Army chief defends Marcelino in drug case

From the Philippine Star (Jan 24): Army chief defends Marcelino in drug case 

            

Marine Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino and Chinese national Yan Yi Shou were nabbed last Thursday in a raid on a suspected shabu laboratory in Manila.  File photo

Army chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año does not believe that his former subordinate, Marine Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino, is part of a drug syndicate, saying that the arrested military officer was really serious in fighting illegal drugs.

Año said Marcelino has a crusade against illegal drugs and is angry with drug syndicates.

“Based on how I know him, I will never doubt his integrity. He is really a fighter against drug syndicates,” the Army chief said in an interview on Sunday.

“I don’t want to judge him based on what happened but based on what I know about him, I don’t believe he would be involved in any drug trafficking case or organization or syndicate,” he added.

Año, however, clarified that it would be difficult to comment on the actual incidents leading to Marcelino’s arrest. He noted that cases are being readied in connection with the raid.

“I do not know the details. I can only vouch for the character, personality and integrity of Lt. Col. Marcelino based on our working relationship when he was still under me,” he said.

Marcelino was commander of the Military Intelligence Group (MIG) 4 when Año was chief of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP). The Marine officer was detailed at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency when it was headed by former Armed Forces chief Dionisio Santiago.

“When he (Marcelino) was the MIG 4 commander, he had a good performance,” Año said, adding that Marcelino was then working against organized crimes in support of law enforcement agencies.

Marcelino and Chinese national Yan Yi Shou were nabbed last Thursday in a raid on a suspected shabu laboratory in Manila. Authorities seized some 76 kilos of illegal drugs worth P383 million during the operation.

The Marine officer is now facing charges for allegedly manufacturing, conspiring to manufacture, and possessing illegal drugs.

Marcelino is claiming that he was on a covert mission with the ISAFP when he was arrested and that he had nothing to do with the drug syndicate. Año, however, noted that the mission order he had issued to Marcelino lapsed two years ago. Marcelino was Superintendent of the Navy Officer Candidate School when the raid happened.

PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac Jr., however, has doubts on Marcelino’s claim and is wondering how a person tasked to conduct surveillance can be arrested inside a clandestine laboratory.

Marcelino was superintendent of the Naval Officer Candidate School when the raid happened. Año, however, thinks that Marcelino’s relief from ISAFP will not necessarily stop him from continuing his anti-drug advocacy.

“He now belongs to another unit but it won’t stop him from his crusade of getting information against drug syndicates. You know, every citizen of the republic has the obligation and duty to help curb crime and fight crime,” the Army chief said.

Año said even after his stint as ISAFP chief, Marcelino was still providing information to Army units and intelligence units. He said Marcelino’s information made possible the raid of the Philippines’ biggest shabu laboratory in Camiling, Tarlac in November 2014.

When asked if Marcelino’s arrest was a case of miscommunication, Año replied: “It’s possible. If that’s the case, it will come out in the PDEA’s investigation. It is very simple to cross check that.”

Navy spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo said Marcelino would be the best person to answer questions about his supposed mission order that prodded him to go to the drug laboratory.

“They are asking me whether it was job-related. I was telling them if you are going to look at the designation or position he has now, which is superintendent of officer candidate school, you will see that they are not immediately related,” Arevalo said.

“We’re not inclined and we don’t want to be perceived as prejudging him. That being an intelligence operation, there is what we call need to know basis, meaning only those who know about it will be informed. Now, who should be informed? It depends on the nature and magnitude of the intelligence operation,” he added.

A classmate of Marcelino at the Philippine Military Academy class ’94, meanwhile, has urged the public not to cast judgments on the Marine officer until he is convicted.

“For me, we should not judge the suspect, Lt. Col. Marcelino while he is undergoing the process of defending himself,” former Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said in a statement.

“I know him personally as a patriot, upright and a true enemy of drug syndicates,” he added.

Cabunoc said Marcelino was not lured by money and wealth during his stint at PDEA.
“Let us allow Lt. Col. Marcelino to defend himself and clear his name,” he added.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/01/24/1545881/army-chief-defends-marcelino-drug-case

Prosecutors ask court to junk Pemberton appeal

From the Philippine Star (Jan 24): Prosecutors ask court to junk Pemberton appeal



US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton

The camp of slain Filipino transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude asked the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court to dismiss the motion filed by US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton to “partially reconsider” his conviction for homicide.

Private prosecutors filed a 14-page petition asking the Olongapo RTC to deny Pemberton’s bail application.

Pemberton filed a petition for bail and for partial reconsideration with respect to the damages awarded to the victim’s family following his conviction in December.

In seeking partial reconsideration and clarification on the damages awarded to the Laude family, Pemberton’s lawyers argued that the P4.32 million awarded to them for loss of earning capacity was excessive since Laude had no regular income as a sex worker.

Prosecutors, however, said Laude earned a living and supporting his mother.

They also said Pemberton’s claims were “blatant attempts to paint a dark shade over the character of the victim and are disgusting attempts to deny the victim’s family what is due them.”

The prosecutors also said Pemberton’s application for bail should be denied, citing the high probability of Pemberton flying out of the country to jump bail.

Prosecutors also noted that despite “a clear order” from the court to temporarily commit Pemberton to the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City pending clarification of the agreement between the Philippine and US governments on where Pemberton should be incarcerated, he “never set foot” in the prison.

Pemberton is detained at a facility in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

The 20-year-old Pemberton was originally charged with murder for the death of Laude but in a verdict on Dec. 1 last year, the court announced him guilty of homicide.

RTC Branch 74 judge Roline Ginez-Jabalde said the prosecutors failed to establish the presence of cruelty and treachery, two elements necessary to qualify the case for murder.

In a petition filed before the court, defense lawyers asked Jabalde to reverse the Dec. 1 decision and allow their client to post bail and to reduce his jail term.

Pemberton’s lawyers also argued the court ignored evidence that could establish that another person may have killed the transgender.

Defense lawyers also claimed that the judge did not take into account the testimony of Raquel Fortun, a forensic expert who testified that Laude did not die from asphyxia caused by drowning.

Pemberton’s lawyers added their client deserved a lighter sentence for the death of Laude, citing his immediate surrender to authorities after the incident.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/01/24/1545759/prosecutors-ask-court-junk-pemberton-appeal

PA relentless in anti-NPA moves despite CamSur’s CMRD status

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 24): PA relentless in anti-NPA moves despite CamSur’s CMRD status

Despite Camarines Sur’s declared status as already a “peaceful and ready for further development” area, the Philippine Army (PA) is not relenting on its intense anti-insurgency campaign in the province, which recently resulted in the killing of two New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas.

A belated report reaching here Sunday from the PA’s 9th Infantry (Spear) Division (ID) based in Pili, Camarines Sur identified the slain rebels as Rodulfo Fuentabilla, alias Ronel, and Nike Rebuya, alias Mike.

One of their companions, which the report identified only as a certain Ghie, was captured during the encounter that took place shortly before noontime last Jan. 18 at Sitio Panag, Barangay Gibgos, Caramoan, Camarines Sur.

All three were elements of the 14-man NPA band operating in the province’s Partido Area led by unit commander Francisco Mendoza, alias Omeng, according to the report which explained that the encounter ensued while troopers of the PA’s 83rd Infantry Battalion and 91st Division Reconnaissance Company under Lt. Raydez Acosta were conducting field security patrol.

The rest of the rebels withdrew after engaging the military men in a 15-minute firefight, leaving behind their dead and cornered comrades.

Brig. Gen. Ferdinand Quidilla, the 9th ID commander, said in the report that the encounter was a result of the intensified anti-insurgency drive being initiated by the military in Bicol to toughen regional security even as most parts of the region are already under the so-called Conflict-Manageable and Ready for Further Development (CMRD) area status.

Camarines Sur was classified by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) under such “peaceful” status in April last year based on a resolution passed by the provincial legislative board declaring the entire province as a CMRD area.

The resolution cited the relentless campaign of the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in pursuit of peace and security, which has finally gained ground in cutting down, if not totally eradicating, activities of the NPA in the province.

Such declaration paved the way for the forging of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the provincial government and the AFP which formalized the "shifting effort from clearing of barangays from insurgent affectation supported by socio-economic development to a reverse role.”

The MOU, which came as a declaration of peace in the province, emphasizes the implementation of more socio-economic and development projects that the civil government will implement with the support and protection of the military.

It was based on the decreased violent activities of the NPA, the reduction of its manpower strength and firearms and potential support system in the barangays as well as its failed recovery efforts.

The military said that from 2004 to 2014, the NPA strength in terms of firearms and manpower in Camarines Sur had significantly decreased to 74 from 91 percent while atrocities like extortion, harassment and liquidation and non-violent activities like movements and mass actions also followed a downward trend.

The AFP’s unrelenting commitment to peace through the conduct of various civic actions under its intensified stakeholder engagement with the local government units (LGUs) have contributed in the improvement of the province’s tourism industry, increase in agricultural productivity and inflow of private investments, it said.

The PA’s Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP), with its Bayanihan Team Activities (BTA) showcasing a paradigm shift from enemy-centered to people-centered approach resulting in a more cooperative community, also enabled rebels to return to the folds of law and start a new life.

These achievements, according to Quidilla, would have not been possible without the cooperation of the leaders of the province along with the LGUs who have partnered with the AFP in fighting insurgency.

The 45-year-old insurgency being waged by the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF), he said, has been preventing the progress and economic development of the province and all other affected localities in Bicol and in the country.

In over 40 years, Quidilla said, Camarines Sur’s opportunity to advance to progress -- with its vast mineral deposits, agricultural lands, rich fishing grounds, exotic tourist destinations, rich natural resources and hard-working people -- has been stalled by unstable peace situation due to the presence of the NPAs and the culture of violence it has developed among local communities.

They prevent the implementation of government infrastructure projects, harass industrial companies, extort money in the form of “revolutionary taxes” from businessmen, contractors, local politicians and even from farmers, and execute those who refuse to remit, including innocent civilians and civilian government officials, he said.

The same situation, according Quidilla, had been true in all the six provinces of Bicol until lately when three others of its six provinces provinces—Catanduanes, Camarines Norte and Albay -- were declared one after the other as CMRD areas.

Catanduanes, an island-province, was placed under the same declaration in December 2014 owing to the dwindling local insurgency level observed during the recent years -- from the constant decrease of NPA manpower, firearms, affected barangays and activities.

The local CPP-NPA-NDF politico-military organizations in Catanduanes as well as in Camarines Norte, Albay and Camarines Sur have been reduced to a minimal level that they can no longer pose a serious threat to peace and order, providing once again a space where the people can feel safe and grow as progressive communities.

With these four Bicol provinces already considered areas of peace with insurgency regarded as already manageable, what are left with still troubled situations are Sorsogon and Masbate where the NPAs are reportedly being coddled by powerful local politicians for use as political goons during elections.

While current military troop levels are maintained in Camarines Sur, Albay, Catanduanes and Camarines Norte to go on performing the lead role in protecting the government’s anti-insurgency gains in these areas, Quidilla said, “we can give more focus now on these remaining two provinces in our internal security operations to finally end communist insurgency in the Bicol region soon.”

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=849921

(Update) SSV expected to be in PHL before 118th PN anniversary

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 24): (Update) SSV expected to be in PHL before 118th PN anniversary

The country's first strategic sealift vessel (SSV), which is now conducting initial sea trials, is expected to be in the country before the Philippine Navy (PN)'s celebrates its 118th founding anniversary on May 20.

This was disclosed by PN spokesperson Col. Edgard Arevalo in an interview on Sunday.

"Hopefully, she will arrive before May 20," he added.

The PN spokesperson said that initial sea trials or checking of the SSV's interior and bulkheads are now ongoing as the ship has now left its dry-dock.

The country's first SSV, which was given the designation of "LD-601" and prospective name of BRP Tarlac, was launched at the PT PAL (Persero) shipyard in Surabaya, Indonesia last Jan. 17.

Arevalo said full-fledged sea trials of the ship will start when the sailing crew arrives.

This is to determine whether all the ship's systems are operational for the voyage to the Philippines.

"It's akin to a car doing road test. The facilities and other navigational instruments are being tested to ensure seaworthiness, especially before its embarks on its voyage to the Philippines," Arevalo said.

The SSV will have a crew of 17 officers and 98 enlisted personnel or a total of 115.

The Philippines has a two-SSV order with PT PAL (Persero) for Php3,870,000,000 which is sourced from the AFP Modernization Fund.

The SSV acquisition project for the PN was initiated upon the approval of Acquisition Decision Memorandum Number 2012-060 by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Oct. 30, 2013.

The Department of National Defense declared Persero as the Single Calculated Responsive Bidder with a bidding price of Php3,870,000,000 on Nov. 18, 2014.

The SSVs are programmed to be the PN’s floating command center carrying out their main purpose as military sealift and transport vessels and also for humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

The ships are estimated to weigh around 7,300 gross register tons.

Further, these vessels are critical assets for civil-military operations due to their capability of transporting large number of soldiers, logistics, and supplies.

Moreover, each SSV has the capacity to house three helicopters. The Navy’s Augusta Westland-109s are programmed to be on-board components of these vessels.

These forthcoming landing platform dock strategic sealift vessels will improve the transport capability of the PN and boost the defense capabilities of the country.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=849953

Leftist group owns up to slay of city councilor

From the Manila Times (Jan 24): Leftist group owns up to slay of city councilor

Claims by a supposedly leftist group called Partisano of its daring ambush-killing of Malabon City (Metro Manila) Councilor Merlin “Tiger” Mañalac on Saturday afternoon may have credence as police probers have included the group as a possible principal suspect.

Mañalac, 45, died from gunshot wounds past 4 p.m at the Manila Central University Hospital along EDSA in Caloocan City (Metro Manila) where he was brought after the shooting.

He was attacked near his house on Perlas Street, Malabon City, which is about 300 meters away from the Malabon City Hall and a police station.

The incident happened during the election gun ban.

On Sunday, Director Eric Reyes, chief of the Northern Police District (NPD), ordered the formation of the Special Investigation Task Group-Merlin headed by Senior Supt. Rolando Anduyan.

Anduyan was instructed to conduct a thorough investigation to find out the motive for the killing and determine and arrest the suspects, including members of the Partisano.
He was also ordered by Reyes to closely coordinate with the Malabon police headed by Senior Supt. Severino Abad Jr. for the immediate arrest of the suspects.

Senior Police Officer 4 Ferdinand Espiritu said leaflets from the Partisano were found at the crime scene, wherein the armed group admitted to the killing of Manalac.

The Partisano said Mañalac was involved in the liquidation of a New People’s Army (NPA) member Peter Villasenor in 2010.

It added that Manalac was behind several illegal activities in Malabon, including drugs.

Mañalac was reportedly seeking reelection under the party of Mayor Antolin Oreta 3rd.

The Partisano is said to have been established in 2004 by the Marxist-Leninist Party of the Philippines (MLPP), a group of communists that separated from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in 1993.

It is similar to the Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB), an urban armed group that used to operate in Manila and Rizal province until the 1980s.

According to Bong Padua, public information chief of the Malabon city government, Mañalac was on his way to a political meeting with Oreta in Barangay Tonsuya when the ambush took place.

Padua said Oreta immediately offered P200,000 reward to those who could give information on the killers so that Mañalac would get justice.

http://www.manilatimes.net/leftist-group-owns-up-to-slay-of-city-councilor/241208/

NPA seen behind arson attack in South Cotabato

From the Philippine Star (Jan 24): NPA seen behind arson attack in South Cotabato

 

The hinterland T’boli municipality, inhabited predominantly by indigenous T’boli people, is located in west of South Cotabato province.

SOUTH COTABATO, Philippines - Authorities on Sunday tagged the New People’s Army as behind the burning last Friday of some P20 million worth of equipment of a construction firm in T’boli town.

The hinterland T’boli municipality, inhabited predominantly by indigenous T’boli people, is located in west of South Cotabato province.

Gunmen raided Friday night the equipment depot of the AJ Construction Company in Barangay Edwards, not far from the T’boli town proper and set on fire a road roller, a backhoe, a grader and a truck using kerosene and dry coconut palms.

The firm, involved in road projects in remote barangays in the municipality, had earlier rejected demands for “protection money” by local NPA forces.

Chief Insp. Jose Marie Simangan, municipal police chief of T’boli, said investigators have identified the commander of the NPAs behind the attack.

Simangan on Sunday said they have confirmed, after an extensive validation, that NPAs indeed were responsible for the atrocity.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2016/01/24/1545878/npa-seen-behind-arson-attack-south-cotabato

China taking 'self-isolating' steps in South China Sea – Pentagon

From GMA News (Jan 23): China taking 'self-isolating' steps in South China Sea – Pentagon

The United States is not looking for conflict with China but steps it is taking in the South China Sea are self-isolating and prompting other countries to seek help from Washington, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Friday.

      

Reuters Top News

✔ @Reuters

China taking 'self-isolating' steps in South China Sea: Pentagon: http://reut.rs/1RZOm5q 

6:40 PM - 22 Jan 2016

"I'm not one of those people who believes conflict between the United States and China is inevitable, it's certainly not desirable, I don't think it's likely," Carter said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"We don't seek to ask people to take sides. We do know that people are coming to us increasingly. Why is that? It is because China is taking some steps that I fear are self-isolating, driving towards a result that none of us wants," he said, in reference to Chinese measures in the South China Sea. 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/552389/news/world/china-taking-self-isolating-steps-in-south-china-sea-pentagon

S. Korean peace advocates join MILF peace summit

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 24): S. Korean peace advocates join MILF peace summit

CAMP DARAPANAN, Maguindanao -- All roads lead here as local and international peace advocates gather for the unveiling of a peace monument built by a South Korean entity inside a government-recognized camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Sunday.

This is in recognition of the group’s efforts to help attain genuine peace in southern Philippines.

Bobby Benito of the Mindanao Alliance for Peace (MAP) said Al Haj Murad, MILF chieftain and the MILF leadership have lined up various activities that will highlight the visit of Man Hee Lee of the Heavenly Culture, World Peace and Restoration of Light and Nam Him Kim, chairperson of the Seoul-based International Women’s Peace Group.

The two groups have been actively helping promote inter-religious solidarity in Mindanao.

The two have been helping for a peaceful resolution of armed conflict in Mindanao.

Kim and Lee and their entourage will arrive at Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao at about 1:00 p.m. Sunday.

A veteran in the Korean war, Lee, now in his 80s, has told reporters in previous visits here that his rich experience in fighting the North Koreans encouraged him to focus on peace advocacy, not only in his home country but around Southeast Asia.

“Regardless of their political, religious and cultural affiliations, we all organizations who wanted to help us attain genuine peace in Mindanao," Mohaqher Iqbal, the MILF chief negotiator with the Aquino government, said.

The activity, according to Benito, is dubbed as an MILF peace summit.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=849847

4 wounded in Zambo Norte gun fight

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 24): 4 wounded in Zambo Norte gun fight

Four people, including two policemen, were wounded in an exchange of fire preceded by an ambush in the province of Zamboanga del Norte.

Initial military report disclosed the incident took place around 11:00 a.m. Sunday in Sitio Paringan, Barangay Sto. Niño, Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte.

The two wounded policemen were identified as SPO2 Berhay Ali and PO1 Atani Fahad of the Sibuco Police Station.

The identities of the two wounded civilians were not immediately available.

Investigation showed the victims were aboard a patrol car when they were ambushed by lawless elements, triggering a five-minute as the policemen managed to fought back.

The lawless elements withdrew towards Barangay Lakiki, Sibuco.

The victims were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=849934

PHL's first SSV now undergoing sea trials

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 24): PHL's first SSV now undergoing sea trials

The country's first strategic vessel (SSV) is now undergoing sea trials, said Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson Col. Edgard Arevalo Saturday.

This is to determine whether all the ship's systems are operational for the voyage to the Philippines.

"It's akin to a car doing road test. The facilities and other navigational instruments are being tested to ensure seaworthiness especially before its embarks on its voyage to the Philippines," Arevalo added.

Also undergoing trials are the ship's propulsion, electrical and communication systems.

Arevalo did not give an exact time frame on when these tests will be completed.

The first SSV, out of a two-ship order from PT PAL (Persero), was launched last January 17.

It was the designation of "LD-601" and the prospective name of BRP Tarlac.

The first SSV will arrive this May while the second will be delivered on May 2017.

The Philippines has a two-SSV order with PT PAL (Persero) for PHP3,870,000,000 which is sourced from the AFP Modernization Fund.

The SSV acquisition project for the PN was initiated upon the approval of Acquisition Decision Memorandum Number 2012-060 by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on October 30, 2013.

The Department of National Defense declared Persero as the Single Calculated Responsive Bidder with a bidding price of PHP3,870,000,000 on November 18, 2014.

The SSVs are programmed to be the PN’s floating command center carrying out their main purpose as military sealift and transport vessels and also for humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

The ships are estimated to weigh around 7,300 gross register tons.

Furthermore, these vessels are critical assets for civil-military operations due to their capability of transporting large number of soldiers, logistics, and supplies.

Moreover, each SSV has the capacity to house three helicopters. The Navy’s Augusta Westland-109s are programmed to be on-board components of these vessels.

These forthcoming landing platform dock strategic sealift vessels will improve the transport capability of the PN and boost the defense capabilities of the country.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=849844

IED disarmed in Sulu

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 24): IED disarmed in Sulu

Government security troops have successfully disarmed an improvised explosive device (IED) discovered by a retired police officer in Jolo, Sulu on Saturday.

Joint Task Group Sulu commander Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado, in a message to the Philippines News Agency, said the IED was discovered 11 p.m. at videoke bar in Matirez St., Barangay San Raymundo by retired SPO4 Julkaida Jalani, who also happens to be the owner of the establishment.

The latter immediately reported his find to authorities who then deployed Army and Philippine National Police explosive ordnance disposal experts who disarmed and exploded the IED in place early Sunday morning.

No casualties were reported in the incident. Authorities are still determining the identity and motives of the perpetrators.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=849851

‘Malacañang promised too much to MILF’

From the Business Mirror (Jan 24): ‘Malacañang promised too much to MILF’

Malacañang is to blame for “promising too much” to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) should the failure of Congress to enact the Bangsamoro basic law (BBL) become the effective recruitment cause for followers of the Islamic State (IS), which claims to have gathered a small following from the mostly young population of the Moro land, a social scientist said.

“The BBL would now become the rallying point for those who don’t really believe that the government could carry out its promise on bringing peace to Mindanao, even as the armed movement among them has agreed to try the peace process,” said Aries A. Arugay, executive director of the Institute for Strategic and Development Studies, and who also teaches political science at the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines.

“Now that President Aquino is nearing the end of his term, many congressmen would probably just sit down as a new president takes over the problem of a more discontented, and probably more angry Moro population,” he said.

For advocates of war against the government, “this should be a very strong argument to tell those who believe in the peace process that they were all wrong all along for towing the line of Malacañang.”

“The failure to pass the BBL would be the best recruiter for the Isis [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria],” he added.

Arugay said the Aquino administration could never force representatives from Luzon to take a serious look at the problem in Mindanao because of their own concern with their respective constituencies, which has repeatedly resulted in the failure to have a quorum to decide on the BBL.

Although the leaderships of both chambers of Congress have announced that the BBL was still up for approval, legislators, particularly members of the House of Representatives, continue to be absent from sessions.

The government Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) has also said that it was not giving up.

“Even if we experience difficult challenges in pursuing the passage of the BBL, both parties will pursue this peace process,” said  Al Julkipli, a member of the legal team of the government peace panel.

“No one is giving up. Both parties are still working toward  achieving the objectives of the peace process, which is to pass a meaningful BBL that [will] address the two main problems [of keeping security and improving governance] in Mindanao,” Julkipli said.

“If these two problems would be significantly addressed, we believe the entire Philippines would ultimately benefit. That is why we are still continuously coordinating and lobbying with the legislators. We are always ready to provide our support and technical assistance in defense of and in explaining the contents of the BBL in its original form.”

Last year the Opapp also raised similar appeal to Congress, to pass the BBL or risk heightening extremism among a section of the Filipino Muslims in Mindanao.

Julkipli was in the provincial capitol of Lanao del Sur in Marawi last week and told a multisectoral audience that “the BBL could still be passed by Congress, despite the limited time remaining before it adjourns for the election campaign.”

The Opapp also said that Centrist Democratic Party Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro,  has announced that the House had set the voting on the bill on January 27.

Rodriguez is the chairman of the House Ad-Hoc Committee on the BBL.

“We have set the voting on Wednesday. As long as we have a quorum, the voting will push through,” Opapp quoted Rodriguez as saying.

Julkipli added that regardless of what happens to the BBL, “[w]e should remain calm. We should approach this in the most active and most passionate way, in the most peaceful way that we can.”

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/malacanang-promised-too-much-to-milf/

‘BRP Tarlac’ joins PH naval force in May

From the Manila Bulletin (Jan 22): ‘BRP Tarlac’ joins PH naval force in May

The “BRP Tarlac (LD601),” the Philippine Navy’s first Strategic Sealift Vessel (SSV), is expected to arrive in the Philippines in May, after completing its sea trials.

 

Last Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the ship, which was laid down by the PT PAL shipyard in Indonesia on June 5, 2015, was christened and launched in Surabaya, Indonesia.

 

During the launching ceremony, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that aside from the ability to respond to traditional and non-traditional threats, the vessel will enhance the country’s capability in delivering humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

 

For his part, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Resources Rizal Ramli expressed appreciation for the trust given by the Philippines to Indonesia in strengthening its naval fleet.

 

Aside from Gazmin and Ramli, also present during the ceremony were Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Maria Lumen Isleta, the Philippine Navy’s Flag Officer-in-Command VADM Caesar Taccad, Indonesian Minister for Defense Ryamizard Ryacudu, and Chief of the Indonesian Navy Vice Admiral Ade Supandi.

http://www.mb.com.ph/brp-tarlac-joins-ph-naval-force-in-may/

Mission order stumps PDEA

From the Philippine Star (Jan 24): Mission order stumps PDEA



Marine Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) will coordinate with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to clarify the claims of Marine Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino that he has a mission order to conduct surveillance on a shabu laboratory in Manila where he was arrested on Thursday.

“I will ask for a copy,” PDEA director general Arturo Cacdac Jr. said on Friday upon learning that Marcelino insisted he has a mission order during his inquest at the Department of Justice.

“I will ask the officer who signed the mission order, what is the nature of the job that was given to him?” Cacdac said.

Cacdac said it does not make sense for Marcelino to claim that he was conducting a surveillance of the shabu laboratory where he was arrested.

“How can a person who was tasked to conduct casing and surveillance be arrested incident a clandestine laboratory?” he remarked.

Marcelino was arrested Thursday in a raid on a suspected shabu laboratory in Manila. Along with Chinese national Yan Yi Shou, lawmen seized from them some 76 kilos of illegal drugs worth P383 million.

Citing information from operatives, Cacdac said Marcelino and Yan had a key to the property, which was covered by a search warrant and has been under surveillance.

Yan was supposedly a former asset of the PDEA, where Marcelino worked as chief of a special unit.

During his inquest, Marcelino claimed he was working on a mission order as part of the operation “Oplan Moses” of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP).

However, his former ISAFP boss and now Army chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año said a mission order that he issued to Marcelino had lapsed in 2014.

The Army’s Intelligence Service Group (ISG) has issued a certification signed by Col. Mario Guloy that Marcelino has been sharing intelligence information with the unit from November to December 2015 on illegal drug activities.

The current ISAFP chief, Maj. Gen. Arnold Quiapo, said Marcelino is no longer connected with his unit as he returned to the Navy following his assignment with military intellgence in 2014.

“It’s been a long time that he is not with us. Ask the Navy, because he is assigned at the Philippine Navy Officers’ Candidate School,” Quiapo said.

He said ISAFP does not have any information regarding Marcelino’s activities.
Malacañang also denied Marcelino’s claim that he was detailed with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).

“Ferdinand Marcelino is not and has never been an operative detailed to the PAOCC. Our records show no ongoing PAOCC operations involving Lt. Col. Marcelino,” said Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning.

Marcelino’s lawyer Dennis Manalo said they have submitted a certification from the Army’s Intelligence and Security Group showing that Marcelino is sharing intelligence information on alleged involvement of Army personnel in the illegal drug trade from September to December last year.

Manalo claimed Marcelino’s arrest was a “misencounter.”

Former PDEA director and former AFP chief Dionisio Santiago, for his part, defended Marcelino, saying the Marine officer has been working  in the shadows against big drug syndicates operating in the country.

He did not deny that Marcelino was one of his trusted operatives while he was PDEA chief, describing him as a seasoned drug operative, and that if needed he would go underground.

“He is not the kind of officer who will just rely on reports coming from action agents. He himself will do the confirmation and verification, and most of the time he would just surprise me with search warrants,” Santiago said.

He added that he recruited Marcelino to join PDEA because he knew he is an upright officer.

Fearing for Marcelino’s safety, Santiago said that the arrested Marine officer should be kept in a well secured jail facility, saying that with what happened, it is clear that somebody out there wants to silence him.

Rogue

Cacdac reiterated an earlier statement from AFP chief Gen. Hernando Iriberri who reportedly told Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento that he has not authorized Marcelino to conduct anti-drug operations.

Cacdac said that if Iriberri specifically said that it was prohibited, why was he still given the supposed order?

“Somebody will be charged with insubordination,” he said.

Cacdac said Marcelino is no longer connected with the Army as he is already detailed with the Philippine Navy.

Cacdac noted the lack of coordination with PDEA, which he said is an administrative requirement for such kind of operation.

He stressed the need for coordination to prevent misencounters.

Cacdac said the PDEA did not receive any intelligence from the AFP regarding the laboratory when they were building up the case.

A police official, on the other hand, said they might have to conduct a lifestyle check on Marcelino.

An official said the lifestyle check could help investigators gather more information about Marcelino, who served as head of PDEA’s Special Enforcement Service.

“A lifestyle check is part of the full blown investigation,” the source told The STAR. The official, however, refused to go into detail on how investigators will go about the lifestyle check.

The source said investigators could check some of Marcelino’s bank accounts as a start.

Aside from lifestyle check, another source said Marcelino would have to present proof that he was working undercover.

“He cannot just claim he is on a mission. He has to satisfy all the aspects of surveillance operations and progress report on his cases,” one police official pointed out.

The same official said Marcelino cannot just make up a story on his mission since agents of PDEA and the police Anti-Illegal Drug Group are trained to sniff out illegal drug operations.

The operation that led to the arrest of Marcelino was an offshoot of a raid in Barangay Lawang Bato, Valenzuela City early this month, during which two suspected Chinese drug suppliers were arrested.

Some of the PDEA agents were reportedly confused about the presence of Marcelino at the townhouse and even thought he was with the operatives.

As the raiders were documenting evidence inside the townhouse, Cacdac arrived and reportedly blew his top when informed by PDEA agents of Marcelino’s presence inside the raided unit.

The PDEA chief reportedly gave Marcelino a tongue lashing and ordered his arrest.

Both Cacdac and Marcelino are graduates of the Philippine Military Academy. Cacdac graduated at the PMA in 1978 while Marcelino belonged to PMA Class 1994.

Cacdac advised Marcelino to get a good lawyer.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/01/24/1545747/mission-order-stumps-pdea

Army 4-star Brooks visits Philippines, honors 117 years of shared military history

From DVIDS (Jan 20): Army 4-star Brooks visits Philippines, honors 117 years of shared military history



Larry Adkison, of the American Battle Monuments Commission (center), tells the history of Clark Veterans Cemetery, Philippines, to Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander, U.S. Army Pacific (left), and Lt. Gen. Eduard Ano, commanding general, Philippine Army, Jan. 20, 2016.



Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander, U.S. Army Pacific, talks with a Philippine mechanized infantry division officer inside an M113 armored vehicle during a visit to Camp O’Donnell Jan. 20, 2016.

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – An invitation to address the Philippine Military Academy Corps of Cadets saw Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander, U.S. Army Pacific, visit the school Jan. 20, 2016.
“We see the connection of our nations and our 117 years of shared history, and we certainly recognize that at [U.S. Army Pacific],” Brooks told the students, having been reminded of his alma mater, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, by everything from the cadets’ uniforms to the school’s arched front gate.

The previous evening Brooks hosted Gen. Hernando Iriberri, chief of staff, Philippine Armed Forces, for dinner at the U.S. Embassy Residence in Baguio City. “I was able to take in, first-hand and personally, elements of history that I’ve only studied before,” Brooks told the students.

In the Embassy Residence Sept. 3, 1945, the commander of Japanese forces in the Philippines, Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, formally surrendered to forces represented by Maj. Gen. Edmond Leavey, commander, U.S. Armed Forces, Western Pacific, thus ending World War II in the country.

After encouraging the young officers-to-be in the “cousin of West Point” to listen, especially to their seasoned noncommissioned officers; learn, from each other, their academy, and their mentors; and lead in everything they do, Brooks took time to answer cadet questions on everything from his time as USMA cadet first captain to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the U.S. and the Philippines.

“It sends a very important signal to the entire region about the nature of this relationship – that we are allies,” Brooks said of the EDCA. “I’m pleased of the decision the Philippines made – it’s a Philippine decision.”

The agreement was recently deemed constitutional by the Philippine supreme court, and will allow Brooks and other senior pacific-focused U.S. military leaders more latitude to plan training exercises hosted by Philippine forces. Brooks’ comments echoed those of his boss, Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander, U.S. Pacific Command.

“As part of our strategic rebalance to the Indo-Asia-Pacific, the EDCA will strengthen our alliance by facilitating rotational presence of U.S. joint forces in the Philippines, increasing bilateral training opportunities and supporting the international rules-based order that has served the region so well for the last 70 years,” said Harris at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, Jan. 12, when the EDCA was announced.

After leaving the academy, Brooks visited Clark Veterans Cemetery with Lt. Gen. Eduard Ano, commanding general, Philippine Army, to lay a wreath in honor of the more than 8,500 American and Filipino service members and civilians buried there from 1900 until present day, with veterans of every conflict from the Spanish American War to the Iraq Conflict.

Brooks also toured Camp O’Donnell and the Philippine Mechanized Infantry Division which is currently performing refurbishment on M113 armored vehicles and Clark Air Base, where the Philippine Air Force just took delivery of two new Korean-made FA-50 fighter jets, similar to U.S. Air Force F-16s.

The visit to the Philippines was the final stop on Brooks’ current goodwill tour recognizing ground forces history throughout the Pacific. Previous stops included American Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Nepal and Malaysia.

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/186863/army-4-star-brooks-visits-philippines-honors-117-years-shared-military-history#.VqPTVMah7IV