From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 21): Filipinos must unite to defeat terror threats - Lorenzana
As military units continue to capture and neutralize remaining Maute Group positions in Marawi City, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday urged the Filipino people to unite with the government to defeat terrorism.
"As government security forces continue to defeat and retake positions from ISIS-linked local terrorists, we see the need, now more than ever, for the Filipino people to unite against these forces of evil," he added.
Lorenzana also stressed that terrorism is against all ideals and aspirations of peace-loving Filipinos.
"It is anti-environment, anti-people, anti-country, and anti-God," the DND chief added.
In the fourth week of the conflict which started May 23, a total of 258 Maute Group terrorists have been killed along with 65 troops and police officers along with 26 civilians.
Also, a total of 16 buildings, formally occupied by the lawless elements, have been captured in the past few days.
Fighting as of this posting are still confined in four barangays, adding that the use of snipers, improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades are slowing down the progress of military personnel engaged in clearing operations.
"Let us all show our strong rejection of the terrorists and their sympathizers' futile attempts to sway the hearts and minds of our people by ignoring and reporting terrorist-linked and suspicious social media accounts to the proper authorities. We must also be very discerning in sharing any information that may cause undue panic that would further the enemy's agenda," Lorenzana concluded.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/996573
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Duterte won't allow civil war under his watch
From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 21): Duterte won't allow civil war under his watch
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Tuesday, June 20, said his administration will not allow a civil war to break out among Filipinos suffering the brunt of war.
"Ang malakas na driving force nila mapalitan na itong nationalism o 'yung paghinakit nila nawalaan sila ng lupa at malipat doon sa ISIS na philosophy, gulo na 'yan," the Chief Executive told soldiers during his visit at Camp BGen. Edilberto Evangelista Station Hospital, 4th Infantry Division in Cagayan de Oro City.
"Gulo na 'yan kasi ang mga Kristiyano sa Mindanao, mag-a-armas rin. Iyan ang ating hindi na pwedeng payagan kasi 'pag ang mag-armas na ang civilian rin, it will be a civil war," the President noted.
The Chief Executive visited wounded-in-action soldiers and awarded them Wounded Personnel Medals. They also received cash aid, among other assistance.
"So ang trabaho natin dalawa na: How to hold itong mga Kristiyanos na may armas at ito namang IS sa Maute. Kaya ang pag-asa natin diyan mapabilisin natin ang peace talks tapos sabihin ko sa kay Murad pati sa MI, 'Kayo na ang bahala diyan. Tutal kung ‘yan ang gusto ninyong lugar, Central Mindanao -- Lanao, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, 'yan inyo. Huwag na lang tayong mag-away'," he said.
In an interview with reporters following his visit, the Chief Executive said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is about to submit its version of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.
"The BBL tapos na. And the MI will give it to me, I will sign it doon sa Eid'l Fitr," he told reporters.
"And if I find things in order, I will sign it. And wait for the document, the formal one and I'll send it to Congress," he said, noting that it's the only way to achieve peace in Mindanao is "we go federalism."
Meanwhile, the Commander-in-Chief expressed gratitude to the government troops and expressed condolence to the grieving families, adding that he would have wanted to personally extend his condolences.
"So pasasalamat ako sa serbisyo ninyo at ganoon lang man ang mga… Iyong namatay natin mga kapatid, kasama na ‘yung sundalo, gusto kong puntahan isa-isa ‘yung mga pamilya pero hindi ko lang talaga kaya kasi busy ako," he said.
"But I want to just express to them my sincerest condolence. At ako man ang unang… nasasaktan diyan. Ako ‘yung Commander-in-Chief ninyo," he said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/996602
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/996602
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Tuesday, June 20, said his administration will not allow a civil war to break out among Filipinos suffering the brunt of war.
"Ang malakas na driving force nila mapalitan na itong nationalism o 'yung paghinakit nila nawalaan sila ng lupa at malipat doon sa ISIS na philosophy, gulo na 'yan," the Chief Executive told soldiers during his visit at Camp BGen. Edilberto Evangelista Station Hospital, 4th Infantry Division in Cagayan de Oro City.
"Gulo na 'yan kasi ang mga Kristiyano sa Mindanao, mag-a-armas rin. Iyan ang ating hindi na pwedeng payagan kasi 'pag ang mag-armas na ang civilian rin, it will be a civil war," the President noted.
The Chief Executive visited wounded-in-action soldiers and awarded them Wounded Personnel Medals. They also received cash aid, among other assistance.
"So ang trabaho natin dalawa na: How to hold itong mga Kristiyanos na may armas at ito namang IS sa Maute. Kaya ang pag-asa natin diyan mapabilisin natin ang peace talks tapos sabihin ko sa kay Murad pati sa MI, 'Kayo na ang bahala diyan. Tutal kung ‘yan ang gusto ninyong lugar, Central Mindanao -- Lanao, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, 'yan inyo. Huwag na lang tayong mag-away'," he said.
In an interview with reporters following his visit, the Chief Executive said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is about to submit its version of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.
"The BBL tapos na. And the MI will give it to me, I will sign it doon sa Eid'l Fitr," he told reporters.
"And if I find things in order, I will sign it. And wait for the document, the formal one and I'll send it to Congress," he said, noting that it's the only way to achieve peace in Mindanao is "we go federalism."
Meanwhile, the Commander-in-Chief expressed gratitude to the government troops and expressed condolence to the grieving families, adding that he would have wanted to personally extend his condolences.
"So pasasalamat ako sa serbisyo ninyo at ganoon lang man ang mga… Iyong namatay natin mga kapatid, kasama na ‘yung sundalo, gusto kong puntahan isa-isa ‘yung mga pamilya pero hindi ko lang talaga kaya kasi busy ako," he said.
"But I want to just express to them my sincerest condolence. At ako man ang unang… nasasaktan diyan. Ako ‘yung Commander-in-Chief ninyo," he said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/996602
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/996602
Police personnel to be penalized for leaking internal memo
From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 21): Police personnel to be penalized for leaking internal memo
Sanctions will be meted out against police personnel who allegedly leaked an internal memorandum claiming that ISIS, Maute Group and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters terrorists and their allies are planning to conduct attacks in key cities in Metro Manila this coming June 30.
In the same memorandum, which also circulated in the social media, these same groups will also allegedly hijack petroleum and LPG delivery trucks and convert them into bombs for use in their suicide attacks.
Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos said the information contained in the memorandum was still raw and unverified and still subject for verification.
The same memorandum originated from the PNP Aviation Security Group last June 18.
Sanctions will be meted against police personnel found to have leaked this memorandum as the information is intended for the internal use of the PNP, he added.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/996629
Sanctions will be meted out against police personnel who allegedly leaked an internal memorandum claiming that ISIS, Maute Group and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters terrorists and their allies are planning to conduct attacks in key cities in Metro Manila this coming June 30.
In the same memorandum, which also circulated in the social media, these same groups will also allegedly hijack petroleum and LPG delivery trucks and convert them into bombs for use in their suicide attacks.
Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos said the information contained in the memorandum was still raw and unverified and still subject for verification.
The same memorandum originated from the PNP Aviation Security Group last June 18.
Sanctions will be meted against police personnel found to have leaked this memorandum as the information is intended for the internal use of the PNP, he added.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/996629
Immigration tightens passenger-screening to thwart entry of foreign jihadists
From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 21): Immigration tightens passenger-screening to thwart entry of foreign jihadists
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday ordered its officers officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other ports of entry in the country to tighten screening of arriving foreign passengers, particularly from countries where jihadists came from.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente directed Marc Red Mariñas, the bureau’s port operations division chief, to subject all foreigner nationals to a stringent inspection, following reports that some of the terrorists fighting government troops in Marawi City are foreign nationals.
"Those who have questionable documents or doubtful purposes in coming to the country should be excluded and booked on the first available flight to their port of origin,” he said in a statement.
Morente noted that it was difficult to assess and establish if an arriving foreign visitor was a suspected terrorist, especially if the latter was completely documented and able to satisfactorily answer questions propounded to him by the immigration officer.
"That is why we have in our database the names of thousands of suspected international terrorists that were given to us by the different law enforcement and intelligence agencies here and abroad,” he said.
The BI chief explained that a foreign passenger whose name and description matches the person appearing in our derogatory list is immediately turned back and barred from entering the country.
On the other hand, Mariñas noted that aside from alerting BI personnel in all the international airports, he also issued a similar directive to immigration officers assigned to the southern seaports and border crossing stations in the South.
"They were instructed to coordinate with the military and police authorities in their areas in conducting border screening formalities for foreigners arriving in their respective ports,” he said.
Mariñas believed that most of the foreign jihadists now involve in the Marawi siege entered the country via the backdoor and did not pass inspection by immigration authorities, given the country’s long and porous shorelines.
On the other hand, BI Spokesperson Antonette Mangrobang did not identify the nations that have allegedly links to extremist organizations.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/996633
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday ordered its officers officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other ports of entry in the country to tighten screening of arriving foreign passengers, particularly from countries where jihadists came from.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente directed Marc Red Mariñas, the bureau’s port operations division chief, to subject all foreigner nationals to a stringent inspection, following reports that some of the terrorists fighting government troops in Marawi City are foreign nationals.
"Those who have questionable documents or doubtful purposes in coming to the country should be excluded and booked on the first available flight to their port of origin,” he said in a statement.
Morente noted that it was difficult to assess and establish if an arriving foreign visitor was a suspected terrorist, especially if the latter was completely documented and able to satisfactorily answer questions propounded to him by the immigration officer.
"That is why we have in our database the names of thousands of suspected international terrorists that were given to us by the different law enforcement and intelligence agencies here and abroad,” he said.
The BI chief explained that a foreign passenger whose name and description matches the person appearing in our derogatory list is immediately turned back and barred from entering the country.
On the other hand, Mariñas noted that aside from alerting BI personnel in all the international airports, he also issued a similar directive to immigration officers assigned to the southern seaports and border crossing stations in the South.
"They were instructed to coordinate with the military and police authorities in their areas in conducting border screening formalities for foreigners arriving in their respective ports,” he said.
Mariñas believed that most of the foreign jihadists now involve in the Marawi siege entered the country via the backdoor and did not pass inspection by immigration authorities, given the country’s long and porous shorelines.
On the other hand, BI Spokesperson Antonette Mangrobang did not identify the nations that have allegedly links to extremist organizations.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/996633
Aguirre replaces head of prosecutors handling Maute raps
From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 21): Aguirre replaces head of prosecutors handling Maute raps
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II replaces the chairman of panel 2 of prosecutors that will conduct the inquest proceedings and preliminary investigations of all cases from Marawi and Lanao del Sur.
In a one-page department order, Aguirre said acting on the letter of Senior Assistant Regional Prosecutor Merlynn Barola-Uy, over-all chairperson, centralized prosecution office for Lanao Del Sur and Marawi City that panel 2 OIC-PP Mangontawar Gubat will be replaced by Celso M. Sarsaba, Deputy City Prosecutor (Officer-in-charge Iligan City) and his members Assistant City Prosecutor Abdullah D. Macagaan (OCP-Cagayan De Oro City) and Assistant Provincial Presecutor Gerald Cecilio P. Roa (OPP-Misamis Oriental).
“Acting on the June 14, 2017 letter of Barola-Uy, over-all chairperson centralized prosecution office for Lanao Del Sur and Marawi City, in connection with the voluntary inhibition of OIC-PP Mangontawar Gubat, as chairperson of Panel 2. This order modified the Department Order nos.348-B dated June 8, 2017 and 348-D dated June 9, 2017 and takes effect immediately and shall remain in force until further,” read the order signed by Aguirre.
The creation of Centralized Prosecution Office for the province of Lanao del Sur and Marawi City will consist of four panels of prosecutors headed by one prosecutor per panel as chairperson.
Uy is one of the chairpersons, the others being City Prosecutor Eduardo Cueto of Iligan, Provincial Prosecutor Chuchi Azis of Misamis Oriental, and Senior State Prosecutor Lilian Doris Alejo of DOJ Manila.
Each panel would have two member-prosecutors and each group will take turns in handling inquest and preliminary investigations of all criminal complaints for rebellion involving the Maute Terror Group in the entire province of Lanao del Sur and Marawi City.
In a separate department order, Aguirre ordered additional of five prosecutors - three from Cagayan de Oro City and two from Misamis Oriental - due to difficulties in accommodating numerous respondents by existing panel of prosecutors.
The pool of prosecutors namely, Alfonso S. Vicente Jr., Louie L. Borja, Ansharey S. Lalia were all Assistant City Prosecutors of Cagayan De Oro City, Assistant Provincial Prosecutors Lito A. Sanchez and Tadeo V. Polestico were both from Misamis Oriental will be assisted in the inquest proceedings of rebellion cases involving the Maute group.
On Tuesday, around 12 suspected members of the Maute terrorist group, who were arrested last June 16 in a hospital in Pagadian City, underwent inquest proceedings for rebellion in Cagayan de Oro city.
Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes said the 12 faced the prosecutors handling the case during the proceedings at the headquarters of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division in Camp Evangelista which was earlier designated by the Supreme Court for the trial of the cases against the Mautes and their supporters.
Balmes said originally 13 suspects would have to undergo the proceedings but one of them died in the hospital while undergoing treatment.
Facing charges of rebellion are Racma Macatuon Talib, Lambo Ampaso Ameril, Huwarda Macatuon Talib, Cosnia M. Talib, Sanabae Saliling Macatuon, Amerodin Capga Ameril, Yusoph Taha Halil, Dima Ampaso Ali, Sapacan Mustapha Talib also known as Sapacan Sabar Talibm Halil Saliliing Ali, Mansawi Imam Gumobat and Lanoden Macatuon Dimarugong.
Junaid A. Dimarugong, alias Ameodin Ameril, was also arrested with the 12, but according to Balmes, Dimarugong died in the hospital.
He said that after the inquest, the prosecutors would evaluate whether to elevate the case against the suspects to the regional trial court or not.
Earlier, the Department of Justice (DoJ) approved the filing of rebellion charges against Ominta Tamano "Farhana" Maute, mother of Mauter group leaders Abdullah and Omar, former Marawi City Mayor Fahad Salic and nine others in connection to the ongoing armed conflict in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur before the Cagayan De Oro City Regional Trial Court (RTC).
”The centralized Prosecution Office of Lanao Del Sure and Marawi City accuses [the 11 individuals] of the crime of rebellion under Article 134 of the Revised Penal Code,” read the four-page resolution dated June 13, 2017 was signed by Prosecutors Ramonchito Bienvenido Ocampo Jr. and Liezel Aquiatan.
Rebellion is a non-bailable offense.
Aside from Salic and Maute, also charged in court are Sumaya Bangkit Masakal, Radiea Tugosa Asire, Mariam Ibnu Abubakar, Zafeerah Rosales Musa, Nehreen Macaraya Abdul, Nora Moctar Limgas, Mardiyya Haji Ali, Sumayya Lawi Ali and Noronisa Haji Camal.
All 11 accused were included in the list of over 300 individuals identified as members of the Maute group, the Abu Sayyaf group, and their sympathizers earlier ordered arrested by the government for the crime of rebellion.
They were indicted after investigating prosecutors found probable cause to file the case in court following inquest proceedings held at their temporary detention cell in Camp Evangelista in Cagayan De Oro City.
Marawi city is the site of clashes between security forces and Maute members since the latter attacked the city last month.
DOJ records showed that there were 89 Maute members facing kidnapping and kidnapping with murder cases before the Malabang Regional Trial Court in Lanao Del Sur.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/996651
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II replaces the chairman of panel 2 of prosecutors that will conduct the inquest proceedings and preliminary investigations of all cases from Marawi and Lanao del Sur.
In a one-page department order, Aguirre said acting on the letter of Senior Assistant Regional Prosecutor Merlynn Barola-Uy, over-all chairperson, centralized prosecution office for Lanao Del Sur and Marawi City that panel 2 OIC-PP Mangontawar Gubat will be replaced by Celso M. Sarsaba, Deputy City Prosecutor (Officer-in-charge Iligan City) and his members Assistant City Prosecutor Abdullah D. Macagaan (OCP-Cagayan De Oro City) and Assistant Provincial Presecutor Gerald Cecilio P. Roa (OPP-Misamis Oriental).
“Acting on the June 14, 2017 letter of Barola-Uy, over-all chairperson centralized prosecution office for Lanao Del Sur and Marawi City, in connection with the voluntary inhibition of OIC-PP Mangontawar Gubat, as chairperson of Panel 2. This order modified the Department Order nos.348-B dated June 8, 2017 and 348-D dated June 9, 2017 and takes effect immediately and shall remain in force until further,” read the order signed by Aguirre.
The creation of Centralized Prosecution Office for the province of Lanao del Sur and Marawi City will consist of four panels of prosecutors headed by one prosecutor per panel as chairperson.
Uy is one of the chairpersons, the others being City Prosecutor Eduardo Cueto of Iligan, Provincial Prosecutor Chuchi Azis of Misamis Oriental, and Senior State Prosecutor Lilian Doris Alejo of DOJ Manila.
Each panel would have two member-prosecutors and each group will take turns in handling inquest and preliminary investigations of all criminal complaints for rebellion involving the Maute Terror Group in the entire province of Lanao del Sur and Marawi City.
In a separate department order, Aguirre ordered additional of five prosecutors - three from Cagayan de Oro City and two from Misamis Oriental - due to difficulties in accommodating numerous respondents by existing panel of prosecutors.
The pool of prosecutors namely, Alfonso S. Vicente Jr., Louie L. Borja, Ansharey S. Lalia were all Assistant City Prosecutors of Cagayan De Oro City, Assistant Provincial Prosecutors Lito A. Sanchez and Tadeo V. Polestico were both from Misamis Oriental will be assisted in the inquest proceedings of rebellion cases involving the Maute group.
On Tuesday, around 12 suspected members of the Maute terrorist group, who were arrested last June 16 in a hospital in Pagadian City, underwent inquest proceedings for rebellion in Cagayan de Oro city.
Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes said the 12 faced the prosecutors handling the case during the proceedings at the headquarters of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division in Camp Evangelista which was earlier designated by the Supreme Court for the trial of the cases against the Mautes and their supporters.
Balmes said originally 13 suspects would have to undergo the proceedings but one of them died in the hospital while undergoing treatment.
Facing charges of rebellion are Racma Macatuon Talib, Lambo Ampaso Ameril, Huwarda Macatuon Talib, Cosnia M. Talib, Sanabae Saliling Macatuon, Amerodin Capga Ameril, Yusoph Taha Halil, Dima Ampaso Ali, Sapacan Mustapha Talib also known as Sapacan Sabar Talibm Halil Saliliing Ali, Mansawi Imam Gumobat and Lanoden Macatuon Dimarugong.
Junaid A. Dimarugong, alias Ameodin Ameril, was also arrested with the 12, but according to Balmes, Dimarugong died in the hospital.
He said that after the inquest, the prosecutors would evaluate whether to elevate the case against the suspects to the regional trial court or not.
Earlier, the Department of Justice (DoJ) approved the filing of rebellion charges against Ominta Tamano "Farhana" Maute, mother of Mauter group leaders Abdullah and Omar, former Marawi City Mayor Fahad Salic and nine others in connection to the ongoing armed conflict in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur before the Cagayan De Oro City Regional Trial Court (RTC).
”The centralized Prosecution Office of Lanao Del Sure and Marawi City accuses [the 11 individuals] of the crime of rebellion under Article 134 of the Revised Penal Code,” read the four-page resolution dated June 13, 2017 was signed by Prosecutors Ramonchito Bienvenido Ocampo Jr. and Liezel Aquiatan.
Rebellion is a non-bailable offense.
Aside from Salic and Maute, also charged in court are Sumaya Bangkit Masakal, Radiea Tugosa Asire, Mariam Ibnu Abubakar, Zafeerah Rosales Musa, Nehreen Macaraya Abdul, Nora Moctar Limgas, Mardiyya Haji Ali, Sumayya Lawi Ali and Noronisa Haji Camal.
All 11 accused were included in the list of over 300 individuals identified as members of the Maute group, the Abu Sayyaf group, and their sympathizers earlier ordered arrested by the government for the crime of rebellion.
They were indicted after investigating prosecutors found probable cause to file the case in court following inquest proceedings held at their temporary detention cell in Camp Evangelista in Cagayan De Oro City.
Marawi city is the site of clashes between security forces and Maute members since the latter attacked the city last month.
DOJ records showed that there were 89 Maute members facing kidnapping and kidnapping with murder cases before the Malabang Regional Trial Court in Lanao Del Sur.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/996651
Philippines: Marawi Conflict Displacement Snapshot (20 June 2017)
Posted to the Relief Web (Jun 21): Philippines: Marawi Conflict Displacement Snapshot (20 June 2017)
Infographicfrom UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Published on 21 Jun 2017
Almost one month after the Marawi armed conflict started, over 314,800 people are now displaced. 94 per cent are staying with host families, while 17,700 (6%) people are staying in 83 evacuation centres.
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:
To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit http://unocha.org/.
http://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-marawi-conflict-displacement-snapshot-20-june-2017
http://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-marawi-conflict-displacement-snapshot-20-june-2017
Philippines: Returnees - DREF operation update No. 1 - DREF operation n° MDRPH025
Posted to the Relief Web (Jun 15): Philippines: Returnees - DREF operation update No. 1 - DREF operation n° MDRPH025
DREF update n° 1: 15 June 2017
Timeframe covered by this update: 31 March 2017 – 25 May 2017
This Operation Update informs the extension of the operation’s timeframe by two months (until 31 August 2017). The extension allows the chapter in providing support to the individuals who are not able to return within the initial timeframe of the operation due to issues on documentation and transportation.
A. Situation analysis
Description of the situation
Since 15 February 2017, there has been a rapid increase in the number of Filipino returnees from the state of Sabah in Malaysia arriving in Zamboanga City, Mindanao. Most of the returnees are coming from the eastern part of Sabah such as Semporna, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Sandakan- Romero and Sandakan-Kumunak. While repatriations were procedural and common prior to the increase, the sinking of a vessel that previously transported the returnees prompted suspension of the exercise in September 2016. The suspension led to a backlog of repatriations of approximately 7,000 undocumented Filipino migrants in Sabah.
As of 26 May, a total of 2,382 returnees have arrived since the exercise started on 15 February.
Following the arrival of sixth batch of returnees on 22 March, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) leadership and Zamboanga City chapter determined that they needed to increase their capacity to respond to the needs of the returnees. On 23 March, the leadership of PRC communicated formally to seek support from the IFRC Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). The request was made after a dialogue between the PRC national headquarters, PRC chapters in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga City, local government counter parts and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Based on assessments conducted through key informant interviews with returnees, the immediate needs were temporary accommodation, food, sleeping materials, hygiene items, medical support and psychosocial support.
By mid-April, the number of returnees began to slow down and PRC have now requested an extension of the operation timeframe until 31 August 2017. There are two main reasons. Firstly, the flow of returnees has slowed down due to congested shipping lines transporting the returnees from Sabah to Zamboanga and the expected number of 7,000 returnees is yet to be reached. Secondly, on 25 May, the Government of Philippines declared a state of Martial Law due to the Marawi crisis which may have an impact in the future.
The extension will also allow PRC to undertake an internal review of the response and lessons learnt workshop. Considering the local context of key information who will be involved in the review and lessons learnt workshop, it is appropriate that these activities are undertaken after the end of Ramadan.
http://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-returnees-dref-operation-update-no-1-dref-operation-n-mdrph025
DREF update n° 1: 15 June 2017
Timeframe covered by this update: 31 March 2017 – 25 May 2017
This Operation Update informs the extension of the operation’s timeframe by two months (until 31 August 2017). The extension allows the chapter in providing support to the individuals who are not able to return within the initial timeframe of the operation due to issues on documentation and transportation.
A. Situation analysis
Description of the situation
Since 15 February 2017, there has been a rapid increase in the number of Filipino returnees from the state of Sabah in Malaysia arriving in Zamboanga City, Mindanao. Most of the returnees are coming from the eastern part of Sabah such as Semporna, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Sandakan- Romero and Sandakan-Kumunak. While repatriations were procedural and common prior to the increase, the sinking of a vessel that previously transported the returnees prompted suspension of the exercise in September 2016. The suspension led to a backlog of repatriations of approximately 7,000 undocumented Filipino migrants in Sabah.
As of 26 May, a total of 2,382 returnees have arrived since the exercise started on 15 February.
Following the arrival of sixth batch of returnees on 22 March, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) leadership and Zamboanga City chapter determined that they needed to increase their capacity to respond to the needs of the returnees. On 23 March, the leadership of PRC communicated formally to seek support from the IFRC Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). The request was made after a dialogue between the PRC national headquarters, PRC chapters in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga City, local government counter parts and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Based on assessments conducted through key informant interviews with returnees, the immediate needs were temporary accommodation, food, sleeping materials, hygiene items, medical support and psychosocial support.
By mid-April, the number of returnees began to slow down and PRC have now requested an extension of the operation timeframe until 31 August 2017. There are two main reasons. Firstly, the flow of returnees has slowed down due to congested shipping lines transporting the returnees from Sabah to Zamboanga and the expected number of 7,000 returnees is yet to be reached. Secondly, on 25 May, the Government of Philippines declared a state of Martial Law due to the Marawi crisis which may have an impact in the future.
The extension will also allow PRC to undertake an internal review of the response and lessons learnt workshop. Considering the local context of key information who will be involved in the review and lessons learnt workshop, it is appropriate that these activities are undertaken after the end of Ramadan.
http://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-returnees-dref-operation-update-no-1-dref-operation-n-mdrph025
Vital aid reaches thousands of displaced people in Marawi, Philippines
Posted to the Relief Web (Jun 20): Vital aid reaches thousands of displaced people in Marawi, Philippines
Reportfrom UN Population Fund
Published on 20 Jun 2017 — View Original
A mother, displaced by fighting in Marawi, receives a UNFPA dignity kit containing crucial health, hygiene and safety-related supplies.
© UNFPA Philippines
Iligan, Philippines – With weary but firm arms, Tarhata Mostare cradles her newborn child at the sprawling Buru-un School of Fisheries evacuation centre in Iligan city, which is hosting women, men and children displaced by the fighting between government forces and members affiliated with the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups in neighbouring Marawi city on the long-troubled island of Mindanao.
Ms. Mostare, 19, gave birth to her third child in her home in Marawi on 23 May 2017, the same day violence erupted in the city. Three days after her delivery, she evacuated from Marawi together with her husband and three children, making the harrowing journey on foot and riding jeepneys when possible.
Despite her ordeal, she is thankful. “I was with a woman who had also just given birth, but she lost her child. I’m very grateful that my baby survived, and that we’re both strong,” she said.
As a result of the humanitarian crisis gripping Marawi and its environs, Ms. Mostare and thousands of other pregnant women, mothers and girls face hardships and challenges impacting their sexual and reproductive health needs, and their wider personal safety. They need urgent care and protection.
Of the more than 338,500 people displaced as of 18 June, based on data from the Disaster Response Operations and Monitoring Center of the Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development, approximately 84,500 are women of reproductive age, with around 10,000 of them pregnant and around 6,700 lactating mothers with infants 0-6 months. UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is supporting the humanitarian response to the crisis.
Upon the request of the Department of Health and with support from Australia, UNFPA has deployed 5,000 of its trademark dignity kits for pregnant and lactating women and 1,200 packs of clean delivery kits for emergency deliveries.
The dignity kits contain hygiene and protection items such as sanitary napkins, underwear, flashlights, whistle, soap and shampoo among others.
The clean delivery kits are part of 12 reproductive health kits used during emergencies to ensure that women are able to deliver safely even in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.
Heroes amidst the crisis
“It has been challenging,” said midwife Mitzie Belasio, 45, who has monitored the health of pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children at the Maria Cristina evacuation center in Iligan city since May 26. Ms. Belasio is part of the Department of Health’s Rural Health Midwives Placement Program, which recruits health professionals to complement the existing workforce of the rural health units. “It’s my first time to be deployed in an evacuation centre, but I enjoy the work. It is my profession,” she said.
Stationed at the facility’s health station, which offers vaccines and vitamins, Ms. Belasio went on to explain some of the challenges to providing care. There are language barriers. “Many of the evacuees do not understand us and we don’t understand them,” she said. “As a provider, we have to continuously have patience as we counsel and make them feel that we are there to help."
Looking to the future
“We hope the fighting ends soon,” said Maria Gina Cabanlit, 53, a member of the Women Welfare Program at the City Social Welfare and Development office at the Maria Cristina evacuation center.
There is growing uncertainty over the prolonged displacement of thousands of people, including pregnant women.
“In the beginning we received a lot of donations at the evacuation center, but as time passed this has declined,” she added.
For new mothers such as Ms. Mostare and for pregnant women affected by the crisis, access to reproductive health services remains critical to their survival as well as their children’s.
The UNFPA Philippines country office has long supported humanitarian response in the country, with a focus on the health, safety and overall well-being of women, girls and young persons.
For more information, please contact: Mario Villamor, UNFPA Philippines: Tel: +63 917 302 6699 (Manila) / e-mail: villamor@unfpa.org
http://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/vital-aid-reaches-thousands-displaced-people-marawi-philippines
Reportfrom UN Population Fund
Published on 20 Jun 2017 — View Original
A mother, displaced by fighting in Marawi, receives a UNFPA dignity kit containing crucial health, hygiene and safety-related supplies.
© UNFPA Philippines
Iligan, Philippines – With weary but firm arms, Tarhata Mostare cradles her newborn child at the sprawling Buru-un School of Fisheries evacuation centre in Iligan city, which is hosting women, men and children displaced by the fighting between government forces and members affiliated with the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups in neighbouring Marawi city on the long-troubled island of Mindanao.
Ms. Mostare, 19, gave birth to her third child in her home in Marawi on 23 May 2017, the same day violence erupted in the city. Three days after her delivery, she evacuated from Marawi together with her husband and three children, making the harrowing journey on foot and riding jeepneys when possible.
Despite her ordeal, she is thankful. “I was with a woman who had also just given birth, but she lost her child. I’m very grateful that my baby survived, and that we’re both strong,” she said.
As a result of the humanitarian crisis gripping Marawi and its environs, Ms. Mostare and thousands of other pregnant women, mothers and girls face hardships and challenges impacting their sexual and reproductive health needs, and their wider personal safety. They need urgent care and protection.
Of the more than 338,500 people displaced as of 18 June, based on data from the Disaster Response Operations and Monitoring Center of the Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development, approximately 84,500 are women of reproductive age, with around 10,000 of them pregnant and around 6,700 lactating mothers with infants 0-6 months. UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is supporting the humanitarian response to the crisis.
Upon the request of the Department of Health and with support from Australia, UNFPA has deployed 5,000 of its trademark dignity kits for pregnant and lactating women and 1,200 packs of clean delivery kits for emergency deliveries.
The dignity kits contain hygiene and protection items such as sanitary napkins, underwear, flashlights, whistle, soap and shampoo among others.
The clean delivery kits are part of 12 reproductive health kits used during emergencies to ensure that women are able to deliver safely even in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.
Heroes amidst the crisis
“It has been challenging,” said midwife Mitzie Belasio, 45, who has monitored the health of pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children at the Maria Cristina evacuation center in Iligan city since May 26. Ms. Belasio is part of the Department of Health’s Rural Health Midwives Placement Program, which recruits health professionals to complement the existing workforce of the rural health units. “It’s my first time to be deployed in an evacuation centre, but I enjoy the work. It is my profession,” she said.
Stationed at the facility’s health station, which offers vaccines and vitamins, Ms. Belasio went on to explain some of the challenges to providing care. There are language barriers. “Many of the evacuees do not understand us and we don’t understand them,” she said. “As a provider, we have to continuously have patience as we counsel and make them feel that we are there to help."
Looking to the future
“We hope the fighting ends soon,” said Maria Gina Cabanlit, 53, a member of the Women Welfare Program at the City Social Welfare and Development office at the Maria Cristina evacuation center.
There is growing uncertainty over the prolonged displacement of thousands of people, including pregnant women.
“In the beginning we received a lot of donations at the evacuation center, but as time passed this has declined,” she added.
For new mothers such as Ms. Mostare and for pregnant women affected by the crisis, access to reproductive health services remains critical to their survival as well as their children’s.
The UNFPA Philippines country office has long supported humanitarian response in the country, with a focus on the health, safety and overall well-being of women, girls and young persons.
For more information, please contact: Mario Villamor, UNFPA Philippines: Tel: +63 917 302 6699 (Manila) / e-mail: villamor@unfpa.org
http://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/vital-aid-reaches-thousands-displaced-people-marawi-philippines
Duterte takes soldiers wounded in Marawi on presidential flight to Manila
From ABS-CBN (Jun 21): Duterte takes soldiers wounded in Marawi on presidential flight to Manila
From the frontlines of battle to the presidential plane.
President Rodrigo Duterte took nine wounded soldiers with him aboard the presidential plane on the way to Manila after his visit to troops at Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City Tuesday night.
Palace officials said the President himself walked with the soldiers and rode with them on an ambulance on the way to the airport. They then boarded the F-28 presidential aircraft.
The nine soldiers were among men who fought in Marawi City which has been besieged by terrorists belonging to the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups for nearly a month now.
During his visit to soldiers at the camp, Duterte also expressed grief over the death of government troops in the nearly month-long clashes.
"I want just to express my sincerest condolences at ako man ang unang nasasaktan diyan. Ako ang commander-in-chief niyo, ayoko talaga mag martial law, napipilitan lang ako dahil ang gulo sa Mindanao," said Duterte.
As of Tuesday, the military said 66 troopers were among 360 who have been killed in the firefights, along with 26 civilians and 268 terror suspects.
The president has been making rounds of military camps in Mindanao to rally soldiers amid continuing offensives.
http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/21/17/duterte-takes-soldiers-wounded-in-marawi-on-presidential-flight-to-manila
From the frontlines of battle to the presidential plane.
President Rodrigo Duterte took nine wounded soldiers with him aboard the presidential plane on the way to Manila after his visit to troops at Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City Tuesday night.
The nine soldiers were among men who fought in Marawi City which has been besieged by terrorists belonging to the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups for nearly a month now.
During his visit to soldiers at the camp, Duterte also expressed grief over the death of government troops in the nearly month-long clashes.
"I want just to express my sincerest condolences at ako man ang unang nasasaktan diyan. Ako ang commander-in-chief niyo, ayoko talaga mag martial law, napipilitan lang ako dahil ang gulo sa Mindanao," said Duterte.
As of Tuesday, the military said 66 troopers were among 360 who have been killed in the firefights, along with 26 civilians and 268 terror suspects.
The president has been making rounds of military camps in Mindanao to rally soldiers amid continuing offensives.
http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/21/17/duterte-takes-soldiers-wounded-in-marawi-on-presidential-flight-to-manila
NPA rebel in Compostela Valley caught planting IED
From the Sun Star-Davao (Jun 21): NPA rebel in Compostela Valley caught planting IED
GOVERNMENT troops arrested an alleged member of a communist group after he was caught in the act of planting an improvised explosive device (IED) in Compostela Valley on Sunday, June 18.
In a statement of the 60th Infantry Batallion (IB) on Tuesday, June 20, the apprehended rebel was identified as Randy Martin Magadan alias Andrew, 24, a resident of Barangay Bollucan, Laak, Compostela Valley.
The incident occurred a day after the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) directed its armed wing to refrain from conducting offensives.
Magadan was caught laying an IED at around 8 a.m., Sunday along a common route at Kilometer 26, Barangay Kidawa, Laak, Compostela Valley Province.
Magadan is the supply officer of the Pulang Bagani Command 4 under the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee of the New People's Army (NPA).
The combined operatives of the 72nd Infantry Battalion and 60th IB were conducting routine patrol and security operations at the area when they encountered Magadan and arrested him.
The army unit turned over the arrested NPA member to the Laak Municipal Police for blotter procedure and filing of appropriate charges and subjected him for a medical check-up to the Compostela Valley Provincial Hospital (Laak).
Charges are being prepared against the suspect for violating Republic Act (RA) 9516 or the law on the illegal possession, manufacture, dealing, acquisition or disposition of firearms, ammunition and explosives.
His act was also a clear violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law or CARHRIHL (part III, Article II, 15), to which the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA-NDF is a co-signatory, and RA 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.
It strictly prohibits "all forms of economic blockades, indiscriminate bombings, shelling, strafing, gunfire and the use of landmines" since it has the "nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering or which are inherently indiscriminate in violation of the international law of armed conflict.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2017/06/21/npa-rebel-compostela-valley-caught-planting-ied-548633
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2017/06/21/npa-rebel-compostela-valley-caught-planting-ied-548633
A Closer Look at the Philippine Peace Process With Communist Rebels
From The Diplomat (Jun 16): A Closer Look at the Philippine Peace Process With Communist Rebels (By Luke Lischin)
The crisis in Marawi has eclipsed another critical front in the government’s struggle against domestic threats.
After weeks of siege in Lanao del Sur’s Marawi City and the declaration of martial law in Mindanao on May 23, the situation in the Philippines grows direr by the day. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have not yet subdued the Maute Group-led force of around five hundred militants, and much of the nation waits anxiously while President Rodrigo Duterte flirts with the declaration of martial law nation-wide. Even though news of Marawi City siege has understandably captured the public’s attention, we should not forget that although the Philippines struggles with jihadism and Southern Philippine Muslim (Moro) separatism partially resulting from the ailing Moro peace process, the government is still trying to end its other long campaign against the New People’s Army (NPA).
A Process Eclipsed By Crisis
As of this writing, talks between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) are in limbo. The GRP has officially cancelled their 5th round of formal talks under the Rodrigo Duterte administration, but negotiators have not yet given up. A coalition representing the interests of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the militant New People’s Army (NPA), the NDFP sought for decades to implement Maoist reforms in the Philippines through negotiations coerced by the NPA’s ceaseless guerrilla campaign, to little avail. Now that martial law has come to Mindanao for the third time since the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos, the CPP-NPA vows to increase its offensives and resist martial law while the NDFP exhorts them to stay their arms.
Some in Congress are unperturbed by the suspension of talks, believing negotiation to be a futile enterprise for numerous reasons, the foremost being widespread skepticism of the NDFP’s influence over the NPA in the field. On May 10 Professor Jose Maria Sison, a founding member of the CPP-NDFP-NPA, issued a cryptic warning to reporters after a spate of NPA attacks, saying “No one in Utrecht can give orders to the CPP [Communist Party of the Philippines], NPA [New People’s Army], NDFP in the Philippines…” Joma is likely correct when he says the NDFP does not directly control the NPA, but the NPA is not wholly disinterested in political developments outside of its cantonments.
Based on the data my Manila-Based colleagues, Angelica Mangahas, Jasmine Torres, and I collected, some of which is presented in the graphs that follow, the NPA commands of the Southern Philippines demonstrated a capacity and willingness to curtail its operations pursuant to the declaration of ceasefires and the resumption of formal talks by the GRP and NDFP. Though the preconditions for failure were building from September through December, it was only in mid to late January that the NPA resumed hostilities en masse. By April, incidents linked to the NPA declined in tandem with news that formal talks between the GRP and NDFP will resume, but violence continues nonetheless. Generalizing about a decades-long insurgency is an analytically reckless thing to do, but I believe these observations are borne out by the scrutiny of our data.
Admittedly, our data is little more than a snapshot of the region, and suffers from three notable limitations. First, it only covers the southern Philippines (Mindanao, Tawi-Tawi, and Sulu). Our research was originally conceived as a database of Moro-related political violence, hence the focus on this region, but expanded to include other groups like the NPA. Second, the data is conservative, as it comes from national and local media sources, activist groups, and press releases from rebel and state authorities, but we lacked access to useful primary sources. Third, the incidents recorded in the data are only those in which the NPA was reasonably identified as a belligerent. The overwhelming majority of attacks we’ve recorded in the southern Philippines were attributed to unknown perpetrators. In these cases groups like the NPA may be suspected, but without additional evidence we consider these incidents to be separate from our NPA count. In sum, our data likely understates the violence perpetrated by the NPA.
The NPA in Numbers
From July 1, 2016, the day after President Duterte’s inauguration, to April 30, 2017, there were 128 incidents involving the NPA in the southern Philippines. These incidents resulted in between 104 to 133 injuries and 104 to 138 deaths among insurgents, soldiers, and civilians combined. Duterte, a self-proclaimed leftist originally from Mindanao whose election buoyed hopes of a successful peace process, has thus far failed to meet this lofty expectation.
Sixty-four percent of recorded incidents were armed assaults involving the exchange of small arms fire (at minimum) between the NPA and other actors, 19 percent were attacks on facilities or infrastructure such as mining sites, plantations, and vehicles, while the remaining incidents entailed abductions, arrests, and assassinations/executions.
Geographically, the provinces of Davao del Sur (including Davao City) suffered the highest number of incidents, though Cotabato and Bukidnon were not far behind. Davao Occidental and Lanao del Norte endured only singular incidents, while provinces like Sulu and Basilan recorded none.
Trends and Observations
Upon taking office President Duterte faced an active NPA. On July 5, the NPA and the AFP engaged in a firefight near Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur that killed two rebels and an AFP-aligned militiaman. Although Duterte declared a unilateral ceasefire on July 25, he revoked it as incidents occurred through July and into August. Violence for the remainder of August abated, and on August 20 the NDFP/NPA declared a unilateral ceasefire. Formal talks between the GRP and NDFP began on August 22, and an indefinite ceasefire deal was signed on the 26th. Subsequent incidents from September to December entailing an abduction, firefights, and attacks on property were very infrequent, and only one entailed any loss of life.
Between January 16 and February 1, the NPA was involved in 15 incidents, nine of which occurred on January 30. Around the same time, talks between the NDFP and GRP proceeded in Rome from January 19-25, which involved discussion of the implementation of the NDFP’s socioeconomic reform program. Though the talks were considered productive by all parties, it resulted in few concrete concessions by either side. In particular, the GRP still refused to release 392 NDFP prisoners from custody until the issue of amnesty was fleshed out.
On January 30, the NPA broke the ceasefire with simultaneous assaults in Mati, Surigao Del Norte, Valencia City, Bukidnon, Pag-asa, Lebe, Sarangani, Union, Compostella Valley, San Isidro, Mahayahay, and Hinambangan, Kitcharao, Agusan Del Norte. Subsequently, on February 1, the NPA called off its unilateral ceasefire, citing the failure of the GRP to release their political prisoners and generally abide by its ceasefire. By February 3, Duterte withdrew the GRP from its ceasefire in response.
From February (30 incidents) through March (26 incidents), violence occurred with almost daily regularity. Among the most significant was a February 16 encounter between the NPA and AFP within Davao City. By day’s end 14 to 15 soldiers were wounded and two were dead, while the NPA suffered between one and three fatalities. March was especially bloody due to a series of encounters in Kalamansig town, Sultan Kudarat that lasted from March 16 to 21. Following the Kalamansig clash, a two-day encounter spanning March 20 and 21 yielded nine injured NPA fighters and eight killed by firearms and artillery, while the NPA had eight wounded and eight killed. Afterwards, the casualty rates for March remained low but consistent.
April’s numbers of incidents and casualties declined substantially from the highs of the previous months. Nine out of the 14 incidents recorded in April occurred during the first two weeks of the month, while the rest were clustered from the March 22 to 29. Though it is difficult to prove, one explanation for the drop in violence was the bilateral interim truce negotiated in early April during a nonstop series of informal talks between the two parties. Whatever its impact, the truce did not last long given the almost daily frequency of firefights between the NPA and security forces during the first weeks of May. These incidents were low intensity, with the exception of a series of clashes in Davao City on May 10 through May 11, leading to the deaths of one soldier and two rebels, in addition to nine wounded soldiers. Incidents surged again after Duterte’s May 23 declaration of martial law with two bombings and six armed assaults that claimed no lives, but wounded several on both sides.
Explaining Patterns
Although the data are drawn from a sample that is relatively small and geographically limited, there are prima facie correlations between the status of peace talks and incidents on the ground. First, incidents during the July/mid-August range plus Duterte’s aborted July ceasefire suggest that Duterte’s “good faith” toward the NDFP did not immediately translate into an abatement of NPA-related violence in the south. With the declaration of unilateral ceasefires on both sides and the commencement of formal talks, incidents dropped off precipitously into January. It should be noted that this period was not without tension. The NPA decried the presence of troops in territories they claimed to control, asserting that the AFP was exploiting the ceasefire to collect intelligence and gain a sturdier footing in rebel-claimed areas. The AFP, in turn, accused the NPA of continuing banditry, extortion, and the coercion of locals to prepare for another round of fighting.
Nevertheless, the recorded incidents did not become especially worrisome until the drastic escalation on January 30. These simultaneous attacks heralded the NPA’s decision to withdraw from the ceasefire the next day on February 1, which in turn prompted the GRP to abandon the ceasefire as well. With no ceasefires, the dramatic increase in incidents in February and March was predictable. Only through back channel talks, the resumption of official negotiations, and the announcement of a truce did the levels of violence subside slightly before escalating again in May. Preliminary data for June suggests that the NPA is curbing its aggression to sporadic skirmishes, while they assess the possibility of future talks, as well as the quality of AFP operations around Marawi City.
So long as the violence continues and official negotiations remain off the table, hope for a lasting settlement fades further and further away. As the data strongly suggests, the NPA of the Southern Philippines is clearly capable of abiding, for the most part, by the terms of a ceasefire. That said, NPA field commands have a limited tolerance for the presence of security forces within their “borders” and continue to subsist off of the extortion of populations therein. Both of these factors motivate the NPA’s use of violence, making the brokering of a durable ceasefire without tangible political dispensation for a ceasefire almost impossible.
When the August 2016 ceasefires were called off, they were preceded by tensions on the ground and a lack of results at the negotiating table, in particular the failure of the negotiating panel to secure the release of political prisoners. Thus, we should not be surprised that the NPA has bucked NDFP pressure to accede to a formal truce. To make matters worse, Duterte oscillates his behavior towards the NDFP-NPA with threats and inducements. On one day he invited the NPA to come and join him at his dinner table, while on another he threatened to incarcerate members of the NDFP’s negotiating panel. Duterte’s madcap statecraft may be a methodical approach to negotiation, but to most observers Duterte is a manic strongman and an unreliable partner for peace. However unstable, even Duterte should understand that the AFP is stretched thin containing the Maute-led takeover of Marawi City, and is ill-prepared to counter an NPA offensive in Mindanao, to say nothing of the rest of the country. Should the peace degrade further and the NPA press the beleaguered AFP, the outcome will be assuredly tragic.
[Luke Lischin is an academic assistant at the National War College.]
http://thediplomat.com/2017/06/a-closer-look-at-the-philippine-peace-process-with-communist-rebels/
The crisis in Marawi has eclipsed another critical front in the government’s struggle against domestic threats.
After weeks of siege in Lanao del Sur’s Marawi City and the declaration of martial law in Mindanao on May 23, the situation in the Philippines grows direr by the day. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have not yet subdued the Maute Group-led force of around five hundred militants, and much of the nation waits anxiously while President Rodrigo Duterte flirts with the declaration of martial law nation-wide. Even though news of Marawi City siege has understandably captured the public’s attention, we should not forget that although the Philippines struggles with jihadism and Southern Philippine Muslim (Moro) separatism partially resulting from the ailing Moro peace process, the government is still trying to end its other long campaign against the New People’s Army (NPA).
A Process Eclipsed By Crisis
As of this writing, talks between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) are in limbo. The GRP has officially cancelled their 5th round of formal talks under the Rodrigo Duterte administration, but negotiators have not yet given up. A coalition representing the interests of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the militant New People’s Army (NPA), the NDFP sought for decades to implement Maoist reforms in the Philippines through negotiations coerced by the NPA’s ceaseless guerrilla campaign, to little avail. Now that martial law has come to Mindanao for the third time since the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos, the CPP-NPA vows to increase its offensives and resist martial law while the NDFP exhorts them to stay their arms.
Some in Congress are unperturbed by the suspension of talks, believing negotiation to be a futile enterprise for numerous reasons, the foremost being widespread skepticism of the NDFP’s influence over the NPA in the field. On May 10 Professor Jose Maria Sison, a founding member of the CPP-NDFP-NPA, issued a cryptic warning to reporters after a spate of NPA attacks, saying “No one in Utrecht can give orders to the CPP [Communist Party of the Philippines], NPA [New People’s Army], NDFP in the Philippines…” Joma is likely correct when he says the NDFP does not directly control the NPA, but the NPA is not wholly disinterested in political developments outside of its cantonments.
Based on the data my Manila-Based colleagues, Angelica Mangahas, Jasmine Torres, and I collected, some of which is presented in the graphs that follow, the NPA commands of the Southern Philippines demonstrated a capacity and willingness to curtail its operations pursuant to the declaration of ceasefires and the resumption of formal talks by the GRP and NDFP. Though the preconditions for failure were building from September through December, it was only in mid to late January that the NPA resumed hostilities en masse. By April, incidents linked to the NPA declined in tandem with news that formal talks between the GRP and NDFP will resume, but violence continues nonetheless. Generalizing about a decades-long insurgency is an analytically reckless thing to do, but I believe these observations are borne out by the scrutiny of our data.
Admittedly, our data is little more than a snapshot of the region, and suffers from three notable limitations. First, it only covers the southern Philippines (Mindanao, Tawi-Tawi, and Sulu). Our research was originally conceived as a database of Moro-related political violence, hence the focus on this region, but expanded to include other groups like the NPA. Second, the data is conservative, as it comes from national and local media sources, activist groups, and press releases from rebel and state authorities, but we lacked access to useful primary sources. Third, the incidents recorded in the data are only those in which the NPA was reasonably identified as a belligerent. The overwhelming majority of attacks we’ve recorded in the southern Philippines were attributed to unknown perpetrators. In these cases groups like the NPA may be suspected, but without additional evidence we consider these incidents to be separate from our NPA count. In sum, our data likely understates the violence perpetrated by the NPA.
The NPA in Numbers
From July 1, 2016, the day after President Duterte’s inauguration, to April 30, 2017, there were 128 incidents involving the NPA in the southern Philippines. These incidents resulted in between 104 to 133 injuries and 104 to 138 deaths among insurgents, soldiers, and civilians combined. Duterte, a self-proclaimed leftist originally from Mindanao whose election buoyed hopes of a successful peace process, has thus far failed to meet this lofty expectation.
Sixty-four percent of recorded incidents were armed assaults involving the exchange of small arms fire (at minimum) between the NPA and other actors, 19 percent were attacks on facilities or infrastructure such as mining sites, plantations, and vehicles, while the remaining incidents entailed abductions, arrests, and assassinations/executions.
Geographically, the provinces of Davao del Sur (including Davao City) suffered the highest number of incidents, though Cotabato and Bukidnon were not far behind. Davao Occidental and Lanao del Norte endured only singular incidents, while provinces like Sulu and Basilan recorded none.
Trends and Observations
Upon taking office President Duterte faced an active NPA. On July 5, the NPA and the AFP engaged in a firefight near Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur that killed two rebels and an AFP-aligned militiaman. Although Duterte declared a unilateral ceasefire on July 25, he revoked it as incidents occurred through July and into August. Violence for the remainder of August abated, and on August 20 the NDFP/NPA declared a unilateral ceasefire. Formal talks between the GRP and NDFP began on August 22, and an indefinite ceasefire deal was signed on the 26th. Subsequent incidents from September to December entailing an abduction, firefights, and attacks on property were very infrequent, and only one entailed any loss of life.
Between January 16 and February 1, the NPA was involved in 15 incidents, nine of which occurred on January 30. Around the same time, talks between the NDFP and GRP proceeded in Rome from January 19-25, which involved discussion of the implementation of the NDFP’s socioeconomic reform program. Though the talks were considered productive by all parties, it resulted in few concrete concessions by either side. In particular, the GRP still refused to release 392 NDFP prisoners from custody until the issue of amnesty was fleshed out.
On January 30, the NPA broke the ceasefire with simultaneous assaults in Mati, Surigao Del Norte, Valencia City, Bukidnon, Pag-asa, Lebe, Sarangani, Union, Compostella Valley, San Isidro, Mahayahay, and Hinambangan, Kitcharao, Agusan Del Norte. Subsequently, on February 1, the NPA called off its unilateral ceasefire, citing the failure of the GRP to release their political prisoners and generally abide by its ceasefire. By February 3, Duterte withdrew the GRP from its ceasefire in response.
From February (30 incidents) through March (26 incidents), violence occurred with almost daily regularity. Among the most significant was a February 16 encounter between the NPA and AFP within Davao City. By day’s end 14 to 15 soldiers were wounded and two were dead, while the NPA suffered between one and three fatalities. March was especially bloody due to a series of encounters in Kalamansig town, Sultan Kudarat that lasted from March 16 to 21. Following the Kalamansig clash, a two-day encounter spanning March 20 and 21 yielded nine injured NPA fighters and eight killed by firearms and artillery, while the NPA had eight wounded and eight killed. Afterwards, the casualty rates for March remained low but consistent.
April’s numbers of incidents and casualties declined substantially from the highs of the previous months. Nine out of the 14 incidents recorded in April occurred during the first two weeks of the month, while the rest were clustered from the March 22 to 29. Though it is difficult to prove, one explanation for the drop in violence was the bilateral interim truce negotiated in early April during a nonstop series of informal talks between the two parties. Whatever its impact, the truce did not last long given the almost daily frequency of firefights between the NPA and security forces during the first weeks of May. These incidents were low intensity, with the exception of a series of clashes in Davao City on May 10 through May 11, leading to the deaths of one soldier and two rebels, in addition to nine wounded soldiers. Incidents surged again after Duterte’s May 23 declaration of martial law with two bombings and six armed assaults that claimed no lives, but wounded several on both sides.
Explaining Patterns
Although the data are drawn from a sample that is relatively small and geographically limited, there are prima facie correlations between the status of peace talks and incidents on the ground. First, incidents during the July/mid-August range plus Duterte’s aborted July ceasefire suggest that Duterte’s “good faith” toward the NDFP did not immediately translate into an abatement of NPA-related violence in the south. With the declaration of unilateral ceasefires on both sides and the commencement of formal talks, incidents dropped off precipitously into January. It should be noted that this period was not without tension. The NPA decried the presence of troops in territories they claimed to control, asserting that the AFP was exploiting the ceasefire to collect intelligence and gain a sturdier footing in rebel-claimed areas. The AFP, in turn, accused the NPA of continuing banditry, extortion, and the coercion of locals to prepare for another round of fighting.
Nevertheless, the recorded incidents did not become especially worrisome until the drastic escalation on January 30. These simultaneous attacks heralded the NPA’s decision to withdraw from the ceasefire the next day on February 1, which in turn prompted the GRP to abandon the ceasefire as well. With no ceasefires, the dramatic increase in incidents in February and March was predictable. Only through back channel talks, the resumption of official negotiations, and the announcement of a truce did the levels of violence subside slightly before escalating again in May. Preliminary data for June suggests that the NPA is curbing its aggression to sporadic skirmishes, while they assess the possibility of future talks, as well as the quality of AFP operations around Marawi City.
So long as the violence continues and official negotiations remain off the table, hope for a lasting settlement fades further and further away. As the data strongly suggests, the NPA of the Southern Philippines is clearly capable of abiding, for the most part, by the terms of a ceasefire. That said, NPA field commands have a limited tolerance for the presence of security forces within their “borders” and continue to subsist off of the extortion of populations therein. Both of these factors motivate the NPA’s use of violence, making the brokering of a durable ceasefire without tangible political dispensation for a ceasefire almost impossible.
When the August 2016 ceasefires were called off, they were preceded by tensions on the ground and a lack of results at the negotiating table, in particular the failure of the negotiating panel to secure the release of political prisoners. Thus, we should not be surprised that the NPA has bucked NDFP pressure to accede to a formal truce. To make matters worse, Duterte oscillates his behavior towards the NDFP-NPA with threats and inducements. On one day he invited the NPA to come and join him at his dinner table, while on another he threatened to incarcerate members of the NDFP’s negotiating panel. Duterte’s madcap statecraft may be a methodical approach to negotiation, but to most observers Duterte is a manic strongman and an unreliable partner for peace. However unstable, even Duterte should understand that the AFP is stretched thin containing the Maute-led takeover of Marawi City, and is ill-prepared to counter an NPA offensive in Mindanao, to say nothing of the rest of the country. Should the peace degrade further and the NPA press the beleaguered AFP, the outcome will be assuredly tragic.
[Luke Lischin is an academic assistant at the National War College.]
http://thediplomat.com/2017/06/a-closer-look-at-the-philippine-peace-process-with-communist-rebels/
Philippines says Islamist militants withdraw from school, no casualties
From Reuters (Jun 21): Philippines says Islamist militants withdraw from school, no casualties
The Philippines military said Islamist militants who had holed up in a primary school in the south early on Wednesday with some civilians had retreated after a gunbattle with troops, and there were no casualties.
No students were taken hostage at the school in Pigcawayan town in North Cotabato province on Mindanao island, said Brigadier General Restituto Padilla, discounting earlier reports that some children were being held.
However, he said the military was investigating whether around five civilians were still with the militants.
"It's already resolved," Padilla told a regular briefing. "They've withdrawn, they are no longer there. The school area is again safe. The troops are in pursuit mode."
Witnesses about a kilometer from the school said they could hear gunfire. Troops were preventing anyone from getting closer.
A police report said about 300 armed men, among them members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), stormed the school early on Wednesday. On another part of Mindanao, fighting between government troops and pro-Islamic State militants for control of Marawi City has entered its fifth week.
Pigcawayan is 190 km (120 miles) south of Marawi City.
Abu Misry Mama, a spokesman for the BIFF, told Reuters that the militants had taken civilians to a place safe from the crossfire, and did not intend to hold them hostage.
Asked if they would be freed, Mama said: "Yes. We're not kidnappers."
Padilla said the incident at Pigcawayan was not related to the fighting in Marawi. "This has come from a group that has long committed harassments," he said.
For a graphic on attack in Pigcawayan, click: tmsnrt.rs/2sOnEp8
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-militants-idUSKBN19C062
The Philippines military said Islamist militants who had holed up in a primary school in the south early on Wednesday with some civilians had retreated after a gunbattle with troops, and there were no casualties.
No students were taken hostage at the school in Pigcawayan town in North Cotabato province on Mindanao island, said Brigadier General Restituto Padilla, discounting earlier reports that some children were being held.
However, he said the military was investigating whether around five civilians were still with the militants.
"It's already resolved," Padilla told a regular briefing. "They've withdrawn, they are no longer there. The school area is again safe. The troops are in pursuit mode."
Witnesses about a kilometer from the school said they could hear gunfire. Troops were preventing anyone from getting closer.
A police report said about 300 armed men, among them members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), stormed the school early on Wednesday. On another part of Mindanao, fighting between government troops and pro-Islamic State militants for control of Marawi City has entered its fifth week.
Pigcawayan is 190 km (120 miles) south of Marawi City.
Abu Misry Mama, a spokesman for the BIFF, told Reuters that the militants had taken civilians to a place safe from the crossfire, and did not intend to hold them hostage.
Asked if they would be freed, Mama said: "Yes. We're not kidnappers."
Padilla said the incident at Pigcawayan was not related to the fighting in Marawi. "This has come from a group that has long committed harassments," he said.
For a graphic on attack in Pigcawayan, click: tmsnrt.rs/2sOnEp8
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-militants-idUSKBN19C062
WATCH | Duterte fears Muslim-Christian ‘civil war’ if extremists not contained
InterAksyon (Jun 20): WATCH | Duterte fears Muslim-Christian ‘civil war’ if extremists not contained
Pres. Rodrigo Duterte speaks to evacuees from Marawi in Iligan City. (Presidential photo)
If the threat posed by extremists like the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups who have been battling government forces in Marawi City for a month now is not quelled, it could lead to a “civil war” pitting Muslims against Christians, President Rodrigo Duterte warned.
Speaking Tuesday in Iligan City, where he led the distribution of relief and financial assistance to evacuees from Marawi, Duterte said Mindanao’s choices were limited, with “mag-ubusan tayo (we wipe out each other)” the most likely if the problem of terrorism is not solved “kasi itong mga Kristiyanos ngayon nanenerbyos na rin (because these Christian now are also getting nervous).”
Duterte said the solution he saw is to fast-track the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front and set in place a federal system of government to allow more self-rule in the Bangsamoro, documents for which he said he would sign in the next few days.
CLICK THE IMAGE TO WATCH THE VIDEO REPORT BY NEWS5’S DINDO FLORA:
He also asked forgiveness from Maranaos for the crisis in Marawi and declaring martial law over Mindanao.
“I’d like to say to the Maranao people that I am very, very, very sorry na nangyari ito sa atin (that this has happened to us). Sana sa madaling panahon (I hope that soon) you will find a new heart to forgive my soldiers, ang gobyerno, pati ako (the government, and me) for declaring martial law,” he said.
In a subsequent visit to wounded soldiers in Cagayan de Oro City, Duterte justified the air strikes that have been pounding extremist positions in Marawi, saying he was forced to authorize these to prevent the loss of more soldiers.
http://www.interaksyon.com/watch-duterte-fears-muslim-christian-civil-war-if-extremists-not-contained/
Pres. Rodrigo Duterte speaks to evacuees from Marawi in Iligan City. (Presidential photo)
If the threat posed by extremists like the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups who have been battling government forces in Marawi City for a month now is not quelled, it could lead to a “civil war” pitting Muslims against Christians, President Rodrigo Duterte warned.
Speaking Tuesday in Iligan City, where he led the distribution of relief and financial assistance to evacuees from Marawi, Duterte said Mindanao’s choices were limited, with “mag-ubusan tayo (we wipe out each other)” the most likely if the problem of terrorism is not solved “kasi itong mga Kristiyanos ngayon nanenerbyos na rin (because these Christian now are also getting nervous).”
Duterte said the solution he saw is to fast-track the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front and set in place a federal system of government to allow more self-rule in the Bangsamoro, documents for which he said he would sign in the next few days.
CLICK THE IMAGE TO WATCH THE VIDEO REPORT BY NEWS5’S DINDO FLORA:
He also asked forgiveness from Maranaos for the crisis in Marawi and declaring martial law over Mindanao.
“I’d like to say to the Maranao people that I am very, very, very sorry na nangyari ito sa atin (that this has happened to us). Sana sa madaling panahon (I hope that soon) you will find a new heart to forgive my soldiers, ang gobyerno, pati ako (the government, and me) for declaring martial law,” he said.
In a subsequent visit to wounded soldiers in Cagayan de Oro City, Duterte justified the air strikes that have been pounding extremist positions in Marawi, saying he was forced to authorize these to prevent the loss of more soldiers.
http://www.interaksyon.com/watch-duterte-fears-muslim-christian-civil-war-if-extremists-not-contained/
NDF: Lorenzana and Abella are out of bounds on Maasin, Iloilo raid
From ABS-CBN (Jun 20): NDF: Lorenzana and Abella are out of bounds on Maasin, Iloilo raid
Fidel Agcaoili (image from https://www.ndfp.org/)
The National Democratic Front (NDF) of the Philippines on Tuesday described the statements of Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella on the recent raid of a police station in Maasin, Iloilo by the New People’s Army as “baseless, unfair and unwarranted.”
First of all, NDF pointed out in a statement attributed to Fidel V. Agcaoili, NDF Panel Chairperson, “there is no cease fire in place between the forces of the GRP and NDFP in the Visayas and elsewhere in the country.
“What is in place are recommendatory gestures of goodwill by both Parties to refrain from carrying out offensive operations against each other’s forces in Mindanao. And Maasin, Iloilo is not in Mindanao.”
Still, the NDF claimed, “even in Mindanao and everywhere else in the country, the GRP military and police have been aggressively pursuing the all-out war policy against the people and the revolutionary forces, intimidating and suppressing legal democratic organizations in the urban areas while using all types of destructive weapons, including aerial and artillery bombardment and mortar fire against communities and the NPA in the countryside.”
According to the NDF, the martial law proclamation in Mindanao has led to the indiscriminate destruction of lives and property, as well as the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Marawi City.
“It has also led to the suppression of democratic rights such as the dispersal of workers’ strikes, arbitrary zoning of communities, illegal searches, arrest and detention, food blockades, as well as aerial bombings and other atrocities against communities in the central and eastern parts of Mindanao.”
NDF mentioned that on Sunday, 18 June, the day of the GRP reciprocal announcement to refrain from conducting offensive operations against the NPA in Mindanao, the AFP publicly announced that their forces had killed four NPA fighters, including an alleged NPA Front Secretary, in three separate military operations conducted by the 67th Infantry Battalion, the 104th Division Reconnaissance Company and the 66th Infantry Battalion in the towns of Cateel and Banaybanay in Davao Oriental and the town of Pantukan in Compostela Valley.
Also, NDF said, teachers and students of a Lumad school in Kapalong, Davao del Norte, another province in Mindanao, “have been prevented from holding classes by the military under the Eastern Mindanao Command and the Alamara paramilitary group, who threatened to shoot them should they return to their communities to attend their school. They are accused of being members of the NPA.”
These violations of the GRP’s own pronouncement to refrain from offensive operations against the people and revolutionary forces in Mindanao, said NDF, “clearly manifest the need for the GRP to put words into actual deeds and eschew public relations gimmicks in the pursuit of a just and lasting peace in the country through agreements on social, economic and political reforms.
“The NDFP stands by its 17 June 2017 statement. Any suggestions to the contrary or accusations of bad faith are uncalled for, especially at this sensitive time when the two Parties are about to cooperate, in coordination with the Royal Norwegian Government (RNG), in the preparations to resume the 5th round of formal talks, which have been stalled by the martial law declaration in Mindanao.
http://www.interaksyon.com/ndf-lorenzana-and-abella-are-out-of-bounds-on-maasin-iloilo-raid/
Fidel Agcaoili (image from https://www.ndfp.org/)
The National Democratic Front (NDF) of the Philippines on Tuesday described the statements of Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella on the recent raid of a police station in Maasin, Iloilo by the New People’s Army as “baseless, unfair and unwarranted.”
First of all, NDF pointed out in a statement attributed to Fidel V. Agcaoili, NDF Panel Chairperson, “there is no cease fire in place between the forces of the GRP and NDFP in the Visayas and elsewhere in the country.
“What is in place are recommendatory gestures of goodwill by both Parties to refrain from carrying out offensive operations against each other’s forces in Mindanao. And Maasin, Iloilo is not in Mindanao.”
Still, the NDF claimed, “even in Mindanao and everywhere else in the country, the GRP military and police have been aggressively pursuing the all-out war policy against the people and the revolutionary forces, intimidating and suppressing legal democratic organizations in the urban areas while using all types of destructive weapons, including aerial and artillery bombardment and mortar fire against communities and the NPA in the countryside.”
According to the NDF, the martial law proclamation in Mindanao has led to the indiscriminate destruction of lives and property, as well as the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Marawi City.
“It has also led to the suppression of democratic rights such as the dispersal of workers’ strikes, arbitrary zoning of communities, illegal searches, arrest and detention, food blockades, as well as aerial bombings and other atrocities against communities in the central and eastern parts of Mindanao.”
NDF mentioned that on Sunday, 18 June, the day of the GRP reciprocal announcement to refrain from conducting offensive operations against the NPA in Mindanao, the AFP publicly announced that their forces had killed four NPA fighters, including an alleged NPA Front Secretary, in three separate military operations conducted by the 67th Infantry Battalion, the 104th Division Reconnaissance Company and the 66th Infantry Battalion in the towns of Cateel and Banaybanay in Davao Oriental and the town of Pantukan in Compostela Valley.
Also, NDF said, teachers and students of a Lumad school in Kapalong, Davao del Norte, another province in Mindanao, “have been prevented from holding classes by the military under the Eastern Mindanao Command and the Alamara paramilitary group, who threatened to shoot them should they return to their communities to attend their school. They are accused of being members of the NPA.”
These violations of the GRP’s own pronouncement to refrain from offensive operations against the people and revolutionary forces in Mindanao, said NDF, “clearly manifest the need for the GRP to put words into actual deeds and eschew public relations gimmicks in the pursuit of a just and lasting peace in the country through agreements on social, economic and political reforms.
“The NDFP stands by its 17 June 2017 statement. Any suggestions to the contrary or accusations of bad faith are uncalled for, especially at this sensitive time when the two Parties are about to cooperate, in coordination with the Royal Norwegian Government (RNG), in the preparations to resume the 5th round of formal talks, which have been stalled by the martial law declaration in Mindanao.
http://www.interaksyon.com/ndf-lorenzana-and-abella-are-out-of-bounds-on-maasin-iloilo-raid/
Civilians reported trapped as troops battle BIFF occupying village school in Cotabato province
From InterAksyon (Jun 21): Civilians reported trapped as troops battle BIFF occupying village school in Cotabato province
Google map showing Pigcawayan, Cotabato A still unknown number of civilians are reportedly trapped as government troops battle gunmen of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters who occupied a village school in Pigcawayan town, Cotabao province early Wednesday morning.
Chief Inspector Reylan Mamon, Pigcawayan police chief, said they are still coordinating with officials of Barangay Malagakit to determine how many people are trapped in the village and in the school.
“We have not yet determined kung sino at kung ilan ang na-trap sa area (who and how many are trapped in the area)” by the ongoing firefight he said in a phone patch interview.
Mamon said the BIFF gunmen occupied the school, which is in the middle of a residential area, around 5:45 a.m.
He added that they are also unsure how many gunmen are in the Malagakit school.
The BIFF, which broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front almost a decade go, is one of the armed groups in Mindanao that government claims have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
Mindanao has been under martial law since May 23, when fighting broke out in Marawi City between government forces and extremist gunmen from the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups, who have been joined by a number of foreign terrorists.
http://www.interaksyon.com/civilians-reported-trapped-as-troops-battle-biff-occupying-village-school-in-cotabato-province/
Chief Inspector Reylan Mamon, Pigcawayan police chief, said they are still coordinating with officials of Barangay Malagakit to determine how many people are trapped in the village and in the school.
“We have not yet determined kung sino at kung ilan ang na-trap sa area (who and how many are trapped in the area)” by the ongoing firefight he said in a phone patch interview.
Mamon said the BIFF gunmen occupied the school, which is in the middle of a residential area, around 5:45 a.m.
He added that they are also unsure how many gunmen are in the Malagakit school.
The BIFF, which broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front almost a decade go, is one of the armed groups in Mindanao that government claims have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
Mindanao has been under martial law since May 23, when fighting broke out in Marawi City between government forces and extremist gunmen from the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups, who have been joined by a number of foreign terrorists.
http://www.interaksyon.com/civilians-reported-trapped-as-troops-battle-biff-occupying-village-school-in-cotabato-province/
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