From GMA News (Mar 3): Widow accuses AFP of leaving beheaded husband behind
The wife of the soldier who was beheaded by extremist group Maute last week has accused the military of not immediately retrieving her husband's body during the armed conflicts in Lanao del Sur, a "24 Oras" report said on Thursday.
"Tanggap ko na namatay siya dahil sa giyera pero yung ginawa kasi, yung mga kasamahan niya, hindi sya kinuha. Siniguro lang yung baril," said Analiza Cubillas, wife of slain Corporal Enjel Cubillas, in the report by GMA News' Ian Cruz.
Cubillas also narrated that someone used her husband's phone and called to inform her that Corporal Cubillas' head was fed to a pig.
But the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) denied Cubillas' claim, saying the soldier's head was already recovered from the Maute group's camp and was then turned over to his family.
At least three government soldiers and 24 militants died from clashes that started after the group, a sympathizer of terror group ISIS, attacked a military detachment in Butig town last Feb. 20.
Thousands of residents had to escape the deadly fighting. The military is conducting a clearing operation so that the locals can return to their homes soon.
From The Standard (Mar 4): ISIS sympathizers escalating war
MILITANTS fighting in the name of the Islamic State group are escalating attacks in Mindanao, analysts said, deepening fears for the volatile region after its main Muslim rebel group failed to seal a peace pact.
Gunmen who have pledged allegiance to the jihadists controlling vast swathes of Iraq and Syria have instigated a series of deadly battles with the Army since Congress failed to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law to implement the government’s peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front last month.
An assassination attempt this week on a visiting Saudi Arabian preacher who was on an IS hit list has raised the alarm further, although police said they had yet to determine the gunman’s motives.
AFP photo
“Their influence is growing stronger and it is expanding,” Rodolfo Mendoza, a senior analyst at the Manila-based Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research said, referring to IS.
He said the various local groups that had pledged allegiance to IS were “planning big operations, like bombings, attacks or assassinations.”
Such violence has plagued large areas of Mindanao for decades, as Muslim rebels have fought a separatist insurgency that has claimed 120,000 lives.
The violence has left the region one of the poorest in the Philippines, while allowing warlords and extortion gangs to flourish.
The biggest rebel group, the 10,000-strong MILF, had been working hard with the administration for nearly six years to broker an end to the rebellion.
But when Congress failed to pass the BBL last month that would have granted autonomy to the region, the peace process was frozen.
The MILF has pledged to honor a ceasefire while it waits for President Benigno Aquino III’s successor to be elected mid-year.
But hardline groups opposed to compromise with the government have started to take advantage of the vacuum, as they sense an opportunity to raise their profile and prove their credentials to IS, analysts said.
“There is an incentive if they show that they are a fighting force,” said Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington, who specializes in Southeast Asian security issues.
In the most spectacular attack, a previously obscure group discounted by the military as a small-time extortion gang launched an assault on a remote Army outpost.
The attack triggered a week of fighting that the military said left six soldiers and at least 12 militants dead, and forced more than 30,000 people to flee their homes.
The gunmen flew IS flags during the fighting, and bandanas with the group’s insignia were found when soldiers overran their base, a two-story concrete building, the military said.
At the same time about 100 kilometers away, soldiers were battling a bigger and much better known group that had previously declared allegiance to IS, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
That fighting, which began about a week after Congress missed its deadline to pass the BBL, has claimed the life of one soldier, the military said.
The clashes continued Thursday. Agence France Presse video footage on Tuesday showed rockets being fired from an Army helicopter, as well as troops in a cornfield firing mortars and carrying a wounded soldier on an improvised stretcher.
The military announced it had regained control of a village used by the BIFF to harass government forces.
“Fighting is still ongoing in Barangay Tee because there is still resistance from the armed men and our troops are treading on what we believed was a minefield,” Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, 6th Infantry Division commander, told reporters in Filipino.
Four more soldiers were killed as clearing operations intensified.
“The BIFF was still firing mortars toward Army positions as of Thursday morning,” Capt. Joann Petinglay, 6th ID spokesperson, said.
Pangilinan and his team had just arrived in the village of Tee at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
As soon as he disembarked from an Army vehicle, two improvised bomb explosions came in succession.
As he monitored through military radio, he heard a soldier seeking assistance as four of them were hit by BIFF bombs beside a creek in Barangay Tee. Then, another explosion.
Minutes later, the fourth IED went off as heard through a military radio set.
This prompted Pangilinan to shell enemy positions with mortars and air strikes. For about an hour, two MG-520 attack helicopters were pounding the area with rockets while ground troops and military ambulance evacuate the four wounded infantrymen from Barangay Tee to the 6th ID base in Maguindanao.
“We actually captured the BIFF stronghold but it was littered by improvised bombs and the area remained dangerous,” Pangilinan said, adding that the Army has not issued the green light for displaced civilians to return.
Sgt. James Joloro, among the four wounded soldiers, said he was leading a team clearing the former BIFF launching pad against Army when he stepped on one of the IEDs.
“I stepped on it followed by a light blast,” Joloro told reporters. “Luckily, the 60 mm mortar main charged did not explode, only the blasting cap, ” Joloro added, saying he was now on his “second life.”
Since the fighting began on Feb. 5, about 50 improvised bombs have been detonated, defused and exploded in Barangay Tee and its environs, reports from the 6th ID showed.
Four soldiers were killed while 25 others were injured due to IED blasts and BIFF’s rifle grenade attacks.
About 40 BIFF were believed killed during the month-long fire fight, the 6th ID said.
As the number of BIFF increased, the military augmented its forces. Col. Lito Sobejana, 601st brigade chief, said a Marine contingent has arrived in Datu Salibo to augment Army units.
Col. Mel Budiongan, 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade commander, said more than 40 BIFF are believed killed base on the data gathered by Army ground troops and information provided by the locals.
However, Budiongan admitted there was no body count.
Petinglay said foot soldiers found several shallow mass graves believed to be burial sites of slain BIFF but the soldiers did not touch them.
The BIFF split from the MILF in 2008 after the previous peace process collapsed, then carried out attacks on Christian communities that left more than 400 people dead and 600,000 displaced.
“We all know what happened in 2008. We don’t want that to happen again,” MILF spokesman Von al-Haq said.
“If the government keeps dragging its feet on the peace process, this fighting will continue and more groups will be enticed to follow ISIS,” he said, using another name for the Islamic State group.
Abuza also said more attacks could be expected from other groups that have publicly pledged allegiance to IS in Internet videos over recent years.
These include the Abu Sayyaf, a group notorious for kidnapping foreigners.
The violence has over the decades mainly been restricted to the south, many hundreds of kilometers from the capital.
But the Abu Sayyaf bombed a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004, killing more than 100 people.
Authorities have regularly said fears of growing IS influence on Filipino militants are misplaced.
They argue the militants are just criminals interested in money, and not radical Islamist jihadists.
But Abuza said the ability of IS to provide money and other forms of support were key to its rising influence in the south, and not its violent brand of Islam.
“It really has nothing to do with ideology,” Abuza said. “This is all about resources.”
As the fighting escalated, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation called on the Bangsamoro people to unite and remain committed to the peace process.
While OIC Secretary-General Iyad Ameed Madani expressed his “deep disappointment” over the non-passage of the BBL, he urged the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front to use existing mechanisms such as the Bangsamoro Coordinating Forum to reach a unified position.
Madani said the firm commitment of the MILF to the peace process was important in preserving the gains of the peace negotiations and sustaining the ceasefire mechanisms to prevent future violent encounters between forces of the government and the Moro group.
Also on Thursday, the Palace said it respects the MILF decision not to endorse any candidate or participate in the May elections.
“We respect the views expressed by Mr. [Mohagher] Iqbal [of the MILF]. It is the right of any organization to endorse or not to endorse candidates,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., in a statement.
But earlier, MILF Vice Chairman Ghadzali Jaafar praised presidential aspirant Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for his character and leadrship.
“Duterte is brave,” Jaafar said, during the presidential aspirant’s visit to an MILF camp recently.
“We are inspired by his courage as we are impressed by what he did to Davao, a city that is progressive—where business is good and where people are given the opportunity to better their lives,” said Jaafar.
Jaafar, together with other top MILF leaders and members, warmly welcomed Duterte into their camp.
Jaafar said that if Duterte wins, he will also transform the Philippines just like how he transformed Davao City.
Among the five presidential aspirants, no one has visited the camp so far except Duterte.
But Jaafar also clarified to reporters before his meeting with Duterte that the Central Committee of the MILF will not endorse any candidate.
“Not even Duterte,” Jaafar said.
“Members of the MILF, their families and the members of the communities will be given their independence to choose whoever they want to choose,” he stressed.
During the meeting, Duterte said his visit at Camp Darapanan was not to campaign but to present to MILF leadership his proposal in resolving Mindanao conflicts and discuss the pressing issues that confront the Moro people.
From The Standard (Mar 4): ‘Sunni-shiite war behind slay try’
A SPOKESMAN for the Moro National Liberation Front linked Tuesday’s shooting and wounding of a popular Saudi cleric and a Saudi Embassy official at a religious symposium at the Mindanao State University to the sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shiite Muslims.
“The attack could have been driven by the strong statement of Al-Qarni on matters affecting the Sunni and Shiite squabble in the Middle East,” said Absalom Cerveza, MNLF spokesman, who quoted a credible source present during the National Ulama Conference of the Philippines.
AFP photo
Cerveza said the shooter was a Shiite, a branch of Islam that accounts for five percent or about 350,000 Moros.
Qarni suffered gunshot wounds in the shoulder, left arm and abdomen while Sheikh Turki Assaegh had bullet wounds in the thigh and leg when a gunman, identified as Misuari Kiliste Rugasanand, 21, an engineering student at MSU, opened fire on them. Lawmen shot and killed the gunman.
Cerveza said Qarni’s lecture centered on the complex environment between the two warring religious factions—the Sunnis and the Shiites—in the Middle East.
The latest conflict between the two sides was sparked by Saudi Arabia’s execution of a Shia religious leader, Nimr al-Nimr. In retaliation, Shiites burned the Saudi Embassy in Tehran
Cerveza said Qarni was on a hit list of a still unknown group and said Tuesday’s attack was premeditated.
“They [the attackers] were just waiting for an opportune time and that was a good time. He was listed to be liquidated,” Cerveza said.
Reports of Tuesday’s attack spread throughout Zamboanga City and other parts of Mindanao and was the focus of discussion among the Muslim population.
The Ulamas expressed dismay that the country was being dragged into to Middle East sectarian conflict.
“They are getting worried about the situation in the Muslim world,” Cerveza said.
Reports said two people from Basilan who were with the gunman were arrested after the shooting.
Philippine National Police spokesman Chief Supt. Wilbern Mayor said they are still investigating the motive behind Qarni’s shooting.
In a statement, the Foreign Affairs Department condemned the attack on Qarni and the Saudi attaché.
“The Philippine government condemns all forms of violence, especially as they occur in schools, which are considered zones of peace,” the statement said.
“We pray for the speedy recovery of Dr. Al-Qarni and Sheikh Assaegh.”
The government, it said, continues to monitor the situation closely and trust that local authorities in Zamboanga City will conduct a thorough investigation on the attack.
From the Visayan Daily Star (Mar 4): Lactao up for higher post in Armed Forces
Maj. Gen. Oscar Lactao, the commanding general of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, is up for a higher position in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, this month.
Lactao, who had served as commander of the 303 rd Infantry Brigade for almost two years in Negros island, yesterday confirmed his new assignment as Inspector General of the AFP in two weeks' time.
The AFP IG is a three-star position.
Lactao, who is expected to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant general with his new position, is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1984.
Other PMA Class 1984 members, who had served Negrenses, are Maj. Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, who is also up for promotion as lieutenant general, being commander of the AFP Eastern Mindanao Command, and Brig. Gen. Jon Aying, deputy AFP chief of staff for Plans.
Newly-promoted, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Madrigal, Army chief of staff, was reportedly being groomed to replace Lactao as 4ID commander.
AFP chief of staff, Hernando Iriberri, and Brig. Gen. Joselito Kakilala, also a member of PMA Class 1984, are retiring from the military service next month.
Kakilala, a Bacoleño, is the commander of the AFP Civil Relations Service.
Iriberri had earlier said he already submitted his retirement papers to President Benigno Aquino III. He is retiring on April 22.
The retirement of Iriberri would trigger a reshuffling of senior military officers occupying key positions in the AFP hierarchy.
From Update.Ph (Mar 3): Airbus offers C-295 variant as PH’s long-range patrol aircraft
Airbus Defence and Space has confirmed that will be offering a variant of its C-295 aircraft for Department of National Defense (DND)’s long range patrol aircraft project.
The bid opening for the said project is scheduled on March 14, 10:00 a.m. at the DND Bids and Awards Committee Right Wing Basement, DND Building, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
This project has an approved budget for the acquisition of two long range patrol aircraft for Philippine Air Force. These aircraft will provide the Air Force with capability to monitor and patrol Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The reopening of this acquisition project is after a failed bidding mid-2015. Seven firms reportedly participated in the said failed bidding: Saab Asia Pacific, L3 Mission Integratio, IAI Elta Systems, Elbit Systems, Lockheed Martin, PT Dirgantara Indonesia (Indonesian Aerospace), CASA-Airbus Defense and Space.
Airbus Defence and Space Press Manager for Military Aircraft Kieran Daly confirmed today in an email to Update.PH that they will be offering the C-295 for this project.
The said aircraft has a variant equipped with integrated surveillance systems, including the Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) to effectively act as maritime patrol aircraft.
The Philippine Air Force is currently operating three C-295M aircraft as medium lift aircraft.
Aircraft manufacturer AgustaWestland was declared as the sole proponent of the Department of National Defense (DND)’s PHP5.4 billion anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter project. The government also announced that the manufacturer is undergoing post-qualification checks.
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.
AgustaWestland was chosen as the possible supplier for two anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters of Philippine Navy before 2015 ended. The firm offered its new AW-159 “Wildcat” anti-submarine helicopter.
In late February 2016, AgustaWestland official handling external relations and communications Alessandro Capocaccia told IHS Jane’s that their company is optimistic that contract will be awarded soon.
“2016 will be an important year for the programme”, Capocaccia said.
From CNN Philippines (Mar 3): Army and BIFF clash in Datu Salibo, Maguindanao
[Video report]
The town of Datu Salibo in Maguindanao is held hostage by almost daily skirmishes that began on February 5 between soldiers of the Army's 6th Division standing guard over a national government dredging project in the Butalo River and a small group of some 20 to 30 men allegedly of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) — led by Commander Abunawas and Commander Bungos.
The Army's 6th Infantry Division said the BIFF planted some 40 improvised explosive devices (IED) there, and it was working to clear the area.
On Wednesday (March 2) as the Army's 6th Infantry Division commander was about to oversee a flag raising ceremony to show that it had taken back Datu Salibo from the rebels, an IED exploded some 500 meters away and a gunfight took place.
From the Manila Times (Mar 3): Fighting resumes in Maguindanao
Members of radical jihadist Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) resumed their attacks in the province of Maguindanao, trading mortar fire and bullets with government forces, killing at least one soldier and wounding two others.
The recent sporadic firefights started Tuesday while troopers were trying to secure the village of Tee, Datu Salibo, Maguindanao, which the military had earlier regained from the extremists on February 21.
Clearing operations have been hampered because of the town’s muddy terrain, planted booby traps and the presence of a few remaining members of the BIFF, the military said.
Capt. Joann Petinglay, spokesperson of the Maguindanao-based 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, confirmed one soldier died and two others were wounded when they were conducting security patrol in the area on Tuesday.
The two wounded army personnel were declared out of danger and undergoing treatment, she said without divulging their identities.
The slain soldier’s identity was not also released pending notice to his family.
Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, 6th ID commander, said two successive improvised bomb explosions came in their direction as soon as his team arrived in Barangay Tee on Wednesday.
This prompted Pangilinan to order the shelling of enemy positions with mortars and air strikes. For about an hour, two MG-520 attack helicopters pounded the area with rockets while ground troops and military ambulance evacuated the wounded infantrymen to the 6th ID base.
“We actually captured the BIFF stronghold but it was littered with improvised bombs and the area remained dangerous,” Pangilinan said, adding that the Army has not issued the green light for the return of internally displaced persons’ (IDPs).
Meanwhile, Lynette Estandarte, provincial budget officer and head of the Maguindanao provincial medical and rescue team, said no one was hurt in their team which just left Barangay Tee en-route to Mamasapano town, a few minutes before the firefight broke out.
She said they will not be deterred in assisting conflict-affected civilians amid on-going firefights.
The military said troopers will continue to conduct security patrols in the village until it is declared safe and they are able to hoist the Philippine flag.
The clashes in Maguindanao erupted on February 5, when members of the BIFF attacked an army unit in Datu Salibo who were disarming a reported bomb planted under the bridge being constructed. The rebels also stormed heavy equipment used for flood control projects in the Liguashan Marsh river.
The hostilities displaced more than 5,000 families now housed at different evacuation centers in Datu Salibo and its nearby towns.
Earlier this week a main camp of the jihadist group Khilafah Islamiyah Movement (KIM) was captured by the military in the hinterlands of Butig town in Lanao del Sur following over a week of skirmishes.
Government forces were completing clearing operations in the recovered camp where a ceremonial flag-raising ceremony was conducted when the BIFF stage new attacks in Datu Salibo.
From the Philippine Star (Mar 4): Editorial: IS at the door
Despite military denials about the terrorist Islamic State gaining a foothold in Mindanao, IS is seen to have at least inspired the assassination attempt on a Saudi Arabian cleric and a Saudi diplomat Tuesday night in Zamboanga City.
Preacher Aaidh Al-Qarni and Saudi embassy religious attaché Sheikh Turki Assaegh were in Zamboanga for a two-day symposium and Islamic lecture. They had just emerged from the symposium and boarded a vehicle when the gunman approached and opened fire. Police escorting the visitors fired back, killing the gunman. The accomplices were caught.
You have to be unusually daring to try to kill two visiting VIPs with their police escorts right behind them. Daring is a trademark of IS and its fans, so people believe police suspicions focusing on the group. This heightens concerns that IS, or at least its violent message that has gained adherents around the globe, will become a serious threat to the Philippines.
Instead of discounting that possibility, security forces must be prepared to neutralize the threat. Intelligence gathering must be beefed up and resources strengthened for rapid response to an attack.
Mindanao is already plagued by several violent groups: the Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and, in several areas, the communist New People’s Army. The leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has promised to continue observing a truce with the government despite the failure of Congress to pass a law creating the Bangsamoro. But IS can inspire adherents among any of the Islamic groups, including the MILF.
The military is already kept busy dealing with the Islamic extremists. IS inspiration could raise the level of violence. Government security forces cannot afford to take this threat for granted.
From the Manila Times (Mar 3): Military foils ASG Sulu bombing plot
SECURITY forces foiled a roadside bombing attempt of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and captured two of its members in Patikul, Sulu late Wednesday afternoon, a military official said.
Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado, Joint Task Group Sulu commander, said troops from the Philippine Army’s 32nd Infantry Battalion, were securing the main supply route for fellow soldiers going to the military headquarters in Barangay Bonbon in Patikul when they discovered a triggering mechanism for improvised explosives device (IED) covered with dry leaves at the vicinity of Sitio Nangka in Barangay Karanague.
As the soldiers were scouring the area, they captured two suspected ASG members. The military did not identify the bandits.
Bomb experts later defused the IED.
Recovered were a 20-liter blue container filled with ammonium nitrate, a nylon loop switch, two pieces blasting caps, 10 pieces dry cell batteries, and 12 meters commercial wires.
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 3): PNPA top 10 cadets of Masundayaw Class of 2016 bared
The Philippine National Police (PNP) introduced on Thursday
the top 10 cadets of Masundayaw Class of 2016 of the Philippine National Police
Academy (PNPA).
Cadet first class Felipe De Paz Alicando Jr., who notched
the top spot of the graduating class aspires to be part of the Bureau of Fire
Protection (BFP) once graduated.
"I want to be part of the Bureau of Fire Protection's
advocacy, which is to save life and properties," Alicando said.
He added that similar to PNP and Bureau of Jail Management
and Penology (BJMP), the BFP also needs someone to lead the agency.
Alicando will be the recipient of the Presidential Kampilan
Award for topping the Masundayaw class and a plaque of merit.
Graduating second in his class is Police Cadet Norman
Cabangen Pentang from Itogon, Benguet who will receive the Vice President's
Kampilan Award and a plaque of merit.
Placing third and to get the SILG Kampilan Award and plaque
of merit is Police Cadet Aldrin Sacayle Bagayao of TabukCity,
Kalinga.
Other students who are included to the top 10 are Police
Cadet Fredwin Lazaro Sernio (4th); Fire Cadet Arianne Pespes Humiwat (5th);
Police Cadet Mark Samuel Labastilla Romanillos (6th); Police Cadet Nicko Czar
Gallener Magnaye (7th); Police Cadetronie Ric Batulan Alipio (8th); Jail Cadet
Edo Bardaje Lobenia (9th); and Fire Cadet Arvin Jay Bongon Laguna (10th).
Humiwat who is the only female cadet in the top 10 said that
she doesn't remember the hardest part of their trainings because she managed to
enjoy every activity with her classmates.
Masundayaw class president Cadet first class Roman Exile
assures that their class' unity will enable them to do what is necessary for
the country.
"We in Masundayaw, we are ready to make all the
Filipino people feel our presence, we are ready to defend each and everyone, we
are ready to secure the safety of everybody for the country," Exile said
adding that Masundayaw means brave warrior with honor.
He added that they are aware that the people do not only
want to see policemen they also want to feel their presence.
Out of 253 graduating cadets, 226 of them will join the PNP,
10 will join the BJMP while 16 will join the BFP.
Masundayaw Class of 2016 is composed of 234 male and 19
female graduates.
However, PNPA Public Affairs Chief PC/Insp. Richie Yatar
said that the candidates for graduation are still under the PNPA, stressing
that any violations of their rules and regulations prior to their graduation
ceremony can be grounds for dismissal.
The graduates will receive a degree of Bachelor of Science
in Public Safety (BSPS) upon graduating, and will enter as Inspectors in their
respective public safety bureaus.
The “Masundayaw Class of 2016” will be graduating on March
10 at the grounds of Camp Mariano Castaneda in Silang, Cavite.
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 3): Comelec orders PNP, AFP to secure NGCP personnel conducting repair, maintenance of transmission towers in Mindanao
The Commission on Election (Comelec) has deputized the
Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed forces of the Philippines (AFP)
to assist the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) in repairing and
maintaining its transmission towers to ensure sufficient supply of electricity
in Mindanao on Election Day.
According to Comelec Resolution No. 10067, the primary role
of the PNP and AFP is to provide security to NGCP personnel in fixing
transmission towers located in the southern part of the country.
“The Commission resolves... to provide sufficient personnel
to secure the nationwide transmission lines, substations, and other related
power facilities,” said the decision issued on March 1.
The poll body added, “...Provide assistance to and
coordinate with the NGCP to implement clearing of the nationwide transmission
facilities to include substations, towers and other related power facilities,
in support of its systems operations functions."
The Department of Energy (DOE) and NGCP has sought the
assistance of the Comelec for them to be able to conduct the needed works
repair at the transmission towers.
It was reported that some bombings of transmission towers
were recorded in the region and the failure of landowners to allow the entry of
NGCP personnel to repair damaged towers, equipment and facilities as well as in
conducting preventive maintenance activities in their facilities.
The DOE and NGCP noted that failure to repair and provide
maintenance to the power lines might affect the supply of power on May 9.
“Whereas, there is an urgent need to provide support to the
DOE and NGCP to ensure the sufficient uninterrupted electrical power supply and
secure the transmission infrastructure and facilities during the elections,”
the poll body added.
For his part, Comelec Chairman Juan Andres Bautista said
they issued the resolution to give both agencies the chance to conduct the
needed works in their facilities since the next elections is near.
"Now that we are in the Election Period, and these
areas contain vital facilities, the State has the powers to enter these private
properties but with facilities with public interests,” he said.
The Comelec chief also warned those who will continue to
reject NGCP personnel looking to repair the towers can be held liable for
committing an election offense, which carries a penalty of one to six years
imprisonment, removal of right to vote, and disqualification from holding
public office.
The vote counting machines (VCMs) to be used in the May
national and local polls each have a battery supply that will last for 14 to 15
hours while each voting center has been assigned one generator set.
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 3): First Filipina C-130 pilot-in-command flies PAF chief to Benito Ebuen Air Base
Major Marjorie D. Mukay, the first Filipina C-130
pilot-in-command, was tasked to fly outgoing Philippine Air Force (PAF) head
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado for his last official visit to Benito Ebuen Air Base,
Mactan, Cebu Thursday, said PAF spokesperson
Col. Enrico Canaya.
Mukay graduated top 10 of the Philippine Military Academy
Class of 2005.
She made her maiden flight as the first Filipina C-130
pilot-in-command last Nov. 10.
Mukay was personally selected by Delgado to fly him to
Benito Ebuen Air Base Thursday.
The PAF chief is scheduled to retire this coming March 9
after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.
Turnover ceremony of the PAF Command is set at Fernando Air
Base, LipaCity with President Benigno S. Aquino
III as the presiding officer.
From Rappler (Mar 3): ISIS-inspired militants on offensive in southern Philippines
The influence of ISIS in the Philippines is 'growing stronger and expanding,' say analysts
ISIS SUPPORTERS. ISIS-inspired Philippine militants show their support for the group.
Militants fighting in the name of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS, IS, ISIL, or Da’esch) group are escalating attacks in the southern Philippines, analysts said, deepening fears for the volatile region after its main Muslim rebel group failed to seal a peace pact.
Gunmen who have pledged allegiance to the jihadists controlling vast swathes of Iraq and Syria have instigated a series of deadly battles with the army since the nation's parliament blocked the peace push last month.
An assassination attempt this week on a visiting Saudi Arabian preacher who was on an ISIS hit list has raised the alarm further, although police emphasized they were yet to determine the gunman's motives.
"Their influence is growing stronger and it is expanding," Rodolfo Mendoza, a senior analyst at the Manila-based Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research told Agence France-Presse, referring to ISIS.
He said the various local groups that had pledged allegiance to ISIS were "planning big operations, like bombings, attacks, or assassinations."
Such violence has plagued large areas of the southern Philippines for decades, as Muslim rebels have fought a separatist insurgency that has claimed 120,000 lives.
The violence has left the region one of the poorest in the Philippines, while allowing warlords and extortion gangs to flourish. Many of the predominantly Catholic Philippines' Muslim minority live in the south.
The biggest rebel group, the 10,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), had been working hard with President Benigno Aquino III's administration for nearly 6 years to broker an end to the rebellion.
But when Congress failed to pass a bill last month that would have granted autonomy to the region, the peace process was frozen.
The MILF has pledged to honor a ceasefire while it waits for Aquino's successor to be elected in May.
But hardline groups opposed to compromise with the government have started to take advantage of the vacuum, as they sense an opportunity to raise their profile and prove their credentials to ISIS, according to analysts.
"There is an incentive if they show that they are a fighting force," Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington, who specializes in Southeast Asian security issues, told AFP.
Growing ISIS shadow
In the most spectacular attack, a previously obscure group discounted by the military as a small-time extortion gang launched an assault on a remote army outpost on Mindanao, the largest southern island.
The attack triggered a week of fighting that the military said left 6 soldiers and at least 12 militants dead, and forced more than 30,000 people to flee their homes.
The gunmen flew ISIS flags during the fighting, and bandanas with the group's insignia were found when soldiers overran their base, a two-storey concrete building, according to the military.
At the same time, about 100 kilometers away, soldiers were battling a bigger and much better known group that had previously declared allegiance to ISIS, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
That fighting, which began about a week after parliament missed its deadline to pass the autonomy legislation, killed one soldier, according to the military.
The clashes are continuing. AFP video footage on Tuesday showed rockets being fired from an army helicopter, as well as troops in a cornfield firing mortars and carrying a wounded solider on an improvised stretcher.
The BIFF split from the MILF in 2008 after the previous peace process collapsed, then carried out attacks on Christian communities that left more than 400 people dead and 600,000 displaced.
History repeating?
"We all know what happened in 2008. We don't want that to happen again," MILF spokesman Von al-Haq told AFP.
"If the government keeps dragging its feet on the peace process, this fighting will continue and more groups will be enticed to follow ISIS," he said.
Abuza also said more attacks could be expected from other groups that have publicly pledged allegiance to ISIS in Internet videos over recent years.
These include the Abu Sayyaf, a group notorious for kidnapping foreigners.
The violence has over the decades mainly been restricted to the south, many hundreds of kilometers from the Philippine capital.
But the Abu Sayyaf bombed a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004, killing more than 100 people.
Philippine authorities have regularly said fears of growing ISIS influence on Filipino militants are misplaced.
They argue the militants are just criminals interested in money, and not radical Islamist jihadists.
But Abuza said the ability of IS to provide money and other forms of support were key to its rising influence in the south, and not its violent brand of Islam.
From CNN Philippines (Mar 3): ‘Disappointment’ over non-passage of BBL entices extremism in Mindanao — OPAPP
Last February 20, the Maute group attacked the base of the Army's 51st Infantry Battalion in Butig town, Lanao del Sur.
Peace in Mindanao is still one of the major challenges the next president has to face.
None other than Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Deles admits, the failure of the 16th Congress to pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) could provoke extremism in Mindanao.
In a statement on Thursday (March 3), Deles said: “The huge disappointment over the non-passage of the BBL provides more enticing, fertile ground for recruitment to radical, extremist thought and action.”
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leadership has earlier confirmed the inclination of some Bangsamoro youth toward extremism, even commencing recruitment of young people in organizations that have declared allegiance with international terrorist ISIS operating within Mindanao.
MILF Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Ghadzali Jafaar in a statement on Tuesday (March 2) admits, “[T]he division among the Bangsamoro people into different groups may have triggered the non-passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law in the House of Representatives.”
In an earlier event held in Davao City, Jaafar said that the Bangsamoro youth would be instrumental in realizing the Bangsamoro aspiration for genuine autonomy and self-determination.
“The goal of the Bangsamoro youth now should be to unite and to be at the forefront in realizing the aspiration of the Bangsamoro people to self-determination.”
Nevertheless, Jaafar expressed “high hopes for the Bangsamoro youth to serve their people someday and to become good Bangsamoro leaders.”
Speaking directly to the youth, Jaafar said they “should exhaust all means of diplomacy in fighting for the Bangsamoro struggle before thinking of engaging ideas of war.”
According to Philippine Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade commander Col. Roseller Murillo, the terrorist Maute group possibly used the failure to pass the BBL to recruit new members.
“Kung ikaw yung propagandist nung kabila you will use that ‘di ba? That’s your reason, you can use it to view them na ganon,” Murillo said in an interview with CNN Philippines.[Translation: If you are the propagandist of the other side, you will use that right? That’s your reason, you can use it to get sympathizers that would have the same view.]
He said the Maute group has been recruiting mostly young people.
"The fact that yung target nila are minors delikado yun because 'di ba pag bata madaling madali iconvince," said Murillo. [Translation: The fact that they're targeting minors is dangerous, because young people can be easily convinced.]
On Tuesday (March 1), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) raised the Philippine flag in Butig — a sign of normalcy after over a week of firefight with the Maute group.
Murillo said around 7,800 individuals were displaced because of the clash. He said a number of evacuees went to relatives and families in nearby areas.
Meanwhile, Deles said authorities are working closely to maintain peace and order on the ground, including curbing the spread of extremism.
“Specific to the on-going law enforcement operations, the ceasefire mechanisms have repositioned MILF troops to allow law enforcement operations to proceed and have provided sanctuary to displaced civilians with services coming from the DSWD and the ARMM government.”
Deles added, the peace panel hopes and continues to work to make sure that the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) successfully crosses over to the next administration.
From MindaNews (Mar 3): How VHF amateur radio enthusiasts helped stop escalation of conflict in Lanao del Sur
At the height of the hostilities in Lanao del Sur last week,
hundreds of VHF amateur radio enthusiasts prevented further escalation of the
conflict by going on air spreading information or dispelling rumors.
Ayub Saripada, public information officer of Saksi, the
biggest amateur radio group in Lanao del Sur said their 1,000 plus members were
monitoring closely the developments of the fighting when they learned that Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commander Abdurahman Macapaar aka Commander
Bravo issued a crucial statement on February 23.
In that interview, first aired by DXKP, a local TV and radio
station, Bravo said he and his forces were not involved in the fighting in
Butig town and the ambush of a military convoy in Balindong town, all in Lanao
del Sur.
In the videotaped interview, Bravo said the MILF is not involved in the
fighting in Lanao del Sur. “Hindi po kasali dyan ang MILF” (The MILF is not
involved there), he said.
He also belied reports that he had joined the armed group
responsible for the attacks. “Tapat po ako sa MILF dahil ang emir po ng MILF si
Al Haj Murad Ebrahim ay ang sinsusunod ay si Allah at ang Prophet Muhammad” (I
am loyal to the MILF because our Emir, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim follows Allah and
the Prophet Muhammad), Bravo said.
Saripada said their group leaped on the chance to help and
their members quickly made use of the base radios and smaller ICOM sets to
relay the message on air.
Ham VHF radios are the chief mode of communications in MarawiCity
and Lanao del Sur province where mobile phone signals are weak.
“Kahit na uminit ang aming mga radio sets, sige pa rin kami
kasi alam naming napaka importante ang statement ni Bravo ,” Saripada told
MindaNews.
The relay of information was so timely and was credited by
the government and the MILF for averting a possible escalation of the
hostilities last week.
“Maganda ang ginawa ni Commander Bravo. Nakatulong talaga”
(What Commander Bravo did is good. It really helped defuse tension), Von Al
Haq, MILF spokesperson and member of the general staff of the Bangsamoro
Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) told MindaNews.
He said the armed group led by the Maute brothers made
several attempts to draw the MILF into the hostilities by running to the MILF
camps when pursued by government troops.
“Bravo’s statement had a calming effect on a very tense
situation. Everyone realized he was not breaking the ceasefire between the MILF
and the government,” Army Brig. Gen. Glen Macasero, head of the
government’s Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH)
said.
Macasero told MindaNews the spread of this vital information
helped dispel rumors that were circulating that Bravo will join the
hostilities.
Macasero said the last skirmish between the military and the
Maute group happened last Sunday in Butig town.
But a total of 7,479 families from Butig town are still wary
to go back to their homes and are staying in the homes of their relatives and
some schools in MarawiCity and nine towns in
Lanao del Sur.
As of March 2, the Department of Social Welfare and
Development Agency in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said the
families displaced are: 2,035 in Butig town; 2,997 in Marawi City; 968 in
Buadipuso Buntong; 370 in Lumbayanague; 278 in Ditsaan Ramain; 461 in Sultan
Dumalondong; ten in Maguing; 250 in Tamparan; and 30 in Balindong town.
The Army said three of their soldiers while at least
21 members of the Maute armed group were killed in the two weeks of fighting.
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Mar 3): 4 more soldiers hurt in blast during clearing operations at ex-BIFF camp Four more soldiers were injured in an explosion while conducting clearing operations inside a former stronghold of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Datu Salibo town, Maguindanao, the Army here said Thursday.
The new figure brought to 25 the number of soldiers injured in the Maguindanao operation since February 5. Four soldiers had also been killed since then.
Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, was visiting the front line and was addressing soldiers under the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion troopers in Barangay Tee when the explosion took place on Wednesday. Minutes later, another explosion was heard, this time accompanied by radio calls for assistance as four troopers were injured.
“Actually, we have gained control of the BIFF stronghold in Barangay Tee but as it turned out, there is a mine field there,” Pangilinan said, adding that the danger of soldiers getting maimed has slowed down the clearing operations.
The presence of so many landmines, Pangilinan said, has been the same reason why the military has not allowed civilians to return to their homes yet.
He said the residents would only be allowed to come home after the complete removal of all the planted bombs in the area.
Capt. Jo-ann Petinglay, the regional military spokesperson, said more than 40 improvised bombs had either been detonated, defused and exploded in Barangay Tee and its environs since the clearing operations started.
From the Philippine Information Agency (Mar 3): MILF, MNLF jointly call on Bangsamoro for unity and solidarity
As most Filipinos celebrated the 30th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution last February 25, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) addressed in a joint assembly the Bangsamoro issue and called for unity and solidarity amidst the uncertainty brought by the non-passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
“The joint effort of the two Moro revolutionary fronts to assemble and unite is reflective of MNLF’s commitment to the agreed convergence of the two peace tracks of the MNLF and MILF into a single roadmap, said MNLF Chairman Muslimin Sema, adding that the event was also part of the MILF’s program of unification and reconciliation for Moro leaders.
The assembly, held in Carmen, North Cotabato, was headed by the MNLF’s Bukidnon State Revolutionary Committee and the MILF’s Kapalawan Provincial Committee.
During the 5th Ministerial Level Meeting of the Tripartite Review Process (TRP) of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA) between the Philippine government and the MNLF, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Iyad bin Amin Madani highlighted their intention and understanding to combine the two peace processes of the MNLF and MILF into a single roadmap.
Madani said at that time that ‘there [was] a need for the two Moro fronts to find a common understanding since they share the same political clamor and aspirations as expressed in the [BBL].”
The review process that concluded last January 25 maintained that the MNLF would participate in the 60-member Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) – the transition government that would have bridged the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the proposed Bangsamoro parliamentary government as determined in the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) -- together with the leadership of the MILF and other stakeholders which would operationalize the convergence efforts of the MILF and the MNLF through a political exercise.
However, the BTA didn’t come into fruition due to the 16th Congress’ collective failure to pass the BBL. “[T]he division among the Bangsamoro people into different groups may have triggered the non-passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law in the House of Representatives,” commented MILF Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Ghadzali Jafaar.
Jafaar, noting that the Bangsamoro people have been engaged in the peace talks for over 30 years going back to the leadership of MNLF, commented that they “will continue a peaceful peace process until Mindanao achieves an equally lasting peace”.
In a separate statement, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Undersecretary Atty. Jose Lorena said that with the completion of the TRP and in the incorporation of the MNLF agenda with the CAB under a single framework, “the CAB and correspondingly the BBL will become the inclusive framework for all the Bangsamoro in addressing the legitimate and validated Bangsamoro aspiration for genuine political autonomy and the right to self-determination. It is now clear that there will be a single framework through the BBL which will preserve the gains of the 1996 FPA and the CAB."
Bangsamoro youth key to unity, self-determination
In an earlier event held in Davao City, Jaafar commented that the Bangsamoro youth would be instrumental in realizing the Bangsamoro aspiration for genuine autonomy and self-determination as enshrined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. “The goal of the Bangsamoro youth now should be to unite and to be at the forefront in realizing the aspiration of the Bangsamoro people to self-determination.”
Speaking directly to the youth, the MILF vice chairman said that they “should exhaust all means of diplomacy in fighting for the Bangsamoro struggle before thinking of engaging ideas of war.”
The MILF leadership has earlier confirmed the inclination of some Bangsamoro youth toward extremism as well as the ongoing recruitment of young people in organizations that have declared allegiance with global terror group ISIS operating within the ARMM especially in the cities of Cotabato and Marawi.
Nevertheless, Jaafar expressed “high hopes for the Bangsamoro youth to serve their people someday and to become good Bangsamoro leaders.”
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 3): (Feature) Libingan ng mga Bayani: A final resting place fit for the valiant
“I do not know the dignity of his birth but I know the glory
of his death.”
These are the words uttered by Gen. Douglas McArthur
engraved at the entrance of the country's cemetery for heroes, officially known
as the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani (LNMB) -- the final resting place for the
country’s finest heroes and leaders who served the nation above and beyond the
call of duty.
Located within FortBonifacio in Western Bicutan, TaguigCity,
LNMB is also known to be the resting place of some of the country's famous
public officials.
The LNMB was formerly known as the RepublicMemorialCemetery established by
the government in 1947 as a tribute to the noble Filipino soldiers who fought
and died during the Second World War.
In 1954, then President Ramon Magsaysay re-dedicated the
cemetery and renamed it the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani.
Last Feb. 29, the remains of the late President Elpidio
Quirino, the sixth president of the country, was re-interred at the LNMB
exactly 60 years after his death.
Quirino now joins two other previous Philippine presidents,
Diosdado Macapagal and Carlos P. Garcia and other notable public servants
comprised of war veterans and government officials.
The late President Garcia, the eight president of the
Republic and the man behind the “Filipino First Policy”, was the first
President to be interred at the LNMB in 1971 while Macapagal, who succeeded
Garcia’s presidency after his death and the father of former president and now
Pampanga representative Gloria Arroyo, was re-interred in 1997.
Before Quirino, it was actually former President Ferdinand
E. Marcos who was slated to be interred to the cemetery. However, due to strong
opposition coming from various sectors, this was not carried out.
Marcos’ remains are currently preserved at the MarcosMuseum
and Mausoleum in BatacCity, Ilocos Norte which
also serves as memorabilia storage of the late president.
The transfer of his corpse is still a cause of debate for
current public officials especially after celebrating the 30th year of EDSA
revolution which ousted the Marcoses from Malacanang.
The cemetery doesn’t only serve as resting place but also a
travel destination especially for the younger generation who would want to feel
a sense of nostalgia for the past.
LNMB is highlighted by sites such as the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier which is situated at the center of the cemetery where the inscription
“Here lies a Filipino soldier whose name is known only to God” is found.
Behind the tomb are three marble pillars representing the
three main island groups in the Philippines—Luzon,
Visayas, and Mindanao.
Other major sites include Heroes Memorial Gate, Black Stone
Walls, Korean Memorial Pylon and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Pylon besides all
the burial sites of our greatest and bravest countrymen.
The LNMB is under the administration and maintenance of the
Grave Service Unit (GSU), a unit of the Philippine Army Support, Armed Forces
of the Philippines
which aims to provide grave services to deceased military personnel who died in
line of duty or were honorably discharged, Filipino veterans, former
presidents, government dignitaries, statesmen and national artists.
Aside from maintaining the LNMB and the military grave site
at ManilaNorthCemetery,
the unit is also capable of providing mortuarial and memorial services to
authorized personnel.
According to Armed Forces of the Philippines Regulation, the
allocation of Cemetery Plots at the LNMB issued on April 9, 1986 by former AFP
chief-of-staff Gen. Fidel V. Ramos and President Corazon C. Aquino, along with
members of the military, the following persons are entitled to be interred at Heroes'
Cemetery: (1)Medal of Valor awardees, (2)Presidents or Commanders-in-Chief,
AFP, (3)The secretaries of National Defense, (4)AFP Chiefs of Staff,
General/Flag Officers, active and retired military personnel, and former AFP
members who laterally entered/joined the Philippine National Police (PNP) and
the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), (5)Veterans of the Philippine Revolution of
1896, the First and Second World Wars, as well as recognized guerrillas,
(6)Government dignitaries, statesmen, national artists and other deceased
persons whose interment has been approved by the commander-in-chief, Congress
or the Secretary of National Defense, and, (7)Former Presidents, Secretaries of
National Defense, widows of former Presidents, Secretaries of National Defense
and Chiefs of Staff.
However, those who were dishonorably separated, reverted, or
discharged from the service, and those who were convicted of an offense
involving moral turpitude cannot be buried at the cemetery.
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 3): Army closely monitors Antique as start of local campaign nears
The 82nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, which
covers Antique, is now closely monitoring the area with the start of the local
elections campaign period on March 26.
LTC Enriqueto R. Deocadez, Jr., 82nd Infantry Battalion
Commander of the Philippine Army that is under the 3rd Infantry Division, said
that right now Antique is experiencing a peaceful environment as compared with
other provinces.
He, however, said that there are sightings of insurgents or
spill over from Iloilo
to the hinterlands of Sibalom and San Remigio towns which they are closely
monitoring and subject of their sustained operations.
”There is still nothing to worry about though,” Deocadez
said in an interview.
He said that they have not yet monitored extortion cases on
candidates by the insurgent groups.
This was also confirmed by Major Rey Tiongson, chief of the
3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, in a separate interview. He said
that so far, there are still no candidates who have reported being extorted,
but that could be because the local campaign period has not yet started.
Tiongson then appealed to candidates and the civil society
to immediately report to the Army or the police any extortion incident. “Our
troops in the field are continuously monitoring to prevent lawless armed groups
to undertake extortion activities,” he said.
Tiongson said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines
with the Philippine National Police are ready to provide necessary security if
needed by the candidates.
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 3): Army division commander visits front line against BIFF in Maguindanao
Government forces and outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom
Fighters (BIFF) continue to trade mortars and bullets in Maguindanao as the
military announced it has regained control of a village used by bandits in
harassing government forces.
"Fighting is still on going in Barangay Tee because
there are still resistance from the armed men and our troops are threading on
what we believed was a minefield," Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, 6th
Infantry Division commander, told reporters in Filipino.
On Wednesday, Pangilinan visited the front line, or about
500 meters away from actual engagement area between government troops and
lawless BIFF, to boost the morale of ground troops and to personally assess the
situation.
While Pangilinan was in the site in Barangay Tee, Datu
Salibo, Maguidnanao, the BIFF fired rockets toward the Army position.
Four more soldiers were killed as clearing operations
against the lawless elements in Maguindanao intensified.
“The BIFF was still firing mortars toward Army positions as
of Thursday morning,” Capt. Joann Petinglay, 6th ID spokesperson, said.
Pangilinan and his team had just arrived in the village of Tee at 1 p.m. Wednesday. As soon as he
disembarked from an Army vehicle, two improvised bomb explosions came in
succession.
As he monitored through military radio, he heard a soldier
seeking assistance as four of them were hit by BIFF bombs beside a creek in
Barangay Tee. Then, another explosion.
Minutes later, the fourth IED went off as heard through
military radio set.
This prompted Pangilinan to shell enemy positions with
mortars and air strikes. For about an hour, two MG-520 attack helicopters were
pounding the area with rockets while ground troops and military ambulance
evacuate the four wounded infantrymen from Barangay Tee to the 6th ID base in
Maguindanao.
“We actually captured the BIFF stronghold but it was
littered by improvised bombs and the area remained dangerous," Pangilinan
said, adding that the Army has not issued the green light for internally
displaced persons' (IDPs) return.
“Once we clear the community of bombs, then we can safely
say the civilians can return home,” he told reporters.
Sgt. James Joloro, among the four wounded soldiers, said he
was leading a team clearing the former BIFF launching pad against Army when he stepped
on one of the IEDs.
“I stepped on it followed by a light blast,” Joloro told
reporters. “Luckily, the 60 mm mortar main charged did not explode, only the
blasting cap, whew it is our second life,” Joloro added.
Since the fighting began on Feb. 5, about 50 improvised
bombs have been detonated, defused and exploded in Barangay Tee and its
environs, reports from the 6th ID showed.
Four soldiers were killed while 25 others were injured due
to IED blasts and BIFF’s rifle grenade attacks.
Not less than 40 BIFF were believed killed during the
month-long fire fight, the 6th ID said.
As the number of BIFF increased, the military augmented its
forces. Colonel Lito Sobejana, 601st brigade chief, said a Philippine Marine
contingent has arrived in Datu Salibo to augment Army units.
Colonel Mel Budiongan, 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade
commander, said more than 40 BIFF are believed killed base on the data gathered
by Army ground troops and information provided by the locals.
However, Budiongan admitted there was no body count.
Petinglay said foot soldiers found several shallow mass
graves believed to be burial sites of slain BIFF but the soldiers did not touch
them.
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 3): Maguindanao relief workers survive crossfire in Army-BIFF clashes
Aid workers in Maguindanao have survived many hostilities,
even risking lives to serve internally displaced families in Maguindanao during
both man-made and natural calamities.
But Wednesday's encounter was close that aid workers
continue to talk about it to date.
The Peoples Medical Team (PMT), Maguindanao's emergency
relief assistance unit, was almost caught in the crossfire when government
forces and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) traded mortars in
Barangay Tee, Datu Salibo, Maguindanao.
Emergency workers were trapped as the protagonists trade
mortars but all of them, numbering about 15, survived unscathed, according to
Lynette Estandarte, focal person of PMT, said.
Estandarte, also Maguindanao's budget officer, said the team
was preparing to leave the village where the relief operation was conducted
when automatic gunfire were heard near them. Not far away were soldiers in
combat position firing their guns.
"Bullet sounds were so close to us, we were told to lie
down," she told reporters.
Few minutes later, the soldiers told the relief aid workers
to pack up and leave. They did hurriedly.
Being in the middle of the battlefield was not new to air
workers having risked lives so the displaced families can be served.
"We have been to this situation in the past but this
one was so scary, hearing the sounds of bullets passing so close to us,"
Estandarte said.
The military said the BIFF has grouped into smaller teams
apparently to misled military forces. They even mingled to civilians and most
likely received relief aid from government agencies.
Capt. Joann Petinglay, speaking for the military, admitted
it could be a possibility. "But if they are unarmed, we cannot just pounced
on them," she said in a radio interview, adding that it was difficult to
determine whether those queuing for relief goods are BIFF or ordinary
civilians.
Despite the scary experience, Estandarte said the PMT will
continue its mission of helping the displaced families survived the daily
ordeal of living in cramped evacuation sites.
"This is the mandate given us by Gov. (Esmael)
Mangudadatu, we will continue to discharge this mandate," she said.
Fighting continued Thursday between elements of the 2nd
Mechanized Infantry Brigade and BIFF in Datu Salibo's village of Tee.
So far, four soldiers were killed and 25 others were hurt,
all due to land mines and improvised bombs planted by the BIFF as they moved
deep into the marshland.
An Army officer, who asked not to be named, admitted more
than 50 BIFF have been killed in the month-long sporadic skirmishes but the
military would not make it official because no dead bodies were accounted.
The military launched air and ground assaults against the
BIFF since Feb. 5 after the bandit harassed government forces securing a flood
control project in Barangay Tee and torched two backhoe equipment.
Clearing operations are underway before the Army gives the
green light for displaced families to return home.
From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 3): OIC secretary general urges next admin to refile BBL
Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani on Wednesday urged the
incoming administration to refile the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) as originally
agreed upon and ensure its early passage.
In a statement, Madani expressed
his disappointment over the non-passage of the proposed measure in the 16th
Congress which would have been a major step toward a successful conclusion of
the Bangsamoro peace process.
Madani made the statement
following a meeting with Chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
Alhaj Murad Ebrahim last Feb. 28 at the OIC headquarters in Saudi Arabia.
The severe setback of adopting
the BBL or its watered down version could have adverse effects on human,
security, and developmental aspects of the region, the OIC official warned.
He particularly noted the spread
of violent extremism as a risk implication arising from the delay in the peace
process.
“A failure of peace process could
adversely affect the good relation existing between the Philippines and
the Muslim world,” said Madani.
The Secretary General also called
upon the international community, particularly those involved in the peace
process and those that witnessed the signing of the CAB, to urge the incoming
administration to save this process and guarantee the passage of the BBL as
originally agreed upon.
Madani urged both the Philippine
government (GPH) and the MILF to remain fully committed to the process and to
stay the course of peace.
To recall, both the GPH and the
MILF peace panels met anew in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia
from Feb. 10-11 and reaffirmed their commitment to the peace process, saying
that they will do anything possible to ensure that the next administration is
able to implement the provisions in the CAB and move forward with the passage
of the BBL.
“The two Parties reaffirmed their
commitment to stay the course of peace. They shall sustain the existing peace
infrastructure. This infrastructure is fundamental in keeping the peace on the
ground and supporting the implementation of the CAB. It is important that it remains
functional for the next administration to carry forward the implementation of
the agreements,” said the panels in a joint statement released after the
meeting.
For her part, GPH peace panel
chair Miriam Colonel-Ferrer said that the next administration would be
foolhardy if it decided to disregard the gains of the 17 years of peace
negotiations between the GPH and MILF.
“It is an advantage to the next
administration to keep this peace on the ground stable so that (they) could
focus all (their) attention to other security threats that this country is
facing – both external and internal,” said Ferrer.
The government peace panel chief
negotiator insisted that the CAB provides a comprehensive social justice-based
approach which would deter the rise of violent, extremist groups in southern Philippines and comprehensively sustain past and
present efforts for peace and development particularly in Mindanao.
