese Embassy in Manila should explain why Beijing's warships are entering Philippine waters without informing the government.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/08/27/1946846/philippines-has-weak-capability-defend-own-waters-lorenzana
The Defense chief told the House panel that the Sibutu Strait in Tawi-Tawi will be guarded.
Lorenzana earlier bared that four Chinese warships passed through Sibutu Strait since February.
In an interview with One News' "The Chiefs" earlier this month, Lorenzana said Beijing appears to be "taunting" Manila by deploying warships through Philippine waters.
According to Lorenzana, the Philippine Navy is currently drawing up protocols to challenge foreign warships entering the country's territorial waters.
The secretary, however, clarified that other navies, such as those from the United States. New Zealand, Australian, United Kingdom, Japan and Russia have been passing through Philippine waters, although they inform the government if they are passing through.
"Ang nakapagtataka lang po doon sa Sibutu Strait ay daan nang daan ang mga barkong pandigma ng Tsina. Di man lang sila nagsasabi," Lorenzana told the House panel. (What is puzzling is that Chinese warships keep on passing through Sibutu Strait. They don't even tell us about it)
RELATED: Government vows ‘unfriendly’ response to ship intrusions
"To avoid misunderstanding in the future, the president is putting on notice that beginning today, all foreign vessels passing our territorial waters must notify and get clearance from the proper government authority well in advance of the actual passage," presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on August 20.
The country generally does not require foreign ships to ask permission as it is considered an international maritime passageway.
Chinese warships turn off their automatic identification system when passing through the country's waters, the Defense secretary said.
"Had they just told us that they are coming or they are passing through (there would be no problem)," Lorenzana said.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. earlier announced that his department would be firing off a diplomatic protest following the passage of Chinese warships through the Sibutu Strait.
Locsin's decision came after Lorenzana said the Chinese Embassy in Manila should explain why Beijing's warships are entering Philippine waters without informing the government.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/08/27/1946846/philippines-has-weak-capability-defend-own-waters-lorenzana
Police: Sabah-based Indonesians Facilitated Travel of Suicide Bombers
From BenarNews (Aug 26, 2019): Police: Sabah-based Indonesians Facilitated Travel of Suicide Bombers
Philippine soldiers check the destruction caused by a bomb blast inside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo town, in the Southern province of Sulu, Jan. 28, 2019. AFP
The Indonesian couple who killed 23 people in suicide bombings in the southern Philippines in January travelled there with the help of two Indonesian nationals based in Sabah, Malaysia, police said Monday.
The Jan. 27 twin bombings at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, the capital of Sulu province, were among the worst acts of terror in the Philippines in years. The attacks, which injured more than 100, took almost a year of planning, Philippine authorities say.
They allege that the bombings were planned by Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, who took over as IS leader in the Philippines after Isnilon Hapilon was killed in the battle of Marawi nearly two years ago.
In July, Indonesian National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo identified the suicide bombers as Rullie Rian Zeke and Ulfah Handayani Saleh, a married couple deported from Turkey in 2017 after they allegedly tried to cross its border to enter IS-controlled territory in Syria.
Malaysian authorities declined to specify when Rullie and Ulfah entered Malaysia, but said the couple hatched their plans within a month of getting to know suspected extremists Mohd Ali Suhari, 21, and Marwan Harun, 25, both Indonesians based in the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo.
“With the help of Ali and Marwan, Rullie and Ulfah took a boat ride to Sabah and from the east coast city of Semporna, they took a speedboat to the southern Philippine and later to Jolo,” Malaysia’s counter-terror chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay told BenarNews.
The Indonesian couple became acquainted with Ali and Marwan through their son-in-law, Andi Baso, (alias Zikri or Radit), who travelled with them to the Philippines and is believed to be there still, Ayob told BenarNews.
The two other men, who had been living in Malaysia for years without proper immigration documents, were both arrested – Ali on May 26 and Marwan on July 10, Ayob said.
They face charges of providing assistance to suspected militants trying to enter the southern Philippines via Sabah. They were also believed to be responsible for tracking the movement of funds for IS-linked groups in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, he said.
Ayob noted that Malaysian authorities had previously crippled militant cells that used Sabah as a transit point to penetrate the southern Philippines.
The Malaysian counter terror unit was working with counterparts in Indonesia and the Philippines to tackle terror activities that affect the region, Ayob said.
“It is not easy as we have a porous border to deal with,” he said.
Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington and an expert in Southeast Asian security issues, said Sabah has become an important transit hub for foreign militants trying to get into the southern Philippines after IS’s military defeat in Syria and Iraq.
“Additionally, some of the most important terrorist cells arrested in Malaysia have been in Sabah,” Abuza said in an analysis published recently in The Maritime Executive. “All of this points to the fact that Sabah is not only the crux of Malaysia security, but regional security as well.”
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/malaysian/malaysia-philippines-08262019165254.html
The Jan. 27 twin bombings at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, the capital of Sulu province, were among the worst acts of terror in the Philippines in years. The attacks, which injured more than 100, took almost a year of planning, Philippine authorities say.
They allege that the bombings were planned by Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, who took over as IS leader in the Philippines after Isnilon Hapilon was killed in the battle of Marawi nearly two years ago.
In July, Indonesian National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo identified the suicide bombers as Rullie Rian Zeke and Ulfah Handayani Saleh, a married couple deported from Turkey in 2017 after they allegedly tried to cross its border to enter IS-controlled territory in Syria.
Malaysian authorities declined to specify when Rullie and Ulfah entered Malaysia, but said the couple hatched their plans within a month of getting to know suspected extremists Mohd Ali Suhari, 21, and Marwan Harun, 25, both Indonesians based in the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo.
“With the help of Ali and Marwan, Rullie and Ulfah took a boat ride to Sabah and from the east coast city of Semporna, they took a speedboat to the southern Philippine and later to Jolo,” Malaysia’s counter-terror chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay told BenarNews.
The Indonesian couple became acquainted with Ali and Marwan through their son-in-law, Andi Baso, (alias Zikri or Radit), who travelled with them to the Philippines and is believed to be there still, Ayob told BenarNews.
The two other men, who had been living in Malaysia for years without proper immigration documents, were both arrested – Ali on May 26 and Marwan on July 10, Ayob said.
They face charges of providing assistance to suspected militants trying to enter the southern Philippines via Sabah. They were also believed to be responsible for tracking the movement of funds for IS-linked groups in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, he said.
Ayob noted that Malaysian authorities had previously crippled militant cells that used Sabah as a transit point to penetrate the southern Philippines.
The Malaysian counter terror unit was working with counterparts in Indonesia and the Philippines to tackle terror activities that affect the region, Ayob said.
“It is not easy as we have a porous border to deal with,” he said.
Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington and an expert in Southeast Asian security issues, said Sabah has become an important transit hub for foreign militants trying to get into the southern Philippines after IS’s military defeat in Syria and Iraq.
“Additionally, some of the most important terrorist cells arrested in Malaysia have been in Sabah,” Abuza said in an analysis published recently in The Maritime Executive. “All of this points to the fact that Sabah is not only the crux of Malaysia security, but regional security as well.”
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/malaysian/malaysia-philippines-08262019165254.html
Opinion: All is not quiet on the southern front
Opinion piece by Ernesto M. Hilario posted to the Manila Standard (Aug 27,2019): All is not quiet on the southern front
posted August 27, 2019 at 12:40 am by Ernesto M. Hilario
"It isn't unreasonable to conclude that peace in Mindanao will remain as elusive as ever, unless the jihadist threat is addressed."
posted August 27, 2019 at 12:40 am by Ernesto M. Hilario
"It isn't unreasonable to conclude that peace in Mindanao will remain as elusive as ever, unless the jihadist threat is addressed."
It may be peaceful and quiet in our southern shores for now after decades of violence and bloodshed since the 1970s, but it could well be the calm before the storm.
That’s because the national government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines still face a big challenge in fighting homegrown terrorism.
The terrorist groups identified with the Islamic State that pose a distinct and grave threat to national security include a faction of the Abu Sayyaf Group that gained notoriety since the late 1990s by kidnapping foreign tourists and keeping them captive only until hefty ransom was paid. The days when the Abu Sayyaf could undertake kidnapping for ransom both inland and in the high seas, as well as deadly bombings with impunity, may be over for now, but they remain a serious threat so the military needs to hunt them down and bring them to justice.
The Maute Group that laid siege on Marawi City for five months in 2017 may have been largely decimated as a result of their defeat in the hands of the AFP two years ago. But we should not discount the possibility that remnants of this group could be reorganizing their forces, linking up with like-minded groups and beefing up their arsenal as we speak in preparation for another attack.
The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) is composed of an estimated 3,000 fighters who broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The latter, which also broke away from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in the late 1970s, waged war against the government for nearly two decades but agreed to peace talks with the government.
Besides these, there are other small groups believed to have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State and its goal of establishing a Southeast Asian caliphate based in Mindanao.
What’s really disturbing about the Marawi siege in 2017 was the reported presence of foreign terrorists among the Maute group as confirmed by the military. Among those from the terrorist group killed were Malaysians, Singaporeans, and Indonesians who had been aiding locals in bomb-making. The AFP confirmed that dozens of foreign jihadis fought alongside the Maute Group in Marawi. Of the estimated 400-500 terrorists who attacked the Muslim city, as many as 40 had recently come from overseas. They included Indonesians, Malaysians, at least one Pakistani, a Saudi, a Chechen, a Yemeni, an Indian, a Moroccan and another man with a Turkish passport.
Why the influx of foreign jihadists to Mindanao? According to Rohan Gunaratna, a security expert at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, because the Islamic state has been losing territory in Iraq and Syria, jihadists are turning their attention to Muslim Mindanao as a possible wilayat or province of IS in Southeast Asia.
Another disturbing development is the recent case of suicide bombing by a Filipino in Mindanao. This is a first as previous incidents involved only foreigners. This underscores the need for the military and the police to step up target hardening and to encourage soft targets such as shopping malls to be aware of security threats and draw up the corresponding security plans.
The revelation that foreign jihadists have been operating in southern Philippines alongside locals confirms fears that indeed, the Islamic State has made inroads in Muslim Mindanao. We’ve known in the past that some foreigners had managed to slip into the country and join rebel groups as trainers in bomb-making and other covert activities. But the actual participation of foreigners in combat against government troops shows that ISIS may have fielded more of their savage followers to southern Philippines, complicating what is already a volatile situation.
President Duterte had already warned as early as 2017 that IS would be a big headache for the Philippine government if they are able to unite the various terror groups in Mindanao with their vision of a caliphate in southern Philippines. The Marawi siege appears to have been part of a plot to occupy territory that they can later convert or consolidate into an IS province. That unwelcome possibility makes it necessary for the government to move decisively and dismantle the jihadist apparatus in the country with all the resources at its command. It is imperative for the military to relentlessly pursue terrorist groups so that they can be brought to justice for heinous crimes. Given all this, it isn’t unreasonable to conclude that peace in Mindanao will remain as elusive as ever, unless the jihadist threat is addressed with a combination of military and political measures, as well as socio-economic initiatives
ernhil@yahoo.com
http://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/about-town-by-ernesto-m-hilario.html
That’s because the national government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines still face a big challenge in fighting homegrown terrorism.
The terrorist groups identified with the Islamic State that pose a distinct and grave threat to national security include a faction of the Abu Sayyaf Group that gained notoriety since the late 1990s by kidnapping foreign tourists and keeping them captive only until hefty ransom was paid. The days when the Abu Sayyaf could undertake kidnapping for ransom both inland and in the high seas, as well as deadly bombings with impunity, may be over for now, but they remain a serious threat so the military needs to hunt them down and bring them to justice.
The Maute Group that laid siege on Marawi City for five months in 2017 may have been largely decimated as a result of their defeat in the hands of the AFP two years ago. But we should not discount the possibility that remnants of this group could be reorganizing their forces, linking up with like-minded groups and beefing up their arsenal as we speak in preparation for another attack.
The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) is composed of an estimated 3,000 fighters who broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The latter, which also broke away from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in the late 1970s, waged war against the government for nearly two decades but agreed to peace talks with the government.
Besides these, there are other small groups believed to have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State and its goal of establishing a Southeast Asian caliphate based in Mindanao.
What’s really disturbing about the Marawi siege in 2017 was the reported presence of foreign terrorists among the Maute group as confirmed by the military. Among those from the terrorist group killed were Malaysians, Singaporeans, and Indonesians who had been aiding locals in bomb-making. The AFP confirmed that dozens of foreign jihadis fought alongside the Maute Group in Marawi. Of the estimated 400-500 terrorists who attacked the Muslim city, as many as 40 had recently come from overseas. They included Indonesians, Malaysians, at least one Pakistani, a Saudi, a Chechen, a Yemeni, an Indian, a Moroccan and another man with a Turkish passport.
Why the influx of foreign jihadists to Mindanao? According to Rohan Gunaratna, a security expert at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, because the Islamic state has been losing territory in Iraq and Syria, jihadists are turning their attention to Muslim Mindanao as a possible wilayat or province of IS in Southeast Asia.
Another disturbing development is the recent case of suicide bombing by a Filipino in Mindanao. This is a first as previous incidents involved only foreigners. This underscores the need for the military and the police to step up target hardening and to encourage soft targets such as shopping malls to be aware of security threats and draw up the corresponding security plans.
The revelation that foreign jihadists have been operating in southern Philippines alongside locals confirms fears that indeed, the Islamic State has made inroads in Muslim Mindanao. We’ve known in the past that some foreigners had managed to slip into the country and join rebel groups as trainers in bomb-making and other covert activities. But the actual participation of foreigners in combat against government troops shows that ISIS may have fielded more of their savage followers to southern Philippines, complicating what is already a volatile situation.
President Duterte had already warned as early as 2017 that IS would be a big headache for the Philippine government if they are able to unite the various terror groups in Mindanao with their vision of a caliphate in southern Philippines. The Marawi siege appears to have been part of a plot to occupy territory that they can later convert or consolidate into an IS province. That unwelcome possibility makes it necessary for the government to move decisively and dismantle the jihadist apparatus in the country with all the resources at its command. It is imperative for the military to relentlessly pursue terrorist groups so that they can be brought to justice for heinous crimes. Given all this, it isn’t unreasonable to conclude that peace in Mindanao will remain as elusive as ever, unless the jihadist threat is addressed with a combination of military and political measures, as well as socio-economic initiatives
ernhil@yahoo.com
http://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/about-town-by-ernesto-m-hilario.html
Duterte orders creation of coordinating body with MNLF to discuss peace efforts in Sulu
From GMA News (Aug 27, 2019): Duterte orders creation of coordinating body with MNLF to discuss peace efforts in Sulu
President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the creation of a coordinating body between the government and Nur Misuari-led Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to address the security issues in Sulu, a known hotbed of Abu Sayyaf militants.
Duterte relayed this plan during his meeting last Friday with Misuari, MNLF’s founding chairman, and other government officials in Davao City, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Tuesday.
Duterte relayed this plan during his meeting last Friday with Misuari, MNLF’s founding chairman, and other government officials in Davao City, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Tuesday.
For the fourth time this year, President Rodrigo Duterte meets with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman Nur Misuari. Senator Bong Go, Duterte's former top aide, said the meeting took place in Davao City over the weekend. Photo courtesy: Sen. Bong Go
Panelo said the President instructed the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) led by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. to convene the body by the second week of September in Davao “for agenda setting and for the start of discussions.”
“The GPH-MNLF Coordinating Committee will serve as a venue to seek for the cooperation of the MNLF to achieve immediate peace in Sulu by, among others, helping in combatting the Abu Sayyaf Group and convincing MNLF relatives to return to the folds of the law,” Panelo said.
“The GPH-MNLF Coordinating Committee can expect the full support of the Office of the President as we move towards our common goal of resolving the conflict that have caused deaths, suffering, and dislocation among the Muslims and Christians alike.”
Panelo said Misuari “wished” that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) be involved in the consultations, similar to the previous tripartite talks with GPH, MNLF and the OIC, “to determine the remaining compliance” of the Philippine government in the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the MNLF.
MNLF’s rival rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), also struck a final peace deal with the government which led to the enactment last year of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), the foundation of the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Duterte earlier expressed hope that Misuari would accept the “same terms” the national government had extended to the MILF, whose key leaders were now running the BARMM.
The new region had expanded land and water jurisdiction, fiscal autonomy, and an increased share in national government resources as provided under the BOL.
“In resolving the Muslim rebellion in Mindanao, every undertaking that may lead to lasting peace and prosperity to that region must be tried and tested until its fruition,” Panelo said, adding Duterte “will walk the extra mile to bring harmony to the country and the nation.”
It was the fourth meeting between Duterte and Misuari this year. Their past three meetings took place in Malacañang.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/705878/duterte-orders-creation-of-coordinating-body-with-mnlf-to-discuss-peace-efforts-in-sulu/story/
“The GPH-MNLF Coordinating Committee will serve as a venue to seek for the cooperation of the MNLF to achieve immediate peace in Sulu by, among others, helping in combatting the Abu Sayyaf Group and convincing MNLF relatives to return to the folds of the law,” Panelo said.
“The GPH-MNLF Coordinating Committee can expect the full support of the Office of the President as we move towards our common goal of resolving the conflict that have caused deaths, suffering, and dislocation among the Muslims and Christians alike.”
Panelo said Misuari “wished” that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) be involved in the consultations, similar to the previous tripartite talks with GPH, MNLF and the OIC, “to determine the remaining compliance” of the Philippine government in the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the MNLF.
MNLF’s rival rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), also struck a final peace deal with the government which led to the enactment last year of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), the foundation of the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Duterte earlier expressed hope that Misuari would accept the “same terms” the national government had extended to the MILF, whose key leaders were now running the BARMM.
The new region had expanded land and water jurisdiction, fiscal autonomy, and an increased share in national government resources as provided under the BOL.
“In resolving the Muslim rebellion in Mindanao, every undertaking that may lead to lasting peace and prosperity to that region must be tried and tested until its fruition,” Panelo said, adding Duterte “will walk the extra mile to bring harmony to the country and the nation.”
It was the fourth meeting between Duterte and Misuari this year. Their past three meetings took place in Malacañang.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/705878/duterte-orders-creation-of-coordinating-body-with-mnlf-to-discuss-peace-efforts-in-sulu/story/
Misuari wants to include OIC in Mindanao peace talks
From ABS-CBN (Aug 27, 2019): Misuari wants to include OIC in Mindanao peace talks
President Rodrigo Duterte speaks with MNLF founding chairman Nur Misuari. Photo courtesy of Sen. Bong Go
Moro National Liberation Front founding chairman Nur Misuari wants to include the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in talks with the government on peace efforts in Mindanao, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Misuari made the remark in his meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City last Friday, where the chief executive called for a coordinating body for peace talks between the government and the MNLF.
"He (Misuari) wished that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) be involved in the consultations, similar to the previous tripartite talks with GPH (Government of the Philippines), MNLF and the OIC, to determine the remaining compliance of the GPH in the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the MNLF,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
In 1996, the government under former president Fidel Ramos forged a peace accord with the Misuari-led MNLF with the aid of the OIC. The agreement earned both Ramos and Misuari the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize in 1997.
In the fresh round of talks set to start next month, Panelo said the government would seek the MNLF's help in combatting local terror group Abu Sayyaf to achieve peace in Sulu.
Duterte has repeatedly said he hopes to reach an agreement with Misuari, whom he earlier said warned him of war should government fail to pursue a shift to federalism.
Misuari is a former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the entity superseded by the Bangsamoro region.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/27/19/misuari-wants-to-include-oic-in-mindanao-peace-talks
Misuari made the remark in his meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City last Friday, where the chief executive called for a coordinating body for peace talks between the government and the MNLF.
"He (Misuari) wished that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) be involved in the consultations, similar to the previous tripartite talks with GPH (Government of the Philippines), MNLF and the OIC, to determine the remaining compliance of the GPH in the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the MNLF,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
In 1996, the government under former president Fidel Ramos forged a peace accord with the Misuari-led MNLF with the aid of the OIC. The agreement earned both Ramos and Misuari the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize in 1997.
In the fresh round of talks set to start next month, Panelo said the government would seek the MNLF's help in combatting local terror group Abu Sayyaf to achieve peace in Sulu.
Duterte has repeatedly said he hopes to reach an agreement with Misuari, whom he earlier said warned him of war should government fail to pursue a shift to federalism.
Misuari is a former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the entity superseded by the Bangsamoro region.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/27/19/misuari-wants-to-include-oic-in-mindanao-peace-talks
Youth organization blasts military official for red-tagging of leftist groups
From InterAksyon (Aug 26, 2019): Youth organization blasts military official for red-tagging of leftist groups
The Spectrum, the university’s student publication, said the symposium was about Security Situationer and Drug Education to raise awareness to the students on the issues of national peace and security and the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country.
Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod (Brown Eagle/Released)
A student organization denounced a military official’s claim that leftist groups are recruiting students to become communist rebels.
Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo of the Armed Forces of the Philippines spoke at a symposium in the University of St. La Salle last August 24 and presented a list of logos of leftist groups tagged as communists.
Among those shown in the Arevalo’s presentation were the logos of Kabataan Party-list, Anakbayan and the Catholic Editors Guild of the Philippines or CEGP.
The event was a two-part seminar organized by the university’s National Service Training Program or NSTP.
The CEGP called out Arevalo for his claim, branding his action as a desperate move to destroy the reputation of these organizations.
“Although this was not the first time that such incidents like this happened, this is just one of the many manifestations how stupid and pathetic our state has become, vilifying these genuine organizations,” the group said on Facebook.
CEGP National President Daryl Baybado further criticized the general’s speech as a “propagation of lies” that sought to influence students.
“With Duterte’s continuous propagation of lies, this clearly shows that his minions are good for nothing. These blatant attacks against progressive groups are outright violations of our democratic rights because these groups have been genuinely fighting for the interest of the toiling masses,” Baybado said in the post.
One of the attendees of Arevalo’s talk shared screenshots of his presentation showing basic information on the Communist Party of the Philippines, its armed wing the New People’s Army or NPA, and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines or NDF.
One of the photos showed logos of the progressive groups which the general alleged to be members of the CPP-NPA-NDF.
Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo of the Armed Forces of the Philippines spoke at a symposium in the University of St. La Salle last August 24 and presented a list of logos of leftist groups tagged as communists.
Among those shown in the Arevalo’s presentation were the logos of Kabataan Party-list, Anakbayan and the Catholic Editors Guild of the Philippines or CEGP.
The event was a two-part seminar organized by the university’s National Service Training Program or NSTP.
The CEGP called out Arevalo for his claim, branding his action as a desperate move to destroy the reputation of these organizations.
“Although this was not the first time that such incidents like this happened, this is just one of the many manifestations how stupid and pathetic our state has become, vilifying these genuine organizations,” the group said on Facebook.
CEGP National President Daryl Baybado further criticized the general’s speech as a “propagation of lies” that sought to influence students.
“With Duterte’s continuous propagation of lies, this clearly shows that his minions are good for nothing. These blatant attacks against progressive groups are outright violations of our democratic rights because these groups have been genuinely fighting for the interest of the toiling masses,” Baybado said in the post.
One of the attendees of Arevalo’s talk shared screenshots of his presentation showing basic information on the Communist Party of the Philippines, its armed wing the New People’s Army or NPA, and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines or NDF.
One of the photos showed logos of the progressive groups which the general alleged to be members of the CPP-NPA-NDF.
The military is conducting a talk at University of St. La Salle Integrated School, Bacolod on the CPP-NPA-NDF redtagging national democratic mass organizations. Ito ba 'yung "indoctrination" na gusto ninyong gawin? You want the same freedom para manira ng progressive orgs?
The Spectrum, the university’s student publication, said the symposium was about Security Situationer and Drug Education to raise awareness to the students on the issues of national peace and security and the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country.
Arevalo was invited as resource person for the Security Situationer forum.
The NSTP office did not expect him to show a list of red-tagged bodies in discussing the CPP-NPA-NDF.
“I think that’s part of their campaign to let the students be aware that if they’re not conscious enough of various organizations, there’s a possibility that they will be joining these organizations,” said Dexter Ian Tabujara, Head NSTP Cluster Coordinator.
Issues on red-tagging
Brown Eagle, the Facebook page of 303rd Infantry Brigade in Negros Occidental, shared that Arevalo’s discussion was titled “Deceptive Youth Recruitment Strategy of the CPP-NPA-NDF,” which included a three-minute animated film on the NPA’s supposed recruitment of the youth through encroaching educational institutions.
Arevalo also claimed that many young NPA members already got killed during encounters with the military.
“The government respects the academic freedom and allows the people to express what they want and critic the flaws they see in the society. However, when a person starts to take up arms or support terrorist organizations like the CPP-NPA, that is already against the law and the government will act upon it,” he said.
He also shared a confusing statement on the practice of academic freedom and militarization.
“There is a tendency of some universities to think that it is only through hearing leftist ideas that they are able to practice academic freedom but when the military is seen and heard in the campuses, they call it militarization. This is another lie and deception,” he added.
It should be noted that most of the red-tagged names in Arevalo’s list are unarmed and are calling for the military to cease their assertions of the youth’s involvement with the communist rebels.
This development came after two of the five missing students purported to have been forcefully recruited by the NPA surfaced to the media.
The NSTP office did not expect him to show a list of red-tagged bodies in discussing the CPP-NPA-NDF.
“I think that’s part of their campaign to let the students be aware that if they’re not conscious enough of various organizations, there’s a possibility that they will be joining these organizations,” said Dexter Ian Tabujara, Head NSTP Cluster Coordinator.
Issues on red-tagging
Brown Eagle, the Facebook page of 303rd Infantry Brigade in Negros Occidental, shared that Arevalo’s discussion was titled “Deceptive Youth Recruitment Strategy of the CPP-NPA-NDF,” which included a three-minute animated film on the NPA’s supposed recruitment of the youth through encroaching educational institutions.
Arevalo also claimed that many young NPA members already got killed during encounters with the military.
“The government respects the academic freedom and allows the people to express what they want and critic the flaws they see in the society. However, when a person starts to take up arms or support terrorist organizations like the CPP-NPA, that is already against the law and the government will act upon it,” he said.
He also shared a confusing statement on the practice of academic freedom and militarization.
“There is a tendency of some universities to think that it is only through hearing leftist ideas that they are able to practice academic freedom but when the military is seen and heard in the campuses, they call it militarization. This is another lie and deception,” he added.
It should be noted that most of the red-tagged names in Arevalo’s list are unarmed and are calling for the military to cease their assertions of the youth’s involvement with the communist rebels.
This development came after two of the five missing students purported to have been forcefully recruited by the NPA surfaced to the media.
Anti-insurgency task force to get P500 million
From the Philippine Star (Aug 27, 2019): Anti-insurgency task force to get P500 million
The P522-million funding for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) was contained in the proposed P4.1 trillion national budget for 2020 submitted to Congress this week. File
An inter-agency task force created to end the insurgency problem was allocated more than P500 million to fund its programs including the development of conflict-affected communities next year.
The P522-million funding for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) was contained in the proposed P4.1 trillion national budget for 2020 submitted to Congress this week.
Of the amount, P85 million will be placed under the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and P96 million to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
Over half of the budget, or P284 million will go to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the remaining P57 million to other member-agencies tasked to handle the development of conflict-affected and vulnerable communities.
The task force is chaired by President Duterte.
The President created the NTC-ELCAC in December through Executive Order 70 as part of the administration’s “whole-of-nation” approach in ending the 50-year- old insurgency problem and promote peace.
Other members of the task force are the secretaries and heads of the departments of justice, public works and highways, budget and management, finance, agrarian reform and education as well as the Presidential Communications and Operations Office, National Economic Development Authority and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, among others.
Officials estimated the insurgency waged by the New People’s Army (NPA) killed over 40,000 people.
The NPA is the armed wing of the National Democratic Front, which has the Communist Party of the Philippines as its political arm.
The government revived what it termed as “localized peace talks” with NPA leaders as the NDF has reportedly lost control of some of its communist fronts.
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2019/08/27/1946633/anti-insurgency-task-force-get-p500-million
An inter-agency task force created to end the insurgency problem was allocated more than P500 million to fund its programs including the development of conflict-affected communities next year.
The P522-million funding for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) was contained in the proposed P4.1 trillion national budget for 2020 submitted to Congress this week.
Of the amount, P85 million will be placed under the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and P96 million to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
Over half of the budget, or P284 million will go to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the remaining P57 million to other member-agencies tasked to handle the development of conflict-affected and vulnerable communities.
The task force is chaired by President Duterte.
The President created the NTC-ELCAC in December through Executive Order 70 as part of the administration’s “whole-of-nation” approach in ending the 50-year- old insurgency problem and promote peace.
Other members of the task force are the secretaries and heads of the departments of justice, public works and highways, budget and management, finance, agrarian reform and education as well as the Presidential Communications and Operations Office, National Economic Development Authority and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, among others.
Officials estimated the insurgency waged by the New People’s Army (NPA) killed over 40,000 people.
The NPA is the armed wing of the National Democratic Front, which has the Communist Party of the Philippines as its political arm.
The government revived what it termed as “localized peace talks” with NPA leaders as the NDF has reportedly lost control of some of its communist fronts.
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2019/08/27/1946633/anti-insurgency-task-force-get-p500-million
Envoy says EU not funding CPP, NPA being terrorists groups
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Aug 27, 2019): Envoy says EU not funding CPP, NPA being terrorists groups
Outgoing European Union Ambassador Franz Jessen. GAB LALU / INQUIRER.net
Outgoing European Union Ambassador Franz Jessen. GAB LALU / INQUIRER.net
Saying that it is against their legislation, outgoing European Union (EU) Ambassador Franz Jessen has denied the allegation that the organization is financially supporting the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA).
Jessen said that as the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has been listed as a terrorist group by the EU, any assistance given to it will be a violation of the organization’s legislation.
“For the EU, the CPP has been in our list of terrorist organizations. If in any form we were seen supporting that, we would be violating our legislation on terrorists,” he said in a breakfast with Manila-based reporters on Tuesday.
Last March, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo confirmed that National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. had sent a letter to the EU Counter Terrorism coordinator, asking that the organization stop funding the supposed legal fronts of the CPP.
Esperon claims the EU funds were supposedly being used to support terrorist activities of the NPA.
READ: Palace: EU money backing CPP-NPA ‘fronts’ used to destabilize gov’t
READ: Philippines officially asks EU to stop funding alleged CPP-NPA front
A probe of the allegation was conducted by the Philippine government and the EU with Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy claiming that the EU and Belgium have nearly finished cutting ties with alleged CPP fronts.
READ: EU to probe if funds used by Reds
READ: EU, Belgium trace funding for CPP fronts—AFP Exec
READ: Badoy: EU, Belgium almost done cutting CPP-linked fronts’ funding
Jessen also clarified that the EU does not dismiss the Philippine government’s findings and claims as baseless, as the Philippine government is more knowledgeable of the areas and organizations being EU is supporting.
“It’s not baseless, the Philippines is a big country and some of the activities that are being supported are far away. The government has information that we do not have, so these would be helpful,” he explained.
“We do due diligence, we have a number of requirements for NGOs, we also have a financing check […] We don’t want to support a terrorist organization,” he added.
The EU and President Rodrigo Duterte do not have the smoothest of relations, especially after Duterte called the organization out for commenting on the administration’s war against illegal drugs. He also called on Filipinos to listen only to him, and not to “idiots” inside the EU.
Duterte also told EU delegates to “go to hell” for imposing ‘white’ and ‘crazy’ values over Filipinos supposedly in exchange for aid.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1157980/envoy-says-eu-not-funding-cpp-npa-being-terrorists-groups
Jessen said that as the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has been listed as a terrorist group by the EU, any assistance given to it will be a violation of the organization’s legislation.
“For the EU, the CPP has been in our list of terrorist organizations. If in any form we were seen supporting that, we would be violating our legislation on terrorists,” he said in a breakfast with Manila-based reporters on Tuesday.
Last March, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo confirmed that National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. had sent a letter to the EU Counter Terrorism coordinator, asking that the organization stop funding the supposed legal fronts of the CPP.
Esperon claims the EU funds were supposedly being used to support terrorist activities of the NPA.
READ: Palace: EU money backing CPP-NPA ‘fronts’ used to destabilize gov’t
READ: Philippines officially asks EU to stop funding alleged CPP-NPA front
A probe of the allegation was conducted by the Philippine government and the EU with Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy claiming that the EU and Belgium have nearly finished cutting ties with alleged CPP fronts.
READ: EU to probe if funds used by Reds
READ: EU, Belgium trace funding for CPP fronts—AFP Exec
READ: Badoy: EU, Belgium almost done cutting CPP-linked fronts’ funding
Jessen also clarified that the EU does not dismiss the Philippine government’s findings and claims as baseless, as the Philippine government is more knowledgeable of the areas and organizations being EU is supporting.
“It’s not baseless, the Philippines is a big country and some of the activities that are being supported are far away. The government has information that we do not have, so these would be helpful,” he explained.
“We do due diligence, we have a number of requirements for NGOs, we also have a financing check […] We don’t want to support a terrorist organization,” he added.
The EU and President Rodrigo Duterte do not have the smoothest of relations, especially after Duterte called the organization out for commenting on the administration’s war against illegal drugs. He also called on Filipinos to listen only to him, and not to “idiots” inside the EU.
Duterte also told EU delegates to “go to hell” for imposing ‘white’ and ‘crazy’ values over Filipinos supposedly in exchange for aid.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1157980/envoy-says-eu-not-funding-cpp-npa-being-terrorists-groups
MISLEADING: Photos of 'UP students killed' after joining NPA
Posted to Rappler (Aug 27, 2019): MISLEADING: Photos of 'UP students killed' after joining NPA
Benjaline Hernandez and Melissa Roxas, both civilians, are neither UP students nor New People's Army members. Roxas is also still alive.
Benjaline Hernandez and Melissa Roxas, both civilians, are neither UP students nor New People's Army members. Roxas is also still alive.
Claim: A Facebook page We Support AFP posted several photos of supposed University of the Philippines (UP) students who were killed after joining the New People’s Army (NPA).
The caption on the post said, "Ang listahan ng mga UP students na sumali sa NPA, at namatay." (List of UP students who joined the NPA and died)
Three of the supposed students in the photos were identified as Benjaline Hernandez, Recca Noelle Monte, and Melissa Roxas.
The photo of Hernandez showed details about the date she was supposedly killed, along with her affiliation. Next to her was a photo of Monte, which showed a message praising her for her contribution to the cause.
Four of Roxas' pictures, on the other hand, were compared against each other to confirm her identity through the earrings she was wearing and a mole on her neck.
The claim was posted on March 17, 2018. Data from the social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle showed that it has since been shared for over 16,000 times with almost 3,000 reactions and 500 comments. It resurfaced weeks after a senior high school student went "missing" and was allegedly kidnapped by Anakbayan. (READ: Youth activist to military: Don’t use me to railroad your agenda)
Rating: MISLEADING
The facts: Not all the individuals named were UP students or NPA members. Hernandez and Roxas are both human rights activists. Hernandez died in 2002, while Roxas is still alive. (READ: CHR reminds government: Activism is a right)
The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) told Rappler that Hernandez "never became a UP student" and "was not an NPA."
Hernandez was a human rights activist killed on April 5, 2002 together with 3 other civilians during a fact-finding mission in a Lumad community in Arakan Valley, North Cotabato. The perpetrators were members of the Citizens Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) led by Master Sergeant Antonio Torilla.
Hernandez was deputy secretary-general of Karapatan Southern Mindanao Region, vice-president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), and was a campus journalist of Atenews, the official student publication of the Ateneo de Davao University. (READ: #TruthNeverDies: 'Killing a journalist does not kill the truth')
Karapatan, who keeps records on human rights activists, also dismissed the claim that Roxas is already dead. "Melissa Roxas is still alive today. She is not an NPA. She is a cultural worker," they said.
Roxas did not study at UP as well. A Filipino-American activist affiliated with Bayan-USA, she was only visiting the Philippines to do community work. While she was in Tarlac province for an immersion program, armed men abductedand tortured her in a military camp for 6 days in May 2009. They tried to force her to admit she was an NPA member but she refused.
Roxas identified these men as elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). In an ABS-CBN article, then-Bantay representative Jovito Palparan and Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD) Representative Jun Alcover accused her of training in an NPA camp in Aurora province based on a video. Roxas’ camp dismissed the allegations.
An investigative report was released on June 2009 “[clearing] the military from any involvement in her alleged abduction and torture.” She returned to the Philippines in 2014 to seek justice.
It is true that Monte was an engineering UP student who joined the NPA in 2002. She was killed in September 2014 during a military operation in Abra province. (READ: ‘Never be silenced’: U.P. community leads walkout vs campus militarization)
This is the 3rd time in August that a claim was fact-checked in relation to youth activism. (READ: FALSE: Palparan innocent over 2006 abduction of 2 missing UP students)
On August 13, a quote that was attributed to Kabataan party-list Representative Sarah Elago was rated false. (READ: FALSE: Sarah Elago’s ‘response’ to parents of student activists)
The page We Support AFP describes itself as a "Facebook page where you will find news, events, videos, and photos highlighting our Filipino Soldiers."
Karapatan is a non-governmental organization that promotes and protects human rights in the Philippines. – Glenda Marie Castro/ Rappler.com
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/238201-up-students-killed-after-joining-npa
The caption on the post said, "Ang listahan ng mga UP students na sumali sa NPA, at namatay." (List of UP students who joined the NPA and died)
Three of the supposed students in the photos were identified as Benjaline Hernandez, Recca Noelle Monte, and Melissa Roxas.
The photo of Hernandez showed details about the date she was supposedly killed, along with her affiliation. Next to her was a photo of Monte, which showed a message praising her for her contribution to the cause.
Four of Roxas' pictures, on the other hand, were compared against each other to confirm her identity through the earrings she was wearing and a mole on her neck.
The claim was posted on March 17, 2018. Data from the social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle showed that it has since been shared for over 16,000 times with almost 3,000 reactions and 500 comments. It resurfaced weeks after a senior high school student went "missing" and was allegedly kidnapped by Anakbayan. (READ: Youth activist to military: Don’t use me to railroad your agenda)
Rating: MISLEADING
The facts: Not all the individuals named were UP students or NPA members. Hernandez and Roxas are both human rights activists. Hernandez died in 2002, while Roxas is still alive. (READ: CHR reminds government: Activism is a right)
The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) told Rappler that Hernandez "never became a UP student" and "was not an NPA."
Hernandez was a human rights activist killed on April 5, 2002 together with 3 other civilians during a fact-finding mission in a Lumad community in Arakan Valley, North Cotabato. The perpetrators were members of the Citizens Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) led by Master Sergeant Antonio Torilla.
Hernandez was deputy secretary-general of Karapatan Southern Mindanao Region, vice-president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), and was a campus journalist of Atenews, the official student publication of the Ateneo de Davao University. (READ: #TruthNeverDies: 'Killing a journalist does not kill the truth')
Karapatan, who keeps records on human rights activists, also dismissed the claim that Roxas is already dead. "Melissa Roxas is still alive today. She is not an NPA. She is a cultural worker," they said.
Roxas did not study at UP as well. A Filipino-American activist affiliated with Bayan-USA, she was only visiting the Philippines to do community work. While she was in Tarlac province for an immersion program, armed men abductedand tortured her in a military camp for 6 days in May 2009. They tried to force her to admit she was an NPA member but she refused.
Roxas identified these men as elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). In an ABS-CBN article, then-Bantay representative Jovito Palparan and Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD) Representative Jun Alcover accused her of training in an NPA camp in Aurora province based on a video. Roxas’ camp dismissed the allegations.
An investigative report was released on June 2009 “[clearing] the military from any involvement in her alleged abduction and torture.” She returned to the Philippines in 2014 to seek justice.
It is true that Monte was an engineering UP student who joined the NPA in 2002. She was killed in September 2014 during a military operation in Abra province. (READ: ‘Never be silenced’: U.P. community leads walkout vs campus militarization)
This is the 3rd time in August that a claim was fact-checked in relation to youth activism. (READ: FALSE: Palparan innocent over 2006 abduction of 2 missing UP students)
On August 13, a quote that was attributed to Kabataan party-list Representative Sarah Elago was rated false. (READ: FALSE: Sarah Elago’s ‘response’ to parents of student activists)
The page We Support AFP describes itself as a "Facebook page where you will find news, events, videos, and photos highlighting our Filipino Soldiers."
Karapatan is a non-governmental organization that promotes and protects human rights in the Philippines. – Glenda Marie Castro/ Rappler.com
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/238201-up-students-killed-after-joining-npa
Ranking communist leader nabbed in QC
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 27, 2019): Ranking communist leader nabbed in QC
Mugshot of arrested CPP-NPA central committee member Esterlita Suaybaguio. (Photo courtesy: QCPD)
Mugshot of arrested CPP-NPA central committee member Esterlita Suaybaguio. (Photo courtesy: QCPD)
Authorities arrested a high-ranking leader of the central committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) in Quezon City on Monday.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde, identified the suspect as Esterlita Suaybaguio, secretary of the Metro Manila Regional Party Committee (MMRPC) of the CPP-NPA.
Suaybaguio was arrested in a search warrant operation in her unit at Escalades Condominium Tower 5, 20th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City at around 1:50 a.m., for illegal possession of firearms.
Suaybaguio, a former professor in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, was secretary of the communist movement's Southern Mindanao Regional Party Committee and Komisyon Mindanao (KOMMID).
She was handpicked by the CPP's Central Committee to jumpstart and lead the resurgence of communism in Metro Manila.
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the military’s Joint Task Force NCR conducted the operation by virtue of a search warrant issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 89 Judge Cecilyn E. Burgos-Villavert on August 23, for violations of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act); and of Section 3 of Presidential Decree 1866 as amended by Republic Act 9516 (Unlawful Manufacture, Sales, Acquisition, Disposition, Importation or Possession of an Explosive or Incendiary Device).
Recovered during the search were one 9mm pistol with SN JPS 101866, one magazine assembly with seven rounds of ammunition; one hand grenade; and subversive documents.
The suspect is also facing three previous cases -- for multiple murder, for multiple frustrated murder and for the murder of Patrolman Ronald U. Napalan Jr. at Sitio Lobo, Brgy. Mahaba, Cabadbaran City last June 29.
The suspect was brought to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) of the Quezon City Police District for booking procedures and medical examination.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078736
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde, identified the suspect as Esterlita Suaybaguio, secretary of the Metro Manila Regional Party Committee (MMRPC) of the CPP-NPA.
Suaybaguio was arrested in a search warrant operation in her unit at Escalades Condominium Tower 5, 20th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City at around 1:50 a.m., for illegal possession of firearms.
Suaybaguio, a former professor in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, was secretary of the communist movement's Southern Mindanao Regional Party Committee and Komisyon Mindanao (KOMMID).
She was handpicked by the CPP's Central Committee to jumpstart and lead the resurgence of communism in Metro Manila.
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the military’s Joint Task Force NCR conducted the operation by virtue of a search warrant issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 89 Judge Cecilyn E. Burgos-Villavert on August 23, for violations of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act); and of Section 3 of Presidential Decree 1866 as amended by Republic Act 9516 (Unlawful Manufacture, Sales, Acquisition, Disposition, Importation or Possession of an Explosive or Incendiary Device).
Recovered during the search were one 9mm pistol with SN JPS 101866, one magazine assembly with seven rounds of ammunition; one hand grenade; and subversive documents.
The suspect is also facing three previous cases -- for multiple murder, for multiple frustrated murder and for the murder of Patrolman Ronald U. Napalan Jr. at Sitio Lobo, Brgy. Mahaba, Cabadbaran City last June 29.
The suspect was brought to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) of the Quezon City Police District for booking procedures and medical examination.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078736
AFP-CRS: Hand in Hand Towards Normalization
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Aug 26, 2019): Hand in Hand Towards Normalization
“One thing that we should further develop is the willingness to work together. This can only happen with the start of the healing process, and confidence building between the Armed Forces and the MILF.”
-Gen Benjamin R Madrigal JR AFP,
AFP Chief of Staff
“One thing that we should further develop is the willingness to work together. This can only happen with the start of the healing process, and confidence building between the Armed Forces and the MILF.”
-Gen Benjamin R Madrigal JR AFP,
AFP Chief of Staff
[The Civil Relations Service (CRS) is the unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that engages the public through its public information and community relations programs “to create a favorable atmosphere between the community and the AFP. The CRS is the equivalent of the Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs units of the US Army.]
AFP-CRS: Army deployment in Panay schools to deter NPA recruitment
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Aug 26, 2019): Army deployment in Panay schools to deter NPA recruitment
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2660491193969588/?type=3&theater
[The Civil Relations Service (CRS) is the unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that engages the public through its public information and community relations programs “to create a favorable atmosphere between the community and the AFP. The CRS is the equivalent of the Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs units of the US Army.]
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2660491193969588/?type=3&theater
[The Civil Relations Service (CRS) is the unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that engages the public through its public information and community relations programs “to create a favorable atmosphere between the community and the AFP. The CRS is the equivalent of the Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs units of the US Army.]
AFP-CRS: Commitment of Support in the Implementation of ELCAC Whole of Nation Approach
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Aug 26, 2019): Commitment of Support in the Implementation of ELCAC Whole of Nation Approach
" Pasiring kita sa direksyon na gusto kan satuyang Presidente na tapuson na an armed conflict through information dissemination campaign. An Local Government Unit kaibanan na mababa para mas lalong maintindihan kan mga namamanwaan na an government kasurog kang masa"
" Pasiring kita sa direksyon na gusto kan satuyang Presidente na tapuson na an armed conflict through information dissemination campaign. An Local Government Unit kaibanan na mababa para mas lalong maintindihan kan mga namamanwaan na an government kasurog kang masa"
[The Civil Relations Service (CRS) is the unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that engages the public through its public information and community relations programs “to create a favorable atmosphere between the community and the AFP. The CRS is the equivalent of the Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs units of the US Army.]
AFP-CRS: Remembering the Legacy of Filipino Heroes
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Aug 26, 2019): Remembering the Legacy of Filipino Heroes
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2663340080351366/?type=3&theater
[The Civil Relations Service (CRS) is the unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that engages the public through its public information and community relations programs “to create a favorable atmosphere between the community and the AFP. The CRS is the equivalent of the Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs units of the US Army.]
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2663340080351366/?type=3&theater
[The Civil Relations Service (CRS) is the unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that engages the public through its public information and community relations programs “to create a favorable atmosphere between the community and the AFP. The CRS is the equivalent of the Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs units of the US Army.]
Army exposes ‘NPA lies’
From the Visayan Daily Star (Aug 26, 2019): Army exposes ‘NPA lies’
Exposing lies and deceptions of the New People’s Army in the recruitment of students is not militarization but a true exercise of academic freedom, Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said Saturday.
Addressing the recent issue of recruitment activities by communist rebels in schools, Arevalo spoke at a forum at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City, before an estimated 2,000 students and teachers about the “Deceptive Youth Recruitment Strategy of the CPP-NPA-NDF”
“There is a tendency of some universities to think that it is only through hearing leftist ideas that they are able to practice academic freedom, but when the military is seen and heard in the campuses, they call it militarization. This is another lie and deception,” Arevalosaid.
A three-minute animated film “Pindoy”, which portrays how the CPP-NPA-NDF encroach on the schools and universities, mislead, and enrage students eventually turning them into NPA rebels, was also shown.
“Sadly, statistics tell us that many youth who joined the NPA perished during encounters with the military,” Arevalo said. “We should be able to distinguish activism from supporting terrorism,” he told the students.
The government respects academic freedom and allows the people to express what they want and criticize the flaws they see in the society. However, when a person starts to take up arms or support terrorist organizations like the CPP-NPA, that is already against the law and the government will act on it”, Arevalosaid.
He also cautioned students against joining militant organizations, and also warned them of CPP-NPA-NDF deceptions, their instilling into their minds hatred and violence.
Meanwhile, Migrante International and other progressive groups issued a statement strongly denouncing this vilification campaign against them during the forum, which it said meant to stoke repressive and violent attacks against their members.
It is no secret that organizers, volunteers and rights workers belonging to advocacy groups are being subjected to many forms of harassment, Migrante said.
Amidst the spate of killings in Negros instigated by Duterte’s Memorandum Order No. 32, this endless red tagging threatens the lives of Migrante officers and members, the statement added.
The USLS faculty headed by Dexter Ian Tabujara presented certificates of appreciation to Brig. Gen. Arevalo and Edwin Marthine Lopez, who also spoke about National Security from a different perspective during the forum.*
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2019/August/26/topstory5.htm
Addressing the recent issue of recruitment activities by communist rebels in schools, Arevalo spoke at a forum at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City, before an estimated 2,000 students and teachers about the “Deceptive Youth Recruitment Strategy of the CPP-NPA-NDF”
“There is a tendency of some universities to think that it is only through hearing leftist ideas that they are able to practice academic freedom, but when the military is seen and heard in the campuses, they call it militarization. This is another lie and deception,” Arevalosaid.
A three-minute animated film “Pindoy”, which portrays how the CPP-NPA-NDF encroach on the schools and universities, mislead, and enrage students eventually turning them into NPA rebels, was also shown.
“Sadly, statistics tell us that many youth who joined the NPA perished during encounters with the military,” Arevalo said. “We should be able to distinguish activism from supporting terrorism,” he told the students.
The government respects academic freedom and allows the people to express what they want and criticize the flaws they see in the society. However, when a person starts to take up arms or support terrorist organizations like the CPP-NPA, that is already against the law and the government will act on it”, Arevalosaid.
He also cautioned students against joining militant organizations, and also warned them of CPP-NPA-NDF deceptions, their instilling into their minds hatred and violence.
Meanwhile, Migrante International and other progressive groups issued a statement strongly denouncing this vilification campaign against them during the forum, which it said meant to stoke repressive and violent attacks against their members.
It is no secret that organizers, volunteers and rights workers belonging to advocacy groups are being subjected to many forms of harassment, Migrante said.
Amidst the spate of killings in Negros instigated by Duterte’s Memorandum Order No. 32, this endless red tagging threatens the lives of Migrante officers and members, the statement added.
The USLS faculty headed by Dexter Ian Tabujara presented certificates of appreciation to Brig. Gen. Arevalo and Edwin Marthine Lopez, who also spoke about National Security from a different perspective during the forum.*
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2019/August/26/topstory5.htm
NPA seized in ComVal 3 teens to be recruited as fighters – military
Posted to Politiko Mindanao (Aug 26, 2019): NPA seized in ComVal 3 teens to be recruited as fighters – military
Parents of the three teenagers who were allegedly kidnapped by the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Laak, Compostela Valley have been seeking the help of the military to help secure the release of their children.
First Lieutenant Amadeuz Celestial, civil military operations officer of the Army’s 60th Infantry Battalion, said that that the parents were afraid because their children were being recruited as armed combatants by the Maoist group.
Quoting Emerito Tanoko and his wife Marife, Celestial said that the NPA seized their two sons – Raymond, 18, and Patrick, 16 – about two weeks ago.
The parents said they knew that their sons were recruited to become NPA armed fighters but they were not able to immediately report the incident to the authorities for fear that the rebels would kill them or their sons.
Larry Masalote also reported to the military that his 17-year old son Sherwin together with the Tanoko children were also taken by the NPA, Celestial said.
He said Masalote was afraid that something bad might happen to his son who is somewhat “mentally challenged.”
Celestial said the local government is also helping the families of the kidnapped teenagers.
https://mindanao.politics.com.ph/npa-seized-in-comval-3-teens-to-be-recruited-as-fighters-military/
Parents of the three teenagers who were allegedly kidnapped by the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Laak, Compostela Valley have been seeking the help of the military to help secure the release of their children.
First Lieutenant Amadeuz Celestial, civil military operations officer of the Army’s 60th Infantry Battalion, said that that the parents were afraid because their children were being recruited as armed combatants by the Maoist group.
Quoting Emerito Tanoko and his wife Marife, Celestial said that the NPA seized their two sons – Raymond, 18, and Patrick, 16 – about two weeks ago.
The parents said they knew that their sons were recruited to become NPA armed fighters but they were not able to immediately report the incident to the authorities for fear that the rebels would kill them or their sons.
Larry Masalote also reported to the military that his 17-year old son Sherwin together with the Tanoko children were also taken by the NPA, Celestial said.
He said Masalote was afraid that something bad might happen to his son who is somewhat “mentally challenged.”
Celestial said the local government is also helping the families of the kidnapped teenagers.
https://mindanao.politics.com.ph/npa-seized-in-comval-3-teens-to-be-recruited-as-fighters-military/
Parents ask help after teen boys recruited to become NPA fighters
From the Mindanao Times (Aug 26, 2019): Parents ask help after teen boys recruited to become NPA fighters
Parents of three teenagers reportedly taken by the New People’s Army (NPA) in Laak town, Compostela Valley sought the help of authorities.
1Lt Amadeuz VJ Celestial, the Civil-Military Operations (CMO) officer of the 60th Infantry Battalion, said that following the clash between soldiers and communist rebels in Laak on Tuesday, they were approached by the parents of the three teenage boys who were allegedly recruited by the NPA.
The 60th IB, together with the local DSWD dispatch and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) of Laak, gave assistance to the affected families.
Emerito Tanoko and his wife, Marife, said the NPA took their two sons about two weeks ago. The older one, Raymond, is 18 years old, while Patrick is only 16.
They claimed that they knew their sons were recruited by the NPA but couldn’t ask for help out of fear that the two boys would be harmed.
Larry Masalote, on the other hand, said Sherwin, 17, was also taken by the NPA together with the Tanoko children. He claimed that his son is a special child.
The clash last Tuesday between soldiers and rebels left one government militiaman dead. It also displaced residents who escaped to safer grounds to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. The local government and the DSWD gave aid to the displaced families.
However, some residents were worried because they left behind their livestock when they escaped. They were advised to stay in the evacuation center until their community is cleared by the military of NPA rebels.
At least 40 families affected by the incident are now staying at three evacuation centers of Barangay Ceboleda. The classes have also been suspended since Thursday to ensure the safety of the students.
Meanwhile, government troops are still in pursuit of the fleeing rebels.
Parents of three teenagers reportedly taken by the New People’s Army (NPA) in Laak town, Compostela Valley sought the help of authorities.
1Lt Amadeuz VJ Celestial, the Civil-Military Operations (CMO) officer of the 60th Infantry Battalion, said that following the clash between soldiers and communist rebels in Laak on Tuesday, they were approached by the parents of the three teenage boys who were allegedly recruited by the NPA.
The 60th IB, together with the local DSWD dispatch and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) of Laak, gave assistance to the affected families.
Emerito Tanoko and his wife, Marife, said the NPA took their two sons about two weeks ago. The older one, Raymond, is 18 years old, while Patrick is only 16.
They claimed that they knew their sons were recruited by the NPA but couldn’t ask for help out of fear that the two boys would be harmed.
Larry Masalote, on the other hand, said Sherwin, 17, was also taken by the NPA together with the Tanoko children. He claimed that his son is a special child.
The clash last Tuesday between soldiers and rebels left one government militiaman dead. It also displaced residents who escaped to safer grounds to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. The local government and the DSWD gave aid to the displaced families.
However, some residents were worried because they left behind their livestock when they escaped. They were advised to stay in the evacuation center until their community is cleared by the military of NPA rebels.
At least 40 families affected by the incident are now staying at three evacuation centers of Barangay Ceboleda. The classes have also been suspended since Thursday to ensure the safety of the students.
Meanwhile, government troops are still in pursuit of the fleeing rebels.
DSWD and Army orient 4Ps youth beneficiaries
From the Mindanao Times (Aug 27, 2019): DSWD and Army orient 4Ps youth beneficiaries
Around 600 youths underwent an orientation conducted by the 25th Infantry Battalion and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at the Monkayo town gymnasium in Compostela Valley.
The information awareness activity tackled issues affecting the youth, their role as youth in preventing violence, and how they can make a positive impact on their community.
2Lt Kimberly Lappao, the Civil Military Operations officer of the 25th IB, said youth development activity is a program of the DSWD and Department of Education.
The program is conducted every quarter for high school pantawid beneficiaries aging 14 to 18 years old. It aims to support the youth’s holistic adolescent development.
The whole day activity was led by Mila Achumbre, social worker of DSWD- Monkayo.
In her discussion, Lappao stressed the importance of awareness on the pressing social issues concerning the youth, as well as their vulnerability to political violence and armed conflict.
Lt. Col. Oscar Balignasay, the 25th IB commander, said, “You have the biggest number, you have the energy, positivity, curiosity and idealistic traits.
Thus, you are the most vulnerable sector of the society.”
He said the youth is a prime target for recruitment and exploitation by the CPP-NPA.
“Joining such a radical group is like destroying yourself, your family and the community you belong,” Balignasay added.
Around 600 youths underwent an orientation conducted by the 25th Infantry Battalion and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at the Monkayo town gymnasium in Compostela Valley.
The information awareness activity tackled issues affecting the youth, their role as youth in preventing violence, and how they can make a positive impact on their community.
2Lt Kimberly Lappao, the Civil Military Operations officer of the 25th IB, said youth development activity is a program of the DSWD and Department of Education.
The program is conducted every quarter for high school pantawid beneficiaries aging 14 to 18 years old. It aims to support the youth’s holistic adolescent development.
The whole day activity was led by Mila Achumbre, social worker of DSWD- Monkayo.
In her discussion, Lappao stressed the importance of awareness on the pressing social issues concerning the youth, as well as their vulnerability to political violence and armed conflict.
Lt. Col. Oscar Balignasay, the 25th IB commander, said, “You have the biggest number, you have the energy, positivity, curiosity and idealistic traits.
Thus, you are the most vulnerable sector of the society.”
He said the youth is a prime target for recruitment and exploitation by the CPP-NPA.
“Joining such a radical group is like destroying yourself, your family and the community you belong,” Balignasay added.
Troops kill NPA leader, capture 7 others in South
Posted to the Mindanao Examiner (Aug 26, 2019): Troops kill NPA leader, capture 7 others in South
Government soldiers killed a senior New People’s Army rebel leader and captured 7 others, including a deputy secretary of the Communist Party of the Philippines, in fierce clashes in Ozamiz City in the southern Philippine province of Misamis Occidental, an army spokesman said Monday.
Captain Clint Antipala, of the1st Infantry Division, said the slain rebel leader, who was only identified by his alias Nasi, was the secretary of the Guerilla Front Sendong of the Western Mindanao Party Committee.
A military photo released to the Zamboanga Post newspaper shows the slain rebel leader Nasi, his face blurred, who was killed by soldiers in Ozamiz City in Misamis Occidental province in southern Philippines. Seven other rebels, including Nasi’s deputy, were captured by troops in the fighting August 25, 2019.
He said among those captured by troops was Nasi’s deputy, a platoon and section leaders, but their identities were not made public as military interrogation to the prisoners continues.
Antipala did not say if there were military casualties, but he said soldiers also recovered an M16 automatic rifle, four .45-caliber pistols and 7 fragmentation grenades, including three motorcycles, improvised explosives and P50,000 in cash from the rebels during the weekend fighting.
Colonel Leonel Nicolas, commander of the 102nd Infantry Brigade, lauded the soldiers for the slaying of the rebel leader and capture of the others. “This is a big blow to the communist movement as well as to the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee and we expect that they will be disorganized and disgruntled,” he said.
Just recently, rebel forces in the province threatened to attack power facilities there after they raided the coal-fired power plant of the Mindanao Energy Systems, Inc. (Minergy) in the village of Quezon in Balingasag town and disarmed security guards, seizing 5 high-powered weapons and other military hardware.
Norsen Manggubat, a spokesman for the Communist Party of the Philippines, said raid was in retaliation to the alleged abuses of Minergy to villagers.
He said Minergy’s operation, which started in 2017 “under Duterte’s incitation of installing coal-fired power plants in the pretext of expanding energy resources in the country” allegedly dislocated dwellers from their homes and livelihood. “This will serve as a warning to Minergy and other companies who are only serving for the interest of profit. The revolutionary movement is ever determined to paralyze and halt Minergy’s operation.”
Manggubat was referring to the operations of coal-fired power plants STEAG State Power Inc., and FDC Misamis Power Corporation in the town of Villanueva, also in Misamis Oriental.The NPA, armed wing of the CPP, has been fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. The movement began in 1930 and is the world’s longest communist insurgency. (Zamboanga Post)
https://mindanaoexaminer.com/troops-kill-npa-leader-capture-7-others-in-south/
Government soldiers killed a senior New People’s Army rebel leader and captured 7 others, including a deputy secretary of the Communist Party of the Philippines, in fierce clashes in Ozamiz City in the southern Philippine province of Misamis Occidental, an army spokesman said Monday.
Captain Clint Antipala, of the1st Infantry Division, said the slain rebel leader, who was only identified by his alias Nasi, was the secretary of the Guerilla Front Sendong of the Western Mindanao Party Committee.
A military photo released to the Zamboanga Post newspaper shows the slain rebel leader Nasi, his face blurred, who was killed by soldiers in Ozamiz City in Misamis Occidental province in southern Philippines. Seven other rebels, including Nasi’s deputy, were captured by troops in the fighting August 25, 2019.
He said among those captured by troops was Nasi’s deputy, a platoon and section leaders, but their identities were not made public as military interrogation to the prisoners continues.
Antipala did not say if there were military casualties, but he said soldiers also recovered an M16 automatic rifle, four .45-caliber pistols and 7 fragmentation grenades, including three motorcycles, improvised explosives and P50,000 in cash from the rebels during the weekend fighting.
Colonel Leonel Nicolas, commander of the 102nd Infantry Brigade, lauded the soldiers for the slaying of the rebel leader and capture of the others. “This is a big blow to the communist movement as well as to the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee and we expect that they will be disorganized and disgruntled,” he said.
Just recently, rebel forces in the province threatened to attack power facilities there after they raided the coal-fired power plant of the Mindanao Energy Systems, Inc. (Minergy) in the village of Quezon in Balingasag town and disarmed security guards, seizing 5 high-powered weapons and other military hardware.
Norsen Manggubat, a spokesman for the Communist Party of the Philippines, said raid was in retaliation to the alleged abuses of Minergy to villagers.
He said Minergy’s operation, which started in 2017 “under Duterte’s incitation of installing coal-fired power plants in the pretext of expanding energy resources in the country” allegedly dislocated dwellers from their homes and livelihood. “This will serve as a warning to Minergy and other companies who are only serving for the interest of profit. The revolutionary movement is ever determined to paralyze and halt Minergy’s operation.”
Manggubat was referring to the operations of coal-fired power plants STEAG State Power Inc., and FDC Misamis Power Corporation in the town of Villanueva, also in Misamis Oriental.The NPA, armed wing of the CPP, has been fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. The movement began in 1930 and is the world’s longest communist insurgency. (Zamboanga Post)
https://mindanaoexaminer.com/troops-kill-npa-leader-capture-7-others-in-south/
Samar soldiers honor fallen comrades on Heroes Day
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 26, 2019): Samar soldiers honor fallen comrades on Heroes Day
FALLEN COMRADES. Soldiers of the 43rd Infantry Battalion (IB) based in Lope de Vega, Northern Samar light candles to remember the heroism of fallen soldiers in commemoration of the National Heroes Day on Monday. (Photo courtesy of 43rd Infantry Battalion)
FALLEN COMRADES. Soldiers of the 43rd Infantry Battalion (IB) based in Lope de Vega, Northern Samar light candles to remember the heroism of fallen soldiers in commemoration of the National Heroes Day on Monday. (Photo courtesy of 43rd Infantry Battalion)
A unit of the Philippine Army in Northern Samar honored on Monday their comrades, who were killed in a recent clash with the communist terrorist group in Calbayog City, Samar.
In commemoration of the National Heroes Day, soldiers of the 43rd Infantry Battalion (IB) based in Lope de Vega, Northern Samar lighted candles to remember the heroism of two fallen soldiers.
“Heroes will never be forgotten. As we raise our national flag today, we pause a while for commemorating the deeds of our fallen heroes for their ultimate sacrifices,” 43rd IB commander Lt. Col. Raymundo Picut said.
Two soldiers and two rebels were killed in a clash Friday morning in an upland Olera village in Calbayog City. Killed during the encounter were 2nd Lt. Geroe Jade Nicor and Cpl. Joelito Canico.
The gunbattle lasted for two hours after soldiers of the 43rd Infantry Battalion chanced upon seven members of the communist terrorist group extorting money and food from residents.
“This celebration commemorates the most important historic event of the country in giving due recognition for gallantry and heroism of our troops and the heroes of our country who made way for the freedom of our nation that will never be forgotten and will remain in the hearts of every Filipino people,” Picut added.
Picut encouraged soldiers to be more conscious and be technically proficient in neutralizing their enemies during combat.
“We have techniques, tactics, and procedures, past experiences and lessons learned. By this, we should improve our strategy in order to deliver more results in our campaign in ending the insurgency problem,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) regional office in Palo, Leyte renewed their commitment “to serve and protect” as they paid tribute to all other known and unknown men and women who sacrificed their lives for freedom.
“It is high time to continue emulating our gallant forefathers in defending and protecting what they fought and won for. May the blood of bravery runs towards our Filipino spirits and proudly wave the Philippine banner to all nations,” PNP Eastern Visayas regional director Brig. Gen. Dionardo Carlos said.
According to the Official Gazette website, the National Heroes Day celebration began during the American colonial period. The Philippine legislature, then dominated by pro-independence Filipino leaders, first enacted the holiday into law through Act No. 3827 on Oct. 28, 1931, the government’s official website added.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078738
In commemoration of the National Heroes Day, soldiers of the 43rd Infantry Battalion (IB) based in Lope de Vega, Northern Samar lighted candles to remember the heroism of two fallen soldiers.
“Heroes will never be forgotten. As we raise our national flag today, we pause a while for commemorating the deeds of our fallen heroes for their ultimate sacrifices,” 43rd IB commander Lt. Col. Raymundo Picut said.
Two soldiers and two rebels were killed in a clash Friday morning in an upland Olera village in Calbayog City. Killed during the encounter were 2nd Lt. Geroe Jade Nicor and Cpl. Joelito Canico.
The gunbattle lasted for two hours after soldiers of the 43rd Infantry Battalion chanced upon seven members of the communist terrorist group extorting money and food from residents.
“This celebration commemorates the most important historic event of the country in giving due recognition for gallantry and heroism of our troops and the heroes of our country who made way for the freedom of our nation that will never be forgotten and will remain in the hearts of every Filipino people,” Picut added.
Picut encouraged soldiers to be more conscious and be technically proficient in neutralizing their enemies during combat.
“We have techniques, tactics, and procedures, past experiences and lessons learned. By this, we should improve our strategy in order to deliver more results in our campaign in ending the insurgency problem,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) regional office in Palo, Leyte renewed their commitment “to serve and protect” as they paid tribute to all other known and unknown men and women who sacrificed their lives for freedom.
“It is high time to continue emulating our gallant forefathers in defending and protecting what they fought and won for. May the blood of bravery runs towards our Filipino spirits and proudly wave the Philippine banner to all nations,” PNP Eastern Visayas regional director Brig. Gen. Dionardo Carlos said.
According to the Official Gazette website, the National Heroes Day celebration began during the American colonial period. The Philippine legislature, then dominated by pro-independence Filipino leaders, first enacted the holiday into law through Act No. 3827 on Oct. 28, 1931, the government’s official website added.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078738
NPA leader killed, 7 captured in Ozamiz clashes
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 26, 2019): NPA leader killed, 7 captured in Ozamiz clashes
Google map of Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental.
Google map of Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental.
A New People Army’s (NPA) leader was killed while seven ranking members were captured in two separate armed encounters with government troops in Ozamiz City, officials said Monday.
Col. Leonel Nicolas, the newly-installed Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade commander, said none of the government troops was killed or wounded in the five-minute firefight that broke out around 5:50 a.m. Sunday in Barangay Bagakay, Ozamiz City.
Nicolas said another firefight took place several minutes later in Barangay Cogon that lasted for about 10 minutes, resulting in the death of a certain Ka Nasi.
Nicolas said the former NPA rebels, who earlier surrendered to authorities, identified Ka Nasi as a front secretary under the NPA’s Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee.
The seven captured NPA rebels consisted of a deputy secretary, platoon leaders, and section leaders, the Army official said.
He said troops from the Army’s 10th Infantry Battalion and 2nd Mobile Force Company seized an M-16 Armalite rifle, four cal.45 pistols, seven hand grenades, three motorcycles, anti-personnel mines, PHP50,000 "extortion money" and food items.
“This is a big blow to the NPA’s Guerilla front Sendong as well as the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee and we expect that they will be disorganized and disgruntled,” said Nicolas, whose brigade has operational jurisdiction over Misamis Occidental.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, Army’s 1st Infantry Division and Joint Task Force Zampelan (the Zamboanga Peninsula and Lanao Provinces) commander, commended the efforts of the troops that led to the successful neutralization of the NPA rebels.
“The neutralization of the NPA secretary and seven others is a significant accomplishment for the constituents in Misamis Occidental. The terroristic activities of the NPAs were preempted and will pave the way for more progress and development of the province,” Ancan said as he condoled with the family of the slain NPA leader.
“It is tragic that he took arms against the government which led to his senseless demise,” Ancan added.
The NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, 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/1078747
Col. Leonel Nicolas, the newly-installed Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade commander, said none of the government troops was killed or wounded in the five-minute firefight that broke out around 5:50 a.m. Sunday in Barangay Bagakay, Ozamiz City.
Nicolas said another firefight took place several minutes later in Barangay Cogon that lasted for about 10 minutes, resulting in the death of a certain Ka Nasi.
Nicolas said the former NPA rebels, who earlier surrendered to authorities, identified Ka Nasi as a front secretary under the NPA’s Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee.
The seven captured NPA rebels consisted of a deputy secretary, platoon leaders, and section leaders, the Army official said.
He said troops from the Army’s 10th Infantry Battalion and 2nd Mobile Force Company seized an M-16 Armalite rifle, four cal.45 pistols, seven hand grenades, three motorcycles, anti-personnel mines, PHP50,000 "extortion money" and food items.
“This is a big blow to the NPA’s Guerilla front Sendong as well as the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee and we expect that they will be disorganized and disgruntled,” said Nicolas, whose brigade has operational jurisdiction over Misamis Occidental.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, Army’s 1st Infantry Division and Joint Task Force Zampelan (the Zamboanga Peninsula and Lanao Provinces) commander, commended the efforts of the troops that led to the successful neutralization of the NPA rebels.
“The neutralization of the NPA secretary and seven others is a significant accomplishment for the constituents in Misamis Occidental. The terroristic activities of the NPAs were preempted and will pave the way for more progress and development of the province,” Ancan said as he condoled with the family of the slain NPA leader.
“It is tragic that he took arms against the government which led to his senseless demise,” Ancan added.
The NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, 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/1078747
AFP installs new Zambo City anti-terror TF chief
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 26, 2019): AFP installs new Zambo City anti-terror TF chief
CHANGE OF COMMAND. Col. Leonel Nicolas (right) relinquishes his command as the Joint Task Force Zamboanga commander, to Col. Antonio John Divinagracia (partly covered) on Monday(August 26). Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, Army's 1st Infantry Division commander (left), presided over the turnover of command at Camp Gen. Arturo Enrile in Zamboanga City. (Photo by Teofilo P. Garcia Jr.)
The newly installed commander of the anti-terrorist Joint Task Force Zamboanga (JTFZ) has been ordered to defend this city "at all cost from terror and other threat groups."
Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, issued the order Monday as he installed Col. Antonio John Divinagracia as the new commander of JTFZ, replacing Col. Leonel Nicolas.
“I know you can do it,” Ancan told Divinagracia citing “I know how you defended Zamboanga City during the 2013 siege” as a battalion commander for a mechanized Army unit.
Ancan told Divinagracia to sustain the peace and security programs of his predecessor, who served as JTFZ commander for two years and five months with zero enemy atrocities.
Nicolas has been designated at the new commander of the Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade based in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Divinagracia thanked his senior officers and the higher headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for trusting him to lead the JTFZ.
Divinagracia, a native of this city, vowed to do his best as the new JTFZ commander and ordered his subordinate commanders “to tell your men that we are here to secure Zamboanga City.”
As JTFZ commander, Divinagracia has two battalions under his command-- the Army’s 74th Infantry Battalion and Marine Battalion Landing Team-11 (MBLT-11).
“We must be prepared to detect, deter, apprehend, and if we have to neutralize terrorists, so be it,” Divinagracia told his two subordinate unit commanders.
“We must always think that we will win over our enemies and break their will to think and carry out acts of terrorism,” he added.
He said protecting Zamboanga City from acts of terrorism could be challenging “because we are confronting an almost invisible enemy” whose main intention is to create havoc among the people.
Both Divinagracia and Nicolas belong to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1991.
Previously, Divinagracia was assigned as the deputy commander of the then Army’s 104th Infantry Brigade, which is re-designated as the 101st Infantry Brigade, based in Basilan province.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078754
Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, issued the order Monday as he installed Col. Antonio John Divinagracia as the new commander of JTFZ, replacing Col. Leonel Nicolas.
“I know you can do it,” Ancan told Divinagracia citing “I know how you defended Zamboanga City during the 2013 siege” as a battalion commander for a mechanized Army unit.
Ancan told Divinagracia to sustain the peace and security programs of his predecessor, who served as JTFZ commander for two years and five months with zero enemy atrocities.
Nicolas has been designated at the new commander of the Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade based in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Divinagracia thanked his senior officers and the higher headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for trusting him to lead the JTFZ.
Divinagracia, a native of this city, vowed to do his best as the new JTFZ commander and ordered his subordinate commanders “to tell your men that we are here to secure Zamboanga City.”
As JTFZ commander, Divinagracia has two battalions under his command-- the Army’s 74th Infantry Battalion and Marine Battalion Landing Team-11 (MBLT-11).
“We must be prepared to detect, deter, apprehend, and if we have to neutralize terrorists, so be it,” Divinagracia told his two subordinate unit commanders.
“We must always think that we will win over our enemies and break their will to think and carry out acts of terrorism,” he added.
He said protecting Zamboanga City from acts of terrorism could be challenging “because we are confronting an almost invisible enemy” whose main intention is to create havoc among the people.
Both Divinagracia and Nicolas belong to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1991.
Previously, Divinagracia was assigned as the deputy commander of the then Army’s 104th Infantry Brigade, which is re-designated as the 101st Infantry Brigade, based in Basilan province.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078754
Duterte ‘ready’ to protect PH interests in China trip
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 26, 2019): Duterte ‘ready’ to protect PH interests in China trip
Senator Christopher 'Bong' Go.
Senator Christopher 'Bong' Go.
President Rodrigo Duterte is ready to protect the Philippines’ interests, particularly in the West Philippine Sea, during his upcoming trip to China from Aug. 28 to 31, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said on Monday.
The former Special Assistant to the President made this assurance after Duterte said he will raise the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling in his upcoming eighth bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
“Handang-handa naman po parati si Pangulong Duterte (President Duterte is always prepared). Alam ko ipaglalaban niya. Marami siyang gustong sabihin na kung ano po ang atin ay atin (President Duterte is always ready. I know he will fight for it. He has a lot he wants to say about what is ours being ours),” Go told reporters on the sidelines of the National Heroes’ Day commemoration in Taguig City.
“Pilipino po si Pangulong Duterte, proteksyunan niya po ang interes po ng bawat Pilipino (The President is a Filipino. He will protect the interests of every Filipino),” he added.
Go said nothing could stop the President from raising the arbitral ruling despite calls to defer his plan as an act of courtesy.
“Wala pong makakapigil kay Pangulong Duterte kung ano man po ang gustong sasabihin ng Pangulo (No one can stop him from saying what he wants),” Go said.
Go said as long as it concerned the interests of the Philippines and Filipinos, Duterte has always been willing to speak his mind.
In 2016, the PCA released its decision nullifying China’s nine-dash line map covering nearly the entire of South China Sea, including the WPS.
Duterte temporarily shelved the verdict to give way to diplomatic approach but promised to raise it before his term as president ends in 2022.
Aside from the arbitral ruling, Duterte said he will also raise the 60-40 sharing deal on the proposed joint exploration for oil and gas in the WPS and the June 9 Recto Bank (Reed Bank) maritime incident, where a Chinese vessel allegedly rammed and abandoned a Philippine fishing boat at sea.
During his fifth trip to China, Duterte will also watch the game of Gilas Pilipinas against Italy on August 31 in the 2019 FIBA World Cup at the International Sports and Cultural Arena in Foshan City.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078751
The former Special Assistant to the President made this assurance after Duterte said he will raise the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling in his upcoming eighth bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
“Handang-handa naman po parati si Pangulong Duterte (President Duterte is always prepared). Alam ko ipaglalaban niya. Marami siyang gustong sabihin na kung ano po ang atin ay atin (President Duterte is always ready. I know he will fight for it. He has a lot he wants to say about what is ours being ours),” Go told reporters on the sidelines of the National Heroes’ Day commemoration in Taguig City.
“Pilipino po si Pangulong Duterte, proteksyunan niya po ang interes po ng bawat Pilipino (The President is a Filipino. He will protect the interests of every Filipino),” he added.
Go said nothing could stop the President from raising the arbitral ruling despite calls to defer his plan as an act of courtesy.
“Wala pong makakapigil kay Pangulong Duterte kung ano man po ang gustong sasabihin ng Pangulo (No one can stop him from saying what he wants),” Go said.
Go said as long as it concerned the interests of the Philippines and Filipinos, Duterte has always been willing to speak his mind.
In 2016, the PCA released its decision nullifying China’s nine-dash line map covering nearly the entire of South China Sea, including the WPS.
Duterte temporarily shelved the verdict to give way to diplomatic approach but promised to raise it before his term as president ends in 2022.
Aside from the arbitral ruling, Duterte said he will also raise the 60-40 sharing deal on the proposed joint exploration for oil and gas in the WPS and the June 9 Recto Bank (Reed Bank) maritime incident, where a Chinese vessel allegedly rammed and abandoned a Philippine fishing boat at sea.
During his fifth trip to China, Duterte will also watch the game of Gilas Pilipinas against Italy on August 31 in the 2019 FIBA World Cup at the International Sports and Cultural Arena in Foshan City.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078751
DND calls on youth to serve country
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 26, 2019): DND calls on youth to serve country
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. (File photo)
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. (File photo)
The Department of National Defense (DND) on Monday urged all Filipinos, particularly the youth, to heed calls to serve the country.
"I, therefore, enjoin every Filipino to heed the call to serve our country, especially the youth who are our tomorrow’s hope," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in his message in line with the observance of National Heroes Day.
The DND chief said that it is the duty and responsibility of everyone to teach the youth love of country and service to the Filipino people.
"One good way to instill and nurture love of country is through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Program in our school system. I believe that ROTC can teach our youths leadership, discipline, respect for authority and service to country," he pointed out.
Also, the DND chief reminded everyone that love of country is the foundation, upon which, the Philippines was created.
"The act of defiance against foreign domination by our forefathers despite overwhelming odds planted the seed of Filipino nationhood that evolved to become what we are now," Lorenzana stressed.
This is proven today by Filipino troops who valiantly put their lives in the line of fire and addressing all threats 24 hours a day so that all Filipinos can live in peace, he added.
This is also in honor of all heroes who are instrumental in obtaining freedom for the country, he added.
"The highest tribute we can give our heroes is to perpetuate their legacy by ensuring that their good deeds are not forgotten but instead perpetuated and emulated," the DND chief emphasized.
As this develops, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it is joining the entire country in commemorating National Heroes' Day.
"The activities that we've prepared for today, especially the wreath-laying at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, are simple but fitting tributes to our country's countless heroes, both named and unnamed," AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal, Jr., said.
And while the nation honors the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the country's freedom and independence, he said the annual commemoration also reminds every Filipinos that the challenge continues and that everyone must do their share to protect and defend the Philippines' way of life.
"The AFP hopes that the observance will fan the flame of nationalism among Filipinos; and that the spirit of this national holiday will remind every citizen that it is our duty to ensure that the legacy of our heroes will live on," Madrigal added.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078711
"I, therefore, enjoin every Filipino to heed the call to serve our country, especially the youth who are our tomorrow’s hope," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in his message in line with the observance of National Heroes Day.
The DND chief said that it is the duty and responsibility of everyone to teach the youth love of country and service to the Filipino people.
"One good way to instill and nurture love of country is through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Program in our school system. I believe that ROTC can teach our youths leadership, discipline, respect for authority and service to country," he pointed out.
Also, the DND chief reminded everyone that love of country is the foundation, upon which, the Philippines was created.
"The act of defiance against foreign domination by our forefathers despite overwhelming odds planted the seed of Filipino nationhood that evolved to become what we are now," Lorenzana stressed.
This is proven today by Filipino troops who valiantly put their lives in the line of fire and addressing all threats 24 hours a day so that all Filipinos can live in peace, he added.
This is also in honor of all heroes who are instrumental in obtaining freedom for the country, he added.
"The highest tribute we can give our heroes is to perpetuate their legacy by ensuring that their good deeds are not forgotten but instead perpetuated and emulated," the DND chief emphasized.
As this develops, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it is joining the entire country in commemorating National Heroes' Day.
"The activities that we've prepared for today, especially the wreath-laying at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, are simple but fitting tributes to our country's countless heroes, both named and unnamed," AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal, Jr., said.
And while the nation honors the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the country's freedom and independence, he said the annual commemoration also reminds every Filipinos that the challenge continues and that everyone must do their share to protect and defend the Philippines' way of life.
"The AFP hopes that the observance will fan the flame of nationalism among Filipinos; and that the spirit of this national holiday will remind every citizen that it is our duty to ensure that the legacy of our heroes will live on," Madrigal added.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078711
Remember heroes' sacrifices, valor: PNP
From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 26, 2019): Remember heroes' sacrifices, valor: PNP
PNP chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde (third from right) and NCRPO chief, Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar. (second from right). (Contributed photo)
PNP chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde (third from right) and NCRPO chief, Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar. (second from right). (Contributed photo)
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday called on Filipinos to remember the heroism of the country's ancestors who put their lives on the line to preserve the country's freedom.
“Today is the best time to remember the noble deeds of Filipino heroes who helped the Philippines achieve its identity. The PNP’s mission to serve and protect the whole nation offers a great opportunity for every hero to rise among all policemen in the service,” PNP chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde said in his message in observance of National Heroes Day.
Albayalde, together with National Capital Region Police Office head Maj. Guillermo Eleazar, joined other government officials during the observance of the occasion at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City.
Albayalde said members of the PNP are willing to sacrifice their life for the country, adding that the police force will never run out of heroes even if they sacrificed their lives every day.
He said the police have embraced the “legacy of valor, service and sacrifice as fundamental principles to its core values of service, honor and justice that describe every police campaign and mission against threats to peace and democracy.”
Eleazar, meanwhile, echoed Albayalde's remarks, stressing all Filipino heroes deserve to be given an annual commemoration.
“Karapat dapat lang po na may inilalaan na isang espesyal na araw tulad nito, upang ating magunita ang kagitingan, katapangan at kabayanihan ng ating mga ninuno, ng ating mga bayani (It is just fitting that a special day like this be alloted to remember the valor and courage of our forefathers, our heroes,” the Metro Manila top cop said.
“I know how proud you must be and I celebrate this day with you, as millions of Filipinos do,” he added.
The NCRPO chief is the son of Staff Sgt. Victor Eleazar, a bonafide Filipino veteran.
The older Eleazar, who was then 17, went from one battlefront to another in their province of Quezon, bringing supplies and food to the guerillas during the World War II against the Japanese Army.
“Tirelessly and bravely, he did his task to help preserve the sacred freedom and dignity of our beloved country,” the NCRPO chief said.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078741
“Today is the best time to remember the noble deeds of Filipino heroes who helped the Philippines achieve its identity. The PNP’s mission to serve and protect the whole nation offers a great opportunity for every hero to rise among all policemen in the service,” PNP chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde said in his message in observance of National Heroes Day.
Albayalde, together with National Capital Region Police Office head Maj. Guillermo Eleazar, joined other government officials during the observance of the occasion at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City.
Albayalde said members of the PNP are willing to sacrifice their life for the country, adding that the police force will never run out of heroes even if they sacrificed their lives every day.
He said the police have embraced the “legacy of valor, service and sacrifice as fundamental principles to its core values of service, honor and justice that describe every police campaign and mission against threats to peace and democracy.”
Eleazar, meanwhile, echoed Albayalde's remarks, stressing all Filipino heroes deserve to be given an annual commemoration.
“Karapat dapat lang po na may inilalaan na isang espesyal na araw tulad nito, upang ating magunita ang kagitingan, katapangan at kabayanihan ng ating mga ninuno, ng ating mga bayani (It is just fitting that a special day like this be alloted to remember the valor and courage of our forefathers, our heroes,” the Metro Manila top cop said.
“I know how proud you must be and I celebrate this day with you, as millions of Filipinos do,” he added.
The NCRPO chief is the son of Staff Sgt. Victor Eleazar, a bonafide Filipino veteran.
The older Eleazar, who was then 17, went from one battlefront to another in their province of Quezon, bringing supplies and food to the guerillas during the World War II against the Japanese Army.
“Tirelessly and bravely, he did his task to help preserve the sacred freedom and dignity of our beloved country,” the NCRPO chief said.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078741