Suspected NPA rebels kill 2 soldiers in Negros Occ.

From InterAksyon (Jul 18): Suspected NPA rebels kill 2 soldiers in Negros Occ.



Reports from the field indicated that at least two soldiers were killed and another was wounded in a gunbattle Thursday against an estimated 30 suspected fighters of the New People's Army (NPA) at Sitio Madaha, Barangay Buenavista in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.

A report released by the Public Affairs Office of the Philippine Army's 3rd Infantry Division, said the soldiers from the 47th Infantry Battalion conducted combat operation against the rebels' lair and engaged them at around 2:15 p.m.

According the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Ariel Reyes, the rebels were believed to be members of the Central Negros Front, Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros (CNF, KR-N).

"We engaged the NPA rebels for about 30 minutes, during which time two soldiers died and one was wounded," Reyes said.

He identified the slain troops as Corporal Napoleon Supresencia and Private First Class Henry Lumio Jr. The wounded soldier was Private First Class Leland Sucatre.

Reyes said the rebels also carted away two M16 rifles from the slain soldiers.

He said that, prior to encounter, residents of the village reported to them about the presence of the rebels in the area "planning to disrupt the peace and development efforts of the Army and the local government unit".

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/91469/suspected-npa-rebels-kill-2-soldiers-in-negros-occ-

Peace dialogue

From Mindanao Newsbits in the Manila Bulletin (Jul 18): Peace dialogue

Quirino, Sultan Kudarat – Government forces called a dialogue between Christian farmers and a group of Moro armed men who recently figured in a firefight that stemmed from a land conflict.

Lt. Col. Markton Abo, 33rd Infantry Battalion commander, said the dialogue was called purportedly to avert the possible escalation of the tension in the boundary of Quirino town and General SK Pendatun in Maguindanao.

At least 20 alleged members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters led by one Commander Magnum attacked a group of farmers who were harvesting rice in Barangay Katico here over the weekend.

Abo said the conflict was triggered by the land dispute involving the family of Katico village chieftain Sancho Salamanca, and Moro claimants from nearby villages of General SK Pendatun town.

http://www.mb.com.ph/mindanao-newsbits-for-july-18-2014/

New AFP chief Catapang assumes post

From GMA News (Jul 18): New AFP chief Catapang assumes post



President Benigno Aquino III presides over the change of command between outgoing Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista and Lt. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. at Camp Aguinaldo on Friday, July 18. GMA News

A former rebel soldier who previously supported a coup attempt against President Benigno Aquino III's mother assumed the top military post on Friday.

 

Lt. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. formally replaced Gen. Emmanuel Bautista as Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff during a change of command ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Friday morning.

 

President Aquino, AFP commander-in-chief, attended the event.

 

Bautista relinquished the military leadership two days before he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56.

 

Catapang was AFP vice chief of staff before being named military chief. He also was commander of the Tarlac-based Northern Luzon Command and of the Army's 7th Infantry Division based in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.

 

When he was still a junior military officer, Catapang joined the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), a group instrumental in the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution which toppled the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

 

A former RAM officer also told GMA News Online that Catapang was supportive of the 1987 coup attempt against President Aquino's mother, the late President Corazon Aquino.

"He (Catapang) was with us in PMA (Philippine Military Academy) back in 1987 when he and his classmate raised the inverted Philippine flag in support of (then-Col. now Senator Gregorio) Honasan," the source said.

Honasan served as one of the leaders of the Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabansa which attempted to overthrow the government of Mrs. Aquino. 

 

The same source said Catapang was not involved in succeeding coup attempts against MRs. Aquino.

 

Both Catapang and Bautista belong to the Philippine Military Academy "Dimalupig" Class of 1981.

 

To continue fight vs. insurgents

Meanwhile, in his assumption speech, Catapang vowed to continue the governments's counter-insurgency program — the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) Bayanihan.

"Since the start of IPSP Bayanihan in 2011, 44 out of the 75 provinces have been declared peaceful and ready for further development," he said.

"As regards to the ASG, they have been contained in the specific areas of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu," he added, referring to the Abu Sayyaf group.

Catapang also asked the members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to remain committed to peace while waiting for the Congress to pass the final agreement.

He also urged those involved in the armed struggle to give up their fight in order to allow the country to move forward.

"I also ask the remaining NPA remnants who from a high of 24,000 members in the late 1980s have now dwindled and many of them have been returning back to the national mainstream," Catapang said.

Meanwhile, Catapang also vowed to continue the implementation of the AFP's 15-year Transformation Roadmap that seeks to professionalize and further improve the capabilities of the military institution.

"The AFP Transformation Roadmap is intended to prepare the AFP to confront the new and more complex security challenges of the 21st century," he said.

"These global challenges include global terrorism, climate change and global warming, global transnational crime that include human smuggling, drug trafficking, arms smuggling and cyber crime," he added. "These also include regional maritime concerns, territorial disputes, the protection of our Exclusive Economic Zone and the threat of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/370877/news/nation/new-afp-chief-catapang-assumes-post

Abu Sayyaf bandits seize 3 DSWD workers in Sulu

From MindaNews (Jul 18): Abu Sayyaf bandits seize 3 DSWD workers in Sulu

Gunmen suspected to be Abu Sayyaf bandits abducted Thursday three government workers in the province of Sulu, a police official said.

Senior Supt. Abraham Orbita, Sulu police director, said the victims are workers of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) but withheld their identities upon request of the families.

Orbita said they were seized around 2 p.m. Thursday in Barangay Upper Sinumaan, Talipao town.

He said the victims were conducting a survey for the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program when the bandits seized them.

He said policemen in coordination with the military were deployed to track down the whereabouts of the victims.

 

The official said the bandits have not contacted yet the victims’ families.
The Abu Sayyaf bandits are still holding captive kidnap victims, some of whom are believed to be foreigners.

Two of the captives are Zamboangueños who were seized last June 4 while working on a government water system project in Sulu.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2014/07/18/abu-sayyaf-bandits-seize-3-dswd-workers-in-sulu/

Is outgoing AFP chief a success or a failure?

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Jul 18): Is outgoing AFP chief a success or a failure?



Outgoing Armed Forces Chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista. PHOTO from AFP Public Affairs Office

General Emmanuel Bautista, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff, is set to bow out of service on Friday as he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56.

He will be replaced by Lieutenant General Gregorio Pio Catapang, the military vice chief.

 Both are from the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1981.

President Benigno Aquino III will lead the change of command ceremonies at Camp Aguinaldo.

Bautista was a freshman cadet at the PMA when his father, Brigadier General Teodulfo Bautista, and 33 others were gunned down by Moro National Liberation Front rebels in Sulu in 1977.

But did Bautista succeed as AFP chief? Or did he fail during his mandate?

During his leadership of 18 months, his leadership was challenged by the Zamboanga crisis, Bohol earthquake, Super Typhoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) and intrusions by the Chinese in the Philippine waters at the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).

It was also during his time that the Philippine military, one of the weakest in Asia, pursued military modernization to build a minimum credible defense.

Bautista, the 44th AFP chief of staff, led the formulation of the anti-insurgency campaign, the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) Bayanihan when he was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (J3).

The IPSP Bayanihan shifts focus from traditional combat operations to “developmental activities.” The campaign aims to make the communist rebels irrelevant by 2016.

It was during his leadership when top communist leaders, Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, were arrested by authorities last March. The couple is believed to have taken over the leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines from Jose Ma. Sison, who is on exile in the Netherlands.

As he steps down from the military leadership, the strength of the New People’s Army remains vague. Early this month, the military said they are still assessing the number of communist rebels, although they have announced that for this year, 431 NPA returned to the government fold, which is more than half of last year’s 701.

In 2013, the AFP said the NPA were at “a little over 4,000,” which is not a significant decline from the previous years.

The CPP, in a statement last week, said the Bayanihan is “a complete failure” and its forces also continue to grow.

“The AFP has failed, not only in its declared objective of decimating the NPA in three years’ time, but also in putting a stop to the nationwide growth and strengthening of the NPA,” it added.

“What the AFP failed to achieve in the battlefield, it now is trying to gain in terms of media and publicity by carrying out successive ‘surrender’ ceremonies, intimidating and rounding-up civilians and presenting them as surrenderees, if only to let military officials pocket millions of pesos in reward money,” the CPP said.

The Abu Sayyaf has also been aggressive in Mindanao. Only last month, seven soldiers were killed and dozens were wounded in clashes in Sulu.
Bautista’s successor, Catapang, is described as “instrumental in the normalization of Northern and Central Luzon.”

He will be the fifth AFP chief under the Aquino administration.

Before he was appointed as vice chief in May, he headed the Northern Luzon Command and the Army’s 7th Infantry Division. At that time, he envisioned the Army’s shift from internal security to territorial defense.
Catapang is also known for recognizing the other ‘enemy on the horizon’ which is climate change.

When he was a junior officer, he was part of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement that plotted the revolt against then President Ferdinand Marcos.
He has barely a year left in service as he is scheduled to retire on July 11, 2015, when he reaches the mandatory retirement of 56.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/621097/is-outgoing-afp-chief-a-success-or-a-failure

P4-B seal for Navy's strategic sealift vessels inked

From the Philippine Star (Jul 18): P4-B seal for Navy's strategic sealift vessels inked



A sketch of a strategic sealift vessel for the Philippine Navy.

Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL confirmed Friday that it has signed the contract to supply two strategic sealifts vessel to the Philippine Navy.

PT PAL's executive Edy Andarto told British defense publication IHS Jane's that the Philippine government has granted a $92 million contract for the vessels, to be delivered starting next year.

PT PAL was the only bidder left for the program.

The strategic sealift vessels, also known as landing platform docks, can be used for civil-military operations and for transporting large number of soldiers, logistics and supplies. Each of the vessels can also accommodate three helicopters.

Nine companies bought bid documents for the project but only two of them submitted offers.

The other bidder, Daewoo International, was declared by the Bids and Awards Committee as ineligible due to its failure to meet certain technical requirements.

The sealift vessels top the list of 18 priority projects under the modernization program for the armed forces.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/07/18/1347645/p4-b-seal-navys-strategic-sealift-vessels-inked

Brunei urged to help decommission MILF men

From the Philippine Star (Jul 18): Brunei urged to help decommission MILF men

The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have urged Brunei to help in the decommissioning of Moro guerrillas as part of the normalization process under the peace pact.

Since late 2003, Brunei has had representatives in the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team that has been helping oversee the enforcement of the government-MILF July 1997 agreement on the general cessation of hostilities.

MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim told journalists that Brunei was asked to join the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) when Maj. Gen. Dato Seri Pahlawan Mohd Tawih Abdullah of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces visited Camp Darapanan last week.

Murad and Abdullah discussed the prospects of the Mindanao peace process during their meeting at Camp Darapanan, the MILF’s main bastion located in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

“Brunei is honored with the invitation to join the IDB and the Brunei Armed Forces is optimistic about this invitation,” the MILF quoted Abdullah as saying.

The IDB will help the government and the MILF decommission guerrillas to gradually integrate them into the mainstream and lead normal lives under a Bangsamoro political entity.

While in Cotabato City, Abdullah also met with IMT officials who briefed him on the security situation in areas covered by the government-MILF ceasefire.

The government and the MILF have also invited Norway and Turkey to join the IDB, according to sources from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

A team of soldiers from Brunei has been helping monitor since 2003 the 1997 ceasefire accord under the IMT, also composed of military and police personnel from Malaysia, Libya, and Indonesia, and non-uniformed conflict resolution and socio-economic experts from Norway, Japan and the European Union.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/07/18/1347344/brunei-urged-help-decommission-milf-men

Rebels kill 2 Del Monte workers in Bukidnon raid

From Rappler (Jul 18): Rebels kill 2 Del Monte workers in Bukidnon raid

Members of the New People's Army kill a security guard and a warehouse caretaker, and burn farm equipment, workers' motorcycles and their bunkhouses during the raid



NPA RAID. The New People’s Army has been raiding plantations in Bukidnon as ‘punishment’ for the growers. File photo my Karlos Manlupig

Members of the New People’s Army (NPA) killed two civilians during a raid on a plantation of Del Monte Philippines Incorporated (DMPI) in Quezon, Bukidnon, military officials said.

The NPA under the South-Central Bukidnon (NPA-SCB) Sub-Regional Command raided the compound of Kiantig Development Corporation (KDC) – a Del Monte pineapple grower – in Sitio Kiantig, Barangay San Jose on Tuesday, July 15.

The military said the NPA killed two civilians – security guard Rey Baylon and warehouse caretaker Reynald Pangkat. They allegedly took 17 firearms, and burned a tractor and 4 motorcycles belonging to farm workers.

Major Christian Uy, the Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Division spokesperson, said the rebels also burned down the plantation’s chemical warehouse and workers' bunkhouses.

Uy said that the 10th Infantry Division is conducting clearing operations in Quezon, Bukidnon.

Allan Juanito of the NPA-North Central Mindanao Regional Command said in a statement that the rebel group is punishing Del Monte for its alleged “massive criminal culpability.”

“Firstly, its outgrower, Poling Lorenzo, who aggressively seeks to expand the plantation, is a land grabber. Using his armed guards, he harassed the legitimate claimants of the land he targets for expansion. Even nuns, students and supporters of the peasant claimants had a taste of strafing from Lorenzo rabid guards,” Juanito claimed.

He also accused DMPI of violating labor laws.

The attack took place hours after more than 100 NPA rebels simultaneously attacked targets in Agusan del Sur province.

On February 19, 2013, the NPA stormed the DMPI motor pool garage in Manolo Fortich town, the Del Monte fertilizer warehouse and logistics office in Sumilao town, and the Dole Philippines office in Impasug-ong – all in Bukidnon. (READ: NPA raid a warning to plantations – NDF)

The 2013 plantation attacks killed one security guard and wounded two others.

DMPI, a leading producer of pineapple and other food products, prides itself as having “the largest integrated pineapple operation in the world.”

According to its official website, DMPI has 20,000 hectares of pineapple plantations in Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/63658-rebels-kill-civilians-del-monte-bukidnon

New gov't post for retired AFP chief General Bautista

From Rappler (Jul 18): New gov't post for retired AFP chief General Bautista

'After one month, he will return to government service,' the President says in his speech during the change of command ceremony for the AFP chief


  

NEW POST. File photo of retired AFP chief General Emmanuel Bautista

If the President likes you, it means more job for you.

Just a few minutes after Armed Forces chief General Emmanuel Bautista relinquished his post on Friday, July 18, President Benigno Aquino III announced his return to government service.

"Doon po sa mga nanghihinayang sa pag-alis ni Manny Sundalo sa AFP, huwag po kayong mag-alala. Pagkatapos ng napakahabang bakasyon—mga isang buwan—ay magbabalik siya para ipagpatuloy ang paglilingkod bilang sibilyan," Aquino said in his speech during the change of command ceremony for the AFP chief in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

(To those who regret that "Manny Sundalo" is retiring, do not worry. After a long vacation – around a month – he will return to public service as a civilian.)

The President did not identify the post.

There have been talks that Bautista will replace Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin. A Cabinet official told Rappler after the retirement ceremony that Bautista will be given another post, however.

Aquino spoke hightly of Bautista's service in the military. "Ngayon nga pong siya naman ang bababa na sa puwesto, talaga naman pong magkahalong saya at lungkot ang nararamdaman natin. (Now that he is relinquishing the post, we feel mixed emotions of happiness and sadness.)

Bautista's term has been difficult. He had to deal with the Sabah crisis shortly after he assumed the post in January 2013; the March 2013 kidnapping of peacekeepers in Golan Heights; the September 2013 siege in Zamboanga City; the October 2013 earthquake in Bohol and Cebu; and Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas in November 2013.

The President and Bautista worked closely together during these crises. (READ: Son of slain general is new AFP chief)

"Tinimbang siya nang paulit-ulit; sinubok ang kanyang kakayahan at dedikasyon. At ngayon, walang makapagsasabing hindi siya nagtagumpay," Aquino said. (He has been weighed many times. His capabilities and dedication were tested. No one could say he did not succeed.)

Bautista, who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on Sunday, July 20, was replaced by Lieutenant General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr, his classmate in the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1981.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/63681-bautista-new-government-post

More horrifying details of Alhabsi emerge

From the Star Online (Jul 18): More horrifying details of Alhabsi emerge

PETALING JAYA: More details are beginning to emerge of Alhabsi Misaya, the notorious Abu Sayyaf leader, who is said to be holding marine policeman Kons Zakiah Aleip hostage in southern Philippines.

He is one of the gunmen responsible for the beheading of seven factory workers in Jolo, in southern Philippines in 2007, as discovered in an online video.

The 14-minute video clip, recorded by Alhabsi himself, sees a group of gunmen leading the hostages to different spots in the jungle where the brutal act is carried out.

Alhabsi can be heard reciting Quranic verses as the first hostage is made to lie face down before his head is pulled back by one of the gunmen and severed with what appears to be an army knife.

The next hostage is then led a few hundred metres away and meets a similar fate, much to the enjoyment of Alhabsi, who is heard giggling and chanting ‘Allahuakbar’ (God is great).

The recording depicts the killing of each worker in gory detail, and at one point, Alhabsi even zooms in on a severed head while making a celebratory comment.

Later, he very briefly turns the camera to himself, and the face is clearly visible to be that of the man identified by Philippine and Malaysian intelligence forces as the rising leader in the Abu Sayyaf terror group.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/07/18/More-horrifying-details-of-Alhabsi-emerge/

Kons Zakiah watched day and night by Abu Sayyaf gunmen

From the Star Online (Jul 18): Kons Zakiah watched day and night by Abu Sayyaf gunmen

JOLO: Marine policeman Zakiah Aleip is under heavy guard in a jungle hideout about 18km from Jolo town in the southern Philippines.

“Our informants told us that he was seen in the Indanan area,” said a senior police officer here who declined to be named.

He said the area was dotted with fruit orchards and coconut plantations, and was on the border of the Indanan and Parang municipalities.

Octavio A. Dinampo, a Mindanao State University lecturer and former Abu Sayyaf hostage in Jolo, has a good idea of what Kons Zakiah, 26, will have to endure.

He said Kons Zakiah will most probably be made to wear a black jacket, like any that could be bought from second-hand clothing stores in town.

“Both the hostage and Abu Sayyaf members will be in black so that if there is a rescue operation the security forces will not be able to easily distinguish the hostage from the captors,” he added.

Dinampo was kidnapped with famous Filipino news anchor Ces Drilon and others on Jolo island on June 8, 2008 and released nine days later after ransoms were paid.

According to him, Kons Zakiah would be watched but not tied up during the daytime.

“He will probably be made to stay on a hammock where he will be guarded by about five or six gunmen,” Dinampo said.

At night, Kons Zakiah would be tied up, handcuffed or chained.

“He is a trained policeman and the Abu Sayyaf will expect him to make an escape if the opportunity presents itself,” said Dinampo.

The 57-year-old Dinampo is a Tausug who has been investigating the business of kidnapping in the Sulu province, the nearby Tawi Tawi islands and Sabah.

According to him, the number of gunmen guarding Kons Zakiah would be increased to about 20 or more at night.

“That is standard procedure for the Abu Sayyaf,” he said.

He said Kons Zakiah would be guarded round-the-clock by teams in three eight-hour shifts.

“Even when he goes to the toilet, he will be escorted by several armed men,” Dinampo said.

There would also be a second layer of security positioned on the fringes of the hideout, probably a kilometre or two away.

Kons Zakiah was snatched from Mabul island off the Sabah coast late on Saturday night. His colleague, Kpl Abdul Rajah Jamuan, 32, was killed during the abduction.

In Kota Kinabalu, Zakiah’s wife Sharifah Erna Berson has been busying herself with prayers and fussing over their four-month-old son Muhammad Hisham.

She hopes he will be freed before Hari Raya and the family has been holding sembayang hajat (special prayers) for his safe return.

“We are praying that my husband will always be protected by God. We hope that he will return safely as soon as possible,” she said yesterday.

The housewife is staying with her husband’s family but declined to say where exactly. The family home is in Tenghilan, some 70km from the state capital.

She also declined to say whether she had received more calls from her husband or his abductors.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/07/18/Cop-kept-under-heavy-guard-Kons-Zakiah-watched-day-and-night-by-Abu-Sayyaf-gunmen/

Amid reports of Abu Sayyaf beheadings, Mabul kidnappers demand ‘10 MILLION’ for Sabah cop

From the Malaysia Chronicle (Jul 17): Amid reports of Abu Sayyaf beheadings, Mabul kidnappers demand ‘10 MILLION’ for Sabah cop

THOSE holding Constable Zakiah Aleip captive have contacted the police for his ransom.

The brief call ended with one of his captors saying, “I demand 10 million”.

However, they did not say if that was what it will take for them to set him free.

The call came at 10.50pm on Sunday, a day after the 26-year-old marine policeman was abducted by six heavily-armed gunmen who came from the southern Philippines, just after 11pm.

The terrorists came in two speedboats fitted with additional outboard engines.

The gunmen, (two more were believed to be manning the speedboats) had first killed Zakiah’s colleague, Corporal Abd Rajah Jamuan, 32.

Rajah, who died from gunshot wounds to the chest, was found in the water close to the dining hall of the Mabul Water Bungalows Resort on Pulau Mabul here.

The two policemen were part of a four-man patrol who were on a break.



The ransom call, which sources told the New Straits Times “was brief”, was made to the Semporna marine police headquarters’ operations centre.

Zakiah was first put on the line.

This was when he told the police officer who had picked up the call, an inspector, that his kidnappers had asked for no less than 10 million.

Zakiah, however, did not specify which currency his captors had asked for.

Before he could continue, someone took over the phone and told the inspector in English that his group expected to be paid the ransom.

The call was then cut off.

The man on the other end of the line did not give any instructions or set any conditions.

The NST was made to understand that Zakiah was well and was not under duress.

“There have been several calls from Zakiah, including from his own phone to his wife, as well as the Marine police operations centre.

“There was also a call made on Monday at 10pm from a foreign-registered number.

“We believe this was also his captors telling us that Zakiah had not been harmed, so that they will get what they want,” a source close to the on going investigations said.

Meanwhile, another set of sources told the NST that authorities believe that the gunmen had come from Setangkai (Tumindao Reef) in the Philippines, and had taken the route near Mataking (the island closest to the Malaysia-Philippine border).

It is exactly 3.8 nautical miles from the Malaysia-Philippines maritime border to Mataking.

Authorities said the escape route believed to have been taken by the gunmen, gave Malaysian pursuers little time to an intercept the gunmen.

This was because the gunmen had gone south from Pulau Mabul, past Pulau Sipadan and into international waters to retreat to the Philippines.

The dash they had to make was just about 10 nautical miles.

If the gunmen had taken the same route they had come in, they would likely have been intercepted by Malaysian enforcement vessels, including those dispatched from Mataking, that was at several cut-off points along the border.

There are a set of teams pre-positioned on every island within the Sabah’s east coast waters, ready to be mobilised at a moment’s notice.

[Video report: Seven innocent people beheaded in Sulu by Abu Sayyaf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SyxEBDYX0I (Warning graphic content)

The recording depicts the killing of each worker in gory detail, and at one point, Alhabsi even zooms in on a severed head while making a celebratory comment.

Later, he very briefly turns the camera to himself, and the face is clearly visible to be that of the man identified by Philippines and Malaysian intelligence forces as the rising leader in the Abu Sayyaf terror group.

Towards the end of the video, the gunmen approach the remaining hostage and are seen tying his hands behind his back while asking him several questions.

They then lead him into the jungle, but his fate is unknown, as the recording ends abruptly.


The video clip, titled Seven innocent people in Jolo, Sulu beheaded by Abu Sayyaf group was uploaded on YouTube by a Raymond Penny in July last year, and has garnered more than 5,000 views to date.

The workers, who were employed at a nearby plywood factory, were apparently abducted and beheaded after the company refused to pay extortion money to Abu Sayyaf for carrying out logging in the area.

Alhabsi, then only a junior member of the terror group, has since risen in the ranks after making millions of pesos in ransom money from the spate of kidnappings on the east coast of Sabah.

Zakiah was snatched from a resort in Sabah's east coast when eight masked gunmen in military fatigues attacked Mabul Island last Saturday. The gunmen also killed another policeman, Abdul Rajah Jamuan, 32. -Asiaonehttp://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=323021:as-leader-recites-quranic-verses-abu-sayyaf-gunmen-behead-hostages-in-chilling-video-clip&Itemid=2#axzz37mUw3uH3

2 missing Germans abducted by Abu Sayyaf, says military

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Jul 17): 2 missing Germans abducted by Abu Sayyaf, says military

Military officials say they have verified that two missing German tourists were abducted by Abu Sayyaf militants and are being held “unharmed” by the Al-Qaeda-linked gunmen in their jungle encampments in the south.

Regional military commander Lieutenant General Rustico Guerrero said Thursday that the government has ordered troops to locate the Germans in Sulu province and ensure their safe recovery but he declined to say what the military intends to do.

He says the Abu Sayyaf is holding about 10 hostages, including the Germans and two other Europeans kidnapped two years ago.

Four military and police officials say Henrike Dielen and Stefan Okonek were taken at gunpoint from a yacht between Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo Island and the western Philippine province of Palawan sometime in April. http://globalnation.inquirer.net/108071/2-missing-germans-abducted-by-abu-sayyaf-says-military

A general's long wait: Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr

From Rappler (Jul 18): A general's long wait: Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr

New Armed Forces chief Lieutenant General Gregorio Catapang Jr says he's long prepared for the job. 'I have prepared myself for this since I was told I was a candidate,' he says.


 

CLASSMATES: In this file photo are new Armed Forces chief Lieutenant General Gregorio Pio Catapang (left) and retired General Emmanuel Bautista

 Lieutenant General Gregorio Catapang Jr assumes command of the 120,000-strong Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday, July 18, at a time when the military has to step up in the face of escalating maritime conflict with China and improve response to natural disasters.

There are those who believe the post has always been his. Catapang was also a shoo-in for the Army chief post that was vacated in February this year. When he was bypassed for this, Catapang's supporters were surprised but thought perhaps it's better to keep him commander of the Tarlac City-based Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) until the AFP chief post is vacated in July.

It's like this every time a big retirement in the military looms, especially one involving the AFP chief post.

The announcement precedes several months of speculative talk in military circles, pitting generals with the strongest links to Malacañang against each other. In the end, the President decides – usually at the last-minute – on who will be tasked to protect his government and his people. And it is this decision that can make or unmake the careers of soldiers, not only of the appointee but the circle of officers he will bring with him to the top.

The fate of Catapang, a former rebel soldier who plotted against the Marcos dictatorship, seemed to have taken a different course when President Benigno Aquino III appointed him vice chief of staff in May 2014, three months after he was bypassed in the selection of Army chief. From a major command overseeing 2 divisions, a naval station, and an air base in northern Luzon, he was "promoted" to occupy an administrative job in the general headquarters. Many wondered why he was being moved to a desk job. (READ: Surprise appointment for AFP chief contender)

But as one soldier put it, "It's better to be the head of a dog than tail of the lion."

Ties to Malacañang

As the retirement of AFP chief General Emmanuel Bautista neared, the rumor mill began to turn sour for Catapang. He was suddenly out of contention to replace his classmate in the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) "Dimalupig" Class of 1981, based on the talks.

Officers were already betting on either Air Force chief Lieutenant General Jeffrey Delgado of PMA Class 1982 or Army chief Lieutenant General Hernando Iriberri of PMA Class 1983 – both more junior than Catapang.
Delgado is a former aide of President Aquino himself. Iriberri is a former aide of Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, a father figure to the President.

[Video report: New AFP Chief General Catapang: 'I have prepared myself for this'  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwSfmWrkjd0]

From EDSA
But Catapang's anti-Marcos background and his stint in Tarlac, the home city of the President, are not his only advantages. Unknown to many, the President and Catapang have known each other for decades. They were introduced to each other by Aquino's cousin Rapa Lopa, who knew Catapang because a professor teaching a masters class in both the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) mixed their classes together.

Catapang told Rappler he met Aquino after the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, where he joined the military revolt against the Marcos dictatorship as a member of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM). The revolt catapulted Corazon Aquino, the late mother of the incumbent president, to the presidency.

It was only on Thursday, July 17, when the speculation ended. That day, Gazmin informed Catapang of his appointment. Inside the Operations Center of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) where he got the news, the new AFP chief performed 10 push up exercises to comply with a naughty tradition for newly promoted generals of the military. (READ: One week 'punishment' for new AFP chief)

"It was a really funny thing.... I had to do the push up in front of the Secretary of National Defense while Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa was watching. It was really a funny incident," Catapang recalled the day he received the good news.
Revolving door?

He will be the 5th AFP chief of staff under the Aquino administration and joins previous chiefs who have had short stints in their posts. Catapang will stay for only 12 months, as he is scheduled to retire on July 11, 2015, when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Bautista served for 18 months as chief of staff. (READ: Son of slain general is new AFP chief)

Catapang shot down criticism that his appointment reflected once again the so-called revolving door policy in the military. "The changing of the guard is not a problem in the Armed Forces because we have a roadmap. We have a campaign that we just follow. Whoever takes over, there is no problem about the limit or the term of the chief of staff," he said.

The troops shouldn't worry about adjustments, he added. He will spend his term continuing the programs of his mistah, General Bautista.

"He left a legacy of the IPSP (Internal Peace and Security Plan) and the AFP Transformation Roadmap. They are all in the infancy stage. I have to nurture it," he vowed. 

 

Major General Donato San Juan, chief of the Special Operations Command (SOCOM), expects a smooth transition. The mistahs are alike in a way, he said.

"They share the same line of thinking. That's a good thing. They have similar intentions for the improvement of peace and order," said San Juan.

 

Catapang is passionate about IPSP Bayanihan, the brainchild of Bautista, as the appropriate counter-insurgency strategy. It was under Catapang's watch that the entire area of Nolcom was declared insurgency-free although sporadic clashes have raised questions if the declaration was premature.

 

Like Bautista, Catapang was able to draw strong support from LGUs and NGOs. Iriberri said this is one of his strongest assets. “When he talks to our stakeholders, I think the way he communicates, the way he drives home the message of our intentions and the direction that we are conducting our operations, I think that is one of his biggest strengths," Iriberri said.

 

A contender for the AFP chief post, Iriberri immediately called to congratulate Catapang. "I told him that the Army is solidly behind him. We fully support him. We are happy. I am very happy for General Catapang," Iriberri said.

 

No bad soldiers, only bad officers

Catapang said he has long been ready for the job. "I have prepared myself for this since I was told I was a candidate," he told reporters a day before he assumes the top post in the military.

"We have been doing this for the last 30 years. When you go up the ladder and you know how it is down there in the frontline, we immediately know what to do. At the end of the day, it is the soldier in the foxhole who are fighting out there in the field who is your primordial concern," Catapang said.

Catapang recognizes that maritime tension with China is one of the military's new challenges, along with terrorism and climate change.
He will also see through the implementation of the new agreement with US and the completion of the peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

"These are the wars we will be facing in the 21st century.... We will look into our capability upgrade program focused on territorial defense. All the wars we will be facing in the 21st century will all be global," he said.
Catapang has dealt will these issues first hand. A member of the elite Scout Ranger, Catapang has been assigned to various posts conflict areas including Mindanao. His experience in disaster response began when he served under the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). He led operations in the aftermath of Ondoy, the tropical storm that submerged many parts of Metro Manila.

He rose in the military hierarchy beginning as commander of the Pampanga-based 703rd Infantry Brigade before he became chief of the Nueva Ecija-based 7th Infantry Division and later Nolcom, which was previously responsible over Panatag Shoal (Scarborough) – a flashpoint in the dispute between the Philippines and China.

Catapang said improvement in the professionalism of soldiers, upgrade of their training, and the modernization of their assets go hand in hand in effectively addressing the challenges that the military is facing.

"There are no bad soldiers, only bad officers. If the officers tolerate the misbehavior of soldiers, they will think it is good. But if they are cautioned immediately that these things are bad, they will correct these immediately. Leadership is what we need in the Armed Forces," he said.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/63603-catapang-profile-military

Army soldiers returning from medical mission ambushed; no casualty

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 17): Army soldiers returning from medical mission ambushed; no casualty

Philippine Army soldiers who came from a medical mission in the hinterland villages in one of the towns in the Second District of Iloilo were ambushed by an armed group believed to be members of the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels somewhere in Barangay Mayang, Tubungan, Iloilo Thursday afternoon.

Major Rey Tiongson, spokesman of the 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division (3ID), Philippine Army based in Camp Macario Peralta, Jaminda, Capiz, said the soldiers were on their way back to their headquarters in Iloilo early this afternoon when fired upon by the armed rebels.

In a radio interview, Major Tiongson said the government troops were with members of an international humanitarian organization coming from a medical mission dubbed "Operation Blessing" conducted in barangays of the neighboring Leon town in Iloilo when armed rebels staged the ambuscade.

A brief firefight erupted that later saw the withdrawing rebel ambushers seemingly avoiding head-on engagement with the more superior firepower of government soldiers.

Fortunately, there were no reported casualties or injuries on the government side. Soldiers scoured the vicinity of the encounter scene for possible signs of casualties on the rebel side.

Military authorities did not immediately identify the rebel group responsible for the ambuscade.

Meanwhile, soldiers from the 82nd Infantry Battalion (82IB) of the Philippine Army based in Camp Monteclaro, Miag-ao, Iloilo immediately launched a hot pursuit operation against the ambushers who retreated toward the hinterlands of Barangay Mayang in Tubungan town.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=663610