Thursday, April 4, 2019

NDF/Sison: Treason and corruption of Duterte and gang at two levels of transactions with China


Jose Maria Sison propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Apr 4,
2019): Treason and corruption of Duterte and gang at two levels of transactions with China

By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
NDFP Chiefl Political Consultant
April 4, 2019

The petitioners headed by Makabayan Chairman Neri J. Colmenares are correct and praiseworthy in asking the Supreme Court to declare the US$62,086,837.82 Preferential Buyer’s Credit Loan Agreement on the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project, identified under No. 1420103052018210863 CHINA EXIMBANK PBC 2018 NO. 11 TOTAL NO. 468, as unconstitutional, illegal and void.

As urgent relief , they also ask the Supreme Court to issue a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and/or Writ of Preliminary Injunction, to enjoin Respondents from enforcing the loan agreement. The respondents are Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte, Exec. Sec. Salvador C. Medialdea, DOF Sec. Carlos G. Dominguez III, NEDA Sec. Ernesto M. Pernia, DOJ Sec. Menardo I. Guevarra, NIA Administrator Ricardo R. Visaya.

The petitioners point out that the assailed loan agreement and subsequent implementation thereof violate the Constitution and are, therefore, void because:

It contains a Confidentiality Clause violative of the 1987 Constitution that provides for the right to information of the Filipino people on foreign loans contracted by the government (Sec. XII, Sec. 21 and 22; Art. II, Sec. 28; Art. III, Sec. 7);

It was approved after-the-fact by the Monetary Board which is not in conformity with the 1987 Constitution that requires prior concurrence (Art. VII, Sec. 20; Art. XII, Sec. 21);

It is conditioned on the signing of a contractor’s agreement awarding the project to a Chinese construction firm and, thereby, doing away with the country’s procurement laws and the Filipino First Policy of the 1987 Constitution (Art. XII, Sec. 10; Procurement Reform Act R.A. No. 9184; Official Development Assistance Act R.A. No. 8182);

It hauls the country to a Chinese arbitration tribunal, officiated by Chinese arbitrators using Chinese laws, in violation of Art. II, Sec. 7 of the Constitution;

It contains an express waiver of sovereign immunity over the State’s patrimonial assets in favor of a foreign government in violation of the Constitution (Art. XII, Sec. 7; Art. II, Sec. 7; Art. XII, Sec. 2).

The unconstitutional and illegal character of the loan agreement and the implementation thereof amount to brazen treason, involving the gross violation of national sovereignty and the national patrimony. The loan agreement also reeks of corruption of the grossest kind because the project is overpriced and the interest on the loan is excessively high in comparison to offers from other countries.

Duterte and his ruling clique are not ashamed of committing obvious treason and corruption because they are carried away by their greed for commissions and other forms of payoff. According to reliable sources, these commissions have been advanced indirectly through the loans extended by Chinese banks to Duterte dummy, Dennis Uy, who has been buying up major Philippine assets to the tune of 80 billion Php as of the last report a year ago.

The Duterte family and traitor gang have been benefiting from relations with China at the two levels of official transactions with the Chinese state and criminal transactions with Chinese triads involved in the smuggling of drugs, rice and other goods to the Philippines. The criminal transactions started as early as when Duterte was still mayor and connived with the Chinese triads in using Davao City as a major smuggling point.

https://www.ndfp.org/treason-and-corruption-of-duterte-and-gang-at-two-levels-of-transactions-with-china/

NDF/NPA-Masbate: Pekeng balita ang tungkol sa engkwentro sa pagitan ng PNP Placer MPS at NPA sa Placer, Masbate

NPA-Masbate propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Apr 4, 2019): Pekeng balita ang tungkol sa engkwentro sa pagitan ng PNP Placer MPS at NPA sa Placer, Masbate

Pinasisinungalingan ng JRC-BHB Masbate ang sinasabing “engkwentro” ng mga kapulisan ng Placer, Masbate MPS laban sa BHB noong madaling araw ng Abril 1, 2019 sa Brgy. Ban-ao, Placer, Masbate.

Ayon sa ibinalita ng Online news na Bicol News Express ay umabot ng mahigit 15 minuto ang putukan sa pagitan ng dalawang grupo na ikinasugat ni Ernesto Pino,@ “Ka Bunso” na siyang tumatayong lider ng grupo. Dagdag pa sa balita ay kahit na sugatan si Ernesto Pino ay nagawa pa nitong matakasan ang mga pulis.

Walang kinalaman ang anumang yunit ng BHB sa nangyaring labanan sa nasabing lugar. Isang malaking kasinungalingan ang inilalako sa mamamayan ng mga kagawad ng AFP at PNP, gayundin ang pagpapagamit ng Bicol News Express para maging daluyan ng maling balita at dis-impormasyon.

Ang naganap na labanan ay sa pagitan ng mga pwersa ng PNP Placer MPS at pribadong armadong grupo (PAG) ng isang malaking partido pulitikal. Ang grupo ay kinontrata para maghasik ng takot at gulo sa panahon ng eleksyon, at ang totoong amo ng grupong ito ay ang mga opisyal ng 2nd IBPA, MICO at MIG para pagkakitaan.

Ang totoo nito, si Ernesto Pino’@ Ka Bunso” na taga So. Anagon, Brgy. Manamoc, Aroroy, Masbate ay matagal nang miembro ng CAFGU noon pang 1998 at ang patunay nito ang pagiging giya niya sa mga operasyong militar ng 2nd IBPA.

Para sa kaalaman ng mga Masbatenyo, ang nangungunang kontraktor ng mga pribadong armadong grupo dito sa Masbate ay ang mga kapulisan at sundalo, lalung-lalo na ang MICO na pinagkikitaan ng malaki ngayon ang 15 rebel returnees na pinamumunuan ni Rolando Epil,@ Ka Bulak o Jazel sa bayan ng Balud, Masbate na ikinontrata ni Sgt. Rico Amaro sa kalaban ng kasalukuyang Mayor ng Balud, Masbate. Katunayan, ang grupo ni Epil ang nagpasabog sa speed boat ng LGU Balud at ang tangkang pagpatay sa punong barangay ng Palani, Balud na si Joseph Eswan.

Binibigyang babala ng JRC – BHB Masbate ang lahat ng mga pulitiko sa probinsya ng Masbate na tigilan niyo na ang paggamit ng mga pribadong armadong grupo para maghasik ng karahasan sa mga botante. Mulat na ang taong bayan kung sinong mga kandidato ang may nagawa na para sa interes ng taong bayan lalo na sa pagtugon sa mga batayang pangangailangan at kayang ipagtanggol ang karapatang pantao na patuloy na niyuyurakan ng mga sundalo at pulis sa ilalim ng pasisitang diktadurang rehimeng US-Duterte.

Patuloy na ilantad at labanan ang mga pang-aabuso ng AFP at PNP. Lalo pang lulubha ang mga paglabag sa mga karapatang pantao sa ilalim ng diktador at tiranyang rehimeng US-Duterte sa pagpapatuapd ng EO 70 at Memorandum 32 kung saan umiiral ang de facto martial law sa tatlong rehiyon sa pamamagitan ng todo gerang atake sa mga mamamayan .

Mamamayang Masbatenyo , lumaban para ipagtanggol ang kontra mamamayang atake ng estado. Walang ibang maaasahan ang mamamayan kundi ang kanilang sariling lakas at militanteng paglaban at pagsusulong ng armadong pakikibaka para sa katarungang panlipunan.

Sagot sa Pasismo ng Estado, Digmang Bayan!

Mamamayang Masbatenyo, lumahok sa Digmang Bayan!

AFP SolCom clarifies presence of dredging ship off Batangas coast

From the Manila Bulletin (Apr 2, 2019): AFP SolCom clarifies presence of dredging ship off Batangas coast
The commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Southern Luzon Command (AFP-SoLCom) Tuesday said that the ship sighted over the weekend in the municipal water of Lobo, Batangas will be used for the dredging and desilting of Lobo River and nearby estuaries.



Maj. Gen. Gilbert Gapay (YouTube / 7th Infantry Division, Philippine Army Facebook page / MANILA BULLETIN)y

In a statement, Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, said as per coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Batangas and based on the report of their Littoral Monitoring Station in Mindoro, the ship sighted off the coast of Lobo, Batangas is M/V Emerald, a Sierra Leone – Registered vessel manned by Indonesian and Chinese nationals.

“It will be used for the Dredging and Desilting of Lobo River and nearby estuaries covered by an approved contract between Lobo LGU and Seagate Engineering and Buildsystems, a Filipino Company,” Gapay said.

Gapay said pertinent documents were already submitted to the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Central Office and the National Security Adviser for issuance of “Special permit for utilization”.

“Its (ship’s) presence in the area is cleared with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA),” Gapay said.

“The Coast Guard Station in the area is closely monitoring the vessel,” he added.

Police earlier said that the vessel has nine crew members all Chinese Nationals identified as Li Yongping, Captain; Wang Lei, Chief Officer; Zhao Zhaoyin, 2nd officer; Du Zhengxu, Chief Engineer, Cheng Jiaxi, 2nd Engineer; Cai Yueliang, 3rd Engineer; Zhao Xiang, Oiler, Tang Shilin, Du Qincheng, Li Long,and Li Yongjun, all AB (Able Seaman) and Chen Niudi, cook, all with Passport, Visa and Seaman Book.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/04/02/afp-solcom-clarifies-presence-of-dredging-ship-off-batangas-coast/?fbclid=IwAR3vTm9m2LEWKnb2oJFHuCDHz33NwatD86_NCcBYe8hSoJlURx-le8gZkQM

SOLCOM: The ongoing Exercise Balikatan 2019 with the USAF and allied countries is achieving goals.

Posted to the Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) Facebook page (Apr 4, 2019): The ongoing Exercise Balikatan 2019 with the USAF and allied countries is achieving goals.

Lieutenant General Gilbert I Gapay AFP, the overall Exercise Director is in charge with synchronizing and supervising events and activities with units from the USPACOM and the Australian Defense Force. 
Events includes Command Post Exercises, Joint and Combined Inter-operability Exercises and Humanitarian and Civic Assistance.

Balikatan exercises enhance the inter-operability of our forces with our allies and maintain a high level of readiness and responsiveness to any eventualities especially on emergency response to disasters. Activities also includes engineering Civic Assistance Projects which help in constructing and repairing schools and other buildings/facilities and the Cooperative Health Engagement that provides real time advanced health services to the indigents during simulated medical emergencies on remote areas.

Balikatan exercise is regularly conducted with our allies to incorporate lessons learned from previous exercises and from actual events on disaster response, humanitarian assistance activities, counterterrorism and other possible improvement on our joint and combined tactics, techniques and procedures brought by necessities and advancement of technology.

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WESTMINCOM: Troops tighten security after blast hits Isulan town

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Apr 4, 2019): Troops tighten security after blast hits Isulan town



Military troops heightened security operations after anti-personnel mines exploded at Carlitos Chicken House along a national highway in Barangay Kalawag 2, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat at 3:15pm on April 3.

Said explosion resulted in the injury of 18 civilians, who are currently being treated at different hospitals in Isulan. Three underwent surgery and the rest incurred minor injuries.

“We intensified our intelligence operations to apprehend the perpetrators and to thwart further hostilities. On the other hand, the local government and other stakeholders were mobilized to bring back normalcy,” said Major General Cirilito Sobejana, JTF Central Commander.

According to the JTF Central, the owner of Carlitos Restaurant received an extortion letter but failed to report the same to authorities last week.

Military and police forces cordorned the incident site. Authorities further reviewed CCTV footages to get some leads.

The Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, meanwhile, conducted panelling for possible emplacements of additional anti-personnel mines.



“We condemn this nefarious act committed against the innocent and peace-loving people of Mindanao. Thus, austere security measures are implemented by our forces to thwart terror ploys against non-military targets in the area,” said Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega, Western Mindanao Command chief.

“While we keep guard, we acknowledge the cooperation and vigilance of civilians in the area,” he added.

“We further extend all efforts to identify and capture the perpetrator in order to serve justice,” said Lieutenant General Dela Vega.

Meanwhile, troops from the JTF Central heavily engaged BIFF members in Liguasan Marsh yesterday morning.

The gunfight yielded to the death of Ali Abdul Mali, brother of Abu Turaifei, Daulah Islamiya Commander.

“Our focused military operations against peace spoilers and private armed groups in Liguasan, areas of Salibu-Pagatin-Mamasapano and Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, and other parts of the area of responsibility are sustained to ensure a secure and peaceful midterm election on May 13,” said Major General Sobejana.

Lieutenant General Dela Vega said, with Mali’s death, the military delivered a massive blow on the Daulah Islamiya.

“We are motivated to continue our offensives to crush terrorists behind atrocities in Mindanao,” he added.Joint



http://www.westmincom.com/troops-tighten-security-after-blast-hits-isulan-town/

WESTMINCOM: 4 lawless elements neutralized in Lanao del Norte

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Apr 4, 2019): 4 lawless elements neutralized in Lanao del Norte



Elements of the 5th Mechanized Infantry Battalion and the PNP conducted joint law enforcement operation in Barangay Abaga, Nunungan, Lanao del Norte 4am yesterday (April 3, 2019).



Said operation resulted to one lawless element killed identified as Samolabao Tumog a.k.a SB, a former Barangay Chairman of Rebucon, Nunungan who was also an identified drug personality.

Government troops were about to serve a search warrant to Tumog when they were fired upon by the latter that resulted to the wounding of one Army personnel.

The wounded army was immediately evacuated to the nearest hospital for medical treatment.

Three (3) more drug personalities were nabbed in the said operation, identified as Jalal Diambarang Tumog, Pano Tumog, and Hami Tumog. They are now under the custody of the PNP for filing of appropriate charges.



Recovered from the neutralized personalities were one M16 rifle, two rifle grenades, one hand grenade, magazines, and ammunitions.

“The neutralization of these drug personalities will significantly reduce the criminalities in our area of operation,” said Brigadier General Ezra James Enriquez, commander of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade.

Joint Task Force ZamPeLan commander Brigadier General Roberto Ancan, commander commended the troops of the 5th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, 2nd Mechanized Brigade and the PNP for the successful neutralization of the drug personalities.

“Rest assured that the WestMinCom will continue to support the anti-drug campaign of the government and the operations of law enforcement agencies against illegal drug activities in the command’s joint area of operations,” WestMinCom chief Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega said.

WESTMINCOM: WestMinCom deputy chief inspects Abu Sayyaf weapons, checks on troops during visit in Sulu

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Apr 4, 2019): WestMinCom deputy chief inspects Abu Sayyaf weapons, checks on troops during visit in Sulu



Brigadier General Generoso Ponio, Western Mindanao Command Deputy Commander for Operations, inspected weapons seized from Abu Sayyaf militants during his visit to combat troops in Sulu on April 2.

Ponio set foot on battlegrounds in Sulu to check on the ongoing offensives and conditions of operating troops.

Soldiers from 6th Special Forces Battalion presented a mortar, two M16 rifles, and a handheld radio to Ponio in Barangay Buhanginan, Patikul at 7:30am on Tuesday. Troops seized said materials from terrorists after a clash in Barangay Bakong, Patikul on March 26.

Accompanied by Brigadier General Divino Rey Pabayo, Jr., Joint Task Force Sulu Commander, Ponio visited marine troops on Simisa Island and inspected four firearms seized by the marines following the spate of clashes with militants.



Since January 1, 2019, the JTF Sulu launched massive operations against terrorists on Simisa Island.

The series of operations resulted to the death of six bandits and the seizure of four high-powered firearms of the Abu Sayyaf on Simisa Island.

On March 24, three Abu Sayyaf militants died in the offensive launched by the Marine Battalion Landing Team-3 on said island.

Troops further neutralized three other terrorists in separate clashes on said island on February 24, March 18, and April 2.

Operating troops also seized an R4 rifle, an M1 Carbine rifle, an M16A1 rifle, and a Caliber .45 pistol of the Abu Sayyaf this year.

As we speak, soldiers continue pursuit of remaining militants in the jungles of Sulu.



“I enjoin you to remain committed and resilient to defeat the adversary. Bear in mind that, as soldiers, we must perform our sworn duty with dedication, courage, and integrity,” Ponio told operating troops.

“Let us defeat the Abu Sayyaf and continue to secure the area against all those who spoil peace in Sulu,” he added.

Ponio also visited the tactical command post of the 1102nd Brigade in Bud Datu, Tagbak, Indanan, Sulu.

He was given operational updates by military officers during his visit on Tuesday.

WESTMINCOM: Army officer: “Education is our weapon to fight against ignorance and poverty”

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Apr 4, 2019): Army officer: “Education is our weapon to fight against ignorance and poverty”



The Bravo Company of 6th Infantry Battalion, 6th Infantry Division, Philippine Army provided security assistance during the 4th Moving Up Ceremony of Mamenting Memorial National High School in Barangay Igabay, Balabagan, Lanao del Sur on Tuesday (April 02, 2019).



The Company Commander, 1st Lieutenant Elvis G. Dela Cruz also served as the Guest of Honor and Speaker in the said event.



“As a son of a farmer, I learned the importance of education at an early age. Education is our weapon to fight against ignorance and poverty. I always remember what my parents once told me: Education is the only inheritance that we can leave to you. It is a wealth that cannot be stolen,” 1LT Dela Cruz said.



“With faith in God, nothing is impossible,” he added.



The Redskin troopers always support the programs and activities of the academe because they believe that the young generation will always be the HOPE of our NATION.

WESTMINCOM: 3 MILF elements slain in law enforcement operation

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Apr 4, 2019): 3 MILF elements slain in law enforcement operation



Three MILF elements with Warrant of Arrest for murder were slain during the law enforcement operations conducted by the Philippine National Police in Barangays Illian and Tabaran, all in Madamba, Lanao del Sur at 10am today (April 4).

The PNP troops were to serve warrants of arrest when they engaged in a firefight with the MILF elements led by a certain Abu Hanif.

Four (4) PNP personnel and two civilians were wounded in the said encounter, based on information received from army units in the area. They are now recuperating in the hospital.

Troops immediately coordinated with the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) to de-escalate the incident.

Colonel Jose Maria Cuerpo, the deputy brigade commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade under the JTF Zampelan, whose troops are covering the area, facilitated coordination.

EASTMINCOM: 19 Communist Terrorists Surrender During NPA Anniversary

Posted to the Eastern Mindanao Command (EASTMINCOM) Facebook page (Apr 4, 2019): 19 Communist Terrorists Surrender During NPA Anniversary

The windfall of surrender continues as the NPA marked its 50th year anniversary last March 29,2019. Nineteen (19) communist terrorists were formally presented to Governor Pax S. Mangundadatu, Al Haj at the Provincial Capitol in Sultan Kudarat. Most of the surrenderees are members of Guerrilla Fronts 72 and 73 of Far South Mindanao Region that operate in the Provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato, and Davao del Sur. These provinces are all under 1002nd Brigade’s area of responsibility

According to COLONEL ADONIS R BAJAO, the Brigade Commander of 1002nd Infantry (BAGWIS) Brigade, the surrender was the result of the series of Focused Military Operations and Community Support Program activities of the unit. Five of whom surrendered last February 9, 2019, after an armed encounter in Barangay New Baguio, Makilala, Cotabato. With the dwindling support from the masses, another group of three fully armed CTs from Barangay Sukob, Columbio, Sultan Kudarat decided to surrender bringing along with them high-powered firearms. Another eleven CTs surrendered to the Philippine National Police and 33rd Infantry Battalion last March 25, 2019, in Senator Ninoy Aquino, Sultan Kudarat. 

CT’s terroristic plans were revealed during subsequent interviews. Accordingly, they were tasked to burn the heavy equipment of big construction companies in Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato. They were told that these companies are not giving in to the CTG’s extortion demands. Further, they admitted to having been misinformed and misled by their CT leaders about the real intention of the road projects. They were brainwashed that projects are intended only for the benefit of capitalists who are exploiting their area for selfish motives.

One particular project is the farm to market road in Barangay Sukob. This road runs through Barangay Colonsabak up to Barangay Lamalit. Despite the propaganda of the CTG, they were informed by their own villagers that the road is intended to open access for their farm goods to reach a nearby market, especially during rainy seasons. They were also informed by their families about the Enhanced-Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) through the 39th Infantry Battalion.

After a series of negotiations, they finally left the CTG thus thwarting their terroristic plan of burning heavy equipment and government projects. Such atrocities are supposed to coincide during their 50th founding anniversary.

“The Battalion is grateful for the support of the people in disseminating the E-CLIP in remote sitios particularly in remote communities of Indigenous People. This effort should be propagated and sustained to ultimately end the deception of the CTGs,” said LIEUTENANT COLONEL RHOJUN P ROSALES, Commander, 39th Infantry Battalion.

Further, Governor Pax S. Mangundadatu, Al Haj said, that the government is sincere in its offer of peace and he assures the surrenderees of their personal safety as they peacefully return to their families.

“It is because of Good Governance that the CTG’s propaganda is continuously being defeated,” he added.

https://www.facebook.com/eastmincom/posts/2249415558452002?__tn__=K-R

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Probers say Kudarat blast has BIFF mark

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Apr 5, 2019): Probers say Kudarat blast has BIFF mark

Police, military looking at extortion try behind explosion at Isulan resto


ALERT UP The military has strengthened security measures in the provinces of Cotabato and Maguindanao following the bombing in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, that wounded 18 people on Wednesday. ORLANDO DINOY

ISULAN, SULTAN KUDARAT — Shrapnel recovered from the site of the blast that wounded 18 people here on Wednesday bore the “signature” of the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), according to police and military officials.

Police Maj. Ronnie Dardo, spokesperson for the Sultan Kudarat provincial police, on Thursday said the improvised explosive device (IED) was similar to those used by BIFF in recent attacks in the region.

Bomb experts said the bomb was fashioned from highly combustible black powder placed inside a plastic jar rigged with broken nails and metal sheets. It was detonated using a mobile phone.

Among the victims of the blast at Carlito’s Chicken House were six children and a pregnant mother.

Protection money

Dardo said police were looking at extortion as a motive based on text messages received by the restaurant owner from unknown senders who demanded P50,000 as monthly protection money.

Isulan Mayor Marites Pallasigue believed the bombing was not an act of terrorism. “I am convinced that it was motivated by extortion,” she told reporters on Thursday.

Police Lt. Col. Junny Buenacosa, Isulan police chief, said the restaurant management did not inform the police about the text messages.



BLAST SITE Investigators cordon off an area fronting the restaurant hit by a blast in Isulan, as they mark spots where debris and shrapnel are found. —PHOTO COURTESY OF 6TH INFANTRY DIVISION

Diversionary tactic

In Manila, Malacañang deplored the bombing as it appealed to the public not to let down their guard and watch out for any unusual behavior to thwart similar incidents.

“While we commit to bring the perpetrators to justice, we also continue to advise the public to remain vigilant in their surroundings and not to be hesitant in reporting any unusual behavior that they may observe to proper authorities,” said presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said there were indications that BIFF was involved and that the attack could be a “diversionary tactic.”

Retaliatory attacks

Sobejana said the military was expecting retaliatory attacks from the BIFF after several of its members were killed during military operations in Maguindanao.

Abu Toraife’s group, the most rabid among the three BIFF factions, was blamed for the series of bomb attacks in Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat, including the twin bombings in August and September last year.

Toraife’s brother, named Ali, one of the students in bomb making of the slain Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, was killed in clashes with military forces in Shariff Saidona Mustapha on Wednesday, about nine hours before the Isulan bombing.

Military officials said it was possible that the group bombed the restaurant to avenge the death of Ali.

Pallasigue said a security camera footage showed a man buying roasted chicken in an establishment in front of Carlito’s Chicken House. He was seen leaving a package behind, which exploded soon after he left.

Security lapses

The mayor was puzzled how the bomb could have entered the city despite the tight security and the many police checkpoints.

Pallasigue said the restaurant owner received another call on Thursday morning, warning of more bomb attacks if the owner would not pay protection money.

The military and the police in Sultan Kudarat have intensified security operations to get the culprits and thwart similar attacks.

Police Col. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson, said the Special Investigating Task Group Carlito, apart from working to identify and arrest the bombers, was looking into security lapses that enabled the attack.

Erlan Deluvio, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) acting regional director, urged authorities to arrest the bomber. He said the suspect would not receive “any amount of sympathy, much less, a legal succor from the CHR.”

4 BIFF fighters killed, 11 wounded in Maguindanao firefight

From the Manila Standard (Apr 4, 2019): 4 BIFF fighters killed, 11 wounded in Maguindanao firefight

Four members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, including a brother of a top terrorist leader, were killed while 11 others were wounded following a running gunbattle against government troopers in Maguindanao early Monday.

The military said one of those wounded was a nephew of another terrorist leader belonging to a separate radical group.

Major Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division identified the slain terrorists as Ali Abdul Malik, brother of BIFF leader Abu Toraype; and three others who have yet to be unidentified

Citing intelligence reports, Sobejana identified two of the wounded terrorists as Hairudin Abubakar and a certain Maranao, all members of the Bungos group, a separate faction of the BIFF.

The killing of the four BIFF members came after security forces launched search and destroy operations against terrorists operating in the outskirts of Maguindanao, particularly in Datu Unsay town.

While searching for the terrorists’ lair, ground troops launched indirect fire which hit the supposed hideout of Ali Abdul Malik, triggering a fierce firefight.


After a lull in the fighting, ground troops conducted clearing operations, which led to the recovery of war materiel, including Improvised Explosive Devices.


Hours later, the BIFF Bungos faction tried to reinforce their comrades under the Toraype group, triggering renewed firefight which led to the deaths of the terrorists
Sobejana said a volley of gunfire and mortar fire backed by air strikes were launched against the terrorists who numbered to more than a hundred fighters positioned in separate locations.

As the firefight continues, ground troops maneuvered to a strategic area in anticipation of another reinforcement from a separate BIFF group led by Commander Karialan, which failed to materialize.

The recent clash came following last Monday’s firefight between soldiers and the BIFF which wounded a number of civilians and army troopers at the outskirts of Isulan town.

http://manilastandard.net/news/national/291819/4-biff-fighters-killed-11-wounded-in-maguindanao-firefight.html

Philippines: Malaysian Hostage Shot During Rescue from Abu Sayyaf Militants

From BenarNews (Apr 4, 2019): Philippines: Malaysian Hostage Shot During Rescue from Abu Sayyaf Militants

Malaysian kidnap victim Jari Abdullah receives treatment after he was allegedly shot and wounded by his captors during a rescue operation launched by Philippine security forces in southern Sulu province, April 4, 2019.

Malaysian kidnap victim Jari Abdullah receives treatment after he was allegedly shot and wounded by his captors during a rescue operation launched by Philippine security forces in southern Sulu province, April 4, 2019. Handout/Armed Forces of the Philippines

Islamic State-linked militants shot and wounded a Malaysian hostage as Filipino security forces rescued him in the southern Philippines on Thursday, almost four months after the man and two Indonesians were seized at sea off eastern Malaysia, military officials said.

After his rescue Malaysian fisherman Jari Abdullah was being treated at a hospital in Zamboanga city, 1,334 km (833 miles) south of Manila, but the fate of the two Indonesians was not known, authorities said.

“The kidnap victim tried to escape from his captors during the firefight but was shot by the Abu Sayyaf,” Col. Gerry Besana, spokesman of the military’s Southern Command, told BenarNews.

Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militants snatched Jarin and the Indonesians from their fishing boat off Pegasus Reef, located in waters off Sabah state in nearby Malaysian Borneo, on Dec. 6, 2018, authorities said.

Besana said members of the Philippine Marines recovered Abdullah at around 4:30 p.m. after a brief firefight with his captors on Simisa Island, part of a chain of islands in the southern Philippine province of Sulu.

Besana said the marines found Jari lying near the withdrawal route taken by his captors.

He was airlifted to a military facility in Jolo, the provincial capital of Sulu, before he was transferred to a hospital in Zamboanga city, about 215 km (134 miles) away, officials said.

Authorities did not provide information on the extent of Jari’s injuries.

“We have not spoken with the victim who is now undergoing [treatment] at the hospital,” Besana said.

Brig. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo Jr, the army commander in Sulu, said there were no casualties on the government side during Thursday’s rescue operation. It was not immediately clear if the militants suffered casualties.

“The ASG’s act of shooting the hapless kidnapped victim is indicative of their hopelessness and of being desperate as they are now surrounded by our pursuing troops,” Pabayo said.

“The AFP in Sulu is now more motivated to hunt down these terrorists,” he said, using the acronym for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The ASG, the smallest but most brutal of several militant groups in the southern Philippines, is believed to be holding local and foreign hostages in the volatile south.

Apart from abductions, it captured headlines during the past decade for its alleged involvement in bombings and beheadings in the southern Philippines. Over the past three years, ASG militants decapitated two Canadians and a German they had seized separately, military officials said.

One of ASG’s leaders, Isnilon Hapilon, became the acknowledged leader of the Islamic State in Southeast Asia and led a siege of the southern city of Marawi in May 2017. That siege led to a five-month battle with government forces that left 1,200 people dead, most of them militants, including Hapilon.

ASG factions have been blamed for a car bombing in Basilan island that killed 11 people last year. In January, defense officials also linked the group’s leader in Jolo to a bomb that killed 23 people and wounded dozens at a local Catholic church.

Amb. Sung Kim highlights importance of “Balikatan” in regional peace and stability

From the Manila Bulletin (Apr 3, 2019): Amb. Sung Kim highlights importance of “Balikatan” in regional peace and stability

United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim on Tuesday highlighted the importance of ‘Balikatan’, a joint Philippines – US military exercise, in promoting peace and stability in the region.



U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

“As friends, partners, and allies, we’re not only protecting our own shared security, but also contributing greatly to the stability and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific region,” Ambassador Kim said during the opening ceremony of Balikatan 2019 at Tejeros Hall, Camp Aguinaldo Officers Club.

The US diplomat, who was the ceremony’s guest of honor, also reflected on the significance of Balikatan to the two countries’ bilateral relationship “as a testament to our mutual commitment to the U.S.-Philippines Alliance.”

“As the largest of 281 security cooperation activities agreed upon between the U.S. and the Philippines for this year, Balikatan will strengthen our armed forces, improve our interoperability, and facilitate a robust exchange of ideas and best practices. The relationships, skills, and cooperation that our nations build here will have significant implications for the safety and security of the Philippines and the Indo-Pacific region as a whole,” he added.

Balikatan is a Tagalog phrase that means “shoulder-to-shoulder” is an annual exercise between the U.S. military and the Armed Forces of the Philippines along with participants from the Australian Defense Forces (ADF).

This year’s Balikatan, which will run from April 1 to 12, will be one of the biggest joint exercises in terms of the number of participants. Around 4,000 Filipino and 3,500 American forces will conduct counterterrorism training, amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban operations training, aviation operations, bilateral planning, subject matter expert exchanges, and humanitarian and civic assistance projects throughout Luzon.

It will also include the participation of 50 members of the ADF for humanitarian and civic assistance projects and special operations forces training.

US and Philippines said to be in talks on rocket system to deter Beijing’s ‘militarisation’ in South China Sea

South China Morning Post (Apr 2, 2019): US and Philippines said to be in talks on rocket system to deter Beijing’s ‘militarisation’ in South China Sea

  • Security experts say the two sides have been unable to reach a deal because the American system could be too expensive for Manila
  • Chinese man-made islands on reefs in the disputed Spratly chain would be in striking distance if it’s deployed, according to one analyst

Washington and Manila have been discussing the potential deployment of an upgraded US rocket system in a bid to deter Beijing’s “militarisation” of its artificial islands in the contested South China Sea, according to regional security experts.

But the two sides have been unable to reach a deal because the high-mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) could be too expensive for Manila given its tight defence budget, they said.

The allies’ defence chiefs, however, reaffirmed their “enduring alliance” on Monday in Washington, and agreed to increase the interoperability of their forces and US support for the modernisation of the Philippines’ armed forces.

The latest reaffirmation echoed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s mutual defence reassurance in Manila last month, when Pompeo singled out the threat of “China’s island-building and military activities” in the disputed waterway.
If deployed, the long-range, precision-guided rockets fired by the system would be able to strike Chinese man-made islands on reefs in the Spratly chain, one expert said.

The revelation came after an influential defence think tank, the Centre for a New American Security (CNAS) in Washington, warned in a new report that the US’ “freedom of navigation” operations had failed to fundamentally alter Beijing’s course in the South China Sea.

Beijing has reportedly installed anti-ship and surface-to-air missile systems on three artificial islands on Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly chain, posing a potential hurdle to US military access in the contested area. It rejected a US demand that the missiles be removed during high-level diplomatic and security talks in Washington in November.

‘Time for tougher deterrence from China’ as US steps up patrols in South China Sea

The think tank’s report released on March 21 urged the US to deploy HIMARS in Southeast Asian countries, which will “demonstrate the flexibility and variability of America’s rotational military presence”.

The rocket system was first test-fired in the US-Philippines annual military drill, Balikatan, in 2016.

The Pentagon’s director of the joint staff, Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, has warned that the US has the ability to “take down” China’s artificial islands.

Chinese military experts had a mixed response, with one dismissing the possibility of a HIMARS deployment in the near future and another urging Beijing to pay attention to the alarming message.


Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, the Pentagon’s director of the joint staff, says the US has the ability to “take down” China’s artificial islands. Photo: Facebook

The US Army Pacific, which operates HIMARS in the region, has not publicly singled out the system from a set of options that could be used in a conflict in the South China Sea.

General James McConville, the US Army’s vice chief of staff, indicated last month that no imminent deployment of “long-range precision fires” was in the pipeline but partner nations in the Pacific “are open to the discussion”, according to a report by Stars and Stripes.

Derrick Cheng, a US Army Pacific spokesman, declined to comment on the details of any “operations or activities related to any future deployment of US Army soldiers or equipment”.

“For US Army Pacific, the M142 HIMARS is a capability within our organisation, specifically the 17th Field Artillery Brigade that we train and use to maintain our overall war-fighting readiness,” Cheng said. “The brigade and its role as a multi-domain task force is part of our effort to integrate capabilities and evolve the concept of multi-domain operations.”

HIMARS is a light multiple rocket launcher, mounted on a US Army truck, that can launch six rounds of rockets, or one surface-to-surface tactical missile with a maximum range of 300km (186 miles).

Manufacturer Lockheed Martin was awarded a US$289 million US Army contract for 24 HIMARS and associated equipment in September, putting the price for each system close to US$12 million.

Patrick Cronin, former senior director for national strategic studies at the US’ National Defence University, said “HIMARS, and other rockets and missiles, are currently being considered not just for regional exercises but also for possible deployment to improve the deterrent capability of regional partners”.

Cronin, also the lead author of the CNAS report, said the US Army, Marine Corps and the Philippines armed forces “certainly” had interests in deploying the firepower, which “is being driven by China’s militarisation of outposts in the Spratly Islands”.

He added that HIMARS “would be better against a fixed target, such as an artificial island”.

In Philippines, support mounts for South China Sea ‘crimes against humanity’ case against Xi

Song Zhongping, a Hong Kong-based military analyst, said it would be “very difficult” for Southeast Asian countries to deploy the weapon in the near future, despite Washington repeatedly touting the offer.

“Southeast Asian countries are cautious in deploying such firepower,” Song said. “They prefer military assistance to arms sales from the US, because nations like the Philippines cannot afford it.”

Philippine President Duterte approved a US$5.6 billion military modernisation plan last June, but it focused on unmanned aerial vehicles, long-range patrol aircraft, offshore patrol ships and an electric-diesel submarine, according to Reuters.

The previous administration of Benigno Aquino spent about US$1.7 billion on the military during its 2010-16 term in office, mostly on second-hand ships and planes.


Philippines-controlled Thitu Island in the Spratlys is said to be one option for the system. Photo: amti.csis.org

Zhu Feng, an international relations professor at Nanjing University specialising in East Asian security affairs, cautioned that Beijing should pay heed to the possible deployment.


The appeal of deploying long-range firepower reflected growing US dissatisfaction with China’s “militarisation” of the island reefs, Zhu said, adding that “Beijing should refrain from fully weaponising those artificial islands”.

However, speaking at the Boao Forum for Asia last week, Wu Shicun, head of the government-affiliated National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said China should reinforce “deterrence facilities” in the contested waters as the US and its allies mount a bigger challenge there.

Partly maintaining those outposts for civilian use would be helpful for Beijing to smooth and expand relations with Southeast Asian countries, a majority of whom shared the US’ concern, he said.

Collin Koh Swee Lean, a maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said the relatively inexpensive HIMARS could still be “on the costly side” for militaries on tight budgets.

Philippines raises alarm over South China Sea island

But the US Army considered deployment of the system “as a good expression of its strategic and operational relevance in the Pacific region”, Koh said.

He said there were two possible locations for the system: Palawan province in the Philippines and Thitu, or Zhongye in Chinese – the largest island held by Manila in the disputed Spratly chain.

From Palawan, HIMARS could launch a missile at its maximum range to hit China’s man-made island at Mischief Reef, Koh said. But Thitu island would also be vulnerable to PLA air and missile strikes because it is only about 22km (14 miles) from China-occupied Subi Reef, and within striking range of missiles originating from the Paracel Islands and Hainan, he added.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3004372/us-philippines-said-be-talks-rocket-system-deter-beijings

Freedom-of-navigation ops will not dent Beijing’s South China Sea claims, experts say

From the Stars & Stripes (Apr 4, 2019): Freedom-of-navigation ops will not dent Beijing’s South China Sea claims, experts say

The guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy transits the South China Sea in February 2018.
JASEN MORENOGARCIA/U.S. NAVY

It’s too late to constrain China’s creeping militarization and sovereignty claims over dozens of islands and reefs in the South and East China seas, experts say.

China’s island-building and militarization efforts began early this decade. It now claims dozens of islands and reefs in the Paracel and Spratly islands west of the Philippines. The United Nations does not recognize China’s territorial claims, which overlap claims in the same area by Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan.

The U.S. regularly challenges Beijing’s claims by sailing warships within 12 nautical miles of islands that China has built up in the Paracel and Spratly chains. So far this year, the Navy has picked up the pace, conducting at least five freedom-of-navigation operations, or FONOPS, since January: one each through the Paracels and Spratlys, and three through the Taiwan Strait, the latest March 24-25.

That’s half as many operations in three months as the Navy reported conducting in all of 2018. The Navy does not publicize all of those operations, however.

“Our goal is to make sure [China’s militarized outposts] doesn’t become a tool to operationalize an expansive illegal sovereignty claim,” Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Randall Schriver told the House Armed Services Committee on March 27.

Nonetheless, sailing through those seas — or flying above them as the Air Force had done with B-52 bombers at least three times in March — is probably too little, too late, said security analyst Paul Buchanan, an American, of 36th Parallel Assessments, a private, nonpartisan, strategic analysis consulting firm based in New Zealand.

“The horse has bolted,” he said during a January interview with Stars and Stripes. “The days of confronting the Chinese are long gone. It should have been done 10 years ago. Island-building has enabled [China] to claim possession of the South China Sea.”

On that point, Masayuki Tadokoro, a professor of international relations at Keio University, agreed.

“It is too late to attempt to control China,” Tadokoro said during a panel discussion March 7 sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“If we are to contain China now, it is almost impossible because of the economic importance of China and also China’s geopolitical presence” in the South China Sea, Tadokoro said.
Free trade

Conceding the South China Sea to China would imperil free trade in an economically important region, Buchanan said. About $3.37 trillion worth of goods — 21 percent of all global trade — passed through the area in 2016, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ China Power project.

In that area alone, China has claimed 27 reefs and islands, building outposts for military and civilian personnel on 12 of them since 2014, according to the center’s Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. Many of what were once bare reefs and uninhabited islands are now military bases, some with missiles, warship docks and landing strips.

Buchanan said Beijing could continue to allow free transit of the South China Sea to benefit trade, but, so far, has treated the sea as its own.



The U.S. regularly challenges Beijing's claims in the South China Sea by sailing warships within 12 nautical miles of islands that China has built up in the Paracel and Spratly chains.
ILLUSTRATION VIA PIXABAY


“With that embedded in your maritime perspective, it’s pretty hard to be the guarantor of freedom of navigation,” Buchanan said. “Their intentions are not for the betterment of the global community – their intentions are for the benefit of themselves.

“If we replace the U.S. security guarantee for the Chinese security guarantee ... [the South China Sea] will be a Chinese-first checkpoint rather than an open passage,” he said.

A January report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, “China Military Power,” said China aims to strengthen its control over disputed areas, enhance its presence and challenge other claimants.

“China’s maritime emphasis and concern with protecting its overseas interests have increasingly drawn the [People’s Liberation Army] beyond China’s borders and immediate periphery,” the report said.
Freedom of navigation

To challenge those moves, the U.S. Navy in 2017 conducted at least six freedom-of-navigation operations, including two in the Paracel Islands, one in the Spratly Islands and the remainder described generally as in the South and East China Seas, according to a Defense Department report that year.

The U.S. routinely explains that its freedom-of-navigation operations are intended to “challenge excessive maritime claims,” though Navy public affairs statements in the wake of those operations rarely tread into details.

However, the 2017 Defense Department report stated that China claims areas around the islands and reefs to which they are “not so entitled” and expects “prior permission” for “innocent passage of foreign military ships” through those areas.

Expecting China to abandon its claims is unrealistic, said retired Chinese Navy Capt. Liu Xiaobo in a March 1 analysis for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan, nonprofit think tank in Washington, D.C.

“It is not realistic for China to ask the United States to abandon its FONOPs, and it is just as unrealistic for the United States to ask China to simply drop its excessive maritime claims,” Liu wrote. “... there is space for consultation between China and the United States here.”

While freedom-of-navigation operations have been part of U.S. defense strategy around the world for decades, Buchanan said it needs to do more.
Getting tough

That means a tougher approach — even if it brings a hostile response, he said in an interview March 22. For example, the Navy could increase the frequency of its freedom-of-navigation patrols and send warships deeper into the 12-nautical-mile radius around the islands and reefs that China claims, he said.

The Navy is “not getting really close to the territorial limits that the Chinese claim. If you wanted to press the point, you could drive way into those territorial waters and see what happens,” Buchanan said. “I wouldn’t doubt that the Chinese would fire upon any warship that went in there.”

In September, a Chinese destroyer, the Luoyang, came within 45 yards of the USS Decatur near Gaven Reef, a Chinese-occupied territory in the Spratly Islands. The Navy called the maneuver unprofessional. The 7th Fleet commander, Vice Adm. Phillip Sawyer, on March 18 in Manila, the Philippines, said the incident does not change Navy plans for freedom-of-navigation operations, according to The Associated Press.

Philippines: Overview of Assessed Needs in Mindanao Conflict (as of 03 April 2019)

Posted to the Relief Web (Apr 4, 2019): Philippines: Overview of Assessed Needs in Mindanao Conflict (as of 03 April 2019)

INFOGRAPHICfrom UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Published on 04 Apr 2019

Download PDF (3.24 MB)


Simultaneous law enforcement operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines against non-state armed groups are reported in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Sulu since the first half of March 2019. A coordinated assessment between the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Mindanao Humanitarian Team was conducted between 12 to 26 March.
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:
To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.

Murder raps filed, NPA owns killing

From the Visayan Daily Star (Apr 4, 2019): Murder raps filed, NPA owns killing

The 11 suspects arrested for the killing of Moises Padilla Councilor Jolomar Hilario were charged with murder Tuesday before the Negros Occidental Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, while the New People’s Army Leonardo Panaligan Command claimed responsibility for his death.

Police Capt. Juni Liba, Moises Padilla police chief, said yesterday that two of the 11 respondents suspected to be members of the NPA, are minors.

The minors were released to the custody of their parents, while the nine others are now in jail.

The 11 suspected NPA members, who claimed to be cane cutters, were intercepted by the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company troopers in Brgy. Sebucawan, Isabela, while Army soldiers were in pursuit of communist rebels they had encountered in Brgy. Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla also on Monday.

Four of the 11 arrested suspects were positively identified as among those who participated in the killing of Hilario, Liba said.
Ka Ann Jacinto, deputy spokesperson of the Leonardo Panaligan Command, who claimed that they were behind the killing of Hilario on Sunday, told MBC Aksyon Radyo that the 11 individuals arrested by the police, are not NPA members, but farm workers.

Jacinto also claimed that Hilario had already been warned for being a military asset and for his association with Moises Padilla Mayor Magdaleno Pe ñ a, before his death.

Liba reported yesterday that more than 2,700 persons displaced by the encounter between NPA rebels and Army soldiers in Brgy. Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla, returned to their homes on Tuesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, dismissed as fake news, rebel claims that what had transpired on Monday in Brgy. Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla, was an ambush staged by the NPA.

On the contrary, Arevalo said, the NPA suffered heavy casualties.

Soldiers of the 62nd Infantry Battalion, who were scouring the encounter site, recovered three anti-personnel mines, detonating accessories, such as a 300-meter electric wire, blasting caps, M-203 grenade launcher ammunition, two magazines of AK 47 rifles, and two back packs containing personal belongings.

An Army soldier was slightly injured in the encounter.

On the other hand, police yesterday filed charges for illegal possession of firearms and explosives, as well as violation of the Comelec gun ban against arrested NPA leader Abraham Villanueva, and his two companions, Rona Magbanua and Jomar Villarojo.

The capture of the three suspected NPA rebels in Brgy. Tampalon, Kabankalan City, yielded a .45 caliber pistol and three fragmentation grenades.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2019/April/04/topstory2.htm

WATCH: CCTV catches planting of bomb, explosion in Sultan Kudarat

From Rappler (Apr 4, 2019): WATCH: CCTV catches planting of bomb, explosion in Sultan Kudarat

CCTV cameras catch the culprit placing the bomb – and the explosion that followed – right outside Carlitos Chicken restaurant in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat

CAUGHT ON CAMERA. The bomber of the Sultan Kudarat restaurant is captured on CCTV cameras as he planted the bomb and left. Screenshot from sourced video

CAUGHT ON CAMERA. The bomber of the Sultan Kudarat restaurant is captured on CCTV cameras as he planted the bomb and left. Screenshot from sourced video

MANILA, Philippines – The culprit behind the bombing of Carlitos Chicken restaurant in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat which left at least 18 injured was recorded by CCTV cameras as he placed the bomb inside the restaurant. The blast was captured as well.

Based on footage shared by police, the bomber wore a hat, a filtered face mask, a loose button-down shirt, jeans, and slippers. He was carrying a blue plastic bag with his left hand and a white plastic bag with his right hand, both with unidentified objects inside.

He entered at around 1:52 pm, shuffling as he made his way inside Carlitos, which was bustling with people at the time.

He was able to find a seat near the windows of the restaurant, sitting down by himself at the end of a long white table. At 1:54 pm, he stood up and went to the restaurant's comfort room.


According to Soccsksargen police chief Brigadier General Eliseo Rasco, the culprit only "pretended" to go to the toilet. He also did not order food at all, but only did some chitchat with people inside.

At 1:55 pm, he went back to his seat, then walked out a minute later. The footage shared by police shows that he only carried the blue plastic bag when he went out.

The improvised explosive device (IED), Rasco said, was inside the white plastic bag.

A waiter of the restaurant was observant and saw the plastic bag left behind by the bomber, walking after him to give the plastic bag back at around 1:57 pm.


At 1:58 pm, the bomber slipped the white plastic bag between the space of an air conditioner's compressor and the wall of the restaurant. Around an hour later, at 3:04 pm, the bomb exploded, covering a peaceful scene in smoke then revealing it already in carnage seconds later.

Rasco said it was a good thing that the bomber left the IED by the wall, as opposed to inside the restaurant, since this led to the blast being "contained." (READ: PNP: Extortion 'probable motive' behind Sultan Kudarat blast)

"Kung naiwan 'yun sa loob, nako ang taas ng casualties (Had the white bag been left inside, the casualties would have been higher)," Rasco said.

Of the 18 injured, the youngest was 7 years old and the oldest 41. All appear to already be in stable condition, Rasco said.

With the leads, cops are now looking for more CCTV videos and witness testimonies based on the exit point of the bomber.

19 alleged rebels surrender

From the Mindanao Times (Apr 5, 2019): 19 alleged rebels surrender

Nineteen communist rebels were formally presented to Governor Pax S. Mangundadatu at the Provincial Capitol in Sultan Kudarat.

Col. Ezra Balagtey, the spokesperson of Eastern Mindanao Command, said most of the surrenderees were members of guerrilla fronts 72 and 73 of the Far South Mindanao Region, which operates in Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato, and Davao del Sur.The provinces are all under the responsibility of the 1002nd Infantry Brigade.

According to Col. Adonis Bajao, the brigade commander, the surrender was the result of the series of focused military operations and community support program of the unit.

Five of them surrendered last February 9 after an encounter in Barangay New Baguio, Makilala, Cotabato.

Three more rebels from Barangay Sukob, Columbio, Sultan Kudarat decided to surrender bringing along with them high-powered firearms.

Another eleven NPAs surrendered to the Philippine National Police and 33rd Infantry Battalion last March 25, 2019 in Senator Ninoy Aquino, Sultan Kudarat.

Accordingly, they were tasked to burn the heavy equipment of big construction companies in Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato. They were told that these companies are not giving in to the NPA’s revolutionary tax demands.

He said they were told the infrastructure projects are intended to benefit the capitalists. One particular project is the farm-to-market road in Barangay Sukob, which runs through Barangay Colonsabak up to Barangay Lamalit, all in Matanao, Davao del Sur.

Apparently, the surrenderees were told by their own villagers that the project will open access for the farmers to trade their goods in a nearby market.

Lt. Col. Rhojun Rosales, the commander of 39th IB, said they are grateful for the support of the people in disseminating the Enhanced-Comprehensive Local Integration Program, in remote villages, particularly indigenous communities.

“This effort should be propagated and sustained to ultimately end the deception of the (NPA),” Rosales said.

Mangundadatu, for his part, said the government is sincere in its offer of peace and he assures the surrenderees of their personal safety as they peacefully return to their families.
http://mindanaotimes.com.ph/2019/04/05/19-alleged-rebels-surrender/

High alert in the region

From the Mindanao Times (Apr 5, 2019): High alert in the region

Police in the region are on high alert following the blast in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat Wednesday afternoon.

Police Brig. Gen. Marcelo Morales, the director of the Police Regional Office 11, yesterday said they have implemented strict border control checkpoints, especially in the southern part of the region, by the Regional Mobile Force Battalion and Davao Sur Police provincial office.Morales said continuous intelligence monitoring and coordination with different law enforcement agencies and intelligence units are also intensified.

At least 18 were injured in the blast that hit a restaurant in Barangay Kalawag 2, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat past 3 p.m. Wednesday. Isulan, a first class municipality, is the capital of Sultan Kudarat in Soccsksargen, a province that shares eastern boundary with Davao del Sur.

Morales said police presence and visibility in Davao City are maintained with the coordination with Task Force Davao (TFD).

He also said that PNP-TFD inspection of all vehicles passing thru checkpoints will be intensified as he asked motorists for understanding and cooperation for the security and safety of the people.

The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and K9 (Police Dog) units are also deployed round the clock.

He said that coordination with barangay officials is also enhanced for information gathering.

Davao City Police Office Director Col. Alexander Tagum sustained Morales statement.

Major Arvin Encinas, the 6th Infantry Divisiom spokesperson, said the 18 civilians wounded in the explosion of the anti-personnel mine at Carlitos Chicken House are now being treated at different hospitals in Isulan.

“The possible motives are extortion and retaliation and/or diversionary tactics,” Encinas said.

He said the restaurant owner received an extortion letter last week. The owner did not report the extortion to the authorities.

“We intensified our intel operations to apprehend the perpetrators and thwart further hostilities,” said Major General Cirilito Sobejana, commander Joint Task Force Central.

Sobejana said the local government units and other stakeholders were engaged and mobilize all agencies to bring back normalcy as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the 6ID troopers engaged yesterday morning members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in a heavy firefight in the Liguasan Marsh. The gunfight resulted to the death of Ali Abdul Malik, brother of Abu Turaifei, commander of Daulah Islamiya, Turaifei Group (DI-TG).

4 killed in MILF-PNP clash in Lanao Sur

From MindaNews (Apr 4, 2019): 4 killed in MILF-PNP clash in Lanao Sur

Amid promises to end the war in the new Bangsamoro entity, a fresh clash in Madamba, Lanao del Sur involving Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members and police commando forces has resulted to heavy casualties on both sides.
Col. Madzgani Mukaram, provincial police commander of Lanao del Sur said, said a law enforcement operation was conducted dawn today against murder suspects in Barangay Ilian of the said town.

“We brought five warrants of arrest for the suspects who killed a village official who just won last barangay election but we ended in heavy fighting,” Mukaram said.

Four of the suspects were killed after resisting arrest. Among them was Zanadin Macalatas Ameril, the main subject of the warrant. Two of his buddies who are also in the charge list for murder were killed – Usop Abdulaziz and Alican Usman.


The fourth fatality is identified as Casara Macalatas.

According to Mukaram, Ameril was charged for killing his political rival after he lost in the recent Barangay election in July 2018. The victim was Edu Masalama of Barangay Tabaran.

High-powered firearms consisting of M-203 rifle and two M-16 rifles and ammunition were reportedly recovered by combined police teams in the battle area.

Mukaram said while the troops were about to leave the area, a number of heavily armed relatives of the suspects blocked their way, including the police car, and pounded the policemen with grenade launchers and automatic fires.

He said an extended firefight ensued, starting around 1 a.m. until 10 a.m., resulting in the wounding of eight policemen and one still missing.

“They scattered and defended solidly despite wounds inflicted but one of my men was missing after they managed to convene in the town police station,” Mukaram told MindaNews.

A police car left in the area was burned by the rebels, he said.

Von Al Haq, the military chief of the MILF, confirmed that the armed men the policemen engaged, including those killed, were their members and the area is a recognized MILF camp headed by Kumander Abu Haniff.
He said that the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities of both parties are conducting investigation on the matter. We want to know if there was coordination made,” Al Haq noted.


But Mukaram insist that there is no need for coordination since the area is not an MILF recognized camp.

Tension in the area remains high at this moment amid the intervention of local leaders, including traditional sultans, calling for ceasefire.

Troops from the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade under Brig. Romeo Brawner Jr. has deployed additional forces.

“We are willing to assist our police force especially in the rescue of missing comrade,” Brawner said.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction office of Lanao del Sur said the villages of Tubaran and Ilian are affected.

“We are still monitoring reports of the total number of affected civilians from the conflict zone,” according to Tong Pacasum, of the disaster officer of the province.

Ahead of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) ratification, interim Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim (aka MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim), has vowed to end the war against the government during the historical visit last year of top military commanders in the main rebel camp, Camp Darapanan in Maguindanao, headed by then Armed Forces Chief Carlito Galvez.

Galvez, who is now the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, responded to Murad’s call to officially end the war between MILF and the government.

Among the challenge now for the post-peace process activities after the ratification of the Bangsamoro organic law and the installation of the new government is the decommissioning of the thousands of weapons under the control of the MILF.

This has been agreed to take place in the normalization stage of the peace process, wherein rebel members will transition to common civilians or citizens in the Bangsamoro region.

https://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2019/04/4-killed-in-milf-pnp-clash-in-lanao-sur/

Malaysian kidnap victim shot while escaping from Abu Sayyaf; in critical condition

From MindaNews (Apr 5, 2019): Malaysian kidnap victim shot while escaping from Abu Sayyaf; in critical condition

A Malaysian kidnap victim was shot Thurday afternoon in Sulu while escaping from his Abu Sayyaf captors who were engaged in a firefight with the Marines.

Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Gerry Besana said Malaysian national Jari Abdullah, 34, was in critical condition when he was found by the Philippine Marine Battalion Landing Team 3 at around 4:25 pm Thursday.

He said the Marines engaged the Abu Sayyaf militants led by a certain Najir Arik in a 15-minute firefight in Simusa Island, Barangay Bahkaan, Banguingui, Sulu.

“The kidnap victim tried to escape from his captors during the firefight but was shot by the Abu Sayyaf,” Besama said.

Besama said the Marines found Abdullah 10 meters from the path where the militants withdraw after the firefight.

He said a Philippine Huey helicopter airlifted Abdullah at 7 p.m. Thursday to Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Hospital in the capital town of Jolo for medical treatment.

“It seems that the victim is in a very critical medical condition. Masama ang tama,” Besana said.

Abu Sayyaf militants kidnapped Abdullah and two other fishermen identified as Hari Ardiansya, 19; and Hariadin, 45, from Pegasus Reef, Kinabatangan in Borneo on December 6, 2018.

Malaysian police said their abductors brought the victims to Sulu.

Ardiansya and Hariadin are still held captive by the Abu Sayyaf.


https://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2019/04/malaysian-kidnap-victim-shot-while-escaping-from-abu-sayyaf-in-critical-condition/

Brother of pro-ISIS leader behind Isulan bombing slain in fighting

From the Mindanao Examiner (Apr 4, 2019): Brother of pro-ISIS leader behind Isulan bombing slain in fighting

Troops killed a brother of the notorious pro-ISIS commander of the militant group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters or BIFF in fierce fighting Thursday in the restive southern Philippine region of Mindanao, officials announced.

Officials said the clash erupted in Liguasan marshland in the troubled province of Maguindanao where soldiers killed Ali Abdulmalik, whose brother Esmail Abdulmalik, who is also called Abu Turaife, is the leader of Dawlah Islamiya or Islamic State in Mindanao.


“Early this morning, 6th Infantry Division troopers engaged in a heavy firefight against the BIFF in Liguasan marsh which resulted to the death of Ali Abdulmalik, brother of Abu Turaifei, Commander of Dawlah Islamiya,” Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said.

Sobejana did not say if there were military casualties in the fighting, but the BIFF also claimed the motorcycle bombing in Sultan Kudarat’s Isulan town in August 28 last year that killed 2 persons and wounded at least 35 others.

The blast coincided with the town’s 61st founding anniversary and occurred while the whole region is under martial rule. The motorcycle was parked along the highway near several shops in Kalawag village when it exploded. Two other improvised explosives were recovered not far from the area.

It was not immediately known whether the BIFF was also behind the April 3 bombing of the Carlito’s Chicken, a famous restaurant in Kalawag village in Isulan town that wounded 18 people.

Maj. Arvin Encinas, an army spokesman, said soldiers and policemen recovered from the blast site broken parts of a 9 volt battery and fragments of a cell phone, believed used to detonate the bomb, and concrete nails, including pieces of plastic container which were all part of the improvised explosive that went off outside the restaurant.

“We are still investigating who was behind this dastardly act. We also tightened security in the town to help local police force guard Isulan,” he said.

Sobejana said the bomber used an anti-personnel mine in the attack. He said the bombing occurred a week after an extortion letter was sent to the owner of Carlito’s Chicken by a lawless group. “The possible motives here are extortion and retaliation or diversionary tactics by lawless groups,” he said.

Mayor Marites Pallasigue said one of the food attendants in the restaurant saw a man left a plastic bag inside and immediately left. She said the witness followed the man to say that he left his bag, but he quickly disappeared outside the restaurant. The food attendant picked up the bag and put it outside the diner where it exploded nearly an hour later, according to Pallasigue.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack, but last year’s bombing in Isulan was claimed by ISIS, according to SITE Intelligence report.

https://mindanaoexaminer.com/brother-of-pro-isis-leader-behind-isulan-bombing-slain-in-fighting/