Taiwan rules out armed conflict with PHL over fisherman's death

From GMA News (May 14): Taiwan rules out armed conflict with PHL over fisherman's death

Although it is not discounting additional sanctions against the Philippines for the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters last May 9, Taiwan does not consider armed conflict against the Philippines as an option.

Taiwanese foreign affairs minister David Lin also admitted thre is little if any chance of joint cooperation in protecting fishing boats in disputed waters, Taipei Times reported Tuesday.

“We do not rule out additional sanctions,” the report quoted Lin as saying, but added he said armed conflict is not an option.

When Taiwanese lawmakers asked him about the chances of cooperation between Taiwan and China in protecting fishing boats in disputed waters, Lin said he “didn’t see this happening.”

 

He pointed out the Philippines upholds “One China” policy, where it maintains diplomatic ties with Beijing but only economic ties with Taipei, which Beijing considers a province.

 Last May 9, Philippine authorities fired on the Taiwanese fishing boat Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, killing fisherman Hung Shih-cheng, 65. The Coast Guard said the boat tried to ram them.

An outraged President Ma Ying-jeou demanded an apology from the Philippines.

He also demanded compensation for Hung’s relatives, as well as an investigation of the incident and punishment for the guilty.

Ma Ying-jeou also demanded that Taiwan and the Philippines start talks on a fisheries agreement. 

 Otherwise, he said that if Manila does not respond by midnight Tuesday, Taiwan may freeze Philippine workers’ applications, recall Taiwan’s representative to the Philippines and expel Basilio. 

Taiwan awaits Manila response

For now, Taiwan expects to hear before midnight Tuesday a formal response from Manila on its demands stemming from the shooting.

Lin said Philippine representative to Taiwan Antonio Basilio assured him Malacañang will have a formal response before the deadline lapses.

He said Basilio had promised him Sunday night he would “make the utmost efforts” to find a solution to the situation.

ut he said Taiwan will immediately impose sanctions, including the freezing of applications of Filipino migrant workers, if Taipei finds Manila’s response unacceptable.

“We will immediately impose the sanctions if we find the response from (Manila) to be unacceptable,” Taipei Times quoted Lin as saying before lawmakers at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Anna Kao also said the ministry had learned that Basilio is scheduled to return to Taipei Tuesday.

 'Confidential meeting'

Also, the Taipei Times cited a Central News Agency report from Manila claiming Aquino  presided over a confidential meeting Monday.

Basilio reportedly attended the meeting, which discussed the issue.

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/308257/news/nation/taiwan-rules-out-armed-conflict-with-phl-over-fisherman-s-death

 

Soldiers clash with NPAs in Agusan Norte

From the Philippine Star (May 14): Soldiers clash with NPAs in Agusan Norte

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – Members of the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Battalion encountered on Sunday night at least 20 suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas supposedly out to disrupt yesterday’s polls in Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte.

Lt. Col. Ricardo Leonardo, the battalion’s commander, confirmed that one of his men was wounded in the encounter in the supposedly rebel-influenced area.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/14/941736/soldiers-clash-npas-agusan-norte

NPA admits killing Tarlac mayoral bet

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (May 13): NPA admits killing Tarlac mayoral bet

A leader of communist rebels operating in Central Luzon has admitted responsibility for the murder of a mayoral candidate in San Jose town in Tarlac last week.

The candidate, Rudy Abella, was not only a former policeman but a leader of the dreaded “Monkees” in the 1970s, Jose Agaton, spokesperson of the New People’s Army’s (NPA) Josefino Corpus Command in Central Luzon, said in a statement sent by e-mail to the Inquirer.

The Monkees were goons of Tarlac politicians in the late 1960s to the 1970s. They included some policemen.

Abella, along with his vice mayoral candidate, Judy Laurzano, also the village chief of Iba, was in a caucus at 5 p.m. on May 6 when two men with .45-cal. and 9mm pistols approached him and shot him at close range. Three other men served as lookout.

Abella, 65, who had served as village chief of Burgos for the past 11 years, was challenging the reelection bid of Mayor Jose Yap Jr., brother of Tarlac Gov. Victor Yap.

The NPA statement said Abella’s group was a “private army” of political warlords who had been involved in cases of massacre, rape, looting, robbery and other crimes.

Agaton said Abella was sentenced to die and punished by members of the NPA’s Nelson Mesina Command for what he described as “sins of the past.”

In a press briefing in Tarlac on Monday, President Aquino said he was informed by police that the initial investigation on Abella’s murder showed that the motive might not be election-related.

The President said the police had a suspect and witnesses, and that “to relate the incident to the elections at this point was speculative.”

In Mindanao, the NPA found itself releasing “arrested individuals,” including soldiers and policemen, after clearing them of suspicions of involvement in “antirevolutionary” activities. But it stopped short of apologizing to its captives or their families.

The communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF) in southern Mindanao said it had ordered the NPA to release a police escort of Compostela Valley Gov. Arturo Uy it had “taken into custody” after flagging down the official’s convoy at a roadblock in the province on April 28.

Pfc. Jesus Tomas of the Army’s 71st Infantry Battalion and SPO2 Allan Pansoy, who was taken out of Uy’s convoy, are to be freed after the NPA did not find enough evidence to indict them, Rubi del Mundo, NDF spokesperson, said.

Del Mundo said the exact date of releases would be determined by the military’s compliance with the NPA demand for suspension of all offensives in the towns of Maco, Mabini, Nabunturan, Mawab and Pantukan. “These towns were being considered as release sites,” she said.

The announcement on the impending releases came barely a day after PO3 Maula Ali of the Arakan, North Cotabato police was set free near Bukidnon.

In April, the rebels released PO3 Ruben Nojapa Jr., who was seized while reporting for work in Nabunturan town on March 18, and seven militiamen they took in Agusan del Sur for “not having committed any serious offense against the people and the revolution.”

A few days earlier, two policemen from Loreto town in Agusan del Sur—PO1 Nemuel España and PO2 Allan Muñez—made a daring escape from an NPA camp after engaging their captors in a brief firefight.

In February, the NPA freed Pfc. Jezreel Culango and PO1 Ruel Pasion, who were both abducted in Laak, Compostela Valley.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/408237/npa-admits-killing-tarlac-mayoral-bet

CPP: Reply to Aquino's termination of the peace talks

Posted to  the CPP Website (May 13): Reply to Aquino's termination of the peace talks

Philippines and all the revolutionary mass organizations under the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) assail the US-Aquino regime’s unilateral termination of the peace negotiations. At the end of April, Malacañang officials declared that the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GPH) under Aquino was no longer interested in talking with the representatives of the NDFP.

To justify their decision, they claimed that the NDFP’s demand to release its 14 peace talks consultants is an unjust and impossible “precondition.” The NDFP clarified that this was not a “precondition” because it is an obligation on the part of the GPH stipulated under the JASIG (Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees).

The JASIG provides guarantees to the safety and security of persons involved in the talks against arrest, detention, surveillance or prosecution by the other party.

The US-Aquino regime has terminated the peace talks without formality and without even giving notice to the NDFP and the Royal Norwegian Government (RNG) which serves as third-party facilitator in the negotiations. The JASIG states that a party intending the early termination of the talks must formally inform the other party, with the termination taking effect 30 days from receipt of such notice. The GPH has not issued any such notice, whether to the NDFP or the RNG, and unilaterally terminated the talks only through irresponsible statements to the media.

In ending the talks, the US-Aquino regime wants to nullify important agreements painstakingly forged by the NDFP and previous governments of the Republic of the Philippines in the past 20 years or so. Among these critical agreements are The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992, the JASIG of 1995 and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) of 1998.

Since Aquino came to power, he has relentlessly violated these agreements. Although there was formal recognition of The Hague Joint Declaration as the foundation for the talks, it was held in contempt by the GPH as a document of “perpetual division.” The GPH has violated the JASIG in arresting and detaining NDFP consultants. Despite its “peace and human rights” rhetoric repeated ad nauseam, it has relentlessly been violating the provisions of the CARHRIHL.

The revolutionary forces must assert the continuing validity of these agreements. They must continue to demand that the Aquino regime release the detained NDFP consultants on the basis of the JASIG and all political detainees on the basis of the CARHRIHL. They must likewise assert the correctness of The Hague Joint Declaration as the foundation and framework for attaining a just and lasting peace founded on unity on the principles of national sovereignty, social justice and democracy.

By unilaterally ending the peace negotiations with the NDFP, the US-Aquino regime has stymied the talks on socio-economic reforms. As early as 1998, upon the conclusion of the first agenda on human rights, the NDFP submitted its first draft on the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms. But the GPH, including the US-Aquino regime, has not submitted a reply since then.

Instead of subjecting the draft to negotiation and debate, the US-Aquino regime has mocked it in the media, claiming that its contents are passé. In fact, it is the regime’s program of “foreign debt- and investment-driven development” that is worn-out, having been implemented for more than half a century on the orders of the US and the IMF-World Bank.

In reality, the US-Aquino regime has chosen to unilaterally terminate its talks with the NDFP to eliminate all obstacles to its enforcement of economic programs and policies favorable to big foreign and local businessmen. Aquino wants to continue paving the way for the entry of foreign corporations to plunder the Philippines’ mineral resources, continue pegging and pulling down workers’ wages to entice foreign investors and go on giving foreign monopolies free rein to raise oil prices and control public infrastructure and services.

Since Aquino came to power, he has not shown an iota of interest in using the peace talks as an instrument to confront and resolve the issues that lie at the roots of the raging civil war in the Philippines. Even during the first discussions, it had become clear that all he wanted was to use the peace negotiations to convince the revolutionary forces to have their hands tied by agreeing to an indefinite ceasefire.

The US-Aquino regime’s very shallow concept of the peace talks reared its ugly head when GPH negotiators said that the talks are useless if the war continues. Three years after the US-Aquino regime failed to entrap the NDFP into agreeing to a ceasefire of indefinite duration, the peace talks lost their usefulness to Aquino. In terminating the talks, Aquino is turning a deaf ear to the people’s cry to address the issues that are at the roots of the intensifying civil war in the Philippines.

As designed by the US government in the “Counter-insurgency Guide of 2009,” for Aquino, the peace negotiations are merely an extension of the Oplan Bayanihan war of suppression being waged by his armed forces. Aquino has given his fascist troops free rein to intensify their attacks against the people.

Violations of human rights and of the rights of children, and soldiers’ crimes against women can be expected to intensify. Intensifying militarization in the countryside will further lead to killings, illegal arrests, torture, violations of domicile, theft, and food and economic blockades, among others.

It is the CPP and the entire revolutionary movement’s general policy to remain open to peace negotiations with any reactionary government that is ready to talk seriously, respect past agreements, comply with its obligations and address the roots of the armed conflict to attain a just and lasting peace.

The CPP calls on all sectors interested in resolving the roots of the civil war to unite and assail Aquino’s unilateral termination of the peace talks with the NDFP. They must demand the resumption of formal talks, the release of imprisoned NDFP peace talks consultants and the continuation of talks on socio-economic reforms.

In this regard, the tasks of the NPA and people’s militia to intensify the people’s war, launch tactical offensives against the enemy armed forces and defend the people’s interests are further underscored.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20130513_reply-to-aquino-s-termination-of-the-peace-talks

Soldier killed by NPA in Negros Oriental

From the Philippine News Agency (May 13): Soldier killed by NPA in Negros Oriental

One soldier died and another one was injured in an encounter between the military and suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels on Monday, May 13 in Negros Oriental.

The clash occurred at 11 am in barangay San Francisco, Santa Catalina, said Col Francisco Patrimonio, 302nd Infantry Brigade commander.

He added that the slain soldier was shot in the head, and two rebels were probably injured, but this last information could not be independently verified.

According to Patrimonio, the guerrillas are suspected of having killed five soldiers in a May 5 attack near Sipalay City and destroying properties belonging to Philex Mining Corporation in Negros Oriental.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/29057-soldier-killed-by-npa-in-negros-occidental

Clash between rebels, army troopers in Negros Oriental not election-related - AFP

From the Philippine News Agency (May 14): Clash between rebels, army troopers in Negros Oriental not election-related - AFP

The encounter between army troopers and some 30 armed members of New People’s Army (NPA) in Sitio Bungabong, Brgy Milagrosa, Sta. Catalina town in Negros Oriental was not election-related.

This was according to the statement Monday night of 302nd Infantry Brigade Commander Col. Francisco M. Patrimonio of Philippine Army.

Patrimonio explained that the 11:00 a.m. encounter on election day happened while the Army’s 79th IB led by 1Lt. Alexander Robillos were on combat operations.

Patrimonio said the armed rebels belonged to the NPA’s Southeast Front, Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros.

“The encounter was not an election related incident. The Brigade’s concept of security operations for the election includes complementary combat operation against the local terrorists to prevent them from taking advantage to conduct atrocities against military or civilian targets or vital installations,” Patrimonio said.

The 15-minute firefight killed Pfc. Aris L. De Emoy and wounded Pfc. Anastacio A. Aloba in his left foot.

The casualty was extracted from the encounter site via helicopter at around 4:30 pm.

Troops from the ground confirmed that two NPAs were hit and were carried by their comrades during their withdrawal, he said.

But Patrimonio said the fatalities from the rebel’s side were based on the bloodstains found by pursuing troops in the encounter site.

The troops were able to recover one homemade airgun, 115 rounds of 5.56mm M16A1 ammunition, 95 rounds of 7.62mm M14 ammunition and 1 bloodstained jungle pack.

Meanwhile, the casting of votes at the said barangay was successfully conducted as the government forces heightened its security operation to protect the voters at the polling places.

Pursuit operation is ongoing as more troops were deployed and helicopters from the Philippine Air Force were placed on standby on alert to support the ongoing combat operations.

The latest firefight followed a previous encounter that transpired two days ago between the troops of 79th IB led by Cpl. Ysrael Yosures with more or less seven NPAs at adjacent Sitio Maglangit in the same barangay.

No casualties were reported during the previous encounter. However, the government troops recovered various NPA paraphernalia.

 http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=524175

14 “MNLF members” nabbed in Manila

From the Philippine News Agency (May 14): 14 “MNLF members” nabbed in Manila (Update)

There was a commotion at the R. Almario Elementary School in Tondo, Manila after the voters scampered for safety due to the presence of alleged armed men Monday afternoon.

Fourteen members of the Moro National Liberation Front were arrested by the Manila Police District contingent in the area.

Seized from the 14 suspects were four cal. 45 handguns.

However, the MPD clarified that there was no shooting incident, but rather, the suspects did not resist arrest.

Four of the 14 suspects told the police their handguns are only meant for their own personal safety because they are members of the MNLF.

The suspects added that they only went inside the school premises to fetch their colleagues as they are about to travel back to Mindanao.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=524089

Explosions heard in Maguindanao —report

From Rappler (May 13): Explosions heard in Maguindanao —report

Authorities in Maguindanao province have started investigating at least four to five explosions heard since Sunday night, the eve of the mid-term elections.

The first explosion was heard at 10 p.m. Sunday, according to a report by GMA TV reporter Jiggy Manicad, aired during early Monday's broadcast of Eleksyon 2013.

Four more explosions were heard before dawn of election day, near a checkpoint entering Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao.

Authorities in the province had been on alert against possible activities of private armed groups.

But they are also on the lookout for possible attacks by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters led by rogue Moro Islamic Liberation Front commander Ameril Umbra Kato.
Maguindanao gained notoriety in 2009 when at least 58 people were killed, 32 of them media workers, in the infamous Maguindanao Massacre.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/308047/news/regions/explosions-heard-in-maguindanao-report

Bombs discovered in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao

From Rappler (May 13): Bombs discovered in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao

At least three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were planted in different areas in the town of Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao before polling precincts opened for the mid-term elections on Monday, May 13.

The army explosive ordinance disposal unit found and successfully diffused a powerful 81mm IED barangay Tugal shortly after midnight, and two others were located and deactivated at 6 am in barangay Poblacion.

 

Meanwhile, the violence in General Salipada K. Pendatun, another town in the province, continues with another fatal shooting incident on Sunday night. A school district supervisor was shot dead there on Sunday.

 

The slain victim was identified as Akas Mukasil and a certain Jabar was wounded based on the monitoring information received by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting in Maguindanao, but local police have not yet provided details of this incident.

 

Also in Maguindanao, a supporter Usman Imam, LP mayor candidate in Manatog, was shot while he was sleeping inside his compund also on Saturday night.

 

http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections-2013/28996-at-least-3-bombs-discovered-in-shariff-aguak,-maguindanao

Soldiers, rebels clash in Samar town

From the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Blog site (May 12): Soldiers, rebels clash in Samar town

Philippine Army soldiers escorting the transport of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines and election paraphernalia exchanged fire with about 15 armed men believed to be members of the New People’s Army in the vicinity of Barangay Nawi, Paranas town, Samar last Friday.

Lt. Colonel Cerilo Balaoro Jr., commanding officer of the 87th Infantry Battalion said his men were passing by the village to transport election materials when they chanced upon a group of armed men reportedly extorting money and campaigning in favour of the NPA-backed candidates and left-leaning party-list groups.

After a brief exchange of fire, the soldiers reportedly recovered a .45-caliber pistol, a .38-caliber revolver, three magazines and ammunitions for M-16 rifle, a blasting cap, a flag and documents of the NPA, seven combat packs, assorted medicines and personal belongings.

The rebels fled after the brief clash. No casualty was reported from both sides.

Capt. Amado Gutierrez, chief of the 8th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, said the encounter occurred two days after the arrest of alleged NPA leader Renato Abadiano aka Tiboy by men of the 87th IB and police in Barangay Dolores, San Sebastian.

According to Gutierrez, the rebel leader was arrested while he was waiting for some candidates to pay permit-to-campaign and permit-to-win fees. The military reportedly seized a .45-caliber pistol, improvised explosive devices, blasting caps, and documents from Abadiano.

Maj. Gen. Gerardo Layug, commanding general of the 8th ID based in Catbalogan City, in a press statement said security operations “will continue even after the elections in order to promote and achieve a peaceful and secure environment conducive to economic development in the Samar provinces, which all Samaranons aspire for.”

http://pcij.org/blog/2013/05/12/soldiers-rebels-clash-in-samar-town

Bicol NPAs intensify attacks vs cops, soldiers on poll duties

From the Philippine News Agency (May 12): Bicol NPAs intensify attacks vs cops, soldiers on poll duties

The communist guerrillas in Bicol have intensified their assaults on government forces on election-related duties for almost a week now, wounding four policemen in Sorsogon City and several Army soldiers in Masbate.

New People’s Army rebels under the Celso Minguez Command (NPA-Sorsogon) ambushed police officers on their way to deliver precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines for the May 13 mid-term synchronized national and local elections at Sitio Bato, Bacon District, Sorsogon City, at 4:45 p.m., Friday.

Senior Supt. Renato Bataller, Bicol regional police spokesman, identified those wounded as Senior Insp. Juancho Balte Ibis, P02 Nelson E. Dioquino and P01 Eric A. Elquiro and another unidentified police officer, all members of the police special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team.

Bataller said the rebels detonated a landmine and subsequently unleashed a volley of fire on the service vehicle carrying the policemen and the PCOS machines.

Gregorio “Ka Greg” Bañares, NDF Bicol spokesman, admitted in a statement that the NPA staged the ambush.

He claimed there was no casualty among the rebels.

Earlier, the Jose Rapsing Command of the communist rebels operating in the island-province of Masbate attacked soldiers under the 80th Infantry Battalion at Barangay Miala in Uson town on May 9.

The soldiers belonged to the augmentation troops of the Philippine Army sent to Masbate to secure the elections and go against the rebels employed by the politicians as private armed men.

Bañares claimed that several soldiers were killed during the attack but the military denied the rebel leader’s statement.

Following these attacks against government security forces, the military’s regional command sent another battalion of soldiers to beef up security forces in Masbate.

Army Maj. Angelo Guzman, military regional spokesman, said the Army’s 80th Infantry Battalion based in Manila was dispatched to Masbate as augmentation force for election duties until May 16.

The Army’s 80IB was transported by Philippine Air Force's C-130 cargo plane from Villamor Air Base to Masbate airport.

“The 300 soldiers will fill in the gaps in Masbate for election security operation requirements,” Guzman said.

As this developed, the Philippine Army seized a cache of illegal firearms in Masbate. Guzman said the illegal firearms and ammunition were confiscated at the residence of barangay captain Paulino Gepiga in Mabini, Uson town, on Friday.

The confiscation was done by the Joint Task Force Masbate led by Senior Supt. Arnold Albis, 9th Infantry Division’s Election Task Force “Rodeo,” and the Bicol Regional Intelligence Unit led by Insp. Gilberto Alcovindas.

Recovered guns were .45-caliber pistol, .25-cal. pistol, one 9mm Ingram machine pistol, one .22-cal. revolver, three homemade shotguns and various ammunition.

The composite team confiscated the illegal firearms from the village chieftain on the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Maximo R. Ables of the Regional Trial Court Branch 47.

Gepiga was brought to Masbate Provincial Police Office for investigation and filing of appropriate charges.

Army Col. Samule F. Felipe, of the Army’s 903rd Infantry Brigade Election Task Force Rodeo commander, said they will continue to conduct similar operations just to ensure that the elections will be safe, peaceful and orderly.

 

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=524852

Blast hits TransCo tower in Iloilo town

From the Philippine Star (May 12): Blast hits TransCo tower in Iloilo town

Was it a tactic to disrupt today’s balloting or a trap by communist rebels to attack government troops?

Police investigators are considering these angles behind an explosion near the tower of the National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) in Barangay Indag-an, Miag-ao, Iloilo shortly before midnight last Friday.

The blast caused slight damage on a cement post of the tower. No one was reported injured.

Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr., Region 6 police director, said they are not discounting the possibility that it was a tactic to disrupt the midterm polls today.

“But we are also considering that it was just a decoy of the New People’s Army (NPA) to attack government troops who would respond to the area,” he said.

“We don’t want a repeat of the ambush in Negros Occidental,” he said.

Five soldiers were killed and two others were wounded when suspected NPA guerrillas attacked the exploration site of Philex Mining’s Bulawan project in Sitio Umas, Barangay Camindangan, Sipalay City last May 3.

The soldiers were responding to the NPA attack when they were waylaid.

The rebels burned two bunkhouses of Philex employees, a tractor with drilling machine, and a generator set, among others.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/13/941338/blast-hits-transco-tower-iloilo-town

Blast hits power plant in Iloilo

From the Philippine Star (May 12): Blast hits power plant in Iloilo

An explosion rocked a power plant in Iloilo province, destroying a steel tower in the area, the Philippine National Police reported on Monday.

Belated reports received by the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City said the blast at the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines power line steel tower located in Barangay Indag-an, Miag-ao, Iloilo took place on Friday  at about 11:30 p.m, damaging the  cemented portion of one of the posts.

As of the moment, the PNP said the steel tower is still non-operational.

Authorities discovered that an improvised explosive device was used by the culprits to blow up the structure.

Barangay Indag-an is 3.5 kilometers away from the town proper of Miag-ao and Miag-ao is 40 kilometers away south of Iloilo City.

 

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/13/941619/blast-hits-power-plant-iloilo

6 armed men nabbed in Bulacan

From the Philippine  Star (May 12): 6 armed men nabbed in Bulacan

Government troops intercepted a convoy of military-type vehicles and arrested six suspected rebels at a checkpoint in Norzagaray, Bulacan last Friday.

The suspects were identified as Jason Masulac, 33, a former soldier; Roel dela Cruz, 32; Randy Constantino, 36; Audie Lado, 53; Ramil Herrera, 34, and Allan Capellan, 42.

Senior Superintendent Joel Orduna, Bulacan acting police director, said the gunmen could be members of a private armed group out to create trouble during elections tomorrow.

He said the convoy, which included  two military-type trucks, a hummer vehicle, and a Mitsubishi Montero van, was flagged down in Barangay Bitungol at 5:30 p.m.

The official said the gunmen were in one of the two trucks which also carried 50 Dumagat tribesmen on board.

Seized from the armed men were two M-16, a caliber .9mm pistol, a caliber .45, several bullets, a bulletproof vest, and three vehicles including the Montero van.

Orduna said the Montero was registered under the name of Rafael Flores, of Antipolo City.

Orduna said they released the tribesmen noting that they had nothing to do with the armed men.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/12/940988/6-armed-men-nabbed-bulacan

Military detonates bomb in Maguindanao town

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (May 13): Military detonates bomb in Maguindanao town

The military on Monday detonated a powerful improvised explosive device fashioned from a 16-millimeter mortar found along the national highway in the town of Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao.

Maguindanao is one of the provinces identified as an area of concern by the Commission on Elections.

Colonel Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the bomb was successfully disrupted at around 2:00 a.m.

“The military and police is on top of the security situation. A total of five brigades supported by police are posted across the province.”

“Intimidation is reported, but we hope that we can finish the election peacefully, that no major, untoward incident will arise.”

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/407607/military-detonates-bomb-in-maguindanao-town