A Closer Look at Terrorism in Southeast Asia

From the War on the Rocks Website (Aug 19): A Closer Look at Terrorism in Southeast Asia (by Jacob Zenn)

In a recent set of infographics, War on the Rocks and the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) provided a useful visual depiction of Southeast Asian terrorism. WOTR and START should be commended for bringing attention to the issue of terrorism in this region— one that is often overlooked in security circles. This is in part because the jihadist threat has seemingly dissipated over the past few years as a result of successful U.S. cooperation with allies, especially in the Philippines and Indonesia. Nonetheless, groups like Abu Sayyaf and Mujahidin Indonesia Timor (Mujahidin of Eastern Indonesia, or MIT), which is an offshoot of Jemaah Islamiya (JI), are undergoing a revival as we speak.

The Islamic State and Developments in Indonesia and the Philippines

In a briefing I wrote for The Soufan Group on August 12, 2014 called “Islamic State Gains Traction in Southeast Asia,” I detailed how events in Syria and Iraq are influencing Southeast Asian jihadist groups. Indonesia offers a case in point. There are currently believed to be as many as 200 Indonesians fighting in Syria and Iraq. These fighters are actively recruiting Indonesians back home via jihadist videos disseminated over the Internet, such as “Join the Ranks,” a recorded appeal delivered by a member of MIT who is now in the Islamic State. Other Islamic online forums in Indonesia also explicitly offer “support and solidarity” for the Islamic State.

Leaders of jihadist groups from the region have also lent their support to the Islamic State. From the MIT base in Sulawesi, Indonesia, the group’s leader, Santoso (aka Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi al-Indonesi), has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. JI founder Abu Bakar Bashir has encouraged Indonesians to fight with the Islamic State in statements issued from his prison cell in Indonesia, where he is serving a 15-year sentence for sponsoring an “al-Qaeda in the Veranda of Mecca” militant training camp in Aceh in 2010. Interestingly, however, some members of Bashir’s network disagreed with his support for the Islamic State over Jabhat al-Nusra, and have founded their own new group with about 2,000 members across Indonesia.

The situation with respect to jihadists in the Philippines is similar. The militant group Abu Sayyaf formally pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a video featuring commander Isnon Hapilon and 15 other militants, recorded in a jungle that appears to be in a base in Sulu or Jolo. In it, Hapilon states, “We pledge baya’ (allegiance) to Caliph Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Ibrahim Awwad Al-Qurashi Al-Husseini for loyalty and obedience in adversity and comfort.” In another video, dozens of prisoners in the Philippines, likely including some Abu Sayyaf members, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The video was recorded in their prayer hall. Still others have emerged showing a mix of Philippine and Indonesian militants pledging allegiance to the Islamic State. A number of Filipinos have also joined the up to 200 Indonesians and several dozen Malaysians already fighting in Iraq and Syria.

At the same time, Abu Sayyaf and MIT operations are continuing in the Philippines and Indonesia. Abu Sayyaf has been kidnapping Chinese tourists and businessmen in the Philippines and Malaysia in order to extort large ransoms. The group also killed more than 20 civilians and security officers in July 2014 in an ambush in Mindanao. MIT has focused on expanding its networks from Sulawesi to other islands in Indonesia, including West Nusa Tenggara and Java. Most MIT attacks, however, have targeted policemen, security officials and Christians in the mountainous areas of Poso and Palu in Sulawesi.

Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the Muslim militants in Southern Thailand known as the “Pejuang Kemerdekaan Patani (“Patani Freedom Fighters” in Malay language) continue to wage an insurgency against the Thai government and Thai Buddhists. Recent attacks include car bombings, beheadings and arson attacks against schools. The most active militant group in the entire region, however, is the New People’s Army (NPA) in the Philippines, which is a Communist insurgency and whose activities are reflected in the infographics provided by START. In Myanmar, the government’s treatment of the minority Muslim Rohingyas has also become a cause célèbre of jihadists since 2012, ranging from JI’s Bashir to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan’s Abu Zar al-Burmi to the Uighur-led Turkistan Islamic Party in Pakistan.

Beyond the Infographics

What the START infographics do not fully capture is the growing extremism in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. For example, the infographics account for terrorist attacks but not church burnings and demolitions. Java, Indonesia’s most populated island, for instance, appears remarkably “clean” on the infographics despite an increase in attacks on churches and Ahmadiya mosques since 2011 (and on Shi’a mosques since the start of the Syrian civil war, because of their association with al-Assad). These incidents are becoming increasingly common in Indonesia and are an important trend to watch. While they qualify as “terrorism” by START’s definition, “small” church burnings and even forced church closures are likely difficult to recognize as such. But they are strong indicators of growing extremism. And whether particular actions are understood as terrorism or not, the activities of extremists – as well as those of the local government officials that turn a blind eye or actively support them – open up the operational space for militant groups like MIT to expand recruiting and operations, including sending fighters to Syria.

The infographics also classify the NPA’s attacks in the Philippines as “terrorism.” However, the NPA is more of a classic Castro- or Mao-style “insurgent group” than “terrorist group” like JI, which specialized in bombings of discos, hotels and embassies in Indonesia but did not hold terrain. START compares the NPA to “global terrorism” trends and rightly shows that the NPA engages in “armed assaults” more than the global average, and in the types of “bombings/explosions” typical of terrorist groups like JI much less than the global average. This is simply a matter of definitions, but the issue highlights how in the post-2001 world, the concepts of “terrorism” and “insurgency” have become conflated.

The START infographics bring attention to security threats in Southeast Asia, which are brewing in the region but overlooked in the Beltway. They also depict certain trends in Southeast Asian militancy. But they do not capture a broader and perhaps more important trend: extremism. It is important to track and anticipate new developments in Southeast Asia based on both START’s infographics and a more comprehensive analysis. While the region presents great economic and strategic opportunities, it also has in the past – and could in the future – become embroiled in various forms of political, religious and ethnic turmoil that affect American citizens, businesses and allies in Southeast Asia.

Moreover, it is important to remember that only a few million dollars in seed money was necessary for Usama bin Laden to give rise to Abu Sayyaf and JI back in the 1990s. The crisis in Syria has thus far been contained to Mesopotamia, but it has the potential to impact Southeast Asia if the Islamic State is able to not only inspire but financially support a global network of loyal groups, now including Abu Sayyaf and MIT. We are seeing the Islamic State’s influence on the ideologies of Southeast Asian jihadist groups and on the nature of radicalization in the region. But it will depend on local security forces working in concert with the U.S. to counter terrorism funding to Southeast Asia and the Islamic State’s outreach before regional groups launch a new campaign of attacks to coincide with their pledges of loyalty to al-Baghdadi.

Jacob Zenn, currently based in Southeast Asia, is an analyst for The Jamestown Foundation, a think-tank in Washington D.C. He is a former U.S. State Department critical language scholar in Indonesia.

http://warontherocks.com/2014/08/a-closer-look-at-terrorism-in-southeast-asia/

3 NPA rebels killed in South Cotabato

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Aug 19): 3 NPA rebels killed in South Cotabato

Government troops have killed three members of the New People’s Army in a clash in T’boli, South Cotabato, a military official said Tuesday.

Captain Rey Balibagoso, spokesman of the Army’s 1002nd Brigade, said troops from the 27th Infantry Battalion encountered the insurgents in Sitio (sub-village) Datal Halek, Barangay (village) Tudok on Sunday.

In support of the ground troops, Balibagoso said that a helicopter provided aerial cover during the firefight.

“According to civilian reports, they spotted the three casualties when the NPA were retreating,” Balibagoso said. “Shots fired from the helicopter proved fatal for the rebels.”

NPA members from Guerrilla Front 73 under the leadership of Nicanor Pason alias “Ronron” were the ones that the government troops encountered.

After the firefight, the rebels retreated toward Kiamba, Sarangani.

There were no reported casualties from the government side.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/630793/3-npa-rebels-killed-in-south-cotabato

MILF: Muslim Students organization of SKSU holds 11th Kanduli Festival 2014

Posted to the MILF Website (Aug 19): Muslim Students organization of SKSU holds 11th Kanduli Festival 2014



The Muslim Students Organization (MSO) from different campuses’ of Sultan Kudarat State University (SKSU) led by MSO President Morsid U. Guiapal  held its yearly thanksgiving banquet or “kanduli” festival on August 17, 2014 at the covered court of SKSU, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat  with the theme:  “Islam: Faith, Submission, Service” participated by about 700 students from different campuses of SKSU.
   

One hundred sixty five (165) Muslim students came from Access Campus, 195 from Isulan Campus, 250 from Tacurong Campus, 65 from Lutayan Campus and hundreds of out- of-school-youth also joined the festival.

The festival started with a parade, followed by an Islamic Symposium. They invited an aleem to lecture about Islam. Prof. Esmael A. Abdula , Chairman of Campaign and Mass Mobilization, Committee on Information, MILF Central Committee and Member of Steering Committee of  Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI) , was invited to speak on the current status of the GPH-MILF peace agreement and the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

Also with the group of Prof Abdula were Sheihk Moidjoddin K. Talusob, Executive Director of Kalilintad Development Foundation Inc. and Ustadz Abner Kanakan. Other Speakers were Ustadz Morsid Pompong, and Engr. Bayan Magandian.

 Sheihk Saguir Salendab was the main speaker in the afternoon followed by series of activities such as; contest on call to prayer (Azan), Qur’anic Reading, Speech to convey the messages of Islam (Muhadara) and Islamic Quiz Bee.  Program ended with the awarding of prizes to the winners of the various competitions.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1160-muslim-students-organization-of-sksu-holds-11th-kanduli-festival-2014

Q and A: Case vs China 'not enough,' expert says

From Rappler (Aug 19): Q and A: Case vs China 'not enough,' expert says

'We will always go back to the two countries sitting down to talk it out,' maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal tells Rappler

DWARFED BY CHINA. Two Chinese coast guard ships chase a small Philippine vessel (middle) in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). File photo by Jay Directo/AFP

 

While pushing for arbitration as a “final approach” to resolve South China Sea disputes, the Philippines raised the alarm about China's “sovereignty patrols” meant to stake its claim over the contested waters.

 

Will arbitration suffice in settling problems such as these in the South China Sea?

In an interview with Rappler on June 26, maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal explained that the legal track “has always been not enough.”

“What China is demonstrating is, in the end, ultimately, the law will not help,” said Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea.

Batongbacal said this as China conducted reclamation activities to build artificial islands in the South China Sea.

The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in May that reclamation is “jeopardizing” the Southeast Asian country's case against China, but Batongbacal told Rappler the reclamation doesn't legally jeopardize the case.

He said what jeopardizes the case is the “practical implication” involving China's “cabbage strategy.”

Quoting Major General Zhang Zhaozhong of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the New York Times said the cabbage strategy “entails surrounding a contested area with so many boats – fishermen, fishing administration ships, marine surveillance ships, navy warships – that the island is thus wrapped layer by layer like a cabbage.”

Batongbacal said incidents such as China's deployment of Haiyang Shiyuo 981 (HS-981), a deep-see drilling platform inside Vietnam's exclusive economic zone, also complicates the problem.

Rappler is publishing excerpts from the interview with Batongbacal below, as the Philippines is set to file a diplomatic protest against China's sovereignty patrols.

 

'JEOPARDIZING CASE.' The Philippines fears China is turning Mabini Reef into an island. This image dated Feb 25, 2014 shows ongoing reclamation activities. Photo courtesy of DFA

 

RAPPLER: Sir, weeks ago the DFA said the reclamation activities could jeopardize our case? Do you agree?

BATONGBACAL: No. The merits of the case were set when we filed the Statement of Notification and Claim. These activities are taking place after the case has been filed, they cannot affect the merits of the case as filed. Legally, it doesn't jeopardize it. It's the practical implication that is jeopardizing the Philippine position – the fact that China can fully implement the so-called “cabbage strategy” as soon as that base is completed. That is what jeopardizes the Philippine position regardless of the legalities.

RAPPLER: So what is jeopardized is not anymore the legal aspect but probably the defense aspect?

BATONGBACAL: The reality of the situation: that right now, the Philippine positions are there but our hold on them is already very difficult, in some cases very tenuous.

RAPPLER: So even if we win the case...

BATONGBACAL: Even if we win the case, China can still carry out its cabbage strategy, and ultimately we lose. What China is demonstrating is, in the end, ultimately, the law will not help.

RAPPLER: So are we saying the legal track is not enough?

BATONGBACAL: Yes. It has always been not enough. That has always been my position. When this case was being presented to the public last year it's as if this is the final solution, this is what will create a durable solution. China's reaction is showing us exactly how it's not the case, and how ultimately, the tribunal will not be able to do anything if China goes ahead and ignores them. Right now it's telling us, “Yes, sure you have a pending case but we will continue with what we want to do, and what we want to do is establish these artificial islands. What we want to do is to tighten our grip on the South China Sea, so go ahead and file your case, and prosecute it. Let's see what will happen.”

RAPPLER: Sir, it's interesting that this is coming from you as a maritime law expert.

BATONGBACAL: Because it's not so legalistic?

RAPPLER: Yes, because...

BATONGBACAL: Because it's still “might makes right”?

RAPPLER: Maybe because people expect experts like you to have ultimate faith in the law.

BATONGBACAL: Yes. It's different when it comes to the international community, and international law, take a look at what's happening elsewhere in the world. What has international law actually done for Syria? What has international law actually done for Ukraine? These examples tend to bring down expectations.

RAPPLER: So what can international law do?

BATONGBACAL: To China? On this issue, it's secondary. That's what they're showing by doing all of these things – HS-981, reclamation. It's clear that as far as China is concerned, international law is merely an instrument. And as an instrument, it can be basically bent to its will. And that's what they're doing. They're forcing it to bend to their will. They go ahead with HS-981 and say, "No, we have full legal rights in that area." They go ahead with reclamation and say, "That is our sovereignty, it's none of your business what we want to do here." They blockade our ships, and say, "That is our right, because it is our sovereign right."

RAPPLER: Are we saying that international law is useless in this case?

BATONGBACAL: I guess you could say I'm from the realist school. You have to understand that international law, by and large, still works on the basis of consensus, on the basis of consent by States. It's still more like a primitive law of contract. That's why the consent of China to the arbitration is important. Consent of the States is what ensures that eventually, the law will be complied with; it will actually be followed. The ability of the law to control the actions of States right now is still relatively limited and varies a lot compared to, say, domestic law. Why? Because in domestic law, you have a third party – the State – being able to coerce, being able to force the citizens to follow the law. In the international community, there is none. There is still no entity superior to the nation-State. Whether it's China or the Philippines or the United States, there is still technically no international entity that is above all of them. All States are still equal. In that situation, what is the role of international law? It is only a moderating force that relies on voluntary compliance, rather than a coercive force that can resort to enforcement by a third party.

RAPPLER: How do you define a realist in relation to international law?

BATONGBACAL: A realist is one, probably, who realizes or who knows or who accepts that in international relations, in the final analysis, power is what will determine the course of action of States, and whether or not they will comply.

RAPPLER: But last year, I remember the Palace spokesman saying that the Philippines will use its moral suasion against China. And then Paul Reichler, the Philippines' lawyer, saying...

BATONGBACAL: ...that China will not want to be seen as a rogue state, China values its image in international law, China will want to be seen as being a responsible power.

RAPPLER: And 95% of states comply with international rulings.

BATONGBACAL: Yes.

RAPPLER: How do we reconcile this with your realist point-of-view?

BATONGBACAL: I think we have to acknowledge that in international relations, law still has a lot of limitations in its ability to influence States....It moderates their behavior, to a certain extent, but it cannot force them to do anything they do not want to do. Here, in this situation, all that we can hope for is to somehow moderate China's behavior.

RAPPLER: If we win the case.

BATONGBACAL: Yes.

RAPPLER: So what's the best-case scenario, if we win the case?

BATONGBACAL: Best-case scenario, we win the case, we get a ruling on the 9-dash line that's in our favor, China says, okay, we will conform with international law.

RAPPLER: But China will not...

BATONGBACAL: But China will not withdraw from their positions. We can be sure of that. China will not stop its maritime enforcement patrols. They'll probably back up a little bit in terms of the boundaries that they're trying to enforce, but they will not give up.

RAPPLER: So given your realist point-of-view, what's the best-case scenario that you expect if we win the case? Given the reclamation, everything.

BATONGBACAL: The best-case scenario for us will be, after winning the case, the two sides decide to go to the negotiating table. Like I said before, whatever the tribunal decides, we will always go back to the two countries sitting down to talk it out, because the alternative to that is for one of them to go to war. And we know who wins in that scenario. So we will always go back to the negotiating table.

RAPPLER: Are you saying, Sir, that we should drop the case?

BATONGBACAL: No. What I'm saying is, if ultimately, it will end with the parties going back to the negotiating table, we better be prepared for it. And the situation at that time when we do go back there, obviously, will have changed a lot. The arbitration serves a purpose, despite its limitations. But we need to develop alternative and complementary strategies, and we need to use all avenues. We cannot depend solely on the arbitration for the future of this dispute.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/66676-philippines-china-case-sovereignty-patrols

Davao cops to undergo close quarter battle training

From MindaNews (Aug 19): Davao cops to undergo close quarter battle training

The Davao City Police Office Special Weapons and Tactics or SWAT team will undergo a training on close quarter battle, Senior Supt. Vicente Danao, city police director, said yesterday.

In an interview, he said that the 45-day training is set within the next two months and will involve topics such as aircraft and ship boarding.

Danao said they will coordinate with agencies such as the Philippine Coast Guard as well as other offices for the training series aimed to improve the skills of the city’s security forces.

He added that Task Force Davao, a military counter-terrorist unit stationed in the city, would also be involved in the training.

The police official said that he hopes the training would enhance the response capabilities of the city’s police units to protect the locality from crime and terrorist activities.

 

A month ago, the city was the subject of an unspecified threat announced by President Benigno S. Aquino III himself, who sent Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas to meet with the local government officials regarding the threat.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, however, downplayed the threat and said the city was safe.

Danao said that the local government will fund the training, but did not reveal the budget for the project.

Meanwhile, Danao said the city’s policemen “were not lacking in terms of equipment”

Asked if the DCPO had a wish list of equipment, Danao said they had “more than enough.”

“Nakakahiya naman kapag humingi pa kami (It’s embarrassing if we will still ask),” Danao said.

He said that when he assumed office, the city police had 22 vehicles that eventually increased to 54, given by the local government unit.

He added that the drivers and supplies, such as fuel, for the vehicles were also funded by the city government.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2014/08/19/davao-cops-to-undergo-close-quarter-battle-training/

Gunmen seize businesswoman in Zamboanga City

From MindaNews (Aug 19): Gunmen seize businesswoman in Zamboanga City

Gunmen clad in camouflage uniforms seized a businesswoman here Monday evening, while her husband managed to escape from the suspects, police said.

Abducted was Michelle Panes, 36. Her husband, Noel, managed to escape while he was being forced to board on a motorboat locally known as “jungkung.”

Police investigation showed the couple was tending their store when three gunmen clad in camouflage uniforms entered their establishment at around 7:45 p.m. Monday.

The couple owns and manages a grocery store at Purok 5 in Barangay Labuan, 33 kilometers west of this city.

Noel shouted to Michelle to run for safety when the three gunmen grabbed him at gunpoint. The gunmen also took at least P50,000 cash and some grocery items.

 

Michelle ran for safety but cohorts of the suspects positioned outside the establishment caught her.

The gunmen dragged Noel to the seashore and forced him to board in one of the two waiting motorboats. The victims’ grocery store is located less than a hundred meters away from the seashore.

The gunmen shot Noel but missed after he fell into the water when he tried to overturn the motorboat carrying Michelle.

Zamboanga City police director Senior Supt. Angelito Casimiro said Noel managed to escape when responding policemen arrived and engaged the gunmen in a shoot out.

The gunmen sped to the high seas towards the direction of the nearby province of Zamboanga del Norte.

Barangay Labuan is the second to the last barangay in this city’s west coast towards the boundary with the province of Zamboanga del Norte.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2014/08/19/gunmen-seize-businesswoman-in-zamboanga-city/

Woman abducted in Zamboanga City

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Aug 19): Woman abducted in Zamboanga City

Unidentified gunmen seized a woman in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines and authorities were tracking down the assailants who fled on a motorized boat with their victim.

Capt. Franco Suelto, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division, said at least 9 gunmen were involved in the abduction of Michelle Panes in the village of Labuan.

Her husband, Noel Panes, said he was able to escape the abduction, but failed to free his woman who was dragged to the shore where the boat had been waiting. He said three of the abductors were clad in military uniform.

Suelto said the abduction occurred at around. 7.30 p.m. at the old public market in Labuan.

“We still do not know who were behind this (abduction), but authorities are now tracking down the abductors,” he said.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the latest abduction, but previous kidnappings in the area were largely blamed to the Abu Sayyaf group.

In November 2012, suspected Abu Sayyaf militants kidnapped school principal, Flordeliza Ongchua in her house in Labuan village and released her two months later in Jolo town after ransom was paid.

Ongchua was seized by at least a dozen gunmen after failing to find their target, the village chieftain, Ronald Maravilla, who is a relative of the victim.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/08/woman-abducted-in-zamboanga-city.html

Troops find slain NPA member's body in Compostela

From the Philippine Star (Aug 18): Troops find slain NPA member's body in Compostela

The body of an unidentified New People’s Army (NPA) member was recovered in Maco, Compostela Valley a day after an encounter between government troops and the rebels.

1Lt. Vergel Lacambra, civil-military operations officer of the Army’s 66th battalion, said the cadaver was recovered last Saturday by local officials at Purok 5 in Barangay Gubatan.

“The cadaver was found by a civilian in the encounter site abandoned by the rebel group after the intense firefight with the government operating troops,” Lacambra said in a statement issued Monday.

“The troops immediately asked the assistance of the local officials for the transport of the cadaver from Barangay Gubatan,” he added.

The body of the slain rebel was brought to Landa Funeral Homes for proper burial.

Lacambra said soldiers were in the area to conduct security operations after a cache of high-powered firearms was discovered inside a house last week.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/08/18/1358980/troops-find-slain-npa-members-body-compostela

Ex-militia killed, wife hurt in Zamboanga ambush

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Aug 18): Ex-militia killed, wife hurt in Zamboanga ambush

Motorcycle gunmen ambushed three family members on another motorcycle and killing the 51-year patriarch in Zamboanga del Sur province in southern Philippines, police said Monday.

Police Rolando Vics, a former government militia, was killed in the attack and his wife, Leticia, 49, had been shot and wounded in the arm. Their son, Marlon, was unscathed from the weekend attack which occurred near a bridge at Sitio Alegre in Lower Landing village in Dumingag town.

The gunmen fled after the shooting. Police said it is investigating the motive of the attack or if communist rebels were involved in the ambush. The province is a known stronghold of the New People’s Army rebels fighting for a separate state in the country.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/08/ex-militia-killed-wife-hurt-in.html

Agusan NPA rebels raid mayor’s house

From the Manila Standard Today (Aug 19): Agusan NPA rebels raid mayor’s house

At least 20 New People’s Army rebels raided the home of Sta. Josefa, Agusan del Sur Mayor John Roby Otero on Saturday (August 16) in Barangay Poblacion in the latest of a series of rebel attacks victimizing Agusan mayors.

Sta. Josefa Municipal Councilor Reynaldo Quijada,  a former provincial board member of Agusan del Sur said the NPA attack on the mayor’s house was a propaganda to spite  the military.

But the attack will boomerang on them (NPAs) because Otero served the people of Sta. Josefa with utmost dedication and sincerity.

Why the NPA  chose to raid Otero’s house was puzzling,  Quijada said.

Otero is the provincial chairman of the Liberal Party of Agusan del Sur during the 2013 elections and a nephew of former Sta. Josefa Mayor and losing LP Gubernatorial bet for Agusan del Sur Isosceles  Otero.

The Oteros are political rivals of the Plaza clan now headed by Agusan del Sur Governor Eddie Plaza. His two sisters are members of the House of Representatives for Agusan del Sur.

Sta. Josefa,  situated at the boundaries of Agusan del Sur and Davao, Compostela provinces, is about 200 kilometers away from Butuan City, Caraga region’s regional center and capital.

The raid on  the town’s chief executive was the second incident involving  the NPAs for the third quarter of this year alone. Last June 8, the NPA swooped down on the house of another town mayor Ramon Calo of Carmen in Caraga Region.

NPA rebels belonging to the Western Agusan del Norte-Agusan del Sur Sub-regional Command stormed the house Calo which is just across the Carmen Municipal Police Station and the Municipal Hall.

Calo was not in his house at the time of the raid as he was in Manila visiting his wife and children who have opted to stay in Manila for good. Calo’s wife was former mayor of Carmen.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/08/19/agusan-npa-rebels-raid-mayor-s-house/

MNLF siege exacts toll on Zambo trade

From the Manila Standard Today (Aug 19): MNLF siege exacts toll on Zambo trade

The siege by the fighters of the Moro National Liberation Front in September 2013 caused the economy in this highly urbanized city and in the entire Western Mindanao to plunge.

The three-week attack caused Western Mindanao’s economy to dip by 8.64 percent, or to 4.34 percent in 2013 from 12.98 percent in 2012, the National Statistical Coordination Board said here recently.

NSCB  Region 9 Director Mewchun Pamaran said the raid also adversely affected the economy of other parts of Western Mindanao that covers Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte and their urban communities.

The assault caused the massive destruction of the semi-urban Muslim-Christian villages of Sta. Catalina, Rio Hondo, Sta. Barbara, Talon-Talon and Kasanyangan, prompting the city government to relocate thousands of displaced residents to the eight-hectare Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex in Barangay  Baliwasan and other  evacuation sites.

The siege caused the death of some 300 responding soldiers and policemen, rebels and civilians and wounded many others. It also moved many victims to  take refuge with their relatives in other parts of the region even as plane flights from Manila and bus travel within the region were suspended during the period.

Pamaran said Western Mindanao’s industry sector plunged “from 31.2 percent in 2012 to 4.3 percent in 2013, while its manufacturing sub-sector, which accounts for 26.1 percent of the total economy, sank to 0.1 percent in 2013 from 35.2 percent in 2012 due to the decline in food production.”

He said the other sub-sectors of industry such as mining and quarrying, construction, electricity, gas and water supply or EGWS were also affected, “with mining and quarrying dwindling from 0.6 percent in 2012 to -13.0 percent in 2013 due to the decline in gold production, ”while the EGWS recorded a “depleted growth of 2.9 percent in 2013 from 4.0 percent  in 2012.”

Due to the slowdown in Transport, Storage and Communication OR TSC, Trade and Repair, and Real Estate Renting and Business OR RERB, Pamaran said, the Service sector also waned last year to 6.1 percent  from 9.6 percent  two years ago.

Pamaran said TSC’s “8.2 percent  in 2012 diminished to 2.4 percent in 2013 while Trade and Repair shrank by 8.4 percent,  or from 10.5 percent  in 2012 to 2.1 percent last year.”

RERB also “plunged by 13.3 percent, or from 17.3 percent in 2012 to 4.0 percent in 2013, although Financial Intermediation grew from 11.7 percent in 2012 to 14.2 percent  last year due to the increased outputs of banks and non-banks,”  added Pamaran who remained  optimistic that with the aggressive effort of local government  leaders, coupled with the  support of civic groups, Western Mindanao will rise from the ashes of the tragic event.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/08/19/mnlf-siege-exacts-toll-on-zambo-trade/

AFP has bigger wars to face than be involved in coup plots—Catapang

From GMA News (Aug 18): AFP has bigger wars to face than be involved in coup plots—Catapang
The country has bigger wars to face in the 21st century and the Armed Forces of the Philippines can't afford to be involved in petty bickering among politicians, AFP Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gregorio Pio Catapang said on Monday.

"Sabi ko nga in the 21st century we will be faced by global problems, global terrorism, global climate change, global maritime concern, and then global transnational crime," Catapang told Jessica Soho on GMA News TV's State of the Nation.
Catapang didn't mention it specifically but the Philippines is involved in a dispute with China over territories in the West Philippine Sea.

The new military chief asked for support for the modest modernization the Armed Forces was undergoing.

"So ito pong first horizon, we will have a minimum defense posture. Kumbaga sa boxing hindi basta-basta ma-knockdown ng kung sino mang maging kalaban natin," Catapang said.

"Kahit bantam weight tayo kahit siguro heacyweight yung klalaban yung first round naman siguro magsu-survive tayo," he added.

Catapang asked for a supplemental budget after the Disbursement Acceleration Program was declared partially unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

With the new wars that the country would face, he said it was important that facilities such as military camps be improved as well.

A former member of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement, Catapang clarified that he was never involved in any destabilization attempt against the administration of former President Corazon Aquino in the 1980s.

He said that after the 1986 Edsa Revolution, he suggested to RAM leader, then Colonel Gregorio Honasan, if they could already disband the reform movement. 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/375383/news/nation/afp-has-bigger-wars-to-face-than-be-involved-in-coup-plots-catapang

AFP chief: Military will secure Palparan so he can stand trial

From GMA News (Aug 19): AFP chief: Military will secure Palparan so he can stand trial

The military is not coddling retired Major General Jovito Palparan Jr., the chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Monday, adding Palparan must be secured so he can be tried.

AFP chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said in an interview on "State of the Nation with Jessica Soho" Monday night that the military will secure the general, who has been charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention, so he can face justice.

"Di ba gusto natin humarap si General Palparan sa hustisya? Eh, anong mangyayari po kung pababayaan natin yung security niya? Kung mamamatay siya, paano tayo makakakuha ng justice kung may pagkakamali si General Palparan?," he said.

He said the military will continue to provide additional security as long as the court allows them to do so, pointing out that Palparan has yet to be proven guilty of the charges against him.

Palparan was brought to his arraignment at a Bulacan court on Monday by a convoy of National Bureau of Investigation and Armed Forces of the Philippines vehicles.

"Ang importante, mabuhay si General Palparan, maimbestigahan, and finally, ultimately, mapakita ... mahusaghan kung talagang nagkamali ba siya o nagcommit ng human rights violations," Catapang said.

Palparan has been charged in connection with the disappearance of UP students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño in 2006.

Palparan was arrested last week in Sta. Mesa, Manila after almost three years in hiding.

On Monday, the Bulacan court handling the cases against him entered a "not guilty" plea for him after he refused to enter one.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/375388/news/nation/afp-chief-military-will-secure-palparan-so-he-can-stand-trial

DND declares failure of bidding for P5.9-billion Air Force planes

From the Business Mirror (Aug 17): DND declares failure of bidding for P5.9-billion Air Force planes

The bidding for the acquisition of two long-range patrol aircraft for the military with a contract price of P5.9 billion is technically back to square one, after all the proponents failed in the initial stage of the delivery process.

Without precluding the decision of Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on the motion for reconsideration that the failed bidders may file, Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said that last week’s opening of bid documents was a failure.

As such, the Department of National Defense’s Special Bids and   Awards Committee (SBAC), headed by Manalo, will conduct a rebidding, wherein all of the disqualified bidders, and even those of other defense contractors that are interested over the project, may join.

“Not a single one qualified for the project and, at the end of the committee meeting or at the end of the bidding process, we declared the bidding as failed,” Manalo said.

At least 10 firms have earlier expressed their interest to supply the long-range aircraft, which are being procured under the modernization program of the military; but during the opening of bids on Monday last week, only seven submitted documents.

These firms are Elbit Systems Ltd. and Elta Systems Ltd. both of Israel, EADS-Casa, SAAB-Asia Pacific, L-3 Mission Integrated, PT Dergantara of Indonesia and Lockheed Martin, an American company considered as one of the world’s biggest defense contractor.

Manalo said that while the two Israeli companies went through the initial stage, which involved documentation, they failed in the further evaluation involving technical specifications for the project.

On the other hand, the five other companies immediately failed in the first stage.

The two Israeli contractors and the other defense suppliers manifested their intentions to file an appeal, which, under the BAC rules, they can do so within three days.

“You’ll be surprised to note, some of the reasons you thought would not happen. For example, the requirement of our laws is for the proponents to submit a list of ongoing contracts. You need it to determine the net financing capability of the company. Because you have your assets, your liabilities, and so you have your networking capital. But you would deduct there the contracts to arrive at a net financing capability. One of them is PT Dergantara of Indonesia,” Manalo said.

“PT Dergantara of Indonesia won in the bidding of our light-lift aircraft, so we have a contract with them, but it did not include it on its list of ongoing contracts. Everybody knew that we have a contract with them,” he added.

“It did not cheat, it seems like it wanted to bump its head. Carelessness,” Manalo said of the Indonesian company.

He said the same mistake was committed by EADS-Casa, which has won the contract for the delivery of medium-lift aircraft to the Air Force, but did not also include it on its list of ongoing projects.

“It is the responsibility of the bidder, of the proponent to see to it that the documents they are submitting are correct,” the chairman of the Special BAC said.

Manalo believed that the firms will not commit the same mistakes again for the second bidding.

“No more, it’s too much of stupidity if they still fail because of paper works,” he said.

http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/nation/37228-dnd-declares-failure-of-bidding-for-p5-9-billion-air-force-planes

President Aquino to concentrate on draft BBL: Secretary Coloma

Posted to the MILF Website (Aug 18): President Aquino to concentrate on draft BBL: Secretary Coloma

A report by ABS-CBN said on Sunday, August 17 that, President Benigno Aquino III will focus his attention in reviewing the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) once it is submitted to him on Monday, August 18.
  

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in an interview by DZRB that, “It is in view of the timetable set by the government for the elections of officials of the Bangsamoro Political Entity to coincide with the 2016 elections”.

“Bibigyan ito ng Pangulo ng prayoridad na atensyon upang maihain sa Kongreso ang draft Bangsamoro Basic Law sa lalong madaling panahon, alinsunod sa roadmap at timetable para sa ganap na pagtatatag ng Bangsamoro Trasitional Assembly, at ang paghahalal ng mga opisyal ng Bangsamoro Political Entity kasabay sa pambansang halalan sa 2016,” he said.

This means that by the first quarter of 2015, a Bangsamoro Transitional Assembly should already be in place.

“Ito ay magaganap kung makapapasa sa plebisito ang Bangsamoro Basic Law na inaasahan din nating ipapasa ng ating Kongreso. So mula po doon sa ultimate goal sa 2016, doon po ‘yung pagtataya ng mga timeline na atin pong tinitingnan,” Coloma said.

The GPH and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace panels ended their workshops on August 10, the contents of the draft BBL crafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) but diluted by Malacañang legal team.

In a joint statement, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and BTC Chair Mohagher Iqbal said: “The parties have agreed that the resolutions arrived at by both parties will be incorporated into the final draft Basic Bangsamoro Law that will be prepared and submitted to President Benigno S. Aquino III.”

The BBL is an urgent measure that Malacañang asked Congress to give priority among other urgent bills.

“Prayoridad na programa ang nais na maipasa sa hanay ng kasaysayan na makapagtatag tayo ng Bangsamoro Political Entity… Deka-dekada na ang lumipas at binibilang doon sa pagpupunyagi na makamit ‘yung kaunlaran sa Kamindanawan, at isang malaking bahagi nito ‘yung estabilidad at kaayusan at kaunlaran doon sa lugar na sinasakupan ng Bangsamoro,” Coloma said.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1158-president-aquino-to-concentrate-on-draft-bbl-secretary-coloma