Army blames Abu Sayyaf for Basilan bombing

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 4, 2021): Army blames Abu Sayyaf for Basilan bombing (By: Julie S. Alipala)

The Army has pointed to the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf as responsible for the bombing in Sumisip town, Basilan on Thursday (Sept. 2) that injured two construction workers.

Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway, commander of the Army’s Joint Task Force Basilan, said the explosion was the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf faction led by Tawakkal Bayali and could be motivated by extortion.

The explosion, caused by an improvised bomb, happened at past 8 a.m. in Barangay Lower Binembengan in Sumisip.

Gobway identified the injured workers as Hadji Adzhar Akram and Alih Yagao Abbah, both employed with RR JAM Construction. They had shrapnel wounds in various parts of their bodies.

The victims were rushed to the Isabela City hospital for treatment.

Thursday’s blast followed the one on Aug. 31 in Lamitan City that injured two soldiers manning a checkpoint, one of whom died later while on medical evacuation to Zamboanga City.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1483441/army-blames-abu-sayyaf-for-basilan-bombing

Local politicians may tap IS remnants, Army warns

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 4, 2021): Local politicians may tap IS remnants, Army warns (By RYAN D. ROSAURO)

As the election fever begins to heat up, the Army command overseeing Lanao del Sur province has warned that local politicians may use remaining groups loyal to the Islamic State (IS) as their goons during the election season.

“Just like people with illegal firearms, they (IS gunmen) can be used by unscrupulous individuals with personal and political motives,” said Brig. Gen. Jose Maria Cuerpo, commander of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade.

Cuerpo explained that they had anticipated this possibility “as the group led by the Mautes was also employed by local politicians” in the past.

Maute brothers Abdullah and Omarkhayam led a homegrown group of local terrorists that were affiliated with the IS led by Basilan-based Isnilon Hapilon when they attacked and occupied this city for five months in 2017. The Maute brothers and Hapilon were among those who died during fierce fighting with government troops. The ensuing battle ruined the city’s commercial district and left close to 90,000 people still displaced from their homes and communities up to now.

Small holdouts

After being driven out of Marawi in October 2017, the terrorists maintain small holdouts in the hinterlands of the province where they have since been subjected to continuous manhunt.

Cuerpo said the group’s leadership core was now reduced to just over a dozen people, roaming the stretch of communities in the border of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte provinces and “forcibly recruiting” hapless youth.

On Wednesday, two youngsters from Piagapo town who had joined the local terrorists surrendered to the military saying they were only performing courier roles.

On Aug. 21, some 2,000 villagers in Munai and Tangcal towns in Lanao del Norte evacuated their homes amid a three-hour gunfight between government soldiers and some 30 IS-affiliated gunmen. It was the fiercest fight since last year. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1483161/local-politicians-may-tap-is-remnants-army-warns

MILF, MNLF together on peace and security programs

From the Philippine Star (Sep 4, 2021): MILF, MNLF together on peace and security programs (John Unson)

North Cotabato Vice Gov. Emmylou Mendoza and Regional Labor Minister Romeo Sema discussed the prospects of the infant Bangsamoro region during a meeting this week in Cotabato City.  Philstar.com / John Unson

Stakeholders see better days soon for the Bangsamoro region with the convergence now of the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation on development objectives for the local communities.

The MNLF commemorated on Thursday the 25th anniversary of its final peace pact with the national government, jointly brokered by former President Fidel Ramos and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC.

The OIC is a bloc of more than 50 Muslim states, including wealthy petroleum exporting countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

North Cotabato Vice Gov. Emmylou Taliño Mendoza said Saturday she and her constituents appreciates the MNLF-MILF cooperation in furthering the peace and development programs of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in 63 barangays in her province.

The still 28-month BARMM, which replaced the now defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in March 2019, is a product of 22 years of peace talks between Malacañang and the MILF.

The government-MILF peace process that lasted for more than two decades, facilitated by Malaysia, was capped off with the crafting by both sides of two compacts, the 2012 Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro and the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro.

“We are witnessing how the now allies MNLF and MILF are cooperating in improving the lives of the residents of the 63 barangays in our province that are now part of BARMM,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza was referring to the 63 barangays in different North Cotabato towns whose residents voted in favor of the inclusion of their villages into BARMM’s territory during a plebiscite in 2019 that resulted in the ratification of the region’s charter, the Republic Act 11054.

BARMM Labor Minister Romeo Sema, who is MNLF’s vice chairman for political affairs, said Saturday they silently commemorated on Thursday the 25th anniversary of their peace agreement with the national government.

“We are praying for the compliance by the government with certain provisions of this agreement that have not been implemented fully yet,” Sema, also a member of the BARMM interim parliament, said, without elaborating.

Sema said the MNLF is helping the BARMM leadership forge ahead with its development programs for Muslim, Christian and non-Moro indigenous communities in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and in the cities of Marawi, Lamitan and Cotabato.

The chief minister of BARMM, Ahod Ebrahim, is chairman of the central committee of the MILF.

Ebrahim and some BARMM officials were followers of the late Islamic theologian Salamat Hashim, who helped Nur Misuari establish the MNLF in the early 1970s and, subsequently, founded the MILF in 1980.

“The most tangible outcome of the Sept. 2, 1996 peace agreement between the government and the MNLF is the cessation of hostilities between our group and state security organizations, including the police,” Sema said.

Mendoza, who, as North Cotabato vice governor, actively supports Malacañang’s separate peace overtures with the MNLF and the MILF, said poverty and underdevelopment besetting Moro communities are easier addressed via joint efforts by both fronts.

“This so visible cooperation is an indication that there is strong camaraderie between these two groups now,” Mendoza said.

Sema said they want the BARMM government to succeed in its effort to alleviate the Moro sectors in its core territory from the bad effects of armed conflicts that for so many times rocked the region since the 1970s.

“There is nothing wrong with us in the MNLF converging with the MILF for peace to spread faster through all four corners of BARMM whose residents have seen the ugliest faces of armed conflicts,” Sema said.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/09/04/2124844/milf-mnlf-together-peace-and-security-programs

How Taliban's Win Might Influence Radical Muslims in Southeast Asia

Posted to Voice of America (Sep 3, 2021): How Taliban's Win Might Influence Radical Muslims in Southeast Asia (By Ralph Jennings)

FILE - In this undated photo, Abu Sayyaf spokesperson Abu Sabaya, right foreground, is seen with his band of armed extremists.

ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA - The Taliban victory in Afghanistan could inspire radical Muslim groups in Southeast Asia to take up arms once more against their own governments, analysts say, and officials are on alert for potential violence.

Scholars say Muslim rebel fronts, such as the Philippine-based Abu Sayyaf, a violent rebel organization known for kidnapping tourists, and the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, a suspected plotter of the deadly Bali bombings of 2002, will feel empowered by the August 15 ascent of the Taliban to carry out localized attacks such as bombings.

"Taliban or no Taliban, we have always considered local extremism as a big concern," Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told the Philippine News Agency on August 27. He noted agreements with Indonesia and Malaysia to share information and protect their sea borders.

Media outlets quote Indonesian officials as saying they, too, are on guard, and a counterterrorism police detachment is monitoring social media for any clues. Indonesia and Malaysia are predominantly Muslim countries. Many in the southern part of the Philippines are Muslim as well.

FILE - Police escort a suspected militant at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, March 18, 2021. Suspected militants arrested in raids at that time were believed to be connected to Jemaah Islamiyah extremists.

Al-Qaida's backing

Extremist groups advocate Muslim independent states in Southeast Asia, a region of 660 million people that includes several key U.S. allies. Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah, among others, have been backed by al-Qaida, a terrorist organization that the Taliban once allowed to shelter in Afghanistan, according to Southeast Asia scholars.

“In terms of kinship and solidarity for these groups, there is a degree of support,” said Enrico Cau, Southeast Asia specialist with the Taiwan Strategy Research Association, referring to the Taliban.

“Although the Taliban doesn’t have a direct influence in the region, of course they exert a certain amount of indirect influence, which can be capitalized by the groups that are actually present in the region like al-Qaida or Abu Sayyaf,” Cau told VOA. Al-Qaida has helped rebels before in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Who Leads the Taliban?

Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada is Taliban’s supreme leader, a position he took following the death of his predecessor, Akhtar Mansour, in a 2016 US drone strike

Fighters with the Taliban, an armed religious-political movement, quickly captured almost all of Afghanistan on their way to taking the capital, Kabul, 20 years after U.S.-led forces ousted the group from power.

“This was superb for morale across Southeast Asia,” said Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington. “They’ve watched the Taliban driven from power, driven into Pakistan by the Great Satan — this feared nation the United States — and they watched the Taliban persevere, go up against a superpower and just with their discipline, their focus, their religious fervor, drive America out of the country.”

The Taliban, Abu Sayyaf, al-Qaida and Indonesia-based Laskar Jihad follow Wahhabism, a strain of Islam that is “responsible for creating” extremists and terrorists, University of Hawaii-Manoa faculty member Federico Magdalena wrote in a 2003 analysis.

Laskar Jihad’s Indonesian founder trained in Pakistan and fought with the mujahedeen in Afghanistan against the former Soviet Union in the 1980s. Terrorist leaders Abdujarak Abubakar and Khadaffy Janjalani trained in Afghanistan before forming Abu Sayyaf in 1991, the Philippine defense secretary said.

Shift to Mideast

The training of Southeast Asian militants shifted to Iraq and Syria after U.S. forces routed the Taliban in 2002. Eventually governments in Southeast Asia arrested hundreds of rebels, Abuza said, and weakened their power.

The Taliban influence “is more tangential now,” he said. “Very simply, since the Taliban was driven from power in 2002 and war on terror really began in Southeast Asia with arrest of hundreds of militants, it’s hard to make a case that those ties remain to this day.”

Those militants could get new support now from Afghanistan, but it would likely be squelched quickly this time, experts say. Government leaders are prepared, while most of their populations prefer a liberal, moderate type of Islam that discourages armed struggle.

“Srategically speaking and ideologically speaking, they’re different,” Cau said.

FILE - Muslims pray spaced apart to help curb the spread of coronavirus outbreak during an Eid al-Fitr prayer marking the end of Ramadan at Al Akbar mosque in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, May 13, 2021.

Mainstream Muslims in Malaysia worry about how the Taliban will treat Afghan women, said Ibrahim Suffian, program director with the polling group Merdeka Center in Kuala Lumpur. Women throughout Muslim Southeast Asia are able to work and attend school.

Monitoring developments

Radical Muslims in Malaysia have “applauded” the Taliban’s victory, though, and the government of the largely Muslim country will pay close attention to any cross-border influence of Afghanistan’s new leadership, Suffian said.

“I’m sure they’re monitoring what’s happening,” he said. “I think there is a long-term concern that this will inspire more radicalized conservative types … to study religion in Pakistan and parts of India, so I think that has a long-term effect on the Muslim community here.”

Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines still have more control over local extremists than did the Afghan government that was deposed last month, Cau said. The Philippines would even allow entry to Afghans fleeing from fear of persecution, a presidential office spokesman in Manila said.

About 20 Muslim rebel groups still operate in the southern Philippines, a region known for five decades of periodic violence and 120,000 deaths, though the formation of a Muslim autonomous region in 2018 has eased some of that tension.

https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/how-talibans-win-might-influence-radical-muslims-southeast-asia

Kalinaw News: Opportunities await for IP Community in Claveria as Govt turns over Bagsakan Center

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 4, 2021): Opportunities await for IP Community in Claveria as Govt turns over Bagsakan Center



CLAVERIA, Misamis Oriental – The 58th Infantry Dimalulupig Battalion assisted the inauguration and turnover ceremony of the newly constructed Bagsakan Center for the IP Community at Sitio Lantawon, Barangay Aposkahoy, Claveria, Misamis Oriental, September 01, 2021.

The turnover ceremony was spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Region X (DSWD-X) together with 58IB, Hon. Joecard Y Dalman, Municipal Peace and Order Council, Hon. Vilma E Ebonia, Barangay Chairman of Aposkahoy, the Barangay Council, Datu Joel E Mangsangcagan, Indigenous People Mandatory Representative (IPMR), and the members of MAMACILA CADT led by Bae Anita Paje.

The IP members of MAMACILA CADT were formally handed over one unit of 5X16 meters Bagsakan Center. The initiative is a partnership between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process known as Kalahi-CIDSS PAMANA (OPAPP). Conflict-affected barangays will get funds as part of this project to increase their access to excellent basic social services. PAMANA is the framework and program of the national government for peace and development in conflict-affected areas.

The beneficiaries’ morale and excitement were enhanced by the fact that the Bagsakan center will serve as the food basket for the Barangay and its neighboring barangays, selling crops, fruits, and other items produced by the IP communities.

Ms Nathalie Soldevilla, a representative from DSWD X, congratulated and advised the recipients to properly handle what was handed to them, as this will undoubtedly assist them in supporting their daily life.

On the other hand, Lt. Col Ricky L Canatoy, Commanding Officer of 58IB, believes that this project will empower them as a community, allowing them to work together to sustain the livelihood program that has been granted to them, allowing progress and development in the community, especially since their area was once belonging to conflict-affected areas in Misamis Oriental.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/opportunities-await-for-ip-community-in-claveria-as-govt-turns-over-bagsakan-center/

CPP/NDF-Bicol: Let justice prevail for the all victims of Duterte’s unjust war!

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 4, 2021): Let justice prevail for the all victims of Duterte’s unjust war!

MA. ROJA BANUA

SPOKESPERSON

NDF-BICOL

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES

SEPTEMBER 04, 2021

Read in: Pilipino

The semi-fedual and semi-colonial society is pregnant with crisis and never-ending exploitation and abuse. It gives birth to revolutionaries and the spirit of struggle. Everyday, the oppressed people are faced with the reality that they need to choose between two things – to surrender or to fight. And everyday, they choose to fight and advance. And if one is felled by the fascists’ bullet, it raises not only one, but thousands more to continue to act, struggle and defend their rights.

Jemar Palero and Marlon Naperi did not die in vain. They brought hope and inspiration to those who also chose to fight. Their death enlightened thousands more that the marginalized cannot be cowed, nor will they surrender their dignity and principles. They strengthened the mass movement – thousands poured on the streets, they conveyed their demands through social media, they called on politicians sleeping on the job to work for their beleaguered constituents, they launched political discussions, they studied the social situation and worked towards meaningful change. More than that, hundreds of them joined the people’s war. They are the ones who added the lost letters of the unfinished call to overthrow Duterte – Duterte Ibagsak! They are the ones who carried on the fight!

Lumaban sila, hindi nanlaban.

They fight because they are aware that it is only through their own strength and class unity can they hope to achieve justice for all victims of Duterte’s unjust war.

They fight because they know that it is just to wage a revolution. The deaths of Jemar, Marlon and the almost 200 victims of extrajudicial killings and massacre in Bikol demonstrate that despite the justness of their struggle, the reactionary government will only respond with violence. There is no other way but to fight, take arms and defy being eventually buried into contemptible poverty.

It is therefore only appropriate to further expand the mass movement, to increase the number of those aroused, organized and mobilized until thousands of them rush forth to Malacañang, to renounce the slaughterer and massacre king Duterte and make him answerable to the countless crimes he has committed against the masses and the rest of mankind.

Let the people’s movement surge and be united with the revolutionary movement. It is through their class strength and firmness that the state of the ruling class and paper tigers like Duterte, his cronies and mercenaries including their imperialist master be crushed. Attain genuine justice for Jemar, Marlon and many others. It is only through the revolutionary path can genuine freedom, peace and progress for the nation be achieved.

https://cpp.ph/statements/let-justice-prevail-for-the-all-victims-of-dutertes-unjust-war/

CPP/NDF-PKM-Bicol: Bukas na Liham ng PKM-Bikol para sa ika-40 araw ng pagkakapaslang kina Jemar Palero at Marlon Naperi at para sa lahat ng mga pesanteng naninindigan at lumalaban

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 4, 2021): Bukas na Liham ng PKM-Bikol para sa ika-40 araw ng pagkakapaslang kina Jemar Palero at Marlon Naperi at para sa lahat ng mga pesanteng naninindigan at lumalaban

PAMBANSANG KATIPUNAN NG MGA MAGBUBUKID-BICOL

NDF-BICOL

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES

SEPTEMBER 04, 2021

Maituturing ang uring magsasaka bilang isa sa mga pinakadakilang artista sa kasaysayan. Anong obra maestra nga ba ang hihigit sa pagbuhay sa lipunan? Nagsilbing kanbas ang lupa at sa kanilang mga kalyadong kamay, napakain ang sangkatauhan.

Subalit ang magtanim ay hindi biro. Kayo ang nagsaka, nag-ani at nagsaing subalit gahaman nilang sinagpang ang inyong kakanin. Maghapon kayong nakayuko at buong kasaysayang pinayuyuko.
Mula lipunang pyudal hanggang sa kasalukuyang sistemang kapital, kayong nagpapakain ang sinakdal sa gutom.

Sa pagka-alipusta’t pagkatimawa, higit ninyong naipamalas ang kadakilaang ito sa pagkilala ng inyong makauring lakas upang baguhin ang lipunan sa nagpapatuloy na tunggalian ng mga uri. Mula sa paghawak ng karit, tumangan din kayo ng armas at naging makapangyarihang alyado ng uring manggagawa upang ibunsod ang pagbabalikwas ng sangkatauhan mula sa kumunoy ng pagsasamantala at pang-aapi.

Kayong mga api at ginutom na magsasaka. Binago ninyo ang kasaysayan at ang lipunan.

Ilinuwal ng inyong uri ang mga tulad nina Jemar Palero at Marlon Naperi at libu-libo pang nag-alay ng kanilang buhay para likhain ang isang obrang higit pa sa sining kung maituturing. Yinakap ninyo ang inyong proletaryong potensyal at sa proseso’y hindi na lamang naging tagapagtanim, kayo rin ay nagsilbing mga artista, siyentista, inhinyero, doktor, aktibista at higit sa lahat, rebolusyonaryo. Hinigitan niyo ang pagsisilbi hindi lang sa sariling hanay at pinaglingkuran ang kapwa ninyo aba at api.

Hindi lamang kayo tagapagpunla, kayo rin ay naging mga binhi.

At mula sa inyong mga binhi’y umusbong ang rebolusyon. Sa Pilipinas, ilinulunsad ang kasalukuyang rebolusyong Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng isang digmang magsasaka. At dahil ito’y isang digmaan, naging puhunan ng inyong tagumpay ang pagharap at pagbangon mula sa mga pag-atras at pagkadapa. Hindi nakapagtatakang ang inyong uri ang pangunahing tinututukan ng mga pagtatangka at mapanupil na gera ng bawat reaksyunaryong estado. Alam nila ang kapangyarihan ng milyun-milyong itak kaya’t alam din nila ang kapangyarihan ng milyun-milyong riple.

Hindi maisasantabi ang inalay ninyong dugo at pawis upang panatilihing mataba ang lupa para sa armadong pakikibaka. At ito’y nagbunga at yumabong. Nasapol ninyo ang kawastuhan ng digmaang ito sa mga tagumpay na inyong nakamit sa paglaban sa pyudal na tanikala. Sa pagtangan ng armas at buong-panahong pagsisilbi bilang mga tunay na Hukbo ng mamamayan, libu-libong ektarya ng lupang agrikultural ang ngayo’y sama-samang pinupunla, pinangangasiwaan at pinakikinabangan ng ating mga organisasyon. Ilampung komunidad ang natayuan ninyo ng Pulang gubyerno.

Mapagpasya ang inyong papel sa pagpapabagsak ng sistema. Mapagpasya ang inyong papel sa pagtatayo ng isang bagong lipunang tunay na malaya at maunlad.

Sa yugto ng walang-kaparis na paglubha ng krisis, hinihikayat kayo ng PKM-Bikol, ang inyong rebolusyonaryong organisasyon, na ibayong sariwain at yakapin ang inyong rebolusyonaryong kapasidad. Nananatili ang pagkukumahog ng reaksyunaryong estadong buwagin ang inyong pagkakaisa, padapain ang inyong paninindigan at durugin ang inyong paglaban. Subalit hangga’t nakatanim ang ideyang isa kayo sa nagpunla—ang ideya nang paglaya—mananatili sa pagsibol at pagyabong ang milyun-milyong pang Jemar Palero at Marlon Naperi mula sa inyong hanay. Mananatili ang digmang magsasaka hanggang sa ganap nitong tagumpay.

https://cpp.ph/statements/bukas-na-liham-ng-pkm-bikol-para-sa-ika-40-araw-ng-pagkakapaslang-kina-jemar-palero-at-marlon-naperi-at-para-sa-lahat-ng-mga-pesanteng-naninindigan-at-lumalaban/

CPP/NDF-ARMAS: Take to heart all revolutionary masterpieces of all artista ng bayan! Achieve the victory the revolution!

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 4, 2021): Take to heart all revolutionary masterpieces of all artista ng bayan! Achieve the victory the revolution!

ARTISTA AT MANUNULAT NG SAMBAYANAN-BICOL

NDF-BICOL

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES

SEPTEMBER 04, 2021

Read in: Pilipino

Art appreciation echoes the class struggle. For the few who lords over this society, art is just for art’s sake. Something for them to regard briefly, enjoy fleetingly and then forget. Something for them to buy, sell, measure their status and power with and put into pedestals.

But art, for the many who are exploited and oppessed, cannot be found in pedestals. It reflects reality – no matter how brutal or convoluted. Living artworks that mirror the genuine situation of the oppressed poor peasantry, paint the actual life of the revolutionary army in the mountains. Poems that utter extreme exploitation of workers and the pettybourgeisie that this system bleeds white. Concrete calls painted not on expensive canvases but on walls, bridges and fences. Bellowed not in grand theaters but in protests and movements. Deafening demands of a struggling people, clamoring for the absolute downfall of a criminal dictator and this system they want to be free of.

The people’s art carries life with it because it is made along with the struggle, with the revolution. This is what Jemar and Marlon, activists killed by the police on July 26 in Guinobatan, Albay, precisely did. This was also the life of Parts Bagani, artista ng bayan felled by bullets of the military in Polomolok, South Cotabato on August 16 and developed further by Kerima Tariman, another artista ng bayan who served the masses until Duterte’s atrocious military ended her life on August 20 in Negros. This is the manner of creation that the hundreds of artista ng bayan mastered in their lives. Them whose bodies may have fallen but whose art shall never be forgotten.

They were the artists in this great epic that they themselves had been creating. They journeyed through the land of struggle and revolution thay they themselves had begun.

Yes, murderous regimes will always be relentless in their attempts to hinder the people from finishing their artwork of change. These brutal regimes will always stifle the artists who unyieldingly draw, paint and write the masterpieces of the people’s struggle. But these artists’ works shall never lose its power to arouse, organize and mobilize the people because every line and letter of their creations are guided by the lives and experiences of the masses entrenched in unparalleled suffering under a semifeudal and semicolonial system. Together with the masses, they illustrate the history of destroying this system in order to attain genuine justice, freedom and peace.

The works of Jemar, Marlon, Parts and Kerima along with the many others may not be well-known by bourgeois standards but are given the most praise and are favored by the oppressed masses. Their artworks may not have spots in museums and theaters of the oppressors but will always have a place in the minds and hearts of the people. Their art for the people is one with the armed revolution that shall make certain of the revolution’s complete victory and the establishment of a society that is truly free and liberating. This is the greatest masterpiece that all the artista ng bayan and the people can ever contribute to the history of society.

https://cpp.ph/statements/take-to-heart-all-revolutionary-masterpieces-of-all-artista-ng-bayan-achieve-the-victory-the-revolution/

Philippine fighter jets intercept 'unknown aircraft'

From Rappler (Sep 4, 2021): Philippine fighter jets intercept 'unknown aircraft' (By LIAN BUAN)

The Philippine Air Force says the still unknown aircraft was detected 120 nautical miles northwest of Bolinao, Pangasinan

Two Philippine fighter jets intercepted a still unknown aircraft that was detected in the country's airspace without authority, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) said on Saturday, September 4.

PAF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Maynard Mariano said that details about the aircraft remain scarce.

"There was no intention to fire at the unknown aircraft. The intercept was merely for identification," said Mariano.

The air force detected the unkown aircraft in the Philippine Air Defense Identification Zone (PADIZ) around 9 am on Thursday, September 2, approximately 120 nautical miles northwest of Bolinao, Pangasinan.

The Air Force, in coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), "classified it to be an unknown track of interest."

The two PAF FA-50 fighter jets were sent to intercept the aircraft, which was flying at 21,000 feet, at 265 knots. About four minutes into the intercept, the unknown aircraft increased its speed and sped away.

There was no radio response from the unknown aircraft, and the intercept was terminated at 9:45 am.

According to Mariano, the PAF was unable to visually identify the aircraft.

"We wouldn't want to speculate; it can be any aircraft type," said Mariano.

PH FIGHTER JET. A closer look at the FA-50 jet. PHOTO FROM THE PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE

TERRITORIAL DEFENSE. A Philippine Air Force fighter jet takes off. PHOTO FROM THE PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE

Asked why the aircraft ventured into the Philippine's airspace, he said, "We really cannot tell the intent of the aircraft why it was in our area of responsibility."

He said it was not the first time for such an incident to happen.

"In the past decades, aircraft flying without clearance would willfully violate the Philippine airspace knowing that they will not be challenged. Today our airspace is being closely monitored jointly by the Philippine Air Force and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines," the PAF said.

The PAF's FA-50s were acquired from South Korea during the Aquino administration, with the first two delivered in 2015, and 10 others delivered during the current administration, at a total cost of P18.9 billion. (READ: PH Air Force returns to supersonic age: Fighter jets arrive in Clark)

The assets are assigned to the Air Defense Wing, the PAF unit responsible for territorial defense.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/philippine-air-force-fighter-jets-intercept-unknown-aircraft

PCOO’S Communications Academy to break ground this September

From the Philippine Information Agency (Sep 4, 2021): PCOO’S Communications Academy to break ground this September (By PCOO)

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Saturday announced that the construction of the Government Strategic Communications Academy will finally begin this September.

The first state-of-the-art training facility for government media workers and information officers is set to be built within the compound of the Northern Bukidnon State College (NBSC) in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

Secretary Andanar bared that the PCOO project will be breaking ground this month, along with its partner agencies, including the local government of Manolo Fortich, the NBSC, and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“The first Government Communications Academy will finally have its groundbreaking ceremony this September. It will focus on teaching communications to our information officers from the barangays to those in the national government agencies,” he said. This would also be open to media workers in the private sector who want to take part in the training programs.

“Training programs include broadcasting and writing, among others. This profession is a vocation. It’s really something that you do because you believe in public service, in informing the people through development communication,” he added.

The GCA was supposed to start construction last year, however funds and other documentary requirements were yet to be complied with until now.

Secretary Andanar said that big-ticket projects under the PCOO would have not been realized without the support of the President. Among these is the Mindanao Media Hub in Davao City, the first government media hub outside of Metro Manila. A Visayas Media Hub will also be constructed with its initial budget already approved.

“We will finally have a Government Communications Academy and this is because of President Rodrigo Duterte, who supports all of our programs,” he said.

He went on to enumerate other initiatives of the PCOO, especially on policy development. The agency is firm on promoting the welfare of media workers in the country and has been one of the partners in pushing for the passage of a Media Workers Welfare bill.

Other policies passed at the legislative branch are the Freedom of Information Bill and the People’s Broadcasting Corporations Bill. (PCOO)

https://pia.gov.ph/press-releases/2021/09/04/pcoos-communications-academy-to-break-ground-this-september

Local government units step up efforts to help former rebels

From the Philippine Information Agency (Sep 4, 2021): Local government units step up efforts to help former rebels (By DND)

QUEZON CITY -- Local government units (LGUs) should play a more active role in sustaining government efforts to help both active and former rebels (FRs) reintegrate into society and implement social protection programs for the members of the vulnerable sector, DILG National Barangay Operations Office (NBOO) Director Dennis Villaseñor emphasized during his interview in the radio program, "Balik-Loob sa Pagbabago."

According to Dir. Villaseñor, DILG extends an array of assistance to all local chief executives to capacitate them in implementing the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) and other peace and development projects under the NTF-ELCAC.

Aside from financial and livelihood assistance, halfway houses constructed by the LGUs have already helped thousands of FR beneficiaries in their transition to mainstream society. Dir. Villaseñor also shared that some LGUs even go out of their way to assist in the livelihood projects of FRs and their dependents through product marketing and sales. (DND-TFBL)

https://pia.gov.ph/press-releases/2021/09/04/local-government-units-step-up-efforts-to-help-former-rebels

Brgy. Aposkahoy IP community receives Bagsakan Center

From the Philippine Information Agency (Sep 4, 2021): Brgy. Aposkahoy IP community receives Bagsakan Center (By 58th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army)

CLAVERIA, Misamis Oriental (PIA)--To further capacitate Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities and hinterland barangays in their economic development, the 58th Infantry “Dimalulupig” Battalion (58th IB) assisted in the inauguration and turnover ceremony of the newly constructed Bagsakan Center for the IP Community at Sitio Lantawon, Barangay Aposkahoy, Claveria, September 1.

IP members of Mati, Manibay, Civoleg, and Langguyod (MAMACILA) were formally handed over one unit of 5 x 16 meters Bagsakan Center, an initiative lead by the partnership between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-10 and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) through the Kalahi-CIDSS-PAMANA.

Under the PAMANA framework, conflict-affected barangays are prioritized to receive funds and increase their access to basic social services as part of the national government’s campaign for peace and development in conflict-affected areas.

Capacitating IP Communities. The IP members of Mati, Manibay, Civoleg, and Langguyod (MAMACILA) are formally handed over one unit of 5 x 16 meters Bagsakan Center, an initiative lead by the partnership between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-10 and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) known as Kalahi-CIDSS PAMANA. (58 IB)

Nathalie Soldevilla, a representative from DSWD-10, congratulated and advised the recipients to properly handle what was handed to them, as this will undoubtedly assist them in supporting their daily life.

The beneficiaries' morale and excitement were enhanced by the fact that the Bagsakan center will serve as the food basket for the Barangay and its neighboring barangays, and be an avenue for selling crops, fruits, and other items produced by the IP communities.

Lt. Col Ricky L Canatoy, Commanding Officer of 58IB, believes that the project will empower them as a community, allowing them to work together to sustain the livelihood program that has been granted to them, and be a step forward in allowing progress and development, especially since their area was categorized as one belonging to “conflict-affected areas” in the province. (58th IB/PIA 10)

https://pia.gov.ph/press-releases/2021/09/04/brgy-aposkahoy-ip-community-receives-bagsakan-center

Gov’t forces intercept three NPA couriers, contrabands

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 4, 2021): Gov’t forces intercept three NPA couriers, contrabands (By Alexander Lopez)

SEIZED CONTRABANDS. Joint police and Army operatives seize live ammunition, rifle grenades, three motorcycles, and food supplies from three New People’s Army couriers in Barangay Pianing, Butuan City on Friday night (Sept. 3, 2021). The Caraga police said the suspects belong to the Regional Sentro de Grabidad of the North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee. (Photo courtesy of PRO-13)

BUTUAN CITY – Government troops here intercepted live ammunition, grenades, and food supplies belonging to the New People’s Army (NPA) on Friday night.

In a statement on Saturday, Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr., Director of the Police Regional Office-13 (Caraga), said they arrested the couriers who were transporting the contrabands in Purok 1B, Barangay Pianing, Butuan City.

Caramat identified the couriers as Ferdinand Dagium, 27, and his brother Rolando, 34; and Marvin Pepito Merencillo, 26.

Ferdinand is a councilor of Barangay Magsaysay in Sibagat, Agusan del Sur, while Merencillo, is a resident of Purok 1, Barangay Mount Ararat, Bayugan City.

They belong to the Regional Sentro de Grabidad of the North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee of the NPA.

Seized from the suspects were 4,800 pieces AK-47 live ammunition, two rifle grenades, three motorcycles, and assorted food supplies.

“The joint operation was launched after we received a report on the transportation of the ammunition and the movement of the NPA rebels in the area,” Caramat said.

The government troopers involved in the operation included the Intelligence Division of PRO-13, Butuan City Police Station 4, Butuan City Mobile Force Company, Butuan City Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Canine Unit, and the 65th and 75th Infantry Battalions of the Army.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1152577

NPA weakened anew by death of top official

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 4, 2021): NPA weakened anew by death of top official (By Che Palicte)

FALLEN REBELS. Photo collage of the two slain members of the New People’s Army and recovered firearms and other items during an encounter with the Philippine Army on Aug. 29 and Sept. 2, 2021. The Eastern Mindanao Command said the communist terrorist group is now under the hands of inexperienced members. (Photo courtesy of EastMinCom)

DAVAO CITY – Following the death of two New People’s Army (NPA) rebels this week, one of them a high-ranked official, the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) said it will be a big blow to the communist terrorist group as its fate is now left in the hands of inexperienced members.

EastMinCom chief Lt. Gen. Greg Almerol said in a statement on Friday that the death of one alias Asyong will weaken the SYP Platoon 16C1, Guerrilla Front 16, North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC) of the NPA.

Asyong, the vice commander and political officer of the NEMRC faction, was killed by troops of the 30th Infantry Battalion (IB) in an encounter with a group of 10, led by Roel Neniel (alias Jacob), in Barangay Cagdianao, Claver, Surigao del Norte on Sept. 2.

The firefight lasted for about 15 minutes.

Two AK-47 rifles and an M14 rifle with magazines and bandolier were recovered.

“We abhor the idea of bloodshed and we do not want to see another rebel dying for the sake of the communist terrorist group. Therefore, I ask the remaining NPA members to surrender peacefully instead of wasting their lives on a senseless ideology,” Almerol said.

Another NPA rebel, Aldo Higyawan (alias Ramon) of Platoon Ryan, SRC1 of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee, died in a clash with the 58th IB in Barangay Lawaan, Gingoog City on Aug. 29.

Acting on concerned citizens’ tips, government troops discovered the NPA hideout.

After the encounter, they recovered two M16 rifles, an M14 rifle, assorted medical paraphernalia, materiel, and documents.

“This is proof of the people’s genuine intent to help the government in its crusade for peace and in pushing the end of the local communist armed conflict in their communities,” Almerol added.

Almerol condoled with the family of the slain rebels, whom he said were just victims of the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) deceptive schemes and selfish agenda.

“May this serve as a solid example that supporting the CPP’s cause will only bring pain and suffering as its agenda epitomizes terrorism and violence,” he said.

Almerol urged remaining NPA members to yield peacefully and avail of the government’s livelihood assistance through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program.

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

The National Democratic Front, meanwhile, was formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and separate part” of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1152599

PH Air Force 'scrambles' fighter jets vs. unknown aircraft

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 4, 2021): PH Air Force 'scrambles' fighter jets vs. unknown aircraft (By Priam Nepomuceno)

File photo courtesy of Philippine Air Force

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Saturday announced that two of its FA-50PH fighter jets were "scrambled" to intercept an unidentified aircraft detected some 120 nautical miles northwest of Bolinao, Pangasinan on September 2.

"The Philippine Air Defense Control Center (PADCC), through its radars, detected an unidentified inbound aircraft in the Philippine Air Defense Identification Zone (PADIZ), approximately 120 nautical miles northwest of Bolinao, Pangasinan," PAF spokesperson, Lt. Col. Maynard Mariano, said in a statement.

Scramble, in military aviation, refers to the immediate deployment of fighter aircraft to intercept an unknown or hostile aircraft.

Mariano said the unidentified aircraft was heading towards Philippine airspace and upon succeeding coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), it was classified to have an "unknown track of interest."

He said the unidentified aircraft did not respond to radio calls made by the PADCC.

"(The) PADCC issued a 'scramble' order to two FA-50 stationed at the Air Defense Alert Center and were given the mission to intercept the unknown aircraft for visual identification. The unknown aircraft was at 21,000 feet flying at 265 knots heading northeast. The FA-50s flew at the maximum allowable speed towards the direction of the unknown aircraft," Mariano said.

Four minutes into the intercept, he said, the unknown aircraft changed direction towards the north and increased its speed to 400 knots, and headed away from the Philippine airspace.

The intercept was terminated at 9:45 a.m., he added.

Mariano said they are still investigating to determine the exact type of the unidentified aircraft.

"In the past decades, aircraft flying without clearance would willfully violate the Philippine airspace knowing that they will not be challenged. Today, our airspace is being closely monitored jointly by the PAF and the CAAP," he said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1152566