NPA rebel killed in Negros clash

From the Manila Times (Jul 2, 2022): NPA rebel killed in Negros clash (By Christian Crow Maghanoy)

A MEMBER of the New People's Army (NPA) was killed in an encounter with government troops in Negros Oriental on Friday, a ranking military official said on Saturday.

Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) of the Philippine Army, identified the slain communist rebel as Cristanto Estrabela Lagradilla alias Locsin, a member of Squad 2, South East Front (SEF).

He said the government troops were conducting combat operations in response to the information given by the locals in the presence of NPA rebels in Sitio Tamusi, Barangay Talalak, Negros Oriental on Friday.

A firefight ensued between the troops of the 11th Infantry Lapulapu Battalion and five or so members of SEF, Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor that lasted for about 8 minutes.

Seized from the encounter site were a KG9 rifle, a magazine of KG9 with 20 rounds of ammunition, a magazine of M16 rifle with eight rounds of ammunition, a magazine of cal.45 pistol with three rounds ammunition, a bandolier, two baofeng radios, a backpack, and NPA subversive documents.

READ: 2 NPA rebels slain in clash

Arevalo said the death of Lagradilla should serve as an eye-opener to the remaining members of the NPA to surrender and return to the folds of the law.

"With the cooperation of the communities and the collaborative efforts of other government agencies, we are positive that we can sustain the peace and development in this part of the region," Arevalo said.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/07/03/news/regions/npa-rebel-killed-in-negros-clash/1849570

PH, Australian soldiers conclude ‘KASANGGA’ drills

From the Manila Bulletin (Jul 2, 2022): PH, Australian soldiers conclude ‘KASANGGA’ drills (By Martin Sadongdong)

Special Forces from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and members of the Australian Defense Force’s (ADF) Army have finished the two-month long “KASANGGA 2022-1” bilateral exercise which effectively enhanced the interoperability of the two units, the military disclosed Saturday, July 2.

Courtesy of Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Forces Regiment – Airborne

About 450 personnel of the AFP’s Special Forces Regiment – Airborne (SFRA) and Australian Army troops participated in the bilateral exercise held from April 11 to June 27 in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.

SFRA Commander Ferdinand Napuli said the joint exercise served as a “concrete move” for the AFP to intensify their ability to operate and work together with allied countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/07/02/ph-australian-soldiers-conclude-kasangga-drills/

2nd learning center to rise in ex-ASG-influenced village

From the Sun Star-Zamboanga (Jul 2, 2022): 2nd learning center to rise in ex-ASG-influenced village

ZAMBOANGA. Construction is underway for the second Peace Formation and Learning Center (PFLC) in the previously Abu Sayyaf-influenced village of Sinumaan in Talipao, Sulu. A photo handout shows heavy equipment being used for the site development at the location the center will rise. (SunStar Zamboanga)

CONSTRUCTION is underway for the second Peace Formation and Learning Center (PFLC) in a previously Abu Sayyaf-influenced village in Sulu.

The construction of the PFLC in Sinumaan village, Talipao, is a joint project of the Army’s 6th Special Forces “Makamandag” Company (6SFC), militiamen, 545th Army Engineer Battalion and the local residents.

The construction of the P240,000 PFLC is funded by the MJBCares and DDCPh.org, the private partners of the 6SFC.

“Soon to be known as the MJBCares PFLC, the structure will serve as an interim school and will cater to an estimated 170 learners in the isolated barangay (of Upper Sinumaan),” the 6SFC said in a statement.

The “Makamandag” company said the PFLC is a community-based reformatory center in Sulu to cater to the rehabilitation and skills development of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members, and the local community.

The 6SFC added that the center serves as a conducive venue to promote peace through education.

Barangay Upper Sinumaan in Talipao has been the site of numerous clashes between government forces and the ASG bandits in previous years.

ASG surrenderers from the community have recently surfaced and committed to support government troops.

The first PFLC was constructed in Sitio Larang, Bud Bunga village, Talipao and among those benefiting from the center are children and dependents of ASG surrenderers, along with the locals.

The Bud Bunga PFLC, funded by the Ministry of Public Order and Safety of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) and was inaugurated on February 18, is intended to provide a conducive learning space to promote peace through education.

The center also serves as a venue to facilitate skills and livelihood training for ASG surrenderers, their dependents, and the local community in Barangay Bud Bunga, Talipao.

The first closing exercises of the 150 primary education students for moving up from their respective level in Bud Bunga PFLC was held on June 10.

“More than just fighting the enemy, we are here to build communities...we are here to empower the Filipino People,” said the 6SFC, which is one of the operating units of the Army’s 2nd Special Forces Battalion.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1933765/zamboanga/local-news/2nd-learning-center-to-rise-in-ex-asg-influenced-village

NDF: “NDFP always open to peace talks whoever is president” – Joma Sison book on GRP-NDFP peace negotiations launched

Posted to the National Democratic Front Philippines (NDFP or NDF) Website (Jul 2, 2022): “NDFP always open to peace talks whoever is president” – Joma Sison book on GRP-NDFP peace negotiations launched

2 July 2022

“[The] NDFP is always open to peace negotiations with the GRP whoever is president. It was Duterte who terminated the peace negotiations in 2017…but if the incoming Marcos administration is willing to talk, why not?” said Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Founding Chairman Prof. Jose Ma. Sison when asked about the prospects of resuming peace talks during the launch of his latest book “On the GRP-NDFP Peace Negotiations” last June 28th in an online event organized by the NDFP International Information Office and the International Network for Philippine Studies (INPS).

The book “On the GRP-NDFP Peace Negotiations” is the ninth installment in the Sison Reader Series – a collection of publications compiling the best of Sison’s writings under specific themes in various periods. The book, Sison explained, chronicles his articles, letters and statements on the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations since the talks in 1986 following the downfall of the Marcos dictatorship and up to the most recent presidential elections where Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was proclaimed winner despite massive electoral fraud.

In his remarks, Sison criticized Marcos Jr. as “lacking any moral authority for having been falsely elected to the presidency through the non-transparent and fraudulent automated election system manipulated by the tyrant Duterte and his cabal in the Comelec.”

Sison also added that “Marcos junior can dream about having a second chance of his dynasty to destroy the revolutionary movement but he ought to remember that this movement is now much bigger and stronger than when Marcos senior failed to destroy it.”

Prospects for the resumption of peace negotiations

“Right now, there are no indications that Marcos would like peace talks . Resuming peace negotiations is quite easy…by simply reaffirming the agreements that were previously agreed upon and signed by the two parties in the negotiations,” Sison added.

While Sison , who is NDFP peace panel chief political consultant, stressed the NDFP’s policy of openness to peace talks, he however noted the impossibility of resuming the negotiations amid the GRP’s current policy of all-out war. “There is nothing that the NDFP can do to resume the peace negotiations if the GRP insists on carrying out an all-out war policy,” Sison said.

“The Marcos fascist dictatorship never engaged the NDFP in peace negotiations and never succeeded in destroying the revolutionary movement. Instead, this movement of the people succeeded in expanding nationwide…ultimately causing the downfall of the fascist dictatorship,” Sison cautioned the incoming administration.

“Not a single post-Marcos regime ever spent a total of more than one year of attention to peace negotiations…Each of the post-Marcos regimes from Aquino to Duterte had the uniform objective of using the peace negotiations only for a few months and not for more than a year, as a means of lip service to the cause of peace, carrying out military surveillance, preserving the exploitative and oppressive ruling system and trying to maneuver the NDFP into a position of capitulation,” he added.

Peace negotiations as a ‘consistent strategy for peace, not a mere tactical ploy’

First Quarter Storm activist, and former desk editor for GMA News Online Pio Verzola in his book review noted how Sison’s writings attest the NDFP’s ‘diplomatic patience and nuanced optimism’ in its approach to the constantly changing socio-economic and political landscape of peace negotiations with the GRP since 1986. Verzola emphasized how the NDFP negotiating panel expertly navigated peace talks across successive post-Marcos regimes throughout the years maintaining its principled positions consistent with the objectives pursued by the revolutionary people’s movement in the Philippines.

In his review, Verzola explored the question on why revolutionary forces seek peace while at the same time pursuing people’s war. To answer the fundamental question he himself posed, Verzola quoted Sison’s arguments from the book saying that ‘a just and lasting peace is possible only if the Filipino people’s demand for national liberation and democracy is satisfied…it goes without saying that the national democratic revolution is at once the struggle for a just and lasting peace…be it through people’s war and/or peace negotiations.’

According to Verzola, the pursuit of peace through formal negotiations is aligned with what the people’s war aims to achieve and that “the NDF carries the same strategic line in waging the national democratic revolution and in pursuing just and lasting peace. It pursues a consistent strategy for the peace process and does not view the process as a mere tactical ploy.”

Status of belligerency as a basis for engagement

Atty. Lily Cruz, a lawyer who has provided legal advice throughout the GRP-NDFP peace talks also reviewed Sison’s latest book reflecting on legal concerns of the negotiations. Cruz reminded readers that the “recognition and rights of belligerency” is a “basis for engagement between the NDFP and the GRP.”

In international law, belligerency is defined as a condition of being engaged in war or conflict. Under the 1949 Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, ‘lawful belligerents’ also include ‘organized resistance groups’ which the NDFP represents in the case of peace negotiations with the GRP.

“When the status of belligerency is invoked, it triggers international law obligations. In consonance therewith, the NDFP precisely signed on and adheres to international humanitarian law instruments – laws of wars – in its conduct, even without reciprocity by the GRP,” Cruz added.

Cruz also stressed the importance of refusing to concede to the GRP’s lesser treatment of the armed conflict “as either rebellion, insurgency, or even terrorism.” She notes “Because the situation is ongoing and the process evolving, there are very few experts and scholars who have dared come forward with conclusive studies and predictions on the Philippine armed conflict, lest they be proven wrong in the long run.”

“As such, it falls upon Prof. Sison to set the tone and substance in the conversation. His evaluation of prospects of the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations at different points in the timeline are always canon and relevant,” Cruz ended. #

NDFP International Information Office
Utrecht, The Netherlands

https://ndfp.org/ndfp-always-open-to-peace-talks-whoever-is-president-joma-sison-book-on-grp-ndfp-peace-negotiations-launched/

Kalinaw News: Three Communist Terrorists Surrender in Isabela Province

From Kalinaw News (Jul 2, 2022): Three Communist Terrorists Surrender in Isabela Province

Camp Aquino, Tarlac City – July 2, 2022

Three members of the Communist terrorist group surrendered to the troops of the 502nd Infantry “Liberator” Brigade from 27-30 June 2022 at Santiago and San Pablo City, Isabela.

In a statement from Lt. Gen. Ernesto Torres Jr, Commander of Northern Luzon Command which is the AFP’s unit in charge of combatting insurgency in North and Central Luzon, he identified the surrendered personalities as alias “Lerio,” the former secretary of Central Front Isabela and currently the Education Staff of Komiteng Probinsyang Isabela; alias “Del,” Intelligence Officer and Squad Leader of Squad Dos; and alias “Victor,” member of Squad Uno, who are all under the dwindling communist terrorist group Komiteng Probinsyang Isabela of the Komiteng Rehiyon-Cagayan Valley (KR-CV).

Commander of Joint Task Group Liberator Brig. Gen. Danilo Benavides furthered that “Lerio and Del have been on the government’s Periodic Status Report on the Threat Groups (PSRTG) watchlist for the 4th quarter of 2021.”

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Laurence Mina, Commander of Joint Task Force Tala lauded the troops’ accomplishment in the area of operations and ensured that “the Tala soldiers will further intensify their operations to fully eradicate terrorism and assist the government in its fight to end local communist armed conflict by spreading the genuine reforms of peace of the government to the remaining hiding members of the terror group.”

Moreso, Lt. Gen. Torres said that “the series of defeats suffered by Communist terrorists in North and Central Luzon will cause their morale to plummet, creating a leadership vacuum that will eventually lead to their imminent downfall in this part of the country.”

The NOLCOM Commander ended his statement by calling out to the remaining Communist terrorists in the Northern Philippines to abandon armed struggle and start anew with the help of the government’s reintegration program for former rebels.

[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/three-communist-terrorists-surrender-in-isabela-province/

Kalinaw News: T’Boli town rewards Communist NPA Terrorist Surrenderees

From Kalinaw News (Jul 2, 2022): T’Boli town rewards Communist NPA Terrorist Surrenderees

T’Boli, South Cotabato (SC) – The municipality of T’boli’s newly elected Mayor Keo Dayle T. Tuan awards immediate cash assistance amounting to P20,000.00 each to two (2) Communist NPA Terrorists who surrendered through the joint efforts of the 6th Civil Military Operations Battalion, 7th Infantry Battalion, 11th Special Forces Company, 5th Special Forces Battalion (5SFBN) and the Philippine National Police today, July 2 at Barangay Edwards, T’Boli, South Cotabato.

The Provincial Joint AFP-PNP Intelligence Committee (JAPIC) validated the surrenderees as @JL former political guide and @Ratrat, an NPA in the Barrio (Milisyang Bayan/ Yunit Milisya/Local Guerilla Unit) of Platoon Brigol, Guerilla Front 73, (now Guerilla Front Musa) Far South Mindanao. They also yielded one (1) caliber .30 m1 Carbine rifle, one (1) caliber .45 Thompson sub-machine gun and one (1) International Humanitarian Law (IHL) – banned anti-personnel landmine. Both surrenderees’ belong to the T’boli tribe operating in the boundaries of South Cotabato, Saranggani and Sultan Kudarat provinces. The surrenderees’ identities were withheld for the purpose of security.

Mayor Keo Dayle T. Tuan said that he will continue the programs of his father, former Mayor Dibu S. Tuan that are anchored in the National Task Force Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and Executive Order No. 70 to maintain the continuous peace, order, and development of T’Boli town through the continuous delivery of basic and social services to the far-flung and isolated sitios of T’Boli and the continuous implementation of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) to help surrenderees return to their families, communities and mainstream, society.

“As the newly elected mayor, one of my priorities is on peace, order and security of our town because we would like more investors to come in and further develop our town as the premiere agricultural, ecological and cultural tourism destination in South Cotabato. Violence, terrorism and criminality has no place here in our tribal municipality, “ Mayor Tuan, said.

It can be recalled that from October 2021, series of combat encounters in Lake Sebu and T’Boli transpired which resulted in the neutralization of @JENROSE, the deputy secretary of Guerilla Front MUSA and three other CNTs and the influx of surrenders of regular CNTs and NPA in the barrios.

T’boli Local Government Unit serves as one of the towns of South Cotabato that has best practices in the implementation of the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) and E-CLIP as mandated by the EO 70.

Meanwhile, the surrenderees were also presented to Brigadier General Pedro C Balisi Jr, Commander, 1st Mechanized Infantry (Maaasahan) Brigade and Major General Roberto Capulong, Acting Commander of the 6th Infantry Division and Joint Task Force Central.

[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/tboli-town-rewards-communist-npa-terrorist-surrenderees/

Kalinaw News: New Labangan National High School | Aware Students. Make Better their Future

From Kalinaw News (Jul 2, 2022): New Labangan National High School | Aware Students. Make Better their Future

In the fight against the communist terrorists, their numbers have been significantly reduced these past few years. In the Zamboanga-Lanao Peninsula, 6 out of 7 Guerilla Fronts were recently dismantled due to the relentless efforts of the military and their civilian counterparts.

Truly, the Whole of Nation Approach, the proclamation of Executive Order 70, and the Anti-terror Act proved a great obstacle for communist terrorists. Unity became key to the successful campaign to finally defeat the more than 5-decade deception of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).

In partnership with the civilian stakeholders, the 1st Civil-Military Operations (Mahigalaon) Battalion conducts an Information Awareness Drive Campaign on Peace Advocacy to the students of the New Labangan National High School in Poblacion Labangan, ZDS. Almost 150 Senior High School students attended the said the awareness drive along with the teaching and non-teaching staff of the school.

Lieutenant Colonel Abdelhalim H. Sakilan and Captain Jeffrey P Paguia conducted a series of lectures to students of New Labangan NHS. They explained that students like themselves are the most exploitable targets for terrorist recruitment.

The students were informed how communist terrorists subtly recruits and gradually radicalize their targets, eventually turning students into terrorists themselves. Their deceptive ways normally involve befriending their targets, filling them with resentment over the government, subtly teaching them to be activists. They will be tricked and deceived into abandoning their lives, their education and their parents, then later becoming part of the New People’s Army.

As the graduating students began to understand communist terrorists’ actions and goal, they willfully wrote their names on the commitment wall, condemning terrorist acts by the CPP-NPA-NDF.

Though these terrorists’ reign of terror is almost over, it is our task to ensure that the children and their future are protected from their deceptive ways. The information that the students learned will prevent the deceptive recruitment of the CPP-NPA-NDF in colleges and universities where these graduating students will continue with their studies.

With this knowledge in hand, these students are ensured a brighter future and in turn, ultimately thwarting the communist terrorist’s schemes to increase their numbers and resume their reign of terror.

 

[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/new-labangan-national-high-school-aware-students-make-better-their-future/

Kalinaw News: Former Rebels in AgNor Receive Government Help through E-CLIP

From Kalinaw News (Jul 2, 2022): Former Rebels in AgNor Receive Government Help through E-CLIP

CABADBARAN CITY, Agusan del Norte— One hundred fourteen (114) former rebels (FRs) of the communist terrorist group (CTGs) who decided to surrender have received the financial assistance promised by the government through its Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) on July 01, 2022, at Hotel Oasis, Butuan City.

Among the 114 E-CLIP beneficiaries, 6 FRs surrendered to the 29th Infantry (Matatag) Battalion, which is under the leadership of Col. Jason M. Saldua. Each of them received a total of PHP 65,000 for livelihood and immediate assistance, plus an additional amount for firearms remuneration, which was awarded by the Department of Interior and Local Government-Agusan Del Norte headed by the Provincial Governor, Hon Ma. Angelica Rosedell Amante-Matba and 2nd District Representative of Agusan del Norte, Hon Dale B. Corvera.

Meanwhile, Danilo Falco, one of the FRs who received the E-CLIP assistance, expressed his gratitude to the government for all the assistance accorded to them so that they may live peacefully with their loved ones and be able to go back to mainstream society. In his statement, “Dako kaayo akong pasalamat sa tanang ahensya sa gobyerno nga mitabang kanako. Pinaagi niining E-CLIP nahatagan ako ug paglaum ug higayon nga mabuhing malinawon kauban ang akong mga minahal sa kinabuhi. Makatilaw na kanunay ug lami nga pagkaon akong anak ug dili na mamroblema akong asawa nga magtago mi para sa among seguridad. Isa pud sa akong ginapasalamat ug dako karon kay nasundalo na ko para sa tarong nga gobyerno“(I am really thankful to all the government agencies who helped me. Through this ECLIP, I was given a chance and hope to live peacefully with the people I love. My son can now eat delicious food and my wife will no longer worry about having to hide for our security. Also, I am really thankful that I became a soldier in a good government.)

Col. Jason M. Saldua, Commanding Officer of 29IB, said, “I am deeply grateful and happy to see how mindful the government is of its people, especially in fulfilling its promise to help those former rebels who have once lost their way but have now found their way back. This Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) of the government is truly a blessing to our brothers and sisters who are now willing to change for the better.”

“So, to all other rebels who are still doubting and having second thoughts about surrendering, cast away your doubts and beliefs. The troops of 29IB is here to assist and help you as you surrender. Lay down your arms now and experience a new life with your family like these fellow surrenderers. Truly, there is hope for every rebel who desires to change and live a normal life,” Col. Saldua added.

[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/former-rebels-in-agnor-receive-government-help-through-e-clip/

PH freezes assets of retired priest tagged as terrorist

From Rappler (Jul 1, 2022): PH freezes assets of retired priest tagged as terrorist (By LIAN BUAN)

Church leaders fear that 'the possibilities loom for any Filipino Church leader engaged in human rights ministry to be designated as a terrorist'

The Philippine government has started freezing the assets of a retired priest who was designated as terrorist under the broad power of the feared anti-terror law.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) issued Resolution No. TF-55 on June 10, while former president Rodrigo Duterte was still in office, “directing the issuance of sanctions freeze order to take effect immediately” against six people including retired Catholic priest Monsignor Walter Alipio de Asis Cerbito.


Cerbito was among the six people designated as terrorists on May 25 alongside Luis Jalandoni, the exiled senior adviser of the National Democratic Front (NDF).

The anti-terror council has a power to designate anyone it wants to as a terrorist without having to go to court, and without giving the subjects due hearings. The designation will happen based only on the council’s own determination and without notice. It was a power upheld narrowly, 8-7, by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court, as well as government lawyers who defended the law, said that the only effect of designation would be to freeze assets.

In a statement, the Pilgrims for Peace, a group of Church and civil society leaders, slammed the designation of Cerbito as “contrary to much-needed efforts for peacebuilding in the Philippines.”

“Msgr. Cerbito is a respected man of the cloth who has been at the forefront of human rights advocacy and ministry with poor and marginalized communities,” said the group. They describe Cerbito as someone “renowned for upholding a prophetic stand against human rights abuses. His advocacy has angered powers-that-be, including the military and other government officials who had oppressed local communities and violated their democratic rights.”

The group also said that Jalandoni, a former priest, “still emulates Christian values and a dignity of conduct from which many Filipinos could learn.”

Calling the anti-terror law as a “weapon against legitimate dissent,” the group said “the possibilities loom for any Filipino Church leader engaged in human rights ministry to be designated as a terrorist under the anti-terror law.”

A few days before Duterte left office, the National Security Council (NSC) under him directed the National Telecommunications Commission to block access to several websites including news sites, even though these groups and the people behind them were not designated terrorists. The NSC used the anti-terror law as premise for its direction, an act that the Integrated Bar of the Philippines called as “bereft of legal basis” and an “embarrassment” to the Duterte administration.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/philippines-freeezes-assets-retired-priest-tagged-terrorist/

Marcos reaffirms vow to deepen ties with US, other allies

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 2, 2022): Marcos reaffirms vow to deepen ties with US, other allies (By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos)

WALK OF CLOSURE. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday (July 1, 2022) holds a “walk of closure” ceremony for the former security officers who served under the watch of his late father and namesake, former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Former security escort officers Mervyn Espadero, Delmar Magno, Menandro Espineli and Fe Castro rendered their final salute at the Palace grounds. (Screengrab from RTVM)

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has renewed his commitment to further boost the Philippines’ relations with its allied countries, including China and the United States (US).

This was after he held separate meetings with foreign diplomats and dignitaries since assuming the presidency on Thursday.

In a Facebook post, Marcos said it was a “great pleasure” meeting Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Australian Governor-General David Hurley, and United States Second Gentleman Douglas Craig Emhoff on the day of his inauguration.

“I look forward to deepening our already-vibrant relationships with each country and further exploring areas of mutual interest and benefit to our peoples,” he said.

On Friday, Marcos also received Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Lao Deputy Foreign Minister Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune, Brunei Darussalam’s Second Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato Seri Setia Haji Erywan Bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd. Yusof, Cambodian Minister of Environment Say Samal, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, South Korea’s People Power Party Floor Leader Kweon Seong-Dong, and the United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy to the Philippines Richard Graham at Malacañan Palace.

State-run Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) released on its official Facebook page snippets of videos of courtesy calls of foreign diplomats and dignitaries.

The Palace has yet to provide additional details about the meetings.

‘Walk of closure’

Meanwhile, Marcos also met with former security officers who served under the term of his late father and namesake, former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Marcos, the RTVM said, led the “walk of closure” rites for former security escort officers Capt. Mervyn Espadero, Lt. Col. Delmar Magno, 1st Lt. Menandro Espineli, and Lt. Col. Fe Castro.

Castro was the then-presidential nurse of Marcos Sr., while Magno was from the Office of the Senior Aide-de-Camp who served as the presidential nurse of former first lady Imelda Marcos.

Espineli, on the other hand, was the then-security officer of presidential sister, Irene Marcos-Araneta.

The former security officers rendered their final salute in a “solemn and meaningful” ceremony at the Malacañan Palace grounds, the RTVM said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1178061

Gov’t to boost economic, tourism potential of former MILF camps

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 2, 2022): Gov’t to boost economic, tourism potential of former MILF camps (By Lade Jean Kabagani)

TOURISM BOOST. Bubuludtua Falls, home to rich flora and fauna, located at Camp Abubakar in Barira, Maguindanao is now open to tourists. The development of the area is part of the government's goal of boosting economic, tourism, and livelihood opportunities in Bangsamoro communities, particularly the transformed Moro Islamic Liberation Front camps. (Photo courtesy of OPAPRU)

The government aims to further boost the socio-economic potential and tourism opportunities in Bangsamoro communities, particularly the natural resources available within the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) areas.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) on Saturday bared that a delegation from Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) recently conducted a site visit and scoping activity at the MILF’s Camp Abubakar in Barira, Maguindanao to assess economic opportunities and see first-hand the resources in the area.

The delegation was led by Secretary Maria Belen Sunga Acosta, MinDA chairperson, and accompanied by Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Transportation and Communication Minister Dickson Hermoso and Member of Parliament Baintan Ampatuan.

Ampatuan, also co-chair of the Government of the Philippines Joint Task Forces on Camps Transformation (GPH JTFCT), said the activity is part of the political and normalization tracks of the comprehensive peace process in Mindanao, anchored on the goal “to further develop and enrich the tourism industry in Maguindanao”.

“I hope that this will be the start of better coordination, better linkages, and later on, [the] implementation of the desired programs and projects that we have listed in the Camps Transformation Plan,” OPAPRU quoted Ampatuan as saying.

In a statement, Barira Mayor Rauf Tomawis expressed optimism that pushing for socio-economic development through infrastructure, good governance, and various tourism-related activities in their area will provide more opportunities for residents, especially those at the trade center of Camp Abubakar’s mountainous villages of Barira, Buldon, Parang, and Matanog towns.

In 2000, the villages at Camp Abubakar and about 20,000 residents were affected by the all-out war ordered by President Joseph Estrada.

The former stronghold of the MILF fell into government hands in July 2000 after two months of heavy air, artillery, and infantry attacks.

“We hope you can help us enrich our municipality, erase the bad memories, and make us known not only because of the war, because before we are really being scared of),” Tomawis said in Filipino.

The municipality recently opened its main tourist attraction, the Bubuludtua Falls, in Barangay Nabalawag, following the government initiative to transform the former MILF camps into peaceful, resilient and productive communities under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro that the government and the MILF signed in 2014.

On Nov. 9, 2021, the GPH and MILF Peace Implementing Panels approved the six-year Camps Transformation Plan that aims to provide the “overall process and direction for camps transformation and serve as a roadmap to implement the transformation of six MILF camps into peaceful and productive communities”.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1178079

IP youth group hopes NTF-ELCAC would continue peace mission

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 2, 2022): IP youth group hopes NTF-ELCAC would continue peace mission (By Che Palicte)

The Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Youth Organization (MIPYO) said the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) program of the Duterte administration gave tribal communities the hope to survive and attain peace.

Jessa Mae Crisostomo, the spokesperson of MIPYO, said they are hoping for the continuation of the NTF-ELCAC that served as the needed catalyst for Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in rural areas to be informed, gain access to basic services, and be free from the insurgency.

“NTF-ELCAC is working with other government agencies to help us exercise our rights to self-determination and attain peace and development in our communities and this will help bring justice to the victims of the communist movement’s atrocities,” she said in a statement on Saturday.

Foremost among the NTF-ELCAC projects is the Barangay Development Program (BDP), which brings development to former conflict-prone communities and is part of the whole-of-nation approach to end insurgency.

The BDP is directed to initially rehabilitate and develop 822 villages that are former guerilla fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army - National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) in the countryside.

Each recipient village was provided with PHP20 million for farm-to-market roads, classrooms, water and sanitation systems, health stations, and other livelihood projects.

“You, in the government, especially those in Congress, hold the power by making sure that this government response is sustained for the sake of our government, our people, and the future generation,” Crisostomo said.

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 Anti-Terrorism Council also formally designated the NDF as a terrorist organization on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1178064

Suspected NPA rebel killed in Negros Oriental clash

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 2, 2022): Suspected NPA rebel killed in Negros Oriental clash (By Mary Judaline Partlow)

SEIZED. Government troops seize a sub-machine gun and rounds of live ammunition after an encounter with suspected New People’s Army rebels in Barangay Talalak, Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental on Friday (July 1, 2022). A rebel killed in the clash was identified as a resident of Sitio Halway, Barangay Nagbinlod of the same town. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Army-11IB)

A suspected member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) was killed in an encounter with government troops in Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental on Friday.

Lt. Col. Roderick Salayo, commanding officer of the 11th Infantry Battalion (IB) of the Philippine Army, on Saturday identified the suspect as Cristanto Estrabela Lagradilla, also known as Ka Locsin.

Lagradilla was an alleged member of the dismantled Southeast Front (SEF) of the Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor.

A former rebel said Lagradilla hails from Sitio Halway in Barangay Nagbinlod of the same town where he was killed.

Troops from the Philippine Army and Philippine National Police encountered Lagradilla and four others at Sitio Tamusi in Barangay Talalak.

Government troops also seized a firearm, rounds of live ammunition, and two handheld radios at the site of the encounter.

“Another communist NPA terrorist got killed because of their leaders who are eager to recover their former members in order to increase their armed elements,” Salayo said in a statement.

Salayo said former rebels who have surrendered to authorities recently confirmed reports that SEF leaders are luring back members of dismantled guerilla fronts.

“We, the government forces, will never allow their recovery efforts and injustices of destroying the lives of their recruits,” Salayo said.

Lagradilla’s remains were taken to a funeral parlor in Bayawan City while his family is making arrangements for his wake in Sitio Tula-tulahan, Barangay Nagbinlod.

The local government unit of Sta. Catalina will give assistance to the family of the deceased and has paid for the coffin while the 11IB shouldered embalming expenses.

"Again, we are calling on the remnants of the NPA to lay down your arms and go back to the government so that this will never happen again. Armed struggle is not the solution to your hope for peace and progress. Instead, it's giving you false hopes and miseries in life,” said Brig. Gen. Leonardo Peña, commander of the 302nd Brigade based in Tanjay City.

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

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

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1178073

Ex-NPA rebels get livelihood aid in Agusan Norte

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 2, 2022): Ex-NPA rebels get livelihood aid in Agusan Norte (By Alexander Lopez)

NEW LIVES. The Department of the Interior and Local Government and the provincial government of Agusan del Norte facilitate the release of PHP10.7 million in livelihood assistance to 114 former NPA rebels in Butuan City on Friday (July 1, 2022). The livelihood assistance is part of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP) of the government for the former rebels. (Photo courtesy of 29IB)

A total of 114 former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who surrendered on different occasions this year in Agusan del Norte were provided with livelihood assistance and remuneration for surrendered firearms.

The assistance, amounting to PHP10.7 million, was part of the government's Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP) for the former rebels (FRs).

The amount was released by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the provincial government of Agusan del Norte on Friday.

The release of the assistance was spearheaded by Agusan del Norte Governor Maria Angelica Rosedell Amante-Matba, Agusan del Norte Second District Representative Dale Corvera, and DILG Provincial Director Ellen Vee Chua.

In a statement on Saturday, the Army’s 29th Infantry Battalion (29IB) lauded the release of the livelihood assistance to the FRs that will provide support for their families.

“Among the 114 beneficiaries, six FRs surrendered to the unit and received a total of PHP65,000 for livelihood, and separate amounts for the remuneration of the firearms they surrendered to the government,” the 29IB said.

Among the FRs who benefited from the release of the livelihood assistance was Danilo Franco who thanked the government for the opportunity given to him to start his life anew.

“I am thankful to all the agencies of the government who helped me. The ECLIP has given me a chance and hopes to live peacefully with the people I love,” Franco said.

With his new life, he added that he would work hard for the future of his family, especially their children.

“Now that I am back in the mainstream, my family, especially my wife, will no longer worry about my security,” Franco said.

Col. Jason Saldua, commander of the 29IB, said the activity on Friday fulfilled the government’s promise to the FRs who once lost their lives and have found their way back to their families and communities.

“The ECLIP is a blessing to our brothers and sisters who are now willing to change for the better,” Saldua said.

He also urged the remaining NPA rebels in Agusan del Norte to surrender and avail of the programs and services of the government.

“The troops of 29IB will be here to assist and help you as you surrender. Lay down your arms now and experience a new life with your family. Truly, there is hope for every rebel who desires to change and live a normal life," Saldua said.

The Communist Party of the Philippines-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 has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1178075