From the Gulf Today (Oct 29): MILF forms political party, prepares for ’16 polls
A senior member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has confirmed they would form a political party in preparation for the 2016 election and signal a significant shift from bullets to ballots in their decades-long campaign to help bring just and lasting peace to restive Mindanao.
“We have already started to organize the MILF political party because as a group coming from a conflict situation to a peace settlement equation, we have to engage in regular political exercise — meaning not through the bullets anymore but through the ballot,” said Mohagher Iqbal, the front’s chief peace negotiator.
Iqbal confirmed the front’s decision in a talk with reporters during the launching of the European Union’s Journalism Awards in Cotabato City. However, he admitted they have yet to determine their candidates who are to run in the May 2016 election in which Filipinos are to elect the successor of President Benigno “Nonoy” Aquino, 12 senators, congressmen, governors as well as mayors and councilors.
Iqbal headed the MILF panel that signed in March the historic agreement with the government for the establishment of a new Bangsamoro political entity whose “core territory” is to come initially from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), one of the country’s poorest.
Iqbal also chaired the 15-member Transition Commission set up by Aquino mandated mainly to draft a proposed law creating the new Bangsamoro autonomous region.
The commission already submitted the proposed law to Aquino who, in turn, presented it to the Senate and the House of Representatives which started holding public hearings in Metro Manila as well as in selected towns and cities in Mindanao.
On Wednesday, Congressman Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao announced he has invited three former Supreme Court chief justices — Hilario Davide, Reynato Puno and Artemio Panganiban — to give their views on the constitutionality of the proposed Bangsamoro law.
Rodriguez chairs a 75-member special panel set up by House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte to tackle the proposed law and help hasten its passage in Congress.
Also invited to the hearing, Rodriguez said, were other legal experts like the deans of the colleges of law of the country’s leading schools like San Beda College, Ateneo de Manila University and the state-run University of the Philippines.
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/a6f84837-60e5-4f11-8847-86c884cad61c.aspx
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Opinion: ISIS ripples in Southeast Asian shores
Opinion piece posted to Business World (Oct 28): (by Alma Maria O. Salvador, PhD)
THE TRANSNATIONAL NATURE of the ISIS jihadist ideology has reportedly attracted Islamic citizens from Southeast Asia to reclaim “lost territory” to Islam and embroil themselves in the Syrian conflict. The question that security analysts ask of the ISIS’ transborder reach is its impact on Southeast Asian internal security, particularly of Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines where the Muslim population is significant and where political violence is far from being eradicated.
Recent US and Australian assessments have not eliminated the emergent ISIS threat in Southeast Asia. Recently it was reinforced by a YouTube posting of Isnilon Hapilon’s Abu Sayyaf video of the group’s support of ISIS and its condemnation of the US led Syrian intervention. Intelligence findings on the recruitment of Southeast Asian militants revealed varying numbers of Filipino participation in the ISIS conflict -- from more than 200 who underwent training in Iran prior to Syrian deployment, to a hundred who have fled to fight in Syria, and to two who have been recorded as casualties of the conflict. Government reports have also included the return of Malaysian militants to the Philippines with the mission of establishing a Southeast Asian Islamic caliphate.
According to Joseph Chinyong Liow in his Foreign Affairs article “ISIS goes to Asia,” the traction for ISIS support may be attributed to the “ideological,” “sectarian” and “humanitarian” affinities behind the ISIS ideology. Real threat, however, comes from the consequence of a Southeast Asian import of the global ideology in order to further terror objectives at home. Radicalization is also viewed to come from the “inspiration” of participation in trans-Islamic brotherhood and the power of social media to amplify identification.
Are the Philippine security forces ready for the transnational terror threat that ISIS? This question has become more than relevant in the light of the recent phasing out of the US anti-terrorist Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines, which has found alignment with the Aquino III government’s transition to territorial and external defense.
The impact of the latter in the security sector is great and has translated to a programmatic scenario-building and various levels of transitioning for the military and the police in terms of doctrine, planning, force structure, curriculum, tactics and operations in the larger context of eliminating armed threat in 2016. Readiness in internal security operations (ISO) in the post-insurgency period is defined in terms of the police’s perceptible capability to assume the internal security role that the military will “vacate” when the policy targets of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) would have been met in 2016.
The answer to this question is positive, albeit at the institutional level where counter-terrorism, a second priority to COIN (or counter-insurgency) has been embedded in the national government’s security and development priorities. Legislation through the Human Security Act 2007 has also contributed to this effort. Articulations of the transfer of ISO functions to civilian authorities, reflected in the AFP’s Bayanihan or Internal Security and Peace Plan 2011, reserves the current period when the “lead role in ensuring internal peace and security” is handed “to appropriate government agencies.” In the post-insurgency phase (or when the threat has reached “manageable levels”), ISO would have evolved (and it has incrementally done so) from its previously narrow orientation toward combat (that predated the hearts and minds approach to COIN) to the broader internal security repertoire on intelligence, law enforcement and legal offensives in which the police stands as a frontline ISO actor. Indeed, ISO has found its evolution from the limited search and destroy orientation to the “holistic” approach, to anti-insurgency that enmeshed it in the local development and security nexus.
In both theory and practice, holistic strategizing has resulted in delineated police and military roles, an effort that has furthered the civilianization of anti-insurgency while blurring it with regular policing and law enforcement. The advent of our involvement in the US post-9/11 agenda has also further complicated an anti-insurgency/anti-terrorism/law-enforcement nexus that now directs ISO on the ground.
Because of the huge impact of this on its original mandates, the Philippine National Police, through the Oplan SAMAHAN 2011, has reflected its post-insurgency objectives based on the pursuit of intelligence-led policing (including the deployment of Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams), intensified legal offensives and “sustained ISO.”
Given the transnationalization of threats, the real tasks in institution-building that are to be undertaken are located at the local level. It involves a buy-back of the ISO convergence discourse by local chief executives. It also entails a serious prioritization and reform of the national, local and mobile police forces.
[Alma Maria O. Salvador, PhD, is former chair of the Ateneo de Manila Department of Political Science. She is an assistant professor of international relations and convenor of the Department’s Working Group in Security.]
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Opinion&title=isis-ripples-in-southeast-asian-shores&id=96856
THE TRANSNATIONAL NATURE of the ISIS jihadist ideology has reportedly attracted Islamic citizens from Southeast Asia to reclaim “lost territory” to Islam and embroil themselves in the Syrian conflict. The question that security analysts ask of the ISIS’ transborder reach is its impact on Southeast Asian internal security, particularly of Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines where the Muslim population is significant and where political violence is far from being eradicated.
Recent US and Australian assessments have not eliminated the emergent ISIS threat in Southeast Asia. Recently it was reinforced by a YouTube posting of Isnilon Hapilon’s Abu Sayyaf video of the group’s support of ISIS and its condemnation of the US led Syrian intervention. Intelligence findings on the recruitment of Southeast Asian militants revealed varying numbers of Filipino participation in the ISIS conflict -- from more than 200 who underwent training in Iran prior to Syrian deployment, to a hundred who have fled to fight in Syria, and to two who have been recorded as casualties of the conflict. Government reports have also included the return of Malaysian militants to the Philippines with the mission of establishing a Southeast Asian Islamic caliphate.
According to Joseph Chinyong Liow in his Foreign Affairs article “ISIS goes to Asia,” the traction for ISIS support may be attributed to the “ideological,” “sectarian” and “humanitarian” affinities behind the ISIS ideology. Real threat, however, comes from the consequence of a Southeast Asian import of the global ideology in order to further terror objectives at home. Radicalization is also viewed to come from the “inspiration” of participation in trans-Islamic brotherhood and the power of social media to amplify identification.
Are the Philippine security forces ready for the transnational terror threat that ISIS? This question has become more than relevant in the light of the recent phasing out of the US anti-terrorist Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines, which has found alignment with the Aquino III government’s transition to territorial and external defense.
The impact of the latter in the security sector is great and has translated to a programmatic scenario-building and various levels of transitioning for the military and the police in terms of doctrine, planning, force structure, curriculum, tactics and operations in the larger context of eliminating armed threat in 2016. Readiness in internal security operations (ISO) in the post-insurgency period is defined in terms of the police’s perceptible capability to assume the internal security role that the military will “vacate” when the policy targets of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) would have been met in 2016.
The answer to this question is positive, albeit at the institutional level where counter-terrorism, a second priority to COIN (or counter-insurgency) has been embedded in the national government’s security and development priorities. Legislation through the Human Security Act 2007 has also contributed to this effort. Articulations of the transfer of ISO functions to civilian authorities, reflected in the AFP’s Bayanihan or Internal Security and Peace Plan 2011, reserves the current period when the “lead role in ensuring internal peace and security” is handed “to appropriate government agencies.” In the post-insurgency phase (or when the threat has reached “manageable levels”), ISO would have evolved (and it has incrementally done so) from its previously narrow orientation toward combat (that predated the hearts and minds approach to COIN) to the broader internal security repertoire on intelligence, law enforcement and legal offensives in which the police stands as a frontline ISO actor. Indeed, ISO has found its evolution from the limited search and destroy orientation to the “holistic” approach, to anti-insurgency that enmeshed it in the local development and security nexus.
In both theory and practice, holistic strategizing has resulted in delineated police and military roles, an effort that has furthered the civilianization of anti-insurgency while blurring it with regular policing and law enforcement. The advent of our involvement in the US post-9/11 agenda has also further complicated an anti-insurgency/anti-terrorism/law-enforcement nexus that now directs ISO on the ground.
Because of the huge impact of this on its original mandates, the Philippine National Police, through the Oplan SAMAHAN 2011, has reflected its post-insurgency objectives based on the pursuit of intelligence-led policing (including the deployment of Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams), intensified legal offensives and “sustained ISO.”
Given the transnationalization of threats, the real tasks in institution-building that are to be undertaken are located at the local level. It involves a buy-back of the ISO convergence discourse by local chief executives. It also entails a serious prioritization and reform of the national, local and mobile police forces.
[Alma Maria O. Salvador, PhD, is former chair of the Ateneo de Manila Department of Political Science. She is an assistant professor of international relations and convenor of the Department’s Working Group in Security.]
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Opinion&title=isis-ripples-in-southeast-asian-shores&id=96856
Sea disputes all about economic dominance
From the Manila Times (Oct 29): Sea disputes all about economic dominance
THE MANILA TIMES FORUM: The disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) between China, the Philippines and four other claimant-states are not about oil and minerals but about fishing resources, a senior analyst of US-based think tank Stratfor said during The Manila Times business forum on Wednesday.
Rodger Baker, Stratfor senior analyst and vice president for Asia Pacific Affairs, said the disputes in the region boil down to economic rather than political dominance.
He added that it is more important for China to secure the West Philippine Sea as a vital trade route and fishing source.
“The need for oil and gas has been there for a long time. [But] what is there [West Philippine Sea] is unclear,” Baker said, adding that foreign investors are wary of putting money into exploring the resource-rich region because of the “political risk.”
“Is it worthwhile to come into disputed territory? The likely element of confrontation [among claimant-countries] is fishing,” he said.
About 10 percent of the global resources for fishing are in the West Philippine Sea, while 22 percent of Asian’s protein consumption comes from seafood, the analyst pointed out.
China needs to protect its fishing interests in the region and make sure that fish will be available for its domestic consumption and for export.
For years, the world has never looked at China as “imperialist” or “colonizers.” Baker said China has kept to itself, mainly focused on providing for its one billion people and sustaining itself through domestic markets.
“But at a certain point in its growth, it [China] can no longer sustain itself,” Baker said.
The ancient Silk Road that goes through north of China to Europe suited the Chinese for many years in terms of trading.
However, because it is now the second largest economy in the world, next only to the United States, China started to look at the potentials of Southeast and South Asia.
Baker said there are two conditions China must ensure to be true before it can build the new Maritime Silk Road (MSR) that will go through the West Philippine Sea, the Indian Ocean and the canals of Venice to meet the ancient land-based silk route. One, that the sea route will always be open for trade (that no power will close it). Two, that Beijing must therefore secure the sea routes for its international trade.
While China is not a naval power, Baker said it needed to be if one it wants to take control of the maritime trade routes.
In March this year, China announced an increase in its military budget for 2014 to almost $132 billion, a 12.2 percent rise over last year’s allocation when it surged by 10.7 percent compared to 2012.
Beijing’s military spending is the second largest in the world, behind only the US, as it attempts to be the dominant military power in the Asia Pacific.
Reports have said much of its military budget is being poured into the South Fleet, which is fast becoming China’s most important naval resource because of the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.
China’s naval resources are categorized into three: the traditional North Fleet, the Taiwan-focused East Sea Fleet, and the South Fleet.
Baker said there has been a huge shift in China’s naval resources. He explained that from Beijing’s perspective, the US pivot to Asia is aimed at containing its rise.
But the US, Baker said, would not jeopardize its relations with China because of the “economic ties” and “economic integration” between the two powers.
It does not mean, though, that the US wants to see China growing to the point of threatening it, he added.
Although China has strong economic ties with most of the countries in Southeast Asia, it never played an active role in regional security matters because it was too focused on its domestic issues, the analyst said.
Instead, countries like the US, France and the United Kingdom, among others, have been dominating regional security.
That changed when China shifted its focus to building a Maritime Silk Road to ensure the availability of fishing resources in Southeast Asia, and in a bid to be a legitimate global superpower, which is then perceived to be out to topple the US.
“It wants Southeast Asia to recognize the dominance of China . . . for [countries] to base their strategic decisions on the acceptance of China’s predominant [power],” Baker said.
http://www.manilatimes.net/sea-disputes-economic-dominance/137885/
THE MANILA TIMES FORUM: The disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) between China, the Philippines and four other claimant-states are not about oil and minerals but about fishing resources, a senior analyst of US-based think tank Stratfor said during The Manila Times business forum on Wednesday.
Rodger Baker, Stratfor senior analyst and vice president for Asia Pacific Affairs, said the disputes in the region boil down to economic rather than political dominance.
He added that it is more important for China to secure the West Philippine Sea as a vital trade route and fishing source.
“The need for oil and gas has been there for a long time. [But] what is there [West Philippine Sea] is unclear,” Baker said, adding that foreign investors are wary of putting money into exploring the resource-rich region because of the “political risk.”
“Is it worthwhile to come into disputed territory? The likely element of confrontation [among claimant-countries] is fishing,” he said.
About 10 percent of the global resources for fishing are in the West Philippine Sea, while 22 percent of Asian’s protein consumption comes from seafood, the analyst pointed out.
China needs to protect its fishing interests in the region and make sure that fish will be available for its domestic consumption and for export.
For years, the world has never looked at China as “imperialist” or “colonizers.” Baker said China has kept to itself, mainly focused on providing for its one billion people and sustaining itself through domestic markets.
“But at a certain point in its growth, it [China] can no longer sustain itself,” Baker said.
The ancient Silk Road that goes through north of China to Europe suited the Chinese for many years in terms of trading.
However, because it is now the second largest economy in the world, next only to the United States, China started to look at the potentials of Southeast and South Asia.
Baker said there are two conditions China must ensure to be true before it can build the new Maritime Silk Road (MSR) that will go through the West Philippine Sea, the Indian Ocean and the canals of Venice to meet the ancient land-based silk route. One, that the sea route will always be open for trade (that no power will close it). Two, that Beijing must therefore secure the sea routes for its international trade.
While China is not a naval power, Baker said it needed to be if one it wants to take control of the maritime trade routes.
In March this year, China announced an increase in its military budget for 2014 to almost $132 billion, a 12.2 percent rise over last year’s allocation when it surged by 10.7 percent compared to 2012.
Beijing’s military spending is the second largest in the world, behind only the US, as it attempts to be the dominant military power in the Asia Pacific.
Reports have said much of its military budget is being poured into the South Fleet, which is fast becoming China’s most important naval resource because of the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.
China’s naval resources are categorized into three: the traditional North Fleet, the Taiwan-focused East Sea Fleet, and the South Fleet.
Baker said there has been a huge shift in China’s naval resources. He explained that from Beijing’s perspective, the US pivot to Asia is aimed at containing its rise.
But the US, Baker said, would not jeopardize its relations with China because of the “economic ties” and “economic integration” between the two powers.
It does not mean, though, that the US wants to see China growing to the point of threatening it, he added.
Although China has strong economic ties with most of the countries in Southeast Asia, it never played an active role in regional security matters because it was too focused on its domestic issues, the analyst said.
Instead, countries like the US, France and the United Kingdom, among others, have been dominating regional security.
That changed when China shifted its focus to building a Maritime Silk Road to ensure the availability of fishing resources in Southeast Asia, and in a bid to be a legitimate global superpower, which is then perceived to be out to topple the US.
“It wants Southeast Asia to recognize the dominance of China . . . for [countries] to base their strategic decisions on the acceptance of China’s predominant [power],” Baker said.
http://www.manilatimes.net/sea-disputes-economic-dominance/137885/
Arrested Abu Sayyaf leader the wrong man?
From the Manila Times (Oct 29): Arrested Abu Sayyaf leader the wrong man?
WAS it just another case of mistaken identity when government security forces arrested the alleged sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf (ASG) involved in the Lamitan siege of 2001?
The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Western Mindanao on Tuesday announced the arrest of Nasser Usman in Lamitan City in Basilan by combined police and military troops.
Western Mindanao Police Office spokesperson Insp. Dahlan Samuddin said Usman was tracked down by authorities at his alleged hideout in Barangay Tandung Ahas in Lamitan City.
But a reliable source from the PNP in Camp Crame said that security forces in Basilan have arrested the wrong man.
“The man they have arrested is not Nasser Usman . . . but Nazer Usman,” claimed the PNP source who requested not to be identified.
The source said that Nazer Usman is a teacher from Tandung Ahas National High School in Lamitan City.
“Hinuli hindi talaga ASG yan.. kapangalan lang yun may warrant at reward sa Order of Battle (OB) . . . kilala ko sya [The one arrested was not a member of the ASG. He has the same name as the one with a warrant and reward in the Order of Battle . . . I know him],” the source said.
“Kilala ko sya . . . dahil matagal kaming nagkasama noong nagtuturo pa ako sa mismong school [I know him because we were together for a long time when I was teaching in the school],” the source added.
The source said the man arrested in Lamitan City on Tuesday afternoon is a family man and a dedicated school teacher.
“Maling tao ang hinuli ng PNP may clearance yan galing ng Southcom [The PNP arrested the wrong man, he has a clearance from the Southcom],” the source added.
“Kung may dalawang buhay lang ako, ibibigay ko yung isa para sa taong yan [If I have two lives, I will give one for that person],” the source said.
Southcom or Southern Command is the former name of the now Western Midnanao Command (Westmincom), the source explained.
The source added that South-com had issued a clearance that certifies Nazer Usman is a different persona listed in the Warrant of Arrest issued by Judge Bucoy of the Regional Trial Court Branch 2 of Isabela City.
“There’s a clearance from Southcom that he and the one in the warrant as two different persons,’’ the source said.
http://www.manilatimes.net/arrested-abu-sayyaf-leader-wrong-man/137905/
WAS it just another case of mistaken identity when government security forces arrested the alleged sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf (ASG) involved in the Lamitan siege of 2001?
The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Western Mindanao on Tuesday announced the arrest of Nasser Usman in Lamitan City in Basilan by combined police and military troops.
Western Mindanao Police Office spokesperson Insp. Dahlan Samuddin said Usman was tracked down by authorities at his alleged hideout in Barangay Tandung Ahas in Lamitan City.
But a reliable source from the PNP in Camp Crame said that security forces in Basilan have arrested the wrong man.
“The man they have arrested is not Nasser Usman . . . but Nazer Usman,” claimed the PNP source who requested not to be identified.
The source said that Nazer Usman is a teacher from Tandung Ahas National High School in Lamitan City.
“Hinuli hindi talaga ASG yan.. kapangalan lang yun may warrant at reward sa Order of Battle (OB) . . . kilala ko sya [The one arrested was not a member of the ASG. He has the same name as the one with a warrant and reward in the Order of Battle . . . I know him],” the source said.
“Kilala ko sya . . . dahil matagal kaming nagkasama noong nagtuturo pa ako sa mismong school [I know him because we were together for a long time when I was teaching in the school],” the source added.
The source said the man arrested in Lamitan City on Tuesday afternoon is a family man and a dedicated school teacher.
“Maling tao ang hinuli ng PNP may clearance yan galing ng Southcom [The PNP arrested the wrong man, he has a clearance from the Southcom],” the source added.
“Kung may dalawang buhay lang ako, ibibigay ko yung isa para sa taong yan [If I have two lives, I will give one for that person],” the source said.
Southcom or Southern Command is the former name of the now Western Midnanao Command (Westmincom), the source explained.
The source added that South-com had issued a clearance that certifies Nazer Usman is a different persona listed in the Warrant of Arrest issued by Judge Bucoy of the Regional Trial Court Branch 2 of Isabela City.
“There’s a clearance from Southcom that he and the one in the warrant as two different persons,’’ the source said.
http://www.manilatimes.net/arrested-abu-sayyaf-leader-wrong-man/137905/
2 more NPA rebels killed, firearms recovered in Davao del Norte clash
From InterAksyon (Oct 30): 2 more NPA rebels killed, firearms recovered in Davao del Norte clash
Government soldiers in pursuit operations killed two more New People's Army (NPA) rebels and recovered four high-powered firearms after an encounter Wednesday afternoon in Davao del Norte.
Capt. Alberto Caber, chief of the public information office of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), said the 50-minute encounter between the soldiers of the 60th Infantry Battalion and insurgents happened at 3:08 p.m. in Sitio Kimataan II, Barangay Gupitan in the town of Kapalong.
"The encounter lasted for almost an hour. We have no casualty," Caber said.
An AK-47 rifle, two M16 rifles and an M14 rifle as well as an unexploded improvised explosive device (IED) and a binocular were recovered from the fleeing rebels.
Local officials reported that the rebels dragged their wounded companions as they escaped.
Just three days before, two rebels were killed and an AK-47 was recovered during an encounter in the same barangay.
The clashes were the result of operations by joint military and police forces following complaints from villagers that NPA bandits were conducting extortion activities in the area, Caber said.
Lt. Gen. Aurelio B. Baladad, head of the Eastern Mindanao Command, earlier directed all unit commanders to intensify their operations against NPA extortion activities in the region.
But he also encouraged the rebels to avail of the government’s peace initiative.
“In the spirit of Bayanihan, we are waiting for their return to the folds of the law. We have the AFP’s Guns for Peace Program and livelihood package assistance from concerned LGUs as they embrace peace. Our civilian stakeholders are with us in these peace and development efforts,” Baladad said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/98199/2-more-npa-rebels-killed-firearms-recovered-in-davao-del-norte-clash
Government soldiers in pursuit operations killed two more New People's Army (NPA) rebels and recovered four high-powered firearms after an encounter Wednesday afternoon in Davao del Norte.
Capt. Alberto Caber, chief of the public information office of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), said the 50-minute encounter between the soldiers of the 60th Infantry Battalion and insurgents happened at 3:08 p.m. in Sitio Kimataan II, Barangay Gupitan in the town of Kapalong.
"The encounter lasted for almost an hour. We have no casualty," Caber said.
An AK-47 rifle, two M16 rifles and an M14 rifle as well as an unexploded improvised explosive device (IED) and a binocular were recovered from the fleeing rebels.
Local officials reported that the rebels dragged their wounded companions as they escaped.
Just three days before, two rebels were killed and an AK-47 was recovered during an encounter in the same barangay.
The clashes were the result of operations by joint military and police forces following complaints from villagers that NPA bandits were conducting extortion activities in the area, Caber said.
Lt. Gen. Aurelio B. Baladad, head of the Eastern Mindanao Command, earlier directed all unit commanders to intensify their operations against NPA extortion activities in the region.
But he also encouraged the rebels to avail of the government’s peace initiative.
“In the spirit of Bayanihan, we are waiting for their return to the folds of the law. We have the AFP’s Guns for Peace Program and livelihood package assistance from concerned LGUs as they embrace peace. Our civilian stakeholders are with us in these peace and development efforts,” Baladad said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/98199/2-more-npa-rebels-killed-firearms-recovered-in-davao-del-norte-clash
MILF commander, village official gunned down in Sultan Kudarat
From InterAksyon (Oct 30): MILF commander, village official gunned down in Sultan Kudarat
A commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and a village official who was with him were killed in a shooting incident in Barangay Romualdez, President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat Wednesday afternoon.
Dead on arrival at a private hospital in Tacurong City were Manubakan Abdul alias Kumander Garrison of the MILF 108th Base Command and Barangay Kagawad Abdulkarim Dimapalao Maslamama of Barangay Midkunding, Sultan Kudarat Pendatum, Maguindanao.
The MILF commander sustained shots in the head while the barangay councilman was hit in the chest and ear. Both died soon after the shooting, according to 33rd Infantry Battalion Commanding Officer Col. Marton Abo.
The two were riding a motorcycle when another pair also on a motorcycle ambushed them. The perpetrators took off with the victims’ motorcycle.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/98216/milf-commander-village-official-gunned-down-in-sultan-kudarat
A commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and a village official who was with him were killed in a shooting incident in Barangay Romualdez, President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat Wednesday afternoon.
Dead on arrival at a private hospital in Tacurong City were Manubakan Abdul alias Kumander Garrison of the MILF 108th Base Command and Barangay Kagawad Abdulkarim Dimapalao Maslamama of Barangay Midkunding, Sultan Kudarat Pendatum, Maguindanao.
The MILF commander sustained shots in the head while the barangay councilman was hit in the chest and ear. Both died soon after the shooting, according to 33rd Infantry Battalion Commanding Officer Col. Marton Abo.
The two were riding a motorcycle when another pair also on a motorcycle ambushed them. The perpetrators took off with the victims’ motorcycle.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/98216/milf-commander-village-official-gunned-down-in-sultan-kudarat
CPP/NPA: Babaeng magsasaka sa Legazpi City, pinagbantaan ang buhay ng tropang AFP
NPA propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Oct 26): Babaeng magsasaka sa Legazpi City, pinagbantaan ang buhay ng tropang AFP
CPP/NPA: Impormer ng PNP, pinarusahan sa Legazpi City
NPA propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Oct 25): Impormer ng PNP, pinarusahan sa Legazpi City
Guimaras cleared of NPA rebels
From the Business Mirror (Oct 29): Guimaras cleared of NPA rebels
THE Army’s Third Infantry “Spearhead” Division (3ID) turned over on Wednesday the responsibility over the internal peace and security efforts in Guimaras to the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) after driving New People’s Army rebels out of the island-province.
Col. Eric Uchida, 301st Infantry Brigade commander handed over the responsibility to the provincial government during the signing of a joint memorandum of agreement (MOA) held in Jordan, Guimaras.
The MOA was signed by Gov. Samuel Guarin, who is also the chairman of the PPOC; Chief Supt. Josephus Angan, Western Visayas police commander and Maj. Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, 3ID commander.
“Guimaras province was declared a [communist] insurgency-free province six years ago and the peace and security situation continue to improve as manifested by the absence of violent incidents attributed to the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA [New People’s Army]. It further boosted the socioeconomic, agro-industrial and infrastructure development activities in the province,” Uchida said.
Guimaras was declared as insurgency-free province in 2008 through a joint resolution signed by the government, the 3ID and the Western Visayas police command.
Through Provincial Resolution 2, the Guimaras PPOC unanimously accepted the responsibility over the peace and security efforts in the province.
As such, it will take the lead role in maintaining internal peace and security.
The declaration of Guimaras as insurgency-free in 2008 has paved the way for the entry of investors and boosted the healthy tourism atmosphere in the province that, likewise, contributed to the regional stability in Western Visayas.
Guerrero assured they will work with officials in Western Visayas in pursuit of a peaceful and secure environment conducive to sustainable regional economic development.
“Let us continue to foster Bayanihan and collaborate in our efforts to end the insurgency for peace and development to thrive in the region,” Guerrero said.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/guimaras-cleared-of-npa-rebels/
THE Army’s Third Infantry “Spearhead” Division (3ID) turned over on Wednesday the responsibility over the internal peace and security efforts in Guimaras to the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) after driving New People’s Army rebels out of the island-province.
Col. Eric Uchida, 301st Infantry Brigade commander handed over the responsibility to the provincial government during the signing of a joint memorandum of agreement (MOA) held in Jordan, Guimaras.
The MOA was signed by Gov. Samuel Guarin, who is also the chairman of the PPOC; Chief Supt. Josephus Angan, Western Visayas police commander and Maj. Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, 3ID commander.
“Guimaras province was declared a [communist] insurgency-free province six years ago and the peace and security situation continue to improve as manifested by the absence of violent incidents attributed to the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA [New People’s Army]. It further boosted the socioeconomic, agro-industrial and infrastructure development activities in the province,” Uchida said.
Guimaras was declared as insurgency-free province in 2008 through a joint resolution signed by the government, the 3ID and the Western Visayas police command.
Through Provincial Resolution 2, the Guimaras PPOC unanimously accepted the responsibility over the peace and security efforts in the province.
As such, it will take the lead role in maintaining internal peace and security.
The declaration of Guimaras as insurgency-free in 2008 has paved the way for the entry of investors and boosted the healthy tourism atmosphere in the province that, likewise, contributed to the regional stability in Western Visayas.
Guerrero assured they will work with officials in Western Visayas in pursuit of a peaceful and secure environment conducive to sustainable regional economic development.
“Let us continue to foster Bayanihan and collaborate in our efforts to end the insurgency for peace and development to thrive in the region,” Guerrero said.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/guimaras-cleared-of-npa-rebels/
Philippine Army kills 2 commies in fresh clashes in Davao province
From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Oct 29): Philippine Army kills 2 commies in fresh clashes in Davao province
Government troops killed two communist insurgents in a clash Wednesday in the southern Philippine province of Davao del Norte, an army spokesman said.
Capt. Alberto Caber, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the fighting erupted in the village of Gupitan in Kapalong town. He said troops from the 60th Infantry Battalion were sent to hunt down members of the New People’s Army when they encountered a group of rebels and a firefight ensued.
He said the fighting lasted almost an hour and stopped only after the rebels broke into smaller groups and escaped to the hills. He said soldiers recovered four automatic rifles and an improvised explosive device, including a binocular.
“There was no casualty on our side and the pursuit operations still continue,” he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
The fighting was the second in the remote village in three days where two rebels were also killed by soldiers.
Caber said Lt. Gen. Aurelio Baladad, the regional military commander, has ordered military units to intensify the operations against the NPA and at the same time urging the rebels to surrender peacefully.
The NPA rebels have been fighting for decades for the establishment of a separate state in the country. The military has branded the NPA as kidnappers, bandits, terrorists, extortionists and other malevolent tags in propaganda war with the communist group.
http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/10/philippine-army-kills-2-commies-in.html
Government troops killed two communist insurgents in a clash Wednesday in the southern Philippine province of Davao del Norte, an army spokesman said.
Capt. Alberto Caber, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the fighting erupted in the village of Gupitan in Kapalong town. He said troops from the 60th Infantry Battalion were sent to hunt down members of the New People’s Army when they encountered a group of rebels and a firefight ensued.
He said the fighting lasted almost an hour and stopped only after the rebels broke into smaller groups and escaped to the hills. He said soldiers recovered four automatic rifles and an improvised explosive device, including a binocular.
“There was no casualty on our side and the pursuit operations still continue,” he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
The fighting was the second in the remote village in three days where two rebels were also killed by soldiers.
Caber said Lt. Gen. Aurelio Baladad, the regional military commander, has ordered military units to intensify the operations against the NPA and at the same time urging the rebels to surrender peacefully.
The NPA rebels have been fighting for decades for the establishment of a separate state in the country. The military has branded the NPA as kidnappers, bandits, terrorists, extortionists and other malevolent tags in propaganda war with the communist group.
http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/10/philippine-army-kills-2-commies-in.html
Laudes to BI: Declare Pemberton an 'undesirable alien'
From ABS-CBN (Oct 29): Laudes to BI: Declare Pemberton an 'undesirable alien'
The family of slain Filipino transgender Jeffrey "Jennifer" Laude has urged the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to declare US Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton an undesirable alien.
Marilou, Michelle, and Julita Laude, in a letter-request to BI Commissioner Siegfried Mison, said Pemberton has been formally charged for the killing of Jennifer and, as such, should be subjected to immigration proceedings.
Jennifer was found dead inside the comfort room of a lodge in Olongapo City.
Witnesses claim Pemberton, who took part in the recently concluded Philippines-US Amphibious Landing Exercise 2015, was with her before her lifeless body was discovered.
Pemberton has been charged with murder before the Olongapo City Prosecutor's Office.
"The murder of our loved one violates Philippine law and is a gross disrespect to what we hold dear as a people. His gruesome murder of a citizen should be enough a justification to declare him an undesirable alien of the most repulsive kind."
"We pray that he be subjected to the procedures prescribed by our immigration laws pertinent to an undesirable alien, including the confiscation of his passport as well as his attendance in deportation hearings," the letter read.
The Laudes pointed out that Pemberton should not be "shielded from accountability."
Declaring Pemberton as an undesirable alien, however, will carry with it a penalty of deportation, which runs counter to what the Laude camp had demanded these past weeks: to have Pemberton detained under Philippine custody while the charge against him is being heard.
Jennifer's fiance, Marc Sueselbeck, meantime, is undergoing deportation proceedings for scaling a fence in a restricted area inside Camp Aguinaldo, and pushing a soldier last Oct. 22.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/29/14/laudes-bi-declare-pemberton-undesirable-alien
The family of slain Filipino transgender Jeffrey "Jennifer" Laude has urged the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to declare US Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton an undesirable alien.
Marilou, Michelle, and Julita Laude, in a letter-request to BI Commissioner Siegfried Mison, said Pemberton has been formally charged for the killing of Jennifer and, as such, should be subjected to immigration proceedings.
Jennifer was found dead inside the comfort room of a lodge in Olongapo City.
Witnesses claim Pemberton, who took part in the recently concluded Philippines-US Amphibious Landing Exercise 2015, was with her before her lifeless body was discovered.
Pemberton has been charged with murder before the Olongapo City Prosecutor's Office.
"The murder of our loved one violates Philippine law and is a gross disrespect to what we hold dear as a people. His gruesome murder of a citizen should be enough a justification to declare him an undesirable alien of the most repulsive kind."
"We pray that he be subjected to the procedures prescribed by our immigration laws pertinent to an undesirable alien, including the confiscation of his passport as well as his attendance in deportation hearings," the letter read.
The Laudes pointed out that Pemberton should not be "shielded from accountability."
Declaring Pemberton as an undesirable alien, however, will carry with it a penalty of deportation, which runs counter to what the Laude camp had demanded these past weeks: to have Pemberton detained under Philippine custody while the charge against him is being heard.
Jennifer's fiance, Marc Sueselbeck, meantime, is undergoing deportation proceedings for scaling a fence in a restricted area inside Camp Aguinaldo, and pushing a soldier last Oct. 22.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/29/14/laudes-bi-declare-pemberton-undesirable-alien
Suspected NPA guerrillas burn heavy equipment in Bukidnon
From GMA News (Oct 29): Suspected NPA guerrillas burn heavy equipment in Bukidnon
Suspected communist New People's Army rebels on Tuesday afternoon attacked a quarry site in Kitao-tao town in Bukidnon province, burning at least 10 units of heavy equipment.
The suspected NPAs attacked Sitio Malood in Barangay Sinoda at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, GMA Northern Mindanao's Francis Damit reported Wednesday.
Among the heavy equipment burned in the attack were two prime movers, two dump trucks, a cement mixer, a backhoe, and a grader.
Police are verifying information that the motives of the attack included extortion and quarrying.
"Pinagsabihan sila at parang sinuway daw... so ganun ang isang alleged motive nila," said Bukidnon provincial police spokesperson Inspector Jiselle Longgakit.
An investigation also showed the company that owned the heavy equipment had received threats before Tuesday's incident.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/385712/news/regions/suspected-npa-guerrillas-burn-heavy-equipment-in-bukidnon
Suspected communist New People's Army rebels on Tuesday afternoon attacked a quarry site in Kitao-tao town in Bukidnon province, burning at least 10 units of heavy equipment.
The suspected NPAs attacked Sitio Malood in Barangay Sinoda at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, GMA Northern Mindanao's Francis Damit reported Wednesday.
Among the heavy equipment burned in the attack were two prime movers, two dump trucks, a cement mixer, a backhoe, and a grader.
Police are verifying information that the motives of the attack included extortion and quarrying.
"Pinagsabihan sila at parang sinuway daw... so ganun ang isang alleged motive nila," said Bukidnon provincial police spokesperson Inspector Jiselle Longgakit.
An investigation also showed the company that owned the heavy equipment had received threats before Tuesday's incident.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/385712/news/regions/suspected-npa-guerrillas-burn-heavy-equipment-in-bukidnon
PHL-China sea row won’t be tackled in APEC summit in Beijing
From GMA News (Oct 29): PHL-China sea row won’t be tackled in APEC summit in Beijing
The Philippines' territorial dispute with China will not be tackled during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing next month.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, DFA Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Laura Del Rosario said the summit will focus on economic issues and not political ones.
"The APEC extends to South America... We are not going to the specifics of this issue [territorial dispute], which are Southeast Asia issues," she said.
Asked if the territorial row will be put in the sidelines in deference to China, the host country, Del Rosario replied, "The APEC has already been here for 25 years. It never talked about anything political in its summit."
The Philippines has conflicting territorial claims with China over resource-rich parts of the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippines claims that the West Philippine Sea is part of its exclusive economic zone under the international law. China, meanwhile, is asserting its historical claim over the area through the so-called nine-dash line.
Last March, the Philippines brought its territorial dispute with China before the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. Beijing rejected the arbitration proceedings and insisted on bilateral talks to settle to issue.
'Holding hands'
President Benigno Aquino III will attend the APEC summit in Beijing from November 9 to 11.
During Wednesday's briefing, Del Rosario pointed out that the Philippines and China will have to work together in the coming summit to make sure that unsettled economic issues will be tackled next year.
The Philippines will host the APEC summit in 2015.
"In effect, we will be holding hands to make sure that issues not tackled this year will be carried over next year," the DFA official said.
She added that Chinese officials are "looking forward" to the Philippines' attendance in the APEC summit in Beijing.
Aquino is expected to talk to APEC business leaders on November 9 on his administration's economic reforms.
Del Rosario also said that the President will hold bilateral talks with Latin American leaders at the sidelines of the APEC summit to encourage them to invest in the Philippines.
The APEC is a 21-member economic forum whose primary goal "is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region."
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/385700/news/nation/phl-china-sea-row-won-t-be-tackled-in-apec-summit-in-beijing
The Philippines' territorial dispute with China will not be tackled during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing next month.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, DFA Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Laura Del Rosario said the summit will focus on economic issues and not political ones.
"The APEC extends to South America... We are not going to the specifics of this issue [territorial dispute], which are Southeast Asia issues," she said.
Asked if the territorial row will be put in the sidelines in deference to China, the host country, Del Rosario replied, "The APEC has already been here for 25 years. It never talked about anything political in its summit."
The Philippines has conflicting territorial claims with China over resource-rich parts of the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippines claims that the West Philippine Sea is part of its exclusive economic zone under the international law. China, meanwhile, is asserting its historical claim over the area through the so-called nine-dash line.
Last March, the Philippines brought its territorial dispute with China before the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. Beijing rejected the arbitration proceedings and insisted on bilateral talks to settle to issue.
'Holding hands'
President Benigno Aquino III will attend the APEC summit in Beijing from November 9 to 11.
During Wednesday's briefing, Del Rosario pointed out that the Philippines and China will have to work together in the coming summit to make sure that unsettled economic issues will be tackled next year.
The Philippines will host the APEC summit in 2015.
"In effect, we will be holding hands to make sure that issues not tackled this year will be carried over next year," the DFA official said.
She added that Chinese officials are "looking forward" to the Philippines' attendance in the APEC summit in Beijing.
Aquino is expected to talk to APEC business leaders on November 9 on his administration's economic reforms.
Del Rosario also said that the President will hold bilateral talks with Latin American leaders at the sidelines of the APEC summit to encourage them to invest in the Philippines.
The APEC is a 21-member economic forum whose primary goal "is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region."
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/385700/news/nation/phl-china-sea-row-won-t-be-tackled-in-apec-summit-in-beijing
Army official ordered relieved for the second time in a month
From GMA News (Oct 29): Army official ordered relieved for the second time in a month
An Army official who has been ordered relieved from his post has been given a new position in the AFP Medical Center — only to be relieved again.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang has ordered the relief of Lt. Col. Florencio Ritchie Capulong from the center’s Technical Working Group, which supervises the implementation of certain projects.
Capulong had been earlier sacked as disbursement officer of the AFP Medical Center for his involvement in an alleged anomalous procurement of medicines and medical supplies worth P80 million, but he was designated secretariat head of the TWG by acting AFP Medical Center chief Col. Benedicto Jovellanos.
Jovellanos gave Capulong his new assignment on October 15, or a day after Capulong was sacked as disbursement officer.
Asked if Jovellanos was aware that Capulong had been ordered relieved when he gave him the TWG assignment, AFP public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said: “He knows but I don’t know the rationale [behind it).”
“I don’t know the reason why he was given a job. I can only assume that it is due to his expertise that might be lost because he will be doing nothing, so that we can utilize his expertise for certain tasks,” he said.
Cabunoc said the sacking of Capulong and several others aims to provide transparency to an ongoing internal investigation on the alleged anomalous procurement.
Also sacked pending the investigation by the AFP’s Office of Ethical Standards and Public Accountability were AFP Medical Center chief Brig. Gen. Normando Sta Ana, management and fiscal officer Maj. Neil Bugarin, and logistics officer Col. Rogelio Del Rio.
Cabunoc said Capulong and the three other relieved officials “should be left without assignments.”
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/385749/news/nation/army-official-ordered-relieved-for-the-second-time-in-a-month
An Army official who has been ordered relieved from his post has been given a new position in the AFP Medical Center — only to be relieved again.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang has ordered the relief of Lt. Col. Florencio Ritchie Capulong from the center’s Technical Working Group, which supervises the implementation of certain projects.
Capulong had been earlier sacked as disbursement officer of the AFP Medical Center for his involvement in an alleged anomalous procurement of medicines and medical supplies worth P80 million, but he was designated secretariat head of the TWG by acting AFP Medical Center chief Col. Benedicto Jovellanos.
Jovellanos gave Capulong his new assignment on October 15, or a day after Capulong was sacked as disbursement officer.
Asked if Jovellanos was aware that Capulong had been ordered relieved when he gave him the TWG assignment, AFP public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said: “He knows but I don’t know the rationale [behind it).”
“I don’t know the reason why he was given a job. I can only assume that it is due to his expertise that might be lost because he will be doing nothing, so that we can utilize his expertise for certain tasks,” he said.
Cabunoc said the sacking of Capulong and several others aims to provide transparency to an ongoing internal investigation on the alleged anomalous procurement.
Also sacked pending the investigation by the AFP’s Office of Ethical Standards and Public Accountability were AFP Medical Center chief Brig. Gen. Normando Sta Ana, management and fiscal officer Maj. Neil Bugarin, and logistics officer Col. Rogelio Del Rio.
Cabunoc said Capulong and the three other relieved officials “should be left without assignments.”
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/385749/news/nation/army-official-ordered-relieved-for-the-second-time-in-a-month
PH peacekeepers from Liberia to be quarantined in Tarlac camp
From Rappler (Oct 29): PH peacekeepers from Liberia to be quarantined in Tarlac camp
Colonel Roberto Ancan, chief of the military's peacekeeping operations, says the 110 Philippine peacekeepers have not shown symptoms of infection with the Ebola virus
The 110 Filipino United Nations (UN) peacekeepers deployed to Ebola-hitLiberia
Camp O'Donnel Camp Aguinaldo
in Quezon City
http://www.rappler.com/nation/73439-peackeepers-liberia-tarlac
Colonel Roberto Ancan, chief of the military's peacekeeping operations, says the 110 Philippine peacekeepers have not shown symptoms of infection with the Ebola virus
The 110 Filipino United Nations (UN) peacekeepers deployed to Ebola-hit
"As of
today, they are doing well," Ancan said.
The all-Air Force
team is scheduled to come home in less than two weeks, November 10, through
UN-chartered flights. They will be brought to Camp O'Donnel
They have to pass
medical tests before the military can give them a welcome party and be allowed
to see their families.
"We're well
prepared. We've already anticipated this when the President ordered the pullout
months ago. We've been planning for this," said Catapang on Wednesday,
October 29.
Representatives
from the Department of Health will supervise the 3-week quarantine procedure.
The Philippine
military has been sending peacekeepers to various UN missions including Liberia , the Golan Heights, and Haiti Philippines has decided to pull out troops from Liberia
http://www.rappler.com/nation/73439-peackeepers-liberia-tarlac
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