From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Oct 3, 2019): Army’s Marawi commander vows to secure city’s rehab works
The new commander of the Philippine Army in Marawi City has vowed to continue supporting the security needs of the city’s rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Col. Jose Maria Cuerpo has taken over the helm of the 103rd Brigade as acting commander following the assumption of Brig. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. as commandant of cadets of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).
Cuerpo belonged to the PMA Bigkis-Lahi Class of 1990.
He assumed the post as the brigade’s deputy commander in June 2017, at the height of the war against Islamic State (IS)-linked militants that laid siege on the city for five months.
Cuerpo is considered among the Marawi heroes who liberated the city from extremist hands.
After the siege, the brigade has been providing security cover to debris-clearing work on the so-called most affected area of Marawi.
It has also been involved in going after the remnants of the IS-linked force, which tried to regroup in remote communities of Lanao del Sur, banking on the support of locals who have relatives in the villages.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Philippine Army to acquire rocket systems from South Korea
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Oct 3, 2019): Philippine Army to acquire rocket systems from South Korea
Philippine Army activates the 2nd Multiple Launch Rocket System Battery, along with Army Aviation Regiment and 1st Land-Based Missile System Battery on Thursday, Oct. 3. OACPA
Philippine Army activates the 2nd Multiple Launch Rocket System Battery, along with Army Aviation Regiment and 1st Land-Based Missile System Battery on Thursday, Oct. 3. OACPA
The Philippine Army will soon receive multiple launch rocket systems from South Korea.
Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said South Korea donated two used batteries of K136 Kooryong multiple launch rocket systems on October 31 last year.
One battery consists of up to six launcher tubes. It will be the first time for the Army to have this artillery capability.
Zagala said the Department of National Defense is still in the planning stage on how to pick up the rocket systems from South Korea. The costs of the transfer will be shouldered by the Philippines.
The training of the Army personnel that will operate the systems has also yet to be discussed, he told INQUIRER.net.
Seoul is one of the biggest sources of military hardware for Manila. Both countries also have shared interests in ensuring regional stability.
The Army on Thursday activated the 2nd Multiple Launch Rocket System Battery at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija in anticipation of the impending delivery of the rocket systems.
Zagala said the upcoming assets can be used for both internal and external threats and will play a vital role in their efforts in fighting terrorism and communist insurgency.
Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said South Korea donated two used batteries of K136 Kooryong multiple launch rocket systems on October 31 last year.
One battery consists of up to six launcher tubes. It will be the first time for the Army to have this artillery capability.
Zagala said the Department of National Defense is still in the planning stage on how to pick up the rocket systems from South Korea. The costs of the transfer will be shouldered by the Philippines.
The training of the Army personnel that will operate the systems has also yet to be discussed, he told INQUIRER.net.
Seoul is one of the biggest sources of military hardware for Manila. Both countries also have shared interests in ensuring regional stability.
The Army on Thursday activated the 2nd Multiple Launch Rocket System Battery at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija in anticipation of the impending delivery of the rocket systems.
Zagala said the upcoming assets can be used for both internal and external threats and will play a vital role in their efforts in fighting terrorism and communist insurgency.
The Philippines' southern 'backdoor'
From the Philippine Star (Oct 4, 2019): The Philippines' southern 'backdoor'
The military says there have been no reports confirming that the Abu Sayyaf group has demanded ransom for three Indonesian fishermen abducted two weeks ago and reportedly brought in Sulu.
Maj. Arvin John Encinas, spokesman of Zamboanga City-based Western Mindanao Command, says they have not intercepted any information to confirm information from Sabah that the ransom has been demanded.
"It's negative. There is no report or information from the ground to confirm the reports of ransom. It's not even confirmed if the Abu Sayyaf group was behind the abduction," Encinas says.
The three Indonesian fishermen were abducted on September 23 near the waters off Sabah and reportedly brought to Tawi-Tawi by gunmen believed to be members of the Abu Sayyaf group.
"We have been monitoring that but there has been no confirmation, nobody has seen them in the area of the Westmincom," Encinas also says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño
The waters between the Philippines, and Malaysia and Indonesia are prone to abductions and piracy.
The three countries have agreed to jointly patrol these waters and to cooperate to secure the important shipping route that passes through it.
https://www.philstar.com/happens/787
The military says there have been no reports confirming that the Abu Sayyaf group has demanded ransom for three Indonesian fishermen abducted two weeks ago and reportedly brought in Sulu.
Maj. Arvin John Encinas, spokesman of Zamboanga City-based Western Mindanao Command, says they have not intercepted any information to confirm information from Sabah that the ransom has been demanded.
"It's negative. There is no report or information from the ground to confirm the reports of ransom. It's not even confirmed if the Abu Sayyaf group was behind the abduction," Encinas says.
The three Indonesian fishermen were abducted on September 23 near the waters off Sabah and reportedly brought to Tawi-Tawi by gunmen believed to be members of the Abu Sayyaf group.
"We have been monitoring that but there has been no confirmation, nobody has seen them in the area of the Westmincom," Encinas also says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño
The waters between the Philippines, and Malaysia and Indonesia are prone to abductions and piracy.
The three countries have agreed to jointly patrol these waters and to cooperate to secure the important shipping route that passes through it.
https://www.philstar.com/happens/787
Alleged Abu Sayyaf sub-leader nabbed in QC
From GMA News Online (Oct 4, 2019): Alleged Abu Sayyaf sub-leader nabbed in QC
An alleged sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf terror group was arrested by joint police and military forces in Quezon City.
A Dobol B sa News TV report by Allan Gatus on Friday identified the suspect as Ibrahim Lambog Mullo.
The 26-year-old suspect was nabbed after a tip from a concerned citizen that Mullo was seen along Ilang-Ilang Street corner Commonwealth Avenue in Barangay Batasan Hills on the evening of September 27.
Seized from him were an unlicensed caliber .45 pistol and a sling bag with a fragmentation grenade.
Authorities said Mullo's cohorts were already arrested during previous operations. They had been monitoring the activities of Mulyo's group since then.
Authorities said the suspect had arrived in Metro Manila last January.
The suspect, however, denied that he is planning to bring hostilities in Metro Manila.
Cases for violating Republic Act No. 10591 (The Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition) and Republic Act No. 9516 (Unlawful and Illegal Possession of Explosive) were filed before the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office against the suspect.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/710451/alleged-abu-sayyaf-sub-leader-nabbed-in-qc/story/
An alleged sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf terror group was arrested by joint police and military forces in Quezon City.
A Dobol B sa News TV report by Allan Gatus on Friday identified the suspect as Ibrahim Lambog Mullo.
The 26-year-old suspect was nabbed after a tip from a concerned citizen that Mullo was seen along Ilang-Ilang Street corner Commonwealth Avenue in Barangay Batasan Hills on the evening of September 27.
Seized from him were an unlicensed caliber .45 pistol and a sling bag with a fragmentation grenade.
Authorities said Mullo's cohorts were already arrested during previous operations. They had been monitoring the activities of Mulyo's group since then.
Authorities said the suspect had arrived in Metro Manila last January.
The suspect, however, denied that he is planning to bring hostilities in Metro Manila.
Cases for violating Republic Act No. 10591 (The Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition) and Republic Act No. 9516 (Unlawful and Illegal Possession of Explosive) were filed before the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office against the suspect.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/710451/alleged-abu-sayyaf-sub-leader-nabbed-in-qc/story/
Students, workers in UP Visayas decry Red-tagging
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Oct 4, 2019): Students, workers in UP Visayas decry Red-tagging
Student organizations and the employees union of the University of the Philippines (UP) in the Visayas have decried the continued Red-tagging of activists’ groups in the city.
A poster displayed near the entrance of the UP Visayas campus in Maig-ao town in Iloilo province accused student and youth groups of “being used” by the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Similar posters were seen in other towns near Miag-ao.
Student organizations and the employees union of the University of the Philippines (UP) in the Visayas have decried the continued Red-tagging of activists’ groups in the city.
A poster displayed near the entrance of the UP Visayas campus in Maig-ao town in Iloilo province accused student and youth groups of “being used” by the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Similar posters were seen in other towns near Miag-ao.
Groups identified in the posters were Kabataan, Anakbayan, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, League of Filipino Students, Oikos Ecological Movement, Sandigan ng Mag-aaral para sa Sambayanan (Samasa)-UPV and National Union of Students of the Philippines.
Protests
Samasa, in a statement, decried the display of the posters as “another desperate attempt of the state to silence its critics and dissenters.”
The student groups noted that the posters appeared after hundreds of students joined protest rallies commemorating the 47th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Hundreds of students also joined the UP system-wide walkout against moves to send soldiers and policemen to campuses in the country.
“They are clearly threatened by the growing student movement evident by the series of successful protest actions conducted, such as the recent mobilization against Marcos’ martial law, and [President] Duterte’s tyranny on Sept. 20 and the walkout against campus militarization,” they said.
They said the Red-tagging threatened student activists, noting that most victims of extrajudicial killings were Red-tagged before they were killed.
“Red-tagging not only puts the organization and its members under malice, but also puts their safety and security under grave threat …,” they said.
The All UP Academic Employees Union Iloilo chapter also denounced the Red-tagging of student groups. “This act is dangerous at a time when critics are being persecuted and killed. These false accusations endanger students who stand for the rights and welfare of the people,” the union said in a statement.
These accusations “endanger our students who are standing for the rights and welfare of the Filipino people,” it said, adding that Red-tagging “suppresses the freedom of thought and expression and to organize in the university.”
Protests
Samasa, in a statement, decried the display of the posters as “another desperate attempt of the state to silence its critics and dissenters.”
The student groups noted that the posters appeared after hundreds of students joined protest rallies commemorating the 47th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Hundreds of students also joined the UP system-wide walkout against moves to send soldiers and policemen to campuses in the country.
“They are clearly threatened by the growing student movement evident by the series of successful protest actions conducted, such as the recent mobilization against Marcos’ martial law, and [President] Duterte’s tyranny on Sept. 20 and the walkout against campus militarization,” they said.
They said the Red-tagging threatened student activists, noting that most victims of extrajudicial killings were Red-tagged before they were killed.
“Red-tagging not only puts the organization and its members under malice, but also puts their safety and security under grave threat …,” they said.
The All UP Academic Employees Union Iloilo chapter also denounced the Red-tagging of student groups. “This act is dangerous at a time when critics are being persecuted and killed. These false accusations endanger students who stand for the rights and welfare of the people,” the union said in a statement.
These accusations “endanger our students who are standing for the rights and welfare of the Filipino people,” it said, adding that Red-tagging “suppresses the freedom of thought and expression and to organize in the university.”
NPA calls October 1 Albay clash ‘fake’
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Oct 4, 2019): NPA calls October 1 Albay clash ‘fake’
Orobia, quoting reports from farmers in the area, said they heard gunfire around 10 a.m. that forced them to scamper for safety.
Earlier, Albay police reported that they had a 10-minute encounter on Oct. 1 with 10 suspected NPA rebels around 10:30 a.m.
The report said police troops recovered a carbine, a bandolier containing six magazines and ammunition for M203 grenade launcher.
The New People’s Army (NPA) Santos Binamira Command (SBC) on Friday tagged as fake the armed encounter reported by the authorities in Ligao City in Albay province.
Florante Orobia, spokesperson of the NPA SBC, said in a statement that the report of an encounter was a “hoax” as no NPA rebels were operating in Sitio (sub-village) Cadlom on October 1.
Onrubia said in the statement received by the Inquirer that it was a military and police ploy to highlight and carry out the government campaign to end local communist armed conflict in Albay under President Duterte’s Executive Order 70.
Florante Orobia, spokesperson of the NPA SBC, said in a statement that the report of an encounter was a “hoax” as no NPA rebels were operating in Sitio (sub-village) Cadlom on October 1.
Onrubia said in the statement received by the Inquirer that it was a military and police ploy to highlight and carry out the government campaign to end local communist armed conflict in Albay under President Duterte’s Executive Order 70.
Orobia, quoting reports from farmers in the area, said they heard gunfire around 10 a.m. that forced them to scamper for safety.
Earlier, Albay police reported that they had a 10-minute encounter on Oct. 1 with 10 suspected NPA rebels around 10:30 a.m.
The report said police troops recovered a carbine, a bandolier containing six magazines and ammunition for M203 grenade launcher.
TF Balik Loob: Insurgency Awareness Campaign
Posted to the Task Force Balik Loob Facebook Page (Oct 3, 2019): Insurgency Awareness Campaign
Insurgency Awareness Campaign
01 September 2019 - The 92nd CMO Company Speakers Bureau team Led by SSg Roel O Evangelista (FA) PA, squad leader of this unit, conducted Peace Forum & Information Awareness Drive to (166) Brgy Officials, Tanods, Purok leaders, Brgy Health workers, residents, teachers and grade 12 students of D, Q Liwag High School headed by Hon. Samson L. Balce, barangay chairman at Covered Court, Brgy Sto. Domingo, Vinzons, Camarines Norte.
Cpl Ruel Z Señar (Inf) PA, as resource speaker discussed about the Insurgency Situation in Camarines Norte, the deception, infiltration and recruitment of terrorist CPP-NPA to the schools and barangay and informed on the Programs of the Government and the AFP, the Executive Order no.70 of President Rodrigo Duterte which institutionalized the "Whole-of-Nation Approach" to end Local Communist Armed Conflict, the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) and the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
#TFKatoninonganAsinKauswagan
#HandsOffOurChildren
#AFPyoucanTrust
Insurgency Awareness Campaign
01 September 2019 - The 92nd CMO Company Speakers Bureau team Led by SSg Roel O Evangelista (FA) PA, squad leader of this unit, conducted Peace Forum & Information Awareness Drive to (166) Brgy Officials, Tanods, Purok leaders, Brgy Health workers, residents, teachers and grade 12 students of D, Q Liwag High School headed by Hon. Samson L. Balce, barangay chairman at Covered Court, Brgy Sto. Domingo, Vinzons, Camarines Norte.
Cpl Ruel Z Señar (Inf) PA, as resource speaker discussed about the Insurgency Situation in Camarines Norte, the deception, infiltration and recruitment of terrorist CPP-NPA to the schools and barangay and informed on the Programs of the Government and the AFP, the Executive Order no.70 of President Rodrigo Duterte which institutionalized the "Whole-of-Nation Approach" to end Local Communist Armed Conflict, the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) and the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
#TFKatoninonganAsinKauswagan
#HandsOffOurChildren
#AFPyoucanTrust
Sulu Sultanate heir to launch protest vs DOE
From the Manila Times (Oct 4, 2019): Sulu Sultanate heir to launch protest vs DOE
PANDAMI, Sulu: The heir of the Sulu Sultanate sent a stern warning to the Department of Energy (DoE), saying they will launch a massive rally to be participated in by all stakeholders if the government agency will pursue a oil and gas service contracts in the Sulu Sea.
PANDAMI, Sulu: The heir of the Sulu Sultanate sent a stern warning to the Department of Energy (DoE), saying they will launch a massive rally to be participated in by all stakeholders if the government agency will pursue a oil and gas service contracts in the Sulu Sea.
Datu Hafidz Datu Shariful Alawaddin, on Thursday told The Manila Times they have launched protest rally in front of the DoE Central Office in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City last August 19.
This was after they learned Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi continued the bidding of 14 service contracts (oil and gas) including the three blocks in Sulu Sea without the proper consultation with the heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu.
Datu Alawaddin, said the reason of their protests is the inclusion of the service contracts numbers 2, 3, 4,5, 6 and 7 without conducting any public hearings with the affected stakeholders.
The DoE should have consulted the people or the constituents of the Bangsamoro, the heirs of the Sulu Sultanate, the local leaders, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao government, Datu Alawaddin said.
Russia ready to help Philippines in counter-terror efforts —Putin
From GMA News Online (Oct 3, 2019): Russia ready to help Philippines in counter-terror efforts —Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday told President Rodrigo Duterte that Russia was prepared to partner with the Philippines in counter-terrorism efforts.
Putin made the remark during the bilateral meeting between the two leaders in Sochi, where Duterte also attended the Valdai Discussion Group.
"I remember that during your last visit to Russia in May of 2017, you had to cut it short and return to the Philippines due to terrorist attacks committed by ISIS terrorists," Putin said.
"And over the last two years you have managed to lower the level of terrorist threat in your country and to strengthen the potential of your security bodies," he added.
"We are prepared to develop our partnership when it comes to countering terrorism and share our experience and all the developments," Putin said.
In his statement, Duterte said he had always looked forward to returning to Russia.
"I am here today to reaffirm our strong commitment and to build a robust and comprehensive partnership with the Russian Federation. In the past two years, we have seen a dramatic increase in bilateral activities across many areas of cooperation at various levels of government," he said.
Duterte in 2017 cut short his trip to Russia after ISIS-inspired bandits attacked vital installations in Marawi City. He declared martial law in Mindanao which is in effect until now.
The siege ended after several months of clashes and air strikes that rendered the city in ruins.
"I would like to thank you Mr. President for finding the time to follow up on the invitation and take part in the Valdai Discussion Club around the development of situation in Asia, the creation of the new security architecture because Asia is a very important region in the world," Putin said.
"The presence of the President of the Philippines at the Valdai Discussion Club especially when we talk about such an important topic is of utmost importance to us and I hope that your presence here would give significance to the event we have today," he added.
Putin highlighted Duterte's contribution into expanding the multifaceted cooperation between Russia and the Philippines.
"And in large part due to your personal attention, we have revitalized our political dialect. We have reached lots of success in our trade and economic cooperation," Putin said.
Cooperation
Putin said trade between the two countries had grown two-fold to $1.2 billion dollars.
"And Russian export also grew four-fold. We have major reserves in place and Russian companies are ready to increase the supplies of energy carries, aircraft, transport, special equipment," Putin said.
"We want also to increase our industrial cooperation and to improve our cooperation when it comes to peaceful... the exploration of space and the use of digital technologies," he added.
Putin pushed for helping establish direct ties between entrepreneurs of the two countries.
"It’s important to help establish direct ties between entrepreneurs. This is supported by the regular meetings of the Business Council which was created back in 2009," Putin said.
"Another tomorrow in Moscow, you will take part in the meeting of this Council. And we highly appreciate your visit in Russia and it would benefit our bilateral relationships. Thank you very much," he added.
Historic firsts
Duterte said the Philippines and Russia have made historic firsts in key areas such as economic defense, security and military technical cooperation.
"In 2018, BRP Tarlac made a port call at Vladivostok, the first ever by Philippine Navy. This was highly a political issue and importance given that a few years back this would have been unthinkable," he said.
"We have established high-level consultative mechanism between our Foreign Ministries, National Security Councils, and Economic Agencies," he added.
Since 2017, Duterte said the National Security Councils of both countries have met regularly to take stock of our engagement in defense, security and law enforcement matters and to exchange views of other issues affecting our countries.
"Since the signing our agreement on defense cooperation in 2017, we have the exchanges of high-level visits between our defense and security officials as well as the port calls of your --- of our two navies. I am pleased that for the first time also a Philippine Navy vessel sailed to Russia to participate in the naval parade in Vladivostok on the Russian Navy Day," he said.
"It is imperative to sustain these consultative dialogues and enhance our mechanism to further strengthen the foundation of our growing relationships," Duterte said.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/710393/russia-ready-to-help-philippines-in-counter-terror-efforts-putin/story/
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday told President Rodrigo Duterte that Russia was prepared to partner with the Philippines in counter-terrorism efforts.
Putin made the remark during the bilateral meeting between the two leaders in Sochi, where Duterte also attended the Valdai Discussion Group.
"I remember that during your last visit to Russia in May of 2017, you had to cut it short and return to the Philippines due to terrorist attacks committed by ISIS terrorists," Putin said.
"And over the last two years you have managed to lower the level of terrorist threat in your country and to strengthen the potential of your security bodies," he added.
"We are prepared to develop our partnership when it comes to countering terrorism and share our experience and all the developments," Putin said.
In his statement, Duterte said he had always looked forward to returning to Russia.
"I am here today to reaffirm our strong commitment and to build a robust and comprehensive partnership with the Russian Federation. In the past two years, we have seen a dramatic increase in bilateral activities across many areas of cooperation at various levels of government," he said.
Duterte in 2017 cut short his trip to Russia after ISIS-inspired bandits attacked vital installations in Marawi City. He declared martial law in Mindanao which is in effect until now.
The siege ended after several months of clashes and air strikes that rendered the city in ruins.
"I would like to thank you Mr. President for finding the time to follow up on the invitation and take part in the Valdai Discussion Club around the development of situation in Asia, the creation of the new security architecture because Asia is a very important region in the world," Putin said.
"The presence of the President of the Philippines at the Valdai Discussion Club especially when we talk about such an important topic is of utmost importance to us and I hope that your presence here would give significance to the event we have today," he added.
Putin highlighted Duterte's contribution into expanding the multifaceted cooperation between Russia and the Philippines.
"And in large part due to your personal attention, we have revitalized our political dialect. We have reached lots of success in our trade and economic cooperation," Putin said.
Cooperation
Putin said trade between the two countries had grown two-fold to $1.2 billion dollars.
"And Russian export also grew four-fold. We have major reserves in place and Russian companies are ready to increase the supplies of energy carries, aircraft, transport, special equipment," Putin said.
"We want also to increase our industrial cooperation and to improve our cooperation when it comes to peaceful... the exploration of space and the use of digital technologies," he added.
Putin pushed for helping establish direct ties between entrepreneurs of the two countries.
"It’s important to help establish direct ties between entrepreneurs. This is supported by the regular meetings of the Business Council which was created back in 2009," Putin said.
"Another tomorrow in Moscow, you will take part in the meeting of this Council. And we highly appreciate your visit in Russia and it would benefit our bilateral relationships. Thank you very much," he added.
Historic firsts
Duterte said the Philippines and Russia have made historic firsts in key areas such as economic defense, security and military technical cooperation.
"In 2018, BRP Tarlac made a port call at Vladivostok, the first ever by Philippine Navy. This was highly a political issue and importance given that a few years back this would have been unthinkable," he said.
"We have established high-level consultative mechanism between our Foreign Ministries, National Security Councils, and Economic Agencies," he added.
Since 2017, Duterte said the National Security Councils of both countries have met regularly to take stock of our engagement in defense, security and law enforcement matters and to exchange views of other issues affecting our countries.
"Since the signing our agreement on defense cooperation in 2017, we have the exchanges of high-level visits between our defense and security officials as well as the port calls of your --- of our two navies. I am pleased that for the first time also a Philippine Navy vessel sailed to Russia to participate in the naval parade in Vladivostok on the Russian Navy Day," he said.
"It is imperative to sustain these consultative dialogues and enhance our mechanism to further strengthen the foundation of our growing relationships," Duterte said.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/710393/russia-ready-to-help-philippines-in-counter-terror-efforts-putin/story/
Ransom demand made for kidnapped fishermen
From the Star Online (Oct 3, 2019): Ransom demand made for kidnapped fishermen
KOTA KINABALU: The family of one of three recently abducted Indonesians fishermen has received a ransom demand from their kidnappers.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah said according to their Philippines counterparts, the kidnappers had made the call a few days after the Sept 23 incident.
“But we were not told how much the kidnappers demanded in ransom, ” he said.
The kidnappers had urged the family to raise money to make payments as fast as possible, he added.
Seven heavily-armed kidnappers from the Philippines grabbed three Indonesian men from a Sandakan-registered fishing trawler in waters off Tambisan at about noon, on the day of the incident.
The Indonesians are Samiun Maniu, 27, Maharuydin Lunani, 48, and Muhammas Farhan, 27.
The kidnappers took the fishermen to the Tawi Tawi island chain before heading to Jolo.
Meanwhile, on Oct 2, the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) has mobilised assets to key areas after Philippine intelligence reports indicated Abu Sayyaf-linked gunmen were on their way to kidnap high-value targets.
Esscom commander Datuk Huzani Ghazali said they are on high alert following the intelligence report on Sept 30.
The intelligence report indicated nine Abu Sayyaf gunmen left their Jolo stronghold and were heading towards Sabah’s Mataking and Pom Pom island in Semporna.
According to the reports, the group was targeting tourists and crew members of fishing vessels.
Mataking, which is dotted with holiday resorts, is close to the sea border of the Philippines’ Tawi Tawi island chain.
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/10/03/ransom-demand-made-for-kidnapped-fishermen
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah said according to their Philippines counterparts, the kidnappers had made the call a few days after the Sept 23 incident.
“But we were not told how much the kidnappers demanded in ransom, ” he said.
The kidnappers had urged the family to raise money to make payments as fast as possible, he added.
Seven heavily-armed kidnappers from the Philippines grabbed three Indonesian men from a Sandakan-registered fishing trawler in waters off Tambisan at about noon, on the day of the incident.
The Indonesians are Samiun Maniu, 27, Maharuydin Lunani, 48, and Muhammas Farhan, 27.
The kidnappers took the fishermen to the Tawi Tawi island chain before heading to Jolo.
Meanwhile, on Oct 2, the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) has mobilised assets to key areas after Philippine intelligence reports indicated Abu Sayyaf-linked gunmen were on their way to kidnap high-value targets.
Esscom commander Datuk Huzani Ghazali said they are on high alert following the intelligence report on Sept 30.
The intelligence report indicated nine Abu Sayyaf gunmen left their Jolo stronghold and were heading towards Sabah’s Mataking and Pom Pom island in Semporna.
According to the reports, the group was targeting tourists and crew members of fishing vessels.
Mataking, which is dotted with holiday resorts, is close to the sea border of the Philippines’ Tawi Tawi island chain.
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/10/03/ransom-demand-made-for-kidnapped-fishermen
Kidnappers demand ransom for 3 Indonesian fishermen
From the Manila Times (Oct 4, 2019): Kidnappers demand ransom for 3 Indonesian fishermen
Kidnappers have demanded ransom for the safe release of three Indonesian fishermen who were seized by masked gunmen off Sabah in Malaysia, reports said Thursday.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah confirmed the reports and said the kidnappers were demanding ransom, but he did not say how much the gunmen were asking.
He said Filipino authorities also confirmed the ransom demand for the trio, namely Samiun Maniu, 27; Maharudin Lunani, 48; and Muhammas Farhan, 27, who were kidnapped near Tambisan Island off Lahad Datu town on September 23.
“I can confirm that a call has been made by the KFR group to one of the victim’s family member,” Mamah was quoted as saying by the Borneo Post.
There was no immediate statement from the Philippine military or police about the ransom demand, but Mamah had previously said the hostages were taken by their captors to Tawi-Tawi.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, but Malaysian authorities suspect the pro-Islamic State Abu Sayyaf group was behind it.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah confirmed the reports and said the kidnappers were demanding ransom, but he did not say how much the gunmen were asking.
He said Filipino authorities also confirmed the ransom demand for the trio, namely Samiun Maniu, 27; Maharudin Lunani, 48; and Muhammas Farhan, 27, who were kidnapped near Tambisan Island off Lahad Datu town on September 23.
“I can confirm that a call has been made by the KFR group to one of the victim’s family member,” Mamah was quoted as saying by the Borneo Post.
There was no immediate statement from the Philippine military or police about the ransom demand, but Mamah had previously said the hostages were taken by their captors to Tawi-Tawi.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, but Malaysian authorities suspect the pro-Islamic State Abu Sayyaf group was behind it.
PHL Army activates Aviation Regiment, Air Defense, Missile units vs terrorism, insurgency threats
From UNTV News & Rescue (Oct 3, 2019): PHL Army activates Aviation Regiment, Air Defense, Missile units vs terrorism, insurgency threats
The Philippine Army on Thursday activated its Aviation Regiment, 2nd Multiple Launch rocket System Battery (2MLRS Btry) and 1st Land-based Missile System Battery (1LBMS Btry) in an aim to strengthen defense against current, emerging and future threats.
Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Macairog Alberto led the activation and assumption of command of the three units in a joint ceremony held at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.
The Army believes these units will play a vital role in its fight against terrorism and communist insurgency.
The Aviation Regiment, an upgrade of the Army Aviation Battalion, will be maintaining the current fleet of fixed-wing aircraft for special aviation mission while it develops its capabilities in armed reconnaissance, air assault and air medical evacuation by utilizing rotary wing aircraft.
The Army is also planning to acquire light attack helicopters, armed reconnaissance helicopters, and multi-purpose medium lift helicopters under this regiment.
“Through the upgraded Army Aviation Regiment as an integral component of our combined arms operations, our Army will have the capability to conduct a better array of aviation operations to support ground forces and be more responsive in the archipelagic setting in the defense posture,” Alberto said in a press statement.
Meanwhile, the 2MLRS Btry and the 1LBMS Btry under the Army Artillery Regiment (AAR) is seen to augment the troop’s firepower in large-scale armed confrontation for internal defense and security engagements.
Alberto said the activation of the two AAR regiment is in line with the Army’s development of air defense units and missile units.
The air defense units will protect the force against air threats while the missile units aim to deny areas of enemy approach as well as suppress their air capabilities.
“We put primacy on the activation of these units in order to continuously enhance our aviation and air defense capability as we operate with the intent to be a modern and well-equipped Army, to address fast evolving threats and finish the insurgency at the soonest time possible,” he said.
https://www.untvweb.com/news/phl-army-activates-aviation-regiment-air-defense-missile-units-vs-terrorism-insurgency-threats/
The Philippine Army on Thursday activated its Aviation Regiment, 2nd Multiple Launch rocket System Battery (2MLRS Btry) and 1st Land-based Missile System Battery (1LBMS Btry) in an aim to strengthen defense against current, emerging and future threats.
Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Macairog Alberto led the activation and assumption of command of the three units in a joint ceremony held at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.
The Army believes these units will play a vital role in its fight against terrorism and communist insurgency.
The Aviation Regiment, an upgrade of the Army Aviation Battalion, will be maintaining the current fleet of fixed-wing aircraft for special aviation mission while it develops its capabilities in armed reconnaissance, air assault and air medical evacuation by utilizing rotary wing aircraft.
The Army is also planning to acquire light attack helicopters, armed reconnaissance helicopters, and multi-purpose medium lift helicopters under this regiment.
“Through the upgraded Army Aviation Regiment as an integral component of our combined arms operations, our Army will have the capability to conduct a better array of aviation operations to support ground forces and be more responsive in the archipelagic setting in the defense posture,” Alberto said in a press statement.
Meanwhile, the 2MLRS Btry and the 1LBMS Btry under the Army Artillery Regiment (AAR) is seen to augment the troop’s firepower in large-scale armed confrontation for internal defense and security engagements.
Alberto said the activation of the two AAR regiment is in line with the Army’s development of air defense units and missile units.
The air defense units will protect the force against air threats while the missile units aim to deny areas of enemy approach as well as suppress their air capabilities.
“We put primacy on the activation of these units in order to continuously enhance our aviation and air defense capability as we operate with the intent to be a modern and well-equipped Army, to address fast evolving threats and finish the insurgency at the soonest time possible,” he said.
https://www.untvweb.com/news/phl-army-activates-aviation-regiment-air-defense-missile-units-vs-terrorism-insurgency-threats/
Soldiers, rebels engage in a running gun battle in Manjuyod, Negros Oriental
From the Cebu Daily News (Oct 3, 2019): Soldiers, rebels engage in a running gun battle in Manjuyod, Negros Oriental
War materials and other itemsleft behind by suspected New People’s Army rebels recovered by soldiers at the encounter site in Sitio Cabangahan, Barangay Bantolinao, Manjuyod, Negros Oriental on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019.| Photo credit 94th Infantry Battalion.
War materials and other itemsleft behind by suspected New People’s Army rebels recovered by soldiers at the encounter site in Sitio Cabangahan, Barangay Bantolinao, Manjuyod, Negros Oriental on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019.| Photo credit 94th Infantry Battalion.
The hinterland Sitio Cabangahan of Barangay Bantolinao in Manjuyod town of Negros Oriental was a scene of a fierce gun battle when a platoon from the Bravo Company of the 94th Infantry Mandirigma Battalion and about 20 suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) clashed on Thursday, October 3, 2019.
The running gun battle that began at 2:45 p.m. on Thursday lasted for about 40 minutes, after which the suspected rebels withdrew towards the northwest direction of the barangay, a report from the 94th ID said.
No soldiers were hurt in the firefight.
Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pagunuran, commanding officer of the 94th IB, in an interview said the NPA side suffered undetermined number of casualties based on the heavy bloodstains found in the escape route of the rebels.
According to Pagunuran, the government troops led by Lieutenant Abdul Naser Ismael were on combat operations after receiving series of reports regarding the presence of armed men in the area when they encountered the communist rebels.
Pagunuran said after the clearing operation at the encounter site the troops recovered an anti-personnel mine (IED); parts (a bolt, a buffer spring and a charging handle) of an M16 rifle destroyed during the encounter; one commercial handheld radio; an AM radio; two cellular phones; electrical wire; seven kilos of rice; two backpacks; three ponchos; five hammocks; 10 “Ang Bayan” booklets; two T-shirts with PKP print; and a pair of slippers.
“I urge the soldiers to relentlessly pursue the NPAs who had been menacing our people in the countryside. I also encourage the people to continue to report the presence of NPAs in their communities in order for us to prevent their extortion and other terroristic activities,” Brigadier General Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said.
Thursday’s encounter was the second in Barangay Bantolinao, Manjuyod. The first was in June where five anti-personnel mines where recovered.
The encounter Thursday was the 14th armed clash between soldiers under the 303rd Brigade and the NPA this year.
https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/261962/soldiers-rebels-engage-in-a-running-gun-battle-in-manjuyod-negros-oriental
The running gun battle that began at 2:45 p.m. on Thursday lasted for about 40 minutes, after which the suspected rebels withdrew towards the northwest direction of the barangay, a report from the 94th ID said.
No soldiers were hurt in the firefight.
Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pagunuran, commanding officer of the 94th IB, in an interview said the NPA side suffered undetermined number of casualties based on the heavy bloodstains found in the escape route of the rebels.
According to Pagunuran, the government troops led by Lieutenant Abdul Naser Ismael were on combat operations after receiving series of reports regarding the presence of armed men in the area when they encountered the communist rebels.
Pagunuran said after the clearing operation at the encounter site the troops recovered an anti-personnel mine (IED); parts (a bolt, a buffer spring and a charging handle) of an M16 rifle destroyed during the encounter; one commercial handheld radio; an AM radio; two cellular phones; electrical wire; seven kilos of rice; two backpacks; three ponchos; five hammocks; 10 “Ang Bayan” booklets; two T-shirts with PKP print; and a pair of slippers.
“I urge the soldiers to relentlessly pursue the NPAs who had been menacing our people in the countryside. I also encourage the people to continue to report the presence of NPAs in their communities in order for us to prevent their extortion and other terroristic activities,” Brigadier General Benedict Arevalo, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said.
Thursday’s encounter was the second in Barangay Bantolinao, Manjuyod. The first was in June where five anti-personnel mines where recovered.
The encounter Thursday was the 14th armed clash between soldiers under the 303rd Brigade and the NPA this year.
https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/261962/soldiers-rebels-engage-in-a-running-gun-battle-in-manjuyod-negros-oriental
House augments AFP, PNP budgets by P2 billion
From the Philippine Star (Oct 3, 2019): House augments AFP, PNP budgets by P2 billion
The House of Representatives has augmented the proposed budgets for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) next year by P2 billion to modernize their facilities.
In the 2020 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) transmitted to the Senate last Tuesday, the House realigned funds and added P1 billion each to the appropriations of the AFP and the PNP.
The additional funding will boost the P184.9 billion and P189 billion that the PNP and AFP, respectively, will get next year.
“This is first time in history that we are putting an item for camp development fund – P1 billion for the PNP and P1 billion also for the AFP,” Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said.
Cayetano explained that while there are appropriations already in the proposed P4.1-trillion national budget for 2020 for certain police and military camps, “we want the camp development program to be a five- to 10-year program so that our military and police could plan it well.”
The additional funds for the AFP and the PNP will come from the P9.5-billion total realignments proposed by the House in the GAB.
The amount was taken from the P5.7-billion budget of the Commission on Elections for next year’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls set to be postponed, and the P3.7-billion funding of the Department of Public Works and Highways for deferred road right-of-way projects.
Meanwhile, the House clarified that there was no P456-million cut in the proposed budget of the Philippine General Hospital for 2020 as claimed by Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto.
House public accounts committee chair and Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor said the chamber, in fact, even augmented the PGH’s budget by P500 million in its institutional amendments in the GAB.
“There was no such cut in the budget of the PGH made by Congress. What I know is we even increased the budget of the PGH,” he told reporters in a weekly forum.
Defensor further clarified that the House added P500 million to the budget of the country’s biggest public hospital – not just P200 million as reported by another newspaper.
In the 2020 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) transmitted to the Senate last Tuesday, the House realigned funds and added P1 billion each to the appropriations of the AFP and the PNP.
The additional funding will boost the P184.9 billion and P189 billion that the PNP and AFP, respectively, will get next year.
“This is first time in history that we are putting an item for camp development fund – P1 billion for the PNP and P1 billion also for the AFP,” Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said.
Cayetano explained that while there are appropriations already in the proposed P4.1-trillion national budget for 2020 for certain police and military camps, “we want the camp development program to be a five- to 10-year program so that our military and police could plan it well.”
The additional funds for the AFP and the PNP will come from the P9.5-billion total realignments proposed by the House in the GAB.
The amount was taken from the P5.7-billion budget of the Commission on Elections for next year’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls set to be postponed, and the P3.7-billion funding of the Department of Public Works and Highways for deferred road right-of-way projects.
Meanwhile, the House clarified that there was no P456-million cut in the proposed budget of the Philippine General Hospital for 2020 as claimed by Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto.
House public accounts committee chair and Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor said the chamber, in fact, even augmented the PGH’s budget by P500 million in its institutional amendments in the GAB.
“There was no such cut in the budget of the PGH made by Congress. What I know is we even increased the budget of the PGH,” he told reporters in a weekly forum.
Defensor further clarified that the House added P500 million to the budget of the country’s biggest public hospital – not just P200 million as reported by another newspaper.
Editorial: The quest for truth in the Panganiban “encounter”
Posted to the Catanduanes Tribune Website (Oct 2, 2019): Editorial - The quest for truth in the Panganiban “encounter”
The Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police just handed the New People’s Army a propaganda gift.
For two years now, the handful of communist guerillas have been relatively inactive, except for the occasional sightings, harassment of Army camps, and burning of equipment of contractors who do not pay revolutionary tax.
Indeed, the last violent attack the island has seen was on August 10, 2017 when a band of NPAs reportedly sent from the mainland ambushed a police convoy carrying drug surrenderees along the national highway in Viga. Killed were two police officers, whose families just received livelihood kits from the government two weeks ago.
Last Sunday’s incident, in which two innocent residents of barangay San Miguel in Panganiban town were gunned down in an alleged encounter with government troops, has shattered the relative peace of the island as far as the insurgency problem is concerned.
In fact, as early as 2014, the Army itself declared Catanduanes as “Conflict-Manageable and Ready for Further Development” and scaled down its presence on the island, withdrawing two companies and leaving behind armed militia manned by Army officers.
It is far too speculative to describe the Sept. 22, 2019 “encounter” as an operation intended to even up the score for the government troops vis-à-vis the 2017 ambush.
It is probable that the soldiers and policemen involved in the combat operation mistook the five men as communist guerillas and, with itchy fingers, fired as the two victims tried to flee in the dark. Why a gun was recovered from the site, when all the five residents of barangay San Miguel had were flashlights, an electro-fishing rod and a sack of eels and fish, is a matter for the troopers to answer.
As Provincial Board Member Robert Fernandez, the three-term mayor of Panganiban, remarked in his privilege speech, it is difficult for him to understand the incident and the fact that whenever and wherever criminality and terrorism threatens peace, army troopers and the police force are always there standing by to help.
He scored the failure of the Army and the police to coordinate the operation with local officials and the aftermath of the incident when the Panganiban police itself notably failed to record the statements of the three survivors in the police blotter.
With the damage wrought by the unnecessary deaths of the two civilians on the trust government troops enjoyed among the population, PBM Fernandez believes only an inquiry on the alleged encounter could help bring justice to the bereaved families and restore confidence among the stakeholders in the campaign to attain just and lasting peace.
Until presstime, both the Army unit here and the Catanduanes police under the leadership of Alpha company commander Lt. Pol Mirafuentes and provincial director Col. Paul Abay, respectively, have yet to issue their statements on the controversy.
The provincial board headed by Acting Vice Governor Lorenzo Templonuevo Jr. has set an executive session last Monday to hear the testimony of the three survivors of the incident and possibly the side of the government troops.
Unfortunately, an executive session does not allow outsiders, keeps separate minutes, and all matters taken up are regarded as confidential. It would have been better if the legislators decided to open the hearing to all so that the issue would be bathed in the cleansing effect of public opinion.
It makes you wonder if whatever statements the survivors, who have nothing to hide, and the state agents, who will naturally want to keep operational details secret, deliver in the session would bring the entire peace process crashing down.
Far from it, the campaign to achieve peace needs to foster truth so that the people may be able to understand the causes behind the conflict.
In this case, the men and women we have elected to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan would have to be better than smart.
If they believe only half of what they would hear, they should be brilliant enough to know which half is the truth.
http://www.catanduanestribune.com/article/42HO
The Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police just handed the New People’s Army a propaganda gift.
For two years now, the handful of communist guerillas have been relatively inactive, except for the occasional sightings, harassment of Army camps, and burning of equipment of contractors who do not pay revolutionary tax.
Indeed, the last violent attack the island has seen was on August 10, 2017 when a band of NPAs reportedly sent from the mainland ambushed a police convoy carrying drug surrenderees along the national highway in Viga. Killed were two police officers, whose families just received livelihood kits from the government two weeks ago.
Last Sunday’s incident, in which two innocent residents of barangay San Miguel in Panganiban town were gunned down in an alleged encounter with government troops, has shattered the relative peace of the island as far as the insurgency problem is concerned.
In fact, as early as 2014, the Army itself declared Catanduanes as “Conflict-Manageable and Ready for Further Development” and scaled down its presence on the island, withdrawing two companies and leaving behind armed militia manned by Army officers.
It is far too speculative to describe the Sept. 22, 2019 “encounter” as an operation intended to even up the score for the government troops vis-à-vis the 2017 ambush.
It is probable that the soldiers and policemen involved in the combat operation mistook the five men as communist guerillas and, with itchy fingers, fired as the two victims tried to flee in the dark. Why a gun was recovered from the site, when all the five residents of barangay San Miguel had were flashlights, an electro-fishing rod and a sack of eels and fish, is a matter for the troopers to answer.
As Provincial Board Member Robert Fernandez, the three-term mayor of Panganiban, remarked in his privilege speech, it is difficult for him to understand the incident and the fact that whenever and wherever criminality and terrorism threatens peace, army troopers and the police force are always there standing by to help.
He scored the failure of the Army and the police to coordinate the operation with local officials and the aftermath of the incident when the Panganiban police itself notably failed to record the statements of the three survivors in the police blotter.
With the damage wrought by the unnecessary deaths of the two civilians on the trust government troops enjoyed among the population, PBM Fernandez believes only an inquiry on the alleged encounter could help bring justice to the bereaved families and restore confidence among the stakeholders in the campaign to attain just and lasting peace.
Until presstime, both the Army unit here and the Catanduanes police under the leadership of Alpha company commander Lt. Pol Mirafuentes and provincial director Col. Paul Abay, respectively, have yet to issue their statements on the controversy.
The provincial board headed by Acting Vice Governor Lorenzo Templonuevo Jr. has set an executive session last Monday to hear the testimony of the three survivors of the incident and possibly the side of the government troops.
Unfortunately, an executive session does not allow outsiders, keeps separate minutes, and all matters taken up are regarded as confidential. It would have been better if the legislators decided to open the hearing to all so that the issue would be bathed in the cleansing effect of public opinion.
It makes you wonder if whatever statements the survivors, who have nothing to hide, and the state agents, who will naturally want to keep operational details secret, deliver in the session would bring the entire peace process crashing down.
Far from it, the campaign to achieve peace needs to foster truth so that the people may be able to understand the causes behind the conflict.
In this case, the men and women we have elected to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan would have to be better than smart.
If they believe only half of what they would hear, they should be brilliant enough to know which half is the truth.
http://www.catanduanestribune.com/article/42HO
2 gunned down in alleged encounter
Posted to the Catanduanes Tribune Website (Oct 2, 2019): 2 gunned down in alleged encounter
Residents of Panganiban town have accused Army soldiers and policemen of gunning down two unarmed villagers last Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, in what government troops claim to be an encounter with the New People’s Army.
According to the official report, one section consisting of the combined elements of Alpha Company of the 83rd Infantry Battation, 9th Infantry Division, of the Philippine Army and the 1st and 2nd Company of the Catanduanes Provincial Police Mobile Force under 2nd Lt. Jose Niel Enriquez were conducting combat operation when they encountered more or less 7 communist guerillas in the vicinity of barangay Taopon at around 1:20 A.M.
This resulted in a firefight that lasted for 10 minutes, the report stated. Two NPA rebels were allegedly killed while there were no casualties on the government side. The combat troops reportedly recovered an AR15 rifle at the scene.
Personnel of the Police Crime Laboratory Office (PCLO) were dispatched to the encounter site to conduct scene-of-the-crime operations.
Hours after the incident, netizens flooded social media with accusations that the two victims, who were not identified in the report, were ordinary residents of barangay San Miguel, with one of them scheduled to be wed to his fiancée the following day.
According to reports, the two men, who were later identified as Lito Aguilar and Christopher Abraham, were looking for fish to be served for the former’s wedding on Monday as the area is dotted with fishponds.
It was claimed that what may have occurred was a case of mistaken identity, with the Army and police unit planting a gun on the victims to make it appear that they were communist guerillas.
A netizen alleged that similar incidents have occurred in the past, with either copra farmers or abaca strippers as the unsuspecting victims in an effort of the government troops to present accomplishments in the anti-insurgency campaign.
On Monday morning, Mayor Cesar Robles officiated on the wedding of Aguilar, his face wrapped in white plastic inside his white wooden casket, and his grief-stricken sweetheart, Jovela Sierra, with PBM Fernandez as witness, right beside Abraham’s casket.
Sierra said she decided to continue with the wedding despite his death because of their vows to each other.
At the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s regular session last Monday (Sept. 23), Provincial Board Member Robert Fernandez, who served as Panganiban town mayor for three terms, urged the board to conduct an investigation of the incident and to call on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to likewise launch an impartial probe of the alleged encounter.
In his privilege speech, PBM Fernandez said no word can precisely describe the feelings of sadness and despair brought about by the helpless deaths of his “kababayans” in the hands of an entity which pledged to protect and serve the community.
“It is incomprehensible, no matter how we try to fathom how the two known residents with clean records in police, municipality and the barangay were subjected to that specific operation of our soldiers especially trained in counter-terrorism and guerrilla warfare,” he stated.
Saying that he has spoken with San Miguel barangay chairman Jeffrey Velasco, the three survivors and the victims’ families, the PBM said the inconsistencies between the Army report and the survivors’ statements led him into deep thinking.
“I am torn between whether to believe our government forces or my constituents whom I have been with for almost all of my life,” he stressed.
Fernandez disclosed that at 7 A.M. that same day of the incident, Mayor Cesar Robles and Chairman Velasco were already at the Panganiban police station and were followed by the three survivors – identified as Joseph Turado, Jimmy Sierra and Jomarie Calderon – to report the incident.
He noted that four hours later at 11 A.M., the 9th Infantry Division issued a statement that its troops were in hot pursuit of those who managed to escape from the encounter.
“Who were they looking for when the three were already at the police station to file a blotter report?” he pointed out, adding that while the Army claimed they encountered at least seven communists terrorists, the victims’ group numbered only five.
The survivors also swore that they did not carry guns or ammunition while the Army photos of the two dead men showed Abraham with one hand holding the AR-15 rifle allegedly recovered during the incident.
He also took to task the police station itself for not recording the statements of the survivors on the blotter right after they arrived at 7 A.M., saying further that he checked with the chief of police at 11 A.M. that same morning and discovered that the trio’s version of the encounter was not in the blotter itself.
PBM Fernandez bared that both he and Mayor Robles were kept unaware of the operation right in their town as they were certain that no communist or terrorist activities were noted in the town until now.
He blasted the disrespect of uniformed men as they failed to coordinate with the office of the chief executive, saying that supposedly friendly government forces are undermining elected officials.
“No amount of consolation can be given to the widows and orphans of these two who perished in this very unfortunate event,” he said. “Although the standard rhetoric of our government in this milieu of outrage and anguish is to remain sober and calm, that all efforts are being exerted to get to the bottom of this incident, and to remain forward-looking in the hope of forging a lasting peace, I doubt if anyone can say this rhetoric straight to the faces of the families of these two who died last Sunday.”
The former mayor and vice mayor said Aguilar was supposed to be married alive last Monday, and that he and his four companions just went to catch some fish to add to the food they will be serving their visitors.
“His fiancée still went ahead with the wedding, which I attended before going here,” Fernandez bared. “They got married, with Lito already dead. The other casualty, Christopher is supposed to celebrate his 31st birthday this coming Friday.”
The PBM also called on all concerned to render any immediate help that they can possibly give to the bereaved families. In a meeting with Fernandez after the session, Acting Governor Shirley Abundo reportedly vowed to render assistance, directing the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office to determine what could be done in this regard.
The provincial board headed by Acting Vice Governor Lorenzo Templonuevo Jr. unanimously agreed to invite to an executive session on Monday, Sept. 30, the three survivors as well as the members of the Army and police units involved in the incident to shed light on what really happened.
Accounts of that early morning tragedy claimed that hours earlier, the five men left San Miguel to go to the neighboring barangay of Taopon to catch eels and fish to be cooked for Aguilar’s wedding the following Monday.
They were on their way home with their catch, carrying flashlights along with electro-fishing equipment equipped with a motorcycle battery, when Turado stopped to urinate at the side of the trail. Sierra and Calderon decided to wait for him while Aguilar and Abraham went ahead.
After a while, the trio heard shouts in the distance followed by gunshots, forcing them to drop to the ground. When the firing ceased, they cautiously went up the trail and discovered Aguilar’s dead body. Abraham was just nearly, still alive but unable to speak due to a bullet wound in his neck.
Apparently, the two victims were hit by gunfire as they fled the scene back towards their companions. Abraham was hit at the back of the shoulder and the neck while a bullet struck Aguilar at the back of the head, blowing out his brains and part of his face.
The three survivors left the area in haste for fear that they would also be gunned down.
Their testimonies before the provincial board, along with that of government troops involved in the incident, would be crucial in restoring the confidence of constituents, PBM Fernandez stressed, as they are asking who are their enemies and who are their allies now.
“These are questions that beg to be answered,” he said. “And we need to be assured that we trust each other. We need to build confidence once again because I believe that with this incident, confidence and trust have crumbled.”
http://www.catanduanestribune.com/article/42I1
Residents of Panganiban town have accused Army soldiers and policemen of gunning down two unarmed villagers last Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, in what government troops claim to be an encounter with the New People’s Army.
According to the official report, one section consisting of the combined elements of Alpha Company of the 83rd Infantry Battation, 9th Infantry Division, of the Philippine Army and the 1st and 2nd Company of the Catanduanes Provincial Police Mobile Force under 2nd Lt. Jose Niel Enriquez were conducting combat operation when they encountered more or less 7 communist guerillas in the vicinity of barangay Taopon at around 1:20 A.M.
This resulted in a firefight that lasted for 10 minutes, the report stated. Two NPA rebels were allegedly killed while there were no casualties on the government side. The combat troops reportedly recovered an AR15 rifle at the scene.
Personnel of the Police Crime Laboratory Office (PCLO) were dispatched to the encounter site to conduct scene-of-the-crime operations.
Hours after the incident, netizens flooded social media with accusations that the two victims, who were not identified in the report, were ordinary residents of barangay San Miguel, with one of them scheduled to be wed to his fiancée the following day.
According to reports, the two men, who were later identified as Lito Aguilar and Christopher Abraham, were looking for fish to be served for the former’s wedding on Monday as the area is dotted with fishponds.
It was claimed that what may have occurred was a case of mistaken identity, with the Army and police unit planting a gun on the victims to make it appear that they were communist guerillas.
A netizen alleged that similar incidents have occurred in the past, with either copra farmers or abaca strippers as the unsuspecting victims in an effort of the government troops to present accomplishments in the anti-insurgency campaign.
On Monday morning, Mayor Cesar Robles officiated on the wedding of Aguilar, his face wrapped in white plastic inside his white wooden casket, and his grief-stricken sweetheart, Jovela Sierra, with PBM Fernandez as witness, right beside Abraham’s casket.
Sierra said she decided to continue with the wedding despite his death because of their vows to each other.
At the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s regular session last Monday (Sept. 23), Provincial Board Member Robert Fernandez, who served as Panganiban town mayor for three terms, urged the board to conduct an investigation of the incident and to call on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to likewise launch an impartial probe of the alleged encounter.
In his privilege speech, PBM Fernandez said no word can precisely describe the feelings of sadness and despair brought about by the helpless deaths of his “kababayans” in the hands of an entity which pledged to protect and serve the community.
“It is incomprehensible, no matter how we try to fathom how the two known residents with clean records in police, municipality and the barangay were subjected to that specific operation of our soldiers especially trained in counter-terrorism and guerrilla warfare,” he stated.
Saying that he has spoken with San Miguel barangay chairman Jeffrey Velasco, the three survivors and the victims’ families, the PBM said the inconsistencies between the Army report and the survivors’ statements led him into deep thinking.
“I am torn between whether to believe our government forces or my constituents whom I have been with for almost all of my life,” he stressed.
Fernandez disclosed that at 7 A.M. that same day of the incident, Mayor Cesar Robles and Chairman Velasco were already at the Panganiban police station and were followed by the three survivors – identified as Joseph Turado, Jimmy Sierra and Jomarie Calderon – to report the incident.
He noted that four hours later at 11 A.M., the 9th Infantry Division issued a statement that its troops were in hot pursuit of those who managed to escape from the encounter.
“Who were they looking for when the three were already at the police station to file a blotter report?” he pointed out, adding that while the Army claimed they encountered at least seven communists terrorists, the victims’ group numbered only five.
The survivors also swore that they did not carry guns or ammunition while the Army photos of the two dead men showed Abraham with one hand holding the AR-15 rifle allegedly recovered during the incident.
He also took to task the police station itself for not recording the statements of the survivors on the blotter right after they arrived at 7 A.M., saying further that he checked with the chief of police at 11 A.M. that same morning and discovered that the trio’s version of the encounter was not in the blotter itself.
PBM Fernandez bared that both he and Mayor Robles were kept unaware of the operation right in their town as they were certain that no communist or terrorist activities were noted in the town until now.
He blasted the disrespect of uniformed men as they failed to coordinate with the office of the chief executive, saying that supposedly friendly government forces are undermining elected officials.
“No amount of consolation can be given to the widows and orphans of these two who perished in this very unfortunate event,” he said. “Although the standard rhetoric of our government in this milieu of outrage and anguish is to remain sober and calm, that all efforts are being exerted to get to the bottom of this incident, and to remain forward-looking in the hope of forging a lasting peace, I doubt if anyone can say this rhetoric straight to the faces of the families of these two who died last Sunday.”
The former mayor and vice mayor said Aguilar was supposed to be married alive last Monday, and that he and his four companions just went to catch some fish to add to the food they will be serving their visitors.
“His fiancée still went ahead with the wedding, which I attended before going here,” Fernandez bared. “They got married, with Lito already dead. The other casualty, Christopher is supposed to celebrate his 31st birthday this coming Friday.”
The PBM also called on all concerned to render any immediate help that they can possibly give to the bereaved families. In a meeting with Fernandez after the session, Acting Governor Shirley Abundo reportedly vowed to render assistance, directing the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office to determine what could be done in this regard.
The provincial board headed by Acting Vice Governor Lorenzo Templonuevo Jr. unanimously agreed to invite to an executive session on Monday, Sept. 30, the three survivors as well as the members of the Army and police units involved in the incident to shed light on what really happened.
Accounts of that early morning tragedy claimed that hours earlier, the five men left San Miguel to go to the neighboring barangay of Taopon to catch eels and fish to be cooked for Aguilar’s wedding the following Monday.
They were on their way home with their catch, carrying flashlights along with electro-fishing equipment equipped with a motorcycle battery, when Turado stopped to urinate at the side of the trail. Sierra and Calderon decided to wait for him while Aguilar and Abraham went ahead.
After a while, the trio heard shouts in the distance followed by gunshots, forcing them to drop to the ground. When the firing ceased, they cautiously went up the trail and discovered Aguilar’s dead body. Abraham was just nearly, still alive but unable to speak due to a bullet wound in his neck.
Apparently, the two victims were hit by gunfire as they fled the scene back towards their companions. Abraham was hit at the back of the shoulder and the neck while a bullet struck Aguilar at the back of the head, blowing out his brains and part of his face.
The three survivors left the area in haste for fear that they would also be gunned down.
Their testimonies before the provincial board, along with that of government troops involved in the incident, would be crucial in restoring the confidence of constituents, PBM Fernandez stressed, as they are asking who are their enemies and who are their allies now.
“These are questions that beg to be answered,” he said. “And we need to be assured that we trust each other. We need to build confidence once again because I believe that with this incident, confidence and trust have crumbled.”
http://www.catanduanestribune.com/article/42I1
Former revolutionary leaders express solidarity, commitment to peace process to cap Peace Month celebration
From the Philippine Information Agency (Oct 2, 2019): Former revolutionary leaders express solidarity, commitment to peace process to cap Peace Month celebration
OPAPP photo
PASAY CITY -- In a historic moment, former revolutionary leaders, active and retired military officials, peace advocates, and members of the diplomatic corp make a collective call for enduring and sustainable peace throughout the country during the culmination of the National Peace Month celebration and the 26th Anniversary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) on Monday.
The event's highlights include the warm exchange among Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Founding Chairman Nur Misuari, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Interim Chair Murad Ebrahim, and former MNLF Chair and Chair of the Bangsamoro People’s National Congress Muslimin Sema who had distanced themselves from each other for many decades. Everyone was elated as the distinguished men went up the stage shaking hands and embracing one another.
“The meeting was indeed historic. What we are seeing here is a reflection of the collective desire of all revolutionary leaders and the government to attain lasting peace in the country. In line with the peace commitment of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, we at the OPAPP will continue to do our best to bridge people, promote understanding and unity all in the name of peace,” Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr.
“It’s a wonderful night that gave us the sign that it is now the time for our deep wounds from all conflicts to heal,” he said.
“Congratulations to everybody, to team OPAPP, and all peacemakers for making the impossible possible,” Galvez added.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who was instrumental in the passage and ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, recognized the agency’s key role in pushing forward the Bangsamoro peace process.
“OPAPP has been an invaluable instrument for peace in the nation. In particular, OPAPP has served and continues to serve a vital purpose in our journey towards genuine and lasting peace in Mindanao,” noted Zubiri, who was the event’s guest of honor.
Meanwhile, MNLF Founding Chair Nur Misuari lauded President Duterte’s strong political will and unwavering commitment to resolve the decades-long armed conflict in Mindanao.
“I look forward to the success of our peace process … The President knows how to totally achieve peace. I do believe this is a very opportune time for all of us to join hands to concretize what the President wants to happen very soon (in the peace process),” Misuari said.
For his part, Ebrahim extended his message of peace to the other Moro fronts in Mindanao, a gesture of goodwill that could invaluably contribute to achieving sustainable peace in the island-region.
“We are open, open arms kami, lahat ng grupo iniimbita namin (we are inviting all groups). We also believe that the real success of the peace process is the collective effort of everybody. So kailangan namin ang lahat. We cannot afford to isolate anybody. We need everybody,” Ebrahim said, referring to the ongoing implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which paved the way for the establishment of the BARMM.
Commitment to peace process
Zubiri also praised the resolve of the former combatants to undergo the decommissioning process, acknowledging their difficult decision to lay down their arms and return to mainstream society as peaceful and productive civilians.
“It takes a noble depth of courage to relinquish one’s arms, especially when it might feel tantamount to relinquishing the fight altogether. But it is an act of bravery, to lay down one’s arms in victorious acknowledgement that the future can only be claimed through peaceful cooperation,” Zubiri said.
Leaders of former revolutionary groups in Northern Luzon and in the Visayas also expressed their solidarity with their Moro brothers and sisters, as they reaffirmed their commitment to the peace agreements in their respective organizations signed with the Philippine Government.
Veronica Tabara, leader of the Rebolusyonaryong Partidong Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/ Revolutionary Proletarian Army/ Alex Boncayao Brigade-Tabara Paduano Group, or KAPATIRAN, highlighted the significance of the gathering not only for their group but for all peace stakeholders across the nation.
“Napakahalaga (ng pagtitipon na ito) kasi nakikita ng KAPATIRAN na maganda ang efforts din sa ibang (peace tables) na isulong ang kapayapaan. Very inspiring din, nakakapagbigay-lakas para tuloy-tuloy na itulak iyong gawain para sa kapayapaan,” Tabara said.
(This gathering is very important, because KAPATIRAN is also seeing the good efforts of other peace tables in pursuing peace. It’s also very inspiring, invigorating to continue to push the work for peace.)
In the meantime, Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army elder Leonardo Bon-as was grateful for the major gains achieved in the peace process, while recognizing the tangible results of the peace deal they forged with the government.
“Salamat po sa administration ni President Duterte kasi nakita namin na sincere ang gobyerno katulad ng nangyari sa South,” Bon-as said.
(Thanks to the administration of President Duterte because we saw that the government is sincere, like what happened in the South.)
A call for unity
According to Galvez, the Duterte administration’s goal is to unify the Filipino people and lay the foundations of enduring peace in the country by implementing all signed peace agreement with all revolutionary groups.
“This is our promise; that we will work together as one,” he said.
“From here, it is clear that peace is ultimately about justice, equity, tolerance, harmonious pluralism, and full respect of human life and humanity. It is for all of us and, thus, requires a shared commitment from all of us, as well,” Galvez said.
The peace adviser also enjoined everyone to adhere to the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” which was signed by His Holiness Pope Francis and The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb as they “hope and seek to achieve the aim of finding a universal peace that all can enjoy in this life.”
“We affirm the belief that all human beings are equal in rights, duties and dignity and commit ourselves to working for God’s call to ‘live together as brothers and sisters’ and ‘to fill the earth and make known the values of goodness, love and peace,” he added.
Among the personalities who attended the event were: His Excellency Koji Haneda, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines; Her Excellency Artemiz Summer, Turkish Ambassador to the Philippines; William Hovland, Deputy Chief of Staff, Independent Decommissioning Body; Secretary Hermogenes Esperon, National Security Adviser; Secretary Rolando Bautista, Department of Social Welfare and Development; Secretary Saidamen Pangarungan, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos; General Benjamin Madrigal, Jr., former Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines; Undersecretary Cesar B. Yano, Defense Operations, Department of National Defense; Emmanuel Herbosa, Chief Executive Officer, Development Bank of the Philippines; Brigadier General Cesar De Mesa, Chief, Peace and Development Office, Armed Forces of the Philippines; Undersecretary Rodolfo Garcia, Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Undersecretary Yusop Jimlani, Presidential Adviser on Local Extremist Group Concerns; Undersecretary Arthur Tabaquero, Office of the Presidential Adviser on Military Affairs, and; Undersecretary Carim Panumpang, Department of Agrarian Reform. (PIA-NCR)
PASAY CITY -- In a historic moment, former revolutionary leaders, active and retired military officials, peace advocates, and members of the diplomatic corp make a collective call for enduring and sustainable peace throughout the country during the culmination of the National Peace Month celebration and the 26th Anniversary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) on Monday.
The event's highlights include the warm exchange among Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Founding Chairman Nur Misuari, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Interim Chair Murad Ebrahim, and former MNLF Chair and Chair of the Bangsamoro People’s National Congress Muslimin Sema who had distanced themselves from each other for many decades. Everyone was elated as the distinguished men went up the stage shaking hands and embracing one another.
“The meeting was indeed historic. What we are seeing here is a reflection of the collective desire of all revolutionary leaders and the government to attain lasting peace in the country. In line with the peace commitment of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, we at the OPAPP will continue to do our best to bridge people, promote understanding and unity all in the name of peace,” Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr.
“It’s a wonderful night that gave us the sign that it is now the time for our deep wounds from all conflicts to heal,” he said.
“Congratulations to everybody, to team OPAPP, and all peacemakers for making the impossible possible,” Galvez added.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who was instrumental in the passage and ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, recognized the agency’s key role in pushing forward the Bangsamoro peace process.
“OPAPP has been an invaluable instrument for peace in the nation. In particular, OPAPP has served and continues to serve a vital purpose in our journey towards genuine and lasting peace in Mindanao,” noted Zubiri, who was the event’s guest of honor.
Meanwhile, MNLF Founding Chair Nur Misuari lauded President Duterte’s strong political will and unwavering commitment to resolve the decades-long armed conflict in Mindanao.
“I look forward to the success of our peace process … The President knows how to totally achieve peace. I do believe this is a very opportune time for all of us to join hands to concretize what the President wants to happen very soon (in the peace process),” Misuari said.
For his part, Ebrahim extended his message of peace to the other Moro fronts in Mindanao, a gesture of goodwill that could invaluably contribute to achieving sustainable peace in the island-region.
“We are open, open arms kami, lahat ng grupo iniimbita namin (we are inviting all groups). We also believe that the real success of the peace process is the collective effort of everybody. So kailangan namin ang lahat. We cannot afford to isolate anybody. We need everybody,” Ebrahim said, referring to the ongoing implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which paved the way for the establishment of the BARMM.
Commitment to peace process
Zubiri also praised the resolve of the former combatants to undergo the decommissioning process, acknowledging their difficult decision to lay down their arms and return to mainstream society as peaceful and productive civilians.
“It takes a noble depth of courage to relinquish one’s arms, especially when it might feel tantamount to relinquishing the fight altogether. But it is an act of bravery, to lay down one’s arms in victorious acknowledgement that the future can only be claimed through peaceful cooperation,” Zubiri said.
Leaders of former revolutionary groups in Northern Luzon and in the Visayas also expressed their solidarity with their Moro brothers and sisters, as they reaffirmed their commitment to the peace agreements in their respective organizations signed with the Philippine Government.
Veronica Tabara, leader of the Rebolusyonaryong Partidong Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/ Revolutionary Proletarian Army/ Alex Boncayao Brigade-Tabara Paduano Group, or KAPATIRAN, highlighted the significance of the gathering not only for their group but for all peace stakeholders across the nation.
“Napakahalaga (ng pagtitipon na ito) kasi nakikita ng KAPATIRAN na maganda ang efforts din sa ibang (peace tables) na isulong ang kapayapaan. Very inspiring din, nakakapagbigay-lakas para tuloy-tuloy na itulak iyong gawain para sa kapayapaan,” Tabara said.
(This gathering is very important, because KAPATIRAN is also seeing the good efforts of other peace tables in pursuing peace. It’s also very inspiring, invigorating to continue to push the work for peace.)
In the meantime, Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army elder Leonardo Bon-as was grateful for the major gains achieved in the peace process, while recognizing the tangible results of the peace deal they forged with the government.
“Salamat po sa administration ni President Duterte kasi nakita namin na sincere ang gobyerno katulad ng nangyari sa South,” Bon-as said.
(Thanks to the administration of President Duterte because we saw that the government is sincere, like what happened in the South.)
A call for unity
According to Galvez, the Duterte administration’s goal is to unify the Filipino people and lay the foundations of enduring peace in the country by implementing all signed peace agreement with all revolutionary groups.
“This is our promise; that we will work together as one,” he said.
“From here, it is clear that peace is ultimately about justice, equity, tolerance, harmonious pluralism, and full respect of human life and humanity. It is for all of us and, thus, requires a shared commitment from all of us, as well,” Galvez said.
The peace adviser also enjoined everyone to adhere to the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” which was signed by His Holiness Pope Francis and The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb as they “hope and seek to achieve the aim of finding a universal peace that all can enjoy in this life.”
“We affirm the belief that all human beings are equal in rights, duties and dignity and commit ourselves to working for God’s call to ‘live together as brothers and sisters’ and ‘to fill the earth and make known the values of goodness, love and peace,” he added.
Among the personalities who attended the event were: His Excellency Koji Haneda, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines; Her Excellency Artemiz Summer, Turkish Ambassador to the Philippines; William Hovland, Deputy Chief of Staff, Independent Decommissioning Body; Secretary Hermogenes Esperon, National Security Adviser; Secretary Rolando Bautista, Department of Social Welfare and Development; Secretary Saidamen Pangarungan, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos; General Benjamin Madrigal, Jr., former Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines; Undersecretary Cesar B. Yano, Defense Operations, Department of National Defense; Emmanuel Herbosa, Chief Executive Officer, Development Bank of the Philippines; Brigadier General Cesar De Mesa, Chief, Peace and Development Office, Armed Forces of the Philippines; Undersecretary Rodolfo Garcia, Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Undersecretary Yusop Jimlani, Presidential Adviser on Local Extremist Group Concerns; Undersecretary Arthur Tabaquero, Office of the Presidential Adviser on Military Affairs, and; Undersecretary Carim Panumpang, Department of Agrarian Reform. (PIA-NCR)
2 NPAs surrender
From the Mindanao Times (Oct 4, 2019): 2 NPAs surrender
Two alleged communist guerrillas surrendered to the 27th Infantry Battalion at its headquarters in Tupi, South Cotabato on Oct 1.
1Lt. Efren James Halawig, the Civil-Military Operations (CMO) officer of 27th IB, said two members of the Sub-Regional Command, ALIP-Far South Mindanao Region in Tampakan, South Cotabato also brought with them one unit of Carbine and a Springfield rifles.
Their names were withheld for security reasons.
Lt. Col. Jones Otida, commander of the 27th IB, said, “Let us not stop supporting and joining campaigns against the CPP-NPA terrorist, giving them more pressure to weaken their efforts for us to achieve the peace in our community.”
For now, the two are under the custody of the 27th IB for further interview and debriefing process.
1Lt. Efren James Halawig, the Civil-Military Operations (CMO) officer of 27th IB, said two members of the Sub-Regional Command, ALIP-Far South Mindanao Region in Tampakan, South Cotabato also brought with them one unit of Carbine and a Springfield rifles.
Their names were withheld for security reasons.
Lt. Col. Jones Otida, commander of the 27th IB, said, “Let us not stop supporting and joining campaigns against the CPP-NPA terrorist, giving them more pressure to weaken their efforts for us to achieve the peace in our community.”
For now, the two are under the custody of the 27th IB for further interview and debriefing process.
AFP-CRS: Government Together as One with Nur and Other Moro Leaders
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Oct 3, 2019): Government Together as One with Nur and Other Moro Leaders
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding Chairman Nur Misuari and other leaders of breakaway rebel groups have gathered “together as one” to support President Rodrigo Duterte’s peace efforts in Mindanao.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Al-Hajj Murad Ebrahim and MNLF faction Chairman Muslimin Sema attended the celebration of the 2019 National Peace Consciousness Month and 26th founding anniversary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Monday night, Sept 30.
#AFPyoucanTRUST | www.afpcrs.com
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding Chairman Nur Misuari and other leaders of breakaway rebel groups have gathered “together as one” to support President Rodrigo Duterte’s peace efforts in Mindanao.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Al-Hajj Murad Ebrahim and MNLF faction Chairman Muslimin Sema attended the celebration of the 2019 National Peace Consciousness Month and 26th founding anniversary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Monday night, Sept 30.
#AFPyoucanTRUST | www.afpcrs.com
[The Civil Relations Service (CRS) is the unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that engages the public through its public information and community relations programs “to create a favorable atmosphere between the community and the AFP. The CRS is the equivalent of the Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs units of the US Army.]
AFP-CRS: NPA Ideneklarang Persona Non Grata sa Nueva Ecija
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Oct 3, 2019): NPA Ideneklarang Persona Non Grata sa Nueva Ecija
Sa presentasyon ni Col Joseph Norwin Pasamonte, Deputy Brigade Commander ng 703rd Infantry Brigade, 7th Division, Philippine Army sa Joint Meeting ng Local Special Bodies and Other Councils iniulat nito na labingtatlong munisipalidad na ditto sa Nueva Ecija ang nagdeklarang persona non-grata ang CPP-NPA o Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army Terrorist.
Ang mga bayan na tinukoy nito ay ang Guimba, Nampicuan, Quezon, Sta. Rosa, Sto. Domingo, Licab at Zaragoza sa ilalim ng 69th Infantry Battalion. Mga bayan naman ng Laur at Gabaldon sa ilalim ng 91st IB habang Lupao, Pantabangan at Carranglan naman sa ilalim ng 84th IB.
#AFPyoucanTRUST | www.afpcrs.com
Sa presentasyon ni Col Joseph Norwin Pasamonte, Deputy Brigade Commander ng 703rd Infantry Brigade, 7th Division, Philippine Army sa Joint Meeting ng Local Special Bodies and Other Councils iniulat nito na labingtatlong munisipalidad na ditto sa Nueva Ecija ang nagdeklarang persona non-grata ang CPP-NPA o Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army Terrorist.
Ang mga bayan na tinukoy nito ay ang Guimba, Nampicuan, Quezon, Sta. Rosa, Sto. Domingo, Licab at Zaragoza sa ilalim ng 69th Infantry Battalion. Mga bayan naman ng Laur at Gabaldon sa ilalim ng 91st IB habang Lupao, Pantabangan at Carranglan naman sa ilalim ng 84th IB.
#AFPyoucanTRUST | www.afpcrs.com
[The Civil Relations Service (CRS) is the unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that engages the public through its public information and community relations programs “to create a favorable atmosphere between the community and the AFP. The CRS is the equivalent of the Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs units of the US Army.]
AFP-CRS: Female CPP-NPA Leader Nabbed
Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook Page (Oct 3, 2019): Female CPP-NPA Leader Nabbed
Rachel Daguman, a ranking female guerrilla of the terrorist CPP-NPA in North Cotabato has been arrested in Agusan del Sur for charges of homicide and robbery last September 28.
Rachel Daguman, a ranking female guerrilla of the terrorist CPP-NPA in North Cotabato has been arrested in Agusan del Sur for charges of homicide and robbery last September 28.
[The Civil Relations Service (CRS) is the unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that engages the public through its public information and community relations programs “to create a favorable atmosphere between the community and the AFP. The CRS is the equivalent of the Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs units of the US Army.]
Kalinaw News: 6th ID kicks off 32nd founding anniversary
From Kalinaw News (Oct 3, 2019): 6th ID kicks off 32nd founding anniversary
CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – The 6th Infantry (Kampilan) Division formally opened the Squad and DRO (Disaster and Rescue Operation) Challenge and Sports Fest here yesterday (October 01, 2019), the start of the month-long 32nd Foundation Anniversary of the Division.
Maj. Gen. Diosdado C. Carreon, Commander of 6th ID and Joint Task Force Central, led the opening of the Kampilan Squad and DRO Challenge in the morning participated by the different battalions under JTF Central for 4 days at Division Training School in Brgy. Semba, Maguindanao.
In the afternoon, the sports fest commenced with the parade of 8 competing teams from the Green Team (Headquarters and Headquarters Service Battalion, Division Training School, Camp Siongco Station Hospital and Service and Service Support Battalion), White Team (38th Infantry Battalion, 6th Military Intelligence Battalion, 6th CMO Battalion, 5th Special Forces Battalion and Task Force Kutawato), Brown Team (601st Infantry Brigade, 33rd Infantry Battalion, 57th Infantry Battalion, 90th Infantry Battalion and 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion), Yellow Team (602nd Infantry Brigade, 6th Army Training Group, 7th Field Artillery Battalion, 34th Infantry Battalion, and 7th Infantry Battalion), Blue Team (603rd Infantry Brigade, 6th Infantry Battalion, and 37th Infantry Battalion), Gray Team (1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, 3rd Light Armor Company, 40th Infantry Battalion and 12th Regional Community Defense Group, Red Team ( 1st Marine Brigade, and Marine Battalion Landing Team 5), and Orange Team (Tactical Operations Group-12, 549th Engineer Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Battalion, 12th Finance Service Unit, 12th Finance Service Field Office, 6th Signal Battalion, 106th Contracting Office, Military Intelligence 12, and 12th Field Property and Accountability Office).
The sports fest formally opened with the raising of the flags by the different competing teams. Immediately, 8 teams competed for traditional Filipino fun games and other sports event that includes Basketball, Volleyball, and Badminton.
In his remarks, Maj. Gen. Carreon said the sports fest was a good timeout from the very hectic and regimented life of the soldiers and the civilian employees of 6th ID.
“All I want you to do is to enjoy, have fun, hang loose, give your best in playing the games, be sportsman-like, but do not forget that desire to win is second only to the love of the game itself,” Maj. Gen. Carreon said.
The festivities are part of the series of the activities of 6ID in commemorating its 32nd Founding anniversary with the theme, “Tatlumput-dalawang Taong Pagpupugay sa Kabayanihan ng Kampilan, Katulong ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran at Kapayapaan ng Sentral Mindanao.”More activities are to be undertaken by the Command in the coming days that would make the celebration prolific for the Kampilan soldiers.
Division Public Affairs Office 6th Infantry Division Philippine Army
Maj Arvin G Encinas
Chief, Public Affairs Office, 6ID, PA
Camp Siongco, Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao
+6391775226469
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – The 6th Infantry (Kampilan) Division formally opened the Squad and DRO (Disaster and Rescue Operation) Challenge and Sports Fest here yesterday (October 01, 2019), the start of the month-long 32nd Foundation Anniversary of the Division.
Maj. Gen. Diosdado C. Carreon, Commander of 6th ID and Joint Task Force Central, led the opening of the Kampilan Squad and DRO Challenge in the morning participated by the different battalions under JTF Central for 4 days at Division Training School in Brgy. Semba, Maguindanao.
In the afternoon, the sports fest commenced with the parade of 8 competing teams from the Green Team (Headquarters and Headquarters Service Battalion, Division Training School, Camp Siongco Station Hospital and Service and Service Support Battalion), White Team (38th Infantry Battalion, 6th Military Intelligence Battalion, 6th CMO Battalion, 5th Special Forces Battalion and Task Force Kutawato), Brown Team (601st Infantry Brigade, 33rd Infantry Battalion, 57th Infantry Battalion, 90th Infantry Battalion and 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion), Yellow Team (602nd Infantry Brigade, 6th Army Training Group, 7th Field Artillery Battalion, 34th Infantry Battalion, and 7th Infantry Battalion), Blue Team (603rd Infantry Brigade, 6th Infantry Battalion, and 37th Infantry Battalion), Gray Team (1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, 3rd Light Armor Company, 40th Infantry Battalion and 12th Regional Community Defense Group, Red Team ( 1st Marine Brigade, and Marine Battalion Landing Team 5), and Orange Team (Tactical Operations Group-12, 549th Engineer Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Battalion, 12th Finance Service Unit, 12th Finance Service Field Office, 6th Signal Battalion, 106th Contracting Office, Military Intelligence 12, and 12th Field Property and Accountability Office).
The sports fest formally opened with the raising of the flags by the different competing teams. Immediately, 8 teams competed for traditional Filipino fun games and other sports event that includes Basketball, Volleyball, and Badminton.
In his remarks, Maj. Gen. Carreon said the sports fest was a good timeout from the very hectic and regimented life of the soldiers and the civilian employees of 6th ID.
“All I want you to do is to enjoy, have fun, hang loose, give your best in playing the games, be sportsman-like, but do not forget that desire to win is second only to the love of the game itself,” Maj. Gen. Carreon said.
The festivities are part of the series of the activities of 6ID in commemorating its 32nd Founding anniversary with the theme, “Tatlumput-dalawang Taong Pagpupugay sa Kabayanihan ng Kampilan, Katulong ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran at Kapayapaan ng Sentral Mindanao.”More activities are to be undertaken by the Command in the coming days that would make the celebration prolific for the Kampilan soldiers.
Division Public Affairs Office 6th Infantry Division Philippine Army
Maj Arvin G Encinas
Chief, Public Affairs Office, 6ID, PA
Camp Siongco, Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao
+6391775226469
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Kalinaw News: CNT Leadership crumbling down in Sursur
From Kalinaw News (Oct 3, 2019): CNT Leadership crumbling down in Sursur
TAGO, Surigao del Sur – The communist NPA Terrorist leadership crumbling down in Surigao del Sur as series of CNT leaders and supporter surrenders to Army’s 36th Infantry (Valor) Battalion from October 2 and 3 at H36IB, Brgy Dayoan, Tago, this province.
On October 2, 2019 @Justine, former Mess Officer of SDG Pltn, GF30, NEMRC and his wife, a mass supporter voluntarily surrendered to this unit bringing along with them one (1) KG9, one (1) empty magazine and one (1) hand grenade.
On October 3, 2019, another two (2) NPA leaders and one (1) Milisya ng Bayan voluntarily surrendered to Ltc Xerxes A Trinidad, ommanding Officer this unit. The CPP/NPA leaders @JULIAN/RONNIE, CO of Pltn 8, WGF19, NEMRC bringing along with him one (1) M16 rifle and one (1) magazine with thirteen (13) ammunition, @ LIBRA/MARQUEZ, Team leader ABE, Squad 2, SRSDG Pltn 2, SRC1419, NEMRC and a civilian from Carromata, San Miguel, SDS who is an active MB/ personal courier of @JULIAN.
It can be recalled that @HASAN former squad leader of Squad Uno, Pltn 8, GF 19 NEMRC also surrendered to this unit last January 1, 2019 and already received the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) as the government’s intervention package for former rebels. The CNT leadership has learned the genuine offer of the government towards achieving peace in their communities.
Alias JULIAN/RONNIE revealed that he decided to surrender due to distrust in their leadership and organization’s integrity that most of them are already surrendering to the government. They have experienced hardship inside the communist movement and the lost struggle of his fellow lumad who were deceived by the CPP-NPA fighting for a lost cause.
LTC XERXES A TRINIDAD INF (GSC) PA, Commanding Officer, 36IB said that “the series of CTG leaders surrendering to the government is a clear manifestation that they are crumbling down and will soon become irrelevant to the peace-loving community of Surigao del Sur. The government’s thrust for genuine peace has awakened not just the community but also the regular members of the CNTs to include their ground leaders who were deceived by the CPP-NPA’s lost ideologies.”
The surrendered CTGs members will be processed and validated for enrollment to the E-CLIP, the government intervention package for former rebels. (1Lt Jonald Romorosa, CMO, 36IB)
36th Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Division PA
1LT Jonald D Romorosa
CMO Officer, 36th Infantry Battalion
Sitio Upper Mambago, Dayo-an, Tago, Surigao del Sur
valor_36@yahoo.com
0917-1466-326/09491243886
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
TAGO, Surigao del Sur – The communist NPA Terrorist leadership crumbling down in Surigao del Sur as series of CNT leaders and supporter surrenders to Army’s 36th Infantry (Valor) Battalion from October 2 and 3 at H36IB, Brgy Dayoan, Tago, this province.
On October 2, 2019 @Justine, former Mess Officer of SDG Pltn, GF30, NEMRC and his wife, a mass supporter voluntarily surrendered to this unit bringing along with them one (1) KG9, one (1) empty magazine and one (1) hand grenade.
On October 3, 2019, another two (2) NPA leaders and one (1) Milisya ng Bayan voluntarily surrendered to Ltc Xerxes A Trinidad, ommanding Officer this unit. The CPP/NPA leaders @JULIAN/RONNIE, CO of Pltn 8, WGF19, NEMRC bringing along with him one (1) M16 rifle and one (1) magazine with thirteen (13) ammunition, @ LIBRA/MARQUEZ, Team leader ABE, Squad 2, SRSDG Pltn 2, SRC1419, NEMRC and a civilian from Carromata, San Miguel, SDS who is an active MB/ personal courier of @JULIAN.
It can be recalled that @HASAN former squad leader of Squad Uno, Pltn 8, GF 19 NEMRC also surrendered to this unit last January 1, 2019 and already received the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) as the government’s intervention package for former rebels. The CNT leadership has learned the genuine offer of the government towards achieving peace in their communities.
Alias JULIAN/RONNIE revealed that he decided to surrender due to distrust in their leadership and organization’s integrity that most of them are already surrendering to the government. They have experienced hardship inside the communist movement and the lost struggle of his fellow lumad who were deceived by the CPP-NPA fighting for a lost cause.
LTC XERXES A TRINIDAD INF (GSC) PA, Commanding Officer, 36IB said that “the series of CTG leaders surrendering to the government is a clear manifestation that they are crumbling down and will soon become irrelevant to the peace-loving community of Surigao del Sur. The government’s thrust for genuine peace has awakened not just the community but also the regular members of the CNTs to include their ground leaders who were deceived by the CPP-NPA’s lost ideologies.”
The surrendered CTGs members will be processed and validated for enrollment to the E-CLIP, the government intervention package for former rebels. (1Lt Jonald Romorosa, CMO, 36IB)
36th Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Division PA
1LT Jonald D Romorosa
CMO Officer, 36th Infantry Battalion
Sitio Upper Mambago, Dayo-an, Tago, Surigao del Sur
valor_36@yahoo.com
0917-1466-326/09491243886
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Kalinaw News: Sitio Ibuan sees the light of hope, prosperity -Army
From Kalinaw News (Oct 3, 2019): Sitio Ibuan sees the light of hope, prosperity -Army
TAGO, Surigao del Sur – Sitio Ibuan, Brgy Mampi Lanuza, Surigao del Sur as one of the pilot beneficiaries of Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster, this province sees the light of hope and prosperity during the Mass Graduation and Inauguration of nterprise village held at the said place last Oct 1, 2019.
It can be recalled that Sitio Ibuan has a deep history of CPP-NPA infiltration which led them to be the stronghold in Northeastern Mindanao, particularly in the province of Surigao del Sur. The parasite lefties, CPP-NPA, started to infiltrate the far flung community forming their shadow government, through the Underground Mass Organization (UGMO), manipulating the IP community of their ideology and barbaric acts for the past 37 years. The long standing communist insurgency and unstable peace condition brought heavy burden and poor economic
performance in their community, depriving Sitio Ibuan the access to opportunities of sustainable living- the core strategy of the CPP-NPA to provoke government distaste and revolt of their infested communities, escalating it more than a purely military and security concern.
With the determination and steadfast immersion efforts of the Community Support Programs (CSP) of 36 th Infantry “Valor” Battalion under the leadership of Ltc Xerxes Trinidad, Commander, 36IB, basic services of the government were delivered and has resulted to the
harmonious relationship with the populace of So Ibuan. The ommunity were awaken on the propaganda and deceptive strategy of the CPP-NPA NDF which led to the dismantling of the Underground Mass Organization (UGMO).
The operationalization of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order # 70, which institutionalizes a “whole-of-nation approach” in attaining Inclusive and Sustainable Peace, creating a National Task Force to end Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and 4TH INF IV Directing the Adoption of a National Peace Framework, shifted the viewpoint of both the national and local governments from treating local communist armed conflict as purely military and security concerns, to being more of a symptomatic element of deeply-rooted issues that need to be addressed immediately such as poverty, historical injustice, social inequity and lack of inclusivity, among others.
The Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster (PRLEC) of SurSur, chaired by Dir. Rey M. Cueva of TESDA SurSur in close supervision with Ltc Xerxes Trinidad, Commander, 36IB conducted Mass Graduation and Inauguration of Enterprise Village as its pilot community for peace and development intervention and empowerment at Sitio Ibuan, Brgy. Mampi, Lanuza, this province, on October 1, 2019.
One of the former rebels, Ms Thelma Salazar, in her statement expresses her heartfelt gratitude to the members of the PRLEC Surigao del Sur and the Government for the unwavering support and the selfless service of the cluster to their community and the former rebels. She said that this is the time that they are longing for and hoping that their community will someday free from the cudgels of the CPP-NPA-NDF and assured full commitment to be advocates of peace and
development in their community.
Hon. Danilo Duazo, Brgy Chairman of Sitio Ibuan, Mampi said that the efforts of the government to their community and the different line agencies especially the Armed Forces of the Philippines showed love and commitment that brought them towards peace and development.
Meanwhile, Ltc Xerxes Trinidad, Commander of 36IB said that the light of hope and prosperity in the community of Sitio Ibuan is a anifestation of a government that truly cares and protect. “The Army, particularly the 36IB will uphold its commitment of selfless service to community,
God and Country, not only in Sitio Ibuan but in the peace-loving province of Surigao del Sur.
He further added that the transformation of the community is a concerted efforts and the convergence of the different line agencies to heed the call of the president in the implementation of the different livelihood programs to address the issues on insurgency.
The PRLEC Surigao del Sur is guided by the principle of Consultation, Convergence and Commitment. (1lt Jonald Romorosa, CMO, 36IB)
36th Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Division PA
1LT Jonald D Romorosa
CMO Officer, 36th Infantry Battalion
Sitio Upper Mambago, Dayo-an, Tago, Surigao del Sur
valor_36@yahoo.com
0917-1466-326/09491243886
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
TAGO, Surigao del Sur – Sitio Ibuan, Brgy Mampi Lanuza, Surigao del Sur as one of the pilot beneficiaries of Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster, this province sees the light of hope and prosperity during the Mass Graduation and Inauguration of nterprise village held at the said place last Oct 1, 2019.
It can be recalled that Sitio Ibuan has a deep history of CPP-NPA infiltration which led them to be the stronghold in Northeastern Mindanao, particularly in the province of Surigao del Sur. The parasite lefties, CPP-NPA, started to infiltrate the far flung community forming their shadow government, through the Underground Mass Organization (UGMO), manipulating the IP community of their ideology and barbaric acts for the past 37 years. The long standing communist insurgency and unstable peace condition brought heavy burden and poor economic
performance in their community, depriving Sitio Ibuan the access to opportunities of sustainable living- the core strategy of the CPP-NPA to provoke government distaste and revolt of their infested communities, escalating it more than a purely military and security concern.
With the determination and steadfast immersion efforts of the Community Support Programs (CSP) of 36 th Infantry “Valor” Battalion under the leadership of Ltc Xerxes Trinidad, Commander, 36IB, basic services of the government were delivered and has resulted to the
harmonious relationship with the populace of So Ibuan. The ommunity were awaken on the propaganda and deceptive strategy of the CPP-NPA NDF which led to the dismantling of the Underground Mass Organization (UGMO).
The operationalization of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order # 70, which institutionalizes a “whole-of-nation approach” in attaining Inclusive and Sustainable Peace, creating a National Task Force to end Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and 4TH INF IV Directing the Adoption of a National Peace Framework, shifted the viewpoint of both the national and local governments from treating local communist armed conflict as purely military and security concerns, to being more of a symptomatic element of deeply-rooted issues that need to be addressed immediately such as poverty, historical injustice, social inequity and lack of inclusivity, among others.
The Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster (PRLEC) of SurSur, chaired by Dir. Rey M. Cueva of TESDA SurSur in close supervision with Ltc Xerxes Trinidad, Commander, 36IB conducted Mass Graduation and Inauguration of Enterprise Village as its pilot community for peace and development intervention and empowerment at Sitio Ibuan, Brgy. Mampi, Lanuza, this province, on October 1, 2019.
One of the former rebels, Ms Thelma Salazar, in her statement expresses her heartfelt gratitude to the members of the PRLEC Surigao del Sur and the Government for the unwavering support and the selfless service of the cluster to their community and the former rebels. She said that this is the time that they are longing for and hoping that their community will someday free from the cudgels of the CPP-NPA-NDF and assured full commitment to be advocates of peace and
development in their community.
Hon. Danilo Duazo, Brgy Chairman of Sitio Ibuan, Mampi said that the efforts of the government to their community and the different line agencies especially the Armed Forces of the Philippines showed love and commitment that brought them towards peace and development.
Meanwhile, Ltc Xerxes Trinidad, Commander of 36IB said that the light of hope and prosperity in the community of Sitio Ibuan is a anifestation of a government that truly cares and protect. “The Army, particularly the 36IB will uphold its commitment of selfless service to community,
God and Country, not only in Sitio Ibuan but in the peace-loving province of Surigao del Sur.
He further added that the transformation of the community is a concerted efforts and the convergence of the different line agencies to heed the call of the president in the implementation of the different livelihood programs to address the issues on insurgency.
The PRLEC Surigao del Sur is guided by the principle of Consultation, Convergence and Commitment. (1lt Jonald Romorosa, CMO, 36IB)
36th Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Division PA
1LT Jonald D Romorosa
CMO Officer, 36th Infantry Battalion
Sitio Upper Mambago, Dayo-an, Tago, Surigao del Sur
valor_36@yahoo.com
0917-1466-326/09491243886
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Former Rebel: “I am Filled with Hope for the Future”
From the Philippine Information Agency (Oct 3, 2019): Former Rebel: “I am Filled with Hope for the Future”
DAVAO ORIENTAL – A former rebel who surrendered to the government following Whole-of-Nation Approach community dialogue in his home village says he is now “more optimistic” about the future.
Roy (not his real name), who currently resides at the Provincial Government-run halfway house for former rebels called Happy Home, surrendered to the government in May after deciding to abandon the life of being a member of the Communist New People’s Army.
While he already heard about the government’s programs for former rebels who yielded to the government, he said his will to break away from movement was inspired by his family and relatives in the village who, through concealed messages sent to him, convinced him to lay down his arms and surrender.
“People were telling me that I am still young and that I would just waste my life by being a rebel,” Roy said.
He said his resolve to surrender became firmer after he heard that a team consisting of various government agencies has conducted a community dialogue in his hinterland village of Taocanga in Manay town several months ago.
“After escaping, I sought the help of the soldiers assigned in our village and they immediately assisted me,” he said, adding that he was welcomed by the government troops of the 67th Infantry Battalion in their camp based in Baganga where he stayed for a while.
As soon as the processing of his documents for his enrollment to the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) was completed, Roy was sent to the Ugnayan Center at the 701st Brigade to undergo a ten-day de-radicalization program before he was endorsed to the Happy Home where he now temporarily resides.
At the Happy Home, Roy said he was enthralled by the myriad of services and benefits he received. He cited some of the programs provided there such as the Alternative Learning System which gives people just like him who barely went to school an opportunity to get a high school diploma. “We learned the importance of being able to read, write and learn basic arithmetic,” he said. He also learned some livelihood skills through various trainings which he says will help him in seeking employment or perhaps starting a small business in the near future. “I am definitely happy here because we have learned a lot. I am truly thankful.”
Roy said he is now optimistic about the future—a thing he never imagined while inside the movement which “has sown nothing but lies and fear to all of us.”
Poverty as Means to Exploit
Growing up in a hinterland area with a little economic opportunity, Roy experienced an impoverished childhood. Being the sixth in eight siblings, his family’s livelihood which is dependent on farming abaca and corn could not make ends meet to support their big family.
He said he was convinced to join the movement because of the NPA’s political narrative about the government’s apathy towards the people’s poverty.
He added it was not difficult for him to get enticed to join the NPA because he is already an active member of the NPA mass organization for years wherein he was often tasked to run errands for them like buying rice and other supplies.
Roy said he joined the NPA in 2018 and spent seven months inside the movement where he served as a medic. He said the NPA cadres’ promises to provide him a better life also became a reason why he joined their ranks. “But none of those promises ever came true,” he said, adding that instead of being given support, he suffered hunger and fatigue walking for days on the mountains.
Now, Roy wants to put his past behind him and to simply look forward for a better future. As he undergoes rehabilitation inside the Happy Home, Roy, along with the other 30 former rebels currently residing at the Happy Home, is set to receive livelihood assistance worth P 65,000 to help him start over upon completing the program.
EO 70
The Provincial Government’s localized implementation of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order 70 or Whole-of-Nation Approach has been helping push the government’s aim to attain sustainable peace and to end insurgency.
Since April, the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict composed of various agencies has been visiting some hinterland areas or Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) that were identified as insurgency hotspots. There the Task Force conducts multi-sectoral Inclusive and Participatory Barangay Development Workshop which notes the urgent needs of the community while listing down possible interventions. It also becomes a venue to urge rebels to yield to the government while helping the government communicate its programs for the former rebels.
PTF-ELCAC Vice Chair Ednar Dayanghirang said that aside from addressing concerns of the communities, another component of the Whole-of-Nation Approach is to ensure the former rebels’ sustainable livelihood considering that they are most vulnerable group to be recruited back to the Communist movement. (Karen Lou Deloso/Photos by Rhea Shane Laureano)
https://pia.gov.ph/features/articles/1028068
DAVAO ORIENTAL – A former rebel who surrendered to the government following Whole-of-Nation Approach community dialogue in his home village says he is now “more optimistic” about the future.
Roy (not his real name), who currently resides at the Provincial Government-run halfway house for former rebels called Happy Home, surrendered to the government in May after deciding to abandon the life of being a member of the Communist New People’s Army.
While he already heard about the government’s programs for former rebels who yielded to the government, he said his will to break away from movement was inspired by his family and relatives in the village who, through concealed messages sent to him, convinced him to lay down his arms and surrender.
“People were telling me that I am still young and that I would just waste my life by being a rebel,” Roy said.
He said his resolve to surrender became firmer after he heard that a team consisting of various government agencies has conducted a community dialogue in his hinterland village of Taocanga in Manay town several months ago.
“After escaping, I sought the help of the soldiers assigned in our village and they immediately assisted me,” he said, adding that he was welcomed by the government troops of the 67th Infantry Battalion in their camp based in Baganga where he stayed for a while.
As soon as the processing of his documents for his enrollment to the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) was completed, Roy was sent to the Ugnayan Center at the 701st Brigade to undergo a ten-day de-radicalization program before he was endorsed to the Happy Home where he now temporarily resides.
At the Happy Home, Roy said he was enthralled by the myriad of services and benefits he received. He cited some of the programs provided there such as the Alternative Learning System which gives people just like him who barely went to school an opportunity to get a high school diploma. “We learned the importance of being able to read, write and learn basic arithmetic,” he said. He also learned some livelihood skills through various trainings which he says will help him in seeking employment or perhaps starting a small business in the near future. “I am definitely happy here because we have learned a lot. I am truly thankful.”
Roy said he is now optimistic about the future—a thing he never imagined while inside the movement which “has sown nothing but lies and fear to all of us.”
Poverty as Means to Exploit
Growing up in a hinterland area with a little economic opportunity, Roy experienced an impoverished childhood. Being the sixth in eight siblings, his family’s livelihood which is dependent on farming abaca and corn could not make ends meet to support their big family.
He said he was convinced to join the movement because of the NPA’s political narrative about the government’s apathy towards the people’s poverty.
He added it was not difficult for him to get enticed to join the NPA because he is already an active member of the NPA mass organization for years wherein he was often tasked to run errands for them like buying rice and other supplies.
Roy said he joined the NPA in 2018 and spent seven months inside the movement where he served as a medic. He said the NPA cadres’ promises to provide him a better life also became a reason why he joined their ranks. “But none of those promises ever came true,” he said, adding that instead of being given support, he suffered hunger and fatigue walking for days on the mountains.
Now, Roy wants to put his past behind him and to simply look forward for a better future. As he undergoes rehabilitation inside the Happy Home, Roy, along with the other 30 former rebels currently residing at the Happy Home, is set to receive livelihood assistance worth P 65,000 to help him start over upon completing the program.
EO 70
The Provincial Government’s localized implementation of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order 70 or Whole-of-Nation Approach has been helping push the government’s aim to attain sustainable peace and to end insurgency.
Since April, the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict composed of various agencies has been visiting some hinterland areas or Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) that were identified as insurgency hotspots. There the Task Force conducts multi-sectoral Inclusive and Participatory Barangay Development Workshop which notes the urgent needs of the community while listing down possible interventions. It also becomes a venue to urge rebels to yield to the government while helping the government communicate its programs for the former rebels.
PTF-ELCAC Vice Chair Ednar Dayanghirang said that aside from addressing concerns of the communities, another component of the Whole-of-Nation Approach is to ensure the former rebels’ sustainable livelihood considering that they are most vulnerable group to be recruited back to the Communist movement. (Karen Lou Deloso/Photos by Rhea Shane Laureano)
https://pia.gov.ph/features/articles/1028068
Lanao del Norte set to launch, activate LTF-ELCAC
From the Philippine Information Agency (Oct 3, 2019): Lanao del Norte set to launch, activate LTF-ELCAC
TUBOD, Lanao del North -- In operationalizing Executive Order 70 and the Convergence Areas for Peace and Development (CAPDev), the Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte will launch and activate its Local Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (LTF-ELCAC) at Barangay Beruar, Tangcal, Lanao del Norte, October 7.
The Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte gears up preparations for the upcoming launching of the Lanao del Norte Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in Tangkal, Lanao del Norte. The services and other commitments of regional line agencies and provincial offices are discussed during the final coordination meeting for the launching. (RTP/PIA Lanao del Norte)
Around 3,000 expected residents and participants of the event will receive services from the local government and some national line agencies. The services will include dental, medical, dengue testing, supplemental feeding, spaying and neutering of pets, grooming, land titling, skills training, among others.
The provincial government will also spearhead the distribution of wheelchairs to senior citizens, fruit and vegetable seedlings, multivitamins for pets, slippers, livelihood entitlement, and more through its Especial Mass-Based Program (EMBP).
The EMBP is a one-stop approach of bringing the integrated services of the provincial government closer to the less privileged constituents especially to the interior barangays in the province.
As for empowering the youth, the local government will lead the groundbreaking ceremony of a high school building in the area.
EO 70 institutionalizes a ‘whole-of-nation approach’ versus insurgency as enforced by the national government. (Recthie T. Paculba/PIA10)
https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1028251
TUBOD, Lanao del North -- In operationalizing Executive Order 70 and the Convergence Areas for Peace and Development (CAPDev), the Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte will launch and activate its Local Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (LTF-ELCAC) at Barangay Beruar, Tangcal, Lanao del Norte, October 7.
The Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte gears up preparations for the upcoming launching of the Lanao del Norte Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in Tangkal, Lanao del Norte. The services and other commitments of regional line agencies and provincial offices are discussed during the final coordination meeting for the launching. (RTP/PIA Lanao del Norte)
Around 3,000 expected residents and participants of the event will receive services from the local government and some national line agencies. The services will include dental, medical, dengue testing, supplemental feeding, spaying and neutering of pets, grooming, land titling, skills training, among others.
The provincial government will also spearhead the distribution of wheelchairs to senior citizens, fruit and vegetable seedlings, multivitamins for pets, slippers, livelihood entitlement, and more through its Especial Mass-Based Program (EMBP).
The EMBP is a one-stop approach of bringing the integrated services of the provincial government closer to the less privileged constituents especially to the interior barangays in the province.
As for empowering the youth, the local government will lead the groundbreaking ceremony of a high school building in the area.
EO 70 institutionalizes a ‘whole-of-nation approach’ versus insurgency as enforced by the national government. (Recthie T. Paculba/PIA10)
https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1028251
Tagalog News: Palawan Security Summit planong isagawa
From the Philippine Information Agency (Oct 3, 2019): Tagalog News: Palawan Security Summit planong isagawa
Inihayag ni Western Command (WESCOM) Commander Vice Admiral Rene V. Medina sa press conference kamakailan ang planong pagsasagawa ng isang security summit upang matalakay ang 'security status' ng Palawan. (Larawan ni Orlan C. Jabagat)
PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan -- Inihayag ni Western Command (WESCOM) Vice Admiral Rene V. Medina ang pagsasagawa ng Palawan Security Summit sa susunod na mga linggo.
Matapos mabuo ang Palawan Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) ay napapanahon na upang isagawa ang ‘security summit’ ayon kay ComWesCom Medina.
Ani VAdm. Medina, makikipag-ugayan siya sa Local Task Force-ELCAC upang ilatag ang mga programa sa gaganaping security summit.
Layon din aniya ng summit na talakayin at ipaalam o ipakita sa mamamayan ang mga sektor na nagagamit ng mga makakaliwang grupo sa kanilang armadong pakikibaka, sapagkat maaaring hindi aniya alam ng mga sektor na ito na napapasok na sila ng kabila (makakaliwang grupo).
Ang Bayan ng Taytay at Coron maging ang Puerto Princesa ay nakasama sa listahan ng Wescom bilang mga lugar na nasa ‘white area’ o mga lugar na may mga organisadong grupo kung saan dito nagmumula ang suporta ng mga makakaliwang grupo na nasa ‘red area’ o itong mga nagsasagawa ng armadong pakikibaka.
“Ang security status sa Palawan ay iba kumpara sa ibang bahagi ng bansa. Hindi ito kagaya ng sa ibang bahagi ng southern Luzon, mostly, dito sa Palawan ang interes ng CTG dito ay more on financing, rest and recreation kasama na ang extortion”, pahayag pa ni ComWesCom Medina.
“There are many sector in Puerto Princesa na binabantayan natin isa dito ‘yong student sector, isa lang yan at marami pang sector na talagang alam namin na pinapasukan na nila (makakaliwang grupo), so binabantayan talaga ito dahil alam namin kung paano talaga sila nakikiusap sa mga ito’, dagdag pa ni ComWesCom Medina.
Sa press conference kahapon sinabi naman ni Atty. Jose Teodoro S. Matta, Provincial Legal Officer at representante ni Gov. Jose Ch. Alvarez sa PTF-ELCAC na ang kalagayang pangseguridad ng lalawigan ay hindi lamang obligasyon ng mga military kundi maging ng lahat ng mamamayan. (OCJ/PIA-MIMAROPA, Palawan)
https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1028184
PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan -- Inihayag ni Western Command (WESCOM) Vice Admiral Rene V. Medina ang pagsasagawa ng Palawan Security Summit sa susunod na mga linggo.
Matapos mabuo ang Palawan Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) ay napapanahon na upang isagawa ang ‘security summit’ ayon kay ComWesCom Medina.
Ani VAdm. Medina, makikipag-ugayan siya sa Local Task Force-ELCAC upang ilatag ang mga programa sa gaganaping security summit.
Layon din aniya ng summit na talakayin at ipaalam o ipakita sa mamamayan ang mga sektor na nagagamit ng mga makakaliwang grupo sa kanilang armadong pakikibaka, sapagkat maaaring hindi aniya alam ng mga sektor na ito na napapasok na sila ng kabila (makakaliwang grupo).
Ang Bayan ng Taytay at Coron maging ang Puerto Princesa ay nakasama sa listahan ng Wescom bilang mga lugar na nasa ‘white area’ o mga lugar na may mga organisadong grupo kung saan dito nagmumula ang suporta ng mga makakaliwang grupo na nasa ‘red area’ o itong mga nagsasagawa ng armadong pakikibaka.
“Ang security status sa Palawan ay iba kumpara sa ibang bahagi ng bansa. Hindi ito kagaya ng sa ibang bahagi ng southern Luzon, mostly, dito sa Palawan ang interes ng CTG dito ay more on financing, rest and recreation kasama na ang extortion”, pahayag pa ni ComWesCom Medina.
“There are many sector in Puerto Princesa na binabantayan natin isa dito ‘yong student sector, isa lang yan at marami pang sector na talagang alam namin na pinapasukan na nila (makakaliwang grupo), so binabantayan talaga ito dahil alam namin kung paano talaga sila nakikiusap sa mga ito’, dagdag pa ni ComWesCom Medina.
Sa press conference kahapon sinabi naman ni Atty. Jose Teodoro S. Matta, Provincial Legal Officer at representante ni Gov. Jose Ch. Alvarez sa PTF-ELCAC na ang kalagayang pangseguridad ng lalawigan ay hindi lamang obligasyon ng mga military kundi maging ng lahat ng mamamayan. (OCJ/PIA-MIMAROPA, Palawan)
https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1028184
PRLEC leads mass graduation, enterprise village launching in SurSur
From the Philippine Information Agency (Oct 3, 2019): PRLEC leads mass graduation, enterprise village launching in SurSur
TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur -- The Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster (PRLEC) under the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflic (PTF-ELCAC) of Surigao del Sur in close collaboration with the 36th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army and other member agencies spearheaded the mass graduation and inauguration of the enterprise village on Oct. 1, 2019, at Sitio Ibuan, Brgy. Mampi, Lanuza, this province.
The activity was attended by Sec. Isidro "Sid" S. Lapeña, Director-General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) together with other TESDA officials, Usec. Jo Ann M. Burgos of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, MGen. Franco Nemesio Gacal, Commander of the 4th Infantry Division, Philippine Army and Gov. Alexander Pimentel and other local officials.
A total of 699 training certificates were awarded to 145 trainees who successfully completed the 13 skills and livelihood trainings such as Small Engine Repair and Maintenance, Food Processing (Native Delicacies), Basic House Wiring, Organic Agriculture Production NC II, Spiritual and Values Training, Coco Twine Rope Production, Vegetable Production, Duck Raising, Native Chicken Production, Tilapia Production, Entrepreneurship Training, Animal Production (Swine) NC II and Abaca Production and Disease Management.
Of the nine enterprises identified for the Ibuan community, only three were inaugurated on Wednesday. These were the habal habal mini spare parts store and vulcanizing shop, the coco twine rope production and the bigasan sa Ibuan. Six more enterprises will open to include vegetable production, native chicken production, itik farming/balut production, hog production, tilapia production and Ibuan cold spring. The inauguration of the Ibuan Enterprise Village was made possible through the financial support of the provincial government of Surigao del Sur amounting to P500,000.
Also, Genebelle Bal, Provincial Head of the Department of Labor and Employment-Surigao del Sur, announced the P600,000 assistance through the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) or the Emergency Employment Program.
In response, the Ibuan community through Mrs. Thelma J. Salazar, the former rebel representative; Danilo B. Duaso, representative of the community; and Hawudon Cherlito G. Juagpao, representative of the IP community, thanked the government for the support they have received. The beneficiaries also assured them of their full commitment to be advocates of peace and development in their community.
It can be recalled that Sitio Ibuan, Brgy. Mampi was the first community in the province, that declared the communist NPA terrorist as persona non grata. (Lee M. Escobal, TESDA/PIA Surigao del Sur)
https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1028173
The activity was attended by Sec. Isidro "Sid" S. Lapeña, Director-General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) together with other TESDA officials, Usec. Jo Ann M. Burgos of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, MGen. Franco Nemesio Gacal, Commander of the 4th Infantry Division, Philippine Army and Gov. Alexander Pimentel and other local officials.
A total of 699 training certificates were awarded to 145 trainees who successfully completed the 13 skills and livelihood trainings such as Small Engine Repair and Maintenance, Food Processing (Native Delicacies), Basic House Wiring, Organic Agriculture Production NC II, Spiritual and Values Training, Coco Twine Rope Production, Vegetable Production, Duck Raising, Native Chicken Production, Tilapia Production, Entrepreneurship Training, Animal Production (Swine) NC II and Abaca Production and Disease Management.
Of the nine enterprises identified for the Ibuan community, only three were inaugurated on Wednesday. These were the habal habal mini spare parts store and vulcanizing shop, the coco twine rope production and the bigasan sa Ibuan. Six more enterprises will open to include vegetable production, native chicken production, itik farming/balut production, hog production, tilapia production and Ibuan cold spring. The inauguration of the Ibuan Enterprise Village was made possible through the financial support of the provincial government of Surigao del Sur amounting to P500,000.
Also, Genebelle Bal, Provincial Head of the Department of Labor and Employment-Surigao del Sur, announced the P600,000 assistance through the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) or the Emergency Employment Program.
In response, the Ibuan community through Mrs. Thelma J. Salazar, the former rebel representative; Danilo B. Duaso, representative of the community; and Hawudon Cherlito G. Juagpao, representative of the IP community, thanked the government for the support they have received. The beneficiaries also assured them of their full commitment to be advocates of peace and development in their community.
It can be recalled that Sitio Ibuan, Brgy. Mampi was the first community in the province, that declared the communist NPA terrorist as persona non grata. (Lee M. Escobal, TESDA/PIA Surigao del Sur)
https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1028173
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