(Update) 4 rebels killed in Davao Oriental clash

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 29): (Update) 4 rebels killed in Davao Oriental clash

The number of New People's Army (NPA) fighters killed during the encounter with the 67th Infantry Battalion troopers in Manay, Davao Oriental Wednesday morning has now climbed to four.

This, as the rebel fighters earlier reported wounded and captured died while undergoing treatment, Eastern Mindanao Command spokesperson Capt. Alberto Caber said.

The encounter with the rebel force took place around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in Sitio Matabang, Barangay Taocanga, Manay town.

Caber said their troopers were responding to extortion complaints of residents when the firefight occurred.

Recovered in the scene of the encounter were two M-16, one AK-47 and one M-4 automatic rifles, three landmines, one cellphone and assorted documents.

Eastern Mindanao Command head Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier G. Cruz III praised the soldiers of 67th Infantry Battalion for securing the communities from the NPA extortion.

He further reminded all military units in the area to undertake joint operations with the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“Coordination among units for augmentation of forces is mandatory," Cruz said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=610605

President Aquino assures the AFP will go after Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter members to protect Filipinos

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 29): President Aquino assures the AFP will go after Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter members to protect Filipinos

President Benigno S. Aquino III assured on Wednesday that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) remains committed to go after Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) members and other lawless elements to protect the Filipinos.

In an interview with the media following his attendance at the 2013 The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) awarding ceremonies at the Insular Life Auditorium, Insular Life Corporate Center, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, the Chief Executive said the AFP continues to carry out its mandate to prevent lawless elements to inflict harm on the people.

"Iyong BIFF, I understand, the current operations, are due to the fact that they were engaging in harassment activities situated along the banks of the Polangui River — snipping attacks and so on," the President said.

"So the AFP, in its role to protect our people, is going on this operations to prevent these lawless activities from inflicting harm on our populace and to seriously degrade their abilities to again act as spoilers," he said.

The President also assured that the AFP and other law enforcement agencies are working to ensure that the peace process will not be disrupted.

"Ngayon, siguro batid naman ng lahat na merong mga grupo tulad nung Abu Sayyaf, for instance, na nakikinabang sa pananatili nung tinatawag na status quo sa Mindanao kung saan may kaguluhan lalo na po dito sa mga saklaw ng ARMM," he said.

"Inaasahan po natin na dito sa pagkapirma nitong agreement natin at saka nang mga annexes — at nangyayari na po na nagkakatulungan ang MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) at ang gobyerno para masugpo itong mga lumalabag sa ating mga batas; at lalo pang magiging mas maigting ang pagtutulungan ng bawat isa at lalong mahahabol natin lahat nga nitong mga desididong gumawa ng karahasan sa Kamindanaoan," President Aquino said.

Last Saturday, the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) panels signed the Annex on Normalization and Addendum on Bangsamoro Waters.

The Annex on Normalization is the last of the four Annexes to the GPH-MILF Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB).

The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, signed on October 15, 2012, serves as a roadmap for the creation of a Bangsamoro entity that will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and lays down the groundwork to achieve lasting and genuine peace in Mindanao.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=610626

Ranking NPA leader arrested in Negros Occidental

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 29): Ranking NPA leader arrested in Negros Occidental

Troopers from the Capiz-based 3rd Infantry Division has arrested a ranking member of the New People's Army's (NPA) "Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros" while conducting patrol operations in Sitio Cunalom, Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental Tuesday morning.

Major Ray Tiongson, the unit's spokesperson, identified the arrested rebel leader as Biboy Espinas.

He was bagged by patrolling elements of their 32nd Division Reconnaissance Company around 5 a.m.

Tiongson said that their men were approaching the village when they spotted Espinas and three other individuals.

He added that troopers immediately accosted the latter's group after one of them was seen carrying a loaded .38 caliber revolver.

Subsequent investigations revealed that Espinas is a ranking NPA leader in the area.

With this information, Tiongson said that they immediately coordinated with the local police while the three others persons with him was freed after routine questioning.

Apprised of his constitutional rights, Espinas was brought to Himamaylan City PNP station for medical check-up, proper documentation and filing of appropriate charges.

Espinas has a pending murder case murder at 6th Judicial Region Branch 60 in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.

This involves the suspect's killing of Lt. Archie Polenzo of 62nd Infantry Battalion in March 2010 through sniping.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=610635

PNP reshuffles key officials

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 29): PNP reshuffles key officials

The Philippine National Police is implementing a reshuffle affecting key positions in line with the continuing effort to rationalize the police organization.

Chief Supt. Theodore Reuben Sindac, PNP-Public Information Office chief, said the reorganization is consistent with P.A.T.R.O.L. Plan 2030, which is a road map to transform the entire PNP into a more capable, effective and credible institution.

”In line with this, the PNP high command formally named 10 newly-assigned stewards to PNP Regional Offices and Units,” said Sindac.

Sindac said that PNP Director General Alan Purisima formally installed new Regional Directors, Acting Regional Directors and Officers-in-Charge for Police Regional Offices 1, 2, 10, 13 (CARAGA), Manila Police District, Eastern Police District, Directorate for Information and Communication Technology Management (DICTM), Directorate for Integrated Police Operations (DIPO) in the Visayas and Western Mindanao

Leading those reshuffled were Director Angelito Nucum Pacia, who was named acting Director of DIPO Western Mindanao; Chief Supt. Catalino Bagaslao Rodriguez Jr., acting Director DIPO Visayas, and Chief Supt. Rodrigo Purisima de Gracia, acting Director of DICTM.

Others who were appointed to new positions were Senior Supt. Rolando Zambale Nana, officer-in-charge of the MPD; Chief Supt. Miguel de Mayo Laurel, acting Regional Director of PRO2; Chief Supt. Isagani Francisco Genabe Jr., acting Regional Director of PRO 10; Chief Supt. Dominador Eslava Aquino Jr., acting Regional Director, PRO 13 (CARAGA); and Senior Supt. Lavadia Gumiran Jr, OIC of the EPD.

Chief Supt. Edgar Orduña Basbas was designated as OIC of Police Regional Office I, replacing Senior Supt. Moro Virgilio Mandac Lazo.

“This kind of transition is a testimony of giving the capable PNP officials to attest their skills as a good leader. This is a significant part of our vision to make police service be responsive to the challenges that we face,” said Purisima in a statement.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=610728

Army troopers seize NPA arms cache in Kalinga

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 29): Army troopers seize NPA arms cache in Kalinga

Troopers from the Philippine Army's 17th Infantry Battalion and Kalinga CAFGU Active Auxiliary unearthed a New People's Army (NPA) arms cache in Kungal Capas, Barangay Magnao, Tabuk, Kalinga Tuesday evening.

Recovered were one M-16 automatic rifle, one carbine, a Springfield .303 and one M-1 Garand rifle.

Northern Luzon Command acting spokesperson Major Emmanuel Garcia said the arms cache was discovered at around 10 p.m.

He added that residents gave them the location of the weapons cache.

"This signifies that support for the NPA is already dwindling, if not already gone," Garcia said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=610756

'Child soldiers' were among the dead BIFF fighters, military claims

From InterAksyon (Jan 29): 'Child soldiers' were among the dead BIFF fighters, military claims



Ameril Umbra Kato, BIFF leader, seen here in file photo, has been urged to surrender and get help from government health facilities for his reported ailments. In this week's series of skirmishes between soldiers and the BIFF, the military claimed the former had recruited child soldiers, some of whom were among the dead.

The needless violence is bad enough; but now, the military claims that ‘child soldiers’ were among the fatalities on the side of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) that engaged government forces in fighting since the weekend’s signing of final annexes to a peace pact with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

On the military side, one soldier was killed and 7 wounded, Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said on Wednesday.

“May mga child soldiers dun na may dala-dalang mga baril at naka-uniporme sa 37 na patay [There were child soldiers there whose bodies were found, bearing arms and wearing conbatants’ uniforms] ,” said Hermoso.

The military is seeking the help of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and other local and international organizations working for children’s rights to help them investigate the BIFF for using “child soldiers.” He estimated their ages to be between 14 and 17 of age. “Because of this, we condemn to the highest level the BIFF for using children in forwarding their criminal acts,” Hermoso said.

He could not give, for the meantime, the exact number of  “child soldiers” killed in the series of firefight against the BIFF., but stressed that their presence was “confirmed on the ground” and that freshly dug graves were found. “We just quickly counted the bodies because we cannot dig them up….in deference to the Muslim tradition [and we might hurt sensitivities].”

Since Monday, mortar shelling by the AFP, using 105mm Howitzer cannons on enemy positions, has been ongoing in Barangay Ganta, Sharif Saidona Mustapha and Barangay Damablas, Datu Piang, both in Maguindanao, Hermoso said. These are strongholds of the BIFF where most of the fatalities were found.

He said the BIFF had also sent out small teams to do bombings in selected towns to distract the military and police. He said they were tipped off that at dawn Wednesday, “two vehicles loaded with armed men” along the stretch of the Guindulan Highway in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao had been sighted. The men on board then set up a roadblock in Barangay Kabingi, and moved a small hut by the roadside to the middle of the highway in order to block traffic.

Responding government troops arrived and flushed them out. Bomb squads later found and defused some landmines planted by the BIFF. No casualty was reported on either side.

A day before the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed the Annex on Normalization, the BIFF mounted attacks on government positions as soldiers and policemen were serving arrest warrants on some BIFF personalities in Maguindanao and North Cotabato.

The BIFF is a splinter group of the MILF led by Ameril Umbra Kato, who was expelled for not supporting the peace talks.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/79705/child-soldiers-were-among-the-dead-biff-fighters-military-claims

MILF Transition Commish meets Congress leaders on peace accord

From InterAksyon (Jan 29): MILF Transition Commish meets Congress leaders on peace accord



House leaders led by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte meet with members of the MILF Transition Commission at the House of Representatives Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014. PHOTO BY LIRA DALANGIN-FERNANDEZ, INTERAKSYON.COM

Members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Transition Commission set foot on the House of Representatives on Wednesday and met with the chamber's leaders, discussing in brief the historic peace agreement.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. led the House contingent in welcoming Mohagher Igbal, the chairman of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, in the closed-door meeting that lasted for close to an hour.

The government and the MILF negotiating panels on January 25 signed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia the final documents completing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

Seven documents in all will be the product of the work of both panels—the framework agreement with four annexes including the annexes on decommissioning of arms; another addendum on wealth sharing, and finally, the Comprehensive Agreement for Bangsamoro (CAB) which will soon be agreed upon by the two groups.

Congress earlier assured the passage of needed legislation, including a possible amendment of the Constitution, to give flesh to the agreement.

Lawyer Raissa Jajurie, chairperson of the committee on fiscal autonomy of the Transition Commission, welcomed Congress' commitment to help push for peace in the south. "What we discussed was that Congress will pass a law within the framework of the Annexes, then we deal with the constitutional issue when it arises," she told InterAksyon.com.

Accompanying Iqbal and Jajurie were Commissioners Robert Alonto, Ibrahim Ali, Talib Benito, Abdulla Camlian, Pedrito Eisma, Froilyn Mendoza, Hussein Munoz, Akmad Sakkam, Fatmawati Salapuddin, Said Shiek, Asani Tammang, Timuay Melanio Ulama and Jun Matawil, chairman of the MILF negotiating panel secretariat.

Zamboanga’s Lobregat: clear up ambiguities

In a separate statement, Zamboanga City Representative Celso Lobregat said he was supportive of the peace process and of the negotiations, but wanted some ambiguities in the agreement cleared.

"I do not want the current peace negotiations to end up like the failed Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain, that is why I am citing certain provisions, raising certain issues and concerns regarding the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro and its Annexes," he said.

"There are ambiguities and questions that need to be answered," Lobregat added.

He said he hopes the panels will keep an "open mind, listen and address these concerns by clarifying, reviewing and if necessary amending, modifying certain provisions if necessary, while there is still time."

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/79718/milf-transition-commish-meets-congress-leaders-on-peace-accord

Military inside schools? Congressman seeks probe

From InterAksyon (Jan 29): Military inside schools? Congressman seeks probe

Wary that it may lead to a rise in violation of children's rights, a lawmaker on Wednesday asked the House of Representatives to investigate a Department of Education (DEpEd) memorandum allowing the military inside the premises of public elementary and high schools.

House Resolution No. 725 filed by Kabataan partylist Representative Terry Ridon said the said issuance would be "inimical to the protection of children's rights."

"Allowing military presence in educational institutions is tantamount to increasing risks for children, especially those living in situations of conflict," he said.

The call to investigate stemmed from DepEd Memorandum No. 221 on the Guidelines on the Protection of Children During Armed Conflict issued on 13 December 2013.

Signed by Education Secretary Armin Luistro, the issuance allowed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to conduct "civil-military" activities "inside or within a school or a hospital."

Under the memo, Luistro said that the AFP activities will be governed by its own guidelines dated 15 July 2013.

The school principals will receive the written requests for the conduct of AFP activities and will forward it to the division office for approval.  After the activity, the school principal will submit a report to the division office.

The AFP Guidelines said the activities were needed "to prevent the occurrence of the Grave Violations Against Children During Armed Conflict pursuant to and in compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1612 and 1882, more specifically the violations known as Attacks on Schools and Hospitals."

"The main intent of the above policies/guidelines is ..... also to prevent/ bring to unnecessary risk and/or endanger all children, teachers, medical/dental professionals, health workers, and/or employees/workers of the school and hospital concerned, and the school or hospital itself," the guideline said.

"Even if both DepEd Memo 221 and AFP Letter Directive 25 only allow what they call civil-military operations, the said issuances would still be inimical to the protection of children's rights. Allowing military presence in educational institutions is tantamount to increasing risks for children, especially those living in situations of conflict," Ridon said.

Ridon also noted several loopholes in both memos, which he said should be scrutinized.

For example, Guideline No. 7 of the AFP letter directive stated that, "If there is a need for the force protection unit(s)/personnel to be inside the school, due to exigencies of the prevailing security situation and/or activity and/or request, they must be deployed and limited/contained to the pre-identified/pre-approved within the school/hospital premises."

"The said provision is unclear on who determines the presence of the 'need for force protection units,' which is the AFP's euphemism for armed soldiers and is thus open for abusive interpretation," he said.

The letter directive also "justifies and legitimizes military surveillance in schools," Ridon said.

Guideline No. 8 of AFP Letter Directive 25 states, "In order to clearly record the conduct of activity for purposes of documentation, units concerned must undertake photo and video coverage of the activity, hence is highly encouraged."

"The said provision will in effect legitimize photo and video surveillance inside schools in the guise of documentation," Ridon said.

The partylist lawmaker also pointed out that under AFP Letter Directive 25, violations will be investigated and dealt with through a military court.

"This provision is seen to further dilute its objective to secure children from rights violations and may prove as a way for uniformed personnel to get away with violations through the mantle of protection of the military court," he added.

Ridon said the new issuances go against the declaration of United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon that stated that "The use of schools for military purposes puts children at risk of attack and hampers children's right to education."

"Limiting military operations in schools to socio-civic activities does not change the fact that both DepEd and AFP's guidelines violate international laws and statutes," he said.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/79690/military-inside-schools-congressman-seeks-probe

China threatening US military superiority - Pentagon

From InterAksyon (Jan 29): China threatening US military superiority - Pentagon

China poses an increasing challenge to the US military's technological edge while budget pressures are hampering Washington's effort to stay ahead, a senior defense official warned on Tuesday.

Frank Kendall, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer, told lawmakers that when it comes to "technological superiority, the Department of Defense is being challenged in ways that I have not seen for decades, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region."

Citing China's major investments in anti-ship missiles, stealth fighter jets, hypersonic vehicles and other hi-tech weaponry, Kendall said the United States could lose its dominant position if it failed to respond to the altered strategic landscape.

"Technological superiority is not assured and we cannot be complacent about our posture," he told the House Armed Services Committee.

Asked to assess what one lawmaker called an arms race between the two countries, Kendall said there was cause for concern as China dramatically increases its military spending.

"Their budget is far smaller than ours, but their personnel costs are also far smaller than ours," said Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

"Our budgets are going in the opposite direction. So just by that metric alone, it's not positive."

Lawmakers and defense analysts say China is making strides in modernizing its military, particularly in the area of so-called "anti-access" weapons -- such as missiles and electronic jamming systems -- that could potentially limit the reach of US aircraft carriers or warplanes.

Kendall said when he returned to the Pentagon after being away for 15 years, he was "struck immediately by the nature, scope and quality of the investments that are being made in A2AD, as we call it, anti-access area denial capabilities."

As a result, the Pentagon is "looking very carefully at Pacific Command's requirements and what they need for the operations in that area," he said.

Kendall added that Washington was concerned about China exporting its newer weapons abroad.

Echoing Kendall's wider concerns, Admiral Samuel Locklear, head of US Pacific Command, said last week that the American military's "relative dominance" is declining as other countries invest in sophisticated weapons.

The admiral, however, said it was "not something to be afraid of" and that the US had to be "pragmatic" as it plans for the future.

Kendall, however, said that mandatory budget cuts adopted by Congress were tying the Pentagon's hands as it tries to maintain America's military power.

"Our ability within the department to respond to that challenge is severely limited by the current budget situation," he cautioned.

While the department grapples with the uncertainty triggered by the automatic budget cuts, "we are losing time, an asset that we can never recover," he said.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/79682/china-threatening-us-military-superiority---pentagon

Aquino vows to crush BIFF as death toll from Central Mindanao clashes rises to 40

From InterAksyon (Jan 29): Aquino vows to crush BIFF as death toll from Central Mindanao clashes rises to 40



Military howitzers used to pound suspected BIFF lairs in Maguindanao province (photo by Jo Herny, ARMM-HEART)

President Benigno Aquino III vowed to crush the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters as clashes in Central Mindanao since the weekend claimed 40 lives as of Wednesday and thousands of civilians crowded into evacuation centers to escape the crossfire.

The military claims to have killed 38 BIFF fighters , many of them in a government offensive mounted Monday following a series of bombings and harassment attacks since Friday.

One soldier and a civilian have also been killed. Seven other soldiers have been wounded in the fighting while a pregnant woman and an eight-year old girl were injured in a bomb explosion at the transport terminal of the public market in the town of Datu Piang, Maguindanao.



[Video: Soldiers wounded in clashes with the BIFF at the Camp Siongco hospital
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYWtxngHoNo]

The military has deployed three battalions, or around 1,500 troops, against an estimated 250 BIFF fighters.

"The armed forces ... (are) going on these operations to prevent lawless activities from inflicting harm on our population, and to seriously degrade their abilities to again act as (peace) spoilers," Aquino told reporters in Manila.

The Mindanao Human Rights Action Center reported that the military has been conducting artillery and air strikes on suspected BIFF lairs in the Maguindanao towns of Datu Piang, Sharif Saydona, Raja Buayan and Datu Salibo.

The violence has prompted Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to call on the BIFF to stand down but Colonel Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the 6th Infantry Division, said their operations would continue until the wanted rebels are captured.



[Video: ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmpLjH0Ua8s]

The military, however, prefers to call the assault a “law enforcement operation” in support of police out to serve warrants against BIFF members involved in attacks on several communities last year.

Authorities also deny the clashes have to do with the recent signing of the Annex of Normalization to the Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The BIFF is led by former MILF commander Ameril Umbra Kato, who broke away from the larger rebel group because he disapproved of the direction peace talks were heading.

Hermoso called on Kato, who is reportedly ailing after suffering a stroke some two years ago, to surrender and avail of government health services.



[Video: 6th Infantry Division spokesman Col. Dickson Hermoso
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GngHw-ygHo]

"They (rebels) set off improvised explosive devices and directed mortar fire on our troops. But they have splintered into smaller groups and our troops are now clearing these areas," Hermoso said, adding he expected the fighting to end in about three days.
But the violence could continue escalating after BIFF spokesman Abu Misri Mama vowed that their forces would not retreat.

Mama also denied that they had suffered casualties.



(photo by Dennis Arcon, InterAksyon.com)



(photo by Jo Herny, ARMM-HEART)



(photo by Jo Herny, ARMM-HEART)

Troops clashed with NPA rebels in Davao province, 5 killed

From the Mindanao Examiner blog site (Jan 29): Troops clashed with NPA rebels in Davao province, 5 killed

Government troops killed four communist rebels in a fierce clashes Wednesday in the southern Philippine province of Davao Oriental, an army spokesman said.

Capt. Alberto Caber, of the Eastern Mindanao Command, said one soldier was also killed in the fighting that erupted in the village of Taocanga in Manay town.

He said troops also recovered four automatic rifles, improvised explosives, a cell phone and anti-government propaganda from the slain New People’s Army rebels.

“Troops were sent to the village (of Taocanga) after civilians secretly informed the military about the presence of heavily armed men in the area. It turned out the gunmen were NPA fighters,” Caber said.

 Caber, citing a report from Lt. Col. Krishnamurti Mortela, commander of the 67th Infantry Battalion, said the rebels were trying to recover a former stronghold in the village that was overtaken by security forces.
Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command, condoled with the family of the slain soldier and said he died fighting for democracy and safety of the whole village and its inhabitants, and at the same time commended the 67th Infantry Battalion for their bravery.

The NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been fighting for decades now for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country.

http://mindanaoexaminer.blogspot.com/2014/01/troops-clashed-with-npa-rebels-in-davao.html

PNP SCOUT course reels off in Negros Oriental

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 29): PNP SCOUT course reels off in Negros Oriental
 
A total of 130 personnel from the Regional Public Safety Battalion-7 (RPSB-7) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Central Visayas will be undergoing a 45-day course on Special Counter-Insurgency Operations Unit Training (SCOUT) in Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental.

This will be the first training in Negros Oriental and the second in the entire Region 7 for this year, according to Chief Insp. Dexter Calacar, training manager of the Regional Special Training Unit 7 of the PNP in Region 7.

The PNP SCOUT Class 42-2014 will reel off Wednesday morning at Camp Ausejo in Barangay Nagbagang, Sta. Catalina town, about two hours drive south of this capital, with Governor Roel Degamo, PNP Region 7 director Chief Supt. Danilo Constantino, Supt. Clifford Gairanod, battalion commander of RPSB-7 and OIC PNP provincial director of Negros Oriental, Supt. Alet Virtucio attending the opening ceremony.

Of the total 130 trainees, 24 are females and 106 are males and all assigned to the RPSB-7, said Calacar.

On Tuesday morning, the PNP SCOUT Class 41-2014 also officially started at the RPSB-7 headquarters in Sibonga, Cebu province with a total of 128 trainees, comprising 24 females and 104 males, according to Calacar.

The PNP SCOUT is a mandatory program for police personnel to enhance their skills in militaristic/tactics.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=610336

3 BIFF camps captured in Maguindanao as Army offensive continues

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 29): 3 BIFF camps captured in Maguindanao as Army offensive continues

Government forces captured three small camps of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters as the military offensive entered its third day in Maguindanao and North Cotabato borders.

The Army’s 6th Infantry Division have launched air and ground assaults against the BIFF to aid the police in serving warrants of arrest against rebels facing various criminal offenses.

“The rebels were forced to abandon their strongholds and divided into smaller groups to avoid detection,” Colonel Dickson Hermoso said.

Hermoso, 6th ID spokesperson, said evacuees told troops on the ground in Datu Piang that the BIFF fled during the first day of artillery attacks, leaving their camps which served as perimeter defense to a bigger camp in the marshland.

Two soldiers belonging to the 45th Infantry Battalion have been slightly wounded in a brief encounter near a riverside BIFF camp in Datu Piang.

They were among the four Army battalions pursuing about 1,000 BIFF members and confined them in one area in the marshland.

More than 10,000 individuals have been displaced by the fighting in the towns bordering Maguindanao and North Cotabato.

Concerned government agencies have been attending to the internally displaced persons. Pikit and Midsayap, were among the towns in North Cotabato where IDPs converged. In Maguindanao, the affected towns were Datu Piang, Datu Shariff Saydona and Sultan sa Barongis.

Army personnel, backed by armored personnel carrier also secured portions of the Cotabato-General Santos highway and Cotabato-Davao highway.

The number of checkpoints were doubled along major highways.

Hermoso said they are grateful to the MILF for cooperating by providing the Army enough room to maneuver during the offensive against BIFF.

“Our tactical activities against the BIFF are being coordinated closely with the MILF, they secure civilian communities,” Hermoso said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=610403

19 BIFF members including child combatants killed in clash with soldiers

From the Philippine Star (Jan 28): 19 BIFF members including child combatants killed in clash with soldiers

Soldiers killed 19 members of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the second day of military operations aimed at arresting senior leaders of the notorious group.

Local officials in North Cotabato’s adjoining Pikit and Midsayap towns, and in Datu Piang, in Saidona Mustapha, and in Sultan sa Barongis municipalities, all in Maguindanao have confirmed that 19 bandits have been killed in a series of encounters with soldiers at marshlands at the border of the two provinces.

“Seven of the fatalities were killed when 105 Howitzer shells landed near them while they were trading shots with soldiers approaching their lairs along a river in Datu Piang,” said one of the local officials, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals.

Two BIFF bandits were killed and three others were wounded in firefights at a swampy area near Paidu Pulangi in Pikit, in the southwest of North Cotabato, according to Barangay officials.

Police intelligence sources said some of the BIFF fatalities were adolescents the BIFF recruited as child combatants, in total disregard of international humanitarian laws that ban the enlistment of children for warfare.

The Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Relief Team (HEART) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao dispatched on Tuesday relief and rehabilitation experts to Datu Piang and nearby Sultan sa Barongis and Mamasapano towns to assess the extent of the dislocation of local folks due to hostilities.

ARMM’s regional executive secretary, Laisa Alamia, said the HEART is now preparing to ship relief supplies, including food packs and other non-food provisions, to evacuation sites in the affected towns.

Local officials in Maguindanao and North Cotabato said there are now more than 10,000 villagers in makeshift relief sites, driven away from their homes by the BIFF-military encounters that started Monday dawn.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/01/28/1283985/19-biff-members-including-child-combatants-killed-clash-soldiers

MILF keeps close watch vs possible attack by rival groups

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Jan 28): MILF keeps close watch vs possible attack by rival groups

MANILA, Philippines–A peace panel member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said the group is studying ways to prevent an attack similar to the Zamboanga City attack by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

MILF secretariat head Jun Mantawil told INQUIRER.net Tuesday that they are studying the normalization annex that discusses the laying down of firearms and putting these beyond use.

According to the annex, these firearms would not be destroyed but entrusted to a third party.

When asked for their actions to prevent their members to take up arms similar to the Zamboanga city attack, Mantawil said they are still “composing” and “studying the decommissioning” of firearms.

He added that they would also study the Jakarta peace accord between the Philippine government and the MNLF, a pact that is still under tripartite review despite being signed in 1996.

The MNLF attacked Zamboanga City in September 2013 over an independence bid despite the final peace accord. They claimed to be sidelined in the current MILF-GPH peace pact.

The MILF broke off from the MNLF over a dispute with the peace accord.

“Our agreement is we study these. And we craft carefully in order not to repeat the mistakes of the past,” Mantawil said at the sidelines of the Mindanao and Muslim affairs committee hearing at the House of Representatives.

It is the first time an MILF representative set foot on the House grounds to participate in the legislative process.

Teresita “Ging” Deles, secretary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process, added that the power sharing annex provides for proposed recommendations from the review process of the MNLF-GPH 1996 final peace agreement.

She added that these recommendations would be integrated in the Bangsamoro basic law, which would be crafted to create the Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Deles also said that there was no element of surrender from the MILF, adding that the Moro group would only entrust their firearms to a third party.

On Saturday, the MILF and the Philippine government signed the last annex of the Bangsamoro framework, sealing the deal in a bid to end the decades-long secessionist movement in Mindanao. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/570629/milf-keeps-close-watch-vs-possible-attack-by-rival-groups