NDF/Sison: On Duterte’s success in rigging the elections

Jose Maria Sison propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Philippines (NDFP or NDF) Website (May 14, 2019): On Duterte’s success in rigging the elections

Statement of Jose Maria Sison

NDFP Chief Political Consultant

May 14, 2019

As I have predicted, Duterte is successful in rigging the May 13 elections to deliver to his candidates a false victory in the crucial senatorial race. As I have pointed out, he has to rig the elections because he has the power and the criminal personality and motivation to do so because clean and honest elections would have allowed the opposition senatorial candidates to win and frustrate his greed for power and plunder.

The rigging included the deployment of huge amounts of public and private funds to generate propaganda in various forms in favor of the regime and against the opposition, the use of the military and police for redtagging, mass intimidation, selective murders and splitting the opposition, prolongation of martial law in Mindanao and declaration of trouble spots in Luzon and the Visayas and most important of all complete control of the Comelec and the deputization of military and police personnel for electoral functions.

Duterte is driven like crazy to rig the elections by all means within his power because of his scheme to establish a full- blown fascist dictatorship by scrapping the 1987 constitution under the pretext of shifting to federalism and to prevent impeachment and indefinitely his possible arrest and prosecution before the International Criminal Court for his gross and systematic human rights violations, especially the mass murder of suspects in his bogus war on drugs as well as in his war on the people’s revolutionary movement.

We can therefore expect that Duterte will use his false electoral victory to adopt and implement more draconian measures to suppress the legal democratic opposition as well as the people’s revolutionary movement. He gives no choice to the broad masses of the people but to unite and raise the level of their resistance. The certain worsening of the socio-economic and political crisis will further drive the Duterte regime to commit crimes against the people and will at the same time incite the people, especially the toiling masses of workers and peasants to fight back.

Duterte’s policies and acts of tyranny, treason, mass murder, plunder and swindling will eventually bring about the people’s resistance that is strong enough to end his rule. Elections are insufficient and ineffective in overthrowing a despotic monster like Duterte. By rigging the elections and continuing his tyrannical rule, Duterte has brought about the conditions favorable for the rise of the legal mass protest movement as well as of the more potent armed revolutionary mass movement.

https://www.ndfp.org/on-dutertes-success-in-rigging-the-elections/

WESTMINCOM: 2019 elections generally peaceful in Western and Central Mindanao

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (May 14, 2019): WestMinCom: 2019 elections generally peaceful in Western and Central Mindanao



The 2019 National and Local Elections turned out to be generally peaceful, said WestMinCom Chief Lieutenant General Arnel B. Dela Vega.



To ensure a peaceful and orderly conduct of the midterm elections, combined elements of the AFP and PNP conducted random checkpoints, road security, mobile and foot patrol, and provided security assistance to COMELEC personnel and election paraphernalia.

There were few election-related incidents reported but are considered isolated cases.

“I commend all Joint Task Forces for fulfilling their mandates of maintaining the peace and orderliness of the 2019 national and local elections,” said Lieutenant General Dela Vega.

“I would like to ascribe the success of the election process to other line agencies such as the PNP and COMELEC,” added LtGen Dela Vega.

http://www.westmincom.com/westmincom-2019-elections-generally-peaceful-in-western-and-central-mindanao/

EASTMINCOM: Zero violence: Eastern Mindanao Election Generally Peaceful

Posted to the Eastern Mindanao Command (EASTMINCOM) Website (May 14, 2019): Zero violence: Eastern Mindanao Election Generally Peaceful

NSFA, Panacan, Davao City- The conduct of elections in the areas covered by Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) was generally peaceful.

The assessment was made after reports that no violence transpired during election day and two days prior.

While the Joint Elections Monitoring Action Center of Eastmincom and the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations received reports about glitches in some election paraphernalia, it did not affect the security, neither did it create a commotion among the election stakeholders.

Lt. General Felimon T. Santos Jr., Commander of Eastmincom, expressed appreciation and attributed the success to the cooperation and collaborative efforts of different election stakeholders.

"We are thankful for the cooperation of different stakeholders for adhering to the rules and regulations set forth in the conduct of the elections that we were able to sustain the peaceful environment during the duration of the elections. We also appreciate the sobriety of some of our voting public who experienced inconvenience which is normal and the decisive action and calmness of the teachers who are administering the elections," Lt. Gen Santos said.

"We also want to congratulate our Police and Military personnel for showing the highest standard of professionalism and integrity in this constitutional exercise as we have not received complaints or abuse in the performance of our duty," he added.

Since Saturday, May 10, 2019, Election Monitoring was intensified as paraphernalia were on transit to the different polling centers in Eastern Mindanao.

The Election Monitoring Action Centers, which are interconnected with PNP were activated from Municipal, Provincial, Regional and Area wide to ensure the security requirement of the election.

Source: Public Information Office, Eastern Mindanao Command, AFP

https://www.eastmincomafp.com.ph/2019/05/zero-violence-eastern-mindanao-election.html

Suspects in Lanao Sur blast admit membership in MILF – Army

From MindaNews (May 14, 2019): Suspects in Lanao Sur blast admit membership in MILF – Army

The suspects in the failed bombing attempt in Marantao, Lanao del Sur on Monday have admitted they were members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), according to Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., commanding officer of the Marawi-based 103rd Infantry Brigade.

Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. at the 103rd Infantry Brigade headquarters in Kampo Ranaw, Marawi City, 13 May 2019. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

Brawner, who hours earlier had declared that the elections in Lanao del Sur were generally peaceful, said two of the suspects were members of the 102nd Base Command under the leadership of Abdullah Macapaar a.k.a. Commander Bravo. “They even have MILF IDs with them,” he added.

But Brawner was quick to say that this does not mean the failed bombing attempt was “sanctioned or ordered by Commander Bravo.”

Two blast suspects were made to lay on the ground while police EOD personnel check the van with sniffing dogs. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

The MILF commander is now a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the body governing the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the three-year transition period until June 30, 2022.

BARMM’s interim Chief Minister Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, also MILF chair, told MindaNews they are “still in the process of investigating” but added “wala kaming MILF ID ever since.”

Von Al Haq, MILF spokesperson, told MindaNews the military can ask Macapaar if, indeed, the suspects are his men, as he is now a government official.

Items found in the possession of the suspects in Marantao, Lanao del Sur on 13 May 2019. Photo courtesy of 103rd Infantry Brigade
Around 5 p.m. on election day, a suspect inside a white Toyota van reportedly threw an improvised explosive device (IED) apparently towards soldiers guarding a polling center at the Daana-Ingud Bacong Elementary School in neighboring Marantao town, but missed his target as the bomb hit the van’s glass pane instead.

The IED bounced back and exploded inside the van, injuring the bomber, according to Lt. Col. Jason Jumawan, commander of the 82nd Infantry Battalion.

Authorities arrested the bomber, the uninjured driver, and another suspect found near the blast site. A fourth suspect reportedly ran away, eluding arrest.

“Even if they are members of the 102nd Base Command, it could be that they were used by politicians,” Brawner stressed.

He further said that aside from the IED, they recovered from the Toyota van bearing plate number A3 L057 four IEDs, four blasting caps, four digital watches, two cell phones, one commercial radio, assorted IDs, and four inches of detonating cords.

“It could only mean one thing – they have plans to do bombing,” he said.

Lt. Col. Jason Jumawan, commander of the Army’s 82nd Infantry Battalion, talks to the media about the failed bombing attempt in Marantao, Lanao del Sur in the afternoon of election day, 13 May 2019. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA
In a conversation over the phone with Jumawan, Brawner ordered the release of suspect Al-Musab Abanto, whom Marantao residents said was only at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Residents interviewed by MindaNews said Abanto was in the headquarters of reelectionist Vice Mayor Alahudin Maruhom just across the street when the explosion happened, so he approached and started taking video with his phone. It was at this time that soldiers accosted him.

Johanifa Abanto, mother of Al-Musab Abanto who was among the suspects in the failed bombing attempt if Marantao, Lanao del Sur, says her son was not in any way connected to the bombers as he was only taking video of the incident. The military later ordered the release of Al-Musab. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

“We just needed to investigate him because he was at the crime scene,” Brawner said.

https://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2019/05/suspects-in-lanao-sur-blast-admit-membership-in-milf-army/

Successive explosions rock Cotabato City anew

From the Philippine News Agency (May 14, 2019): Successive explosions rock Cotabato City anew

Two more explosions transpired at the back of the city hall here late Monday, several hours after the polling precincts closed for the May 13 local and national election, police said.

No one was hurt in the explosions that occurred around 10 p.m., some four hours after polling precincts closed.

Monday night’s successive blasts occurred at Purok Omar, Barangay Rosary Heights 10, where twin explosions also took place early morning of the same day before the conduct of the polls.

“The blasts on Monday night, however, were punctuated by the indiscriminate firing of guns,” said Col. Michael Lebanan, city police director, of the incident that occurred amid a heavy downpour in the city.

He said the explosions were caused by 40-mm projectiles fired from shoulder-fired M79 grenade launchers.

“It landed and exploded just outside the back fence of the city hall, the same area where the twin blasts early Monday also took place,” Lebanan said.

Police troopers have immediately scoured Purok Omar area for possible apprehension of suspects but yielded negative results.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) was canvassing the votes from Cotabato City at Shariff Kabunsuan Complex, the seat of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao here, at the time of the incident.

The Comelec has suspended the canvassing procedure about the same time the explosions took place and has set to continue the process on Tuesday morning.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1069726

Careful planning, coordination prevented violence in polls: AFP

From the Philippine News Agency (May 14, 2019): Careful planning, coordination prevented violence in polls: AFP



Careful planning and coordination thwarted violence from taking place in Monday's polls.

"The places where we expected to be marred with violence did not materialize. The conduct of the National and Local Elections is generally peaceful compared to the one that we are expecting that there will be widespread violence but it did not happen," said Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief, Col. Noel Detoyato, in a message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) Tuesday.

Minimal violence was attributed to the careful preparations of the AFP, Philippine National Police and Commission on Elections (Comelec) before the polls took place, Detoyato pointed out.

"Also, security forces will remain until all results are transmitted and all ballots are safely returned to the municipal board of canvassers," he said.

Earlier, AFP spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, said groups attempting to sabotage the polls will not succeed.

He added that this coordination will ensure that the mid-term elections will be orderly, peaceful and credible aside from giving voters the opportunity to freely choose their desired candidates in casting their ballots.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1069735

2 Royal Thai Navy ships in PH for 4-day visit

From the Philippine News Agency (May 14, 2019): 2 Royal Thai Navy ships in PH for 4-day visit

Two ships of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), the HTMS Taksin (FFG-422) and the HTMS Krabi (OPV-551), will dock at the Alava Wharf in Olongapo City for a goodwill visit from Wednesday to Saturday.

Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson, Capt. Jonathan Zata, said the two ships will arrive at the facility at about 3 p.m. Wednesday.

"A welcome ceremony and media engagement will be conducted during the arrival of the said RTN vessels," Zata said.

HTMS Taksin, commissioned in 1995, is a modified version of the Chinese-made Type 053 frigate, designed and built by the China State Shipbuilding Corp. in Shanghai.

While HTMS Krabi is an offshore patrol vessel of the RTN and modified River-class patrol vessel, and was built by the Mahidol Adulyadej Naval Dockyard, with design and technology transfer support from BAE Systems Surface Ships.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1069758

CA starts hearings on amparo suits by militant lawyers

From the Philippine News Agency (May 14, 2019): CA starts hearings on amparo suits by militant lawyers

The Court of Appeals (CA) on Tuesday held its first hearing for the petition for a writ of amparo lodged by a lawyer's group against the military, accusing the government of red-baiting.

Lawyers of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG,) led by Assistant Solicitor General Angelita Villanueva-Miranda on the part of the government, and lawyer Rachel Pastores of the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) on the part of the petitioners, attended the hearing.

The hearing was presided over by members of the Special 15th Division led by division chairman Stephen Cruz and Associate Justices Pedro Corales and Hermano Legaspi as members.

The CA hearing was a preliminary conference to consider the possible stipulation of facts between the parties and set the dates for subsequent hearing.

The PILC, representing members of the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers, said it will present 10 witnesses to prove its case when the next hearing is held on June 4.

The OSG, meanwhile, said it will question the petitioners "locus standi" or legal standing to initiate the suit and will present five witnesses to present their side.

The CA was tasked by the Supreme Court to conduct hearings on the petition and to submit its report to the high court.

Present during the hearing were Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations, Major Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.; AFP spokesperson, Marine Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo; and Presidential Communications Operations Office Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy.

The government, through the National Task Force to End Local Communist Insurgency, is working to uncover organizations used as legal fronts of the terrorist Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army (CPP-NPA).

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.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1069794

PHL, Indonesian navies wrap up coordinated border patrol activities

From GMA News (May 12, 2019): PHL, Indonesian navies wrap up coordinated border patrol activities

The first leg of the Border Coordinated Patrol of the Philippine and Indonesian navies has ended, with the aim of securing the common border between the two countries and stop maritime and sea crimes including smuggling and piracy.

The patrol ships of both countries were expected to have reached their final point in the territorial waters of Indonesia along the Celebes Sea on Saturday.

The Philippines and Indonesia have increased their coordinated border patrol activities this year to suppress smuggling and human trafficking in the high seas in both countries.

Naval ships of the Philippine Navy and the Indonesian Navy conduct patrol and sea maneuvers during their Coordinated Patrol on May 4, 2019. PIO EastMinCom

The Border Coordinated Patrol was formally opened on May 2 at the Pinnacle Hotel, Davao City, and the send-off ceremony was held last May 4, which signaled the start of the first leg of the activities.

The second and third leg of the activities in the middle of the year will focus more on maritime and security patrol activities, while the fourth leg will be a combination of exercises and border patrol activities, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a statement.

The Philippines and Indonesia signed the Border Patrol and Border Crossing Agreements in 1975 aimed at improving maritime security cooperation.

"This coordinated naval operations which we are conducting annually, strengthens the bilateral cooperation of the two countries in securing the border and, as we increase the frequency of our coordinated plus our unilateral and independent patrol, we will be able to deter, and curb sea crimes; and prevent terrorists from using the border as transit point" said Lieutenant General Felimon Santos Jr., commander of AFP's Eastern Mindanao Command.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/694069/phl-indonesian-navies-wrap-up-coordinated-border-patrol-activities/story/

FALSE: Comelec disqualifies 5 progressive party-list groups before election day

From Rappler (May 13, 2019): FALSE: Comelec disqualifies 5 progressive party-list groups before election day

Rappler sought the comment of Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez about this matter. Jimenez said the claim is "fake news"

Screenshot of a Facebook post claiming 5 progressive party-lists supposedly qualified before election day.

CLAIM: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) supposedly disqualified 5 progressive party-lists under the Makabayan bloc days before election day on Monday, May 13.

Those allegedly disqualified were Kabataan party-list, Gabriela party-list, Bayan Muna party-list, Anakpawis party-list, and Act-Teachers party-list.

Different versions of the claim have been spreading online.

On May 11, Facebook pages Dahil Kay Juan at Para Kay Juan and Manilakbayad posted a version of the graphic with a “breaking news” label. It contained logos of each party-list group. It was shared over 1,000 times with 700 reactions, and 100 comments, as of writing.

Facebook page Diego Pagbabago posted another version of the graphic with a text that reads:

“Disqualified! Yan ang hatol ng COMELEC sa limang party-lists na tatakbo sana ngayong halalan 2019. Ang kadahilanan ng COMELEC sa pag suspinde sa limang partylist ay dahil sa aktibo nitong pakikilahok upang pabagsakin ang gobyerno. Ang pagdisqualify ay nag-ugat sa isang petisyon na inihain ni Angel Aguilar sa COMELEC upang kanselahin ang rehistro ng anim na Partylist.”

(Disqualified! That is the final decision of Comelec for 5 party-lists running in the 2019 elections. The reason why Comelec suspended these 5 party-lists is due to their active participation in trying to take down the government. The disqualification was caused by the petition filed by Angel Aguilar to Comelec to cancel the registration of 6 party-lists.)

It also said that despite being disqualified, the party-lists' names will still appear on the ballot since they were suspended after the ballots were already printed. Voting for them is supposedly useless since they were already “disqualified.”

This particular version of the claim has already been taken down but was shared almost 50 times since its posting.

The claim was sent to Rappler’s e-mail for checking. Others were spotted through Crowdtangle.

Rating: FALSE

The facts: The Comelec has made no official announcement on the disqualification of these party-lists nor any of their nominees for the elections. The party-list groups have also denied being disqualified.

A petition for the cancellation of the registration of these party-lists was indeed filed by one Angela Aguilar on April 26. However, the Comelec has yet to release a decision on the petition. On May 13, Rappler sought the comment of Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez about this matter. Jimenez said the claim was "fake news."

“Lumang style na 'yon (That's old style)," Jimenez added, referring to the practice of spreading black propaganda about “disqualified” candidates.

Aguilar's petition claimed that these party-list groups and senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares are linked with the CPP-NPA. Aguilar claims to be a former member of the New People's Army (NPA), the armed unit of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). He also claims to be a member of the Kilusan at Alyansa ng mga Dating Rebelde (KADRE) and ACT member.

The party-list groups mentioned in the posts posted official statements on their respective Facebook pages on May 12 denying that they have been disqualified.
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ACT Teachers Party-list called the claim “black propaganda."

Bayan Muna Party-list urged the public not to believe the claim.

Kabataan Party-list denounced the message as a “desperate attack of the Duterte regime.”

Gabriela Party-list called on their followers to fight the lies and fight for the truth.

The claim did not only circulate on social media, but also via text messages.

Anakpawis Party-list posted a screenshot of a text message containing that same claim.

This claim was also fact-checked and rated as FALSE by University of the Philippines Journalism Department and VERA Files, both partners in the Tsek.ph collaborative fact-checking initiative which includes Rappler and other newsrooms and academic partners.

This is not the only claim that Rappler fact-checked concerning the supposed disqualification or withdrawal cases of candidates this 2019 elections. On the eve of the elections, Rappler also fact checked an article posted on a dubious website claiming that a candidate for district representative in Antique has withdrawn his candidacy. (READ: FALSE: Exequiel Javier 'withdraws' congressional bid in Antique)

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/230269-comelec-disqualifies-party-lists-before-election-day-may-13-2019

Abu Sayyaf escapee nabbed

From the Sun Star-Zamaboanga (May 12, 2019): Abu Sayyaf escapee nabbed

POLICE operatives arrested an Abu Sayyaf member, who escaped along with 30 others nine years ago, in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay, a top police official announced on Sunday, May 12.

Brigadier General Emmanuel Luis Licup, Police Regional Office (PRO)-Zamboanga Peninsula director, identified the arrested Abu Sayyaf bandit as Abubakar Yakub alias Jhan Que Lahi. 

Licup said Yakub was arrested around 4 a.m. in a law enforcement operation at Sitio Looc Sural in the village of Looc Labuan, Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Licup said Yakub was previously arrested for the crime of eight-count kidnapping and serious illegal detention.

He said Yakub is one of the 31 detainees who escaped during the December 13, 2009 jailbreak at the Basilan provincial jail in the village of Sumagdang, Isabela City.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1805282

Bulatlat: State security forces resort to death threats, red tagging against Makabayan party-list groups, supporters

From the pro-Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) online propaganda publication Bulatlat (May 13, 2019): State security forces resort to death threats, red tagging against Makabayan party-list groups, supporters

Death threat against Makabayan supporter Manuel Ferrer. (Photo courtesy of Kontra Daya)

Members and supporters of senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares and Makabayan partylist groups received death threats, harassed and labeled as communists and supporters of New People’s Army (NPA). The Makabayan bloc has been critical of the Duterte administration.

Election watchdog Kontra Daya received reports of death threats, harassment and red tagging of Makabayan party list groups and their supporters from all over the country.

Makabayan bloc is composed of partylist groups Bayan Muna, Gabriela Women’s Party, Kabataan Partylist, ACT Teachers Partylist and Anakpawis.

In Caloocan City, Makabayan volunteer Manuel Ferrer received death threats and was tagged as a supporter of the New People’s Amy (NPA).

In Baybay, Leyte, voters were told that the vote receipts can reveal those who voted for the progressive partylist groups. Supporters were threatened they could be tailed to their homes and become targets of the Synchronized Enhanced Management Police Operations (SEMPO), which was responsible for the death of 14 people in Negros last month.

In Quirino, Isabela and Cagayan Valley provinces, Makabayan coordinators received death threats from four cellphone numbers: 0975-9366202, 0945-2934843, 0933-1836156 and 0997-5497428, according to a report by Northern Dispatch.

Agnes Mesina, regional coordinator and national council member of Makabayan, said their leaders and members received messages threatening them not to vote or something bad would happen to them and their family.

Rowena Hidalgo, Makabayan coordinator in Quirino, received this message from 09350682166, “Sika met Rowena ti ammum mailasat mu dagita aramid mu nga maka-NPA? Agbaliw kan habang nasapa pay ta litagen daka man inya man nga banda dita quirino.” (You Rowena, are you thinking that you can survive your pro-NPA activities? You should change while you have time because we can kill you anywhere in Quirino.)

The municipal coordinator of Neri Colemenares and Anakpawis party-list in Lallo, Cagayan received a letter warning him of his support for the group along with a live bullet.

Three days before the elections, Ted Lazaro, deputy campaign officer of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Quezon City and Makabayan coordinator, received in his home a funeral flower arrangement. On the same evening, May 10, plastic containing blood was thrown at his house in barangay Sta Lucia, District 5, Quezon City.

At the Bambang East Elementary School in Nueva Vizcaya, suspected intelligence officers were reportedly taking photos of precincts as voters cast their votes.

Red-tagging, disinformation

Elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were seen distributing copies of their newsletter, tagging Makabayan party-list groups as communist fronts at Geronimo Elementary School in Sampaloc, Manila.

Similar incidents of distribution of materials red-tagging progressive partylists were documented in Siquijor, Palawan and Cebu, according to Kontra Daya.

Leaflets urging voters not to vote for Makabayan party-list groups were also distributed in Tamauini and the cities of Ilagan and Santiago in Isabela, Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, and the towns of Solano and Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya, according to a report by Northern Dispatch.

In Baguio City, police station 5 shared a false information on its Facebook account about the supposed disqualification of Makabayan party-lists. Baguio Pulisya Singko posted an image masquerading as a news that said the Commission on Elections disqualified Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela, Act Teachers and Kabataan party-lists for the 2019 elections for allegedly destabilizing the government, Northern Dispatch reported.

Image uploaded by Philippine National Police Station 5 based in Baguio City (Photo courtesy of Northern Dispatch)

Also in Baguio City, people’s organization Tontongan Ti Umili reported that non-commissioned military police are spotted roving the vicinity of Fort Del Pilar Elementary School before noon. The group said that although the school is inside the Philippine Military Academy, police and military forces are expected to be 50 meters away from the polling center.

Tongtongan ti Umili@TongtonganCPA

 · 11h

Replying to @TongtonganCPA

Campaign paraphernalia of senator-wannabe Bong Go was seen being used by a voter at Camp 7 Elementary School, 11:56 AM. We would like to remind voters that any campaign paraphernalia is not allowed within the polling centers.

Tongtongan ti Umili@TongtonganCPA

Non-commissioned military police are spotted roving the vicinity of Fort Del Pilar Elementary School earlier at 11:19 AM. Although the school is inside the Philippine Military Academy, police and military forces are expected to be 50 meters away from the polling center. pic.twitter.com/HUVojDfVwY

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12:37 AM - May 13, 2019

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Anakpawis Regional Coordinator Isabelo Adviento said that elements of the 17th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army openly campaigned against Neri Colmenares and party-list members of Makabayan.

Poll watchers of senatorial aspirant Neri Colmenares and Anakpawis Partylist were barred from entering the precinct in Brgy. Centro Norte, Sto. Nino, Cagayan Valley.

https://www.bulatlat.com/2019/05/13/state-security-forces-resort-to-death-threats-red-tagging-against-makabayan-party-list-groups-supporters/

Soldier wounded in clash against NPA rebels

From Sun Star=Zamboanga (May 12, 2019): Soldier wounded in clash against NPA rebels

A SOLDIER was wounded in a firefight against the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the province of Zamboanga Sibuay, military official disclosed Sunday, May 12.

Lieutenant Colonel Don Templonuevo, Army’s 44th Infantry Battalion commander, disclosed the firefight broke out around 3:45 p.m., Saturday, May 11, in the village of New Tampilisan, Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Templonuevo said the firefight broke out when some 30 NPA rebels open fire while the troops were responding and verifying the presence of the rebels threatening and harassing the residents in New Tampilisan.

Templonuevo said the firefight lasted for around two hours after which the NPA rebels escaped to different directions.

He did not identify the wounded soldier except to say he belongs to the Army’s 44th Infantry Battalion.

He said the troops backed by Provincial Mobile Force Company policemen have recovered at the clash site three AK-47 and one Carbine rifles with ammunition, personal belongings and subversive documents with high intelligence value that were abandoned by the NPA rebels.

Brigadier General Bagnus Gaerlan, Jr., Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade commander, said they will continue to pursue the NPA rebels despite the conduct of elections.

The 44th Infantry Battalion troopers with reinforcement have launched pursuit operation against the fleeing NPA rebels.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1805281/Zamboanga/Local-News/Soldier-wounded-in-clash-against-NPA-rebels

Army, NPA encounter in Bukidnon

From Sun Star-Cagayan de Oro (May 12, 2019): Army, NPA encounter in Bukidnon

GOVERNMENT soldiers have engaged to the communist rebels in a five-minute gun battle in an uninhabited place in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, Thursday, May 9.

Troops under the army's 8th Infantry Battalion (8IB) were figured in a renewed clash while conducting combat patrol due to reported sightings of the New People’s Army (NPA) fighters in Barangay Guilang-Guilang, Manolo Fortich town. 

The military said civilians were threatened and forced by the NPA to vote for the candidates and even party-lists that support their “terrorism.”

Members of the 8IB fought around 40 communist insurgents led by a certain Lino Namatidong who are believed to be members of Sub-Regional Command 1 under North Central Mindanao Regional Command.

The troops recovered five kilogram-anti-personnel mine after the five-minute firefight.

No casualties were reported on the government side.

“I am thankful to the community who reported the presence of the NPA that led to the quick response of your Philippine Army. You have the right to choose your right candidate for this incoming election and the NPA terrorists have no right to dictate on you,” 8IB commander Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Illana said.

"I am encouraging again the public no to hesitate in reporting any presence of NPA in our community,” he added.

403rd Brigade commander Colonel Edgardo De Leon said the NPA has continued to disregard the International Humanitarian Law.

“CNTs (Communist NPA Terrorists) are always violating the Ottawa Treaty by using Anti-Personnel mines. If it was not recovered by our Army warriors, it may victimize the civilian populace who are unaware of the mines,” De Leon said.

"They continued to disregard the IHL they signed thru the NDFP and it's a clear manifestation of their evolution into a terrorist organization because their only goal is to terrorize the community to submit their will to the NPA. We will not allow that to happen,” he added.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1805278

Asia and the Pacific: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (7 - 13 May 2019)

Posted to the Relief Web (May 13, 2019): Asia and the Pacific: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (7 - 13 May 2019)


INFOGRAPHIC from UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Published on 13 May 2019

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PHILIPPINES

Over 51,400 people remain displaced following law enforcement operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against non-state armed groups in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, and Sulu in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). In Maguindanao, 46,360 people are still displaced from seven municipalities. In Sulu, 4,170 people remain displaced in the municipalities of Tongkil and Patikul. In Lanao del Sur, 945 people remain displaced from the municipalities of Tubaran and Pagayawan.

51,000 people displaced

PAKISTAN

Seasonal flooding and storms continue to affect Pakistan, with some 192 people killed since the beginning of 2019. The National Disaster Consortium has responded to flooding in Balochistan Province and has provided non-food relief items for 4,400 affected families. Current regional forecasts indicate continued drought in southern Pakistan and a likelihood of above normal rainfall in northern Pakistan.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

On 7 May, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck 33 km north-west of Bulolo, Morobe Province, at a depth of 127 km. While initial estimates were that the intensity of the earthquake was strong and was felt as far away as northern Australia, it did not cause significant damage. In the city of Lae, the national power company reported that the earthquake had damaged power houses in Ramu and Balune, causing temporary power outages.

INDONESIA

The Mt. Sinabung volcano in Karo Regency, North Sumatra, erupted on 7 May with an ash column that reached around 2,000 metres in height. Ash fall affected the nearby districts of Empat, Namanteran, Kabanjahe and Berastadi. The authorities have placed the volcano under alert level IV and have warned people within 15 km to remain alert to the eruption. No damages or casualties have been reported.

In 2016, seven people died in one of Sinabung's eruptions, while a 2014 eruption left 16 people dead.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:
To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.

https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/asia-and-pacific-weekly-regional-humanitarian-snapshot-7-13-may-2019