3 BIFF rebels killed in new Maguindanao attacks – military

From MindaNews (Jun 9): 3 BIFF rebels killed in new Maguindanao attacks – military

Three members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIFF) were reported killed and another one was wounded in fresh attacks by the rebel group on military outposts in Maguindanao.

A civilian and an Army soldier were also wounded during the attacks, according to a report from 6th Infantry Division spokesperson Col. Dickson Hermoso .

The BIFF first targeted a detachment of the 61st Division Recon Company in Barangay Ganta, Shariff Saydona Mustapha town on Sunday night resulting in a firefight that lasted an hour, Hermoso said.

Around 12:05am today, the BIFF also attacked a community security base of Moro National Liberation Front in Barangay Damabalas, Datu Piang town.

The MNLF base was manned by Commander Quaipo Dalandas and Leki Angas who managed to fire back at the attackers, the military said.

 

But the BIFF vehemently denied attacking the MNLF base.

BIFF Abu Misry Mama said they only targeted military outposts when they attacked Barangay Ganta in Shariff Saydona Mustapha and Barangay Damabalas in Datu Piang.

He said the attacks were led by their ground commanders identified as OB-Ten and Saga.

Hermoso said three BIFF rebels were killed and one Army soldier was wounded in the attack.

A civilian identified as Bai Saida Lakim, of Barangay Damabalas was also wounded by a stray bullet.

But the BIFF denied they suffered casualties, although they admitted three of their fighters including OB-Ten were wounded.

Some 60 families had evacuated from the two barangays, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development provincial office.

On Thursday last week, a member of the 45th Infantry Battalion was killed and three others were wounded when an improvised explosive device hit a military vehicle in Barangay Maitumaig, Datu Unsay Ampatuan town in Maguindanao.

Maguindanao police said the incident occurred as soldiers belonging to the 45th Infantry Battalion were on the way back to their headquarters after escorting a group of Teduray evacuees to Mount Feles in Datu Unsay Ampatuan.

The BIFF broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front over disagreements on the conduct of the peace negotiation with government.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2014/06/09/3-biff-rebels-killed-in-new-maguindanao-attacks-military/

3 civilians hurt in separate BIFF harassments in Maguindanao

From the Manila Times (Jun 10): 3 civilians hurt in separate BIFF harassments in Maguindanao

At least three non-combatant civilians were victims of atrocities perpetrated by Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Maguindanao, the military here said.

Colonel Dickson Hermoso, speaking for the military’s 6th Infantry “Kampilan” Division, said the BIFF had been harassing and attacking Army positions in Maguindanao in total disregard to human life.

On Saturday, the BIFF set off a hand grenade beside an Army base in Barangay Elian in the boundary of Datu Saudi and Datu Salibo towns, both in Maguindanao.

Hermoso said the grenade was lobbed at an Army detachment but it landed in residential areas.

On Monday dawn, the BIFF set off an improvised bomb in Barangay Lower Salbu, Datu Saudi Ampatuan that wounded a passerby who was on a motorbike.

The IED was fashioned from 60 mm mortar with mobile phone as trigger mechanism.

On Monday evening, the BIFF also strafed an Army base in Barangay Damabalas, Datu Piang that left a civilian woman wounded.

Hermoso identified her as Saida Lakin who was asleep when the BIFF attacked the Army detachment at past 11 p.m.

Hermoso said the bandits, led by Commanders Quiapo and Commander Leki, tried to over-run the Army detachment.

Following the series of attacks, the Army had been placed on heightened alert even as it appealed to civilians to report suspicious bags or armed men in remote areas of Maguinanao.

http://www.manilatimes.net/3-civilians-hurt-in-separate-biff-harassments-in-maguindanao/103036/

Troops foil NPA attack

From the Manila Bulletin (Jun 10): Troops foil NPA attack

Government security forces on Monday night foiled a New People’s Army (NPA) attack at Barangay Poblacion, in Tubod town, Surigao del Norte, military said Tuesday.

The harassment at the command post of “Charlie Company” of the Army’s 30th Infantry (Python) Battalion (30th IB) happened at 8:25 p.m.

The attackers were believed to be members of the CPP-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Party Committee (NEMPC), said regional Army spokesman Maj. Christian C. Uy.

“Due to the alertness and help of the community, our ground troops foiled the NPA harassment,” Uy said.

He said residents reported to government troops about the movement of communist insurgents in the area particularly in San Pablo, Cawilan and Del Rosario areas.

The rebels immediately fled after harassing the command post of “Charlie Company” of the 30th IB.

No casualty was reported on both sides, Uy said.

As of press time, hot pursuit operation is still ongoing.

http://www.mb.com.ph/troops-foil-npa-attack/

MNLF chair Misuari lauds Bangsamoro peace deal

From the Manila Bulletin (Jun 10): MNLF chair Misuari lauds Bangsamoro peace deal

Months after the signing of the Bangsamoro peace pact, the chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) has finally given his ‘congratulatory message’ to both the Philippine government and his former comrades at the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for a fruitful negotiation.

MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari’s message was echoed by his spokesman, Reverend Absalom Cervesa, during an international peace dialogue held in Cotabato City. Cervesa was among the reactors to the dialogue.

He said that MNLF’s founding chair Misuari is “finally extending his congratulations to the GPH and the MILF for successfully concluding their negotiations through the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB).”

Earlier, Misuari has expressed his opposition to the CAB because of fears that it will quash the 1996 GRP-MNLF final peace pact.

Cervesa said he talked with Misuari before attending the peace dialogue on Friday at the Notre Dame University in Cotabato City.

Meanwhile, GPH panel chair Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the peace negotiations between the GPH and MILF spanned 17 years and culminated with the CAB signing on March 27, 2014.

For MILF panel chair Mohaqher Iqbal, the CAB is inclusive to all, which refers to the Muslims, Christians, and the Lumads in southern Philippines.

The pact, he stressed, is not just a prescription for the MILF but for everybody.

The CAB envisions the creation of the Bangsamoro government to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao by 2016.

http://www.mb.com.ph/mnlf-chair-misuari-lauds-bangsamoro-peace-deal/

HISTORICAL LIE | Spratlys, Scarborough Shoal not in China's ancient maps - Justice Carpio

From InterAksyon (Jun 10): HISTORICAL LIE | Spratlys, Scarborough Shoal not in China's ancient maps - Justice Carpio



China has been using a “historical lie” to insist on its claim over the whole South China Sea, and ancient Chinese maps never claimed the area, including the disputed Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, as Chinese territory, according to a senior Supreme Court justice.

In a recent talk at the De La Salle University, titled “Historical Facts, Historical Lies and Historical Rights in the West Philippine Sea,” Supreme Court Associate Justice J. Antonio Carpio noted China has used its 9-dashed line argument to claim the whole South China Sea as its territory, even though “there is nothing “historical” or “right” about China’s 9-dashed line claim.”

Carpio presented several ancient Chinese maps, some dating as far back as 960 AD, which showed that China’s territory reached only as far south as Hainan island.

“Since the start of the Song Dynasty in 960 AD until the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, a period of 952 years or almost a millennium, the southernmost territory of China has always been Hainan Island based on all official and unofficial maps of China,” said Carpio. "Even after the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912, the Chinese government’s constitutions from 1912 to 1946 “consistently declared that the territory of the Republic of China remained the same as the Qing Empire.”

Even in a September 1932 Note Verbale to France, wherein Beijing protested the French occupation of the Paracel Islands, “China has been telling the world that its southernmost border was Hainan Island.”

Not historical facts, but lies

The 9-dashed line claim of China, Carpio emphasized, “is based on not historical facts but on historical lies.”

China had earlier invited various groups to look into historical claims by examining the ancient maps of China made by Chinese, ancient maps made by foreigners, and ancient maps of the Philippines made by Filipinos and westerners.

“All these ancient maps show that since the first Chinese maps appeared, the southernmost territory of China has always been Hainan Island, with its ancient names being Zhuya, then Qiongya and thereafter Qiongzhou,” Carpio explained, “Hainan Island was for centuries a part of Guangdong Province until 1988 when it became a separate province.”

Based on the same ancient maps, he said the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal never appeared in any Chinese dynasty maps. The Spratlys are more than 600 nautical miles from Hainan Island and Scarborough Shoal is 500 nautical miles – “both are at the other end of the South China Sea.”

On the other hand, numerous ancient maps, made by both Westerners and Filipinos form 1636 to 1940, “consistenly show that Scarborough Shoal… has always been part of Philippine territory,’ Carpio said. “Scarborough Shoal has never appeared in a single ancient Chinese map throughout the long history of China.”

China had insisted that Scarborough Shoal is Nanhai Island, where Chinese explorer Guo Shoujing built a celestial observatory in the year 1279, but Carpio described this as a “double lie.” Carpio said in 1982, China itself officially declared that Nanhia Island was in the Paracel Islands – more than 380 nautical miles away from Scarborough Shoal.

Carpio argued it is physically impossible to build an observatory on Scarborough Shoal “when it was just a rock, with no vegetation and did not even have enough space to accommodate an expedition party.”

“It is quite ridiculous to claim that the famous Chinese astronomer-engineer -mathematician would visit and write for posterity about a few barren rocks that barely protruded above water at high tide,” he quipped, adding that there is no historical record of a Chinese expedition to Scarborough Shoal.

“In contrast, the Spaniards and the Americans extensively surveyed Scarborough Shoal during the time they were the colonial powers in the Philippines,” he added. “China has no historical link whatsoever to Scarborough Shoal.”

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/88736/historical-lie--spratlys-scarborough-shoal-not-in-chinas-ancient-maps---justice-carpio

CPP/Ang Bayan: Mabaca tribe demands 77th IB pullout

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the CPP Website (Jun 7): Mabaca tribe demands 77th IB pullout

The Mabaca tribe, through the Cordillera People’s Alliance, expressed its opposition to the 77th IB’s construction of a military camp in their community in Tanap, Mabaca in Balbalan, Kalinga. A platoon under the military unit arrived in the area on the second week of May to build a detachment.

The tribespeople said they were against the camp’s construction due to the long list of abuses and other human rights violations they have suffered in the hands of military troops since 1993, which includes coercion, beatings and surveillance.

The tribespeople were also aware of the soldiers’ antisocial practices, such as drunkenness, gambling, illegal drug use and theft, and said that their negative influence would only bring discord to their tribe. They also demanded justice for the extrajudicial killing of Jeff “Openg” Daoayan, a member of their tribe who was killed by soldiers in 2006.

The local residents immediately opposed the detachment’s construction. To appease them, the 77th IB called for a consultation but refused to stop building the camp. Instead, the military just scheduled another round of consultations when it failed to convince the locals.


[Ang Bayan is the official news organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines and is issued by the CPP Central Committee. It provides news about the work of the Party as well as its analysis of and views on current issues. Ang Bayan comes out fortnightly and is published in Pilipino, Bisaya, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon and English.]

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/publications/ang_bayan/20140607/mabaca-tribe-demands-77th-ib-pullout

CPP/Ang Bayan: RPA: Butchers still

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the CPP Website (Jun 7): RPA: Butchers still

On May 28, Stephen Paduano (alias Carapali Lualhati) was sworn in as the representative of Abang Lingkod, the partylist group of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army (RPA).

The counterrevolutionary group’s image-change in Congress, however, fails muster among those who know its true character. On the same day Paduano was sworn in, the RPA carried on with being fascist butchers.

RPA elements brutally killed Dionesio Garete, 57, a farmer and resident of Barangay Aquino, Nobleza West, Janiuay, Iloilo at around 9:15 a.m. of May 28. Garete was a member of the Janiuay-Badiangan Farmers Association (JABAFA) which supplies muscovado to the Panay Fair Trade Center (PFTC).

The victim was then driving a Toyota Hilux pickup truck trailing a JABAFA cargo truck loaded with newly harvested sugar cane that was being transported to a sugar mill in Barangay Damirez in the same town.

Garete was ambushed in Sitio Gantong, Barangay Danao, Janiuay. Almost all of the 24 cal .45 bullets and 12-gauge shotgun pellets discharged by his assailants penetrated his chest and the back and front sides of the pickup truck he was driving.

A four-day investigation conducted by a fact-finding team from KARAPATAN-Panay, PAMANGGAS, GABRIELA and PFTC concluded that the RPA perpetrated the crime. Before he was killed, Garete had been threatened by an RPA element going by the alias “Jorek” that he would be taught a lesson if he persisted in actively supporting what he called “the other group.” Three other civilians have also reportedly been issued death threats by the RPA.

KARAPATAN-Panay submitted the fact-finding results to the Janiuay Police Office, but some policemen told them that they were helpless on the matter since the RPA is now “under Malacañang’s direct control.” The RPA is involved in close to 80 murders in Iloilo alone.

[Ang Bayan is the official news organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines and is issued by the CPP Central Committee. It provides news about the work of the Party as well as its analysis of and views on current issues. Ang Bayan comes out fortnightly and is published in Pilipino, Bisaya, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon and English.]

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/publications/ang_bayan/20140607/rpa-butchers-still

CPP/Ang Bayan: AFP operations in Sorsogon victimize 4 civilians

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the CPP Website (Jun 7): AFP operations in Sorsogon victimize 4 civilians

Four civilians, including a baby, have been added to the list of victims of a military operation conducted by the 903rd Brigade which has been ravaging Sorsogon since April. Under the 903rd Brigade are the 31st IB, the 5th Scout Ranger Company and other military forces.

In Matnog. The 31st IB had a family in its crosshairs when it attacked a New People’s Army squad in Sitio Hukdong, Barangay Balocaue on May 23.

At 5:45 a.m., the military encircled a group of Red fighters resting temporarily near the house of the Garduque family. Minutes after shots rang out, Elias Garduque lay dead, and his wife Cynthia and their year-old baby seriously wounded.

The soldiers ignored the mother and child for more than nine hours and brought them to hospital only at 3 p.m. They stopped other villagers who rushed to the site after hearing the shots and offered to help the victims.

Brig. Gen. Joselito Kakilala, 903rd Bde chief, automatically branded the Garduque couple as NPA guerrillas. Worse, he declared that the military operation was conducted without any collateral damage, even if the Garduques’ baby was seriously wounded in the gunbattle.

In Casiguran. The 31st IB Alpha Coy shot and killed Joseph Benson, a resident of Barangay Inlagadian, in the early hours of May 9. Benson was ambushed in Barangay Escuala while walking home from a funeral wake that was being held near the 31st IB Alpha Coy headquarters in Barangay Casay of the same town. The soldiers who killed Benson admitted to some local residents that they suspected the victim to be among the NPA operatives who ambushed their troops in Barangay San Juan last April.

The military had threatened residents of Barangay San Juan on April 29 that they would “wipe out” all suspected NPA supporters in Casiguran town after a successful ambush in the area by a unit under the Celso Minguez Command (NPA-Sorsogon). Killed in the ambush was Cpl. Edison Capital. A cal .45 pistol was likewise seized. The NPA is currently contacting Benson’s family for appropriate action.

In Bulan. Troopers of the 31st IB conductiong operations in the interior villages of Bulan and Matnog shamelessly stole a motorized boat at 10:30 p.m. on May 5. The victim was the Masujer family of Barangay Sagrada. The soldiers had gone to the Masujers on the morning of May 5 to seize the family’s boat, claiming it was owned by the NPA. Mrs. Marife Masujer was able to stop the soldier-thieves from taking the boat. But the troopers returned that night to take it and use it to ferry 30 soldiers of the 31st IB towards Bulan town.

Out of fear, the Masujer family has temporarily transferred to a relative’s house in another village. They have since been unable to earn a living because their livelihood depends solely on fishing.

In Sorsogon City. Village chair Eddie Albor of Barangay Cococabitan was accused of being an NPA member on April 27 after an encounter between an NPA team and a composite force of 31st IB and 5th SR Coy troopers that resulted in the death of a Red fighter. Albor was illegally detained at the Sorsogon City District Jail on trumped-up charges to coerce him into signing a sworn statement falsely identifying the NPA casualty as a high-ranking NPA cadre to enable the military to collect a ₱2.5 million bounty on the cadre’s head. Albor was promised his freedom in exchange for his signature, but he remains in detention.

[Ang Bayan is the official news organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines and is issued by the CPP Central Committee. It provides news about the work of the Party as well as its analysis of and views on current issues. Ang Bayan comes out fortnightly and is published in Pilipino, Bisaya, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon and English.]

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/publications/ang_bayan/20140607/afp-operations-in-sorsogon-victimize-4-civilians

CPP/Ang Bayan: NPA-SMR denies assassinating Navarro

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the CPP Website (Jun 7): NPA-SMR denies assassinating Navarro

Psywar experts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spewed black propaganda once again when they accused the New People’s Army (NPA) of assassinating Mayor Reynaldo Navarro of Laak, Compostela Valley. Navarro was ambushed and killed by five motorcycle-riding gunmen in Asuncion, Davao del Norte on May 28.

The 10th ID’s objective in accusing the NPA of the crime is to enrage and recruit Navarro’s Lumad supporters as the military’s newest instruments and bandits in its Oplan Bayanihan counterrevolutionary campaign.

In a statement, Ka Rigoberto Sanchez, spokesperson of the Merardo Arce Command (NPA-Southern Mindanao Region) condemned Navarro’s killing and condoled with his family and friends. He said that the People’s Democratic Government had no basis to impose the maximum penalty of death on Navarro.

Sanchez explained that although Navarro was among the biggest loggers operating in the forests of Agusan del Sur, Compostela Vallet and Davao del Norte, he was not a legitimate military target.

As a veteran politician in an area encompassed by the territory of the People’s Democratic Government, Mayor Navarro linked up with the revolutionary movement. On many occasions, his actions showed his recognition of the revolution’s aspirations.

But in the past years, Navarro’s logging and agribusiness operations kept on expanding, prompting the revolutionary movement to send him warnings several times. Because he ignored them, the Comval-North Davao-South Agusan Subregional Command was compelled to go public with its warnings against his rampant logging activities and the attendant militarization which has led to violations of the people’s human rights.

Sanchez advised the masses in Laak, in particular, and in Mindanao, in general, to be vigilant and see through the military’s dirty tactics. Recently, the AFP also spread the lie that the NPA uses human shields.

 [Ang Bayan is the official news organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines and is issued by the CPP Central Committee. It provides news about the work of the Party as well as its analysis of and views on current issues. Ang Bayan comes out fortnightly and is published in Pilipino, Bisaya, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon and English.]

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/publications/ang_bayan/20140607/npa-smr-denies-assassinating-navarro

CPP/Ang Bayan: NPA punishes 2 mining giants

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the CPP Website (Jun 7):  NPA punishes 2 mining giants

Red fighters under the New People’s Army (NPA) Mt. Alip Command of Far South Mindanao Region burned 48 container vans belonging to Glencore-Xstrata SMI Mining Company and seized 13 shotguns from guards of the South Davao Development Company Inc. (SDDCI) in coordinated offensives in Davao del Sur and Sultan Kudarat on May 19. The Swiss-owned Glencore-Xstrata SMI and the Consunji-owned SDDCI are both engaged in gold mining.

The Red fighters burned 48 container vans being used as offices and sleeping quarters by SMI at its camp in Sitio Gumatuka, Kimlawis, Kiblawan, Davao del Sur at 5:30 p.m. After an hour, another NPA unit raided the SDDCI camp in Sitio Salnaong, Barangay Datal Blau, Columbio, Sultan Kudarat. Columbio and Kiblawan towns are adjacent to each other. Aside from the firearms, the NPA also seized four VHF radios, a GPS radio and a laptop computer.

These tactical offensives were not merely punitive actions against the plunderous and environmentally destructive mines. They also formed part of the NPA’s program of intensifying armed struggle to defeat the AFP’s stepped-up military campaign in the region.

Meanwhile, three Scout Rangers were killed and several others wounded after Red fighters under the NPA Comval-North Davao-South Agusan Subregional Command used command-detonated explosives on a military platoon in Sitio Quarry, Barangay Dagohoy, Talaingod, Davao del Norte on May 22.

The attack came three days after the NPA released its prisoner of war Cpl. Rogelio Rosales of the 60th IB in Sitio Paiton of the same barangay. The enemy immediately launched pursuit operations after the release, which eventually led to the ambush.

[Ang Bayan is the official news organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines and is issued by the CPP Central Committee. It provides news about the work of the Party as well as its analysis of and views on current issues. Ang Bayan comes out fortnightly and is published in Pilipino, Bisaya, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon and English.]

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/publications/ang_bayan/20140607/npa-punishes-2-mining-giants

CPP/NPA-RPOC: 2 sundalo patay, 1 sugatan sa magkasunod na engkwentro sa pagitan ng tropa ng gobyerno at NPA-Rizal!

NPA propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Jun 7): 2 sundalo patay, 1 sugatan sa magkasunod na engkwentro sa pagitan ng tropa ng gobyerno at NPA-Rizal!

Macario Liwanag (Ka Karyo)
Spokesperson
NPA Rizal Provincial Operations Command (Narciso Antazo Aramil Command)

 

Dalawang sundalo ang namatay at isa ang sugatan sa dalawang beses na magkasunod na engkwentro sa pagitan ng mga tropa ng gobyerno na kabilang sa 2nd Infantry Division, PA-AFP at mga myembro ng NAAC-NPA-Rizal. Naganap ang nasabing mga engkwentro noong Hunyo 5, 2014.

Ang unang engkwentro ay naganap sa Calawis, Antipolo City, Rizal sa ganap na ika-10:20 ng umaga nang salakayin ng isang platoon ng 21st DRC-2nd ID-PA ang isang seksyon ng NAAC-NPA-Rizal na naglulunsad ng gawaing masa sa nasabing barangay. Naunang nakapagpaputok ang mga tropa ng NPA kaya’t nabigo ang kanilang pagsalakay. Nagresulta ng nasabing labanan sa 2 sundalo ang napatay habang walang anumang kaswalti sa hanay ng NPA.

Ang ikalawang engkwentro ay naganap sa Sitio Binayuyo, San Jose, Antipolo City, Rizal sa ganap ng Ika-5:30 ng hapon nang tangkain ng isang platoon ng 16th IB-PA na ambusin ang naglalakad na isang iskwad na tropa ng NAAC-NPA-Rizal. Mahusay na nakalaban at nakapagmaniobra ang tropa ng NPA-Rizal na nakaatras ng walang kaswalti sa kanilang hanay habang may isang nasugatan sa hanay ng mga sundalo.

Upang pagtakpan ang kanilang pagkatalo sa dalawang magkasunod na labanan ay sinikap na itago sa media ng 2nd ID-PA-AFP ang kanilang kaswalti. Hinintay muna ng AFP na gumabi bago nila inilabas ang namatay at sugatan sa kanilang hanay.

Ang mga kabiguang ito sa hanay ng AFP ay patunay na matagumpay ang mga tropa ng NPA-Rizal sa aktibong paglaban sa pagtatangka ng gobyernong Aquino na durugin ang armadong rebolusyonaryong kilusan sa lalawigan ng Rizal. Sa tulong ng malawak na suporta ng mamamayan ng lalawigan at sa mahusay na pagkabisa sa kalupaan ay mahusay na nakakapagmaniobra at nakakapaglunsad ng kontra-atake ng mga miyembro ng NPA-Rizal sa anumang pagsalakay ng mga tropa ng gobyerno. Ang mga ito ang katibayan na ang kontra-insurhensyang programa ng gobyernong Aquino na OPLAN BAYANIHAN ay patuloy na nabibigo sa lalawigan.

Sampal ito sa mukha ni AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista na patuloy na nagyayabang na tuloy-tuloy nang humihina ang NPA mula ng mahuli ang mag-asawang Benito at Wilma Tiamzon. Sa halip na humina ay namamantina at patuloy na lumalakas ang mga pwersa ng NPA habang patuloy na lumalawak ang disgusto at pagkamuhi ng mamamayan sa nagmamalinis ngunit korapto at walang pinag-iba sa mga naunang gobyernong nagsasamantala sa mamamayan ang kasalukuyang gobyernong Aquino.

Sa lalawigan ng Rizal na kagyat na katabi sa Metro Manila at sa koraptong gobyernong nakaupo sa Malacañang ay patuloy na makakapagpanatili at lalakas ang mga pwersa ng NPA upang magtanggol sa interes ng sambayaang Pilipino at dalhin ang digmang bayan sa estratehikong pagkapatas mula sa kasalukuyang yugto ng estratehikong depensiba at tuloy-tuloy na isulong ang digmang bayan hanggang tagumpay.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20140607_2-sundalo-patay-1-sugatan-sa-magkasunod-na-engkwentro-sa-pagitan-ng-tropa-ng-gobyerno-at-npa-rizal

MILF, MNLF disagree on fate of Bangsamoro

From the Business World (Jun 9): MILF, MNLF disagree on fate of Bangsamoro

THE MORO ISLAMIC Liberation Front (MILF) expects the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law to be passed before Philippine President Benigno S. C. Aquino III steps down from his post in 2016, but the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) thinks otherwise.

The Bangsamoro Basic Law is the centerpiece of the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF that will put in place a Bangsamoro government in Mindanao.

MILF Political Affairs Vice-Chair Ghazali Jaafar said they are hopeful that the proposed law will pass the scrutiny of Congress and will be ratified before the start of the term of the next President in 2016.

“We are expecting it to be upheld once it is ratified in Congress by 2016 -- before the end-term of (Mr. Aquino),” Mr. Jaafar told BusinessWorld in a phone interview.

On the other hand, MNLF spokesperson Atty. Emmanuel Fontanilla believes the opposite, citing that amendments to the Philippine Constitution must be made before the peace deal is signed into law.

“As a lawyer, I think it will not pass because it is against the Constitution... It’s because you cannot give exclusive powers to local units except by amending the Constitution,” Mr. Fontanilla said.

Both statements were made a few days before the scheduled MILF-MNLF dialogue, which was organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an international body composed of 57 Islamic states.

Malacañang said in an earlier statement that the government is making sure that the proposed law will stand judicial scrutiny, and that they it will be approved and signed into law by yearend. The Aquino administration earlier said it is hoping to submit the draft Bangsamoro bill to the House of Representatives when Congress resumed sessions on May 5 to keep up with its indicative timetable approval of the Bangsamoro Basic Law by end of 2014.

The plebiscite in the areas covered by the Bangsamoro is expected in 2015, while the conduct of elections for officials that will regularly administer the Bangsamoro political entity is expected to be done simultaneous with the 2016 national elections.

The draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law was crafted by the 15-member Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC). The draft was based on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed between the government and the MILF last March 27.

The BTC submitted the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law to Malacañang early last month.

The Bangsamoro Basic Law is envisioned to speed up the process of creating the autonomous region as part of a peace process to end decades of fighting that has claimed tens of thousands of lives in the region.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Q. Deles told BusinessWorld last month that the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law would be submitted to Congress before sessions adjourn this month.

She, however, conceded that the government would be “cramming” the approval of the proposed law given the delay in its submission.

“The target is still to submit before Congress closes,” Ms. Deles said then.

The MNLF is a secessionist political group founded by Nur Misuari in 1969.

In 1976, a breakaway group of the MNLF led then by Hashim Salamat created the MILF.

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=MILF,-MNLF-disagree-on-fate-of-Bangsamoro&id=88845

China decries Vietnam-Philippines island games as ‘farce’

From Rappler (Jun 9): China decries Vietnam-Philippines island games as ‘farce’

Beijing urges Hanoi and Manila to 'refrain from taking any actions that may complicate or magnify the dispute' over the Spratlys

 

 

COOPERATION. A Vietnamese child peers from Vietnam and Philippines flags while waiting for the arrival of Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at Villamor Airbase in Pasay, south of Manila, Philippines, 21 May 2014. Photo by Dennis Sabangan / EPA

China on Monday, June 9, expressed displeasure after Vietnamese and Filipino troops played sports together on a contested island, with the foreign ministry denouncing the activity as "a farce."

 

The retort from Beijing came one day after Vietnam hosted Filipino troops on an island it controls in the disputed Spratlys archipelago in the South China Sea that the Philippines' navy said was designed to "foster camaraderie."

Tensions between China and both countries have risen in recent months over contested territory in the region, with a dispute between Hanoi and Beijing triggering violent anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam last month.

Asked about the joint sports activity, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Monday at a regular briefing: "Don't you think that these small tricks conducted by the Philippines and Vietnam are nothing but a farce?"

She also urged Hanoi and Manila to "refrain from taking any actions that may complicate or magnify the dispute" and said that China "exercises indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and adjacent waters," referring to the Spratlys by their Chinese name.

The first-ever joint games between the Philippine and Vietnamese navies saw them play football and volleyball and were designed to "foster camaraderie" among the troops, Philippine Navy spokesman Lieutenant Commander Gregory Fabic said.

"This also serves as a model of cooperation for the other navies to emulate," Fabic added, without mentioning China by name.

The Spratlys are a disputed group of reefs, islands and atolls coveted by the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.

The region is believed to sit atop oil and other mineral deposits and all of the claimants, save for Brunei, have troops in the islands.

Tensions between China and Vietnam have escalated sharply in recent weeks following Beijing's dispatch of an oil rig to waters surrounding another contested island group, the Paracels.

Last week, Vietnam released dramatic footage showing a large Chinese ship chasing and ramming one of its fishing boats, which then sank near the rig.

Beijing responded Monday by issuing a lengthy defense of its use of the rig on both the foreign ministry website and via the official Xinhua news agency.

"We find it necessary to tell the international community what really happened so as to restore the truth," Hua said when asked about the document.

China is asking Vietnam to "bring those lawbreakers to account and make full compensations to China," she added.

The Philippines – which has filed a plea to the United Nations challenging Beijing's claims to about 70% of the South China Sea – said Saturday, June 7, it was investigating reports that China was reclaiming land in the Spratlys area.

Hua said she was unable to verify or comment on the reports but maintained that "what kinds of activities China is going to conduct in the Nansha Islands is within China's jurisdiction."

http://www.rappler.com/nation/60090-china-decries-vietnam-philippines-games-spratlys

Philippine rebels accuse military of killing civilian

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Jun 9): Philippine rebels accuse military of killing civilian



A photo released by the Kilab Multimedia to the Mindanao Examiner regional newspaper shows the casket of Wilfredo Estrebillo, who was killed in the town of Kapalong in Davao del Norte province in southern Philippines.

The New People’s Army on Monday accused government soldiers as behind the execution of a motorcycle taxi driver earlier accused by the military as a member of the communist rebel group in Davao del Norte province in southern Philippines.

A rebel spokesman Aris Francisco branded as “barbaric” the murder of 41-year old Wilfredo Estrebillo, who was killed on June 4 in the village of Mabantao in Kapalong town. Citing confidential reports, Francisco accused the 60th Infantry Battalion as behind the killing and condemned the attack on an innocent civilian.

“The barbaric killing of motorcycle driver Wilfredo Estrebillo showed that the notorious 60th Infantry Battalion is engaged in vindictive operations against civilians,” he said, vowing to give “revolutionary” justice for victim’s family.

Estrebillo was shot at least 13 times by his three passengers. Francisco said the Estrebillo was first to be killed by the military among the list of six motorcycle taxi drivers in the town that are all in the army’s order of battle.

He said the list was recovered from Corporal Rogelio Rosales, who was captured by rebels in May in the village of Florida also in the town of Kapalong.

Rosales was freed by the NPA on humanitarian grounds, but he was dismissed from the military after the rebel group recovered illegal drugs from his possession while arranging the delivery of illegally cut logs in the town.

The six drivers were suspected as members or supporters of the NPA after Rosales implicated them. The six men were included the so-called “hit list” of the military as part of its anti-insurgency campaign called Oplan Bayanihan.

Before he was killed, Estrebillo told his family and relatives that the military put him and other drivers under surveillance and accused them of transporting provisions to the NPA in Kapalong, an allegation he and the others had strongly denied.

He also told his family that government soldiers were harassing them in army checkpoints. Among the drivers in the military hit list were Eleazar Batobato, Loloy Labaho, Undo Labaho, Dodong Labaho, and Joy Eway, who was also harassed by soldiers.

There was no immediate statement from the military about the accusations.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/06/philippine-rebels-accuse-military-of.html

3 BIFF rebels killed in Maguindanao clash

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 9): 3 BIFF rebels killed in Maguindanao clash

Outlawed Moro guerillas tried but failed to overrun an Army post in a remote village of Maguindanao after skirmishes flared up that left three BIFF killed, the Army on Monday said.

The incident happened late Sunday afternoon in Barangay Ganta, Shariff Saydona, Maguindanao, according to Col. Dickson Hermoso.

Hermoso, speaking for the 6th Infantry Division, said the hostilities erupted when BIFF bandits surrounded a company command post of the 61st Division Reconnaissance Company of the 6th Infantry Division in Barangay Ganta, Shariff Saidona and, without warning, fired anti-tank rockets and assault rifles on bunkers and sleeping quarters of soldiers.

Hermoso said the soldiers inside the Army camp managed to return fire, preventing the bandits from closing in.

Hermoso said a member of the 61st reconnaissance team was wounded in the initial exchanges of gunfire.

With the huge number of BIFF bandits, Hermoso said the Army used mortars and howitzers forcing the attacker to retreat toward the marshland.

The bandits’ escape route was heavily stained with blood.

Hermoso believed many guerillas were either killed or wounded after soldiers recovered two shirts drenched in human blood.

“We can’t confirm the exact number of fatalities. The reports coming from local residents said three men were seen wrapped in malong carried by retreating rebels,” he said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=651624