MILF: KPI holds Focus Group Discussion

Posted to the MILF Website (Jan 9): KPI holds Focus Group Discussion

 

Kalilintad Peacebuilding Institute (KPI) held Focus Group Discussion at Pagana Kutawato Restaurant, Cotabato City, on January 7 with the theme: “We help to develop and create Human Society in the Bangsamoro Homeland.” About 50 community leaders and CSOs from Cotabato City, Tacurong City and the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat attended the program.  

The program started with the reading of some verses of the Holy Qur’an by Sheikh Abusama Abad.  Prof Salik Abdullah, KPI Chief Operating Officer, said in his opening and welcome address that, “Kalilintad means working hand-in-hand for peace that starts within us.”

He also acknowledged the presence of important guests, Mr. Richard D. Arceño, Muslim Aid-Philippine Branch Country Programme Manager; Atty. Haron S. Meling, BTC Chief Executive Assistant; and Marlon Peter F. Dedomo, Director of Media Bureau, OPAPP-Cotabato, Mr. Akmad T. Agao, KPI Assistant to the Executive Director, and participants.

KPI Executive Director Prof Esmael A. Abdula presented and discussed the vision, mission and objectives of KPI. “We need to work together to establish genuine peaceful community and achieve equitable peace, justice and development for all people throughout country”, said Abdula.

Abdula explained the mechanics of the Focus Group Discussion.  “There would be three possible scenarios on the fate of BBL in congress that need to be included in designing program of activities: first, Congress may pass a good and acceptable BBL for MILF and Bangsamoro people; second, they will pass a diluted BBL; and third, there might be no legislated BBL. Should anyone of these happen, let us be ready and maximize our collaborative efforts in building peace in our communities”, he emphasized. 

 BTC Chief Executive Assistant Atty Haron Meling gave updates on GPH-MILF Peace Process through Power Point Presentation. He presented the Background of the GPH-MILF Peace Process, Signing of FAB, CAB, the BBL Agreed Version, Major Changes Introduced in House Bill 5811, the unfulfilled commitment of legislators to pass the BBL agreed version on December 16, 2015, Plan B on BBL, Back channeling and the MILF stand on the BBL.

 Meling said that, “Whether there is an approved BBL or not, MILF must continue seeking peace. MILF will no longer fight with the Philippine Government through arms; provided, the signed agreements would be implemented. But the MILF must continue asserting its to ‘right to self-determination’ by all means”. 

 “A good Bangsamoro inhabitant is empowered. Before he decides, he must first understand the situation. Therefore, there is no substitute for empowered Bangsamoro”, Atty Meling emphasized.

 The community and CSO representatives presented their 1 Year Action Plan on Peace Forum and Capacity Building covering the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat and in Tacurong City and Cotabato City, where future activities will be conducted. 

 OPPAP Cotabao Media Bureau Director Marlon Peter Dedomo, “I would like to congratulate you for this noble peace initiatives and peace gains we have achieved throughout our undying efforts in the quest for lasting peace.” 

Dedomo told participants to continue advocating peace. “We should not be convinced of those warmongers living outside Mindanao where they do not know and experience the real situation here in Mindanao”, Dedomo stressed.

Muslim Aid-Philippine Branch Country Programme Manager Arceño introduced the birth of Muslim Aid and its programs on Education, Livelihood and Health.” This program prioritizes the orphans, impoverished people, women, persons with disability and victims of calamities”, he said. He told participants that he found prospective NGO partner in helping people. He was thankful for having been invited in the group discussion.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/new/item/779-kpi-holds-focus-group-discussion

MILF: PNoy to meet anew with officials, lawmakers on BBL

Posted to the MILF Website (Jan 9): PNoy to meet anew with officials, lawmakers on BBL



Malacañang Photo Bureau

In a report by Inquirer.net on Friday, January 8, President Benigno Aquino III or PNoy said that he plans to meet once again with officials and lawmakers to push for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) saying that such would thrust Mindanao and the entire country “further into the global spotlight.” President Aquino was in Davao City to inaugurate a 300-megawatt Davao baseload plant.

“The BBL is necessary to be passed at the soonest possible time to ensure “inclusive governance” in the said region”, PNoy said.

“Each time I speak about Mindanao, I mention how the goal for our administration is to transform it, from the Land of Promise, to the Land of Promises Fulfilled, and over the past few years, we have seen the beginnings of this transformation. You have heard me say before that the mode of governance is so dependent [on] ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) on having the right leader,” the President said.

“We need to make sure that his region has a framework that can truly make good, inclusive governance the norm rather than the exception. This is why we need to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law in the soonest possible time. For my part, I believe it would certainly push Mindanao, and the Philippines, further into the global spotlight,” he added.

“We have a meeting, if I’m not mistaken, next week with the House of Representatives precisely to push for the passage of the BBL. Congressman Rufus Rodriguez tells me that they are about to finish the “turno en contra” stage and after that, voting will proceed. So there are high hopes that BBL will be passed, Inquirer.net quoting PNoy saying.

 “We will continue to focus the national coffers towards infrastructure development so that those who have historically been left behind are given a boost up so they can catch up; and I am certain that, if we continue working together—both public and private sector alike—we can truly give rise to a Mindanao that reaches its full potential, and prove, once more, that nothing is impossible to a united Filipino people,” said Aquino.
Congress will resume its sessions on January 18.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/new/item/778-pnoy-to-meet-anew-with-officials-lawmakers-on-bbl

Unidentified aircraft seen flying over Pag-asa island

From the Philippine Star (Jan 10): Unidentified aircraft seen flying over Pag-asa island

An unidentified aircraft was seen flying over military positions on Pag-asa island in the Spratlys archipelago early this week, according to villagers in Kalayaan town.

The unidentified aircraft’s buzzing over Pag-asa island was monitored by Kalayaan Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon  Jr. while in the island town on Monday.

“I heard a very loud sound… a plane’s engine,”  Bito-onon said.

Early this week, youth volunteers who held a protest on Pag-asa island against China’s occupation of the country’s maritime domain in the Spratlys, reported that a Chinese Coast Guard patrol helicopter was seen flying near the coastal area of the island town.

There has been a significant increase in air activities in the area since the start of the year.

A senior military official, who asked not be named, confirmed that an unidentified aircraft had flown near a military area on the island recently.

“We have reports about that,” he said, but declined to give details.

The area is being claimed in whole or in part by China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines.

The flight of an unidentified aircraft near Pag-asa coincided with the touchdown of a Chinese civilian aircraft at the newly constructed airfield Beijing constructed over its man-made island in the Philippines’ Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef.

Vietnam deployed its Kilo-class submarines in protest of Beijing’s continuing aggressive moves in the disputed area.

Meanwhile, Navy chief Vice Admiral Ceasar Taccad assured the public that Philippine-occupied areas in the disputed area remain intact, adding the military is protecting them.

 “The Navy is doing its job to protect it,” Taccad said. “The operations in the area are dictated by the requirements of Wescom (Western Command).”

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/01/10/1541012/unidentified-aircraft-seen-flying-over-pag-asa-island

Misuari holds plenum under gov’t’s nose

From the Daily Tribune (Jan 10): Misuari holds plenum under gov’t’s nose

With a standing arrest order from the courts, Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Nur Misuari seems oblivious of the government forces as a Mindanao-based newspaper said that he again led a massive show of force of the rebel group with heads of the Abu Sayyaf Group during a plenum in Indanan, Sulu.

Warrants of arrest were issued against Misuari for the September 2013 siege of Zamboanga City where at least 300 people were killed and over 120,000 families displaced.

He and his followers, who took part in the violence, now face charges of rebellion and violation of international humanitarian law (war crimes).

The government, however, seems to be working on a so-called plan B for the passage of the stalled Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in which the MNLF would be integrated in the government’s peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Mindanao Examiner said in a report that security forces have failed to arrest Misuari during the Sulu plenum.

The report said a huge group of MNLF members, mostly armed with heavy weapons, and Abu Sayyaf rebels attended the plenum called by Misuari to discuss the upcoming Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva.

Misuari is reportedly planning to attend the summit despite a string of criminal charges filed by authorities against him and about 300 others who took part in the siege of Zamboanga.

Mindanews said the plenum forced the military to declare a red alert status in Sulu for fear the MNLF and Abu Sayyaf may launch a surprise attack on government targets.

Misuari signed a peace deal with the government in September 1996 to end decades of a bloody secessionist war in Mindanao.

After the peace agreement was signed, Misuari became the governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

But despite the peace accord, there was a widespread disillusionment with the weak autonomy they were granted, Mindanews said.

Under the peace agreement, the government would have to provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in Mindanao and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels.

In 2001, Misuari’s loyal forces and former MNLF rebels who joined the Philippine Army following the September 1996 peace deal with Manila, attacked a key military base in Jolo town and civilian targets in Zamboanga City in an effort to stop the government from calling an election in the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao where Misuari was then governor.

Slippery as an eel

Misuari then escaped by boat to Malaysia, where he had been arrested and deported to the Philippines and was eventually pardoned and released by President Gloria Arroyo in exchange for MNLF support to her election bid as well as her allies in the Senate and Congress in 2004.

Misuari, however, was also ousted by his Foreign Affairs chief Parouk Hussin, who along with Muslimin Sema, a senior leader; and other senior leaders, made up the so-called Council of 15, Mindanews said.

Sema’s group previously appointed Misuari as chairman emeritus, but he rejected the position.

Sema had criticized Misuari for pushing the MNLF into disarray. The Council of 15 also accused Misuari of being incompetent as governor of the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

The report said Misuari’s fall had severely affected the MNLF which is now heavily divided and rift among its leaders is becoming more apparent.

It added that Misuari also ran thrice for governor in Sulu province even while under detention, but lost miserably.

Lawyer Emmanuel Fontanilla, MNLF spokesman, had said the MNLF is continuously winning the support of Muslim and lumads in its pursuit for independence.

On August 12, 2013, Misuari declared independence from the Philippine government and announced the establishment of Bangsamoro Republik in Talipao, Sulu.

Less than a month later, about 300 MNLF fighters, led by Misuari loyalist Ustadz habier Malik, laid siege on several barangays in Zamboanga City, sparking almost a month-long armed conflict.

More than 200 MNLF fighters and soldiers were killed during the conflict.

The MNLF said that the declaration of independence was made under the authority of the United Nations General Assembly 1514 granting independence to all colonized countries.

Misuari’s move was also in protest to the signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro between the government of the Philippines and MNLF’s breakaway faction Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Oct. 15, 2012.

Misuari also protested the plan of the Aquino government to close the tri-partite review of the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement signed by the MNLF with the government in 1996.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/misuari-holds-plenum-under-gov-t-s-nose

Vietnam warns China over air safety threat

From the Daily Tribune (Jan 10): Vietnam warns China over air safety threat

Vietnam’s civil aviation authority has accused Beijing of threatening regional air safety by conducting unannounced flights through its airspace to a disputed reef in the South China Sea, state media yesterday said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) warned that the unannounced flights “threaten the safety of all flights in the region,” according to a report in the Tuoi Tre Daily newspaper.

In quotes published in Vietnamese official online newspaper Zing.vn late Friday, CAAV director Lai Xuan Thanh said a protest letter about the flights had been sent to Beijing, as well as a complaint to the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

“Chinese aircraft have ignored all the rules and norms of the ICAO by not providing any flight plans or maintaining any radio contact with Vietnam’s air traffic control center,” he added.

In the seven days to January 8, Vietnam logged 46 incidents of Chinese planes flying without warning through airspace monitored by air traffic control in the southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, according to civilian aviation authorities quoted in the Tuoi Tre Daily newspaper report.

Chinese state media last Wednesday said two civilian planes landed on an island in the Fiery Cross Reef in the contested Spratly Islands, which have long been at the center of bitter wrangling between Vietnam and its giant neighbor.

The two “test flights” Wednesday followed an initial aircraft landing on Saturday, which prompted the first formal diplomatic complaint from Hanoi.

The Spratlys are claimed by Hanoi but controlled by Beijing, which has ramped up activity in the area by rapidly building artificial islands, including airstrips said to be capable of hosting military jets.

The recent flights, slammed by Vietnam as a “serious violation” of its sovereignty, have sparked international alarm, with the United States warning Thursday that the move would raise tensions in the disputed waters.

The Philippines has also said it would file a protest.

China asserts ownership over virtually all the South China Sea, putting it at odds with regional neighbors the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, which stake partial claims.

Several of these nations, including Vietnam, have also built facilities on islands they control, but at a significantly slower pace and smaller scale than Beijing.

Rioting broke out in Vietnam after Beijing sent an oil rig into contested waters in 2014, and at least three Chinese were killed.

Since then the two sides have tried to mend relations. China’s President Xi Jinping visited Hanoi in November but that visit also saw anti-Chinese protests.

Vietnamese officials said last week they had asked Beijing to investigate the ramming and sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat by a suspected Chinese boat.

Hanoi has stepped up cooperation with the US, in what analysts say is a hedge against China’s rising power. 

http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/vietnam-warns-china-over-air-safety-threat

AgustaWestland now undergoing post-qualification checks for ASW helicopter project -- DND official

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 10): AgustaWestland now undergoing post-qualification checks for ASW helicopter project -- DND official
 

Aircraft manufacturer AgustaWestland is now undergoing post-qualification checks after being selected as the sole proponent of the Department of National Defense (DND)'s PHP5.4 billion anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter project.

DND Undersecretary for Finance, Munitions and Modernization Fernando Manalo disclosed the information in a text message to the Philippines News Agency.

Post-qualification refers to the background check to determine the capability of the manufacturer to deliver the equipment on time and comply with the specifications requested by the contracting party.

Manalo did not give the exact time frame for the post-qualification checks but said that it is now ongoing.

AgustaWestland was selected by the DND as the possible supplier of its two ASW helicopters late in 2015.

Manalo said AgustaWestland offered the Philippines its brand-new AW-159 "Wildcat" anti-submarine helicopter.

The AW-159 (previously called the Future Lynx and Lynx Wildcat) is an improved version of the Westland Super Lynx military helicopter.

It is ordered for the British Army and the United Kingdom's Royal Navy.

It has a crew of two, has a maximum speed of 291 km/h (181 mph), range of 777 km (483 miles), ferry range of 963 km (598 miles) and an endurance of one and a-half hours (fours hours and 30 minutes if fitted with auxiliary fuel)

The AW-159 is fitted with forward firing CRV7 rockets and machine guns, pintle mounted machine gun, Sea Skua missiles and Sting-Ray torpedoes and depth charges.

The ASW helicopter project is one of the seven military modernization projects which President Benigno S. Aquino III has given DND the green-light to go into a "multi-year contract" last November.

Projects placed under the "multi-year contract" include the two missile-armed frigates, eight amphibious assault vehicles, two long-range patrol aircraft, six close-air support aircraft, munition for the brand-new FA-50PH jet fighters and surveillance radars.

Manalo earlier said payment from the seven projects will run from 2015 to 2018.

Granting of the "multi-year contract" will allow to pursue the military modernization program beyond Aquino's term, he added.

The total value of the seven projects is about PHP44 billion.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=845085

Peace table remains open for CPP-NPA-NDF -- Palace

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 10): Peace table remains open for CPP-NPA-NDF -- Palace

Malacanang on Sunday said the government peace table will remain open for the Communist Party of the Philippines-National People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) amid reports saying the number of communist rebels continue to diminish under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III.

”The peace table of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process for the CPP-NPA-NDF will remain open in line with the government’s commitment to have a meaning process that would result to an agreement,” Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a Radyo ng Bayan interview.

Coloma, however, said the military operations will continue to prevent the NPA rebels from sowing violence against the people and to ensure security and peace in the communities.

”In line with this, the government will continue to implement programs that will address poverty and lack of opportunity that have become the root cause of insurgency in our country,” Coloma said.

”Like with the President said in his previous interviews, the opening of the peace talks relies in their (NPA) willingness to join again the process and return to peace negotiation,” he added.

According to the AFP, the number of NPA rebels continue to drop in some areas of the country, particularly in the Southern Tagalog region.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=845122

Filipinos remember Lingayen Landings

From The Standard (Jan 10): Filipinos remember Lingayen Landings

LINGAYEN—Gov. Amado Espino Jr. on Saturday led the 71st anniversary of the Lingayen Gulf Landings by allied forces, headed by General Douglas MacArthur on Jan. 9, 1945, which started the liberation of Luzon from the enemy.

The celebration, held at the War Memorial Park behind the provincial capitol, was attended by about 100 World War II veterans, some of whom were in wheelchairs, others limping and being assisted by their relatives and some walking in canes and almost cannot walk anymore.

But still, they executed a snappy salute when the national color passed by and the national hymn was played by a Philippine Army band.

In his last turn to preside over the anniversary celebration, Espino paid tribute to the veterans, who gave up their lives, were wounded and affected not only physically but also psychologically in that war, for their sacrifices to make Filipinos free.

Espino is the only governor of Pangasinan who institutionalized the Lingayen Gulf landings by making it a yearly celebration being observed every Jan. 9, which also coincides with the observance of the Pangasinan War Veterans Day.

Guest of honor and speaker during the celebration was retired military chief Ernesto Carolina, now administrator of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, thanked the provincial government for holding an annual celebration of the Lingayen Gulf Landings to relive the memories and inform the current generation what their ancestors did in the name of freedom.

Carolina and Espino joined the opening of the Lingayen Gulf exhibit, which features miniature replicas of battleships and carriers that gathered in the Lingayen Gulf in that fateful day of January 9 to finally begin the liberation of Luzon.

A delegation from Australia’s Royal Navy and those from their return service attended the celebration.

Espino said liberation forces gathered in front of the ruins of the capitol immediately after landing, before embarking on a long journey to Manila to liberate the nation’s capital.

The celebration included wreath-laying in honor of those who died in that landing and a 21-gun salute for the fallen veterans and their allies.

A luncheon and medical mission for the veterans was held at the Sison auditorium immediately after the program.

http://thestandard.com.ph/news/-provinces/196429/filipinos-remember-lingayen-landings.html

PPOC pushes interfaith enhancement amid BIFF threats

From the Manila Bulletin (Jan 10): PPOC pushes interfaith enhancement amid BIFF threats

COTABATO CITY – Leaders of civilian, police and military sectors recently assembled the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) of Maguindanao, and mapped out measures to strengthen cohesive strides in the face of continued threats from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) against both state security forces and even non-combatant communities.

A family of Visayans aboard a Carabao-pulled cart waives gleefully at a convoy of journalists that toured Christian villages in Maguindanao after the special provincial peace and order council (PPOC) meeting in Buluan town on Jan. 5. (Photo courtesy of Ali G. Macabalang)

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, PPOC chairman, convened the special meeting last week in Buluan town, following persistent reports that some civilian residents were bracing to take up firearms to defend themselves from BIFF attacks, it was learned Saturday.

Members of the PPOC secretariat said the governor alongside local police and military brasses received suggestions at the meeting for continuous conduct of interfaith-building dialogues in strategic areas of Maguindanao where civilian residents had reportedly sounded off intention to put up armed reprisals against BIFF militants.

Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the Maguindanao-based Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID), had earlier told reporters that military and police authorities would not allow arming of civilians as in the case of the Martial Law-backed cultist Ilaga movement because such option could only lead to “nothing but more trouble.”

Mangudadatu and Pangilinan personally visited barangay Kauran in Ampatuan town on Dec. 29, and distributed relief assistance to majority Christian residents facing the brunt of BIFF threats. The governor also handed cash assistance to families of six Visayan peasants killed in a BIFF attack in the village on Dec. 24.

Both officials dialogued with the village residents to dissuade them from taking up arms. Some local reporters earlier reported that a number of Christian residents in the village and other BIFF-threatened communities in Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato had shown to them samples of firearms they would use to fight the jihadist rebel group.

BIFF militants raided a village in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato and killed a Visayan elected barangay councilman on Dec. 27, three days after killing three non-Muslim farmers in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat in another attack on Dec. 24.

Pigacawayan and Esperanza towns were among areas in Central Mindanao where the Ilaga cultist movement drew several members.

An elected councilman of barangay Tibao in M’lang, North Cotabato was earlier reported as confirming their efforts to take up arms anew. But the village official recanted his statement in a meeting with M’lang Mayor Joselito Piñol and Gen. Pangilian on Dec. 29, saying he thought that the attack on his village on Dec. 26 was BIFF-related.

Mayor Piñol and his town police chief explained that the Dec. 26 fighting at barangay Tibao involved Visayan settlers and Moro farmers over a long-standing land dispute.

During the PPOC meeting in Buluan town Tuesday, Gov. Mangudadatu and Senior Supt. Nickson Muksan, provincial police director of Maguindanao, alongside stakeholders from various local sectors agreed for the intensification of interfaith dialogues among Muslim, Christian and Lumad communities in the province.

“Our tri-people (Muslims, Christians and Lumads) should sustain interfaith cordiality as a potent force to rebel efforts by BIFF rebels and other peace spoilers,” the PPOC secretariat cited Gov. Mangudadatu as telling the meeting.

http://www.mb.com.ph/ppoc-pushes-interfaith-enhancement-amid-biff-threats/

MILF camps soon to be farming communities – DA

From the Manila Times (Jan 9): MILF camps soon to be farming communities – DA

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has launched an agricultural program that would transform Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camps in the provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao into peaceful farming communities.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, together with former DA Secretary and Philippine government (GPH) peace panel member Senen Bacani, led the turn over of some P26-million worth of agricultural equipment, planting materials and farm animals to beneficiaries in six Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camps in a ceremony held in Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao recently.

“The program, covering six former MILF camps, is an initial confidence-building measure under the Bangsamoro peace process, with the end in view of transforming these areas into peaceful and productive communities,” Alcala said.

The five of the six MILF camps –Abubakar, Omar, Badre, Rajamuda and Bushra – are located in the provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, two of the five component provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The sixth camp –Camp Bilal – is located in Lanao del Norte, which falls under Region 10, or Northern Mindanao.

The farmer beneficiaries comprise 145 combatants of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) decommissioned in June 2015.

The initiative was organized by the Task Force Camps Transformation (TFCT) in partnership with the DA-Farmer’s Assistance Program, and part of the normalization process stipulated under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed between the MILF and the Philippine government.

“The implementation of such confidence-building measures is undertaken through the Joint Task Forces mandated to help transform the MILF camps into peaceful and productive communities,” he said.

Among the equipment and materials turned over to farmers in the communities were six units of heavy-duty 90HP farm tractor with complete accessories; six units of cassava grater; three units of hand tractor; 12
00 bags of palay seeds and fertilizer; and 1200 bags of OPV corn seeds and fertilizer.

Also part of the assistance was planting materials such as 300 pieces of assorted rambutan, lanzones, jackfruit seedlings; and 300 pieces coffee, achuete, and guyabano seedlings. Eighteen carabaos were also turned over to local farmers in conflict-affected areas.

In addition, certificates of commitment from the DA were given during the event for the upcoming delivery of 16 units of non-motorized bancas; 160 units of fish traps or “baliyat”; 12 modules of goats (one module is composed of 4 female goats and one male goat); 18 heads of cattle; 6 units of corn sheller; 6 units of corn mill.

http://www.manilatimes.net/milf-camps-soon-to-be-farming-communities-da/238558/

Mayor Beng wants full force of law applied on erring MNLF members

From the Zamboanga Today (Jan 9): Mayor Beng wants full force of law applied on erring MNLF members

Mayor Beng Climaco on Friday urged police and military authorities to exercise the full force of the law on any individual or member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who violates existing laws or attempts to disrupt the peace in the city.

Standing firm in her policy to protect the residents from harm, the mayor said authorities are directed to stay extra vigilant against any and all violations that may be committed by the travelling members of the MNLF who are enroute to Sulu for a supposed assembly. “Strictly enforce the law on any erring individual to protect Zamboanga City.”

The chief executive Thursday immediately brought to the attention of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles about the presence in Zamobanga of several persons allegedly on their way to Sulu to attend an assembly of more or less 5,000 members of the MNLF. 

“This matter was not coordinated with the City Government of Zamboanga nor with the local police”, the mayor told Deles in her letter as she expressed apprehensions over the peace and tranquillity of the city given the devastating MNLF siege in September 2013.

Mayor Climaco inquired if the assembly of the MNLF members in Sulu was coordinated with the OPAPP saying that “we seek your immediate guidance as we may be compelled to disperse any assembly of persons that will converge in and threaten peace and order in the city.”

Meanwhile, police and military authorities back Mayor Climaco’s policy and are on guard against any infringements of the law.

City Police Director PSSupt. Angelito Casimiro said the MNLF members intercepted Thursday were profiled and escorted to the wharf on their way to Sulu, per instructions of the mayor.

The said individuals were unarmed and not wearing uniform, thus cannot be charged nor restricted to travel as it is part of their civil liberties.

http://www.zamboangatoday.ph/index.php/top-stories/22168-mayor-beng-wants-full-force-of-law-applied-on-erring-mnlf-members.html

Misuari presides over MNLF ‘plenum’

From the Manila Times (Jan 9): Misuari presides over MNLF ‘plenum’

Despite the red alert in Sulu

Military forces missed the opportunity to arrest the elusive Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front during a “plenum” he called for, which turned out to be a massive MNLF show of force in Sulu on Friday.

Misuari has been on the wanted list by the authorities for the MNLF attacks on Zamboanga City in 2001 and 2013, which led to the deaths or wounding of more than 300 people in the street battles with government forces in the weeks that followed.

A large group of mostly heavily armed MNLF and Abu Sayyaf rebels turned up for the assembly called for by Misuari on Friday in Indanan town, Sulu, to discuss the upcoming Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva.

Misuari is reportedly planning to attend the international summit despite a string of criminal charges filed by Philippine authorities against him and about 300 others who took part in the Zamboanga siege in 2013.

The plenum had prompted the military to declare a red alert status in Sulu for fear the MNLF and Abu Sayyaf groups might launch fresh attacks against government targets.

The Manila Times sources said the MNLF leader currently based in Sulu managed to pass through military checkpoints and gathered the rebel forces for the plenum
undetected.

Losing control

 Now more than 70 years old, the former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has narrower support, having control only over the MNLF in Sulu, one of the five provinces of the region, according to reports.

In September 1996, Misuari signed a peace deal with the Philippine government to end decades of a bloody war that made him governor of the ARMM. But widespread disappointment ensued over what his group claimed was a weak form of autonomy granted to the region under the peace accord.

Under the peace agreement, the Philippine government was to provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the south, including livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to improve their living conditions.

In 2001, Misuari’s loyal forces and former MNLF rebels who joined the Philippine Army following the September 1996 peace deal attacked a key military base in Jolo town.

Misuari then escaped by boat to Malaysia, where he was arrested and deported to the Philippines and was eventually pardoned and released by President Gloria Arroyo, in exchange for MNLF support to her election bid, as well as her allies in the Senate and Congress in 2004.

But Misuari was also ousted by his foreign affairs chief Parouk Hussin, along with Muslimin Sema, a senior leader, and other senior leaders that made up the so-called Council of 15.

Sema’s group previously appointed Misuari as chairman emeritus, but he declined the post. Sema had criticized Misuari for dragging the MNLF into disarray. The Council of 15 also accused Misuari of being incompetent as governor of the ARMM.

Misuari’s fall had severely affected the MNLF, which is now heavily divided, with a rift among its leaders becoming more apparent. Misuari also ran thrice for governor of Sulu province while under detention, but lost by a wide margin.

http://www.manilatimes.net/misuari-presides-over-mnlf-plenum/238560/

NPA bombs, firearms seized in Surigao del Sur

From the Manila Bulletin (Jan 9): NPA bombs, firearms seized in Surigao del Sur

BUTUAN CITY – Government security forces seized high powered bombs and firearms allegedly concealed by the New People’s Army (NPA) in the farmland village of San Isidro, in Lianga town, Surigao del Sur, field Army commanders of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported Saturday.

File Photo: High-powered firearms  carried by 35 NPA fighters from Northeastern Mindanao who previously surrendered to the government. (Photo courtesy of Mike U. Crismundo)

1Lt Karl Jan S. Devaras, commander of the 41st Civil Military Operations (Magkahiusa) Company said composite troops belonging to the 7th Special Forces Company, Special Operations Command and the “Bayanihan Team” of the Alpha Company of the 7th Infantry (Marauder) Battalion seized several anti-tank cylindrical shaped improvised explosive devices (IEDs), clay more mines with detonating cords and other bomb materials, Springfield Garand and 12 Gauge Shot gun rifles and other war materials, on Wednesday (January 6, 2016).

“These bomb materials and other war materials were discovered after an NPA fighter who surrendered to our operating troops reported that his comrades-in-arms were planning to stage atrocities in targeted areas including government troops in the province using the seized bombs,” claimed Devaras.

He also said that the NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), is also set to conduct atrocities to aspiring politicians who will refuse to give extortion money in a form of permit to campaign (PTC) to the local rebel group.

 

Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Rey Pasco, commanding officer of the 4th Civil Military Operations Battalion based at Camp Bancasi said under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), the use of landmines and other bomb materials is a serious human rights violation.

“Due to the discovery and recovery of the high powered firearms and IEDs, the planned atrocity of the local NPA group was once again preempted by our government troops in Surigao del Sur,” Col. Pasco added.

On the other hand, Col. Isidro L. Purisima, commander of the 402nd Infantry (Stingers) Brigade based in Surigao del Sur condemned the NPA for their continuous fabrication and use of IEDs.

“They (NPAs) clearly disregard the safety and security of civilians, especially the farmers, for concealing firearms and several high explosive devices in an agricultural land which has a nearby community,” he said.

http://www.mb.com.ph/npa-bombs-firearms-seized-in-surigao-del-sur/

Technical limitations hindering monitoring of disputed islands –AFP

From GMA News (Jan 7): Technical limitations hindering monitoring of disputed islands –AFP

The military on Thursday admitted that technical limitation is making it difficult for them to monitor the reported Chinese activities in the Kagitingan Reef (Fiery Cross Reef).

"To be honest about it, hindi pa tayo ganung capable. We don’t have that technical capability to really monitor, so we are relying on some other means of monitoring katulad ng nakita sa video," said Rear Admiral Alexander Lopez, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Command.

Lopez made the admission a day after China landed two test flights on the artificial island located in West Philippine Sea, a disputed part of the South China Sea being claimed by the Philippines.

The two flights are likely to spark further condemnation from Vietnam, which launched a formal diplomatic protest over the weekend, and the Philippines, which said it was planning to do the same.

A report on China's Xinhua news agency said the test flights proved that the airport had "the capacity to ensure the safe operation of large civilian aircraft," though it did not provide details on the type of aircraft that landed.

"All face value, they even say that they are civilian structures, but they also stated na they can be used for military purposes… They are for civilians but they can be used for military purposes," Lopez said.

The runway at the Kagitingan Reef is 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) long and is one of three China has been building for more than a year by dredging sand up onto reefs and atolls in the Spratly archipelago.

Lopez believes that completing their bases on Kagitingan Reef, Mischief Reef, and Subi Reef will embolden China to increase patrols in the area.

"We will protest, record them, monitor them and file the necessary protest before the proper courts or before the proper agencies, international agencies," he said. 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/550398/news/nation/technical-limitations-hindering-monitoring-of-disputed-islands-afp

Philippines urges ASEAN pressure on China for rules on disputed sea

From Reuters (Jan 8): Philippines urges ASEAN pressure on China for rules on disputed sea



Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015. Reuters/U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters

Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Friday urged Southeast Asian neighbors to put pressure on China to agree on a binding code of conduct to ease tension in South China Sea following Chinese test flights to an island it has built.

Since 2010, China and the 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been discussing a set of rules for rival claimants in the South China Sea aimed at avoiding conflict.

"Can we put a little more pressure on China to sit down and agree on a binding code of conduct?" Aquino said to reporters in southern Davao City, referring to ASEAN.

China claims almost the whole of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade passes every year, and has been increasingly assertive in staking its claim.

Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines have rival claims to parts of the sea, which is believed to have rich deposits of oil and gas.

Aquino said the Philippines had done everything it could to push forward discussions on the code - a set of rules setting out how claimant states should behave, and imposing sanctions on countries that violate it, aimed at preventing provocative action, the raising of tension and conflict.

Aquino said China and ASEAN were due to meet next month to draw up elements of the code.

China, which has long said it was ready to discuss rival claims bilaterally, has said it will agree on a code of conduct when "the time is ripe".

Analysts say it might be waiting for the completion of its work on artificial islands it is building in the South China Sea before sitting down with ASEAN.

China landed two test flights on one of the islands on Wednesday, four days after its first landing on the 3,000 meter (10,000 feet) runway on a reef in the Spratly Islands.
The Philippines denounced the flights.

In 2013, the Philippines filed an arbitration case in The Hague to force China to negotiate a peaceful settlement of their territorial dispute.

China has ignored the case but Aquino said China, as a responsible member of the international community, could not ignore a ruling from the court, expected in May or June.

The Philippines is also calling for a moratorium on all construction activities in the disputed sea.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-philippines-idUSKBN0UM14F20160108

South China Sea Controversy: Chinese Military Aircraft Likely To Take Off From Spratly Islands In First Half Of 2016, Ex-Army Official Says

From the International Business Times (Jan 8): South China Sea Controversy: Chinese Military Aircraft Likely To Take Off From Spratly Islands In First Half Of 2016, Ex-Army Official Says



A Philippine Navy personnel stands in front of an Agusta Westland AW109 helicopter before it takes off during the bilateral maritime exercise between the Philippine Navy and U.S. Navy dubbed as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT 2014), aboard the Philippine Navy vessel BRP Ramon Alcaraz in the South China Sea near waters claimed by Beijing, June 28, 2014. Photo: Getty Images/AFP/NOEL CELIS

The Chinese military will soon use a new airport in a disputed part of South China Sea’s Spratly Islands to perform test flights, a retired major general in the country’s People's Liberation Army told the South China Morning Post Friday. China angered Japan, Vietnam and the United States Saturday by landing a plane on the airport Fiery Cross Reef, known as Yongshu Reef in the country.

Retired major general Xu Guangyu told the newspaper that the Chinese military will patrol the South China Sea using the airport, which will mainly serve civilian purposes, such as rescue work and transport of goods. “Military aircraft will take off from there sooner or later. Very likely within the first half of the year,” Xu said, noting that civil flight tests on the runway meant it was qualified for military use.

According to Xu, the runway — nearly 2-miles long — is convenient for fighter planes, bomb carriers, scout planes and helicopters, the daily reported. “Airports in the centre of the South China Sea, such as on the Fiery Cross Reef and Mischief Reef, will be beneficial to security in the South China Sea,” Xu told the newspaper.

 

Late in December 2015, Chinese defense ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun said that the military was building a second aircraft carrier. The aircraft carrier will be a 50,000-ton ship capable of holding the military’s J-15 fighter jets, Yang said. The first aircraft carrier was commissioned from a former Russian vessel in 2012.

Beijing has been expanding its claim in the South China Sea and has built three runways on the Spratly archipelago. The civilian aircraft landing last Saturday was the first one on Fiery Cross Reef. Vietnam protested the landing and the Philippines also said it would. Both countries have overlapping claims with China.

The South China Sea region has been long disputed, with Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam laying claim to various areas. China has claimed a large portion of the sea, which accounts for an important economic maritime area. However, China has repeatedly defended its actions, saying it does not have any intentions of starting a conflict and that aircraft facilities will maintain safety in the region.
http://www.ibtimes.com/south-china-sea-controversy-chinese-military-aircraft-likely-take-spratly-islands-2256245