AFP deploying 146 newly trained young officers to battlefronts

From InterAksyon (Dec 14): AFP deploying 146 newly trained young officers to battlefronts



Military Personnel or MPs are seen in file photo in a parade rehearsal at Camp Aguinaldo, ahead of the Dec. 21 AFP anniversary, which this year is being marked on Dec. 18. INTERAKSYON.COM FILE

 At least 146 new young officers who finished 1-2 years of military schooling and training under the Officer Candidate Course (OCS) program will soon be deployed to the battlefronts after the military formally accepts them into its fold.

Their graduation precedes the 79th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that will be observed on December 18 at Camp Aguinaldo, or three days ahead of the actual anniversary on Dec. 21, in order to give way to the schedule of the Commander-in-Chief, President Benigno Aquino III, who will be the main guest of honor.

Military spokesman Colonel Restituo Padilla said the new graduates of the OCS “are going to help a lot in increasing and strengthening our fight against lawless elements, especially knowing that they will mostly be deployed in areas where we are now conducting law enforcement operations.” 
B
ut more than that, he added, "the infusion of fresh young blood into the organization is always part of the dynamics and growing process to strengthen the Armed Forces.”

The AFP OCS program in the major branches of service – Army, Air Force and Navy/Marines – is intended to fill up the shortage of officers. The AFP has recruited most of its officers from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

“The OCS is among the sources for new officers in the rank, besides the PMA and Reserve Officer Training Course,” Padilla said.

The OCS can only accept young professionals or those who already hold college diplomas from a minimum of 4-year course or college degree. Certain candidates who likewise finished college and had completed the ROTC may also see their stint at the OCS shortened to one year.

Some former PMA cadets who were not able to graduate because they were kicked out or opted to get out from the corps, but really want to pursue their dream of becoming military officers, are allowed to enter the OCS.

The PAF-OCS was in the news recently when 21 men, including an officer from Batch 2014, were involved in hazing that sent two young members of the class to hospital.  An investigating team recommended the dismissal of 9 of those involved; the officer from Batch 2014 and 12 others are still under investigation.

PAF spokesman Lt. Col. Enrico Canaya said the 12 OCS members will not graduate this year.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/101154/afp-deploying-146-newly-trained-young-officers-to-battlefronts

4 NPA rebels yield to military in Bukidnon province

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Dec 14): 4 NPA rebels yield to military in Bukidnon province

Four communist rebels have surrendered to the military in southern Philippines in what officials claimed is a victory against the insurgency in the restive region.

The Eastern Mindanao Command said among those who surrendered to the 68th Infantry Battalion in Bukidnon’s San Fernando town was a squad leader of the New People’s Army which has been fighting for decades now for a separate state in the country.

It identified the rebel leader as Ben Indagnay and his followers Boyno Maylan, Jomar Panganlagan and Janice Vallero, who was a medic for the NPA. They surrendered three rifles and a pistol.

The military said the rebels surrendered because of hardship and abuse by their senior cadres and the four also admitted that they were moved by the good deeds and display of sincerity by Bayanihan Teams of 68th Infantry Battalion – the same statement the Eastern Mindanao Command makes every time rebels surrender.

It said the rebels will receive compensation for all the weapons they surrendered to the military and a set of government financial aid to allow them to start a new life with their families.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/12/4-npa-rebels-yield-to-military-in.html

Suspect in Belmonte ambush arrested; denies allegations

From MindaNews (Dec 14): Suspect in Belmonte ambush arrested; denies allegations

LAGUINDINGAN, Misamis Oriental -- Authorities arrested on Saturday one of the suspects in the December 11 ambush-slay attempt on Iligan’s lone representative to Congress, Vicente “Varf” Belmonte, after residents informed officials of their presence in their village.

Senior Police officer 4 Gabino Sambaan Jr., Laguindingan police investigator said Dominador Tumala of Osmena town, Zamboanga del Norte, was arrested after he asked for water and food at a sari-sari-store in Sitio Pagangon in Barangay Gasi at around 4:30 a.m. Saturday. But the 60-year old Tumala denied the allegations.

Tumala was arrested some 40 hours after gunmen ambushed the two-vehicle convoy of Belmonte who had just arrived in Laguindingan Airport from Manila and was on his way home to Iligan City on Thursday when gunmen on board a Mitsubishi L300 van and other suspects hiding on the side of the Laguindingan AIprort Access Road fired at Belmonte’s convoy at around 2 p.m. Three of his escorts were killed while three others were injured, including Belmonte, who sustained minor injuries.

A manhunt is still ongoing for Tamula’s two companions who are belived to be hiding somewhere in farmlands with thick undergrowth in Barangay Gasi.



VILLAGE CURIOSITY. Two residents of Sitio Pagangon, Barangay Gasi in Laguindingan town, Misamis Oriental climb a tree on Dec. 13, 2014 to get a better view of the police and military manhunt against suspects in the December 11 ambush- slay attempt on Iligan’s lone representative to Congress, Vicente Belmonte, Jr. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

PNP Region 10  director Chief Superintendent Isagani Genabe Jr., and top officials of the National Bureau of Investigation  (NBI) in Northern Mindanao brought Tumala to Iligan City immediately after his arrest.

NBI Iligan chief Alex Caburnay said Belmonte was able to identify Tumala as one of the M16-wielding gunmen who waylaid his convoy as they left for Iligan City last Thursday.

“Rep. Belmonte positively identified Tumala as the one who shot his aides in the other vehicle,” Caburnay said.

Investigators said Belmonte was able to survive by ducking under the hood in his Mazda pick-up vehicle.

Belmonte, who is completing his third term as Representative and is running for mayor in 2016 pointed to politics as the motive behind the ambush.

But police said they are not drawing any conclusion as investigation is still ongoing.

Senior Police officer 4 Gabino Sambaan Jr., Laguindingan police investigator said Tumala admitted he was a former member of the New People’s Army but denied he was involved in the attack on Belmonte.

Sambaan said Tamula told him he was going to Laguindingan Airport to fetch someone when he lost his way and found himself in Barangay Gasi.

Found in his wallet was a torn cedula or Residence Certificate and P1,200 in cash.

The store owner, narrated by Sambaan, told us she suspected something was wrong when Tumala, who asked for a glass of water, appeared disheveled.

Her suspicion grew when Tumala drank five glasses of water,” Sambaan narrated.

Sambaan said that at around this time, the entire town of Laguindingan, which has a population of 21,000, was already aware  that some of the suspects in the ambush might have been hiding in Barangay Gasi.

He said the store owner identified as a certain Enra offered Tumala a cup of coffee while she instructed  her nephew to inform the soldiers and police manning a nearby outpost in Sitio Pagangon.



SEARCHING FOR SUSPECTS. Army soldiers search the village of Pagango in Barangay Gasi, Laguindingan town where two more suspects in the ambush-slay attempt on Iligan lawmaker Vicente Belmonte are believed to be hiding. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

A team of soldiers, policemen and tanods went to Enra’s store and arrested Tumala.

Supt. Rolando Estura, chief of the PNP Regional Public Safety Battalion said Belmonte’s assailants in the van may have left Tumala and his two companions who were on the roadside in their haste to escape.

Estura said Tumala and his two companions were left with no recourse but try to escape on foot toward Sitio Liberty. The  L300 van was  found burned in Sitio Liberty.

Misamis Oriental Administrator Edmundo Pacamalan Jr., said barangay officials reported that the suspects were seen walking and asking for directions to Sitio Liberty.

“The barangay officials and residents insisted the suspects were hiding in their village. That is why we set up outposts around it,” Pacamalan said.

After Tumala’s arrest, Estura said they are continuing their search for the two remaining suspects.

Estura said the manhunt is concentrated on some 50 hectares of farmlands where there were four sightings of the suspects by villagers Saturday.

Hernan, a resident of Barangay Gasi said  he saw a man with a backpack resting in an abandoned house while he was looking for his cow in Sitio Pagangon  around 3 p.m. Saturday.

He said the man walked away fast, though limping, when he saw him coming.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2014/12/14/suspect-in-belmonte-ambush-arrested-denies-allegations/

Arrested RTMI bus bomers, an Al-Khobar member

From the Philippine Star (Dec 13): Arrested RTMI bus bomers, an Al-Khobar member

One of the suspects in Tuesday’s bus bombing in Maramag, Bukidnon is a member of the Al-Khobar extortion group, local officials and military sources said Saturday.

Ten passengers were killed while more than 20 others were injured in the bombing of a Rural Tours Mindanao, Inc. (RTMI) bus, the firm’s second in a span of just six weeks.

Bombing suspect Macmod Manibpil hails from M'lang town, which is near the 220,000-hectare Liguasan Delta, a known haven of extortionists and kidnappers.

Television reports on Friday showed authorities pointing to Manibpil as one of the suspects in the latest bombing the RTMI bus.

Manibpil was one of four guerilla ordnance experts that a group of heavily-armed Moro rebels rescued from the North Cotabato provincial jail in Kidapawan City on Feb. 2, 2007.

The gunmen also sprung Datu Ali Sultan from the detention facility. The detainee was said to have undergone a training on the fabrication of home-made bombs in Kandahar in Afghanistan in the 1990s, and his two cohorts named Guido and Mundos.

More than 40 other inmates bolted from the cells during the daring attack at the provincial jail.

Manibpil, Sultan, Guido and Mundos were detained at the provincial jail in connection with their alleged involvement in bombings of buses and commercial establishments in Central Mindanao’s adjoining North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao provinces.

M'lang Mayor Joselito Piñol refuted insinuations that Manibpil is a constituent a reported by television and other media outfits.

Senior Inspector Jiselle Lou Longakit, spokesperson of the Bukidnon provincial police, said Manibpil was also involved in the bombing of a bus in North Cotabato’s Kabacan town in 2006.

Longakit said Manibpil is a member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a group of rogue rebels led by radical, foreign-trained clerics.

Army and police intelligence sources in Central Mindanao, however, said Manibpil belonged to the Al-Khobar extortion gang, which had been blamed for a spate of bombings in the region between 2003 and 2010.

The Bukidnon provincial police office said extortion could be the likely angle for Tuesday’s bus bombing in Maramag.

The RTMI management has confirmed having received demands for “protection money” from anonymous sources threatening to bomb its buses.

Piñol said Manibpil is a resident of Barangay Nuangan in Kidapawan City.

Security officials in Maguindanao and North Cotabato are convinced that a big extortion ring, not the BIFF, is behind the RTMI bus bombing.

BIFF spokesperson Abu Misry Mama denied their group's supposed involvement in the attack.

“Most of our men are facing various cases in different courts, mostly trumped up charges, so how can they go out of the towns where we operate?  We have become the convenient `whipping boy’ for all atrocities that we didn’t even get involved with,” Misry said in Maguindanaon dialect.

Authorities in Bukidnon and Davao City announced on Thursday that a BIFF leader named Garnet Lintang and a certain Dawtin Gendang had also been criminally charged in connection with Tuesday’s bus bombing.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/12/13/1402244/arrested-rtmi-bus-bomers-al-khobar-member

Assault rifles seized in Sulu mayor’s resort

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Dec 13): Assault rifles seized in Sulu mayor’s resort

The military seized a cache of firearms during a raid on Wednesday in a resort owned by a mayor of a town in Sulu province and turned this over to the police, triggering allegations from the mayor of a warrantless search of his property.

 

Colonel Alan Arrojado, head of the police-military anticrime unit Joint Task Group Sulu, said on the  phone that the military wanted the firearms tested as these could have been used in criminal activities.

 

The weapons were seized from the resort owned by Saripuddin Jikiri, the mayor of    Indanan  town.

 

Major Edilberto Aramponi, spokesperson for the task group, said the military received a tip that guns were being kept in the resort.

 

“After we received information that there are firearms in the said property, we conducted the search and we recovered these firearms,” he said.

 

Aramponi said the cache consisted of M-4, M-203, M-16 and M-14 assault rifles and two handguns.

 

Senior Superintendent Noel Armilla, officer in charge of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police office, said the guns had been turned over to the  police.

 

“There was a chase. The armed men abandoned their weapons,” Armilla said.

 

He said the mayor denied owning the firearms.

 

Jikiri, in a separate phone interview, said the guns “belonged to my security personnel” and members of village militias securing projects in his area.

 

“They (soldiers) took those firearms without proper coordination, there was not even a search warrant,” he said.

 

Jikiri said the guns were licensed and “the police can vouch for that.”

 

He said he would sue the military for the raid.

 

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/656832/assault-rifles-seized-in-sulu-mayors-resort

Military wants guns allegedly seized from mayor examined by police

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Dec 12): Military wants guns allegedly seized from mayor examined by police

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The military said Friday it has turned over to the police a cache of firearms seized by security forces two days earlier from a resort owned by the mayor of a town in Sulu.

Col. Alan Arrojado, commander of Joint Task Group Sulu, said in a telephone interview that the military wanted the firearms, which a police official said were seized from a resort owned by Indanan Mayor Saripuddin Jikiri, tested as these might have been used in criminal activities.

Senior Supt. Noel Armilla, officer-in-charge of the police in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, told the Inquirer by phone that a total of 13 firearms had been turned over by the military to the police.

He said the military told the police these were found inside the resort owned by Jikiri in Indanan’s Barangay Mangis.

He said that as reported by the military, the firearms were discovered during an operation by the Joint Task Group Sulu.

“There was a chase. The armed men abandoned their weapons,” Armilla said, adding, however, that “the mayor denies owning the firearms.”

But Jikiri told the Inquirer in a separate telephone interview that “those firearms belonged to my security personnel, (barangay police action team) members and those securing the projects in Karawan, Mangis and our town hall.”

“They took those firearms without proper coordination; there was not even a search warrant,” he said.

Jikiri said the firearms were licensed, and “the police can vouch for that.”

He also decried what he described as the excessive use of force by the soldiers who raided his resort.

“Some of the houses nearby were damaged when these were hit by their vehicles,” Jikiri said.

He said he was preparing charges against military officials and the soldiers involved in the raid.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/656778/military-wants-guns-allegedly-seized-from-mayor-examined-by-police

BTC-JICA holds Project Cycle Management Seminar-Workshops

Posted to the MILF Website (Dec 13): BTC-JICA holds Project Cycle Management Seminar-Workshops



The Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through the Comprehensive Capacity Development Project for the Bangsamoro (CCDP-B) Bangsamoro conducted Project Cycle Management Seminar-Workshop for development practitioners on December 8-9, 2014 held at Nurussalam Hall, Al Nor Convention Center, Cotabato City.
  

Forty (40) participants from the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI), Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), BTC, representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and non-government organizations such as the United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD), Mindanao Action for Peace and Development (MAPAD), Moro Women Development and Cultural Center (MWDECC) attended the said activity.

A Japanese expert on Human Resource Development (HRD) Mr Kazuhiro Okamoto, from IC Net Limited facilitated the seminar-workshop.

Prof. Alih Aiyub, the Project Coordinator for Institutional Organizational Building (IOB) of the CCDP-B opened the program and explained the background, purpose and objectives of the PCM before the participants.

He said that one of the main purposes of the activity is to capacitate the Bangsamoro people in preparation for the establishment the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).

“I know you are expert in your own, and this PCM training will help in strengthening whatever skills you have”, Prof. Aiyub stressed.

He added that PCM will help in planning good project implementation and on how to achieve desired results.

Mr Okamoto emphasized that the PCM was provided to the participants for them to design a plan for their own project.

The specific objectives of this seminar-workshop are to enable the participants to: 1) Analyze problems and objectives logically; 2) Understand the Project Design Matrix (PDM), the structure of project and 3) Acquire capacity to make their own project through workshops.

The participants were able to design five (5) projects during the culminating day of the program. Their identified projects were: Farmers Inputs, Anti-Drugs Campaign in Cotabato City, Education for Children, Flood Control in Cotabato City, and Livelihood Program for the Bangsamoro.  

Mr Aliuddin Haron of the BDA thanked his co-participants for their active participations.

“This activity is very important because we were taught on how to develop our own project in our respective organizations,” Haron said.

The Chief Advisor of JICA-Cotabato Project Office, Mr Shinichi Masuda also extended his gratitude to the different organizations which joined the program.

He said, “PCM is applicable for small or big project and I hope you can use this in designing your project proposals.”

Prof. Norodin Salam, CCDP-B Project Manager closed the program.

“I am very impress with the performance of the participants. I observed that every participant was able to share his/her thoughts and views. Meaning you have now the capacity to develop your own project plan,” he said.

He said further that one will take six (6) months to learn PCM effectively.

“…But now you acquired them; the knowledge on PCM in just two days,” he said.

Prof. Salam recognized the contributions of Mr Okamoto in infusing the technology to the young Bangsamoro who are working for the development of Bangsamoro communities. He recognized the contributions of JICA for the realization of the activity.

The program according to the organizer is under the HRD component of the CCDP-B.

The CCDP-B has four components namely: HRD, Public Service Delivery and there are 20 infrastructures project which will be constructed in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. Other components are the IOB that will plan for strengthening of BTA, and the Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) by which some of its thematic areas are supported by the CCDP-B.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1403-btc-jica-holds-project-cycle-management-seminar-workshops

MILF: Maguindanao hosts congressional public hearing and consultation on BBL

Posted to the MILF Website (Dec 13): Maguindanao hosts congressional public hearing and consultation on BBL



The Province of Maguindanao led by Governor Datu Esmael “Toto” G. Mangudadatu hosted a public hearing and consultation on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) also known as House Bill No. 4994 at the Buluan Municipal Gymnasium on December 10, 2014. The consultation was conducted by the House of Representatives’ Ad Hoc Committee on BBL and was presided over by Congressman Tupay T. Loong of Sulu.
    

Other committee members who were present were Cong. Zajid G. Mangudadatu, Congresswoman Bai Sandra A. Sema, Cong. Silvestre H. Bello III, Cong. Gary C. Alejano, Cong. Jesus N. Sacdalan, Cong. Pangalian M. Balindong, Cong. Ferdinand L. Hernandez, Cong. Rogelio Neil Pepito Roque, and Cong. Wes Gatchalian.

GPH Peace Panel Chairperson Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Senen Bacani, member of the GPH Peace Panel and MILF Peace Panel member Datu Antonio Kinoc were present.

The Bangsamoro Transition Commission members present were: Commissioner Raissa Jajurie- Alim, Commissioner Abdulla Camlian and Commissioner Timuay Melanio Ulama.

All LGU employees of Buluan, Maguindanao also participated in the affair.
    
The gathering was attended by multi-sector groups in Maguindanao and from neighboring provinces. Those that led their respective delegations were Datu Genuine P. Kamaong of Datu Piang, Datu Freddie G. Mangudadatu of Mangudadatu municipality, Bai Julaika P. Langkuno of Paglat, Datu Ramon A. Piang of North Upi, Datu Salik Mamasabulod of Pagalungan, Datu Ibrahim Ibay of Parang and other municipal mayors.

Governor Mangudatatu in his opening remarks said: “The news being spread out that I am opposed to the proposed BBL is a lie”.  “The truth is that I am in favor and supportive to the BBL for the sake of peace and development in Maguindanao”, he continued.

Cong. Mangudadatu of the 2nd District of Maguindanao said: “The most contentious issue in the GPH-MILF Peace Agreement and was incorporated into the BBL is the control of Police Force. The House must look at it carefully”.

 A youth representative in very resonant voice almost filling the gym said: We the youth were the victims of the war for decades and now is the time for us to stop the war by enacting the BBL without diminution”. He emphasized, “tama na” “tuldokan na” “hindi na sana maulit and giyera”.

 A woman speaking for the MNLF on the issues of territory and integration of combatants to the AFP, said, the 1996 Final Peace Agreement was violated in the subsequent agreements (FAB and CAB) and in the BBL because under the former, the territory is wider while in the latter it is smaller. On integration, none had happened. What actually took placed was only absorption of civilians and not MNLF combatants.

It was responded by BTC Commissioner Camlian saying, “We must have a territory where we could readily win in elections. Wider territory is not beneficial for us Moros because during elections we will lose as the settlers in other provinces mentioned in the GRP-MNLF Agreements are the majority”. GPH Peace Panel member Bacani explained that integration was stipulated in the previous agreement but not in the latter agreement (FAB and CAB).              

A teacher representative and another member of the crowd requested that there should be no more plebiscite on the areas of the ARMM because there was one already conducted in the past. The House Committee took note of it.

Two sultanate representatives, namely: Bagoinged and Kabuntalan Sultanates of Mandanawe Darussalam requested the House Committee that their groups be written in the BBL on preservation of culture. The House Committee also took note of it.

Other members of the crowd feared constitutionality issue may hamper the passage of the law but it was answered by GPH Panel Chair Ferrer, saying it is being taken cared of by the BTC, the two peace panels and congress.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1402-maguindanao-hosts-congressional-public-hearing-and-consultation-on-bbl

CPP/NDF: Video -- Istatus: Panay

NDF propaganda video posted to the CPP  Website (Dec 12): Video -- Istatus: Panay



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrtb0TZIt8E&list=UUIdJcoTlC5Q5jrKCOh4dJeA
An interview with Concha Araneta, spokesperson of the CPP and the NDFP in Panay.
http://www.philippinerevolution.net/

CPP/NPA: Isa na namang sibilyan, pinaslang ng military

NPA propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Dec 13): Isa na namang sibilyan, pinaslang ng military (Another civilian killed by the military)

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

 

PINASOK ng tatlong sundalo ang isang bahay sa Barangay Bugtong, Barcelona, Sorsogon bandang alas-11:00 kagabi at pinagbabaril hanggang mapatay ang maybahay na si Susan Ernacio Cagalitan, 60 anyos, hiwalay sa asawa.

Ang mga salarin ay dumating sa lugar sakay ng isang motorsiklong laging nakikitang ginagamit ng mga sundalo ng Alpha Company ng 22nd IB na nakabase sa Sityo Bungsaran, Barangay Rizal, Gubat, Sorsogon. May mga nakarinig na tinatanong ng mga sundalo si Cagalitan kung nasaan ang kanyang asawa. Maya-maya pa ay umalingawngaw na ang mga putok ng baril.

Minsan nang sinadya ng mga sundalo si Cagalitan noong Marso 2014 matapos nilang makasagupa ang isang tim ng NPA sa tapat ng kanyang bahay kung saan napatay ang isang sundalo at nasugatan ang isa pa. Hinahanap din noon ng mga sundalo ang kanyang asawa na pinagbibintangan nilang myembro ng NPA. Ayaw nilang maniwala nang sabihin ni Cagalitan na hiwalay na siya sa asawa.

Nakababahala ang padron ng pagbaling ng reaksyunaryong militar sa mga sibilyan kapag hindi nila matunton ang kanilang kalaban. Noon lamang isang linggo, walang awang pinatay sa bugbog ng mga sundalo si Samuel Dollesin, isang sibilyan, sa Barangay Lapinig, Gubat, Sorsogon. Militar din ang pinaniniwalaang pumaslang kina Federico Erivera, Jinky Estrada at Alan Figueras noong Oktubre.

Nais naming ipahayag ang pinakamariing pagkundena sa pasistang krimeng ito. Nakikiramay naman kami sa mga kaanak ng biktima.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20141213_isa-na-namang-sibilyan-pinaslang-ng-militar

UK reminds nationals vs. travel to parts of Mindanao following bus bombing

From GMA News (Dec 13): UK reminds nationals vs. travel to parts of Mindanao following bus bombing

Following the deadly bombing of a bus in Bukidnon Tuesday, the United Kingdom over the weekend reminded its nationals against travel to parts of Mindanao.

 

In a Dec. 12 update to its travel advice, UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said there "remains a threat" of attacks throughout "much of Mindanao."

 

"Civilian targets in Mindanao have been attacked and there remains a threat of attacks throughout much of Mindanao," it said in its summary.

 

Last Tuesday, at least 10 people were killed and more than 40 wounded after a bomb exploded aboard a bus in Bukidnon. The bus operator reportedly received threatening text messages before the blast.

 

Also, FCO said several terrorist groups are still operating in the Philippines that continue to pose a threat.

 

These include New People’s Army (NPA), the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and other associated groups.

 

FCO also cited "extreme elements" within the Moro National Liberation Front and Moro Islamic Liberation Front, including the MILF splinter group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

 

Such extreme elements have been linked to "a number of attacks on the Philippine military and security services over the last year," it added.

 

FCO advised UK nationals against all travel to southwest Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago "because of on-going terrorist activity and clashes between the military and insurgent groups."

 

It advised against all but essential travel to the remainder of Mindanao for the same reasons.

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/392381/news/nation/uk-reminds-nationals-vs-travel-to-parts-of-mindanao-following-bus-bombing

Grenade explodes in house of Maguindanao ex-mayor

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 13): Grenade explodes in house of Maguindanao ex-mayor

Unidentified men fired a rifle grenade that landed inside the residential compound of Mayor Sahara Upham Ampatuan of Shariff Aguak Friday night, police said.

Senior Inspector Jonathan De Garcia, Shariff Aguak police chief, said nobody was hurt in the blast inside the residence of the former town mayor.

Mayor Upham Ampatuan was not in her home since she no longer runs the affairs of the local government after she went absence without official leave (AWOL).

Her vice mayor, Datu Marop Ampatuan, is now the acting mayor.

De Gracia said the rifle grenade attack occurred around 8:15 while the town was experiencing power outage.

The grenade, fired from a distance, landed in the garage area of the Ampatuan home.

Her daughter, Shariff Aguak town councilor Bai Anhara Ampatuan, was inside the house but unharmed.

De Gracia said investigation is still ongoing.

Mayor Sahara Umpham Ampatuan is the wife of former town Mayor Anwar Ampatuan who is detained in Bicutan along with his father, Maguindanao ex-Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr, his brother Andal Jr. and Zaldy, facing charges on the November 23, 2009 massacre in Ampatuan, Maguindanao that claimed the lives of 58 people, 32 of them media workers.

Last night's grenade attack was the fourth in seven days.

Three grenade attacks occurred in at least three areas in Shariff Aguak, the bailiwick of the Ampatuan clan.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=715852

Politics behind grenade attacks in Maguindanao town, says official

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 13): Politics behind grenade attacks in Maguindanao town, says official

SHARIFF Aguak, Maguindanao -- The daughter of this town's chief executive on Saturday said the grenade attacks on the family's home was politically motivated.

Anhara Ampatuan, town councilor and serving as acting vice mayor, said a series of gunfire followed by two grenade launcher attacks hit the family home on Friday night.

Anhara was in the house along with other family members but not her mother, Mayor Sahara Upam Ampatuan, who went on absence without official leave after she was linked to the killing of a local government employee.

Anhara, the town's number 1 councilor, assumed as acting vice mayor after Vice Mayor Marop Ampatuan, her uncle, assumed as acting mayor when her mother left.

Anhara said she heard a series of gun fire near her home about 9 p.m. It was followed by grenade explosions.

Senior Inspector Jonathan Degracia, Shariff Aguak town police chief, said nobody was hurt in the attack which occurred in the middle of power outage in Shariff Aguak and nearby areas.

Ampatuan said it was the third time that the family's home was subjected to attacks.

“The motive is politically motivated,” Anhara said.

"Lately, it was not only my mom but including me have received death threats," she said.

"The text messages I received said they will get me at all cost, even if I am inside the house or at the session hall of the Sangguniang Bayan," the 24-year-old local official said.

"It was part of the political package that you have to experience if you are in Maguindanao," she said without naming names behind the attacks.

Anhara vehemently denied the accusations against her mother and insisted it was part of political ploy to oust her.

In a phone interview, Bai Zahara said only time can tell about the truth.

She is saddened the township she is serving has been violent this lately despite her efforts to make it peaceful to everyone.

Last Tuesday, another kin of the Ampatuans, former Datu Salibo Mayor Akmad Ampatuan was ambushed in the boundary of Talayan and Guindulungan town while on their way to Shariff Aguak. He was wounded along with his two companions.

Maguindanao police office has not issued statement whether the two incidents were related.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=715979

Ranking USAID official to visit PHL on Dec. 15 to 16

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 13): Ranking USAID official to visit PHL on Dec. 15 to 16

A ranking United States Agency for International Development (USAID) official will be visiting the Philippines coming Dec. 15 to 16.

Eric G. Postel's visit, USAID Assistant Administrator and Partnership for Growth (PFG), reinforces the American government's commitment to the Philippines' growth, the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement.

Postel will meet with high-level Government of the Philippines (GPH) officials and representatives from the business sector and civil society organizations to review ongoing programs under the PFG – a bilateral agreement with the Philippines to achieve broad-based, inclusive and resilient growth.

The PFG provides a new framework for deepening and strengthening engagement between the US and the Philippines.

The Philippines is one of only four PFG countries globally where the US government has brought its 15 federal agencies in a whole-of-government effort to advance economic development in the country.

Total PFG assistance to date is more than Php33.3 billion (USD739 million).

Three years into the PFG, the Philippines has achieved significant progress under the PFG Joint Country Action Plan.

The country has had record high GDP growth rates since 2011, including a 7.2 percent increase in 2013 that was second only to China in the region; investment grade sovereign debt ratings from international rating agencies which continue to increase; and a huge leap forward of 33 places in competitiveness rankings from 2010-2014.

In the latest Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, the Philippines ranked 85th out of 175 countries surveyed, up 20 notches from 2012 and nine notches from 2013.

President Benigno S. Aquino III's reforms have laid the basis for improved governance and competitiveness.

Postel will also witness the signing of a Sisterhood Agreement between the Cities of Batangas, Iloilo and Cagayan De Oro.

The three are the pilot cities of USAID’s Cities Development Initiative (CDI).  

As part of PFG, CDI seeks to advance the development of second-tier cities as engines of growth that is inclusive and environmentally sustainable and resilient through mutual responsibility and collaboration in the areas of economic growth and investment promotion, health, education, and the environment.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=715795

Aquino confirms all 12 FA-50 fighter jets in by 2017

From Rappler (Dec 13): Aquino confirms all 12 FA-50 fighter jets in by 2017

What the Philippines has at present are 'very ancient planes like the Nomad' which can do 8-9 hour round trips, Aquino tells reporters in Busan, South Korea

 

CATCHING UP. The Philippines will have 12 FA-50 fighter jets in 2017. Image from Wikipedia

 

President Benigno Aquino III confirmed the poorly equipped Philippine military, known to be one of the weakest in Asia, will get a boost from 12 FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea expected to be delivered in 2017.

 

From zero to 12 fighter jets will clearly enhance the defense capabilities of the Philippines, Aquino said.

By December 2015 at the latest, an initial delivery of two fighter jets will be made.

The last time the Philippine Air Force had fighters that flew in its inventory was 2005, Aquino said. By 2015, it would be a decade since the Air Force retired the last of its US-designed F-5 fighters.

The FA-50 fighter jets will be provided by South Korea’s Korean Aerospace Industry (KAI) and will involve a government-to-government contract worth P18.9 billion.

What the Philippines has at present are “very ancient planes like the Nomad” which can do 8-9 hour round trips, Aquino told reporters in Busan, South Korea.

The FA-50 jets will allow air controllers and radar operators to retain abilities to guide the fighter planes which are regarded as “lead-in” fighter trainer aircraft.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/77956-aquino-philippines-fighter-jets