3 soldiers hurt in Maguindanao blast

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 24, 2020): 3 soldiers hurt in Maguindanao blast (By Noel Punzalan)

Google map of Ampatuan town, Maguindanao province.

Three government troopers were wounded when an anti-personnel mine exploded in Ampatuan, Maguindanao on Thursday morning.

Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander, was unable to identify the injured soldiers pending notices to their respective families.

Uy said troopers of the 57th Infantry Battalion were conducting combat clearing operation at the time of the explosion that occurred around 7:15 a.m. in Barangay Salman of the municipality.

The wounded personnel were immediately evacuated to the Camp Siongco Hospital in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, he said.

“We deployed additional troops to cordon the area and establish the circumstances,” Uy, concurrent head of Joint Task Force Central, added.

Initial reports from the military said the roadside bomb bore the signature style of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) operating in the area.

Additional troops were sent to the area to pursue the bombers who fled to the interiors of the village, Uy said.

On Sept. 18, a Marine soldier was killed while four of his colleagues were wounded when a roadside bomb also went off in adjacent Datu Hoffer town in the province.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116483

Army recovers 1.5K ammos in remote Butuan village

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 24, 2020): Army recovers 1.5K ammos in remote Butuan village (By Alexander Lopez)

CACHE OF AMMOS. Government troops under the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion recover Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 23, 2020) more than 1,500 rounds of ammunition for high-power firearms believed owned by the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in a forested area of Sitio Palo, Barangay Nong-nong, Butuan City. The military in the area has called on the remaining rebels to surrender. (Photo courtesy of 23IB)

BUTUAN CITY – Government forces under the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion recovered more than 1,500 pieces of ammunition for high-power firearms in a forested area of Sitio Palo, Barangay Nong-nong here.

1st Lt. Roel Maglalang, 23IB civil-military operations officer, said the cache of ammunition recovered during a combat operation on Sept. 23 are believed to be owned by the communist New People’s Army (NPA) operating in the area, in particular the Guerrilla Front (GF) 4A.

“Concerned civilians in the community informed our troopers on the presence of the Communist NPA Terrorist (CNT) members in the area and the location of a hideout being utilized by the rebels where assorted ammunition are concealed,” Maglalang told the Philippine News Agency Thursday.

Lt. Col. Julius Cesar Paulo, 23IB commander, thanked the residents in the area for “bravely providing the Army positive and timely information on the whereabouts of the enemies.”

"We are glad that the residents in barangays in Butuan City and the rest of Agusan del Norte are now supporting the government to end the local communist armed conflicts,” Paulo said in a statement.

He underscored the importance of "cooperation and active participation of civilians" in the discoveries of NPA hideouts as well as firearms and supplies in the area in August this year.

“In the past month, we also recovered, landmine depots, firearms, and supplies in different CNT hideouts within our area of operations through the information provided by the concerned residents,” the Army official said.

He also lambasted the remaining NPA rebels in the area for "adding more burden to residents amidst the hardships they face due to the impacts of the present pandemic."

“We once again call on the remaining CNT members and leaders to surrender now. Let's end the 51 years of hopeless armed struggle and embrace the true meaning of peace,” Paulo said, adding that the government is always ready to accept and support surrenderers through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP).

“But if you insist to stay with your weakening movement and fight the government, the army will not hesitate to use its arms to protect the people and the communities,” Paulo said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116512

Army condemns NPA's use of IEDs in Davao Oro

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 24, 2020): Army condemns NPA's use of IEDs in Davao Oro (By Che Palicte)

NPA BOMBS. Troops belonging to the Army's 71st Infantry Battalion recover three improvised explosive devices in Brgy. Cabuyoan, Mabini, Davao de Oro province on Monday (Sept. 20, 2020). The bombs are believed to be owned by the communist’s New People's Army, which has been condemned for using prohibited weapons under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. (Photo courtesy of 71IB)

The Army's 71st Infantry Battalion (71IB) condemned Thursday the communist’s New People's Army (NPA) for using improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which are prohibited under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

The condemnation came after 71IB troops recovered three IEDs in Brgy. Cabuyoan, Mabini town, Davao de Oro province, on September 20.

Each IED weighs around seven kilograms, enough to blow up a heavy vehicle or building once detonated, the 71IB said in a statement.

“The 'to-whom-it-may-concern' explosive was buried along a utility road which could kill a number of people within its fatal radius once triggered,” the Army unit said.

Aside from human rights violations, 71IB said the use of IED is also a violation of the Republic Act (RA) 9851, An Act Defining and Penalizing Crimes against Humanity especially on the Use of Weapons prohibited in Warfare such as Landmines.

Prohibited in the said act are "weapons, projectiles, materials, and methods of warfare which are of the nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering.”

Lt. Col. Sonny Gonzales, 71IB commander, said the "NPA brazenly disregard the CARHRIHL and other related human rights laws by the continuous use of IED".

The 71IB recovered an IED together with two high-power firearms after an armed encounter in April.

The 71IB has operation jurisdiction of the municipalities of Mawab, Maco, Mabini, Pantukan, and four barangays of Nabunturan, all in Davao de Oro, including Tagum City in Davao del Norte.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116543

Gapay regrets shutdown of 'Hands Off Our Children' FB page

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 24, 2020): Gapay regrets shutdown of 'Hands Off Our Children' FB page (By Priam Nepomuceno)

STOP DECEPTIVE RECRUITMENT. Mothers, whose children were recruited by groups allied with communist terrorists, wear shirts that say "Hands Off Our Children". Armed Forces chief, Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, on Thursday (Sept. 24, 2020) expressed regret over Facebook's decision to take down the page with the same name, whose advocacy is to prevent minors from being recruited into organizations espousing violent extremism. (Photo from Hands Off Our Children FB page)

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday expressed regret over Facebook's decision to take down the page of "Hands Off Our Children", whose advocacy is to prevent minors from being recruited into organizations espousing violent extremism.

In a statement, AFP Chief-of-Staff, Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, acknowledged that the page was instrumental to the campaign to raise awareness of the vulnerability of children in the hands of communist front organizations.

"The Armed Forces of the Philippines regrets the decision of Facebook to take down the page of Hands Off Our Children, a campaign launched by a group of parents who are fighting to protect their children against violent extremism," Gapay said. "Its arbitrary shutdown adds to the limited spaces afforded to them and the unsympathetic ears of some sectors."

The group's grievances are legitimate and calls against violent extremism are urgent, Gapay said, noting that communist terrorists have been known to recruit and victimize students, conditioning them to become cadres and members of the New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

Facebook earlier shut down pages, accounts, groups, and Instagram profiles managed by people allegedly affiliated with the Philippine military and police for "coordinated inauthentic behavior."

Gapay said the military stands by the parents whose children were recruited by groups allied with communist terrorists.

"The AFP stands by and extends its immutable support to Jacqueline Mendoza, Relissa Lucena, Jovita Antoniano, and Elvy Caalaman, among countless other parents who have become the faces of Hands Off Our Children and were affected by this incident," he said.

Gapay said the AFP looks to a new partnership with Facebook Philippines that similar legitimate advocacies would be respected, if not uplifted, to prevent the spread of violent extremism and protect Filipino children from the communist terror group.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116440

Teacher vocal about NPA youth recruitment hit by FB 'purge'

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 24, 2020): Teacher vocal about NPA youth recruitment hit by FB 'purge' (By Christine Cudis)

Hands Off Our Children founder Gemma Labsan

Gemma Labsan was among the more than 155 Facebook users whose accounts were recently suspended by social media giant Facebook.

She started using Facebook in 2009 mainly to connect with relatives and her husband, who is a seafarer.

Amid the pandemic, Labsan shared that she has been preparing learning modules and engaging her senior high school students as part of her job to teach Accountancy, Business, and Management Strand (ABM) in a public school in Quezon City.

She said she has also been busy coordinating with her colleagues at work and addressing concerns of parents of her students regarding the new mode of learning.

“Facebook Messenger is the easiest tool of communication that I share with my students, their parents, and the other teachers in my school. It is important for me as a teacher. I rely on it since everyone I need to connect with is also using it,” she told the Philippine News Agency in an interview on Thursday.

On September 22, Facebook’s head of security policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said they have decided to remove some 155 accounts, 11 pages, nine groups, and six Instagram accounts for violating the company’s policy "against foreign or government interference which is coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign or government entity."

“This activity originated in China and focused primarily on the Philippines and Southeast Asia more broadly, and also on the United States,” Gleicher added.

The Facebook official said they have found two separate networks violating the policy against coordinated inauthentic behavior (CIB).

One of these networks originated in China and the other one, in the Philippines.

“In each case, the people behind this activity coordinated with one another and used fake accounts as a central part of their operations to mislead people about who they are and what they are doing, and that was the basis for our action,” Gleicher explained.

"When we investigate and remove these operations, we focus on behavior rather than content, no matter who’s behind them, what they post, or whether they’re foreign or domestic," he added.

Labsan, on the other hand, said with her 11 years on Facebook, she was only met with this kind of “wrongful accusation” when she started being vocal against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA).

Labsan first appeared in the public eye in a Senate hearing in 2019 on issues about missing minors who have been allegedly recruited by organizations with links to the communist terrorist movement.

Of the five sets of parents who appealed for the government’s help in the Senate, Labsan was the only one whose child is in her custody, while the rest of the children have reportedly become “fully-fledged” in the movement and refused to contact their families.

In the hearing, she was in tears showing copies of photos where her child went with a teacher and other students during street rallies while President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last year.

She shared that she made it her mission to start an information drive for parents of incoming college students and those whose children have become “radicalized by the communist ideology”.

In the same year, Labsan founded "Hands Off Our Children" along with other parents whose kids were also reportedly taken by militant groups supportive of the ideologies espoused by the CPP-NPA.

Hands Off Our Children, she said, has expressed support to the plight of a fellow member, Relissa Lucena, who filed a writ of amparo and habeas corpus petition before the Supreme court in May against Anakbayan leaders, saying her daughter was "indoctrinated" and recruited by the militant group when she was still a minor, which led to her disappearance.

Labsan’s Hands Off Our Children group, along with the League of Parents of the Philippines and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, cascade information on Facebook about Lucena’s petition against Kabataan party-list Rep. Sarah Elago and members and recruiters of Anakbayan.

“Hindi po fake ang Hands Off Our Children Page at mas lalo hindi fake na mga magulang, kami ay mga ordinaryong pamilya na naglakas ng loob ilantad at ibahagi ang aming totoong karanasan sa mga anak namin na ni-recruit ng Kabataan (Hands Off Our Children Page is not fake and we are most definitely not fake parents. We are ordinary Filipino families who risk our safety just to expose what the Kabataan group has done to our family),” she said.

The Facebook accounts of those supporting their causes, Anabelle Sabado, Luisa Espina, and her daughter, were also among those included in the so-called "purge".

“Mga admin din po sila ng page namin (They are administrators in our page),” she said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116505

US bill seeking to halt aid to PH police, military 'wild' idea

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 24, 2020): US bill seeking to halt aid to PH police, military 'wild' idea (By Azer Parrocha)

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque (File photo)

Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild's introduction of a bill seeking to suspend the US security assistance to the Philippines over alleged human rights violations is a "very wild suggestion”, Malacañang said Thursday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made this statement after the US lawmaker filed the measure before the US Congress in response to the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, which she said attacks activists and political opponents of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Roque said the Palace won’t meddle with affairs of sovereign countries such as the US but expressed confidence that the administration of US President Donald Trump recognizes the importance of maintaining security and defense cooperation between the US and the Philippines.

“Kampante nga tayo na sa tingin ko, kinikilala naman ng Estados Unidos ang halaga ng Pilipinas sa pagiging partner niya pagdating din sa mga usaping national security ng Estados Unidos mismo (I am confident, I think, that the US recognizes the importance of being a partner of the Philippines when it comes to matters concerning national Security of the US),” Roque said in a virtual Palace briefing.

He also pointed out that Duterte and Trump share close ties.

“Dahil sa malapit na pagkakaibigan ng ating Presidente kay President Trump ay nakikita ang halaga ng patuloy na kooperasyon sa parte po ng Estados Unidas at ng Pilipinas (Because of the friendship between our President with President Trump, they will see the importance of continued cooperation between the US and Philippines),” he added.

The Philippines is the only US treaty ally bordering the South China Sea.

According to Roque, a lawmaker could introduce any bill, but the chances of its passage are slim.

“Kahit sino naman pong kongresista pupuwedeng maghain ng panukalang batas pero ang chances na yang panukalang batas po na maisabatas ay napakaliit po (Any solon can file a proposed law but the chances are slim that it would be signed into law),” he said.

Roque said he would leave it to the US Congress to believe in Wild's “personal opinion”.

“Hayaan na po natin gumulong ang proseso sa Estados Unidos pero iisa lang po ‘yan out of ilang hundreds of congressmen and women ang nasa US Congress (Let the process in the US run its course but it’s only one of hundreds of congressmen and women in the US Congress),” he said.

Roque said the measure would also need the approval of the US Senate for concurrence.

“Kinakailangan aprubahan pa rin po ‘yan ng Senado dahil kapareho naman ng sistema ng America at Pilipinas pagdating sa legislation (It would still need approval of the Senate because the legislative system in the America and the Philippines is similar),” he said.

In the Philippines, around 30 petitions have been filed questioning the legality of the Anti-Terrorism law including those filed by former government officials, human rights advocates, and religious groups.

Malacañang has repeatedly defended the law, saying it has enough safeguards against possible abuses.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116529

Army wants FB clarification on officer’s taken down page

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 24, 2020): Army wants FB clarification on officer’s taken down page (By Priam Nepomuceno)

The Philippine Army (PA) on Thursday said it would coordinate with Facebook to know why it took down the personal FB page of one of its officers.

PA spokesperson Col. Ramon Zagala made this comment in a virtual press conference after Capt. Alexandre Cabales was identified by the Digital Forensic Research Laboratory (DFRLab) as one of the operators of a network of pages earlier taken down by Facebook for "coordinated inauthentic behavior".

Zagala said the PA might also communicate with DFRLab to determine the reason for taking down Cabales FB page.

He confirmed that Cabales runs the Social Media Center of the PA Civic-Military Operations Regiment and former spokesperson of the Compostela Valley-based 10th Infantry Division. He also runs the PA's social media platform "Kalinaw News".

"What Facebook said, I think they were mentioning (coordinated inauthentic) behavior. They did not mention content," he said.

Zagala said the social media giant has to tell them what content Cabales did put out to warrant the removal of his account.

"In the meantime, we will coordinate with Facebook and ask what Capt. Cabales (exactly) did, they're simply telling (coordinated inauthentic) behavior, that's your policy, you have to tell us what content did he put out there that warrant this take down," he added.

Zagala said they will wait for Cabales to return from Sulu for more explanations.

"We will wait for him to come and we will talk to him further," he added.

Zagala said Cabales admitted to being the administrator of the "Hands Off Our Children", one of the many pages Facebook took down earlier.

"Hands Off Our Children" is an advocacy consisting of parents whose goal is to prevent organizations with violent extremism leanings from recruiting children or minors.

"It is possible that the taking down of (Cabales') Facebook page is connected to that. So, we have to look further into it," he added.

Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Marine Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo earlier said AFP chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay asked Facebook Philippine Policy Team led by Clare Amador if it is possible for social media giant to restore "Hands Off Our Children".

"Specifically, he (Gapay) inquired if FB can restore 'Hands Off Our Children' and other groups of similar advocacies like preventing child exploitation and trafficking of minors, and combating terrorism that may have been taken down," he added.

Arevalo said the AFP chief urged Amador and her team to look into the process they observe in unilaterally removing accounts.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116519

Chinese military presence doesn't mean SCS ownership: Palace

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 24, 2020): Chinese military presence doesn't mean SCS ownership: Palace (By Azer Parrocha)

File photo

Chinese military presence in territories claimed by the Philippines will "never ripen" into a valid legal ownership, Malacañang said Thursday.

In a virtual Palace briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the 2016 Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling has already invalidated China's expansive claim in the South China Sea.

He said President Rodrigo Duterte, who invoked the arbitral ruling for the first time before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last Wednesday, reasserted that the arbitral victory cannot be erased or ignored since it is already part of international law.

“Ang tinutukoy po diyan ng ating Presidente, kahit anong physical military occupation nila sa mga isla na ang sabi naman ng Tribunal ay kabahagi ng ating (The President is saying that whatever physical military occupation they have in the islands, which the Tribunal ruled is part of our) exclusive economic zone (EEZ), will never ripen into a valid legal title,” he said.

He, however, recognized the presence of Chinese Coast Guards near the EEZ as part of freedom of navigation.

“Alam ninyo po sa EEZ kasi, lahat po ng mga sasakyan ay may kalayaang maglayag. So iyong paglalayag po mismo sa EEZ ay hindi po pinagbabawal (You know the EEZ, all ships have freedom of navigation. So navigating in the EEZ is not illegal),” he said.

Asked if the Philippines is open to proposing a resolution before the UNGA calling on China to respect The Hague ruling, Roque said "anything is possible."

“But there has not been any step to that effect ordered by the Palace yet,” he added.

Roque, meanwhile, welcomed praises from incumbent and former Cabinet officials on Duterte's speech, but reminded them that it was also “a restatement of an old existing policy.”

“Kampanya pa lang po, sinabi ni Presidente, hindi niya isu-surrender ang maski isang inch ng ating teritoryo, so iyan po ay pagiging consistent lamang na wala po tayong ipamimigay na teritoryo at paninindigan po natin iyong ating panalo sa (Since his campaign, the President was already saying he would not surrender even an inch of our territory, so he was just being consistent that we won’t give up our territory and we will invoke our victory at the) UN Tribunal of the Law of the Sea,” he said.

Don’t dictate

After Duterte invoked the arbitral ruling, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, who praised the President’s move, said the next step is to rally support from more countries.

Roque, however, dismissed del Rosario’s suggestion, saying he was not entitled to dictate on the President on what to do.

“He (del Rosario) is a Filipino, he is entitled to speak pero parang hindi po maganda na dinidiktihan niya ang Presidente. Hindi ko po alam kung ano ang special qualification niya para diktahan niya ang isang Presidente (it’s not good to dictate on the President. I don’t know what special qualifications he has to dictate on the President),” he said.

He again blamed the former Foreign Affairs chief for losing control over the Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) during the previous administration.

Despite Duterte’s invocation of the arbitral ruling, Roque said he does not think the sea row would be resolved anytime soon.

“I don’t think the resolution of the territorial dispute is forthcoming in our lifetime. So hayaan muna po natin iyan, basta nandiyan po ang desisyon diyan, malinaw kung ano ang nakasaad sa (let’s leave it be, the decision is there, it’s clearly stated in) international law,” he said.

The sea row, he said, is not the sum total of bilateral relations between the Philippines and China.

“The President has been consistent – we will move on matters that we could move forward on including trade and investments; and we will, for the time being, set this aside,” he added.

In his debut speech at the UNGA, Duterte asserted the Philippines’ arbitral ruling which invalidated China's expansive claim in the South China Sea.

Duterte said the arbitral ruling “is now part of international law, beyond compromise and beyond the reach of passing governments to dilute, diminish or abandon.”

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116559

Palace believes AFP not involved in fake FB accounts

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 24, 2020): Palace believes AFP not involved in fake FB accounts (By Azer Parrocha)

MANILA – Malacañang believes that none of the fake accounts taken down by Facebook are accounts managed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

“We have to believe the Armed Forces of the Philippines when they said that they have no official pages taken down by Facebook,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual Palace briefing.

Roque said government officials also have the freedom to air their sentiments.

“You know, even government officials do have freedom of expression. What is prohibited is if this is done in official mediums maintained by the Republic of the Philippines,” he said.

He also noted that code of conduct extends to government officials’ social media accounts.

Facebook earlier took down over 100 fake accounts linked to police and military units for involvement in “coordinated inauthentic behavior.”

Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook cybersecurity policy chief, claimed that the fake accounts revolved around criticism of the opposition, activism, and communism.

The accounts have been most active when talks about the Anti-Terrorist Act of 2020 started last year, he said.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) tagged as "unofficial and unauthorized" comments, opinions of individuals and groups not related to the agency's activities.

Likewise, the AFP said all of the military's social media accounts are "up and running".

Roque expressed hope that Facebook would exercise prudence in taking down accounts.

“We hope the social media giant would exercise prudence in all its actions to remove any doubt of bias given its power, influence and reach,” Roque said in a statement on Wednesday.

Roque said the taking down of the fake accounts is a matter that the government leaves to the “sound judgement and discretion” of the popular global social networking firm.

“We are one in advocating the truth and dismissing disinformation, lies or hatred,” he said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116560

Kalinaw News: Nagtipunan Resident surrenders M16 rifle to 86th Infantry Battalion thru Community Support Program

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 24, 2020): Nagtipunan Resident surrenders M16 rifle to 86th Infantry Battalion thru Community Support Program

Camp Melchor F Dela Cruz, Upi, Gamu, Isabela- The 86th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army facilitated the surrender of a high-powered firearm believed to be owned by a member of Rehiyon Sentro de Grabidad, KR-CV on September 23, 2020 at Barangay San Ramos, Nagtipunan, Quirino.

A resident from the said barangay surrendered the M16 rifle that he kept since July 26, 2017. According to the resident, he found the M16 rifle at the site of encounter between the troops of 86IB and the communist terrorist group. The surrender of firearm was made possible thru the Community Support Program (CSP) of the government troops.

The continuous dialogue of CSP teams with the residents enlightened them to pursue peace and progress instead of supporting the rebels.

BGen Laurence E Mina PA, Commander, 5ID, thanked the residents of Barangay San Ramos for their trust and support to the 86IB CSP teams in the province of Quirino. “Cooperation and support of the people is a key factor in our campaign against insurgency. It is high time that everyone gets involved to end insurgency and work as one to pursue the genuine peace and progress that we truly deserve.”

The surrendered M16 was brought to 86IB Headquarters for documentation and proper disposition.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/nagtipunan-resident-surrenders-m16-rifle-to-86th-infantry-battalion-thru-community-support-program/

Kalinaw News: Bagani Training CL 04-20 sinimulan

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 24, 2020): Bagani Training CL 04-20 sinimulan

Malapatan, Sarangani Province – Sinimulan ang Bagani Training CL 04-20 na may 83 na partisipante ng Brgy. Algeria, Datal Anggas, Spring, Pag-asa at Brgy Paraiso ng Alabel, Sarangani Province kahapon, Setyembre 22, 2020 sa kampo ng Alpha Company, 73IB, 10ID, PA.

Binigyang-dangal ni Hon. Vic Paul Salarda, Alkalde ng munisipyo kasama si Manuelo Mangalon, IPMR, Pastor Bryan Aungon, Spritwal Adviser ng Sulong Sarangani at Punong Barangay ng Datal Anggas na si Roldan Salimama.

Binahagi naman ni Hon. Salarda ang kanyang pasasalamat sa pagpunta ng bagong grupo ng training. “Rest assured na pagkatapos ng inyong training ay magkakaroon kayo ng trabaho sa pamamagitan ng Bantay Kalikasan na popondohan ng LGU at DENR,” kanyang sabi

Saad naman ni Lt. Col. Ronaldo G Valdez, Kumander ng 73IB, na ang Bagani ay handa nang harapin ang isasagawang training at nawa’y pahalagahan ang lahat ng ituturo sa kanila.

Para sa inpormasyon ng lahat, nagkaroon ng Bagani Training CL 03-20 nitong Agosto 18, 2020 at magkakaroon din ng ibang training ang ibang munisipyo sa susunod na buwan.



[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/bagani-training-cl-04-20-sinimulan-2/

Kalinaw News: Army recovers cache of NPA ammunition in Butuan village

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 24, 2020): Army recovers cache of NPA ammunition in Butuan village

BUENAVISTA, Agusan del Norte – Troopers from the 23rd Infantry (Masigasig) Battalion seized thousands of ammunition concealed in a hideout abandoned by the members of the Communist New People’s Army Terrorist (CNT) in the forested area of Sitio Palo, Barangay Nong-nong, Butuan City on the morning of September 23, 2020.

Following a report given by concerned civilians on the activities of the CNTs and the location of a hideout in the area, the 23rd IB troopers immediately conducted a combat operation that led to the discovery and seizure of the cache of ammunition. The abandoned CNT hideout is capable of accommodating around ten (10) persons.

Recovered from the site are one thousand two hundred (1,200) rounds ammunition for Carbine rifle, three hundred ninety (390) rounds for Garand rifle, and one (1) long magazine for M16 rifle.

Lt. Col. Julius Cesar C. Paulo, the Acting Commander of 23rd IB expressed gratitude to the concerned citizens who bravely provided positive and timely information to the government forces regarding the whereabouts of the enemies.

“We are glad that the residents in barangays are now willingly and bravely supporting us in ending the insurgency in conflict-affected areas of Butuan City and Agusan del Norte,” Paulo said.

He added that through the cooperation and active participation of civilians, the Army is able to uncover another CNT hideout concealed with supplies and cache of ammunition for high-powered firearms.

“In the past month, we also recovered, landmine depots, firearms and supply cache in different CNT hideouts within our area of operations through the information provided by the concerned residents,” Paulo said.

He also lambasted the remaining members of the CNT in the area of their continuing terroristic activities such as extortion of money and food from poor residents in communities who have been suffering for months now due to the impacts of the pandemic.

“We once again call on the remaining CNT members and leaders to surrender now. Let us end the fifty-one (51) years of hopeless armed struggle and embrace the true meaning of peace,” Paulo said.

He added that the government is always ready to help those who will return to the fold of the law through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).

“But if you insist to stay with your weakening movement, the army will not hesitate to use its arms against you,” Paulo said.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/army-recovers-cache-of-npa-ammunition-in-butuan-village/

Kalinaw News: NPA Guerrilla Front Secretary, Three others surrender in Sibugay

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 24, 2020): NPA Guerrilla Front Secretary, Three others surrender in Sibugay

CAMP SANG-AN, Zamboanga del Sur – An NPA Guerrilla Front Secretary and three of her comrades’ surrendered to Army’s 44th Infantry Battalion at their headquarters in Brgy. Lower Baluran, Imelda, Zamboanga Sibugay Province, Thursday, September 24, 2020.

Cinderella Yursua also known as alias “Ason/Alice/Cora/Sonia, the Front Secretary of the defunct Flex B and GF 13 of Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee, surrendered herself to Lt. Col. Don Templonuevo, 44th IB Commander.

Three others were identified as Mercy Fabillar y Alvares or known as “Cindy/Nicole” a team leader; Liezel Ann Culot y Caňete or known as “Mayang/Jessa” a Medic; while Candido Cabillo y Pormento, a known underground NPA organizer.

According to Lt. Col. Templonuevo, series of encounters with government forces and the relentless operations led them to surrender.

It was also found out during the custodial debriefing that husbands of Yursua and Alvares were both killed in a separate clash with the troops.

Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, 102nd Infantry Brigade Commander who has operational jurisdiction of Zamboanga Sibugay, expressed his delight on the surrender of the four communist terrorist member.

“We always remind the communist terrorist group that the government is sincere in its programs and will expend all its efforts just to defeat the decades-long insurgency”, said Brig. Gen. Nicolas.

Maj. Gen. Gene Ponio, the 1st Infantry Division commander, urged the surrenderees to join hands with the government in its peace and development efforts.

“We all know how experienced you are in mass-based organizing, and we encouraged you to help us in our community development efforts, especially in the geographically isolated areas where you considered it as your safe haven and where most of your fighter came from”, said Maj. Gen. Ponio.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/npa-guerrilla-front-secretary-three-others-surrender-in-sibugay/

Kalinaw News: CSAFP Statement on HOOC Facebook Page Shutdown

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 24, 2020): CSAFP Statement on HOOC Facebook Page Shutdown

The Armed Forces of the Philippines regrets the decision of Facebook to take down the page of Hands Off Our Children, a campaign launched by a group of parents who are fighting to protect their children against violent extremism.

Their grievances are legitimate, and their calls urgent. The recruitment machinery of the communist terrorist group has long been found to victimize students, conditioning them to become cadres and armed members of the New People’s Army.

Their Facebook Page was instrumental to their campaign to raise awareness on the vulnerability of children at the hands of communist front organizations. Its arbitrary shutdown adds to the limited spaces afforded to them and the unsympathetic ears of some sectors.

The AFP stands by and extends its immutable support to Jacqueline Mendoza, Relissa Lucena, Jovita Antoniano, and Elvy Caalaman, among countless other parents who have become the faces of Hands Off Our Children and were affected by this incident.

We hope that, as we look on to a new partnership with Facebook Philippines, that similar legitimate advocacies will be respected, if not uplifted, to prevent the spread of violent extremism and protect every Filipino child from the communist terror group.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/csafp-statement-on-hooc-facebook-page-shutdown/

Kalinaw News: Brazen Disregard of Human Rights in Davao de Oro

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 24, 2020): Brazen Disregard of Human Rights in Davao de Oro

Mawab, Davao de Oro — Populace in Davao de Oro condemns the New People’s Army (NPA) for using improvised explosive devices (IED) which are prohibited in the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

The 71st Infantry KAIBIGAN Battalion (71IB) recovered 3 IEDs in Sitio Bunglas, Brgy Cabuyoan, Mabini, Davao de Oro last 21 September. Each IED weighs around 7kg, enough to blow up a heavy vehicle or building in a split second once detonated. The “to-whom-it-may-concern” explosive was buried along a utility road which could kill a number of people within its fatal radius once triggered.

The CARHRIHL clearly stipulates that the international human rights law should be applied to protect the rights of persons who do not take part in hostilities. However, the NPA laid the mines along the way of the locals of Sitio Bunglas to their farms. Luckily, a member of the NPA who surrendered to this unit lately divulged the location of the mines they laid in the said Sitio.

The use of IED is also a violation of Republic Act (RA) 9851, An Act Defining and Penalizing Crimes against Humanity especially on the Use of Weapons prohibited in Warfare such as Landmines. Prohibited in the said act are “weapons, projectiles, materials and methods of warfare which are of the nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering.”

Locals in the said sitio were thankful to the 71IB for successfully removing the mines from their sitio while expressing condemnation to the NPA. For the past months, former members of the underground mass organization all over Davao de Oro declared the CPP-NPA-NDF as persona non grata and condemned them through peace rallies.

LTC Sonny Gonzales said that the “NPA brazenly disregard the CARHRIL and other related human rights laws by the continuous use of IED.” It can be recalled that the 71IB recovered an IED together with 2 high powered firearms after an armed encounter last April.

The 71st IB intensifies its military operations to finally end local armed conflict in the municipalities of Mawab, Maco, Mabini, Pantukan, and 4 barangays of Nabunturan, all of Davao de Oro and Tagum City of Davao del Norte.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/brazen-disregard-of-human-rights-in-davao-de-oro/