Israeli firm bags P368-M deal to supply artillery to Army

From InterAksyon (Mar 28): Israeli firm bags P368-M deal to supply artillery to Army



Elbit Systems Land and C41, a defense material manufacturer based in Israel, won the bid to supply the Army more than P368 million worth of artillery, a source privy to the bidding said.

“Elbit offers P368,837,332 for 12 pieces of 155 Howitzer canons with accessories and ammunition,” beating Bosnian firm BNT, the source said.

The second conference that concluded with the choosing of the winning bid was held in Camp Aguinaldo.

The defense department’s Bids and Awards Committee for the project is led by Assistant Secretary Efren Fernandez.

Elbit offered its Athos howitzer system.

Bids for the contract were opened on December 5 last year, following a pre-bid conference on November 22.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/83658/israeli-firm-bags-p368-m-deal-to-supply-artillery-to-army

Anakpawis solon wants very pregnant Andrea Rosal seen by doctors, companions released

From InterAksyon (Mar 28): Anakpawis solon wants very pregnant Andrea Rosal seen by doctors, companions released



Militants picket the NBI main office in Manila on Friday to demand the release of Andrea Rosal and two others. Rosal, daughter of the late spokesperon of the communist movement Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal, is due to give birth soon. LESTER LOPEZ, INTERAKSYON.COM

A party-list lawmaker on Friday slammed the arrest of a village chairman who was among those caught with alleged rebel Andrea Rosal in Caloocan City as militants picketed the NBI to demand the release of the woman whom they said is due to give birth soon.

Barangay Captain Ruben Gatchilian is a local chapter officer of the party-list Anakpawis, according to Anakpawis Rep. Fernando Hicap. The village officer was arrested along with two suspected rebels at his home on BF Homes, Brgy.168 Caloocan City by the National Bureau of Investigation on Thursday (March 27).

In a statement, Hicap sought the immediate and unconditional release of Andrea, daughter of the Communist Party of the Philippines spokesperson, the late Gregorio ‘Ka Roger’ Rosal, and Rafael De Guzman. Rosal is 9-months’ pregnant, he said.

Hicap said the NBI should immediately have Rosal undergo medical care as the latter is giving birth anytime soon.

“Anakpawis condemns the arrest of Brgy Capt. Ruben Gatchilian, Andrea Rosal and Rafael De Guzman. The arrest according to human rights group Karapatan violated the rights of the three for a legal counsel, contact to human rights group and immediate relatives” he said.

The series of arrests conducted by the Aquino government on members of the underground movement was meant, in Hicap’s view, to further strain the already fragile status of the peace talks between the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines.

He accused Mr. Aquino of giving his blessing to “state agents to arrest [people], whether members of the negotiating team on the peace talk representing the NDFP like the Tiamzons and other members of the revolutionary movement. Clearly, the arrest was to intimidate and provoke the CPP-NPA-NDF to abandon the peace talks. It only exposed his double talk on the peace talks.”

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/83687/anakpawis-solon-wants-very-pregnant-andrea-rosal-seen-by-doctors-companions-released

NPA AT 45 | CPP looking forward to '25,000 fighters, 200 guerrilla fronts'

From InterAksyon (Mar 28): NPA AT 45 | CPP looking forward to '25,000 fighters, 200 guerrilla fronts'



A New People's Army unit negotiates a mountain stream in Negros (photo from http://www.philippinerevolution.net/)

On the eve of the 45th founding anniversary of the New People’s Army, the Communist Party of the Philippines said it looked to its armed wing’s “rapid expansion to 25,000 fighters and the growth in the number of its guerrilla fronts to 200, covering every rural congressional district.”

The NPA was founded March 29, 1969, three months after university professor Jose Ma. Sison founded the CPP.

“From nine automatic rifles upon its founding in 1969, the NPA is well on its way to having 10,000 high-powered firearms,” the CPP said in a statement.

While giving no exact figures on the NPA’s strength, the CPP claimed “thousands of Red fighters” operate in “more than 110 guerrilla fronts covering significant portions of 71 provinces,” augmented by “tens of thousands of people’s militias and hundreds of thousands of the masses’ self-defense forces.”

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has consistently downplayed the communist rebels’ strength, claiming its operations have whittled down the NPA from a peak of more than 24,000 in the 1980s to an “inconsequential” 4,000 or so fighters.

However, 2001 to 2010, despite two counterinsurgency campaigns -- Oplans Bantay Laya I and II -- it said were sure to decimate the NPA, the military ended the decade admitting failure.

It is currently implementing “Internal Peace Security Program Bayanihan,” which Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Noel Detoyato said, “advocates for a whole-of-nation approach in ending conflict … as well as peace and development initiatives all over the country.”

In recent months, the NPA has stepped up offensives in several regions, most notably Mindanao, although one of the rebels’ latest attacks was practically at Metro Manila’s doorstep.

On March 20, the NPA’s Narciso Antazo Aramil Command in Rizal ambushed troops of the 59th Infantry Battalion, killing two soldiers, including an officer, and wounding four others.

But the military has also scored big lately with the arrest last weekend of CPP chairman Benito Tiamzon and his wife Wilma Austria in Cebu, and just this Thursday of the eight-month pregnant Andrea Rosal, daughter of the late rebel spokesman Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal, who authorities claim is a leading cadre of the movement in Southern Luzon.

However, rebel leaders, including Sison, while demanding the release of the Tiamzons because of their status as consultants of the National Democratic Front peace negotiating panel, have also dismissed government’s assertion that the arrest of the couple had dealt a major blow to the revolutionary movement and left a vacuum in its leadership.

Sison said the rebels have a “deep bench.”

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/83692/npa-at-45--cpp-looking-forward-to-25000-fighters-200-guerrilla-fronts

AFP probing military officer linked to arrested US senator

From the Sun Star (Mar 28): AFP probing military officer linked to arrested US senator

MALACANANG on Friday said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is already looking into allegations that a military official had dealings with United States Senator Leland Yee who has been arrested for firearms trafficking and corruption charges.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the government has been trying to get more information regarding the supposed involved military officer.

"There is no need for the directive," she said, citing that she already talked with Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala, AFP chief public information officer, and she was told that the military is already looking into that particular report.

"We have also been trying to get a name or at least more information about the alleged involvement of a supposed military officer," she said.

Valte said there is still no significant information produced by the ongoing investigation but she said the Palace trusts that the AFP will get to the bottom of it.

If true, Valte said it is alarming that a military official is involved in such a highly organized crime.

Lee allegedly visited the Philippines for the scheme.

Valte said the Department of Justice would also look into this considering that the Bureau of Immigration is under the DOJ.

US federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Wednesday against Yee, accusing him of conspiring to commit wire fraud and traffic firearms.

Twenty six people, including a former school board president were indicted on charges related to an extensive crime ring headed by well-known Chinatown figure in the US.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2014/03/28/afp-probing-military-officer-linked-arrested-us-senator-335425

NDF to Muslims: We meant no disrespect

From ABS-CBN (Mar 27): NDF to Muslims: We meant no disrespect

The National Democratic Front on Thursday said it meant no disrespect when its supporters mounted a lightning rally in Mendiola while Muslims were praying and reading the Koran ahead of the historic signing of a peace pact between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

In a statement, the NDF said the clash between NDF supporters and Bangsamoro people, which left 10 people injured, was a misunderstanding.

"It has been a yearly tradition for the National Democratic Revolutionary forces to hold gatherings and rallies in the country's capital to commemorate the anniversaries of the [New People's Army], the [Communist Party of the Philippines and the NDFP," the group said.

"It was a peaceful gathering of revolutionary forces which did not, in any way, intend disrupt the ongoing protest of our Bangsamoro brothers and sisters. The untoward incident that transpired, was a case of misunderstanding between the organizers of both protests."

On the other hand, the NDF criticized "provocateurs" from the Bangsamoro protesters for starting the scuffle between the two camps.

It said the failure of Bangsamoro protest organizers to calm down and hold their ranks forced the leftists to protect themselves.

"We stand firm that the misunderstanding could have been resolved peacefully," the NDF said.

The group also said it is not discounting the possibility that the violence was provoked by agents of the Philippine National Police and the government's intelligence group "as the attackers came from beside the watching Police forces and uniformed state intelligence personnel."

The NDF noted that truckloads of police forces from the PNP's Civil Disturbance Management company only stood and watched the scuffle and did not intervene.

A Muslim imam earlier told radio DZMM they felt insulted when the NDF supporters suddenly mounted a rally in Mendiola even while the Muslims were praying and reading the Koran.

The NDF supporters are calling for the release of CPP-NPA leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/03/27/14/ndf-muslims-we-meant-no-disrespect

Army accused of seizing boy, tagging him a rebel

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Mar 28): Army accused of seizing boy, tagging him a rebel

A nongovernment organization has accused the military of abducting a 14-year old boy in Magpet, North Cotabato, and later presenting him as a child combatant of the New People’s Army (NPA).

The Davao City-based Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC) Southern Mindanao said the boy was taken into military custody while wandering in a forested area of Barangay (village) Bantak in Magpet on March 24.

The boy was later presented by the 57th Infantry Battalion (IB) as an NPA combatant, who had surrendered to authorities in Kidapawan City, also in North Cotabato.

“Military officials said that [the boy] has been active for two years in the communist movement,” Rius Valle, CRC advocacy officer, said.

But Valle said what the military did was “blatant abduction and branding.”

Lt. Col. Nilo Vinluan, 57th IB commander, said the military has proof that Balong was a child rebel.

“He can even memorize and sing the NPA song,” Vinluan said by text message.

Valle said the boy was a graduating student of Bangkal Elementary School, also in Magpet.

Valle said the CRC could not simply believe the military line that the boy was a child soldier because he has been in school for the past two years.

Valle said the boy’s adviser in his Grade 6 class has complete class records of the boy.

But Vinluan said while it might be true that the boy has been attending classes, it does not weaken the military proof that the boy was a child rebel.

He said the boy was well versed about the NPA, including the NPA unit to which the boy supposedly belongs. The boy, said Vinluan, “can even identify the commanders and vice commanders of the group.”

CRC said another puzzle in the boy’s case was the military’s failure to present him to his family as soon as he was taken into custody.

“This is not just a branding case but a case of abduction,” Valle said.

The boy is in the custody of the Magpet Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) but CRC said it does not erase the fact that he was abducted by the military. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/589691/army-accused-of-seizing-boy-tagging-him-a-rebel

MNLF asks OIC to terminate review of 1996 accord

From the Philippine Star (Mar 28): MNLF asks OIC to terminate review of 1996 accord



The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) yesterday asked the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to call for a tripartite meeting to terminate the review of the implementation of the government’s 1996 final peace agreement with the rebel group.

The MNLF made the call on the heels of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

MNLF spokesman Emmanuel Fontanilla said the termination of the review process will unbind the government and the MNLF and allow the CAB to move toward its goal.

“The termination of the review will also untie our hands so we could go back to our original political objective which is independence,” he said.

The MNLF’s appeal was sent to the Egyptian embassy in Manila, which chairs the southern Philippines peace committee of the OIC.

MNLF peace panel member Absalom Cerveza earlier told The STAR that the 1996 final peace agreement practically hindered international recognition of the declaration of independence of the Bangsamoro Republik in Mindanao.

Still cynical

 

Meanwhile, residents of Basilan have remained skeptical on the future of the province even with the signing of the CAB.

“While we believe that the agreement will bring lasting peace, the problem is the MNLF,” said Alton Angeles, adding that the group must also be included in the government’s peace overtures.

Angeles, a Yakan native and municipal development coordinator of Tipo-Tipo town, said residents were also apprehensive that the signing would mean the takeover of MILF commanders in areas that will fall under the new Bangsamoro region.

He said residents were also skeptical if the MILF leadership under the new Bangsamoro region could bring the needed development in all areas under it.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/03/28/1306034/mnlf-asks-oic-terminate-review-1996-accord

Royal Sultanate Force beats war drum

From the Mindanao Examiner blog site (Mar 28): Royal Sultanate Force beats war drum

Members of the Royal Security Force of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo have warned Manila on Friday that violence may erupt in the southern Philippines if President Benigno Aquino fails to support their long-standing historical claim on the island of Sabah which is now part of Malaysia.

In a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner, General Panglima, who claims to be a leader of the so-called Royal Security Force, accused the Aquino government of ignoring claims by the Sultanate of Sulu to reclaim Sabah, whose historical name was Borneo.

“Nananawagan kami sa pamahalaan na sana po gawin nila o hanapan na lang ng paraan ang isyu na ito at huwag naman nila ito isantabi. One year na kami sa giyera at naghihintay mula ng sumiklab ang gulo sa Sabah noon February 2013 at 2014 na ngayon ay wala pa rin action ang pamahalaan ukol dito sa Sabah claim,” General Panglima said.

In February last year, the ailing Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, of the Sultanate of Sulu, sent about 200 followers headed by his brother Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram to Sabah to exert their claim and historical rights over the island, which is also being claimed by Malaysia.

Sultan Jamalul’s group has rejected Malaysian demand for them to surrender peacefully and a fighting erupted in Lahad Datu town where more than 60 of the sultan’s men had been killed and over 300 Filipinos arrested on suspicion they were supporting or aiding the group of Raja Muda Agbimuddin.

Malaysia also put Sultan Jamalul and his brother on its wanted list and branded them as terrorists for intruding into Sabah and killing and decapitating 10 policemen and soldiers in separate clashes on the island.

Raja Muda Agbimuddin managed to escape the Malaysian assault in Sabah, while Sultan Jamalul died in October last year from a lingering illness at age 75.

General Panglima also said that Manila failed or refused to help sultanate members and Filipinos illegally detained in Sabah in connection to the fighting last year.

“Binalewala nila ang aming isyu (sa Sabah). Masakit man sa amin na pumanaw na ang mahal namin pinuno na si Sultan Jamalul Kiram III at hindi rin sila nakinig. Kung kaya’t gulo lang ang gusto nilang pag-usapan o pakinggan ng pamahalaan, kaya din namin gumawa ng malaking gulo o karahasan sa buong Mindanao kahit na minamaliit pa nila ang aming puwersa o grupo kaya nananawagan kami sa pamahalaan na tulungan kaming hanapan ng paraan ang isyu ma ito. Magtulungan at magkaisa tayo at laban na ito para sa buong Pilipino, Kristiyano at Muslim ay magkapatid at iisang dugo,” he said.

The threats came following the signing of the peace agreement between the Philippines and the country’s largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front which Malaysia has brokered.

The Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo continues to lay claim to Sabah. It obtained Sabah from Brunei as a gift for helping put down a rebellion on the Borneo Island. The British leased Sabah and transferred control over the territory to Malaysia after the end of World War II.

But the Sulu Sultanate said it had merely leased North Borneo in 1878 to the British North Borneo Company for an annual payment of 5,000 Malayan dollars then, which was increased to 5,300 Malayan dollars in 1903.

The Sultanate of Sulu was founded in 1457 and is believed to exist as a sovereign nation for at least 442 years. It stretches from a part of the island of Mindanao in the east, to Sabah, in the west and south, and to Palawan, in the north. North Borneo was annexed by Malaysia in 1963 following a referendum organised by the Cobbold Commission in 1962, the people of Sabah voted overwhelmingly to join Malaysia.

Malaysia continued paying an annual stipend of 5,300 ringgits to the Sulu sultanate on the basis of the sultanate ceding the Borneo state.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/03/royal-sultanate-force-beats-war-drum.html

Philippines to buy Canadian helicopters as it bolsters its military forces

From Canada.com (Mar 26): Philippines to buy Canadian helicopters as it bolsters its military forces



A CH-146 Griffon Helicopter from 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron (427 SOAS) takes off after recovering troops from the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) during a training exercise near Kamloops, BC. ÿp> Canadian Special Operations Force Command (CANSOFCOM) is a new organization that will be capable of responding to terrorism and threats to Canadians and Canadian interests around the world. It is composed of CSOR and 427 SOAS in Petawawa, the Joint Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence (JNBCD) Company in Trenton, and Joint Task Force 2 (JTF 2).ÿp> Photo: Sgt Donald Clark, Army News

The Philippines will spend more than $100 million to buy eight Canadian-built helicopters as the country bolsters its military with new equipment, including fighter jets, to counter Chinese interests in the region.

The first of the Bell 412 helicopters are to be delivered next year, said Philippines Defence Undersecretary Fernando Manalo.

Manalo described the helicopters as “combat utility” aircraft but also added that some of the choppers would be used to fly government officials.

He told reporters in the Philippines that the deal for the helicopters and fighter jets “is significant because it will give our armed forces the minimum capability to demonstrate their ability to perform their responsibilities.”

The Philippines’ defence department will purchase the helicopters through a government-to-government transaction with the Canadian Commercial Corporation, say Filipino officials.

Canadian Commercial Corporation, a Crown corporation, declined to comment because of a confidentiality agreement surrounding the deal.

Bell Helicopters of Montreal did not respond to a request for comment.

Paul Dewar, the NDP’s foreign affairs critic, said many of Canada’s military export sales are now shrouded in secrecy.

“This has been made public in the Philippines,” he said. “If it’s good for the economy or jobs then great, let’s see the deal. There’s no reason not to have full disclosure on this.”

Dewar said the federal government has been lagging on providing data to Parliament about Canadian arms exports. “It would take them a couple of keystrokes to give Parliament and Canadians the latest data on what our military exports have been,” he said. “It’s a matter of transparency and whether the government wants to be transparent in the area of arms exports.”

It is unclear whether the deal with the Philippines involves spare parts or training by Canada.

The Canadian Forces operates Griffon helicopters, a variant of the Bell 412. The Griffon has been used for a variety of missions, including for Canadian special forces. It was also used in Afghanistan.

The Canadian Commercial Corporation was also instrumental in the $10-billion sale of Canadian-built light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia, announced in February.

Concerns have been raised about that deal because of Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights track record. That includes severe restrictions on protests and dissent, and excessive use of force against demonstrators.

Saudi Arabia also used similar Canadian-made armoured vehicles to help neighbouring Bahrain violently quash protests during the Arab Spring two years ago.

The Conservative government, however, says that all military exports are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis and deals are only approved if such exports are consistent with Canada’s foreign and defence policies, including human rights.

Manalo also announced that the Philippines was buying 12 FA-50 fighter jets from Korea Aerospace Industries for more than $420 million. The first of those jets will be delivered late next year.

The Philippines is also acquiring two frigates and three anti-submarine helicopters.
The country has been dealing with various insurgent groups in its territory.

In addition, relations with China have deteriorated. Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has warned that China is determined to assert its dominance in the South China Sea.

China claims 90 per cent of that sea, which is key to global fishing and transportation.
In early March, China prevented two Philippine ships from resupplying a small number of Filipino soldiers who are guarding a shoal in the disputed area.

http://o.canada.com/news/national/philippines-to-buy-canadian-helicopters-as-it-bolsters-its-military-forces/

AFP to NPA on its 45th year: We have your supremo

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Mar 26): AFP to NPA on its 45th year: We have your supremo


The military has a message to communist guerrillas, who are celebrating the 45th year of the New’s People Army (NPA) this week: Happy anniversary. We have your supremo. INQUIRER PHOTOS
The military has a message to communist guerrillas, who are celebrating the 45th year of the New People’s Army (NPA) this week: Happy anniversary. We have your supremo.

The military and police on Tuesday twitted the lawyers of Benito Tiamzon and his wife, Wilma, urging them to spare the couple’s feline and canine pets in discrediting the arrest of the two most senior cadres of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

The military said the Tiamzons were the “power couple” of the CPP, the organization behind the decades-old Maoist rebellion in the country that had claimed the lives of over 30,000 people.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, Armed Forces public affairs office chief, maintained that government agents, who arrested the Tiamzon couple and five others in Cebu province on Saturday, had complied with the rules and procedures in arresting individuals.

As if taunting the NPA, the CPP’s armed wing that will be marking its 45th anniversary on March 29, Zagala said: “Happy anniversary. We have arrested your No. 1 and No. 2.”

He urged Rachelle Pastores and Edre Olalia, lawyers of the Tiamzons, to refrain from engaging in propaganda after they accused the police of “planting” the firearms and explosives recovered from the couple.

“There’s no truth to that,” Zagala told reporters when asked to comment on the lawyers’ claims that the Tiamzons were merely carrying three cats and four puppies—not guns and grenades—at the time of the arrest.

“Instead of presenting their case in the media, they should just present their evidence to the court, which has jurisdiction over the case against their clients,” he said.

Presumption of regularity

Zagala said the arresting officers even took videos and photographs of the operation to prove that the arrest was valid and that the authorities respected the Tiamzons’ human rights.

Speaking for the Philippine National Police, Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac said the agents of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) had carried out the operation “with presumption of regularity.”

“There’s no such thing as planting of evidence,” Sindac said at a news briefing in Camp Crame, the national police headquarters in Quezon City.

“The policemen did their job in accordance with the laws. We have maintained regularity in the performance of our duties,” he added.

Afterthought

Pastores and Olalia assailed the CIDG’s filing of illegal possession of firearms and explosives against the Tiamzons and their five companions on Monday, arguing that the criminal charge was just an “afterthought.”

The lawyers also questioned the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors who presided over the inquest proceeding at the multipurpose building of Camp Crame.

Pastores said the inquest should have been done right after the Tiamzons were arrested in Aloguinsan town, Cebu, and that the DOJ had no authority to transfer the venue of the inquest without a written court order.

The lawyers walked out of the proceedings in protest, saying the process “was highly irregular.”

“We will not participate in a questionable process. We will not recognize this process,” Pastores said.

Zagala expressed confidence that the arrest of Tiamzon, said to be the chair of the CPP and the head of the NPA, would lead to the resumption of peace negotiations between the communists and the government.

He said the 63-year-old rebel leader and his wife were the brains of the CPP’s political and military strategies, including the use of land mines, ambuscades and intensified tactical offensives against government targets.

Zagala surmised that some members of the CPP’s central committee may have been considering other means to pursue their clamor for social change, but were overpowered by a faction led by Tiamzon.

“The very leaders, who were espousing and encouraging the armed struggle and the use of violence against the government, are now behind bars,” he said.
“There’s now an opportunity for the remaining leadership of the CPP to look at other possibilities present in resolving the root causes of rebellion,” he said.

‘Let’s talk peace’

He said it was time to return to the negotiations table. “Let’s talk peace. We should not kill each other because we are all Filipinos.”

Zagala said the Armed Forces of the Philippines would continue its “focused military operations” while engaging communities in the government’s “peace-building efforts.”

He said the military’s new anti-insurgency blueprint, IPSP (Integrated Peace and Security Plan) Bayanihan, “is really the primacy of the peace negotiations.”

“We encourage them to abandon the armed struggle. There are other ways to resolve the root causes of insurgency through peaceful means. The military knows that the way to solve our problems is through negotiations, through the peace process.”

P11.2M for informer

Zagala said the military and the police were processing the reward for the informer who tipped off the authorities about the location and identities of the two CPP leaders.

The government had offered a P5.6-million reward for the arrest of each of the Tiamzon couple.

“The inform[er] is the key to the arrest of the Tiamzons. We could not have done this without our partnership,” he said.

In the House of Representatives, Bayan Muna lawmakers initiated a move to investigate the alleged illegal arrest and detention of the Tiamzons and their five companions.

In a resolution asking the human rights committee to conduct the probe, Bayan Muna Representatives Neri Colmenares and Carlos Isagani Zarate accused President Aquino of acting in bad faith by giving the green light for the arrest of the Tiamzons even as he claimed that he still wanted to pursue peace.

Sen. Grace Poe said the arrests should prod the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the political arm of the CPP, to go back to the negotiating table.

“If they have a sincere intention to be able to work out something for the good of the people, it’s always good to be at the negotiating table as opposed to having violent conflict,” Poe said in an interview.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/589000/afp-tells-npa-happy-anniversary-we-have-your-chief

INFOGRAPHIC: The Bangsamoro peace deal at a glance

From Rappler (Mar 27): INFOGRAPHIC: The Bangsamoro peace deal at a glance

Seventeen years of negotiation come to a close Thursday, March 27, as the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) sign a historic peace agreement that will give rise to a new political entity to be known as the Bangsamoro.

What is the peace deal all about? What are the features of the Bangsamoro political entity?

Here's what you need to know:

 http://www.rappler.com/nation/53993-infographic-bangsamoro-peace-deal
 

New MNLF chairman to Misuari: Support peace deal

From Rappler (Mar 27): New MNLF chairman to Misuari: Support peace deal

SUPPPORT. New MNLF chairman Abul Khayr Alonto says his group supports the peace agreement with the MILF. Photo by Rappler

Let's all cooperate and endorse this agreement.

On the day of the signing of the peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the newly-elected chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) vowed to support the creation of the new Bangsamoro political entity.

"What we are doing right now is we are inviting all sectors of Bangsamoro, especially the faction of Misuari and the faction within the faction of Misuari to participate," MNLF chairman Abul Khayr Alonto told reporters Thursday, March 27, in Malacañang.

The Misuari-led faction of the MNLF was behind the bloody Zamboanga siege in September 2013. Misuari is now facing charges over the incident. Misuari's followers said they seized the capital to dramatize their protest against the peace process with the MILF that they felt excluded them.

But MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim himself made special mention of the MNLF in his speech Thursday in Malacañang. He said the MNLF is very much a part of the deal. (READ: 'This is the crowning glory of our struggle')

The MILF broke away from the MNLF in the 1970s, at the height of the conflict between government forces and Muslim rebels.

Recently, Alonto was recently elected by 35 out of the 39 surviving members of the original MNLF Central Committee as their head.

Alonto appealed to Misuari: "I've always told him – don't ever throw this problem to the next generation. Don't throw it to our children. Don't let them suffer what we have gone through. If we can finish it, if we can do it, then let's finish it. If it requires the consolidation of the Moro National Liberation Front, support it."

With most factions of the MNLF now united for the Bangsamoro, Alonto said Misuari has no other option but to come on board.

What about the OIC?

Asked what will happen to Misuari as the new Bangsamoro political entity emerges, Alonto said: "He will just be Misuari and that is his own problem," Alonto said.

"Misuari must come down from heaven to earth," he added.

The MNLF is supporting this peace deal because it contains features not found in the 1996 peace pact it signed with the Ramos government, especially on wealth-sharing and power-sharing, Alonto said.

"The MILF is very transparent," Alonto said. "They consult people."

Asked whether his leadership of the MNLF is acknowledged by the Organization of the Islamic Conference – the third party that brokered the peace talks between the group and the government, and now also facilitating the tripartite review of the peace pact, Alonto said it is not the OIC that dictates the affairs of the organization.

"The OIC does not dictate who will be the chairman but the OIC recognizes the rightful leadership of the MNLF. They will encourage it. And as you know, the OIC issued a statement. They condemned the deplorable act of members of the Moro National Liberation Front led by its founding chairman Nur Misuari," he said.

Does the MNLF want a role in the interim transition government that will be led by the MILF?

Alonto said no, saying he'd rather let the younger generation take an active role in it.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/54036-new-mnlf-chairman-message-misuari-support-peace

PH, US panels schedule another round of talks

From Rappler (Mar 27): PH, US panels schedule another round of talks

7TH ROUND: The Philippines and the US panels meet in Manila for the 7th round of talks. DND photo

Contrary to expectations, the Philippines and US panels negotiating a new military agreement concluded their 7th round of talks this week without a final agreement. Another round of talks is scheduled in April.

“We are moving forward on many key provisions and it is crucial at this point that both sides are clear on their common understanding of these key provisions and of the thrust of the agreement,” a statement from the government quoted Philipine panel chairman Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino as saying.

"An eighth round of negotiations is expected to be held in early April," the statement added.

The agreement will allow increased presence of American troops in the Philippines. They will be allowed access to and build facilities inside the country's military bases. (READ known details of the agreements here.)

The statement didn't elaborate on additional agreements reached during the 7th round of talks.

The talks are in the final stages. It is expected that the deal will be signed during the visit of US President Barack Obama to the country in late April.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/54046-philippines-us-defense-cooperation

US lawmaker trading firearms with PH Muslim rebels?

From Rappler (Mar 27): US lawmaker trading firearms with PH Muslim rebels?

SUSPECT. California State senator and candidate waits outside polling station with his wife Maxine Yee inside San Francisco City Hall in 2011 when he was mayoral candidate. The senator is now facing federal charges of corruption and racketeering, among other crimes. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP

It was a historic moment for the Philippines. While many Filipinos rejoiced over the signed peace agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government Peace Panel in Manila, signifying an earnest step toward peace in Mindanao – thousands of miles away, in California, USA, the arrest of a 65-year-old Chinese American lawmaker sent shockwaves that reached the far-flung areas of southern Mindanao.

A 137-page affidavit, the result of a 5-year investigation on Yee, was made public by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) soon after his arrest. The affidavit complaint revealed that the senator was allegedly proactive in illegal arms trading with both Russian organized crime groups and what they described as "Muslim rebel groups" in the southern Philippines.

Yee was arrested in his office in Sacramento, the state capital of California, on Wednesday, March 26 (March 27 in Manila), on charges of public corruption and trafficking firearms, among other charges, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

According to the affidavit submitted by FBI Special Agent Emmanuel V Pascua, Senator Leland Yee had a meeting at a hotel in San Francisco on March 5, 2014 to discuss firearms trafficking.

The affidavit said Yee met with a certain Keith Jackson who was in contact with a particular Dr Wilson Lim whose “associates were trying to overthrow the Philippine government." Also present was an undercover FBI agent.

Yee told the undercover agent that Wilson Lim was originally from Mindanao where most of the Muslim rebel groups fighting the national government are based. On page 97 of the affidavit, Yee visited Mindanao "upon the invitation of the Mindanao government" in 2012. “Senator Yee said when he arrived, he was surrounded by numerous armed guards carrying automatic rifles,” the affidavit read.

Smuggled weapons to US

The undercover agents discussed with Yee how Lim was able to smuggle weapons from the Philippines into the United States through ports in Florida and planned to smuggle weapons into the United States again, but this time through ports in New Jersey.

Yee demonstrated his knowledge of the intricacies of the armed rebels in Mindanao and brought up how some government officials actually collude with the rebels.

In a meeting on March 11, Lim advised the undercover agent that he would meet with “the head of a Muslim group.” Yee told the agent Muslims in Mindanao had access “to a lot of money.” Yee said while he was in Mindanao, he got to shoot some of the weapons, including automatic rifles, they discussed during the meeting.

According to the charges, the amount from the pending arms deal would amount to US$2 million (or about P90 million). Among the guns discussed at the meeting were M-16 automatic rifles. Ironic, coming from the senator named California’s “anti-gun” and “anti-violent video game” senator by the local media.

Raids

Yee's offices in Sacramento and his home in the Sunset District of San Francisco were raided by the authorities as part of the ongoing investigation. According to SFGate.com, the online edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, the raids occurred in several locations throughout the region. The FBI seized desktop computers and boxes “wrapped in red evidence tape.”

Yee is a political favorite among Fil-Ams. He even has regular columns in most Filipino newspapers in Northern California and is known to entertain most invites to Fil-Am community and political events. The darker side to the darling of the Fil-Am community was unknown to most.

And it's no mystery why Filipinos love him. His district is home to thousands of Filipino voters, including Daly City, which has the highest concentration of Filipinos in any municipality or city in the US.

Yee is running for California Secretary of State this 2014 election. He is also the first Asian-American senator to be appointed Speaker Pro Tempore in California’s lower house. The affidavit alleges that Yee's involvement in illegal arms trading was to fund his cash-strapped Secretary of State campaign.

He ran for mayor of San Francisco and lost in 2011 against another Chinese-American, Edwin Lee.

Organized crime

Yee is one of 26 individuals implicated in a 5-year investigation targeting mostly Asian-Americans allegedly involved in organized crime activities.

While he openly supports gun control, passed a bill (which was later ruled unconstitutional) banning violent video games, and advocates for an open and transparent government, the affidavit paints a much different and darker picture of Yee.

The complaint also alleged that Yee, along with Raymond “Shrimp Boy" Chow, an infamous alleged Chinese gang leader in San Francisco, and 5 other suspects allegedly laundered $2.3 million for undercover agents between 2011 and 2013.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Yee’s lawyer, Paul DeMeester, declined requests for statements from the media.

Yee has been in politics since the late 80s. He began his political career as a member of the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education. Afterwards, he was elected San Francisco District 4 supervisor in 1996, California State Assembly in 2002, and then the State Senate in 2006.

http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/54035-leland-yee-firearms-trading-muslim-rebels

Pregnant daughter of NPA's 'Ka Roger' nabbed in Caloocan City

From Rappler (Mar 27): Pregnant daughter of NPA's 'Ka Roger' nabbed in Caloocan City

The pregnant daughter of the late New People's Army (NPA) spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal was arrested in Caloocan City on Thursday, March 27, the military said.

"Joint elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the National Bureau of Investigation arrested at 7 am today Andrea Rosal, a ranking leader of the New People’s Army in Southern Tagalog Region," said military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala.

Rosal, who is due to deliver her baby this month, was arrested upon the order of a court in Mauban, Quezon, because of supposed cases of kidnapping and murder. Zagala said she is also implicated in an attempted homicide case filed in Luisiana-Cavinti in Laguna.

"Extensive attention was given by her arresting officers as Andrea is pregnant and due [to deliver] within this month," said Zagala.

She was arrested along with her security escort and barangay chairman Ruben Gatchalian, owner of the house where she was staying.

The arrest comes 5 days after the military nabbed alleged Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) chairman Benito Tiamzon and his wife Wilma Austria, who served as party secretary general.

Tiamzon and his wife, alleged CPP-NPA secretary-general Wilma, were arrested on March 22 by joint forces of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the AFP in Barangay Zaragosa, Aloguinsan town in Cebu.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/54062-ka-roger-daughter-nabbed