Posted to the Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) Website (Mar 8, 2019): Government Troops Preempt Another NPA Arson Attempt
Combined Army and PNP forces conducting strike operations preempted another NPA arson attempt in Quezon Province after they encountered undetermined number of communist terrorists belonging to Platoon 1 of SRMA-4A at Sito Salok, Brgy Magsaysay of Infanta town at around 8:07 a.m. Friday.
Initial reports indicate that four government security forces were wounded while massive losses are expected on the enemy side based on the heavy bloodstains along their withdrawal route after the 30-minute firefight.
Brigadier General Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr, Commander of the 202nd Infantry (UNIFIER) Brigade which has operational jurisdiction over the area, said that the encounter site was about 3 kilometers away from the area of Northern Builders, the contractor of Kaliwa Dam project whose equipment were burned by the NPA terrorists last February 7.
He added that the “the encounter is a result of our continuing operations to punish the enemies of the state who are terrorizing helpless private companies who refuse to give in to their extortion demands.” He ended his statement by reaffirming the soldiers’ “unwavering commitment to protect the numerous projects in the brigade’s area of operations since it will pave the way for prosperity and development which our people will enjoy.”
Kaliwa Dam is one of the 76 ongoing flagship and developmental projects in CALABARZON.
Lt Col Christopher Diaz, Commander of 80th Infantry Battalion, said that the military operation was intelligence-driven and a calibrated response to an information given by a reliable source that “a group of NPAs will conduct atrocity in Infanta specifically the burning of construction equipment belonging to Northern Builders.”
He added that the wounded soldiers have been evacuated and are being given the best possible medical attention while “additional forces have been deployed to pursue the fleeing terrorists who have been on the run trying to escape the long arms of the law.”
The military believes that this group is part of the NPA unit which they encountered in Luisiana, Laguna in February 14 wherein John Carlo Alberto alias Damian/Iñigo, a student of UPLB, was killed after he was recruited and deceived by the communist terrorists to join their armed group as a fighter.
Major General Rhoderick Parayno, Commander of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, expressed his gratitude to the people of Infanta for voluntarily providing information to the security forces saying that “this is not only a testament of their trust to their soldiers but a manifestation that they are already tired of the NPAs’ anti-people and anti-development terroristic actions.”
He said that such claim is supported by the fact that “the local officials of Real and Infanta expressed their intentions to declare the NPA terrorists as persona non grata” in their respective towns.
MGen Parayno lauded his soldiers for their “readiness to respond to our people’s plight and their willingness to sacrifice their lives and limbs for the greater good of the very people whom we have sworn to serve” while reiterating his call to the few remaining NPAs in Region 4A “to choose their families over their comrades, to choose peace over conflict and to choose to be productive members of the society over being extortionists who terrorize their fellow Filipinos.”
The names of the wounded soldiers are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
https://www.facebook.com/SouthernLuzonCommandAFP/posts/2220726214854106?__tn__=K-R
https://www.facebook.com/SouthernLuzonCommandAFP/
Saturday, March 9, 2019
NOLCOM: Deputy Commander Promoted
Posted to the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) Website (Mar 4, 2019): NOLCOM Deputy Commander Promoted
Congratulations on your well-deserved promotion, BGEN Arwel Oropesa
https://www.facebook.com/NOLCOM/photos/a.260313197341730/2263997673639929/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/NOLCOM/
Congratulations on your well-deserved promotion, BGEN Arwel Oropesa
https://www.facebook.com/NOLCOM/photos/a.260313197341730/2263997673639929/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/NOLCOM/
WESTMINCOM: Suluanos avail services offered in the all-in-one mission facilitated by the Marines
Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Mar 9, 2019): Suluanos avail services offered in the all-in-one mission facilitated by the Marines
The Marine Battalion Landing Team 3 has again succesfully and safely facilitated another all-in-one mission yesterday (March 8) in Barangay Kanlagay, Kalingalan Caluang, Sulu.
The activity was participated by various stakeholders, including the Panamao District Hospital, Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital, Kalingalan Caluang Rural Health Unit, and Eye Global Foundation, Inc.
Services offered include medical and dental check-up, haircut, eye examination, and others.
The activity benefited a number of less fortunate residents from Kalingalan Caluang, Sulu.
http://www.westmincom.com/suluanos-avail-services-offered-in-the-all-in-one-mission-facilitated-by-the-marines/
The Marine Battalion Landing Team 3 has again succesfully and safely facilitated another all-in-one mission yesterday (March 8) in Barangay Kanlagay, Kalingalan Caluang, Sulu.
The activity was participated by various stakeholders, including the Panamao District Hospital, Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital, Kalingalan Caluang Rural Health Unit, and Eye Global Foundation, Inc.
Services offered include medical and dental check-up, haircut, eye examination, and others.
The activity benefited a number of less fortunate residents from Kalingalan Caluang, Sulu.
http://www.westmincom.com/suluanos-avail-services-offered-in-the-all-in-one-mission-facilitated-by-the-marines/
WESTMINCOM: Troops seize Abu’s high-powered gun after clash with Susukan’s group in Sulu
Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Mar 9, 2019): Troops seize Abu’s high-powered gun after clash with Susukan’s group in Sulu
Headquarters, Western Mindanao Command, Camp Navarro, Calarian, Zamboanga City- March 09, 2019.
Military seized a high-powered firearm of Abu Sayyaf militants after a 20-minute armed engagement with the group of sub-leaders Idang Susukan and Angah Adji Sulu this morning, March 9.
The ferocious gunfight with soldiers of 2nd Special Forces Battalion yielded to the seizure of an M16 rifle and two bandoliers of terrorists in Barangay Upper Binoang, Talipao, Sulu at 6:30am today.
Operating troops delivered mortar fires and cleared withdrawal route of evading enemies.
BGen Divino Rey Pabayo, Jr., Commander JTF Sulu, reiterated that the AFP in Sulu is committed in hunting down the ASG to secure the peace and continued development of Sulu.
We will sustain deliberate operations to hunt down and neutralize Abu Sayyaf militants in their strongholds,” said Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega, the commander of the Western Mindanao Command.
http://www.westmincom.com/troops-seize-abus-high-powered-gun-after-clash-with-susukans-group-in-sulu/
Headquarters, Western Mindanao Command, Camp Navarro, Calarian, Zamboanga City- March 09, 2019.
Military seized a high-powered firearm of Abu Sayyaf militants after a 20-minute armed engagement with the group of sub-leaders Idang Susukan and Angah Adji Sulu this morning, March 9.
The ferocious gunfight with soldiers of 2nd Special Forces Battalion yielded to the seizure of an M16 rifle and two bandoliers of terrorists in Barangay Upper Binoang, Talipao, Sulu at 6:30am today.
Operating troops delivered mortar fires and cleared withdrawal route of evading enemies.
BGen Divino Rey Pabayo, Jr., Commander JTF Sulu, reiterated that the AFP in Sulu is committed in hunting down the ASG to secure the peace and continued development of Sulu.
We will sustain deliberate operations to hunt down and neutralize Abu Sayyaf militants in their strongholds,” said Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega, the commander of the Western Mindanao Command.
http://www.westmincom.com/troops-seize-abus-high-powered-gun-after-clash-with-susukans-group-in-sulu/
WESTMINCOM: AFP cascades FOI manual, inducts staff in Manila
Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Mar 9, 2019): AFP cascades FOI manual, inducts staff in Manila
The military cascaded its manual on Freedom of Information and inducted its officers and staff in a seminar held in Camp Aguinaldo yesterday, March 8.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines crafted the FOI manual, providing standing operating procedures, remedies, and administrative liability relative to the implementation of Executive Order No. 2. Consistent with the Constitution, the said executive order operationalized the people’s right to information and the “state policies of full public disclosure and transparency in the public service.”
“The public has the right to know the right information at the right time. An informed populace is a source of national power, and right information can empower Filipinos of informed decision,” said Colonel Noel Detoyato, the AFP Public Affairs Chief.
WestMinCom spokesperson Colonel Gerry Besana and other FOI action officers and staff of unified commands and military units pledged their oath of commitment in a ceremony presided by Lieutenant General Salvador Mechor Mison, Jr., the AFP Vice Chief of Staff. Under the AFP’s FOI Manual, the AFP Public Affairs Chief shall receive, assess, evaluate, and transmit an FOI request filed by a citizen to cognizant offices or units, such as the unified commands.
The manual also provides that requested information shall be located and retrieved, or that denial of the request on valid grounds shall be communicated by cognizant offices or units with the PAO, AFP.
The military can deny an FOI request if the identity of the requesting party is fictitious or illegitimate; if t is prompted by sheer idle curiosity or ulterior motive; if t is contrary to law, morals, good customs, or public policy; if it is made for a commercial purpose; or if it will compromise national, operational, and personnel security.
Based on recommendations of cognizant offices and units, the AFP Chief of Staff shall solely approve or deny the release of the requested information. As the FOI receiving officer, the AFP Public Affairs Chief shall communicate approval or denial of such request with the requesting party.
The FOI manual also provides requesting parties with remedies in case of denial and sanctions administrative penalties under the Articles of War and the Civil Service rules.
Assistant Secretary Michel Kristian Ablan, of the Presidential Commission Operations Office, cited national security defense, international relations, and data privacy, among others, as exceptions to E.O. No. 2.
The cascading and leveling seminar was held at Dimalupig Hall in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City at around 8am today. “We commit to serve with transparency and uphold people’s constitutional right to be informed in the spirit of republicanism.
As true servants and defenders of Filipinos, we advance this governmental objective as a mechanism for efficiency and legitimacy,” said Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega, the commander of the Western Mindanao Command.
“Delineating reasonable limitations, freedom of information will bear positive outcomes, especially in policy processes, as people will be more involved.”
http://www.westmincom.com/afp-cascades-foi-manual-inducts-staff-in-manila/
The military cascaded its manual on Freedom of Information and inducted its officers and staff in a seminar held in Camp Aguinaldo yesterday, March 8.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines crafted the FOI manual, providing standing operating procedures, remedies, and administrative liability relative to the implementation of Executive Order No. 2. Consistent with the Constitution, the said executive order operationalized the people’s right to information and the “state policies of full public disclosure and transparency in the public service.”
“The public has the right to know the right information at the right time. An informed populace is a source of national power, and right information can empower Filipinos of informed decision,” said Colonel Noel Detoyato, the AFP Public Affairs Chief.
WestMinCom spokesperson Colonel Gerry Besana and other FOI action officers and staff of unified commands and military units pledged their oath of commitment in a ceremony presided by Lieutenant General Salvador Mechor Mison, Jr., the AFP Vice Chief of Staff. Under the AFP’s FOI Manual, the AFP Public Affairs Chief shall receive, assess, evaluate, and transmit an FOI request filed by a citizen to cognizant offices or units, such as the unified commands.
The manual also provides that requested information shall be located and retrieved, or that denial of the request on valid grounds shall be communicated by cognizant offices or units with the PAO, AFP.
The military can deny an FOI request if the identity of the requesting party is fictitious or illegitimate; if t is prompted by sheer idle curiosity or ulterior motive; if t is contrary to law, morals, good customs, or public policy; if it is made for a commercial purpose; or if it will compromise national, operational, and personnel security.
Based on recommendations of cognizant offices and units, the AFP Chief of Staff shall solely approve or deny the release of the requested information. As the FOI receiving officer, the AFP Public Affairs Chief shall communicate approval or denial of such request with the requesting party.
The FOI manual also provides requesting parties with remedies in case of denial and sanctions administrative penalties under the Articles of War and the Civil Service rules.
Assistant Secretary Michel Kristian Ablan, of the Presidential Commission Operations Office, cited national security defense, international relations, and data privacy, among others, as exceptions to E.O. No. 2.
The cascading and leveling seminar was held at Dimalupig Hall in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City at around 8am today. “We commit to serve with transparency and uphold people’s constitutional right to be informed in the spirit of republicanism.
As true servants and defenders of Filipinos, we advance this governmental objective as a mechanism for efficiency and legitimacy,” said Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega, the commander of the Western Mindanao Command.
“Delineating reasonable limitations, freedom of information will bear positive outcomes, especially in policy processes, as people will be more involved.”
http://www.westmincom.com/afp-cascades-foi-manual-inducts-staff-in-manila/
WESTMINCOM: Susukan’s brother hurt, another Sayyaf slain as troops pound terrorists in Sulu
Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Mar 9, 2019): Susukan’s brother hurt, another Sayyaf slain as troops pound terrorists in Sulu
Idang Susukan’s brother incurred serious wounds, while another Abu Sayyaf militant died in two gun battles with military troops in Sulu this morning, March 9.
The Joint Task Force Sulu, under Brigadier General Divino Rey Pabayo, Jr., said engaged troops retrieved the remains of Abu Sayyaf member Rakib Dahsul after scouring the encounter site in Barangay Upper Binuang, Talipao today.
A follower of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Apoh Mike, Dahsul was involved in kidnapping activities perpetrated by the group of Apoh Mike.
Brigadier General Pabayo, Jr. said Idang Susukan’s brother, identified as Jaber, was seriously wounded in the armed engagement.
Soldiers also seized two M16 rifles, magazines, and ammunition.
Troops of the 2nd Special Forces Battalion exchanged gunfire with the group of sub-leader Anga Adji in Barangay Upper Binuang at 6:30am today.
“Deliberate offensives against terrorists will be launched by the JTF Sulu to debilitate and inflict more casualties on the adversary,” said Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega, the commander of the Western Mindanao Command.
“While we are advancing on our campaign, we will sustain our offensives and employ more pressure on the terrorists.”
http://www.westmincom.com/susukans-brother-hurt-another-sayyaf-slain-as-troops-pound-terrorists-in-sulu/
Idang Susukan’s brother incurred serious wounds, while another Abu Sayyaf militant died in two gun battles with military troops in Sulu this morning, March 9.
The Joint Task Force Sulu, under Brigadier General Divino Rey Pabayo, Jr., said engaged troops retrieved the remains of Abu Sayyaf member Rakib Dahsul after scouring the encounter site in Barangay Upper Binuang, Talipao today.
A follower of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Apoh Mike, Dahsul was involved in kidnapping activities perpetrated by the group of Apoh Mike.
Brigadier General Pabayo, Jr. said Idang Susukan’s brother, identified as Jaber, was seriously wounded in the armed engagement.
Soldiers also seized two M16 rifles, magazines, and ammunition.
Troops of the 2nd Special Forces Battalion exchanged gunfire with the group of sub-leader Anga Adji in Barangay Upper Binuang at 6:30am today.
“Deliberate offensives against terrorists will be launched by the JTF Sulu to debilitate and inflict more casualties on the adversary,” said Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega, the commander of the Western Mindanao Command.
“While we are advancing on our campaign, we will sustain our offensives and employ more pressure on the terrorists.”
http://www.westmincom.com/susukans-brother-hurt-another-sayyaf-slain-as-troops-pound-terrorists-in-sulu/
EASTMINCOM: Eastmincom commits continuing support to IPs
Posted to the Eastern Mindanao Command (EASTMINCOM) Website (Mar 9, 2019): Eastmincom commits continuing support to IPs
NSFA, Panacan, Davao City - Eastern Mindanao Command vowed to continuously commit in the Indigenous Peoples' quest for self-determination after Lt. General Felimon T. Santos Jr., Commander of Eastmincom graced the 17th Anniversary of the Sovereign Tribal Council for Peace and Development (STCPD) at Balanghai Hotel, Butuan City on March 8, 2019, representing Secretary Delfin Lorenzana of the Department of National Defense.
According to Datu Allan Joy Sumandang, Secretary General of the STCPD which was formerly known as Supreme Tribal Council for Peace and Development, is a conglomeration of 11 tribes in Davao Region. It was expanded to cover the whole Mindanao with 39 tribal group membership.
The Indigenous Peoples have been one of the major stakeholders of peace in Eastern Mindanao as they are considered as the most vulnerable sector in the Communist Terrorist Group' agitation, propaganda and engagement as manifested by the large number or percentage of IP in the ranks of the New Peoples Army.
"We shall continue to implement our peace and development program with culture and conflict sensitivity. We will continue to be the bridge of the Indigenous Peoples in their development as a tribe, people and community," Lt. Gen. Santos Jr. said.
Source: Public Information Office, Eastern Mindanao Command
http://www.eastmincomafp.com.ph/2019/03/eastmincom-commits-continuing-support.html
NSFA, Panacan, Davao City - Eastern Mindanao Command vowed to continuously commit in the Indigenous Peoples' quest for self-determination after Lt. General Felimon T. Santos Jr., Commander of Eastmincom graced the 17th Anniversary of the Sovereign Tribal Council for Peace and Development (STCPD) at Balanghai Hotel, Butuan City on March 8, 2019, representing Secretary Delfin Lorenzana of the Department of National Defense.
According to Datu Allan Joy Sumandang, Secretary General of the STCPD which was formerly known as Supreme Tribal Council for Peace and Development, is a conglomeration of 11 tribes in Davao Region. It was expanded to cover the whole Mindanao with 39 tribal group membership.
The Indigenous Peoples have been one of the major stakeholders of peace in Eastern Mindanao as they are considered as the most vulnerable sector in the Communist Terrorist Group' agitation, propaganda and engagement as manifested by the large number or percentage of IP in the ranks of the New Peoples Army.
"We shall continue to implement our peace and development program with culture and conflict sensitivity. We will continue to be the bridge of the Indigenous Peoples in their development as a tribe, people and community," Lt. Gen. Santos Jr. said.
Source: Public Information Office, Eastern Mindanao Command
http://www.eastmincomafp.com.ph/2019/03/eastmincom-commits-continuing-support.html
Numbers ‘decline’ in rallies due to fear of red-tagging
From the Sun Star-Cagayan de Oro (Mar 8, 2019): Numbers ‘decline’ in rallies due to fear of red-tagging
CAGAYAN DE ORO. Members of Gabriela progressive organization, together with its allied organizations and supporters, gather in Divisiora, Cagayan de Oro City to observe the International Women’s Day every March 8. However, their attendance are noticeably in decline as compared in the previous years due to the recent red-tagging on activists being branded as communists. (PJ Orias)
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1795942/Cagayan-De-Oro/Local-News/Numbers-decline-in-rallies-due-to-fear-of-red-tagging
CAGAYAN DE ORO. Members of Gabriela progressive organization, together with its allied organizations and supporters, gather in Divisiora, Cagayan de Oro City to observe the International Women’s Day every March 8. However, their attendance are noticeably in decline as compared in the previous years due to the recent red-tagging on activists being branded as communists. (PJ Orias)
AS THE Women’s group Gabriela Women’s Party and Hustisya Northern Mindanao, held a protest action on Friday, March 8, to observe the International Women’s Day, it can be noticed that there were few who attended the event.
Father Roland Abeno, chair of the Movement Against Tyranny-Northern Mindanao, who also joined the peaceful rally in Divisoria in Cagayan de Oro City, admitted that there was indeed a decline because some member activists feared of being accused red-tagged, or accused as a communist rebel.
Father Roland Abeno, chair of the Movement Against Tyranny-Northern Mindanao, who also joined the peaceful rally in Divisoria in Cagayan de Oro City, admitted that there was indeed a decline because some member activists feared of being accused red-tagged, or accused as a communist rebel.
“It somehow affected (the attendance) because there were leaders in the (progressive) organizations who were arrested, and the recent red-tagging of activists (made it worse),” he said.
“But this won’t stop us, even there is fear. We can’t be stopped in shouting to end the abuses and the threats, especially as we celebrate Women’s Day, which included those women who were jailed because they just brought up the issues of the poor and the oppressed in our society,” he added.
The observation is not only centered on women empowerment and to all women but also to men who became “political prisoners.”
The groups cited the “dire human rights situation across the country whose victims are women who bravely stood up against the anti-people policies of the government,” as Winifreda Udarbe said it, spokesperson of the Hustiya-Northern Mindanao, an organization of families of the victims of the said human rights violations.
“We are alarmed by the rising cases of illegal arrests and trumped-up charges of leaders of farmers and Lumads who fought for land rights. My husband, Ireneo Udarbe, and his colleague, Jomorito Goaynon, are both human rights defenders,” she said.
Winefreda is the wife of Ireneo Udarbe, chairperson of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in Northern Mindanao. He was arrested along with lumad leader Jomorito Goaynon earlier this year, for attempted and frustrated murder.
But his wife insisted that both are human rights defenders, not terrorists.
“They are not terrorists, as the government, through its armed forces and courts, so unjustly accuse. They do not carry guns and bombs that the military and police maliciously planted during their arrests. Their weapons are their just calls, their placards, and their principles,” she added.
Now, Winifreda is joining protest actions to celebrate brave women whose lives, she said, are now in peril due to government crackdown against the rebels.
“Women who call for genuine agrarian reform for the farmers, for labor rights for the workers and employees, for right to self-determination and ancestral domain for the Lumads, for sovereignty against incursion by China and the US of our national patrimony, and for quality and accessible social services are demonized and branded as terrorist. They are not our enemies. They are part of our efforts to build a just and humane society where we can all live freely without the worry of hunger and poverty. And yet, they are the target of the government’s attacks,” she added.
Human rights watch Karapatan Northern Mindanao, documented four cases of human rights violations including the illegal arrests and trumped-up charges of women rights defenders, Marivic Coleta and Mylene Coleta of the Misamis Oriental Farmers Association, and three minors, in the first quarter of 2019.
The group also reported one case of forced surrender involving health workers Gloria Jandayan and daughter Gleceria Balanguiao.
A flyer maliciously tagging human rights lawyers Atty. Beverly Musni and her two daughters, Atty. Beverly Musni Yr. and Atty. Czarina Musni, as terrorists were also distributed in a hotel in Cagayan de Oro City. Also included in the list were ACT Teachers Partylist regional coordinator Ophelia Tabacon, Radyo Lumad anchor Ritchel Hilogon, and GoldStar employee Ai Corrales, along with bishops, priests, media personnel and activists.
“Women are the light. We are living in dark times amidst attacks on human rights. But we will continue to carry the torch end all forms of abuse against women’s rights and that of the people. This includes the extrajudicial killings, threat, harassment and intimidation, abductions, illegal arrests and trumped-up charges, forced surrenders and forced evacuations of our children, our husbands, our neighbors and our brave women. We will not let the darkness win,” Udarbe said.
The protesters also called for the lifting of martial law in Mindanao, the release of human rights defenders charged with false cases, and to put a stop to all forms of violence against women and children.
The group also called for the resumption of the peace talks as a “more effective action to address the root causes of rebellion, and not the militaristic counter-insurgency approach of the government that victimizes civilians and legitimate voices of dissent.”
“But this won’t stop us, even there is fear. We can’t be stopped in shouting to end the abuses and the threats, especially as we celebrate Women’s Day, which included those women who were jailed because they just brought up the issues of the poor and the oppressed in our society,” he added.
The observation is not only centered on women empowerment and to all women but also to men who became “political prisoners.”
The groups cited the “dire human rights situation across the country whose victims are women who bravely stood up against the anti-people policies of the government,” as Winifreda Udarbe said it, spokesperson of the Hustiya-Northern Mindanao, an organization of families of the victims of the said human rights violations.
“We are alarmed by the rising cases of illegal arrests and trumped-up charges of leaders of farmers and Lumads who fought for land rights. My husband, Ireneo Udarbe, and his colleague, Jomorito Goaynon, are both human rights defenders,” she said.
Winefreda is the wife of Ireneo Udarbe, chairperson of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in Northern Mindanao. He was arrested along with lumad leader Jomorito Goaynon earlier this year, for attempted and frustrated murder.
But his wife insisted that both are human rights defenders, not terrorists.
“They are not terrorists, as the government, through its armed forces and courts, so unjustly accuse. They do not carry guns and bombs that the military and police maliciously planted during their arrests. Their weapons are their just calls, their placards, and their principles,” she added.
Now, Winifreda is joining protest actions to celebrate brave women whose lives, she said, are now in peril due to government crackdown against the rebels.
“Women who call for genuine agrarian reform for the farmers, for labor rights for the workers and employees, for right to self-determination and ancestral domain for the Lumads, for sovereignty against incursion by China and the US of our national patrimony, and for quality and accessible social services are demonized and branded as terrorist. They are not our enemies. They are part of our efforts to build a just and humane society where we can all live freely without the worry of hunger and poverty. And yet, they are the target of the government’s attacks,” she added.
Human rights watch Karapatan Northern Mindanao, documented four cases of human rights violations including the illegal arrests and trumped-up charges of women rights defenders, Marivic Coleta and Mylene Coleta of the Misamis Oriental Farmers Association, and three minors, in the first quarter of 2019.
The group also reported one case of forced surrender involving health workers Gloria Jandayan and daughter Gleceria Balanguiao.
A flyer maliciously tagging human rights lawyers Atty. Beverly Musni and her two daughters, Atty. Beverly Musni Yr. and Atty. Czarina Musni, as terrorists were also distributed in a hotel in Cagayan de Oro City. Also included in the list were ACT Teachers Partylist regional coordinator Ophelia Tabacon, Radyo Lumad anchor Ritchel Hilogon, and GoldStar employee Ai Corrales, along with bishops, priests, media personnel and activists.
“Women are the light. We are living in dark times amidst attacks on human rights. But we will continue to carry the torch end all forms of abuse against women’s rights and that of the people. This includes the extrajudicial killings, threat, harassment and intimidation, abductions, illegal arrests and trumped-up charges, forced surrenders and forced evacuations of our children, our husbands, our neighbors and our brave women. We will not let the darkness win,” Udarbe said.
The protesters also called for the lifting of martial law in Mindanao, the release of human rights defenders charged with false cases, and to put a stop to all forms of violence against women and children.
The group also called for the resumption of the peace talks as a “more effective action to address the root causes of rebellion, and not the militaristic counter-insurgency approach of the government that victimizes civilians and legitimate voices of dissent.”
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1795942/Cagayan-De-Oro/Local-News/Numbers-decline-in-rallies-due-to-fear-of-red-tagging
43 ex-NPAs get financial, emergency aid
From the Sun Star-Zamboanga (Mar 9, 2019): 43 ex-NPAs get financial, emergency aid
FORTY-THREE former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels received P65,000 each, or for a total of P2.7 million, as livelihood and emergency assistance from the government, through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-clip).
The distribution of the financial assistance was held on Friday, March 8, at the headquarters of the Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion in Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur.
Those who surrendered their firearms received additional cash as remunerations depending on the value such as P50,000 for M-16 Armalite rifle and P60,000 for M-14 rifle.
“The government is serious in the implementation of the program and we urge others (NPAs) to grab the opportunity and avail the benefits of E-CLIP” said National Defense Undersecretary Reynaldo Mapagu.
The distribution of the cash assistance was held in time for the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a half-way house for the former NPA rebels.
Mapagu, also the chairperson of the Task Force Balik Loob, led the groundbreaking ceremony of the half-way house and was joined by Zamboanga del Sur Governmor Antonio Cerilles and other head of government agencies who form part of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).
The half-way house will be built at the back of Camp David Sabido that houses the headquarters of the Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion in Guipo town.
Brigadier General Roberto Ancan, Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, said the Half-way house serves as the venue for the rehabilitation, healing session and education and skills training activities of the former NPA rebels.
“The activities in the half-way house will help them recuperate from the bad experiences they’ve encountered in the hands of NPA organization,” Ancan said.
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1796095/Zamboanga/Local-News/43-ex-NPAs-get-financial-emergency-aid
FORTY-THREE former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels received P65,000 each, or for a total of P2.7 million, as livelihood and emergency assistance from the government, through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-clip).
The distribution of the financial assistance was held on Friday, March 8, at the headquarters of the Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion in Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur.
Those who surrendered their firearms received additional cash as remunerations depending on the value such as P50,000 for M-16 Armalite rifle and P60,000 for M-14 rifle.
“The government is serious in the implementation of the program and we urge others (NPAs) to grab the opportunity and avail the benefits of E-CLIP” said National Defense Undersecretary Reynaldo Mapagu.
The distribution of the cash assistance was held in time for the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a half-way house for the former NPA rebels.
Mapagu, also the chairperson of the Task Force Balik Loob, led the groundbreaking ceremony of the half-way house and was joined by Zamboanga del Sur Governmor Antonio Cerilles and other head of government agencies who form part of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).
The half-way house will be built at the back of Camp David Sabido that houses the headquarters of the Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion in Guipo town.
Brigadier General Roberto Ancan, Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, said the Half-way house serves as the venue for the rehabilitation, healing session and education and skills training activities of the former NPA rebels.
“The activities in the half-way house will help them recuperate from the bad experiences they’ve encountered in the hands of NPA organization,” Ancan said.
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1796095/Zamboanga/Local-News/43-ex-NPAs-get-financial-emergency-aid
Abu Sayyaf nabbed with bomb-making components
From the Sun Star-Zamboanga (Mar 9, 2019): Abu Sayyaf nabbed with bomb-making components
AN ALLEGED member of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) was arrested while bomb-making components were seized in Zamboanga City, the police said.
Senior Superintendent Joseph Thomas Martir, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, identified the arrested Abu Sayyaf bandit as Benwagas Salapuddin, who is listed as the number one most wanted person in this city.
Martir said Salapuddin was arrested after being served a warrant of arrest around 9:30 a.m. Friday, March 8, at Sitio Asinan in Kasanyangan village.
He said that Salapuddin who carries the aliases of Midel Isnaji, Nidz Ahamad, Nidz Ahmad, Abu Nidel, Nidzmar Hamsali, and Benwagas Salapuddin, has standing warrants of arrest for the crime of double murder, multiple frustrated murder and multiple attempted murder.
He said recovered from Salapuddin’s possession were the following: two plastic bottles filled with ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO); detonator leg-wire; toggle switch; led bulb; two nine-volt batteries; three cellular phone batteries; electrical tape; and, pyrotechnic powder.
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1796096/Zamboanga/Local-News/Abu-Sayyaf-nabbed-with-bomb-making-components
AN ALLEGED member of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) was arrested while bomb-making components were seized in Zamboanga City, the police said.
Senior Superintendent Joseph Thomas Martir, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, identified the arrested Abu Sayyaf bandit as Benwagas Salapuddin, who is listed as the number one most wanted person in this city.
Martir said Salapuddin was arrested after being served a warrant of arrest around 9:30 a.m. Friday, March 8, at Sitio Asinan in Kasanyangan village.
He said that Salapuddin who carries the aliases of Midel Isnaji, Nidz Ahamad, Nidz Ahmad, Abu Nidel, Nidzmar Hamsali, and Benwagas Salapuddin, has standing warrants of arrest for the crime of double murder, multiple frustrated murder and multiple attempted murder.
He said recovered from Salapuddin’s possession were the following: two plastic bottles filled with ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO); detonator leg-wire; toggle switch; led bulb; two nine-volt batteries; three cellular phone batteries; electrical tape; and, pyrotechnic powder.
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1796096/Zamboanga/Local-News/Abu-Sayyaf-nabbed-with-bomb-making-components
Dead NPA fighter abandoned: Arevalo
From the Visayan Daily Star (Mar 9, 2019): Dead NPA fighter abandoned: Arevalo
Alleged New People’s Army member Ricky Pojas died, not from bullets, but from sickness and hardships in the mountain.
Worse, he was abandoned by his comrades in a funeral parlor at Brgy. Lupni in Kabankalan City, where he was brought on March 6, Col. Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said yesterday.
Pojas, a member of the Armando Sumayang Command, was among those being hunted by government troopers for several years now in southern Negros.
Arevalo said the death of Pojas, a resident of Sitio Nailan, Brgy. Cabi-an, Candoni, may serve as an eye opener to other NPA members, who are being used as pawns, while their leaders are enjoying luxurious lifestyles.
He reiterated the offer of the Philippine Army of treatment to those NPA members, who are sick, and other assistance under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program of the government, should they decided to surrender and abandon the armed struggle.
Lt. Col. Patricio Tomales, 15th Infantry Battalion commander, said that a company-sized group of troopers had been dispatched to the Cauayan hinterlands, to address the terroristic activities of the Armando Sumayang Command.
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2019/March/09/topstory9.htm
Alleged New People’s Army member Ricky Pojas died, not from bullets, but from sickness and hardships in the mountain.
Worse, he was abandoned by his comrades in a funeral parlor at Brgy. Lupni in Kabankalan City, where he was brought on March 6, Col. Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said yesterday.
Pojas, a member of the Armando Sumayang Command, was among those being hunted by government troopers for several years now in southern Negros.
Arevalo said the death of Pojas, a resident of Sitio Nailan, Brgy. Cabi-an, Candoni, may serve as an eye opener to other NPA members, who are being used as pawns, while their leaders are enjoying luxurious lifestyles.
He reiterated the offer of the Philippine Army of treatment to those NPA members, who are sick, and other assistance under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program of the government, should they decided to surrender and abandon the armed struggle.
Lt. Col. Patricio Tomales, 15th Infantry Battalion commander, said that a company-sized group of troopers had been dispatched to the Cauayan hinterlands, to address the terroristic activities of the Armando Sumayang Command.
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2019/March/09/topstory9.htm
Galvez: Gov’t, MILF drafting IRR of Annex on Normalization
From MindaNews (Mar 9, 2019): Galvez: Gov’t, MILF drafting IRR of Annex on Normalization
MILF combatants standing in military formation at the MILF’s sprawling Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat town, Maguindanao. MindaNews file photo by BONG S. SARMIENTO
Galvez said both sides are working double time to finish next month the IRR of the normalization phase, one of the tracks of the CAB, the final peace agreement signed by the government and the MILF in 2014 after four decades of conflict that killed over 120,000 individuals, including civilians.
Last Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the executive order on the implementation of the Annex on Normalization.
Galvez identified the four major components of the normalization process as the security aspect, socio-economic development program, confidence-building measures, and transitional justice and reconciliation.
At the core of the security component is the decommissioning of MILF combatants and putting their weapons beyond use, and the disbandment of private armed groups.
Under the normalization track, Galvez said the MILF forces will be decommissioned in four phases, of which the ceremonial decommissioning of 145 combatants was completed in 2015 under former President Benigno Aquino III.
“Thirty percent, or more or less 12,000 combatants, [are] scheduled [for decommissioning] late this year,” Galvez said in a statement issued Thursday evening.
Another 35 percent will be decommissioned in 2020, while the remaining will be done in 2021-2022 before the signing of the exit agreements, he added.
Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu said the provincial government is willing to help bring normalcy to the lives of decommissioned combatants.
“Guns only bring chaos,” he said in support of the disarming of MILF fighters. “We have been inviting investors on agricultural ventures that could help transform MILF combatants into productive members of society.”
MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim earlier said they have “as much as 40,000 members” for phased decommissioning as key milestones in the peace process are achieved.
In a January 25, 2019 MindaNews report, Murad said the 40,000 are “not necessarily all armed but all are under the official roster of the BIAF.”
BIAF is the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the MILF’s armed wing.
Murad said the MILF-owned weapons are only 6,000 to 7,000 and they are reckoning the 30 percent to be decommissioned from this number. Thirty per cent of “6,000 to 7,000” is 1,800 to 2,100 weapons.
Under the CAB, the normalization phase will follow after the political track, which had been complied with the passage of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which Duterte signed last year.
During a plebiscite on January 21, voters ratified the Bangsamoro law that abolished the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and created the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Cotabato City, which twice rejected to be part of ARMM, voted for inclusion to the new Bangsamoro region.
Sixty-three villages in North Cotabato also opted to join the BARMM during the second plebiscite on February 6.
Last month, ARMM officials turned over the reins of power to BARMM, which is headed by Murad as the interim chief minister until the first set of officials is elected in 2022.
Galvez said the IRR will contain the work plan over a three-year period and all the programs for the security, socio-economic programs, and transitional justice.
Under the security component, transitional bodies such as the Joint Normalization Committee, Joint Peace and Security Committee, and Joint Peace and Security Teams will be created.
Galvez said that under the socio-economic component of the normalization track, recognized MILF camps will be transformed into productive zones and the former combatants into peaceful and productive members of mainstream society.
https://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2019/03/galvez-govt-milf-drafting-irr-of-annex-on-normalization/
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Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. has disclosed that the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are working on the formulation of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) to pave the way for the decommissioning of “12,000 MILF combatants this year.”MILF combatants standing in military formation at the MILF’s sprawling Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat town, Maguindanao. MindaNews file photo by BONG S. SARMIENTO
Galvez said both sides are working double time to finish next month the IRR of the normalization phase, one of the tracks of the CAB, the final peace agreement signed by the government and the MILF in 2014 after four decades of conflict that killed over 120,000 individuals, including civilians.
Last Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the executive order on the implementation of the Annex on Normalization.
Galvez identified the four major components of the normalization process as the security aspect, socio-economic development program, confidence-building measures, and transitional justice and reconciliation.
At the core of the security component is the decommissioning of MILF combatants and putting their weapons beyond use, and the disbandment of private armed groups.
Under the normalization track, Galvez said the MILF forces will be decommissioned in four phases, of which the ceremonial decommissioning of 145 combatants was completed in 2015 under former President Benigno Aquino III.
“Thirty percent, or more or less 12,000 combatants, [are] scheduled [for decommissioning] late this year,” Galvez said in a statement issued Thursday evening.
Another 35 percent will be decommissioned in 2020, while the remaining will be done in 2021-2022 before the signing of the exit agreements, he added.
Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu said the provincial government is willing to help bring normalcy to the lives of decommissioned combatants.
“Guns only bring chaos,” he said in support of the disarming of MILF fighters. “We have been inviting investors on agricultural ventures that could help transform MILF combatants into productive members of society.”
MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim earlier said they have “as much as 40,000 members” for phased decommissioning as key milestones in the peace process are achieved.
In a January 25, 2019 MindaNews report, Murad said the 40,000 are “not necessarily all armed but all are under the official roster of the BIAF.”
BIAF is the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the MILF’s armed wing.
Murad said the MILF-owned weapons are only 6,000 to 7,000 and they are reckoning the 30 percent to be decommissioned from this number. Thirty per cent of “6,000 to 7,000” is 1,800 to 2,100 weapons.
Under the CAB, the normalization phase will follow after the political track, which had been complied with the passage of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which Duterte signed last year.
During a plebiscite on January 21, voters ratified the Bangsamoro law that abolished the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and created the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Cotabato City, which twice rejected to be part of ARMM, voted for inclusion to the new Bangsamoro region.
Sixty-three villages in North Cotabato also opted to join the BARMM during the second plebiscite on February 6.
Last month, ARMM officials turned over the reins of power to BARMM, which is headed by Murad as the interim chief minister until the first set of officials is elected in 2022.
Galvez said the IRR will contain the work plan over a three-year period and all the programs for the security, socio-economic programs, and transitional justice.
Under the security component, transitional bodies such as the Joint Normalization Committee, Joint Peace and Security Committee, and Joint Peace and Security Teams will be created.
Galvez said that under the socio-economic component of the normalization track, recognized MILF camps will be transformed into productive zones and the former combatants into peaceful and productive members of mainstream society.
https://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2019/03/galvez-govt-milf-drafting-irr-of-annex-on-normalization/
Marines hold ‘all-in-one’ outreach mission in Sulu
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 9, 2019): Marines hold ‘all-in-one’ outreach mission in Sulu
Children get free haircut from the troops of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-3 (MBLT-3) during the all-in-one outreach mission on Friday in Barangay Kanlagay, Kalingalan Caluang, Sulu. (Photo courtesy of MBLT-3)
ZAMBOANGA CITY - Hundreds of residents have benefited from the all-in-one outreach mission by the Marine Battalion Landing Team-3 (MBLT-3) on Friday in the town of Kalingalan Caluang, Sulu.
Col. Gerry Besana, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) information officer, on Saturday said the beneficiaries are from Barangay Kanlagay, Kalingalan Caluan town.
Besana said the MBLT-3-led outreach mission was aimed at providing free services to the indigents and to bring closer the government to the populace.
He said the services rendered during the one-day outreach mission included medical and dental check-up, eye examination, and haircut, among others.
The outreach mission was participated in by various stakeholders, including the Panamao District Hospital, Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital, Kalingalan Caluang Rural Health Unit, and Eye Global Foundation, Inc.
Besana said the troops envision to do a similar activity in the coming days in other areas of Sulu.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1064113
Children get free haircut from the troops of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-3 (MBLT-3) during the all-in-one outreach mission on Friday in Barangay Kanlagay, Kalingalan Caluang, Sulu. (Photo courtesy of MBLT-3)
ZAMBOANGA CITY - Hundreds of residents have benefited from the all-in-one outreach mission by the Marine Battalion Landing Team-3 (MBLT-3) on Friday in the town of Kalingalan Caluang, Sulu.
Col. Gerry Besana, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) information officer, on Saturday said the beneficiaries are from Barangay Kanlagay, Kalingalan Caluan town.
Besana said the MBLT-3-led outreach mission was aimed at providing free services to the indigents and to bring closer the government to the populace.
He said the services rendered during the one-day outreach mission included medical and dental check-up, eye examination, and haircut, among others.
The outreach mission was participated in by various stakeholders, including the Panamao District Hospital, Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital, Kalingalan Caluang Rural Health Unit, and Eye Global Foundation, Inc.
Besana said the troops envision to do a similar activity in the coming days in other areas of Sulu.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1064113
Gov't troops, Abu Sayyaf clash anew in Sulu
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 9, 2019): Gov't troops, Abu Sayyaf clash anew in Sulu
Government troops are tracking down a group of fleeing Abu Sayyaf bandits, which figured in a firefight with soldiers early Saturday in the hinterlands of Sulu, the military reported.
The clash, which happened around 6:30 a.m., came a day after the Joint Task Force Sulu (JTFS) stepped up the offensive against the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu.
The JTFS said the composite special forces team was on security operation when they clashed with around 10 ASG bandits in Barangay Upper Binoang, Talipao town.
The ASG bandits who figured in the clash were followers of ASG sub-leaders Jaber Susukan and Angag Jaji.
The JTFS said the firefight lasted for about 20 minutes, after which, the ASG bandits fled.
No one among the troops were either killed or wounded during the clash, the JTFS reported.
The ASG bandits were believed to have suffered casualties as bloodstains were visible in their withdrawal path since the troops pounded them with 81-millimeter mortar fires as they fled.
The troops recovered an M-16 Armalite rifle, two bandoleers, cellular phone and other personal belongings.
On Friday, Brig. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo, JTFS commander, said they conducted bomb runs, targeting some 200 ASG bandits in Sitios Agas-Agas and Limasan, Barangay Kabbon Takas in Patikul town.
Pabayo said their intensified tactical offensive was done after they validated a report that the groups of ASG leaders Radulan Sahiron and Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan were consolidating their forces in the area.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1064112
Government troops are tracking down a group of fleeing Abu Sayyaf bandits, which figured in a firefight with soldiers early Saturday in the hinterlands of Sulu, the military reported.
The clash, which happened around 6:30 a.m., came a day after the Joint Task Force Sulu (JTFS) stepped up the offensive against the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu.
The JTFS said the composite special forces team was on security operation when they clashed with around 10 ASG bandits in Barangay Upper Binoang, Talipao town.
The ASG bandits who figured in the clash were followers of ASG sub-leaders Jaber Susukan and Angag Jaji.
The JTFS said the firefight lasted for about 20 minutes, after which, the ASG bandits fled.
No one among the troops were either killed or wounded during the clash, the JTFS reported.
The ASG bandits were believed to have suffered casualties as bloodstains were visible in their withdrawal path since the troops pounded them with 81-millimeter mortar fires as they fled.
The troops recovered an M-16 Armalite rifle, two bandoleers, cellular phone and other personal belongings.
On Friday, Brig. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo, JTFS commander, said they conducted bomb runs, targeting some 200 ASG bandits in Sitios Agas-Agas and Limasan, Barangay Kabbon Takas in Patikul town.
Pabayo said their intensified tactical offensive was done after they validated a report that the groups of ASG leaders Radulan Sahiron and Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan were consolidating their forces in the area.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1064112
Communist gov't execs axed for imposing beliefs: PRRD
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 9, 2019): Communist gov't execs axed for imposing beliefs: PRRD
President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Friday said he had to remove communists he appointed in government because they wanted to impose their ideals.
"I placed them in government with the hopes that we will be able to reach a common understanding. The worst thing is they want to impose on government their own ideals. But that wasn’t our agreement, so I had to let them go. The ideal thing for them to have done would be to lobby the concerns of those who are in the movement," Duterte said in the vernacular during his speech at the distribution of Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) in Sagay, Negros Occidental.
The President particularly identified former Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Rafael Mariano, former Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, and former National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary and lead convenor Liza Maza as the communist appointees he had to remove.
"Do not even bring the ideology of an idiot here in our government, because the government will never wage war against its own people. The job of the government is to preserve the nation from those who want to occupy our land," he said.
Duterte also urged the communist armed wing, New People's Army (NPA), to stop the armed struggle.
"You NPAs must have lost your mind when you believed in the armed struggle. We will just keep on killing each other then. Fifty-three years. Think about it. Sleep on it. For 53 years so many lives were wasted. You will die and get buried in the forest. Your children will grow up not even knowing what you look like," he said.
The Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA, in previous reports, has been allegedly tagged in cases of extortion, mass murder, and violation of indigenous people's rights.
The US State Department and the European Union have both tagged the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1064108
President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Friday said he had to remove communists he appointed in government because they wanted to impose their ideals.
"I placed them in government with the hopes that we will be able to reach a common understanding. The worst thing is they want to impose on government their own ideals. But that wasn’t our agreement, so I had to let them go. The ideal thing for them to have done would be to lobby the concerns of those who are in the movement," Duterte said in the vernacular during his speech at the distribution of Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) in Sagay, Negros Occidental.
The President particularly identified former Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Rafael Mariano, former Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, and former National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary and lead convenor Liza Maza as the communist appointees he had to remove.
"Do not even bring the ideology of an idiot here in our government, because the government will never wage war against its own people. The job of the government is to preserve the nation from those who want to occupy our land," he said.
Duterte also urged the communist armed wing, New People's Army (NPA), to stop the armed struggle.
"You NPAs must have lost your mind when you believed in the armed struggle. We will just keep on killing each other then. Fifty-three years. Think about it. Sleep on it. For 53 years so many lives were wasted. You will die and get buried in the forest. Your children will grow up not even knowing what you look like," he said.
The Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA, in previous reports, has been allegedly tagged in cases of extortion, mass murder, and violation of indigenous people's rights.
The US State Department and the European Union have both tagged the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1064108
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