Indonesia Maritime Threat Assessment

From MarineLink (Nov 29): Indonesia Maritime Threat Assessment 

Militant group Abu Sayyaf (ASG) has conducted frequent kidnap for ransom attacks in the Sulu and Celebes Seas since March 2016, says a report by Protection Vessels International Ltd.

 

Islamic State-affiliated ASG has successfully extracted millions of dollars' worth of ransom payments for individual releases and has decapitated several hostages when ransom demands have not been met.

 

In November, ASG shifted towards targeting commercial vessels and successfully abducted six crew members from a bulk carrier.

 

Armed robberies have grown increasingly violent in Indonesian waters in 2016 with robbers assaulting crew members who attempt to stop them.

 

The Sulu and Celebes Seas off the eastern coast of the island of Borneo have seen a significant spike in hijackings and kidnappings for ransom since March 2016. Philippine Islamist group ASG, which is based in the Jolo and Basilan islands of the Sulu Sea, has claimed the majority of the attacks.

 

Masked gunmen have typically targeted slow-moving tugs and fishing boats although in recent weeks they have demonstrated the capability to successfully kidnap crew from underway commercial vessels between Borneo and the Philippines, heightening the risk to global shipping in the region. 

 

On 10 November, 10 gunmen boarded a Vietnam-flagged bulk carrier, Royal 16, 8.3 nm southeast of Coco Island in the Basilan Strait, and kidnapped six crew members including the master and chief mate. 

 

In November, the group also kidnapped a German national and killed another on a yacht off Sulu, and has also launched failed attacks against a chemical tanker off Sibutu Island and a bulk carrier northwest of Cap Island, indicating a sustained threat to commercial vessels. Vessels have managed to deter attacks through a combination of vessel hardening measures and evasive manoeuvres.

 

Maritime authorities in the region have been slow to respond to the attacks and have failed to secure the Sulu and Celebes Seas, despite repeated pledges to cooperate more closely and conduct joint patrols, leaving the waters vulnerable to future attacks. 

 

Even basic measures such as allowing Indonesian, Malaysian and Philippine maritime forces to pursue suspected criminals into each other's waters were only agreed in August, months after the attacks first began in March. The abductions in the region look set to continue for the foreseeable future as ASG is under persistent pressure to gain ransom funds to finance its battles with Philippine government forces.

 

More generally, violent robberies against vessels off Indonesia have increased since the second quarter of 2016, after a lull in reported incidents in the first three months of the year. 

 

While in the majority of incidents robbers have been easily deterred there has been a notable increase in violent incidents with assailants holding crew hostage at gunpoint while equipment and ship's stores have been stolen. Robbers have typically targeted vessels anchored at Dumai and Batam anchorages, although there is also precedent for underway vessels to be targeted.

 

http://www.marinelink.com/news/assessment-indonesia418856

MILF: BTC will have new chairman: Iqbal

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Nov 30): BTC will have new chairman: Iqbal



Mohagher Iqbal, Chair of the MILF Implementing Peace Panel said during the Bangsamoro CSO Leaders Consultation-Workshops on Mindanao Peace Process organized by the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS) with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held in Davao City from November 21-25, 2016, that the reconstituted Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) will have a new chairman, also from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)  as he will focus his attention to the implementation process of the GPH-MILF Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

“I am no longer head of the BTC”, Iqbal disclosed during the presentation of his topic, “Updates on Peace Process, Opportunities and Challenges” under the Duterte Administration.

Iqbal however, refused to name the new chairman pending the signing of the appointments of the commissioners that will compose the BTC, from the GPH and the MILF by Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.

The reconstituted Executive Order No.08 amending further the EO No. 120 and was further amended by EO No. 187 was signed by President Duterte in Malacañan Palace on November 7, 2016.

The BTC will be composed of 21 members, 11 from the MILF and 10 from the government which will include the MNLF Muslimen Sema faction, indigenous peoples, the sultanates, etc.

Iqbal also told the participants that there are three tracks in the mode of engagement in implementation. “The implementation phase have three tracks, the first track is Security Aspect, second is Normalization Process, and the third track is Enactment of the BBL”, Iqbal explained.

Under the first track he said is maintaining the ceasefire with the presence of International Monitoring Team (IMT), Coordination Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH), Ad-hook Joint Action Group (AHJAG) including the campaign against kidnaping and drugs.

“In the second phase of implementation is the decommissioning of MILF forces and weapons but it is parallel to the passage of the BBL’, Iqbal said. He further said that the Security Aspect and Normalization Process is bilateral agreement between the government and MILF.

The third phase is unilateral to the government. “The MILF is not participating the process; it is internal to the government to pass the BBL in Congress,” he said. Iqbal said that the only indirect participation of the MILF is through the BTC.

On the issue of federalism, Iqbal said: “It is a matter of questions of sequence, we welcome and support the federalism but the BBL should be passed first.”

“Federalism could solve the entire problems of peoples in the country while the BBL can solve the Bangsamoro question on Right to Self-Determination”, Iqbal added.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/news/22-davao-region/980-btc-will-have-new-chairman-iqbal

MILF: Peace advocacy on Bangsamoro should reach larger Filipino audiences: Academe

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Nov 30): Peace advocacy on Bangsamoro should reach larger Filipino audiences: Academe



In order to gain more support for the Bangsamoro quest for self-determination, a Moro university professor urged the Bangsamoro Civil Society Organization (CSO) leaders to heighten the peace advocacy works reaching out larger Filipino audiences.

“There is a need to reach out to larger Filipino audiences who still hold biases and animosities towards the Bangsamoro people,” said Professor Rufa C. Guiam of Mindanao State University-General Santos during the Bangsamoro CSO Leaders Consultation & Workshop on Mindanao Peace Process held at Davao City on November 21-25, 2016.

Guiam noted there is less understanding on the Bangsamoro history and issues since “those are not taught in schools.”

She told the consultation delegates to exert more efforts to pitch the grassroots peace initiatives which usually do not reach the national level.

Guiam was one of the key facilitators of the consultation workshop attended by representatives from peace advocates groups, academe, Ulama, media, youth, and line agencies coming from mainland Mindanao and the island provinces.

“What we need is to promote wide awareness with the peace process,” Guiam said. “We want to radiate that enthusiasm and commitment with people who do not have belief on what we do,” she added.

The activity provided an opportunity for the Bangsamoro CSO leaders to craft their plan to push for the passage of an enabling law to be crafted by the expanded Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) which will provide the establishment of the desired Bangsamoro autonomous political entity.

The draft law will be forwarded to the Philippine Congress for its passage. During the stint of President Noynoy Aquino, the original members of the BTC drafted the Bangsamoro Basic Law and (BBL), an enabling law submitted to Congress and Senate.  However the lawmakers failed to pass the BBL.

The drafting of BBL by the BTC and its passage by the Philippine Congress are stipulated in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), a peace accord signed by the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2014 after more than 17 years of peace negotiations.

Guiam said the CSOs should have a united movement to push the passage of the enabling law and be actively engaged in strong lobbying in the two Chambers of Congress.

She said advocacy on CAB-BBL, media campaign to support the peace process and study sessions with policy makers should involve the CSOs.

The university professor further suggested to the audiences that there should be identified CSO representatives that will participate “in case there is a TWG at the Congress.”

The activity, organized by the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society with the support of Japan International Cooperation Agency, was aimed to build solidarity and consensus among Moro leaders in pursuing lasting peace in Mindanao.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/news/22-davao-region/981-peace-advocacy-on-bangsamoro-should-reach-larger-filipino-audiences-academe

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/news/22-davao-region/981-peace-advocacy-on-bangsamoro-should-reach-larger-filipino-audiences-academe

NDF: Whitewashing Marcos’ crimes endangers the peace talks

Propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Nov 29): Whitewashing Marcos’ crimes endangers the peace talks  

NDFP Media Office
Statement from NDFP Peace Panel Chair Fidel Agcaoili
November 29, 2016

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) shares the concern of the Filipino people that the surreptitious burial of the alleged remains of Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) last November 18 forms part of a sinister scheme to whitewash the crimes of the late dictator and revise the people’s historical judgment against him and his brutal martial law regime.

Whitewashing Marcos’ crimes and prettifying the dictatorship likewise run counter to the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) which the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) signed in 1998, particularly Article 5, Part III of the CARHRIHL which requires both Parties to respect and support the rights of the victims of human rights violations during the Marcos regime and obliges the GRP to render them justice and enable compensation to them.

Marcos’ burial at the LNMB obviously constitutes rank injustice to the martial law victims.
The GRP’s attempt to obliterate Marcos’ crimes from the nation’s collective memory and falsely portray him as a hero is a brazen violation of the CARHRIHL. They are moreover detrimental to the ongoing peace negotiations because they seriously put to doubt whether the GRP is at all capable of complying with any future substantive agreements that may be forged.

Email: ndf@casema.nl
Tel. + 31 30 2310431

https://www.ndfp.org/whitewashing-marcos-crimes-endangers-peace-talks/

NDF: Highest revolutionary salute to Comrade Fidel Castro

Propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Nov 29): Highest revolutionary salute to Comrade Fidel Castro  

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) extends its deepest condolences to the people and government of Cuba on the passing of its great revolutionary leader, Comrade Fidel Castro.

We accord him the highest revolutionary salute for ably and fearlessly leading the Cuban revolutionary struggle to overthrow the reactionary Batista regime in 1959 and establish the first government in the Western hemisphere to successfully defy US imperialism and advance the cause of national sovereignty and people’s socio-economic, political and cultural interests and development.
We hail him as well for serving as inspiration and providing material and political support to other oppressed peoples of the world in their respective struggles for national freedom, democracy and socialism.

Cuba under Comrade Fidel’s leadership would go on to build a society centered on raising the dignity of the Cuban people and celebrating their spirit. From being one of the most impoverished, oppressed and corruption-ridden societies under the Batista dictatorship, revolutionary Cuba eliminated child malnutrition, achieved the lowest child death rate in the Americas, eliminated homelessness, built the best educational system in Latin America (achieving a literacy rate of more than 99%) and became the first country to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Its health care system, tightly integrated with the communities, is now one of the best in the world. It has among the highest doctor to population ratios and the lowest student to teacher ratios. Its disaster preparedness system is superior to that of the US. It spends as much as 54% of its national budget for social services, promoting culture, science and education as the core of Cuban revolutionary society.

This, it was able to accomplish by harnessing resources hitherto siphoned by imperialist and comprador interests and wasted through profligate living by the local Cuban ruling classes, and rechanneling them to productive use. Revolutionary Cuba carried out massive land reform, established state and collective farms and built a self-reliant economy despite being under constant threat of invasion and subversion, despite five decades of military blockade, and economic, trade and financial embargo imposed by the US, and in spite of the drastic adjustments that had to be made with respect to developing industrial and agricultural technology with the loss of support from revisionist countries since the 1980s.



Emerging from the clutches of a US-backed dictatorship with ties to American gangsters, Comrade Fidel led the Cuban people in establishing a vibrant democracy where mass organizations participate in making important decisions through elected assemblies at all levels.

This would prove to be Comrade Fidel’s enduring legacy–that through sheer revolutionary will and a burning love for the Cuban people, he led a small country located right in the backyard of the US imperialist ogre in asserting and advancing its hard-won independence, democracy and socialist gains.

He led efforts to build anti-imperialist unity not only among Cuba’s Latin American neighbors but in other spheres. He inspired the same revolutionary ardor and determination among other nations and peoples advancing their own struggles and shared with them the services enjoyed by the Cuban people by sending abroad volunteer doctors, scientists, technicians and teachers on humanitarian missions.

As Comrade Fidel had been passing on the torch of leadership as his health became increasingly frail, he continued to advise, inspire and make his mark on Cuban and world politics. The Cuban people and all the struggling peoples of the world are saddened by his passing, but enriched and inspired by his example, for he and the Cuban people have demonstrated in the concrete that even in the most hostile of environments created by the enemy, US imperialism can be defied and defeated, and an equitable, progressive and democratic society built.

LUIS JALANDONI
Chief International Representative
November 30, 2016

https://www.ndfp.org/highest-revolutionary-salute-comrade-fidel-castro/

NDF: Another death in detention, this time under Duterte regime’s watch

Propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Nov 29): Another death in detention, this time under Duterte regime’s watch  

NDFP Media Office
Statement from NDFP Peace Panel Chair Fidel Agcaoili
November 29, 2016

At 5:30 yesterday afternoon, political prisoner Bernabe Ocasla became the thirteenth political prisoner to die in detention in five years. Ocasla died in hospital after suffering a massive stroke four days ago that left him in a coma; he never regained consciousness. Detention under inhuman conditions for almost a decade took its toll on the 66-year old farmer who had long been suffering from severe hypertension.

Ocasla was on a list of more than a hundred sick and elderly political detainees whose urgent release on humanitarian grounds has been a longstanding issue raised by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) before the Duterte government. The Duterte peace panel has whittled down the list of detainees for humanitarian release to a mere 70, without at all explaining how it arrived at this number, and without any assurance that the most seriously ailing among them, like Ocasla, would be part of the “lucky few.”

As early as last May, then president-elect Rodrigo Duterte offered to release the country’s more than 400 political prisoners through general amnesty–one of many promises that have since fallen through the cracks. Twenty-one NDFP consultants and staff were set free in August, but only through conditional bail. Aside from them, the only other “releases” have come from the prolific Malacañang presses.

Enough is enough. Ocasla and the more than 400 other remaining political prisoners have been slapped with trumped-up, criminal charges based on false testimonies and planted evidence. Their continued detention is a travesty of justice and a patent violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) that the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines had formally signed in 1998. To release the political prisoners is to rectify both the injustice that has been done to them and the serious breach of the CARHRIHL.

Allowing them to continue suffering–and to die–while unjustly detained is an abomination which the NDFP cannot tolerate.

The NDFP strongly reiterates its call for the release of all the political prisoners NOW.

Email: ndf@casema.nl
Tel. + 31 30 2310431

https://www.ndfp.org/another-death-detention-time-duterte-regimes-watch/

CPP/NPA ST: Peace talks, nanganganib sa kapabayaan ng Gobyernong Duterte

NPA propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines Website (Nov 27): Peace talks, nanganganib sa kapabayaan ng Gobyernong Duterte

Ka Jaime "Diego" Padilla

Tagapagsalita

Melito Glor Command

NPA-Southern Tagalog

November 29, 2016

Nailagay sa kwestiyon ang kaseryosohan ng Gobyernong Duterte sa Peace Talks at Ceasefire dahil sa pagpapabaya nito sa 400 bilanggong pulitikal na hindi pa ipinapalaya, taliwas sa naunang pangako nito sa pagbukas ng usapang pangkapayapaan. Umabot pa sa pagkamatay ni Kasamang Bernabe Ocasla sa loob ng piitan, ang kauna-unahang bilanggong pulitikal na namatay sa ilalim ng Gobyernong Duterte.

Namatay si Kasamang Ocasla dahil sa ikatlong atake sa puso na humantong sa kanyang comatose. Si Kasamang Bernabe Ocasla ay 9 na taong nagdusa sa piitan.

Ayon kay Jaime “Ka Diego” Padilla, tagapagsalita ng Melito Glor Command-New People’s Army Southern Tagalog, “Ganito rin ang ikinamatay ni kasamang Eduardo “ka Eddik” Serrano na inatake sa puso habang nakakulong  sa Bicutan.”

Matatandaang sing-aga pa nang pagsisismula ng usapang pangkapayapaan, hiningi ng NDFP sa GPH na palayain ang lahat ng political detainees na may mga sakit o dinaramdam, mga may edad  at mga kababaihang ina na matagal nang nakalulong sa ibat ibang piitan sa buong bansa.

“Subalit pawang pangako ng lamang ang tugon ng gubyernong Duterte sa kahilingang mapalaya ang lahat ng mga bilanggong pulitikal,” ani Ka Diego.

Dagdag ni Ka Diego, nagkakailan pa ang listahan ng mga bilanggong pulitikal na may taglay na sakit at karamdaman ang patuloy paring  nagdurusa sa mga kulungan. Nangangailangan silang mapalaya sa pagkapiit sa pinakamaagang panahon.

Nananatiling 19 na consultant ng NDFP pa lamang ang pinalaya at ang karamihan sa mga bilanggong pulitikal ay nanatiling nakakulong at nagdurusa sa mga gawa-gawang mga kaso ng mga nakaraang reaksyunaryong rehimen.

“Na kay GRP President Rodrigo Duterte ang bigat ng responsibilidad sa ikatatagumpay ng usapang pangkapayapaan at pagpapatuloy ng tigil-putukan,” paliwanag ni Ka Diego. “Hangga’t ganito ang pakikitungo ni Duterte sa mga kahilingan ng NDFP, nanganganib ang pagpapatuloy ng peacetalks at ceasefire.

https://www.cpp.ph/peace-talks-nanganganib-sa-kapabayaan-ng-gobyernong-duterte/

CPP: Red Salute to Comrade Fidel Castro!

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines Website (Nov 27): Red Salute to Comrade Fidel Castro!

Communist Party of the Philippines

November 27, 2016

The entire membership and leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) are deeply saddened by the passing away of beloved revolutionary leader Comrade Fidel Castro of Cuba last Friday. In behalf of the revolutionary masses, the Party extends heartfelt sympathies to the Communist Party of Cuba, the Republic of Cuba and the Cuban people over their great loss.

Fidel Castro will forever remain a global icon of anti-imperialist resistance. In the 1950s, he led the armed revolutionary struggle for national liberation and social justice in Cuba, a country just south of United States of America. They succeeded in overthrowing US imperialism and its puppet Fulgencio Batista regime on January 1, 1959 and established one the most enduring  anti-imperialist and democratic government in the world.

The revolutionary Cuban government confiscated all foreign-owned enterprises, large haciendas and plantations. It carried out widespread land reform and collectivization. It established state farms and collective farms. It seeks to establish a self-reliant economy while engaging in vibrant trade with other countries.

The resources of the Cuban government have been allocated mainly to raise the people’s quality of life. As a result, the Cuban people enjoy one of the highest standard of living across the world. The Cuban government has developed and provided the people with free education and public medical facilities which are among the most advanced in the world. Infant mortality is one of the lowest.
There is no malnutrion. Virtually no one is homeless. Disaster-preparedness is  the most efficient in the world. Cuba sends doctors, health workers and others abroad in solidarity with countries defending national sovereignty or overcoming natural calamities.

Since the 1990s, they have also struggled to develop the Cuban economy in a more comprehensive way. In an effort to overcome dependence on Soviet imports in the 1960s-1980s, they have sought to develop their own technology for industrial and agricultural production.

For five decades, US imperialism attempted and failed to overthrow Fidel Castro and the revolutionary Cuban government. Declassified documents from the US reveal at least 600 plots to assassinate Fidel Castro. It twice carried out military aggressions into Cuba in the early 1960s. It has imposed trade embargoes in an attempt to constrict the Cuban economy. It has deployed spies and plotted acts of subversion. It reestablished diplomatic ties with Cuba only last 2014 in the hope that this will help facilitate the propagation of its political and cultural influence into the country.

Inspired by Fidel Castro’s slogan “Socialism or Death!” the Cuban people have united and resisted in their millions to defend Cuba against all forms of US intervention and aggression   and carry out the transformation of Cuba. Even the most recent cultural offensive carried out by US imperialism with Hollywood movie stars at the helm have failed to weaken the resolve of the Cuban people to defend their revolution and uphold their ideals.

To the Cuban masses, Comrade Fidel Castro is their star as they relentlessly push their Revolution forward. He will forever remain an inspiration to the the people around the world as they  march forward along the path of anti-imperialism, social justice and democracy.

https://www.cpp.ph/red-salute-comrade-fidel-castro/

Duterte receives Misuari for 2nd meeting this November

From Update.Ph (Nov 29): Duterte receives Misuari for 2nd meeting this November



President Rodrigo Roa Duterte welcomed Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding Chairman Nur Misuari and his colleagues “to another round of pleasantries in Malacañang,” November 28.

The President told Misuari his upcoming visit to Nueva Ecija for the inauguration of a newly constructed drug rehabilitation center, and his plans to go to Lanao del Sur to address the ongoing conflict with the armed Islamist group, the Maute group.

President Duterte last met with Misuari on November 3, 2016 when he was presented to members of the media at the Rizal Hall of Malacañan Palace.

http://www.update.ph/2016/11/duterte-receives-misuari-for-2nd-meeting-this-november/11464

2 'persons of interest' in US embassy bomb try in police custody

From Rappler (Nov 30): 2 'persons of interest' in US embassy bomb try in police custody

Chief Superintendent Oscar Albayalde, National Capital Region Police Office director, says the two men cannot be regarded as suspects yet, pending further investigation   

SUSPECT. PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa shows a computerized sketch of the suspect who left an improvised explosive device near the US embassy on November 28, 2016. Photo by Ben Nabong/Rappler

 

Manila police said on Wednesday, November 30, that they have in their custody two "persons of interest" in relation to the improvised explosive device (IED) left near the United States embassy earlier this week.

Manila Police District Director Senior Superintendent Joel Coronel said the MPD has in its custody the two men, one of whom was earlier identified by media reports as the suspect in the bomb try on the US embassy.
Citing Bulacan police, media reported on Wednesday that police arrested the "suspect," named "Rashid Kilala," in Bulacan. Chief Superintendent Oscar Albayalde, National Capital Region Police Office director, said in an interview on radio dzMM that the persons of interest could not be tagged as suspects yet, pending further investigation.
"Ongoing pa ang investigation, hindi pa natin sila puwedeng ituring na suspek sa IED incident sa Roxas Boulevard (The investigation is still ongoing, we cannot yet regard them as suspects in the IED incident in Roxas Boulevard)," Albayalde said.

He said part of the investigation is to determine if the two are members of the Maute terror group.

Quoting Albayalde, ANC reported that the other person of interest was arrested in Caloocan City on Tuesday night. He said the man arrested in Bulacan on Wednesday resembled the suspect in the artist’s sketch that Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa released on Tuesday.
The suspect reportedly left the IED inside a carton box on the sidewalk of Roxas Boulevard, near the US embassy. It was later identified as a cellular phone and another electronic gadget, which were defused by the bomb squad.
Dela Rosa had branded the bomb try as an “attempted act of terrorism” by the Lanao del Sur-based Maute terror group, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS). (READ: Duterte confirms Maute terror group’s ISIS links)

http://www.rappler.com/nation/154065-suspect-us-embassy-bombing-attempt-arrested

Military supports Duterte's plan to befriend Maute terrorist group

From ABS-CBN (Nov 30): Military supports Duterte's plan to befriend Maute terrorist group



In a chilling show of power, black-clad Maute Group members lower the PH flag of Butig Town Hall, replacing it with the ISIS flag

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is supporting President Rodrigo Duterte's plan to befriend the ISIS-linked Maute terrorist group.

Speaking to DZMM, AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said they are willing to sacrifice and give the terrorists a chance.

"Lahat ng anunsyo ng pangulo, sinusuportahan namin kasi ang kanyang direksyon ngayon is to reach out and give them a chance," he said.

• READ: Duterte wants to befriend Maute group

"Ang pakikipaglaban kasi sa kapwa Pilipino ay isang mahirap na bagay para dito sa atin sa Armed Forces," Padilla added.

For Padilla, everyone should be given a chance to reform and change their ways.

"Ang problema, ang paniniwala ng iba, is mga taong itong naging ganito dahil sila ay hindi nagkaroon ng opportunity. So katulad ng isang Kristiyanong nagbibigay ng patawad at oportunidad na magbagong buhay ang isang tao, siguro maaring ganoon ang tinatahak natin sa ngayon," he said.

He, however, clarified that the full force of law should be applied if members of the Maute group refuse to talk with the government.

"Kung sila ay nagnanais na magbago, open tayo sa pagbibigay ng oportunidad sa kanila pero 'pag sila ay hindi nagbago, nagsisisi sa mga ginawa nila, hindi sila naging accountable sa ginawa nilang krimen, ibang usapan na po 'yun. Kailangan na pong i-apply natin ang full force ng law," Padilla said.

Duterte said the government is not yet keen on waging war against the Maute terrorist group that has occupied parts of Butig, Lanao del Sur Saturday.

Despite Maute group's occupation of the old Butig town hall, the President said he is keen on resolving the conflict through peaceful means.

Government troops in recent days have ramped up their offensive operations against the lawless group, killing at least 19 bandits.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/29/16/military-supports-dutertes-plan-to-befriend-maute-terrorist-group

Maute's main force leaves Lanao town, 49 dead

From Rappler (Nov 30): Maute's main force leaves Lanao town, 49 dead

 

 

The military says the situation is 'fluid,' but it aims to drive away the remaining members of the terror group from the abandoned municipal hall 'within the day'

ATTACK. Philippine troops fire their 105mm howitzer cannons towards enemy positions from their base near Butig town in Lanao del Sur on November 27, 2016. File photo by AFP

 

The main force of the Maute terror group that occupied parts of Butig town in Lanao del Sur has left the area, according to the military.

 

At least 49 members of the local terror group inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS) were killed in days of operations while 21 soldiers were injured, the military added.

 

"As of this morning, we have regained two-thirds of the area (they occupied) in Butig," said Colonel Rosseler Murillo, chief of the Army 103rd Brigade in an interview Wednesday morning, November 30.

 

"The main force left," Murillo added.

 

It has come down to close quarter battle to retake the abandoned municipal hall, where the Maute group raised the black flag of ISIS. The ISIS black flag has been taken down, according to Murillo.

 

Murillo said the situation is "fluid," but they aim to take the town hall "within the day." He said they encountered up to 200 members of the Maute group last week, but only about 70 of them occupied parts of the town.

 

Duterte visit

 

President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to meet closed doors with military officers here on Wednesday.

 

The military offensive was launched Monday morning, November 28. Troops from the Joint Special Operations Group (JSOG) – the same team of elite soldiers that was sent to respond to the Zamboanga siege in 2013 – joined the operations of the Army's 103rd Brigade under Colonel Roseller Murillo.

 

A total of 1,955 families in Butig have been displaced as a result of the fighting.

 

The Maute group is one of several terror gangs in Mindanao. The group has carried out kidnappings and bombings and has been in battles with the military this year in Lanao del Sur.

 

In August this year, fighting erupted also in the area, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes as helicopter gunships fought off the attackers. The group's members were seen carrying black flags of the ISIS group, and bandannas bearing the jihadists' insignia were found in their base, the military said.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/154038-maute-main-force-leaves-lanao-town

Duterte visits troops fighting Maute group in Lanao

From Rappler (Nov 30): Duterte visits troops fighting Maute group in Lanao

The commander-in-chief meets with troops in Lumbanayague town, less than kilometers away from area of clashes



SECURITY CONCERNS. President Duterte speaks with AFP chief of staff Ricardo Visaya during the inauguration of a drug rehabilitation facility in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija. Photo by Robinson Ninal/PPD

President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Lanao Del Sur noontime Wednesday, November 30, where the military launched intense military offensive against the Maute terror group in Butig town.

Duterte's chopper arrived 12 noon at the Army tactical command post in Lumbanayague town located less than 10 kilometers from the area of clashes in Butig.

 

The homegrown terrorist group occupied parts of the town, prompting a military offensive and a forced evacuation of most of the town's 16,000 residents.

 

Duterte talked to military commanders and a few dozen soldiers who belong to the Army 103rd Brigade, while the rest of the troops continued their offensive to flush out the terrorist group from the abandoned municipal hall of Butig. (READ: Maute's force leaves Lanao; 49 dead)

 

The Maute group is one of the local terror groups that pledged allegiance to ISIS which is fighting to establish a caliphate in the Middle East. It group raised the black flag of at the abandoned municipal hall of Butig. It has since been taken down, according to the military.

 

On Monday, November 28, Duterte confirmed links between ISIS and Maute, saying the groups are "vitally connected."

 

But the military continues to deny direct links between any Filipino group and the international terrorist organization.

 

http://www.rappler.com/nation/154064-duterte-troops-fighting-maute-lanao

Prevent diversionary tactics

From  the Mindanao Times (Nov29): Prevent diversionary tactics

DCPO, TFD impose tightened security vs terror threats

AUTHORITIES here have tightened the security to prevent any diversionary tactic that the terrorist Maute group may sow in the city.

At least 19 members of the Maute, the group tagged behind in the deadly Sept. 2 Roxas night market blast, were killed in the continuing military operations in Butig, Lanao del Sur since the weekend.

 

Yesterday, an improvised explosive device (EID) was found by a street sweeper in a trash bin along Roxas Boulevard near the US embassy in Manila. The bomb was similar to the EID that was used in the night market blast that killed 15 persons and wounded 69 others.

 

On Sunday morning, an EID also exploded in outside a crowded church in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat, injuring three persons.

 

Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa said they are expecting the terrorist group to adopt diversionary tactics in other parts of the country.

 

Davao City Police Office (DCPO) director, Sr. Supt. Michael John Dubria, immediately directed all the 12 precinct commanders to tighten their security measures, especially on vital installations.

 

Dubria’s order has specified “churches, schools and other places that have influx of people,” DCPO spokesperson Sr. Insp. Catherine Dela Rey told TIMES yesterday.

 

“So you noted in churches and other places that there is a strict inspection,” Dela Rey said. “(This is) to prevent any terroristic act.”

 

While saying that they actually have not received any actual threat, Dela Rey said they are just doing the same “to prevent any eventuality.”

 

Dela Rey said police commanders should also assigned their subordinates to do mobile and foot patrol in their area of responsibility.

 

In a separate interview, Task Force Davao commander Col. Erwin Bernard Neri said they are still on a full alert status.

 

“We are still on red alert since the threat of terrorism is still high,” Neri said adding that they don’t want another Roxas Night Market bombing. “We don’t want that something will happen again.”

 

The TFD commander said they are also tightened their conduct of checkpoints on the exit and entry points of the city, especially in Barangay Sirawan in Toril District, Barangay Lasang in Bunawan and Barangay Lacson in Calinan District.

 

“The patrolling of the TFD personnel and other security forces continues to ensure the safety of the city,” he added.

 

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said they expect the death toll from the side of the bandit group to rise as the military continues its offensive action.

 

At least 13 government soldiers were wounded in the operation as they are flushing out some 300 heavily-armed Maute members who occupied the abandoned town hall in Butig last week.

 

http://mindanaotimes.net/prevent-diversionary-tactics/

Gov’t troops encounter lawless elements in Dinas

From the Philippine Information Agency (Nov 30): Gov’t troops encounter lawless elements in Dinas

LtCol. Virgilio Hamos Jr., commanding officer of the 53rd Infantry (Matapat) Battalion, Philippine Army said government troops conducting hot pursuit operation in Barangay East Migpulao, Dinas town encountered a group of heavily armed men on Saturday.

In an interview over RMN DXPR, the army official said the soldiers led by 2Lt Oliver Carmen were conducting hot pursuit operation to track down lawless elements who ambushed an army vehicle in Barangay Guinicolalay in Dinas town on November 21.

Killed during the previous encounter was 2Lt. Joseph Cartajena while 3 soldiers were wounded. 

Hamos said a brief fire fight ensued between the troops and the armed men which resulted to the death of Norhan Ambol, the alleged leader of the group who was responsible for the November 21 ambush.

The dead body of Ambol which was turned over to the municipal police station on Sunday was confirmed by his family and relatives.

During the incident, another member of the armed men reportedly died and some were wounded. No casualty was reported on the government side.

“I am happy that there were no casualties on our side,” Hamos announced.

He also said that the unidentified dead body was brought by  their enemies and only the body of Ambol was recovered.

“The people were happy upon learning that Ambol was already dead,” Hamos said adding that the insurgents could no longer disturb the peace that residents are enjoying now.

He encouraged the civilian community to extend their support to the government forces by giving information on the presence of insurgents in their respective barangays.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1371480424792/gov-t-troops-encounter-lawless-elements-in-dinas