AFP terminates 'Operation Darkhorse'

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 2): AFP terminates 'Operation Darkhorse'

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officially terminated "Operation Darkhorse" Sunday.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, AFP public affairs office chief, said the operation resulted in the neutralization of 101 known "Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters" (BIFF) personalities of which 52 were killed and 49 wounded.

"Operation Darkhorse" also resulted in the recovery of several high-powered firearms, explosive ordnance and capture of four BIFF camps and the neutralization of a makeshift IED (improvised explosive device) factory in Barangay Ganta, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao.

The latter factory is responsible for the production of IEDs used in bombings in Central Mindanao.

This success was made possible after the AFP's request for a three-day (72 hour) extension, to go after the BIFF, was granted by the Joint Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The three-day extension was crucial in applying further pressure against the BIFF contributing to their neutralization in the areas of Cotabato and Maguindanao.

It allowed the military to press further into areas where the BIFF were entrenched and prevented the spillover of violence by containing the lawless elements in these areas.

The three-day extension was granted by the AHJAG and the MILF last Thursday as military operations against lawless elements was met with resistance from the BIFF.

Likewise, it showed the commitment of the MILF to rid its communities of the BIFF so that the peace process of the Bangsamoro would be unhampered.

The AHJAG is a joint effort of the government and the MILF to stop lawless elements taking refuge in its communities.

Prior to the approval of the extension, the Army’s 601st Brigade reported that there have been sporadic clashes because the BIFF splintered into smaller groups.

There were also many wounded among the BIFF’s ranks and these men were encouraged to coordinate with local officials, barangay officials to have proper medical attention as humanitarian consideration because they are fellow Filipinos.

On the government side, one soldier was killed in action while 20 others were wounded.

Zagala said eight civilians caught in the crossfire were also wounded.

All wounded casualties are now being treated in various health facilities in the area.

The BIFF has been a constant threat in the on-going peace negotiations between the Government of the Philippines and the MILF for a final political settlement.

The AFP has been successful in restricting the movements of the BIFF and has successfully prevented the spread of violence in nearby areas.

"The AFP’s focused military operations prevented the escalation of violence and were able to effectively limit their capability to sabotage or derail the on-going GPH-MILF Peace Process," Zagala stressed.

However, many of BIFF’s members have standing warrants of arrest and their prolonged evasion will pose threats in communities where the brigands are contained.

Zagala stated that the AFP’s support operations will contribute to the successful arrest of target personalities who continue to be a threat to the peace and stability of communities in Maguindanao and neighboring provinces.

"Operation Darkhorse" was launched late last week by the Army in support of the Philippine National Police (PNP)'s drive to effect warrants of arrest for BIFF personalities involved in various crimes including kidnap for ransom, murder, and other violent activities.

It provided military support to the PNP in their pursuit of BIFF personalities.

Zagala said the police, supported by the military, would still serve the warrants of arrest on BIFF personalities, including its commander Ameril Umra Kato.

"Our primary concern remains to be the safety and security of the civilians residing in the area where BIFF conflict remains, and the prevention of any spillover to other nearby communities," Zagala pointed out.

The heavy fighting between government troops and the BIFF caused the evacuation of 9,465 families consisting of 35,334 individuals from the towns of Sharif Saydona, Rajah Buayan, Datu Piang all of Maguindanao and Pikit in North Cotabato.

Having successfully neutralized the BIFF threat in these areas, it is now safe for these civilians displaced by the fighting to return to their homes and go on with their daily lives.

Some communities have sustained heavy collateral damage due to the fighting and will have to be rehabilitated. This will be the challenge that the AHJAG and the government must now face.

"Having minimized if not completely eliminated the threat of the BIFF in these communities, we foresee their speedy reconstruction which will lead us to the normalization of these affected areas and eventually achieving lasting peace," Zagala stressed.

Meanwhile, photos recovered by government troopers in a BIFF camp in Barangay Damablas, Datu Piang, Maguindanao confirmed earlier reports that they employed children soldiers.

The Army's 6th Infantry Division, said at least three child rebel soldiers were killed in the clashes in Maguindanao. The child soldiers are between the ages of 15 to 16 years old.

The AFP condemns the use of children in armed conflict. The use of child soldiers to perpetuate violence has no place in a civilized society.

Children are a zone of peace and by putting them in the forefront of armed conflict their rights are violated.

"We will continue our efforts to put a stop to the BIFF remnants' atrocities and put them in the bar of justice while we maintain our support to the government’s peace efforts with the MILF who have already chosen the path of peace," Zagala concluded.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=611973

Aquino beats generals in shootfest

From Rappler (Feb 2): Aquino beats generals in shootfest

CHAMPION: Armed Forces chief of staff General Emmanuel Bautista leads Team GHQ in winning in the Team versus Team challenge

President Benigno Aquino III – a known shooting enthusiast – won the Game of the Generals annual shootfest held at the Philippine Army headquarters in Taguig City on Saturday, February 1.

The commander-in-chief defended his title as champion of the Man versus Man category, besting 50 generals and a number of their civilian counterparts from the various government security agencies.

In the end, it was between the President and Bureau of Customs officer Junny Guadalupe who competed in the Man versus Man category.

Photos released did not include the President. Media were barred from covering the event held at the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacion in Taguig City.

POLICE, TOO: Police chief Deputy Director General Alan Purisima leads Team PNP

The President's own Team Presidential Security Group (TEAM PSG) also dominated the shootfest, according to a press release on the event.

"The teams of PNoy dominated in almost all the stages nabbing a total of 5 special award trophies, 10 gold, 10 silver and 5 bronze in 5 different categories," said Army spokesperson Captain Anthony Bacus.

The team of Armed Forces chief of staff General Emmanuel Bautista (TEAM GHQ) was the champion in the Team versus Team category. He led a team of generals from the military general headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo.

Bautista's team got 2 trophies, 6 gold and 10 silver.

FIRE!: 8ID Commander Major General Jet Velarmino and Commander of the Mechanized Infantry Division (MID) Major General Dolojan

SUCCESSOR? Outgoing Army Chief Lieutenant General Noel Coballes and NOLCOM chief Lt Gen Catapang watch the matches together

TEAM ARMY: Outgoing Army chief Lieutenant General Noel Coballes and his team

http://www.rappler.com/nation/49460-aquino-generals-shootfest

Troops defuse bombs in Maguindanao

From Rappler (Feb 2): Troops defuse bombs in Maguindanao

BREAKAWAY GROUP. Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) standing guard during a clandestine press conference at Camp Omar, in the town of Datu Unsay in Maguindanao. August 2011. File photo by Ted Aljibe/AFP

Government security forces defused Sunday, February 2, a powerful homemade bomb planted by breakaway Muslim rebels along the highway in Maguindanao, a military official said.

Residents reported to soldiers that they discovered an improvised explosive device left by members of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) along the national highway in the village of Macasampen, Guindulungan town, shortly after 6 a.m.

"Our bomb experts immediately responded to the scene and defused the explosive."

This is another attemp to inflict casualties among civilians and soldiers," Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman for the military's 6th Division, said.

The incident comes a day after BIFF bomb attacks left 2 journalists, 6 soldiers and 4 civilians injured.

On Saturday, February 1, Jeff Caparas, a reporter of TV5, and his cameraman Adrian Bulatao, were among the 12 wounded in the bomb explosion in Maguindanao.

The military blamed followers of Ameril Umbra Kato, the founder of the BIFF – a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) – in the attack.

The BIFF has opposed peace talks between the government and the larger MILF, which were concluded over the weekend in Malaysia.

The BIFF broke away from the MILF in 2008 and has vowed to continue the uprising because the Malaysian-brokered talks would not lead to a separate Bangsamoro homeland in Mindanao.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/49490-troops-defuse-bombs-maguindanao

Military ends weeklong offensive vs BIFF

From Rappler (Feb 2): Military ends weeklong offensive vs BIFF

FIGHTING OVER. The Philippine flag is raised in the main BIFF lair in Barangay Ganta, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao after government troops seized it on January 31, 2014. Photo from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Philippine military announced the end of its offensive against a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front meant to remove spoilers in the peace process.

Lt Col Ramon Zagala, chief of the public affairs office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said in a statement on Sunday, February 2, that is it officially ending its operations against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

The announcement comes a day after the military raised the Philippine flag in the BIFF’s main base in Barangay (village) Ganta, Shariff Saydona Mustapha in Maguindanao. The AFP seized the camp on Friday.

Known as Operation Darkhorse, the weeklong offensive led to the death of 52 BIFF members, and wounded another 49. The AFP said it captured 4 BIFF camps, and an improvised explosive device (IED) factory also in Barangay Ganta where IEDs used in bombings in Central Mindanao were produced.

A soldier was killed and 20 others wounded.

Eight civilians were caught in the crossfire and were wounded, including a reporter and a cameraman from TV5.

The heavy fighting left 9,465 families displaced, consisting of 35,334 individuals from the towns of Sharif Saydona, Rajah Buayan and Datu Piang of Maguindanao, and Pikit in North Cotabato.

The AFP launched the offensive after the Philippine government signed the final annex that forms part of its peace agreement with the MILF last week. The agreement aims to give the MILF wider autonomy through the creation of the Bangsamoro political entity, and to put an end to 4 decades of fighting in Mindanao.

Led by commander Ameril Umra Kato, the BIFF splintered from the MILF and has rejected the peace talks with the government.

‘Shows MILF commitment’

Zagala said the AFP successfully restricted the movements of the BIFF. “The AFP’s focused military operations prevented the escalation of violence and were able to effectively limit their capability to sabotage or derail the on-going GPH-MILF Peace Process.”

The end of the military offensive came after the Joint Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) of the government and the MILF granted the AFP’s request for a 3-day extension.

“It showed the commitment of the MILF to rid its communities of the BIFF so that the peace process of the Bangsamoro would be unhampered. The AHJAG is a joint effort of the government and the MILF to stop lawless elements taking refuge in MILF communities,” said Zagala.

The military said it supported police efforts to serve arrest warrants for BIFF members involved in crimes like kidnap for ransom and murder.

Rehabilitation is challenge

The military said it is now safe for the displaced civilians to return home.

“Some communities have sustained heavy collateral damage due to the fighting and will have to be rehabilitated. This will be the challenge that the AHJAG and the government must now face,” Zagala said.

The Mindanao Human Rights Action Center has said that the fighting hurt the civilians’ livelihood, threatened their safety and took a toll on them psychologically.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao government said it has enough funds to provide for the needs of the evacuees.

‘Child soldiers no place in civilized society’

The AFP again condemned the BIFF’s alleged use of child soldiers. The military said it recovered photos in a BIFF camp showing the rebel group used child soldiers.

The Army's 6th Infantry Division said at least 3 child rebel soldiers aged 15 to 16 were killed in the clashes in Maguindanao.

“The use of child soldiers to perpetuate violence has no place in a civilized society. Children are a zone of peace and by putting them in the forefront of armed conflict their rights are violated,” Zagala said.

BIFF Spokesman Abu Misry Mama though has denied that the BIFF used child soldiers, accusing the military of planting or staging evidence against them.

"Those kids who died were not used as soldiers. They were civilians, killed by (military) airstrikes or by their 105 mm howitzers," he said.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/49509-military-ends-offensive-vs-biff

CPP: Video - Saturnino

Posted to the CPP Website (Feb 1): Video: Saturnino



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f65EcutNILg

On December 4, the residents of Saturnino, a farflung barrio in Compostela Valley gathered to celebrate their community's recovery from the devastation wrought by typhoon Pablo. With the Red fighters, the Ang Bayan staff and a number of regional Party cadres, Saturnino's residents hailed the victories achieved by their village with the help of the Party and the New People's Army this past year. The celebration was led by the local Party branch.

Saturnino was severely devastated by the fury of typhoon Pablo. All houses and structures in the community were levelled, including the schoolbuilding. The surrounding forest was denuded, and the residents' newly planted corn and vegetable crops were ruined. Nobody died in Saturnino but the residents knew that many were killed in the neighboring villages that form part of a vast mining area. The reactionary government concealed the real number of deaths in these barrios.

The residents of Saturnino firmed up their resolve to remain in the village despite a campaign by the reactionary state to evict them from the area in the guise of "relocation." The residents knew that such relocation was merely a pretext to allow big mining and logging companies to freely make use of the land and forest in their community. They decided to collectively build their houses and eventually, their schoolbuilding. They built a water system to provide safe and potable water for their school and several clusters of houses. In preparation for another disaster, they also built temporary shelters or "bunkers."

Despite its limited resources, the Regional Party Committee in Southern Mindanao helped in the community's initial rehabilitation by providing materials and food subsidies for the residents who worked full-time to build houses and public facilities.

The Saturnino residents count among their major victories the vast improvements in the productivity of both their individual and communal farms. They now have bigger harvests compared to the period before the storm hit. Despite the difficulty of opening a farm in an area that was strewn with huge trees that had been felled by the typhoon, the residents persevered in clearing more than 30 hectares of land in order to plant rice and corn.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/

CPP/NPA: Dapat kundenahin at labanan ng mamamayang Masbatenyo ang mapanlinlang na sabwatan ng Filminera Mining Corporation–9th ID Philippine Army–PNP Masbate upang higit pang dambungin ang mga yamang mineral ng probinsya

Posted to the CPP Website (Feb 2): Dapat kundenahin at labanan ng mamamayang Masbatenyo ang mapanlinlang na sabwatan ng Filminera Mining Corporation–9th ID Philippine Army–PNP Masbate upang higit pang dambungin ang mga yamang mineral ng probinsya (The Masbatenyo people should condemn and fight against the fraudulent conspiracy of the Filminera Mining Corporation, 9th ID Philippine Army, and the PNP Masbate to further plunder the mineral resources of the province)

Luz del Mar
Spokesperson
NPA Masbate Provincial Operations Command (Jose Rapsing Command)

 

Pilit na nagbibihis-banal ang mga kaaway ng mamamayan sa kanilang pakanang magsagawa ng misa ang mga sundalong pari ng 9th ID Philippine Army sa mga barangay. Kakumbina ng mga nasabing ilulunsad na misa ang armadong pagsalakay ng mga militar at pulis sa mga taumbaryo, na ang ultimong layunin ay ang hawanin ang daan para sa higit pang pagkulimbat ng Filminera Mining Corporation sa yamang mineral ng Masbate na dapat sana ay para sa pakinabang ng mamamayan. Binabalak ng sabwatang Filminera Mining Corporation–9th ID Philippine Army–PNP Masbate na isagawa ang mga misa panimula sa ikatlong distrito, na sa kalaunan ay sasaklaw na sa natitira pang mga bahagi ng probinsya.
Tatangkain ng mga isasagawang misa sa mga baryo na pagmukhaing mababait at maka-Diyos ang mga sundalo’t pulis, at pagtakpan ang ginawang mala-halimaw na pagwasak ng Filminera Mining Corporation sa mahigit walong libong ektarya ng kalupaan sa bayan ng Aroroy. Ngunit sa katunayan, sa likod ng maskara ng kabanalan ay ang pag-agaw sa lupa ng mga magsasaka na kanilang napagtagumpayan sa matagal na panahong pagbuwis ng pawis at dugo.
Ito ang mukha ng Oplan Bayanihan sa Masbate. Ang panlilinlang ay isasakatuparan ng mga sundalong pari, at ang armadong pagsalakay naman ay isasagawa ng mga Division Recon Coy at mga pwersang panagupa ng PNP. Samantala, tuloy-tuloy naman ang paniniktik laban sa rebolusyonaryong kilusan ng mamamayan. Gagamitin din ang iba pang ahensya ng pamahalaan, katulad ng DepEd at mga LGU, upang katulungin sa pagkuha ng impormasyon laban sa mamamayang lumalaban at pagpapakalat ng mga kasinungalingan. Katulad ng intensyon sa buong bansa, layunin ng Oplan Bayanihan na hadlangan ang pag-abante ng pagrerebolusyon ng mamamayan, at bigyang daan ang buwelong pagsasamantala ng malalaking kapitalista.
Nanganganib kung gayon ang buhay at kabuhayan ng mamamayan. Nananawagan ang Jose Rapsing Command sa mamamayang Masbatenyo na labanan ang napipintong muling pagsalakay ng Filminera Mining Corporation sa tulong ng AFP at PNP. Huwag nating hayaang muling agawin at wasakin ang ating mga kalupaan, kamkamin ang ating yamang mineral, lasunin ang ating mga tubig, at patayin ang ating yamang dagat. Huwag tayong pumayag na muling supilin ang ating mga karapatan sa buhay at kabuhayan, at paslangin ang ating mga kapamilya at kaibigan. Labanan din natin ang panunuhol at mga pangako ng pekeng pag-unlad.
Nananawagan din ang Jose Rapsing Command sa mga upisyal ng pamprubinsyang gubyerno, mula sa gobernadora hanggang sa mga barangay kapitan, na manindigan sa panig ng mamamayan at huwag pahintulutan ang ibayo pang pananalasa ng Filminera Mining Corporation. Gayundin, hinihikayat namin ang mga taong-Simbahan, mga propesyunal, at yaong mabubuting alagad ng masmidya, na itakwil ang tusong paggamit ng AFP-PNP sa mga misa upang isulong ang mapagsamantalang interes ng Filminera Mining Corporation.
Hindi kailanman mapagmumukhang-banal ng mga isasagawang misa ang kabuktutan ng Filminera Mining Corporation at ng mga tagapagtanggol nitong AFP-PNP. At ang pag-unlad ng probinsya ay hindi makakamit sa pandarambong at militarisasyon. Sa kabilang banda, tanging sa pagtataguyod sa demokratikong rebolusyong bayan maitatayo ang isang tunay na lipunang maunlad at makatarungan, at ang mamamayan ang siyang tunay na nagtatamasa sa yaman ng bansa.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20140202_dapat-kundenahin-at-labanan-ng-mamamayang-masbatenyo-ang-mapanlinlang-na-sabwatan-ng-filminera-mining-corporation-9th-id-philippine-army-pnp-masbate-upang-higit-pang-dambungin-ang-mga-yamang-mineral-ng-probinsya

5 injured in grenade attack on Catholic church in Zamboanga City

From the Mindanao Examiner blog site (Feb 2): 5 injured in grenade attack on Catholic church in Zamboanga City



A police line outside the San Labrador Church in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - E. Dumabo)

Five people were injured in a grenade attack Sunday on a Catholic church in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines, police said.

Police said most of the victims were elderly villagers who were having a meeting at the San Isidro Labrador Church. The motive of the attack, which occurred in the village called Talon-Talon, is still unknown, but police said two motorcycle men was behind the blast.

The grenade, lobbed by one of the men, exploded at the door step of the old church. The attackers fled after the explosion.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack and police have launched an investigation into the explosion. The victims, who are all residents of the area, were rushed to hospital and their conditions remain unknown.

Just recently, the house of a village chieftain Mohammad Nur Attang in Zamboanga City was also bombed by men riding tandem on a motorcycle in the neighboring village of Mampang, injuring three people.

Police said the Abu Sayyaf was believed behind the blast.

In November 2009, the church was also bombed, although there were no reports of casualties, but the blast damaged its concrete wall. A letter was also left by the assailant and warned that there will be more attacks in Zamboanga.

Also in 2008, the Immaculate Conception Metro Cathedral in downtown Zamboanga was also bombed, minutes after an explosion in the front of the Vienna Kaffe Haus along Veterans Avenue. A powerful bomb explosion also injured at least 20 people in Zamboanga City in August 2007. The bomb was planted at a public square in downtown Zamboanga.

http://mindanaoexaminer.blogspot.com/2014/02/5-injured-in-grenade-attack-on-catholic.html

Video: Philippine rebels say they will not surrender

From Al Jazeera (Jan 29): Video: Philippine rebels say they will not surrender

The Philippine military claims at least 40 fighters have been killed since it began an offensive on Monday morning. It also claims that the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters rebel group (BIFF) will soon cease to exist. Al Jazeera's Jamela Alindogan traveled to Mindanao in the southern Philippines to meet the leader of the BIFF who says their struggle is far from over. Philippine rebels say they will not surrender Philippine rebels say they will not surrender Philippine rebels say they will not surrender.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR5h0OfsXI4

3 BIFF child fighters die in clashes

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Feb 1): 3 BIFF child fighters die in clashes



CHILD WARRIORS Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, some of them obviously in their teens,  are shown in this photo taken inside the BIFF camp in Datu Saudi Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province on Friday.The death toll in the ongoing clashes has reached 53, including three child soldiers. JEOFFREY MAITEM/INQUIRER MINDANAO

The military on Friday said three child soldiers recruited by the hardline Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were among 53 people killed in a week of fighting with government forces and that “two foreign combatants” were helping the rebels, including a Malaysian who is wanted for the 2002 bombing in the Indonesian resort island of Bali that killed 110 people.

Brig. Gen. Eduardo Pangilinan, commander of the Philippine Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade, identified the Malaysian militant as Zulkifli bin Hir, who has a $5-million price on his head for the bomb attacks on two nightclubs in Bali.

Pangilinan did not identify the other foreign militants, but said the two foreigners had been fighting alongside BIFF forces since the clashes in Maguindanao province started five days ago.

Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesperson for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said that of the 53 bodies of slain BIFF fighters recovered on Friday, three were those of minors.

Hermoso said the children were 15 to 16 years old.

“They were child fighters because they were in fatigue uniforms with BIFF markings and possessed firearms,” Hermoso said.

Identified and buried

The slain child combatants, along with some 20 other dead rebels, had been identified with the help of local officials, Hermoso said.

They were also buried with traditional Islamic rites by local clerics, he added.

Hermoso said the discovery of the children’s bodies proved what the military had been saying all along—that the BIFF was employing child soldiers.

“They are employing child soldiers with guns and camouflage uniforms. When we encounter them, we cannot discriminate if they are children or not,” Hermoso said.

He said the BIFF’s employment of child soldiers was a clear violation of international war agreements and humanitarian laws.

“We strongly denounce the use of child soldiers. They should be in school and not on the battleground,” Hermoso said.

Peace agreement

The military offensive in Maguindanao came after the main Moro rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), successfully concluded peace talks with government negotiators in Malaysia last week aimed at ending four decades of insurgency that has killed tens of thousands of people in Mindanao.

The BIFF is a small group of insurgents opposed to the peace effort. It broke away from the MILF in 2008 after failed peace talks with the administration of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and had since carried out many deadly attacks in a bid to derail the peace process with the MILF.

The website of the UN special representative on children and armed conflict said that it “continued to receive credible reports that the (BIFF) armed group was actively training and providing weapons to children.”

Child soldiers denied

Abu Misry Mama, a spokesperson for the BIFF laughed off the military’s child-soldier report.

“The military has been saying a lot of things, but these are all lies,” Mama said.

Advertisement:Replay Ad

Mama denied that the BIFF was employing child soldiers.

“No, we don’ have child soldiers,” Mama said in a text message.

He admitted, however, that four BIFF fighters had been slain in clashes with government troops this week.

Government forces launched the offensive on Monday to arrest BIFF leaders who had been ordered arrested by local courts and to degrade the group’s capability to inflict harm on government forces and civilians and undermine the peace process.

Hermoso said the operations were going the military’s way, with only one soldier being killed in five days of fighting.

But 13 other soldiers had also been wounded in the fighting.

Wrapping up operations

If the trend continues, the military will wrap up the assault in two to three days, Hermoso said.

“[We hope], with this development, the fighting will die down and the [people displaced by the fighting can] return home,” he said.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said that troops had captured the BIFF’s main camp as well as the rebels’ bomb-making factory.

“Our objective is to curb the use of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) so as to protect the people and the community and protect the peace process because by doing (these bombings), they are spoiling the peace process,” Zagala said.

The MILF is cooperating in the military operations against the BIFF by holding back its own forces and not letting the hardliners seek refuge in MILF territory.

Fighting is likely to end Saturday as part of an arrangement with the MILF, Zagala said.

But Mama said the BIFF fighters were willing to die and were not going to back off.

“Our stance remains, we will fight to the last drop of our blood in defense of our rights,” he said.

Be peacemakers

In a statement, government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer on Friday appealed to the BIFF to become part of the peace process.

“We ask them to listen to the plea of their own brothers and sisters to give peace a chance,” Ferrer said.

She said BIFF fighters willing to support the peace process would be most welcome.

“We know that BIFF members can also contact supporters or local ground commanders of the MILF who could facilitate their return to normal lives.
These and other avenues are open for those among the BIFF who are ready to join us in our peace efforts,” she said.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/572267/3-biff-child-fighters-die-in-clashes

Photos: Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) spokesperson Abu Misri meets with media

From the Brunei Times (Jan 30): Photos: Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) spokesperson Abu Misri meets with media

Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) spokesperson Abu Misri (3rd L) meets with members of the media for an interview at their hideout in Maguindanao province on Jan 29, 2014, whose group is the subject of ongoing military operation. Philippine President Benigno Aquino has vowed to crush militants opposed to a deal aimed at ending a decades-long Muslim separatist insurgency, as the death toll from an assault on them rose to 38. AFP

 

 

http://www.bt.com.bn/news-asia/2014/01/30/aquino-vows-crush-%E2%80%98spoiler%E2%80%99-rebels

Alleged NPA rebels attack gov't troops in ComVal

From ABS-CBN (Feb 1): Alleged NPA rebels attack gov't troops in ComVal

Armed men suspected to be members of the New People's Army (NPA) attacked police and military camps in Mabini town, Compostela Valley on Friday evening, authorities said.

The suspected rebels attacked the Compostela Valley Provincial Public Safety Company and Cabuyoan patrol base of the 72nd Infantry Battalion at around 8 p.m.

Government troops fired back, resulting in a firefight that lasted for about 25 minutes.

There was no reported casualty from both sides.

Recovered from the area were bullet slugs from M-16 and M-14 rifles.
The police and the military in the area are now on heightened alert following the incidents.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/02/01/14/alleged-npa-rebels-attack-govt-troops-comval

Peace deal won’t abandon 1996 pact

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Feb 2): Peace deal won’t abandon 1996 pact

The chief negotiator of the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Saturday said the peace deal forged recently with the Aquino government in Kuala Lumpur would not entirely abandon an earlier peace agreement between the government and the rival Moro National Liberaton Front (MNLF).

MILF leader Mohagher Iqbal said his group would integrate the “good parts” of the 1996 Peace Agreement between the government and the MNLF in a new proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.

The MILF, a breakaway faction of the secessionist MNLF, had withheld its support for the peace deal between MNLF founder Nur Misuari and then President Fidel Ramos. It eventually agreed to separate peace negotiations with the government.

“We are looking into the 1996 Peace Agreement, meaning the good parts of that agreement, (to) form part of the (Bangsamoro) Basic Law that we are going to write. We are not going to abandon that,” Iqbal said on Thursday over dinner with Inquirer editors and reporters.

Iqbal added: “If you look at the 1996 Peace Agreement there are good points but it is not a perfect agreement. No agreement in the world is perfect not even the agreement between the government and MILF is perfect. So whatever it is that the MNLF through the 1996 Peace Agreement has achieved, then the MILF is building on those gains.”

The government’s chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said it was an MILF initiative to include the 1996 Peace Agreement with the MNLF in the negotiations for the power-sharing annex.

“That was a very good initiative coming from the MILF precisely as a means of telling the MNLF, their brothers and sisters in the MNLF, that this is not a completely distinct process,” Ferrer said, adding:

“It is after all for all the Bangsamoro. It does not abrogate what has already been achieved by the MNLF in the past but it provides that kind of continuity.”

Iqbal said that the MILF decided to have separate peace negotiations with the government after the government-MNLF peace agreement was signed under then President Fidel Ramos because his group found “so many flaws” in that peace deal.

Two of the flaws, he said, were the “abandonment of the right of self-determination of the people” and the “totality clause” which states that “when there is a conflict in the interpretation of the agreement, existing government laws would apply.”

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/572762/peace-deal-wont-abandon-1996-pact

Tribes reject MILF pact, gird for war

From the Manila Times (Feb 1): Tribes reject MILF pact, gird for war

Indigenous groups in Mindanao are ready to take up arms against the government if it pursues the signing of a final peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), according to a leader of a non-government organization (NGO) based in the South.

Deo Palma, national coordinator of the Ang Katipunan ng mga Samahang Maharlika (Ang KaSaMa Inc.), said many tribes do not want the MILF to lead the proposed Bangsamoro entity that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Palma said indigenous tribes such as the B’laans, T’bolis, Bagobos, Mandayas and Tirurays have warned that they will not hesitate to wage war if the MILF takes over areas that comprise the ARMM.

The warning was issued when the Panaghugpong Mindanao, an affiliate organization of Ang KaSaMa Inc., conducted community consultations in various provinces in Mindanao to sound out the tribes on the government’s negotiations with the MILF. In these consultations, Panaghugpong Mindanao gathered that a majority of the tribal groups is opposed to the peace agreement with the MILF, and that many clans expressed readiness to go to war if the proposed Bangsamoro entity supplants the ARMM.

The ARMM, located in the southern part of Mindanao, was created by virtue of Republic Act 6734 signed by the late president Corazon Aquino. It is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.

Palma said the tribes opposed the Bangsamoro peace agreement because they regard the MILF their “mortal enemy.” He said many clans lost members of their families to the violence that erupted in the region in 2003.

Members of the indigenous tribes also believe that the peace deal with the MILF will create more bigger between the indigenous peoples and the Muslim rebels, he added.

“We have been informed that 60 percent of members of the indigenous groups are willing to go to war if ever the MILF will take over the leadership in the ARMM. This is what the Christian communities is worried about because the war is not only against the government but also between the MILF and the indigenous peoples tribes in Mindanao,” Palma said.

He said his group, which has the support of several NGOs, is preparing a manifesto urging President Benigno Aquino 3rd to withdraw from the peace agreement with the MILF.

Palma warned that a wider war will erupt in Mindanao if the government insists on implementing its agreement because it will force the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to also take up arms.

Palma said they have information that MNLF groups in northern Mindanao are ready to launch a “big war” if Aquino will not take steps to assure the group that government will fulfill the provisions of the peace pact signed by the MNLF and the government on September 2, 1996.

“President Aquino is offering a deal to the MILF without knowing the pulse of the people. If he will personally dip his finger in Mindanao, maybe he will truly know what is really happening here,” he said.

He lamented that the government failed to consult majority of the people in Mindanao before negotiating with the MILF, which many Mindanaons consider a terrorist group.

“There would have been no problem if Aquino consulted the people to get the consensus of the majority. Aquino must consider giving priority to the peace agreement with the MNLF para naman hindi maipit ang tao sa dalawang nag-uumpugang bato. If war breaks out, what will happen to the people in Mindanao, will President Aquino be held accountable?” Palma asked.

He said fear has gripped the people in Mindanao because of the threat of the MNLF to go to war once the government gives priority to the peace deal with the MILF.

He noted that the destruction that followed after 200 MNLF fighters occupied several barangays in Zamboanga City late last year would be replicated on a massive scale if the group’s purported 70,000 armed followers decide to wage war against the government and the MILF.

Palma described Aquino as another “dictator” because he wants to impose his own peace agreement with the MILF without considering how it will affect other groups in the region.

“The lives of people in Mindanao are at stake. The people of Mindanao will be the ones affected if another cruel war breaks out. President Aquino should be blamed for the consequences,” he said.

http://manilatimes.net/tribes-reject-milf-pact-gird-for-war/72423/

Moros join forces

From the Manila Standard Today (Feb 2): Moros join forces

MNLF, BIFF ‘reunite’ amid combat lull; IED hurts 15

The Nur Misuari faction of the Moro National Liberation Front admitted on Saturday that it had formed an ‘informal’ tactical alliance with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, and vowed to assist the BIFF if the military continues to push the renegade group into a corner.

“The MNLF will assist the BIFF in the event that they are pushed into a corner,” MNLF spokesman Absalom Cerveza said. “Kung hindi na nila (BIFF) kaya, at malapit na silang matumba, tutulungan namin sila.”

The MNLF spokesman said the MNLF-BIFF alliance was a matter of course since the two groups ‘have the same destiny and the same ends  -- independence.

“We’re already friends so it’s a matter of course,” said Cerveza, describing the alliance as an “organic reunification.”

He added that the BIFF is a revolutionary and legitimate front with reasonable principles seeking independence of Mindanao and should not be treated by the military as common criminals.

Cerveza said Samsudin, while officially a BIFF commander, is an ‘unofficial’ member of the MNLF, having defected into the Nur Misuari faction side in 2012 along with Samer Salamat, brother of the late MILF Chairman Hashim Salamat, Abdulawahid Jianalan, former chief security of MILF Chairman Al Haj Haj Murad Ebrahim, and a certain commander Saidale.

Cerveza claimed that some 6,500 MILF fighters joined the high-ranking defectors who were welcomed by Misuari himself during “acceptance rites’ in an MNLF lair in Jolo.

He added that BIFF commander Ustadz Samer Samsudin, told him that they are ready to defend themselves at all cost against the military’s relentless pursuit.

Last Friday, the military said its operation has so far killed 53 members of the BIFF, including a commander identified as Hassan Indal, who was killed during an air strike.

The clashes also wounded 49 others, while the government side lost a soldier after six days of intense fighting.

The BIFF, however, denied that ‘Tambako’ Indal was killed, saying that Indal was ejected by the BIFF leadership due to his ‘unIslamic activities.’

Tambako led the campaign against government forces in Maguindanao last year which led to the evacuation of about 50,000 residents.

Cerveza, meanwhile, said Samsudin and an undetermined number of combatants under his command has temporarily sought shelter somewhere in the hinterlands in Maguindanao to rest and review their battle plan.

The clashes between the military and the BIFF erupted last Sunday after government forces were about to serve arrest warrants against BIFF founder Ameril Umbra Kato and his men.

But on Saturday, the military – except for a few soldiers patrolling populated areas—and the BIFF both withdrew to their respective camps after the military’s 72-hour extension that was earlier approved by the Adhoc Joint Action Group (AJAG) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and MILF has expired.

But Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said that they may request for a second extension as the military prepares for bigger offensives in the coming hours.

Saturday’s silence, however, was interrupted by a powerful twin blast that injured two television crew from TV-5, 10 soldiers and civilians in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

The blasts were believed to be from an improvised explosive device (IED) allegedly planted by the BIFF in Bgy. Lower Salbu, Datu Saudi Ampatuan.

Maj. Dante Gania, public affairs chief of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the explosion hit the convoy of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion composed of a civilian pick-up, TV5’s marked vehicle and 2 SFV military vehicles at around 7:33 a.m.

“We have 6 soldiers and 6 civilians wounded. Two of the civilians were crew of TV5 network,” Gania said.

Gania identified the two mediamen as reporter Jeff Caparas and cameraman Adrian Bulatao, but could not immediately identify the other victims.

Three helicopters picked up the wounded and brought them to a hospital, added Gania.

Luchi Cruz-Valdez, head of TV 5 news division, said Bulatao’s injury was “serious” with shrapnel wounds over the right side of his body.

“Bulatao is in shock but conscious, in pain,” she said in a text message.

“Caparas was also wounded but was still on his feet,” she added.

“It was a good thing they were wearing protective helmets and vests,” Hermoso said.

Caparas later said over the TV station that his crew had stopped to cover an earlier bomb blast when another explosion took place.

The military said the first explosion occurred at the 3-kilometer stretch of the national highway from Datu Saudi, Ampatuan and Datu Piang but no one was hurt during the blast. The highway was temporarily closed.

The second explosion occurred just as the television crew arrived in the area to report on the first explosion.

The wounded soldiers and civilians were brought to the headquarters of the army’s 2nd Mechanized Battalion in Maguindanao for medical treatment.

Meanwhile, the military hoisted the Philippine flag at the center of the main camp of the BIFF in Barangay Ganta in Shariff Saidona town in Maguindanao that it captured after a week of sporadic air and ground assaults.

Col. Edmund Pangilinan, commander of the 601st Infantry Brigade, and Col. Edgar Gonzales, chief of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, hoisted the national flag in the middle of the more or less seven-hectare BIFF camp.

After the government forces sang the national anthem, Gonzales and Pangilinan led in offering prayers for the fallen guerrillas and a soldier.

Gonzales said his troops, who first entered the camp, recovered about 3,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibers and 300 kilos of blasting chemicals and components for making improvised explosive devices.

Quoting local officials, Gonzales said the camp had been used by the BIFF as “springboard” for its bombing and extortion activities in the towns of Maguindanao and North Cotabato.

He lauded the civilians, some of them relatives of BIFF leaders, for guiding government forces in the center of the camp, using various trails to avoid home-made explosives planted along the roads.

“It’s like guerrilla camps in movies where there were so many running trenches and criss-crossing routes,” an Army lieutenant, who identifies himself as Pentagon, said.

Gonzales said it was a well-fortified camp difficult for ground troops to penetrate.

“Our air assets destroyed most of the fortification,” he said, adding that many of the running trenches were laden with blood stain.

Hermoso, meanwhile, said they would intensify their intelligence monitoring to avert possible BIFF counter-attacks in the coming days.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/02/02/moros-join-forces/

CPP/NPA: Mga sibilyan ang napatay, nasugatan at nadakip ng PNP sa labanan sa Sorsogon City

Posted to the CPP Website (Feb 1): Mga sibilyan ang napatay, nasugatan at nadakip ng PNP sa labanan sa Sorsogon City (Civilians were killed, injured, and arrested in fighting in Sorsogon)

Samuel Guerrero
Spokesperson
NPA Sorsogon Provincial Operations Command (Celso Minguez Command)

 

PAREHONG sibilyan ang napatay na si Henry Orbena at dinakip na si Bryan Gallega sa sagupaan sa tsekpoynt ng PNP sa Cabid-an, Sorsogon City noong gabi ng Enero 30. Taliwas ito sa pinalalabas ng pulisya na ang dalawa ay kabilang sa grupo ng New People’s Army na nakalaban nila.

Napag-alaman namin na ang magpinsang Orbena at Gallega ay mga trabahador sa planta ng coconut water na malapit sa pinangyarihan. Madali itong mapatutunayan ng kanilang mga katrabaho, kakilala at kapamilya sa kanilang lugar sa bayan ng Irosin.
Si Orbena ay tinamaan sa walang rendang pagpapaputok ng mga pulis. Pawang mga bala ng ripleng M16 ang nakapatay sa kanya. Puro maiiksing baril ang dala ng mga operatiba ng NPA.

Ayon sa mga sangkot na pulis, hinabol nila ang grupo ng NPA sa direksyong patungo sa Sea Breeze Subdivision at inabutan at nahuli nila si Gallega. Hindi doon ang direksyon ng pag-atras ng mga Pulang mandirigma kundi sa kabilang direksyon patungong Barangay Buhatan. Hindi rin totoo ang sinasabi ng PNP na naagawan sila ng NPA ng dalawang ripleng M16.

Nararapat lamang na aminin ng Sorsogon PNP ang mga katotohanang ito at harapin ang kanilang pananagutan sa pagkamatay ni Orbena at palabasin sa bilangguan ang hinuling si Gallega. Ang Celso Minguez Command ng NPA-Sorsogon ay makikipag-ugnayan din sa mga kaanak ng mga nadamay upang makapagpaabot ng anumang maitutulong sa kanila.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20140201_mga-sibilyan-ang-napatay-nasugatan-at-nadakip-ng-pnp-sa-labanan-sa-sorsogon-city