Soldier on disaster response mission wounded in mine explosion in Sorsogon

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 5): Soldier on disaster response mission wounded in mine explosion in Sorsogon

A soldier assigned to a disaster response mission in Sorsogon was wounded after his team stumbled on a mine planted by suspected communist insurgents in Irosin, Sorsogon, around 11.45 a.m. Friday.

Army Col. Cesar M. Idio, commanding officer of the Army’s 903rd Infantry Brigade, said a Disaster Response Team under 1Lt. Carlito A. Carino of the 31st Infantry Battalion, was on board a civilian vehicle to establish a Quick Reaction Team at the Irosin Disaster Risk Reduction Management Operation Center in connection with typhoon "Ruby" when their vehicle hit a land mine set up by New People's Army (NPA) rebels.

“Our men were on their way to the municipality of Irosin, Sorsogon, when their vehicle hit a landmine with an improvised explosive device planted by an undetermined number of NPA members at Barangay Monbon, Irosin, Sorsogon,” Idio said.

He identified the wounded soldier as Pfc. Jerlou B. Diesta.

Diesta was brought immediately to the Irosin District Hospital for treatment and is already out of danger, according to the attending physician, the Army officer said.

“We condemn this barbaric act by the rebels, especially in times of disaster when our troops are conducting humanitarian mission in preparation for typhoon Ruby. But despite the rebels' attack, your soldiers will continue to respond during disasters and lend a hand to our kababayans,” he said.

Idio mobilized additional troops in Sorsogon to help and assist residents during evacuations.

He said the safety of the people of Sorsogon is their primary concern.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=713203

Marines plant 2,000 mangrove propagules in Sulu

From the Mindanao Examiner (Dec 5): Marines plant 2,000 mangrove propagules in Sulu

Marine soldiers planted some 2,000 mangrove propagules as part of its environmental advocacy in the southern Philippine province of Sulu.

The soldiers, who are members of the 2nd Marine Brigade, planted the propagules on Bangsas Island which is part of Panglima Tahil town. The activity coincided with the 64th anniversary of the 2nd Marine Brigade.

It was also participated by the different military and police units and local stakeholders, including government officials and representatives of different nongovernmental organizations and the provincial government.

The activity is also in support to the government’s National Greening Program and Sulu’s environmental greening campaign.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Provincial Government of Sulu are working closely for the preservation and conservation of the natural resources and delivery of basic services to the community to attain peace and prosperity in the province,” the 2nd Marine Brigade said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20141204101058

4 soldiers killed, 2 captured by NPA in Bukidnon, Davao del Norte

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Dec 4): 4 soldiers killed, 2 captured by NPA in Bukidnon, Davao del Norte
The military on Thursday confirmed that four soldiers were killed while two others have been taken captive by communist rebels in Bukidnon and Davao del Norte this week.

First Lieutenant Vergel Lacambra, spokesperson of the 10th Infantry Division based in Camp Panacan here, said soldiers from the 68th Infantry Battalion were conducting security patrol in the borders of Barangays (villages) Bacnotan and Halapitan in San Fernando, Bukidnon on Tuesday–following reports the rebels were to attack a road construction project in a nearby village–when the clash took place.

“The (New People’s Army) rebels detonated an internationally banned landmine, triggering a 30-minute gunfight, which resulted in the deaths of four soldiers and the wounding of three others,” Lacambra said in a media statement.



He did not identify the slain or wounded soldiers.

He said the “outnumbered” troops fought back and killed a rebel in the process.

The body of the slain rebel was recovered, along with an M653 rifle, Lacambra added.

He said in Davao del Norte, two soldiers were taken captive as they resisted a large NPA force, which raided a plantation of Japanese banana firm Sumitomo Fruits Corp. (Sumifru), in the borders of New Corella and Asuncion towns, also on Tuesday.

Lacambra said Corporal Benjamin Samano and Private First Class Mark Alvin Ricarte of the 60th Infantry Battalion had been posted at the Sumifru farm to help company guards protect the banana firm–which has been a favorite target of the rebels.

“Around 15 NPA rebels posed as workers of the banana plantation and entered the plantation, premises and simultaneously seized the private company guards. The rebels then commandeered the company’s elf truck, which they used to escape toward the direction of Barangay Napunggas in Asuncion, Davao Del Norte, along with the two abducted soldiers. The rebels carted away two M16 rifles, a shotgun, a handheld radio and other personal belongings,” Lacambra said.

He said soldiers were continuing their pursuit of the rebels.

“10th Infantry Division Commander, Major General Eduardo Año, assures the families of the two abducted soldiers in Davao del Norte that the Philippine Army will work double time and exert all efforts to rescue them,” he said.

Año, he said, has already ordered intensified military operations “to immediately rescue the abducted soldiers.”

Ka Aris Francisco, spokesperson of the NPA’s Comval-North Davao South Agusan subregional Command, said the raid was a punitive action against the Japanese company for its long list of violations.

“The NPA punished the Japanese-owned banana exporter Sumifru for its gross violations of rights of its workers. The NPA received complaints from the workers and their families that the company has imposed 16-hour work shifts without overtime pay in padlocked, jail-like building. Arbitrary termination and suspension of workers without due cause are also rampant,” he said in a separate media statement.

Francisco said that to perpetuate its violations, the Japanese banana firm also contracted the 60th IB.

“The rabidly anti-people Japanese firm continues to support the military operations of the 60th IB, the Army unit that is responsible for the illegal logging, extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations of peasants and Lumads in Kapalong and other parts of Davao del Norte,” he said.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/654815/4-soldiers-killed-2-captured-by-npa-in-bukidnon-davao-del-norte

Roadside bombing killed 4 soldiers in Southern Philippines

From the Mindanao Examiner (Dec 4): Roadside bombing killed 4 soldiers in Southern Philippines

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Communist rebels set off a roadside bomb on a military truck transporting soldiers sparking a gunbattle that killed one gunman and four soldiers in Bukidnon province in southern Philippines, officials said Thursday.

Officials said three more soldiers were wounded in the attack. The soldiers were heading Wednesday to San Fernando town where New People’s Army rebels were threatening to burn construction equipment in the village of Makalungay when the explosion occurred.

Major Ezra Balagtey, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the fighting lasted 45 minutes. “The skirmish resulted to one NPA killed and recovery of one M653 (Carbine) rifle while the responding troops suffered four killed and three wounded mostly caused by landmine explosion,” he said.

He said Major General Aurelio Baladad, who heads the Eastern Mindanao Command, directed military forces to intensify the operation against the rebel group and for troops to protect vital government projects and civilian communities against the NPA.

“The death of our soldiers securing the project will not be put in vain. This supreme sacrifice they have demonstrated will be the bastion of peace and progress in Eastern Mindanao. While we grieve for their loss, we also remain steadfast in our quest to achieve our mission for secure and progressive communities of the region,’’ Balagtey quoted Baladad as saying.

The NPA is waging a separatist war in the country for the past decades now.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20141204074343

Military to arm 120 new Cafgus in NPA-infested Loreto town

From MindaNews (Dec 5): Military to arm 120 new Cafgus in NPA-infested Loreto town

LORETO, Agusan del Sur – Like the Spartans in the movie “300,” the militiamen yelled “Ahoo! Ahoo!” that rumbled in the hot, concrete gym here, indicating they are ready to fight their enemies in this communist rebel-infested town.

Like in the movie, the militiamen, known also as Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) members, will be given firearms by the government to fight the communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who threaten the town of Loreto.

At least 120 Cafgus and 14 Special Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary (SCAA) graduated last Wednesday after surviving a grueling 45-day training supervised by Army Special Forces units.

The SCAA personnel will be guarding an oil palm plantation in Loreto town.
“Puwede na mag gyera. Kabalo name unsaon (We are ready to battle. We already know how to),” Arnold Bulair said, wearing his new military uniform.

Bulair is a resident of Loreto and acknowledged that he has relatives and friends with the NPA rebels.

“Pero lain na kini kay panginabuhi naman ni (This is different because this has now become our livelihood,” Bulair said.

Maj. Gen. Oscar Lactao, commanding general of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said that each CAFGU member received from the government a free military uniform, including a combat boots, and entitled to a P2,400 monthly salary—a “princely sum” considering the average family income in Loreto is only P5,458 a month.

Lactao said all of the militiamen would also receive livelihood trainings from government agencies to augment their family income.

“Here, it is not about the ideology that matters. It is livelihood or the means to it that matters most,” Lactao said.

Loreto, which straddles the tri-boundary of Davao del Norte, Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental provinces, is a first-class municipality now with an annual Internal Revenue Allotment of P200 million.

Based on a 2005 report from the National Statistics Office, nearly 4,700 families out of the town’s 5,836 families were living below the poverty level.

Loreto has become a major stronghold of the NPA rebels, who have set up a shadowy government in the town with its alternative mayor and municipal council.

The military, however, has dismantled the shadowy government after a series of gunfights that resulted to scores of rebels, soldiers and civilians killed.

Lactao said the municipality has only a small police force of about 24 policemen safeguarding its peace and order.

“If we include the policemen who are about to retire, and those who are on sick leave, its police force is so small,” he said.

Lactao said the newly graduated Cafgus and SCAAs militiamen would be a welcome addition to the Army soldiers and policemen deployed in Loreto.

“The Cafgus are our force multipliers. We need them to guard the communities and villages,” Lactao said.

The Army’s 4th Infantry Division, whose area of responsibility extends to Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Camiguin and Bukidnon provinces, has about 6,400 Cafgu personnel deployed in far-flung towns and villages.

The Army Division estimates the number of heavily armed NPA rebels at 1,200, operating in 17 guerilla fronts, within its jurisdiction.

Last November 30, four civilians were killed while seven others were injured when suspected rebels ambushed a government ambulance they were riding in Sitio Latay, Barangay Marfil in nearby Rosario town in Agusan del Sur.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2014/12/05/military-to-arm-120-new-cafgus-in-npa-infested-loreto-town/

Preganant mother killed by NPAs in a massacre

From Ang Malaya (Dec 5): Preganant mother killed by NPAs in a massacre

A four-month pregnant mother was among the four civilians killed in a massacre last November 30 perpetrated by New People’s Army in Sitio Latay, Barangay Marfil, Rosario, Agusan del Sur.

The bandits belonging to Guerilla Front 14 of NPA assaulted an ambulance with fourteen passengers coming from a church activity of Wayside Bible Baptist Church at Sitio Latay.

“We cannot imagine the trauma that the survivors and the families of the victims are suffering. It is for this reason that we are appealing to the organizations and persons who are skilled to assist in handling trauma cases,” Lt Col Norman Alcovindas of 75th Infantry Battalion said.

“This is clear evidence that NPAs are more than just criminals but a terrorist group,” 4th Infantry Division Commander MGen Oscar T Lactao said. “These people came from a thanks giving mass and were probably praying for peace in their community but these Godless NPAs attacked them.”

http://www.angmalaya.net/nation/2014/12/05/6495-preganant-mother-killed-by-npas-in-a-massacre

Philippine military reports 18 casualties in fresh clashes with rebels

From the Mindanao Examiner (Dec 4): Philippine military reports 18 casualties in fresh clashes with rebels

The Philippine military said a total of 7 soldiers were wounded in fierce clashes Thursday with Abu Sayyaf that also left 3 rebels dead in the troubled province of Basilan.

Ensign Ian Chester Ramos, a military spokesman, said 8 rebels were also injured in the fighting that erupted in Tipo-Tipo town earlier in the day. He said one the slain rebel had been identified as Abdullah Kalitot alias Hidzran.
“Ground commanders reported three Abu Sayyaf killed and eight more wounded,” Ramos told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Marine Captain Maria Rowena Muyuela, of the Western Mindanao Command, said six of the wounded soldiers suffered minor wound. “Seven soldiers were wounded in action – six of them suffered minor wounds,” she said in a separate interview.

She said security forces were pursuing Abu Sayyaf leaders, Puruji Indama and Nurhasan Jamiri, in Tipo-Tipo town when troops encountered the rebels and killing 3 of them.

According to Capt. Franco Salvador Suelto, of the 1st Infantry Division, troops were scouring the town’s hinterlands where the group of Indama and Jamiri fled. He said Brig. Gen. Gerardo Barrientos, the regional army commander, ordered troops to intensify the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf in the province.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20141204071652

Ex-military officials launch television program

From the Manila Standard Today (Dec 5): Ex-military officials launch television program

Two former military chiefs on Thursday led the launch of a network program to cover state and global security issues.

“We call it DSTV, defense and security television. We came up with this idea not only on the business aspect but to promote patriotism especially among our youth,” said Alxeander Yano, former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

At the kickoff in Camp Aguinaldo was Victor Ibrado, also former chief of staff along with classmates at the Philippine Military Academy Class 1976 including former police director Abner Cabalquinto.

Yano said the DSTV was airing on a 30-minute slot on ABS-CBN Sports+ Action Channel 23 every Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. with replays every Sunday at 11:30 p.m.

He said the group was discussing plans for block time on TV5 and GMA Channel 7.

According to Ibrado, DSTV will tackle defense and security threat issues within and outside the country, covering global and domestic terrorists such as the Islamic State movement, Abu Sayyaf Group, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, Jemaah Islamiyah among other factions.

“DSTV will also tackle disaster management and preparedness, AFP modernization, pandemic diseases, and how our military and police have dealt with them. Then later on we will tackle maritime security, up and coming technology in the defense industry and conflict management,” he said.

Cabalquinto said DSTV would serve as a think-tank for inputs to the legislative and executive departments in crafting and promoting sound defense and security programs.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/12/05/ex-military-officials-launch-television-program/

4 Filipino men indicted in 2011 kidnapping

From the Washington Post (Dec 4): 4 Filipino men indicted in 2011 kidnapping

Four Filipino men were indicted Thursday on hostage-taking, conspiracy and weapons charges in the 2011 kidnapping of a 14-year-old Lynchburg, Va., boy and his mother, authorities said.

The two Americans were seized by armed men while vacationing in the Philippines, forced into boats at gunpoint and held hostage for ransom, according to Ronald C. Machen Jr., the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. The men threatened to ­behead the boy more than once, the indictment alleges.

Gerfa Lunsmann was released more than two months later, after ransom money was paid by her family. Her son Kevin Lunsmann remained a hostage for nearly five months until he escaped. The family told The Washington Post that the kidnappers were members of the Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf.

The men, who are not in custody, are identified as John Does but known as Furuji Indama, Radzmil Jannatul, Muadz and Abu Basim. “We remain focused on apprehending and extraditing these men,” Machen said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/nation-digest-4-filipino-men-indicted-in-2011-kidnapping/2014/12/04/35562690-7bf2-11e4-b821-503cc7efed9e_story.html

Army needs expert volunteers on trauma

From the Sun Star-Cagayan de Oro (Dec 4): Army needs expert volunteers on trauma

VOLUNTEERS skilled in dealing with post-traumatic syndrome are needed to assist in counseling and processing the experiences of persons who survived an ambulance ambush allegedly carried out by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in a village in Agusan del Sur on Sunday, November 30.

Major Christian Uy, spokesman of the Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID), said Wednesday that Major General Oscar Lactao, 4ID commander, is appealing to those skilled in handling traumatic situations to help the military in its efforts to assist the survivors and the families of the slain victims.

Although a 4ID quick response team (QRT) has already been deployed to Sitio Latay, Barangay Marfil, Rosario town, Agusan del Sur, where the ambush took place, to help survivors and families of the deceased cope, they still need help from the experts who can process the trauma the affected individuals are going through, Uy told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro by phone Wednesday.

He said the QRT also assisted the families in taking care of the burial of the casualties and the needs of the surviving families.

In a statement sent by the 4ID to Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro, the attack was believed executed by some 20 members of the NPA’s Guerrilla Front 14 of North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee.

The military said a group of 14 civilians were on their way home from a thanksgiving celebration in Wayside Baptist Church on board an ambulance when the perpetrators opened fire on the vehicle.

Some of the passengers of the ambulance, said to be owned by the local government of Rosario, were children. Four adults were killed, while four were wounded, one of them a child.

In a separate statement, First Lieutenant Jolito Borces, the 75th Infantry Battalion Civil Military Operations officer, said the church invited Marfil barangay chair Emilio Solidor Jr. to the gathering.

Around 5 p.m., Solidor told Pastor Wenefredo Daguimol, of the Wayside Bible Baptist Church, that they were leaving. With Solidor on board the ambulance were some of the churchgoers.

Borces identified those killed as Neljoy Cerna, 27; Noni Mabong, 51; Alfredo Cerna, 51; Vanessa Sabas, 30. The wounded were Liza Casilla, 47; Elmer Adonis, 37; Solidor Jr., 49; and an eight-year-old girl.

Lieutenant Colonel Norman Alcovindas, commanding officer of the 75th IB, immediately coordinated with the Philippine National Police in the area and ordered his troops to rescue the victims while some of the soldiers conducted pursuit operation, the 4ID statement read.

In the same statement, Lactao said: “This is clear evidence that NPAs are more than just criminals but a terrorist group. I strongly condemn this terroristic attack of the NPAs that killed civilians and wounded others on board an ambulance. These people came from a thanks giving mass and were probably praying for peace in their community but these godless NPAs attacked them.”

“I urge the PNP, the Commission on Human Rights, and the Church to investigate on this terroristic attack. These NPAs must be put behind bars. We cannot just let them roam around and threaten the peace-loving people of Mindanao,” he added.

Four soldiers, NPA rebel killed

Meanwhile, four soldiers and an NPA member were killed during an encounter near the villages of Halapitan and Bonacao in San Fernando, Bukidnon, around 7 a.m. Wednesday, a report aired over GMA Network’s 24 Oras in Northern Mindanao said Wednesday.

In a telephone interview with 24 Oras, First Lieutenant Vergel Lacambra, public information of the 10th Infantry Division (10ID) based in Compostela Valley, said they have yet to identify the names of the slain soldiers pending notification of their families.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2014/12/04/army-needs-expert-volunteers-trauma-380073

Ombudsman suspends PNP officials over missing firearms

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Dec 4): Ombudsman suspends PNP officials over missing firearms

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales on Thursday ordered the preventive suspension for six months of ranking officials of the Philippine National Police over the 1,004 missing high-powered AK47 firearms allegedly sold to the New People’s Army (NPA).

Ordered suspended were Chief Superintendents Raul Petrasanta, Regino Catiis, Senior Superintendents Eduardo Acierto and Allan Parreno, Superintendent Nelson Bautista, Chief Insp. Ricky Sumalde, P/CInsp. Ricardo Zapata Jr., P/Chief Inspector Rodrigo Benedicto Sarmiento, Senior Police Officer 1 Eric Tan, SPO1 Randy De Sesto.

Petrasanta, Acierto, Parreno, Bautista and Zapata, along with PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima, were also preventively suspended for their alleged involvement in the questionable WERFAST contract.

PNP Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO) officials Director Gil Meneses, Dir. Napoleon Estilles, Chief Superintendent Tomas Rentoy II were excluded from the suspension order because they have already retired from service.

The suspension was for the administrative aspect of the case, said Ombudsman Spokesman Asryman Rafanan at a press conference Thursday.
The Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices (OMB-MOLEO) initiated the investigation.

Records showed that based on the report by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), four private security agencies and a mining company successfully applied and were issued firearms licenses by the PNP-FEO using falsified and incomplete documentary requirements.

Based on the PNP-FEO database, 1,004 licensed firearms were released through the submission of incomplete and/or falsified applications submitted by Isidro Lozada, owner of Caraga Security Agency, who purchased the firearms from Twin Pines, Inc. which, in turn, facilitated and submitted the falsified and/or incomplete license applications of Lozada to the PNP-FEO. Despite irregularities in the applications, licenses were processed and approved by PNP-FEO officials and personnel.

Further investigation showed that Caraga Security Agency’s License to Operate had expired on Sept. 30, 2012.

The CIDG was also able to validate information that firearms matching the serial numbers of the licensed AK47s issued to the security agencies and mining company were recovered from encounters between the military and NPA rebels in the Caraga and Western Mindanao regions.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/654679/ombudsman-suspends-pnp-officials-over-missing-firearms

BLMI and MILF Political Committee embark on advocacies on BBL in Zamboanga City

From InterAksyon (Dec 4): BLMI and MILF Political Committee embark on advocacies on BBL in Zamboanga City



Military personnel at work in Mindanao. FILE PHOTO BY DENNIS ARCON

The military and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters once again had a skirmish at around 3:25 p.m. Wednesday in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao.

Elements of the 45th Infantry Battalion were conducting a security patrol in the area when the presence of armed men was reported, resulting in an encounter with an estimated five BIFF members, according to the 6th ID.

BIFF elements quickly fired at the soldiers from the 45th IB, forcing them to fight back.

The bystander caught in the crossfire was identified as Joven Opena. He sustained bullet wounds in both his legs. He was rushed to the integrated provincial health office for treatment.

The military conducted pursuit operations against the armed group who escaped toward Sitio Lambuay, Barangay Labulabu.

In a related development, the BIFF exploded a bomb at a patrol base in Lintukan, Datu Piang, Maguindanao last night. One soldier was injured.

Abu Misri Mama, BIFF spokesman, immediately admitted that his group was behind the bombing.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/100452/civilian-hurt-in-army-biff-encounter-in-maguindanao-as-rebels-bomb-patrol-base

MILF: BLMI and MILF Political Committee embark on advocacies on BBL in Zamboanga City

Posted to the MILF Website (Dec 4): BLMI and MILF Political Committee embark on advocacies on BBL in Zamboanga City



The Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI), provincial political committee and community leaders in Zamboanga City recently embarked on massive advocacy programs and fora on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) and the GPH-MILF Peace Agreements in various villages with the aim to enlighten the people in the grass roots level in far-flung areas and coastal villages.
   

On November 26, 2014, peace advocates held one-day advocacy on BBL in Barangay Tulungatung, Zamboanga City where non-Moro residents and community leaders attended.

Mr. Tirso Tahir, BLMI Research Unit Officer and member of the institute’s Steering Committee lectured on BBL and focused on proposed bill’s 18 articles and sections through power point presentation for the audiences to comprehend them properly.  

Another peace advocacy on BBL was held in Lustre at Barangay Santa Catalina, same city on November 27 where local residents and community leaders from neighboring villages also attended.

One participant said, “We are hoping that city officials will respect Moro constitutional rights to petition for the inclusion of our village in the plebiscite for the ratification of the BBL”. Such rights are guaranteed by the 1987 Philippines Constitution” “The issue here is not only about contiguity but our rights to participate in a political exercise”, he further said.

Tahir mentioned some vital contents of the BBL by underlining the provision on ‘contiguity’. He also clarified some issues by using layman’s term so it can be easily understood.

In response to fisher folks’ clamor for clear understanding of BBL, community leaders in the island village of Zamboanga City held a separate advocacy in a private compound at Barangay Mampang on November 28 where similar issues were raised. The speakers used Tagalog and local Tau sug and Sama dialects so that their audience can easily grasp what the speakers were talking about.

On November 29, the peace advocates proceeded to Barangay Cawit, Zamboanga City to attend a forum organized for the local residents. Some asked what can an ordinary Moro in Zamboanga City benefit once their village is included into the Bangsamoro?

Mr. Tahir cited the provisions of BBL on Wealth and Power-Sharing where the Bangsamoro Government can enjoy fiscal autonomy and exercise various powers. The Moros be they are in contiguous areas or outside can partake from the benefits that Bangsamoro may derive from the exercise of its powers and wealth gained from its natural resources.  

On December 1, another advocacy on BBL was conducted in Barangay Sangali. The program was held inside a madrasah building where residents willingly attended. Issues on contiguity and plebiscite were once again the concerns of the local folks.

The speaker said that the basic law has said much on such issues. The collective wisdom of Congress shall be guided by the Constitution in conformity with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) in the course of enacting the BBL.

The MILF Provincial Political Committee in Zamboanga City,  BLMI and various CSO, NGO’s PO’s had been intensifying advocacies in different ways but similar objectives to ensure a wider acceptability of the BBL for it shall redound to lasting  peace  and development that every Moro is yearning for. 
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1386-blmi-and-milf-political-committee-embark-on-advocacies-on-bbl-in-zamboanga-city

MILF: Bangsamoro vital to 2015 ASEAN integration

Posted to the MILF Website (Dec 4): Bangsamoro vital to 2015 ASEAN integration

Pagadian: The passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) will be crucial to the participation of the Philippines in the anticipated economic integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2015.
  

“It is important for us to ensure the security and stability of Mindanao, because geographically, it is our gateway to our ASEAN neighbors,” said Undersecretary Jose Lorena of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

Lorena was addressing an assembly of local municipal and barangay leaders from Zamboanga del Sur at a public hearing and consultation staged by the House of Representatives' Ad Hoc Committee on the BBL in this city on Friday, November 28.

“The success of the Bangsamoro peace process—through the enactment of the BBL—can bring us closer to that goal,” Lorena said.

Government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the Bangsamoro aspiration is built around the ideals of peace and progress that is shared and enjoyed by all, regardless of one’s religion, ethnicity, and even political affiliation.

“We—the entire nation—all stand to gain from the peace agreement that our government has forged with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),” she said. “When we achieve peace in the Bangsamoro, we will accelerate progress in an entire region whose growth has been stunted through four decades by armed conflict.”
This regional development, in turn, will be vital in boosting the national economy, according to Coronel-Ferrer.

The government chief negotiator also explained that collaborative programs and mechanisms are already being created and set in motion in order to support conflict-affected MILF communities towards a smooth transition into the Bangsamoro era.

The Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program (SBP), the socioeconomic development intervention jointly implemented by the government and the MILF, has been mobilized to improve the delivery of basic services (through health, education, and livelihood programs) to MILF communities.

The SBP is an initial dividend of peace launched in 2013 after the signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro. However, under the ‎Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed this year, socioeconomic development has been identified as a major component of the normalization process and will be undertaken for the rehabilitation, reconstruction and development of the Bangsamoro. In particular, socioeconomic programs will be instituted to address the needs of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces members, internally displaced persons and poverty-stricken communities.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1385-bangsamoro-vital-to-2015-asean-integration

CPP/NPA: NPA-NCMR launches 28 military actions in November

NPA propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Dec 2): NPA- NCMR launches 28 military actions in November

Alan Juanito
Spokesperson
NPA North Central Mindanao Regional Operations Command (Julito Tiro Command)

 

Sub-regional commands and guerilla fronts of the New People’s Army-North Central Mindanao Region strongly resisted attacks by the 4th ID-PA in month of November.

Twenty-eight military actions were launched, inflicting more than 40 casualties (more than 30 killed and more than 10 wounded) on 4th ID-PA troops and PNP operatives in the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Western Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur. In these actions, a Red fighter, Francisco “Ka Kevin” Mansiguiao, heroically offered his life.

Under the pretext of rescuing the two 8th IB soldiers held by the NPA as POWs, the 403rd Bde launched military operations in the quad-boundary of Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Norte and Sur, and Bukidnon since the end of October.

From November 15 to 22, the NPA launched 11 harassment operations against troops of the 8th IB, 58th IB, two Scout Ranger companies, Airborne, CAFGU and lumad paramilitary groups. The AFP incurred 20 casualties in these successive encounters where the enemy fired 22 howitzer shells for combat support. This resulted in the forced evacuation of more than 300 residents of the villages of Lakbangan, Impadiding and Calhaan, all in Brgy. Minalwang, Claveria, Misamis Oriental.

At the same time, the 402nd Bde launched military operations in certain towns of Agusan del Norte and Sur. COPD teams of the AFP operated in 14 barangays of San Luis and La Paz, Agusan del Sur. Since November 9, the NPA under Western Agusan del Norte-Agusan del Sur Sub-regional Command launched eight military actions, killing seven and wounding five enemy soldiers.

With these developments, other sub-regions and guerrilla fronts, whose areas are relatively free of enemy focus, quickly responded.

The NPA under Mt. Kitanglad Sub-regional Command launched five harassment operations from November 12 to 22, killing four and wounding eighth enemy soldiers. The NPA in eastern Misamis Oriental also launched three successive harassment operations against three CAFGU detachments in November.

The NPA in NCMR will continue to foil the intensified military operations of the 4th ID-PA. As the people’s army, it cannot allow the anti-people Oplan Bayanihan to spoil the victories achieved by the masses in their struggle against langrabbing, for genuine agrarian reform, the right to self-determination, and in defense of their ancestral lands.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20141202_npa-ncmr-launches-28-military-actions-in-november