Propaganda video posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Jun 15): Be a medic of the people, join the New People's Army
In the New People’s Army, Red fighters are trained in diagnostics, treatment of common diseases and ailments, psychology, dentistry as well as in basic and advanced surgery. As trained medics, NPA Red fighters are able to provide medical service to the hundreds of thousands of people and their revolution.
From the Website of Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines who now claims to be a consultant for the National Democratic Front, the political wing of the CPP (Jun 6): Special message to all participants of multisectoral conversations on peace
at the Ateneo de Davao University
By Prof. Jose Maria Sison Founding Chairman, Communist Party of the Philippines Chief Political Consultant, National Democratic Front of the Philippines June 8, 2016
Dear fellow Ateneans and friends,
Warmest greetings of peace to all of you in this multisectoral gathering called “When Blue Meets Red”! I thank the officials of the University Community Engagement and Advocacy Council (UCEAC) and the University Research Council (URC) of the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) for inviting me to give this brief special message and for having Fidel Agcaoili as the lead discussant in representation of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
Like the rest of the NDFP, I commend the resolve of the AdDU to strengthen its platform on peace [Be Engaged and Embrace Peace] by providing spaces for continuing conversations to widen and deepen understanding of the historical, political, and philosophical ramifications of the formal peace talks between the incoming Duterte government and the NDFP.
It is definitely useful and timely for you to promote multisectoral conversations in order to raise the level of common understanding, support the peace negotiations and offer constructive proposals for making agreements in the interest of our people.
Indeed, the peace negotiations can move forward if the common point of reference is what is just and beneficial to the people.
As far as the NDFP is concerned, the people are desirous of social, economic and political reforms that address the roots of the civil war and lay the basis for a just and lasting peace We want the people to enjoy the benefits of full national independence, democracy, social justice, development through national industrialization and genuine land reform and a patriotic and progressive system of education and culture.
We in the NDFP appreciate highly your welcome and encouragement of the initiatives being undertaken by incoming President Duterte. He has offered no less than the Communist Party of the Philippines four cabinet posts that involve close relations with the people. The CPP and NDFP have thanked the President-elect for his act of good will and show of trust and confidence and encouraged the legal national and democratic forces to select their nominees for government positions.
President-elect Duterte has long demonstrated that he has the strength of character, the political will and determination to engage the revolutionary forces and do what is good for the people. He is not afraid of denouncing foreign interlopers and the oligarchs and describing himself as a socialist and as the first Left president of the Philippines. His statement sometime ago that he was amenable to a coalition government has encouraged the NDFP to seriously study the possibility of a government of national unity, peace and development.
I am proud of having some part in the development of President Duterte as a political activist and leader. He was a student of mine in political thought and became a member of Kabataang Makabayan. There should never be any problem in the peace process that we cannot discuss and fix promptly, directly or through emissaries. We have the necessary degree of rapport to exchange views and come to an agreement quickly in order to bring the peace process to a successful and happy conclusion.
President Duterte is known to spontaneously make abrupt or sometimes tentative statements, especially in the economic field. But he is also known, especially by those who know him enough, to listen to what is just and reasonable and is capable of changing or adjusting a previous position. He is said to be never deliberately unjust and unreasonable.
I make these comments in the hope that his anti-imperialist, democratic and socialist intentions and reflexes will allow him to understand that even within the International Monetary Fund there is now growing criticism of neoliberal economic policy for exacerbating inequality and economic stagnation. I believe that as truce and alliance or cooperation advances in our relations he will grasp fully the requirements of national industrialization and genuine land reform.
The visits of Fidel Agcaoili to President Duterte in Davao City have been very fruitful and so have been Fidel’s conversations with the former Justice Secretary Silvestre Bello III who is the appointed chief negotiator of the Duterte government. The NDFP is ready to resume the peace negotiations in accordance with the existing agreements. We are now preparing for the preliminary talks in Oslo next week to agree on the agenda for the resumption of formal talks in July. We are also ready to agree on the drafts of important documents for finalization and signing by the negotiating panels and for approval by the principals in July.
We in the NDFP have been elated by the pledge of President Duterte to release all the political prisoners by general amnesty even before the start of formal talks if the preliminary talks prove to be successful. And we have expressed the willingness to achieve peace immediately in the form of a mutual interim ceasefire. We are ready to maintain the ceasefire and the peace while we carry out the plan to accelerate the peace negotiations.
The three remaining items in the substantive agenda of the peace negotiations are: 1) social and economic reforms, 2) political and constitutional reforms and 3) end of hostilities and disposition of the armed forces. The negotiating panels must produce the comprehensive agreements on each of these items. In 1998 they succeeded in producing the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHIL). But unfortunately, when the Ramos government came to an end it was succeeded by regimes obsessed with obtaining the capitulation of the NDFP and less interested in the success of the peace process through the satisfaction of the people’s demands for reforms.
Now we have again the same leading negotiators of both sides who were responsible for the ten major agreements made during the Ramos government, ranging from The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 as the framework agreement for the peace negotiations to the CARHRIHL of 1998. There is a far greater chance than ever before for producing the comprehensive agreements at a faster rate to the mutual satisfaction of both parties and most importantly to the satisfaction of the people who need and demand the reforms.
The most crucial factor for the success of the peace process is the mutual determination of the Duterte government and the NDFP to exercise the necessary political will to adopt the long overdue basic reforms, especially in the face of the worsening crisis of the world capitalist system and the domestic ruling system that is inflicting intolerable suffering on the Filipino people. Since President Duterte is a professed socialist, it should be easy for him to agree to the bourgeois democratic reforms that the NDFP is proposing for uplifting the social conditions and lives of the Filipino people.
The NDFP wishes your multisectoral conversations the utmost success. We eagerly await the results. We are ready to learn from the views and proposals expressed. May you support the peace process more than ever before.
Mabuhay kayo! Mabuhay tayo! Mabuhay ang sambayanang!
From the Website of Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines who now claims to be a consultant for the National Democratic Front, the political wing of the CPP (Jun 13): Prospects under the Duterte Administration and tasks of the Filipino youth
By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Founding Chairman, Communist Party of the Philippines, Chief Political Consultant, National Democratic Front of the Philippines
June 10, 2016
Dear Compatriots and Friends:
Warmest greetings of solidarity! I thank Anakbayan, League of Filipino Students, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, Panday Sining-KARATULA, National Union of Students of the Philippines, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, and Kabataan Partylist for inviting me to speak before this All Leaders Forum on the GPH-NDFP Peace Talks.
I propose to state each of the twelve points in the Program of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and discuss the prospects under the Duterte administration and the tasks of the Filipino youth. I shall be elaborative on the first four points to ensure a common understanding of our national and democratic framework and then I shall proceed with the subsequent points at a quicker pace.
First point: Unite the people for the overthrow of the semi-colonial and semi-feudal system through a people’s war and for the completion of the national democratic revolution.
On the basis of his previous pronouncements, Duterte can easily agree to a radical or substantial change of the semicolonial and semifeudal system but not to the overthrow of the system through a people’s war. He is unique for declaring himself as the first Left president of the Philippines and a socialist but not a communist. He also says that he is against armed struggle and in that sense he is for peace negotiations with the NDFP and is willing to cooperate in realizing basic reforms or major changes.
Having been my student in his university days and a member of Kabataang Makabayan and having been associated with BAYAN, he understands what are the forces that make the semicolonial and semifeudal conditions and he is against the dominance of the US and other foreign powers , feudal exploitation and bureaucratic corruption.
He has however declared opposition to armed struggle. The question therefore arises whether the national democratic revolution can be completed in the absence of a people’s war.
He can argue that as president and commander-in-chief of the reactionary armed forces, police and auxiliary forces he has the armed strength to guarantee the reforms that the people demand against imperialism and the oligarchy. But examples in history abound of well meaning leaders or heads of state succumbing to neocolonial and neoliberal economic and financial manipulation, subjected to coup d’etat by their own armed forces and /or impeachment by Congress once they cross the line set by the US and oligarchs.
If he agrees on basic social, economic and political reforms with the NDFP, he must also agree to arousing, organizing and mobilizing the people in support of a government of national unity, peace and development. There must be provisions for developing all means for satisfying the demands of the people, especially the toiling masses, and for resisting effectively the use of deception and violence by the imperialist and oligarchic enemies of the people.
The manner by which President Duterte has been elected, the current composition of his government and his own pronouncements show that there is still a long way to negotiate comprehensive agreements on social, economic and political reforms that are satisfactory to the people. An interim ceasefire is possible to generate good will and a favorable atmosphere for the release of more than 500 political prisoners and for the acceleration of peace negotiations. But revolutionary vigilance is necessary for defending the patriotic and progressive forces as well as for a Duterte presidency that may come under threats from the US and local reactionaries.
Having said the foregoing, I urge the Filipino youth to continue all their efforts to unite the people for the overthrow of the semicolonial and semifeudal system through a people’s war and for the completion of the national democratic revolution. This task is validated by the lack of any final peace agreement that is satisfactory to the people. Even when and if there is already such agreement, the contracting parties and the people must still be ready to uphold, defend and advance the basic reforms agreed upon.
Any truce and alliance with the Duterte presidency should be justifiable in terms of serving the national and democratic rights and interests of the Filipino people. So long as such presidency is moving ahead along this line, any of its self-contradiction, imperfection or inadequacy by acts of commission and omission may be the subject of critical analysis and constructive proposal. The patriotic and progressive forces maintain their independence and initiative. A balance of unity and struggle must be maintained, with the latter always standing on just and reasonable grounds, with the objective of improving or strengthening the alliance.
Second point: Establish a people’s democratic republic and a democratic coalition government.
In the peace negotiations with the Duterte government, what is in sight is not a people’s democratic republic under the leadership of the working class and the Communist Party on the basis mainly of the worker-peasant alliance. To have that kind of republic, you have to overthrow the exploiting classes of big compradors and landlords through the people’s war. But the kind of republic now possible is one in which inside and outside the government the participation of the Communist Party of the Philippines is no longer banned but encouraged.
What is in sight is a kind of coalition government that involves the participation of the Communist Party amidst other patriotic and progressive forces. It is a government of national unity, peace and development. It is a framework within which all he patriotic and progressive forces can grow in strength because a common ground of basic reforms resulting from successful peace negotiations has been laid. And the Communist Party can prove that it best serves the people with its program of action and concrete deeds in this regard.
President Duterte must be credited for having offered the possibility of a coalition government long before winning elections. And in the process of forming his cabinet, he has generously offered to the Communist Party four cabinet posts concerned with labor, agrarian reform, social welfare and the environment. The CPP and NDFP have thanked the President for making the offer and have proposed that legal progressives can take the positions while the known revolutionary leaders must first focus on the progress of the peace process. The progressives are in the minority in Duterte’s cabinet. But Duterte’s actions before and after the elections have thus far been encouraging to the patriotic mass movement.
The task of the Filipino youth is to help develop and avail of a democratic coalition government in order to advance towards the goal of developing a people’s democratic republic. They must support the patriotic and progressive initiatives and measures undertaken in an alliance with an otherwise fully reactionary government. They should continue to help in strengthening the mass movement in the cities and countryside and the organs of political power in the countryside to serve as the strong foundation for a developing coalition government.
Third point: Build the people’s revolutionary army and the people’s defense system.
President Duterte has said time and again that he is against armed struggle and that he is for the existence of only one army in the Philippines. This proposition must undergo the test of what is immediately possible, which is an interim ceasefire in place, and further negotiations on the end of hostilities and redisposition of the armed forces of both sides. There are many possibilities to consider in dealing with two opposing armies that cease to fight each other.
No genuine armed revolutionary movement has ever accepted capitulation and outright dismantling while the opposite remains intact and growing. Truce and alliance are the most realizable. Revolutionary armed units can become guards of the environment and the industries under conditions of peace and development. Integration of armed forces is permissible as in the experience of the Chinese revolution. Mutual demobilization is also possible if armed units have become redundant due to the existence of peace. The armed personnel of both sides can then opt to take industrial jobs or go back to agriculture and partake of the benefits of genuine land reform.
Certainly a lot of savings can be made for development and social services if there is a just and lasting peace. But if the social, economic and political reforms are serious and deepgoing enough, the US and the local reactionary forces are likely to wage armed counterrevolution, be it a coup d’etat or civil war or even an outright war of aggression by US imperialism. Because of such a high probability, there must be provisions for effective people’s resistance.
The Filipino youth must support truce and alliance for the purpose of achieving national unity, peace and development and must always be alert and ready to fight armed counterrevolution or foreign aggression or intervention. At the first sign of a serious and imminent threat of violence against the Filipino people, the Filipino youth must rise up to join in their defense. They can do so only if they do not cease to build their mass movement and train for the defense of the people.
Fourth point: Uphold and promote the people’s democratic rights.
The entire Filipino people must uphold and promote their democratic rights: political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights against those who oppress and exploit them. The fundamental rights of the people are spelled out in the Program for a People’s Democratic Revolution and the Guide for Establishing the People’s Government. The NDFP has also succeeded with the Manila government in making a Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and has used the International Bill of Rights and the Geneva Conventions as the point of reference.
President Duterte’s avowed focus on the crusade against crime and civil violence and his sense of urgency in implementing his reform platform have the effect of highlighting issues of human rights, especially civil and political rights. His reform platform has aroused and mobilized millions of people in spontaneous ways to support his electoral campaign and initial policies. This has gigantic potential for mass organizing in a progressive direction or otherwise.
The Filipino youth must be conscious of the fact that they constitute the largest part of the people, they are the most open to fundamental social change and they are the most resolute and militant in demanding and pursuing such change. They must persevere in the struggle to assert, defend and advance the people’s democratic rights.
Fifth point: Terminate all unequal relations with the United States and other foreign entities.
The recent statement of President Duterte not to be dependent on the US for national security is welcome. After the Permanent Court of Arbitration decides in favor of the Philippines in its maritime dispute with China, China will have less reason for encroaching on the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Extended Continental Shelf of the Philippines and the Philippines will be more confident in further developing relations with China and in scrapping the unequal executive agreements with the US, like the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
The Filipino people must uphold their national sovereignty and independence and the territorial integrity of their country. They must continue to demand the termination of all treaties, agreements and arrangements that involve unequal relations with other countries in the economic, financial, political and military spheres. The Filipino youth must use their intelligence to end the reactionary tradition and practice of subservience to the imperialist powers. These have perpetuated the conditions of high unemployment, underdevelopment and widespread poverty.
Sixth point: Implement genuine agrarian reform, promote agricultural cooperation, raise rural production and employment through the modernization of agriculture and rural industrialization and ensure agricultural sustainability.
It is fine that President Duterte has appointed the long time peasant leader Rafael Mariano as the Secretary of Agrarian Reform. The Aquino regime has allowed the bogus Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program-Enhanced Reform to lapse two years ago. More than 80 per cent of the supposed land reform beneficiaries have failed to amortize the land allotted to them. Land is always reaccumulated by a few in the wake of the fake reform program. Ka Paeng now has responsibility to push a new land reform law to effectively redistribute land to the tillers.
The Filipino people, the peasants themselves and the entire Filipino youth must push for the adoption and implementation of a genuine land reform program that involves the free distribution of land to the tillers, agricultural cooperation, increased production and employment through rural industrialization. Genuine land reform is the way to the economic, social and political liberation of the landless tillers. It is the main content of the democratic revolution. It is the necessary complement to national industrialization, assuring the people of food self-sufficiency and industries of major raw materials and enlarged domestic market.
Seventh point: Break the combined dominance of the US and other imperialists, big compradors and landlords over the economy. Carry out national industrialization and build an independent and self-reliant economy.
The combination of the imperialist powers headed by the US and the local exploiting classes of big compradors and landlords have kept the people severely exploited and impoverished, the economy underdeveloped and the environment ravaged. It is necessary to carry out national industrialization and build an independent and self-reliant economy.
President Duterte has at certain times declared the need for a steel industry and national industrialization and the processing of the mineral ores taken away from the country. At other times he promises to create business islands and increase the special economic zones for foreign companies. So far he has appointed to key economic positions in his cabinet exponents of the neoliberal economic policy. But we look forward to engaging the Duterte government in peace negotiations and in due course persuade it to adopt the policy of national industrialization firmly and vigorously.
The Filipino people and youth must support the plan of the NDFP to have raw materials provided by agriculture and mineral ores provided by the extractive industries processed in our country in order to advance national industrialization and employ the millions of people who are unemployed and/or who go abroad for work. We can combine state and private Filipino resources to build industries. We can acquire investments and technology from a wide range of countries to avoid being dominated by one, two or three imperialist powers.
Eighth point: Adopt a comprehensive and progressive social policy.
It is fine that President Duterte has appointed Judy Taguiwalo as the secretary of social welfare and development. We have someone to rely on for providing timely distribution of relief goods and rehabilitation funds and other resources to cope with social and natural disasters. But the way to uplift the people is to develop the economy through national industrialization and land reform. These provide expanding employment and better means of livelihood along major lines of production and in medium and small enterprises.
The Filipino people and youth must support the plan for economic development and create and ensure democratic conditions to spread the benefits of a growing economy to the people. The people must exercise their democratic rights to demand better work and living conditions, increased social benefits and more and better social services.
Ninth point: Promote a national, scientific and pro-people culture.
President Duterte has emphasized the importance and necessity of expanding education as a way for uplifting the children and the youth and ensuring the steady progress of the people. He has announced his intention to rechannel resources to free public education and public health from bureaucratic corruption and from so many useless and yet costly projects and programs. He has expressed criticism of K-12 and has appointed a progressive person as secretary of education.
Even as more resources are intended to benefit education, the Filipino people and youth must demand a national, scientific and pro-people culture. We must promote a patriotic type of cultural and educational system that is proud of our national heritage and mindful of the current needs of the nation. We must free ourselves from feudal and medieval biases. We must use science and technology to hasten economic development. We must ensure that education and culture serve the needs and demands of the people, especially the toiling masses of workers and peasants.
Tenth point: Uphold the rights to self-determination and democracy of the Moro people, Cordillera peoples and other national minorities or indigenous peoples.
The Duterte government proposes to replace the current unitary state with a federal state. It believes that federalism is the way to assure the Moro people of regional autonomy and a fair share of the wealth that comes from their own region. Objectors argue that federalism would enhance and embolden centrifugal forces. Whatever is the form of government, the Filipino people and youth must uphold the rights to self-determination and democracy of the Moro people, the Cordillera peoples and other national minorities or indigenous peoples.
Eleventh point: Advance the revolutionary emancipation of women in all spheres.
While mayor of Davao City, Duterte has recognized and appreciated the role of women in public life, has created facilities for women and children in need and has demonstrated his abhorrence of violence to women. What remains to be seen is what more he can do to uphold gender equality and help realize the high potential of women who have long been suppressed by patriarchy. The Filipino people and youth must advance further the emancipation women in all spheres of social endeavor. There is no sphere where they cannot excel like the menfolk if they are recognized equally and enjoy equal opportunities.
Twelfth point: Adopt an active, independent and peaceful foreign policy.
President Duterte has demonstrated in a number of instances his patriotic position regarding the unjust acts and impositions of foreign powers and has in mind the immediate and long term interests of the Filipino people. The Philippines must have an active, independent and peaceful foreign policy.
The Filipino people and youth must demand the adoption and implementation of such policy. We can carry forward such a policy by upholding our national sovereignty and dignity, practising self-reliance in all fields of social endeavor (economic, political and cultural) and aiming for solidarity and cooperation for peace and development against imperialism and all reaction
From the Manila Bulletin (Jun 18): Kidnapped students freed in Lanao del Norte
After 12 days of captivity, two remaining kidnapped students of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) were released on Thursday in a remote village of Lanao del Norte after alleged “pressure” exerted by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)-backed negotiators on their abductors, local authorities Friday.
The freed captives were MUS-IIT students Berzon Paeste and Cidrick Jamias, who were recovered by joint elements of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), police and military at the boundary of Poona-Piagapo and Munai towns in Lanao del Norte which are under the jurisdiction of MILF commander Abdullah “Bravo” Macapaar, officials said.
The rescue team coordinated with the Government-MILF Ad Hoc Joint Action Group and Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities in the recovery of the captives, lawyer Abdul Jamal Dimaporo, head agent-in-charge of the NBI-Iligan District Office, told reporters.
“It’s the pressure of the joint team and the assistance of Commander Bravo that forced the kidnappers to abandon the kidnap victims safely,” he said.
Dimaporo clarified that no ransom was paid for the victim’s freedom despite earlier reports that a P5-million ransom was demanded by their abductors.
Paeste and Jamias were abducted last June 4 together with other four victims – Juhari Gubat, Kevin Limpin, Hannah Yurong, and Eloisa Lacson in Iligan City. The four, non-MSU-IIT students, were released on June 6, police said.
Previous reports including a statement from the MSU-IIT, the six victims were hanging out outside the campus at a gas station convenience store in Barangay Tibanga, Iligan City in the evening of June 4 before their abduction. http://www.mb.com.ph/?p=441683
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Jun 19): Rebs release video clip of captive cop
Communist guerrillas released a video clip as proof of life of the police chief of Governor Generoso town in Davao Oriental province who is being held captive by the guerrillas and accused of involvement in drug trafficking in the town.
In the 32-second clip, Chief Insp. Arnold Ongachen (not Olgachen as previously reported) said he was hopeful about his release from captivity by the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed component of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Ongachen said he was being treated fairly by the guerrillas.
But he made no mention of the accusation that he was a drug user and protector of the illegal drug trade in the town.
NPA leaders said guerrillas raided the town of Governor Generoso on May 29 to put a stop to the illegal drug trade there.
In a statement that followed the attack, the guerrillas said a sachet of “shabu” was found in the possession of Ongachen when he was taken captive.
Incoming President Rodrigo Duterte said he would not lift a finger to rescue Ongachen after he learned about the guerrilla accusation against the officer.
Earlier this week, Chief Supt. Manuel Gaerlan, Southern Mindanao police director, said an investigation he ordered into Ongachen showed that the captive officer was not involved in drugs.
From the Malaysian Digest (Jun 18): Malaysian, Indonesian, Philippine To Cooperate Against Abu Sayyaf
The Malaysian Armed Forces will work with the security forces of the Philippines and Indonesia to foil attempts by Abu Sayyaf militants hunted by Philippine troops from escaping from Sulu, said Chief of Defence Forces Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin.
This was a follow-up to the Philippine deployment of 5,000 troops in Sulu to hunt down the Abu Sayyaf militants who had beheaded two Canadian hostages in the past two months after failing to get their demanded ransom, he said.
"We will act early to thwart any attempt by the Abu Sayyaf militants to escape. Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines will work together closely in this endeavour.
"We have deployed assets of the MAF, Royal Malaysia Police and Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency to conduct joint operations," he told reporters after attending a breaking of fast with the 8th Infantry Brigade personnel at the Desa Kok Lanas Camp here last night.
Kok Lanas state assemblyman Datuk Md Alwi Che Ahmad, Kelantan Federal Development Department director Datuk Makhtar Mustapha and 2nd Infantry Division commander Datuk Fadzil Mokhtar were also present.
Yesterday, at least 5,000 Philippine troops were deployed in Sulu to hunt down the Abu Sayyaf militants who beheaded the two Canadians.
Last Monday, Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded Canadian Robert Hall after their demand for ransom was refused. On April 25, they beheaded another Canadian hostage, John Ridsdel.
They are still holding Filipina Maritess Flor and Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad. Ridsdel, Hall, Flor and Sekkingstad were kidnapped in an exclusive marina in the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte on Sept 21, 2015.
On June 8, the Abu Sayyaf freed four Malaysian sailors from Sarawak who were kidnapped on April 1 off the coast of Sabah.
Meanwhile, Zulkifeli said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein was expected to meet his Indonesian and Philippine counterparts soon to discuss cooperation in patrols in the Sulawesi and Sulu seas.
He said one of Malaysia's proposals would be to emulate the patrol model currently in use in the Melaka Strait.
From Rappler (Jun 18): AFP: No conspiracy with Abu Sayyaf
The Armed Forces says in a statement, 'commanders on the ground are in full control of our troops and are focused on their primary mission of getting these criminals and saving the hostages'
TIGHT SECURITY. Filipino soldiers stand guard at a military checkpoint during Philippine President Benigno Aquino III's trip to the island of Sulu, southern Philippines, on June 15, 2016, after the murder of Canadian national Robert Hall. File photo by Ben Hajan/EPA
Amid allegations of conspiracy with the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a statement Saturday, June 18, men in uniform remain committed to saving hostages and running after criminals.
“We do not doubt the dedication and commitment of our troops. In addition, commanders on the ground are in full control of our troops and are focused on their primary mission of getting these criminals and saving the hostages,” the AFP said via Communications Secretary Hermino “Sonny” Coloma Jr.
On Friday, June 17, the mayor of Jolo Hussin Amin alleged that soldiers are conspiring with the Abu Sayyaf and getting a portion of the ransom collected from the kidnap victims. The Jolo mayor also called on the national government to investigate these military men.
On Monday, June 13, the Abu Sayyaf beheaded Canadian hostage Robert Hall after the deadline they imposed for ransom payment lapsed. The terrorist group demanded P600 million in ransom for 3 foreign hostages that included John Ridsdel who was also killed in April.
Hall’s girlfriend Marites Flor and Norwegian resort manager Kjartan Sekkingstad remain in captivity. They were abducted in September 2015 from Samal Island.
In a radio interview on dzRB, Coloma said allegations that tend to cast doubt on efforts of the Armed Forces are baseless. The AFP and police have been at the forefront of the fight against “all kidnap-for-ransom groups and the Abu Sayyaf Group for a long time,” Coloma said, reading from the AFP statement.
The AFP, Coloma added, has adopted and established a system to protect its ranks from spies and traitors. “There also exist strong measures to deal with those who have found to have violated their oath.”
The accusation against the AFP “can undermine government efforts against these criminals,” the statement said.
As if addressing Hussin, the same statement said, “Local government officials are at the lead of addressing peace and order in their community with the police and the AFP as partners. This cooperation and partnership is the cornerstone in coming up with a permanent solution to this perennial problem of lawlessness in their communities.”
Furthermore, the AFP said local officials “should also come up with socio-economic plans that can help the citizens veer away from supporting these crime groups when they share the money received from kidnapping. After all, peace and order is their primary responsibility in their respective provinces.”
Authorities said the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group is still holding more than 20 abducted foreigners, one of them a Dutch bird-watcher kidnapped 4 years ago. In 2014, the group claimed it had been paid more than $5 million for the release of a German couple.
From Vice News (Jun 15): This is what it’s like to be held hostage by Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines
Wearing only a pair of shorts, Warren Rodwell stood outside his nearly completed house in the southern Philippines, where he lived with his wife in December 2011. It was 6 pm on a Monday evening and the sun had nearly vanished.
A crashing sound startled the Australian, and two men appeared about an arm's length away, dressed in police uniforms and brandishing assault rifles — one of which displayed police and Islamic stickers. "Police! Police!" they yelled. One of the men immediately shot Rodwell through his right hand, and he swore at his attacker. Then the men handcuffed him.
"I was dragged across rice fields for about 20 minutes then into a boat and out to sea," he remembers. "That was it, that was how it happened."
It was the start of a 472-day ordeal for the former soldier, who was held in the jungle nearly five years ago by Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist militant group whose notoriety has soared in recent months with the kidnapping and brutal execution of two Canadian hostages.
Rodwell bears the scars on the inside and out: His right hand now has only three fingers and a thumb, and he suffers from PTSD.
His story, told to VICE News through a series of interviews from his home in Brisbane, is a window inside a group that's making international headlines today with its hard-ball style of kidnap and ransom.
On Tuesday, Abu Sayyaf published a video showing the brutal beheading of one of the Canadians, Robert Hall, a former actor and welder who bought a boat and sailed overseas to make a new life for himself in the Philippines. His killing this past weekend followed the April 25 execution of his fellow captor, John Ridsdel, a Canadian mining contractor who had just purchased a boat and was planning to sail to Indonesia.
Reacting to his death, Hall's family remembered him as a dreamer. "But more than that he was an achiever," a statement from his family says. "He didn't sit around and dream about sailing the world; he got up and did it, made it happen."
The Canadians were kidnapped from the Holiday Oceanview Marina alongside Hall's Filipina partner Marites Flor and Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, both of whom are still being held captive.
In proof-of-life videos, Abu Sayyaf members stand over their hostages, armed to the teeth with assault rifles in front of an Islamic State banner, punctuating their ransom demands with "Allahu Akbar!" Fueled by funding from kidnap and ransom, the group's goal is to establish an Islamic state in the Southern Mindanao, where it enjoys some degree of support from majority Muslim locals.
Now deceased Canadian hostage Robert Hall, right, and Norwegian nationaljartan Sekkingstad are seen in this undated picture released to local media. (Erik de Castro/Reuters)
But Rodwell's story, which has been well documented in media and in a book, shows a different side of the group.
At the time he was captured, Abu Sayyaf was an al-Qaeda affiliate. But the young men who guarded Rodwell were in it only for the money, and weren't as hard-line Islamist as the group would have outsiders believe, according to Rodwell
His guards were mostly younger locals with no fighting experience. They were instructed to keep him alive. They spoke only fragments of English and had about a fifth grade education.
"They mentioned to me that the money they needed was first to be able to buy a rifle for their own protection, and next to pay a dowry so they could marry a Muslim girl."
His guards were only 19 or 20, he said, and full of testosterone.
"They said they liked the Christian girls because they were dirty. They played around."
During those 16 months, his captors moved him 28 times to avoid police, locals and other groups looking to steal hostages. They moved under cover of night to evade the military, racing by boat from island to island in the Southern Philippine archipelago.
Abu Sayyaf have the advantage in the region over the military because they know the tides and the jungles and they keep moving, he said.
"When they were out at sea in the boats, they would be loaded down with ammo and machine guns, and great big belts with bullets all over them, and rocket launchers and grenade launchers," Rodwell recalls.
He would stay low in the boat to stay safe and avoid the ocean spray.
"They try to look after you. You're human cargo and you're valuable."
With nothing but water for kilometers around, escape was impossible.
When they weren't moving, they were hiding in the dense jungle.
One guard was tasked with taking care of him, though this person would change every seven to 10 weeks. This person was like his babysitter, Rodwell says. He cooked his food, washed his clothes and helped him bathe.
"If I needed anything I would just sort of put my hand up, signal, and he'd be nearby. If I needed to empty my bowels or something, we'd sort of, he'd come with me somewhere and dig a hole in the sand, and he'd pour water down my backside so I could clean myself."
Abu Sayyaf leaders Khaddafi Janjalani, 2nd from left in front row, and Radulan Sahiron, 2nd from right in front row with headband, sit with fellow Abu Sayyaf rebels inside their jungle hideout somewhere in Sulu province in the southern Philippines on July 16, 2000. (AP/STR)
Of all his "babysitters," Rodwell became closest with a 40-year-old man he called Uncle. "That's what the others called him, because he was an uncle for someone else." Uncle took care of him for 11 weeks — longer than any of the others.
One day Uncle surprised him by telling him the name of Abu Sayyaf's leader.
"It was all hush hush," he recalls. "He started giving me the names of who the syndicate leaders were on the upper level."
The guard gave him 11 names, which he memorized. Finally Uncle said he wanted Rodwell to know the names because his aunt had been kidnapped and killed by Abu Sayyaf in the past.
"Even the guards and those who work for Abu Sayyaf say, 'Don't trust them, they're bad.'"
For the first three months, Rodwell lived in constant fear of beheading.
Without warning, the camp would fill with new faces, whispering among themselves. Not knowing why new people were there, he pictured them cutting his head off with a blunt blade.
The fear and hopelessness made him contemplate suicide.
Warren Rodwell, after his release. (Photo by Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)
To survive and stay sane, he told himself he had to wait until they decided to kill him and he would stress about it then.
"If you allow your mind to go there, it affects your body too, and you become weak. You get to the stage that you just blank it out."
Instead, he watched the sun move across the sky, and counted the days, remembering life before his capture and saving thoughts of his friends and family for when their birthdays arrived.
Three times they told him he would be released, but these promises never came true. He decided it was best not to have hope to stave off disappointment.
Meanwhile, ransom negotiations were a clusterfuck.
Similarly to the Canadian hostage story, the Australian government took a hard stance that it would not pay Rodwell's ransom. But behind the scenes, the government provided support to his brother and sister as they negotiated his ransom, and officials imposed a news blackout, refusing to give media information on what was happening.
But calls would never come in directly from the group. In his case, a provincial governor who was trusted in the Muslim community negotiated the ransom payment. Rodwell's Filipina wife, the Filipino police, and military were also in the loop on the negotiations, and the Australian government deferred to them, Rodwell said.
Lacking cellphone signals in the region and with the authorities monitoring the airwaves, Abu Sayyaf negotiators would talk briefly on their cellphones before throwing their SIM cards away and fleeing the area.
Meanwhile, the Abu Sayyaf members would ask him whether he had friends or relatives who could pay even more, and middle men attempted to take a cut of the ransom payment, he said.
Finally, after lengthy and complex negotiations, Rodwell was released on March 23, 2013.
Initially Abu Sayyaf asked for about US $2 million but his siblings paid about US $100,000 — officially, for "board and lodging." It was a substantially lower amount than the rates asked for the Canadian hostages. In their case, Abu Sayyaf demanded $300 million Pesos, or about CAD $8 million, or US $6.5 million.
Warren Rodwell, displaying the finger he had to amputate after returning home. (Photo courtesy of Warren Rodwell)
Reacting to the news of the Canadian hostages, Rodwell expressed his disappointment and offered his condolences to their families.
"There's no way that they can be consoled at all. But they would understand it's just the reality of the situation," he said.
The former hostage believes Canada's stance on not paying ransoms was nothing but "chest beating" by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In reality, he said, kidnap and ransom is a much more complex ordeal.
He advised Canada to hold a senate inquiry into hostage-taking, as Australia had done before he was captured.
From the American Enterprise Institute (Jun 17): The odd couple: Warthogs & Growlers in the South China Sea
On Wednesday, a temporary detachment of four US Navy EA-18G Growlers deployed to the Philippines. According to Pacific Command, the aircraft will engage in bilateral training with Philippine Air Force pilots and “will support routine operations that enhance regional maritime domain awareness and assure access to the air and maritime domains in accordance with international law.”
This deployment follows on the heels of a recent US Air Force detachment of five A-10 Warthogs. These temporary air contingents were established in the wake of the Philippine Supreme Court’s final approval of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and the identification of five bases to which US forces would newly gain access.
View from a Philippine military plane of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, May 11, 2015. REUTERS/Ritchie B. Tongo/Pool.
At the time, there was some surprise that four of the five bases were air facilities and that none were ports. The first two air contingents to arrive in the Philippines, however, have made clearer how PACOM intends to use those facilities and why air power has thus far been prioritized under the terms of the EDCA.
The Warthogs, typically used for close air support, did not seem to be an obvious choice to deploy to the Philippines. Still, it may have been an inspired choice:
The plane isn’t meant for dogfights with Chinese fighters, but is capable of flying through international airspace near Scarborough Shoal and demonstrating the Pentagon’s commitment to keeping the skies there open to everyone…
Lt. Col. Damien Pickart, a spokesman for Air Forces Pacific, said Wednesday that the A-10 has excellent loiter capabilities and maneuverability at low air speeds and altitude that are “necessary for conducting the air contingent’s air and maritime domain awareness and personnel recovery missions.”
The A-10, then, would come in handy if the United States felt it needed to conduct louder, more visible freedom of navigation operations over or near contested islands. If need be, the A-10 could potentially carry out strike missions as well.
The trick, of course, lies in convincing China that Washington is prepared to act on those implicit threats if push comes to shove.
Unlike the “low and slow” Warthog, EA-18 Growlers fly high and fast. But ironically, like the Warthog, they are optimized for dealing with threats emanating from Chinese military facilities in the Spratlys. Growlers are electronic attack aircraft; Boeing, which makes the EA-18, describes it as “the most advanced airborne electronic attack (AEA) platform.” Flying from Clark Air Base, US Growlers will be well positioned to jam and, if necessary, destroy radar installations on China’s newly constructed islands in the South China Sea.
Taken together, the Warthog and Growler deployments in the Philippines send an important message to China: Your Spratly possessions are vulnerable. We can blind you at will. Should you declare an Air Defense Identification zone, we can make it impossible for you to enforce it.
The trick, of course, lies in convincing China that Washington is prepared to act on those implicit threats if push comes to shove. How Beijing reacts to the upcoming ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration and whether Beijing brings its island-building campaign to Scarborough Shoal will tell us much about how China is interpreting the signals that America is sending.
From The Standard (Jun 18): Envoy pushes accord with reds after talks
The incoming presidential adviser on the peace process Jesus Dureza on Friday urged Filipinos to stay the course set by preliminary talks between the government and the communist rebels in Oslo, Norway, which resulted in a joint resolution for the resumption of peace talks.
“After our two-day Oslo parley, there is now evident optimism and trust. There is mutual enthusiasm and hope, not only amongst us negotiators across the table, but most significantly, among us all Filipinos, in whose behalf all these efforts are being done in the first place,” Dureza posted on his Facebook page.
Dureza also described their encounter as “a reunion of sorts of old friends on both sides of the negotiating table but whose efforts in various times and climes in the past proved futile.”
The five-point agenda includes an affirmation of previously signed agreements; an accelerated negotiation process, reconstitution of the previously signed Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig); an amnesty proclamation with the concurrence of Congress; and the mode for an interim ceasefire.
Pushing peace. Members of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan march toward a church in Quezon City to push for the forging of a peace agreement to end the decades-old communist insurgency. MANNY PALMERO
Among the key agreements the government and the National Democratic Front have signed in the course of the often-stalled peace talks are the Hague Joint Declaration, which lays down the framework and agenda for the negotiations, the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, and the Jasig.
The exploratory talks held on June 14 and 15 resulted in the signing of a joint statement in which both panels agreed to resume formal talks next month.
Dureza said he believes the peace process will be given a chance under the incoming administration of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, but acknowledged that the road to peace “will not be easy.”
“There will expectedly be humps and bumps along the way. But there is a destination that we must all inevitably reach,” he said.
“Our new President is taking the decisive lead and has shown us the way. Let us all stay the course,” Dureza said.
Formal peace talks between the Aquino administration and the Communist Party of the Philippines-NDF-New People’s Army bogged down in February 2011 because the communists insisted on the reactivation of the Jasig, a move rejected by the government after the original list, stored in an old floppy disk, got corrupted and could no longer be retrieved.
Sison had earlier asserted that the goal of the peace talks was to form a “coalition government” of the CPP and Duterte administration. This coalition would need to carry out “democratic reforms that would lead to national industrialization and genuine land reform.”
Rights group Karapatan welcomed the joint statement.
“We hope that all political prisoners—all victims of illegal arrest, torture and detention, most are persecuted because of their activism and political beliefs—will be immediately released… We fully support the efforts to substantially address the roots of the armed conflict through the resumption of the peace talks in July 2016,” Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary-general, said in a statement.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Friday it supported the rsumption of peace talks.
“The AFP’s track record on government peace efforts is very clear. We supported peace talks with the Moro National Liberation Front, the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army, and now the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Any effort that can bring about sustainable peace in our country is a worthy endeavor that deserves the nations support,” said AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla.
The Kabataan party-list group said the speedy agreement on both sides to speed up talks was a good way to jumpstart the stalled peace process.
“The youth extend our warmest congratulations to the representatives of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte and the NDF for the success of the preliminary talks in Norway. The speedy agreement between the incoming government and the NDF on the points for discussion in the formal peace negotiations shows the sincerity of both parties to pursue just and lasting peace,” said Kabataan party-list Rep. Sarah Elago.
From the Mindanao Examiner (Jun 18): MILF chieftain holds talks with Duterte
The leader of the Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation
Front, Murad Ebrahim, held talks with President-elect Rodrigo Duterte in DavaoCity
in southern Philippines.
Ebrahim was accompanied by his political deputy Ghazali
Jaafar when they met with Duterte at a restaurant Friday night. A senior member
of a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front, Abul Khayr Alonto, also
arrived separately and met with Duterte and Ebrahim’s group.
Details of the talks were not made available by the MILF or
anybody from Duterte’s group, but other sources said the meeting centered on
the issues of the Muslims in Mindanao and the
shift to federal form of government as being proposed by the elected president.
The MILF, which signed an interim peace deal with the Aquino
government in 2014, has previously insisted the new government the passage of
the shelved Bangsamoro Basic Law to appease the Muslims in Mindanao.
Just recently, Ebrahim said they are confident with Duterte
that the “peace process will not be relegated in status, as it has proven to be
potentially the most viable solution to address conflict arising from
historical injustices committed against our people.”
He said the MILF remains committed in its continued pursuit
to find long-lasting peace and development in Mindanao.
Ebrahim said the BBL could be a possible template for federalism.
During Duterte’s political campaign, he said “nothing can
appease the Bangsamoro until the BBL is passed.”
The MILF has pledged to exert efforts in undertaking its
obligations to fully implement the commitments under the Comprehensive
Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
“The MILF maintains its position that the CAB-based
Bangsamoro Basic Law needs to be immediately passed into law, not only because
it effectively addresses the peculiarities unique to the Bangsamoro that are
not necessarily found in other prospective federal states,” Ebrahim said.
Congress failed to pass the BBL after politicians opposed to
the draft law said many of its provisions were unconstitutional.
Duterte’s political allies in Congress are said to be
preparing – after he takes his formal oath of office in June 30 – to move for
amendments in the Constitution that would pave the way for the shift to
federalism where Muslims can exercise their own Sharia laws.
From the Mindanao Examiner (Jun 18): Military officers accused of colluding with Sayyafs
A southern Philippine town mayor has accused the military of
colluding with the notorious ISIS-linked Abu Sayyaf group and said some
officers had partaken from ransoms paid for the freedom of some of its
hostages.
Mayor Hussin Amin, of Jolo town in the Muslim province of Sulu, also said the military has been
using some Abu Sayyaf members as their “assets” a slang to refer to spy or
informant.
He asked the government to investigate military officers in
cahoots with the enemies and for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to
conduct a loyalty check among its ranks.
“Mga scalawags, eh dapat nga huwag na lang patago, kung
meron, imbestigahan, oo na andoon na ang ransom, pero imbestigahan kung sino ba
ito? Sino ba ang kumikita sa ransom? Hindi naman Abu Sayyaf. Iyan ang mga grupo
na sabi iisa lang, ngayon dumadami na dahil may mga andiyan, ay ginagawang
asset doon, sinasabing hindi nila asset, alam naman ng military yan,” he told
television giant ABS-CBN.
Amin, a former judge in Jolo before he became a politician, said
the Abu Sayyaf may be getting support or informAtion from scalawagS within the
military.
“These are the people who are in connivance with the
scalawags in the military kaya malakas ang loob. Sabihin na ba ang totoo kung
mayroon man ransom, dapat alamin kung sino ba ang gumagawa ng ransom. Sino ba
ang kumikita sa ransom, dapat dito ikulong,” Amin said.
Amin, a former congressman, also said that a colonel in the
military benefited from ransoms paid for the release of Dr. Alberio Canda who
was kidnapped in Sulu in 2004 and freed a month later. He said a congressional
inquiry into the kidnapping showed the alleged involvement of the military
officer.
“It is on the record sa Congress, na in-connivance sa chief
of Intelligence sa Sulu, nag-conduct kami ng investigation nang kinidnap si Dr.
Canda. Kumita ang isang colonel, yung may kahati siya. Nasa Congress yan kaso
hindi man lang nila binibigyan ng atensyon. Dapat huwag na lang itago ba,” he
said.
The military’s Western Mindanao Command quickly denied the
accusations and challenged Amin to prove his allegations.
“Well, that’s his allegations. He has to prove that. Kung
meron, bakit hindi niya sabihin sa amin? Yan ang mga hindi dapat nangyayari,
yung mga ganyan, within the organization, it makes the organization suffer.
Sundalo ka tapos ganoon ang gagawin mo, napakasakit naman noon,” Major Felimon
Tan, a military spokesman, told ABS-CBN.
There was no immediate reaction from President Aquino – the
Commander-in-Chief – on Amin’s allegations or whether the Armed Forces of the Philippines
will investigate these accusations.
From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 18): Mangudadatu settles Muslim clans locked in bloody family feud
A long standing family feud that has been brewing and
causing misery among locals in a Maguindanaon town has been settled, officials
said on Saturday,
Through the Maguindanao Task Force for Reconciliation and
Unification, two Moro families locked in long standing family feud, agreed to
bury their misunderstanding and live harmoniously in the town of Sultan sa Barongis.
Engineer Abdulrakman Asim, task force technical working
group member, said the elders of the families Felmin and Emran signed a peace
covenant where they agreed not to use violence in settling dispute.
Both families have relatives and family members who belonged
to the 105th base command of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The conflict between two families started when two of the
members of Felmin family were killed by members of Emran family. The Felmin
family tried to retaliate triggering massive evacuation among residents in remote
Sultan sa Barongis village.
Asim said the Emran family agreed to pay blood money to
Felmin clan upon intervention by the task force.
Maguindanao Governor Esmael Toto Mangudadatu helped in
providing the blood money so the family will cease from using violence that
will also affected non-family member residents of the village. The blood money
costs Php600,000.
To date, the clan wars, locally known as "rido,"
that the task force have resolved reached to more than 50.
Asim said the reconciliation of warring families through
peaceful settlement agreeable to all parties was among the top eight-point
agenda of Mangudadatu after he was reelected to his last term as provincial
executive.
From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 18): AFP, Albay gear up for USAF humanitarian mission
The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Provincial
Government of Albay are now readying for the Pacific Partnership humanitarian
mission of the United States Armed Forces (USAF) before the end of this month
here.
Medics and soldiers of the USAF are coming to Albay for a
two-week humanitarian mission across the province.
Army Col. Claudio Yucot, commanding officer of the Army’s
901st Infantry Brigade, said a composite team of the US forces will be constructing a
school building at the foot of Mayon Volcano.
The facilities can also be used as an evacuation center in
the event of disasters, specifically Mayon volcano eruption.
Yucot said at least three classrooms will be built in Daraga
town by the USAF in partnership with the AFP soldiers belonging to the
engineering battalion.
A state-of-the-art hospital ship of the US Navy will be
arriving in Albay next week for a medical mission.
The USAF humanitarian team is composed mostly of medical
personnel who will be arriving in LegazpiCity port on June 27 through
the United States Navy Mercy hospital ship.
This is the first time that a US Navy hospital ship will be
visiting Bicol, specifically in Albay province for a Pacific Partnership
mission.
Navy Captain Giovanni Carlo J. Bacorbo, commander of Naval
Forces Southern Luzon, said the Pacific Partnership is an annual deployment of
forces from the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy (USN) after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
It was conceived to improve the inter-operability of the
region’s military forces, governments, and humanitarian organizations during
disaster relief operations while providing humanitarian, medical, dental, and
engineering assistance to nations in the Pacific.
The humanitarian mission also aims to strengthen relationships
and security ties between the US
and the Philippines.
Earlier, Lt. Rebecca Wolf of the US Navy made a courtesy
call on local officials of Albay and the Naval Forces Southern Luzon Command
here.
Part of the two-week Pacific Partnership mission, according
to Bacorbo, is the humanitarian assistance's disaster response and community
health engagement.
The two-week humanitarian mission beginning on June 27 to
July 9 is expected to provide medical assistance to Albayanos, covering three
congressional districts on the ground and aboard the ship.
“The Naval Forces Southern Luzon Command is part of the
inter-agency task force and the medical mission will be done across the province of Albay, in various hospitals and aboard
the USS Mercy hospital ship, depending on the diseases,” Bacorbo said.
The humanitarian mission is part of the Philippine-US Mutual
Defense Agreement.
The US Navy Mercy hospital ship last visited the country in
2013, in TaclobanCity, to provide
assistance for typhoon-stricken communities after the occurrence of
killer-typhoon "Yolanda".
From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 18): Palace says it’s not fair to accuse the military of conniving with Abu Sayyaf without concrete proof
The Palace said the allegation of Jolo’s mayor accusing the
military of conniving with the Abu Sayyaf Group to collect ransom money is a
serious allegation and needs to be investigated since it may undermine the
campaign of the government against the bandits.
The mayor of Jolo, Sulu called on the government to
investigate alleged involvement of military men in kidnapping for ransom in
Sulu.
In a radio interview on Saturday, Communications Secretary
Herminio Coloma Jr. said the context of the allegation must be understood
because of its repercussions on the members of the military and the ongoing
military offensive in Sulu.
“Kailangan siguro, unawain muna natin ‘yung konteksto kasi
hindi naman magaan mapakinggan lang ‘yung mga ganyang salita ano. Medyo mabigat
yata ‘yung paratang na nakapaloob diyan,” Coloma told dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
“Paano naman kung basta-basta na lang nating tatanggapin
‘yan. Ang sagot agad natin imbestigasyon. Hindi naman yata makatwiran ‘no dahil
nakikita naman natin na isinasagawa ng pamahaalaan ang nararapat at nag-uukol
tayo ng puspusang pagsisikap sa pagtugon sa problema.”
Coloma also cited a recent statement of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines,
which said it does not doubt the dedication and commitment of its members who
are fighting the Abu Sayyaf.
“We do not doubt the dedication and commitment of our
troops. In addition, commanders on the ground are in full control of our troops
and are focused on their primary mission of getting these criminals and saving
the hostages,” Coloma said, quoting the AFP.
“There is also an established system to ensure no spies and
traitors are in our ranks. There also exist strong measures to deal with those
who are found to have violated their oath.”
According to the armed forces, the accusation can undermine
government efforts against the criminals, adding those raising such allegations
must substantiate their accusations.
“Local government officials are at the lead of addressing
peace and order in their community with the police and the AFP as partners.
This cooperation and partnership is the cornerstone in coming up with a
permanent solution to this perennial problem of lawlessness in their
communities,” the AFP said as quoted by Coloma.
Local officials should also come up with socioeconomic plans
that can help the citizens veer away from supporting the Abu Sayyaf when they
share the money received from kidnapping, the AFP said.
“After all, peace and order is their primary responsibility
in their respective provinces,” it added.
Coloma said it’s unfair for a local official to accuse the
military of conniving with the enemy without concrete basis.
Such allegation is not helpful for the members of the
military, who are putting their lives on the line, just to maintain peace and
ensure that everyone is safe against terrorist organization like the Abu
Sayyaf, he said.
From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 18): AFP denies links with ASG bandits
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) strongly denied
on Saturday allegations that some of its officers are in cahoots with the Abu
Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits.
"Our armed forces and police have been at the forefront
of the fight against all KFRGs (kidnapping-for-ransom groups) and the ASG for a
long time. We have lost so many servicemen in the process. We do not doubt the
dedication and commitment of our troops," AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen.
Restituto Padilla said.
In addition, commanders on the ground are in full control of
all troops and are focused on their primary mission of getting these criminals
and saving the hostages, he added.
"There is also an established system to ensure no spies
and traitors are in our ranks. There also exists strong measures to deal with
those found to have violated their oath," Padilla stressed.
The allegations came in the wake of the beheading of
Canadian Robert Hall last June 13. Hall was one of the four persons kidnapped
in SamalIsland last Sept. 21.
A companion, John Ridsel, was beheaded last April 26 after
the Philippine and Canadian government snubbed the bandits' Php300 million
ransom demand.
The AFP spokesperson said these accusations can undermine
government efforts against these criminals.
"And we will hold the one who released the statement
accountable if they can't substantiate their allegations. Local government
officials are at the lead of addressing peace and order in their communities
with the police and the AFP as partners," he added.
Padilla said this cooperation is the cornerstone in coming
up with a permanent solution to this perennial problem of lawlessness.
"Local officials should also come up with socioeconomic
plans that can help the locals veer away from supporting these crime groups
mascarading as Robin Hoods when they share the money received from kidnapping.
After all, peace and order is their primary responsibility in their respective
provinces," he pointed out.
