From the Malaya Mail Online (Sep 22): Filipino government, separatists to negotiate arms laydown in Malaysia
Representatives from Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will hold talks in Malaysia to set the terms for decommissioning of firearms by MILF fighters in the restive South Philippines region.
A Philippines government official told Filipino news portal GMA News Online that negotiating panels from both sides will meet in Kuala Lumpur from September 27 to 29 "to pull everything together".
Government peace panel chairman Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said part of the meeting agenda will have to finalise the composition of the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) and the International Decommissioning Body (IDB), it reported.
The TJRC will be tasked with studying and recommending "the appropriate mechanisms to address legitimate grievances of the Bangsamoro people, correct historical injustices, and address human rights violations through land dispossession", as outlined under the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) signed by the government and the MILF in March, it added.
The IDB, on the other hand, will consist of three foreign experts and four Filipinos who will validate the inventory of weapons and fighters that will be submitted by the MILF. Coronel-Ferrer said in the report that experts from Brunei, Turkey and Norway have been invited to attend the three-day meeting, and expect the TJRC and IDB to be established within a month.
“But the most important thing, the first order of business, is for the MILF to produce a list of weapons and combatants and submit it to the IDB," she was reported as saying.
Meanwhile, MILF peace panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal told the news portal that the former paramilitary group has already prepared a list of firearms and names of combatants for the IDB.
He declined to reveal the final tally of weapons, but volunteered that "the firearms are combinations of high-powered and light-powered" weaponry.
Opinion piece from the SKETCHES column by Ana Marie Pamintuan in Philippine Star (Sep 22): Disposition of firearms
There was no mention of
“decommissioning” or “normalization” in the 1996 peace treaty with the Moro
National Liberation Front (MNLF).
But two administrative orders implementing the agreement
provided for the “disposition of firearms,” covering MNLF members who wanted to
be integrated into the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National
Police. Those with no firearms to surrender were disqualified from integration
into the AFP or PNP.
The camp of former President Fidel Ramos sent me documents
to show that the peace treaty, which his administration signed with the MNLF,
did involve turning over weapons to the state, even if there was no mention of
disarmament, decommissioning or normalization. What’s important in a peace
process, FVR wrote, is implementation, not semantics.
MNLF rebels were required to turn in their weapons upon
reporting to the AFP training center where they would undergo a six-month
course.
The government compensated the MNLF member for every weapon
turned over, with the amount set under the AFP “Balik-Baril Project.” But the
government could “re-issue” the guns to the rebel returnees during their
training or upon deployment.
That looks like the MNLF fighters were made to present their
guns, they got paid for doing so, and then they got their weapons back. Not
exactly laying down their arms, but at least the government was able to account
for thousands of weapons.
“All firearms still in the possession of MNLF members not
integrated into the military or police service shall be subject to existing
firearms laws, rules and regulations,” according to Section 7 (b) of
Administrative Order No. 295, dated Oct. 7, 1996, which covered integration
into the AFP.
Similar provisions are found in AO No. 297 dated Oct. 15,
1996, on the integration of MNLF members into the PNP.
I read that to mean registering all loose firearms, either
for possession at home or for a permit to carry the weapon outside the home.
Among those who didn’t want to be part of the AFP or PNP,
how many actually turned in or registered all their weapons? We may never know.
The picture becomes murkier if we try to make an accounting of all the firearms
amassed by MNLF founding chairman Nur Misuari when he was governor of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). But Misuari was not the only local
politician who built up an arsenal for use by his virtual private army.
FVR, who thinks we’re finding fault in his peace treaty with
the MNLF “to play up and heap praises” on President Aquino’s administration and
his peace negotiators, points out that from 1996 to 2000, 5,750 MNLF
mujahedeen’s were integrated into the AFP and 1,750 into the PNP.
None of the MNLF returnees, once re-armed, ever turned
against their fellow soldiers or policemen, FVR wrote. Among the most
outstanding, he pointed out, was Yusoph Jikiri, who reached star rank and
became deputy commander of the AFP Southern Command in charge of the MNLF
integration program. Jikiri later became Sulu governor. Another standout was
MNLF chief of staff Muslimin Sema, who won three consecutive terms as mayor of CotabatoCity.
Those are impressive stories indeed. I also know other MNLF
members who have embraced the ways of peace.
So if the peace process achieved a sufficient measure of
success, why do we need another peace agreement? And how many more peace pacts
lie ahead with other groups before peace actually comes to the conflict areas
of Mindanao?
*
* *
Jikiri’s province remains one of the most unsafe and least
developed places in this country. It is seen as the base of Abu Sayyaf bandits
and MNLF militants loyal to Misuari. Sulu is the subject of several travel
advisories warning foreigners against visiting Mindanao.
Some quarters in P-Noy’s government believe the peace
process with the MNLF had fallen into the quicksand of Misuari’s ego from which
it was no longer possible to get out. That ego is beyond the control of FVR,
and no one is blaming him for what happened many years after the peace treaty
was signed.
Aquino critics, echoing Misuari’s argument, believe the
original peace treaty has not been fully implemented and P-Noy just wants to
tout a peace pact under his watch.
From the peanut gallery, a common question is whether peace
can be possible in a region bristling with guns.
We have tough gun laws, but the laxity of enforcement – in
fact the overall weakness of law enforcement – makes the reluctance of a rebel
group to lay down arms understandable.
Even civilians feel the need to carry guns, believing the
police, AFP and “force-multiplying” militias do not have sufficient capability
to keep the public safe. Worse, some cops, soldiers and militias may themselves
be engaged in crime.
Back in 1996, the MNLF was threatened with a fully armed
breakaway group plus other security risks. Those threat groups weren’t laying
down their arms, or being forced to disarm by the government; could the MNLF
afford to do it first?
This time the Moro Islamic Liberation Front faces a rogue
MNLF faction plus the Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah, and other quarters that the
MILF might have wronged when it was still actively engaged in violent
separatism. Can MILF members afford to lay down their weapons, especially in a
region teeming with kidnappers, armed robbers and experts in improvised
explosive devices?
The Bangsamoro may hurdle all the roadblocks to its
creation. Whether the new entity will be a zone of peace and development is
less certain. Will two peace treaties prove better than one?
Creating a secure environment for peace to take root has
always been a challenge in many parts of Mindanao.
Confronting that challenge will be more than the Bangsamoro government can
handle.
As it is, Filipinos don’t feel secure, even in Metro Manila.
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 22): Don’t keep Misuari out of Mindanao peace deal—Duterte
Nur Misuari. FILE PHOTO
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Mayor Rodrigo Duterte warned
Sunday that the government should not keep Nur Misuari out of any new peace
settlement in Mindanao, saying that the leader of the Moro rebels at the height
of their secessionist revolt in the 1970s was “still a man to reckon with” and
had an equally valid and internationally recognized peace agreement with the
government.
“We might succeed in convincing everyone to agree on the
Bangsamoro, including the courts, but the problem is, what about Misuari?” Duterte
said on his local television show “Gikan sa Masa, para sa Masa (From the
Masses, for the Masses)” on Sunday.
Duterte was referring to the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law
which Congress has been asked to pass as the charter of the proposed
Bangsamoro, the name of a broadened politically autonomous entity envisioned to
replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao that was created under the
so-called Final Peace Agreement signed by the Moro National Liberation Front
under Nur Misuari and the Philippine government under President Fidel Ramos in
1996.
The Final Peace Agreement was the culmination of peace talks
in furtherance of the Tripoli Peace Agreement of 1976 but which frequently
broke down over the years. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which had split
from the MNLF in the late 1970s, was not a party to the 1996 peace accord.
The Tripoli
agreement introduced the concept of regional autonomy for Filipino Muslims, who
had been fighting for secession.
Rodrigo said the government cannot now just ignore Misuari,
who can still invoke the Tripoli Agreement as a valid agreement brokered by the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation, then called Organization of the Islamic
Conference.
“If ever, if at all, there will be talks again, you cannot
ignore Misuari and the Tripoli Agreement, a valid treaty signed by Imelda
Marcos in behalf of the Philippine government, we have to honor that, and we
have to talk to Misuari,” Duterte said.
“I’ve been telling the peace panel ever since, do not forget
Misuari. If I were to be there to talk about peace, I would like to include
everyone because Misuari, for all of his faults, is still a man to reckon
with,” he added.
“I mean, there are enemies that you cannot kill,” he said,
adding that the government has to eventually give him clearance to renew the
negotiations.
“If you remove Misuari, who will you talk to?” he asked.
“The Abu Sayyaf? There’s no one else, there’s no emerging leader there who
could really hold sway over the population.”
Duterte said that if the government really wants to talk
peace, it may have to go to the extent of “forgetting the Zamboanga fiasco,” a
reference to nearly a month of heavy fighting in September last year between
government forces and MNLF guerrillas protesting the Bangsamoro peace process
from which they felt left out. More than 200 people were killed in the
fighting, which razed sections of ZamboangaCity.
Duterte said he had some “misgivings” about the draft
Bangsamoro Basic Law but he believed the legal infirmities in the crafting of
the bill could be threshed out and fixed.
“I have my misgivings but I would rather say to you now that
as a Mindanaoan hungry for peace, I hope and I pray that it would pass
Congress,” Duterte said.
“Eventually if there are questions in the Supreme Court,
about issues that still need threshing out, such as the creation of a
territorial entity, whatever, in the Bangsamoro draft, whatever needs to be
corrected, would follow constitutional amendment,” he said.
That is why, Duterte said, he was worried by a statement
made by Senate President Franklin Drilon that Congress was running out of time
for Charter change.
“Personally, I want the BBL to pass for lasting peace in
Mindanao, not only in DavaoCity,” he said.
He said that some of the questions that might be raised to
the Supreme Court involve issues of territory, wealth sharing and the
maintenance of a regional police force.
“So you still need to reconcile that, and the mechanism to
transcend these objections is to amend the Constitution, but Drilon said
there’s no more time for the Cha-Cha,” he added.
From Rappler (Sep 22): Filipino jihadists killed in Syria - reports
The government says the reports are 'not confirmed' but a group has been formed to monitor Filipino extremists' activities in relation to ISIS
The information
on two Filipino jihadists reportedly killed last year while fighting for the
Islamic State (ISIS) came from an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Syria who reported the incident to the
Philippine Embassy in Damascus,
Rappler learned.
The OFW saw two
dead opposition fighters on the streets of an area outside Damascus after a massive firefight between
Syrian government troops and the rebels. A Syrian government soldier supposedly
asked where the OFW was from and when the Filipino replied “Philippines,”
the soldier pointed to the bodies and said: “Philippine. Abu Sayyaf.”
The OFW would
report this to the Philippine Embassy in Damascus,
which would relay the report to Manila.
It’s an old report based on an incident that happened in December 2013,
according to a source privy to the information.
The death of the
2 Filipino fighters wasn’t the first report about Filipino involvement with ISIS. Two months earlier, in October 2013, the embassy in
Damascus came across a report published in an
Iranian news site which claimed that a Filipino “terrorist” was killed in Syria.
Citing a military
source, the report of FARS News Agency (FNA) named the dead Filipino fighter as
“Abo Ahmad Shiko from
the Philippines.”
ISIS now controls
parts of Iraq and Syria in a bid to establish a so-called Islamic
Caliphate prompting the US
to carry out airstrikes that
target ISIS camps. The Abu Sayyaf, on the
other hand, is a terrorist group notorious for kidnap-for-ranson and bombings
in the Philippines.
“It’s impossible
that only 3 Pinoys went and they’re all dead,” said the source privy to the
report.
A confidential
Malacañang memo that recently circulated among journalists cited fears by the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that "some Filipino fighters,
pronouncing themselves as veterans, have already returned to the country and
are teaching the cause of Islamic fundamentalists and extremists in Syria."
DFA memo
The President
received the information about the 2 Filipino jihadists only in March 2014
through a DFA memo. The same information was relayed to the Department of
National Defense and the National Security Agency.
The reported
death of the 2 Filipino jihadists made local headlines early September
following a Reuters report
revealing the government inquiry into their death. The same Reuters report said
about 100 Filipinos who were trained in Iran
were deployed in Syria.
The DFA responded
to the Reuters report by saying the deaths “remain unconfirmed” but that
"the Philippines will
do its part in global efforts to thwart ISIS.”
The reports came
out as the Philippine military denied that Filipino fighters have left the
country to fight for ISIS in Syria.
Military officers denied earlier claims by former President Fidel Ramos
and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte that at least a hundred fighters have
joined ISIS. They also dismissed a video of Abu Sayyaf members
swearing their oath of allegiance to the ISIS.
The Bangsamoro
Islamic Freedom Freedoms (BIFF), the breakway group of the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) which opposes the peace agreement also claimed pledging
allegiance to ISIS.
Confidential
Malacañang memo
A confidential
Malacañang memo would also circulate among local media showing police official
Felizardo Serapio of the Law Enforcement and Security Integration Office asking
Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa Jr "to consider the creation of a
Technical Working Group (TWG) that will create a database on monitoring and
profiling foreign fighters, as a significant contribution to manage and inhibit
further presence of Filipinos, as reported, in conflict-stricken areas as
foreign fighters."
Serapio's memo
raised fears about the Middle East becoming
yet again a training ground for Filipino extremists. "The deliberate
acquisition of terrorist skills introduces governments to a disturbing fact
that radical recruits will be utilizing such type of experience into their home
countries."
Serapio's
concerns are echoed by other governments. In a speech last week before the UN
Security Council, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said her country and
Southeast Asia are also at risk from the brutality of
ISIS.
“We’ve seen this
before. Extremists, foreign fighters returning home, responsible for terrorist
attacks in our region,” she said.
Ramos earlier
expressed the same concern, citing how the slain Abdurajak Janjalani fought
alongside jihadists in Afghanistan
and then returned home to form the Abu Sayyaf Group.
Posted to InterAksyon (Sep 22): SAF cop slain in encounter with NPA rebels in Agusan Norte
FILE PHOTO
BUTUAN CITY -- A member of the elite Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) was slain in an encounter with New People’s Army (NPA) rebels at a lakeside municipality in Agusan del Norte over the weekend.
A report from the Agusan del Norte Police Provincial Office reaching the regional police headquarters Camp Rafael C. Rodriguez in this city on Monday identified the fatality as Police Officer 3 Eusebio O. Taru, whose body was taken to a funeral homes in Surigao City.
The report said that members of the PNP 1st Special Action Battalion implemented combat “Operation Plan Conquest” at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday in the areas of Sitio Taiwan, Barangay Bangayan, Kitcharao in Agusan del Norte where they encountered an undetermined number of armed group believed to be members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
A 15-minute firefight ensued after which the rebels withdrew toward the southeast direction.
However, PO3 Taru was seriously wounded and died before he could be brought to a hospital, the report added.
Police and military teams are conducting pursuit operations against the fleeing rebels.
From the Philippine Star (Sep 22): Navy activates operational group to track down Sayyaf
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – The Philippine Navy has activated its operational group to track down the terrorist Abu Sayyaf following the surge in kidnappings perpetrated by militants in southern Philippines, a military official said yesterday.
Apart from tracking down the Abu Sayyaf bandits, the group will also monitor the possible movement of Islamic State jihadists in Mindanao, Rear Admiral Reynaldo Yoma, commander of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao, said.
Police and military intelligence officials have not confirmed the existence of Islamic State of Iraq and Levant in the country but reports said the Abu Sayyaf and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters had pledged allegiance to the IS.
Yoma said they are monitoring IS-related activities in the region to make them better prepared to respond to security threat.
He added the Western Mindanao Command formed last week the joint ZamBaSulTa (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu) task group to focus on the kidnapping activities of the Abu Sayyaf.
Yoma said additional troops from Luzon will be deployed in Mindanao to augment the forces under the activated task group.
From the Malaysian Insider (Sep 22): Malaysian authorities raise red flag as Abu Sayyaf declares support for Isis movement
A screen grab from YouTube showing Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and other masked men declaring their support for Isis. – September 22, 2014.
Militant group Abu Sayyaf has declared its support for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) movement in Syria through a video posted on Youtube, triggering a red alert in Sabah, The Star reported today.
The video saw Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, who was clad in a black gown, and masked men declaring their allegiance to Isis and its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi through an oath of loyalty. The 48-year-old Isnilon is one of the world's most wanted terrorists, with a RM16 million bounty on his head, the report said.
The six-minute clip had been posted on the website in July but sources told the daily that it only picked up momentum on social networking sites last month.
The video, the report said, appeared to have been shot in the jungles of southern Philippines, where the militant group is based and the opening scene of the clip showed the Isis movement's black flag.
Isnilon and his men had spoken mostly in Arabic and in his native dialect – Yakan – in the video, which authorities believed was meant to gather support for the Isis movement in Southeast Asia, it was reported.
Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) leader Abu Bakar Baasyir took heed and also called on his followers to join Isis, the report said.
He is believed to have assembled high-ranking JAT leaders and family members at the Pasir Putih prison in Indonesia to order them to support the Isis.
Sources told The Star that following this new development, authorities are also keeping a close watch on pro-Isis and jihadist websites in Bahasa Malaysia.
Isnilon is wanted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Malaysian authorities and is believed to have been responsible for an incident on Sabah's Pom Pom island in Semporna last November, where Taiwanese national Chang An-Wei was kidnapped and her husband Hsu Lee Min was killed. She was later released after negotiations.
“He (Isnilon) and his men are dangerous and their main business is kidnapping, which is carried out to finance their terror activities," a regional intelligence analyst was quoted as saying. "He and his men have beheaded an American kidnap victim."
Malaysian authorities, the report said, are concerned that Isnilon and his troop could easily gain access into Sabah from their base in southern Philippines.
“The situation in Iraq and Syria, where Isis is operating, seems to have given a fresh impetus to Isnilon. There are very good reasons for Malaysia to put out the red alert for this terrorist given the long coastline,” the analyst was reported as saying.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar assured that Bukit Aman would tighten security to prevent the Isis movement from spreading its influence in Malaysia.
“We are keeping close tabs on the development of such radical groups in neighbouring countries. We will step up security along our borders to prevent any of these elements from slipping in,” he was quoted as saying, adding that police were working with their counterparts in other countries to boost intelligence gathering.
“We will not allow extremists to gain a foothold in Malaysia."
From the Catanduanes Tribune (Sep 22 ): CAFGU shot dead in Payo as Army proposes turnover of “manageable” barangays
A member of the Philippine Army’s Civilian Armed Auxiliary (CAA) Company was killed the other Wednesday (Sept. 10) in Panganiban town when he was shot by unidentified suspects.
The shooting of CAFGU member Joseph Clopino dela Cruz, 29, based at the Viga camp of the 22nd Infantry Battalion, Echo Company, came just two days after the 83rd Infantry Battalion proposed to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan the turnover of “vulnerable” communities as well as peace and security operations to local government units and the Philippine National Police.
According to the report reaching the office of Catanduanes PNP provincial director Senior Superintendent Adelio Benjamin Castillo, the CAFGU member was with his two brothers to gather lumber at Kilometer 15, barangay San Miguel for the repair of their house at barangay San Miguel at 11 A.M. that day.
When Joseph moved away from his brothers to pile pieces of lumber, suddenly a gunshot was heard. His brothers rushed over and saw the militiaman bloody and with a gunshot wound on his head.
He was brought to the Viga district hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Motive for the shooting remains unknown, according to the report.
His death came after Lt. Col. Bernardo Fortez asked the provincial board to pass a resolution declaring Catanduanes as a “manageable conflict area and development-ready province”.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines, he told the board, has proposed the handover of Internal Peace and Security Operations (IPSO) to LGUs before the end of September 2014.
The proposal, Fortez stated, is based on the positive results garnered by the AFP against “communist terrorists” since 2009 through the neutralization of CPP-NDF-NPA personalities, seizure of high-powered firearms and clearing of affected barangays, with left-leaning organizations no longer affecting the peace and order in the province.
From 200 members in the mid-1990’s with 150 firearms and 100 influenced barangays, the government forces have reduced the numbers to 27 communist rebels and 14 firearms, with all 100 villages cleared as of the 2nd quarter of this year, Fortez reported.
These came through 31 encounters, 24 of them government-initiated, that resulted in the seizure of 46 firearms, 13 landmines, 17 blasting caps and 10 ICOM handheld radios, as well as the death of 10 insurgents, the capture of 18 others and the surrender of 93 members.
The 83rd IB commander said the enemy has been cut down to small splinter groups unable to conduct major tactical offensives due to lack of firearms, limited resources and reduced access to local authorities due to dwindling support from the masses and the success of Barangay Intelligence Networks (BINs) and immersion strategies.
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 23): New batch of peacekeepers ships out, this time to Haiti
Philippine troops, who are to be deployed as U.N. Peacekeepers in Haiti, take their oath during sendoff ceremony Monday, Sept. 22, 2014 at Villamor Air Base at suburban Pasay city south of Manila, Philippines. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said he’s been told security threats on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights are not expected to ease soon, dimming hopes that U.N. peacekeepers can be deployed back to the region in the near future. Monday’s sendoff came hours after the last batch of Filipino UN Peacekeepers arrived home after fighting rebels in Golan. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Petty Officer Second Class Jane Briones, 37, and her two daughters shared a tight embrace as she was about to leave for Tahiti, where she will be a part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force there.
“I am sad and at the same time excited because I have this chance to serve as a peacekeeper; I am sad to leave my daughters and husband behind,” the tall woman in uniform said on Monday.
Before boarding her flight, she told her children to keep doing well in school so they would always end up with honors.
Briones, who is an expert in supplies and logistics, was one of nine women who left the country to serve as part of the 18th Philippine Contingent to Haiti (PCH).
The 157-strong 18th PCH flew out of Villamor Air Base in Pasay City at 3:45 p.m. Monday.
Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. led the sendoff for the 18th PCH, which will be part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force to Haiti.
Cmdr. Aldrin Doctor, contingent commander, said 40 of the 157 personnel were members of the Philippine Marines. Nine were women enlisted personnel.
Their mission will be different from that of the peacekeepers in the Golan Heights, who returned to the country last weekend after facing Syrian rebels in a standoff.
“We won’t be on combat duty so it’s relatively safer. It’s different from Golan Heights,” Doctor said.
The 18th PCH will provide perimeter security for the UN Mission to Haiti headquarters, administrative and logistics clerical services, as well as operate military vehicles and provide security to VIPs.
The contingent will serve a tour of six to nine months, replacing the 17th PCH composed of 11 officers and 145 personnel led by Capt. Luzviminda Camacho, the first female contingent commander.
Catapang called on the peacekeepers to maintain their high standards of bravery, decorum, discipline and professionalism.
From the Philippine Star (Sep 22): Army awards medals to 'world's fastest dragon boat crew'
The Philippine Army Dragon Boat Team celebrates after breaking world records at 9th International Boat Federation Club Crews World Championships in Standiana Bacin, Italy from Sept. 3 to 7, 2014. Army IO
The Philippine Army on Friday conferred military merit medals to the members of its Dragon Boat Team, considered the fastest in the world.
In a statement Monday, the Philippine Army said the recent win of the team at the 9th International Boat Federation Club Crews World Championships in Standiana Bacin, Italy earlier this month was particularly notable.
"For the Army paddlers, the win had been more glorious this year because they carried solely the name of the Philippine Army in a world competition for the first time," the Army said.
At the competition, the crew outpaced 25 other competing teams in the 200-meter category and broke the 53-second world record in the same event by posting 47.85 seconds.
Army Chief Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri confers medal the to 17-man Dragon Boat team on Friday, September 19. Army IO
In the 500-meter event, meanwhile, the team was faster than the 28 other crews, nailing the world record by clocking an all-time best record of 2 minutes and 6 seconds.
The Philippine Army said it "takes pride in its soldier-athletes that possess world-class skills."
Army chief Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri awarded the medals to the 17 members of the Philippine Army Dragon Boat Team.
From the Philippine Star (Sep 23): PN warship home from Australia naval exercises
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – The Philippine Navy (PN)’s warship BRP Ramon Alcaraz arrived here yesterday morning after joining naval exercises of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) last month.
Alcaraz docked at the international port of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) here at about 8 a.m.
Navy public affairs chief Lt. Commander Marineth Domingo said before heading home, Alcaraz made a port call in Indonesia as a matter of courtesy for participating in the RAN exercises.
The naval exercises dubbed “Kakadu” were held from Aug. 25 to Sept. 12 in Northern Australia.
Domingo said the warship would hold a “show the flag” activity here before sailing for Subic, Zambales.
While in the city, Alcaraz will be opened to local residents for a tour of the ship.
Domingo said the frigate would undergo regular checkup in Subic.
From the Manila Standard Today (Sep 23): PH force in Golan lauded; new team off to Haiti
Several lawmakers led by Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez commended the bravery of 40-man Filipino peacekeeping troops who pulled the “greatest escape” last month after battling the Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights.
Peace force. Filipino troopers arrive in Manila after pulling off the “greatest escape” from the Golan Heights while another batch of peacekeepers (below) will see action in Haiti a few days after Monday’s send-off ceremony at the Villamor Airbase. AFPAnother batch of 157 Filipino soldiers will join the UN mission in Haiti to replace the 155-strong Navy contingent who has accomplished its goal.
“The AFP will continue to support the peacekeeping missions of the United Nations,” said military chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang. “
As a force provider, it is an honor to train, equip and deploy members of the military to represent the country to these missions,” Catapang said.
In the House, Romualdez as independent minority bloc together with Rep. Ben Evardone urged the House leadership to commend the Filipino soldiers for their gallant stand in fighting Syrian rebels who tried to overrun the UN camp in the Golan Heights.
“Our peacekeeping troops deserve commendation for the bravery, courage and professionalism they displayed during the attack despite being outnumbered by the heavily armed Syrian rebels. Their refusal to surrender in carrying their mandate is very laudable,” Romualdez said.
“They demonstrated the military’s core values of courage and commitment of the country for showing highest levels of professionalism and competence. Surely, they would be admired by their peers worldwide,” Romualdez added.
For his part, Evardone filed House Resolution 1517 to commend the “unparalleled valour and firm commitment” of the Filipino soldiers.
From the Manila Standard Today (Sep 23): MNLF says Misuari met Pamatong on BBL issue
MORO National
Liberation Front founder Nur Misuari again rejected a suggestion for him to
appear before a congressional hearing on the Bangsamoro Basic Law, saying the
government already “knows everything there is to know” about his views on the
matter.
Lawyer Elly
Pamatong, who is out on bail for scaterring spikes along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue
in 2004, said he met the MNLF leader at his hideout in MountTumantangis
in Sulu last week.
He also dispel
reports he is representing the government during his talks with Misuari,
“I am an MNLF
lawyer and friend of Misuari,” Pamatong said in a telephone interview. “I was
trying to convince him to come down and surrender.”
MNLF Spokesman
Absalom Cerveza initially thought Pamatong was sent by the government to persuade
Misuari to attend the congressional hearing on the Bl, but he later confirmed
that Pamatong met with Misuari in Sulu.
“I see no reason
for Pamatong going to Jolo. I guess Pamatong was instructed by Congress to go
to Jolo and convince Misuari to attend,” Cerveza said.
But Pamatong
quoted Misuari as saying that he has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the
government’s Framework Agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and its
resulting Comprehensive Agreement on the Bansamoro and the proposed Bangsamoro
Basic Law.
“The GRP knows
everything there is to know about my view on the Bangsamoro people and their
dream for independence,” Misuari was quoted as saying.
Instead, Misuari
said Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on
local government, can go to Jolo to conduct the hearing in Jolo.
Cerveza admitted
that Misuari called him to ask about the suggestion that he join the
congressional hearing, but Cerveza said “it’s very dangerous. There’s no
guarantee because the Executive and the Judiciary are in collision.”
Cerveza
reiterated that they were not convinced that the government would issue a
safe-conduct pass to Misuari, who is wanted for the Seige of Zamboanga City on
Sept. 9, 2013 and is now based in Mt.Tumantagis in western
Sulu island where he is protected by 30,000 Moro warriors.
But Mindanao
leaders continued to urge the government to bring Misuari to the negotiating
table because, as MNLF founder, he still has a key role in ensuring peace in Mindanao.
Davao City Mayor
Rodrigo Duterte is one such Mindanao leader and he advised Malacañang against
belittling Misuari’s capability in helping forge peace in Mindanao.
Duterte made the
call came after Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process, Sec. Teresita
Deles said congressional consultations on the BBL can still be successful even
without the participation of Misuari who is asking for something that the
BBL cannot provide.
Duterte said that
Misuari remains to be a force to reckon with when it comes to Mindanao
peace.
He reminded the
government that Misuari could still compel the Philippine government to make
good of its promise based on the Tripoli Agreement it signed decades ago with
Misuari.
“I’ve already
said before that we should not forget Misuari,” Duterte said on his radio
program on Sunday. “For all of his faults, Misuari is still a man to reckon
with. Forget the Zamboanga incident for a while, we have to talk with him if
you want peace.”
Duterte admittd
that he himself have some misgivings on the BBL, particularly on the
territorial issues, but he also hopes that the BBL will be enacted into law by
Congress for the sake of peace.
“I hold it as an
article of faith, the only way you can really attain peace is to go federal. We
cannot give you back the land that was taken from you, but allow us to offer
you a nation,” the Davao
mayor said.
“There has to be
a Bangsamoro nation, and to the Misuari side, give them a nation too.
Otherwise, we’ll have nothing,” he added.
From the Manila Standard Today (Sep 23): Cordilleras want own Moro-type autonomy
AS A RESULT of
the national attention the creation of the Bangsamoro entity is getting, Northern Luzon’s lawmakers are now pushing for the
creation of the Cordilleras Autonomous Region after the previous Organic Acts
failed ratification in 1990 and 1998.
“Cordillera
autonomy will bring to the national attention as well the benefits of accepting
and promoting cultural diversity through the formulation of multi-cultural
policies for indigenous peoples and indigenous cultural communities,” the
lawmakers said in a statement.
Two Organic Acts
creating the CAR were enacted in 1990 and 1998, but both Organic Acts failed
ratification mainly because of the people’s lack of awareness and understanding
of the autonomy issues coupled with the misinformation drives undertaken by
some sectors, the lawmakers said.
The
lawmakers—Reps. Nicasio Aliping Jr. of Baguio City, Manuel Agyao of Kalinga,
Teddy Brawner Baguilat Jr. of Ifugao, Eleanor Bulut-Begtang of Apayao, Maria
Jocelyn Bernos of Abra, Ronald Cosalan of Benguet and Maximo Dalog of Mountain
Province—jointly filed House Bill 4649 that seeks to create an autonomous
region in the Cordilleras.
They filed HB
4649 on July 30 and the House plenary referred it to the House committee on
local governments led by South Cotabato-General Santos City Rep. Pedro Acharon
Jr.
The authors
invoked Article X, Section 15 of the 1987 Constitution, the same provision that
mandates the creation of autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao and in the
Cordilleras consisting of provinces, cities, municipalities and geographical
areas sharing a common and distinctive historical and cultural heritage,
economic and social structures, and other relevant characteristics within the
framework of the Constitution, the national sovereignty, and the territorial
integrity of the country.
The Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao, in accord with the Constitution, was created under
R.A. No. 6734 and was strengthened and expanded under R.A. No. 9054.
However, the
authors said, the Cordillera Autonomous Region had yet to be realized.
Early last week,
the House’s 75-member special ad hoc committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law,
chaired by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, approved its rules of procedure
to guide its consideration of the Palace-proposed BBL as contained in HB 4994
and designed to replace the ARMM that President Benigno Aquino III has tagged
as “a failed experiment.”
Isabela Rep.
Rodolfo Albano III on Sunday warned that the BBL might prompt other regions,
such as the Cordilleras, to also demand
autonomy if some provisions, for instance, allowed the Bangsamoro to have its
parliamentary system of government.
The CAR
proponents recalled that on July 15, 1987, President Corazon Aquino issued
Executive Order 220 creating the Cordillera Administrative Region with the
mandate to administer the affairs of government in the region, accelerate the
economic and social growth and development of the units of the region, and
prepare for the establishment of the autonomous region in the Cordilleras.
Subsequently, the
lawmakers said, two Organic Acts creating the CAR were enacted in 1990 and 1998
but both failed ratification mainly because of the people’s lack of awareness
and understanding of the autonomy issues.
In 2006, the
authors said, the Regional Development Council-Cordillera Administrative
Region or RDC-CAR decided to renew the pursuit of regional autonomy after
it had determined that the only way to drastically address underdevelopment and
poverty in the region was through regional autonomy.
“With policy and
budgetary support from the national government, the RDC-CAR has since engaged
in information, education and communication and capability-building activities
towards regional autonomy at all levels in the region down to the grassroots,”
the lawmakers said.
This campaign,
they said, resulted in the draft Organic Act filed in the 15th Congress as HB
5595.
“Pulse surveys
conducted thereafter revealed an increasing support to regional autonomy,” the
lawmakers said.
The authors of HB
4649 stressed that Cordillera’s autonomy would be the most effective option to
provide the region with the needed solid foundation to pursue sustainable
development as the region hoped to benefit from the management and use of its
natural resources.
From GMA News (Sep 22): Govt, MILF to meet in Malaysia over decommissioning of firearms
The negotiating panels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will meet in Malaysia before the month ends to set parameters for the decommissioning of firearms of MILF combatants.
In a chance interview on the sidelines of a forum on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said members of both panels are set to meet in Kuala Lumpur from September 27 to 29 “to pull everything together.”
Part of the agenda for the three-day meeting is the finalization of the composition of the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) as well as the International Decommissioning Body (IDB), Ferrer said.
She said they aim to establish these bodies within the month.
Under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed by the government and the MILF last March, the TJRC is tasked “to study and recommend the appropriate mechanisms to address legitimate grievances of the Bangsamoro people, correct historical injustices, and address human rights violations through land dispossession.”
Experts
Meanwhile, the IDB, to be composed of three foreign experts and four Filipinos, will validate the inventory of weapons and combatants that the MILF will submit.
Ferrer said they have already invited experts from Brunei, Turkey and Norway in the meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
“Doon na natin sa Kuala Lumpur ifa-finalize who will be members of the IDB,” she said. “But the most important thing, the first order of business, is for the MILF to produce a list of weapons and combatants and submit it to the IDB.”
List
Meanwhile, MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal said they already have a list of firearms and names of combatants ready for submission to the IDB, but refused to give figures.
He, however, said that “the firearms are combinations of high-powered and light-powered.”
Iqbal said the government peace panel also has its own tally of the MILF firearms to be compared with the list that the MILF will submit.
He said the government has listed 7,500 firearms owned by MILF combatants.
“We have our own figure but I cannot disclose right now,” Iqbal said, adding that before the end of the year, the MILF will have a symbolic turnover of 75 high-powered firearms to the IDB.
