Sun Star-Cagayan de Oro (Nov 24, 2019): 14 suspected rebels face criminal raps
FOURTEEN suspected members of the New People's Army (NPA) were charged with murder in relation to the killing of a Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) member in barangay Batangan, Valencia City, Bukidnon.
The NPA rebels were identified as Reynante Tumbalang also known as war/jigger; Dionisio Micabalo known as Muling/Cardo/BF/William; Abelardo Navarro known as Canoy/Narra; Julia Cagadas known as Toyang/Rheda; Bonifacio Lutawan known as Budo/Tado/Marvin/Tads/Dodong; Lorna Micabalo known as Ating/Adel/Sarah.
Also accused were Allan Morales known as Budlat/Dante; Judith Jaron known as Geelah/Lalai; Precy Locsin known as Jian/Geraldine; Michael Fat known as AS/Nonoy; Pedro Lumantas known as Andoy, Alias Mosong; Beverly Sinunta known as Toyang/Ayang/Raya, Alias Jian; and Alias Pon.
Lieutenant Colonel Surki Sereñas, Valencia City Police Chief, said they were all charged with murder, robbery, carnapping, and violation of the International Humanitarian Law.
Pedro Omblero, a Cafgu member assigned at Lumbayao Patrol Base, Valencia City under 88th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and a resident of Purok 9, Vintar Valencia City, was killed by unidentified gunmen in front of his wife.
Omblero was off-duty from Lumbayao Patrol Base when the incident happened.
On board two motorcycles, the gunmen barged into the victim's house and held the couple at gunpoint.
The victim was ordered to drive his motorcycle and together with his partner, went with the suspects.
Upon reaching Barangay Batangan, they were then ordered to kneel. Omblero was shot twice in the head and abdomen.
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1833366
Sunday, November 24, 2019
AFP-CRS: Tumiwalag na lider ng CPP-NPA dineklarang Persona Non Grata ang dating kasamahan
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Nov 25, 2019): Tumiwalag na lider ng CPP-NPA dineklarang Persona Non Grata ang dating kasamahan
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2858504917501547/?type=3&theater
Tumiwalag na lider ng CPP-NPA dineklarang Persona Non Grata ang dating kasamahan
Si Juanito Caramba, naging chairman ng Alliance of Farmers Union sa Zamboanga del Sur (AFUZS) mula 2012 at kalaunan ay naging chairman ng KMP sa taong 2016.
Read More: https://www.kalinawnews.com/cpp-npa-ndf-allies-resigns-declares-group-as-persona-non-grata/
#AFPyoucanTRUST
[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.182240175128048/2858504917501547/?type=3&theater
Tumiwalag na lider ng CPP-NPA dineklarang Persona Non Grata ang dating kasamahan
Si Juanito Caramba, naging chairman ng Alliance of Farmers Union sa Zamboanga del Sur (AFUZS) mula 2012 at kalaunan ay naging chairman ng KMP sa taong 2016.
Read More: https://www.kalinawnews.com/cpp-npa-ndf-allies-resigns-declares-group-as-persona-non-grata/
#AFPyoucanTRUST
AFP-CRS: CPP-NPA-NDF Allies Resigns, Declares Group as Persona Non Grata
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Nov 25, 2019): CPP-NPA-NDF Allies Resigns, Declares Group as Persona Non Grata
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.745817715436955/2858497604168945/?type=3&theater
CPP-NPA-NDF Allies Resigns, Declares Group as Persona Non Grata
CAMP SANG-AN, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur – The Regional Chairman of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in Western Mindanao, a known CPP-NPA-NDF ally, and fifteen of its members resigned and declared the group as persona non grata in the municipality of Josefina, Zamboanga del Sur, Friday, November 22, 2019.
Read More: https://www.kalinawnews.com/cpp-npa-ndf-allies-resigns-declares-group-as-persona-non-grata/
#AFPyoucanTRUST
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.745817715436955/2858497604168945/?type=3&theater
CPP-NPA-NDF Allies Resigns, Declares Group as Persona Non Grata
CAMP SANG-AN, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur – The Regional Chairman of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in Western Mindanao, a known CPP-NPA-NDF ally, and fifteen of its members resigned and declared the group as persona non grata in the municipality of Josefina, Zamboanga del Sur, Friday, November 22, 2019.
Read More: https://www.kalinawnews.com/cpp-npa-ndf-allies-resigns-declares-group-as-persona-non-grata/
#AFPyoucanTRUST
[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: DAESH link to Abu Sayyaf group neutralized
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Nov 25, 2019): DAESH link to Abu Sayyaf group neutralized
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2857321430953229/?type=3&theater
DAESH link to Abu Sayyaf group neutralized
MANILA - An Islamic State-trained bomb expert known to have been liaising between the global terror network and the Abu Sayyaf group was killed Friday in a military operation in Sulu, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Saturday.
Talha Jumsah aka “Abu Talha” was killed after an armed confrontation triggered by a civilian tip in Patikul town around 7:15 a.m., Friday, the military said in a statement.
Read More:https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/23/19/isis-liaison-to-abu-sayyaf-group-killed-in-sulu-clash-military?fbclid=IwAR3QtrcanJeTzuZZFDwJDnt3JYWmpBjU0PW0vGh-tGaueKXit_O65YlS7Y8
#AFPyoucanTRUST
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2857321430953229/?type=3&theater
DAESH link to Abu Sayyaf group neutralized
MANILA - An Islamic State-trained bomb expert known to have been liaising between the global terror network and the Abu Sayyaf group was killed Friday in a military operation in Sulu, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Saturday.
Talha Jumsah aka “Abu Talha” was killed after an armed confrontation triggered by a civilian tip in Patikul town around 7:15 a.m., Friday, the military said in a statement.
Read More:https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/23/19/isis-liaison-to-abu-sayyaf-group-killed-in-sulu-clash-military?fbclid=IwAR3QtrcanJeTzuZZFDwJDnt3JYWmpBjU0PW0vGh-tGaueKXit_O65YlS7Y8
#AFPyoucanTRUST
[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: Government assists former CPP-NPA members
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Nov 25, 2019): Government assists former CPP-NPA members
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https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2857316774287028/?type=3&theater
Government assists former CPP-NPA members
Twenty-two former rebels received P680,000 worth of grants from the government during the launching of Laguna’s Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) Sta. Cruz town, the military announced Friday.
Col. Alex Rillera, commander of the Army’s 202nd Infantry Brigade which has operational jurisdiction in the area, said that the warm welcome rendered to the former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and supporters was a clear proof of the Duterte administration genuine efforts for peace.
Read More: https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2019/11/23/ex-npa-get-govt-assistance/
#AFPyoucanTRUST
\https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2857316774287028/?type=3&theater
Government assists former CPP-NPA members
Twenty-two former rebels received P680,000 worth of grants from the government during the launching of Laguna’s Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) Sta. Cruz town, the military announced Friday.
Col. Alex Rillera, commander of the Army’s 202nd Infantry Brigade which has operational jurisdiction in the area, said that the warm welcome rendered to the former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and supporters was a clear proof of the Duterte administration genuine efforts for peace.
Read More: https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2019/11/23/ex-npa-get-govt-assistance/
#AFPyoucanTRUST
[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: Philippine navy’s missile-capable frigates to undergo sea trials
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Nov 25, 2019): Philippine navy’s missile-capable frigates to undergo sea trials
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2857313207620718/?type=3&theater
Philippine navy’s missile-capable frigates to undergo sea trials
The country's first-ever missile-capable frigate, the BRP Jose Rizal, will undergo historic sea trials this month.
The Philippine Navy in a statement on Thursday announced that the frigate will sail towards Ulsan, Busan, and Mokpo in South Korea from November 23 to 27.
It has not been disclosed if President Rodrigo Duterte will witness any of these activities, since he will be in town that weekend for the commemorative summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with the Republic of Korea (ROK), which marks 30 years of talks.
Read More: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/11/22/brp-jose-rizal-philippines-missile-capable-frigate.html
#AFPyoucanTRUST
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2857313207620718/?type=3&theater
Philippine navy’s missile-capable frigates to undergo sea trials
The country's first-ever missile-capable frigate, the BRP Jose Rizal, will undergo historic sea trials this month.
The Philippine Navy in a statement on Thursday announced that the frigate will sail towards Ulsan, Busan, and Mokpo in South Korea from November 23 to 27.
It has not been disclosed if President Rodrigo Duterte will witness any of these activities, since he will be in town that weekend for the commemorative summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with the Republic of Korea (ROK), which marks 30 years of talks.
Read More: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/11/22/brp-jose-rizal-philippines-missile-capable-frigate.html
#AFPyoucanTRUST
[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: CPP-NPA earned billions from extortion
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Nov 24, 2019): CPP-NPA earned billions from extortion
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2857310850954287/?type=3&theater
CPP-NPA earned billions from extortion
Communist rebels have collected more than P900 million from extortion activities in Northern Samar alone, according to Brig. Gen. Ramil Bitong, deputy commander of the 8th Infantry Division.
Bitong said New People’s Army (NPA) rebels collect so-called revolutionary tax from residents of 175 barangays in the province.
Read more at https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/11/23/1971020/reds-n-samar-earn-p9-billion-extortion#HhkyISgYcZgViIqb.99
#AFPyoucanTRUST
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2857310850954287/?type=3&theater
CPP-NPA earned billions from extortion
Communist rebels have collected more than P900 million from extortion activities in Northern Samar alone, according to Brig. Gen. Ramil Bitong, deputy commander of the 8th Infantry Division.
Bitong said New People’s Army (NPA) rebels collect so-called revolutionary tax from residents of 175 barangays in the province.
Read more at https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/11/23/1971020/reds-n-samar-earn-p9-billion-extortion#HhkyISgYcZgViIqb.99
#AFPyoucanTRUST
[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: Joma’s fake and dead communist ideology
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Nov 24, 2019): Joma’s fake and dead communist ideology
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2857300147622024/?type=3&theater
Joma’s fake and dead communist ideology
“People now know what kind of ideology the CPP has- a fake and a dead ideology, long ignored and hated in Europe and the Western world. But he has to continue with his deception and duplicity if only to prolong its existence for a few more Euros and dollars from foreign funders."
-MGEN ANTONIO G PARLADE JR AFP
Deputy Chief of Staff, Civil Military Operation, J7, AFP
https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/photos/a.182240175128048/2857300147622024/?type=3&theater
Joma’s fake and dead communist ideology
“People now know what kind of ideology the CPP has- a fake and a dead ideology, long ignored and hated in Europe and the Western world. But he has to continue with his deception and duplicity if only to prolong its existence for a few more Euros and dollars from foreign funders."
-MGEN ANTONIO G PARLADE JR AFP
Deputy Chief of Staff, Civil Military Operation, J7, AFP
[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 condemns killing of tribal villager in Agusan Norte
From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 25, 2019): Army condemns killing of tribal villager in Agusan Norte
SLAIN TRIBAL FARMER. Authorities recover the body of Roy Olmo Biyog, 23, a farmer and a member of the Mamanwa tribe. Authorities say Biyog was killed on November 18, 2019 by communist rebels who accused him of being a military asset. (Photo courtesy of the Army's 402nd Infantry Brigade)
SLAIN TRIBAL FARMER. Authorities recover the body of Roy Olmo Biyog, 23, a farmer and a member of the Mamanwa tribe. Authorities say Biyog was killed on November 18, 2019 by communist rebels who accused him of being a military asset. (Photo courtesy of the Army's 402nd Infantry Brigade)
The Philippine Army in Caraga Region condemned Sunday (November 24) the killing of a tribal villager in the province of Agusan del Norte by suspected communist rebels.
In a statement, Brig. Gen. Maurito L. Licudine, commander of the 402nd Infantry Brigade, accused the New People’s Army (NPA) of carrying out the killing, denouncing the rebels and describing the act as “an outright disregard to the value of human life”.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) in the town of Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte recovered the body of Roy Olmo Biyog, 23, a member of the Mamanwa tribe and a native of Alegria town, Surigao del Norte.
Police said Biyog and six other tribal members were hunting wild boars in the hinterlands of Kabanikagan in Barangay Hinimbangan, Kicharao, on November 18, when they chanced upon five fully-armed men in the area believed to be NPA rebels.
Police identified the leader of the perpetrators as a certain Roy Forteza of the NPA's Guerrilla Front 16A of the rebels' North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC).
The rebels tied the hands of the victim, accusing him of being an asset of government forces and was shot to death in front of his companions on the evening of November 18, police said.
Licudine condemned the "cruelty done to the victim," saying the act violated the International Humanitarian Law.
“We will exert all efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the Army official said, adding that NPA atrocities "must be stopped and the perpetrators must be punished for their wanton killing of an innocent civilian."
Licudine also urged the local officials in the area, the government line agencies, and residents to unite and support the continuing efforts of the government to end the local communist armed conflicts in the area.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086944
In a statement, Brig. Gen. Maurito L. Licudine, commander of the 402nd Infantry Brigade, accused the New People’s Army (NPA) of carrying out the killing, denouncing the rebels and describing the act as “an outright disregard to the value of human life”.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) in the town of Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte recovered the body of Roy Olmo Biyog, 23, a member of the Mamanwa tribe and a native of Alegria town, Surigao del Norte.
Police said Biyog and six other tribal members were hunting wild boars in the hinterlands of Kabanikagan in Barangay Hinimbangan, Kicharao, on November 18, when they chanced upon five fully-armed men in the area believed to be NPA rebels.
Police identified the leader of the perpetrators as a certain Roy Forteza of the NPA's Guerrilla Front 16A of the rebels' North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC).
The rebels tied the hands of the victim, accusing him of being an asset of government forces and was shot to death in front of his companions on the evening of November 18, police said.
Licudine condemned the "cruelty done to the victim," saying the act violated the International Humanitarian Law.
“We will exert all efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the Army official said, adding that NPA atrocities "must be stopped and the perpetrators must be punished for their wanton killing of an innocent civilian."
Licudine also urged the local officials in the area, the government line agencies, and residents to unite and support the continuing efforts of the government to end the local communist armed conflicts in the area.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086944
IED blast rocks Maguindanao town
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Nov 25, 2019): IED blast rocks Maguindanao town
SHARIFF AGUAK, MAGUINDANAO — Suspected extremists set off a roadside improvised bomb along a narrow road here and exploded it while the car of a ranking Moro rebel leader was passing by Sunday morning.
The explosive was placed underneath a parked motorcycle and was ignited while the pick-up truck of Commander Datu Item Ampatuan, head of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) 106th base command, was passing by at 10:40 a.m. Sunday.
This is what is left of the motorbike after the improvised bomb rigged underneath it was set off in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao on Sunday, November 24. A rebel leader claims he was the target of the attack. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Nobody was hurt but the pick-up vehicle sustained damages, according to Col. Arnold Santiago, Maguindanao police provincial director.
The incident also caused panic among residents.
Commander Ampatuan was not in the car but his followers identified by police as Arsad Lintang, Jumer Mamasapano, Norodin Sansaluna, Johaimirin Sansaluna, and driver Jeanor Lintang were. They all escaped unhurt.
In a radio interview, Commander Ampatuan said he believed he was the target of the attack and that he knew who did it.
Santiago said the IED was detonated using a mobile phone. He said the Islamic State (IS)-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) could be behind the attack since the IED used had the signatures of BIFF and bore similarities to those set off in populated areas in South Central Mindanao region.
MILF and BIFF had been at odds after the signing of the GPH and MILF peace accord and the implementation of Bangsamoro Organic Law.
Last month, eight MILF were massacred by BIFF in Barangay Dasawao, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao.
In September, MILF killed at least 14 BIFF in a series of clashes between the Army-backed MILF and BIFF in Maguindanao marshland.
The explosion Sunday morning was preceded by the discovery of three improvised bombs and bomb-making components by government forces in Barangay Inaladan, Shariff Saydona Mustapha.
Lt. Colonel Edwin Alburo, the commander of the 57th Infantry Battalion, said the recovered IEDs were already rigged and ready to be used.
“It appears that they are planning to use these IEDs for something somewhere where it will have a big impact,” Alburo said, referring to the festivals in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat and Midsayap in North Cotabato.
Two of the recovered IEDs were placed inside “Jetmatic” water pumps while one was made using a four-liter water gallon, Alburo added.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1193979/ied-blast-rocks-maguindanao-town
SHARIFF AGUAK, MAGUINDANAO — Suspected extremists set off a roadside improvised bomb along a narrow road here and exploded it while the car of a ranking Moro rebel leader was passing by Sunday morning.
The explosive was placed underneath a parked motorcycle and was ignited while the pick-up truck of Commander Datu Item Ampatuan, head of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) 106th base command, was passing by at 10:40 a.m. Sunday.
This is what is left of the motorbike after the improvised bomb rigged underneath it was set off in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao on Sunday, November 24. A rebel leader claims he was the target of the attack. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Nobody was hurt but the pick-up vehicle sustained damages, according to Col. Arnold Santiago, Maguindanao police provincial director.
The incident also caused panic among residents.
Commander Ampatuan was not in the car but his followers identified by police as Arsad Lintang, Jumer Mamasapano, Norodin Sansaluna, Johaimirin Sansaluna, and driver Jeanor Lintang were. They all escaped unhurt.
In a radio interview, Commander Ampatuan said he believed he was the target of the attack and that he knew who did it.
Santiago said the IED was detonated using a mobile phone. He said the Islamic State (IS)-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) could be behind the attack since the IED used had the signatures of BIFF and bore similarities to those set off in populated areas in South Central Mindanao region.
MILF and BIFF had been at odds after the signing of the GPH and MILF peace accord and the implementation of Bangsamoro Organic Law.
Last month, eight MILF were massacred by BIFF in Barangay Dasawao, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao.
In September, MILF killed at least 14 BIFF in a series of clashes between the Army-backed MILF and BIFF in Maguindanao marshland.
The explosion Sunday morning was preceded by the discovery of three improvised bombs and bomb-making components by government forces in Barangay Inaladan, Shariff Saydona Mustapha.
Lt. Colonel Edwin Alburo, the commander of the 57th Infantry Battalion, said the recovered IEDs were already rigged and ready to be used.
“It appears that they are planning to use these IEDs for something somewhere where it will have a big impact,” Alburo said, referring to the festivals in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat and Midsayap in North Cotabato.
Two of the recovered IEDs were placed inside “Jetmatic” water pumps while one was made using a four-liter water gallon, Alburo added.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1193979/ied-blast-rocks-maguindanao-town
6 Abu Sayyaf bandits killed in Sulu clashes – military
From Rappler (Nov 25, 2019): 6 Abu Sayyaf bandits killed in Sulu clashes – military
Among the casualties is a leading suspect in kidnappings in Tawi-Tawi and Sabah, the military says
ARMY TROOPS clashed with the Abu Sayyaf Group in Sulu over the weekend, killing 6 bandits and wounding several others. File photo by Jire Carreon/Rappler
Among the casualties is a leading suspect in kidnappings in Tawi-Tawi and Sabah, the military says
ARMY TROOPS clashed with the Abu Sayyaf Group in Sulu over the weekend, killing 6 bandits and wounding several others. File photo by Jire Carreon/Rappler
Six members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) were killed over the weekend in two separate armed encounters with the military in Sulu province, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) said on Sunday night, November 24.
On Saturday, November 23, at around 2:40 pm, military troops clashed with the ASG in Sitio Itum, Barangay Kabbuntakas, Patikul, Sulu. The battle lasted 45 minutes, killing an ASG member identified as “Jailade,” and wounding 4 others.
Five soldiers from the Philippine Army’s 32nd Infantry Battalion were slightly wounded and afterwards treated at the military hospital at Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, Sulu.
A second clash happened on Sunday at around 3:30 pm in Sitio Huton Bahablo, Barangay Silangkan, Indanan, Sulu, between the ASG and the Army’s 2nd Special Forces Battalion. Five ASG members were killed in the 30-minute battle, including Sibih Pisih, said to be the leader of an ASG subgroup under its top leader, Radullan Sahiron.
“Sibih Pisih is one of the original subgroup leaders of the ASG before the group was split into [the] Sahiron and Sawadjaan groups,” the AFP Westincom said in a statement. The faction named after its leader, Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, is affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) terror network, while the faction under Sahiron rejects ISIS.
The military said Sibih Pisih was behind kidnapping incidents in the vicinities of Tawi-Tawi province and Sabah, Malaysia. He had a pending arrest warrant for the “massacre” of 22 civilians in Talipao, Sulu, in 2014.
Other ASG members killed in the Sunday clash were identified as Roger Sajih, Saipal Reny, Melvin Reny, and Taihal Sabtal.
Military troops recovered an M653 rifle, a Barret sniper rifle, and a .45 caliber pistol from the bandits.
Two Special Forces personnel were slightly wounded in the encounter.
AFP Westmincom chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana said the operations against the ASG were part of efforts to rescue the group's kidnap victims, including the couple Allan and Wilma Hyrons, who were abducted at their beach resort in Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur, on October 4.
Sobejana added the Hyrons were rescued from their abductors.
On Friday, November 22, military troops killed Abu Talha, said to be ISIS' "liaison" to the ASG, in an armed encounter in Patikul. He had been training the group's pro-ISIS faction in making bombs, including the kind used in suicide attacks.
Civilians have been actively helping the military track down the ASG in their communities, said Colonel Ignatius Patrimonio, commander of the Army’s 1102nd Infantry Brigade.
Major General Corleto Vinluan Jr, commander of the military’s Joint Task Force Sulu, said government troops would hunt the ASG down “one by one” if they do not surrender.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/245705-military-says-abu-sayyaf-bandits-killed-sulu-clashes-november-2019
On Saturday, November 23, at around 2:40 pm, military troops clashed with the ASG in Sitio Itum, Barangay Kabbuntakas, Patikul, Sulu. The battle lasted 45 minutes, killing an ASG member identified as “Jailade,” and wounding 4 others.
Five soldiers from the Philippine Army’s 32nd Infantry Battalion were slightly wounded and afterwards treated at the military hospital at Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, Sulu.
A second clash happened on Sunday at around 3:30 pm in Sitio Huton Bahablo, Barangay Silangkan, Indanan, Sulu, between the ASG and the Army’s 2nd Special Forces Battalion. Five ASG members were killed in the 30-minute battle, including Sibih Pisih, said to be the leader of an ASG subgroup under its top leader, Radullan Sahiron.
“Sibih Pisih is one of the original subgroup leaders of the ASG before the group was split into [the] Sahiron and Sawadjaan groups,” the AFP Westincom said in a statement. The faction named after its leader, Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, is affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) terror network, while the faction under Sahiron rejects ISIS.
The military said Sibih Pisih was behind kidnapping incidents in the vicinities of Tawi-Tawi province and Sabah, Malaysia. He had a pending arrest warrant for the “massacre” of 22 civilians in Talipao, Sulu, in 2014.
Other ASG members killed in the Sunday clash were identified as Roger Sajih, Saipal Reny, Melvin Reny, and Taihal Sabtal.
Military troops recovered an M653 rifle, a Barret sniper rifle, and a .45 caliber pistol from the bandits.
Two Special Forces personnel were slightly wounded in the encounter.
AFP Westmincom chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana said the operations against the ASG were part of efforts to rescue the group's kidnap victims, including the couple Allan and Wilma Hyrons, who were abducted at their beach resort in Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur, on October 4.
Sobejana added the Hyrons were rescued from their abductors.
On Friday, November 22, military troops killed Abu Talha, said to be ISIS' "liaison" to the ASG, in an armed encounter in Patikul. He had been training the group's pro-ISIS faction in making bombs, including the kind used in suicide attacks.
Civilians have been actively helping the military track down the ASG in their communities, said Colonel Ignatius Patrimonio, commander of the Army’s 1102nd Infantry Brigade.
Major General Corleto Vinluan Jr, commander of the military’s Joint Task Force Sulu, said government troops would hunt the ASG down “one by one” if they do not surrender.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/245705-military-says-abu-sayyaf-bandits-killed-sulu-clashes-november-2019
3 MILF men unhurt as bomb explodes in Maguindanao
From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 25, 2019): 3 MILF men unhurt as bomb explodes in Maguindanao
ROADSIDE BOMBING. Followers of a ranking Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leader survived a roadside bombing in Barangay Poblacion, Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao Sunday morning (Nov. 24, 2019). A motorcycle rigged with an improvised bomb went off as the vehicle owned by Datu Item Ampatuan, commander of the MILF 106th base command, was passing by the area. Authorities said the bombing bore the signature style of the Islamic State-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. (Photo courtesy of Shariff Aguak PNP)
ROADSIDE BOMBING. Followers of a ranking Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leader survived a roadside bombing in Barangay Poblacion, Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao Sunday morning (Nov. 24, 2019). A motorcycle rigged with an improvised bomb went off as the vehicle owned by Datu Item Ampatuan, commander of the MILF 106th base command, was passing by the area. Authorities said the bombing bore the signature style of the Islamic State-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. (Photo courtesy of Shariff Aguak PNP)
SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao – A motorbike rigged with a powerful improvised bomb was set off by suspected extremists Sunday morning while the car of an official of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was passing by along a road here.
The motorbike exploded at 10:45 a.m. while the Toyota pick-up truck of commander Datu Item Ampatuan, head of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) 106th base command, was passing through Barangay Poblacion in the area.
Colonel Arnold Santiago, Maguindanao police provincial director, said Ampatuan was not in the car but his followers, identified by police as Arsad Lintang, Jumer Mamasapano, Norodin Sansaluna, Johaimirin Sansaluna, and driver Jeanor Lintang, all escaped unhurt.
Santiago said the explosive was detonated using a mobile phone that could be the handiwork of the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
Police and military bomb experts said the explosives used bore the signature style of the BIFF and similar to those set off in populated areas in South Central Mindanao in the past.
The MILF and BIFF had been at odds after the signing of the GPH and MILF peace accord and the implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
Last month, eight MILF members were massacred by BIFF radicals in Barangay Dasawao, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086924
The motorbike exploded at 10:45 a.m. while the Toyota pick-up truck of commander Datu Item Ampatuan, head of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) 106th base command, was passing through Barangay Poblacion in the area.
Colonel Arnold Santiago, Maguindanao police provincial director, said Ampatuan was not in the car but his followers, identified by police as Arsad Lintang, Jumer Mamasapano, Norodin Sansaluna, Johaimirin Sansaluna, and driver Jeanor Lintang, all escaped unhurt.
Santiago said the explosive was detonated using a mobile phone that could be the handiwork of the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
Police and military bomb experts said the explosives used bore the signature style of the BIFF and similar to those set off in populated areas in South Central Mindanao in the past.
The MILF and BIFF had been at odds after the signing of the GPH and MILF peace accord and the implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
Last month, eight MILF members were massacred by BIFF radicals in Barangay Dasawao, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086924
Gov't troops rescue Briton, wife from captors in Sulu
From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 25, 2019): Gov't troops rescue Briton, wife from captors in Sulu
RESCUED. Rescued British businessman Allan Arthur Hyrons, 70, and his Filipino wife, Wilma, speak with Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., Joint Task Forces Sulu commander, following a clash against their captors, the Abu Sayyaf Group bandits in Mount Piahan, Parang, Sulu Monday (Nov. 25, 2019). The couple's rescue came after a series of clashes since Friday that constricted the movement of the bandits. (Photo courtesy of Joint Task Force Sulu)
Government troops rescued a British businessman and his Filipino wife following a clash against their captors, Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits, in the hinterlands of Sulu, a top military official said Monday.
Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., Joint Task Force Sulu commander, said Allan Arthur Hyrons, 70, and his wife, Wilma, were rescued around 8 a.m. Monday in Mount Piahan, Parang, Sulu.
The couple was abducted on Oct. 4 by six gunmen from the family-owned resort in Barangay Alindahaw, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur.
Vinluan said the couple's rescue came after a series of clashes since Friday that constricted the movement of the ASG bandits.
“The abductors were driven to designated constriction area through the collective efforts of operationally controlled units of 11th ID (Infantry Division) as the concurrent integrator of AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) operations in Sulu,” Vinluan said.
After the series of armed confrontation with the government forces, Vinluan said the ASG's main group was forced to hide the Hyrons couple with a minimal number of guards to avoid detection.
“They were unaware that we are monitoring and have anticipated their actions,” Vinluan said.
“Our troops were able to close in on the Abu Sayyaf Group and engaged them in a firefight. Overwhelmed by our forces they withdrew from the site, allowing our soldiers to rescue the couple. Our unrelenting efforts to flush out these terrorists allowed our troops to pinpoint the location of the enemy and finally free the kidnap victims,” Vinluan added.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086954
Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., Joint Task Force Sulu commander, said Allan Arthur Hyrons, 70, and his wife, Wilma, were rescued around 8 a.m. Monday in Mount Piahan, Parang, Sulu.
The couple was abducted on Oct. 4 by six gunmen from the family-owned resort in Barangay Alindahaw, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur.
Vinluan said the couple's rescue came after a series of clashes since Friday that constricted the movement of the ASG bandits.
“The abductors were driven to designated constriction area through the collective efforts of operationally controlled units of 11th ID (Infantry Division) as the concurrent integrator of AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) operations in Sulu,” Vinluan said.
After the series of armed confrontation with the government forces, Vinluan said the ASG's main group was forced to hide the Hyrons couple with a minimal number of guards to avoid detection.
“They were unaware that we are monitoring and have anticipated their actions,” Vinluan said.
“Our troops were able to close in on the Abu Sayyaf Group and engaged them in a firefight. Overwhelmed by our forces they withdrew from the site, allowing our soldiers to rescue the couple. Our unrelenting efforts to flush out these terrorists allowed our troops to pinpoint the location of the enemy and finally free the kidnap victims,” Vinluan added.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086954
OPAPP: PAMANA projects benefit conflict ridden MILF, MNLF communities in Maguindanao
Posted to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Website (Nov 19, 2019): PAMANA projects benefit conflict ridden MILF, MNLF communities in Maguindanao
Cotabato City (19 November 2019) – To further improve the delivery of high-quality, impact-driven projects to conflict-ridden communities in the country, the PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) conducted a year-end assessment and planning meeting here today with implementing partners from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The series of year-end assessment and planning sessions being carried out across the country is led by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Director Andres S. Aguinaldo, Jr., the national program manager of PAMANA.
During the activity, Aguinaldo expressed his gratitude to representatives of municipal local government units for fully supporting the implementation of PAMANA projects in their areas.
“OPAPP will endeavor to continue the PAMANA, a program which has been a dynamic element in improving access of communities to greater socio-economic interventions being delivered by our government,” he said.
Impact-driven projects in Bangsamoro communities
Engr. Ingao A. Peno, waterworks superintendent of the municipality of Parang, reported during the meeting that the Level III PAMANA water system built in their municipality has largely benefitted Iranun communities, especially those situated in Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) areas.
“The water system really has a huge impact in our municipality, considering that Parang is a melting pot of different Iranun areas, including MILF and MNLF communities,” Peno explained.
“Prior to having our own water system, the people used to pay as much as 50 pesos per water drum. Today, their water expenses was cut down to only 12 pesos per drum,” he added.
According to the Parang municipal government’s report, 356 households are already being serviced by the water system, providing residents with clean, potable water.
It is also worth noting that water services in the area have remained uninterrupted despite the ongoing power outage in the area due to the diesel-powered generators sets included in the project.
It can be recalled that Iranun communities were among the most affected during the all-out-war which broke out in Mindanao almost two decades ago.
Today, various infrastructure projects such as roads, water systems and housing units have been built in the area, resulting in the more efficient movement of goods and services, and the improvement of socio-economic conditions in beneficiary communities.
Based on the reports of other municipal representatives present during the meeting, the quality of living has also significantly improved in the municipalities of Guindulungan, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, and Datu Montawal due to the PAMANA projects.
The PAMANA year-end assessment and planning will cover the areas of Regions IV-B, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
At the closing of the assessment and planning sessions, each of the partner MLGUs signed a ways forward agreement to ensure the more efficient implementation of PAMANA projects in their respective areas.
Assistance for more PAMANA communities in 2020
To enable communities to catch up for the years lost during the years of conflict, a national government’s convergence program that extends development interventions to isolated, hard-to-reach and conflict-affected communities is needed. This is to ensure that no one is left behind in the process of development.
A complementary track to peace negotiations, PAMANA is anchored on the principle of winning the peace by forging strategic partnerships with national agencies in promoting a more convergent delivery of goods and services, and addressing regional development challenges in conflict-affected and vulnerable areas (CAAs/CVAs).
The design and delivery of PAMANA is conflict-sensitive and peace-promoting (CSPP) to avoid the recurrence of violence, especially in conflict-ridden communities situated in the Bangsamoro region which became the site of more than forty years of armed struggle, and other CAAs/CVAs throughout the country.
For 2019, a total of Php 386,862,000 worth of PAMANA projects were carried out in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the implementation of Community Driven Development Program for Indigenous Peoples (IP-CDD); with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples on educational assistance for members of the Indigenous People communities; and with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation for the provision of health insurance.
Recognizing the need to provide assistance to more remote, underdeveloped communities across the country, particularly in conflict affected and vulnerable areas, OPAPP proposed to Congress a PhP3.8B PAMANA budget for fiscal year 2020.
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., is optimistic the proposed PAMANA budget will be approved, as these will help bring sustainable economic growth and long-lasting peace in target communities.
“These (PAMANA) project will help us sustain holistic development in hard-to-reach areas. Projects such as farm-to-market roads, water supply systems, livelihood programs, and environmental protection initiatives are designed to be impact-driven and will hugely contribute to boosting socio-economic development in conflict affected, vulnerable areas, and last-mile communities,” Galvez said “We are really grateful to the two Houses of Congress for the support they have given to PAMANA over the years. We hope to reach more communities and implement more peace promoting and conflict sensitive projects once our proposed PAMANA 2020 budget is approved,” he added.
PAMANA-assisted communities are located in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Bicol-Quezon-Mindoro, Negros and Panay, Davao-Compostella Valley-Caraga zones, Central Mindanao, and ZamBaSulTa (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi.###
https://peace.gov.ph/2019/11/pamana-projects-benefit-conflict-ridden-milf-mnlf-communities-in-maguindanao/
Cotabato City (19 November 2019) – To further improve the delivery of high-quality, impact-driven projects to conflict-ridden communities in the country, the PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) conducted a year-end assessment and planning meeting here today with implementing partners from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The series of year-end assessment and planning sessions being carried out across the country is led by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Director Andres S. Aguinaldo, Jr., the national program manager of PAMANA.
During the activity, Aguinaldo expressed his gratitude to representatives of municipal local government units for fully supporting the implementation of PAMANA projects in their areas.
“OPAPP will endeavor to continue the PAMANA, a program which has been a dynamic element in improving access of communities to greater socio-economic interventions being delivered by our government,” he said.
Impact-driven projects in Bangsamoro communities
Engr. Ingao A. Peno, waterworks superintendent of the municipality of Parang, reported during the meeting that the Level III PAMANA water system built in their municipality has largely benefitted Iranun communities, especially those situated in Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) areas.
“The water system really has a huge impact in our municipality, considering that Parang is a melting pot of different Iranun areas, including MILF and MNLF communities,” Peno explained.
“Prior to having our own water system, the people used to pay as much as 50 pesos per water drum. Today, their water expenses was cut down to only 12 pesos per drum,” he added.
According to the Parang municipal government’s report, 356 households are already being serviced by the water system, providing residents with clean, potable water.
It is also worth noting that water services in the area have remained uninterrupted despite the ongoing power outage in the area due to the diesel-powered generators sets included in the project.
It can be recalled that Iranun communities were among the most affected during the all-out-war which broke out in Mindanao almost two decades ago.
Today, various infrastructure projects such as roads, water systems and housing units have been built in the area, resulting in the more efficient movement of goods and services, and the improvement of socio-economic conditions in beneficiary communities.
Based on the reports of other municipal representatives present during the meeting, the quality of living has also significantly improved in the municipalities of Guindulungan, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, and Datu Montawal due to the PAMANA projects.
The PAMANA year-end assessment and planning will cover the areas of Regions IV-B, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
At the closing of the assessment and planning sessions, each of the partner MLGUs signed a ways forward agreement to ensure the more efficient implementation of PAMANA projects in their respective areas.
Assistance for more PAMANA communities in 2020
To enable communities to catch up for the years lost during the years of conflict, a national government’s convergence program that extends development interventions to isolated, hard-to-reach and conflict-affected communities is needed. This is to ensure that no one is left behind in the process of development.
A complementary track to peace negotiations, PAMANA is anchored on the principle of winning the peace by forging strategic partnerships with national agencies in promoting a more convergent delivery of goods and services, and addressing regional development challenges in conflict-affected and vulnerable areas (CAAs/CVAs).
The design and delivery of PAMANA is conflict-sensitive and peace-promoting (CSPP) to avoid the recurrence of violence, especially in conflict-ridden communities situated in the Bangsamoro region which became the site of more than forty years of armed struggle, and other CAAs/CVAs throughout the country.
For 2019, a total of Php 386,862,000 worth of PAMANA projects were carried out in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the implementation of Community Driven Development Program for Indigenous Peoples (IP-CDD); with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples on educational assistance for members of the Indigenous People communities; and with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation for the provision of health insurance.
Recognizing the need to provide assistance to more remote, underdeveloped communities across the country, particularly in conflict affected and vulnerable areas, OPAPP proposed to Congress a PhP3.8B PAMANA budget for fiscal year 2020.
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., is optimistic the proposed PAMANA budget will be approved, as these will help bring sustainable economic growth and long-lasting peace in target communities.
“These (PAMANA) project will help us sustain holistic development in hard-to-reach areas. Projects such as farm-to-market roads, water supply systems, livelihood programs, and environmental protection initiatives are designed to be impact-driven and will hugely contribute to boosting socio-economic development in conflict affected, vulnerable areas, and last-mile communities,” Galvez said “We are really grateful to the two Houses of Congress for the support they have given to PAMANA over the years. We hope to reach more communities and implement more peace promoting and conflict sensitive projects once our proposed PAMANA 2020 budget is approved,” he added.
PAMANA-assisted communities are located in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Bicol-Quezon-Mindoro, Negros and Panay, Davao-Compostella Valley-Caraga zones, Central Mindanao, and ZamBaSulTa (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi.###
https://peace.gov.ph/2019/11/pamana-projects-benefit-conflict-ridden-milf-mnlf-communities-in-maguindanao/
OPAPP: Cordi peace accord reflects success of localized peace engagements
Posted to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Website (Nov 23, 2019): Cordi peace accord reflects success of localized peace engagements
BAGUIO CITY, (23 November 2019) – The ongoing peace process between the national government and the Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA) is a testament of the successful implementation of localized peace engagements (LPE) under the Whole-Of-Nation approach.
This was highlighted by Major General Pablo M. Lorenzo, commander of the 5th Infantry Division, in his remarks during a two-day workshop attended by representatives of the government and the CBA-CPLA in this city.
“This peace process with the CBA-CPLA is one form of local peace engagements,” Lorenzo said.
“You might be aware that the national level talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front) has been terminated by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” he pointed out.
“He (President) laid down the guidelines for the LPE as a way of attaining a just and lasting peace, as well as inclusive development given that we are wrapped by too much internal conflict,” Lorenzo added.
On November 23, 2017, President Duterte signed Proclamation No. 360 terminating the government’s peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF. A few weeks later, Proclamation No. 374 was issued declaring the organization as a terrorist group.
LPE efforts bearing fruit
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. underscored how the initial efforts to carry out LPEs in 1999 are now starting to bear fruit.
“While it is true that peace engagements are nationally driven, we should also not forget that each conflict is unique, and thus, solutions should be based on the local context,” Galvez said.
He said this was among his realizations when he attended the Paris Peace Forum last week.
It has been 20 years since former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada signed Executive Order No. 115. s 1999, providing the mechanics and operational structure for LPEs as a strategy to address the communist insurgency.
Since the cancellation of the GRP-NDFP peace talks and the implementation of LPEs, around 8,000 rebels have already surrendered to the government based on data from the security sector.
“With this results, we are seeing that many will follow in different regions nationwide,” Galvez said.
He noted that LGUs in Central Luzon have issued five resolutions as an expression of their full support to LPEs. Also, the region has also come out with 109 resolutions declaring the CPP-NPA as persona-non-grata.
Galvez serves as the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) in Region III, who is tasked among others, to oversee the implementation of LPEs in the area.
Sustaining the gains of Cordi peace process
In a bid to complete the implementation of the Mt. Data Peace Accord in 1986, members of the CBA-CPLA, together with various government agencies, will be creating a roadmap which contained the immediate steps to be undertaken by the Joint Evaluation and Monitoring Committee (JEMC).
The creation of a JEMC is part of the government and the CBA-CPLA’s efforts to establish an avenue to discuss key peace and security issues in the Cordillera, and propose solutions to address them.
“You don’t have to doubt the sincerity of this government and the people who are [helping us to attain] the overall objectives of the peace process,” Lorenzo said.
“And so, we are counting on your side to have the same mindset, attitude and enthusiasm in resolving the issues [as we move] forward,” he assured the CBA-CPLA members.
“With the structure approved today, the JEMC will be chaired by the commander of the 5th Infantry Division and co-chaired by the CPLA,” he added.
The JEMC will now cover the following components: (1) security; (2) socio-economic reintegration; (3) transitional justice; and (4) confidence building.
CBA-CPLA members also assigned their representatives for each component, emphasizing the importance of equal representation in all of these areas of concern.
Further, representatives for each component have started to draft their initial plans on the structure, composition, terms of reference, and protocols in a bid to strengthen the structure of the JEMC components, including capacity-building workshops for key stakeholders.
To date, a total of 168 former CPLA members and their next-of-kin were integrated into the AFP.
Moreover, at least 508 individuals were renewed by the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources as ‘bantay gubat’ under the DENR-OPAPP Forest Guard Program while under its social protection program, a total of 932 former CPLA combatants were enrolled in the OPAPP-PhilHealth Sponsored Program.
Also, 72 grantees have graduated under the PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA)-Commission on Higher Education Study Grant Program. At least 38 students are still being supported.
Similar LPE efforts have also led to the successful conduct of the basic military training with the decommissioned combatants of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido Manggagawa-Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade-Tabara Paduano Group (RPM-P/RPA/ABB-TPG) in the Visayas.
Early this month a total of 266 Community Defense Unit trainees graduated from their 45-day training course wherein the decommissioned combatants in the Negros and Panay Islands will serve to maintain the peace and security in their respective communities.
Prior to their training, 105 of the 266 former combatants also received financial assistance under the Department of Social Welfare and Development Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situation Program.
Significance of JEMC and LPE
Meanwhile, Juanita Chulsi, who was among the CBA who attended the workshop, affirmed the significance of the JEMC’s establishment in the government’s efforts to complete the remaining commitments under 1986 Mt. Data Peace Accord.
“Itong creation at workshop ng JEMC ay malaking tulong talaga sa direction ng regional vision ng CBA-CPLA. At least with the creation of the different components ng JEMC ay naa-identify natin kung anu-ano ba yung mga problems na hindi pa naa-address,” Chulsi said.
For his part, CBA leader Andres Ngao-i agreed that the Cordillera peace process is also a form of LPE.
“Tama ‘yon, localized [peace engagement] ‘to [Cordi peace process] kasi Cordillera lang ‘to eh. Hindi kasama ‘yong ibang mga region,” Ngao-I noted.
“Tsaka dapat lang kasi this agreement is a product of bloodshed, sacrifice of our people. Kaya kami naging CPLA to fight the government from the social injustices dito sa Cordillera,” he said.
“Buti na lang nagkaayos, and after 33 years, ngayon na nagu-umpisa tayo to complete the 1986 Agreement,” Ngao-i added.
Director Isidro Purisima, deputy presidential adviser on the peace process for operations, emphasized that the national government’s engagements with the Cordillera leaders is a continuation of the previous efforts on LPE.
“Mero’n na tayong nangyari in the past na localized peace engagement. Isa dito ‘yong RPM-P/RPA/ABB-TPG, at yung CBA-CPLA,” Purisima said.
He explained that an LPE starts with a dialogue between community stakeholders and local armed groups. Once there is a commitment between both parties, normalization initiatives will then be carried out.
“Etong ginagawa natin ngayon actually is pagku-kumpleto ‘yong hindi natapos na LPE in the past para mapakita natin na mero’n tayong mga magagandang examples on what LPE is,” Purisima said. ###
https://peace.gov.ph/2019/11/cordi-peace-accord-reflects-success-of-localized-peace-engagements/
BAGUIO CITY, (23 November 2019) – The ongoing peace process between the national government and the Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA) is a testament of the successful implementation of localized peace engagements (LPE) under the Whole-Of-Nation approach.
This was highlighted by Major General Pablo M. Lorenzo, commander of the 5th Infantry Division, in his remarks during a two-day workshop attended by representatives of the government and the CBA-CPLA in this city.
“This peace process with the CBA-CPLA is one form of local peace engagements,” Lorenzo said.
“You might be aware that the national level talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front) has been terminated by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” he pointed out.
“He (President) laid down the guidelines for the LPE as a way of attaining a just and lasting peace, as well as inclusive development given that we are wrapped by too much internal conflict,” Lorenzo added.
On November 23, 2017, President Duterte signed Proclamation No. 360 terminating the government’s peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF. A few weeks later, Proclamation No. 374 was issued declaring the organization as a terrorist group.
LPE efforts bearing fruit
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. underscored how the initial efforts to carry out LPEs in 1999 are now starting to bear fruit.
“While it is true that peace engagements are nationally driven, we should also not forget that each conflict is unique, and thus, solutions should be based on the local context,” Galvez said.
He said this was among his realizations when he attended the Paris Peace Forum last week.
It has been 20 years since former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada signed Executive Order No. 115. s 1999, providing the mechanics and operational structure for LPEs as a strategy to address the communist insurgency.
Since the cancellation of the GRP-NDFP peace talks and the implementation of LPEs, around 8,000 rebels have already surrendered to the government based on data from the security sector.
“With this results, we are seeing that many will follow in different regions nationwide,” Galvez said.
He noted that LGUs in Central Luzon have issued five resolutions as an expression of their full support to LPEs. Also, the region has also come out with 109 resolutions declaring the CPP-NPA as persona-non-grata.
Galvez serves as the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) in Region III, who is tasked among others, to oversee the implementation of LPEs in the area.
Sustaining the gains of Cordi peace process
In a bid to complete the implementation of the Mt. Data Peace Accord in 1986, members of the CBA-CPLA, together with various government agencies, will be creating a roadmap which contained the immediate steps to be undertaken by the Joint Evaluation and Monitoring Committee (JEMC).
The creation of a JEMC is part of the government and the CBA-CPLA’s efforts to establish an avenue to discuss key peace and security issues in the Cordillera, and propose solutions to address them.
“You don’t have to doubt the sincerity of this government and the people who are [helping us to attain] the overall objectives of the peace process,” Lorenzo said.
“And so, we are counting on your side to have the same mindset, attitude and enthusiasm in resolving the issues [as we move] forward,” he assured the CBA-CPLA members.
“With the structure approved today, the JEMC will be chaired by the commander of the 5th Infantry Division and co-chaired by the CPLA,” he added.
The JEMC will now cover the following components: (1) security; (2) socio-economic reintegration; (3) transitional justice; and (4) confidence building.
CBA-CPLA members also assigned their representatives for each component, emphasizing the importance of equal representation in all of these areas of concern.
Further, representatives for each component have started to draft their initial plans on the structure, composition, terms of reference, and protocols in a bid to strengthen the structure of the JEMC components, including capacity-building workshops for key stakeholders.
To date, a total of 168 former CPLA members and their next-of-kin were integrated into the AFP.
Moreover, at least 508 individuals were renewed by the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources as ‘bantay gubat’ under the DENR-OPAPP Forest Guard Program while under its social protection program, a total of 932 former CPLA combatants were enrolled in the OPAPP-PhilHealth Sponsored Program.
Also, 72 grantees have graduated under the PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA)-Commission on Higher Education Study Grant Program. At least 38 students are still being supported.
Similar LPE efforts have also led to the successful conduct of the basic military training with the decommissioned combatants of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido Manggagawa-Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade-Tabara Paduano Group (RPM-P/RPA/ABB-TPG) in the Visayas.
Early this month a total of 266 Community Defense Unit trainees graduated from their 45-day training course wherein the decommissioned combatants in the Negros and Panay Islands will serve to maintain the peace and security in their respective communities.
Prior to their training, 105 of the 266 former combatants also received financial assistance under the Department of Social Welfare and Development Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situation Program.
Significance of JEMC and LPE
Meanwhile, Juanita Chulsi, who was among the CBA who attended the workshop, affirmed the significance of the JEMC’s establishment in the government’s efforts to complete the remaining commitments under 1986 Mt. Data Peace Accord.
“Itong creation at workshop ng JEMC ay malaking tulong talaga sa direction ng regional vision ng CBA-CPLA. At least with the creation of the different components ng JEMC ay naa-identify natin kung anu-ano ba yung mga problems na hindi pa naa-address,” Chulsi said.
For his part, CBA leader Andres Ngao-i agreed that the Cordillera peace process is also a form of LPE.
“Tama ‘yon, localized [peace engagement] ‘to [Cordi peace process] kasi Cordillera lang ‘to eh. Hindi kasama ‘yong ibang mga region,” Ngao-I noted.
“Tsaka dapat lang kasi this agreement is a product of bloodshed, sacrifice of our people. Kaya kami naging CPLA to fight the government from the social injustices dito sa Cordillera,” he said.
“Buti na lang nagkaayos, and after 33 years, ngayon na nagu-umpisa tayo to complete the 1986 Agreement,” Ngao-i added.
Director Isidro Purisima, deputy presidential adviser on the peace process for operations, emphasized that the national government’s engagements with the Cordillera leaders is a continuation of the previous efforts on LPE.
“Mero’n na tayong nangyari in the past na localized peace engagement. Isa dito ‘yong RPM-P/RPA/ABB-TPG, at yung CBA-CPLA,” Purisima said.
He explained that an LPE starts with a dialogue between community stakeholders and local armed groups. Once there is a commitment between both parties, normalization initiatives will then be carried out.
“Etong ginagawa natin ngayon actually is pagku-kumpleto ‘yong hindi natapos na LPE in the past para mapakita natin na mero’n tayong mga magagandang examples on what LPE is,” Purisima said. ###
https://peace.gov.ph/2019/11/cordi-peace-accord-reflects-success-of-localized-peace-engagements/
OPAPP: MILF-BIAF to secure Bangsamoro homeland in partnership with AFP, PNP
Posted to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Website (Nov 23, 2019): MILF-BIAF to secure Bangsamoro homeland in partnership with AFP, PNP
Camp BGen SK Pendatun, Parang, Maguindanao, (November 23, 2019) – Amidst the heavy downfall, 317 members of the Joint Peace and Security Team (JPST) composed of representatives from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Moro Islamic Liberation Front – Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (MILF-BIAF) completed their training here on Friday.
“Ni minsan ay hindi po sumagi sa isipan ko na darating ang ganitong pagkakataon, na ang dating magkatunggali sa armadong digmaan ay magiging magkasangga sa pagpapalaganap ng kapayapaan,” said Mujahid Asghar Omar, a proud MILF-BIAF member. (I never would have thought that this event would be possible, where former foes in armed battle will become partners in spreading genuine peace.)
The joint training of Government of the Philippines (GPH) and MILF security forces aimed to equip them with the needed knowledge and skills to carry out their mandate of ensuring peace and security in areas mutually identified by both parties.
“Sa mga Kasama kong JPST, hindi ko kayo makakalimutan, napakabuti ninyo sa aming mga BIAF. Kikilalanin namin kayo bilang mga tunay naming kapatid,” Omar said in the speech he delivered during the closing ceremony for the second batch of JPST trainees. (To my JPST comrades, I will never forget you, you have all been very kind towards us BIAF. We will forever consider you as our real brothers.)
Omar is among the 150 MILF BIAF 77 AFP, and 90 PNP members who comprise the JPST class of 2019.
Dividends of the Bangsamoro Peace Process
Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPSC) co-chair Dickson P. Hermoso pointed out that the creation of JPSTs is among the many dividends of the Bangsamoro peace process.
“Kayo ang bunga ng prosesong pangkapayapaan na tinuldukan ang apatnapu’t apat (na taon ng kaguluhan sa Mindanao…magkakapatid na kayo ngayon,” Hermoso said, who is also currently the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) minister of transportation. (You are the fruit of the peace process that ended the 44 years of armed conflict in Mindanao…you are now brothers.)
The retired army colonel and former assistant secretary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) is considered one of Mindanao’s peace champions who helped push for passage and ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
“Marami na ang nabyuda, nawala ng pamilya at nawalan ng buhay dahil sa digmaan. Mabuti na lamang at ang ating mga lider tulad nina Pangulong Duterte, Secretary Galvez, Chief Minister Murad, ay nakaisip ng paraan para tuldukan ang kaguluhan,” he added. (Many were widowed, lost their families, lost their lives because of the armed conflict. It is fortunate that our leaders such as President Duterte, Secretary Galvez, and Chief Minister Murad, found a way to end the armed conflict.)
In a speech read on behalf of Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr, Hermoso said the graduation ceremony only marks the beginning of the JPST members’ journey in serving the Bangsamoro homeland.
“Tandaan lamang po natin na ito ay simula pa lamang ng inyong napakahalagang misyon – protektahan ang Bangsamoro laban sa mga gustong magdulot ng kaguluhan dito, at tulungan ang pamahalaan ng rehiyon na isulong ang pangmatagalang kapayapaan at kaunlaran sa inyong lugar,” he said. (Let us bear in mind that this (graduation ceremony) only marks the beginning of fulfilling your valuable mission – to protect the Bangsamoro against those who will attempt to cause terror; and help the regional government in promoting sustainable peace and development in the area.)
Present during the ceremony were Minister Von Al Haq, co -chair, JPSC MILF; BGen Francisco Ariel Felicidario III AFP, chairperson, CCCH AHJAG; Hon. Anwar Alamada, chairperson, MILF AHJAG; 1st Admiral Abd Halim Bin Shaari RMN, deputy head of mission, IMTM 14; PBGen Marni C Marcos Jr., regional director, PNP PRO BAR; Col Joel Q Mamon PA, head, combined CCCH AHJAG Secretariat; Terje Skjoelsvik, chief of staff, Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB); as well as other MILF and government security officials.###
Camp BGen SK Pendatun, Parang, Maguindanao, (November 23, 2019) – Amidst the heavy downfall, 317 members of the Joint Peace and Security Team (JPST) composed of representatives from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Moro Islamic Liberation Front – Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (MILF-BIAF) completed their training here on Friday.
“Ni minsan ay hindi po sumagi sa isipan ko na darating ang ganitong pagkakataon, na ang dating magkatunggali sa armadong digmaan ay magiging magkasangga sa pagpapalaganap ng kapayapaan,” said Mujahid Asghar Omar, a proud MILF-BIAF member. (I never would have thought that this event would be possible, where former foes in armed battle will become partners in spreading genuine peace.)
The joint training of Government of the Philippines (GPH) and MILF security forces aimed to equip them with the needed knowledge and skills to carry out their mandate of ensuring peace and security in areas mutually identified by both parties.
“Sa mga Kasama kong JPST, hindi ko kayo makakalimutan, napakabuti ninyo sa aming mga BIAF. Kikilalanin namin kayo bilang mga tunay naming kapatid,” Omar said in the speech he delivered during the closing ceremony for the second batch of JPST trainees. (To my JPST comrades, I will never forget you, you have all been very kind towards us BIAF. We will forever consider you as our real brothers.)
Omar is among the 150 MILF BIAF 77 AFP, and 90 PNP members who comprise the JPST class of 2019.
Dividends of the Bangsamoro Peace Process
Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPSC) co-chair Dickson P. Hermoso pointed out that the creation of JPSTs is among the many dividends of the Bangsamoro peace process.
“Kayo ang bunga ng prosesong pangkapayapaan na tinuldukan ang apatnapu’t apat (na taon ng kaguluhan sa Mindanao…magkakapatid na kayo ngayon,” Hermoso said, who is also currently the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) minister of transportation. (You are the fruit of the peace process that ended the 44 years of armed conflict in Mindanao…you are now brothers.)
The retired army colonel and former assistant secretary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) is considered one of Mindanao’s peace champions who helped push for passage and ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
“Marami na ang nabyuda, nawala ng pamilya at nawalan ng buhay dahil sa digmaan. Mabuti na lamang at ang ating mga lider tulad nina Pangulong Duterte, Secretary Galvez, Chief Minister Murad, ay nakaisip ng paraan para tuldukan ang kaguluhan,” he added. (Many were widowed, lost their families, lost their lives because of the armed conflict. It is fortunate that our leaders such as President Duterte, Secretary Galvez, and Chief Minister Murad, found a way to end the armed conflict.)
In a speech read on behalf of Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr, Hermoso said the graduation ceremony only marks the beginning of the JPST members’ journey in serving the Bangsamoro homeland.
“Tandaan lamang po natin na ito ay simula pa lamang ng inyong napakahalagang misyon – protektahan ang Bangsamoro laban sa mga gustong magdulot ng kaguluhan dito, at tulungan ang pamahalaan ng rehiyon na isulong ang pangmatagalang kapayapaan at kaunlaran sa inyong lugar,” he said. (Let us bear in mind that this (graduation ceremony) only marks the beginning of fulfilling your valuable mission – to protect the Bangsamoro against those who will attempt to cause terror; and help the regional government in promoting sustainable peace and development in the area.)
Present during the ceremony were Minister Von Al Haq, co -chair, JPSC MILF; BGen Francisco Ariel Felicidario III AFP, chairperson, CCCH AHJAG; Hon. Anwar Alamada, chairperson, MILF AHJAG; 1st Admiral Abd Halim Bin Shaari RMN, deputy head of mission, IMTM 14; PBGen Marni C Marcos Jr., regional director, PNP PRO BAR; Col Joel Q Mamon PA, head, combined CCCH AHJAG Secretariat; Terje Skjoelsvik, chief of staff, Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB); as well as other MILF and government security officials.###
CPP/NDF-Southern Tagalog: Hinggil sa panandaliang pagpapatigil ng importasyon ng bigas
NDF-Southern Tagalog propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Nov 23, 2019): Hinggil sa panandaliang pagpapatigil ng importasyon ng bigas
PATNUBAY DE GUIA
NDF-SOUTHERN TAGALOG
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES
NOVEMBER 24, 2019
Utos ni Duterte na pagsuspinde sa importasyon ng bigas—isang panggogoyo at pakitang-tao upang pakalmahin ang galit ng mga magsasaka at taumbayan sa Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) at iba pang anti-magsasaka at anti-mamayang patakaran ng pasistang rehimen.
Inutil at walang bisa ang kautusan ni Duterte sa Department of Agriculture na pansamantalang isuspinde ang pag-aangkat ng bigas ng bansa. Huli na ang kautusan at isa lamang itong panibagong panggogoyo ni Duterte na mag-astang nakikinig at agarang umaaksyon sa hinaing ng mamamayan, sa patikular na kaso, ng mga magsasakang tuwirang naapektuhan ng RTL.
Nagawa nang makapag-ipon ng malaking bolyum ng imported na bigas ang mga malalaking trader at negosyante na siyang pangunahing nakinabang simula ng maisabatas ang RA 11203 o Rice Tarification Law nuong Pebrero 2019. Higit sa doble ng pangangailangan ng bansa sa bigas ang nagawa nang mai-angkat ng mga malalaking negosyante at trader sa bigas ngayong taong 2019. Ayon sa inilabas na datos ng Department of Agriculture ng bansang Estados Unidos, aabot sa 3 milyong metriko tonelada ang kabuuang i-aangkat na bigas ng bansa sa pagtatapos ng 2019. Mas malaki ito sa 2.5 milyong tonelada na inaangkat na bigas ng China sa kaparehong panahon na may mahigit sa 1 bilyong populasyon kumpara sa 110 milyong populasyon ng Pilipinas.
Wala pa sa kwenta ang mga pumasok na imported na bigas sa pamamagitan ng talamak na ismagling sa bansa kung saan imbwelto ang mga kapamilya at kaalyado ni Duterte.
Lalong nabaon sa utang ang mga magsasaka sa palayan bunga ng patuloy na tumataas na halaga ng kanilang gastos sa produksyon at sa pagkalugi naman sa bentahan ng kanilang inaning palay dahil sa napakababang halaga nito sa farmgate na ang abereyds ay nasa P10-P12 kada kilo. Sa ilang bayan sa Tarlac at Nueva Ecija umabot pa ito sa pinakamasahol na halaga na P7 kada kilo ng palay. Samantala, sa Mindoro Occidental, sinasamantala ng mga buwayang komersyante-usurero ang pagtama ng bagyong Kiel upang ibagsak ang presyo ng palay sa P4 kada kilo. Ayon naman sa pag-aaral ng Philippine Institute for Development Studies na inilabas ng Business Mirror, umabot na sa 61.77B pesos ang nalugi sa mga magsasaka sa palayan sa buong bansa dahil sa pagbulusok ng presyo ng palay dulot ng RTL.
Hindi kayang tumbasan ng pakitang-taong paghingi ng paumanhin ni Duterte sa delubyong tumama sa mga magsasaka dahil malaon na nilang sinabi sa gubyerno ang kanilang mariing pagtutol sa RTL bilang anti-magsasaka at anti-mamamayang batas.
Samantala napakaliit ang pondo na inilalaan ng gubyerno sa pagbili ng palay mula sa mga magsasaka. Wala pang 10% ng total na produksyon ng palay sa bansa ang nabibili ng NFA sa halagang P17 kada kilo. Mga malalaking trader at negosyante pa rin ang may monopolyo sa pagbili ng malaking bolyum ng palay sa mga magsasaka alinsunod sa kung ano ang kanilang tinatakdang presyo ng palay sa farmgate. Sa katunayan, nagamit pa ng mga malalaking trader at negosyante ang RTL para lalo pang baratin ang presyo ng palay na kanilang nabibili sa mga magsasaka.
Wala ding saysay ang pag-uutos ni Duterte sa kongreso na hanapan ng paraan na makalikom ng pondo ang gubyerno upang ipambili ng palay ng mga magsasaka. Tulad ng iba pang mga patakaran ng reaksyunaryong gubyerno, ang ganitong hakbang ay mga panakip-butas lamang at hindi tunay na lumulutas sa problema ng mga magsasaka sa kawalan at kakulangan ng lupang masasaka, sa patuloy na pag-iral at pagtindi ng iba’t ibang uri ng pyudal at malapyudal na pagsasamantala na lalong pinasahol ng matinding mga operasyong militar ng AFP at PNP sa kanayunan.
Bagama’t wasto at nararapat ang panawagan ng mga magsasaka na ibasura ang RA 11203 o RTL, hindi ito makasasapat para magkaroon ng tunay na pagbabago sa kanilang kalunos-lunos na kalagayan. Kailangang patuloy at puspusang makibaka ang mga magsasaka para sa tunay na reporma sa lupa at sa pambansang industralisasyon. Kailangang isanib ng kilusang magsasaka ang kanilang lakas sa iba pang kilusan ng masang anakpawis na tulad nila ay naghahangad ng radikal na pagbabago sa buhay ng sambayanang Pilipino at makawala sa paglukob ng imperyalismo, pyudalismo at burukrata kapitalismo.
Ang rebolusyonaryong kilusan sa rehiyong Timog Katagalugan ay mahigpit na nakikiisa at sumusuporta sa mga pakikibaka ng mga magsasaka at iba pang inaapi’t pinagsasamantalang uri para sa pambansang demokrasya.
Lagi ding bukas ang pinto ng rebolusyonaryong kilusan sa rehiyon sa pagtanggap sa mga mamamayang Pilipino na nagpasyang tahakin ang landas ng armadong pakikibaka, sumapi sa New People’s Army (NPA) at magsulong ng demokratikong rebolusyon ng bayan (DRB) sa pamamagitan ng matagalang digmang bayan (MTB). Ang DRB ay ang tanging daan para makamit ng mga magsasaka at taumbayan ang tunay na katubusan, kalayaan, demokrasya at kasaganaan na hindi kailanman maipagkakaloob ng bulok na gubyerno ng malalaking burgesya komprador, panginoong maylupa, mga burukrata kapitalista at ng kanilang among imperyalistang Amerikano at Tsino. ###
https://cpp.ph/statement/hinggil-sa-panandaliang-pagpapatigil-ng-importasyon-ng-bigas/
Utos ni Duterte na pagsuspinde sa importasyon ng bigas—isang panggogoyo at pakitang-tao upang pakalmahin ang galit ng mga magsasaka at taumbayan sa Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) at iba pang anti-magsasaka at anti-mamayang patakaran ng pasistang rehimen.
Inutil at walang bisa ang kautusan ni Duterte sa Department of Agriculture na pansamantalang isuspinde ang pag-aangkat ng bigas ng bansa. Huli na ang kautusan at isa lamang itong panibagong panggogoyo ni Duterte na mag-astang nakikinig at agarang umaaksyon sa hinaing ng mamamayan, sa patikular na kaso, ng mga magsasakang tuwirang naapektuhan ng RTL.
Nagawa nang makapag-ipon ng malaking bolyum ng imported na bigas ang mga malalaking trader at negosyante na siyang pangunahing nakinabang simula ng maisabatas ang RA 11203 o Rice Tarification Law nuong Pebrero 2019. Higit sa doble ng pangangailangan ng bansa sa bigas ang nagawa nang mai-angkat ng mga malalaking negosyante at trader sa bigas ngayong taong 2019. Ayon sa inilabas na datos ng Department of Agriculture ng bansang Estados Unidos, aabot sa 3 milyong metriko tonelada ang kabuuang i-aangkat na bigas ng bansa sa pagtatapos ng 2019. Mas malaki ito sa 2.5 milyong tonelada na inaangkat na bigas ng China sa kaparehong panahon na may mahigit sa 1 bilyong populasyon kumpara sa 110 milyong populasyon ng Pilipinas.
Wala pa sa kwenta ang mga pumasok na imported na bigas sa pamamagitan ng talamak na ismagling sa bansa kung saan imbwelto ang mga kapamilya at kaalyado ni Duterte.
Lalong nabaon sa utang ang mga magsasaka sa palayan bunga ng patuloy na tumataas na halaga ng kanilang gastos sa produksyon at sa pagkalugi naman sa bentahan ng kanilang inaning palay dahil sa napakababang halaga nito sa farmgate na ang abereyds ay nasa P10-P12 kada kilo. Sa ilang bayan sa Tarlac at Nueva Ecija umabot pa ito sa pinakamasahol na halaga na P7 kada kilo ng palay. Samantala, sa Mindoro Occidental, sinasamantala ng mga buwayang komersyante-usurero ang pagtama ng bagyong Kiel upang ibagsak ang presyo ng palay sa P4 kada kilo. Ayon naman sa pag-aaral ng Philippine Institute for Development Studies na inilabas ng Business Mirror, umabot na sa 61.77B pesos ang nalugi sa mga magsasaka sa palayan sa buong bansa dahil sa pagbulusok ng presyo ng palay dulot ng RTL.
Hindi kayang tumbasan ng pakitang-taong paghingi ng paumanhin ni Duterte sa delubyong tumama sa mga magsasaka dahil malaon na nilang sinabi sa gubyerno ang kanilang mariing pagtutol sa RTL bilang anti-magsasaka at anti-mamamayang batas.
Samantala napakaliit ang pondo na inilalaan ng gubyerno sa pagbili ng palay mula sa mga magsasaka. Wala pang 10% ng total na produksyon ng palay sa bansa ang nabibili ng NFA sa halagang P17 kada kilo. Mga malalaking trader at negosyante pa rin ang may monopolyo sa pagbili ng malaking bolyum ng palay sa mga magsasaka alinsunod sa kung ano ang kanilang tinatakdang presyo ng palay sa farmgate. Sa katunayan, nagamit pa ng mga malalaking trader at negosyante ang RTL para lalo pang baratin ang presyo ng palay na kanilang nabibili sa mga magsasaka.
Wala ding saysay ang pag-uutos ni Duterte sa kongreso na hanapan ng paraan na makalikom ng pondo ang gubyerno upang ipambili ng palay ng mga magsasaka. Tulad ng iba pang mga patakaran ng reaksyunaryong gubyerno, ang ganitong hakbang ay mga panakip-butas lamang at hindi tunay na lumulutas sa problema ng mga magsasaka sa kawalan at kakulangan ng lupang masasaka, sa patuloy na pag-iral at pagtindi ng iba’t ibang uri ng pyudal at malapyudal na pagsasamantala na lalong pinasahol ng matinding mga operasyong militar ng AFP at PNP sa kanayunan.
Bagama’t wasto at nararapat ang panawagan ng mga magsasaka na ibasura ang RA 11203 o RTL, hindi ito makasasapat para magkaroon ng tunay na pagbabago sa kanilang kalunos-lunos na kalagayan. Kailangang patuloy at puspusang makibaka ang mga magsasaka para sa tunay na reporma sa lupa at sa pambansang industralisasyon. Kailangang isanib ng kilusang magsasaka ang kanilang lakas sa iba pang kilusan ng masang anakpawis na tulad nila ay naghahangad ng radikal na pagbabago sa buhay ng sambayanang Pilipino at makawala sa paglukob ng imperyalismo, pyudalismo at burukrata kapitalismo.
Ang rebolusyonaryong kilusan sa rehiyong Timog Katagalugan ay mahigpit na nakikiisa at sumusuporta sa mga pakikibaka ng mga magsasaka at iba pang inaapi’t pinagsasamantalang uri para sa pambansang demokrasya.
Lagi ding bukas ang pinto ng rebolusyonaryong kilusan sa rehiyon sa pagtanggap sa mga mamamayang Pilipino na nagpasyang tahakin ang landas ng armadong pakikibaka, sumapi sa New People’s Army (NPA) at magsulong ng demokratikong rebolusyon ng bayan (DRB) sa pamamagitan ng matagalang digmang bayan (MTB). Ang DRB ay ang tanging daan para makamit ng mga magsasaka at taumbayan ang tunay na katubusan, kalayaan, demokrasya at kasaganaan na hindi kailanman maipagkakaloob ng bulok na gubyerno ng malalaking burgesya komprador, panginoong maylupa, mga burukrata kapitalista at ng kanilang among imperyalistang Amerikano at Tsino. ###
https://cpp.ph/statement/hinggil-sa-panandaliang-pagpapatigil-ng-importasyon-ng-bigas/
CPP/NPA-Palawan: Mis-encounter ang bagong napabalitang labanan sa pagitan ng NPA at PMFC sa Maasin
NPA-Palawan propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Nov 23, 2019): Mis-encounter ang bagong napabalitang labanan sa pagitan ng NPA at PMFC sa Maasin
SALVADOR LUMINOSO
NPA-PALAWAN
BIENVENIDO VALLEVER COMMAND
NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
NOVEMBER 24, 2019
Tila mga asong nauulol ang mga operador ng JTF – Peacock sa pangunguna ng 3rd Marine Brigade at Philippine National Police sa pagpupumilit nito na pagtakpan ng PNP at ng AFP ang naganap na sagupaan sa pagitan ng nag-ooperasyong mga pwersa ng magkasanib na 1st at 2nd PMFC sa Sityo Guiob Maasin, Brookes Point. Naganap ang misencounter noong Nobyembre 21 bandang alas 10:30 ng umaga na nagresulta ng 4 na kaswalti sa panig ng PMFC ayon mismo sa tagapagsalita nitong si PNP Capt. Ric Ramos.
Ngunit ayon mismo sa mga nakakita ay hindi lamang apat ang naging kaswalti sa naturang misencounter, kung pagbabatayan pa lamang ang bilang ng mga ambulansya at nakitang hinahakot na sa tantya ay mga patay na katawan, bukod pa ang mga sugatan.
Sa aming pagkakaalam mula ng maganap ang engkwentro ng mga kasapi ng NPA sa mga tauhan ng Joint Task Force Peacock noong ika-13 ng Nobyembre ay hindi na tumigil ang operasyong militar ng mga sundalo, at isinama pa ang mga pulis sa regular na patrolya sa mga kagubatan at kabundukan. Kaya malinaw na kung hindi parehong mga yunit ng PNP ang nagkalabanan ay tiyak na ibang yunit ng JTF-Peacock ang kanilang nasagupa at upang pagtakpan ang malaking kamalian ay agad na ipinasa sa NPA ang kanilang kabiguan.
Demoralisado ang hanay ng PNP sa di maamin-aming bilang ng malaking pinsala na natamo ng kanilang hanay na mismong kagagawan ng pagsasagupa ng sari-sarili nilang mga pwersa. At upang pagtakpan ito, nag-imbento ang JTF-Peacock at PNP ng kwento na mga NPA ang kanilang nakasagupa. Samantala, natigil ang pagyayabang ng JTF-Peacock at Wescom na nagwawagi sila sa kanilang kontra-rebolusyonaryong gera.
Nananawagan kami sa mga nakabababang upisyal at kawal na talikuran ang kontra-mamamayang gera ng rehimeng Duterte na pulos pasakit at paghihirap ang idinudulot sa mga karaniwang mamamayan. Ibinubukas din ng rebolusyunaryong kilusan ng Palawan ang pintuan nito sa mga kaanib ng PNP at AFP na pagod na sa gerang mapanupil ng Rehimeng US – Duterte. Alam ng NPA – BVC na biktima rin sila ng kakulangan ng benepisyo at pasahod. Habang itinataya nila ang kanilang buhay sa gerang mapanupil laban sa NPA at sibilyan ang kanila namang mga opisyal ay nagpapakasarap sa pangungurap at mga anti-sosyal na gawain. Ang mga simpleng sundalo at pulis ay para lamang pansakripisyong tupa sa demonyong altar ng kontra insurhensyang kampanya ni Alvarez at Duterte.
Ganid na naghahabol ang mga opisyal militar at ng pamahalaan ng malaking pondong nakalaan sa NTF – ELCAC. Talo pa nila ang mga langaw na nagsisiksikan sa nabubulok ng basurang gobyerno ni Jose Chavez Alvarez at ng tuta ng US na si Duterte. Sila-sila rin ang magkakaubusan at magkakapatayan kung hindi ihihinto ng PNP at AFP ang operasyon ng JTF – Peacock sa mga kanayunan ng Brooke’s Point at ng buong Palawan. Sa halip na kapanatagan ay lagim at ligalig sa mga puso’t isipan ng mamamayan ang naidudulot nito. Mas titindi ang militarisasyon sa mga kanayunan sukdang maraming madamay na mga sibilyan na palalabasin lamang ng kanilang mga opisyal na mga NPA upang makaiwas sa pananagutan at tumanggap ng promosyon at pabuya.
Mapayapa at masigla ang mga pamayanang nasasaklaw ng Demokratikong Gobyernong Bayan. Nagkakaroon lamang ng kaguluhan kapag nagsasagawa ng operasyong mapanupil ang AFP at PNP. Kaya muling hinahangad ng NPA – BVC at ng buong rebolusyunaryong kilusan na bumalik ang magkabilang panig sa negosasyong pangkapayapaan upang solusyunan ang ugat ng armadong tunggalian sa Palawan at buong bansa.
Muli, mariing pinasisinungalingan ng BVC ang pahayag ng PNP sa midya na mga kasapi ng NPA ang kanilang nakasagupa. Inuulit namin na wala kahit isa mang NPA sa lugar na pinangyarihan kaya malinaw na misencounter ng mga pwersa ng JTF-Peacock ang naganap. Dapat na managot ang pamunuan ng PNP at ng mga elementong sangkot dito sa kanilang pagkakamali lalo na sa pamilya ng biktima at sa mismong naging biktima nito.
Mabuhay ang CPP-NPA-NDFP!
Mabuhay ang sambayanang lumalaban para sa tunay na kalayaan at kapayapaan! Mabuhay ang Rebolusyon!
https://cpp.ph/statement/mis-encounter-ang-bagong-napabalitang-labanan-sa-pagitan-ng-npa-at-pmfc-sa-maasin/
Tila mga asong nauulol ang mga operador ng JTF – Peacock sa pangunguna ng 3rd Marine Brigade at Philippine National Police sa pagpupumilit nito na pagtakpan ng PNP at ng AFP ang naganap na sagupaan sa pagitan ng nag-ooperasyong mga pwersa ng magkasanib na 1st at 2nd PMFC sa Sityo Guiob Maasin, Brookes Point. Naganap ang misencounter noong Nobyembre 21 bandang alas 10:30 ng umaga na nagresulta ng 4 na kaswalti sa panig ng PMFC ayon mismo sa tagapagsalita nitong si PNP Capt. Ric Ramos.
Ngunit ayon mismo sa mga nakakita ay hindi lamang apat ang naging kaswalti sa naturang misencounter, kung pagbabatayan pa lamang ang bilang ng mga ambulansya at nakitang hinahakot na sa tantya ay mga patay na katawan, bukod pa ang mga sugatan.
Sa aming pagkakaalam mula ng maganap ang engkwentro ng mga kasapi ng NPA sa mga tauhan ng Joint Task Force Peacock noong ika-13 ng Nobyembre ay hindi na tumigil ang operasyong militar ng mga sundalo, at isinama pa ang mga pulis sa regular na patrolya sa mga kagubatan at kabundukan. Kaya malinaw na kung hindi parehong mga yunit ng PNP ang nagkalabanan ay tiyak na ibang yunit ng JTF-Peacock ang kanilang nasagupa at upang pagtakpan ang malaking kamalian ay agad na ipinasa sa NPA ang kanilang kabiguan.
Demoralisado ang hanay ng PNP sa di maamin-aming bilang ng malaking pinsala na natamo ng kanilang hanay na mismong kagagawan ng pagsasagupa ng sari-sarili nilang mga pwersa. At upang pagtakpan ito, nag-imbento ang JTF-Peacock at PNP ng kwento na mga NPA ang kanilang nakasagupa. Samantala, natigil ang pagyayabang ng JTF-Peacock at Wescom na nagwawagi sila sa kanilang kontra-rebolusyonaryong gera.
Nananawagan kami sa mga nakabababang upisyal at kawal na talikuran ang kontra-mamamayang gera ng rehimeng Duterte na pulos pasakit at paghihirap ang idinudulot sa mga karaniwang mamamayan. Ibinubukas din ng rebolusyunaryong kilusan ng Palawan ang pintuan nito sa mga kaanib ng PNP at AFP na pagod na sa gerang mapanupil ng Rehimeng US – Duterte. Alam ng NPA – BVC na biktima rin sila ng kakulangan ng benepisyo at pasahod. Habang itinataya nila ang kanilang buhay sa gerang mapanupil laban sa NPA at sibilyan ang kanila namang mga opisyal ay nagpapakasarap sa pangungurap at mga anti-sosyal na gawain. Ang mga simpleng sundalo at pulis ay para lamang pansakripisyong tupa sa demonyong altar ng kontra insurhensyang kampanya ni Alvarez at Duterte.
Ganid na naghahabol ang mga opisyal militar at ng pamahalaan ng malaking pondong nakalaan sa NTF – ELCAC. Talo pa nila ang mga langaw na nagsisiksikan sa nabubulok ng basurang gobyerno ni Jose Chavez Alvarez at ng tuta ng US na si Duterte. Sila-sila rin ang magkakaubusan at magkakapatayan kung hindi ihihinto ng PNP at AFP ang operasyon ng JTF – Peacock sa mga kanayunan ng Brooke’s Point at ng buong Palawan. Sa halip na kapanatagan ay lagim at ligalig sa mga puso’t isipan ng mamamayan ang naidudulot nito. Mas titindi ang militarisasyon sa mga kanayunan sukdang maraming madamay na mga sibilyan na palalabasin lamang ng kanilang mga opisyal na mga NPA upang makaiwas sa pananagutan at tumanggap ng promosyon at pabuya.
Mapayapa at masigla ang mga pamayanang nasasaklaw ng Demokratikong Gobyernong Bayan. Nagkakaroon lamang ng kaguluhan kapag nagsasagawa ng operasyong mapanupil ang AFP at PNP. Kaya muling hinahangad ng NPA – BVC at ng buong rebolusyunaryong kilusan na bumalik ang magkabilang panig sa negosasyong pangkapayapaan upang solusyunan ang ugat ng armadong tunggalian sa Palawan at buong bansa.
Muli, mariing pinasisinungalingan ng BVC ang pahayag ng PNP sa midya na mga kasapi ng NPA ang kanilang nakasagupa. Inuulit namin na wala kahit isa mang NPA sa lugar na pinangyarihan kaya malinaw na misencounter ng mga pwersa ng JTF-Peacock ang naganap. Dapat na managot ang pamunuan ng PNP at ng mga elementong sangkot dito sa kanilang pagkakamali lalo na sa pamilya ng biktima at sa mismong naging biktima nito.
Mabuhay ang CPP-NPA-NDFP!
Mabuhay ang sambayanang lumalaban para sa tunay na kalayaan at kapayapaan! Mabuhay ang Rebolusyon!
https://cpp.ph/statement/mis-encounter-ang-bagong-napabalitang-labanan-sa-pagitan-ng-npa-at-pmfc-sa-maasin/
Kalinaw News: Improvised Explosive Device and Homemade Grenade Launcher recovered in Maguindanao
Posted to Kalinaw News (Nov 24, 2019): Improvised Explosive Device and Homemade Grenade Launcher recovered in Maguindanao
CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – Troops of 57th Infantry Battalion recovered an improvised explosive device and a grenade launcher while conducting security patrol on Wednesday evening, November 20, 2019 at Brgy Buayan, Datu Piang, Maguindanao.
Along with the firearm was cartridge,40mm,high explosive ammunition.
The IED and firearm were discovered near the Barangay Hall of Buayan situated along the national road.
“The discovery of these war materiel is part of the campaign of the government against loose firearms. The JTFC will never cease to implement the law in the JTFC AO.” said Maj. Gen. Diosdado C. Carreon, Commander of JTF Central and 6th Infantry Division.
Source: 6th Infantry Division
CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – Troops of 57th Infantry Battalion recovered an improvised explosive device and a grenade launcher while conducting security patrol on Wednesday evening, November 20, 2019 at Brgy Buayan, Datu Piang, Maguindanao.
Along with the firearm was cartridge,40mm,high explosive ammunition.
The IED and firearm were discovered near the Barangay Hall of Buayan situated along the national road.
“The discovery of these war materiel is part of the campaign of the government against loose firearms. The JTFC will never cease to implement the law in the JTFC AO.” said Maj. Gen. Diosdado C. Carreon, Commander of JTF Central and 6th Infantry Division.
Source: 6th Infantry Division
Kalinaw News: JTFC troopers recovered war materiel and IEDs in ongoing combat operations against terror groups in Central Mindanao
Posted to Kalinaw News (Nov 24, 2019): JTFC troopers recovered war materiel and IEDs in ongoing combat operations against terror groups in Central Mindanao
CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – JTFC troops recovered Improvised Explosive Devices and components and various war materiel during the ongoing combat operations against the BIFF and DITG.
Troops of 57th Infantry Battalion of the 601st Infantry Brigade recovered three improvised explosive devices and components while conducting combat operations on Friday, November 22, 2019 at Brgy Inaladan, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao.
Two of the recovered IEDs were placed inside jetmatic pumps while one was made using a 4 liter water gallon. “The IEDs were already rigged and ready to be used. It appears that they are planning to use these IEDs for something or somewhere where it will have a big impact.” said LTC Edwin Alburo, 57IB Commanding Officer.
“One of the reasons that we launched these combat operations is to seek those terror devices immediately and disable them since different local government units in Central Mindanao will be having their activities like the Kalimudan Festival in Isulan and the Sinugba Festival in Midsayap as well as founding anniversaries of municipalities. It was timely that we found them for we have received reports that these groups were planning to use them as soon as possible. “Col Jose Narciso, Commanding Officer of 601st Brigade said.
“The enhanced security and round the clock vigilance of our troops have prevented these groups from using these terror devices. The Joint Task Force Central will always ensure the safety and security of the people from all acts of criminalities especially in this season where many communities and municipalities in Central Mindanao are celebrating. The timely discovery of these war materiel will surely lessen their capability to wreak havoc and terror and disturb the peace loving communities here in our JTFC AO.” said Maj. Gen. Diosdado C. Carreon, Commander of JTF Central and 6th Infantry Division.
CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – JTFC troops recovered Improvised Explosive Devices and components and various war materiel during the ongoing combat operations against the BIFF and DITG.
Troops of 57th Infantry Battalion of the 601st Infantry Brigade recovered three improvised explosive devices and components while conducting combat operations on Friday, November 22, 2019 at Brgy Inaladan, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao.
Two of the recovered IEDs were placed inside jetmatic pumps while one was made using a 4 liter water gallon. “The IEDs were already rigged and ready to be used. It appears that they are planning to use these IEDs for something or somewhere where it will have a big impact.” said LTC Edwin Alburo, 57IB Commanding Officer.
“One of the reasons that we launched these combat operations is to seek those terror devices immediately and disable them since different local government units in Central Mindanao will be having their activities like the Kalimudan Festival in Isulan and the Sinugba Festival in Midsayap as well as founding anniversaries of municipalities. It was timely that we found them for we have received reports that these groups were planning to use them as soon as possible. “Col Jose Narciso, Commanding Officer of 601st Brigade said.
“The enhanced security and round the clock vigilance of our troops have prevented these groups from using these terror devices. The Joint Task Force Central will always ensure the safety and security of the people from all acts of criminalities especially in this season where many communities and municipalities in Central Mindanao are celebrating. The timely discovery of these war materiel will surely lessen their capability to wreak havoc and terror and disturb the peace loving communities here in our JTFC AO.” said Maj. Gen. Diosdado C. Carreon, Commander of JTF Central and 6th Infantry Division.
Source: 6th Infantry Division
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Kalinaw News: Laguna Activates ELCAC Task Force, Awards E-CLIP Grants to 22 Former Rebels
Posted to Kalinaw News (Nov 24, 2019): Laguna Activates ELCAC Task Force, Awards E-CLIP Grants to 22 Former Rebels
CAMP CAPINPIN, Tanay, Rizal – Twenty two former rebels received Php680,000 worth of grants from the government during the launching of Laguna’s Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF ELCAC) during a ceremony at Sta Cruz on Wednesday.
Col Alex Rillera, Commander of the 202nd Infantry Brigade which has operational jurisdiction in the area, said that “the ceremony is a manifestation of the government’s sincerity in its call for NPA terrorists to return to mainstream society in the name of lasting peace, national unity and reconciliation.”
He added that seven of the former rebels were regulars who received Php 65,000 each while the militias were given Php15,000 each. The former rebels will be receiving additional compensation from other government agencies in the coming days such as educational, housing and employment among others as mandated by E-CLIP.
He expressed confidence that “through the government’s concerted effort at all echelons, we will be able to address the prevailing social issues in the the soonest possible time thereby denying the NPAs the propaganda which they exploit to recruit our people and further their terroristic objectives.”
Following the President’s Executive Order Number 70, Laguna became the second province of Region 4A to officially launch and activate its PTF ELCAC. Quezon Province was the first to do so during a ceremony last October 10 at Infanta, Quezon that was attended by the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año.
Aside from launching and awarding E-CLIP entitlements during the event, the Provincial Peace and Order Office of Laguna promoted awareness on the roles and responsibilities of each PTF ELCAC cluster heads. This was followed by the crafting of action plan which will serve as the blueprint in sustaining the province’s distinction as an insurgency free locality.
Major General Arnulfo Marcelo B Burgos Jr, Commander of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division which covers Southern Tagalog, said that the “headways that the people are gaining in our fight against insurgency is an indicator that peace, prosperity and development are within reach.”
He added that the creation of Task Force ELCAC in Laguna is a testament to the provincial government’s genuine desire to once and for all eradicate the menace of communist insurgency.
He ended his statement by calling on the few remaining NPA terrorists “to put down their arms, live peaceful lives with your families, especially now that Christmas is fast approaching, and join the entire nation in finding solutions to our country’s problems.”
CAMP CAPINPIN, Tanay, Rizal – Twenty two former rebels received Php680,000 worth of grants from the government during the launching of Laguna’s Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF ELCAC) during a ceremony at Sta Cruz on Wednesday.
Col Alex Rillera, Commander of the 202nd Infantry Brigade which has operational jurisdiction in the area, said that “the ceremony is a manifestation of the government’s sincerity in its call for NPA terrorists to return to mainstream society in the name of lasting peace, national unity and reconciliation.”
He added that seven of the former rebels were regulars who received Php 65,000 each while the militias were given Php15,000 each. The former rebels will be receiving additional compensation from other government agencies in the coming days such as educational, housing and employment among others as mandated by E-CLIP.
He expressed confidence that “through the government’s concerted effort at all echelons, we will be able to address the prevailing social issues in the the soonest possible time thereby denying the NPAs the propaganda which they exploit to recruit our people and further their terroristic objectives.”
Following the President’s Executive Order Number 70, Laguna became the second province of Region 4A to officially launch and activate its PTF ELCAC. Quezon Province was the first to do so during a ceremony last October 10 at Infanta, Quezon that was attended by the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año.
Aside from launching and awarding E-CLIP entitlements during the event, the Provincial Peace and Order Office of Laguna promoted awareness on the roles and responsibilities of each PTF ELCAC cluster heads. This was followed by the crafting of action plan which will serve as the blueprint in sustaining the province’s distinction as an insurgency free locality.
Major General Arnulfo Marcelo B Burgos Jr, Commander of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division which covers Southern Tagalog, said that the “headways that the people are gaining in our fight against insurgency is an indicator that peace, prosperity and development are within reach.”
He added that the creation of Task Force ELCAC in Laguna is a testament to the provincial government’s genuine desire to once and for all eradicate the menace of communist insurgency.
He ended his statement by calling on the few remaining NPA terrorists “to put down their arms, live peaceful lives with your families, especially now that Christmas is fast approaching, and join the entire nation in finding solutions to our country’s problems.”
Source: 2nd Infantry Division
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Kalinaw News: Pampamayanang Mangyan Ugnayan Inc. (PMUI) nanguna sa Convergence Caravan
Posted to Kalinaw News (Nov 24, 2019): Pampamayanang Mangyan Ugnayan Inc. (PMUI) nanguna sa Convergence Caravan
Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro- Matagumpay na nagsagawa ng Convergence Caravan ang Municipal Task Force in Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (MTF-ELCAC) ng Mansalay kasama ang 4th Infantry Battalion sa tulong ng Pampamayanang Mangyan Ugnayan Inc. (PMUI) sa Barangay Panaytayan, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro nito lamang Nobyembre 21 taong kasalukuyan.
Ang Convergence Caravan ay isang aktibidad na kung saan ay nagtutulong-tulong ang lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno kasama ang ibat-ibang Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) upang maiparating ang mga ibat-ibang klaseng serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan.
Sa pakikipagtulungan ng Mansalay MTF ELCAC sa pangununa ni Mayor Ferdinand “Totoy” Maliwanag at ng Pampamayanang Mangyan Ugnayan Inc. (PMUI) sa pangunguna ni Ms Juvilyn Villanueva Gulmaid kasama ang PMU Sweden sa pangunguna ni Josefin Egerlid Yeboah, Junior Chambers International (JCI) San Juan Dambana katuwang ang ibat bang ahensya tulad ng Philippine Statistics Authority, Municipal Registrar, PhilHealth, Municipal Agriculture, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management, Municipal Social Welfare and Development, Mansalay Municipal Police Station, RMFB PNP, 2nd Cavalry Battalion, Phil Army at ang 4th Infantry (Scorpion) Battalion sa pamumuno ni LtC Alexander Arbolado ay matagumpay na naihatid ang mga pangunahing serbisyo tulad ng medical check-up, libreng gamot, PhilHealth at Birth Certificate registration, pagbigay ng school supplies, hygiene kits, toys, relief goods at spoon program na natanggap ng pitong daan walumpu’t limang (785) benepisaryo ng nasabing barangay.
Lubos ang pasasalamat ng pamayanan ng Brgy Panaytayan sa pangunguna ni Kapitan Onyo Intsik sa mga serbisyong kanilang natanggap mula sa PMUI at Manasalay MTF ELCAC.
Ayon kay Mayor Ferdinand “Totoy” Maliwanag, ang lahat ng ahensya ng local na pamahalaan ng Mansalay ay laging handang magserbisyo sa mga mamamayan para sa ikauunlad ng bayan at makamit ang pangmatagalang kapayapaan. Isa lang ang aktibidad na ito sa marami pang programa na ihahatid sa ilalim ng MTF ELCAC Mansalay upang mapaabot ang mga serbisyo ng gobyerno sa lahat lalo na sa mga katutubo at tuluyang matapos ang insurhensiya sa ating bansa.
Ayon naman kay Brigadier General Antonio Lastimado pinuno ng 203rd Infantry Brigade ang Brgy Panaytayan ay isa sa mga Convergence areas kung saan pinagtutuunan ng pansin ng lokal na pamahalaan at ng Probinsya ng Oriental Mindoro. Dagdag pa aniya na ang mga gawaing ito ay napailalim sa diriktiba ng ating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa pagpapatupad ng Executive Order Nr 70 na pinapalakas ang Whole of Nation Approach upang makamtan ang pangmatgalang kapayapaan at kaunlaran ng sa ganunay matuldukan na ang problemang insurhensiya dulot ng teroristang CPP-NPA-NDF sa ating bansa.
Source: 4th Infantry Battalion
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro- Matagumpay na nagsagawa ng Convergence Caravan ang Municipal Task Force in Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (MTF-ELCAC) ng Mansalay kasama ang 4th Infantry Battalion sa tulong ng Pampamayanang Mangyan Ugnayan Inc. (PMUI) sa Barangay Panaytayan, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro nito lamang Nobyembre 21 taong kasalukuyan.
Ang Convergence Caravan ay isang aktibidad na kung saan ay nagtutulong-tulong ang lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno kasama ang ibat-ibang Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) upang maiparating ang mga ibat-ibang klaseng serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan.
Sa pakikipagtulungan ng Mansalay MTF ELCAC sa pangununa ni Mayor Ferdinand “Totoy” Maliwanag at ng Pampamayanang Mangyan Ugnayan Inc. (PMUI) sa pangunguna ni Ms Juvilyn Villanueva Gulmaid kasama ang PMU Sweden sa pangunguna ni Josefin Egerlid Yeboah, Junior Chambers International (JCI) San Juan Dambana katuwang ang ibat bang ahensya tulad ng Philippine Statistics Authority, Municipal Registrar, PhilHealth, Municipal Agriculture, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management, Municipal Social Welfare and Development, Mansalay Municipal Police Station, RMFB PNP, 2nd Cavalry Battalion, Phil Army at ang 4th Infantry (Scorpion) Battalion sa pamumuno ni LtC Alexander Arbolado ay matagumpay na naihatid ang mga pangunahing serbisyo tulad ng medical check-up, libreng gamot, PhilHealth at Birth Certificate registration, pagbigay ng school supplies, hygiene kits, toys, relief goods at spoon program na natanggap ng pitong daan walumpu’t limang (785) benepisaryo ng nasabing barangay.
Lubos ang pasasalamat ng pamayanan ng Brgy Panaytayan sa pangunguna ni Kapitan Onyo Intsik sa mga serbisyong kanilang natanggap mula sa PMUI at Manasalay MTF ELCAC.
Ayon kay Mayor Ferdinand “Totoy” Maliwanag, ang lahat ng ahensya ng local na pamahalaan ng Mansalay ay laging handang magserbisyo sa mga mamamayan para sa ikauunlad ng bayan at makamit ang pangmatagalang kapayapaan. Isa lang ang aktibidad na ito sa marami pang programa na ihahatid sa ilalim ng MTF ELCAC Mansalay upang mapaabot ang mga serbisyo ng gobyerno sa lahat lalo na sa mga katutubo at tuluyang matapos ang insurhensiya sa ating bansa.
Ayon naman kay Brigadier General Antonio Lastimado pinuno ng 203rd Infantry Brigade ang Brgy Panaytayan ay isa sa mga Convergence areas kung saan pinagtutuunan ng pansin ng lokal na pamahalaan at ng Probinsya ng Oriental Mindoro. Dagdag pa aniya na ang mga gawaing ito ay napailalim sa diriktiba ng ating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa pagpapatupad ng Executive Order Nr 70 na pinapalakas ang Whole of Nation Approach upang makamtan ang pangmatgalang kapayapaan at kaunlaran ng sa ganunay matuldukan na ang problemang insurhensiya dulot ng teroristang CPP-NPA-NDF sa ating bansa.
Source: 4th Infantry Battalion
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Kalinaw News: Former rebel receives cash assistance; invites 48IB to son’s baptism
Posted to Kalinaw News (Nov 24, 2019): Former rebel receives cash assistance; invites 48IB to son’s baptism
Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija – The 48th Infantry (Guardians) Battalion attended the baptism of the son of a former New People’s Army (NPA) rebel, known as alias LJ at the Malolos Cathedral in Malolos, Bulacan on November 15, 2019.
Alias LJ, whose true name is Monica Rubio Santos, was only 15 years old when she was recruited to join the armed-struggle in 2016. She was first integrated to the NPA unit operating in Batangas.
In 2017 and 2018, she was integrated to ANAKBAYAN and KADAMAY in Bulacan, respectively. In December 2018, she was reintegrated to an NPA unit, this time operating in Bulacan.
On September 11, 2019, she decided to go back to mainstream society after the hardships she experienced inside the organization and for being pregnant.
The government assured alias LJ that she and her child will be protected. Making good on the promise, the Provincial Local Government of Bulacan through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) decided to sponsor the expenses for the baptism of the child.
Present during the baptism, who also acted as god-parents to alias LJ’s child were Governor Daniel Fernando of Bulacan; Lieutenant Colonel Felix Emeterio M. Valdez, Commanding Officer of 48IB; Major Tony Pilas, Executive Officer of 48IB; Police Colonel Chito Bersaluna, Director, Provincial Police Office of Bulacan; Police Major Joy Placido, Chief, Municipal Police Office of Pandi, Bulacan; and, Miss Rowena J. Tiongson, Deparment Head of PSWDO.
Prior to the baptism, on November 11, alias LJ received an amount of Php 15,000.00 cash assistance from the Provincial Government of Pampanga when she, along with 44 other former rebels, were presented to Governor Dennis Pineda of Pampanga and Acting Regional Director Police Brigadier General Rhodel O. Sermonia of Police Regional Office 3.
“Being accepted by the community and now seeing her child welcomed to the Christian world must have been beyond what Alias LJ expected when she decided to surrender. But the provincial government of Pampanga has been generous, not only to her, but to the other former rebels as well, who all received cash assistance through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP). Definitely, the joint efforts of our local government units, the Army and the PNP can be relied upon to secure the best benefits, security and assistance to all who will denounce the armed struggle and go back to the folds of the government,” said Major General Lenard T. Agustin, the 7ID Commander who has been busy of late due to the series of surrenders of NPA members and supporters that has been happening in Nueva Ecija and adjacent provinces.
48IB enhances Army, PNP personnel capabilities
Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija – The 48th Infantry (GUARDIANS) Battalion
held a three-day Capacity Building Training for AFP and PNP personnel at The Orchid Gardens, Lazatin Boulevard in Barangay San Juan, San Fernando City, Pampanga on November 20, 2019.
Eighteen (18) personnel from the Philippine Army and 35 personnel from the Philippine National Police, particularly from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion of Region 3 (RMFB 3) and the Pampanga Provincial Police Office (PPO) attended the said training.
Engineer Joey Algy Canlas represented DILG Provincial Director Ms Myrvi Apostol-Fabia as the Guest of Honor of the program.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Felix Emeterio Valdez, Commanding Officer of the 48IB, the Capacity Building Training was designed to enhance their abilities of the participants to be knowledgeable and conversant in the following topics: knowing the enemy, youth and labor infiltration, methods of communist terrorist groups (CTG) recruitment, information domination, red and white areas orientation, the Community Support Program (CSP) and the Re-tooled Community Support Program (RCSP).
Subject matter experts from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) were invited and gave a lecture on Labor Union Processing and Establishment. Likewise, topics on Laws and Policies were handled by a subject matter expert from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
“To effectively perform the mandated tasks of the AFP and PNP, it is necessary to equip them necessary knowledge and skills to maximize their potentials. This training is a good opportunity for them to be honed and shaped accordingly,” said Major General Lenard T. Agustin, Commander of the 7th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division. “We need this to create a flexible force that are able to discuss insurgency-related matters in the implementation of the ‘whole-of-nation approach’ to defeat the CNT and its affiliated organizations,” he added.
Source: 7th Infantry Division
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija – The 48th Infantry (Guardians) Battalion attended the baptism of the son of a former New People’s Army (NPA) rebel, known as alias LJ at the Malolos Cathedral in Malolos, Bulacan on November 15, 2019.
Alias LJ, whose true name is Monica Rubio Santos, was only 15 years old when she was recruited to join the armed-struggle in 2016. She was first integrated to the NPA unit operating in Batangas.
In 2017 and 2018, she was integrated to ANAKBAYAN and KADAMAY in Bulacan, respectively. In December 2018, she was reintegrated to an NPA unit, this time operating in Bulacan.
On September 11, 2019, she decided to go back to mainstream society after the hardships she experienced inside the organization and for being pregnant.
The government assured alias LJ that she and her child will be protected. Making good on the promise, the Provincial Local Government of Bulacan through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) decided to sponsor the expenses for the baptism of the child.
Present during the baptism, who also acted as god-parents to alias LJ’s child were Governor Daniel Fernando of Bulacan; Lieutenant Colonel Felix Emeterio M. Valdez, Commanding Officer of 48IB; Major Tony Pilas, Executive Officer of 48IB; Police Colonel Chito Bersaluna, Director, Provincial Police Office of Bulacan; Police Major Joy Placido, Chief, Municipal Police Office of Pandi, Bulacan; and, Miss Rowena J. Tiongson, Deparment Head of PSWDO.
Prior to the baptism, on November 11, alias LJ received an amount of Php 15,000.00 cash assistance from the Provincial Government of Pampanga when she, along with 44 other former rebels, were presented to Governor Dennis Pineda of Pampanga and Acting Regional Director Police Brigadier General Rhodel O. Sermonia of Police Regional Office 3.
“Being accepted by the community and now seeing her child welcomed to the Christian world must have been beyond what Alias LJ expected when she decided to surrender. But the provincial government of Pampanga has been generous, not only to her, but to the other former rebels as well, who all received cash assistance through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP). Definitely, the joint efforts of our local government units, the Army and the PNP can be relied upon to secure the best benefits, security and assistance to all who will denounce the armed struggle and go back to the folds of the government,” said Major General Lenard T. Agustin, the 7ID Commander who has been busy of late due to the series of surrenders of NPA members and supporters that has been happening in Nueva Ecija and adjacent provinces.
48IB enhances Army, PNP personnel capabilities
Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija – The 48th Infantry (GUARDIANS) Battalion
held a three-day Capacity Building Training for AFP and PNP personnel at The Orchid Gardens, Lazatin Boulevard in Barangay San Juan, San Fernando City, Pampanga on November 20, 2019.
Eighteen (18) personnel from the Philippine Army and 35 personnel from the Philippine National Police, particularly from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion of Region 3 (RMFB 3) and the Pampanga Provincial Police Office (PPO) attended the said training.
Engineer Joey Algy Canlas represented DILG Provincial Director Ms Myrvi Apostol-Fabia as the Guest of Honor of the program.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Felix Emeterio Valdez, Commanding Officer of the 48IB, the Capacity Building Training was designed to enhance their abilities of the participants to be knowledgeable and conversant in the following topics: knowing the enemy, youth and labor infiltration, methods of communist terrorist groups (CTG) recruitment, information domination, red and white areas orientation, the Community Support Program (CSP) and the Re-tooled Community Support Program (RCSP).
Subject matter experts from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) were invited and gave a lecture on Labor Union Processing and Establishment. Likewise, topics on Laws and Policies were handled by a subject matter expert from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
“To effectively perform the mandated tasks of the AFP and PNP, it is necessary to equip them necessary knowledge and skills to maximize their potentials. This training is a good opportunity for them to be honed and shaped accordingly,” said Major General Lenard T. Agustin, Commander of the 7th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division. “We need this to create a flexible force that are able to discuss insurgency-related matters in the implementation of the ‘whole-of-nation approach’ to defeat the CNT and its affiliated organizations,” he added.
Source: 7th Infantry Division
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
WESTMINCOM: 6 ASG bandits killed in a continuing combat operations in Sulu
Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Nov 24, 2019): 6 ASG bandits killed in a continuing combat operations in Sulu
Six Abu Sayyaf killed in a two-day confrontations with the AFP in Sulu to include two sub-leaders.
The first encounter was in So. Itum, Brgy Kabbuntakas, Patikul, Sulu at 2:40 pm yesterday (November 23, 2019), while the second was in So. Huton Mahablo, Brgy. Silangkan in the municipality of Indanan at 3:30 pm today (November 24, 2019).
That on November 23, one ASG member identified as certain “Jailade” was killed while four other ASG members were reportedly wounded during the encounter in Patikul that lasted for 45 minutes. Five soldiers from 32nd Infantry Battalion were slightly wounded during the firefight and were immediately brought to Camp Bautista Station Hospital for medical treatment.
While on November 24, another clash was transpired between the 2nd Special Forces Battalion and the ASG in Indanan that resulted in the killing of five ASG, to include two sub-leaders with three firearms recovered.
Among the ASG killed were Sibih Pisih, a subgroup leader of the ASG under Radullan Sahiron and Roger Sajih.
Accordingly, Sibih Pisih is one of the original subgroup leaders of the ASG before the group was split into Sahiron and Sawadjaan group. He in-charge of the ASG’s off the water kidnappings in the boundaries of Tawi-tawi and Sabah, Malaysia. He has a pending warrant of arrest for the massacre of 22 civilians in Talipao Sulu, sometime 2014.
The three other ASG members were identified as certain Saipal Reny, Melvin Reny and Taihal Sabtal.
Recovered firearms were one M653 Rifle, one Barret Sniper Rifle, three Cal .45 pistols, assorted magazines and ammunition, and five cellular phones.
However, two Special Forces personnel were slightly wounded during the armed encounter and are now at the military hospital in Jolo, Sulu for appropriate medical treatment.
All the cadavers of ASG are now for forensic investigation.
Col Ignatius Patrimonio, Commander of 1102nd Infantry Brigade said “The ASG has no safe place here in Sulu as the people themselves are now very active in reporting the ASG presence in their communities.
Major General Corleto Vinluan Jr, Commander of the JTF Sulu congratulated his troops for the series of successful combat operations against the ASG bandits. He reiterated his warning “We will hunt you down one-by-one if you will not surrender.
“The military operation was part of our search and rescue efforts to recover the kidnap victim, including the Hyrons Couple, from the hand of the ASG abductors. Its success can be attributed to the people’s support to our endeavors. The valuable they shared to us lead the troops to the hideouts of the ASG bandits,” said Lt. General Cirilito E. Sobejana, Commander WestMinCom.
“We are determined to put an end to the menace of terrorism in the Bangsamoro Region and comply with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte,” the commander added.
Six Abu Sayyaf killed in a two-day confrontations with the AFP in Sulu to include two sub-leaders.
The first encounter was in So. Itum, Brgy Kabbuntakas, Patikul, Sulu at 2:40 pm yesterday (November 23, 2019), while the second was in So. Huton Mahablo, Brgy. Silangkan in the municipality of Indanan at 3:30 pm today (November 24, 2019).
That on November 23, one ASG member identified as certain “Jailade” was killed while four other ASG members were reportedly wounded during the encounter in Patikul that lasted for 45 minutes. Five soldiers from 32nd Infantry Battalion were slightly wounded during the firefight and were immediately brought to Camp Bautista Station Hospital for medical treatment.
While on November 24, another clash was transpired between the 2nd Special Forces Battalion and the ASG in Indanan that resulted in the killing of five ASG, to include two sub-leaders with three firearms recovered.
Among the ASG killed were Sibih Pisih, a subgroup leader of the ASG under Radullan Sahiron and Roger Sajih.
Accordingly, Sibih Pisih is one of the original subgroup leaders of the ASG before the group was split into Sahiron and Sawadjaan group. He in-charge of the ASG’s off the water kidnappings in the boundaries of Tawi-tawi and Sabah, Malaysia. He has a pending warrant of arrest for the massacre of 22 civilians in Talipao Sulu, sometime 2014.
The three other ASG members were identified as certain Saipal Reny, Melvin Reny and Taihal Sabtal.
Recovered firearms were one M653 Rifle, one Barret Sniper Rifle, three Cal .45 pistols, assorted magazines and ammunition, and five cellular phones.
However, two Special Forces personnel were slightly wounded during the armed encounter and are now at the military hospital in Jolo, Sulu for appropriate medical treatment.
All the cadavers of ASG are now for forensic investigation.
Col Ignatius Patrimonio, Commander of 1102nd Infantry Brigade said “The ASG has no safe place here in Sulu as the people themselves are now very active in reporting the ASG presence in their communities.
Major General Corleto Vinluan Jr, Commander of the JTF Sulu congratulated his troops for the series of successful combat operations against the ASG bandits. He reiterated his warning “We will hunt you down one-by-one if you will not surrender.
“The military operation was part of our search and rescue efforts to recover the kidnap victim, including the Hyrons Couple, from the hand of the ASG abductors. Its success can be attributed to the people’s support to our endeavors. The valuable they shared to us lead the troops to the hideouts of the ASG bandits,” said Lt. General Cirilito E. Sobejana, Commander WestMinCom.
“We are determined to put an end to the menace of terrorism in the Bangsamoro Region and comply with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte,” the commander added.
Source: PIO Western Mindanao Command
150 more MILF soldiers join Bangsamoro security team
From Rappler (Nov 24, 2019): 150 more MILF soldiers join Bangsamoro security team
The former rebel fighters join members of the police and military in a security force tasked with protecting certain areas of the Bangsamoro region until an elected government is established in 2022
FORMER REBELS. Among members of the latest batch of the Joint Peace and Security Team of the Bangsamoro region are former rebel combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, who completed their training on November 22, 2019. Photo from OPAPP
The former rebel fighters join members of the police and military in a security force tasked with protecting certain areas of the Bangsamoro region until an elected government is established in 2022
FORMER REBELS. Among members of the latest batch of the Joint Peace and Security Team of the Bangsamoro region are former rebel combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, who completed their training on November 22, 2019. Photo from OPAPP
Another 150 former rebel soldiers of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) joined members of the police and military in the Joint Peace and Security Team (JPST) tasked to secure certain areas of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
On Friday, November 22, the fighters from the MILF's armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), completed a month's training along with 90 personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and 77 from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to comprise the second batch of the JPST.
Members of the first batch of the Bangsamoro security force, with 255 coming from the BIAF, were trained and deployed in August.
The JPST secures civilian communities within MILF camps recognized by the government, and areas of the BARMM mutually identified by the government and the MILF, which leads the region's provisional government, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.
The security force also serves as an entry point for BIAF members to join the AFP or the PNP, as it will be dissolved in 2022, when the BARMM is expected to be fully established with an elected regional government.
"'Ni minsan ay hindi po sumagi sa isipan ko na darating ang ganitong pagkakataon, na ang dating magkatunggali sa armadong digmaan ay magiging magkasangga sa pagpapalaganap ng kapayapaan," said BIAF member Mujahid Asghar Omar, during his JPST graduation ceremony, as quoted by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) in a statement on Sunday, November 24. (I never imagined that an opportunity like this would come, that former foes in armed battle would become allies in spreading peace.)
The establishment of the BARMM with former rebels from the MILF as its leaders caps off decades of on-and-off fighting and negotiations with the government for a "homeland" for Mindanao's Moro Muslim minority.
A major part of the agreement is the gradual decommissioning – or disarmament – of the 40,000-strong BIAF, which officially began in September.
According to the agreement, 30% or 12,000 of BIAF fighters would be disarmed by early 2020. The remaining combatants are expected to be decommissioned by 2022.
"Kayo ang bunga ng prosesong pangkapayapaan na tinuldukan ang apatnapu't apat na taon ng kaguluhan sa Mindanao.... Magkakapatid na kayo ngayon," said Joint Peace and Security Committee co-chair Dickson Hermoso, a retired Army colonel, former OPAPP assistant secretary, and currently BARMM minister of transportation.
(You are the result of the peace process that ended 44 years of violence in Mindanao.... You are now brothers.)
"Tandaan lamang po natin na ito ay simula pa lamang ng inyong napakahalagang misyon – protektahan ang Bangsamoro laban sa mga gustong magdulot ng kaguluhan dito, at tulungan ang pamahalaan ng rehiyon na isulong ang pangmatagalang kapayapaan at kaunlaran sa inyong lugar," OPAPP Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr said in a statement delivered at the ceremony by Hermoso.
(Let us remember that this is just the start of your very important mission – to protect the Bangsamoro against those who sow chaos, and to help the regional government promote lasting peace and prosperity in your homeland.)
https://www.rappler.com/nation/245679-more-milf-soldiers-join-bangsamoro-security-team
On Friday, November 22, the fighters from the MILF's armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), completed a month's training along with 90 personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and 77 from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to comprise the second batch of the JPST.
Members of the first batch of the Bangsamoro security force, with 255 coming from the BIAF, were trained and deployed in August.
The JPST secures civilian communities within MILF camps recognized by the government, and areas of the BARMM mutually identified by the government and the MILF, which leads the region's provisional government, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.
The security force also serves as an entry point for BIAF members to join the AFP or the PNP, as it will be dissolved in 2022, when the BARMM is expected to be fully established with an elected regional government.
"'Ni minsan ay hindi po sumagi sa isipan ko na darating ang ganitong pagkakataon, na ang dating magkatunggali sa armadong digmaan ay magiging magkasangga sa pagpapalaganap ng kapayapaan," said BIAF member Mujahid Asghar Omar, during his JPST graduation ceremony, as quoted by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) in a statement on Sunday, November 24. (I never imagined that an opportunity like this would come, that former foes in armed battle would become allies in spreading peace.)
The establishment of the BARMM with former rebels from the MILF as its leaders caps off decades of on-and-off fighting and negotiations with the government for a "homeland" for Mindanao's Moro Muslim minority.
A major part of the agreement is the gradual decommissioning – or disarmament – of the 40,000-strong BIAF, which officially began in September.
According to the agreement, 30% or 12,000 of BIAF fighters would be disarmed by early 2020. The remaining combatants are expected to be decommissioned by 2022.
"Kayo ang bunga ng prosesong pangkapayapaan na tinuldukan ang apatnapu't apat na taon ng kaguluhan sa Mindanao.... Magkakapatid na kayo ngayon," said Joint Peace and Security Committee co-chair Dickson Hermoso, a retired Army colonel, former OPAPP assistant secretary, and currently BARMM minister of transportation.
(You are the result of the peace process that ended 44 years of violence in Mindanao.... You are now brothers.)
"Tandaan lamang po natin na ito ay simula pa lamang ng inyong napakahalagang misyon – protektahan ang Bangsamoro laban sa mga gustong magdulot ng kaguluhan dito, at tulungan ang pamahalaan ng rehiyon na isulong ang pangmatagalang kapayapaan at kaunlaran sa inyong lugar," OPAPP Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr said in a statement delivered at the ceremony by Hermoso.
(Let us remember that this is just the start of your very important mission – to protect the Bangsamoro against those who sow chaos, and to help the regional government promote lasting peace and prosperity in your homeland.)
https://www.rappler.com/nation/245679-more-milf-soldiers-join-bangsamoro-security-team
The proposed new military camp in Marawi: break ground first, consult later; pay now, study later
From MindaNews (Nov 24, 2019):The proposed new military camp in Marawi: break ground first, consult later; pay now, study later (By Carolyn O. Arguillas)
Break ground first, consult later; pay now, study later.
That sums up the history of the proposed new military camp in Barangay Kapantaran, the second in the Islamic City of Marawi after Kampo Ranao which hosts the 103rd Infantry Brigade.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s Memorandum Order 41, signed on November 15, 2019 but released only this week, ordered the creation of a Technical Working Group (TWG) “to study the establishment of a military camp” in Kapantaran, nearly two years (21.5 months to be exact) after he graced the groundbreaking rites for that proposed camp on January 30, 2018.
The view from the site of Marawi’s old City Hall in Barangay Kapantaran, the future site of the second military camp in Marawi City. MindaNews photo taken on 17 October 2018 by GREGORIO BUENO
Kapantaran is the site of the old City Hall which overlooks the city and Lake Lanao, and is one of the 24 barangays in Ground Zero, the main battle area in 2017 between government forces and the Islamic State-inspired Maute Group and its allies, now referred to as Most Affected Area (MAA). The MAA comprises 250 hectares.
The Memo Order comes 16 months after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released on July 11, 2018, the amount of 51.37 million pesos under SARO-BMB-D-18-0015291 to the Department of National Defense (DBM) for the Philippine Army “to cover the acquisition of land in Marawi City as site for a new military camp.”
It also comes a full year after government filed expropriation proceedings after prices per square meter of land in the proposed site went up from 100 to 200 pesos per square meter before the Marawi Siege began on May 23, 2017, to 2,000 to 10,000 pesos per square meter in 2018, according to Housing Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, chair of the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM). Del Rosario told the Mindanao Media Forum in Davao City on November 16 last year that expropriation proceedings were filed first week of November. He said government was eyeing 10 hectares of land for the camp but could settle for six hectares.
Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra told MindaNews on Sunday that there has been no ruling on the expropriation.
Memo Order 41 also comes 19 months after results of focus group discussions (FGDs) with nearly a thousand Marawi stakeholders from various sectors showed, among other issues, that residents of Ground Zero or the Most Affected Area (MAA), “are nearly unanimous in their opposition to the establishment of additional military camp in their area.”
The FGDs were conducted in April 2018 after residents complained that the rehabilitation plan presented by Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) in March was done without consulting them. The TFBM claimed it made consultations. It later sought the World Bank for technical assistance, hence the April FGDs.
Fifteen days before Memo 41 was signed, the People’s Maswara (Consultation) in a resolution on October 31, 2019 said “another military camp or military industrial base is the last thing needed or wanted by the Meranaos.”
The resolution asked the President to “reconsider the establishment of another military camp in the city; to give justice to the devastated city and ruined lives of its dwellers and to support the speedy approval of the compensation bill for the IDPs” (internally displaced persons).
TWG’s 9 tasks
The TWG is to be composed of six national agencies: the Department of National Defense, Office of the Executive Secretary, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Land Registration Authority, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development; and Department of the Interior and Local Government.
The Memo Order does not provide representation of the local governments of Marawi and Lanao del Sur as well as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, in the TWG.
The Memo Order lists nine tasks of the TWG:
In his speech in Barangay Sagonsongan in Marawi City after the groundbreaking rites for the camp in Kapantaran on January 30, 2018, Duterte said: “I’m going to set a camp here but I will pay you. This is a military reservation pero may mga may-ari naman ng lupa. O sige na lang, kung anong makuha nila, eh ‘di bayaran na lang. We will pay para walang gulo. And that is your guarantee.”
That sums up the history of the proposed new military camp in Barangay Kapantaran, the second in the Islamic City of Marawi after Kampo Ranao which hosts the 103rd Infantry Brigade.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s Memorandum Order 41, signed on November 15, 2019 but released only this week, ordered the creation of a Technical Working Group (TWG) “to study the establishment of a military camp” in Kapantaran, nearly two years (21.5 months to be exact) after he graced the groundbreaking rites for that proposed camp on January 30, 2018.
The view from the site of Marawi’s old City Hall in Barangay Kapantaran, the future site of the second military camp in Marawi City. MindaNews photo taken on 17 October 2018 by GREGORIO BUENO
Kapantaran is the site of the old City Hall which overlooks the city and Lake Lanao, and is one of the 24 barangays in Ground Zero, the main battle area in 2017 between government forces and the Islamic State-inspired Maute Group and its allies, now referred to as Most Affected Area (MAA). The MAA comprises 250 hectares.
The Memo Order comes 16 months after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released on July 11, 2018, the amount of 51.37 million pesos under SARO-BMB-D-18-0015291 to the Department of National Defense (DBM) for the Philippine Army “to cover the acquisition of land in Marawi City as site for a new military camp.”
It also comes a full year after government filed expropriation proceedings after prices per square meter of land in the proposed site went up from 100 to 200 pesos per square meter before the Marawi Siege began on May 23, 2017, to 2,000 to 10,000 pesos per square meter in 2018, according to Housing Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, chair of the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM). Del Rosario told the Mindanao Media Forum in Davao City on November 16 last year that expropriation proceedings were filed first week of November. He said government was eyeing 10 hectares of land for the camp but could settle for six hectares.
Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra told MindaNews on Sunday that there has been no ruling on the expropriation.
Memo Order 41 also comes 19 months after results of focus group discussions (FGDs) with nearly a thousand Marawi stakeholders from various sectors showed, among other issues, that residents of Ground Zero or the Most Affected Area (MAA), “are nearly unanimous in their opposition to the establishment of additional military camp in their area.”
The FGDs were conducted in April 2018 after residents complained that the rehabilitation plan presented by Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) in March was done without consulting them. The TFBM claimed it made consultations. It later sought the World Bank for technical assistance, hence the April FGDs.
Fifteen days before Memo 41 was signed, the People’s Maswara (Consultation) in a resolution on October 31, 2019 said “another military camp or military industrial base is the last thing needed or wanted by the Meranaos.”
The resolution asked the President to “reconsider the establishment of another military camp in the city; to give justice to the devastated city and ruined lives of its dwellers and to support the speedy approval of the compensation bill for the IDPs” (internally displaced persons).
TWG’s 9 tasks
The TWG is to be composed of six national agencies: the Department of National Defense, Office of the Executive Secretary, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Land Registration Authority, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development; and Department of the Interior and Local Government.
The Memo Order does not provide representation of the local governments of Marawi and Lanao del Sur as well as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, in the TWG.
The Memo Order lists nine tasks of the TWG:
- conduct a census for the identification of those who will be affected by the establishment of the military camp in Kapantaran, Marawi City;
- consider the institution of three detachments composed of three battalions dispersed at the boundaries between Marawi City and its contiguous municipalities;
- conduct a resurvey of the area to reestablish the metes and bounds of the proposed military camp;
- ascertain the status of ownership and possession of the lands proposed to be included in the military camp in Brgy. Kapantaran;
- expedite the titling and registration of the affected parcels of land, without prejudice to private rights, upon final determination that they will form part of the military camp;
- assist in the resettlement of the individuals and families which may be displaced from their residences and communities as a result of the acquisition of lands for the military camp;
- provide administrative and technical support to all affected local government units regarding matters arising from the establishment of the military camp;
- enlist the support of other government agencies and instrumentalities in the performance of its functions under this Order; and
- submit periodic reports to the Office of the President relative to the establishment of the military camp in Brgy. Kapantaran.
In his speech in Barangay Sagonsongan in Marawi City after the groundbreaking rites for the camp in Kapantaran on January 30, 2018, Duterte said: “I’m going to set a camp here but I will pay you. This is a military reservation pero may mga may-ari naman ng lupa. O sige na lang, kung anong makuha nila, eh ‘di bayaran na lang. We will pay para walang gulo. And that is your guarantee.”
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte leads the time capsule laying during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the military camp at the Old City Hall in Marawi City on January 30, 2018. Joining the ceremony are Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Department of Interior and Local Goverment Officer-in-Charge Eduardo Año and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council Chairperson Eduardo del Rosario. SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
Then Army Chief Lt. Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista, told MindaNews that a battalion under the 103rd Brigade will occupy the new military camp. “No new division will be deployed or moved to Marawi,” he said.
Then Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, who arrived in Marawi ahead of President Duterte, told a press briefing that the President had directed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to speed up the process of identifying the affected landowners.
But nearly two years after the “speed up the process” order was issued, Memo Order 41 now tasks the TWG to “conduct a census for the identification of those who will be affected by the establishment of the military camp in Kapantaran, Marawi City.”
Marawi City’s total land area is 8,755 hectares, 6,667 of which were declared a military reservation by President Elpidio Quirino in 1953. Some Meranaws reportedly obtained titles to the lands while others contend they had pre-existing rights long before the 1953 declaration as the lands they occupy had been the home of their ancestors.
Relocate site
Marawi Mayor Gandamra recently wrote President Duterte requesting him to “consider relocating the area of construction of the said camp on a strategic position that will not necessarily encroach or invade the privacy of the populace and simultaneously, recognize historical sites with heritage value.”
Gandamra said the city government does not object to the establishment of a camp “to enhance security measures in the city” but cited the “sentiments of the greater majority” particularly the owners of the land in the proposed site who said the land is “a part of their holistic identity as a native people of Marawi.”
He said the proposed camp site is the “original location of the old Marawi City Hall – a building which is considered by historians as as a tangible cultural heritage of the Islamic City of Marawi.”
Then Army Chief Lt. Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista, told MindaNews that a battalion under the 103rd Brigade will occupy the new military camp. “No new division will be deployed or moved to Marawi,” he said.
Then Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, who arrived in Marawi ahead of President Duterte, told a press briefing that the President had directed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to speed up the process of identifying the affected landowners.
But nearly two years after the “speed up the process” order was issued, Memo Order 41 now tasks the TWG to “conduct a census for the identification of those who will be affected by the establishment of the military camp in Kapantaran, Marawi City.”
Marawi City’s total land area is 8,755 hectares, 6,667 of which were declared a military reservation by President Elpidio Quirino in 1953. Some Meranaws reportedly obtained titles to the lands while others contend they had pre-existing rights long before the 1953 declaration as the lands they occupy had been the home of their ancestors.
Relocate site
Marawi Mayor Gandamra recently wrote President Duterte requesting him to “consider relocating the area of construction of the said camp on a strategic position that will not necessarily encroach or invade the privacy of the populace and simultaneously, recognize historical sites with heritage value.”
Gandamra said the city government does not object to the establishment of a camp “to enhance security measures in the city” but cited the “sentiments of the greater majority” particularly the owners of the land in the proposed site who said the land is “a part of their holistic identity as a native people of Marawi.”
He said the proposed camp site is the “original location of the old Marawi City Hall – a building which is considered by historians as as a tangible cultural heritage of the Islamic City of Marawi.”
Marawi’s old City Hall in this photo taken on 17 October 2018. MindaNews photo by GREGORIO BUENO
Gandamra’s letter to the President was coursed through Secretary del Rosario of the TFBM.
“Don’t repeat mistake”
Drieza Lininding, chair of the Moro Consensus Group, in a statement on Friday said President Duterte “should not repeat his mistake during Marawi siege for his failure in not consulting the Meranaws so that he will get fair and truthful accounts of what is really happening on the ground, wag lang sa mga warmonger and sipsip na Meranaws or Moros (and not just rely on warmongers and bootlickers among the Meranaws or Moros).
“Memo 41 by the President is a proof that this camp will be forced or imposed upon us, violating our right for Free, Prior and Informed Consent. They have no plan to consult us, even our own LGUs (local government units) are not part of the (TWG).”
Lininding said establishing a new camp will “endanger nearby communities as this is prone to attacks by militant or radical groups, like what they did during Marawi Siege.”
He cited the suicide bombing cases in Basilan and Sulu, adding “they are targetting military camps and detachments.”
Objections notwithstanding, a new military camp in Marawi City is expected to rise as soon as the TWG finishes its tasks.
Memo 41’s title is creating a TWG “for the establishment of a military camp in Kapantaran, Marawi City.”
The camp is intended to “reinforce current efforts of the government to secure Marawi City and its neighboring areas.”
What has happened in the proposed camp site beyond the groundbreaking rites on January 30, 2018? Except on rare occasions, this area has been off limits to civilians since combat operations were terminated on October 23, 2017.
How much of the 51.38 million peso fund released by DBM to the Defense department on July 11, 2018 has been spent “to cover the acquisition of land in Marawi City as site for a new military camp”?
Gandamra’s letter to the President was coursed through Secretary del Rosario of the TFBM.
“Don’t repeat mistake”
Drieza Lininding, chair of the Moro Consensus Group, in a statement on Friday said President Duterte “should not repeat his mistake during Marawi siege for his failure in not consulting the Meranaws so that he will get fair and truthful accounts of what is really happening on the ground, wag lang sa mga warmonger and sipsip na Meranaws or Moros (and not just rely on warmongers and bootlickers among the Meranaws or Moros).
“Memo 41 by the President is a proof that this camp will be forced or imposed upon us, violating our right for Free, Prior and Informed Consent. They have no plan to consult us, even our own LGUs (local government units) are not part of the (TWG).”
Lininding said establishing a new camp will “endanger nearby communities as this is prone to attacks by militant or radical groups, like what they did during Marawi Siege.”
He cited the suicide bombing cases in Basilan and Sulu, adding “they are targetting military camps and detachments.”
Objections notwithstanding, a new military camp in Marawi City is expected to rise as soon as the TWG finishes its tasks.
Memo 41’s title is creating a TWG “for the establishment of a military camp in Kapantaran, Marawi City.”
The camp is intended to “reinforce current efforts of the government to secure Marawi City and its neighboring areas.”
What has happened in the proposed camp site beyond the groundbreaking rites on January 30, 2018? Except on rare occasions, this area has been off limits to civilians since combat operations were terminated on October 23, 2017.
How much of the 51.38 million peso fund released by DBM to the Defense department on July 11, 2018 has been spent “to cover the acquisition of land in Marawi City as site for a new military camp”?