UN-World Bank-MILF launch 3-year program to prepare for Bangsamoro governance

From MindaNews (Apr 29): UN-World Bank-MILF launch 3-year program to prepare for Bangsamoro governance

The United Nations and World Bank launched Monday in partnership with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) a three-year program that would provide on-demand technical assistance in the run-up to the establishment of the Bangsamoro, the new autonomous political entity that would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao by June 30, 2016.

Launched at the MILF’s Camp Darapanan, the Facility for Advisory Support for Transition Capacities (FASTRAC), will provide “on-demand advisory services and access to the most relevant national and international expertise to contribute and help move forward with the peace process especially in the drafting of the Basic Law that will reflect the Bangsamoro people’s aspirations for genuine autonomy while establishing the basis for efficient and accountable government,” UN Resident Director Luiza Carvalho said.

FASTRAC will begin operations next week, Carvalho told a press conference after the launch.

World Bank Country Director Motoo Konishi , represented in the launching by Ousmane Dione, Sector Manager on Sustainable Development, said the UN and World Bank combined forces to provide access to national and international expertise in support of the transition, and support the Transition Commission (TransCom), the government (GPH) and MILF peace panels, civil society groups and others to promote an inclusive peace process.

Dione said FASTRAC will also provide the TransCom and other transitional institutions with resources to support “broad-based consultations and community outreach” to ensure that “the full range of voices in the Bangsamoro can be heard as the GPH and the MILF undertake the crucial, challenging and historic work that lies ahead to form the Bangsamoro.”

 

The establishment of FASTRAC came after a series of consultations with the MILF and the GPH by the two international agencies. On March 25, the UN and World Bank formally offered to the MILF in a letter dated March 25, the facility that would “primarily service the technical needs of the MILF, and where requested, the Government of the Philippines panel and Transition Commission and its technical working groups to avail of the best national and international expertise.”

MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim accepted the offer in a letter dated April 5.
A ceremonial exchange of letters was made to launch FASTRAC.

EXCHANGE OF LETTERS. Moro Islamic Liberation Front Chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, Luiza Carvalho, resident coordinator of United Nations and Ousmane Dione of World Bank in a ceremonial exchange of letters to launch the Facility for Advisory Support for Transition Capacities (FASTRAC) on April 29, 2013 at Camp Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao. Mindanews photo by Toto Lozano

“Exhilarating”

Murad said it was “exhilarating” to sit with officials of “two of the most iconic symbols of modern man’s quest for global peace and sustainable development.”
He spoke of how the two agencies had helped the Bangsamoro communities in the past, responding to “emergencies such as internal displacements, human rights violations, crops destruction” and working on poverty alleviation.

“Today I am extremely happy to sit here and I emphasize, to sit here not alone, but in partnership with you not only to respond to emergencies but more importantly to link and to fulfill together the visions for which our respective organizations had been founded: global peace for the UN; peace in our homeland for the MILF; reconstruction, sustainable development and poverty alleviation for the world bank , reconstruction and development and prosperity in our homeland for the MILF,” Murad said.

He said he expressed hope that the partnership will “hasten our quest for the successful conclusion of the peace process and help us transition smoothly into Bangsamoro.”

A mujahideen stands guard along the road leading to Camp Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao in this photo taken on April 29, 2013. Camp Darapanan is the main camp of Moro Islamic Liberation Front.Mindanews photo by Toto Lozano

Self-determination

But Murad explained at the launch that while the “transition to Bangsamoro” requires partnership and assistance from the global community, these “must be founded on mutual respect and the recognition of the primacy of our assertion of our right to self determination.”

“The overriding principle must be translated into all our engagements and the mechanism for its implementation . While we seek global expertise and knowledge, we must take the lead in determining what we need and how we want these needs addressed and how these needs should be addressed, for certainly none is more knowledgeable of the challenges we face except ourselves and none is more critical in resolving these challenges than ourselves,” he said.

Murad stressed that part of their right to self determination “is the assertion on our part and the corresponding recognition from our partners that we need to own these interventions and the process. Inclusivity and ownership must come together,” adding that the Paris Principle or the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness is unequivocal on this concept of ownership. “And rightly so, for no intervention can be effective without the recipient owning it and taking initiative and leading the process.”

P287-M for technical assistance

According to the FASTRAC’s press statement, budget for the three-year project is approximately USD 7 million (around PhP 287 million) which will be initially financed through the UN Peace-Building Fund and the World Bank State and Peace Building Fund. Development partners will also be invited to contribute funds and expertise.

A Consultative Committee headed by the Transition Commission (TransCom) chair will provide overall guidance to the Cotabato City-based FASTRAC but day to day management will be under an Executive Director who has yet to be named.

The government will be represented in the Consultative Committee by a member of the government peace panel or the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

Using a spade, children dig a hole for their planting material inside a farm in Camp Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat town, Maguindanao on April 29, 2013. MindaNews photo by Toto Lozano

 

The TransCom is a 15-member body tasked principally to draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law. It is composed of eight members from the MILF and seven from the GPH and is headed by MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal.

It held its first meeting on April 3 in Pasig City and will meet again on Tuesday and Wednesday (April 30 and May 1) in Cotabato City, where it will be based.

The TransCom will have Prof. Yash Ghai, chair of the Fiji Constitution Commission, as speaker on April 30.

On May 1, the TransCom will finish crafting its internal rules, Iqbal told MindaNews.
The GPH and MILF peace panels signed on October 15, 2012 the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro. The panels agreed then to finish the four annexes – wealth-sharing, power-sharing, normalization and transitional arrangements and modalities — by yearend 2012.

Only the transition annex has been completed. It was signed in February. The three other annexes have yet to be finalized.

The panels will resume talks after the May 13 elections.

http://www.mindanews.com/peace-process/2013/04/29/un-world-bank-milf-launch-3-year-program-to-prepare-for-bangsamoro-governance/

MILF chair to candidates: “you can come and talk to our people”

From MindaNews (Apr 29): MILF chair to candidates: “you can come and talk to our people”

The chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said candidates running for elective posts on May 13 “can come and talk to our people” but the MILF stand has not changed: “we will not participate … but we will not prevent people to participate.”

“If they want to vote, they can vote,” MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim told a press conference at the launching Monday noon of the Facility for Advisory Support for Transition Capacities (FASTRAC), a three-year program in partnership with the United Nations and the World Bank.

Along the three-kilometer stretch from the highway to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s main gate, posters of candidates lined the roadside, many of them posted on coconut trunks.

There were no posters of national candidates (for senators), just regional (for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or ARMM) and local (for Maguindanao).

Most of the posters were from the team of Datu Tucao Mastura and Ali Midtimbang, candidates of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) for governor and vice governor of Maguindanao, and Mastura’s nephew, Vice Governor Ismael Mastura who is now running for ARMM Assemblyman.

 

The elder Mastura is mayor of Sultan Kudarat town where the MILF camp is based, Midtimbang is former Talayan mayor.

Mayor Mastura is a brother of MILF senior peace panel member Michael Mastura, father of Ismael.

Posters of ARMM gubernatorial bet Pax Mangudadatu and his running mate Bashier Dimalaang Manalao were also visible.

Mangudadatu, former governor of Sultan Kudarat province, is an uncle of incumbent Maguindanao governor Esmael Mangudadatu of the Liberal Party while Manalao is former governor of Lanao del Sur.

 

A few posters of the first district congressional candidates – reelectionist Bai Sandra Sema (Liberal Party) and Baisendig Dilangalen (Ind), were also seen. Russman Sinsuat, Jr. who is running for provincial board member under the Liberal Party also had some campaign materials.

There were no posters of reelectionist governor Mangudadatu and the ruling party’s candidate for ARMM governor, Mujiv Hataman and his running mate, Al-rashid Lucman although Hataman has reportedly been endorsed by both Mastura and Esmael Mangudadatu.

Both candidates for Maguindanao governor have repeatedly committed their support to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro which the government and MILF peace panels signed on October 15, 2012.

“The MILF has not changed its official policy of non-involvement in the ongoing electoral process,” Murad said, adding this has been “the policy of the MILF since the very beginning.”

“We will not participate in the electoral process but then we will not also prevent the people to participate.”

Murad clarified that ‘it is only the MILF officials who are prevented from participating (in the elections).

“Now at this point in time you’d notice that when you enter Camp Darapanan, you will notice there are so many posters of candidates (along) the route. This is not a violation of the policy. We do not see it as a violation of the policy. We do not see also as a violation of the policy for candidates to come and talk to our people because as I have said, we are not preventing them. If they want to vote, they can vote. Only some officers are prevented from voting,” Murad said.

He acknowledged that there are candidates “coming to Darapanan to talk to our people” but did not name them. But he reiterated that the MILF’s policy on the elections has not changed. “The policy remains as is,” he said.

When a reporter asked if it is true that the MILF would hold a “proclamation rally” in Shariff Aguak town on May 5, allegedly to announce the candidates they would support, Murad replied there is no such rally.

“That is not true. There is no proclamation rally of the MILF because we are not participating in the elections. So there is no truth to the information that there will be a proclamation rally on May 5. We are not a party to that. The MILF is not a party to that,” he said .

Asked if there was an MILF activity in Shariff Aguak on May 5, Murad replied their provincial committee may have “but it is not related to the political exercise.”

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2013/04/29/milf-chair-to-candidates-you-can-come-and-talk-to-our-people/

CPP denounces AFP's claims of NPA election extortion

From the CPP Website (Apr 29): CPP denounces AFP's claims of NPA election extortion

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today denounced the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for its “perverted propaganda” that the New People’s Army (NPA) is extorting money from election candidates asserting that “there is no such policy as requiring payments for the privilege to campaign within the areas of jurisdiction of the people’s democratic government.”

The other day, Major General Jose Mabanta, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division operating in the Negros and Panay islands, asserted that “half of all political contenders” in his area are “buying protection from the NPA.”

“The overriding aim of the policies of the people’s democratic government with regard the reactionary elections is to regulate the conduct of the election campaign within areas of its jurisdiction in order to ensure that the rights and welfare of the masses are not trampled upon,” pointed out the CPP. " All candidates in the reactionary elections who wish to conduct their campaigns within the areas of the people’s government must abide by these policies."

The CPP said “the enforcement by the NPA of the policies of the people’s democratic government is not for sale.”

“On their own volition, a great majority of candidates participating in the reactionary elections seek audiences with the revolutionary authorities in order to forge possible areas of cooperation and coordinate their activities.”

“The revolutionary forces encourage the election candidates to support the struggle of the masses for land reform, carry out programs that benefit the people, oppose rural militarization and raise the patriotic banner against foreign domination and intervention.”

“The coordination and cooperation between the election candidates and the organs of the people’s democratic government are carried out in the most part without any element of coercion and stem largely out of a recognition of the latter’s political and government authority.”

“The CPP has repeatedly made clear its policy that the NPA does not participate directly or indirectly in the reactionary elections. All candidates who cooperate and coordinate with the revolutionary authorities are accorded with equal opportunities to campaign within the areas of jurisdiction of the people’s government.”

“Their political activities within the areas under the authority of the people’s government are coordinated in order to prevent the overlapping of schedules, ensure peace and order and the rights and welfare of the people.”

“However, armed political scalawags who refuse to abide by the policies and coordinate with the revolutionary authorities are subjects of the armed enforcement of the NPA,” pointed out the CPP. “Typically they are those who connive with the AFP in its war of suppression against the people, are in cahoots with the illegal drug trade and other criminal syndicates, have plundered and ravaged the environment and have engaged in the oppressed and exploited the people.”

“In contrast to the policy of the NPA and despite prohibition under its own laws, the AFP actively participates in the reactionary elections, using its armed might to intimidate the people against supporting candidates whom they have branded as ‘enemies of the people’ and ‘NPA sympathizers’.”

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20130429_cpp-denounces-afp-s-claims-of-npa-election-extortion

CPP/NDF: The revolutionary movement shall never surrender the People’s Democratic Revolution

Posted to the CPP Website (Apr 28): The revolutionary movement shall never surrender the People’s Democratic Revolution

Jorge Madlos (Ka Oris)
Spokesperson
NDFP Mindanao Chapter

Reacting to the NPA’s recent successive tactical offensives in Northern Mindanao, Malacañang fired off a string of remarks that ranged from “Make our day!” to “Are you challenging us?” to “Crush all NPA checkpoints!”. Benigno Aquino III even exclaimed “Managot ang dapat managot!” during his recent stint in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro City.

With these remarks, Malacañang ordered to redeploy an entire Marine battalion from Luzon to Northern Mindanao (3 Marine coys in Gingoog City and 2 in Butuan City), which was carried out immediately following the regrettable incident that wounded Gingoog City Mayor Ruth Guingona and killed two of her aides.

Obviously, Malacañang is rankled because it was caught flat-footed against the simultaneous February 19 punitive actions followed by another round of simultaneous punitive actions on April 15 in North Central Mindanao against the environmentally-destructive agri-business giants Del Monte and DoleFil. It was further irked by the simultaneous series of NPA checkpoints across Northern Mindanao, implementing revolutionary policies on the conduct of bourgeois elections.

Badly beaten, Malacañang vented its ire against its field commanders, booting out Col. James Jacob of the 403rd Bde and S/Supt. Jumalon of the Manolo Fortich PNP following the Del Monte raid, and M/Gen. Nestor Anonuevo of the 4ID and his two battalion commanders, Lt. Col. George Banzon of the 58th IB and Lt. Col. Jose Ma. Cuerpo of the 8th IB, following the NPA checkpoints and the Guingona incident.

Anonuevo was replaced by the notorious B/Gen. Ricardo Visaya, a close cohort of the butcher M/Gen. Jovito Palparan. Malacañang even went as far as calling for the “surrender of all NPAs,” and insidiously used the Guingona incident as a scapegoat to totally terminate the peace talks.

In truth, the US-Aquino regime is running desperate to complete with “flying colors” the third year of its bloody military campaign Oplan Bayanihan (OPB), which boasted a year ago to render the revolutionary movement irrelevant by 2013. But, with the upsurge of NPA tactical offensives and the over-all advance of the revolutionary movement in Mindanao, Malacañang has fallen flat on its face with the OPB’s utter failure.

This recent upsurge in NPA actions has in fact inflicted further damage to foreign monopoly capitalist interests in Northern Mindanao, raising the alarm on Malacañang’s imperialist masters. Benigno Aquino III is now up-to-his-neck making frantic excuses to his imperialist bosses as to why the NPA continues to deliver blows against multinationals. Apparently, he cannot do anything otherwise but get irked.

In its desperation, the US-Aquino regime has schemingly capitalized on these recent NPA military actions and the unfortunate Guingona incident to expose its fascist fangs dubbed as the “new approach” to the armed conflict in Mindanao and the entire country, which only reeks of stale, rehashed militarist approaches. Malacañang exploits these events to lend credence to its malicious intent to completely abandon the GPH-NDFP peace talks. The Aquino government intends no less than to address the on-going civil war in the country by escalating barefaced fascism, and place the entire populace under the mercy of its armed force.

Malacañang stressed that “there is only one government and only one armed force to conduct checkpoints. ” In the first place, it is not for the reactionary government to acknowledge the existence of our revolutionary government, and we do not seek and will never beg them to do so. Essentially, it is the expanse of the revolutionary broad masses and the growing strength of the New People’s Army that determine the existence of Red political power. Unarguably, the People’s Revolutionary Government across Mindanao presently operates from barrio to municipal levels in the countryside, covering 250 municipalities and more than 2000 barangays in the island. The checkpoints put up by the NPA are only one of the governmental functions of the revolutionary movement’s political authority; these can arise anywhere and everywhere anytime, and during enemy attack, will shift to other more strategic locations.

When Benigno Aquino III retorted “don’t challenge us,” perhaps he has become oblivious to the fact that the revolutionary movement has been challenging the reactionary GPH in the last 44 years. Previous reactionary regimes since Marcos up to Arroyo have vowed to crush the revolutionary movement but, in the end, have only sorely failed.

While we truly regret the incident that met Mayor Guingona and her convoy, we cannot be more categorical when we say that the NPA cannot and shall not surrender the people’s aspirations and their revolutionary gains since its inception 44 years ago, a revolution invested in their blood, revolutionary daring, and sacrifices.

Make your day? Well, Malacañang will have to think bigger and look far ahead for the People’s Democratic Revolution shall grow stronger in the years to come, and shall eventually triumph. Like his predecessors, Benigno Aquino III will surely be outlived by the revolution.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20130428_the-revolutionary-movement-shall-never-surrender-the-people-s-democratic-revolution

Sulu princess weds Army officer

From the Philippine Star (Apr 29): Sulu princess weds Army officer

The daughter of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III married a Philippine Army officer on Monday amid continuing tension over the clan's claim on Sabah.
 
Princess Jacel Kiram tied the knot with Major Mohammad Yusoph Hassan in Zamboanga City where members of the family and its supporters gathered to celebrate the occasion.

Jacel said in a report that she and Hassan had been delaying the marriage in sympathy with members of her father's Royal Army fighting for the cause against Malaysian forces in Sabah.

She also said that even with the joyful gathering, the family will not give up in laying claim over the territory, seen as an ancestral land owned by the de facto Sulu monarchs.

The Kiram patriarch, meanwhile, said that no single politician was invited to the wedding to avoid conflicts of interest as well as to avoid any political issue, especially as the May ballot draws near.

He also denied that the clan's caused is backed by any Malaysian official, as the country that has ceded Sabah into its territory is also facing changes brought by their recent national election.

Kiram, who has asked the government for support on the dispute but failed to receive much, said that he still believes that President Benigno Aquino III's administration will eventually assist them in their territorial claim.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/04/29/936363/sulu-princess-weds-army-officer

World Bank, UN provide assistance to support peace process in Mindanao

From the Philippine Star (Apr 29): World Bank, UN provide assistance to support peace process in Mindanao

The World Bank and the United Nations launched today a technical assistance program to support the peace process and the establishment of the Bangsamoro entity in Mindanao.
 
An agreement on setting up the Facility for Advisory Support for Transition Capacities (FASTRAC) was signed by representatives from the World Bank, UN, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front ( MILF), the largest Muslim rebel group in the country.

FASTRAC, which will be implemented until 2016, will assist the MILF and the Philippine government in capacity-building to address key issues for the Bangsamoro such as governance, justice, combatant transition and security.

Under the agreement, the advisory facility will provide on- demand access to a pool of experts, training, policy advice, research, and international exchanges.

"Technical support of the UN and World Bank will give us access to ideas and practices that have been found successful in other parts of the world. It will help us facilitate local dialogue and consultation to help us draft the best possible Basic Law," said Al Haj Murad, chairman of the MILF.

On Dec.17, 2012, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III created the Transition Commission tasked to draft the proposed Basic Law that will govern the Bangsamoro.

The World Bank and the United Nations launched today a technical assistance program to support the peace process and the establishment of the Bangsamoro entity in Mindanao.

An agreement on setting up the Facility for Advisory Support for Transition Capacities (FASTRAC) was signed by representatives from the World Bank, UN, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front ( MILF), the largest Muslim rebel group in the country.

FASTRAC, which will be implemented until 2016, will assist the MILF and the Philippine government in capacity-building to address key issues for the Bangsamoro such as governance, justice, combatant transition and security.

Under the agreement, the advisory facility will provide on- demand access to a pool of experts, training, policy advice, research, and international exchanges.

"Technical support of the UN and World Bank will give us access to ideas and practices that have been found successful in other parts of the world. It will help us facilitate local dialogue and consultation to help us draft the best possible Basic Law," said Al Haj Murad, chairman of the MILF.

On Dec.17, 2012, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III created the Transition Commission tasked to draft the proposed Basic Law that will govern the Bangsamoro.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/04/29/936630/world-bank-un-provide-assistance-support-peace-process-mindanao

DND drops plan to buy used ships, to buy new instead

From the Philippine Star (Apr 29): DND drops plan to buy used ships, to buy new instead

The Department of National Defense (DND) is discarding its earlier plan to acquire used ships and is now planning to buy two brand-new frigates to boost the Navy’s security capabilities.

DND Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said acquiring second-hand ships would be more costly in the long run as these would require repairs and upgrades.

“We realized that it will be expensive in the long run if we are going to buy second hand (ships). As much as possible, if we have budget, we will buy new ones,” he said in a press briefing on Monday.

Manalo said they would spend about P18 billion for the two brand new ships. The government previously allotted P12 billion to buy two used frigates.

Manalo said they are waiting for the Navy to submit a decision package, which contains the technical specifications they need.

He said the two brand new ships would be acquired through public bidding. The procurement process may be completed within the second quarter.

Manalo claimed that companies from South Korea, Spain and Singapore have expressed interest to join the bidding.

The government originally sought to acquire the vessels through government-to-government transactions.

Officials, however, are now eyeing a public bidding reportedly due to the interest of several suppliers to provide equipment to the military.

A government-to-government transaction is usually faster than a public bidding but the DND is optimistic that the acquisition would not be delayed.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin previously said a public bidding would ensure transparency and would allow them to compare the ships being offered by potential suppliers.

The DND is fast-tracking the military’s upgrade program amid the recent aggressive actions of China in the West Philippine Sea, the subject of a long-standing territorial row in the region.

Officials, however, claimed that the acquisition of new military assets is not directed against any country.

To beef up its territorial defense capabilities, the Navy acquired two warships from the United States namely the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, which arrived in 2011 and the BRP Ramon Alcaraz, which is expected to be in the country by July.

The government spent more than P1 billion to acquire the two ships.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/04/30/936389/dnd-drops-plan-buy-used-ships-buy-new-instead

Guingona to NPA: Surrender culprits

From Rappler (Apr 29): Guingona to NPA: Surrender culprits

Nine days since the ambush of the New People's Army (NPA) on his mother's convoy, Sen Teofisto "TG" Guingona III said the NPA should surrender its members responsible for the attack.

In an interview with Karen Davila on ANC's Headstart on Monday, April 29, Guingona said his mother, Gingoog City Mayor Ruthie Guingona, is recovering well. But he also spelled out his expectations from the communist rebel group.

"The NPA must surrender the culprits. These people must face the law. They must show sincerity," he said.

He clarified there is only one government of the Philippines, and the NPA guerrillas -- who opened fire when the older Guingona's vehicle failed to stop at their checkpoint -- had no right to set up checkpoints in the first place.

"NPA's checkpoints must be dismantled. No if's, no but's," he said.

The senator's 78-year-old mother Ruthie, who joined the interview via phone from her hospital bed, was grazed by bullets in her cheeks and thigh.

"Why us? I have served my people faithfully for the past 9 years and I am not running anymore. Why did they include me?," she asked.

The outgoing mayor -- who served for 9 years -- is campaigning for her daughter, Stella Marie de Lara Guingona, who is seeking to replace her.

Ruthie also explained she has never been stopped at NPA checkpoints before and clarified she has never paid the NPA any money in the past. She said she has worked to give them livelihood. The guerrillas are known to extort from politicians and businessmen.

Intent to kill

"We have not done anything [bad]," she said.

She said she's feeling better but echoed the words of her son and demanded justice.

"There is only one president, there is only one government," she said. "Two people died for what they have done."

On Saturday night, April 20, the NPA attacked the vehicle of Mayor Guingona and her companions at the outskirts of Gingoong City, Misamis Oriental. They were on their way home from a fiesta.

Guingona's two aides -- her driver-bodyguard and his brother -- died in the attack. Guingona and her security escort, plus another civilian, suffered wounds.

The NPA has apologized for the attack but claimed they did it for self-defense, an explanation the senator does not believe.

"NPA's intent was to kill," Sen Guingona said. "Every time there was a movement in the vehicle… they would raid the vehicle with gunfire again. Then after a while, stop. [My mom] had to play dead inside the vehicle for several hours," he said. It took the police 5 hours to arrive, he said.

The Guingonas have personal ties with key leaders of the Left, which has made this attack difficult for both sides.

The patriarch, former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr, is a fomer political detainee and has espoused nationalist views all throughout his career. In its apology to the family, the National Democratic Front (NDF) peace panel said they hold the Guingona family "in the highest regard because of its steadfast stand for national independence and democracy during the struggle against the US-supported Marcos fascist dictatorship and thereafter against the anti-national and anti-democratic policies and acts of the successors of Marcos."

Key members of the rebel peace panel also know the Guingona couple personally. "We thank him for speaking as a statesman, rising above the pain of his wife and family, expressing his continuing respect for the NDFP and calling for the GPH-NDFP peace negotiations to move forward," NDF peace panel head Luis Jalandoni said.

In the Headstart interview, Sen Guingona cited an increase in hostilities involving the NPA and said the peace process with the rebels must be pursued. He said the process must be "time-bound, agenda bound… and there must be a cessation of hostilities monitored by a third party."

But both sides have expressed doubts that the stalled peace process will gain any momentum soon.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/27758-guingona-npa-surrender-ambush

PH: Peace talks with NDF a failure

From Rappler (Apr 29): PH: Peace talks with NDF a failure

The Philippines said Monday, April 29 that peace talks with communist rebels had collapsed and a target of ending the decades-long insurgency by 2016 was impossible to achieve.

President Benigno Aquino III's administration is looking for a "new approach" following nearly 3 years of failed negotiations and a fresh surge in deadly violence, chief government negotiator Alex Padilla told AFP.

"We are at an impasse now. Whether we talk or not, the same violence continues, nothing has changed. So why will we force ourselves to talk?" Padilla said.

Aquino had said he wanted to seal a peace deal to end the 44-year insurgency, which has claimed an estimated 30,000 lives, before his term ended in 2016.

When asked about the timeframe, Padilla said: "That is gone."

The government and the rebels had initially raised hopes in early 2011 that they were on the right track when they announced after top-level talks in Norway that both sides were committed to signing a peace deal by June 2012.

But negotiations barely progressed after that.

Padilla blamed the Netherlands-based communist leadership, the National Democratic Front, for the failure, accusing it of setting new and impossible conditions for talks such as the release of captured senior rebels.

Old tactic

He said this had been a tactic of the rebels in more than two decades of peace talks with previous administrations, and questioned their sincerity in seeking peace.

Padilla said the government had not yet decided on its "new approach" for dealing with the rebels but it did want to re-open negotiations at some point.

The military estimates the rebels have only about 4,000 fighters nationwide, down from more than 26,000 at their peak in the 1980s.

However, they remain a danger, particularly in rural areas where they can count on support from local populations who endure the worst of the country's savage rich-poor divide.

The rebels have become more active ahead of next month's mid-term elections when thousands of local positions will be contested.

They killed two aides to a politician on April 20, and the military has accused them of extorting millions of dollars from many candidates in return for allowing them to campaign freely.

The military said in February that the rebels killed 164 soldiers, policemen, security forces and civilians in 2012.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/27784-ph-communist-peace-talks-failed

Permit to campaign does not exist - CPP

From Rappler (Apr 29): Permit to campaign does not exist - CPP

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said the so-called Permit to Campaign (PTC) in areas influenced by the revolutionary movement does not exist.

"There is no such policy as requiring payments for the privilege to campaign within the areas of jurisdiction of the people’s democratic government," the CPP said.

The revolutionary party also criticized the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for using "perverted propaganda" by saying that the New People’s Army (NPA) is extorting money from politicians.

Maj Gen Jose Mabanta, chief of the military’s 3rd Infantry Division, earlier divulged that half of the political contenders in his area are buying protection from the NPA.

"The overriding aim of the policies of the people’s democratic government with regard the reactionary elections is to regulate the conduct of the election campaign within areas of its jurisdiction in order to ensure that the rights and welfare of the masses are not trampled upon," the CPP said.

"All candidates in the reactionary elections who wish to conduct their campaigns within the areas of the people’s government must abide by these policies," the CPP added.

Various candidates in past elections have however complained about the PTC policy of the NPA in rural areas.

The revolutionary party also asserted that the enforcement of the election policies of the "people’s democratic government" is not for sale. "On their own volition, a great majority of candidates participating in the reactionary elections seek audiences with the revolutionary authorities in order to forge possible areas of cooperation and coordinate their activities," the CPP said.

"The coordination and cooperation between the election candidates and the organs of the people’s democratic government are carried out in the most part without any element of coercion and stem largely out of a recognition of the latter’s political and government authority," the CPP said.

The CPP also clarified that the NPA does not participate, directly or indirectly, in the mainstream elections.

"The CPP has repeatedly made clear its policy that the NPA does not participate directly or indirectly in the reactionary elections. All candidates who cooperate and coordinate with the revolutionary authorities are accorded with equal opportunities to campaign within the areas of jurisdiction of the people’s government," the CPP said.

"Their political activities within the areas under the authority of the people’s government are coordinated in order to prevent the overlapping of schedules, ensure peace and order and the rights and welfare of the people," the CPP added.

For politicians who fail to follow the policies of the revolutionary movement, however, they would face military enforcement from the NPA, the CPP said.

"Armed political scalawags who refuse to abide by the policies and coordinate with the revolutionary authorities are subjects of the armed enforcement of the NPA," the CPP said.

Previously, on the evening of April 20, NPA rebels attacked a convoy carrying Ginoog mayor Ruthie Gungona, killing some of her convoy while injuring the mayor. While the rebels did apologize for the attack, they claimed they acted in self-defense. NPA rebels also captured a soldier in Compostela Valley on April 24.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections-2013/27795-communist-party-philippines-permit-campaign

NPAs abduct governor's police escort in Compostela Valley town

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 29): NPAs abduct governor's police escort in Compostela Valley town

New People's Army (NPA) rebels abducted a policeman escorting the convoy of Governor Arturo Uy in a hinterland barangay of Mabini municipality, this province, on Sunday afternoon.

The rebels flagged the eight-vehicle convoy bearing Governor Uy, partymates and supporters, at a rebel checkpoint at the boundary of Maco and Mabini municipalities around 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

After 45 minutes, the 40-man rebel group later let go of the governor and his party but fled with SPO1 Allan Pansoy.

Gov. Uy said he was on his way down to the capital town of Nabunturan from a campaign rally in the hinterland Barangay Lantapan in Mabini when his convoy was stopped by the rebels who inspected their vehicles apparently for guns.

With Uy were his candidates for the Provincial Board.

"When the rebels found nothing, they asked that my companions show their Identification Cards (IDs)," the governor said.

The rebels said they had to keep Pansoy after the policeman showed his police ID, said Uy when interviewed Monday morning in a local radio station here.

Compostela Valley Police regional director Senior Supt. Camilo Cascolan said pursuit operation has been launched to recover Pansoy.

Uy said the rebels were in camouflaged military uniforms. He said he begged the rebels not to bring Pansoy but was refused. They were allowed to go after 45 minutes at the rebel checkpoint.

Pansoy was in civilian uniform and unarmed at the time.He added Pansoy was his regular escort in campaign sorties.

Uy, whose reelection is unopposed, said the experience would not deter him from making sorties in rebel-influenced areas.

"I have partymates who have opponents," he said.

The province shares boundaries with Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental where the leftist National Democratic Front (NDF), according to military, operates about a dozen armed rebel fronts.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=520828

Davao soldiers try in vain to save dying NPA member

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 29): Davao soldiers try in vain to save dying NPA member

Soldiers had tried to save the life of a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) who was wounded and rescued during an encounter in Barangay Katipunan, Nabunturan in Compostela Valley on April 25.

Renier Perez, a resident of Barangay Tulalian, Sto. Tomas town in Davao del Norte, expired at 2 a.m. Sunday at the Davao Regional Hospital in Tagum City.

"I gave specific instructions to my men for him to be given humane treatment. I enjoined my men to pray for his complete recovery. Unfortunately, he didn't make it. God's will be done. He suffered enough," said Lt. Col. Michael Logico, commander of the 66th Infantry Battalion.

Logico condoled with the family of Perez and assured that they will be closely coordinating with the provincial government of Compostela Valley to facilitate the hospital requirements and decent burial of the NPA rebel.

He said since Perez was evacuated at the hospital, soldiers were on alternate duty at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) pumping the manual ventilator that supported Perez as he fought for survival.

“They were the same troops who alternately carried him from the mountainous area towards the poblacion using an improvised stretcher. He died of multiple organ failure according to the attending physician,” he said.

According to Logico, the surgeon said Perez’s intestines and liver were severely damaged.

The body of Perez now lies in state at Villa Real Funeral Homes in Tagum City. The family will later decide where his remains will be laid.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=520853

GPH mulling new approach to revive talks with CPP-NPA-NDF

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 29): GPH mulling new approach to revive talks with CPP-NPA-NDF

The Philippine Government is mulling on a new approach to pursue talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines, National Democratic Front and New People's Army (CPP/NDF/NPA) to peacefully resolve the armed conflict amid the impasse in the negotiations and the increasing violent activities of the rebels in the countryside.

Health Undersecretary Alex Padilla, chair of the government peace panel, said the government will be taking the approach called special track as proposed earlier by Jose Maria Sison, chair of the CPP.

He said the special track aims to hasten the negotiations through an agreement on a draft declaration on National Unity and Just Peace which would lead to an immediate ceasefire and creation of a Committee for National Unity, Peace and Development.

Padilla said the ST imposes no preconditions and would skirt the protracted process of the formal peace negotiations.

He recalled that in pursuing the special track, the government peace panel and the rebels met on Dec. 17-18, 2012 in The Netherlands where they agreed to discuss further a draft Declaration of National Unity and Just Peace prepared by Sison.

Padilla said that when the parties resumed the Special Track meeting on Feb. 25-26, 2013, the NDF proposed three new documents that backtracked from their original position on a Draft Declaration, particularly on ceasefire, which they now subjected to preconditions, instead of discussing the Sison draft.

"They also reverted to the prolonged and untenable process of the Regular Track," he said.

Padilla said that apart from the demand to free their detained consultants, the communists also demanded that the government abolish its peace and development programs, such as the Conditional Cash Transfer, PAMANA and Oplan Bayanihan.

He called these demands unbelievable.

"We don't want to engage in a negotiation where the other party is clearly fooling us," Padilla said.

He said that the communist rebels were the ones who initiated the special track and then abandoned it.

Padilla added the government no longer wants to return to the regular track (formal talks) because it has been going nowhere for the last 27 years.

He also reiterated the government's stance that it remains open to renewed talks under a new framework.

"We are always open to peace negotiations. But the other side has to do better than present endless roadblocks to formal talks. We need to see sincerity and political will on their part to seek peaceful ways to build consensus between them, the government and the whole of society and put an end to the senseless violence they are inflicting on our people especially on innocent civilians," Padilla said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=520893