Abu Sayyaf camp found in Sulu

From the Sun Star-Zamboanga (Oct 2): Abu Sayyaf camp found in Sulu

GOVERNMENT troops have found a newly abandoned camp of the Abu Sayyaf bandits, as the offensive against the terrorists continues in the province of Sulu.

Brigadier General Alan Arrojado, Joint Task Group Sulu commander, said the camp was found around 10:50 a.m. Friday in the village of Maligay, Patikul, while the troops were scouring the hinterlands.

The camp has 26 structures that can accommodate 60 people, said Arrojado.

He said that a group of around 15 Abu Sayyaf bandits were monitored to have used the camp three days ago and left before the troops arrived.

The government forces are continuously tracking down the Abu Sayyaf bandits following the launching last month of the "focused military operations (FMO)."

The targets of the FMO are the senior leaders of the Abu Sayyaf Group and their foreign cohorts, who are hiding in the province of Sulu.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/local-news/2015/10/02/abu-sayyaf-camp-found-sulu-433608

Kidnappping is cottage industry in Mindanao

From Tempo (Oct 3): Kidnappping is cottage industry in Mindanao

Kidnappings in Mindanao are widespread because ransoms are being paid and proceeds of which are being shared with the community, a source from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) claimed yesterday.

The four hostages seized from an upscale resort last Sept. 21 in Samal Island, Davao del Norte are somewhere at the foot of Mt. Bud Daho in Sulu being guarded not only by the kidnappers but other armed men in the area.

 

The hostages – Canadians John Ridsel and Robert Hall and his Filipino girlfriend Maritess Flor and Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad – are being held while kidnappers negotiate for ransom.

 

The MNLF source said contrary to the government’s no-ransom policy, ransoms were paid for those who were released or gained their freedom.

 

Poverty has driven many people to embrace kidnapping as a cottage industry, he added.

 

“Marami na daw tumutulong na may baril sa pag-secure ng apat na kidnapping victims dahil may share daw sila every time a ransom is paid,” the MNLF leader said.

 

Everyone who has a weapon is part of the security group, according to the source.

He said kidnappers share their loot to the lookouts, cooks, food and water carriers and other people who perform other tasks.

 

“Everyone in the farms (in Sulu) who has weapon,” he said, are joining the security for the two Canadians, a Norwegian, and a Filipino woman.

“It is the Enrile Doctrine, they want everybody happy,” he said.

The source was referring to Senator Juan Ponce Enrile who popularized the campaign slogan: “Gusto ko happy ka.”

This kind of collaboration, according to the source, began during the high-profile kidnapping of 21 foreigners in Sabah’s Sipadan island resort by the Abu Sayyaf Group in 2000.

The ASG allegedly received $25 million from Libya’s leader, the late Colonel Muammar Qaddafy.

Since then, kidnappings have become commonplace in the region.

http://www.tempo.com.ph/2015/10/03/kidnappping-is-cottage-industry-in-mindanao/

2 soldiers abducted; Cafgu killed in ambush

From the Sun Star-Davao (Oct 2): 2 soldiers abducted; Cafgu killed in ambush
 

A CAFGU Active Auxiliary (CAA) member was killed while two soldiers were abducted following an ambush allegedly staged by suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Casoon in Monkayo, Compostela Valley, Wednesday afternoon.

The unidentified militiaman who was detailed at the Casoon Patrol Base in Monkayo was flagged down by the NPA rebels before he was gunned down.

Two unidentified soldiers who were on board the motorcycle were also abducted by the NPA rebels as they were accidentally traversing near the area.

Lieutenant Alexandre F. Cabales, acting spokesperson for the Army's 10th Infantry Division (ID), said they will not release the names of the abducted soldiers yet, as they will have to inform their respective families first.

The two soldiers were assigned at the 25th Infantry Battalion (IB).

Superintendent Antonio Rivera, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office-Davao, said that personnel of the Compostela Valley Provincial Police Office and Monkayo police are now conducting pursuit operation against the suspects.

"Police are now conducting checkpoints for possible identification and apprehension of the NPA rebels along with the abducted soldiers," Rivera told Sun.Star Davao in a text message Friday.

Rivera said the NPA rebels have fled to an unknown direction.

Lieutenant Colonel Mitchel Anayron, commander of the 25th IB, said that according to several eyewitnesses, the attack was perpetrated by members of the NPA's Guerilla Front 3.

The attack was allegedly spearheaded by alias Jinggoy, real name is Zaldy Canete, who is a noted notorious NPA commander.

Canete was previously detained at the Compostela Valley Provincial Jail but was released after posting bail worth P200,000 last July 10.

Major General Rafael Valencia, commander of the 10th Infantry Division (ID), condemned the murder of the Cafgu and kidnapping of the two soldiers.

"I am asking the community to pray for the safety of our soldiers. Rest assured, this incidents will not affect the commitment of 10th ID to bring peace in the region," Valencia said.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2015/10/02/2-soldiers-abducted-cafgu-killed-ambush-433593

Army soldier may be released soon by NPAs

From the Manila Bulletin (Oct 3): Army soldier may be released soon by NPAs

Private First Class (PFC) Jess Lupeba could be released soon by his New People’s Army (NPA) captors.

This was disclosed by the third party negotiator working for the release of the Army soldier, who has been in the hands of the NPA for more than three years and is believed being kept in the forested areas of Gingoog City.

Photo courtesy of Google map

Bishop Felixberto Calang of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), who is the leader of the third party negotiating team, said it was “now up to the NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) when it would release Lupeba, 26, a member of the Army’s 58th Infantry Battallion.”

The soldier was abducted during a raid of an Army patrol base in Alagatan, Gingoog City last July 11.

The third party facilitator yesterday asked the military units in the area to stand down where because the release of Lupeba might take place either in Gingoog City or in Misamis Oriental.

The NPA issued a statement that they will release Lupeba unconditionally as a gesture of goodwill to pave way for the resumption of peace talks with the government.

Early this week, the custodial force of the NPA also asked for a 10-day ceasefire for the safe release of the captive soldier.

The military and police commanders in the area here did not issue any statement regarding the demand of the NPA custodial force.

“However, there is now a possibility that the military might cease operations in the surrounding areas where the possible release of Lupeba might take place,” Calang said.

http://www.mb.com.ph/army-soldier-may-be-released-soon-by-npas/

152 policemen complete PNP SCOUT training

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 3): 152 policemen complete PNP SCOUT training

Around 152 policemen have successfully completed the PNP Special Counter Insurgency Operation Unit Training (SCOUT) Friday.

National Capital Region Police (NCRPO) acting director Chief Supt. Joel D. Pagdilao said these police personnel completed 45 training days for the PNP Scout Program.

The program focuses in developing the trainees' skills and efficiency in search-and-rescue, air-to-ground operation, jungle survival training, and water-borne operations.

Pagdilao said this is mandatory for all Police Officer I (PO1) assigned with maneuver units/public safety forces such as the Regional Public Safety Battalion and District Public Safety Battalion.

The training is also geared toward developing their competence in addressing arising crime trends.

Pagdilao encouraged the police officers to continuously upgrade their skills to be able to cope up with any situation. He also reiterated that police presence and appearance is performance.

"We are a uniformed organization and being that, we must be the most disciplined and most skilled. People rely on us; let us not fail them,” he added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=811114

Samal kidnap victims moved again, with other foreign hostages in Indanan, Sulu - intelligence report

From InterAksyon (Oct 3): Samal kidnap victims moved again, with other foreign hostages in Indanan, Sulu - intelligence report



 

The three foreigners and Filipina abducted from a resort on Samal Island on September 21 have been moved to an area in Indanan town, Sulu where other foreign hostages are being held, and are guarded by even more Abu Sayyaf gunmen, police intelligence said.

An intelligence report InterAksyon.com was shown said “the four kidnap victims from Davao del Norte were sighted being kept by their captors (in the area of) Tubig Maul, Barangay Sawaki, Indanan,” early Thursday afternoon, October 1.

It is the same area, the report said, where the Abu Sayyaf have been holding Malaysians Bernard Ghen Ted Fen and Thien Nyuk Fun, who were snatched from a restaurant in Sandakan, Sabah in May this year, and Korean Hong Nwi-seong, taken from the town of Roseller T. Lim in Zamboanga Sibugay in January.

The hostages, said the report, are guarded by around 200 Abu Sayyaf fighters led by Yasser Igasan, Angah Adji, Alhabsy Misaya, Furuji Indama, Idang Susukan and Raden Abu while 100 more gunmen, led by sub-leaders Mohammad Said, Marajan Hajiri and Aldren Bagade and armed with heavy weaponry including a recoilless rifle, “were seen scattered in (advantageous) location(s)” along a road leading to the area.

The move to Indanan came just a few days after Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, and Hall's Filipino partner Marites Flor were spotted in the adjacent town of Parang on September 26, where the military confirmed an outrigger canoe powered by twin engines was found on the same day.

Intelligence sources also indicated that the Samal hostages were taken straight to Sulu after they were seized from the Holiday Ocean View Samal Resort, arriving in Patikul town past noon of September 22.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/118372/samal-kidnap-victims-moved-again-with-other-foreign-hostages-in-indanan-sulu---intelligence-report

‘AID IN A MATTER OF HOURS’DND: US general’s words on helping PHL protect sovereignty ‘encouraging’

From GMA News (Oct 2): ‘AID IN A MATTER OF HOURS’DND: US general’s words on helping PHL protect sovereignty ‘encouraging’

The Department of National Defense has welcomed the statement of US Brigadier General Paul Kennedy, commander of the US 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, who said US forces would respond "within a matter of hours" if Philippine sovereignty was violated another country.

DND Spokesman Dr. Peter Galvez told GMA News Online on Friday that this was a great development between the two allies amid the continuing tension in the South China Sea.

“The Department sees General Kennedy's statement as an encouraging development and a clear signal of the United States' intention to promote security and stability in the region,” Galvez said.

Kennedy made the statement during the opening of the annual Amphibious Landing Exercise (Phiblex) at the Marine headquarters in Fort Bonifacio on Thursday.

“Sixty-four years, this alliance has held. Our mutual security has been upheld through the close working relationship that we have forged in that time,” Kennedy said.

“And I would tell anybody, and I see the press eagerly recording our words, I would tell you that if anybody would challenge the sovereignty of this country, their best friends within this region would respond within a matter of hours and generally, I assure you that that is not a hollow promise,” he added.

The Phiblex will involve over 1,500 soldiers including 860 US and 748 Filipino troops who will train Military encampments in Cavite, Tarlac and Zambales with Kennedy leading the US side of the exercises.

The Philippines is currently locked in a maritime dispute with China in conflicting claims over parts of the South China Sea which the latter claims in whole citing historical basis.China has conducted various land reclamations and constructions in the South China Sea since the dispute to which the Philippines responded with an arbitration case undert the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/539290/news/nation/dnd-us-general-s-words-on-helping-phl-protect-sovereignty-encouraging

Central Luzon army, police heads discuss election security plans

From The Standard (Oct 3): Central Luzon army, police heads discuss election security plans

Brig. Gen. Henry Sabarre, commander of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, met  Friday with top officials of the Central Luzon police to discuss security plans in preparation for the 2016 presidential polls within their joint area of operations.

Central Luzon has had instances of election-related violence.

“Our division would be the main security provider during election time. The Central Luzon regional police are our counterpart. Both commands should discuss and agree at some points for the smooth implementation of our joint security plan and actions,” Sabarre said.

Regional police director Chief Supt.Rudy Lacadin, meanwhile, said the conference has focused on identifying areas in the region which have incidents of election-related killings by warring political groups.

“Our aim in this meeting is to have unified efforts among members of the security forces hand-in-hand with counterparts in other government agencies so that the forthcoming elections will be secured and fair through the signing of the Joint PNP-AFP Security Plan,” he said.

Pursuant to Resolution No. 9571 of the Commission on Elections, the PNP and AFP are deputized to assist Comelec in its security preparations for the elections.

Comelec regional election director Temie Lambino said they have asked both commands to have the conference seven months before elections so they will have enough time to revise and enhance the security plan.

Lambino said the regional election office and the PNP-AFP security providers will be coming out of a list of election hotspot areas in the next coming months where security preparations are now being discussed by them.

Both Sabarre and Lacadin agreed to work together to identify these areas including political parties and personalities and their private armed groups.

“Our objective here is to prevent the formation by unscrupulous politicians of more PAGs while we intensify efforts to eliminated the existing ones. As of now, we’re closely working with the regional police to eliminate PAGs operating in our AOR,” Sabarre said.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/10/03/central-luzon-army-police-heads-discuss-election-security-plans/

USS Ronald Reagan finally arrives in Japan

From Ang Malaya (Oct 1): USS Ronald Reagan finally arrives in Japan

United States Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) finally arrived at its new home-port, US Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Yokosuka, Japan today. USS Ronald Reagan is replacing USS George Washington (CVN 73). Reagan left its home-port for 9 years, Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego August 31.

“Ronald Reagan has been embraced as America’s Flagship. Not only does she have strong ties to Americans, she also has ties to the people of Japan,” said Rear Admiral John Alexander, commander, Battle Force 7th Fleet. “In 2011 Ronald Reagan was one of the first responders to assist in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the east coast of Japan during Operation Tomodachi. The ties that were established with the ship and our host nation will continue to grow.”

Reagan will be operating under the US Seventh Fleet. The 7th Fleet area of operations includes 36 maritime countries and the world’s five largest foreign armed forces – the People’s Republic of China, Russia, India, North Korea and the Republic of Korea. Five of the seven U.S. Mutual Defense Treaties are with countries in the area – Republic of the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Japan, and Thailand.

The deployment provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of the US and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. USS Ronald Reagan is deployed with its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5.

http://www.angmalaya.net/world/2015/10/01/13782-uss-ronald-reagan-finally-arrives-in-japan

ESamar guv welcomes former NPAs

From the Philippine Information Agency (Oct 1): ESamar guv welcomes former NPAs

BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar  --- Top provincial officials, particularly those from the peace and security sectors welcomed the 11 former rebels who have decided to return to the folds of the law.

In an interview with PIA, one of the 11 former rebels said that they surrender because  living like fugitives in their mountains was hard.

No less than Eastern Samar Governor Conrado B. Nicart, Jr. , Police Senior Supt. Romeo P. Campomanes, Provincial Director, Eastern Samar Police Provincial Office (ESPPO), the 8th Infantry Division, Brigade Commander, Col. Perfecto M. Rimando, 14th Infantry Battalion Commander, Lt. Col. Peter B. Burgonio and other officials gathered to welcome the 11 former rebels during the Provincial Peace and Order  Council Meeting (PPOC) held at the Governor’s Conference Hall on September 23, 2015.

Governor Nicart,  in a statement, said he welcomed the rebel returnees and congratulated them for their decision to return to the government.

“The surrender of these 11 rebel returnees is the realization of the peace efforts that we really want,” Gov. Nicart further said.

During the meeting, Governor Nicart distributed checks in the amount of P65,000.00 wherein P15,000.00 of which was for immediate assistance and P50,000.00 for livelihood assistance  to 11 surrenderees.

It was learned that the former rebels will enagage in hog raising, poultry raising and sari-sari store establishment.

According to Ms. Gemma A. Amit, OIC-Provincial Director of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Field Office, the assistance came from  the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP).

CLIP focuses in the integration program for members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), New People’s Army (NPA), and National Democratic Front (NDF) who have decided to abandon armed struggle and be mainstreamed into society.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1211443684396/esamar-guv-welcomes-former-npas

Mayor in Spratlys: Philippines ‘caught between 2 lovers’

From Rappler (Oct 2): Mayor in Spratlys: Philippines ‘caught between 2 lovers’

Kalayaan Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon says that while it helps to have a dependable ally, ‘in this world, there’s no such thing as a free meal’



PENTAGON MEETING. Kalayaan Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon (3rd from left) meets with Dennis McGinn (4th), the US Navy's assistant secretary for energy, installations, and environment, accompanied by members of the US Pinoys for Good Governance on September 28, 2015. Photo courtesy of Eric Lachica/USPGG

Eugenio Bito-onon, mayor of Kalayaan town in the disputed Spratly Islands, urged the United States to help the Philippines in its dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

Speaking to international journalists, Bito-onon, however, cautioned the Philippines against depending solely on allies, as the country is “caught between two lovers.”

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Bito-onon said: “The Philippines has become so weak, and it’s advantageous to have an ally that is dependable. But in this world, there’s no such thing as a free meal. You have to choose which allies would be good for you. Would it be good for China to be an ally, or the US?”

“We say the Philippines is caught between two lovers,” Bito-onon said in the interview published Monday, September 28.

On the one hand, the US, after all, is one of the Philippines' strategic partners, with which the Southeast Asian country also has a mutual defense treaty. (READ: US to act 'in a matter of hours' if PH sovereignty is challenged)

China, on the other hand, remains one of the Philippines' biggest trading partners, as the Asian giant pursues a “peaceful rise” in the Asia Pacific. (READ: China urges trade with PH across 'sea of peace')

'US can aid weaker countries'

The mayor then asked: “Which lover is better: one that gives you a lot of headaches, takes away your islands, tries to get the whole of your natural wealth for the next generation? Or the other, which has a history of supporting you and has promised to defend you, even if it has flaws of its own?”

“I appreciate that the Philippines has the US as an ally. But the Philippines should not be so stupid as to fully depend on its allies. It has to develop its own capability,” Bito-onon said, as quoted in the New York Times’ China blog called Sinosphere.

Bito-onon’s town, Kalayaan, is located in the West Philippine Sea with Pag-asa Island as its seat of government. Government data show at least 222 people live in Kalayaan town, as a way of asserting the Philippines’ claim over the West Philippine Sea.

In another interview published by The Diplomat on Tuesday, September 29, Bito-onon also pointed out that filing a case against China is “the best move” by President Benigno Aquino III in Manila’s dispute with Beijing.

The Philippines is pursuing a historic case against China before an arbitral tribunal at The Hague, Netherlands, and is expecting the tribunal to issue a ruling by 2016.

Bito-onon told The Diplomat: “I think that without a capable and interested arbiter or negotiator that could intervene in the situation, China will continue to bully and harass weaker states in the South China Sea considering that it has already dwarfed all other occupants with its man-made islands. The United States can come to the aid of weaker and smaller countries as an intervenor or broker.”

Mayor’s prayer: ‘No shooting war’

The Kalayaan mayor made these statements during his recent trip to the US.

On Monday, he visited Dennis McGinn, the US Navy’s assistant secretary for energy, installations, and environment, in the Pentagon. The two officials discussed the proposed “eco-tourism zone” in the Spratlys, according to the group US Pinoys Pinoys for Good Governance (USPGG), members of which accompanied Bito-onon.

USPGG, which is chaired by Filipino philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis, has actively protested China’s claims over the West Philippine Sea.

In his interview with the New York Times, Bito-onon also suggested that the US “should frequently pass” through the South China Sea, “just to test what China would really do.”

“If a problem arises, if there’s trouble, or they have an encounter, then so be it. That would make a solution faster. There is no person stupid enough to wage a third world war,” the Kalayaan mayor said.

He also pointed out that if the arbitral tribunal at The Hague rules in favor of the Philippines, “the world would condemn China.”

“China seems to have no more friends. The pressure against China is building, and I believe they will be forced to sit down and negotiate,” Bito-onon said.

“Right now,” he added, “I just pray that there will be no shooting war.”

http://www.rappler.com/nation/107847-spratlys-mayor-philippines-us-china

US Marines Learn to Survive in Philippine Jungle

Posted to DVIDS (Oct 2): US Marines Learn to Survive in Philippine Jungle

        

 

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<iframe width="500" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none; overflow: hidden; width: 500px; height: 300px;" allowtransparency="true" src="https://www.dvidshub.net/video/embed/426166"></iframe>                        

U.S. Marines with 3D Reconnaissance Battalion and Philippine Marines, with 64th Force Reconnaissance Company, Marine Special Operation Forces Group, learn to survive in the jungle during Jungle Environment Survival Training during Amphibious Landing Exercise 2015 (PHIBLEX 15) at Ternate, Philippines, Sept. 29. PHIBLEX 15 is an annual, bilateral training exercise conducted by U.S. Marine and Navy Forces with the Armed Forces of the Philippines in order to strengthen our interoperability and working relationships across the range of military operations from disaster relief, to complex expeditionary operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt Harold S Johnson/ Released)

https://www.dvidshub.net/video/426166/us-marines-learn-survive-philippine-jungle#.Vg8pesazbIU

Sailors launch petition demanding Harper act on Philippines abductions

From The Globe and Mail (Oct 1): Sailors launch petition demanding Harper act on Philippines abductions
 

A group of globetrotting sailors has launched an online petition demanding that Prime Minister Stephen Harper intervene in the case of four people abducted in the Philippines, two of them Canadian.

“We can make saving these Canadians an election issue,” petition founder Trish Bates wrote in an e-mail to fellow sailors this week, after a friend of hers was among those snatched shortly before midnight on Sept. 21 from the Holiday Oceanview Samal Marina in the southern Philippines.

Canadians Robert Hall and John Ridsdel were taken along with Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and a Filipina, Maritess Flor. They have not been heard from since, although there are indications they have been taken to Jolo, the stronghold for extremist Islam criminal group Abu Sayyaf.

The disappearances touch heavily on Canada. Mr. Sekkingstad lived for years in Canada and also carries a Canadian passport, according to two friends, one of whom has known Mr. Sekkingstad for 13 years and said he has seen the passport. Ms. Flor is dating Mr. Hall. And the Filipino owners of the Holiday Oceanview also spent years in Canada; some of them, too, carry Canadian passports, sailors said.

Now, members of the tight-knit yachting community are calling on the Government of Canada to do more, in the hope that the treatment of Canadians abroad can be taken up on the campaign trail.

Several dozen have signed a petition headlined “Stephen Harper Prime Minister of Canada: Support the Philippine Four.”

“Search and rescue efforts for these four may be more effective if Canada offers the Philippine government additional resources,” the petition reads. “Here is a chance for Mr. Harper to demonstrate how well he cares for his citizens.”

After being taken away on boats last week, the abducted victims vanished. A major search conducted by police, the military and supportive rebel groups has failed to locate them. It now appears that a naval blockade also failed to keep them from escaping the Samal Island area, on the east of the Philippines region of Mindanao.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the powerful mayor of Davao have in recent days said information suggests that the victims had been taken to the Sulu Archipelago, about 600 kilometres by water to the west of Samal Island.

On the weekend, the military recovered a boat it believes was used in the abduction at Jolo, one of the Sulu islands. Jolo is the headquarters for Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist group with ties to al-Qaeda that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and has for nearly two decades captured foreigners for ransom.

But police say they still have no confirmation of where the four people are, and no ransom demand has been received.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Department said in an e-mailed statement that “the Government of Canada will not comment or release any information which may compromise continuing efforts and risk endangering the safety of Canadian citizens abroad.”

Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also declined comment, with a spokesman saying “this is an ongoing situation.”

People kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf have sometimes been kept for long periods of time, a prospect that frightens Ms. Bates, an Australian living at British Columbia’s Saltspring Island.

“I want to get Kjartan out of there. I don’t want him sitting in some concrete bunker for 10 months,” she said.

Ms. Bates and her husband, Will, have for several years kept their 36-foot trimaran shanghaied at the Holiday Oceanview Samal, where Mr. Sekkingstad has worked as manager. For nearly a decade, he has overseen its construction and operations, turning it into a haven for sailors.

The marina sits outside the normal typhoon range and next to Davao City, which is known as the safest in the Philippines – and one of the most secure urban centres on Earth.

“I never locked up the vehicle I had, or locked up the house. And nothing went missing,” said Bill Moseley, a Canadian sailor who has known Mr. Sekkingstad since 2002. He called the abduction “hard to believe.”

Only a few years ago, there were times when just three yachts tied up at the marina. But Mr. Sekkingstad’s efforts have been paying off. This year, the berths have been full.

Ms. Bates worries that success courted danger. More recently, “they had something like 70 yachts in there, which is enormous for the place, and some very high-profile, very high-end power yachts. And I think that attracted too much attention,” she said. “That’s one idea I had about why this raid happened now.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/sailors-launch-petition-demanding-harper-act-on-philippines-abductions/article26615035/

Skirmishes trigger more evacuations in Surigao Sur town

From MindaNews (Oct 2): Skirmishes trigger more evacuations in Surigao Sur town
 

A fresh wave of fighting between Army soldiers and an unidentified armed group triggered a new round of evacuees in this town on Friday.

Marihatag Mayor Allan Pelenio told a Senate Committee on Justice public hearing in Tandag City that more than 200 Manobo families or 1,000 persons fled their homes in Barangay Mahaba, eight kilometers from the town center.

Pelenio said he sent two trucks to fetch the residents from three sitios from Barangay Mahaba and from the village’s central area.

“There is nothing left there right now except stray dogs and untended pigs,” Barangay Mahaba Kagawad Alejandro Sanchez said.

Sanchez said they fled their villages after a fresh wave of fighting erupted between soldiers and armed men believed to be New People’s Army rebels.

He said they could hear the fighting getting nearer to their houses so they decided to flee Thursday night.

Benny Kanon, 64, however, said they saw members of the Bagani terror group led by Bobby Tejero, suspect in the Sept. 1 killing of a school director and two lumad leaders in Lianga, Surigao del Sur.

Kanon said Tejero and the Bagani groups came after the soldiers arrived in their village on Thursday and demanded that the villagers identify NPA members among them.

“We have to flee because we do not want to become their victims,” he said.

Senator Teofisto Guingona said the Philippine National Police and the Army should arrest Bobby Tejero, his brother Loloy Abab Tejero and Garito Layno to restore the confidence of the lumads.

“The name of Bobby Tejero is already enough to trigger a mass evacuation. They should be arrested. This is step no. 1 to restore the confidence of the lumads,” Guingona said.

Police have filed murder charges, grave threats and arson against the suspects for the killing of Emerito Samarca, 54, executive director of the Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Livelihood Development (ALCADEV), a school for lumads.

The PNP and Army have formed Task Force Bangkaw (Spear) to immediately arrest the suspects.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2015/10/02/skirmishes-trigger-more-evacuations-in-surigao-sur-town/

Extortion eyed in bus bomb explosion in South Cotabato

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 2): Extortion eyed in bus bomb explosion in South Cotabato
 

Police authorities are eyeing extortion as behind the bomb explosion inside a passenger bus in Polomolok town in South Cotabato around noon Thursday that injured 18 people.

Chief Supt. Lester Camba, Region 12 police director, confirmed Friday that the management of Yellow Bus Line (YBL) Inc. based in Koronadal City received a call from a person who claimed to be a member of the Al-Khobar gang several minutes before the blast.

“The caller identified himself as a member of the Al-Khobar and warned that they planted an explosive in one of their bus units,” he said.

The official said a secretary of the bus company received the call at around 11:50 a.m. or less than 10 minutes before the bomb exploded inside a YBL bus unit with body number 2008 and license plate MWD 296 at a portion of the national highway in Barangay Silway 7 in Polomolok.

The passenger bus, which originated from Koronadal City and en route to this city, had just left the public terminal of Polomolok when the explosion came.

It had also made a brief stop in Tupi town in South Cotabato as part of its route.

Eighteen of the 34 passengers, including a week-old baby, were injured in the blast and were rushed to various hospitals here.

Most of the victims only sustained minor injuries and four of them were still confined at a private hospital here as of Friday morning.

Citing accounts from witnesses, Camba said two unidentified persons boarded the bus along the national highway in Tupi town and placed a package at the overhead compartment near center section of the bus.

The two reportedly disembarked from the bus at the Polomolok public terminal, he said.

“We’re not discounting other possible angles and our investigators are currently digging deeper in to the case,” Camba said.

Based on results of the post-blast investigation conducted by the South Cotabato Provincial Police Office’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, the explosive was placed in red plastic and blue sando bags that were left near the sixth and seventh rows of the bus’ overhead compartment.

Sr. Supt. Jose Briones Jr., South Cotabato police director, said it was fashioned from a PRB 423 fragmentation grenade that was attached to several batteries and a cellphone, which was used as triggering device.

“The grenade’s fuse was removed and modified, and the means of initiation was electric,” he said.

Last month, police recovered a similarly-fashioned explosive planted on a bus unit that was parked at YBL terminal here.

In July, a bomb also exploded inside a YBL bus unit after making a brief stop at the terminal of Sto. Nino town in South Cotabato.

The Al-Khobar group, which was tagged in a string of extortion-related attacks in Region 12 and the neighboring areas in the past several years, had taken responsibility over previous bomb attacks involving YBL bus units in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces.

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