Russia wants peaceful solution to West Philippine Sea dispute in accordance with international law

From Ang Malaya (Oct 20): Russia wants peaceful solution to West Philippine Sea dispute in accordance with international law

Russia also wants a peaceful solution to the West Philippine Sea issue and that it particularly supports the conclusion of a legally-binding Code of Conduct in the West Philippine Sea, this was expressed by Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov to Senate President Franklin M. Drilon. The Senate chief met with the Russian official October 19 in Moscow.

The Senate President noted that Russia is neutral on the issue of claims “but supportive of peaceful settlement in accordance with international law.” He told the Russian Foreign Minister that “both countries can still work together to strengthen regional peace and stability.”

Drilon and Lavrov discussed pressing global and wide range of issues, including recent developments in East Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

He also handed to Lavrov President Benigno S. Aquino III’s invitation to President Vladimir Putin to attend the 23 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Manila next month. Foreign Minister Lavrov expressed deep appreciation for the invitation and said that President Putin is looking forward to visiting Manila next month.

“The Senate President is in Russia on the invitation of Mme. Valentina I. Metvienko, Chairperson of the Federal Council, Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation,” the Senate said in a press statement.

Senate President Drilon is also scheduled to deliver a speech at the Plenary Session of the Federal Council on October 21, 2015. He will be the first Filipino statesman to address the Russian Parliament.

http://www.angmalaya.net/nation/2015/10/20/14448-russia-wants-peaceful-solution-to-west-philippine-sea-dispute-in-accordance-with-international-law

Philippines keen on deepening relations with Russia on all fronts

From Ang Malaya (20): Philippines keen on deepening relations with Russia on all fronts

Senate President Franklin Drilon is currently in Russia at the invitation of Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Chairperson of the Federal Council Valentina I. Metvienko. The Senate chief is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Plenary Session of the Federal Council on October 21 2015. “He will be the first Filipino statesman to address the Russian Parliament,” Senate of the Philippines said in a press statement.

While in Moscow, October 19, Senator Drilon met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lagrov. They were able to discuss pressing global issues including recent developments in East Asia, the Middle East and Europe. They also tackled the issue of disputes in West Philippine Sea.

“Our efforts at the regional level should be complemented by our work at the bilateral level. This is why the Philippines is keen on deepening relations with Russia on all fronts. I believe we need not be held back by history and traditional alliances. Pragmatism and imagination should guide us instead,” the senator told the Russian official.

“We are in total agreement and keen on moving forward with our bilateral relations,” Lagrov told Drilon.

“The Senate President said the Philippines is also interested in signing a number of pending agreements from consular protection, to humanitarian cooperation, to trade and investment enhancement, to fighting transnational crimes, including terrorism, to defense and security cooperation, among others,” the Senate said in the statement.

http://www.angmalaya.net/nation/2015/10/20/14451-philippines-keen-on-deepening-relations-with-russia-on-all-fronts

ASG releases kidnapped finance officer in Indanan, Sulu

From the Philippine News Agency (21): ASG releases kidnapped finance officer in Indanan, Sulu

Continuing focused military operations has forced the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) to release another kidnap victim in Indanan, Sulu Tuesday.

Joint Task Group Sulu commander Brig. Gen. Alan Arrajado said Priscillano Garcia, the finance officer of a Tawi-Tawi-based mining firm, was snatched by the bandits last April 3 in Bongao town, also in Sulu.

Reports regarding Garcia's release reached the military unit 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, prompting Arrojado to order a search for the victim.

Garcia was spotted by Joint Task Group Sulu and Special Action Force units at the Jolo Pier looking for boat trip to Zamboanga City at 7:40 p.m..

The former was immediately transported to Kutang Heneral Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo for medical checkup and debriefing.

Garcia was brought to the Jolo Pier at 8:45 p.m. and placed aboard a Navy multi-purpose assault craft for his journey to Zamboanga City.

"Accordingly, the KV (kidnap victim) was released hoping that the operation targeting (ASG sub-commander) Radullan Sahiron would ease a little," Arrojado said.

Meanwhile, troopers from the 32nd Infantry Battalion, on focused military operations, clashed with an estimated 100 ASG members under Sahiron at Sitio Kan Tabia, Barangay Buhanginan, Patikul, Sulu 9:05 p.m. Tuesday.

The firefight lasted for 20 minutes and resulted in the wounding of undetermined number of bandits and no losses for government troopers. Pursuit operations are still ongoing.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=817568

China says South China Sea lighthouses are not meant to alter 'status quo'

From InterAksyon (Oct 20): China says South China Sea lighthouses are not meant to alter 'status quo'



The Huayang Lighthouse is pictured during an inauguration ceremony in the South China Sea, in this picture released by China's official Xinhua News Agency dated October 9, 2015. REUTERS/Xinhua

China does not seek to change the existing status of territorial claims in the South China Sea with its newly built lighthouses, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, arguing that Beijing already had "indisputable sovereignty" in the contested waters.'

China says its lighthouses on Cuarteron Reef and Johnson South Reef in the Spratly islands will assist navigational security, but experts and diplomats call them a shrewd move to buttress Beijing's territorial claims.

[Read related story: China uses lighthouses in Spratlys to bolster recognition of claims - expert]

China claims most of the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in shipborne trade passes every year. But neighbors Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam also have overlapping claims.

Cuarteron Reef and Johnson South Reef are known in the Philippines as Calderon Reef and Mabini Reef, respectively.

On Monday, the Philippines' foreign ministry said the lighthouses were "obviously intended to change actual conditions" and that Manila would not accept China's "unilateral actions as a fait accompli".

[Read related story: Philippines hits out at Chinese lighthouses in disputed sea]

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying defended the structures as "completely within China's sovereignty" and said they had no relation to "some people's" comments that China was trying to bolster its hold over the islands.

"I want to stress that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha islands and surrounding waters," Hua said, using the Chinese name for the Spratlys. "We absolutely do not need to build lighthouses to strengthen our sovereignty claims." She added, "There is no issue of changing the status quo."

The United States, which has criticized China's building on artificial islands, has said it would sail or fly wherever international law allows.

[Read related story: VIDEO | US Navy mulls sailing near disputed South China Sea islands]

While the US and other navies mostly rely on electronic instruments to confirm their ships' positions, visual fixes from lighthouses are still used in certain conditions.

References to the lighthouses are likely to find their way into international shipping charts and registers and the logbooks of foreign navies.

Experts say that could help China to build a long-term legal picture of effective occupation, despite any formal diplomatic objections of rival claimants.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/119192/china-says-south-china-sea-lighthouses-are-not-meant-to-alter-status-quo

Bureau of Immigration issues deportation order against Pemberton

From InterAksyon (Oct 20): Bureau of Immigration issues deportation order against Pemberton



The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has issued a deportation order against American soldier Joseph Scott Pemberton, who is the prime suspect in the death of Filipino transgender Jeffery "Jennifer" Laude in October 2014.

In a five-page resolution, the BI Board of Commissioners issued the deportation order against the foreigner for undesirability.

“Wherefore, we find respondent Joseph Scott Pemberton, American national, to be an undesirable alien and order his deportation, subject to the issuance of a clearance from the Regional Trial Court, Branch 74, Olongapo City and other appropriate government agencies,” said the resolution dated Sept. 16, 2015.

The order also included the name of the foreigner in the bureau’s blacklist which bars him from reentering the country.

The BI also cited the testimonies of Mark Clarence “Barbie” Gelviro before the Senate hearing and Elias Galamos, the cashier of the Celzone Lodge, Olongapo City, and the finding of probable cause by the City Prosecutor and the Olongapo RTC.

“In deportation cases, even an iota of evidence showing that an alien is unfit to remain in the country is sufficient. Considering all the attendant circumstances: (1) Gelviro’s statement before the Senate hearing is credible, clear, and consistent as he directly and categorically narrated how, when, and where Respondent murdered Laude; (2) Elias Galamos, the cashier of the lodge, corroborated Gelviro’s statement. He allegedly saw Pemberton walk out of the room and leave the lodge less than an hour after they checked in; (3) the finding of probable cause by the Office of the City Prosecutor of Olongapo City; (4) the finding of probable cause and issuance of a warrant of arrest by the Regional Trial Court, Branch 74, Olongapo City – is to our mind more than an iota of proof of his undesirability,” the decision added.

The decision stemmed from the case filed by the BI’s Law Division against Pemberton for posing a risk to public interest (undesirability) and included his name in the bureau’s watch list on Oct. 26, 2014.

Pemberton is detained at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/119189/bureau-of-immigration-issues-deportation-order-against-pemberton

Authorities play down politics in mayor’s slay

From The Standard (Oct 20): Authorities play down politics in mayor’s slay

A security official yesterday played down politics as the motive behind the slaying of three-term Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay Mayor Randy Climaco, who was ambushed last week just after he filed his Certificate of Candidacy for vice mayor.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, linked the elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s113rd Base Command as behind Climaco’s ambush.

“The ambushed was not likely politically motivated. It was only timed for the first day of filling of candidacy. We are looking at grudge between the mayor and some elements of the MILF,” the security official said.

Climaco’s Vice Mayor Abison Abduraok, who is running for mayor, five escorts and a driver were wounded in the attack.

It has been reported that Climaco is at odds with some MILF groups over control of rubber plantations in the town.

Philippine National Police chief Ricardo Marquez also said he does not believe politics is the reason for the attack and that he shares the Commission on Elections’ outlook
that the week-long filling of Certificates of Candidacy nationwide was peaceful.

He added that the PNP’s security preparations for the CoC was successful.

The PNP aims to reduce election-related violent incidents posted in two previous national elections in 2010 and 2013, “we have to further reduce election-related incidents. The direction today is adopted whole-of-government approach,” Marquez said.

http://thestandard.com.ph/news/-provinces/189922/authorities-play-down-politics-in-mayor-s-slay.html

Pollwatch: MILF won’t join 2016 election but rebels free to cast votes

From the Manila Bulletin (Oct 19): Pollwatch: MILF won’t join 2016 election but rebels free to cast votes

As in past elections, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will not participate in the May 2016 political exercise.  But they will not prevent their members from casting their votes.

 

“This has been the policy of the MILF since its inception in September 1977,” the group said on its official online portal (Luwaran.com).

 

The MILF cited the four presidential bets: “Sen. Miriam Santiago, Sen. Grace Llamanzares-Poe, former Secretary Mar Roxas, and Vice President Jejomar Binay.”

 

“We do not and will not pass judgment on them. It is for the people to determine who is the better leader in their judgement,” the MILF said.

 

It cited three reasons for its apolitical stance.

 

First, the MILF is still a revolutionary organization.  Second, the “MILF believes and pursues a different method of choosing leaders of society”; and third, the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is still stalled in Congress.

 

“Therefore, participating in such a highly partisan and divisive exercises, such as in the forthcoming elections in May 2016, will not only bring enmity and animosity among the ranks and file of the MILF but can be a menu for disintegration,” the group said.

 

The MILF, however will allow its members to vote for candidates of their choice, particularly among the presidentiables.

 

“If exercised with caution and clear purpose, voting the right candidate, especially if he or she wins, is a great service to this country,” the MILF said in its Editorial piece.

 

“Good leaders always make a difference in the lives of the people,” the group added.

 

PRO-BBL

 

Without endorsing any presidential candidate, the MILF gave hints as to its possible preference in relation with the Mindanao peace process.

 

“However, in so far as the search for solution to the Bangsamoro Question is concerned, the choice of candidates should be on the basis of their past and their current actuation, including their pronouncements on the BBL,” the Moro Front said.

http://www.mb.com.ph/pollwatch-milf-wont-join-2016-election-but-rebels-free-to-cast-votes/

4 YEARS AFTER | Army official in 2011 Al-Barka carnage gets new command

From InterAksyon (Oct 20): 4 YEARS AFTER | Army official in 2011 Al-Barka carnage gets new command



Lt. Col. Leonardo Pena (right) accepts his new flag of command responsibility as the new commander of the 61st Infantry Battalion. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Lieutenant Colonel Leonardo Peña, one of four Army officials court-martialed in connection with the October 2011 Al-Barka bloodbath, has already served his sentence and was recalled back to duty as a commander.

Nineteen members of the 4th Special Forces Battalion, then under the operational command of Peña, and 18 other SAF members were wounded in Barangay Cambug, Al-Barka, Basilan when they were attacked by hundreds of combined elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), and private armed groups.

They were trying as to serve arrest warrants to hardened criminals inside the MILF territory.

Peña then was barely three months at the 4SF Battalion.

The rebels and bandits were led by Long Malat Sulayman and Furuji Indama of the MILF and ASG, respectively.

On Monday, Peña, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Sambisig Class 1991, was installed commander of the 61st Infantry Battalion based in Visayas. He is one of the marchers of his batch.

Aside from Peña, also subjected to court martial were Col. Aminkadra Undug, former commander of the Special Forces Regiment who was convicted for violation of AW 96 (Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and Gentleman) and 97 (Disorders and Neglect to the Prejudice of Good Order and Military Discipline); Col. Alexander Macario, former commander of the Special Force Task Force-Basilan, who was acquitted of 96 and 97; and Lt. Col. Orlando Edralin, former commandant of the Special Forces School, who was also acquitted of 97.

Originally, Peña was charged for violations of AW 96, 97, and 84 (Willful or Negligent Loss, Damage or Wrongful Disposition). He was acquitted of the charges for violations of AW 96 AND 84.

”The verdict against Lt. Col. Pena is 200 files down in rank and two years suspension both in command,” the court martial CM panel member and now retired Col. Jose Feliciano Loy said.

”Wala tayong magagawa, Unang-una, hindi natin ginusto ang nangyari, (We can’t do anything. Firstly, we did wish for it to happen). As far as I am concerned I have to accept the verdict even with a heavy heart. This I can tell you, dito ako nadapa, dito rin ako babangon (I fell here, I rise here),” Pena then said.

The “200 files down” sentence provides that Peña cannot be promoted to the next rank until the 200 officers below him overtakes his current rank.

”He is also being denied command assignment for two years. Meaning, magkasya muna siya sa (he will have to content himself with) office jobs,” he said.

Peña, a native of Batangas, replaced Lt. Col. Victor Llapitan.

Peña is a graduate of Master of Science in Defense Analysis (National Security Affairs) in Naval Post Graduate School in California, and Master in Public Management Major in Development and Security from the Development Academy of the Philippines.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/119162/4-years-after--army-official-in-2011-al-barka-carnage-gets-new-command

BIFF blamed for killing Army intel agent in Maguindanao

From the Philippine Star (Oct 20): BIFF blamed for killing Army intel agent in Maguindanao



The city police are determining whether the suspects are members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. Philstar.com/File photo

The outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) was blamed for Saturday’s murder here of an Army intelligence agent in an attack that left the victim’s companion badly wounded.

The slain plainclothes operative, Private 1st Class Denver Maguate, and his mission buddy, Aldrin Junsay, also of the same rank, were riding a motorcycle together en route to Maguindanao province when they were attacked from behind by gunmen also riding a bike in tandem.

Maguate died on the spot from gunshot wounds in the head while the wounded Junsay, who was hit in different parts of his body, was rushed by responding barangay folks to a nearby hospital.

BIFF bandits had killed 16 off duty motorcycle-riding soldiers and policemen in one attack after another in nearby towns in the adjoining North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces in the past eight months.

Maguate and Junsay both belong to the Army’s 11th Mechanized Company of the 1st Mechanized Battalion.

They were attacked while at a portion of the busy Sinsuat Avenue here, near the city hall, on their way to the Army’s Camp Siongco in nearby Datu Odin town in Maguindanao.

The city police had said investigators are yet to determine the culprits and their motive for the attack.
Intelligence sources on Tuesday said there were strong indications the suspects were members of the BIFF.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2015/10/20/1512885/biff-blamed-killing-army-intel-agent-maguindanao

Colmenares: PH should not seek US help in South China Sea

From Rappler (Oct 20): Colmenares: PH should not seek US help in South China Sea

The Bayan Muna representative says Manila should not ask help from countries with vested interests, like the United States  



HANDS OFF PHILIPPINES. Group tagged US and China 'bullies' fighting in Philippine 'backyard.'

Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares said that the Philippines must fight for the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) independent of nations with vested interests.

"Let us rely on ourselves like Vietnam and other countries that didn't seek from the United States," Colmenares said in a mix of Filipino and English on Tuesday, October 20.

Colmenares is part of the a group that is pushing for the inclusion of maritime disputes in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC) agenda in November.

He said that, if a country like Vietnam, which is economically behind the Philippines, is pursuing its claim on its own, then the Philippines should be able to do so as well.

"Economically nga, mas-lamang pa tayo sa Vietnam eh, so ano'ng pinagkaiba nila sa atin?" he said. (We are more economically advanced than Vietnam. How different are they from us?)

"Kung kailangan nating humingi ng tulong, humingi tayo ng tulong sa international community, huwag sa mga bansa na may national interest," he said. Colmenares said the United States, for instance, is after advancing its own national interest in extending aid to the Philippines.

(If we need help we should seek help from the international community, not from countries with national interest.)

The Philippines has a military agreement with the United States, allowing the two countries' armed forces to conduct joint exercises even near disputed waters. The US has declared it would come to Manila's aid should the latter be attacked over at the South China Sea.

On Tuesday, October 20, the Pilipinong Nagkakaisa para sa Soberanya (PINAS) held its first general assembly at Miriam College in Quezon City.

PINAS anticipates the coming of US President Barack Obama and China President Xi Jinping to the Philippines for the APEC Summit in November.

"We will welcome presidents Obama and Jinping with placard 'Hands off the Philippines,'" said group convenor and former Gabriela Women's Party Representative Liza Maza.

The group – organized in June by Colmenares, former Senator Rene Saguisag, and artist Bibeth Orteza – wishes to bring the issues of China's reclamation and US' increased military presence in the country to the attention of global leaders attending the November summit.

"These two imperialist countries want to control that part of our exclusive economic zone and extend continental shelf for their own economic and military agenda," Maza added.

In recent months, China's construction in the reclaimed waters has been fast-paced. The country has completed the construction of the 10,000-foot airstrip on the Fiery Cross Reef in September and two lighthouses on the Cuateron and Johnson South Reefs earlier this month.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/109994-colmenares-china-reclamation

China defends actions after Japan scrambled jets

From InterAksyon (Oct 20): China defends actions after Japan scrambled jets



Japanese PC3 surveillance aircraft over Senkaku Isle. File photograph from Reuters

China defended the actions of its air force on Tuesday after Japan said it scrambled fighter jets to prevent possible incursions by Chinese planes a record high number of times in the summer.

Japan jets scrambled 117 times from July to September, up from 103 for the same period last year, although it was lower than the all-time high of 164 times recorded in the final quarter of 2014.

"The actions of China's aircraft in the airspace over the relevant sea are justified and legal," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing.

"We call on Japan to cease all interfering actions targeting China and make constructive efforts to safeguard China-Japan relations and regional peace and stability."

Japan has long been mired in a territorial dispute with China over a group of tiny, uninhabited East China Sea isles, called the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

Patrol ships and fighter jets from Asia's two biggest economies have been shadowing each other – which military airmen informally refer to in air force lingo as "playing chicken" – on and off near the islets, raising fears that a confrontation could result in a clash.

Sino-Japanese ties, also plagued by the two countries' wartime past, concerns over Tokyo's bolder security stance and Beijing's increasing military assertiveness, have thawed a little in the last year.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/119181/china-defends-actions-after-japan-scrambled-jets

Army targets good governance, performance excellence

From the Philippine Information Agency (Oct 20): Army  targets good governance, performance excellence

The Philippine Army is committed to pursue a program towards the attainment of good governance and performance excellence.

The program,  dubbed Army Transformation Roadmap (ATR) has for its primary objective  to transform the Philippine Army into a better, dynamic, responsive, and more professional Army committed to serve the people and secure the land.

“There is a need for us to communicate this roadmap,” said Col. Francisco F. Mendoza, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division of the Philippine Army based at Camp Peralta in Jamindan, Capiz during  the recent Media ATR Orientation Seminar.

Mendoza expressed hope that the people will also appreciate the army’s reform initiatives and he assured that the Philippine Army will always serve the people and secure the land.

Some 24 media from various media institutions in Negros and Panay Islands attended the ATR Orientation Seminar which include the following resource persons: Lt. Co. Von Albert Sumergido, Troop Commander, 6th Light Armored Cavalry Troop, Mechanized Infantry Division; Lt. Col. Rommel Cordova, Commanding Officer, 62nd Infantry Battallion, 3ID, PA; Major Ricky Rafael; Major William Pesase; and Major Alan Tesoro.

The ATR is an 18-year long term program crafted to serve as a reference guide for the Philippine Army leadership and a launching pad for the attainment of the goal by 2018.  

To attain the success of the ATR,  The Philippine Army developed its own performance governance scorecard. This will assess the success of attaining the strategic objectives based on the specified goals, indicators and targets, which can be which can be validated publicly. It will promote transparency and accountability in the fulfillment of its mandate and the performance targets the Philippine Army has committed to reach.

The Army strategic programs include: Army capability development; Character Development; Health service support system; Doctrine development system; PA Training and development; Stakeholder engagement program; Integrated personnel database management system; Network infrastructure development program; Army international defense and security engagement program; Enhancement of the Army logistics system; Army Intel capability development; Institutionalization of Army Resource Management System; Army Housing program; Battalion of excellence program; and Reserve force development program.

In the same seminar, Major Alan Tesoro, Chief, Plans and Research of the Philippine Army Headquarters presented a survey result showing public perceptions that the Philippine Army can help contribute to nation building through building of schools, roads and bridges in far-flung areas; conducting rescue and relief operations during natural and man-made calamities; and conducting medical, dental, civic action and community livelihood programs.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/921445243124/army-targets-good-governance-performance-excellence

Sultan Kudarat PNP raises alert status after twin explosion

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 20): Sultan Kudarat PNP raises alert status after twin explosion

Police authorities in President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat, have heightened alert by establishing more roadblocks following Monday’s twin grenade blasts in Barangay Katico of the municipality.

Philippine Army soldiers were also deployed to augment local police by establishing separate checkpoints in entry and exit points in the peripheries of the municipality.

Sr. Insp. Badrudin Esmael, municipal police chief, said unidentified men on board separate motorbikes sneaked into Katico village around 9 p.m. and for still unknown reasons hurled the grenades at a vacant lot in the area.

Nobody was hurt in the incident but shrapnel hit the house of one Juanita Villeno in the village.

Responding police and military bomb experts recovered at the blast site two safety levers and metal shards from MK-72 hand grenades.

”The grenades could be intended for anyone in Katico,” Esmael said, adding that the suspects tossed the grenades after residents questioned their presence in the village.

Esmael added that a family feud involving Muslim clans exists in the village of Katico that left two persons dead when the warring families figured in a clash.

Esmael appealed to local villagers to notify a police outpost set up nearby whenever they notice suspicious-looking persons roaming their community especially at night.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=817417

Loreto mayor, son found dead by pursuing troops

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 20): Loreto mayor, son found dead by pursuing troops

The operating troops of the Philippine Army’s 23rd Infantry Battalion have found the bodies of Loreto town mayor Dario Otaza and his son Daryl in the vicinity of Purok 2, Barangay Bitan-agan, Butuan City early Tuesday morning.

This was reported by the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) intelligence office here based from the report of the 23rd IB under 2lt. Cris Sabandal.

Army reports said the bodies of Mayor Otaza and Daryl were found hogtied and bore multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of their bodies. 

The bodies of Mayor Otaza and Daryl were found by the Army troops while supporting law enforcement operations.

The area was secured by the Army troops while waiting for the Philippine National Police (PNP) Scene of the Crime Operation (SOCO).

 Mayor Otaza and Daryl were snatched from their home in the village of Baan, Butuan City, Agusan del Sur at about 6:50 p.m. on Monday. Otaza, himself, was a former rebel and a member of the Manobo indigenous people’s group.

 Since he became mayor, Otaza is a local partner of the national government’s Serbisyo Caravan and helped facilitate the surrender of 154 NPA rebels.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=817123

Joint AFP-PNP-PDEA task force formed to restore normalcy in Marawi City

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 20): Joint AFP-PNP-PDEA task force formed to restore normalcy in Marawi City

To restore law and order in Marawi City, regional and local government on Monday created a special task force to contain rising illegal drug related crimes which was capped by the recant ambush-slay of the city’s police chief.

The composite group, aptly called Joint Task Force Ranao, is ordered to implement stricter law enforcement against organized crime syndicates in Marawi.

“A total gun ban would be imposed in Marawi as one of the measures to prevent a repetition of policemen being killed in the city,” Chief Supt. Ronald Estilles, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PNP-ARMM) police director, said.

The PNP-ARMM has administrative and operational control over police in Marawi City, component city of Lanao del Sur.

On October 17, gunmen shot dead in a daring attack Supt. Abner Wahab Santos, Marawi City police chief, as he was aboard alone in his vehicle.

That ill-fated day, Santos was heading back around 2:30 p.m. to Marawi City from a command conference with Lanao del Sur police officers in a nearby area when ambushed by gunmen onboard another vehicle in Barangay Luksadatu, Marawi City.

“Once the city and provincial councils come up with an ordinance, gun ban will be strictly imposed, permit to carry firearms of civilians is suspended,” Estilles said in a phone interview.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman, who presided over a joint regional and provincial peace and order council meeting on Monday, said once the ordinance is in place, no police or military personnel are allowed entry, if they have no official business, in the city.

Police or Army officers in civilian clothes carrying firearms would be denied entry or not allowed to roam around the city, Hataman said in a radio interview.

“Permits to carry firearms would also be suspended within Marawi City,” the governor added.

Heavily tinted vehicles, which are common in Marawi City, would also no longer be allowed.

All vehicles’ license plates are also ordered exposed and not covered by any obstruction.

“The agreement is that all stakeholders must participate in our efforts to restore peace and normalcy in Marawi,” Hataman said.

Hataman and Estilles both said the death of Santos could be traced to his successful dismantling of big time illegal drug operators in the city.

"He (Santos) personally led in the campaign to rid Marawi of illegal drug suppliers, pushers, users and peddlers,” Estilles said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=817224