DND to bidders: LRPA must be fitted with aerial surveillance cameras

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 1): DND to bidders: LRPA must be fitted with aerial surveillance cameras

To ensure maximum capability, the Department of National Defense (DND) has informed prospective bidders for its P5.9-billion long range patrol aircraft (LRPA) project that advanced aerial surveillance cameras must be part of the designs they are submitting.

Two aircraft are expected to be acquired under this program. These must include electronic optical (EO) and infra red (IR) models.

The DND, in its supplemental bid bulletin posted at its website, said that these sensors must be installed underneath the fuselage and must provide unrestricted 360 degree view in the horizontal plane and 165-degree view in the vertical plane (60-degree up and 105-degree down) for video surveillance and identification of targets.

"The turret shall be a retractable design to reduce aerodynamic drag when stowed or in operation. The EO/IR turret can be pointed by the search radar to a designated geo pointing system. A remote hand controller is installed for use at the sensor operator consoles. It should have ISO 9001:2008 certification," it added.

DND Undersecretary Fernando Manalo, Special Bids and Awards Committee-1 chair, earlier said bid opening and submission is slated on Aug. 11. It will be held at the DND Building, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City at around 10 a.m.

Money for the long-range patrol aircraft project will be sourced from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Act Trust Fund.

The contract includes sensors, sensor integration, mission support facilities and integrated logistic support, Manalo said.

Winning bidders are required to deliver the aircraft within 1,035 calendar days upon receipt of the notice to proceed.

Manalo said that participants must have completed a similar project within the last 10 years.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=668396

Northern Luzon Command capable of responding to disasters

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 1): Northern Luzon Command capable of responding to disasters

With the country now on its southwest monsoon phase, the Tarlac-based Northern Luzon Command on Thursday assured the public of its willingness to respond to disasters and help people affected by it.

Lt. Gen. Felicito Virgilio Trinidad Jr., unit commander, made this assurance to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin during his visit to Camp Servillano Aquino in Tarlac.

"There is a dedicated unit per area in the Northern Luzon Command to assist our people. Our units are in close coordination with our civilian counterparts for quick and appropriate response. The system is working and was tested during Typhoon 'Glenda'," he added.

Northern Luzon Command covers provinces composing Northern and Central Luzon.

"Our focus is not only disaster response but preparations of our troops in collaboration with communities before a calamity strikes," Trinidad stressed.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=668424

Bangsamoro Law top priority of Aquino admin - Deles

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 1): Bangsamoro Law top priority of Aquino admin - Deles

Peace adviser Teresita Quintos Deles said that the list of priority measures submitted by the Office of the President to Congress shows that the Aquino administration will go all-out to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress.

“The BBL topped the list of 26 proposed priority measures that was submitted by the Office of the President for enactment by the 16th Congress,” Deles said, saying that this demonstrates “government intends to see through the full implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB)."

The peace panels of the Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will resume their review of the 18 articles making up the draft law today in Davao City.

Chief government negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said in a television interview that the GPH and MILF peace panels aim to submit the proposed law to Congress within this month.

“This August, the draft BBL should be submitted to Congress because if it takes longer, Congress will also have a hard time to fast-track its passage," she said. "We know that a plebiscite will be conducted first prior to the transition to the Bangsamoro."

In his State of the Nation Address last Monday in Congress, the President said he wants the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to have more than a year in office.

According to the chief negotiator, “when the draft BBL reaches Congress, [they] can be confident that it was thoroughly reviewed."

Processes and mechanisms in place

Deles assured that while the peace panels are hard at work on the draft BBL, “processes and mechanisms are in place to meet the goal of having the law passed before the end of the year, including coordination between the executive and the legislature.”

“We continue to move forward in this crucial political undertaking,” Deles said, “and the GPH-MILF joint ceasefire committee continues to monitor and ensure stability on the ground.”

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=0&sid=&nid=0&rid=668644

Japan gives names to disputed Islands

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 1): Japan gives names to disputed Islands

The Japanese government announced Friday it gave names to five uninhabited islands of Senkaku, or Diaoyu, island group in the East China Sea also claimed by China.

Two islands united with a small isthmus were named Nantokodzima, or South Eastern Small Island, while another three islands were named Nanseikodzima (South Western Small Island), Higasikodzima (Eastern Small Island) and Seikhokuseikodzima (Western Southwestern Smaller Island). The names will be used for new maps.

In total, Japan has claimed about 500 remote islands, out of which 158 small uninhabited islands had no names before today. After the escalation of tensions with China, Tokyo decided to name the islands in order to better assert its sovereignty over them.

Ties between Japan and China have worsened after September 11, 2012, when the Japanese government purchased three out of the five Senkaku (Diaoyu) islands from a private Japanese owner paying nearly USD 30 million.

The islands dispute between China and Japan has gone on since early 1970s. Japan claims that it has occupied the islands since 1895 and before that they did not belong to anybody. Beijing assures that the islands were made part of the Chinese Empire as early as 600 years ago, and they were labeled as Chinese territories on Japanese maps made in 1783 and 1785.

After the World War II the islands remained under US control and were given to Japan in 1972 together with the island of Okinawa. Taiwan and Mainland China believe that the move was unlawful.

Tokyo now claims that the islands belong to Japan as they always were an inalienable part of the Okinawa Prefecture and the only reason China lays its claims to them is that the region is rich with natural resources.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=668650

Suspected rebel charged with arson

From the Sun Star-Davao (Jul 31): Suspected rebel charged with arson

THE suspected New People's Army (NPA) member who was previously charged for multiple crimes is facing charges anew, this time for burning down a truck owned by a farming company in Calinan, Davao City on January 24.

Facing syndicated arson charges before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Davao City Branch 16 is Roberto Castillote and other unidentified co-members of the NPA's. The Davao City Prosecution Office found probable cause to charge Castillote and the other NPA members based on the complaint filed by security guards of the Davao Agricultural Ventures Corporation identified as Arconcel Agton and Charlie Mandante.

The security guards, in their affidavit, said they saw suspects enter the area where the Game Boom Harvester truck was parked around 6:30 p.m. They tried to stop the three but they were hesitant as they saw around 20 more men including Castillote entering the compound. They then saw the suspects setting the truck ablaze.

The two then informed their supervisor Ricardo Baniquid and proceeded to Baguio police to report the incident. But when they returned, the heavy equipment was totally burned down. The estimated cost of the damage was around P15 million.

RTC Branch 16 Judge Emmanuel Carpio ordered the arrest of Castillote.
Castillote was earlier charged for slight illegal detention for briefly holding seven men and killing one of the captives at Baguio District on March 1, 2013. On the same year, he was accused of murdering a former village chief on September 29 and killing another man on September 5.

He was also accused of detaining three Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) personnel in 2012.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2014/07/31/suspected-rebel-charged-arson-357063

PNP, army on alert after killing of MILF official in N. Cotabato

Posted to the Manila Bulletin (Jul 31): PNP, army on alert after killing of MILF official in N. Cotabato

Midsayap, North Cotabato — Police and military forces in Midsayap, North Cotabato and its environs have been placed on heightened alert following the death of a barangay captain and official of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in a shootout with police last Tuesday.

Superintendent Reynante Delos Santos, Midsayap police chief, said armed followers of Ibrahim Simpal may launch retaliatory attacks against the police and the military over his death when he shot it out with a police Special Operations Group (SOG) team serving a warrant for his arrest.

Simpal, the elected village chief in Barangay Ulandang, Midsayap and known as “Commander Ibo” in the MILF, still has armed followers.

A police officer who asked to remain anonymous for lack of authority to speak to media said Simpal was one of North Cotabato’s most wanted men having three arrest warrants for illegal gun possession and involvement in the illegal drug trade.

http://www.mb.com.ph/pnp-army-on-alert-after-killing-of-milf-official-in-n-cotabato/

16,000 applicants to take PMA entrance exams

From the Philippine Star (Aug 1): 16,000 applicants to take PMA entrance exams

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City, Philippines   – Some 16,000 men and women will take the entrance examinations for the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) on Aug. 3 in various testing centers nationwide.

At least 37 testing centers from Laoag City in the north to Tawi-Tawi in the southernmost island of the country will be opened for these aspiring young men and women.

“The PMA – with its mission to instruct, train and develop cadets so each graduate will possess the character, the broad and basic military skills and the education essential to the pursuit of a military career – guarantees that the future officers will be coming from the brightest candidates,” said PMA spokesman Major Reynaldo Balido.

For those who have applied but have not received their testing permits or those who have pending applications due to lack of requirements are reminded to proceed to the testing centers and bring along with them their valid ID., Form 137 (transcript of records or high school report card), birth certificate and two 2x2 picture with white background.

Walk-in applicants should bring their application forms along with the other requirements for processing.

Balido said walk-in applicants maybe allowed to take the examination subject to availability of test booklets.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/08/01/1352414/16000-applicants-take-pma-entrance-exams

More foreigners expected to invest in Maguindanao

From the Philippine Star (Jul 31): More foreigners expected to invest in Maguindanao



Brig. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan of the Army's 6th Infantry Division plants an "organic" banana seedling, with the help of Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, during Wednesday's launching of the vast environment-friendly agricultural plantation in the province, to symbolize the Philippine Army's support for the project. (John Unson)

Local entrepreneurs expect more foreigners to put up more organic plantations in the province following Wednesday’s launching of Asia’s first ever environment-friendly 1,500-hectare banana farm in Ampatuan town.

Bai Sandra Siang, chair of the Muslim Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kutawato, said the new all-organic Cavendish banana farm near the site of the infamous Nov. 23, 2009 “Maguindanao Massacre” sounded interesting to their contacts abroad, who learned about it via social media.

Siang said what is also fascinating about the banana venture is the involvement in its establishment of clerics belonging to its main operating entity, the Al-Mujahidun Agro Resources and Development, Inc. (AMARDI).

AMARDI officials told reporters, during the launching of the banana farm Wednesday morning, that they will also put up an Islamic school, a hospital, and a “halal” food processing plant in the area to help address poverty and underdevelopment in Barangay Masalay in Ampatuan town.

The term halal is an Arabic description for food that Muslims can eat, free from anything "haram" (forbidden) such as pork, alcohol and toxic ingredients.

“We in the local business community shall support this capital intensive project. This will benefit the Moro communities in the municipality of Ampatuan,” Siang said.

Businessman Pete Marquez, a senior official of various business clubs in Central Mindanao, said the introduction of large-scale organic banana farming in the province by the AMARDI and its two multinational benefactors, the Univex and the Delinanas of the Del Monte fruit firm, is one big stride for the environment-protection thrusts of local groups and the national government.

“Add to that the initial employment by that plantation of 2,000 Moro workers. That is good for the normalization and peace restoration efforts of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),” Marquez pointed out.

Marquez said it is apparently for the fragile peace now in Maguindanao that Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu succeeded in convincing the capitalists of the 1,500-hectare banana plantation to invest in Ampatuan, tarnished by the politically motivated Maguindanao Massacre that left 58 people dead.

Mangudadatu had told reporters that it was for the curiosity of foreign traders on how they can help change the image of Ampatuan town that ushered them into the municipality.

Also present in last Wednesday's on-field launching rite was Costa Rican entrepreneur-technocrat, Gonzalo Ordeñana, who is helping put up the banana farm, and his counterparts in the AMARDI, cleric Abdulwahid Sumauang, and Akmad Bullecer.

Siang, Marquez, and officials of the Regional Business Council of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said they are delighted with how the provincial government, the AMARDI, and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division are cooperating in securing the surroundings of the banana plantation.

Brig. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, who was one of the special guests to Wednesday’s event at the project site, said the joint security efforts of Mangudadatu, the 6th ID and AMARDI will be coordinated with the joint ceasefire committee of the government and the MILF.

Pangilinan said the 6th ID is obliged to help secure the project since most of the lands rented by AMARDI for banana growing are owned by either members, or supporters of the MILF.

“This is an opportunity for the military to show that it wants the cordiality between the government and the MILF nurtured and sustained, in support of the Mindanao peace process,” Pangilinan said.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/07/31/1352363/more-foreigners-expected-invest-maguindanao

AFP makes another logistics run amid coup talk

From GMA News (Jul 31): AFP makes another logistics run amid coup talk



A convoy of two Army and Marine armored personnel carriers and several military trucks carrying troops stops by the Parola area in Tondo, Manila on Thursday, July 31, during a logistics run at the Port Area. The convoy has returned to Camp Aguinaldo with its cargo. Roy Lozano

While talks of a possible coup attempt have yet to die down, the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Thursday made another logistics run to Metro Manila.

 

AFP public affairs office head Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said military trucks escorted by armored vehicles brought the equipment from the pier in Manila to Camp Aguinaldo.

 

This came a day after the AFP delivered "mission-essential" equipment from Northern Luzon and Southern Luzon commands.

 

But Zagala declined to give details on the logistics transported for "security reasons."

 

"That's a logistics run. We brought in supplies from the pier. We cant give you details for security reason. That's fully coordinated and authorized. From the pier, they were brought to Camp Aguinaldo," he said.

 

On Wednesday, the military allayed fears of a destabilization attempt after a convoy with an armored personnel carrier and military trucks were seen on Epifanio delos Santos Avenue.

 

Zagala told radio dzBB Wednesday they had not monitored any development that could be connected to a destabilization plot as claimed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. 

 

He added the Armed Forces has a high level of professionalism and that soldiers' grievances had already been addressed through "various reforms."

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/372826/news/metromanila/afp-makes-another-logistics-run-amid-coup-talk

Pentagon group member nabbed in Sultan Kudarat

From GMA News (Jul 31): Pentagon group member nabbed in Sultan Kudarat

The Philippine National Police on Thursday arrested a member of the notorious Pentagon kidnap-for-ransom group in Sultan Kudarat.

 

Said Giad, alias Maestro, was nabbed in Barangay Sampao in Isulan town 5 a.m. Thursday, the police said in a report emailed to reporters. 

 

Giad was wanted for a string of kidnapping cases in Cotabato City. 

 

He was charged with the kidnapping of  five engineers working for the Philippine National Oil Company namely Jeffrey Estember, Eric Nonan, Ferdinand Bergonia, Rudilyn Felex, and Rodelo Pillen.

Giad is also facing charges for the kidnapping of a certain Wendell Wee.

 

He has a P175,000 bounty on his head. 

 

The Pentagon group is involved in kidnapping for ransom. It was headed by Tahir Alonto, who reportedly died in 2011. 

 

Alonto was also linked to  Al-Khobar Group, an extortionist group in Central Mindanao.  The group was notorious for calling in a bomb threat and then demanding a huge amount of money for the members to stop the attack. 

 

Giad had been under surveillance by the PNP Provincial Police, the Isulan Municipal Police, and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group prior to his arrest. 

 

The suspect was brought to Isulan Municipal Police State for booking.

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/372821/news/regions/pentagon-group-member-nabbed-in-sultan-kudarat

Alleged kidnapper ‘Maestro’ captured

From the Business World (Jul 31): Alleged kidnapper ‘Maestro’ captured

A MEMBER of a dreaded kidnap-for-ransom group was arrested early morning Thursday in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, following a joint operation by government security forces in the area.

According to police reports, agents of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), the Isulan Municipal Police Station and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) arrested Said Giad, alias, Maestro, at around 5:00 a.m., Sampao Village, in said province.

 

Mr. Giad, who has a P175,000 cash reward on his head, is wanted for a string of kidnapping cases in Cotabato City including the kidnapping of five engineers working for the Philippine National Oil Company and a certain Wendell Wee.

 

Police intelligence said Mr. Giad has links to the organized crime group Pentagon, a kidnap-for-ransom group which was led by the late Tahir Alonto, a former commander of the Moro National Liberation Front.

 

The Pentagon group is believed to be involved in extortion, robbery, drug-trafficking and contract killing. It also has links to the Al-Khobar group, which is reportedly engaged in extortion and terror activities victimizing transport and business groups in central Mindanao.

 

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=alleged-kidnapper-‘maestro’-captured&id=91945

Soldier dead in clash with NPA in Capiz

From the Philippine Star (Jul 31): Soldier dead in clash with NPA in Capiz

A soldier was killed in an encounter with communist rebels in Tapaz, Capiz Thursday, a military official said.

Maj. Ray Tiongson, spokesman of the Army’s 3rd division, said members of the 61st battalion were conducting development activities in Barangay Roosevelt when they were fired upon by about 10 rebels.

The insurgents are said to be members of a platoon under the New People’s Army Panay Regional Committee.

“Our troops were there to help the local government unit in assisting the people to resolve the issues in their community,” said Lt. Col. Victor Llapitan, commander of the 61st Infantry Battalion.

“We engaged the NPA bandits that resulted in the death of one of our soldiers,” he added.

The slain soldier was identified as Pfc. Lowel John Bravo, 31, a resident of Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.

Tiongson said blood stains were seen along the rebels’ route of withdrawal.

“The NPA continues to deprive the people of Tapaz to have a developed community. This will not hamper our initiatives to provide the necessary services and assistance to the people for them to have a peaceful and better life,” Llapitan said.

Maj. Gen. Aurelio Baladad, chief of Army’s 3rd division, instructed his troops to ensure the safety and security of the people in the area while adhering to International Humanitarian Law and the rule of law.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/07/31/1352383/soldier-dead-clash-npa-capiz

Philippines: Visions Of The Future

From the Strategy Page (Jul 29): Philippines: Visions Of The Future

July 29, 2014: MILF is accusing the army of violating the ceasefire in the south (Maguindanao province) by moving troops around a lot. The army replied that this was in an effort to deal with BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) rebels in the area. BIFF is a radical MILF faction that does not support the MILF peace negotiations. The main Filipino Moslem separatist group (MILF) has been fighting the BIFF since 2011. A 2012 peace deal with BIFF which was supposed to see the dissidents rejoin MILF and stop causing problems with their attacks on Christians in the south. This quickly fell apart and the BIFF violence had been getting worse ever since. BIFF went back to attacking Christians and the security forces and this resulted in heavy losses. BIFF contained about a thousand armed men in early 2013 and is believed to be down to a few hundred gunmen now. Those who do remain are hard core and many are willing to die rather than surrender. BIFF had become increasingly violent and outspoken about how MILF is selling out Moslems. MILF was reluctant to use force to deal with BIFF but now that the peace negotiations have created a Moslem homeland down south BIFF is being denounced as evil, hostile and deserving of a violent crackdown. But many MILF commanders are reluctant to cooperate with the army against BIFF and the army does not trust MILF commanders to keep secrets about operations against BIFF.
 
BIFF and Abu Sayyaf commanders occupy most of the top positions on the government’s “most wanted” list. The government offers cash rewards for information about any of the Islamic terrorists, rebels and criminals on this list. The government is also warning MILF to crack down on the growing number of its members who are engaged in importing and selling Shabu (slang for illegal methamphetamine pills, often smuggled in from Burma via Thailand). MILF members are going to run the government of the new autonomous state in the south and corruption (like cooperating with the shabu trade) is expected to be a major problem. 
  
Meanwhile the Chinese aggression in the South China Sea has created a widespread belief that war is not only possible but imminent. A recent opinion poll in the region found that over 60 percent of the people in nations bordering the South China Sea feared Chinese aggression and the war it might trigger. A similar percentage of Chinese agreed. China created this mindset, and the world wonders what China is going to do about it. Another interesting trend is that more people in the region, and worldwide, are agreeing that China is now a superpower. More Chinese have that attitude as well. 
  
The U.S. is reducing its counter-terrorism force in the Philippines (currently about 320 personnel) because the Islamic terrorist threat in the Philippines has been greatly reduced since the U.S. began assisting the Philippines in this area after September 11, 2001. These days the Philippines is more interested in getting naval, air and diplomatic support from the U.S. against China.
  
July 28, 2014: In the south (Sulu) several dozen Abu Sayyaf gunmen ambushed two vans carrying over 40 civilians and killed 21 of them (including women and six children). The civilians were on their way to festival celebrating the end of Ramadan. The Islamic terrorist group was feuding with the village the victims came from. This was believed to involve a clan feud as well, plus the village had a defense militia that caused the Islamic terrorists problems. In the south, these feuds tend to get brutal with lots of dead women and children. 
  
July 24, 2014: In the south (Basilan) troops found and attacked an Abu Sayyaf hideout. Three of the Islamic terrorists were killed as well as two local militiamen who were with the troops. The three dead Abu Sayyaf men were later identified as participants in a notorious 2011 kidnapping. Another five Islamic terrorists were wounded. 
  
July 21, 2014: In the south (Maguindanao province) BIFF rebels attacked troops guarding two towns. These attacks failed and 17 of the attackers died along with one soldier (three soldiers were wounded plus many more of the attackers.)
 
July 17, 2014: In the south (Sulu) Abu Sayyaf kidnapped four government employees who were surveying residents in preparation for a social welfare program. One of the four survey takers soon escaped but the other three are apparently being held for ransom. These ransoms have long been a major source of income for Islamic terrorists in the south. 
  
July 13, 2014: In the south (Lanao del Sur province) a local MILF commander and a soldier were killed when the MILF leader ordered some of his men to attack army troops who moved towards his base. Two soldiers and two MILF men were also wounded. This all turned out to be a misunderstanding. The soldiers were providing security (against local criminals) for a TV crew filming a documentary. The MILF commander apparently did not know that and assumed the troops were there to arrest him (because of a recently issued arrest warrant against him by a provincial court.) The troops alerted their headquarters when the shooting began and the army contacted local MILF authorities and after a few hours it was all sorted out. 
  
July 12, 2014: In the north (Quezon) two soldiers were wounded when their patrol clashed with twenty NPA gunmen. The rebels fled and it appears some were wounded. 
  
For the second time since April Filipino criminals (apparently Abu Sayyaf) crossed the Sulu Sea at night to nearby Malaysia (Sabah) and attacked a vacation resort. This time the gunmen encountered two policemen and in the following gun battle killed one of the police and kidnapped the other. Before this year the last time this sort of thing happened was in 2000, when Abu Sayyaf took 21 people from another Sabah resort. Most of those hostages were released within five months after the payment of ransoms. Since then security was increased on both sides of the Sulu Sea and foreign tourists began returning to the Malaysian resorts. Small speedboats can make it across the Sulu Sea to Sabah quickly because some of the smaller Filipino islands are less than 20 kilometers from Sabah. Filipino and Malaysian patrol boats monitor this patch of sea but not on a 24/7 basis and at night a couple of small speedboats are easy to miss. Security was increased after the April attack, and tourist business fell ten percent. Although this second attack failed to reach any tourists, it is not good for business and Malaysia is pressing the Philippines to do more to stop this sort of cross border crime.
  
July 10, 2014: An army investigation concluded that it was friendly fire (misdirected artillery fire) that killed six soldiers and wounded 13 others last June 19^th during a clash with Abu Sayyaf on Sulu Island.  
 
July 8, 2014: In the south (Mindanao) an army patrol encountered about 30 NPA rebels and a gun battle ensured before the rebels fled. Six soldiers were wounded along with an undetermined number of the communist rebels.
http://www.strategypage.com/%5Cqnd%5Cphillip%5Carticles%5C20140729.aspx

Abducted cop safe, says ex-hostage

From the Star Online (Jul 31): Abducted cop safe, says ex-hostage

KOTA KINABALU: Abducted marine policeman Kons Zakiah Aleip (pic) is safe but kept under close guard by an Abu Sayyaf faction in the mountainous jungles of Indanan, in the southern Philippines island of Jolo.

“He is unharmed,” said Remigio Lingayan, a Filipino hostage who was freed on Sunday after 53 days in captivity.

“I heard some of the gunmen talking about another group holding a Malay policeman. “They said he was all right,” said Lingayan when contacted by the The Star by telephone in his hometown of Zamboanga City yesterday.

He said the group holding Kons Zakiah was moving about in the mountainous terrain of Indanan to avoid detection by Philippine security forces.

Kons Zakiah, 26, was abducted when gunmen attacked a marine police unit at the Mabul Water Bungalows Resort in Pulau Mabul on July 12.

His colleague Kpl Ab Rajah Jamuan, 32, was killed in the incident.

Previous news reports had stated that an Abu Sayyaf faction headed by Alhabsi Misaya was holding Kons Zakiah captive.

Lingayan, 50, was a plumber in Maimbung town in Jolo for about four years when Abu Sayyaf gunmen took him captive on June 5.

The faction that held him was led by a gunman called Vario.

Lingaya said he was treated well though the kidnappers repeatedly warned him not to make any attempt to escape.

“I think Zakiah is being treated the same way, too,” he said, adding that the constant moving around in the mountainous area of Jolo was the toughest part of being held as a hostage.

Lingayan said the group that held him was also the same one that had kept Chinese national Yang Zai Lin, 34, who was snatched from a fish farm in Pulau Baik on May 6.

“There was this man from China who was kidnapped from Malaysia.
“He was freed in early July,” Lingayan said. (Yang was released on July 9.)

He said he did not hear anything about Chan Sai Chuin, 32, a Malaysian who was abducted from a fish farm at Kampung Sapang near Kunak on June 16.

According to Philippines media quoting authorities there, Lingayan was freed on Sunday after a 500,000 peso (RM36,633) ransom was paid.

Lingayan said the gunmen who held him also had a German couple and a Chinese mother and daughter as hostages.

The Philippines Anti-Kidnapping Group identified the other hostages as Henrike Dielen and Stefan Victor Okonek, who were snatched off Palawan in April, and Chinese nationals Dina Tan and her daughter Yahong, who were abducted in May in Basilan island.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/07/31/Abducted-cop-safe-says-exhostage/

Countermeasures must be fitted on CAS aircraft, DND tells prospective bidders

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 31): Countermeasures must be fitted on CAS aircraft, DND tells prospective bidders

To ensure the survivability of its (close-air support (CAS) aircraft and pilots, the Department of National Defense (DND) has informed its prospective bidders that their designs must feature countermeasures against enemy missiles and guns with radar tracking equipment.

In a supplemental bid bulletin posted at the DND website, the countermeasures being sought by the agency for its CAS planes include radar warning receivers, missile alert warning systems, flares and chaff dispensers.

"With the current threat environment and to ensure pilot and aircraft survivability, the aircraft must have radar warning receiver(s), missile alert warning system(s) and chaffs and flares," it added.

These countermeasures will allow pilots to evade or decoy missiles fired at them and fool radar systems trying to track their aircraft.

Bid opening for the CAS project is set for Aug. 11.

The DND is planning to acquire six CAS aircraft to replace or beef up the Philippine Air Force's existing Rockwell OV-10 "Bronco" turboprop attack planes.

CAS refers to capability to provide air support to infantry and naval units in contact with the enemy.

Funding for this weapon system will be sourced from the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program.

Bid submission and opening will be held at the DND Bidding and Awards Committee Conference Room, Basement Right Wing, DND Building, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

DND Undersecretary Fernando Manalo earlier said that the contract includes integrated logistic support system.

Winning bidders must be able to deliver the aircraft within 540 calendar days from contract effectivity.

Participants in the DND's CAS project must have completed a similar program within the last 10 years.

Manalo added that the CAS aircraft must be used by the countries offering and manufacturing them.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=668004