From the Manila Times (Sep 29): New group tagged behind Lanao clash
A new rebel group is believed to be involved on Friday’s clash between government troops and militants, which left five people dead in Lanao del Sur.
Col. Glen Macasero, commanding officer of the Marawi City-based 103rd Infantry Brigade, maintained that the incident had nothing to do with the government’s engagements with both the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Calling themselves the Ghuraba (strangers), the armed men on Friday’s encounter was allegedly composed of Muslim youths based in Lanao del Sur said to be advocating the Khilafa Islamiya ideology.
The group claimed responsibility for the attack, lamenting that it lost five of its members in the cited encounter.
“Farewell to my four dearest brothers who were chosen for Shahadah, yesterday [Friday], after slaughtering whatever they could amongst kuffars [disbelievers] with their mere handguns . . . Wallahi, I would have wished nothing more than . . . being with you, to go and meet Allah on such a blessed day. Farewell, my dearest brothers . . . We shall meet in Jannat-ul Firdaws [Paradise], Insha Allah,” Zulbijaadeyn Alghareeb, a professed member of the group, said in his Facebook account on Saturday.
The armed group was on board a multi-cab and a pickup as they drove past the checkpoint of the 51st Army Battalion and shot a soldier manning the checkpoint at about 6:45 a.m. on Friday.
The other soldiers returned fire immediately, according to Macasero.
“This checkpoint is fixed and sometimes not manned by soldiers. Maybe the gunmen thought that way and was surprised when they saw there were soldiers [positioned behind] the checkpoint,” Macasero said.
He added that soldiers pursued the armed men who fled towards the mountains of Ganassi town. The troops recovered an M16 rifle, an M14 rifle, a carbine and a .45 caliber pistol.
Local sources privy to the Ghuraba operations said the two-vehicle convoy of the armed group was sent to reinforce the guerilla forces of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
“Ghuraba already has some members engaged with BIFF guerillas currently operating in North Cotabato and Maguindanao,” one of the sources told reporters.
Another source, however, said that the group’s attack was a “spill-over” of the Zamboanga crisis. The source noted that the group was composed of militants responding to the “mistreatment” of captured MNLF fighters as seen in videos and reports that they obtained and circulated over social media websites.
The government last month speculated about the emergence of a broader Khilafa Islamiya Movement (KIM) which it blamed for the recent bombings in several parts of Mindanao.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin earlier said that the KIM is an umbrella organization of rogue MILF and BIFF forces.
MILF First Vice Chairman Ghazali Jaafar also previously stressed that some Bangsamoro leaders who were dissatisfied with the peace efforts in Mindanao created the new “threat group.”
The BIFF, however, dismissed as speculation the existence of the KIM.
BIFF spokesperson Abu Misry Mama earlier stressed that the KIM speculation is just a government ploy to “sow fear” in Mindanao.
http://www.imanilatimes.net/new-group-tagged-behind-lanao-clash/40621/
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Armed conflict maybe over, but not the crisis
From the Daily Zamboanga Times (Sep 29): Armed conflict maybe over, but not the crisis
The armed conflict maybe be over, but a larger crisis looms in the horizon as the government faces a gargantuan task of rehabilitating more than 100,000 displaced people and rebuilding their homes in six villages.
Experts say that it will take two or three years for government agencies to put things in order in Zamboanga City. This means rebuilding homes in Sta. Barbara, Lustre, Sta. Catalina, Rio Hondo, Mariki and Talon-Talon or relocating those who have lost their homes and are not keen on returning to the devastated areas. But before the actual rehabilitation works, so many other tasks are to be carried out like profiling, double checking and the bureaucratic paper works that will ensue along the way.
In addition, several schools, the Enriquez Sports Complex and the R.T. Lim Boulevard badly need general clean up when the evacuees will eventually be relocated to other sites. In this case, classes in the said schools are expected to be normalized only after several weeks and consequently the students are already deprived of a big part of the learning process
Along side is the problem of the business sector wherein stores and other establishments do not expect the same number of clients and customers to come to them in the next few months as they were coming before September 9, the start of the bloody siege.
The Department of Trade and Industry had earlier said that the local business sector had already suffered more than P700 million in unconsummated sales in the second week of the standoff.
Zamboangueños, still tense from the 20-day siege, have to cope with reported terror threats or retaliation plots coming from the MNLF Misuari faction and its sympathizers.
This developed as sporadic fighting took place yesterday in Sta. Catalina, Rio Hondo and Sumatra, Talon-Talon where troops are hunting down for MNLF leader Habier Malik and his few remaining followers.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the Philippine National Police troops on the ground have tightened blocking positions at the MNLF’s expected “exit and withdrawal points.”
It said the fighting had affected 23,794 families or 118,819 people from 14 villages in Zamboanga City and one village in Zamboanga Sibugay.
Of these, 18,292 families or 101,272 people are staying in 35 evacuation centers.
Troops on Friday rescued the last six hostages held by the rebels after nearly three weeks of fighting.
At least 24 bodies were recovered in the combat zone in Sta Catalina Thursday where soldiers were still conducting mopping operations.
Police were checking if Malik is one of them, after text messages circulate about a supposed last stand by Malik on Friday. Government troops were finally able to enter the remaining houses in Sta Catalina.
Early Thursday, 45 MNLF fighters were turned over to the police. The previous day, another batch of 38 fighters was captured. The recent arrests of big batches of MNLF fighters indicated government’s confusion over the number of fighters still holed up in the battle zone. As of Thursday, military numbers show a total of 128 MNLF members captured, 146 surrendered, and 126 were killed — for a total of 400 MNLF fighters. The police numbers are different: 185 captured, 24 surrendered, and 107 killed — for a total of 316. The military says the urban setting is making operations more complex than it appears.
About 200 people, including 166 rebels, have been killed in the three-week armed conflict.
Fifteen MNLF fighters were killed in Thursday night clash, an army spokesman said.
“We have secured the last six hostages,” the spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Ramon Zagala, told a new conference in Zamboanga.
“We were told these were the last group of people held by the rebels. We now have accounted for 195 hostages.”
About 300 of the gunmen had surrendered or been captured, Zagala said.
There was sporadic gunfire on Friday and two powerful explosions were heard in areas where U.S.-trained commandos were doing house-to-house searches, Zagala said.
Navy earmarks P2.5B for new amphibious vehicles
From the Manila Bulletin (Sep 30): Navy earmarks P2.5B for new amphibious vehicles
As part of efforts to modernize the Philippine Navy (PN), the Department of National Defense (DND) is acquiring eight brand-new amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs) with an approved contract budget of P2.5 billion.
A pre-bid conference for the eight AAVs with integrated logistics support (ILS) is set on Oct. 10 at the DND Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) conference room in Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.
An invitation to bid sent out by the DND BAC headed by Defense Assistant Secretary Efren Q. Fernandez said delivery of the eight AAVs with ILS is required within 850 days upon opening of the Letter of Credit.
Likewise, the DND said “bidders should have completed within 10 years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project.”
It said bidding will be conducted through open competitive procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Acts (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act.”
Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the IRR of RA 9184.
Bids must be delivered to the DND BAC on or before 10 a.m. on Oct. 24, 2013.
“All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB clause 18,” said Fernandez.
Bid opening shall be on Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. when bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives.
The DND BAC chair stressed, “Late bids shall no be accepted.”
http://www.mb.com.ph/navy-earmarks-p2-5b-for-new-amphibious-vehicles/
As part of efforts to modernize the Philippine Navy (PN), the Department of National Defense (DND) is acquiring eight brand-new amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs) with an approved contract budget of P2.5 billion.
A pre-bid conference for the eight AAVs with integrated logistics support (ILS) is set on Oct. 10 at the DND Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) conference room in Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.
An invitation to bid sent out by the DND BAC headed by Defense Assistant Secretary Efren Q. Fernandez said delivery of the eight AAVs with ILS is required within 850 days upon opening of the Letter of Credit.
Likewise, the DND said “bidders should have completed within 10 years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project.”
It said bidding will be conducted through open competitive procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Acts (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act.”
Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the IRR of RA 9184.
Bids must be delivered to the DND BAC on or before 10 a.m. on Oct. 24, 2013.
“All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB clause 18,” said Fernandez.
Bid opening shall be on Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. when bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders representatives.
The DND BAC chair stressed, “Late bids shall no be accepted.”
http://www.mb.com.ph/navy-earmarks-p2-5b-for-new-amphibious-vehicles/
AT ZAMBO BATTLE ZONE -- Rangers retrieve 42 bodies
From the Visayan Daily Star (Sep 28): AT ZAMBO BATTLE ZONE -- Rangers retrieve 42 bodies
Elite troopers of the Negros-based 1st Scout Ranger Battalion of the Army have finally taken control of the remaining houses used as strongholds by the Moro National Liberation Front in Brgy. Santa Catalina, Zamboanga City.
This was after more than two weeks of intense fighting, where 42 bodies had been accounted for, its commander, Lt. Col. Oriel Pangcog, said yesterday.
The 1st SRB and the United States–trained Light Reaction Company of the Special Operations Command, spearheaded the clearing of Brgy. Santa Catalina, that used to be occupied by about 400 MNLF- Nur Misuari faction fighters headed by Habier Malik.
Pangcog said yesterday that they hoisted the Philippine flag on the highest building there on Thursday, while clearing the area of MNLF fighters.
“As of yesterday, we have accounted for 42 bodies, some of them already in an advanced state of decomposition,” he told the DAILY STAR.
Pangcog, however, said they have yet to account for Malik.
With so many decomposing bodies, he said, he has requested gas masks for his troops, who are still in clearing operations. Not a single shot, had been heard in the area since Thursday night, Pangcog added.
On Wednesday, 31 MNLF fighters, including two commanders, surrendered to the 1st SRB.
In more than two weeks of fighting, Pangcog said they recovered more than 70 high-powered firearms, including an 81mm artillery mortar that fires high-explosive projectiles.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines reported that 166 MNLF fighters had been killed, including those whose bodies littered the battle zone.
The Negros-based elite Scout Rangers are supported by the 44th and 32nd Infantry Battalions of the 1st Infantry Division, Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police, 9th Regional Public Safety Battalion, Philippine Navy and Air Force units, among others.
About 120 men of the 6th Regional Public Safety Battalion from Negros Occidental have also been dispatched by the Police Regional Office 6 to Zamboanga City.
The gunbattles being fought day and night by the elite Scout Ranger troopers from Negros, have cost them the lives of two colleagues and injuries to 42 others.
Misuari's followers are being blamed for the crisis in Zamboanga when they engaged government in a stand-off on Sept. 9 by taking civilians hostage.
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2013/September/28/topstory5.htm
Elite troopers of the Negros-based 1st Scout Ranger Battalion of the Army have finally taken control of the remaining houses used as strongholds by the Moro National Liberation Front in Brgy. Santa Catalina, Zamboanga City.
This was after more than two weeks of intense fighting, where 42 bodies had been accounted for, its commander, Lt. Col. Oriel Pangcog, said yesterday.
The 1st SRB and the United States–trained Light Reaction Company of the Special Operations Command, spearheaded the clearing of Brgy. Santa Catalina, that used to be occupied by about 400 MNLF- Nur Misuari faction fighters headed by Habier Malik.
Pangcog said yesterday that they hoisted the Philippine flag on the highest building there on Thursday, while clearing the area of MNLF fighters.
“As of yesterday, we have accounted for 42 bodies, some of them already in an advanced state of decomposition,” he told the DAILY STAR.
Pangcog, however, said they have yet to account for Malik.
With so many decomposing bodies, he said, he has requested gas masks for his troops, who are still in clearing operations. Not a single shot, had been heard in the area since Thursday night, Pangcog added.
On Wednesday, 31 MNLF fighters, including two commanders, surrendered to the 1st SRB.
In more than two weeks of fighting, Pangcog said they recovered more than 70 high-powered firearms, including an 81mm artillery mortar that fires high-explosive projectiles.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines reported that 166 MNLF fighters had been killed, including those whose bodies littered the battle zone.
The Negros-based elite Scout Rangers are supported by the 44th and 32nd Infantry Battalions of the 1st Infantry Division, Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police, 9th Regional Public Safety Battalion, Philippine Navy and Air Force units, among others.
About 120 men of the 6th Regional Public Safety Battalion from Negros Occidental have also been dispatched by the Police Regional Office 6 to Zamboanga City.
The gunbattles being fought day and night by the elite Scout Ranger troopers from Negros, have cost them the lives of two colleagues and injuries to 42 others.
Misuari's followers are being blamed for the crisis in Zamboanga when they engaged government in a stand-off on Sept. 9 by taking civilians hostage.
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2013/September/28/topstory5.htm
Filipino troops kill 7 rebels after hostage crisis
From the Philippine Star (Sep 29): Filipino troops kill 7 rebels after hostage crisis
The Philippine military says army troops and police have killed seven more Muslim rebels in clashes in the outskirts of a southern city they were clearing of bodies, bombs and weapons following a three-week standoff with hundreds of insurgents.
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala says that in a brief firefight Sunday, government forces killed six Moro National Liberation Front rebels who were hiding in a house in Zamboanga city and refused to surrender. A rebel was also slain by troops in a clash Saturday in a nearby community.
Philippine officials declared the standoff over Saturday after 195 people held hostage by the rebels regained their freedom and troops killed or captured most of the nearly 500 rebels who occupied five communities.
More than 200 people died in the standoff.
http://www.philstar.com/breaking-news/2013/09/29/1239646/filipino-troops-kill-7-rebels-after-hostage-crisis
The Philippine military says army troops and police have killed seven more Muslim rebels in clashes in the outskirts of a southern city they were clearing of bodies, bombs and weapons following a three-week standoff with hundreds of insurgents.
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala says that in a brief firefight Sunday, government forces killed six Moro National Liberation Front rebels who were hiding in a house in Zamboanga city and refused to surrender. A rebel was also slain by troops in a clash Saturday in a nearby community.
Philippine officials declared the standoff over Saturday after 195 people held hostage by the rebels regained their freedom and troops killed or captured most of the nearly 500 rebels who occupied five communities.
More than 200 people died in the standoff.
http://www.philstar.com/breaking-news/2013/09/29/1239646/filipino-troops-kill-7-rebels-after-hostage-crisis
Leyte town police chief, 2 cops killed in ambush
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 29): Leyte town police chief, 2 cops killed in ambush
Inspector Alberto Ayad, Arteche police chief, and Police Officer 1 July Juliata were killed on the spot after they were shot in the head and in different parts of their bodies.
PO3 Glorioso Nebril died while being treated at a hospital in Tacloban on Sunday morning.
Ayad and his two policemen were on board their service vehicle to patrol the area about 9 p.m. when they were fired upon by armed men who were in the dark portion of Arteche Central Elementary School.
After 10 minutes, the alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) ran toward the back of the school and escaped into the mountain, said Municipal Councilor Roland Boey Evardone.
It was not known if the policemen were able to fire back during the ambush, which took place at the start of the election gun ban for the barangay (village) elections on Oct. 28.
“We are shocked by this attack. (And in) behalf of the municipal government, we express our deepest condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families of the slain policemen,” Evardone told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview.
Evardone said the municipal government would provide financial assistance to the families of the victims. The councilor’s father, Roland Evardone, is mayor of Arteche.
Ayad, who is from the neighboring town of Dolores, assumed his post as Arteche police chief only in August. Nebril and Juliata were from Arteche, more than 200 kilometers from the capital city of Borongan.
Eighteen police officers man the police station of Arteche, which has a population of more than 17,000 spread in 20 villages. Security forces in Eastern Visayas have reported the presence of communist rebels in Arteche.
Inspector Romuel Nacar, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police in Eastern Visayas, condemned the “treacherous” killings of the three policemen.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/497505/leyte-town-police-chief-2-cops-killed-in-ambush
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, Philippines — A town police
chief and two of his men were killed in an ambush allegedly perpetrated by
communist rebels in Arteche town, Samar on Saturday night.
Inspector Alberto Ayad, Arteche police chief, and Police Officer 1 July Juliata were killed on the spot after they were shot in the head and in different parts of their bodies.
PO3 Glorioso Nebril died while being treated at a hospital in Tacloban on Sunday morning.
Ayad and his two policemen were on board their service vehicle to patrol the area about 9 p.m. when they were fired upon by armed men who were in the dark portion of Arteche Central Elementary School.
After 10 minutes, the alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) ran toward the back of the school and escaped into the mountain, said Municipal Councilor Roland Boey Evardone.
It was not known if the policemen were able to fire back during the ambush, which took place at the start of the election gun ban for the barangay (village) elections on Oct. 28.
“We are shocked by this attack. (And in) behalf of the municipal government, we express our deepest condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families of the slain policemen,” Evardone told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview.
Evardone said the municipal government would provide financial assistance to the families of the victims. The councilor’s father, Roland Evardone, is mayor of Arteche.
Ayad, who is from the neighboring town of Dolores, assumed his post as Arteche police chief only in August. Nebril and Juliata were from Arteche, more than 200 kilometers from the capital city of Borongan.
Eighteen police officers man the police station of Arteche, which has a population of more than 17,000 spread in 20 villages. Security forces in Eastern Visayas have reported the presence of communist rebels in Arteche.
Inspector Romuel Nacar, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police in Eastern Visayas, condemned the “treacherous” killings of the three policemen.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/497505/leyte-town-police-chief-2-cops-killed-in-ambush
‘It ain’t over in Zamboanga’
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 29): ‘It ain’t over in Zamboanga’
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—It ain’t over.
After almost three weeks of fighting, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Saturday clarified the government had accomplished its mission to free all the hostages of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) but the “work is not yet over.”
In a press briefing here on Saturday, Gazmin said the government had accounted for all the hostages but had yet to complete house-to-house clearing operations 20 days after the rebels assaulted the third largest city in the Philippines and took an estimated 195 hostages.
The fighting that ensued left about 218 dead, wounded hundreds more, and sent more than 100,000 residents fleeing to evacuation centers.
The rebel assault, apparently aimed at thwarting a government peace plan with another Muslim separatist group, ground this city of more than a million residents virtually to a halt, razed 10,000 homes and reduced 30 to 40 hectares of once thriving communities to rubble.
It was one of the bloodiest and longest-running attacks by an Islamic separatist group in the south, the scene of a centuries-long Muslim rebellion for self-rule in this largely Catholic country.
Military spokesperson Ramon Zagala declared the threat to Zamboanga “over” while Gazmin and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas were televised visiting Martha Street, the scene of some of the heaviest fighting. But after Gazmin and Roxas left the area, several gunshots were heard. A fire broke out in Rio Hondo.
Leaders evade capture
Neither MNLF founder Nur Misuari nor his top commander, Habier Malik, were captured.
One report said Malik had escaped the military dragnet and had retreated to the Sulu archipelago.
“We have accounted for all the hostages,” Gazmin said, referring to this as “Phase 1” of the operation.
He said the government would now proceed to “Phase 2.” which involves the house-to-house clearing to remove possible booby traps and firearms left behind by the rebels. This could take up to two weeks, military officers said.
“The enemy is reduced to about two or three remaining stragglers,” Gazmin said.
The military would be turning over much of the city’s protection functions to the police. He added: “We will not abandon the police forces here. The AFP will continue to support the police and other local government forces,” he said in Filipino.
On Malik, Gazmin could not say if he was dead or had managed to escape. “We are searching for him among the dead,” said Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, spokesperson of the AFP.
“We are still identifying the bodies through all the tests required to confirm if Malik is one of them,” he said. He said there were 100 bodies taken from the area.
‘Bangsamoro Republik’
The MNLF forces arrived in the city on Sept. 9. They claimed they were there to march and hold a rally at Plaza Pershing, which is in front of City Hall. Fully armed, the MNLF fighters’ presence caused panic among residents, which led to skirmishes with government forces.
The MNLF forces declared a “Bangsamoro Republik” after claiming that the government had failed to fully implement the peace agreement it signed in 1996.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, in an interview, said it may be over for the military, “but for us civilians it’s not yet over.”
Climaco-Salazar said it will take about a week or two before areas can be declared safe.
“In fact, we are seeking guidance and clearance so we can go back to city hall and work,” the mayor told the Inquirer.
Salazar also asked: “Where is Malik? I have been questioning them on where is Malik.”
The mayor also urged the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) to do its job “and ensure no more of this kind of crisis will happen in Zamboanga.”
On Friday night, Climaco lambasted the OPAPP for supposedly not acting on the problem that led to what was happening in her city.
Continuous dialogue
“There should be continuous negotiations and dialogue and it should never end. Sad to note, there is no presence of the OPAPP. They should be here to openly dialogue and they should continue even beyond this crisis,” the mayor said.
In an earlier interview, Climaco-Salazar told the Inquirer that OPAPP did not heed calls to go to Sulu to meet with Misuari who had long been complaining about the government reneging on the peace agreement.
Chief Insp. Ariel Huesca, spokesperson of the police in Western Mindanao, said that as of noon Saturday, their records showed that a total of 18 soldiers and five policemen had been killed in the fighting.
Over 183 rebels and 12 civilians were also reported killed.
Huesca said 167 soldiers and 14 policemen were wounded. Among civilians, 72 were reported wounded, police said.
Police have also processed a total of 184 former hostages, Huesca said.
On the MNLF side, Huesca said, a total of 167 fighters were killed while 247 were captured.
He added that only 24 MNLF forces were considered surrenderers—those who gave up to Senior Supt. Jose Chiquito Malayo, the city police director, on Sept. 17.
Abigail Valte, a President Aquino spokesperson said government aid agencies would now focus on preparing residents to return to their communities after the police pull out.
“We have allotted money for shelter assistance for the families whose homes have been totally destroyed or totally burned down,” she said.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/497257/it-aint-over-in-zamboanga
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—It ain’t over.
After almost three weeks of fighting, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Saturday clarified the government had accomplished its mission to free all the hostages of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) but the “work is not yet over.”
In a press briefing here on Saturday, Gazmin said the government had accounted for all the hostages but had yet to complete house-to-house clearing operations 20 days after the rebels assaulted the third largest city in the Philippines and took an estimated 195 hostages.
The fighting that ensued left about 218 dead, wounded hundreds more, and sent more than 100,000 residents fleeing to evacuation centers.
The rebel assault, apparently aimed at thwarting a government peace plan with another Muslim separatist group, ground this city of more than a million residents virtually to a halt, razed 10,000 homes and reduced 30 to 40 hectares of once thriving communities to rubble.
It was one of the bloodiest and longest-running attacks by an Islamic separatist group in the south, the scene of a centuries-long Muslim rebellion for self-rule in this largely Catholic country.
Military spokesperson Ramon Zagala declared the threat to Zamboanga “over” while Gazmin and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas were televised visiting Martha Street, the scene of some of the heaviest fighting. But after Gazmin and Roxas left the area, several gunshots were heard. A fire broke out in Rio Hondo.
Leaders evade capture
Neither MNLF founder Nur Misuari nor his top commander, Habier Malik, were captured.
One report said Malik had escaped the military dragnet and had retreated to the Sulu archipelago.
“We have accounted for all the hostages,” Gazmin said, referring to this as “Phase 1” of the operation.
He said the government would now proceed to “Phase 2.” which involves the house-to-house clearing to remove possible booby traps and firearms left behind by the rebels. This could take up to two weeks, military officers said.
“The enemy is reduced to about two or three remaining stragglers,” Gazmin said.
The military would be turning over much of the city’s protection functions to the police. He added: “We will not abandon the police forces here. The AFP will continue to support the police and other local government forces,” he said in Filipino.
On Malik, Gazmin could not say if he was dead or had managed to escape. “We are searching for him among the dead,” said Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, spokesperson of the AFP.
“We are still identifying the bodies through all the tests required to confirm if Malik is one of them,” he said. He said there were 100 bodies taken from the area.
‘Bangsamoro Republik’
The MNLF forces arrived in the city on Sept. 9. They claimed they were there to march and hold a rally at Plaza Pershing, which is in front of City Hall. Fully armed, the MNLF fighters’ presence caused panic among residents, which led to skirmishes with government forces.
The MNLF forces declared a “Bangsamoro Republik” after claiming that the government had failed to fully implement the peace agreement it signed in 1996.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, in an interview, said it may be over for the military, “but for us civilians it’s not yet over.”
Climaco-Salazar said it will take about a week or two before areas can be declared safe.
“In fact, we are seeking guidance and clearance so we can go back to city hall and work,” the mayor told the Inquirer.
Salazar also asked: “Where is Malik? I have been questioning them on where is Malik.”
The mayor also urged the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) to do its job “and ensure no more of this kind of crisis will happen in Zamboanga.”
On Friday night, Climaco lambasted the OPAPP for supposedly not acting on the problem that led to what was happening in her city.
Continuous dialogue
“There should be continuous negotiations and dialogue and it should never end. Sad to note, there is no presence of the OPAPP. They should be here to openly dialogue and they should continue even beyond this crisis,” the mayor said.
In an earlier interview, Climaco-Salazar told the Inquirer that OPAPP did not heed calls to go to Sulu to meet with Misuari who had long been complaining about the government reneging on the peace agreement.
Chief Insp. Ariel Huesca, spokesperson of the police in Western Mindanao, said that as of noon Saturday, their records showed that a total of 18 soldiers and five policemen had been killed in the fighting.
Over 183 rebels and 12 civilians were also reported killed.
Huesca said 167 soldiers and 14 policemen were wounded. Among civilians, 72 were reported wounded, police said.
Police have also processed a total of 184 former hostages, Huesca said.
On the MNLF side, Huesca said, a total of 167 fighters were killed while 247 were captured.
He added that only 24 MNLF forces were considered surrenderers—those who gave up to Senior Supt. Jose Chiquito Malayo, the city police director, on Sept. 17.
Abigail Valte, a President Aquino spokesperson said government aid agencies would now focus on preparing residents to return to their communities after the police pull out.
“We have allotted money for shelter assistance for the families whose homes have been totally destroyed or totally burned down,” she said.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/497257/it-aint-over-in-zamboanga
‘Mopping-up’ targets Malik, other stragglers
From the Manila Standard Today (Sep 30): ‘Mopping-up’ targets Malik, other stragglers
THE National Police on Sunday assumed responsibility for the clearing operations in the sections liberated from the MNLF rebels during their incursions in at least six areas in Zamboanga City that started on Sept. 9, and a day after the military accomplished its mission there.
The PNP Special Action Force and Special Weapons and Tactics group were ordered to conduct” mopping-up” operations or house-to-house searches for the remaining stragglers including MNLF Commander Haber Malik, who was reported one of those killed in the fighting with the military on Sunday.
“An ID belonging to Malik [was] found in one killed Nur fighter in Zamboanga [but it] is not a guarantee that he is Malik, though they have similarities,” Maj. Angelo Guzman, deputy head of the Armed Forces’ Public Affairs Office, posted on his Twitter account.
MNLF spokesman Absalom Cerveza rejected the insinuations that Malik had been killed.
“Malik is alive,” he said.
Malacañang said only a few stragglers remained in Zamboanga City even as the Justice Department prepared to file charges against rebel leader Nur Misuari “in the coming days or weeks.”
“There is still an ongoing clearing operation so the situation in Zamboanga City is not yet back to completely normal. There are still a few stragglers left,” Presidential Communications Development Secretary Ramon Carandang said.
“It is not completely over yet, but on the whole, the MNLF has lost control of the areas that they had previously invaded in Zamboanga.”
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the military accomplished its mission of containing the MNLF rebellion after 21 days of fierce fighting in which 189 of the rebels were killed, 223 were captured and 52 surrendered.
Nineteen soldiers and five policemen were killed, while nine civilians were slain and 110 others displaced by the fighting.
A total of 177 troops, 14 policemen and 57 civilians were wounded.
Meanwhile, the MNLF on Sunday rejected the military’s claim that the MNLF had been defeated in three weeks of fighting that left Zamboanga City in ruins after 10,000 houses went in flames.
“The MNLF has not been defeated. They have just withdrawn to another safe place,” Cerveza said.
He said the fighting in Zamboanga City was not over yet, and that fresh fighting could erupt someplace else until Mindanao’s independence was attained, Cerveza said.
Meanwhile, the Zamboanga City Government said Sunday it will seek the transfer of all detained MNLF rebels to Manila from the San Ramon Penal Colony, which is 25 kilometers west of the city proper.
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/09/30/mopping-up-targets-malik-other-stragglers/
THE National Police on Sunday assumed responsibility for the clearing operations in the sections liberated from the MNLF rebels during their incursions in at least six areas in Zamboanga City that started on Sept. 9, and a day after the military accomplished its mission there.
The PNP Special Action Force and Special Weapons and Tactics group were ordered to conduct” mopping-up” operations or house-to-house searches for the remaining stragglers including MNLF Commander Haber Malik, who was reported one of those killed in the fighting with the military on Sunday.
“An ID belonging to Malik [was] found in one killed Nur fighter in Zamboanga [but it] is not a guarantee that he is Malik, though they have similarities,” Maj. Angelo Guzman, deputy head of the Armed Forces’ Public Affairs Office, posted on his Twitter account.
MNLF spokesman Absalom Cerveza rejected the insinuations that Malik had been killed.
“Malik is alive,” he said.
Malacañang said only a few stragglers remained in Zamboanga City even as the Justice Department prepared to file charges against rebel leader Nur Misuari “in the coming days or weeks.”
“There is still an ongoing clearing operation so the situation in Zamboanga City is not yet back to completely normal. There are still a few stragglers left,” Presidential Communications Development Secretary Ramon Carandang said.
“It is not completely over yet, but on the whole, the MNLF has lost control of the areas that they had previously invaded in Zamboanga.”
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the military accomplished its mission of containing the MNLF rebellion after 21 days of fierce fighting in which 189 of the rebels were killed, 223 were captured and 52 surrendered.
Nineteen soldiers and five policemen were killed, while nine civilians were slain and 110 others displaced by the fighting.
A total of 177 troops, 14 policemen and 57 civilians were wounded.
Meanwhile, the MNLF on Sunday rejected the military’s claim that the MNLF had been defeated in three weeks of fighting that left Zamboanga City in ruins after 10,000 houses went in flames.
“The MNLF has not been defeated. They have just withdrawn to another safe place,” Cerveza said.
He said the fighting in Zamboanga City was not over yet, and that fresh fighting could erupt someplace else until Mindanao’s independence was attained, Cerveza said.
Meanwhile, the Zamboanga City Government said Sunday it will seek the transfer of all detained MNLF rebels to Manila from the San Ramon Penal Colony, which is 25 kilometers west of the city proper.
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/09/30/mopping-up-targets-malik-other-stragglers/
Saying Zambo conflict over mere ‘press release’ — MNLF
From the Daily Tribune (Sep 30): Saying Zambo conflict over mere ‘press release’ — MNLF
The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) which laid siege to Zamboanga City merely laughed off the government’s declaration of “mission accomplished” marking the end of the 20-day conflict.
Lawyer Emmanuel Fontanilla, spokesman of the MNLF faction of the rebel group’s chairman Nur Misuari, said MNLF fighters are still in Zamboanga City as he branded the declaration made by Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II as a press release.
“That’s a lie. Pogi (Brownie) points,” said Fontanilla.
“The MNLF repositioned in peripheral barangays and the government stopped attacking, hence the lull in the conflict,” added Fontanilla.
He claimed the MNLF fighters, led by Ustadz Habier Malik, can still put up a fight if the government attacks.
Fontanilla also dismissed claims of “mission accomplished” by the government in Zamboanga City. He particularly cited the government’s uncertainty on Malik and the huge destruction in the city as a result of the 20-day confict. He accused government troops of perpetrating the fire incidents in the affected barangays.
“AFP’s target mission is to get Habier Malik, if they fail, the mission is not accomplished,” Fontanilla added.
Fontanilla stressed that Malik is very much alive. “He is safe,” he said.
“Over 200 men against three battalions of government troops with fresh reinforcement, supply and combined PNP, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Army –were able to inflict over a battalion-sized KIA (killed in action) and collateral damage requiring P3.9 billion to rehabilitate Zamboanga, where is victory there?,” he added.
More than 200 followers of Misuari attempted to raise the MNLF flag at the Zamboanga City Hall last September 9 but were prevented by government security forces, sparking the siege of at least five barangays.
The MNLF fighters took around 200 civilians as hostages and used them as human shields in fighting with government forces.
The 20-day conflict resulted in the killing of 189 MNLF fighters, 18 soldiers, including three junior officers, five policemen and 12 civilians.
More than 10,000 residential structures went up in smoke, displacing more than 100,000 residents.
The government’s claim also appeared premature without the arrest of Misuari and uncertainty on what happened to Malik, who led the siege.
Roxas, in a statement, declared Zamboanga City liberated from the hands of about 300 MNLF followers of Misuari, led by Ustadz Habier Malik despite initially the government reported that it had contained the just 100 MNLF fighters that marched into the city on Sept. 9.
“We can say for certain: The siege of Zamboanga is over. Zamboanga is again free,” declared Roxas.
The DILG chief cited the combined efforts of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in engaging about 300 fully-armed followers of Misuari in 20-day sporadic clashes in the heart of Zamboanga City.
“The mission is a success. The fighting is over in Zamboanga,” Roxas said.
Roxas said a total of 195 hostages were safely rescued by government security forces during 20-day calibrated response against the MNLF followers of Misuari.
The Zamboanga City conflict started last Sept. 9 when followers of Misuari occupied at least six barangays and took about 200 civilians as hostages.
Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, AFP-Public Affairs Office chief, echoed Roxas pronouncements, saying efforts in Zamboanga City are now law enforcement and clearing operation with the PNP as lead.
However, Zagala stressed that the military troops will remain in the area in support to the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF).
“The PNP is the lead to clear and there is some legal aspects to it. We are in the war fighting but since there is no more war, we are just in support to them (PNP). It becomes a law enforcement problem but the full force of the AFP is still there,” Zagala said.
Zagala said that government security forces were given two weeks to complete the clearing of the affected barangays Sta. Barabara, Sta. Catalina, Talon-Talon, Mariki, Rio Hondo and Mampang.
Focus of the ongoing operation are stragglers and unexploded ordnances, like grenades and mortar shells.
According to Zagala, the military’s primary mission of rescuing the hostages and removing the threat posed by MNLF fighters were completed.
“It is safe to say that AFP has already completed its mission,” said Zagala.
However, Zagala admitted that authorities are still uncertain about what happened to Malik but expressed belief that the MNLF leader is still in Zamboanga City.
Zagala said they are not discounting the possibility that Malik was killed during the conflict or has escaped.
“You have to consider all avenues. But right now he has no more command and control, majority of his fighters are already dead or captured…, he vowed to die here.
Let’s say he escaped, he made a pronouncement that he vowed to die here, so why didn’t he die here if he escaped,” said Zagala.
“We believe that he is still here because first he vowed that he will die here and…actually we are looking at some possibilities but I cannot reveal at the moment…we believe that he never left,” Zagala said.
Zagala also stressed that Malik is only one of the five MNLF commanders that led the siege – four of them neutralized except for Malik.
MNLF commanders Esmael Dasta and a certain Haider were killed during the conflict, while Enir Misuari, a nephew of Misuari, was captured and one commander Ugong surrendered.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/19692-saying-zambo-conflict-over-mere-press-release-mnlf
The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) which laid siege to Zamboanga City merely laughed off the government’s declaration of “mission accomplished” marking the end of the 20-day conflict.
Lawyer Emmanuel Fontanilla, spokesman of the MNLF faction of the rebel group’s chairman Nur Misuari, said MNLF fighters are still in Zamboanga City as he branded the declaration made by Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II as a press release.
“That’s a lie. Pogi (Brownie) points,” said Fontanilla.
“The MNLF repositioned in peripheral barangays and the government stopped attacking, hence the lull in the conflict,” added Fontanilla.
He claimed the MNLF fighters, led by Ustadz Habier Malik, can still put up a fight if the government attacks.
Fontanilla also dismissed claims of “mission accomplished” by the government in Zamboanga City. He particularly cited the government’s uncertainty on Malik and the huge destruction in the city as a result of the 20-day confict. He accused government troops of perpetrating the fire incidents in the affected barangays.
“AFP’s target mission is to get Habier Malik, if they fail, the mission is not accomplished,” Fontanilla added.
Fontanilla stressed that Malik is very much alive. “He is safe,” he said.
“Over 200 men against three battalions of government troops with fresh reinforcement, supply and combined PNP, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Army –were able to inflict over a battalion-sized KIA (killed in action) and collateral damage requiring P3.9 billion to rehabilitate Zamboanga, where is victory there?,” he added.
More than 200 followers of Misuari attempted to raise the MNLF flag at the Zamboanga City Hall last September 9 but were prevented by government security forces, sparking the siege of at least five barangays.
The MNLF fighters took around 200 civilians as hostages and used them as human shields in fighting with government forces.
The 20-day conflict resulted in the killing of 189 MNLF fighters, 18 soldiers, including three junior officers, five policemen and 12 civilians.
More than 10,000 residential structures went up in smoke, displacing more than 100,000 residents.
The government’s claim also appeared premature without the arrest of Misuari and uncertainty on what happened to Malik, who led the siege.
Roxas, in a statement, declared Zamboanga City liberated from the hands of about 300 MNLF followers of Misuari, led by Ustadz Habier Malik despite initially the government reported that it had contained the just 100 MNLF fighters that marched into the city on Sept. 9.
“We can say for certain: The siege of Zamboanga is over. Zamboanga is again free,” declared Roxas.
The DILG chief cited the combined efforts of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in engaging about 300 fully-armed followers of Misuari in 20-day sporadic clashes in the heart of Zamboanga City.
“The mission is a success. The fighting is over in Zamboanga,” Roxas said.
Roxas said a total of 195 hostages were safely rescued by government security forces during 20-day calibrated response against the MNLF followers of Misuari.
The Zamboanga City conflict started last Sept. 9 when followers of Misuari occupied at least six barangays and took about 200 civilians as hostages.
Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, AFP-Public Affairs Office chief, echoed Roxas pronouncements, saying efforts in Zamboanga City are now law enforcement and clearing operation with the PNP as lead.
However, Zagala stressed that the military troops will remain in the area in support to the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF).
“The PNP is the lead to clear and there is some legal aspects to it. We are in the war fighting but since there is no more war, we are just in support to them (PNP). It becomes a law enforcement problem but the full force of the AFP is still there,” Zagala said.
Zagala said that government security forces were given two weeks to complete the clearing of the affected barangays Sta. Barabara, Sta. Catalina, Talon-Talon, Mariki, Rio Hondo and Mampang.
Focus of the ongoing operation are stragglers and unexploded ordnances, like grenades and mortar shells.
According to Zagala, the military’s primary mission of rescuing the hostages and removing the threat posed by MNLF fighters were completed.
“It is safe to say that AFP has already completed its mission,” said Zagala.
However, Zagala admitted that authorities are still uncertain about what happened to Malik but expressed belief that the MNLF leader is still in Zamboanga City.
Zagala said they are not discounting the possibility that Malik was killed during the conflict or has escaped.
“You have to consider all avenues. But right now he has no more command and control, majority of his fighters are already dead or captured…, he vowed to die here.
Let’s say he escaped, he made a pronouncement that he vowed to die here, so why didn’t he die here if he escaped,” said Zagala.
“We believe that he is still here because first he vowed that he will die here and…actually we are looking at some possibilities but I cannot reveal at the moment…we believe that he never left,” Zagala said.
Zagala also stressed that Malik is only one of the five MNLF commanders that led the siege – four of them neutralized except for Malik.
MNLF commanders Esmael Dasta and a certain Haider were killed during the conflict, while Enir Misuari, a nephew of Misuari, was captured and one commander Ugong surrendered.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/19692-saying-zambo-conflict-over-mere-press-release-mnlf
Palace: Gov’t not rushing talks on increased US presence
From the Daily Tribune (Sep 30): Palace: Gov’t not rushing talks on increased US presence
The government is not rushing the negotiations for the framework agreement on the increased rotational presence of American troops in the country in time for US President Barack Obama’s visit in the Philippines this October, a Malacañang official yesterday said.
“I don’t think we can say that they are being rushed. These discussions have been going on for several months — if I’m not mistaken, over a year now. We are making slow but steady progress on the rotational presence,” Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Rick Carandang stressed.
Obama is set to visit the country on Oct. 11 to 12.
“Whether or not we will sign something during the Obama visit is not something I can answer at this point. What I can assure our countrymen is that these discussions with the US will lead to enhanced security for the Philippines and that’s why we’re entering into these discussions,” he added.
Carandang said the issue of South China Sea affecting the tension between China and the Philippines would not be set aside on the possible discussions with Obama and President Aquino.
“I think this cannot be avoided to be discussed with because that is a part of the context of our action to enhance our maritime security. It’s not just about the territorial disputes with China,” he added.
The Philippines has said it wants the deal concluded before the end of the year.
Manila had hosted tens of thousands of US soldiers at two bases north of Manila, but they were forced to leave in 1992 after the Senate voted to end their lease contracts amid strong anti-American sentiment.
A new agreement that went into force in 1999 allowed US troops to return to the Philippines for joint military exercises involving several thousand members of the US military every year.
US special forces have also been rotating through the southern Philippines since 2002 to help Filipino soldiers against Islamic militants, with the maximum number there at any one time believed to be about 600.
The envisaged deal would see many more exercises, although the Philippines has insisted it will not allow a permanent US presence. This would require a change to the Constitution.
The Philippines has accused China of building its military presence in the South China Sea in recent years.
China claims most of the sea, including waters close to the shores of its neighbors such as the Philippines.
While the United States has insisted it does not take sides in the dispute, it has been seeking to rebuild its military footprint in the Philippines as part of President Barack Obama’s strategic “pivot” to Asia.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/19695-palace-gov-t-not-rushing-talks-on-increased-us-presence
The government is not rushing the negotiations for the framework agreement on the increased rotational presence of American troops in the country in time for US President Barack Obama’s visit in the Philippines this October, a Malacañang official yesterday said.
“I don’t think we can say that they are being rushed. These discussions have been going on for several months — if I’m not mistaken, over a year now. We are making slow but steady progress on the rotational presence,” Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Rick Carandang stressed.
Obama is set to visit the country on Oct. 11 to 12.
“Whether or not we will sign something during the Obama visit is not something I can answer at this point. What I can assure our countrymen is that these discussions with the US will lead to enhanced security for the Philippines and that’s why we’re entering into these discussions,” he added.
Carandang said the issue of South China Sea affecting the tension between China and the Philippines would not be set aside on the possible discussions with Obama and President Aquino.
“I think this cannot be avoided to be discussed with because that is a part of the context of our action to enhance our maritime security. It’s not just about the territorial disputes with China,” he added.
The Philippines has said it wants the deal concluded before the end of the year.
Manila had hosted tens of thousands of US soldiers at two bases north of Manila, but they were forced to leave in 1992 after the Senate voted to end their lease contracts amid strong anti-American sentiment.
A new agreement that went into force in 1999 allowed US troops to return to the Philippines for joint military exercises involving several thousand members of the US military every year.
US special forces have also been rotating through the southern Philippines since 2002 to help Filipino soldiers against Islamic militants, with the maximum number there at any one time believed to be about 600.
The envisaged deal would see many more exercises, although the Philippines has insisted it will not allow a permanent US presence. This would require a change to the Constitution.
The Philippines has accused China of building its military presence in the South China Sea in recent years.
China claims most of the sea, including waters close to the shores of its neighbors such as the Philippines.
While the United States has insisted it does not take sides in the dispute, it has been seeking to rebuild its military footprint in the Philippines as part of President Barack Obama’s strategic “pivot” to Asia.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/19695-palace-gov-t-not-rushing-talks-on-increased-us-presence
The battle for Zamboanga: What went wrong (Pt. 3 of 3)
From GMA News (Sep 29): The battle for Zamboanga: What went wrong (Pt. 3 of 3)
(Editor's note: In this concluding essay, journalist Criselda Yabes examines the mistakes that were made during the attack in Zamboanga City, which she visited as the conflict entered its third week. On Saturday, the military announced that the siege was over.)
The siege in Zamboanga City has shown that Mindanao has ceased to be grasped as a whole, as a single issue for the Muslims. For every peace paper signed, another one will have to follow with a breakaway group, and then another if we keep failing to understand the pieces that have broken over the years, centuries even if you’d like to go that far back.
Misuari was one piece of that process. He cannot be removed from the picture, to be viewed under the range of a strategy if President Benigno Aquino wants peace so badly for Mindanao.
Aquino may also want to have a better choice of generals. Zamboanga, for one thing, is the headquarters of the Western Mindanao command, which could have called on its forces to cut off Malik’s entry into the city. It had five Marine battalions in Sulu, six Army battalions in Basilan, elite units thereabouts of the Scout Rangers and Light Reaction Company, and an Army division north of the peninsula.
Yet, quick decisions made in this ‘war’ dissolved into a level of tactics, according to accounts from troops on the ground. The military had to wing it as the days wore on; the last thing it needed was having a commander-in-chief send in his buddy, the Secretary of Interior and Local Governments, wasting time on PowerPoint presentations on the situation.
The President chose a military
solution when he arrived on the fifth day of the crisis, and there was no
turning back from that. Otherwise his weakness of buckling down and that of his
military could have opened a wider catastrophe. At his beckoning, forces were
brought in from other parts of the country, from northern Mindanao, from Luzon,
from Bicol and the Visayas whereas in the critical early days, the military had
to grope, pulling in a platoon here, getting drivers and cooks and retired
soldiers there. Forces in Sulu and Basilan had to stay put, in case of a
swelling of the tide in favor of the rebels.
If he knew his mettle, a three-star general running the Western Mindanao Command should have known what to do, either preemptively or nipping it in the bud. As much as I could indulge in hindsight, the other face of this is removing Misuari from his piece of Mindanao, destroying his armory, and seeing him for what he is. But that would have to come at a price, here in Zamboanga. That means another generation of children of war, a renewed cycle of anger, as Musa the Muslim teacher in the evacuation camp pointed out.
How long will it take for Zamboanga to heal? Will my friends find the courage to leave their homes after the military proclaimed that the siege was over, fearful and traumatized and paranoid of every conspiratorial rumor they hear? Will the face of a Muslim, such as Musa’s, suffer a backlash? And will the Tausugs too see that they have been victims of their own people?
“Remember our schoolmates?” Mayor Beng asked me when I went to see her in her temporary office by refugee center. She was in my younger sister’s high school batch in Pilar College, a girls’ school right by the seaside boulevard into which the refugees have spilled out from the evacuation camp, given tents to set up by the shore. “We grew up with them in the ‘70s, they’re professionals now” – and I know what she meant by this: the Muslims, they can’t all be the same.
“Zamboanga is your home,” she spoke to the rebels as an imaginary audience. “Your children grew up here, you built your house here, don’t make this city a staging ground for your warfare.’ Right then I had a sad suspicion that Zamboanga will put up a wall. This has gone too far. It has pushed them to the brink.
We grew up trying to be normal from the spillover of the war in Sulu in the ‘70s, the common occurrences of violence, kidnappings, killings, bomb explosions in bazaars and movie houses. Trying so hard we danced to disco music, made out with our boyfriends, hung out at the Pasonanca Park.
Mayor Beng’s mother was our neighbor in Santa Maria near the Air Force base, where signs of daily routine were picking up as the siege entered its third week. Sari-sari stories were open, traffic was moving in this part of town regarded as the suburb. I remember she had the most vibrant collection of orchids in her garden and others had followed. Zamboanga, our City of Flowers.
There had to be an end. Did it have to happen, like a boil waiting to burst?
Two of my high school classmates managed to sneak out and meet me in my hotel, whose German chef I’m told had told catered meals to the President during his nine-day stay at the military headquarters. The people of Zamboanga didn’t want Aquino to leave, not until they were sure it was done and they could carry on again. In the early days when no action was taken, they were cursing him. On the balcony we smoked to relieve tension and talked about the inanities of a soap opera they’ve been watching to get their minds off the sound of firing in the distance, but just the same they rushed home five hours before the curfew at 8 p.m.
I left my city on a C-130 cargo plane. Across the Air Force base is a bungalow where we used to live when I was little. We would hear the repetitive roar of the planes and helicopters, getting used to the pace of the city which, during those tumultuous years in the ‘70s, suddenly had a wave of refugees seeking shelter. Muslims of that generation had seen the burning of Jolo, an event censored by the Martial Law press; it took me well into my years as a journalist to find out what really happened.
This time around, I know what happened in Zamboanga. The bugles mourned at the military honors for an Army officer and two policemen whose caskets stood on the tarmac for a send-off. One by one they were lifted into the cavern of the plane, each one draped with the Philippine flag. I didn’t expect to be on a flight with dead soldiers, their steel coffins beside me by a borderline of bags and boxes.
I have struggled to write this piece despite what I have learned of Mindanao as a result of my childhood, and why I kept coming back to it. Believing in a far-fetched promise of hope, all these things came down to the sight of the caskets in the dark as the plane’s giant door closed: senselessness. – YA, GMA News
Part 1 - In the shadow of Fort Pilar, anger and pain in Rio Hondo
Part 2 - Misuari's journey: From the burning of Jolo to the siege in Zamboanga
Raised in Zamboanga City, CRISELDA YABES is the author of the novel 'Below the Crying Mountain,' on the rebellion in the south in the 1970s. Published by the University of the Philippines Press, it was nominated for the prestigious Man Asian Literary Prize. Her latest book, 'Peace Warriors,' which followed the military in Mindanao, won the National Book Award last year.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/328688/news/specialreports/the-battle-for-zamboanga-what-went-wrong
Last in a 3-part
series
(Editor's note: In this concluding essay, journalist Criselda Yabes examines the mistakes that were made during the attack in Zamboanga City, which she visited as the conflict entered its third week. On Saturday, the military announced that the siege was over.)
The siege in Zamboanga City has shown that Mindanao has ceased to be grasped as a whole, as a single issue for the Muslims. For every peace paper signed, another one will have to follow with a breakaway group, and then another if we keep failing to understand the pieces that have broken over the years, centuries even if you’d like to go that far back.
Misuari was one piece of that process. He cannot be removed from the picture, to be viewed under the range of a strategy if President Benigno Aquino wants peace so badly for Mindanao.
Aquino may also want to have a better choice of generals. Zamboanga, for one thing, is the headquarters of the Western Mindanao command, which could have called on its forces to cut off Malik’s entry into the city. It had five Marine battalions in Sulu, six Army battalions in Basilan, elite units thereabouts of the Scout Rangers and Light Reaction Company, and an Army division north of the peninsula.
Yet, quick decisions made in this ‘war’ dissolved into a level of tactics, according to accounts from troops on the ground. The military had to wing it as the days wore on; the last thing it needed was having a commander-in-chief send in his buddy, the Secretary of Interior and Local Governments, wasting time on PowerPoint presentations on the situation.
The President chose a military
solution when he arrived on the fifth day of the crisis, and there was no
turning back from that. Otherwise his weakness of buckling down and that of his
military could have opened a wider catastrophe. At his beckoning, forces were
brought in from other parts of the country, from northern Mindanao, from Luzon,
from Bicol and the Visayas whereas in the critical early days, the military had
to grope, pulling in a platoon here, getting drivers and cooks and retired
soldiers there. Forces in Sulu and Basilan had to stay put, in case of a
swelling of the tide in favor of the rebels.If he knew his mettle, a three-star general running the Western Mindanao Command should have known what to do, either preemptively or nipping it in the bud. As much as I could indulge in hindsight, the other face of this is removing Misuari from his piece of Mindanao, destroying his armory, and seeing him for what he is. But that would have to come at a price, here in Zamboanga. That means another generation of children of war, a renewed cycle of anger, as Musa the Muslim teacher in the evacuation camp pointed out.
How long will it take for Zamboanga to heal? Will my friends find the courage to leave their homes after the military proclaimed that the siege was over, fearful and traumatized and paranoid of every conspiratorial rumor they hear? Will the face of a Muslim, such as Musa’s, suffer a backlash? And will the Tausugs too see that they have been victims of their own people?
“Remember our schoolmates?” Mayor Beng asked me when I went to see her in her temporary office by refugee center. She was in my younger sister’s high school batch in Pilar College, a girls’ school right by the seaside boulevard into which the refugees have spilled out from the evacuation camp, given tents to set up by the shore. “We grew up with them in the ‘70s, they’re professionals now” – and I know what she meant by this: the Muslims, they can’t all be the same.
“Zamboanga is your home,” she spoke to the rebels as an imaginary audience. “Your children grew up here, you built your house here, don’t make this city a staging ground for your warfare.’ Right then I had a sad suspicion that Zamboanga will put up a wall. This has gone too far. It has pushed them to the brink.
We grew up trying to be normal from the spillover of the war in Sulu in the ‘70s, the common occurrences of violence, kidnappings, killings, bomb explosions in bazaars and movie houses. Trying so hard we danced to disco music, made out with our boyfriends, hung out at the Pasonanca Park.
Mayor Beng’s mother was our neighbor in Santa Maria near the Air Force base, where signs of daily routine were picking up as the siege entered its third week. Sari-sari stories were open, traffic was moving in this part of town regarded as the suburb. I remember she had the most vibrant collection of orchids in her garden and others had followed. Zamboanga, our City of Flowers.
There had to be an end. Did it have to happen, like a boil waiting to burst?
Two of my high school classmates managed to sneak out and meet me in my hotel, whose German chef I’m told had told catered meals to the President during his nine-day stay at the military headquarters. The people of Zamboanga didn’t want Aquino to leave, not until they were sure it was done and they could carry on again. In the early days when no action was taken, they were cursing him. On the balcony we smoked to relieve tension and talked about the inanities of a soap opera they’ve been watching to get their minds off the sound of firing in the distance, but just the same they rushed home five hours before the curfew at 8 p.m.
I left my city on a C-130 cargo plane. Across the Air Force base is a bungalow where we used to live when I was little. We would hear the repetitive roar of the planes and helicopters, getting used to the pace of the city which, during those tumultuous years in the ‘70s, suddenly had a wave of refugees seeking shelter. Muslims of that generation had seen the burning of Jolo, an event censored by the Martial Law press; it took me well into my years as a journalist to find out what really happened.
This time around, I know what happened in Zamboanga. The bugles mourned at the military honors for an Army officer and two policemen whose caskets stood on the tarmac for a send-off. One by one they were lifted into the cavern of the plane, each one draped with the Philippine flag. I didn’t expect to be on a flight with dead soldiers, their steel coffins beside me by a borderline of bags and boxes.
I have struggled to write this piece despite what I have learned of Mindanao as a result of my childhood, and why I kept coming back to it. Believing in a far-fetched promise of hope, all these things came down to the sight of the caskets in the dark as the plane’s giant door closed: senselessness. – YA, GMA News
Part 1 - In the shadow of Fort Pilar, anger and pain in Rio Hondo
Part 2 - Misuari's journey: From the burning of Jolo to the siege in Zamboanga
Raised in Zamboanga City, CRISELDA YABES is the author of the novel 'Below the Crying Mountain,' on the rebellion in the south in the 1970s. Published by the University of the Philippines Press, it was nominated for the prestigious Man Asian Literary Prize. Her latest book, 'Peace Warriors,' which followed the military in Mindanao, won the National Book Award last year.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/328688/news/specialreports/the-battle-for-zamboanga-what-went-wrong
House to probe procurement of AFP helmets
From ABS-CBN (Sep 29): House to probe procurement of AFP helmets
The House of Representatives will look into the procurement of combat helmets by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The investigation was prompted by a resolution filed by Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III and other members of the minority bloc led by Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora.
Albano yesterday said he drafted the resolution after the father of Army Lt. Francis Damian, one of three young officers killed in action in Zamboanga City, complained to him that his son died when a sniper’s bullet pierced through his helmet.
“Considering the circumstances surrounding the death of Lt. Damian, one cannot help but conclude that the combat helmet used by the valiant soldier was defective and did not conform with standard military specifications,” he said.
“Our soldiers who fight with bravery and dedication deserve our utmost support. Remedial legislation must be taken to improve the fighting capability and protect the welfare of our soldiers,” he said.
The three officers died while leading their men in battling a group of Moro National Liberation Front rebels in Zamboanga City.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/29/13/house-probe-procurement-afp-helmets
The House of Representatives will look into the procurement of combat helmets by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The investigation was prompted by a resolution filed by Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III and other members of the minority bloc led by Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora.
Albano yesterday said he drafted the resolution after the father of Army Lt. Francis Damian, one of three young officers killed in action in Zamboanga City, complained to him that his son died when a sniper’s bullet pierced through his helmet.
“Considering the circumstances surrounding the death of Lt. Damian, one cannot help but conclude that the combat helmet used by the valiant soldier was defective and did not conform with standard military specifications,” he said.
“Our soldiers who fight with bravery and dedication deserve our utmost support. Remedial legislation must be taken to improve the fighting capability and protect the welfare of our soldiers,” he said.
The three officers died while leading their men in battling a group of Moro National Liberation Front rebels in Zamboanga City.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/29/13/house-probe-procurement-afp-helmets
Is Zambo crisis really over? Palace says yes, but...
From ABS-CBN (Sep 29): Is Zambo crisis really over? Palace says yes, but...
Malacanang admitted the Zamboanga City crisis is not completely over.
Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) chief Ricky Carandang admitted that "there are still clearing operations ongoing and it’s not really back to normal.”
“It’s not completely over yet. [But] what we’ve done here is that we’ve degraded the ability of [the Moro National Liberation Front faction led by Nur Misuari] to create these kinds of situation,” Carandang said In an interview with radio dzRB.
He insisted that the government and the forces on the ground have dealt the Misuari situation with a heavy blow.
The crisis began when the faction of Misuari laid siege in Zamboanga City last September 9.
On Saturday, Malacanang announced via deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte that the crisis is over.
"Our task from Day 1 is to ensure the safety of the hostages that were taken...as well as to get civilians out of harm's way and that has already been accomplished," she said.
The government has yet to pinpoint the whereabouts of Habier Malik, Misuari’s top aide.
Carandang took note, however, that the government has already filed rebellion charges against him and the others. The Department of Justice is also set to file the same against Misuari.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/29/13/zambo-crisis-really-over-palace-says-yes
Malacanang admitted the Zamboanga City crisis is not completely over.
Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) chief Ricky Carandang admitted that "there are still clearing operations ongoing and it’s not really back to normal.”
“It’s not completely over yet. [But] what we’ve done here is that we’ve degraded the ability of [the Moro National Liberation Front faction led by Nur Misuari] to create these kinds of situation,” Carandang said In an interview with radio dzRB.
He insisted that the government and the forces on the ground have dealt the Misuari situation with a heavy blow.
The crisis began when the faction of Misuari laid siege in Zamboanga City last September 9.
On Saturday, Malacanang announced via deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte that the crisis is over.
"Our task from Day 1 is to ensure the safety of the hostages that were taken...as well as to get civilians out of harm's way and that has already been accomplished," she said.
The government has yet to pinpoint the whereabouts of Habier Malik, Misuari’s top aide.
Carandang took note, however, that the government has already filed rebellion charges against him and the others. The Department of Justice is also set to file the same against Misuari.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/29/13/zambo-crisis-really-over-palace-says-yes
2 NPA regulars to receive livelihood, cash assistance
From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 29): 2 NPA regulars to receive livelihood, cash assistance
CATARMAN, Northern Samar--After proper documentation and custodial debriefing, two New People’s Army (NPA)regulars are about to receive livelihood and financial assistance from the government after they have decided to return to folds of law on Wednesday morning.
Capt. Amado Gutierrez, chief of the division public affairs office said the two rebels identified as Jayson Francisco Lucban, alias Bunso/Jay and Rosemarie Moreno Cadajas, alias LJ/Aira/Ai-ai, squad leader and member, respectively of the NPA Regional Strike Force operating in theprovince of Northern Samar
Lt. Colonel Rey Anthony M. Tumaliun, commander of the 20IB, who personally interviewed the two, said they were “teased” by the good livelihood packages being offered by the military and various government agencies.
“They (NPAs) decided to renounce their membership as NPAs because of the current government programs intended for former rebels,” Lt. Col. Tumaliun said.
The Army captain said that under the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Peace Process (OPAPP), the two surrendered rebels will receive P50,000.00 livelihood assistance and additional P15,000.00 immediate assistance.
“They will also receive another cash reward in exchange for whatever firearm they will surrender under the AFP Guns for Peace in addition to more livelihood packages from LGUs where they reside,” Gutierrez said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=570924
CATARMAN, Northern Samar--After proper documentation and custodial debriefing, two New People’s Army (NPA)regulars are about to receive livelihood and financial assistance from the government after they have decided to return to folds of law on Wednesday morning.
Capt. Amado Gutierrez, chief of the division public affairs office said the two rebels identified as Jayson Francisco Lucban, alias Bunso/Jay and Rosemarie Moreno Cadajas, alias LJ/Aira/Ai-ai, squad leader and member, respectively of the NPA Regional Strike Force operating in the
Lt. Colonel Rey Anthony M. Tumaliun, commander of the 20IB, who personally interviewed the two, said they were “teased” by the good livelihood packages being offered by the military and various government agencies.
“They (NPAs) decided to renounce their membership as NPAs because of the current government programs intended for former rebels,” Lt. Col. Tumaliun said.
The Army captain said that under the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Peace Process (OPAPP), the two surrendered rebels will receive P50,000.00 livelihood assistance and additional P15,000.00 immediate assistance.
“They will also receive another cash reward in exchange for whatever firearm they will surrender under the AFP Guns for Peace in addition to more livelihood packages from LGUs where they reside,” Gutierrez said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=570924
Sec. Coloma recommends appropriate recognition for Eastern Samar’s Balangiga encounter
From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 29): Sec. Coloma recommends appropriate recognition for Eastern Samar’s Balangiga encounter
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio E. Coloma Jr. will recommend for an “appropriate recognition” to the historic Balangiga encounter as it marked its 112th anniversary over the weekend.
Sec. Coloma, who was the guest of honor during the commemorative program, said that he would endorse to the National Historical Institute (NHI) to consider Balangiga town as one possible host for the Independence Day celebration before the term of President Benigno S. Aquino ends.
He pointed out the significance of the event in 1901 as he explained that the Philippines was only three years old as a Republic and Emilio Aguinaldo, its first President was also captured by the American forces.
But the Balangigan-on showed their bravery by not allowing the abusive American soldiers to exploit them.
Coloma said that indeed the Balangiga encounter is not just for the locales to celebrate nor forEastern Samar but for the
entire Filipino nation.
He added that Filipinos thought all the while that the first People Power happened only in 1986 at the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA). Instead, he urged Balangigan-ons to declare that what transpired 112 years ago was already a strong showcase of people power.
Similar to the EDSA People Power the Balangia encounter also hold on to their faith in winning their struggles. In fact the Balangiga church bells served as signal to start the struggle.
The incident he said deserved a chapter in the country’s history books and not just few paragraphs or sentences to proclaim the heroism and bravery of the Balangigan-ons.
Further, he urged everyone to always remember the people of Balangiga each time they sing the phrase “sa manlulupig di ka pasisiil.”
Moreover, the bell that played a significant role during the encounter should be part of the design of the Philippine National Police (PNP) badge if not of the Philippine Army to also symbolize the heroism of the Balangigan-on.
The Balangiga encounter that happened in the morning of Sept. 28, 1901 was dubbed as the “worst single defeat” by theUnited
States military in the Philippines ,
according to an article written by Prof. Rolando O. Borrinaga of the School of Health Sciences ,
of the University of the Philippines
in Eastern Visayas .
It was a fruit of the struggle of the natives to break free from the abuses of the US troops that belonged to the company “C” of the 9th US Infantry Regiment stationed at the Balangiga to prevent the entry of supplies that will sustain the Filipino revolutionaries.
Ruben B. Matias, trustee of the Balangiga Historical and Cultural Foundation, Inc, wrote that the encounter resulted in the death of 48 American soldiers and 28 on the part of Filipino forces. Meanwhile, 21US
TheUS
Days later, the three church bells used by the natives to signal the previous encounter were taken by the 11th US Infantry and dubbed them as “war trophies.”
The smallest bell is now on display at the travelling museum of the 9th US Infantry inKorea while the
two others are now at the F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne , Wyoming
Coloma said that a diplomatic effort to retrieve these bells continues.
“We are not giving up on those efforts,” he affirmed.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=570972
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio E. Coloma Jr. will recommend for an “appropriate recognition” to the historic Balangiga encounter as it marked its 112th anniversary over the weekend.
Sec. Coloma, who was the guest of honor during the commemorative program, said that he would endorse to the National Historical Institute (NHI) to consider Balangiga town as one possible host for the Independence Day celebration before the term of President Benigno S. Aquino ends.
He pointed out the significance of the event in 1901 as he explained that the Philippines was only three years old as a Republic and Emilio Aguinaldo, its first President was also captured by the American forces.
But the Balangigan-on showed their bravery by not allowing the abusive American soldiers to exploit them.
Coloma said that indeed the Balangiga encounter is not just for the locales to celebrate nor for
He added that Filipinos thought all the while that the first People Power happened only in 1986 at the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA). Instead, he urged Balangigan-ons to declare that what transpired 112 years ago was already a strong showcase of people power.
Similar to the EDSA People Power the Balangia encounter also hold on to their faith in winning their struggles. In fact the Balangiga church bells served as signal to start the struggle.
The incident he said deserved a chapter in the country’s history books and not just few paragraphs or sentences to proclaim the heroism and bravery of the Balangigan-ons.
Further, he urged everyone to always remember the people of Balangiga each time they sing the phrase “sa manlulupig di ka pasisiil.”
Moreover, the bell that played a significant role during the encounter should be part of the design of the Philippine National Police (PNP) badge if not of the Philippine Army to also symbolize the heroism of the Balangigan-on.
The Balangiga encounter that happened in the morning of Sept. 28, 1901 was dubbed as the “worst single defeat” by the
It was a fruit of the struggle of the natives to break free from the abuses of the US troops that belonged to the company “C” of the 9th US Infantry Regiment stationed at the Balangiga to prevent the entry of supplies that will sustain the Filipino revolutionaries.
Ruben B. Matias, trustee of the Balangiga Historical and Cultural Foundation, Inc, wrote that the encounter resulted in the death of 48 American soldiers and 28 on the part of Filipino forces. Meanwhile, 21
The
Days later, the three church bells used by the natives to signal the previous encounter were taken by the 11th US Infantry and dubbed them as “war trophies.”
The smallest bell is now on display at the travelling museum of the 9th US Infantry in
Coloma said that a diplomatic effort to retrieve these bells continues.
“We are not giving up on those efforts,” he affirmed.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=570972
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