84th IB recalled to mother unit, now replaced by 3rd IB

From the Mindanao Times (Nov 11): 84th IB recalled to mother unit, now replaced by 3rd IB  

THE 3RD Infantry Battalion replaced the 84th IB yesterday during a command ceremony held in the battalion headquarters based in Barangay Malagos, Baguio District.

 

Lt. Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, the newly assumed commander of the 3rd IB, told TIMES that they will focus more on counter-terrorism efforts.

 

The 3rd IB under the 7th Infantry Division has already been assigned in the Davao Region in 1986 until 1993. The 84th IB has already returned to its mother unit in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija as part of their retraining and capability enhancement.

 

Both the 3rd IB and 84th IB are under the 7th Infantry Division based in Palayan City in Nueva Ecija.

 

“One of our missions now is from internal security operation to counter-terrorism being now a member of the Joint Task Force Haribon,” he said, referring to the composite team that was created on Oct. 22.

 

The command ceremony yesterday was led by Brig. General Ronnie Evangelista, the commander of Joint Task Force Haribon. Also present was Benito De Leon, chief of the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) and other stake holders.

 

The battalion also will be placed under operational control of the 10th Infantry Division which has strength of more or less 500 officers and personnel. It covers the outskirts of the areas Paquibato, Bunawan and Buhangin in the second district, as well as Tugbok, Toril, Baguio and Calinan in third district.

 

They will also cover the area of San Fernando in Bukidnon and the Island Garden City of Samal.

 

http://mindanaotimes.net/84th-ib-recalled-to-mother-unit-now-replaced-by-3rd-ib/

Moro rebels to benefit from banana production program

From the Mindanao Times (Nov 11): Moro rebels to benefit from banana production program

AT LEAST 14,000 former and current rebels will be enlisted in banana production project as part of the effort of the Department of Agriculture to contribute to the peace process.

Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol on Thursday said that during his state visit to Japan earlier this year, his department signed a memorandum of understanding with Japanese commodity supplier Farmind, which supplies to Japanese retail supermarkets.

 

The DA agreed to supply 20 million boxes of Cavendish bananas to Farmind annually.

 

The Japanese supplier agreed to the idea that the farms where the bananas will come from will be operated in former or existing conflict areas to give livelihood to rebels.

 

The amount of bananas needed to be produced requires a production area of 7,000 hectares.

 

MILF Vice Chairman Ghazali Jaafar already agreed to the project.

 

The production areas will be in conflict areas in Mindanao including Maguindanao, Lanao, North Cotabato, and Sarangani.

 

Pinol said his department will help organize the rebels in coming up with their own corporations. The Land Bank of the Philippines, likewise, will also help finance the operations once the rebels are organized in the project.

 

The rebels will also be trained in management, auditing, and accounting.

 

“We want them to run their own corporations,” he said.  This project is expected to generate at least 14,000 jobs (production and ancillary) for formers and active rebels.

 

http://mindanaotimes.net/moro-rebels-to-benefit-from-banana-production-program/

Defense chief says AFP to render 21-gun salute to FM

From MindaNews (Nov 12): Defense chief says AFP to render 21-gun salute to FM

Ousted strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos will be given a 21-gun salute should his family’s wish to have him buried at the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani push through, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Friday.

Lorenzana said the burial will not be a state funeral but will follow the military tradition of burying “a soldier who had done a service to his country.”

He said the Armed Forces of the Philippines has already prepared a rifle party of seven Army soldiers who will deliver the succession of volley shots during the burial of the late president.

Marcos ruled the country for 20 years, 14 years under martial law which saw the arrests, torture and killings of thousands of Filipinos who opposed him.

“It will be a normal funeral. The rifle party is the only involvement of this administration although we will secure the Libingan premises from protesters,” Lorenzana told reporters during a gathering of veterans here on Friday.

The secretary said the Marcos family will shoulder all the expenses and attend to the burial arrangements.

President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the request of Marcos’ heirs that the late strongman be buried at the Libingan.

Victims of martial law and other groups filed a petition questioning Duterte’s order at the Supreme Court. The petitioners argued that Marcos does not deserve a hero’s burial due to the abuses during his rule.

The tribunal, however, upheld the president’s order by a vote of nine in favor, five against and one abstention.

 Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Marcos will be buried at the Libingan before the year ends.

 http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2016/11/defense-chief-says-afp-to-render-21-gun-salute-to-fm/

CPP to Duterte: Don’t mind paying debt to Marcoses

From MindaNews (Nov 12): CPP to Duterte: Don’t mind paying debt to Marcoses

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has “advised” President Rodrigo Duterte against proceeding with giving a hero’s burial for ousted strongman Ferdinand Marcos “in exchange for financial and political support” from his family during the election.

“The GRP President Duterte must be advised against proceeding with such a plan. Such payment of political debt to the Marcoses will undoubtedly be regarded as an act of contempt against the Filipino people’s historic judgment against the Marcos dictatorship,” the CPP said in a statement dated November 10.

“For sure, the Marcoses would resent such an unfulfilled promise. But such will be incomparable to the deep indignation that will be stirred among the Filipino people,” it said.

The CPP said in giving Marcos a hero’s burial, Duterte “would virtually be spitting on the graves of the tens of thousands of martyrs who laid down their lives in the struggle to end the puppet, brutal and rotten Marcos dictatorship.”

It said the decision has put in question Duterte’s assertion of being a Leftist, as the Marcos dictatorship was an “epitome” of the anti–Left.

“If Duterte allows Marcos’ body to be dug-up from Ilocos Norte and re-interred with hero’s burial, he would have provided the Marcoses with the ultimate act of rehabilitation,” it added.

The CPP said two generations of Filipinos have forgotten “the crimes of the Marcos dictatorship” because textbooks and official teaching in elementary and secondary schools have sanitized his image.

Marcos imposed martial on Sept. 21, 1972, a year before his second and last term as president would end.

He abolished Congress, enforced the 1971 Constitution without the benefit of a plebiscite, and ruled by decree.

Thousands of his opponents and suspected dissidents were either detained or killed. Several others “disappeared” after being arrested by security forces and their bodies have not been found.

President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the request of the Marcos family that the late strongman be buried at the Libingan. Many believed the decision is meant to repay the Marcoses for their supposed campaign support to then candidate Duterte.

Victims of martial law and other groups filed a petition questioning Duterte’s order at the Supreme Court. The petitioners argued that Marcos does not deserve a hero’s burial due to the abuses during his rule.

On Nov. 8, however, the tribunal voted 9-5-1 to dismiss the petitions.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2016/11/cpp-to-duterte-dont-mind-paying-debt-to-marcoses/

EO activates enhanced BTC, seeks inclusivity in Bangsamoro peace process

From the Philippine Information Agency (Nov 11): EO activates enhanced BTC, seeks inclusivity in Bangsamoro peace process

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed an executive order on 7 November that will create a new and expanded Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) that will strive to bring together all key peace actors and stakeholders in the implementation of all Bangsamoro accords.

“We are looking at a more inclusive approach in the Bangsamoro peace process and we are going to work with all factions and all groups in the Bangsamoro as we work towards the completion of that new enabling law,” Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Jesus G. Dureza said during the signing ceremony held in Malacañang.

The BTC is one of the mechanisms established under the signed Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) tasked to draft an enabling law that will establish and operationalize the envisioned Bangsamoro political entity.

The original composition of the BTC was 15 members, 8 being appointed by the government and the remaining recommended by the MILF. The original BTC did come up with a draft law called the Bangsamoro Basic Law. The draft legislation underwent several revisions in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. However, the bill ultimately did not pass due to a confluence of factors chief of which are the Mamasapano incident and the apparent lack of consultation with key stakeholders.

“The signing of the new executive order is a very significant occasion because it will signal the restart of what had slowed down because of the failure of our previous Congress to enact the enabling law,” Dureza emphasized. The new EO has expanded the current BTC membership from 15 to 21 – 10 will be named by President Duterte and 11, including its chairperson, will be appointed by the MILF. Inclusive Bangsamoro assembly.

The BTC has also been given additional mandate to convene an inclusive Bangsamoro Assembly as a consultative body to discuss the enabling law with various stakeholders.

Dureza referred to this assembly as the “other peace tables that will be established hereon that can give inputs for the BTC and can help to address other concerns”. “There will be different tables to be consulted on the works of the BTC.

We will meet with these different groups because we cannot accommodate all of them and give them representations in the BTC,” Dureza explained.

For their part, the MILF leadership has “called all Moro groups to work together in coming up with an enabling law that will establish the real and genuine autonomy for the Bangsamoro people which is faithful to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and enhanced by the other agreements and other solomonic ideas and wisdom”.

MILF chairman Murad Ebrahim and implementing panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal offered a partnership for peace and mutual understanding in pursuing the path on peace and development in the Bangsamoro.

“The CAB and its translation into a law is not the franchise of the MILF. The benefit of the law will redound to the benefit of everyone and the country in general. It is the law that will translate the aspiration of everyone for lasting peace and development. It is not own by anyone but everyone owns it,” Murad highlighted.

“In our common struggle to pursue the Bangsamoro right on self-determination, let us set aside our selfish interests – parochial, tribal and other interests – and make it paramount the collective interests of the Bangsamoro who just demand correction of the historical injustices and identity,” Iqbal pointed out MNLF participation in the BTC.

Dureza disclosed that representatives of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) will be part of the expanded BTC. “We will have MNLF headed by Muslimin Sema. They have three seats in the BTC on the side of the government.”

The faction of founding chairman Nur Misuari, according to the peace adviser, opted not to participate in the BTC due to their “principled position”. “Chairman Nur Misuari has principled position since the BTC is a mechanism of the CAB. Of course, you should understand that Chairman Nur Misuari make reference to government and MNLF’s 1996 Final Peace Agreement. He has not yet abandon that agreement,” Dureza explained.

Propose charter amendments Aside from drafting an enabling law, the EO also mandates the BTC to recommend amendments to the 1987 Philippine Constitution. The roadmap of the Duterte administration for the Bangsamoro encompasses two simultaneous tracks – the legislative track for the new enabling law and the federalism track through constitutional changes to shift the current unitary system to a federal set-up. “Federalism is the end game,” Dureza stressed.

“We would like to see an early entrenchment and organization of the Bangsamoro before the federalism,” Dureza continued, adding that the Bangsamoro “can be test bed or pilot case of the federal state”. “The federal state for the Bangsamoro will actually form part with other federal states of other areas to compose one federal republic later on,” Dureza concluded. (OPAPP)

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1141478695075/eo-activates-enhanced-btc-seeks-inclusivity-in-bangsamoro-peace-process-

Army to hold stakeholders coordinating conference in Butuan

From the Philippine Information Agency (Nov 11): Army to hold stakeholders coordinating conference in Butuan

The 23rd Infantry (Masigasig) Battalion (23IB), Philippine Army will be holding a Stakeholders Coordinating Conference on November 15, 2016 at the Governor’s Conference Room, this city.

According to 23IB community relations officer Capt. Edwin Leo Francisco, the discussion during said conference will focus on the planned “Serbisyo Peace Caravan” which was scheduled on December 2, 2016 at the covered court of Barangay Sangay in the municipality of Buenavista, Agusan del Norte.

 “The activity is aimed at reaching out to far flung communities with the main focus on pupils, students and members of indigenous families by delivering basic services such as free medical/dental, distribution of medicines and vitamins, distribution of livelihood kits, free haircut services, information education and communication campaign on government programs, awarding of Certificate of Land Ownership Award, and other related services,” highlighted Francisco.

It can be recalled that a "Serbisyo Peace Caravan" was also held in Santiago, Agusan del Norte last October 21, 2016.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2041478850964/army-to-hold-stakeholders-coordinating-conference-in-butuan

Army, police hunt down NPAs who torched bus in S. Cotabato

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 13): Army, police hunt down NPAs who torched bus in S. Cotabato

Elements of the 27th Infantry Battalion and personnel of Tupi municipal police office are pursuing a band of New People's Army (NPA) guerillas who torched a Yellow Bus Company (YBL) unit in village in Tupi, South Cotabato.

"We are still pursuing the suspects who are heavily armed," Inspector Romel Hitalia, Tupi town police chief, said.

In his report to Supt. Franklin Alvero, South Cotabato police director, Hitalia said the burning of YBL (Body number 77 and temporary plate number 1301-51080) transpired at about 4:20 a.m. in Barangay Polonuling, Tupi. South Cotabato, about 50 kilometers east of this city.

“The suspects claimed they were NPAs,” Hitalia said in a phone interview, quoting the bus driver.

Hitalia said five men boarded the Gen. Santos City-bound bus along the national highway and declared they were NPA members.

They directed the driver to turn left toward an open field of pineapple plantation. After about 100 meters away from the national highway, more armed rebels were seen waiting.

Quoting passengers, Hitalia said the gunmen ordered the passengers, including the driver, to alight. Other rebels poured gasoline inside and around the air condition bus with body number 77.

Then they set on fire the unit and fled deep into the forest of Mt. Matutum. The passengers were not harmed.

Responding police and elements of the 27th Infantry Battalion failed to catch up with the suspects who fled toward Mt. Matutum. Pursuit operations continue.

Police are eyeing extortion as the motive of the burning of YBL unit, one of the many similar instances the past years.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=939642

Army commander: Abu Sayyaf threat is real and existing

From the Sun Star-Dumaguete (Nov 9): Army commander: Abu Sayyaf threat is real and existing

EVER since, the threat of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is existing and real, according to 79th Infantry Battalion Commander Officer Roderick Garcia, who spoke during the Negros Oriental provincial peace and order council (PPOC) regular meeting Tuesday, November 8, at the Provincial Capitol building.

The Philippine Army commander reported that documents gathered from the ASG showed the enemy is getting physical information about the resorts and their location in the province to include pictures of sea crafts utilized by the tourists, which is essential in their kidnapping operations.

In view of this development, there is a probability the group may hire or procure the same sea crafts to avoid detection, raising the possibility of kidnapping in the province as what happened to a resort in Samal Island.

It will be recalled that last October 21, while the Provincial Government was celebrating Buglasan Festival during the showdown of festivals, a member of the ASG identified as Alhabisi Misaya was monitored in Alcoy and Talisay in Cebu, crossing over to Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte via Liloan, Cebu and Dumaguete City.

On October 30, the encounter occurred at Barangay Bunot, Indana, Sulu where ASG sub-leader Muammar Askali alias Abu Rami was spotted. Recovered during that encounter was the cellphone owned by Munjing Ahadjari, who is the right hand of Askali.

Garcia said what happened in Samal Island where three foreigners were kidnapped including a local resident was not the primary purpose, however, their original target was in Davao but because of heavy security forces in the area, this prompted the ASG to divert to that island.

He said the group is mobile that they will strike when given the opportunity to do so.

That is why in Negros Oriental, the police and the army are implementing target hardening measures with deployment of troops in areas where foreigners are heavily concentrated to include resorts and other tourist destinations of the province.

The 79th IB has deployed one Army Scout platoon in Dumaguete, another squad in Dauin, and has added one team of Army troopers to Apo Island to strengthen their presence in the area.

Garcia assured that they are doing their best to secure the province from threat groups.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/dumaguete/local-news/2016/11/09/army-commander-abu-sayyaf-threat-real-and-existing-508547

Phl Army initiates youth leadership training in Ilocos Sur

From the Philippine Information Agency (Nov 11): Phl Army initiates youth leadership training in Ilocos Sur

NARVACAN, Ilocos Sur - The Philippine Army, in partnership with the provincial government of Ilocos Sur, has initiated the first province-wide youth leadership summit in Narvacan North Central School here.

Lt. Col. Eugenio Julio C. Osias, commander of the army’s 81st Infantry Batallion based in Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur, said Thursday that  a total of 68 young leaders from different towns and cities of the province participated the three-day summit happened on November 4 to 6.

“The summit was aimed  to enhance the inherent leadership qualities of our youth, promote patriotism and love of country, and to prepare the youth to become active responders to any calamities and disasters that may come ahead of them,” said Osias.

He also underscored the things that the youth acquired during the leadership summit.

“This summit gave our youth the experience that they could treasure for a lifetime and skills and knowledge that they could use as future leaders,” he added.

Meanwhile, Major General Angelito M. De Leon, the commander of the army’s 7th Infantry Division, said that it is also important to guide the youth as shapers and movers of the society in the future.

“Leaders are made not born; we must be part and do our best in molding our future leaders,” De Leon said.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/381478753561/phl-army-initiates-youth-leadership-training-in-ilocos-sur

Task force vs. terror threat reactivation in Neg. Or. set

From the Visayan Daily Star (Nov 11): Task force vs. terror threat reactivation in Neg. Or. set

The Provincial Peace and Order Council of Negros Oriental is set to reactivate next week its Joint Task Force in the wake of potential security threats in the province and nearby areas.

Lt. Col. Roderick Garcia, commander of the 79 th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, stressed yesterday the need to reactivate the task force for collaboration among its members and to test the inter-operability of government security forces.

The JTF, composed of the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and some government line agencies, was created sometime last year following a reported threat from the notorious kidnap-for-ransom group, the Abu Sayyaf.

Richard Enojo, concurrent provincial administrator and provincial legal officer, had announced during Tuesday's PPOC regular meeting that the JTF meets next week for its reactivation to review its security contingency plan.

The body also agreed that the JTF be reactivated first before calling for a meeting with owners and managers of resorts, especially in potential threat areas like Apo Island and the towns of Bacong, Dauin and Zamboanguita, among others.

The PPOC stressed that while there is no cause for alarm despite recent intelligence reports of the Abu Sayyaf Group allegedly targeting some Visayas areas for their kidnapping activities, it is best to alert these resorts so they can increase their security measures.

Garcia has reiterated his assurance that Negros Oriental is safe with all possible safety nets in place.
Floating and air assets are deployed to support ground troops of the PNP and the Philippine Army, he said.

In fact, Air Force helicopters fly during nighttime to do reconnaissance over the province and nearby areas.

Patrol boats of the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard also continue without let-up its maritime patrols, Garcia added.

He called on the public anew to remain calm but be vigilant in the monitoring of suspicious persons arriving in the city and in their communities.

He said Dumaguete City is a transit point for possible Abu Sayyaf militants, who are traveling to and from Mindanao.

Security has been beefed up elsewhere in the region, to include nearby Cebu and Siquijor provinces.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2016/November/11/negor1.htm

Army execs on the carpet

From The Standard (Nov 12): Army execs on the carpet

A RETIRED lieutenant general is facing one count of graft and seven counts of falsification of public documents before the Sandiganbayan over the allegedly anomalous procurement of P5.103 million worth of military supplies in 2003.

The Ombudsman indicted Lt. Gen. Gregorio Camiling Jr., former commanding general of the Philippine Army, and ordered the filing of raps over alleged involvement in the anomalous procurement
of P5.103 million worth of military supplies in 2003.


Those included were former brigadier general Severino Estrella; colonels Cesar Santos, Jessie Mario Dosado, Barmel Zumel and Cyrano Austria; captain George Cabreros; accounting unit head Editha Santos, and chief accountant Rolando Minel in the charge sheet.

http://thestandard.com.ph/news/-main-stories/top-stories/221247/army-execs-on-the-carpet.html

Defense chief pledges continuous hospital aid to ex-servicemen

From the Sun Star-Cagayan de Oro (Nov 12): Defense chief pledges continuous hospital aid to ex-servicemen



CAGAYAN DE ORO. Defense chief Delfin Lorenzana pins medals to the region’s oldest veterans. (Jigger J. Jerusalem)

DEFENSE chief Delfin Lorenzana on Friday, November 11, reminded thousands of retired and former servicemen in Northern Mindanao to make use of the hospitalization assistance from the government after the Department of National Defense and the Department of Health renewed their memorandum of agreement (MOA) in 2014.

The agreement, which aimed at partially shouldering the hospitalization of retired servicemen and women, was aimed to improve their and their qualified dependents’ access to quality health care.

Under the MOA, veterans can avail of hospitalization services in all public hospitals, especially those accredited with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO).

The PVAO will pay P1, 500 per day for up to 45 days per patient per year.

Lorenzana said he has also lobbied to the American government for additional cash aid to retired soldiers who fought side by side the US forces during World War (WW) II.

Lorenzana added the US Congress is still in its deliberation stage to give out “Congressional Gold Medal” to Filipino soldiers fighting the Imperial Japanese military in the war.

“If approved by the US Congress, our veterans will not receive cash but recognition from the American government,” Lorenzana said.

During the event, Lorenzana awarded plaques of recognition to five of the oldest veterans, four of whom were in their 90s.

Private Marcel Polonia was the only centenarian, at age 104, from Barangay La Fortuna, Impasug-ong, Bukidnon.

The other awardees were Staff Sergeant Marciano Avila, 99, of Barangay Tablon, Cagayan de Oro, Private First Class Manuel Cunada, 94, Barangay Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City, Private Sulpicio Cabasan, 94, Barangay Bonbon, Opol, Misamis Oriental, and Private Aligondo Dagondon, 93, Barangay Malanang, Opol, Misamis Oriental.

Polonia, a native of Impasug-ong, joined the guerrilla movement upon enlisting in the 10th Military District.

According to PVAO, Polonia’s unit was assigned to defend the larger part of Mindanao against the strong Japanese forces.

“His (Polonia) contribution during the war had been made part of a glorious chapter in the history of the Philippines and will be etched forever in the rich history of the [country] and will serve as an inspiration to the youth of this generation, to love and serve the country and to fight for peace and freedom at all cost,” stated Polonia’s plaque of recognition.

Since Polonia can no longer hear clearly, his daughter Evita Polonia-Cabalida, 63, said her father did not want to join the resistance during the Japanese occupation as he had seven children at the time but was forced to enlist in the Philippine Army when the Imperial soldiers tried to kill him.

Cabalida said Polonia was a sharp shooter and claimed to have killed many Japanese soldiers.

After the war, Evita said Polonia went back to farming and managed to produce 13 kids, two of whom died during WWII due to starvation.

Cabalida is the one who’s taking care of Polonia, said her father does not smoke or drink and eats mostly vegetables.

“He is in good health. His monthly pension of P6,000 is used for his vitamins,” Cabalida said.

Although he is not suffering from any ailments brought by old age, Polonia has already shown signs of dementia as he tends to forget, among others, the names of his fellow soldiers.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2016/11/12/defense-chief-pledges-continuous-hospital-aid-ex-servicemen

Rape-slay suspect shot dead by alleged NPA rebels

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Nov 7): Rape-slay suspect shot dead by alleged NPA rebels

Suspected communist rebels on Sunday shot dead an ex-convict tagged as one of the suspects in the rape and killing of a young woman in Mati City, Davao Oriental two years ago, police on Monday said.

Senior Supt. Harry Espela, Davao Oriental police chief, identified the victim as Fabian Gemarino Jr., 58, and resident of Mati City.

Gemarino was gunned down by unidentified assailants, believed to be New People’s Army rebels, in Purok (Community) Gemelina, Sitio (Sub-village) Sudlon, Barangay Central past 9:50 p.m., Espela told the Inquirer by text message.

The victim and another suspect had been implicated in the rape and shooting to death of a woman in Sitio Upper Madang, Barangay Central sometime in 2014.

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“A settlement had been attempted between (the side of Gemarino) and the victim’s family but up to now, the former was not able to give an amount of money,” said Chief Insp. Decano Morales Jr., Davao Oriental police spokesperson.

Espela said the victim had been missing for almost a month until his bullet-riddled body was found late Sunday.

“His family claimed NPA rebels may have murdered him as reprisal for the rape he allegedly committed,” Espela added. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/841755/rape-slay-suspect-shot-dead-by-alleged-npa-rebels

Gov't to raise 'revolutionary tax' with leftist rebels: finance chief

From ABS-CBN (Nov 8): Gov't to raise 'revolutionary tax' with leftist rebels: finance chief



The government will raise in peace negotiations the "revolutionary tax" that communist insurgents require from targeted businessmen, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said Tuesday.

Dominguez said not all businesses had the resources to increase their security to avoid paying the New People's Army (NPA).

While he was in the private sector, the finance chief said: "I just simply refuse to pay it."
"This is really a serious concern and it has to be part of the peace negotiation with the NPA," Dominguez said.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza was tasked to raise the matter with the rebels, the finance chief said.

Duterte restarted peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines soon after assuming office in June. Formal negotiations are being hosted on Oslo, Norway.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/08/16/govt-to-raise-revolutionary-tax-with-leftist-rebels-finance-chief

NPA presence a hurdle to Malaysian investments in Mindanao, says Duterte

From GMA News (Nov 11): NPA presence a hurdle to Malaysian investments in Mindanao, says Duterte

President Rodrigo Duterte said the presence of the New People's Army in Mindanao was a roadblock to Malaysian investment in palm oil projects in the island.

He made the pronouncement on Friday morning after arriving from his two-day visit to Kuala Lumpur.

"For as long as there's always a threat, they cannot do anything," said Duterte, whose administration is currently engaged in talks with the Communist rebels.

 Duterte said he was considering bring this to the table in the talks in Oslo, Norway.

He said there had been agronomists that conducted a feasibility study on palm oil projects in the country.

"And after positive findings and suitability sa soil, what happened, the NPA just simply said no to palm oil," he said. "Ang problema nito, maraming expert sa internet," he added.

The Malaysians will try to introduce palm oil projects again, said Duterte, adding that he would be consulting experts on the effects of these projects on the environment.

"While waiting for the final result, ano man yan, we have to improve the lives of people," he said.

Along with agri-business, Duterte said the focus of his discussion with Malaysian leaders centered on infrastructure.

Mass transportation He said they discussed potential deals in mass transportation development, construction of regional centers, development of halal certified products, and processing of high value crops.

"I asked DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) to follow through (on these projects) to ensure trade and investment with our 10th largest trade partner," said Duterte.

The implementation of several infrastructure projects could be expected next year.

"I could say, it could keep our country busy in the coming months. There will be a lot of projects in the streets, expect commotion," the President said.

He added that the Metro Rail TRansit, is among the infrastructure projects expected next year.

"'Yun ang mauna talaga because it involves mass transport," he said.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/588423/news/nation/npa-presence-a-hurdle-to-malaysian-investments-in-mindanao-says-duterte