Govt forces, MILF rebels report casualties in rare clash

From InterAksyon (Jan 25): Govt forces, MILF rebels report casualties in rare clash



The MILF's Mohagher Iqbal, in an earlier hearing in Congress: hopefully, Sunday's incident will be the last encounter between government and MILF forces. LIRA DALANGIN FERNANDEZ, FILE PHOTO

Philippine security forces and a Muslim rebel group said Sunday they had clashed in the country's south with an unspecified number of casualties, in violence rarely seen since the signing of a peace treaty.Police commandos and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members fought near the remote town of Mamasapano on the main southern island of Mindanao before dawn, regional military spokesman Captain Joan Petinglay said."Ceasefire monitors are now on the ground to separate the forces and remove the casualties," said Petinglay, speaking to AFP by telephone from the neighboring town of Shariff Aguak.

Mohagher Iqbal, the lead MILF negotiator in a landmark peace deal signed in March last year, also confirmed the incident, but neither side would say how many fighters were wounded or killed, or to whom they belonged.

The 10,000-member MILF had agreed to end decades of rebellion in the mainly Catholic nation in exchange for a proposed law now being debated in parliament that would give the minority Muslims self-rule in several southern provinces.

"This is the first encounter between the MILF and (government forces) this year. Hopefully, this will be the last," Iqbal told AFP by telephone.

He said the police had entered an MILF-influenced area without notifying the group first, while searching for members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which disagrees with the peace talks and broke away from the MILF in 2008.

"They (police) ran into an MILF force. The ceasefire monitors are now in the area," Iqbal added.

"We heard some people were killed, but I believe this will not affect the peace process," he added.

Both Iqbal and Petinglay said a joint government-MILF ceasefire committee and a small international monitoring team of soldiers and police from Malaysia and other countries had arrived in the area by the afternoon to "disengage" the two groups.

The clash in Mamasapano, about 900 kilometers (559 miles) south of Manila, was only the second since two soldiers and 18 Muslim gunmen were killed in a clash on the southern island of Basilan in April 2014.

Such incidents once broke out with much greater frequency prior to the signing of the treaty, during a rebellion that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

After the April fighting, the government accused the MILF of helping Islamic extremists under attack from security forces. The group acknowledged four of its members were killed.

Since the peace deal was struck, government forces have been going after the BIFF, a group of several hundred Muslim gunmen who last year pledged allegiance to Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/103734/govt-forces-milf-rebels-report-casualties-in-rare-clash

Gunmen seize Korean businessman in Sibugay

From MindaNews (Jan 25): Gunmen seize Korean businessman in Sibugay

Gunmen believed to be kidnappers abducted late Saturday a Korean businessman in Zamboanga Sibugay.

Insp. Dahlan Samuddin, Police Regional Office-9 information officer, identified the victim as Noui Hong Sung, 73.

Samuddin said the victim was seized by gunmen aboard a mini-van around 9:30 p.m. Saturday in barangay Surabay, R.T. Lim, Zamboanga Sibugay.

He said policemen gave chase and recovered the gunmen’s getaway vehicle hours later in Barangay President Roxas of the same town.

But the police official said the gunmen burned the vehicle.

Samuddin said the victim had arrived two days ago in R.T. Lim to visit his son, also a businessman, who is residing in Barangay Katipunan.

He said policemen in coordination with the military were tracking down the whereabouts of the victim.

He said no one has claimed responsibility for the incident.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2015/01/25/gunmen-seize-korean-businessman-in-sibugay/

Grenade explodes at bus terminal in Southern Philippines

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Jan 24): Grenade explodes at bus terminal in Southern Philippines

A grenade exploded late Saturday at a bus depot in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato, authorities said.

It said the attack on the depot damaged several provincial buses parked inside, but there were no reports of casualties, according to the police and military.

Soldiers and policemen sent to the depot along Don Rufino Street in downtown Cotabato recovered the safety lever of an MK2 fragmentation grenade.

Initial reports said a man on a motorcycle lobbed the grenade at the bus terminal and sped off immediately.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack. The motive of the attack is unknown, but police suspect extortion was likely behind the blast.

The attack came just recently following a deadly car bombing outside a bus terminal in Zamboanga City.

Two people were killed and 54 others wounded when the car, packed with explosives, detonated near a disco bar. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2015/01/grenade-explodes-at-bus-terminal-in.html

Less communication between kidnapped cop and wife due to ‘intervention’

From the Rakyat Post (Jan 24): Less communication between kidnapped cop and wife due to ‘intervention’



Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman says that the kidnappers are moving Lance Corporal Zakia Aleip (left) around to avoid being caught by the Philippine security forces. — File pic

Communications between kidnapped police personnel Lance Corporal Zakia Aleip and his wife have to be controlled following “intervention” by several other groups.

“They are hampering our efforts to bring Zakia home,” said Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman.

 

He, however, did not disclose the identity of the “other groups”.

 

Speaking to reporters after attending a briefing at the Sabah police headquarters in Kepayan for some 600 police personnel who would be deployed for the Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Sabah next week, Jalaluddin said the kidnappers were moving Zakia around to avoid being caught by the Philippine security forces.

 

“They are also not negotiating the ransom,” he said.

On July 12, 2014, armed gunmen ambushed the Mabul Water Bungalows Resort, off Semporna. In the ambush, Zakia’s colleague, Corporal Ab Rajah Jamuan, was killed.

 

Following the incident and several other spate of cross border crimes, a dusk to dawn curfew in Sabah’s east coast districts was introduced.

 

Jalaluddin said the curfew, which expires tomorrow, had been extended for the 13th time until Feb 10, adding that it was necessary based on intelligence reports that the intruders were still planning attacks on the state’s borders.

 

In addition, he said, resort operators and fishermen associations had called for the curfew to be continued, expressing their satisfaction and security it brought, with some suggesting it should stay permanently.

 

Jalaluddin said the curfew was introduced to ensure the safety and security of the people along the coast and tourists in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone), and to facilitate surveillance of cross border activities, including trafficking in humans, drugs and weapons.

 

The curfew was first introduced from 6pm to 6am on July 16, 2014, following spate of kidnappings in the east coast of Sabah in the six districts under Esszone — Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Semporna, Kunak and Tawau.

 

It has been extended every two weeks since, and recently shortened to 10 hours from 7pm to 5am beginning Aug 18.

 

http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/01/24/less-communication-kidnapped-cop-wife-due-intervention/

Palace: Authorities pursuing lead on suspects behind Zamboanga blast

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Jan 24): Palace: Authorities pursuing lead on suspects behind Zamboanga blast

 

Photo by Julie Alipala/INQUIRER

 

Authorities are currently following a lead on who may have carried out the blast in Zamboanga City on Friday that killed two people and injured 52 others.

Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Philippine National Police (PNP) has gathered evidence to identify the perpetrators behind the blast.

“And as of now, what we can tell you is that current evidence available to us has indicated a particular direction. Mayroon na pong tinutumbok (We are already following a lead) based on the evidence that has been gathered, but we will leave that to the military to speak about and the PNP,” Valte said on stat-run radio dzRB.

The Palace official said President Benigno Aquino III has been briefed about the situation and also got a copy of the full report regarding the blast.

Asked if the blast is connected to terrorists Abu Sayyaf or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Valte refused to divulge information regarding the lead.

“We will not… We are not free at this time to discuss the details,” she said.

She said Malacañang would leave it to the military and the police to provide additional details about the blast.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/667691/palace-authorities-pursuing-lead-on-suspects-behind-zamboanga-blast

Negotiations with Abu Sayyaf to free cop stall

From the Star Online (Jan 24): Negotiations with Abu Sayyaf to free cop stall



KOTA KINABALU: Negotiations to secure the release of marine policeman Konst Zakiah Aleip (pic) are stalling as Abu Sayyaf gunmen are demanding too high a ransom.

The problem is compounded as Zakiah is being moved constantly due to ongoing Philippines military operations in its Jolo Island hideouts.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman added that Zakiah is believed to be in healthy condition and had not contracted any illnesses.

"Their demands are still too high," he said on Saturday,  without disclosing the amount.

Zakiah was snatched from the Mabul Water Bungalows resort in Semporna Island on July 12 last year.

Filipino sources indicated that the Abu Sayyaf gunmen initially demanded RM3mil, then dropped their price to RM1.5mil before asking for more again.

Jalaluddin said that they had been able to speak to Zakiah and have kept his wife, Sharifah Erna Berson, informed.

"We are restricting communication between Zakiah's wife as we do not want her to be disturbed by various other elements," he said.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/01/24/Crime-Sabah-kidnap/

MILF: Iqbal calls for statesmanship of Congress on issues of constitutionality of the draft BBL

Posted to the MILF Website (Jan 24): Iqbal calls for statesmanship of Congress on issues of constitutionality of the draft BBL



Chairman Mohagher Iqbal of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) appealed on Wednesday (January 21) to the members of the House of Representatives to exercise statesmanship on provisions of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) with issue of constitutionality.
  

Attending the 36th and last public hearing of the Adhoc Committee on the BBL, Iqbal said that they are “on the same plain” as with the rest of the 75-member body in ensuring the constitutionality of the proposed basic law.

In drawing lessons from the failed MOA-AD in 2008, Iqbal said that there is no use in writing a proposed law that is clearly unconstitutional. “We have the experience of the MOA-AD wherein so much problems erupted out of that,” he said.

In particular, Iqbal replied to a question raised by Lanao del Norte Gov. Khalid Dimaporo as to whether or not the MILF would accept amendments to the BBL specifically on constitutional bodies.

Quoting from the Dec. 29, 2014 letter of MILF Chairman AlhajMuradEbrahim to Adhoc Committee Chairman Cong. Rufus Rodriguez, Iqbal said that part of the official position of the MILF is to welcome minor changes or changes that clearly improve or enhance the BBL.

Part of that letter which Iqbal read says that they “trust that Congress will pass the mutually agreed Bangsamoro Basic Law draft with no changes and without diminishing, diluting or watering down its provisions except probably for minor changes or changes that clearly improve it or enhance it.”

Iqbal, also the MILF Peace Panel Chairman, narrated how the peace panels and later on the BTC and the Office of the President exerted all legal diligence to ensure that the provisions of the draft BBL is within the confines of the Philippine Constitution.

Iqbal also spoke on what he called the “very controversial issue of contiguity” especially as it relates to the City of Zamboanga.

He said there is actually no issue of contiguity if one considers the archipelagic nature of the Philippines.

He stressed that the island-provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi are in fact not contiguous and if the “issue of contiguity is used, the ARMM could not have been formed.”

He said that Zamboanga City and the last (sic) of the island of Basilan is less than 30 kilometers and the municipal waters (15 kilometers from shoreline) of the city and Bangsamoro waters (22.224 kilometers from the low water-mark of the coast) overlap

“This is a particular issue that the statesmanship of the august body would come into play because you cannot say outright that they are not contiguous because it is overlapping and the definition of territory in the Framework Agreement includes maritime, which is water,” Iqbal stated.

He emphasized that the real issue is right to self-determination, of the “right of the governed to be asked.”

“Let the people of Zamboanga be asked in the plebiscite,” he said before the last public hearing that was attended by local government executives, including Zamboanga City Mayor Ma. Isabel Climaco-Salazar, the five ARMM provincial governors, some governors in Mindanao, and five members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission(ConCom) members.

Christian Monsod, one of the 14 surviving members of the 1986 ConCom that recently issued a favorable position on the constitutionality of the draft BBL, rejoined that any “interpretation of the Bangsamoro must give way to the closing of the gap between law and justice.”

Monsod was joined by fellow ConCom members WilfridoVilalcorta, Jose Luis Martin Gazcon, Florangel Rosario Braid, and Edmundo Garcia.

Cong. Rodriguez announced that the AdHoc committee targets February 9 for the voting on the final committee report. 

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1466-iqbal-calls-for-statesmanship-of-congress-on-issues-of-constitutionality-of-the-draft-bbl

SolCom cites military gains vs NPA

Posted to the Business Mirror (Jan 23): SolCom cites military gains vs NPA

THE Southern Luzon Command (SolCom) said on Friday its units neutralized 124 guerrillas of the New People’s Army (NPA), including 18 ranking leaders, during the course of operations in 2014.

The SolCom killed a dozen NPA guerrillas, captured 33 and accepted 79 who voluntarily surrendered, according to Maj. Angelo Guzman, SolCom spokesman.
Guzman said the capture of these individuals prevented the recruitment of new members for their armed component.

Civil-military operations efforts of Bayanihan teams led to the clearing of 40 barangays from enemy influence, he added.

“Our focused military operations in 2014 gained headway in diminishing mass-based support on the Communist Party and the NPA,” SolCom head Maj. Gen. Ricardo Visaya said.

Visaya claims SolCom’s community-based peace and development efforts in partnership with various stakeholders effectively complemented their focused military operations.

Most of the Bayanihan projects were integral part in the conduct of peace and development operations in the barangays, he said.

A total of 9,443 various projects and activities with stakeholders were conducted, including community services, medical assistance, cleanliness and beautification, feeding programs, sports festivities, and visits to camp facilities, Visaya added.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/solcom-cites-military-gains-vs-npa/

New Agusan officer

From the Mindanao Newsbits section of the Manila Bulletin (Jan 25): New Agusan officer

Awa, New Leyte, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur – The provinces of Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur including the cities of Bayugan, Tandag and Bislig has a new seasoned Army officer in Col. Alexander L. Macario who recently assumed the post of commanding officer of the 401st Infantry “Unity” Brigade (401st IB) based here.

The change of command ceremony on Wednesday was presided by Major General Oscar T. Lactao, commanding general of the AFPs’ Northeastern and Northern Mindanao 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division (4th ID).

Macario  replaced Brig. Gen. Gregory M. Cayetano, who will assume as Deputy Chief of Staff for Education and Training, J8, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

http://www.mb.com.ph/mindanao-newsbits-for-january-25-2015/

Army's BBL set

From the Mindanao Newsbits section of the Manila Bulletin (Jan 25): Army's BBL set

Cotabato City - The 6th Infantry Division, adjudged in 2013 and 2014 as the best of 10 Philippine Army divisions in peace and community-building, is sponsoring another record-setting project to promote love via  bike-riding along the combat-prone highway linking this city and Buluan, the new provincial capital town of Maguindanao, on Valentine’s Day.

Organizers led by Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, head of the top performing Army’s 6th Infantry Division, tagged the project as Bangsamoro Bike for Love (BBL) in consonance also with the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Capt. Joann Petinglay, 6ID public affairs officer, said yesterday.

http://www.mb.com.ph/mindanao-newsbits-for-january-25-2015/

Army to get 23 Humvee ambulances

From the Manila Bulletin (Jan 24): Army to get 23 Humvee ambulances

The Philippine Army will formally receive tomorrow Humvee ambulances to enhance its medical emergency responsiveness and efficiency, leading to a higher survivability rate among combat casualties.

A blessing and turn-over ceremony for the 23 units M1152 high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV) / (Humvee) will be held at Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo tomorrow at 7:30 a.m., with Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin as the guest of honor and speaker.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Noel J. Detoyato said that the military ambulances they will receive next week are part of the 30 units M1152 HMMWV procured under the Philippine Defense Reform Program to enhance the Forward Health Service Support System of the Philippine Army. The remaining seven units are expected to be delivered in February.

Detoyato said each ambulance is equipped with a life support system including oxygen tank, suction system, upper litter rack, sliding/stowing attendant seat, first aid kit, tools and manuals, among others which can provide immediate medical response to wounded troops prior to their transfer to medical facilities.

“The procurement of these new ambulances will improve the medical care capability in the Army, particularly in the frontline units, leading to a higher survivability rate among combat casualties,” Detoyato said.

The blessing and turn-over ceremony will be witnessed by AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio P. Catapang, Jr.; Army Commanding General Lt Gen Hernando Iriberri; and personnel from the Department of National Defense (DND), General Headquarters, and the Philippine Army.

http://www.mb.com.ph/army-to-get-23-humvee-ambulances/

NPA kidnap victims’ remains found in Leyte

From the Philippine Star (Jan 25): NPA kidnap victims’ remains found in Leyte



Crime scene investigators collect a set of skeletal remains found in Macarthur town in Leyte Friday. Lalaine Jimenea

LEYTE, Philippines – Authorities exhumed the skeletal remains of two men who have been reported missing since the 1980s in MacArthur town, Leyte last Friday.

The bones were identified by relatives of the victims, who were reportedly snatched by the New People’s Army (NPA) guerillas, through their clothing.

The remains of Nicostrates Nobio, reportedly kidnapped in August 1984, was dug from a shallow grave in Barangay Lanawan.

Nobio was identified by his sons Reynaldo and Rodrigo through a polo shirt he was wearing when he was last seen alive.

Wilfredo Gabao, 59, who was with Nobio on the day the victim was kidnapped, said they were on their way to a fiesta when three armed men took the victim away.

Nobio’s sons said their father was probably mistaken for a spy. They said they joined the government militia to protect themselves after their father was kidnapped.

The second set of skeletal remains, said to be that of Lolieto Custodio, was found in the nearby village of San Vicente.

Custodio’s son Levi, 47, said he, his brother and a neighbor were with their father on the day armed men kidnapped him. He said the kidnappers hogtied them and took his father away.

Levi said the shirt found with the bones was his father’s favorite. He said they moved to Manila after the incident.

Meanwhile, Eliza Concordo, who accompanied the authorities to the site, expressed hope that her father, Felipe Nobio, would also be found.

Concordo said several men, believed to be victims of the NPA’s Operation: Venereal Disease in the 1980s, remain missing.

 Lt. Col. Allan Jose Taguba, chief of the Army’s 78th Infantry Battalion, said among those reported missing from Mac-Arthur town alone were Alfredo Parado, Nestor and Conrado Bernal, Marcelino Castro, Daniel Gonzaga, Pepe Casuela, Bebot Abalos, Beyo Gubi and Puri Casuela.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2015/01/25/1416362/npa-kidnap-victims-remains-found-leyte

At least 1 suspect in Zambo City blast undergoing interrogation

From GMA News (Jan 24): At least 1 suspect in Zambo City blast undergoing interrogation

At least one person linked to Friday's deadly blast near a bus terminal in Zamboanga City is undergoing interrogation by the local police.

But the Zamboanga City Police Office has not identified the person being held, GMA News stringer Jayvee Francisco reported on GMA News TV's "Balitanghali Weekend."

Francisco also reported the city police's bomb squad confirmed a car bomb was used in Friday's blast, but they are still determining the type of explosives involved.

The report added city mayor Isabelle Climaco-Salazar believes the Abu Sayyaf may have been behind Friday's attack, as many of their colleagues are in the city jail.

Authorities earlier said at least two people were killed while 52 were wounded.

One was Dennis Valente, a tricycle driver passing by the area when the explosion occurred.

State-run Philippines News Agency said the other fatality was identified as Reynaldo Tan.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/415625/news/regions/at-least-1-suspect-in-zambo-city-blast-undergoing-interrogation

AFP: No reason to worry over US drones turning up in PHL territory

From GMA News (Jan 23): AFP: No reason to worry over US drones turning up in PHL territory

The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Friday said that US military drones turning up in different parts of the country are no cause for alarm.

 

According to AFP Spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla, the drones found were only target drones that do not pose a threat.

 

“Ibig sabihin ng target drones, ito 'yung mga ginagamit na target practice sa training at karamihan dyan ay ginamit ng Estados Unidos sa may lugar ng Guam na kung saan may exercises silang ginaganap para magkaroon ng kaunting reyalismo yung kanilang training,” Padilla explained.

 

PNP personnel in Quezon Province pose beside a recovered aerial target drone. The drone, bearing serial number BQ55079 and marked US Navy, was recovered by Patnanungan PNP on Sunday, Jan 4, 2015. The police took custody of the unarmed drone. (GMA News Stringer Hero Peewee Bacuño)

 

He then said that since most of these drones were disposable, it meant that some may have not been recovered after use.

 

“Karamihan nito ay tinangay lang ng agos ng tubig na nagmula sa may lugar ng Guam, tulad ng sabi ko kanina, napadpad 'yun sa mga shores natin kasi ganun ang takbo ng current mula sa may Pasipiko papunta sa Pilipinas,” Padilla said.

 

He also urged anyone who finds a drone to surrender these to authorities so they can track down which country it came from and alert the appropriate diplomatic mission.

 

Earlier this week, three fishermen recovered a drone off Cagayan while fishing in the Pacific Ocean.

 

On Jan. 4, the local police of Quezon province also recovered a drone owned and operated by the US Navy.

 

A similar drone was recovered off the coast of Masbate province by San Jacinto town police in 2013.

 

The US Embassy said previously that the drone was unarmed and not used to conduct surveillance.

 

Despite this, Bayan Muna party-list, which opposes the presence of US military assets in the Philippines, said earlier this month that the drones are "yet another proof of the US disregard of Philippine sovereignty." 

 

"Truth is, the US government, in the pursuit of its own self-serving interest, does not respect nor take into consideration the interest of other nations, allies or not, the Philippines included," Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate said in a statement. 

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/415408/news/nation/afp-no-reason-to-worry-over-us-drones-turning-up-in-phl-territory

5 NPA rebels killed in Surigao City clash: military

From ABS-CBN (Jan 23): 5 NPA rebels killed in Surigao City clash: military

SURIGAO CITY -- Five members of the communist New People's Army were killed in a clash with government troops in Barangay Mati, Surigao City in Surigao del Norte on Thursday, the military said.

Members of the 29th Infantry Battalion clashed with at least 15 members of the NPA Guerilla Front 16, Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee.

The firefight lasted for 15 minutes.

There was no reported injured from the government side.

Soldiers recovered two M-16 rifles, an M-16 rifle with a M-203 grenade launcher, 10 backpacks, and an improvised explosive device (IED).

Military and police in the area are now on alert for possible retaliatory attacks by the rebels
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/01/23/15/5-npa-rebels-killed-surigao-city-clash-military