Lumad leaders renew calls for army pullout during 23rd year founding anniversary celeb

From the often pro-CPP online publication the Davao Today (Dec 2): Lumad leaders renew calls for army pullout during 23rd year founding anniversary celeb     

 

Datu Tungig Mansumuy-at, committee head for Health of the Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon in a dialogue with members of the 60th Infantry Battalion. Mansumuy-at says the paramilitary group Alamara is operating under the orders of the Armed Forces but follow no principle and kill indiscriminately. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

TALAINGOD, Davao del Norte – Lumad Manobo datus here have stayed resilient, 23 years later after their founding, with a dialogue Wednesday with no less than their usual nemesis: army soldiers who have vilified and accused them of rebels.

Council members of the Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon (unity in defense of ancestral land) told soldiers belonging to the 60th Infantry Battalion in a dialog held at the day care center in Sitio Tibucag, Barangay Dagohoy that lasted for less than an hour, that government troops must go back to their barracks in the spirit of the government’s unilateral ceasefire with the National Democratic Front.

Salugpungan’s Committee head for Education Datu Benito Bay-ao said that the mere presence of the military continues to traumatize the people in their community.

“Unta dili gyud punduhan ang yutang kabilin. Dili gyud magkampo sa eskwelahan. Duna na’y mahadlok sa inyong mga sanina pa lamang” (There should be no military camps in the ancestral domain. Please don’t camp near our schools.They cower at the mere sight of your uniforms), Bay-ao told soldiers during the dialogue.

Datu Tungig Mansimuy-at, committee head for health stressed that the paramilitary group Alamara must be disarmed. Mansimuy-at reiterated their belief that Alamara is operating under the orders of the Armed Forces.

 

CELEBRATION. Council members of the Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon (In Defense of Ancestral Domain) start the celebration of their 23rd anniversary by way of a customary ritual symbolizing their continued resistance and struggle for their right to self determination and ancestral domain. In this particular ritual, the tribe’s leaders called Datu sacrifice a chicken and horse, both of which a re cooked and later shared among the members of the community in Sitio Tibucag, Barangay Dagohoy in Talaingod, Davao del Norte on Wednesday, Nov. 30. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

Ang Alamara mao ang ginakahadlukan namong mga Lumad. Ang Alamara man gud, nga mga parente ra sad namo, dili muagi ug prinsipyo bisag si kinsa pwede patyon. Labi na kami nga mga datu. Dapat maundang na ang pagpasangil nga kami mga datu daw mi sa NPA. Sa tinuod kung tan-awon nato, kami ang tighusay, kami ang tigsulbad kung naay problema sa matag komunidad (The Alamara strikes fear in our hearts. Even though some of them are our relatives, they do not have principles and they kill anybody indiscriminately. The accusations that we Datus are members of the New Peoples Army  must stop. We datus settle disputes, we are the ones who solve the problems of our communities),” Mansimuy-at said.

Constant threats and attacks from the group prompted the mass evacuations of the Ata-Manobo to Davao City since 2014. Early this year, 15-year old Alibando Tingkas was shot dead by alleged members of the paramilitary group in Sitio Laslasakan, Talaingod. In previous statements, the army denied its connections with the paramilitary group.

Read: Paramilitary group to Lumad schools: ‘all teachers, students will be massacred’

A self-confessed former member of the Alamara who is now supporting the aims of Salugpongan, Datu Dacudao Lagari, said there was no longer any reason for the presence of the military in the area because the council had already formulated its own laws.

“Unsa pa man gyud ang tumong nga naa pay sama sa inyo na magdumala. Sa ato pa, nawalaan ug katungod ang baranggay captain na magdumala tandi sa among mga purok leader. Kanang among pagserbisyo diri sa bukid, ok naman. Nganong naa pa may mag assist nga pareho sa inyoha” (What is your purpose for coming here?  The way I see it, the baranggay captain has lost his right to govern alongside our purok leaders. Our governance here in our community is already running. Why do you still have to assist us?), Lagari said.

Salugpongan teacher and chairperson of the group Association of Community Educators in Mindanao, Ramel Miguel also shared his own experiences of harassment. Miguel said that the army is behind the vilification of teachers.”Ang nakaparat man gud sa Armed Forces of the Philippines ba walay research. Kana bitawng kinaiya nga ignorante , ignorant of the law. Kami, nagiskwela lang kay para walay mangilad sa amoa, unya ang mangilad ra man diay sa amo kay katong mga ‘we are here to serve (What is bad is that the Armed Forces of the Philippines do not do research first. You are ignorant of the law. We got ourselves educated so that nobody will take advantage of us. But in practice, those who say that they are here to serve are actually the ones who are fooling us),”  Miguel said.

Earlier this year, two teachers from the Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center reported harassment from suspected military agents.

 

JUST A CORPORAL. Cpl. Rico Ganza of the 60th Infantry Battalion says he cannot answer the demands of the Salugpongan Datus as he is merely a corporal, but he promised to relay their message to his commanding officer. Ganza claims he has been assigned in Talaingod for only less than a month, and knows nothing of the alleged crimes soldiers committed against the Lumad. (Paulo C.Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marialou Lambo, coordinator of STTICLCI said she noticed the two unidentified men at the bus terminal in Tagum city.

“When I rode the bus, they followed me all the way until I dropped off in Maa, Davao City. Then I went to Calinan and they were still tailing me all the way to Sitio Kahusayan while they were on board a motorcycle,” Lambo said.

Read: Lumad school teacher cries foul over harassment

STTICLCI Executive Director Ronie Garcia said they saw suspicious men in the Davao Regional Hospital in Barangay Apokon, Tagum City where they were attending to his sick grandfather morning of July 24.

Read: Army intel “visits” Lumad school admin’s family

During the dialog, Cpl. Rico Ganza of the 60th Infantry Battalion said the presence of the army in the area is for the purpose of bringing social services in the area, not to conduct operations.

“Naa mi diri aron muhatod mi sa among serbisyo publiko isip nagtrabaho sa gobyerno aron masecure ang Sitio Tibucag. naa mi diri kay kami ang ahensya sa gobyerno nga pwede ninyo mapamalihugan unsa inyong ipaabot sa atong gobyerno. Tungod sa kalayo sa atong lugar ug kalisod sa atong sitwasyon, maglisod ug abot ang nagkadaiyang ahensya sa gobyerno diri” (We are here only to deliver public service as government workers in order to secure Sitio Tibucag. We are here to serve as the government agency that you can run to if you need something from the government. Because of proximity problems and the difficulty of getting here is the reason why government agencies are not able to reach you), Ganza said.

Ganza stressed, however, that he was merely a corporal who had just been transferred to the area and could not answer for the alleged crimes that his fellow soldiers committed to the Lumad. Ganza promised that he would relay the concerns of the Lumad to his superiors.

The Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon was organized by the datus in 1993 to oppose the operation of the big logging company C. Alcantara & Sons in Talaingod. Founded by Datu Guibang Apoga, the datus of Salugpongan waged a pangayao (tribal war) against the company, killing and injuring security guards. Their struggle led to the delineation of 19,000 hectares of their ancestral lands, protected from the commercial logging. Datu Guibang has gone fugitive since then but continues to wield significant influence and leadership over their tribes, while the datus of Salugpongan persevered in their right to self-determination and respect for their ancestral domain.

On Nov. 23, Friday, the leaders of the Salugpongan celebrated the 23rd anniversary of their organization in Sitio Tibucag in Talaingod, Davao Del Norte. In a press release, the group said that organization remains united, and will not cower in their defense of their ancestral domain and communities.

“The Oplan bayanihan of the butcher AFP has failed because of our militant action, struggle, and organized evacuation as a form of protest. The Salugpongan has successfully defended its communities and schools,” the group said.

http://davaotoday.com/main/human-rights/lumad-leaders-renew-calls-for-army-pullout-during-23rd-year-founding-anniversary-celeb/

IN PHOTOS | The state of the Lumad in Talaingod after evacuation

From the often pro-CPP online publication the Davao Today (Dec 2): IN PHOTOS | The state of the Lumad in Talaingod after evacuation

 

SITIO TIBUCAG, TALAINGOD. Manobo residents of Sitio Tibucag, Barangay Dagohoy in Talaingod, Davao del Norte gathering for an early morning ritual on Nov. 30, Wednesday. Many of the residents are evacuees at the United Church of Christ in the Philippines Haran compound in Davao City who fled the community because of militarization and threats from paramilitary group Alamara. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

 

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A few months after returning to their communities from evacuation the Ata-Manobos who have returned to their communities in Talaingod, Davao Del Norte province are rebuilding their homes and way of life.

 However, when they returned from evacuation, the Lumad suffer hunger and a strain of sickness as well.

 

The Manobos of Talaingod fled their communities in April 2014 after experiencing harassment from the military and the paramilitary group Alamara.

 

Datu Gumbel Mansimuy-at, who heads the agriculture committee of Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon, said that their farms were completely neglected since 2014 when they evacuated to Davao City. While not everyone joined the mass evacuation, those who remained behind could not tend to their farms for fear of their lives, he said.

 

However, Datu Gumbel said it may take them five to six months before they can be economically independent again. Their community practices communal farming, wherein a whole Sitio helps in tending a farm. The community plants root crops, corn and rice. Half of the produce will be shared among their members for consumption, while the other half will be sold, Datu Gumbel said.

 

 

 

TEMPORARY RELIEF. Manobo residents of Sitio Tibucag, Barangay Dagohoy in Talaingod, Davao Del Norte receive relief packs from the Solidarity Action Group for Indigenous Peoples and Peasants and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Each family received six kilos of rice and canned goods. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

Apart from relief packs, the residents also received sacks of rice paddy to kick-start their farming.

 

 

FREE CHECKUP. A health worker checks a Manobo child in a day care center in Sitio Tibucag, Brgy. Dagohoy, Davao Del Norte during a relief mission organized by the Solidarity Action Group for Indigenous Peoples and Peasants and the Department of Social Welfare and Development on Nov. 30, Wednesday. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

 

Datu Tungig Mansimuy-at, who heads the committee for health, said the many in the community were sick of fever, coughs, and diarrhea. Initial reports indicate that at least 28 were sick in Sitio Laslasakan, six of whom were already hospitalized in Kapalong. At least two children have died. As of writing health workers are still providing medical check up to the residents of Sitio Tibucag.

 

The distance between the many different communities and the difficulty in communication has made consolidation of data as well as providing relief, difficult, Datu Tungig said. However, the Salugpongan has been training health workers. As of the moment, there are already 30 active health workers in the communities, but the lack of available medicine has stymied their efforts.

 

“Wala kaayo’y tambal, herbal lang” (We don’t have a lot of medicines, we just make use of herbal remedies), Datu Tungig said.
 

 

FOR TRANSPORT. A resident prepares to transport sacks of relief goods to his community on Nov. 30, Wednesday. The relief goods were distributed by the Solidarity Action Group for Indigenous Peoples and Peasants and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

 

Lumad leaders also said their community schools suffer from military attacks.

 

Committee head for Education Datu Benito Bay-ao said the continuing presence of the military in their communities hamper their education.

 

Community schools under the Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center, Incorporated, were branded as rebel schools, said Bay-ao.

 

Sabel Laquina, the basic education curriculum coordinator of STTICLCI said that for as long as the military and the Alamara are present in the community, their operation and consequently, the education of the Lumad will be at “constant jeopardy.”

 

On Friday, Nov. 30, the community celebrated the 23rd founding anniversary of the Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon organization. The celebration highlighted their successes in defending their right to self-determination and ancestral domain.

 

 

LISTENING. A Manobo Datu smokes while listening to a dialogue between the leaders of the Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon and Army official Cpl. Rico Ganza from the 60th Infantry Battalion. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANNIVERSARY RITUAL. Tribal leaders of the Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon conduct a ritual symbolizing the continued resistance of the Salugpongan in defense of their right to self determination and ancestral domain to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of their organization. For the anniversary, the Datus sacrificed a chicken and a horse, which were later cooked and shared by the community. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

 

 

The Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon was established by Datu Guibang Apoga in 1994 to resist the encroachment of big logging company C. Alcantara and Sons in the Lumad communities of Talaingod. Led by Datu Guibang, the Datus of Salugpongan declared a pangayaw (tribal war) against Alsons, killing and injuring their security guards. Datu Guibang has been in hiding ever since, but the remaining Datus of Salugpongan remain resolute in their fight for the rights of the Lumad.

 

“Atong dugang iduso ang pagbarug sa tawhanong katungod alang sa tinuod nga kaugalingong paghukom ug ipadayon ang diwang masuklanon” (Let us continue to stand for our right to self determination, and maintain the spirit of the struggle), the Salugpongan said in a statement.

 

http://davaotoday.com/main/human-rights/in-photos-the-state-of-the-lumad-in-talaingod-after-evacuation/

AFP troops of 2nd IB replace 9th IB to continue military operations in Masbate amidst ceasefire

From the often pro-CPP Bicol Today (28): AFP troops of 2nd IB replace 9th IB to continue military operations in Masbate amidst ceasefire

MASBATE CITY – Among the provinces in Bicol region, Masbate is the highlight of new attacks among the civilians because of the presence of soldiers in interior barangays of municipalities, Cawayan and Dimasalang.

AFP troops from 9th IB and 2nd IB of the Philippine Army are fronting its Bayanihan Team Activities to penetrate in remote barangays for counter-insurgency program despite ceasefire period.



After their picket-caravan on October against militarization, Masbateños in Cawayan and Dimasalang hold camp-out from November 15 to November 20 in its respective municipalities to demand AFP troops to go back to their barracks. Among the provinces in Bicol, Masbate is the highly-militarized area.

According to Elvie Laurente, secretary of Cawayan Farmers Association (CAFAS), around 10 AFP troops of 2nd IB PA are currently staying in the hall of Sitio CTN, Barangay Cabo.

“Basang basa ako sa ulan, nang malayo na sila sa akin pumunta ako sa bahay ng kapitbahay,” Laurente told Bicol Today. He said he saw the AFP troops at 7:00 am of November 23 when they visited his neighbor’s house.

On November 23, the 2nd IB PA deployed their troops in Sitio CTN, Brgy. Cabungahan, Sitio talisay, Brgy. Tuboran, Brgy. San Jose, Brgy. Palobandera, Brgy Libertad and barangay Cabungahan based on Masbate People’s Organization (MAPO) report.

http://bicoltoday.com/2016/11/28/afp-troops-of-2nd-ib-replace-9th-ib-to-continue-military-operations-in-masbate-amidst-ceasefire/

Army pistol shooters dominate ASEAN shooting competition

From Update.Ph (Dec 2): Army pistol shooters dominate ASEAN shooting competition

Philippine Army pistol shooters have dominated the second match of pistol men category in the ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet being held at Camp O’Donnell, Capas, Tarlac.

The competition started November 28 and will culminate December 7. Sgt Benito Sumalag Jr bagged the gold while his teammate Ssg Mar Udan got the bronze medal with Thai shooter SM1 Thanawut bagging the silver medal in the said category.

Infantry weapons, widely used by Southeast Asian militaries, including 7.62mm machine gun, 5.56mm M-16 automatic rifle, 5.56mm carbine rifle and 9mm pistol, are being used in the ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet.

 

“9mm pistols are agreed by the Army shooters to be the handgun of the ARMM 2016. For the Philippine Army shooters, participating in this event, 9mm pistols are ARMSCOR made,” Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) public affairs office chief Capt. Alberto Caber said.

ASEAN is composed of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

http://www.update.ph/2016/12/army-pistol-shooters-dominate-asean-shooting-competition/11591

GRP panel offers sympathy on passing away of peasant leader Ocasla

From the Philippine Information Agency (Dec 2): GRP panel offers sympathy on passing away of peasant leader Ocasla

The members of the government peace panel negotiating with the National Democratic Front (NDF) offer deepest sympathy to the family of peasant leader Bernabe Ocasla who passed away on Monday at Jose Reyes Hospital in Manila. 

The 66-year-old Ocasla, one of the political prisoners considered for release on humanitarian grounds, succumbed to cardiac arrest after days in coma.

"It was a sad development. We offer our sympathies to the family of Mr. Ocasla," said Secretary Silvestre Bello III, the chairperson of the GRP peace panel.

Bello said, "We would have wanted to allow his freedom before he died."

Given this development, Secretary Bello assured that President Rodrigo Duterte is determined to release political prisoners through judicial processes.

"The more than 400 political prisoners will be released in due time," Secretary Bello said.

"It was unfortunate that it (Ocasla's death) happened just as we are working for the release of the elderly, sick and long detained NDF members on humanitarian grounds," he added.

Secretary Bello hoped the incident would not affect the ongoing peace talks.

Secretary Bello said the release of the political prisoners is a work in progress.

He emphasized on the strong commitment of the President on the release of political prisoners. However, he said there are legal and judicial issues that need to be addressed.

"There will be a release of substantial number of political prisoners based on humanitarian grounds particularly the women, sickly and senior citizens in the coming days," he said.

This is also in accordance with the signed agreements between the GRP and NDF panels in Oslo, Norway during the resumption of formal talks last August.

The planned release is part of the continuing efforts to expedite and accelerate the peace negotiations and processes that are also brokered by the Royal Norwegian Government. (OPAPP)

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1141480597715/grp-panel-offers-sympathy-on-passing-away-of-peasant-leader-ocasla

Parayno assumes command of Tanay-based 2nd Infantry Division (Limited Bio Data)

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 2): Parayno assumes command of Tanay-based 2nd Infantry Division

Brig. Gen. Rhoderick Parayno has assumed the command of Tanay-based 2nd Infantry Division after stepping down as Civil Relations Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CRSAFP) chief.

He was replaced by Brig. Gen. Ronnie Evangelista, AFP public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo said.

Change-of-command ceremonies took place Thursday at the CRSAFP Multi-Purpose Hall in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Parayno thanked those who have been part of the team, including Arevalo and the chief-of-staff Col. Gerry Zamudio.

“I would like to thank foremost our presiding officer, at that time our acting chief-of-staff, Lt. Gen. (Glorioso) Miranda, for steering us through the issues that confronted us. Information, being our main trade, is indeed a prime commodity. He made sure that we are always ahead, updated and upbeat, which enabled us to provide the themes and messages when needed,” he said.

Parayno is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1985 and graduated top 6 in his class as magna cum laude.

To date, he has served 31 years in active duty, mostly in combat duties in Mindanao.

Prior to his assignment as CRSAFP head, Parayno commanded the 201st Infantry Brigade in Tanay, Rizal.

He was also the former head of the Humanitarian Rights Office.

Over the course of his career, he received numerous awards and decorations including the Distinguished Service Star, Gawad sa Kaunlaran, Bronze Cross Medal, Silver Wing Medal, and Military Merit Medal.

Meanwhile, Evangelista was the Special Forces Regiment Airborne Special Operations Command (SOCOM) chief.

His other prior assignments are mainly SOCOM. He also served as the assistant chief-of-staff for Comptrollership.

“One of the reasons why it feels good to be back here at CRS. Facing challenges while building upon our gains is something that feels good for me personally,” Evangelista said.

“Coming directly from and infantry unit in the field, and right into the heart of Civil Military Operations, makes filling a bigger shoe more formidable,” he added.

Aside from the three Distinguished Service Stars, Evangelista also received multiple awards and decorations, such as, Gawad sa Kaunlaran Medals, Bronze Cross Medal and numerous Merit and Commendation medals.

He is a graduate of PMA Class of 1986.

“Changes in leadership among key positions in the Armed Forces of the Philippines are vital to ensure dynamism within the military ranks. It is important that the AFP remain open to these changes in order for the organization to grow and learn from other military leaders,” Miranda said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=945057

Social welfare dept activates op cen in Marawi for families affected by military-Maute Group clash

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 2): Social welfare dept activates op cen in Marawi for families affected by military-Maute Group clash

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Friday it continues to provide relief assistance to families in Butig, Lanao del Sur who have been displaced by armed conflict between the military and a local terror group.

According to the latest report by the DSWD Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC), a total of 2,894 families or 14,470 persons have been displaced in eight barangays in Butig since the clash between government troops and the Maute Group started on November 26.

Of this number, 627 families or 3,135 individuals are taking refuge in four evacuation centers in Butig proper and in Barangays Bayabao and Madrasah Raya Timbab, while 2,035 families or 10,175 persons are staying with relatives and friends.

Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said that to ensure prompt delivery of aid to the affected families, her department’s field office in the Soccsksargen region has activated its operations center in Marawi City with the prepositioning of 500 bags of rice worth PHP625,000. Each family will be given 10 kg. of rice.

The field office has also met with local officials of Marawi City on the participation of villagers in the repacking of relief goods.

“It is important to ensure that families caught in the crossfire are still able to meet their basic needs, especially for food. They were forced to abandon their regular sources of livelihood, and they now face a situation full of uncertainty. The least that the DSWD could do as the government's lead welfare agency is to attend to their immediate needs,” Taguiwalo said.

As of Friday, the DSWD has an available stockpile and standby funds at the central office, the Soccsksargen field office, and the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) amounting to PHP588.34 million, including PHP400.23 million in standby funds at the central office and family food packs and food and non-food items worth PHP159.94 million and PHP28.17 million at the NROC and the Soccsksargen field office, respectively.

The DSWD DROMIC said it continues to coordinate with the Soccsksargen field office for the latest developments on the armed conflict and for the provision of relief assistance to the evacuees.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=945165

MILF: Bangsamoro CSO Leaders Assembly declares support for Mindanao Peace Process

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Dec 1): Bangsamoro CSO Leaders Assembly declares support for Mindanao Peace Process



The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) will be conducting more consultations with the public through “peace tables” in able to hear the voices of the grassroots communities and draw recommendations towards the success of the Bangsamoro peace process.

“OPAPP will pilot that peace table at Lanao on November 24,” said Under-Secretary Nabil Tan of OPAPP during the second day of the Bangsamoro CSO Leaders Consultation & Workshop on Mindanao Peace Process held at Grand Regal Hotel in Davao City on November 21-25, 2016.

Tan, one of the keynote speakers of the event, said the consultations through peace tables will engage various sectors like the sultanates to ensure the inclusivity of the Bangsamoro peace process.

He explained that the peace table is the initiative to hear voices of those who were not included in the consultations during the peace process under the past administration.

He presented the updates on the Bangsamoro peace and development roadmap of the Duterte administration citing the two simultaneous tracks namely the passage of enabling law and federalism.

The speaker related that the government will form separate panel to talk with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Chairman Nur Misuari who refused to join the crafting of enabling law by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC).

During the previous administration, Misuari was invited to join the BTC in drafting the BBL but he turned down the offer.

Tan also disclosed the possibility that he will chair the government panel in talks with the MNLF-Misuari group.

He said socio-economic development, security aspect, and transitional justice and reconciliation are among the components of normalization process.

Part of gathering inputs of the BTC according to Tan is the conduct of all Bangsamoro assembly where groups from various sectors will be consulted on the drafting of the enabling law.

The Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society organized the consultation with the support of Japan International Cooperation Agency. It was aimed to build solidarity and consensus among Moro leaders in pursuing lasting peace in Mindanao.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/news/72-ranao-region/982-opapp-to-conduct-bangsamoro-peace-process-consultations-through-peace-tables

MILF: Bangsamoro CSO Leaders Assembly declares support for Mindanao Peace Process

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Dec 2): Bangsamoro CSO Leaders Assembly declares support for Mindanao Peace Process



After a four-day exhaustive consultation-workshops facilitated by the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS), participants in the Bangsamoro CSO-Leaders Assembly coming from Central Mindanao, Northern Mindanao and Western Mindanao held in Grand Regal Hotel, Davao City from November 21-25, 2016 declared their unwavering support for the Mindanao Peace Process.

Also, the CSO leaders consisting of different ethnic tribes, after having reflected on current socio-political and economic issues confronting the Bangsamoro people also declared in their statement, the following:

1. We affirm the importance of the gains of the past peace agreements from the Tripoli Agreement of 1976, the Final Peace Agreement of 1996 and the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro of 2014;
2. We offer full support to the on-going peace processes in the Bangsamoro to end the decades of violence and to usher in the much-awaited peace and development in Mindanao;
3. We support the on-going cessation of hostilities between the government forces and the Moro fronts, which has substantially reduced violence in the Bangsamoro;
4. We appreciate the signing of Executive Order No. 8, s. 2016, which expanded the composition of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission to include other important stakeholders of the Bangsamoro in the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law;
5. We also appreciate the efforts of local and international organizations for their continuing support to the peace processes, including socio-economic programs in the Bangsamoro and other conflict-affected areas in order to build on the gains of the peace processes;
6. We call on the leadership of the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to reaffirm the agreement signed by MNLF Chair Prof. Nur P. Misuari and MILF Chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim on 18 May 2010 in Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan stating, among others, that “unity is indispensible to the success of the Bangsamoro struggle and that there are no basic differences between the Fronts as both are seeking to achieve peace, justice, and a fair solution to the problems of the Bangsamoro people”;
7. We call on the MNLF and the MILF to coordinate their efforts and find common grounds in drafting a law that would ensure the implementation of the peace agreements and strengthen Bangsamoro self-governance in fulfillment of the aspiration for self-determination;
8. We appeal to the OIC to exert extra efforts in bringing together the MNLF and MILF to forge cooperation in addressing the interests of the Bangsamoro people through the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum;
9. We appeal to the national government to heed the call for the implementation of the recommendations of the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission in order to address historical injustices committed against the Bangsamoro; and
10. We call on the Bangsamoro people to close ranks and support the call for unity, convergence and solidarity of all Bangsamoro leaders.

Further, it is stated in their declaration that all the Bangsamoro civil society organizations collectively commit themselves to:

1. Relentlessly pursue the call for unity and solidarity among our leaders;
2. Reach out to the different stakeholders and communities to build constituencies to support the peace processes;
3. Engage in sustained intra-Moro dialogues and consultations with the various stakeholders in the Bangsamoro; and
4. Support the Bangsamoro Fronts in coordinating their efforts towards a draft law acceptable to all Bangsamoro.

The declaration was signed on the 24th day of November 2016, by the participants of Bangsamoro CSO Leaders Assembly.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/news/22-davao-region/983-bangsamoro-cso-leaders-assembly-declares-support-for-mindanao-peace-process

MILF: Geneva call invites MILF to armed non-state actors meeting

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Dec 2): Geneva call invites MILF to armed non-state actors meeting



Geneva Call through its Program Manager, Mr. Chris Rush invited the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to the meeting of Armed Non-State Actors (ANSAs) in Geneva last November 22-24, 2016, where two officers of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) namely, Toks Ebrahim and Dr.  Parido Pigkaulan represented the Moro Front.

Geneva Call is one of the leading neutral non-government organizations that engages armed non-state actors towards respect of international humanitarian norms, in particular those related to the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

International law provides special protection for children in times of armed conflict.  It prohibits the recruitment of children and their use in hostilities, provides provision for children’s rights to basic needs and education.

Along this line, the Geneva Call, with its mechanism- Deed of Commitment for the Protection of Children from the Effects of Armed Conflict allows signatory ANSAs for they cannot become parties to international treaties.

In 2009, the MILF represented by BIAF Chief of Staff Sammy Al-Mansoor signed an action plan with the United Nations   ensuring that children affected by armed conflict are protected.

The first stage of the action plan is the appointment by the MILF of a five-member panel tasked to take charge of the interaction with the UN and UNICEF. One of the members is Architect Edward Guerra.

In this year’s meeting of ANSAs, the presentation of MILF representatives Toks Ebrahim and Parido Pigkaulan has received applause from participants and facilitators.  MILF was acknowledged for having complied with the Deed of Commitment and implemented the Action Plan.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/news/76-international/984-geneva-call-invites-milf-to-armed-non-state-actors-meeting

CPP/NDF-EV: Death of political prisoner and AFP ceasefire violations in Eastern Visayas spur opposition to bilateral ceasefire

NDF-EV propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines Website (Nov 30): Death of political prisoner and AFP ceasefire violations in Eastern Visayas spur opposition to bilateral ceasefire

The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas condemns the death of political prisoner Bernardo Ocasla from cardiac arrest last Nov. 28, saying this spurs opposition to a bilateral ceasefire between the GRP and NDFP. “Bernardo Ocasla is the fourth political prisoner from Eastern Visayas to die in detention in recent years, after Nila Montes in Eastern Samar, and Nenino Cabarles and Renato Abadiano in Samar,” said NDF-EV spokesperson Fr. Santiago “Ka Sanny” Salas. “We condole with his family who waited in vain for his release to right the injustice done to him because of the fabricated case linking him to the “mass grave” in Leyte, a psywar creation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Ocasla’s death underscores the failed promise of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines to release all political prisoners in harmony with its peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.”

 

Fr. Salas said that the people feel betrayed because GRP President Rodrigo Duterte has not released the more than 400 political prisoners who still languish behind bars, including Eduardo Sarmiento, NDFP peace consultant for Eastern Visayas. “The GRP president has the power to release the political prisoners en masse, as Corazon Aquino did in 1986. Why are they being made to pass through the eye of a needle as Duterte and his officials insist? Is this not another injustice to political prisoners who who were sent to jail like common criminals, such as Bernabe Ocasla who spent a decade in prison for a nonexistent crime, and Eduardo Sarmiento who was sentenced to life imprisonment for a grenade he wasn’t carrying.”

 

The NDF-EV spokesperson added that the sufferings of the political prisoners and continuing AFP military operations in Samar and Leyte are compelling grounds to oppose a bilateral ceasefire between the NDFP and GRP. “If the GRP cannot fulfill a relatively minor commitment such as releasing political prisoners, it has no right to make heavier demands such as a bilateral ceasefire with the NDFP. Furthermore, by carrying out military operations thinly disguised as “peace and development,” the AFP leaves the New People’s Army no choice but to actively defend themselves and the people. There is no sense in talking about a bilateral ceasefire when political prisoners are dying and the AFP is out of control. After all, the peace talks can continue even without a bilateral ceasefire, and if genuine changes remain opaque under the Duterte administration, the people’s war and the democratic mass struggles for a just and lasting peace are bound to intensify.”

 

https://www.cpp.ph/death-political-prisoner-afp-ceasefire-violations-eastern-visayas-spur-opposition-bilateral-ceasefire/

CPP: Uphold Bonifacio’s revolutionary militance in continuing to wage armed resistance for national and social liberation

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines Website (Nov 30): Uphold Bonifacio’s revolutionary militance in continuing to wage armed resistance for national and social liberation

Communist Party of the Philippines

November 30, 2016

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) joins the Filipino people in marking today the 153nd birthday of their revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio.

Let us be inspired by the revolutionary militance exhibited more than 120 years ago by Bonifacio and the Katipunan fighters in waging armed resistance to put an end to 300 years of Spanish colonialism and subsequently resist the war of aggression and occupation of the US imperialist forces.

Let us recall how the Katipunan succeeded in arousing, organizing and mobilizing the Filipino people in a war to achieve national freedom. With inferior weaponry, they defeated the Spanish colonial army with superior guerrilla tactics, mastery of the terrain, and above all, by the great patriotic aspiration to be free from their colonial and feudal yoke.

Let us also recall how the upper crust of the Filipino illustrados wrested leadership of the revolution and betrayed the Filipino toiling masses by selling out to the Spanish colonialists and later to the US colonial aggressors. Their treachery inaugurated a new century of colonial and neocolonial subjugation.

For more than a century now, the Filipino people have waged a relentless struggle to achieve national freedom from US imperialist domination. For one decade and a half, they waged armed resistance against the brutal and cruel American colonial occupation troops.

They organized and demonstrated in large numbers to demand an end to US colonial rule from the turn of the century and all throughout the colonial period. They waged armed struggle in the intervening period of Japanese colonialism and continued armed resistance until the middle of the 20th century in the early years of neocolonial rule.

For nearly half a century now, the Filipino people under proletarian leadership have persevered in waging people’s war. With the New People’s Army (NPA), they have established the foundations and scaffolding for the people’s democratic government. They wage cultural revolution and mass struggles to assert the demand for national freedom and democracy.

In continuing to wage people’s war, the Filipino people draw inspiration from Bonifacio. The toiling masses and people seek to emulate his life dedicated to the struggle for freedom. His life of sacrifice shames those who lay false claim to heroism. His eloquence in patriotic words matched by concrete deeds shames those who can only spew empty rhetoric.

Imbued with the revolutionary spirit of the Katipunan, they are ever willing to face sacrifices to realize their desire to put an end to US neocolonial rule and the class rule of the big bourgeois compradors and big landlords, establish democratic rule and build a system that will genuinely serve the interests of the people.

https://www.cpp.ph/uphold-bonifacios-revolutionary-militance-continuing-wage-armed-resistance-national-social-liberation/

CPP/NDF-KM: Millenial revolutionaries hold lightning rally to assail Duterte’s refusal to scrap Oplan Bayanihan

KM propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines Website (Nov): Millenial revolutionaries hold lightning rally to assail Duterte’s refusal to scrap Oplan Bayanihan

Maria Laya Guerrero
Spokesperson
Kabataang Makabayan

November 30, 2016

Hundreds of members of revolutionary youth organization Kabataang Makabayan (KM) marched in downtown Manila on Wednesday morning, November 30, to call on the youth to take up arms and join the communist revolution and assail President Rodrigo Duterte’s refusal to discontinue Oplan Bayanihan, the state’s counterinsurgency plan implemented since the past Aquino regime.

Carrying banners with the call “Join the revolution! Join the New People’s Army!” defiant youth and students marched to commemorate KM’s 52^nd founding anniversary.

“As we commemorate Kabataang Makabayan’s storied past, we march today to show the reactionary state that the underground youth movement is very much alive, young, exuberant, and very much ready to take up arms and further intensify the revolution in the countryside,” Maria Laya Guerrero, spokesperson of Kabataang Makabayan, said.

“The Philippine revolution waged by the CPP may have been raging for almost five decades now, yet the revolution remains young and full of vigor – literally and figuratively – for millennial revolutionaries are ready to take the helm of the revolution, and take the place of our elders in our intensifying fight for national liberation. We take pride in noting that most of our Red fighters now are in the prime of their youth, and many more are set to replenish the growing ranks of the NPA!” Guerrero stressed.

“We also march today to express the underground youth movement’s strongest contempt over GRP President Rodrigo Duterte’s hard-headed and duplicitous stance on the continuation of the reviled Oplan Bayanihan,” Guerrero said.

Guerrero was referring to a statement issued by the president wherein he told the media that he will not reign in the deployment and continued operations of the military and the police in rural areas.

“I have been very clear and categorical to them. This is the Republic of the Philippines. So the soldiers and police should be anywhere and everywhere,” Duterte told reporters on Monday.

The president’s comment comes after several units of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), reported that the military continues to implement its internal security plan Oplan Bayanihan, and continue to militarize rural areas – especially those near guerilla zones – despite the ongoing unilateral ceasefire issued separately both by the government and the CPP.

“What is clear from the president’s pronouncement is that, first, he cannot and will not reign in the mercenary Armed Forces of the Philippines, even as both parties are engaging in a peace negotiation. Second, the president’s refusal to discontinue Oplan Bayanihan – which has wreaked havoc not only to the revolutionary forces but also to families and communities of rural peasants especially – shows us that ‘tunay na pagbabago’ may indeed be nothing but an election catchphrase,” Guerrero explained.

“The continued deployment of the military and their continued counterinsurgency efforts through Oplan Bayanihan bodes ill on the outcome of the ongoing peace negotiations between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP),” Guerrero stressed.

KM is a member organization of the NDFP.

‘Fascism is not heroism’

KM also weighed in on the issue of the late dictator’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, noting that many martyrs and victims of the Martial Law era were members of the revolutionary youth organization.

“It was Marcos who forced KM and its members to go underground. It was Marcos that began the relentless persecution and killing of youth activists and revolutionaries. Never can KM, whose members became primary targets of the fascist dictatorship, recognize – much less honor – Marcos as a hero,” Guerrero said.

The revolutionary youth leader added, “Rehabilitating the image and legacy of the late dictator is tantamount to endorsing state fascism. By greenlighting the late dictator’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, President Duterte and his government is actually systematically emulating the fascist reign of the Marcoses.”

“The system that has produced and enabled the tyrannical rule of Ferdinand Marcos remains largely intact. Duterte is moving precariously near this path to fascist rule. His recalcitrant and unapologetic stance regarding Oplan Bayanihan is telling,” Guerrero added.

KM urged the youth to not only study history and review the excesses and crimes of Martial Law, but also to deeply analyze the socio-economic ills that the country still faces.

“The root causes of armed revolution remain vastly unchanged. The compelling reasons to take up arms and become Red fighters persist. Thus the revolutionary youth movement will continue to enjoin youth and students to join the NPA and fight for genuine independence!” Guerrero ended.

https://www.cpp.ph/millenial-revolutionaries-hold-lightning-rally-assail-dutertes-refusal-scrap-oplan-bayanihan/

AFP admits failings in Marawi roadside blast

From Malaya Business Insight (Dec 2): AFP admits failings in Marawi roadside blast

THE military yesterday said it received information about a potential attack by the lawless Maute group against soldiers prior to last Tuesday’s roadside bombing in Marawi City.

Because of the information, soldiers were deployed to avert the planned bombing but they could just not guard all places, thus the blast, said AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla.

“Unless you put an element or an individual to guard every inch of the roadside, then this could not have happened,” he said.

“I must tell you that the battle space is a very big area, guarding every inch of it is going to be a hard task, and I would go back to the adage of looking for a needle in a haystack, if I may so, if you scour the whole area,” he also said.

The explosion wounded two infantry soldiers and seven members of the Presidential Security Group who were part of President Duterte’s advance party. The explosion hit the lead vehicle of the convoy of PSG personnel.

“Amin pong tinatanggap na nasingitan po tayo sa pamamagitan ng pagkakaroon ng IED (improvised explosive device) explosion na yun,” Padilla said.

The police said Wednesday it was not an IED that hit one of the trucks in the convoy but a rifle grenade fired from houses along the highway. The military insisted it was an IED. But the police and the military agreed that the Maute group behind the attack.

Padilla sought to dismiss allegations by a youth group that no explosion happened.

Drieza Lininding, vice chair of the Bangsamoro National Movement for Peace and Development, said residents told him that one of the soldiers actually fired an M203 grenade launcher while passing the road in Marawi City.

Padilla said, “Nakakasigurado kami na gusto lang po nilang umiwas na maakusahan na ang kanilang maaring sinusuportahang grupo na mga Maute ay hindi involved ditto.”

“Sila po ang numero unong nakikita naming may kagagawan nito. Ito (IED) po ay tinabi sa daan. Naniniwala kami na maaring na-trigger ng isang tawag sa telepono,” he added.

Padilla said the Maute had planned to stage bombings to prevent the military from sending reinforcements to the nearby town of Butig in Lanao del Sur, where troops were then trying to dislodge Maute members who occupied an old and abandoned town hall. Troops took control of the building last Wednesday.

Padilla said military commanders declared the area “100 percent cleared” on Wednesday night.

The Maute members occupied the building last Saturday morning. Soldiers were sent to area to dislodge the group, leading to skirmishes.

Padilla said the fighting has left 61 Maute men dead members of the Maute Group dead and 12 others were wounded. Meanwhile, 35 soldiers were wounded in the conflict, including the seven PSG men and two infantry soldiers.

Padilla said government troops were not able to recover enemy bodies in the area, noting the Maute buries its dead in 24 hours, in keeping with the Muslim tradition.

“We have various means of confirming the deaths on the enemy. Most of them are hum-int (human intelligence) and what have you...Those numbers that were give you have confirmation from various,” he said, adding the military has names of some of the slain Maute members.

Prior to the occupation of the building, military estimates placed the strength of the Maute at around 200 men, which means the group now has just about 140 men.

Asked if the smaller Maute is still a significant force, Padilla said, “Anyone with a firearm in possession is a threat to the community.”

http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/afp-admits-failings-marawi-roadside-blast

PNP chief: Maute men confess to planting bomb

From Malaya Business Insight (Dec 1): PNP chief: Maute men confess to planting bomb


TWO men who have been placed under custodial investigation confessed to planting the improvised explosive device (IED) found near the US Embassy on Roxas Boulevard in Manila last Monday, PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa said yesterday.

Jiaher Guinar, 30, and Rayson Kilala alias Rashid Kilala are members of the lawless Maute group, Dela Rosa said. They were presented by Dela Rosa to media in Camp Crame but were not allowed to talk.

According to Dela Rosa, Guinar and Kilala told investigators they and three others were sent to Metro Manila for a bombing mission aimed at easing pressure on the Maute which is subject of military operations, particularly in Butig town, Lanao del Sur.

Members of the Maute, which has been linking itself to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), occupied the old and abandoned town hall in Butig last Saturday. They were dislodged from the building last Wednesday.

Aside from easing pressure, Dela Rosa said the group also wanted the ISIS to recognize it and for it to eventually receive funding from the international terrorist group.

“Ang kanilang motive ay para ma-recognize sila ng ISIS kasi as of now yung status nila as allied with ISIS is hanging in the balance. Para bang ino-obserbahan muna sila if they are really that good para tanggapin kuno ng ISIS,” he said.

Dela Rosa said three cohorts of Guinar and Kilala brought the bomb from Mindanao, which they loaded into a Toyota Revo van, and covered with pillows to avoid detection.

The van has been recovered by police.

The three are presumed to have returned to Marawi City, but authorities are still looking for them in Metro Manila, Dela Rosa said.

He also said the eyewitness must have been confused when he described the bombers’ vehicle to be a white taxi.

Dela Rosa said Guinar drove the van and planted the bomb near the US Embassy. He said Kilala first planted the bomb at Rizal Park but it failed to explode when he tried to detonate it with a handheld radio as the triggering device.

The two then transferred the IED to a trash bin near the US Embassy but it still did not explode when they tried to detonate it with use of a cellphone as the triggering device.

Dela Rosa said Guinar even tried to call the cellphone while they were watching live TV coverage of the IED being disrupted by the Explosives and Ordnance Division personnel.

The cellphone used to trigger the IED was recovered from Guinar.

“Sabi niya (Kilala) since hindi sumabog tapos, nakonsensya daw siya na baka maraming mamatay, itong si Rashid (Kilala) sinabihan niya (si Guinar) na doon sa Roxas Boulevard hanggang finally nakita doon sa basurahan,” Dela Rosa said.

Guinar was arrested in Bagong Silang, Caloocan on Wednesday dawn. Recovered from him were a .45 caliber pistol and a hand grenade. Kilala was arrested also on Wednesday at around 9:30 a.m. in Barangay Bagong Bayan, Bulakan, Bulacan.

Guinar resembled the face in the computer facial composite shown to the media by Dela Rosa on Tuesday.

Dela Rosa said Guinar has long been staying in Bagong Silang in Caloocan City and has put up a cellphone store, while Kilala has also been long staying in Barangay Bagong Bayan in Bulakan, Bulacan.

He said Kilala is a Muslim convert.

Dela Rosa again admitted there was a lapse in security, enabling the Maute men to bring bomb parts to Metro Manila.

“Aaminin ko talagang nakalusot. That’s our fault. Our effort is still wanting. Hindi ko sinasabi na tama yung effort natin. Kulang pa, inaamin ko sorry. Hindi kami umiiwas ng issue,” he said.

Asked if government provided Guinar and Kilala with lawyers, Dela Rosa said, “Maghanap sila ng abugado nila. Ako pa maghanap ng problema. Papatayin na nga nila yung mga inosenteng tao, hanapan ko pa sila ng abugado para depensahan nila.
‘Tang-___ itong mga gago na ito.”

TERROR ALERT

Dela Rosa said police and military troops in Metro Manila and the rest of the country remain on the highest state of alert, classified as “Terror Alert Level 3” by the National Intelligence and Coordinating Agency.

Dela Rosa said the highest terror alert is Level 4. He declined to elaborate on what the people can expect during Level 4 terror alert.

He said the entire country has been on alert Level 3 since September when two IEDs exploded at the Davao City market, killing 15 people and prompting President Duterte to declare a state of lawlessness.

Dela Rosa said alert Level 3 is not a cause for alarm.

“Expect strong checkpoints, Oplan Sita anytime, some raids being conducted by our security forces on suspected terrorist personalities and lairs na pwedeng pagtaguan ng mga terorista na yan,” Dela Rosa said.

PNP spokesman Dionardo Carlos said: “The Terror Threat Advisory System by the Anti-Terrorism Council places a particular location or the country in Threat Level 3 -- when a terrorist attack is a strong possibility within a short period of time.”

http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/pnp-chief-maute-men-confess-planting-bomb

US passes bill giving over 200,000 WW2 Filipino veterans Gold Medal

From Update.Ph (Dec 1): US passes bill giving over 200,000 WW2 Filipino veterans Gold Medal

United States of America House of Representatives on November 30 unanimously passed the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act (S.1555). It was sponsored by Senator Mazie K. Hirono and Representative Tulsi Gabbard. US Senate unanimously passed the bill in July.

The bill recognizes Filipino soldiers who fought under US command during World War II. A Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress; the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom are the highest civilian awards in the United States.

“Today, the United States Congress took an historic step forward in honoring the more than 200,000 Filipino and Filipino-American soldiers that served our country during World War II. With unanimous support from the United State Congress, our bill now heads to the President’s desk,” said Representative Gabbard.

“Our Filipino WWII veterans have waited decades for this recognition alongside units like the Tuskegee Airmen and Hawaii’s own 442nd/100th Infantry Battalion with the Congressional Gold Medal—our nation’s highest civilian honor. With just 18,000 of these Filipino World War II veterans still alive today, we cannot afford to wait any longer. I urge the President to sign this bill into law before the year’s end, and honor our veterans with this long-overdue recognition,” she explained.

The bill which will be known as the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act, awards the medal collectively to the over 260,000 Filipino and Filipino-American soldiers who responded to President Roosevelt’s call-to-duty and fought under the American flag during World War II.

The bill now heads to President Barack Obama for his signature.

http://www.update.ph/2016/12/us-passes-bill-giving-over-200000-ww2-filipino-veterans-gold-medal/11553

Wounded soldiers recount Marawi ambush

From Rappler (Dec 1): Wounded soldiers recount Marawi ambush

Members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) offer their version of the story, amid speculation in the community that the ambush was staged   



AWARD. President Rodrigo Duterte visits the members of the Presidential Security Group injured in an ambush in Marawi City a day before his visit to Lanao del Sur. Contributed photo

“It was so sudden. Something exploded behind us, we don’t know what it was.”

This was the first account Corporal Vincent Paniza, one of the wounded Presidential Security Group (PSG) told of the Marawi City amush.

Paniza added he was unable to return fire during the attack.

Paniza's account, as well as those of Private First Class James Gonzales, were made following a visit by President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, November 30 to the medical facility they were placed in.

Duterte awarded the wounded soldiers medals for their service during his talk with them at the 4th Infantry Division (4ID) headquarters at Camp Edilberto Evangelista in Barangay Patag.

Gonzales, sharing his story, said their convoy came from Iligan City en route to Marawi.

Gonzales said he was in the lead vehicle, and when it negotiated the steep part of the road, they heard something go off.

“There was an explosion on the side of the road, and after that, they (armed men) fired at us. We returned fire,” he said.

Gonzales said the soldier beside him was also wounded but they didn’t see who shot at them. He also said it was an improvised explosive device (IED) that exploded.

Six of the 11 wounded soldiers were brought to the military camp here for treatment early Wednesday morning and are now in stable condition, an army official said.

Firefight

According to reports, government soldiers engaged in a firefight with members of a local terror group in Butig early this week, while personnel from the Presidential Security Group (PSG) were hurt in an incident in Marawi City on November 29.

Residents of the area, however, do not believe military and government reports that an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated along the main highway of Barangay Emie Punud, leading to a firefight between soldiers and alleged rebels on November 29. (READ: Ambush in Marawi City? Residents have doubts)

Captain Joe Patrick Martinez, a spokesperson of the Phil. Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said it was yet to be determined if the wounded troopers figured in a clash with armed men in Butig, Lanao del Sur.

Martinez said the wounded soldiers, most of them members of the PSG, arrived at the 4ID headquarters in Camp Evangelista early Wednesday morning and were now in stable condition, recuperating at the military infirmary.

“They were well taken care of by our attending physician,” he told reporters in an interview inside Camp Evangelista Wednesday morning, referring to the 6 soldiers.

The confined soldiers, he explained, sustained shrapnel wounds. Those who were airlifted from Marawi and brought to a private hospital here Tuesday were said to have gunshot wounds.

According to the information provided by the 4ID, those who are confined at the military hospital are Corporal Vincent Paniza, Private Frist Class James Gonzales, Sergeant Jesus Garcia, Corporal Rodel Genova, Corporal Edward de Leon, and Staff Sergeant Eufrociho Payumo Jr.

Those who are at the Polymedic Plaza, meanwhile, are identified as Captain Reynaldo Zamora Jr., Corporal Joselito Gallentes, Sergeant Eric Ubalde, Private First Clas Fernando Corpuz, and Staff Sergeant Renie Damaso.

Martinez added the 4ID is extending medical and augmentation support as the site of the clashes and incident happened outside its area of responsibility, although the division has deployed two of its battalions from Caraga region to Sulu and Basilan to help fight the Abu Sayyaf.

Since there is no order from the military’s higher command, the 4ID’s job, Martinez said, is to ensure that the boundaries in Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon are secured and any movement of hostile groups are monitored.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/154249-soldiers-recount-marawi-ambush

PH Air Force gets 2 more fighter jets

From Rappler (Dec 1): PH Air Force gets 2 more fighter jets

The fighter jets are given a water cannon salute at the Clark Airbase in Pampanga   



WATER CANNON SALUTE. The two brand new fighter jets were formally turned over to the Philippine Air Force on December 1. PAF photo

Two more South Korean FA-50 fighter jets procured by the Philippine Air Force (PAF) have arrived.

They were formally turned over on Thursday, December 1, at the Haribon Hangar, Air Force City in Clark Airbase. The ceremony was led by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

The jets were given a water cannon salute.

It is the second batch of FA-50s received by the PAF, bringing the total to four.

 

NOW THERE ARE FOUR. Korea Aerospace Industries has delivered 4 of the 12 fighter jets acquired by the Philippine Air Force. PAF photo

The previous Aquino administration procured 12 fighter jets for P18 billion. The rest are expected to be delivered in 2017.

The Philippine Air Force lost its fighter jet capability in 2005 after it retired the last of its US-made F-5 fighter jets.

The FA-50s were acquired as the previous administration focused on territorial defense amid rising tension in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

President Rodrigo Duterte, who has made pronouncements to put in the sidelines the West Philippine Sea dispute, has criticized the purchase of the fighter jets.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/154253-philippine-air-force-fighter-jets

US embassy bomb originally intended for Luneta - Dela Rosa

From InterAksyon (Dec 1): US embassy bomb originally intended for Luneta - Dela Rosa

 

PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa presents the suspects who allegedly planted the bomb found near the US embassy on Monday. (image from live television footage)

The bomb planted near the US embassy in Manila Monday had originally been intended to wreak havoc at the nearby Luneta but failed to go off, Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa said Thursday as he presented the two suspects he said were supposed to carry out the plot.

Dela Rosa did not, however, say when the botched Luneta bombing was supposed to have taken place. The park was the site of a massive protest last Friday against the burial of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

At a televised briefing where he presented the suspects,Rayson Kilala Sakdal, 34, also known as Rashid Kilala, a convert to Islam who he said was the driver of the taxi in which the bomb was carried and was reported arrested in Bulakan, Bulacan, and Jamir Kinar, who runs a cellular phone repair shop in Caloocan.

The two, he said, were tasked to plant and detonate the explosive, which was transported from Mindanao by three other men, one of them also a member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, in a Toyota Revo that the PNP chief said has since been recovered.

All five, he said, belong to a “cell” of the Maute Group, which is the target of a major military offensive in Butig, Lanao del Sur and which Dela Rosa said is linked to the Ansar al-Khalifa, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

However, the three other suspects hurriedly returned to Mindanao after they were supposedly called back to reinforce their group.

Aside from conspiracy to commit terrorism charges under the Human Security Act, Dela Rosa said Sakdal and Kinar will also be charged with illegal possession of firearms and explsoves. He explained that a .45 caliber pistol was also seized from them.

Dela Rosa said that after the failed attempt at the Luneta, Rashid the driver was bothered by his conscience and suggested that the bomb be dumped in the garbage bin.

Asked what the motive may have been for detonating the bomb in Metro Manila, Dela Rosa said it was meant to ease the pressure on the Maute Group in Butig and to persuade the Islamic State to recognize them as part of its network.

Dela Rosa said one of the two captured suspects was traced through forensic investigation of the cellular phone through which the bomb was supposed to have been triggered.

He said the two were watching television coverage of the bomb’s disarming and safe detonation by police explosives experts and had attempted to set off the device through the Caloocan suspect’s phone “but hindi sumabog kaya na-trace ang phone (but it failed to explode so the phone was traced).”

Earlier, authorities said the bomb, which had been placed in a garbage bin just a hundred meters from the US embassy on Roxas Boulevard, was similar to the one which killed 15 people are wounded scores more in Davao City on September 2.

The Maute Group was blamed for the Davao attack.

A day after the bomb was found near the embassy, the military said seven troops of the Presidential Security Group and two other soldiers from a different unit were wounded when their convoy, which was teh advance party for President Rodrigo Duterte's visit to Lanao del Sur on Wednesday, was hit by roadside bombs in Marawi City.

However, news reports quoting residents of the place where the incident happened have raised questions over what actually happened.

http://interaksyon.com/article/134833/us-embassy-bomb-originally-intended-for-luneta---dela-rosa