7 soldiers killed, 8 others hurt in clashes with suspected NPAs in Mindanao

From GMA News (May 7): 7 soldiers killed, 8 others hurt in clashes with suspected NPAs in Mindanao

Seven soldiers were killed while eight others were wounded following separate clashes with suspected New People's Army rebels in Mindanao on Wednesday, military and police reports said.

The first incident occurred in Davao City when elements of the Army's 69th Infantry Battalion engaged about 50 rebels at Sitio Islid in Barangay Dalagdag in the city's Calinan district at 9:45 a.m.
Four troops were reported killed while seven others were wounded in the incident, a military report said.

The firefight lasted for 45 minutes and the rebels withdrew after government reinforcements arrived in the area.

The wounded soldiers were brought to the Panacan Station Hospital while those killed were taken to Villa Funeral Homes in Davao City.

Also on Wednesday, three soldiers were killed while another was wounded following a land mine blast believed perpetrated by communist rebels in Cotabato.

A police report said Army troops from the 57th Infantry Battalion were patrolling at Sitio Upper Lumbo and Sitio Agila in Barangay Kabalantian in Arakan when they were attacked by the rebels at 2:25 p.m.  

Pursuit operations have since been launched against the rebels. 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/483446/news/regions/7-soldiers-killed-8-others-hurt-in-clashes-with-suspected-npas-in-mindanao

Malaysian terror suspects could be teaching Abu Sayyaf new bomb-making styles

From the Straits Times (May 8): Malaysian terror suspects could be teaching Abu Sayyaf new bomb-making styles

 Three Malaysian terror suspects being hunted by Malaysian authorities were regularly seen in Basilan and could be teaching the Abu Sayyaf new bomb-making techniques, according to the military.

Navy Captain Roy Vincent Trinidad, chief of staff of the Naval Forces in Western Mindanao, said this information came to the fore following Thursday's operation by militia-backed Army Special Forces in Muhammad Ajul town, during which two Abu Sayyaf members were killed.

"Villagers were alarmed over the reported presence of the Malaysians and the display of the black Shahada flag, so they decided to lead an operation (against the Abu Sayyaf coddlers), which we supported," Trinidad said.

He said residents of Barangay Tuburan were referring to Malaysian nationals Mohammad Najib alias Anas; Mohammad Joraimi Awang Raimee alias Jandal; and Dr Mahmud Ahmad alias Handzalahdoc.

"They were regularly spotted by Tuburan villagers in the area," he added.

Trinidad said during the operation, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) - which were unlike previous explosives seized from the Abu Sayyaf - had also been recovered and were safely defused.

Capt Ben June Cerbo, acting spokesperson of Western Mindanao Command, said there were two clashes that took place in Tuburan on Thursday.

"There were two Abu Sayyafs killed, troops also recovered two IEDs that were safely disrupted. They also seized the black Shahada flags," Cerbo said.

The Malaysians were believed to have escaped alongside the bandits. Trinidad said the seized bombs used "solar panels" to power the detonator.

The bombs, he said, were made of paint cans where the explosive components and other materials were contained and fitted with mobile phones powered by small solar panels as detonator.

"This is the first time we discovered this type of IED," he said.

Malaysian authorities said they have been hunting down Mahmud and the other militants, who belong to the Darul Islam Sabah, a Malaysian group closely linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The information on the other militants was scarce but Mahmud, 36, was said to be a former lecturer of Islamic Studies at Universiti Malaya.

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/malaysian-terror-suspects-could-be-teaching-abu-sayyaf-new-bomb-maki

Red leaders arraigned for 1980s ‘purge’ killings

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (May 8): Red leaders arraigned for 1980s ‘purge’ killings



CADRES IN COURT National Democratic Front leaders (from left) Vicente Ladlad, Satur Ocampo, Rafael Baylosis and Randall Echanis confer with their lawyer Rachel Pastores (center, back to the camera) after their arraignment Thursday at the Manila Regional Trial Court, where they face a 2006 charge for 15 counts of murder. Nathaniel Melican

In a packed, sweltering Manila courtroom, top officials of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) were arraigned Thursday for a nine-year-old multiple murder case that started with the discovery of a mass grave that allegedly yielded the remains of suspected government spies “purged” by the communist rebel movement in the 1980s.

Satur Ocampo, Randall Echanis, Rafael Baylosis, Vicente Ladlad and spouses Benito and Wilma Tiamzon did not enter a plea when charges for 15 counts of murder were finally read to them after repeated postponements at Manila Regional Trial Court-Branch 32.

Judge Thelma Bunyi Medina entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of the six accused, whose supporters crammed the courtroom where the sole air-conditioning unit conked out just before the proceedings started.

Their lawyer, Rachel Pastores, made a last-ditch effort to have the arraignment postponed again, citing their pending petition in the Court of Appeals to stop the trial on the ground that the complaint was defective when filed by the government in 2006 during the Arroyo administration.

But Medina, who earlier agreed to reset the proceedings twice this year in view of the CA petition, denied Pastores’ latest appeal, saying the court had set aside “more than enough time” to wait for the result of the petition. The judge set the pretrial hearing for July 30.

Speaking to reporters later, Pastores said “what we have been saying is that these are trumped-up charges against our clients. So we will study what we can do and if we have other remedies that we can avail ourselves of in the pretrial. But we are preparing our defense in case the trial continues.”

The murder charges stemmed from the respondents’ alleged orders in 1985 to purge the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) of members suspected of being government spies, under what the military and the police then called “Operation Venereal Disease.”

The charges are also anchored on the discovery of a mass grave in Sitio Sapang Daco, Barangay Kaulisihan, Inopacan, Leyte province in 2006, where authorities said the skeletons of 15 people killed in the CPP purge were found.

Pastores said the charges could affect her clients in their functions as consultants in the stalled peace process between the government and CPP-NDFP. “How can the consultants work for peace when they are busy defending themselves from these trumped-up charges?” she said.

Ocampo, Baylosis, Echanis and Ladlad were arrested in 2007 and 2008 based on warrants stemming from the case, but the Supreme Court, in separate rulings, allowed them to post bail. Ocampo was granted provisional liberty by the high court after arguing against the validity of the charges, while Echanis, Baylosis and Ladlad were released in recognition of their role as the NDF consultants in the peace process.

Currently detained in Camp Crame, the Tiamzon couple were arrested last year for this case and other criminal cases—including murder and illegal possession of firearms and explosives—pending in other courts.

 
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/689999/red-leaders-arraigned-for-1980s-purge-killings

MNLF willing to hold backdoor talks with Malaysia

From the Philippine Star posted to ABS-CBN (May 8): MNLF willing to hold backdoor talks with Malaysia

MANILA, Philippines - The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) expressed willingness to hold backdoor talks with Malaysia for the peaceful resolution of the group’s claim over the Sultanate of Sulu that includes Sabah and Sarawak.

MNLF spokesman Absalum Cerveza yesterday confirmed that the emissary of the Malaysian government has sought a dialogue on the inclusion of Sabah and Sarawak in the declaration of independence of Bangsamoro Republik under the leadership of the MNLF.

“The MNLF is open to dialogue for the peaceful resolution of the inclusion of Sabah and Sarawak as part of the Bangsamoro Republik,” he said.

However, Cerveza clarified that the Sultanate of Sulu will be in the forefront of any talks, as they have the proprietary rights over the disputed territories.

He said the claim of the sultanate is the basis of the MNLF declaration to include Sabah and Sarawak in the declaration of independence.

Cerveza was reacting to reports that Abraham Idjirani, the spokesman for Sultanate of Sulu, had met with the Malaysian emissary for a possible meeting in Malaysia.

Cerveza declined to provide more details but The STAR source privy to the ongoing backdoor negotiations said Malaysia wants a compromise with the MNLF to exclude Sabah and Sarawak from the Bangsamoro territory, as submitted to the United Nations committee on decolonization.

“Malaysia and the MNLF have been close allies in the past, in fact the MNLF was allowed to set training camps in the early 1970s in Malaysia and the Malaysians want to revive the alliance,” the source said.

The source said the MNLF has not yet made any commitment but preparations are ongoing for the possible talks in Malaysia.

MNLF founding chairman Nur Misuari on July 27, 2013 proclaimed the independence of the Bangsamoro Republik, which supposedly includes Basilan, Mindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Palawan, Sabah and Sarawak.

The declaration was made two months before the MNLF attempted to raise the Bangsamoro flag in Zamboanga City that triggered a three-week fighting and resulted in the death of hundreds of people.

The source said the inclusion of Sabah is supported by proprietary rights of the Sultan of Sulu, which up to this time is recognized by Malaysia.

“The MNLF has mass bases in Sabah including the Royal Sultanate Army, which are now holed up in the hinterlands of Lahad Datu,” the source said.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/05/08/15/mnlf-willing-hold-backdoor-talks-malaysia

Military hunting down Singaporean, Malaysian terrorists in Mindanao

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (May 8): Military hunting down Singaporean, Malaysian terrorists in Mindanao

After the deaths of notorious bomb experts Abdul Basit Usman and Zulkifli Bin Hir alias Marwan, military authorities in at least two Mindanao provinces said they were hunting down four more foreign terrorists and the local groups protecting them.

READ: It’s official: MILF killed Basit Usman—AFP

Army Captain Joa-ann Petinglay, spokesperson of the 6th Division, told the Inquirer by phone on Friday that soldiers in Maguindanao were now running after Singaporean terror suspect Muhamda Ali alias Muawiyah and his coddlers, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

Washington has offered $500,000 for the capture or death of Muawiyah.

“He is also a senior member in their organization and we are aiming to neutralize the foreigner,” Petinglay said.

Petinglay said Muawiyah closely worked with Usman in mounting terror attacks in various parts of Mindanao.

Moro National Liberation Front spokesman Emmanuel Fontanilla told a local radio station that Usman might have died but he had accomplices, such as Muawiyah and those he had taught bomb-making techniques.

Petinglay said they have anticipated that Muawiyah or Usman’s men would stage attacks, which was why the military also adopted “proactive measures” aside from the manhunt operation.

READ: Like Marwan, Usman’s finger cut off

In Basilan, three Malaysian terror suspects were also being hunted by Malaysian authorities after villagers reported they were regularly seen there.

The military said the foreigners could be teaching the Abu Sayyaf new bomb-making techniques.

Navy Capt. Roy Vincent Trinidad, chief of staff of the Naval Forces in Western Mindanao, said this analysis came to the fore following Thursday’s operation by militia-backed Army Special Forces in Muhammad Ajul town – during which, two Abu Sayyaf members were killed.

“Villagers were alarmed over the reported presence of the Malaysians and the display of black Shahada flag, so they decided to lead an operation (against the Abu Sayyaf coddlers), which we supported,” Trinidad said.

He said residents of Barangay (village) Tuburan were referring to Malaysian nationals Mohammad Najib Bin alias Anas, Mohammad Joraimi Bin Awang Raimee alias Jandal, Dr. Mahmud Bin Ahmad alias Handzalahdoc.

“They were regularly spotted by Tuburan villagers in the area,” Trinidad said.

He said during the operation, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) – which were unlike previous explosives seized from the Abu Sayyaf – had also been recovered and were safely defused.

Capt. Ben June Cerbo, acting spokesperson of Western Mindanao Command, said there were two clashes that took place in Tuburan on Thursday.

“There were two Abu Sayyaf killed, troops also recovered two IEDs that were safely disrupted. They also seized the black Shahada flags,” Cerbo said.

The Malaysians were believed to have escaped alongside the bandits.

Trinidad said the seized bombs used “solar panels” to power the detonator. The bombs, he said, were made up of paint cans where the explosive components and other materials were contained and fitted with mobile phones powered by small solar panels as detonator.

“This is the first time we discovered this type of IED,” he said.

Malaysian authorities said they have been hunting down Mahmud and the other militants, who belong to the Darul Islam Sabah, a Malaysian group closely linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The information on the other militants was scarce but Mahmud, 36, was said to be a former lecturer at the University of Malaya’s Islamic Studies.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/122640/military-hunting-down-singaporean-malaysian-terrorists-in-mindanao

Why the world is wary of China’s ‘great wall of sand’ in the sea

From The Conversation (May 7): Why the world is wary of China’s ‘great wall of sand’ in the sea



China’s neighbours have accused it of destroying an estimated 120 hectares of coral reef systems in the disputed Spratly Islands through land reclamation. EPA/Armed Forces of the Philippines

The leaders of Southeast Asian nations recently took the extraordinary step of warning China that its island-building activities in the contested South China Sea “may undermine peace, security and stability” in the region.

That’s strong language from the usually reticent 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and shows just how high tempers are flaring over what has been called China’s “great wall of sand” in a strategically important area.

The commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Harry Harris, has described China’s island enhancement program as part of a “pattern of provocative actions” towards smaller South China Sea states.

But island-building in regions like the Spratly Islands plays well to China’s nationalistic domestic audience and also appears to be aimed at reinforcing China’s territorial and maritime claims in a potentially resource-rich area. Such activities could, however, have dire consequences for the region’s marine environment and vital fisheries.

Ensuring stability and maritime security in this area is crucial to Australian and global interests. An estimated 60% of Australian trade passes through the South China Sea, with US$5 trillion in trade overall flowing through the region.

An island of one’s own

The Spratly Islands, located in the southern part of the South China Sea, are claimed in whole or in part by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.

The Spratly Islands comprise over 120 islands, islets, rocks and reefs scattered over 240,000 square kilometres of maritime space.

These are insignificant fly specks on the map – but they are close to vital sea lanes. They also potentially give rise to broad maritime claims, within which valuable resources exist.

Around 10% of the global fishing catch is estimated to come from the South China Sea, making access to its waters critical to regional food security. There has also long been speculation concerning potential oil and gas resources underlying disputed waters – but that’s uncertain precisely because of the existence of the competing claims.

The nations fighting over the Spratly Islands care deeply about territory, no matter how tiny and seemingly intrinsically worthless. Safeguarding sovereignty claims therefore helps to underpin and legitimise the governments concerned.

China is something of a latecomer to the island occupation game. Taiwan is the most longstanding occupant of an island among the Spratly Islands group, having occupied the largest of the Spratly Islands, Itu Aba (all of 1.4km long and 370m wide), since 1956. The Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam all occupied features in the 1960s and 1970s. China did not really get in on the act until 1980s.

As a result, China was left with the smaller, more tenuous features to occupy, often comprising extremely low elevation or at least partially submerged features. Of the eight features occupied by China in the Spratly Islands, five of them are no more than low-tide elevations (that is, features submerged at high tide but exposed at low tide). These do not even qualify for the definition of “island” under international law. The remainder are arguably mere rocks.

So building up and expanding these tiny features is an attractive option in order to add substance (literally) to China’s physical presence among the disputed islands of the South China Sea.

An island in the eyes of the law?

Can you build your own island? Certainly! But it won’t be the same as a “normal” island – not in the eyes of international law, anyway.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which China and all of the South China Sea claimant states are party, draws a sharp distinction between naturally formed and artificial islands.

UNCLOS is explicit in stating that man-made structures do not possess the status of islands, have no territorial waters of their own and their presence does not impact on the delimitation of maritime boundaries.

While land reclamation may indeed be possible around features that already qualify as islands, simply building up a feature so that it is elevated above the high tide mark will not transform it into a “real” island.

China has painted its reclamation efforts as being of benefit to the region. For example, it has suggested that its newly reclaimed land will enhance China’s maritime search and rescue capabilities in an area prone to typhoons.

Beijing has assured the US that its reclamation efforts will not threaten freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. And it has suggested that other countries, including the US, might be able to use its new facilities “when conditions are ripe”. The other claimant states are unlikely to take up this offer, since to do so would imply that they recognise China’s right to build such facilities and thus its sovereignty claims.

More ominously, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying has said that while certain other countries were keeping silent regarding their own island construction activities, they “point the finger at China’s normal activities on its own territory”, something that was “an out-and-out double standard”.

It’s true that other claimant states have undertaken their own reclamation efforts on islands they occupy among the Spratlys, but what is distinctive about the Chinese activities is their scale and pace.

The US Pacific Fleet’s commander Admiral Harris has said that China had “created over four square kilometres of artificial landmass”. To put that in context, the combined total land area of the largest dozen Spratly Islands has previously been estimated to be less than half this area.

More conflict ahead

The sovereignty dispute over the Spratly Islands shows little sign of resolution, with the present furore just the latest in a string of incidents among the claimants.

While China is correct to point out that it is, essentially, only doing what others have done before, that is hardly a compelling justification.

In 2002 China and the other Spratly Islands claimants agreed to a Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which included an undertaking that they exercise self-restraint. But despite that, it seems China and other states are continuing their efforts to shore up power in this strategically important zone.

Finally, despite assurances from the Chinese that their land reclamation activities followed a “high standard of environmental protection", it is difficult to reconcile this with depositing tonnes of dredged sand on top of coral reef systems.

This is especially the case when these reefs are crucial to sustaining the viability of the fisheries of the South China Sea which, in turn, provide the primary protein intake for hundreds of millions of people around its shores.

Unfortunately, it seems that this great wall of sand is unlikely to wash away anytime soon.

http://theconversation.com/why-the-world-is-wary-of-chinas-great-wall-of-sand-in-the-sea-40070

Philippines Alarmed Over China Aircraft Challenges

From Defense News (May 7): Philippines Alarmed Over China Aircraft Challenges

Filipino military chief General Gregorio Catapang points to aerial photos of Chinese construction over reefs and shoals in the Spratly archipelago during a press briefing in Manila on April 20, 2015.(Photo: JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images)

 

The Philippines expressed alarm Thursday over what it said were escalating Chinese efforts to drive off Filipino aircraft from a disputed South China Sea island garrisoned by Manila, in dangerous confrontations.

Rear Admiral Alexander Lopez said seven Filipino patrol planes on separate flights between Thitu island and Chinese-held Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands had been warned to stay away in radio messages from Chinese forces on Subi.

"Recently this area has been the source of air challenges to our aircraft landing and departing from Pagasa island," he told a hearing of the senate national defense committee, using the Filipino name for the Philippine-garrisoned Thitu.

The Philippine military last week reported an incident involving a Fokker plane which was challenged by a Chinese vessel on April 19. But Lopez, commander of Filipino forces in the South China Sea, said there had been six other warnings issued since then.

All seven Filipino aircraft were addressed as "foreigner planes", advised they were entering a Chinese "military area", and told to leave to avoid to avoid a possible "misjudgement," Lopez told reporters after the hearing.

"We are navigating in international airspace and conducting normal patrols," he quoted the Filipino pilots as replying. They did not alter their course.

"Fear will bring you no good ... The risk is always there, but that's what we're being paid for," Lopez said.

China claims most of the resource-rich South China Sea, even reefs, shoals and cays close to the shores of its neighbors. The claims overlap those of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

The Spratlys are considered a potential Asian flashpoint, and claimant nations have expressed alarm as China has embarked on massive reclamation activity. Lopez said surveillance showed Beijing was enlarging seven features of the Spratly group that it occupies, including Subi.

Satellite photos last month showed a runway and harbor taking shape in one location which was little more than a reef when works began late last year.

The admiral said the reclamation would potentially give China air and naval bases in the disputed region and house "thousands" of personnel.

"These developments are disturbing to say the least, and alarming to say the most," Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told the Senate hearing.

Asked if the Philippines feared China would eventually try to seize Thitu, Gazmin told AFP: "We have a problem but we haven't given up our claim to Pagasa. That remains ours."

"I don't think China is ready to go to war over small islands," he added.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/2015/05/07/philippines-alarmed-over-china-aircraft-challenges/70951942/

 

PH troops pursue Singaporean terrorist

From Rappler (May 8): PH troops pursue Singaporean terrorist

Following the elimination of terrorists Marwan and Usman, Philippine authorities are hunting down Mohammad Ali alias Muawiyah, a senior Jema'ah Islamiyah member



MANHUNT. The Philippine military is now pursuing a senior member of the Jema'ah Islamiyah. File photo

After the elimination of two bomb experts in Mindanao, Philippine authorities are now pursuing a Singaporean extremist – a senior Jema'ah Islamiyah member reportedly coddled by Moro rebels.

Army Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay, spokesperson of the 6th Division, said government troops are in pursuit of Singaporean extremist Mohammad Ali alias Muawiyah, a senior JI member protected by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

 

“He is also a senior member in their organization (JI) and we are aiming to neutralize the foreigner,” Petinglay said in a phone interview on Friday, May 8.

Muawiyah was among those declared by the Armed Forces of the Philippines as casualties in an airstrike in 2012, which also supposedly killed top terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan. The AFP recanted the claim in 2014. (Read: After 2 years, PH military says 'killed' terrorist leader likely alive)

Petinglay said Muawiyah is still in Maguindanao and was working with local Abdul Basit Usman until he was killed in a military operation in Guindulungan town, Maguindanao, on May 3.

Muawiyah has a $500,000-bounty on his head.

Prepared for retaliation

Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) spokesman Emmanuel Fontanilla told a local radio station that Usman has left behind about "10 to 100 recruits" reportedly ready to carry out missions.

“The death of Usman should be not our concern but his 10 to 100 recruits right now. This is what the government should address,” Fontanilla said.

Petinglay said the AFP is aware of this, and that troops have been alerted and directed to exert proactive measures to counter any such plans.

MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said the MILF killed Usman, following a long-standing order from the MILF leadership to track down terrorists. The AFP has validated this.

In the aftermath of the Mamasapano clash on January 25, the MILF was accused of coddling terrorists, including Marwan, who was killed in the police operation.

Meanwhile, a town mayor claimed that MILF ground troops buried the remains of Usman in Guindulugan town.

Guindulungan Mayor Midpantao Midtimbang based the claim on feedback from town residents, who reported to him that members of the MILF's 118th Base Command reportedly buried Usman in the village of Muti after they killed the bomb expert.

He said Usman's graveyard was 5 kilometers from his office but cannot give the exact location.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/92542-ph-troops-pursue-muawiyah-ji

Wahid Tundok, the controversial MILF commander

From Rappler (May 8): Wahid Tundok, the controversial MILF commander

It's easy to regard him with suspicion. He and the late BIFF leaders Ameril Umra Kato and Basit Usman go a long way.



The two stories that circulated about the death of terrorist Abdul Basit Usman stirred opposing views from supporters and critics of peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

One account said the MILF killed the commander of the breakaway group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). Another account said MILF members allowed him to hide among them until he was killed by one of his bodyguards purportedly because of the bounty on his head.

The first was celebrated as proof of the MILF's sincerity and commitment to the peace process. The latter revived questions about the ability of the MILF leadership to control its members, raising doubts about the future of the new Bangsamoro region that will be formed.

The details of Usman's death inside an MILF area that is off limits to the military is important to establish. It will define MILF Commander Wahid Tundok, a battle-hardened warrior responsible for horrifying violence in the past decade, but upon whom the success of the next phase of the peace process now heavily lies.

“He is very instrumental to the peace process since he has the respect of more than 3,600 fighters," said a military officer on the ground, referring to MILF armed regulars who are now staying in relocation areas to avoid the military offensive against the BIFF.

Rappler put together this profile of Tundok based on accounts of military and intelligence officers, MILF representatives, public statements accusing him of several crimes, and various reports on incidents in Maguindanao that involved him.

Ustadz Tundok a coddler?

The charismatic and soft-spoken commander of the 118th MILF Base Command (BC) is one of the most revered fighters of the MILF-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (MILF-BIAF). His influence over local people is boosted by his stature as an ustadz or religious leader.

He is responsible for certain areas of the MILF stronghold, Maguindanao, including barangays bordering the cornfields of Mamasapano town, where 44 elite cops died in the January 25 operation that killed Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir or "Marwan.”

He is also responsible for Camp Afghan in Guindulongan town, one of the relocation sites for MILF fighters, where Usman was killed 3 months later.

He has long been accused of being the coddler of both Marwan and Usman. The police claimed he even joined the bloodbath in Mamasapano in January.

These are allegations that the MILF denied. Tundok's only fault – according to an MILF report – is failing to detect the presence of two of the most wanted terrorists among them. The US put a $5-million bounty on Marwan's head and $1 million on Usman's.

The men of the 105th

There is no debate about his past. When the MILF was still fighting for Muslim independence, Tundok's notoriety among security forces was second only to the late Ameril Umra Kato.

Kato, who formed the BIFF in 2010, was Tundok’s commander at the 105th MILF BC. It's the MILF-BIAF's fiercest fighting unit, composed of radical Islamic militants, that inflicted heavy casualties on the military.

Together they fought the government forces in the 2000 “all-out war.” They were tagged by the police in the 2005 attack of a military detachment in Mamasapano that killed 10 Army soldiers. They also wreaked havoc when the peace agreement under President Gloria Arroyo was declared unconstitutional in 2009.

To this day, the mention of Tundok's name can spark angry curses from soldiers who have survived his attacks.

Usman was also a combatant of the 105th, according to some officers on the ground, but he would earn a reputation much later when he joined the MILF Special Operations Group and learned bomb-making. Unlike Tundok and Kato, Usman was more of a "bomber-for-hire" than a leader who inspired men to follow him.

Peace talks under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III brought them to opposite paths, although all 3 remained in Maguindanao. Kato continued to fight the government along with Usman and his other loyal men in the 105th.

Tundok may have likely joined the BIFF, too, and brought with him his most loyal men if he wasn’t courted intensely by the MILF leadership to stay with the MILF and support the peace process, according to two government sources.

The 118th MILF BC was activated and Tundok was put at the helm to "counterbalance” the 105th and divide the fighting unit that has become too powerful and too dangerous. The areas of the 105th and 118th overlap, based on military maps.

 

FRIENDS. A file photo of MILF Commander Wahid Tundok visiting the 6th Infantry Division headquarters on March 1, 2014

Short of admitting that Tundok did coddle them, government sources acknowledge that the 3 former warriors of the 105th BC have maintained mutual respect for each other and the BIFF continued to court Tundok to join them.

"It would have been a major problem if Tundok joined the BIFF," said a military general.

Tundok, Kato, and Usman characterize the prevailing relationship among MILF and BIFF members who disagree on the peace process but remain as neighbors, if not relatives, and continue to live peacefully together.

"Mahirap ang word na coddling. If you're in his place, magkakapit-bahay kayo. Tandaan mo, may rido sa kanila. What they have is peaceful co-existence," said an intelligence officer. (It's difficult to use the word 'coddling'. If you're in his place, you're neighbors. Remember, they practice rido [or clan war].)

"Haram sa Muslim na patayin mo ang kaibigan mo (It is forbidden among Muslims to kill their friends)," added another officer.

Advocates of the peace process said this is the reality on the ground that lawmakers have to understand when they judge Tundok and his role in the peace process.

It’s a reality that military officers have to contend with. It’s the same reason why it’s difficult even for some military officers to believe that Tundok will order his men to get Usman.

"If Tundok really wanted Usman arrested, matagal na niya ginawa, (he would have done it long ago)," said the officer who first narrated to Rappler the supposed infighting among Usman's bodyguards. The MILF supposedly just found the dead bodies when they arrived at the scene.

Deliberate confusion over Usman's death

But Tundok did order his men to get Usman, according to the MILF. The military also retracted its report that Usman’s bodyguard shot him. (READ: MILF killed Usman – AFP chief)

MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar said Usman’s death is a vindication for Tundok. "Hindi totoo na tinago ni Wahid Tundok si Usman. Kung siya ang nagtago bakit unit niya ang humuli kay Usman?" Jaafar said. (It's not true that Wahid Tundok protected Usman. If he was hiding him, why was it his unit that captured Usman?)

"Definitely hindi kikilos ang mga tao sa 118th BC kung hindi galing kay Tundok ang command," Jaafar added. (The men of the 118th BC will not move if the order did not come from Tundok.)

 

But there are too many versions of Usman's death it's hard to tell who's telling the truth. Even the MILF floated two scenario.

“Forget the story about the bodyguards. They’re probably trying to prevent a rido,” said a source on the ground, laughing at the confusion that ensued.

While some camps have dismissed the official account as propaganda to build up the MILF and push for the passage of the law that will implement the peace agreements, a military officer on the ground said the confusion is deliberate and meant to confuse Usman’s relatives and followers who plan to avenge his death.

Tundok's choice

Intelligence officers confirmed to Rappler the MILF statement – that the MILF Central Committee ordered its members to arrest Usman. This was the "compromise" with President Aquino, one of the sources said.

In the end, Tundok did not have a choice. He would not dare to defy the orders of MILF chairman Murad Ebrahim, who is also known among the MILF for being strict.

"Hindi mo pwedeng suwayin si Murad," said a military officer. (You cannot defy Murad.)
 One of the sources said Tundok had long warned Usman to stop his activities and stay away from his territory, but the military offensive had also limited where the BIFF commander could go. On May 3, he was forced to enter the vicinity of Camp Aghan while he was on the run. He thought he was safe there but not anymore.

 

PEACE SIGN. Philippine military officers and MILF leaders including Wahid Tundok pose for peace.

In the aftermath of the Mamasapano tragedy, some camps blamed the peace process for keeping the military from immediately using its arsenal to crush the MILF involved in the bloodbath and prevent them from decimating the elite cops.

 

Drowned in the debate is the fact that the war-torn communities have enjoyed relative peace because MILF commanders – most especially Tundok – and their men chose the peace process and agreed to silence their guns, while the MILF Central Committee tried to forge an agreement with the government.

 

Ultimately, the goal of the peace process is for them to lay down their arms and make peace permanent. (READ: Real peace means the guns will have to go away)

 

At the height of the blame game and Manila's call for Tundok's head, a military general recalled how he feared that Tundok might be forced to join the BIFF if the government went after him.

 

His arrest in February 2014 gave a glimpse of the chaos that Tundok can cause. The police was implementing an arrest warrant for a crime Tundok committed before the peace talks.

 

While the MILF slammed the arrest as a violation of the immunity clause in ceasefire agreements, on the ground, the rebel group scrambled to call for cooler heads among the already-agitated fighters.

 

The arrest came as the rebel group and the government prepared to sign a final peace pact in March. Malacañang gave in to prevent the situation from exploding on the ground and to prevent a collapse of the peace process.

 

Convinced that Tundok had an important role to play, the arrest warrants were recalled and he was released.

 

In the most important and most difficult phase of the peace process, Tundok was offered the chance to redeem himself. It would take a revered and respected fighter like him to persuade thousands of MILF fighters to lay down their arms.

"He will be instrumental in the decommissioning process since he made a commitment to the normalization process,” said a military general.

 

The military source is confident that Tundok will deliver. Perhaps only then can his critics overlook his past.

http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/92528-controversial-milf-commander-wahid-tundok

MILF registers United Bangsamoro Justice Party

From ABS-CBN (May 8): MILF registers United Bangsamoro Justice Party

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal on Friday confirmed that they have registered their political party with the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Iqbal told ABS-CBN News that their lawyers recently went to Manila to file a petition for registration of the MILF's political party called United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP).

"Mga 2-3 days ago. Confirmed yun, 100%, kasi magkasama mga abugado pumunta kami ng Maynila dun sa Comelec at nag-register," he said.

He said this is part of the MILF's transition from a revolutionary group to a political party once the Bangsamoro is be realized.

But there are still lots of work to be done, said Iqbal, because the Comelec still has to check and validate the documents submitted by the UBJP.

The UBJP was created and formed in December 2014.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/05/08/15/milf-registers-united-bangsamoro-justice-party

Expert: Chinese reclamation 'tampers with evidence' on Manila arbitration case

From InterAksyon (May 8): Expert: Chinese reclamation 'tampers with evidence' on Manila arbitration case



Reclamation activities by China in the West Philippine Sea. File photograph from AFP.

The massive reclamation activities of China in the West Philippine Sea has not affected the legal challenge launched by Manila in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands but it only "tampers with the evidence," an expert told the Senate on Thursday.

In his presentation before the Senate committee on national defense chaired by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Director Jay L. Batongbacal of University of the Philippines Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said "there is little doubt that the China's reclamation activities in the South China Sea are among its direct responses to the legal challenges by Manila."

"While the legal status of the contested features as described and presented in the arbitration case are not affected, their physical alteration effectively "tampers with the evidence": the existence of the new islands will now cast doubts on whether the features were originally mere low-tide elevations or rock above at high tide," Batongbacal said.

"This makes future agreement over their nature and effect in delimitation even more difficult to reach," he added.

His three-page presentation is entitled Reclamation in the South China Sea: Legal Loopholes, Practical Impacts, which was submitted to the panel.

Batongbacal said that, for China, the artificial islands also address its own perception of weakness in the strategic situation at seas and attempt to guarantee against an adverse ruling.

"It aims to re-capture the high ground and pressure littoral states in the region to recognize that Beijing's claims cannot be easily dismissed, nor its interest denied," he said.

Batongbacal argued that there is no special rule in international law that specifically prohibits any State from undertaking reclamation at sea; as with any other maritime activity, its legitimacy must principally be reckoned from its locations vis-à-vis adjacent land territory.

"While it is undoubtedly within a State's sovereignty to reclaim land within the 12 nautical miles territorial sea, beyond that, it must be considered whether it falls within the relevant rights and jurisdictions of State expressly recognized in UNCLOS articles of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf," Batongbacal explained.

However, Batongbacal said that coastal States may undertake reclamation as long as they give due notice and give due regard to the rights of all other States under UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) Article 60.3, 56.2 and 56.3.

Loopholes in Manila legal position

To a large extent, Batongbacal also said, China is taking advantage of loopholes in the Philippines' legal position.

"This is on account of our implicit assumption that all islands are individually entitled to only 12 nautical miles territorial seas, leaving only Palawan's 200 nautical miles EEZ/CS to reckon with in determining legal rights over Chinese-occupied features," Batongbacal said.

"It also exploits Manila's concession that some of the Chinese position are entitled at least to 12 nautical miles territorial sea zones," he added.

Batongbacal said, apart from the limitations of the Philippine case as formulated, China is also relying on its trump card in the dispute: the status and potential maritime zones of Itu Aba.

Itu Aba Island is one of the northern Spratly Islands, and, since 1955, has been claimed and occupied by Taiwan. Itu Aba lies in the northwestern part of the Tizard Bank, a large coral reef with several islands on it, like Namyit Island (Vietnam). The Taiwanese call it Taiping Island.

"If Itu Aba were to generate a full 200 nautical miles EEZ (unlikely though it may be), the median line between it and Palawan would encompass all of the Chinese-occupied features including Mischief Reef. This clearly requires maritime delimitation which is outside the scope of the arbitration case," Batongbacal said.

Batongbacal said that the legitimacy of China's latest activities are considered not in terms of reclamation per se, but in the context of pre-existing dispute.

"By these standards, China's action contravene higher standards of fairness and due regard for the rights of other States; these international obligations govern the conduct of States pending the resolution of their maritime disputes," he said.

"These abstract legalities also have long-term geopolitical impacts," he added.

Batongbacal said that while China may regain the strategic high ground in the near-term with its rapid reclamation, ultimately it will lose the ability to handle the disputes in the way it prefers.

"Any remaining trust and confidence not only in the Philippines but all other littoral States will erode, alienating its immediate maritime neighborhood and reducing the chances of equitable bilateral settlements in the future," Batongbacal said.

"It will also catch the closer attention of other States formerly content with staying aloof or sitting on the sidelines, giving them more reason to strengthen their political, economic, even military bonds with smaller states," he added.

"And the fact that the new islands also have significant security implications for international navigation, only highlights the shared interest of the international community at large, and therefore draws the focused attention of all external maritime powers," he said.

"The stakes are not only higher, but also more diverse," he concluded.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/110202/expert-chinese-reclamation-tampers-with-evidence-on-manila-arbitration-case

2 more Abu Sayyaf men killed in Basilan after trader's rescue

From InterAksyon (May 8): 2 more Abu Sayyaf men killed in Basilan after trader's rescue



Kidnap victim Guankim Lim Maujon is rushed to a waiting ambulance after authorities rescued her from the Abu Sayyaf. PHOTO COURTESY OF TASK FORCE ZAMBASULTA

 Two days after State forces stepped up their offensive on the Abu Sayyaf Group, which abducted a local businesswoman on May 5, two members of the bandit group were killed in a clash with soldiers and civilian volunteers in Barangay Tuburan in Hadji Mohammad Ajul town, Basilan.

Captain Ben June Cerbo, public affairs officer of the Western Mindanao Command, said Friday the firefight broke out Thursday morning as elements of the 4th Special Forces Battalion (4SFBn) under the Joint Task Group Basilan and Civilian Volunteer Organization were pursuing the ASG.

 “Two bandits killed in a 30-minute fierce gunfight that happened at around 7:50 a.m. One of them was Hakim Entong. The bandits were among the group of Ustadz Abbas Alam,” Cerbo said.

Earlier, 5 ASG men were killed by pursuing members of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT) in Panamao, Sulu, as they were rescuing a Filipino-Chinese businesswoman abducted the previous day from her home.

The government side sustained no casualties, officials said.

Cerbo said the CVO fighters, led by village chief Manding Salih, first engaged Alam’s group at 5:30 a.m. in a 45-minute running gun battle. The bandits withdrew, just before government reinforcements arrived.

The combined military- CVO units gave chase; a second gunfight ended with the death of the two bandits. Other ASG members escaped in small groups.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/110195/2-more-abu-sayyaf-men-killed-in-basilan-after-traders-rescue