WESTMINCOM: WestMinCom reviews draft of its implementation plan

From the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Feb 12,2019): WestMinCom reviews draft of its implementation plan



Civil-military, intelligence, and operations officers of the Joint Task Forces under the Western Mindanao Command reviewed yesterday, February 11, the implementation plan crafted by the triad staff as a framework and guideline of the Command.

“The implementation plan is pivotal in setting out, defining, and executing our operational objectives by laying out the means and the goals in a holistic approach. This is why we tapped ground units and deliberated on the inputs and recommendations on the proposed implementation plan,” said Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega, the commander of the Western Mindanao Command.

Military officers of component commands participated in the workshop held in Camp Navarro yesterday.

Early this morning, February 12, ground commanders joined the discussion on the ongoing campaign and the result of yesterday’s deliberations during the command conference presided by Lieutenant General Dela Vega.



http://www.westmincom.com/westmincom-reviews-draft-of-its-implementation-plan/

NUJP website latest target of 'coordinated campaign' vs critical news

From Rappler (Feb 13): NUJP website latest target of 'coordinated campaign' vs critical news

Attacks continue after earlier hits on Bulatlat, Kodao Productions, and Pinoy Weekly

 

The website of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) became the latest target in an ongoing series of cyberattacks against alternative, critical news organizations.

The website went down on the night of February 8, after a wave of distributed denial of services (DDoS) attack, and again on February 11. A DDoS attacks attempts to overload a web server with traffic in order to bring it down. In a statement, the NUJP described a massive attack that bombarded their site with 615 gigabytes of traffic in total.

This included a single attack that dropped 468 gigabytes on their site. This is 10 times the 50 gigabytes that brought down another alternative news site Bulatlat earlier, according to NUJP.

This wave of cyberattacks began in December 2018 which first hit the sites Pinoy Weekly, Kodao Productions, and Bulatlat. Kodao and Bulatlat were hit for a second time on January 25. The 3 are all members of the Altermidya network.

The NUJP believes these cyberattacks are "part of a coordinated campaign to undermine alternative news and critical views in the Philippines."

“The use of DDoS attacks to silence critical voices and opinions is the latest threat to press freedom. Blocking access to information is a violation of people’s rights and weakens democracy. We will stand with NUJP and the media community as they strive for press freedom," said the International Federation of Journalists, of which the NUJP is an affiliate.

https://www.rappler.com/technology/news/223360-nujp-website-latest-target-coordinated-campaign-vs-critical-news

Bangsamoro is ARMM + Cotabato City + 63 villages in North Cotabato

From MindaNews (Feb 12, 2019): Bangsamoro is ARMM + Cotabato City + 63 villages in North Cotabato

Five provinces, three cities, 116 towns, and 63 barangays out of Mindanao’s 27 provinces, 33 cities, 422 towns and 10,084 barangays.

That will be the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM): the five-province, two-city, 116-town Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi, tawi and the cities of Marawi and Lamitan), Cotabato City and 63 barangays in six North Cotabato town, results of the January 21 and February 6 plebiscite show.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on January 25 proclaimed RA 11054 or the Organic Law for the BARMM ratified by majority vote in the ARMM and Cotabato City during the plebiscite on January 21. The National Plebiscite Board of Canvassers is convening at 2 p.m. Monday for the canvassing of election returns of the February 6 plebiscite in Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato.



A Comelec official checks on the ballot box during the provincial canvassing of the plebiscite on the Bangsamoro organic law in the capital town of Tubod Thursday (7 Feb 2019). MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the MILF’s nominee to the post of Bangsamoro Chief Minister, told MindaNews on Monday that “clearly, the landslide ratification of the Bangsamoro organic law and the joining of Cotabato City and the 63 barangays in North Cotabato signify the very clear acceptance as well as high optimism of the people to the Bangsamoro organic law and the BARMM.”

“This also sends a strong message of challenge to the MILF being the lead in the government,” he said.

Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi had earlier manifested they will file an election protest, citing threats and intimidation by the MILF. She told MindaNews Sunday that they will file the protest this week.

The province of Sulu voted “no” to ratification but will still be part of the BARMM because the law provides that the ARMM votes as “one geographical area,” a provision that Sulu questioned, among others, in its petition before the Supreme Court.

Lanao del Norte, North Cotabato

The six predominantly Muslim towns in Lanao del Norte – Balo-i, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagoloan and Tangcal – were proposed for inclusion in the BARMM but majority in the 22-town province rejected their inclusion. These six towns voted for inclusion in the supposed expanded ARMM in the August 14, 2001 plebiscite but remained with Lanao del Norte because Congress failed to pass a law constituting it into another province of the ARMM.

RA 11054 or the Organic Law for the BARMM provides for a double majority: even as the six towns vote “yes,” the rest must vote “yes” as well.



Moro women queue for their turn to cast their vote in Barangay Buliok, Pikit, North Cotabato during the Bangsamoro plebiscite on Feb. 6, 2019. MindaNews photo by MANMAN DEJETO

In North Cotabato, 67 villages were proposed for inclusion: 39 had voted for inclusion in the expanded ARMM in 2001 while the petitions for inclusion of the 28 other villages were approved by the Comelec last month.

Sixty-three out of 67 villages in the towns of Aleosan, Carmen, Kabacan, Midsayap, Pigcawayan, Pikit and Tulunan that were proposed for inclusion got the nod of the majority in their respective municipalities.

But Tulunan town voted against inclusion of Barangay Gabilan; Pikit rejected inclusion of Barangay Balatican but voted for the inclusion of 22 others; and Aleosan town voted “no” to the inclusion of two barangays: Pagangan and Lower Mingading. But voted “yes” to inclusion of barangays Dunguan and Tapodoc.

Pagangan’s petition for inclusion was approved last month by the Comelec. Lower Mingading had voted “yes” to inclusion in the ARMM in 2001.

The six Lanao del Norte towns proposed for inclusion are contiguous to Lanao del Sur while the North Cotabato barangays are contiguous to Maguindanao.

From RAG to ARMM to BARMM

The government and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) signed on December 23, 1976 the Tripoli Agreement providing for autonomy in 13 provinces and nine cities in Mindanao and Palawan.

These “areas of the autonomy” were to comprise the following: Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-tawi, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, North Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Davao Del Sur, South Cotabato and Palawan and “all the cities and villages” therein.

At that time in 1979, there were nine cities situated within the autonomy areas: Zamboanga, Dipolog, Dapitan, Pagadian, Cotabato, Iligan, Marawi, General Santos in Mindanao and Puerto Princesa in Palawan.



Voters look for their names at the Sambulawan Elementary School in Barangay Sambulawan, Midsayap, North Cotabato on February 6, 2019 as a soldier stands guard. MindaNews photo by BONG SARMIENTO

But exercising his martial law powers (he declared martial law in 1972), then President Ferdinand Marcos issued Proclamation 1628 on March 25, 1977 creating two Regional Autonomous Governments (RAGs) instead of just one. He set the plebiscite date on April 17, 1977.

Marcos’ 1628 also created a provisional government covering the 13 provinces, and tasked it to prepare for the conduct of the referendum on the RAGs and election of their legislative assembly and to administer the provinces. The MNLF had negotiated for a provisional government in the Tripoli Agreement of 1976, but not this version of Marcos who named his crony, the warlord Ali Dimaporo, as head. The two RAGs were inaugurated in 1979.

The MNLF protested the Marcos administration’s unilateral decision to declare two regional autonomous governments.

In the 1977 plebiscite, three out of the 13 provinces (South Cotabato, Davao del Sur and Palawan) and two of the nine cities (General Santos and Puerto Princesa) listed under the “areas of the autonomy” of the 1976 Tripoli peace pact rejected inclusion in the RAGs.

Twelve years later, in 1989, yet another plebiscite over the same “areas of the autonomy” was held, this time to ratify RA 6734 or the Organic Act creating the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The basis for the plebiscite was the provision in the 1987 Constitution creating the ARMM.



A voter shows the indelible ink on his finger inside the Kauswagan Central Elementary School in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte during the plebiscite on the Bangsamoro Law on Wednesday, February 6, 2019. The law proposes the inclusion of six Lanao del Norte towns to the autonomous region. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

The MNLF in the late 1970s had split into three: MNLF under Nur Misuari, MNLF Reformist Group under Dimas Pundato and MILF under Salamat Hashim. Pundato joined the government when Marcos was toppled by the People Power revolt but the MNLF and MILF boycotted the ratification of the 1987 Constitution and subsequently the 1989 plebiscite on the ARMM. The two fronts pushed for the implementation of the 1976 agreement “in letter and spirit.”

Only four provinces – Sulu, Tawi-tawi, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao and none of the nine cities voted for inclusion in the ARMM.

Another 12 years later, in 2001, only the Islamic City of Marawi and the province of Basilan, except Isabela City, voted yes to inclusion in a supposed “expanded” ARMM. The plebiscite was to ratify RA 9054, the law that was supposed to have incorporated the provisions of the 1996 “Final Peace Agreement” with the MNLF and allow for expansion of the ARMM.

The MNLF again boycotted the plebiscite, claiming RA 9054 rendered the autonomous region “less autonomous than it was under RA 6734. The MILF by then was still negotiating peace with the government.



A member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the soon-to-be-decommissioned armed wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front waits for his turn to check his name on the voters’ list outside a voting precinct in Kabasalan Elementary School in Barangay Kabasalan, Pikit, North Cotabato, on 06 February 2019. MindaNews photo by CAROLYN O. ARGUILLAS

Since 2001, ARMM had been composed of five Moro-dominated provinces: Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi and the city of Marawi. Lamitan in Basilan became the second city in the ARMM when it was converted into a city in 2007.

In the 2019 plebiscite, the areas that would form the BARMM are the five-province, two-city, 116-town ARMM plus Cotabato City and 63 villages in six North Cotabato towns.

https://www.mindanews.com/peace-process/2019/02/bangsamoro-is-armm-cotabato-city-63-villages-in-north-cotabato1/

Marines expose deception of rebel groups

From the Philippine Information Agency (Feb 12, 2019): Marines expose deception of rebel groups



LTC. Fidel Macatangay, MBLT-10 commander, dicusses their community immersion activities to media practitioners during the recent 'Tipon-Tipan sa PIA'. (Photo by PIA-2)

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan -- The Marine Battalion Landing Team-10 based in Sta. Ana town recently conducted a dialogue with barangay officials and their constituents to counter the deceiving tactics and recruitment activities conducted by rebel groups in some parts of the province.

Lieutenant Colonel Fidel Macatangay, battalion commander, said they are now conducting community immersion programs particularly to those New People’s Army-influenced areas.

Aside from dialogues, Macatangay said they also gather pressing and common problems of the local folks during the immersion which were properly endorsed to concerned government agencies for appropriate action.

“We need to let them know that the government is always ready to protect, provide for and invest in its people. We have a number of government programs that these people can avail,” Macatangay said during his recent guesting at the Philippine Information Agency’s Tipon-Tipan broadcast program.

He said most of the projects that the community folks requested include barangay road developments, land reforms, livelihood programs and scholarship grants.

Macatangay, on the other hand, encouraged rebel groups to return to the fold of the law and have the chance to avail of the various programs and services provided by the government for rebel returnees.

Among these programs, he said is the Comprehensive Livelihood Integration Program, a complete package of assistance given to former rebels who voluntarily abandoned the armed struggle and opted to become productive members of the society.

 

https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1018298

2 NPA fighters surrender with their IEDs in Compostela Valley

From the Philippine Information Agency (Feb 13, 2019): 2 NPA fighters surrender with their IEDs  in Compostela Valley



A surrenderer presents himself to 1st Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col. Esteveyn Ducusin and Mawab Mayor Ruperto Gonzaga III. (71st Infantry Battalion)

NABUNTURAN, Compostela Valley (PIA) –Two self-confessed members of the New People’s Army (NPA) have surrendered with their war materials to the military, the chief of civil military operations of the 71st Infantry Battalion (IB) said Friday.

1st Lt. Jhocell Asis said “Marco,” 23, and “Janggoy,” 24, also surrendered three pieces of 15-kilo improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to Lt. Col. Esteveyn Ducusin, the commanders of the 71st IB.

The former rebels were welcomed by Mawab Mayor Ruperto Gonzaga III, who facilitated their formal handover, and escorted to Ducusin in Mawab town on Thursday.

Explaining the implication of the surrender, Ducusin said “the relentless efforts of the 71st IB in our area of operation impede the operation of NPA because mass supporters switched to trust military personnel.”

He denounced the communist movement for using IEDs, which he said have killed innocent civilians.

Asis said the surrendered IEDs were buried in Barangay Andili in Mawab by a certain “Rashed/Macdel,” a former commanding officer of the NPA’s Section Committee 27, who allegedly tasked “Marco” and “Janggoy” to watch over the war materials.

At the handover, “Marco” narrated that he was a squad leader, vice political instructor and vice commanding officer under Guerilla Front 27, Sub-Regional Committee 2 of the NPA’s Southern Mindanao Regional Command.

“Marco” was recruited by a certain “Val” to join the movement’s black propaganda to project it as the champion of the oppressed and make the government look corrupt.

Before becoming a full-time NPA member, “Marco” underwent seminars for communist cadres.

He admitted that he participated in an encounter with government forces at Bantayan, New Bataan in 2018.

As to “Janggoy,” the former squad medic for fellow guerillas in Guerilla Front 27 is a daughter of “Binoy,” also a known NPA member in Mawab.

She said it was her father who convinced her to join the movement. Ironically, it was his death during an encounter with government forces that prompted her to defect to the authorities.

“Janggoy” said she became disillusioned with the communist movement when her fellow guerillas left the lifeless body of her father during an encounter with government forces at Barangay Parasonon, Maragusan town in 2016.

During the formal handover, the mother of “Janggoy” expressed resentment towards the NPA, blaming the underground movement for the death of her husband and the family dysfunction.

Asis said the former rebels will be enrolled in the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Intergration Program for livelihood and other necessary assistance.

The NPA is the armed wing of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which has waged a Maoist rebellion since 1969 that has left thousands dead.

The Philippine government has a pending court petition to have the CPP-NPA designated as terrorists.

https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1018243

We don’t need NPA, we’re distributing lands: Duterte

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 12, 2019): We don’t need NPA, we’re distributing lands: Duterte

It is unnecessary to join the communist struggle because the government is willing to distribute lands, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said on Monday.

He made this remark in his speech before more than 700 beneficiaries during the ceremonial distribution of Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) in Buluan, Maguindanao.

“Up to now, I have about 60,000 hectares already nung na-Presidente ako (when I became President). Hindi na natin kailangan ang NPA (We no longer need the New People's Army). What for?” Duterte said in his speech.

“‘Yan man ang mga kampanya nila -- ibigay nila ang lupa sa tao. Kaya ko mang ibigay ‘yan. Ibinibigay ko na nga (Their campaign is to give land to the people. I can give them that. I have actually already given land),” he added.

Duterte also slammed Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria “Joma” Sison for justifying the communist rebels’ collection of revolutionary taxes for what the exiled revolutionary leader calls the “people’s government.”

“Ano bang hindi namin maibigay? Fifty-three years kayong nakipaglabanan sa gobyerno, ni hindi kayo makahawak ng isang barangay. Tapos gusto niyo patayan lang palagi (What can’t we give? You’ve been fighting against the government for 53 years and you can’t even conquer one barangay. Then you just want to perpetrate the killing),” he said.

The President described the collection of revolutionary taxes as a form of extortion.

“Tapos mag-dream ka na kailangan ka mag-extort kasi ‘yung inyong gobyerno kailangan mabuhay. ‘Yun ang statement ni Sison. Anong gobyerno? Kailan ka ba nagkaroon ng gobyerno? (And then you dream that you need to extort money because your government needs to be funded. That’s Sison’s statement. What government? When did you ever have your own government?)" he added.

Last week, Duterte offered to reopen peace talks but Sison shut it down and described it as an “insult to the revolutionary movement.”

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo advised Sison to instead rejoin society and contribute his intellect and expertise to peaceful dialogues for the betterment of all Filipinos.

“Sison must step down from his ivory tower and extend his hands for peace, for his own sake, for his followers, for the Filipino people, for his country he loves so well,” Panelo said.

“It is time to rejoin society. There is nothing dishonorable in accepting defeat. There is another path for change other than armed struggle. Filipinos cannot continue killing Filipinos,” he added.

In 2017, Duterte terminated peace talks with the communist rebels following continued attacks against government troops and their insistence to collect revolutionary taxes.

The CPP-NPA has been tagged as a terror group by the United States and the European Union.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061624

Mandatory ROTC necessary to instill patriotism among youth: AFP

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 12, 2019): Mandatory ROTC necessary to instill patriotism among youth: AFP

A mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program will help instill the need and value of protecting the nation to the youth.

Col. Noel Detoyato, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief, made this comment when sought for a reaction regarding the House of Representatives' approval on second reading of a proposed bill seeking to reinstate mandatory ROTC for Grades 11 and 12.

"The AFP believes it is time to bring back mandatory ROTC in schools to ensure that the youth are shaped with a deep sense of patriotism and love for country," Detoyato said in a message to the Philippine News Agency Monday night.

Since protecting the nation is a concern of every citizen, mandatory ROTC enrolment will help instill this to the youth.

"It will also help the AFP in further strengthening its reserve force to augment the regular force in external defense and disaster response," the AFP official added.

House Bill 8961 seeks to amend for the purpose Republic Act 7077 or the Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act. Under the proposed measure, ROTC training would apply to “all students in Grades 11 and 12 in all senior high schools in public and private educational institutions.”

The bill also states that ROTC training shall be a requirement for graduation.

As provided, the following students may be exempted: those who are physically or psychologically unfit; those who have undergone or are undergoing similar military training; those who are chosen by their school to serve as the school’s varsity players in sports competition; and those who may be exempted from training for valid reasons as approved by the Department of National Defense, upon recommendation by an educational institution where the concerned student is enrolled.

The proposed measure also strictly prohibits the use of ROTC training for “political” objective and for teaching and instilling a particular political ideology on students.

House Bill 8961 also specifically bans hazing and other forms of physical or mental abuse.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061627

AFP medical units ready to help DOH vs. measles outbreak

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 12, 2019): AFP medical units ready to help DOH vs. measles outbreak

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), through its medical units, is more than ready to help the Department of Health (DOH) in administering measles vaccines to stem the outbreak of the deadly disease.

"The AFP is always ready to provide assistance should the Department of Health seek its help in facilitating the nationwide mandatory measles vaccination," AFP public affairs office chief, Col. Noel Detoyato told the Philippine News Agency Monday night.

"Barangay and municipal health teams have always had close coordination with the AFP’s line units. There is an established mechanism on the ground if ever they will need support from the military," Detoyato added.

The DOH Epidemiology Bureau (EB) reported a total of 4,302 measles cases with 70 deaths from January 1 to February 9 this year.

Ages of cases ranged from one month up to 75 years old. Children from one to four years old make up 34 percent of the total cases.

It is followed by children who are less than nine months with 27 percent rate.

The DOH EB said 66 percent of the total cases had no history of vaccination against measles while 79 percent of those who died had no history of vaccination.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061629

PH Army distributes field ambulances to battalions

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 12, 2019): PH Army distributes field ambulances to battalions

The Philippine Army (PA) has started the distribution of field ambulances to the battalion level as part of ongoing efforts to upgrade its medical units.

This was disclosed by Lt. Col. Louie Villanueva, Army spokesperson, when asked for updates on the PA's medical service upgrade initiative.

"Distribution of field medical ambulance per battalion (is among the ongoing efforts)," Villanueva said in a message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) late Monday.

A battalion is an Army formation consisting of around 300 to 900 officers and enlisted personnel.

Aside from this, the Army has also distributed first-aid kits for individual soldiers and combat life-saving kit per platoon as immediate means to treat and save lives in combat situation.

"Continuous upgrade of basic facilities of Army's hospital and medical dispensaries (ex. ward, X-ray, surgical, isolation room) and lastly, our way ahead is to come up with a mobile field hospital that can provide immediate treatment to combat casualties (trauma capable, can conduct surgical operations, X-ray, etc.)," Villanueva said.

Earlier, the PA said improvement of its medical services and support capabilities, to ensure the survival of troops wounded in combats, is one of the ongoing priority thrusts.

"Medical treatment facilities and procedures are continuously being upgraded to be responsive to the operational requirements of the tactical units," Villanueva added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061630

AFP lauds US aid to enhance PH intel capabilities

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 12, 2019): AFP lauds US aid to enhance PH intel capabilities

 

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) welcomed the United States' commitment to provide PHP300 million to the country for the enhancement of its intelligence-gathering capabilities, which can be used in the ongoing campaign against terrorism.

"Any help from our allies is always welcome, especially that we have a common enemy, (which is) global terrorism," AFP public affairs office chief, Col. Noel Detoyato said in a message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) when sought for comment on the donation Tuesday.

Malacañang on Monday announced that the US government has committed to provide the Philippines with PHP300 million to enhance the country’s intelligence-gathering capabilities.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo welcomed this development and described it as proof of strong ties between Manila and Washington.

Detoyato, however, said in the fight against terrorism, strong support of the populace is needed, so that this threat can be fully neutralized.

"However, in the fight to acquire the most relevant, timely and accurate actionable information, technology, which money can buy and trainings which consume funds, the human factor is an indispensable source. So the support of the populace is of paramount importance in the fight against terrorism," he added.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061649

AFP plans chief, ex-spox Padilla retires

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 12, 2019): AFP plans chief, ex-spox Padilla retires

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Plans and former spokesperson, Major Gen. Restituto Padilla, formally retired from the service.

AFP Chief-of-Staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal presided over Padilla's retirement ceremony at the General Headquarters Building in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Tuesday.
Padilla will reach the military mandatory retirement age of 56 on February 14.

“Major Gen. Padilla has proven himself to be an accomplished military-diplomat and strategic thinker. As chief planner and strategist, he led the office in different endeavors towards the attainment of the AFP’s objective through the sound implementation of its mission and programs,” Madrigal said.

Padilla served as the AFP deputy chief-of-staff for plans or J-5, in military parlance, for almost one year and six months starting September 2017.

During his stint, he supervised the AFP’s international affairs in various bilateral engagements with allied nations, as well as the approval of the Standard Operating Procedures on the General Policies and Guidelines in the Conduct of AFP International Defense and Security Engagements (IDSE).

He also led the formulation of the complete 15-year Revised AFP Modernization program that will allow the implementation and continuous support to the modernization of the Armed Forces.

Moreover, he facilitated the activation of the AFP Systems Engineering Office (AFPSEO) and the AFP International Military Affairs Center (AFP IMAC) to rationalize the Defense and Armed Forces Attaché postings and other IDSE commitments.

Prior his appointment to J-5, Padilla was the assistant deputy chief-of-staff for civil-military operations, J-7 and AFP spokesperson since November 2014. He was also the former AFP liaison officer to the US Pacific Command in Honolulu, Hawaii from 2011 to 2014.

His military career began when he entered the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1981, later graduating with the PMA Class of 1985.
Following his graduation from the academy, he joined the Philippine Air Force and earned his Aviator (Pilot) Wings from the PAF Flying School in 1987.

Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Cornelio Valencia Jr., the current assistant deputy chief-of-staff for plans, AJ-5 will assume Padilla’s position in an acting capacity. He was previously assigned as the Philippine Army’s assistant chief-of-staff for plans and programs, G-5.
“Having been assigned to various leadership and staff positions in the Army, I can personally vouch that Brig. Gen. Valencia Jr. embodies the values and the character that will fit well for the post,” Madrigal said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061663

ASG member nabbed in Manila

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 12, 2019): ASG member nabbed in Manila




Police and military troops arrested a member of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) who they said was involved in the Kidapawan bus terminal bombing the left seven persons dead and two dozen others wounded in October 2012.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) head, Director Guillermo Eleazar on Tuesday said suspect Abdurahman Mataud Daiyung was arrested in Ermita in Manila on Sunday morning.
Daiyung has a standing arrest warrant for kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with his active participation in the ASG's 2001 kidnapping of 15 employees of Golden Harvest Plantation in Barangay Tairan, Lantawan, Basilan, led by the late Isnilon Hapilon.

The local court will be duly informed of the arrest in the procedural return of warrant process as soon as documentation and debriefing are completed.

Eleazar said Daiyung’s arrest stemmed from the information provided to the police by Sudias Asmad, 25, another suspect in the kidnapping of the plantation employees.

Asmad was arrested in Binondo, Manila on December 20.

Eleazar said Asmad and Daiyung were both positively identified by their victims as among those who held them.

He said they have yet to obtain information on the possible involvement of the two suspects in any terror plot in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Eleazar, however, clarified that there is nothing to worry about the arrest of several ASG members in the region.

"There is nothing alarming because Abu Sayyaf has active and inactive members. They also have sympathizers and supporters. Right now, we are determining whether he is an active member because our basis for his arrest is the warrant of arrest for a case that happened a long time ago," he told reporters in a press briefing in Camp Crame.

While they have yet to determine how many ASG members are in Metro Manila, Eleazar assured that the police are gathering information to foil any terror plot.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061667

Manila court orders DOJ to summon Joma in 'terror tag' plea

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 12, 2019): Manila court orders DOJ to summon Joma in 'terror tag' plea

A Manila court hearing the government's petition to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People's Army (CPP-NPA) as terrorist organizations has dropped more than 600 names in the original petition filed by the government against the rebel group.

In an eight-page resolution dated February 1, Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 19 Judge Marlo A. Magdoza-Malagar also directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to instead serve summons to the organizations, through the terror groups' known leaders Jose Maria Sison and Antonio Cabanatan.
"The addresses of Jose Maria Sison and Antonio Cabanatan being unknown, service of summons shall be made by publication," the court ruled.

The order expunged the names of more than 600 personalities in the original government petition but whose links to the organization were not substantiated by evidence.

The DOJ has identified eight individuals as current officers of the CPP-NPA on whom summons may be served namely Sison, Cabanatan, Jorge Madlos, Jaime Padilla, Francisco Fernandez, Cloefe Lagapon, Leonido Nabong and Myrna Solarte.

The magistrate explained that "its interest in ensuring the petitioner (DOJ) identified only those with unassailable links to the respondent-organizations is not because these parties are considered respondents to the petition but only because their undisputed link to the CPP-NPA is necessary for this court to ensure proper service of summons and acquire jurisdiction over the instant petition and herein respondents,"

The court, in underscoring Sison's links, cited sworn statements from a number of individuals executed between 2003 and 2014 including the sworn statement of Ruben Guevarra dated Jan. 15, 2003 executed at the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) referring to Sison as the CPP-NPA Central Committee and Military Commission chairman and the direct head and mover of the NPA and the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Likewise cited was the sworn statement of Veronica Tabara dated May 22, 2006 and Oct. 9, 2006 in Sibulan, Negros Oriental referring to Sison as the founding, elected and recognized chairman of the Central Committee of the CPP/NPA/NDF.

The court also considered affidavits of Gloria Asuncion in May 2006 naming Sison as the chief of the Political Bureau and the Executive Committee and Military Commission of the CPP/NPA as well as sworn statements of Rafael Cruz, Glecerio Roluna, and Numeriano Beringuel in Tacloban City.

The court also noted that an indictment in 2007 before the Hilongos, Leyte RTC Branch 18 accused Sison as leader of the NPA members who were behind the murder of 15 persons whose bodies were found buried in a mass grave at Sitio Mt. Sapang Dako, Barangay Kauslisihan, Inopacan, Leyte.

An indictment in 2014 pending before the Manila RTC Branch 32 also named Sison for the murder of Juanita Aviola who was among those found buried in the Leyte along with Concepcion Aragon, Gregorio Eras, Teodoro Recones Jr., Restituto Ejoc, Rolando Vasquez, Junior Milyapis, Crispin Dalmacio, Zacarias Casil, Pablo Daniel, Romeo Tayabas, Domingo Napules, Ciriaco Daniel, Crispin Prado, Ereberto Prado. The deaths are suspected to be a purging by the organization of suspected military spies within its ranks.

The court said the DOJ's amended petition excluding the names of personalities alleged to be members of the CPP-NPA shall be taken as basis for the court to declare nine individuals along with the 600 other personalities as "non-parties"

The nine, namely Joanna Carino, Joan Carlin, Jeannette Ribaya-Cawiding, Beverly L. Longid, Windel B. Bolinget Sr., Elisa Tita Lubi, Rey Claro Casambre, Sherwin De Vera and Randall B. Echanis as well as the more than 600 personalities named and enumerated in the DOJ's original petition were labeled non-parties to the government's amended petition.

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra clarified that it is the CPP-NPA and not the individuals mentioned in the petition who are the subject of the action for a judicial declaration (or proscription) as terrorists.

"The individuals were named only for the purpose of serving summons on entities with unknown addresses. The increase or decrease in their number has no relevance to the main cause of action," Guevarra told the Philippine News Agency.

The CPP-NPA has been tagged as a terror group by the United States and the European Union.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061702

TESDA can help improve ex-rebels’ lives: PCOO

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 12, 2019): TESDA can help improve ex-rebels’ lives: PCOO

Skills training programs being offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) can significantly improve the lives of former communist rebels, the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) said.

PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar said this as he commended TESDA-Caraga for launching its Empleyado Kabuhayan Program which will give employees skills demonstrations and development training to enhance their livelihood.

“Ako po’y natutuwa dahil napaka-successful ng launching ng programa ng TESDA dito sa Caraga Region (I am pleased because the launching of TESDA-Caraga’s program here was very successful),” Andanar told reporters in a chance interview in Surigao City on Monday, February 11.

“Marami sa dating rebelde ang gustong bumalik na sa lipunan. Napakalaki ng tulong ng TESDA para mabigyan sila ng kapasidad tulad ng mga hanapbuhay (There are a lot of rebels who want to return to the fold of law. TESDA plays a huge part in providing former rebels with capacity to start their own livelihood),” he added.

Andanar emphasized that President Rodrigo R. Duterte himself called on TESDA to enhance its capacity-building programs to help former communist rebels.

Earlier, TESDA Director General Isidro Lapeña, who earlier said that poverty was among the root causes of insurgency, urged communist rebels to rejoin society.

Lapeña said his agency will present rebels with better livelihood opportunities.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061703

ASG member yields amid intensified military offensive in Sulu

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 12, 2019): ASG member yields amid intensified military offensive in Sulu

Abu Sayyaf Group member Basari Sali, 60 (left), turns over a Garand rifle when he surrendered on Sunday to the Philippine Marine Ready Force-Sulu in Panamao, Sulu. (Photo courtesy of Naval Forces Western Mindanao Public Affairs Office)

A follower of senior Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leader Radulan Sahiron has surrendered as government troops continue to hunt down and pound the ASG bandits in the hinterlands of Sulu, a military official said Monday.

Col. Gerry Besana, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) information officer, identified the ASG surrenderer as Basari Sali, 60, who surrendered to the Philippine Marine Ready Force-Sulu (PMRF-S) on Sunday in Panamao, Sulu.

Lt. Col. Hilario De Vera Jr., PMRF-S deputy commander, received Sali when he surrendered and turned over a Garand rifle.

Sali was subsequently brought to Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital for a medical checkup prior being turned over to the Joint Task Force Sulu for proper disposition.

Besana said the surrender of Sali was facilitated by the local government officials of Panamao municipality.

“The intensive efforts and dedication of the government troops, particularly the Fleet-Marine forces in Sulu, led to the surrender of Sali and the recovery of a loose firearm,” said Rear Adm. Rene Medina, Naval Forces Western Mindanao command chief.

“Your navy will continue its stand to deny and eliminate the presence of terrorists in its area of operations,” Medina added.

Lt. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, Westmincom chief, said they anticipate that more ASG bandits will abandon the group and surrender to the troops in Sulu “with the escalated offensives and the pursuit of remaining terrorists.”

“Nevertheless, our heightened operations will continue to crush the militants and suppress terrorism in the province (of Sulu),” dela Vega added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1061641