4 government troopers killed in Agusan NPA attack

From the Philippine Star (Sep 30, 2021): 4 government troopers killed in Agusan NPA attack (Ben Serrano)

Three soldiers of the 29th Infantry Battalion (IB) and a militiaman were killed in an attack by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Maraiging in Jabonga, Agusan del Norte yesterday.

Second Lt. Roselyn Matulac, 29th IB spokesman, said around 30 members of the NPA’s North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee fired at government troopers providing security to the construction of a farm-to-market road.

Three communist rebels were arrested following a brief firefight. An M16 rifle was recovered at the scene.

Matulac withheld the identity of the fatalities pending notification of their family members.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/09/30/2130644/4-government-troopers-killed-agusan-npa-attack

NPA torches Bulacan tourist site, demands 'revolutionary tax'

From the Manila Times (Sep 30, 2021): NPA torches Bulacan tourist site, demands 'revolutionary tax' (By Frederick Silverio)

The Philippine National Police confirmed on Wednesday some 30 members of the New People's Army (NPA) rebels raided a tourist spot in Mount Balagabag in the City of San Jose del Monte on Monday night.

According to LtCol. Julius Alvaro, acting city chief of police, the rebels burned down several equipment and a nipa hut where tourists and bikers frequently visit to enjoy the mountain view.

Alvaro said the arson incident was perpetrated by armed men believed to be led by a certain "Ka Boyong" of Platun Uno GF Narciso.

Alvaro said the property is owned by Ernesto Sanchez and Robert Robes, who allegedly failed to pay a "revolutionary tax" to the NPA.

According to Alvaro, the group of Ka Boyong gathered the people in one place before intentionally burning the nipa hut, one generator set and destroying the water source owned by Sanchez.

"The said group left the scene 15 minutes after they set fire to the above-stated properties," Alvaro said. "No one was hurt."

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/09/30/news/regions/npa-torches-bulacan-tourist-site-demands-revolutionary-tax/1816554

CPP/Ang Bayan Daily News & Analysis: Buwis sa yaman ng mga bilyunaryo, ipinanukala sa Kongreso

Ang Bayan Daily News & Analysis (Tagalog edition) posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 29, 2021): Buwis sa yaman ng mga bilyunaryo, ipinanukala sa Kongreso

ANG BAYAN | SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

Ipinanukala ng mga kinatawan ng blokeng Makabayan noong nakaraang linggo ang House Bill No. 10253 para patawan ng karagdagang buwis ang pinakamayayamang kapitalistang mayroong hindi bababa sa ₱1 bilyong halaga ng ari-arian. Nakasaad sa panukala na bubuwisan ng 1% ang pag-aari ng mga kapitalistang may halaang ₱1 bilyon, habang tig-2% at 3% naman ang may ari-ariang higit sa ₱2 bilyon at ₱3 bilyon.

Ayon sa mga kongresista, umaabot sa ₱236.7 bilyon ang maaaring malikom ng estado kada taon mula pa lamang sa buwis sa 50 pinakamayayamang kapitalista sa bansa. Anila, sa loob ng mahabang panahon, buwis sa mga produktong pangkonsumo na pinapapasan sa mamamayan ang ipinapataw ng estado, habang ni minsan ay hindi ito nagpataw ng buwis sa yaman ng mga kapitalista. Layunin ng panukala na tugunan ang lumalawak na agwat sa pagitan ng pinakamayayaman at pinakamahihirap sa bansa na lalong umigting sa panahon ng pandemyang Covid-19.

Sa kasagsagan ng pandemya noong nakaraanga taon, lumaki nang 30% tungong ₱4 trilyon ang kabuuang yaman ng 50 pinakamayayamang Pilipino, habang 17 sa kanila ang nakapasok sa listahan ng Forbes ng pinakamayayamang kapitalista sa buong mundo. Nasa 0.8% lamang ng mga pamilyang Pilipino na kumikita nang ₱140,000 hanggang ₱8 milyon kada buwan ang inaasahang maaapektuhan ng batas. Sa kabilang banda, 29% ng mga pamilyang Pilipino ang nabubuhay sa badyet na ₱10,000 o mas mababa pa kada buwan. Patuloy na binabarat ang sahod ng mga manggagawa samantalang patuloy na tumataas ang presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin.

[In the face of the rapidly changing political and economic situation in the Philippines, as well as around the world, the newspaper Ang Bayan publishes daily news and analysis on key issues facing the proletariat and the Filipino people, as well as the oppressed people among others. t other corners of the world. Here you will find the latest news and articles of Ang Bayan.]

https://cpp.ph/angbayan/buwis-sa-yaman-ng-mga-bilyunaryo-ipinanukala-sa-kongreso/

CPP/Ang Bayan Daily News & Analysis: Partido, nagparangal kay Bien Lumbera, pambansa-demokratikong alagad ng sining

Ang Bayan Daily News & Analysis (Tagalog edition) posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 29, 2021): Partido, nagparangal kay Bien Lumbera, pambansa-demokratikong alagad ng sining

ANG BAYAN | SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

Nakidalamhati ang Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas, kasama ang sambayanang Pilipino, sa pagkamatay noong Setyembre 28 ni Bienvenido Lumbera, makata, mandudula, kritikong pangkultura at pampanitikan at guro, Pambansang Alagad ng Sining at aktibistang pambansa-demokratiko.

Isang malaking kawalan sa pambansa demokratikong kilusang pangkultura ang pagpanaw ni Ka Bien, ayon sa Partido. Malaki ang kanyang ambag sa teorya at praktika ng kultura ng sambayanang Pilipino sa anyo ng kanyang mga tula, dula, sanaysay at kritisismo. Marami siyang ginabayang progresibo at rebolusyonaryong artista ng bayan.

BIlang artista at manunulat, isinulong ni Ka Bien ang estetikong Pilipino, pagsusulat ng mga Pilipinong paksa, at pagpapalaim at pagsasalin sa paniitkan mula sa mga rehiyon at mga wikang lokal. Kabilang sa kanyang mga akda ang Philippine Literature: A History Anthology; Abot-Tanaw: Mga Sulyap at Suri sa Nagbabagong Kultura at Lipunan; Writing the Nation, Pag-akda ng Bansa; at Poetika/Politika: Tinipong mga Tula.

Matatag na nanindigan si Ka Bien para sa interes ng sambayanang Pilipino laban sa dominanteng kulturang burgis at pyudal na pinalalaganap ng mga mapagsamantala at mapang-api. Nanindigan siya laban sa tiraniya — mula sa diktadurang US-Marcos hanggang sa pasismo ng rehimen ni Rodrigo Duterte.

Si Ka Bien ay isang masigasig na organisador at aktibistang pangkultura. Nakita ang kahalagahan ng mga manggagawa sa kultura sa pagsusulong ng kilusang masa at sa rebolusyon sa lipunan. Noong dekada 1960, nagsilbi siyang tagapangulo ng tanyag na grupong Panulat para sa Kaunlaran ng Sambayanan (PAKSA). Sa mga nakaraang taon, nagsilbi rin siyang tagapangulo ng Concerned Artists of the Philippines.

Si Ka BIen, kilala bilang Professor Lumbera sa karamihan, ay hinirang ng gubyerno ng Pilipinas noong 2006 na isang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining para sa Literatura. Nahirang din siya bilang katang-tanging mamamahayag ng Ramon Magsasaysay Awards.

[In the face of the rapidly changing political and economic situation in the Philippines, as well as around the world, the newspaper Ang Bayan publishes daily news and analysis on key issues facing the proletariat and the Filipino people, as well as the oppressed people among others. t other corners of the world. Here you will find the latest news and articles of Ang Bayan.]

https://cpp.ph/angbayan/partido-nagparangal-kay-bien-lumbera-pambansa-demokratikong-alagad-ng-sining/

CPP/Ang Bayan Daily News & Analysis: Pagtortyur sa dalawang mandirigma, kinundena

Ang Bayan Daily News & Analysis (Tagalog edition) posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 29, 2021): Pagtortyur sa dalawang mandirigma, kinundena

ANG BAYAN | SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

Tinuligsa ng Bagong Hukbong Bayan (BHB)-Benguet ang mahigit isang buwang iligal na lihim na pagkukulong at sikolohikal na tortyur sa mag-asawang Ricca Llanes at Daniel Ladawan, Jr., mag-asawa, na dinukot ng militar noon pang Agosto 7.

Ang mag-asawa ay kapwa mandirigma ng BHB na bumibisita noon sa kanilang mga kamag-anak. Hinuli sila na walang mandamyento de aresto. Nilinlang ng mga ahente ng AFP ang pamilya ng mag-asawang mandirigma upang “makipagtulungan” sa pangakong “lilinisin” nito ang mga pangalan ng kanilang kaanak. Pangako ng AFP, agad ding makauuwi sa kanilang pamilya ang dalawa.

Halos dalawang buwan nang itinatago ang mag-asawa sa hedkwarters ng 503rd IB sa Calanan, Tabuk City, Kalinga. Hindi kinikilala ang kanilang mga karapatan bilang mga detenido o bilang mga bilanggo-sa-digma. Pinagkakait ang kanilang karapatan na magkaroon ng kanilang piniling abugado para kumatawan sa kanila. Hindi pa rin sila inihaharap sa korte.

Ang matagalang detensyon at kawalan ng representasyon ay labag ito kahit sa reaksyunaryong mga batas.

Kinundena ng BHB-Benguet ang pag-aresto at iligal na detensyon at nanawagan para sa kagyat na pagpapalaya sa dalawa. Hinimok rin ng yunit ng BHB ang mga kaibigan at kamag-anak ng dalawa na igiit sa militar na palayain na sina Llanes at Ladawan.

[In the face of the rapidly changing political and economic situation in the Philippines, as well as around the world, the newspaper Ang Bayan publishes daily news and analysis on key issues facing the proletariat and the Filipino people, as well as the oppressed people among others. t other corners of the world. Here you will find the latest news and articles of Ang Bayan.]

https://cpp.ph/angbayan/pagtortyur-sa-dalawang-mandirigma-kinundena/

CPP/Ang Bayan Daily News & Analysis: Aerial bombing sa Cagayan at Northern Samar, kinundena ng mga residente

Ang Bayan Daily News and Analysis (Tagalog edition) posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 29, 2021): Aerial bombing sa Cagayan at Northern Samar, kinundena ng mga residente

ANG BAYAN | SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

Mariing kinundena ng Taripnong Cagayan Valley, asosasyon na nagtataguyod sa kagalingan ng mga taga-Cagayan Valley, ang paghuhulog ng Philippie Airforce ng mga bomba sa Barangay Dungeg, Sta. Teresita, Cagayan noong Setyembre 21. Ayon sa grupo, perwisyo at pagwawaldas ng pera ang pambobomba.

Pinangangambahan din ng mga residente rito ang maaaaring idudulot na pinsala ng mga bomba sa kanilang mga sakahan at kabuhayan. Ayon sa mga residente, madaling araw nang magising sila sa malakas na ugong ng mga eroplanong pandigma at mga pagsabog.

Ang paghuhulog ng bomba ay isinagawa ng mga elemento ng 501st IB na noo’y nanghahalihaw sa lugar. Bahagi umano ito sa “clearing operations” matapos nilang maka-engkwentro ang isang yunit ng BHB.

Samantala, binulabog din ng aerial bombing at istraping ang mga residente ng San Francisco, Las Navas, Northern Samar noong Setyembre 16. Nirindi rin sila ng mga pagsabog ng kanyon. Dahil sa takot na tamaan, pansamantalang nagbakwit ang mga residente sa kalapit na baryo.

Sa ulat ng lokal na yunit ng BHB, anim na bomba ang inihulog ng FA-50 fighter jet kasabay ng istraping mula alas-3 ng madaling araw hanggang alas-10 ng umaga.Hindi bababa sa walong helicopter ang naghatid sa mag-ooperasyong mga tropa sa lugar. Inaalam pa ng mga Pulang mandirigma ang halaga ng nasira ng mga bomba na mga sakahan sa lugar. Walang napinsalaang yunit ng BHB.

Nagkaroon din ng kasabay na operasyong kombat sa Jipapad, Eastern Samar. Isang linggo bago ang operasyon, gabi-gabing nagpapalipad ang AFP ng mga surveillance drone sa erya at sa kasunod na mga barangay.

Sa pahayag ng National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas, sinabi nitong walang kakayahan ang makabagong kagamitan at mga “smart” bomb ng AFP sa pagtukoy kung sino ang sa armado at hindi armado. Anito, Ang mga operasyong ito ay desperadong tangka ng PTF-ELCAC na maitulak ang kanilang proyekto sa Barangay San Francisco. Noong Setyembre 1, nagbanta ang mga elemento ng PTF-ELCAC na “gagawin nilang Marawi ang Las Navas”.

[In the face of the rapidly changing political and economic situation in the Philippines, as well as around the world, the newspaper Ang Bayan publishes daily news and analysis on key issues facing the proletariat and the Filipino people, as well as the oppressed people among others. t other corners of the world. Here you will find the latest news and articles of Ang Bayan.]

https://cpp.ph/angbayan/aerial-bombing-sa-cagayan-at-northern-samar-kinundena-ng-mga-residente/

CPP: Tribute to Ka Bien Lumbera

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 29, 2021): Tribute to Ka Bien Lumbera

COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES
SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and all revolutionary forces pay tribute to Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera (Ka Bien), people’s artist and stalwart of the revolutionary cultural movement in the Philippines. Ka Bien passed away yesterday at the age of 89. The Party extends its deepest sympathies to the Lumbera family, as well as to all of Ka Bien’s friends, comrades and colleagues.

The revolutionary forces in the Philippines, especially those in national democratic cultural movement, feel a deep sense of loss with the passing away of Ka Bien. He gave invaluable contributions to the theory and practice of the Filipino people’s cultural revolution which they wage alongside their economic, political and military struggles. His views on outstanding cultural and ideological issues were always considered highly for their incisive and historical insights. Ka Bien (Prof. Lumbera, to many) was among the strongest pillars of the national democratic cultural movement in the Philippines. He was a poet, a playwright and literary and cultural critique. He stood firmly for the interests of the people against the dominant bourgeois and feudal culture promoted by the oppressors and exploiters.

Ka Bien was an indefatigable activist and organizer. As a young cultural worker, he was inspired by the revival of the patriotic movement in the early 1960s and the surge of mass activism under the leadership of Kabataang Makabayan and the incipient Party, as well as the cultural revolution in China. He chaired the Panulat Para sa Kaunlaran ng Sambayanan (PAKSA), a pioneering patriotic and democratic organization of cultural workers in the 1960s.

For promoting the patriotic, scientific and mass-oriented culture, he became a target of the US-Marcos dictatorship. He was arrested and thrown into prison in 1974. His one year imprisonment only further steeled his courage and determination to fight. Ka Bien went underground and participated in revolutionary cultural work. He helped produce revolutionary poetry, anthologies and other works of art that promoted the people’s armed and mass resistance against the fascist dictatorship.

He saw the important role that cultural workers played in the mass movement and in the course of waging social revolution. He served as chair of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines. He served as president of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, was also a member of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. He was named as National Artist for Literature in 2006.

As a cultural worker and academic, Ka Bien promoted the people’s aspiration and struggle for national and social liberation. He exalted works of revolutionary literature in the Filipino people’s struggle against Spanish colonialism and US imperialism and explicated their continuum with the current struggle of the Filipino people against imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism.

The revolutionary movement will always remember Ka Bien Lumbera as among the literary and cultural greats of the Philippine revolution and a beloved comrade-in-arms.

https://cpp.ph/statements/tribute-to-ka-bien-lumbera/

CPP/NDF-Southern Mindanao: On the state of the revolutionary forces in Southern Mindanao

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 29, 2021): On the state of the revolutionary forces in Southern Mindanao

RUBI DEL MUNDO

SPOKESPERSON

NDF-SOUTHERN MINDANAO

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

The revolutionary movement in Southern Mindanao, being headed by the Communist Party of the Philippines, defended by the New People’s Army, and loved and supported by hundreds of thousands of organized toiling masses, is persevering and thriving in the face of temporary setbacks and heightened and relentless military campaign by the US-Duterte regime. By all accounts, it is on the brink of advance, and nowhere near collapsing.

The masses are not the least bit surprised by the recent flurry of pompous pronouncements by the AFP’s troll of a propaganda machine regarding the state of the revolutionary movement in the region. Especially at a time when the US-Duterte regime and its vile progeny NTF-ELCAC are being bombarded left and right by condemnation of their fascism and blatant corruption, the AFP finds itself in a precarious situation to make mountains out of mole hills.

Since the formation of the Eastern Mindanao Command in 2006, the AFP has always considered Southern Mindanao a priority target of its most heinous counter-insurgency campaign, erroneously crediting it the “epicenter” of the Philippine’s revolutionary armed resistance. It is no revelation then that in the eventide of the US-Duterte regime, with self-imposed deadlines falling short year in and out, the AFP scrambles to claim victory over the resilient revolutionary movement, making do with rehashed pronouncements that have been debunked and proven futile many times over.

Similar grand doomsday declarations of the region’s revolutionary movement have been blabbered on in the past by the Eastern Mindanao Command. At the height of its gruesome fascist attacks against the masses during Gloria Arroyo’s Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and 2, the AFP conjectured the armed revolution’s demise in Southern Mindanao was nigh. In its more than six-year run in the region, OBL 1 and 2 only resulted in such heinous crimes against the masses such as the Maco Four massacre and atrocious war crimes such as the Kauswagan Dos massacre.

During Benigno Aquino III’s equally atrocious Oplan Bayanihan between 2010 to 2016, the AFP made same declarations, claiming to have purportedly reduced the NPA’s armed capability to “inconsequentiality,” only to be caught unawares by high-profile tactical offensives that served justice to the cause of the masses such as the simultaneous Lapanday raids. The Aquino III regime itself was rocked by waves of huge protests over its ineptitude in handling the aftermath of disasters such as Bagyong Pablo and its culpability over the massacre of Lumad and peasants in Kidapawan.

In 2015, the AFP’s top brass was also quick to particularly predict the NPA’s strategic weakening in the region following their troops’ murder of hors de combat Ka Parago, commander of the Pulang Bagani Battalion. Suffice it to say that not only did they eat their words, but the Red commander’s death only emboldened more peasant and Lumad youths to take the cudgel of leading the armed revolutionary resistance in Southern Mindanao. It must vex them to assume how the present setbacks in the revolutionary movement in the region can be any different.

And as actions speak louder than words, what of the continued deployment of more than 18 AFP battalions in focused military operations in the hinterlands of the region it claims on the “brink of collapse?” By its own estimation, it is evident that even to the AFP itself, its own declaration is a hard sell.

The cold fact is that these declarations do not attest to the downfall of Southern Mindanao’s revolutionary movement but to the AFP’s fevered need to save face amid its barefaced corruption, wanton and exorbitant military spending, and to justify its gargantuan budget, especially NTF-ELCAC’s shameless bid to raid P28.1B more from public coffers. Ever the fabricator of fake news, the AFP yet again proves that it is never above wasting precious taxpayers’ money for press junkets when ordinary Filipinos are barely scraping by in the face of economic decline and the Covid-19 public health crisis.

In its giddy attempt to score points, if only superficially, Duterte and the moneyed generals of EastMinComm carry on turning their blood-stained cheeks to the one constant reality that crumbles their highfalutin assertions to the ground: the masses of workers, peasants, Lumad, urban poor, and petty bourgeois in the region continue to suffer under inhuman conditions, their socio-economic and political rights ridden roughshod by the reactionary regime’s savage fascism, anti-people policies, criminal negligence amidst disasters and crises and corruption.

Around the region, Duterte failed miserably to implement genuine land reform and provide production assistance to farmers and farmworkers, opting instead to displace peasants from their land and Build, Build, Build his way in ensuring infrastructure for banana plantations especially in Davao de Oro and Davao Oriental, and large-scale mining in Davao del Norte. Majority of workers in Davao City are burdened to make ends meet with barely livable wages, as they struggle to maintain job security in the face of neoliberal flexible labor. Sara Duterte remains a bane to urban poor communities in the city, displacing residents with fake fire incidents or else demolishing them to make way for six-lane roads and fascist gentrification. State armed forces are victimizing the masses in a manner never before seen since the dark ages of Marcosian martial law, pummeling communities with intense military operations or else aerial bombardment. AFP and PNP forces and their paramilitaries casually snuff out with impunity the lives of the best sons and daughters of the masses, theirs leaders, lawyers, teachers, activists and sympathizers. The Covid-19 pandemic and other previous disasters that hit the masses Southern Mindanao only exacerbated their abject conditions, and they are enraged by the callousness and corruption of the Duterte regime.

These are the ever-present facets of Duterte’s semi-colonial and semi-feudal state that continue to inspire Communists, revolutionaries and Red fighters to persevere in the people’s war and thereby maintains the bottomless well of active participation by and support of the masses.

The AFP must make no mistake: the revolutionary forces of Southern Mindanao have nothing to prove to the enemy. Resilience and flexibility to maintain initiative amid intense military campaigns of encirclement and suppression and setbacks in the face of temporary losses are respective hallmarks and inevitability in the course of the people’s protracted war, realities that tempered Red fighters and commanders, the masses, their leaders and the Communist leadership are very much aware of. Revolutionary optimism, hard struggle and the ever-enduring principle of rectification shall doubtless tide the national democratic revolution in the region over to achieve stronger unity and in time hit higher heights way beyond Duterte’s reign of tyranny comes to pass and succeeding reactionary regimes take its rotten place.

As in the past, the AFP’s self-congratulatory declarations of the demise of the revolutionary movement in Southern Mindanao is only true to character, a method to madness that the masses of workers, peasants and Lumad around the region have time and again thoroughly proven laughable as they are illusory.

https://cpp.ph/statements/on-the-state-of-the-revolutionary-forces-in-southern-mindanao/

CPP/NPA: What’s inside the NPA’s bag?

Propaganda video posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 29, 2021): What’s inside the NPA’s bag?

ARMED STRUGGLE

REGIONS

VIDEO

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

https://cpp.ph/2021/09/29/whats-inside-the-npas-bag/

CPP/NPA-Albay: POLYETO | Pinatay ng estado ang ating karapatan, ang pangarap, ang ating kinabukasan

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 29, 2021): POLYETO | Pinatay ng estado ang ating karapatan, ang pangarap, ang ating kinabukasan

NPA-ALBAY (SANTOS BINAMERA COMMAND) | BICOL REGIONAL OPERATIONAL COMMAND (ROMULO JALLORES COMMAND) | NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
SEPTEMBER 29, 2021


Download here
Pilipino: PDF

https://cpp.ph/statements/polyeto-pinatay-ng-estado-ang-ating-karapatan-ang-pangarap-ang-ating-kinabukasan/

CPP/NPA-Benguet: Call for the immediate release of Raven Ladawan and Ricca Llanes!

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 29, 2021): Call for the immediate release of Raven Ladawan and Ricca Llanes!

NPA-BENGUET (JENNIFER CARIÑO COMMAND)

ILOCOS-CORDILLERA REGIONAL OPERATIONAL COMMAND (CHADLI MOLINTAS COMMAND)

NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

The Jennifer Carifio Command (JCC) New People’s Army — Benguet Province demands the immediate release of Raven Ladawan and Ricca Llanes, both of whom are currently illegally detained by the AFP in the 503rd Infantry Brigade’s Headquarters in Calanan, Tabuk City, Kalinga.

Ladawan and Llanes, husband and wife, were arrested by elements of the AFP and PNP in Bekkes, Buguias, Benguet last August 7, 2021 while on their way to meet members of their family. For more than a month, their whereabouts were unknown and just recently, reliable sources notified the JCC NPA- Benguet of their current location.

Reactionary state forces deviously manipulated the parents of the couple to cooperate for their capture with the promise that the fascists would swiftly “clear” the couple’s names and that they could be reunited with their family afterwards. None of these promises were kept.

Instead, while under the clutches of the AFP, they were continuously being subjected to psychological and emotional torture in an effort to break their spirits, shatter their morale and force them to surrender.

The couples’ continued detention after more than a month is illegal, even by the standards of Duterte’s lopsided “Anti-Terror Law”. Section 29 of the said law stipulates that warrantless arrest and detention of violators should only occur within 14 days, with provision for a maximum of 10 days extension. This underscores the tendency of the AFP to act outside the bounds of law, even one that was crafted by its own hands.

Notwithstanding the said “Anti-Terror Law”, warrantless arrest and detention is a violation of the rights of an individual under International Humanitarian Law.

By doing so, the AFP has already given up all pretenses of a fair and just trial for the two. As the primary complainant in the trumped-up cases already filed and to be filed against the couple, the reactionary army exercises undue influence over the two while they are under their custody.

Friends and relatives of the couple should demand for their immediate removal from the AFP’s hands, the provision of legal representation of their choice, and to drop all the trumped-up charges against the two.

As we commemorate the 49th anniversary of Martial Law, let us take to heart the lessons gleaned from history and staunchly condemn all the atrocities that still occur today, reminiscent of the dark days of blatant tyranny.

https://cpp.ph/statements/call-for-the-immediate-release-of-raven-ladawan-and-ricca-llanes/

Kalinaw News: Female NPA fighter suffers wounds from clash with the Army, fair treatment and mercy were shown to the rebel

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 29, 2021): Female NPA fighter suffers wounds from clash with the Army, fair treatment and mercy were shown to the rebel



IMPASUGONG, BUKIDNON – A tip from a concerned citizen resulted in the capture of a wounded female CPP-NPA Terrorist (CNT) at Sitio Kamaca, Brgy. Bontongon, Impasugong, Bukidnon last September 23, 2021.

It can be recalled that an encounter ensued between government forces and members of Headquarters Force (HQF) Neo and Regional Sentro De Gravidad (RSDG) Compaq, all of North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC) last September 20, 2021 which resulted in the death of five (5) CNTs and the recovery of twelve (12) assorted firearms at the hinterlands of Sitio Cogon-Cogon, Brgy. Manalog.

After the conduct of pursuit operations, troops were able to capture Lody Han-ayan Ampildon, alias Diane, 18 years old, medic of RSDG, Compaq, NCMRC.

She sustained a gunshot wound on her left knee and was given first aid by the troops of the 43rd Division Reconnaissance Company (43rd DRC). Afterwards, Lody was airlifted and brought to Camp Evangelista Station Hospital (CESH) for further medical treatment.

Lieutenant Colonel Edgardo Talaroc Jr, Commander 8IB, said “Si Lody anaa karon sa CESH aron nga matambalan ang iyang naangkon nga samad. Kami nagapanawagan sa mga nahibilin nga mga CNT nga mosurrender na ug dad-a ang inyong samdan nga kauban aron sila ato usab mapatambalan. Pilia ang mabuhi, luwasa ang inyong kinabuhi, pilia ang kalinaw.” (Lody is now receiving the medical treatment she needs at CESH. We call on the remaining CNTs to surrender and bring your wounded comrades, we will give you the medical assistance you need. Choose to live and save your lives, choose peace.)

Brigadier General Ferdinand Barandon, the Commander of 403rd Infantry Brigade, also expressed, “Ang pagtabang kang Lody nga usa ka samdang CNT ang nagpakita sa pagsunod sa kasundalohan sa International Humanitarian Law (IHL) kung diin kini nagsulti nga ang usa ka armado nga wala nay kusog nga makig-away ang kinahanglang protektahan ug masalbar. Among gisiguro nga ang mga nahibilin nga mga CNT kung pilion na nga mobalik sa sabakan sa gobyerno, ang among dawaton ug tabangan nga makaangkon og maayong kinabuhi.” (Saving Lody, a wounded CNT, displayed our strict adherence to the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) which states that armed fighters who are unable to fight also needs to be protected and saved. We assure the remaining CNTs that when you choose to return to the folds of the law, we will accept you and help you live a better and peaceful life.)

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/female-npa-fighter-suffers-wounds-from-clash-with-the-army-fair-treatment-and-mercy-were-shown-to-the-rebel/

Kalinaw News: Tired of evading the relentless military operations, 1 CPP-NPA-NDF leader and 6 others yield in Bukidnon

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 29, 2021): Tired of evading the relentless military operations, 1 CPP-NPA-NDF leader and 6 others yield in Bukidnon



CAMP EVANGELISTA, Cagayan de Oro City – Tired of evading the government
troops due to the relentless Focused Military Operations, a CPP-NPA-NDF leader
and six (6) others surrendered to 403rd Infantry Brigade in Bukidnon on Sunday,
September 26, 2021.

Elements of 88th Infantry Battalion under the 403rd Brigade successfully negotiated
the voluntary surrender of Dante Pluma Cuyos alias DR/PEDRING/ASUL/RICHE,
the Political Officer or Kalihim sa Seksyon, Platoon Bagsik, Guerilla Front (GF)
Malayag of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC), together
with four (4) female CPP-NPA Terrorists (CNTs) on September 26, 2021 at Brgy
Tongan-tongan, Valencia City, Bukidnon.

“We welcome Cuyos’ return to the peaceful path as he finally realized the
senselessness of his more than 9 years of armed struggle, seeing his friends and
companions die or being captured in the past weeks”, Major General Romeo S
Branwer Jr, Commander of the 4th Infantry Division, said.

The 4 others are identified as follows: Jalyn Hagayhay Mandikonlay alias
CECIL/SASSY, Platoon Medic; Nalyn Gibangon Mansayloan alias SABEL, Squad
Medic; Maricel Tingcas Gamot alias MARICEL, Squad Medic and Lina Tawide
Tilucan alias KIKAY, Political Guide.

Said personalities also surrendered the following high powered firearms to the
government troops: three (3) Cal 7.62mm AK47 Rifles; one (1) Cal 5.56mm M4
Bushmaster Rifle; one (1) Cal 7.62mm M14 Rifle; and one (1) cal 30 Garand Rifle.

Meanwhile, the 8th Infantry Battalion, also under the 403rd Infantry Brigade, facilitated the surrender of Junas Tuminao Lindaban alias KINT, Political Guide,Squad 1, together with his party wife, Rosalinda Simpan Paunay aliasKERATIN/JELA, Squad Medic, both of SDG DARIO, GF89, NCMRC at BrgyPoblacion, Impasugong, Bukidnon after realizing their evil deed of continuously deceiving the local town folks in joining their futile cause.

“The surrender of the said 7 CNTs signifies that the end of the Communist Terrorist
Group in Bukidnon province is forthcoming. They were demoralized as our troops
incessantly conduct focused military operations based on the influx of information
4TH INF DIV received from civilians enabling the troops to track CTG hideouts. They were tired of continuously hiding while having meager food supplies in the mountains”, MGen Brawner Jr added.

“After the setbacks they suffered, moving forward is pointless as there is no mass
support that will fuel their armed struggle anymore. We commend their decision and
your Army is always ready to help and assist them as we learned that one of the
female surrenderer is pregnant, another is suffering from a kidney problem while one
is deaf. We shall facilitate their medical treatment at Camp Evangelista Station
Hospital in 4ID”, MGen Brawner Jr said.

He further added that the E-CLIP have played a key role in enticing the CTG
members to surrender. Per 4ID record, there have been 259 CTG surrenderers since
January 2021 with 107 high powered and low powered firearms seized during the
period.

“We are serious in ending this insurgency problem. All we want is peace and the
development that our people have longed for. A peaceful resolution where no lives
are lost is victory for all of us. Those who will decide to finally reject the armed
struggle and return to a peaceful path will be given better opportunities under the E-
CLIP”, MGen Brawner Jr added.

The Enhanced Compressive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) is the government’s
reintegration program for the former rebels. Different benefits to include financial
assistance package, sustainable livelihood skills training, educational assistance for
the FRs and their families, housing assistance and other aftercare interventions from
the different government agencies and local government units will be fully accorded
to those who will voluntarily surrender.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/tired-of-evading-the-relentless-military-operations-1-cpp-npa-ndf-leader-and-6-others-yield-in-bukidnon/

Kalinaw News: Naval Installation Command Chief visits Western Mindanao Command

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 29, 2021): Naval Installation Command Chief visits Western Mindanao Command



Brig. Gen. Noel Beleran, Commander of the Naval Installation Command visited the Western Mindanao Command on the morning of September 28, 2021. He was accorded full military honors by the officers, enlisted personnel, and civilian human resources of the unit.

He then paid a courtesy call on WestMinCom Commander, Maj. Gen. Alfredo Rosario, Jr. at the Laong Laan Hall in Camp Navarro, Calarian, this city. The WestMinCom Commander expressed his gratitude to Brig. Gen. Beleran for taking time to visit the command amid the Covid19 restrictions. The marine general thanked the WestMinCom Family for the warm welcome.

Brig. Gen. Beleran is a proud member of the Philippine Military Academy “Bigkis Lahi” Class of 1990. He holds a Master’s Degree in Public Management Major in Development and Security at the Development Academy of the Philippines.

The Command strictly adhered to the IATF protocols during the visit of the Commander of Naval Installation Command.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/naval-installation-command-chief-visits-western-mindanao-command/

Kalinaw News: Western Mindanao Command Chief boosts morale of JTF Zamboanga troopers

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 29, 2021): Western Mindanao Command Chief boosts morale of JTF Zamboanga troopers



Maj. Gen. Alfredo Rosario, Jr., the newly-installed Commander of Western Mindanao Command visited the troops of Joint Task Force Zamboanga at Camp General Arturo Enrile, Malagutay, this city on Tuesday morning, September 28, 2021. He took the opportunity to engage the troops and further boost their morale.

Maj. Gen. Rosario, Jr. was accorded with a Foyer Honors rendered by the officers and enlisted personnel of JTF Zamboanga. Col. Randolph Rojas, the Task Force Commander then presented a unit briefing.

During his talk to the troops, Maj. Gen. Rosario, Jr. lauded the troops for their significant accomplishments particularly in thwarting the smuggling activities and sustaining peace and order in the city. He also encouraged them to maintain the same zeal and always follow the 5Ps (Plan, Prepare, Perform, Play, and Pray).

He further urged the troops to ensure a peaceful and orderly election and safeguard the city during the election period. “We need to consider and secure the upcoming election beginning with the filing of candidacy next month,” Maj. Gen. Rosario, Jr. stated.

In his visit to the troops of JTF Zamboanga, Maj. Gen. Rosario, Jr. was accompanied by the Command Staff of the WestMinCom.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/western-mindanao-command-chief-boosts-morale-of-jtf-zamboanga-troopers/

Kalinaw News: Help Us; Relatives of Bae Bibyaon Ask the Government

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 29, 2021): Help Us; Relatives of Bae Bibyaon Ask the Government



MAWAB, DAVAO DE ORO – The 10th Infantry “Agila” Division strongly denies the claims of several Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) front organizations that the relatives of Bae Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay were forcibly brought by the Army to the municipal hall to sign certain documents for her rescue from Manila.

The move to craft resolutions addressed to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and the Tribal Council of Elders in Talaingod was initiated by the families and relatives of Bae Bibyaon, free from any military and other external influence.

Also, the move of the CTG-front organizations to reject the plea of the family and relatives to facilitate safe passage home of Bae Bibyaon shows their cruelty, selfishness, and intent to destroy family bond and kinship among Indigenous Peoples (IPs) to disrupt the culture and customs of the community.

The CTG-affiliated groups intend to bring a gap between the IP elders to create disunion among the already vulnerable IPs to continue their abusive actions in exploiting them to generate funds through International Networking to fund CTG-front organizations and their armed operations.

Contrary to the claims, 10ID maintains good working relations to both IP and non-IP communities in Talaingod, Davao Del Norte, and other parts under its area of responsibility and is warmly welcomed by the people in their respective lands.

Meanwhile, through the collective effort from various government agencies, local government units, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines will remain to uphold the mandate under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict’s guidance in uplifting the lives of the Filipino people dislocated by armed operations of the CTGs.

On the other hand, CTG continue to insist their influence and force in the region. However, 11 former Cadre members under the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee said that the CTG force in the area of responsibility of 10ID continues to drop with the destruction of mass bases due to the effective implementation of Executive Order 70.

Moreover,10th Infantry Division Commander MGen Ernesto C Torres Jr remains confident in the sincerity of the troops towards peace-building efforts of the army while challenging the leadership of the CPP-NPA Terrorist (CNT) to prove their claim of their so-called “force and influence” in the region.

“The people itself will be the living proof with the various programs poured and received by communities as an answer to their plea for basic services and programs. Together with the community, the Agila Division is working hand in hand with the people in forming communities of nation builders, development seekers, and peace-loving leaders.” MGen Torres said.

“And to the leadership of the CPP-NPA Terrorist (CNT), we will be in the forefront in this fight, with your mass bases and alliances destroyed, the government together with the awaken people will eradicate the remaining remnants of peace-spoilers in the region.” MGen Torres added.

Furthermore, to preserve its mandate, the troops under Agila Division firmly commits its strength in maintaining peace and order stability in the region through its various programs anchored and tailored-fitted to the needs of the communities with the help of local chief executives.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/help-us-relatives-of-bae-bibyaon-ask-the-government/

Kalinaw News: Western Mindanao Command recognizes invaluable support of partners

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 29, 2021): Western Mindanao Command recognizes invaluable support of partners



Camp Navarro, Calarian, Zamboanga City – September 29, 2021

The Western Mindanao Command recognized the invaluable support of civilian stakeholders and police counterparts during the flag-raising ceremony on September 27, 2021. Brig. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, WestMinCom’s Deputy Commander for Internal Operations, led the activity held at Camp Navarro, Calarian, this city.

A Photo Slate was presented to Dr. Joshua Brillantes, Officer-in-Charge of the Department of Health-Zamboanga Peninsula-Center for Health Development (ZPCHD). This is in grateful appreciation for his donation of 150 Antigen Test Kits used by the command during the change of command ceremony on September 23.

Meanwhile, the Award of Chief of Staff, AFP Commendation Medal and Ribbon was presented to the officers and staff of the Regional Crime Laboratory Office 9 (RCLO9). This is in recognition of their invaluable assistance rendered to the Western Mindanao Command that led to the prompt and successful identification of the fatalities of the ill-fated Philippine Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport plane with tail number 5125 that crashed at Sitio Amman, Barangay Bangkal, Patikul, Sulu on July 4, 2021. The awardees were represented by Police Col. Arnold Dulnuan and Police Master Sergeant Rian Rodriguez.

According to Brig. Gen. Nafarrete, the RCLO9 worked even beyond normal working hours to fast-track the intensive examination of cadavers who were beyond recognition. “We appreciate the support and generosity of our partners who are always with us in all our ups and downs,” Brig. Gen. Nafarrete said.

The Command Staff, other officers, enlisted personnel, and civilian human resources of the WestMinCom attended the flag-raising and awarding ceremony.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/western-mindanao-command-recognizes-invaluable-support-of-partners/

Kalinaw News: Joint forces of 5ID and 7ID deliver devastating blow against the disintegrated NPAs in Cordillera

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 29, 2021): Joint forces of 5ID and 7ID deliver devastating blow against the disintegrated NPAs in Cordillera



CAMP MELCHOR F DELA CRUZ, Upi, Gamu, Isabela- Troops of 72 Division Reconnaissance Company (DRC) under the operational control of 54th Infantry Battalion, 5th Infantry Division scored against the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) in an encounter in Barangay Mainit, Bontoc, Mt. Province on September 28, 2021.

The troops acted to verify the information tipped-off by the locals about the presence of the Communist NPA Terrorists (CNTs) when more or less 10 CTG members fired upon them. A firefight ensued that lasted for about 30 minutes and resulted in the death of two CTG members. The two were identified as certain Ernesto Lucaben Jr, alias Ashley/Lando, and Wilfredo Gaayon alyas Jaz, both remnants of KLG-AMPIS. The troops also recovered one M14 rifle, five (5) pieces magazine of M14 rifle loaded with 70 rounds of ammunition, three (3) pieces AK79 rifle magazine loaded with 20 rounds of ammunition, nine (9) pieces of anti-personnel mines, two (2) rifle grenades, two (2) hand grenades, two (2) pieces blasting caps, wires, medicines, and other personal belongings that were left by the CTGs when they fled after the firefight. No casualty was reported on the government side.

It can be noted that the locals of Mt. Province declared the Communist Terrorist Group and its allied organizations as Persona Non Grata in their communities.

Major General Laurence E Mina, Commander of 5ID warned the remaining CTGs to stop their so-called armed revolution that wasted the lives of many individuals. “Barangay Mainit, Bontoc, Mt Province is not a place for you to hide. The people are giving us information about your presence in their community. We are one with the peace-loving residents of the said locality.”

“We wish to see you start a new life. And so, I am appealing to the remaining members of the CTGs to return to the folds of the law and avail the assistance of the government under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP),” the general concluded.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/joint-forces-of-5id-and-7id-deliver-devastating-blow-against-the-disintegrated-npas-in-cordillera/

Kalinaw News: Government troops capture high-powered firearms in latest firefight against fleeing CTGs in Cagayan

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 29, 2021): Government troops capture high-powered firearms in latest firefight against fleeing CTGs in Cagayan



CAMP MELCHOR F DELA CRUZ, Upi, Gamu, Isabela- 501st Infantry Brigade captured high-powered firearms, explosives, and other belongings of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) in Barangay Dungeg, Sta. Teresita, Cagayan after the latest firefight that ensued this morning of September 28, 2021.

Government troops encountered anew the CTG while conducting pursuit operations against the members of Henry Abraham Command-East Front Committee who have been on the run and may no longer have nowhere to hide with the full cooperation of the populace who used to be their mass base. The firefight lasted for about 15 minutes and the CTGs scampered leaving two (2) M16 rifles, one (1) M79 rifle, one (1) CTG flag and their other belongings.

With the unceasing operations conducted by the Army troops, the remaining CNTs are kept on the run. The troops are pressing the conduct of pursuit operation against the remnants of the CTG in the municipality. This is to ensure the safety of the locals who are consistently informing the government forces about their location.

BGen Steve D Crespillo, Brigade Commander of 501st Infantry Brigade said that the troops will relentlessly implement the law against the CTGs. “We are in full force with the community in disabling the Komiteng Probinsya Cagayan (KOMPROB) in doing terroristic activities that harm the people.”

While MGen Laurence E Mina, Commander of 5th Infantry Division said that the troops are on high spirit in running after the CNTs to protect the people from the CNT atrocities and abuses. “We will uphold our sworn duty in serving and protecting the people of Cagayan Valley and Cordillera with pride, honor and dignity. We are determined and committed to end the local communist armed conflict in our area of responsibility. There will be no let up on this pursuit. So, I am again appealing to the remaining CTG members to lay down their arms and return to the folds of the law before it’s too late.”

To recall, the first firefight ensued last September 21, 2021 that resulted in the death of high ranking personalities of the said group in the mountainous part of the said barangay. This is the third armed encounter between the government troops and the remnants of Henry Abraham Command-East Front Committee.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/government-troops-capture-high-powered-firearms-in-latest-firefight-against-fleeing-ctgs-in-cagayan/

Human rights still a factor in PH-US ties, warns American senator

From Rappler (Sep 29, 2021): Human rights still a factor in PH-US ties, warns American senator (By SOFIA TOMACRUZ)

'The United States recognizes the importance of cooperation with the Philippines to bolster security in the region, but it will not be at the exclusion of the country’s human rights record,' says US Senator Richard Durbin

United States Senator Richard Durbin reminded Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez that the country’s human rights record will not be sidelined in discussions on the two countries' security cooperation.

In a summary of the virtual meeting held between the officials on Tuesday, September 28, US time, Durbin's office said the senator raised several human rights concerns seen under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's administration.

These include thousands of extrajudicial killings, the detention of opposition senator Leila de Lima, and the harassment of journalists, including Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa.

"I reassured Philippines Foreign Minister Locsin and Ambassador Romualdez that the United States recognizes the importance of cooperation with the Philippines to bolster security in the region, but it will not be at the exclusion of the country's human rights record," Durbin said.

Durbin told Locsin and Romualdez that Filipinos from his home state of Illinois continue to "remain disturbed by President Duterte's actions."

Durbin, who is the No. 2 Democrat in the US Senate and chair of the chamber's judiciary committee, has led several efforts by American lawmakers to exact accountability from Philippine officials accused of extrajudicial killings in Duterte's anti-drug campaign, violation of De Lima's human rights, and involvement in the crackdown on press freedom.

Last July, Durbin, along with other Senate Democrats, wrote to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to express their concern on the human rights situation in the Philippines and request for the Biden administration's strategy for addressing violations seen under the Duterte government.

In the letter, the Senate Democrats said the State Department should raise human rights abuses at the highest levels in its diplomatic engagements with the Philippines and in public.

The nearly one dozen lawmakers who signed the letter had expressed concern over US security assistance to the Philippine National Police as well as defense sales to the Philippine military. Manila, which is Washington's oldest ally in the region, is among its key security partners.

Durbin's meeting with Locsin and Romualdez came weeks after Philippine officials' visit to Washington, DC, where meetings were held with Blinken, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and other top officials of the Biden administration.

During the trip, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana renewed his call for a review of the two countries' Mutual Defense Treaty and for US support for the Philippine military's modernization program that would go beyond handing over "Vietnam-era" hardware. 

(READ: EDCA implementation a missing piece in PH-US defense ties – expert)

In January 2020, Durbin was among the senators who passed a resolution calling for the release of De Lima and seeking sanctions against Philippine officials linked to the Philippine senator's detention, as well as extrajudicial killings in the country.

MUST READ
US senators: De Lima acquittal in 1 of 3 ‘bogus’ charges not enough

The measure, which angered Duterte, also invoked the Global Magnitsky Act, an American law that gives the US executive branch the power to impose visa and travel restrictions as well as financial sanctions on human rights violators anywhere in the world.

Bilateral ties between the Philippines and the US have been strained under Duterte, as the firebrand leader has repeatedly lashed out at Washington for "interfering" in his controversial drug war.

Relations hit a low after Duterte terminated the Visiting Forces Agreement between the two countries in February 2020. But the President reversed his decision and the key military pact was restored last July.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/senator-durbin-human-rights-still-factor-philippines-united-states-ties

Manobo leader Bai Bibyaon dismisses ‘rescue operation’ as military propaganda

From the periodically pro-CPP online publication the Davao Today (Sep 25, 2021): Manobo leader Bai Bibyaon dismisses ‘rescue operation’ as military propaganda (By KATH M. CORTEZ)

Manobo woman chieftain Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay, defender of Mindanao Lumad schools and Pantaron Range, is firm that she is not coming home despite reports that there is a ‘rescue operation’ organized by the Talaingod local government with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), her group says.

Bai Bibyaon, the only known living woman warrior and chieftain of the Manobo tribe in Davao Region, has been staying in Metro Manila with Lumad students who seek protection after their schools and communities were overran by the paramilitary and soldiers.

In a video interview facilitated by Save Our Schools Network Thursday, Bai Bibyaon spoke in her Manobo language that “she is healthy and completely vaccinated” contrary to what was reported to her relatives.

The Save our Schools (SOS) Network posted an alert on their Facebook page last Wednesday that they have received information that the 56th Infantry Battalion is forcing the relatives of Bai Bibyaon to sign a document to “rescue” her in the sanctuary in Metro Manila.

“Palihog ko ingon sa akong mga parente ug mga pag‒umangkon nga nag‒adto sa mayor, dili tinuod ang ilang istorya bahin nako. Tinuod nga nagsakit sa una dala sa katigulangon pero human ko nako nagpacheck up ug mayo ang akong kahimtang,” Bai Bibyaon calmly spoke to her translator. (Please tell my relatives and those who went to the mayor (Libayao), those thing they said about me is not true. While it’s true I had fallen ill before due to old age, but I have submitted to medical check-up and I am well.)

BEAD BRACELETS. Manobo chieftain Bai Bibyaon spends her free time making bead bracelets, which is currently her favorite pastime. Photo courtesy of Save Our Schools Network.

Bai Bibyaon believes that the attempt to rescue her is part of the effort of the government to silence her as she continues to lead her people in fighting for their rights and defend their ancestral land.

The SOS said the military forcibly gathered the relatives of Bai Bibyaon who are living in Sitio Natulinan, Barangay Palma Gil, Talaingod last September 18.

This was also confirmed by Datu Tungig Mansumy‒at, spokesperson of the Talaingod group Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon, in a phone interview.

He said one of Bai Bibyaon’s nephews contacted him after they were called to a meeting in the municipal hall of Talaingod to talk about the rescue operation.

“Ang nahitabo kay naissue man gud sa Talaingod nga si Bibyaon daw kay nasakit daw ingon sa mga military. Karon gipanguha sa mga military ang mga parente ni Bibyaon, iyang mga pag umangkon nya gidala sa diha sa munisipyo. Didto na sila gipapirma og dukomento para kuhaon daw si Bibyaon sa Manila,” he added. (It became an issue in Talaingod that Bibyaon was sick as the military claimed. The military brought Bibyaon’s relatives, nephews and nieces to the municipal office. They were made to sign documents that says Bibyaon will be taken from Manila.)

Mansumuy‒at said seven of Bai Bibyaon’s relatives were supposed to go to Manila on Thursday but decided instead to go back to their community in Natulinan.

Rius Valle, spokesperson of SOS Network. in a statement said that the “persistent effort” of the Duterte administration to red-tag and force students and parents to speak against Lumad schools, aims to suppress the resistance of the indigenous people “to further its agenda of retaining itself from power and escape accountability.”

“From the closure of schools, forced and fake surrenders, attacks on lumad sanctuary, massacres, and even the attempt to force Manobo woman warrior, Bai Bibyaon to go home in a province with one of most concentrated military presence and rampant human rights violation all over Mindanao, are all part of Duterte’s grand scheme of amassing wealth even at the expense of our natural resources,” Valle said in a statement sent to Davao Today.

Related: Lumad leaders doubt real development in Duterte’s P100M-development plan for Mindanao tribes

Bai Bibyaon said she is firm in her decision to stay in Manila amid the pandemic, and will do her best to advocate for the defense of their ancestral domain in Pantaron Range that is continually under threat.

Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay and fellow tribeswomen urge government and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to pull out the soldiers troops from their communities in Talaingod, Davao del Norte. (Ace R. Morandante/davaotoday.com)

“Sa tanan nga nagsuporta ug nabalaka kanako, ayaw lang mo kabalaka kay dili mi muuban. Mubarog mi sa among katungod. Kabalo mi nga di mi ninyo byaan sa among pakibisog,” said Bibyaon. (To all who are supporting us, do not worry about me, don’t be concerned because we will not join their appeal. We will stand for our rights. We know you will not abandon us in our struggle.)

The chairman emeritus of Sabokahan Unity of Lumad Women said that for years the Duterte administration did not listen to the plight of the Manobo tribe of Pantaron, and instead attacked the Lumad who speak about their rights and their ancestral land.

“Sa mga military di angay hasion ang tribu kay nagbarug ra mi sa among katungod. Kay Duterte, magbarug ka alang sa amoang nibuto kanimo ug nihimo nimong president,” she said. (The military should not attack the indigenous tribes who stand up for our rights. To Duterte, you need to stand for those who voted for you be president.)

Bai Bibyaon has defended the Pantaron Range, including the expansion of the logging operations of Alcantara and Sons (Alsons) in 1994 along with Datu Guibang Apoga of Talaingod, and has joined the other chieftains of the Salugpungan Ta’ Tanu Igkanugon to defend the ancestral land and Lumad schools.

The 12,600 square kilometer Pantaron Mountain Range lies across the provinces of Davao, Bukidnon and Agusan, and is said to be the largest remaining biodiversity forest in the country. Pantaron’s watershed supplies the water of major rivers in Mindanao, mainly the Mindanao River, Pulangi River, Davao River, Tagoloan River, and major tributaries of Agusan River.

Related: Why We Should Defend Pantaro

http://davaotoday.com/main/politics/manobo-leader-bai-bibyaon-dismisses-rescue-operation-as-military-propaganda/

Soldiers treat wounded NPA in Bukidnon clash

Posted to the Mindanao Times (Sep 29, 2021): Soldiers treat wounded NPA in Bukidnon clash (BY RHODA GRACE SARON)

Photo Courtesy of 4th Infantry Division

SOLDIERS of the 4th Infantry Division provide medical care to wounded female New People’s Army (NPA) fighter captured by troops at Sitio Kamaca, Barangay Bontongon, Impasugong, Bukidnon around 11 p.m. on Sept. 23.

The military identified her as Lody Han-ayan Ampildon, alias Diane, 18, resident of Purok 5, Sitio Mahayag, Barangay Sreet, Peter, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.

Maj. Francisco Garello Jr., the 4th Infantry Division spokesperson, said Ampildon was evacuated by helicopter to Camp Evangelista Station hospital (CESH) on Friday afternoon, Sept. 24. She has gunshot wounds in her left leg, right arm, and waist.

Maj. Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr, commander of 4ID, said that the accomplishment was a result of the 8th Infantry Battalion’s continuous loudspeaker operations, which encouraged civilian residents to cooperate and report resulting in alias Diane’s capture.

Brawner said alias Diane was a medic of Regional Sentro De Gravidad (RSDG) of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC) and has been with the Communist Terrorist Group for 7 months.

“Our call of peace through loudspeaker operations since the encounter last Sept. 20 in Malaybalay City emboldened the populace in the said area to report the location of alias Diane to our troops,” he said.

Maj. Ronald C. Ancheta, CESH officer-in-charge, said that since January 2021, there were already nine communist guerrilas who underwent major operation due to injuries caused by encounters with government troops. He said that as an officer and a surgeon, he will provide medical treatment whether one is a member of the CTG or an Army trooper in the name of dedicated service.

In his statement, Brawner said that the soldiers strictly adhere to the International Humanitarian Law and are professional individuals committed to respecting human rights even of those considered enemies of the state but unable to fight anymore.

Photo Courtesy of 4th Infantry Division

“Diane was abandoned and left behind by her group. Fortunately, our troops found her and immediately applied first aid to prevent a loss of blood. This is the true color of the Communist Terrorist Group, their NPA fighters are treated without regard and value. We appeal to them to reject this kind of treatment and instead follow the path of peace,” he added.

Brawner Jr also highlighted the participation of the Army Doctors, Nurses, and other personnel as among the silent heroes that significantly contributed to the mission accomplishment of 4ID not only by ensuring to properly provide medical attention to injured and sick soldiers and their dependents but also in taking care and saving the lives of wounded members of the CPP-NPA-NDF.

It can be recalled that a wounded female NPA leader identified as Mary Joy Arevalo Antiha, the Political Instructor of Platoon Dos of Guerilla Front Malayag of NCMRC, who was captured along with other nine NPAs in an encounter with 88th Infantry Battalion (88IB) last Sept. 8 in San Fernando, Bukidnon was also given proper medical treatment by medical frontliners and underwent a successful major surgical operation.

Antiha, 24, resident of Valencia City, Bukidnon has been under the medical care of the Camp Evangelista doctors and nurses while recuperating from surgery and still in isolation after she was confirmed positive with COVID 19 Delta Variant CT 19 (mild case).

“I am thankful to the medical frontliners here in Camp Evangelista and to 88th Infantry Battalion for taking care of me even after the encounter. The soldiers were the ones who carried me and look for ways to get me treated. With my situation, the nurses here have always assisted me. Big thanks to them,” Maryjoy said.

The division commander further said that Alias Diane and Nikki are among the living testimonies of how the Army respects human rights and cares for captured CTG members.

” It’s a fulfillment on our part as soldiers to see that lives are saved. It’s our belief that they are also victims of the wrong ideology and the treachery of the CPP-NPA-NDF,” he said.

He again called all the remaining CTG members to return to the folds of the law and avail of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP). “Rest assured that your Army will ensure your safety and provide better opportunities as you transition towards the mainstream society,” he further said.

https://mindanaotimes.com.ph/2021/09/29/soldiers-treat-wounded-npa-in-bukidnon-clash/

Farmers association gets 65 goats from DA, Army

Posted to the Mindanao Times (Sep 29, 2021): Farmers association gets 65 goats from DA, Army (BY RHODA GRACE SARON)

FORMER members of the underground mass organization turned into peace and development volunteers and farmers association by the 39th Infantry Battalion in the municipality of Tulunan, North Cotabato received 65 heads of goat from the Department of Agriculture (DA) XII.

2Lt. Sharmaine Dela Rosa, the civil-military operations officer of 39th Infantry Battalion, said the handover happened on Sept. 23 at Banayal, Tulunan, North Cotabato, an insurgency-cleared barangay formerly affected by CPP-NPA terrorist was witnessed by the community development team of 39IB.

It was received by Ester France, president of Peace and Development Farmers Association, who, in turn, expressed appreciation for the assistance and intervention.

“We are grateful that the government provided our organization income-generating opportunities with these goats. This will sustain our daily needs and will eventually help us to become a self-sustaining PO,” she said.

The dispersal is part of the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) program of the Department of Agriculture, which is also being part of the convergence program of the National Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict. The program aims to address the socio-economic issues of former local communist insurgency affected areas.

Lt. Col. Ezra L. Balagtey, battalion commander of 39IB, expressed his appreciation for the aggressive implementation of the Whole of Nation Approach in fighting insurgency.

“We feel that insurgency is now being fought by the whole nation. This activity which aims to support the former mass base by providing them sustainable livelihood is a way of insulating them from re-indoctrination from CPP-NPA terrorists,” Balagtey said.

” It will negate the propaganda of the terrorist that the government is negligent in its duties and responsibilities, especially in delivering programs and services to marginalized communities,” he added.

https://mindanaotimes.com.ph/2021/09/29/farmers-association-gets-65-goats-from-da-army/

SPECIAL REPORT | P6.5-B in first 30 months: investing in BARMM is investment for peace

Posted to the Mindanao Times (Sep 29, 2021): SPECIAL REPORT | P6.5-B in first 30 months: investing in BARMM is investment for peace (By Bong Sarmiento)

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte sounds the gong to signal the inauguration of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex in Cotabato City on March 29, 2019, marking what he said was a “new dawn” for the Moro.’ Joining the President is BARMM interim Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ibrahim (MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim). ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

COTABATO CITY (MindaNews) — Thirty months after the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was inaugurated — 18 months of these under a pandemic — direct foreign investments are still coming in trickles in the region that has been enjoying relative peace after decades of bloody armed conflicts.

Local investors, however, are boosting the economy of the fledgling region with 6.5 billion pesos worth of investments: P4.1 billion in 2019, P14 million in 2020 and P2.4 billion as of September 20, 2021, generating, according to their applications for registration, jobs for at least 6,700 workers.

A mosque along the national highway in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao. MindaNews photo by BONG S. SARMIENTO

The Bangsamoro region is a product of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the peace agreement signed by the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2014 after 17 years of negotiations, its enabling law, Republic Act 11054 ratified in a plebiscite in January 2019.

When the BARMM was inaugurated on March 29, 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte told members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the body tasked to govern the BARMM until June 30, 2022: “the power to chart the course of your region’s future is now in your hands. I trust that you will wield this power with utmost care, the future of succeeding generations of Filipinos, especially the Moro of Mindanao, depends on it.”

An oil plam plantation stretches towards the municipal hall of Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao. MindaNews photo by BONG S. SARMIENTO

The two houses of Congress have passed bills extending the transition period in the BARMM from June 30, 2022 to June 30, 2025 by resetting the first election of the 80-member Bangsamoro Parliament from May 2022 to May 2025. The Bicameral Conference Committee approved earlier this week a reconciled version which the House has ratified. The Senate has yet to ratify it before it is sent to the President for signing into law.

The extension of the transition period until 2025 gives the BARMM enough time to pass the priority bills and other aspects of the political track of the peace agreement and complete the decommissioning of the MILF’s 40,000 combatants and weapons and other aspects of the normalization track.

But how the region will entice investors given the economic problems brought about by COVID-19, is yet another challenge.

Young Moro students inside their classroom in a school in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao. MindaNews photo by BONG S. SARMIENTO

Off to a good start

“Mahina pa rin ang BARMM in terms of uptick sa investment (BARMM is still slow in term of investment uptick), lawyer Ishak Mastura, chair of the Regional Board of Investments (RBOI).

Mastura noted that in 2020, the lone investor accredited by the RBOI-BARMM was the Community Wireless and Power Corporation, with P14 million investment for its internet service project in Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao provinces.

The region was actually off to a good start in 2019, Year One of the BARMM.

The seat of power in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in Cotabato City, 22 September 2021. MindaNews photo by GREGORIO BUENO

The RBOI-BARMM targeted 2.3 billion pesos worth of investments then but by yearend, it recorded 4.12 billion: P1.4 billion from JMI Sand and Gravel Truck Services, P1.8 billion from Lamitan Agri-Business Corp., P515 million from Maguindanao Corn Development DSA–I Corp., P306 million from Wao Development Corp and P100 million from Hong Kong Feng Sheng Heritage Philippines, Inc. In their applications, these firms projected a total of 2,724 direct and indirect employment.

Wao Development Corp., a pineapple packing plant, is owned by multinational firm Dole Philippines, Inc. while the rest are Filipino-owned companies.

Filipino companies have always been boosting the investment climate in the region, said Mastura, who also served as the area’s investment ambassador in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The ARMM, which recorded 1.3 billion pesos in investments in 2018, was abolished upon the ratification of the Organic Law for the BARMM in 2019.

‘Open for business’

“The BARMM has shown the benefits of peace in terms of more willing investors in the region,” Mastura said in his December 4, 2019 report.

Mastura said investors register with the board to avail of fiscal incentives such as income tax holidays, tax credits and exemptions from taxes and duties on imported spare parts, and wharfage dues and export tax, among others.

According to him, BARMM is privileged to be the only region in the country with an own Regional Board of Investments that can dispense fiscal incentives to investors, provided that the amount of investment is below one billion pesos.

The 2020 Investment Priorities Plan approved by the national government, it identified three registrable investment activities that are unique to BARMM. These are on the halal industry, Islamic banking and BIMP-EAGA-related investment enterprises.

Bullish on the investment prospects in the BARMM, Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim encouraged investors, particularly those from rich Islamic countries, to pour in capital to the new Bangsamoro region.

“BARMM is open for business. We want investors to come and create jobs and income to help us attain our goal of sustainable development and inclusive growth,” a very optimistic Ebrahim said.

The Bangsamoro that thrives in business and investments, he explained, is “a Bangsamoro that can truly move forward towards lasting development in the region.”

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), however, reared its ugly head in 2020, bringing economies and businesses down on their knees.

From 14 million in 2020 to 2.39 billion in 2021

BARMM is a resource-rich region comprising the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-tawi, and the cities of Marawi, Lamitan and Cotabato, and 63 villages in North Cotabato that voted for inclusion in the region. The Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) May 2020 census listed its population at 4.4 million, excluding Cotabato City and the 63 villages in North Cotabato which were formally made part of the BARMM in December 2020. Including Cotabato and the 63 villages, the BARMM’s total population is 4.9 million.

PSA records also show that the BARMM is one of the poorest regions in the country, with a poverty incidence of 61.8 percent as of 2018.

Year 2 of the BARMM was a bad year for investments because of the lockdowns brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the lone investment of only 14 million pesos.

The BARMM economy started picking up in 2021 with three firms having registered a total of 2.39 billion pesos as of September 20: Al-Muzafar Agriventures, Inc. (AMAVI), with P990 million for banana production; ES Maulana Global Ventures Company, Incorporated (EMGVCI), with P998 million for natural gas and oil deposits in Ligawasan Marsh and the Sulu Sea; and, the Eight Z’s Properties Building Rentals, with P398 million for tourism-related ventures in Cotabato City. Their applications indicate opportunities for at least 4,000 workers.

The defunct ARMM generated investments worth P23.23 billion from 2012 until 2018, creating 16,809 jobs, according to RBOI data.

Stability of governance, sustainability of policies

Mastura noted that stability of governance and sustainability of policies are factors that big-ticket investors, including foreigners, are taking into consideration when investing in the region.

A rapid midterm review of the Bangsamoro transition period was conducted last year by the Mindanao People’s Caucus, which recommended an extension to allow the BTA and the the national government “sufficient time to fully accomplish their priority tasks and duties especially those that need to be jointly implemented.”

The BTA is tasked to pass five priority legislations – Administrative, Revenue, Electoral, Local Government and Education codes – but has passed only the Administrative and Education codes – and the Civil Service Code.

The interim government has also started organizing the business sector to help bring in more investments to create more jobs for its people.

Last Monday, September 20, the Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism (MTIT) headed by Abu Amri Taddik convened via Zoom business leaders from BARMM’s five provinces and three cities to organize a regional-level business council.

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ebrahim, popularly known as Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, his nom de guerre in the MILF, is confident of the Bangsamoro region’s economic outlook.

“Bangsamoro economy for all”

In a video message, Ebrahim stressed the regional business council will play a vital role in representing diverse businesses in the fledgling Bangsamoro region.

“You have shown belief that there are many reasons to be confident about BARMM’s economic future, not least because of the entrepreneurs’ vision and shared dreams of the Bangsamoro’s business sector and the government of the day,” he told the participants.

“We look forward (to) having limitless initiatives together in building the BARMM in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and in working hand in hand to create more jobs and build a thriving Bangsamoro economy for all,” Ebrahim said.

On September 23, Ebrahim in his address to the Parliament, said the RBOI has been working “day in and day out to bring in new investors and provide more opportunities to the everyday Bangsamoro.”

Late in 2019, Ebrahim traveled with his team to Saudi Arabi and Turkey for investment missions and to improve ties with the two Islamic countries. He also invited investors from neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia to put up businesses in the Bangsamoro region. Malaysia facilitated the peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the MILF that led to the signing of the CAB in 2014 while Indonesia facilitated the peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front that led to the signing of the Final Peace Agreement in 1996. The MILF broke away from the MNLF in the late 1970s after the failed implementation of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement.

On the second anniversary of the Bangsamoro Government this year, Ebrahim stressed that the significant improvements in peace and security in the Bangsamoro have boosted the confidence of investors and enhanced other economic drivers in the region.

From BARMM to BIMP-EAGA

Rosslaini Alonto, MTIT director general, stressed the important role of the business sector in helping develop the Bangsamoro region

The BARMM government is undertaking efforts to reinvigorate trade and cultural ties with neighboring predominantly Muslim countries like Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia, she said.

“We are hoping a balance of trade where we can send our products to these countries and vice versa,” she said.

BARMM is part of the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area), a sub-regional grouping launched in1994 to boost trade, investments and tourism. The Philippines is represented in the BIMP-EAGA by BARMM and the rest of Mindanao, and Palawan while Malaysia and Indonesia are represented by the eastern parts of their countries closest to Mindanao and Palawan.

Even during precolonial times, trade and cultural ties already flourished between the Philippines’ Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and eastern Malaysia’s State of Sabah because of their proximity.

It is important, Alonto said, to organize a regional business council to represent the BARMM at the BIMP-EAGA Business Council (BEBC).

The BEBC represents the private sector in the BIMP-EAGA and enjoys a “fifth country” status at Senior Officials Meeting or high-level discussions.

Alonto noted that the global multi-billion dollar halal industry can be a lucrative market for the Bangsamoro region.

During the 13th BIMP-EAGA Summit at the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, Thailand in 2019, three months after the inauguration of the BARMM government, Duterte sought the institutionalization of the barter system, particularly with neighboring Malaysia.

“The institutionalization of the barter trade is an investment for peace and for inclusive, equitable, sustainable development, especially in the newly established Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” Duterte said, adding it will “help address endemic poverty and avoid triggers of instability and insecurity in these porous areas of the Bangsamoro region.”

To date, the Bangsamoro region, through the MTIT, has been helping strengthen the capacity of the provincial business chambers with the help of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the ultimate goal of forming the regional business council, for the region to be represented at the BEBC.

Datu Haron Bandila, former chair of the defunct ARMM Business Council (ABC), welcomed the organization of a regional business council in the Bangsamoro region amid the moves to extend the transition period for another three years.

“Let us give these initiatives a chance. For all we know, it may lead to better times,” he told MindaNews.

Bandila, who served as ABC chair for at least 10 years, said the transition period needs an extension to give the Bangsamoro interim government the chance to deliver, as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted its performance. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)

https://mindanaotimes.com.ph/2021/09/29/special-report-p6-5-b-in-first-30-months-investing-in-barmm-is-investment-for-peace/