Davao militant group slammed for anti-military propaganda

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Apr 8): Davao militant group slammed for anti-military propaganda

The military accused a militant group called PASAKA for making it appear that soldiers abused the residents in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.

Colonel Harold Cabreros of the 1003rd Infantry Brigade said that security operations by soldiers are aimed to address the New People’s Army harassments in the area.

PASAKA is “taking advantage of the people, especially the [indigenous people], using them as propaganda in order to stop development from reaching the area,” he said.

In a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer last Sunday, the datus of Salugpongan Ta ’Tanu Igkanugon accused soldiers of abuse, whose threats have prevented the residents from going to their farms to gather food.

Series of clashes between government forces and NPA, and alleged human rights abuses committed by soldiers, prompted the residents to evacuate last week.

Displaced residents accused soldiers of causing trouble.

Talaingod Mayor Basilio Libayao said on Monday in a press briefing that “for truth and peace, there were no abuses committed by the soldiers in the area. If indeed there are, then I myself will defend my people.”

He also accused PASAKA of discreetly gathering the residents to leave at night to make it appear that soldiers committed abuses.

Libayao said they are seeking assistance from Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to let the displaced residents return to Talaingod.

During the weekend, Davao City Social Service Development Office said there were 300 persons in Talaingod that fled their homes on the alleged militarization and abuses by soldiers. PASAKA reported there were about 1,300.

Datu Nestor Apas, a tribal leader, said the ones who organized the lumads and spoke for them were not originally from the area.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/592777/davao-militant-group-slammed-for-anti-military-propaganda

CPP/Sison/NDF: Deles attack against NDFP is an outright and gross lie

Sison propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Apr 8): Deles attack against NDFP is an outright and gross lie

Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chief Political Consultant
NDFP National Democratic Front of the Philippines

 

Secretary Teresita Q. Deles of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) has repeatedly attacked The Hague Joint Declaration as a “document of perpetual division”, and has obscured the fact that the declaration stipulates the 4-point substantive agenda, the first point of which has already resulted in the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL). Deles has publicly dismissed this major agreement as a minor thing.

The NDFP has long insisted that the peace negotiations should now focus on the second point of the substantive agenda – Social and Economic Reforms – in the face of the worsening social and economic crisis resulting from the unbridled neoliberal greed of the foreign monopoly capitalists and the local exploiting classes of big compradors and landlords like the Aquinos and Cojuangcos.

Basic reforms must be made to overcome the social and economic injustices, real massive unemployment, widespread poverty, homelessness, landlessness, the soaring prices of basic goods and services, bureaucratic corruption, the mounting tax and debt burden, the deterioration and disappearance of social services, and other social and economic ills.

At their signing of the CARHRIHL in 1998, during the time of President Fidel V. Ramos, the negotiating panels exchanged drafts of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms, with the NDFP giving a more serious and elaborate draft of 50 pages in comparison to the measly three-page draft of the other side. But the regimes succeeding that of Ramos have always found ways of avoiding or preventing the negotiation of social and economic reforms.

The Aquino regime has the obligation to release the imprisoned NDFP peace consultants, in accordance with the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), and the hundreds of political prisoners in accordance with the CARHRIHL, which prohibits the trumping up of charges of common crimes against suspected political offenders.

If these agreements are not respected by the Aquino regime, the people will not see the need for negotiating and making agreements with such reneging regime. The regime is obsessed with unjustly imprisoning 14 NDFP consultants and hundreds of other political prisoners and disrupting the peace negotiations which are supposed to promote and cause the social and national liberation of more than a hundred million Filipino people.

Deles’ attack on the NDFP, in the form of a pretended complaint that the peace talks have become more procedural than substantive, and that the NDFP is merely demanding the release of its imprisoned peace consultants, is an outright and gross lie. It is calculated to continue the attack on more than 10 agreements solemnly made since the time of the Ramos regime.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20140408_deles-attack-against-ndfp-is-an-outright-and-gross-lie

CPP: The Tiamzons’ arrest is a blow to the peace talks

Propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Apr 7): The Tiamzons’ arrest is a blow to the peace talks

CPP Ang Bayan

 

The arrest of Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Austria, both leading cadres of the Communist Party of the Philippines and peace talks consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) is a gross violation of the peace process.

 

They were arrested with five others in Aloguinsan, Cebu on March 22. To justify their prolonged detention, the arresting police and military operatives planted firearms and arrested them on a trumped-up case of multiple murder.

 

The Aquino regime has once more demonstrated in this incident its wanton disregard for the peace talks. Surveilling, filing trumped-up criminal charges and arresting the negotiators, consultants and staff of either party are strictly prohibited by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

 

Aquino and his officials portray the arrest of Comrades Benito and Wilma as a step that moves the country closer to peace, exposing anew their narrow-minded view on peace. For Aquino, peace will be achieved if he could effect either the surrender or arrest of the people’s revolutionary forces struggling for national liberation and democracy. For the revolutionaries, this would be tantamount to meekly subjecting themselves to the prevailing exploitative and oppressive social order dominated by the imperialists and local ruling classes.

 

The NDFP continuously lays the foundations of genuine, just and lasting peace by empowering the Filipino people in stages and attaining their national and democratic aspirations, whether or not it engages in negotiations.

 

In the NDFP’s view, once popular unrest is dispelled because the people are no longer hungry and receive just wages, enjoy decent housing, education, health care and other social services, the firm foundation for peace shall have been laid down. On the other hand, poverty, hunger and injustice are fertile grounds for social unrest and people’s uprisings.

 

In a message from his prison cell, Comrade Benito explained the real meaning of peace. He said that contrary to being a mere sentiment, as the regime and its drumbeaters claim, peace is a socio-political construct that will resolve the basic ills of society. It is the real foundation and substance of any peace negotiation and agreement.

 

This is the basis for The Hague Joint Declaration, which provides the proper order for agreements on the substantive agenda of human rights, social and economic reforms and political and constitutional reforms before proceeding to the resolution of the armed conflict and the disposition of the armed forces involved in the current civil war.

 

Since it took power in 2010, the Aquino regime has denigrated The Hague Joint Declaration as a “document of perpetual division” in its desire to disregard needed social changes and go straight to the last item in the agenda and achieve a contrived peace.

 

As revolutionaries deeply rooted in the exploited and oppresses masses, Comrades Benito and Wilma both have a sharp grasp of what any agreement aimed at resolving the roots of the raging civil war in the Philippines should contain. They have therefore been providing highly significant inputs to the peace process.

 

Whether seated at the negotiation table or not, they are part of the great and historic process of building peace. By waging revolution, they are not only peace advocates but ardent creators of people’s democracy, social justice, national liberation and lasting peace.

 

It is not the genuine peace workers like Comrades Benito and Wilma, Alan Jazmines and other detained NDFP consultants who should be imprisoned and deprived of the right to be with the masses whom they cherish and serve.

 

The Aquino regime, however, is more interested in utilizing precious time and resources to capture revolutionary leaders instead of seriously sitting at the negotiating table to decisively discuss and resolve the roots of the civil war. In its narrow-minded and shallow view, it could put a stop to the people’s revolutionary struggle in this manner and dispense with the necessity of negotiating in order to entrap and pacify it.

 

The Aquino regime has already meted a series of blows on the peace negotiations because of its non-compliance with, and violations of, existing agreements with the NDFP, especially its long-term incarceration of JASIG-protected consultants.

 

Talking with a regime that not only has a narrow-minded and shallow concept of peace but reneges on signed agreements is indeed fraught with difficulties and danger. The only way for the Aquino regime to escape going down in history as the killer of the peace talks is for it to respect its agreements with the NDFP, notably The Hague Joint Declaration and JASIG and release the detained NDFP consultants. It must also comply with the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) and release all political prisoners detained on trumped-up criminal charges.

 

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20140407_the-tiamzons-arrest-is-a-blow-to-the-peace-talks

CPP/NPA: AFP’s full-blast ops in region meant to instill fear and punish Lumads

NPA propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Apr 7): AFP’s full-blast ops in region meant to instill fear and punish Lumads

Rigoberto Sanchez
Spokesperson
NPA Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command (Merardo Arce Command)

 

Behind the atrocious AFP operations in Talaingod, Davao del Norte and the Eastern Mindanao Command’s deployment of more Army units in Southern Mindanao is the mistaken conjecture that the US-Aquino regime could crush the revolutionary movement within the next five years.

The state’s use of overwhelming force against the NPA, its display of superior armament and forces in rugged mountainous terrain of guerrilla zones and bases has been proven in history as a failed formula. The enemy attacks a guerrilla force that is not a fixed military target. It drops bombs against empty camps, it attacks in thin air. Failing that, their overwhelming military force takes a cowardly retreat by instilling fear in the minds of the rural populace and innocent civilians.

The AFP’s mission in Talaingod—their unspoken objective— is to punish Lumad Manobos for having practiced their right to self-determination by prevailing over stage neglect and national oppression. The Lumads were in the process of building their own self-sufficient economy, a thing which the state finds abominable, hence the bombing and other abuses. Lumads are fair game to the 10th Infantry Division-Eastern Mindanao Command’s psychological warfare and inhuman operations.

The AFP’s overweening arrogance and unconcern for the welfare of civilians is also displayed in its recent sortie in Talaingod April 4 when the NPA discharged command detonated explosives against their troops. It was obvious that the military exploited the civilians and the media as their protective cover under the pretext of relief operations for displaced Manobos. The AFP does not care one whit if civilians are killed or maimed.

Thousands of displaced Lumad Manobos who have sought sanctuary in Davao City have triumphed over decades of extreme deprivation and state exploitation of their ancestral domain. They have waged pangayaw in the past against the private army, paramilitary (including those who have been coopted by the enemy) and state army to pave the way for corporate logging of Alsons. They have waged campaign against landgrabbers, large-scale miners and against reactionary laws and programs that try to subvert their rightful claim over their lands. Vastly neglected by the reactionary government, they nurtured farms, schools, under auspices of their own tribal system of leadership.

To say that they are under the sway of the NPAs, if we are to believe the AFP 1003rd Bde-AFP spokesperson, insults their intelligence and dignity. To take AFP’s justification seriously is to perpetuate the same conditions of national oppression being suffered by the country’s national minorities.

As a consequence, the people’s army is forced to defend the masses. Red fighters and the militia have initiated at least seven sniping and small-scale attacks against the 68th IB that suffered 9 fatalities since March. The latest was earlier today (Monday) at 12:30 pm in sitio Bagang, where a member of the 68th IB took a fatal snipe shot from a militia.

Indeed, the AFP, while superior in a war of quick decision, is inutile against a people’s army waging widespread and intensive guerrilla warfare in the framework of a protracted people’s war. The military troops build-up in the region further fans revolutionary fervor and gives impetus for strategic advance. The 1003rd brigade’s promise to pursue counter-revolutionary operations until it defeats NPA is a futile pronouncement that will only hurt civilians, displace Lumads and peasants.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20140407_afp-s-full-blast-ops-in-region-meant-to-instill-fear-and-punish-lumads

CPP/NDF: NDFP proposes people’s issues for peace talks, demands compliance with JASIG, other agreements

NDF propaganda statement to the CPP Website (Apr 8): NDFP proposes people’s issues for peace talks, demands compliance with JASIG, other agreements

Luis Jalandoni
Chairperson
NDFP Negotiating Panel

 

Secretary Deles wishes to avoid the Aquino regime’s obligation to comply with binding peace agreements which the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP/GPH) signed with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). Her lame excuse is to call compliance with the 1995 Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) as mere “procedural matters”.

Compliance with The Hague Joint Declaration (1992), the JASIG (1995), and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) is not mere “procedural matters”. These agreements bind both parties and are essential to achieving a just peace through negotiations. It requires being true to one’s word of honor. Who would trust a government that does not comply with agreements and contracts it has entered into?

Hence, the release of detained NDFP consultants and JASIG-protected personnel is essential for the trust between both Parties. This is necessary to advance the formal peace negotiations.

Since 16 March 1998, upon the signing of the CARHRIHL in The Hague, the NDFP has presented to the GRP the NDFP Draft of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER). The Chairperson of the NDFP Reciprocal Working Committee on Social and Economic Reforms, Julieta de Lima, exchanged drafts with Congressman Jose V. Yap of the GRP Negotiating Panel. This was witnessed by the Royal Norwegian Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires.

The NDFP is willing to target the completion of the CASER in six months. The NDFP proposes to take up the issues regarding Hacienda Luisita within one month. We propose to deal with an effective and comprehensive rehabilitation program for Yolanda affected areas within two months, with the help of the Royal Norwegian Government (RNG) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

We propose the taking up and forging of an agreement on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program, and its effects on demolitions of urban poor communities, within three months. Likewise, we want to take up the issue of skyrocketing prices of gas and oil, food, electricity, water, and other basic commodities within three months. We can also take up within three months the issue of privatization of the Fabella and Orthopedic hospitals, and related issues.

We propose to take up the issue of foreign destructive mining, the displacement of indigenous peoples and peasants, and destruction of their livelihood within four months. We can ask for the help of the Norwegian Refugee Council which has published a document on the Lumads.

All other issues such as health, housing, and rights of women, children and elderly, to be included in the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms, can be taken up within six months.

A two-week meeting of both sides, facilitated by the RNG, can be held in Oslo for the formal resumption of peace negotiations. This can be prepared by informal talks or consultations in Oslo in the last week of May.

These concrete proposals of the NDFP are a challenge to GPH President Benigno S. Aquino III. Does he take seriously the people’s demands for a just peace, or is his priority the imprisoning of NDFP consultants and political prisoners?

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20140408_ndfp-proposes-people-s-issues-for-peace-talks-demands-compliance-with-jasig-other-agreements

Jakarta seeks clarification from Beijing on claims in South China Sea

From Today (Apr 8): Jakarta seeks clarification from Beijing on claims in South China Sea



Philippine Marines gesturing at a Chinese Coast Guard vessel, which tried to block a Philippine government supply ship from reaching the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea late last month. PHOTO: Reuters

JAKARTA — Indonesia is seeking clarity on China’s intent behind its maritime claims in the South China Sea to avoid the risk of miscalculations in a zone rich in natural gas, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said.

Indonesia wants an explanation for a map outlining China’s assertions in the South China Sea that appears on the nation’s passports and has asked the United Nations to help it obtain legal clarity, Dr Marty told Bloomberg in Jakarta yesterday. The Philippines last month challenged China’s claims to contested areas of the South China Sea at a UN tribunal.

“What needs to be better communicated is the intent behind these steps, so they don’t become inadvertently a new source of problem and challenge,” Dr Marty said.

The potential for misunderstanding meant there was a risk of minor incidents leading to a bigger crisis in the region, he said.

China’s push on its territorial claims in the South China Sea, an area rich in oil, gas and fish, and home to some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, comes as it demonstrates greater military assertiveness in the region and beefs up defence spending.

While China has agreed to work with South-east Asian nations to craft a code of conduct for the waters, little progress has been made since talks were announced last July.

Indonesia is not a claimant in the South China Sea and the country is not worried about getting caught up in the broader disputes, Dr Marty said.

Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia are among countries vying for territory in the area alongside China.

“Any one of us that simply emphasises one’s own security will find out quickly that such an approach can only be temporary,” said Dr Marty, a 51-year-old career diplomat, adding the maritime region should connect nations rather than be an area to carve up.

An Indonesian official said on March 12 that China’s so-called nine-dash line map included part of the Natuna Island waters in the Indonesian province of Riau.

Vietnam and the Philippines reject China’s map of the waters as a basis for joint development of oil and gas, a solution pushed by China.

“China has claimed the Natuna waters as their territorial waters,” Antara News quoted Commodore Fahru Zaini, Assistant Deputy to the Chief Security Minister for Defence Strategic Doctrine, as saying.

“This arbitrary claim is related to the dispute over the Spratly and Paracel islands between China and the Philippines. This dispute will have a large impact on the security of the Natuna waters.”

Indonesia will deploy four Boeing Apache attack helicopters to the Natuna Islands, IHS Jane’s reported on its website on March 27, citing General Budiman, the army’s Chief of Staff, as a pre-emptive measure against instability in the South China Sea. Indonesia is awaiting delivery of eight of the helicopters, due to arrive in 2017, it said, quoting Gen Budiman.

Dr Marty said any build-up of Indonesia’s defence capability was part of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s efforts to build a minimum force to protect the country’s territory, and not a response to regional arms buying.

Commenting on his country’s ties with neighbour Australia following allegations last year that Canberra had tapped Mr Yudhoyono’s phone, leading to a halt in cooperation on asylum seekers, Dr Marty said he hoped the worst was behind the two countries. The spat had not affected economic ties, he said, with two-way trade at A$14.6 billion (S$17.1 billion) in 2012.

While Dr Marty could not say whether Australia was no longer spying on Jakarta, he said the government believes Australia’s assurances on the use of its intelligence resources.

“This is about trust, this is about confidence,” Dr Marty said, describing the issue as an “aberration” in the ties. “Time heals.”

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott came to power last September, promising a tough stance on asylum seekers, an issue that has at times rankled Jakarta.

Many asylum seekers to Australia have been ferried from Indonesian shores by people smugglers.

http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/jakarta-seeks-clarification-beijing-claims-south-china-sea

At least 5,500 US, PH troops to join Balikatan

From the Manila Bulletin (Apr 8): At least 5,500 US, PH troops to join Balikatan

Filipino and American troops will once again meet in May for the 30th iteration of the PH-US “Balikatan” (shoulder-to-shoulder) Exercises.

Lt. (SG) Annaleah Cazcarro, Combined Joint Information Bureau co-director, said about 2,500 US military personnel and some 3,000 from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will take part in this year’s “Balikatan”.

The exercise, which will formally kick off May 5, is an annual event where the AFP collaborates with its US counterparts to enhance interoperability in sea, air and ground operations.

Cazcarro said this year’s Balikatan will last until May 16.

She added, the exercise areas for this year include Crow Valley in Tarlac, National Education Training Command (NETC) in San Antonio, Zambales, Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, Puerto Princesa, Palawan and Ternate, Cavite.

Scheduled activities include staff and training exercises for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, combined armed forces live firing exercises in Crow Valley, Tarlac, static aircraft display at Clark Field, Pampanga, and demonstration of maritime surveillance equipment at the NETC.

Civic-military operations are also scheduled to be held in Legazpi, Albay and Tacloban City, Leyte, Cazcarro added.

Last year’s Balikatan exercise had a historic nature with China’s involvement in the annual event.

At the closing ceremony of the exercise in April last year, U.S. exercise director Marine Lt. Gen. Terry G. Robling, commanding general of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC), noted that several key Asia-Pacific countries had long participated as observers in the exercise, but China’s presence at the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief tabletop exercise portrayed a new era for the exercise.

For this year, however, there will be no round table discussions and tabletop exercise among the scheduled activities for the Balikatan exercise.

http://www.mb.com.ph/at-least-5500-us-ph-troops-to-join-balikatan/

Abu Sayyaf-linked kidnappers trying to slip into Jolo island

Posted to the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Apr 8): Abu Sayyaf-linked kidnappers trying to slip into Jolo island

A cat-and-mouse game is playing out between Philippine security forces and Abu Sayyaf-linked mercenaries holding two women hostages who are trying to slip into Jolo island.

The gunmen, who abducted Chinese national Gao Huayun, 29, and Filipino resort worker Marcy Dayawan, 40, from Semporna on Wednesday, are holding out in Pandami island which is a four-hour boat ride to Abu Sayaff’s lair of Jolo in the southern Philippines.

Philippine National Police Sulu provincial chief Superintendent Abraham Orbita said they had received word that the gunmen and their captives had landed in Pandami island.

“This appears to be quite credible. One of the gunmen is said to be a native of Pandami. We are verifying all this information,” he said.

Orbita said the gunmen were possibly facing difficulties in getting their captives into Jolo as Philippine security forces were keeping a close watch on entry points there.

Based on information from Philippine police, he said the kidnapping was carried out by mercenaries with Abu Sayyaf links.

Philippine military has identified the group led by one Murphy Ambang Ladjia aka Haji Gulam, who is a former Moro National Liberation Front sub-commander who joined an Abu Sayyaf unit in Tawi Tawi’s Simunul area led by Binang Sahirol.

Gulam, who is a native of Pandami, allegedly snatched the two women on Wednesday and headed to Tawi Tawi before fleeing into the Sulu islands in the past 48 hours.

Initial reports indicated that the gunmen’s movements were thwarted by a Philippine naval blockade that had been in place for nearly a year in their attempt to capture former MNLF chairman Nur Misuari.

However, Philippine authorities expect the gunmen to continue trying to find their way into Jolo to send the two women to one of the many splinter Abu Sayyaf groups.

If the gunmen are able to get their captives into Jolo, they are likely to begin making ransom demands known in about two weeks, going by previous kidnap cases in the southern Philippines.

“The gunmen would likely try to contact Gao’s family directly,” Taiwan reports quoted Gene Yu, a Taiwanese official who was involved in securing the release of fellow citizen Chang An Wei who was abducted from Pom Pom Island Resort near Semporna in November last year.

Yu, a former US Army Special Forces officer and a nephew of the Taiwanese president, said Gao’s abduction seemed to have mirrored Chang’s case, adding that the latest incident was likely to have been “outsourced” to some mercenaries along with a few Abu Sayyaf gunmen.
 http://globalnation.inquirer.net/101745/abu-sayyaf-linked-kidnappers-trying-to-slip-into-jolo-island

Pamplona barangay back to normal: Army

From the Visayan Daily Star (Apr 8): Pamplona barangay back to normal: Army

The peace and order situation in Brgy. Balayong, Pamplona, Negros Oriental, and neighbouring areas is now back to normal, after a recent encounter between 79th Infantry Battalion soldiers and five New People’s Army rebels, its commander, Lt. Col. Harold Anthony Pascua, said yesterday.

Pascua, however, said his troops remain in the area to secure the community against the fleeing rebels.

The encounter on April 3 claimed the lives of two suspected rebels and led to the capture of Jessie Dacaldacal, an alleged vice commander of the Sentro De Grabidad Platoon of the South East Front, Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros.

Five high-powered firearms and an M-20 grenade launcher were also recovered at the encounter site, and the cadavers of two slain rebels.

Pascua said his troops are still pursuing of the fleeing rebels.

Dacaldacal was brought by his Army captors to a hospital in Dumaguete City, after he was accorded with first aid treatment by medical personnel of the 79th Infantry Battalion.

The captured rebel leader had sustained gunshot wounds in the neck and chest, when he was found by Army soldiers.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2014/April/08/negor4.htm

45 youths finish Army leadership summit

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 8): 45 youths finish Army leadership summit

Some 45 youths coming from the different barangays of Jones have completed the Army-sponsored Youth Leadership Summit (YLS).

The summit was conducted by 86th Infantry Battalion that is based in the town of Jones and the youth successfully completed the four-day summit held recently.

Sergeant Clifford Soriano from the 5th Infantry Division, Philippine Army (5ID-PA) civil military operations battalion, said the summit aimed to teach the young adults to become leaders, prepare project proposals, fire prevention and safety and rescue operations.

He said the Army battalion targeted at least 70 youths from the town but only 45 of them were able to attend the summit.

The youth leadership summit is a program of the Army which goal is to develop the youth to become responsible individuals and to empower them as advocates and conduits of peace and development.

Soriano said it would also develop the character as well as leadership potential of the youth and to train each participant to respond productively and positively to any situation and to serve as role models for other youths.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=633397

Police secure life of Iloilo mayor vs NPA threats

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 8): Police secure life of Iloilo mayor vs NPA threats

The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has beefed up security for Mayor Matt Palabrica of Badiangan, a remote town straddling the borders of Iloilo and Capiz after receiving death threats allegedly coming from New People's Army (NPA) rebels.

Chief Supt. Josephus Angan, director of PRO-6, said the threat is real, and has jumped to dangerous levels, and therefore can no longer be ignored.

Palabrica said he began to receive threats months prior to the start of the 2013 national elections, but he has shrugged them off, and said his commitment to hispeople remains and that he is not cowed.

Police intelligence is all over the case, and has reported the presence of persons not from the placeloitering in the town premises posing as peddlers.

The Philippine Army has opened an outpost on theoutskirts of the town notorious for being rebel lairs, and Palabrica said a firefight between government troops and the insurgents could be waiting in the wings.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=633371

USAID, NGCP to build new classrooms in Palo, Leyte

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 8): USAID, NGCP to build new classrooms in Palo, Leyte

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) have committed to construct new classrooms to replace those that were destroyed by typhoon Yolanda in Palo I district.

District supervisor Philip L. Teraza said that the USAID will construct 30 classrooms that will start this third week of April while NGCP will be responsible for the remaining nine others.

NGCP engineers and contractors did an inspection of the proposed site on Monday.

The 30 classrooms will be built by USAID at the Palo I Central School with 14; two each in elementary schools in San Agustin and Castilla; three in Luntad and nine in Caloocan.

NGCP will build three classrooms each in Palo I Central School and Caloocan and Gacao elementary schools.

Aside from the two confirmed donors, there are also other interested groups that are consulting with his office for any help they could extend to help the 12 affected schools of the district.

Nonetheless, he already instructed the principals of the affected schools to “preserve their temporary learning spaces” as he expressed that the construction and repair of damaged classrooms will not be completed by June.

USAID has relayed that their construction of new classrooms will take around five months, he said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=633411

MILF denies 4,000 men moved to MNLF, calls reports baseless, anti-peace

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 9): MILF denies 4,000 men moved to MNLF, calls reports baseless, anti-peace

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Wednesday downplayed claims that 4,000 of its members have joined the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

"This is plain propaganda and handiwork of people opposed to the attainment of peace in Mindanao," Von Al Haq, speaking for the MILF Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF).

Al Haq was reacting to media pronouncement by a certain MNLF Commander Ustadz Pendie Colano who claimed he chairs the MNLF Selatan State Revolutionary Committee.

"There is no valid reason for MILF members to shift to another Moro front in Mindanao because our men are all aware of our struggle and the outcome of the peace process since they were part of it," he added.

Colano claimed that four MILF commanders have joined the MNLF after the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, with each commander having about 1,000 armed followers.

But Al Haq dismissed the claims of Colano, including that of the participation of Malaysia as mediator in the peace process allegedly just to maintain its claim over Sabah.

"There is no basis to such claim, we consider them as anti-peace and that the issue of Sabah was not part of the GPH-MILF peace process," Al Haq said.

He also explained that the CAB is inclusive, therefore it includes the MNLF and all other inhabitants of Mindanao.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=633696

8th ID now hunting rebels who abducted, killed NPA returnee in Samar

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 8): 8th ID now hunting rebels who abducted, killed NPA returnee in Samar

The Catbalogan-based 8th Infantry Division on Monday announced that it is tracking down the rebels who abducted and killed an ex-New People's Army (NPA) fighter in Barangay Magdawat, Pinabacdao town, Samar last March 9.

Based on the reports of 52nd Infantry (CAFGU) Battalion commander Lt. Col. William P. Peñafiel Jr., victim Allan Rafales was abducted by his former comrades while watching a cockfight around 9 a.m.

His lifeless body was found around 5 p.m. of the same day.

Rafales surrendered to Peñafiel's men last Jan. 6, 2012.

He decided to quit the rebel movement as he wanted to start a peaceful and productive life with his family.

After receiving his benefits from the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Peace Process of OPAPP, he was released from the custody of 52nd Infantry Battalion and went home to Sitio Canlobo, Pinabacdao, Samar purposely to cultivate a small lot as augmentation to support his family, until that fateful day when he was killed by the rebels.

Rafales' case is just one of the crimes against humanity that the NPA rebels have been doing for the past 45 years.

8th Infantry Division commander Major Gen. Jet B. Velarmino said: “For almost 45 years, many Filipinos have been victims of NPA operations. We enjoin everyone to condemn in strongest terms the violence and killings the rebels are perpetrating.

“The use of armed struggle to attain political ends is not acceptable to the Filipino people and has no place in a civilized and democratic society. It is a thing of the past as it will only bring misery and poverty among our people. Let us then give peace a chance and not resort to violence to attain political ends as the NPA is advocating,” he added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=633242

Davao del Norte tribal leaders, mayor deny military abuse

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 8): Davao del Norte tribal leaders, mayor deny military abuse

Tribal leaders and Talaingod town Mayor Basilio Libayao on Monday vehemently denied claims of militant groups that his constituents were abused by Eastern Mindanao Command units.

Talaingod is located in Davao Del Norte.

The abuses reportedly took place following the evacuation of the town's Manobo families to Davao City apparently spearheaded by a militant group.

Libayao and the tribal leaders denied these claims, saying that “for truth and peace, there were no abuses committed by the soldiers in the area. If indeed there are, then I myself will defend my people.”

The Talaingod mayor also revealed that “the residents were discreetly gathered by a group called PASAKA at night to leave their residences in order to make it appear that the soldiers on peace outreach in the area committed abuses.”

He added they are seeking assistance from Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to let the evacuees return to Talaingod.

“We are capable to attend the needs of our constituents. The organizers did not inform local authorities of their plan to bring the evacuees to Davao City. We are seeking assistance to the good mayor of Davao City to bring back our constituents here in our municipality. We also apologize for any disturbance, in one way or another, they may have caused,” Libayao stated.

He added that they are looking for violations that the organizers may have committed and may opt to file charges if there are any.

As of this weekend, only 300 individuals from Sitio Lasakan, Barangay Palma Gil of Talaingod evacuated, according to Davao City Social Service Development Office, contrary to the claim of PASAKA that there were 1,300 individuals who fled their homes to Davao City on alleged militarization and abuses by soldiers.

However, most of the evacuees preferred to stay in the locality as they are being attended to by the local government of Talaingod.

1003rd Infantry Brigade commander Col. Harold N. Cabreros said that security operations by the soldiers in the area are addressing New People's Army (NPA) harassment, deception and extortion activities in the area.

"Our troops have uncovered NPA camps, captured landmines and we have even lost a soldier in a clash with them," Cabreros said.

He added that the leftist group are taking advantage of the people especially the indigenous people using them as propaganda tools in order to stop development from reaching the area.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=633316

Army's Training and Doctrine Command gets new head

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 8): Army's Training and Doctrine Command gets new head

The Philippine Army (PA) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Brig. Gen. Ivan F. Samarita as Training and Doctrine Command head.

He replaces Major Gen. Benito Antonio De Leon who was tapped to command the Isabela-based 5th Infantry Division.

PA commander Lt Gen Hernando DCA Iriberri presided over the change-of-command ceremony at Camp O'Donnell, Sta. Luci in Capas, Tarlac Tuesday morning.

Prior to his appointment as Training and Command head, Samarita commanded the 202nd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division.

Concurrent to his duties as brigade commander, he also served as Task Group White Area commander.

Samarita also assumed significant posts both in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Army, to include, Vice Chairman of the Philippine Army Selection Board; Deputy, Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs (Deputy G5), Philippine Army; and Division Chief, Promotion Division, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, AFP.

In May 2004 to June 2005, he commanded the Philippine Contingent to Liberia, United Nations Mission in Liberia.

He also served with Training and Doctrine Command in various capacities from 1994 to 1999.

After graduating from the Philippine Military Academy in 1982, Samarita was assigned in Mindanao up to 1992, first as Platoon Leader of 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 40th Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Division to Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence (Deputy G2), 4th Infantry Division.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=633448

PHL, U.S. forces to start 'Balikatan 2014' May 5

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 8): PHL, U.S. forces to start 'Balikatan 2014' May 5
 
"Balikatan 2014", the annual civic-military maneuvers between Filipino and U.S. forces, will start this coming May 5.

This was revealed by Lt. (SG) Annaleah Cazcarro, Combined Joint Information Bureau co-director, Tuesday.

She added that the activities will last until May 16.

Cazcarro said the American contingent will number at 2,500 with the Filipinos at 3,000.

She stated that "Balikatan 2014" is the 30th reiteration of the annual military affair.

Cazcarro added that exercise areas for this year include Crow Valley in Tarlac, National Education Training Command in San Antonio, Zambales, Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, Puerto Princesa, Palawan and Ternate, Cavite.

Scheduled activities include staff and training exercises for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, combined armed forces live firing exercises in Crow Valley, Tarlac, static aircraft display at Clark Field, Pampanga, and demonstration of maritime surveillance equipment at the NETC.

Aside from this, civic-military operations are also scheduled to be held in Legazpi, Albay and Tacloban City, Leyte, Cazcarro added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=633480

Palace: ISAFP not using spy gadgets to spy on opposition

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 8): Palace: ISAFP not using spy gadgets to spy on opposition

The Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) is not using spy gadgets to spy on opponents of the Aquino administration, Malacanang clarified on Tuesday.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, in a Palace media briefing, dispelled such speculation following a report on a daily newspaper which indicated that P135 million worth of surveillance equipment were acquired to spy on critics of President Benigno S. Aquino III.

"According to (ISAFP chief) Brig. Gen. Eduardo Año, there is none," Valte said. "He belied the reports that came out on that particular subject."

Valte further explained that any procurement of equipment is based really on the needs of the agency.

"...It would be also answering a hypothetical (question) in the sense that General Año has already said that there is no truth to that particular report that allegedly they were procuring intelligence equipment to surveil on opponents of the administration," the Malacanang official said.

"So, you know, at this point we don’t see a need to discuss further the fact that it may be used for other purposes, or at least to go into speculations on this point," she added.

Meanwhile, Valte assured that since President Aquino assumed office, he has always made sure that at least the assets that are available to the agency are used properly and that they are utilized for the correct purposes.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=633499

OPAPP: No reports of 4,000 MILF fighters joining MNLF

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 8): OPAPP: No reports of 4,000 MILF fighters joining MNLF

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles on Tuesday said the government has not received reports that some members of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have joined the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

The issue was raised following a published report which indicated that MILF have joined forces with MNLF because they did not want to give up their firearms.

Deles, in a text message sent to Palace reporters, said there was no truth to that report.

In fact, she said, some MNLF members have even expressed support to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, in a Palace media briefing, said the government always made it a point to assure that all stakeholders were involved in the crafting of the agreement.

"Both panels have endeavored to make sure that the contents of the annex on normalization will be acceptable to all stakeholders," Valte said.

"They were very careful and very emphatic that all factors need to be taken into consideration," she added.

Valte, meanwhile, said Malacanang remained hopeful that both panels continue to work to inform other stakeholders about the contents of the annexes.

She said the annexes as well as the CAB is available online for the public to read so that they can form their own opinions on the information contained there.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=633560

Gov't sees growing legion of peace campaigners for Bangsamoro pact — Deles

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 8): Gov't sees growing legion of peace campaigners for Bangsamoro pact — Deles

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles has expressed confidence that the five provinces in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will stick it out in the envisioned Bangsamoro region, saying the government is expecting a growing legion of peace advocates campaigning for the entrenchment of the Bangsamoro government.

“I think we can be confident about the results of the plebiscite… What we expect is palaki ng palaki yung mga mangangampanya para dito (more and more will campaign in favor of this),” she told reporters here last Sunday.

As envisioned in the newly signed Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), a ministerial form of Bangsamoro government will replace the ARMM after Congress passes the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) and it is affirmed by the constituents in a plebiscite. The CAB is the final peace agreement between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed last March 27 in Malacañang.

Deles was in Maguindanao for the "Ka-PEACEtahan ng Maguindanao" hosted by Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, which was highlighted by a kanduli or thanksgiving banquet in celebration of the CAB signing.

Mangudadatu reiterated his support to the establishment of the Bangsamoro government, saying this will pave the road for lasting peace and fuel the entry of investors in the area.

While expressing hopes for the positive outcome of the plebiscite, Deles also asked the constituents not to vote blindly in ratifying the BBL.

“When they ask questions or clarifications, we should grant it to them. That is their right and it is our obligation to answer to the best of our ability. To those who have already decided because there is enough basis for a decision, the call is do not just prepare your own vote but to help sell this to others,” Deles said.

ARMM straddles the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

"By and large, what we have seen in the consultations [in these provinces] is a real interest, a real desire to have the best for the Bangsamoro," Deles stressed.

In Mindanao, voices of support to the CAB have begun to pour in. For one, the Mindanao Civil Society Organization Platform for Peace, an umbrella of at least 120 groups and networks on the island, has thrown its support to the passage of the BBL.

For his part, Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs, said the front is confident that the BBL will be ratified during the plebiscite, based on the “general pulse of the Bangsamoro people.”

“Naniniwala kami na majority o di kaya lahat sila ay papabor dyan sa basic law, sapagkat gusto nila na mayroon silang gobyerno [na Bangsamoro] (We believe that majority will favor the basic law because they want to have a [Bangsamoro] government),” Jaafar also told reporters.

Allaying the apprehensions of non-Muslims residents in the proposed Bangsamoro region, Jaafar stressed that they will continue to enjoy their rights to religious practices and can exercise their democratic rights through participation in the elections, among others.

The plebiscite for the envisioned Bangsamoro region will cover the existing geographical area of the ARMM; the six municipalities of Baloi, Munai, Pantar, Nunungan, Tagaloan and Tangkal in Lanao del Norte; 39 villages in North Cotabato; and the cities of Cotabato and Isabela.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=633546

OPAPP launches women’s magazine; tackles women’s role, experiences in peace building

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 8): OPAPP launches women’s magazine; tackles women’s role, experiences in peace building

The Office of the Presidential Peace Process (OPAPP) formally launched on Tuesday a women’s magazine titled “Kababaihan at Kapayapaan” at the Social Development Complex Conference Hall of Ateneo De Manila University.

The launching was spearheaded by OPAP Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles.

During the launching she was joined by other women behind the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

Among them were Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, chair of the GPH Peace Panel; Usec Yasmin Busran-Lao, GPH Peace Panel Member; Atty. Anna Tarhata Basman, head of the GPH Legal Panel and others.

The magazine will be published twice a year according to Secretary Deles.

Delez added that the magazine will showcase the contributions of women to peace building, telling stories of women in various jobs in government from leading government agencies to the grassroot in order to raise awareness and support for women’s invaluable support in building and attaining lasting peace.

“It will be focusing on the contributions and concerns of stakeholders from civil society, business, the academe, the donor community, and the general public who are government’s partners in strengthening women’s roles in peace promotion,” she explained.

In a forum held during the launching, the women guest panelists tackled and shared their active role and experiences in the success of the negotiation process for CAB which was traditionally man’s world .

“We have proven that women perspective and participation together with other men is an important step in achieving better results for negotiations and peace building,” Prof. Ferrer said in an interview with the Philippines News Agency.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=633521

Tiamzons, 5 others refuse to enter plea on 'trumped-up' charges

From InterAksyon (Apr 8): Tiamzons, 5 others refuse to enter plea on 'trumped-up' charges



Communist leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, 24 March 2014. FILE PHOTO BY KRISKEN JONES

Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon and five other co-accused refused to enter a plea on what they claimed were “trumped-up” charges filed against them based on information from 1988.

As a result, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 81 automatically entered a not guilty plea on their behalf.

Defense lawyers said the string of charges filed by the military and police during the arraignment surprised them because their clients “were not informed of the specifics of the cases” contained in seven folders.

They said their clients have the right to be informed of the charges they will face for them to have time “to prepare for the arraignment” and worse, “they do not even know the basis of the cases as well as the complainants involved.”

One folder showed that the seven were being charged with the 1988 abduction of Narcotics Command agents and soldiers in Mauban, Quezon.

During the arraignment, the suspects asked the court to let them remain in detention at Camp Crame.

The other suspects were Rex G. Villaflor, Nona C Castillo, Joel E. Enano, Jeosi M. Nepa, and Arlene J Panea.

The rebels were arrested in Cebu last month.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/84360/tiamzons-5-others-refuse-to-enter-plea-on-trumped-up-charges

Deles: No reports of 4,000 MILF fighters joining MNLF

From InterAksyon (Apr 9): Deles: No reports of 4,000 MILF fighters joining MNLF

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles on Tuesday said the government has not received reports that some members of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have joined the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

The issue was raised following a published report which indicated that MILF have joined forces with MNLF because they did not want to give up their firearms.

Deles, in a text message sent to Palace reporters, said there was no truth to that report.

In fact, she said, some MNLF members have even expressed support to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, in a Palace media briefing, said the government always made it a point to assure that all stakeholders were involved in the crafting of the agreement.

"Both panels have endeavored to make sure that the contents of the annex on normalization will be acceptable to all stakeholders," Valte said.

"They were very careful and very emphatic that all factors need to be taken into consideration," she added.

Valte, meanwhile, said Malacanang remained hopeful that both panels continue to work to inform other stakeholders about the contents of the annexes.

She said the annexes as well as the CAB is available online for the public to read so that they can form their own opinions on the information contained there.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/84426/deles-no-reports-of-4000-milf-fighters-joining-mnlf

US-Philippines pact to highlight Obama's Asia rebalance, says DFA chief

From InterAksyon (Apr 9): US-Philippines pact to highlight Obama's Asia rebalance, says DFA chief

An agreement on US-Philippine defense cooperation, expected to be signed this month during a visit by President Barack Obama, will be a clear sign of a US "rebalance" to Asia despite US preoccupations elsewhere, the Philippines' top diplomat said.

The deal will enable the sharing of Philippine bases, an increase in the rotation through the Philippines of US ships, aircraft and troops, and will reassure US allies of support against a rising China.

"There is full resolve on the part of the US to fulfill their commitments on this Asia rebalancing, not only in terms of defensive security but also in terms of enhancing economic cooperation," Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario told Reuters in an interview late on Monday.

"This enhanced defense cooperation is a clear manifestation of that," he said, days before the eighth and final round of talks on the pact between the old allies.

"The situation in the Middle East, the situation in Ukraine - this has been of some distraction in terms of their focus on doing this. But I believe that the resolve is very strong in terms of fulfilling their rebalance to Asia."

The deal will boost the Philippines' surveillance capabilities in the disputed South China Sea, del Rosario said, as it strives to keep in check an increasingly assertive China.

Even without the agreement, the Philippine military is getting more support from the United States. This year, the Philippines will get $50 million under US foreign military financing, the largest amount in more than a decade, and $40 million from a US global security contingency fund.

The funding will be used strictly to boost naval capability, with the Philippines possibly getting a third Hamilton-class high endurance cutter, del Rosario said.

The first two Hamiltons that the Philippines got from the United States in the last three years are the largest and most modern warships in the Philippine navy.

"The South China Sea can be very rough, and smaller ships ... cannot manage the South China Sea in periods that are not summer, very few of our ships can withstand the waves there," del Rosario said.

‘Center of attraction’

Military sources have told Reuters the United States plans to rotate to Philippine bases a squadron of fighters, P3C-Orion long-range maritime surveillance aircraft, and a littoral combat ship after the pact is signed.

The United States has also promised to help install coastal radars to help the Philippines watch it its maritime borders.

Apart from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also lay claim to South China Sea, or at least parts of it. The sea provides about 10 percent of the global fish catch, carries at least $5 trillion in ship-borne trade a year and is believed to be rich in energy resources.

China claims virtually the entire sea and has sought to resolve disputes with other claimants on a bilateral basis.

In the face of rising tension, Manila has filed an arbitration case, seeking a ruling to confirm its right to exploit the waters in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone as allowed under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

China has dismissed the case but del Rosario said it was aimed at clarifying everyone's entitlements and ensuring freedom of navigation.

"Everyone is watching that now. I think the Philippines has become the center of attraction in terms of how this is going to pan out," he said.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/84427/us-philippines-pact-to-highlight-obamas-asia-rebalance-says-dfa-chief