From the Sun Star (May 21): NPA commander surrenders in Kalinga
A unit commander of the communist New People's Army (NPA), wanted by a local criminal court for multiple counts of murder and robbery, surrendered to police authorities last Sunday.
In a statement released Monday, provincial police chief Froilan Perez identified the rebel leader as Benigno Conggas Cagwayan, 48, who used the aliases Dukang, Mel, and Garcia.
Cagwayan, who is the commander of the NPA's 2nd Larangan Yunit Guerilya operating in Kalinga province, has six warrants of arrest for double murder, frustrated murder, three counts of murder, and robbery with violence against Cagwan.
He carried a P500,000 bounty on his head, Perez said.
Cordillera police chief Benjamin Magalong believed that Cagwans' surrender significantly weakened the force of the NPA in the region.
"It is an indication that even ranking leaders don't believe of the cause and the violent means the CPP-NDF-NPA [Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front-NPA) had been employing against the government for decades," he said.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2013/05/21/npa-commander-surrenders-kalinga-283468
Thursday, May 23, 2013
ASG abducts Marine sarge’s wife
From Tempo (May 21): ASG abducts Marine sarge’s wife
Suspected Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) gunmen seized Saturday morning the wife of a Marine sergeant who is a hospital employee in Jolo, Sulu.
Military report identified the victim as Casilda Villarasa Marcos, a medical technologist in Sulu Provincial Hospital, which is just a few meters away from the Sulu Provincial Police Office in Jolo, the capital town of Sulu.
The report said Marcos and her nine-year-old daughter were about to enter the gate of the hospital where she works when four gunmen appeared and dragged her to a waiting black van around 6:30 a.m.
The daughter managed to run away while her mother was being taken by the gunmen to the van with no plate number, which sped off to unknown direction.
Police and the military authorities immediately mounted a rescue operation for the victim.
http://www.tempo.com.ph/2013/05/asg-abducts-marine-sarges-wife/#.UZ4RF47D9jo
Suspected Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) gunmen seized Saturday morning the wife of a Marine sergeant who is a hospital employee in Jolo, Sulu.
Military report identified the victim as Casilda Villarasa Marcos, a medical technologist in Sulu Provincial Hospital, which is just a few meters away from the Sulu Provincial Police Office in Jolo, the capital town of Sulu.
The report said Marcos and her nine-year-old daughter were about to enter the gate of the hospital where she works when four gunmen appeared and dragged her to a waiting black van around 6:30 a.m.
The daughter managed to run away while her mother was being taken by the gunmen to the van with no plate number, which sped off to unknown direction.
Police and the military authorities immediately mounted a rescue operation for the victim.
http://www.tempo.com.ph/2013/05/asg-abducts-marine-sarges-wife/#.UZ4RF47D9jo
Authorities broker truce between rival MNLF forces in Maguindanao
From the Philippine Star (May 22): Authorities broker truce between rival MNLF forces in Maguindanao
Local officials managed to disengage late Tuesday rival forces of the Moro National Liberation Front squabbling for territories at the border of two hinterland Maguindanao towns that dislocated more than 258 villagers.
The feuding MNLF groups, one led by Salipada Sumael of Barangay Ganassi in North Upi, and the other by Basco Omar of Barangay Lamod in South Upi, last fought each other Tuesday morning, sending villagers running for their lives.
North Upi Mayor Ramon Piang, chairman of the municipal peace and order council, said representatives of both sides signed a preliminary truce meant to deescalate the tension now gripping the adjoining Barangays Ganassi and Lamod.
Piang said emissaries of Cotabato City Vice-Mayor Muslimin Sema, chairman of the largest group in the MNLF, helped broker the peace pact.
The groups of Sumael and Omar have been squabbling for dominion over Moro and Teduray farming communities at the border of South and North Upi towns. The animosity between them was worsened by differing political allegiances during the May 13 polls.
The Omars reportedly supported the candidacy for mayor of South Upi of a clan member, Vice-Mayor Baba Omar, while Sumael and his men campaigned for one of Omar's rivals for the town’s mayoral post.
The latest hostilities between the two groups erupted when the Omars disarmed two members of the other group following the botched attempt to kill the vice-mayor in an ambush in North Upi two days before the May 13 elections.
The two groups first figured in a showdown May 17, causing panic among farming communities at the boundary of the two towns.
Piang said community elders have also been helping resolve the conflict.
The 1st Marine Brigade, which has jurisdiction over South Upi, said they asserted "government authority” by separating the groups of Sumael and Omar if they refused to reposition away and allow the return of displaced villagers to the conflict-stricken villages.
The two groups used assault rifles and shoulder-fire grenades as they tried to outgun each other Tuesday morning.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/22/945052/authorities-broker-truce-between-rival-mnlf-forces-maguindanao
Local officials managed to disengage late Tuesday rival forces of the Moro National Liberation Front squabbling for territories at the border of two hinterland Maguindanao towns that dislocated more than 258 villagers.
The feuding MNLF groups, one led by Salipada Sumael of Barangay Ganassi in North Upi, and the other by Basco Omar of Barangay Lamod in South Upi, last fought each other Tuesday morning, sending villagers running for their lives.
North Upi Mayor Ramon Piang, chairman of the municipal peace and order council, said representatives of both sides signed a preliminary truce meant to deescalate the tension now gripping the adjoining Barangays Ganassi and Lamod.
Piang said emissaries of Cotabato City Vice-Mayor Muslimin Sema, chairman of the largest group in the MNLF, helped broker the peace pact.
The groups of Sumael and Omar have been squabbling for dominion over Moro and Teduray farming communities at the border of South and North Upi towns. The animosity between them was worsened by differing political allegiances during the May 13 polls.
The Omars reportedly supported the candidacy for mayor of South Upi of a clan member, Vice-Mayor Baba Omar, while Sumael and his men campaigned for one of Omar's rivals for the town’s mayoral post.
The latest hostilities between the two groups erupted when the Omars disarmed two members of the other group following the botched attempt to kill the vice-mayor in an ambush in North Upi two days before the May 13 elections.
The two groups first figured in a showdown May 17, causing panic among farming communities at the boundary of the two towns.
Piang said community elders have also been helping resolve the conflict.
The 1st Marine Brigade, which has jurisdiction over South Upi, said they asserted "government authority” by separating the groups of Sumael and Omar if they refused to reposition away and allow the return of displaced villagers to the conflict-stricken villages.
The two groups used assault rifles and shoulder-fire grenades as they tried to outgun each other Tuesday morning.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/22/945052/authorities-broker-truce-between-rival-mnlf-forces-maguindanao
MILF to form political party in 2013
From Rappler (May 22): MILF to form political party in 2013
BANGSAMORO PARTY? MILF chief Murad Ebrahim says they will start forming their own political party this year. Photo taken by Karlos Manlupig
In preparation for the planned transition to the new Bangsamoro region in 2016, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will start forming its own political party this year.
BANGSAMORO PARTY? MILF chief Murad Ebrahim says they will start forming their own political party this year. Photo taken by Karlos Manlupig
In preparation for the planned transition to the new Bangsamoro region in 2016, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will start forming its own political party this year.
MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim told a local radio station Wednesday, May 22, they will launch their political organization on or before the year ends.
“Our political group will help [us] push for the interest of Bangsamoro people in Mindanao,” he said.
As indicated in the Framework Agreement signed in October 2012, the new Bangsamoro region is expected to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in 2016. This coincides with the presidential election.
Before the ARMM is deemed abolished, two stages of transition would first have to take place. First, the Transition Commission will draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law to be ratified by members of Congress. Once the basic law is in place, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, to be headed by the MILF, will lead the transition towards the Bangsamoro region.
Once the new Bangsamoro region is formally established, a new set of leaders for the region will be elected.
The MILF has repeatedly said that they want to complete the peace process before President Benigno Aquino III's term ends in 2016.
In an editorial published on its official website luwaran.com on March 24 highlighting the "urgency of the peace talks," the MILF said: "The truth is that if we cannot close this negotiation successfully during the administration of President Benigno Aquino III, we do not know what lies ahead in 2016."
Current state of the peace process
The government and the MILF are in the final stages of talks for the comprehensive peace pact for the Bangsamoro political entity.
The negotiations suffered a delay when Aquino requested for more time to review the contents of the annexes. Out of the 4 annexes or supplementary documents for the peace agreement, only the Annex on Transition and Modalities has been signed. The annexes on wealth-sharing, power-sharing and normalization have yet to be completed.
But the transition process has already started. The Transition Commission -- the body tasked to draft the Basic Law that will serve as the legal basis for the new Bangsamoro region -- has started establishing its internal rules.
However, it can only begin drafting the Basic Law once a final peace pact is signed by both parties.
Despite the delays, MILF chief negotiatior and Transition Commission chairman Mohagher Iqbal is confident the Bangsamoro Basic Law will get enough political support for the new Bangsamoro region if the outcome of the recent polls, where majority of allies backed by Aquino emerged victorious, is to be considered.
“This is favorable to all of us especially to the on-going peace process because we know those elected officials will support the program of our President,” he said.
Sajahatra Bangsamoro
In a related development, leaders of the MILF proposed the inclusion of at least 10 provinces in Mindanao in the Sajahatra Bangsamoro, a social development program for Moro communities.
Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said in a statement Monday, May 20, that members of the government Task Force on Bangsamoro Development, MILF Task Force Sajahatra, and the MILF Project Management Team decided to include the provinces of Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Zamboanga Sibugay, South Cotabato, Davao Oriental, North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, and Maguindanao in their forthcoming caravans from June to November this year.
Almendras said that in each location site, medical missions, scholarship grants, and livelihood support will be provided.
In November 2012, Aquino made a historic visit to Camp Darapanan, the MILF stronghold in Maguindanao, to launch Sajahatra Bangsamoro, which is part of the normalization program under the Framework Agreement.
Zamboanga boat master's kidnappers demand P15-M
From the Philippine Star (May 23): Zamboanga boat master's kidnappers demand P15-M
The group holding a fishing boat master captive in Sulu is demanding P15-million for the victim's release.
Relatives of kidnap victim Lucio Gonzales said that the kidnappers established contact on Wednesday and demanded the amount.
Gonzales, maestro patron (boat master) of the GMA and AMR fishing companies based in this city, was seized Tuesday morning by 15 gunmen on board two pumpboats in waters off Lantawan town in Basilan.
Authorities believe that the abductors brought Gonzales to Sulu.
The Basilan Provincial Police Offic has yet to confirm reports of the ransom demand.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/23/945449/zamboanga-boat-masters-kidnappers-demand-p15-m
The group holding a fishing boat master captive in Sulu is demanding P15-million for the victim's release.
Relatives of kidnap victim Lucio Gonzales said that the kidnappers established contact on Wednesday and demanded the amount.
Gonzales, maestro patron (boat master) of the GMA and AMR fishing companies based in this city, was seized Tuesday morning by 15 gunmen on board two pumpboats in waters off Lantawan town in Basilan.
Authorities believe that the abductors brought Gonzales to Sulu.
The Basilan Provincial Police Offic has yet to confirm reports of the ransom demand.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/23/945449/zamboanga-boat-masters-kidnappers-demand-p15-m
Army files complaint vs NPA before 'bodong' tribal court
From the Philippine Star (May 23): Army files complaint vs NPA before 'bodong' tribal court
For the first time in the history of Cordillera, Philippine Army troopers formally sought the intervention of the indigenous justice system called “Bodong” in seeking redress over killing of two soldiers escorting precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines by New People's Army rebels last May 9.
The Isabela-based 5th Infantry Division (ID) of the Philippine Army formally filed a complaint before the Office of the Matagoan Bodong Consultative Council (MBCC) in Tabuk City, Kalinga province headed by Tabuk City Mayor Ferdinand Tubban.
Army corporals Wilfredo Bacacao and Allen Pattaguan were killed when an undetermined number of NPA rebels ambushed their group escorting PCOS machines and Commission on Elections personnel in Sitio Patiking, Barangay Dupag, Tabuk.
1st Lt. Rowena Abayon, spokesperson of the 5th ID, said that the Army decided to file a complaint before the MBCC because one of the slain soldiers -- Corporal Pattaguan -- and a wounded soldier are natives of Kalinga. He said all native residents of Kalinga have rights to seek justice through the "Bodong system."
Abayon said the Philippine Army “wants perpetrators and their supporters and contacts in the barangay be meted punishment in accordance to local traditional decree of the Bodong System.”
She said that the MBCC has convened last Tuesday at the Tabuk City Hall to resolve the complaint.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/23/945460/army-files-complaint-vs-npa-bodong-tribal-court
For the first time in the history of Cordillera, Philippine Army troopers formally sought the intervention of the indigenous justice system called “Bodong” in seeking redress over killing of two soldiers escorting precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines by New People's Army rebels last May 9.
The Isabela-based 5th Infantry Division (ID) of the Philippine Army formally filed a complaint before the Office of the Matagoan Bodong Consultative Council (MBCC) in Tabuk City, Kalinga province headed by Tabuk City Mayor Ferdinand Tubban.
Army corporals Wilfredo Bacacao and Allen Pattaguan were killed when an undetermined number of NPA rebels ambushed their group escorting PCOS machines and Commission on Elections personnel in Sitio Patiking, Barangay Dupag, Tabuk.
1st Lt. Rowena Abayon, spokesperson of the 5th ID, said that the Army decided to file a complaint before the MBCC because one of the slain soldiers -- Corporal Pattaguan -- and a wounded soldier are natives of Kalinga. He said all native residents of Kalinga have rights to seek justice through the "Bodong system."
Abayon said the Philippine Army “wants perpetrators and their supporters and contacts in the barangay be meted punishment in accordance to local traditional decree of the Bodong System.”
She said that the MBCC has convened last Tuesday at the Tabuk City Hall to resolve the complaint.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/23/945460/army-files-complaint-vs-npa-bodong-tribal-court
111 Cordillera guerillas undergo military training
From the Philippine Star (May 23): 111 Cordillera guerillas undergo military training
At least 111 former members of the militia group Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CPLA), a splinter group of the New People's Army, are now being trained to become regular soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
They successfully passed the screening process to become “candidate soldiers” and are now being trained at the 5th Infantry Division Training School of the Philippine Army in Gamu, Isabela.
Their rigorous training started December last year.
1st Lt. Rowena Abayon, spokesperson of the Army's 5th Infantry Division, said the former militiamen's integration into the regular force of the AFP is part of the final closure process for Administrative Order 18.
The administrative order mandates the inegration of CPLA members into the AFP.
A total of 264 members of the militia group have been integrated into the military more than a decade ago.
“Despite of the intricate task in the implementation of the integration program of the CPLA, another batch of 168 CPLA applicants into the Regular Force, AFP as stipulated under Executive Order Nr 49 which was signed by the President Benigno S Aquino III on July 19, 2011 mandating the implementation of the CPLA’s final disposition of its arms and forces, and transformation into a potent socio-economic and unarmed force,” Abayon explained.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/23/945466/111-cordillera-guerillas-undergo-military-training
At least 111 former members of the militia group Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CPLA), a splinter group of the New People's Army, are now being trained to become regular soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
They successfully passed the screening process to become “candidate soldiers” and are now being trained at the 5th Infantry Division Training School of the Philippine Army in Gamu, Isabela.
Their rigorous training started December last year.
1st Lt. Rowena Abayon, spokesperson of the Army's 5th Infantry Division, said the former militiamen's integration into the regular force of the AFP is part of the final closure process for Administrative Order 18.
The administrative order mandates the inegration of CPLA members into the AFP.
A total of 264 members of the militia group have been integrated into the military more than a decade ago.
“Despite of the intricate task in the implementation of the integration program of the CPLA, another batch of 168 CPLA applicants into the Regular Force, AFP as stipulated under Executive Order Nr 49 which was signed by the President Benigno S Aquino III on July 19, 2011 mandating the implementation of the CPLA’s final disposition of its arms and forces, and transformation into a potent socio-economic and unarmed force,” Abayon explained.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/23/945466/111-cordillera-guerillas-undergo-military-training
Sayyaf men snatch social worker in Basilan village
From the Philippine Star (May 23): Sayyaf men snatch social worker in Basilan village
At least four Abu Sayyaf militants seized a government social worker yesterday morning while she was inspecting a project in a village in Ungkaya Pukan town, Basilan, the military said.
The victim, Jennelyn Luna Enpera, is an employee of the Department of Social Welfare and Development assigned to oversee the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program for the families of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members in Ungkaya Pukan.
Lt. Col. Tiny Perez, commanding officer of the Army’s 18th Infantry Battalion, said the Abu Sayyaf militants on board two motorcycles and armed with .45-caliber pistols snatched Enpera in Barangay Ulitan while she was meeting with the MILF beneficiaries of the cash transfer program.
The militants escaped with Enpera toward Sumisip town. Perez said the MILF beneficiaries alerted them about the kidnapping and have coordinated with them for the rescue of Enpera.
Two of the kidnappers were identified as a certain Idol and Ulay.
Also in Basilan, heavily armed men intercepted a fishing boat and seized its captain off Lantawan town last Tuesday, police said.
Investigation showed that the fishing boat skippered by Lucio Gonzales was passing through the coast of Basilan when it was intercepted by 15 men on board two “jungkungs,” Malaysian-style, shallow-hulled pumpboats, at around 8 a.m. Tuesday.
The boat’s crewmen told police the armed men herded them in a corner before seizing Gonzales and then fled toward Sulu province.
Police forces and Marines in Sulu have been alerted to monitor the presence of the kidnappers and their captive on the island.
The management of the Zamboanga City-based Albert Fishing Boat which owns the seacraft, has been trying to establish contact with Gonzales’ kidnappers to determine their motive in snatching the boat captain.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/23/945119/sayyaf-men-snatch-social-worker-basilan-village
At least four Abu Sayyaf militants seized a government social worker yesterday morning while she was inspecting a project in a village in Ungkaya Pukan town, Basilan, the military said.
The victim, Jennelyn Luna Enpera, is an employee of the Department of Social Welfare and Development assigned to oversee the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program for the families of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members in Ungkaya Pukan.
Lt. Col. Tiny Perez, commanding officer of the Army’s 18th Infantry Battalion, said the Abu Sayyaf militants on board two motorcycles and armed with .45-caliber pistols snatched Enpera in Barangay Ulitan while she was meeting with the MILF beneficiaries of the cash transfer program.
The militants escaped with Enpera toward Sumisip town. Perez said the MILF beneficiaries alerted them about the kidnapping and have coordinated with them for the rescue of Enpera.
Two of the kidnappers were identified as a certain Idol and Ulay.
Also in Basilan, heavily armed men intercepted a fishing boat and seized its captain off Lantawan town last Tuesday, police said.
Investigation showed that the fishing boat skippered by Lucio Gonzales was passing through the coast of Basilan when it was intercepted by 15 men on board two “jungkungs,” Malaysian-style, shallow-hulled pumpboats, at around 8 a.m. Tuesday.
The boat’s crewmen told police the armed men herded them in a corner before seizing Gonzales and then fled toward Sulu province.
Police forces and Marines in Sulu have been alerted to monitor the presence of the kidnappers and their captive on the island.
The management of the Zamboanga City-based Albert Fishing Boat which owns the seacraft, has been trying to establish contact with Gonzales’ kidnappers to determine their motive in snatching the boat captain.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/05/23/945119/sayyaf-men-snatch-social-worker-basilan-village
Phl sending unarmed Navy ships to Ayungin Shoal
From the Philippine Star (May 23): Phl sending unarmed Navy ships to Ayungin Shoal
At least three Chinese ships and 10 fishing boats were seen within the vicinity of the Ayungin Shoal last Wednesday despite the diplomatic protest filed by the Philippines against China’s intrusion in the area.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that the vessels were spotted by security forces that conducted surveillance operations at about 5 a.m.
“We saw a frigate. We saw CMS (Chinese maritime surveillance) maritime ships. We have pictures and we have sent them to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA),” Gazmin said in a press briefing.
“Based on [the photos] that I saw yesterday, there were two CMS and one frigate,” he added.
Gazmin added that about 10 fishing boats or dinghies were also seen in the area, which is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
He said the deployment of a Chinese military frigate to the area is “unusual.”
“As far as we're concerned, it (Ayungin) is not a disputed (area). It’s ours,” the defense chief said.
Meanwhile, Gazmin said that the military will not send additional ships to the shoal but the resupply mission to the Filipino contingent in the area will go on as scheduled.
"We will be using an unarmed Navy ship for our resupply and replenishment missions to our forces there," he said.
The Filipino contingent in the shoal are in BRP Sierra Madre, a landing ship tank which ran aground off the Shoal several years back.
Ayungin Shoal is 105.77 nautical miles from Palawan and forms part of the 200 nautical miles of the Philippine continental shelf under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Ayungin Shoal is part of the Kalayaan Island Group off Palawan and is one of the areas occupied by the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea, the subject of a territorial row in the region.
Last week, a Chinese ship harassed a utility boat of Kalayaan Island town with 147 civilians that included the group of town mayor Eugenio Bito-onon.
Bito-onon claimed that the Chinese vessel started chasing the Queen Seagull utility boat while they were passing by the Ayungin Shoal.
The mayor said the Chinese vessel, which came from the eastern side of the shoal, used its powerful floodlights and sailed toward their boat several times. The Chinese warship reportedly came as close as 50 meters to their boat.
The chase, which reportedly lasted for about an hour, ended when the Queen Seagull reached the area around Half Moon Shoal, where a Chinese gunboat got stuck last year.
On Tuesday, the DFA announced that the Philippines had filed a protest against the illegal deployment of Chinese vessels around the Ayungin Shoal.
The protest, which was filed last May 10, complained about the provocative presence of two CMS and one warship around the area.
The Philippines has asked China to respect its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its continental shelf.
“China’s interference with the sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea is a violation of international law,” DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a press conference last Tuesday.
China claims virtually the entire West Philippine Sea while the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims in the area.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/05/23/945475/phl-sending-unarmed-navy-ships-ayungin-shoal
At least three Chinese ships and 10 fishing boats were seen within the vicinity of the Ayungin Shoal last Wednesday despite the diplomatic protest filed by the Philippines against China’s intrusion in the area.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that the vessels were spotted by security forces that conducted surveillance operations at about 5 a.m.
“We saw a frigate. We saw CMS (Chinese maritime surveillance) maritime ships. We have pictures and we have sent them to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA),” Gazmin said in a press briefing.
“Based on [the photos] that I saw yesterday, there were two CMS and one frigate,” he added.
Gazmin added that about 10 fishing boats or dinghies were also seen in the area, which is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
He said the deployment of a Chinese military frigate to the area is “unusual.”
“As far as we're concerned, it (Ayungin) is not a disputed (area). It’s ours,” the defense chief said.
Meanwhile, Gazmin said that the military will not send additional ships to the shoal but the resupply mission to the Filipino contingent in the area will go on as scheduled.
"We will be using an unarmed Navy ship for our resupply and replenishment missions to our forces there," he said.
The Filipino contingent in the shoal are in BRP Sierra Madre, a landing ship tank which ran aground off the Shoal several years back.
Ayungin Shoal is 105.77 nautical miles from Palawan and forms part of the 200 nautical miles of the Philippine continental shelf under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Ayungin Shoal is part of the Kalayaan Island Group off Palawan and is one of the areas occupied by the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea, the subject of a territorial row in the region.
Last week, a Chinese ship harassed a utility boat of Kalayaan Island town with 147 civilians that included the group of town mayor Eugenio Bito-onon.
Bito-onon claimed that the Chinese vessel started chasing the Queen Seagull utility boat while they were passing by the Ayungin Shoal.
The mayor said the Chinese vessel, which came from the eastern side of the shoal, used its powerful floodlights and sailed toward their boat several times. The Chinese warship reportedly came as close as 50 meters to their boat.
The chase, which reportedly lasted for about an hour, ended when the Queen Seagull reached the area around Half Moon Shoal, where a Chinese gunboat got stuck last year.
On Tuesday, the DFA announced that the Philippines had filed a protest against the illegal deployment of Chinese vessels around the Ayungin Shoal.
The protest, which was filed last May 10, complained about the provocative presence of two CMS and one warship around the area.
The Philippines has asked China to respect its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its continental shelf.
“China’s interference with the sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea is a violation of international law,” DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a press conference last Tuesday.
China claims virtually the entire West Philippine Sea while the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims in the area.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/05/23/945475/phl-sending-unarmed-navy-ships-ayungin-shoal
Sayyafs seize 4 in Sulu, Basilan
From the Sun Star-Zamboanga (May 22): Sayyafs seize 4 in Sulu, Basilan
SUSPECTED Abu Sayyaf bandits seized four people, including a government social worker, in separate occasions in the island provinces of Basilan and Sulu, officials said.
Two of the four hostages were released a day after they were seized in the province of Sulu.
A businessman, who was seized a month ago in Sulu by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits, has also been freed.
Abducted in Basilan province were fishing boat skipper Lucio Gonzales and social worker Jenelyn Entera while seized in Sulu were truck-mixer driver Hadji Sali Espada and his helper, who was identified only as a certain Dimar.
Basilan police director Senior Superintendent Mario Dapilloza said that Gonzales, the skipper of fishing boat (F/B) Albert, was seized around 8 a.m. Tuesday in the vicinity of Mataha, Lantawan municipality.
Dapilloza said the F/B Albert owned by Zamboanga City-based SMR Fishing Firm skippered was on a fishing venture when 15 gunmen aboard two motorboats locally known as “jungkung” arrived.
The gunmen suspected to be Abu Sayyaf bandits have seized Gonzales and sped towards the direction of Sulu province leaving behind the other crew of F/B Albert, Dapilloza said.
Dapilloza said that Entera (not Enpera as earlier reported) was seized by four gunmen suspected to be Abu Sayyaf bandits at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the village of Ulitan, Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan province.
Entera was inspecting some of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries in the village of Ulitan when the gunmen seized her, Dapilloza said.
The victim was forced to board in one of two unregistered motorcycles that sped towards the municipality of Sumisip, Dapilloza said.
Entera is a social work staff of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and in charge of the agency’s 4Ps in Ungkaya Pukan town.
Espada and Dimar were seized by more or less 10 gunmen believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits around 2:30 p.m. Monday at Sitio Santol, Latih village, Patikul, Sulu.
Task Force Sulu Commander Colonel Jose Joriel Cenabre said they were traveling aboard a truck mixer when the suspected bandits waylaid and seized them.
Cenabre said that Espada and Dimar were freed around 1 p.m. Tuesday at the circumferential road of Patikul municipality.
Businessman Renato Yanga, 53, was secretly released around 11 p.m. Monday in an undisclosed location in Jolo, Sulu following a month in captivity.
Yanga, owner of Top Spot coffee shop and restaurant and a resident of Serantes Street, Jolo, Sulu, was seized last April 20 while he was opening his coffee shop.
The abduction of Yanga last month was the second time to happen to him.
He was kidnapped on April 10, 2005 and was freed three months later.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/local-news/2013/05/22/sayyafs-seize-4-sulu-basilan-283672
SUSPECTED Abu Sayyaf bandits seized four people, including a government social worker, in separate occasions in the island provinces of Basilan and Sulu, officials said.
Two of the four hostages were released a day after they were seized in the province of Sulu.
A businessman, who was seized a month ago in Sulu by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits, has also been freed.
Abducted in Basilan province were fishing boat skipper Lucio Gonzales and social worker Jenelyn Entera while seized in Sulu were truck-mixer driver Hadji Sali Espada and his helper, who was identified only as a certain Dimar.
Basilan police director Senior Superintendent Mario Dapilloza said that Gonzales, the skipper of fishing boat (F/B) Albert, was seized around 8 a.m. Tuesday in the vicinity of Mataha, Lantawan municipality.
Dapilloza said the F/B Albert owned by Zamboanga City-based SMR Fishing Firm skippered was on a fishing venture when 15 gunmen aboard two motorboats locally known as “jungkung” arrived.
The gunmen suspected to be Abu Sayyaf bandits have seized Gonzales and sped towards the direction of Sulu province leaving behind the other crew of F/B Albert, Dapilloza said.
Dapilloza said that Entera (not Enpera as earlier reported) was seized by four gunmen suspected to be Abu Sayyaf bandits at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the village of Ulitan, Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan province.
Entera was inspecting some of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries in the village of Ulitan when the gunmen seized her, Dapilloza said.
The victim was forced to board in one of two unregistered motorcycles that sped towards the municipality of Sumisip, Dapilloza said.
Entera is a social work staff of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and in charge of the agency’s 4Ps in Ungkaya Pukan town.
Espada and Dimar were seized by more or less 10 gunmen believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits around 2:30 p.m. Monday at Sitio Santol, Latih village, Patikul, Sulu.
Task Force Sulu Commander Colonel Jose Joriel Cenabre said they were traveling aboard a truck mixer when the suspected bandits waylaid and seized them.
Cenabre said that Espada and Dimar were freed around 1 p.m. Tuesday at the circumferential road of Patikul municipality.
Businessman Renato Yanga, 53, was secretly released around 11 p.m. Monday in an undisclosed location in Jolo, Sulu following a month in captivity.
Yanga, owner of Top Spot coffee shop and restaurant and a resident of Serantes Street, Jolo, Sulu, was seized last April 20 while he was opening his coffee shop.
The abduction of Yanga last month was the second time to happen to him.
He was kidnapped on April 10, 2005 and was freed three months later.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/local-news/2013/05/22/sayyafs-seize-4-sulu-basilan-283672
MNLF, Sulu sultanate fighters engage in guerrilla warfare in Sabah
From ABS-CBN (May 23): MNLF, Sulu sultanate fighters engage in guerrilla warfare in Sabah
Almost 1,161 fighters of the Sultanate of Sulu and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) are now engaged in guerrilla warfare against Malaysian security forces in Lahad Datu, Sabah.
Abraham Idjirani, sultanate spokesman, said the royal security force under Agbimuddin Kiram were ordered to remain in a defensive posture until the unilateral ceasefire that the Sultanate of Sulu has declared is lifted.
“They are now employing guerrilla tactics,” he said. “They are not on the run as the Malaysian forces are not pursuing them. There is now a lull in the fighting.”
Idjirani said the date of the lifting of the ceasefire will be set after a meeting between the sultanate’s council of shariffs and top commanders of the MNLF in Zamboanga City today.
Hajib Mujaha Hashim, MNLF Islamic Command Council chairman, will chair the meeting, he added.
Idjirani said the fighters are on ceasefire mode following the call of the United Nations for sobriety.
Malaysian forces are also not making any moves against them, he added.
Idjirani said the Sultanate of Sulu is prepared to talk with the Malaysians based on the call of the UN.
“We are assuring the Filipino people that we are not initiating any moves against the Malaysian forces,” he said.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/05/23/13/mnlf-sulu-sultanate-fighters-engage-guerrilla-warfare-sabah
Almost 1,161 fighters of the Sultanate of Sulu and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) are now engaged in guerrilla warfare against Malaysian security forces in Lahad Datu, Sabah.
Abraham Idjirani, sultanate spokesman, said the royal security force under Agbimuddin Kiram were ordered to remain in a defensive posture until the unilateral ceasefire that the Sultanate of Sulu has declared is lifted.
“They are now employing guerrilla tactics,” he said. “They are not on the run as the Malaysian forces are not pursuing them. There is now a lull in the fighting.”
Idjirani said the date of the lifting of the ceasefire will be set after a meeting between the sultanate’s council of shariffs and top commanders of the MNLF in Zamboanga City today.
Hajib Mujaha Hashim, MNLF Islamic Command Council chairman, will chair the meeting, he added.
Idjirani said the fighters are on ceasefire mode following the call of the United Nations for sobriety.
Malaysian forces are also not making any moves against them, he added.
Idjirani said the Sultanate of Sulu is prepared to talk with the Malaysians based on the call of the UN.
“We are assuring the Filipino people that we are not initiating any moves against the Malaysian forces,” he said.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/05/23/13/mnlf-sulu-sultanate-fighters-engage-guerrilla-warfare-sabah
Soldier killed, 3 hurt in Misamis clash
From ABS-CBN (May 23): Soldier killed, 3 hurt in Misamis clash
A soldier was killed and three others were wounded in an encounter with New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Misamis Oriental on Wednesday, the military said.
Capt. Jefferson Somera, spokesman of the Army's 1st Infantry Division, said government troops from the Army's 55th Infantry Battalion swooped down on a rebel camp in Anonang village in Bonifacio at around 11 a.m., triggering a firefight.
"We received reports on the rebel presence, allegedly they are planning to conduct atrocities against business establishments so our troops responded…They found the camp, leading to the encounter. We swooped down on the rebel camp and we were able to capture it," Somera said, citing reports from the field.
The soldier killed in the clash was only identified as a certain Cpl. Depositario, while the wounded were identified as 2nd Lt. Pamor, Cpl. Vincoy and Pvt. Lee.
The military was able to capture the camp, which can accommodate around 30 to 35 fully-armed rebels.
Somera said a number of rebel soldiers were also wounded in the incident.
“They (rebels) were able to take with them their casualties," he said.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/05/23/13/soldier-killed-3-hurt-misamis-clash
A soldier was killed and three others were wounded in an encounter with New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Misamis Oriental on Wednesday, the military said.
Capt. Jefferson Somera, spokesman of the Army's 1st Infantry Division, said government troops from the Army's 55th Infantry Battalion swooped down on a rebel camp in Anonang village in Bonifacio at around 11 a.m., triggering a firefight.
"We received reports on the rebel presence, allegedly they are planning to conduct atrocities against business establishments so our troops responded…They found the camp, leading to the encounter. We swooped down on the rebel camp and we were able to capture it," Somera said, citing reports from the field.
The soldier killed in the clash was only identified as a certain Cpl. Depositario, while the wounded were identified as 2nd Lt. Pamor, Cpl. Vincoy and Pvt. Lee.
The military was able to capture the camp, which can accommodate around 30 to 35 fully-armed rebels.
Somera said a number of rebel soldiers were also wounded in the incident.
“They (rebels) were able to take with them their casualties," he said.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/05/23/13/soldier-killed-3-hurt-misamis-clash
Blast rocks mall in Pagadian City
From ABS-CBN (May 23): Blast rocks mall in Pagadian City
An explosion occurred at the parking area of Gaisano Mall in Pagadian City Thursday afternoon, police said.
Initial investigations showed that an improvised explosive device was planted inside one of the parked vehicles.
No one was reported hurt in the incident, as of posting, but several vehicles were damaged.
Police have yet to determine the type of explosive used and the motive behind the attack.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/05/23/13/blast-rocks-mall-pagadian-city
An explosion occurred at the parking area of Gaisano Mall in Pagadian City Thursday afternoon, police said.
Initial investigations showed that an improvised explosive device was planted inside one of the parked vehicles.
No one was reported hurt in the incident, as of posting, but several vehicles were damaged.
Police have yet to determine the type of explosive used and the motive behind the attack.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/05/23/13/blast-rocks-mall-pagadian-city
PNP: DPWH driver, helper abducted in Sulu released, no ransom paid
From GMA News (May 23): PNP: DPWH driver, helper abducted in Sulu released, no ransom paid
A driver of the Department of Public Works and Highways and his helper who were abducted by armed men Monday have been released, the Philippine National Police said Wednesday.
A driver of the Department of Public Works and Highways and his helper who were abducted by armed men Monday have been released, the Philippine National Police said Wednesday.
The PNP said DPWH driver Hari Salih Espada, 50, and helper
Dimal are now with their families after their release at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
In a post on its news site, the PNP said no ransom was paid,
even as its Anti-Kidnapping Group reported Taballang Atluh, a DPWH district
engineer, allegedly helped negotiate for the victims' release.
Espada and Dimal were released along the Circumferential Road
Earlier, the PNP said at least 12 armed men abducted the two in Sitio Santol in Barangay Latih in
Patikul.
Initial investigation showed the victims were aboard a mixer
truck and were heading to a construction site in Danag village when some 12
armed men blocked their path and abducted them.
Armed men abduct DPWH truck driver, helper in Sulu
From GMA News (May 22): Armed men abduct DPWH truck driver, helper in Sulu
At least 12 armed men on Monday abducted a driver of a Department of Public Works and Highways truck and his helper in Patikul town in Sulu province, the Philippine National Police said Tuesday.
At least 12 armed men on Monday abducted a driver of a Department of Public Works and Highways truck and his helper in Patikul town in Sulu province, the Philippine National Police said Tuesday.
In a report posted on its news site, the PNP said the abduction occurred in Sitio Santol in Barangay Latih in Patikul.
Citing initial information from its Anti-Kidnapping Group, the PNP said the victims were aboard a mixer truck (KEK-919) and were heading to a construction site in Danag village when some 12 armed men blocked their path and abducted them.
The PNP identified the driver as Hji Salih Espada, 50, and his helper only as Dimal.
A separate report on Tuesday evening by radio dzBB's Tuesday Niu cited information from the Joint Task Force Sulu identifying the abducted driver as Esapada Salih.
The dzBB report added the abduction occurred at 2:30 p.m., when the men dragged the driver and his helper away.
Police are looking for leads on the identities of the armed men and the motive for the abduction.
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