From the Malaysian Insider (Oct 5): Filipino militants threaten to behead Malaysian hostage, says report
One of the two Malaysian hostages being held by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippine island of Jolo will be beheaded if the ransom is not paid, according to The Star today.
Quoting Filipino and Malaysian sources, the report said the terror group is feeling the heat as security forces from the Phillippines were closing in on their bases, forcing them to continously be on the move.
Sources said that the militants made the threat because one of the two hostages was slowing them down.
Thien Nyuk Fun, 51, and Bernard Then Ted Fen, 39, were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants at gunpoint on May 14, from a seafood restaurant belonging to the former.
They are now believed to be held on the remote southern Philippine island of Jolo by the gunmen.
It is learnt that Then had sustained leg injuries and was not able to keep up with terrorists during military operations in the island.
The Star said Abu Sayyaf sub-commander Indang Susukan was demanding 30 million pesos (about RM2.8 million) for their safe release.
It was previously reported that the families of the two victims have been receiving calls from the militants, who were threatening to behead one of them.
The frustrated families have met with Home Ministry officials to plead for more urgency to secure the safe release of their loved ones.
Friends of the families have begun an online petition to pile pressure on Putrajaya to expedite the process of securing the safe release of the hostages.
The report said the situation turned critical following the abductions of two Canadians, a Norwegian and a Filipina from the Philippine resort of Samal Island on September 21.
The sources were quoted as saying that these victims could be held by Abu Sayyaf commander Al Habsi Misaya and another sub-commander from the Sawajan family.
The latest abduction incident had apparently resulted in intensified security operations in Jolo.
These operations are forcing the militant group to continue fleeing and Then was slowing them down, one of the sources was reported as saying.
From the Daily Tribune (Oct 5): Gold control root of ‘tribal wars’ in Surigao del Sur — AFP official
A ranking
military official admitted that control over gold and other minerals within
Lumad communities in Mindanao have sparked the
recent killings of indigenous people (IP) leaders recently that already caught
not only national, but also international attention.
Maj. Gen.
Oscar Lactao, commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (ID), pointed to
the New People’s Army (NPA) as the culprit in the “tribal wars” in Surigao del
Sur and nearby provinces by conducting atrocities against anti-communist IP
communities.
“The crux of the problem is the conflicting interests of parties to control the
resources that are found in the IP’s ancestral domain, particularly gold and
other minerals,” Lactao said.
“Among those interests belong to the NPAs who have since been involved in
harassment and direct armed attacks against our Lumads who resist their
presence,” he added.
According to Lactao, the NPAs view the lumad communities as very good source of
recruits and funds — apparently due to mining.
“They want to control our IP communities because to them, they are a rich
source of recruits. To them, the ancestral domain of our Lumads does not just
give them men to fight for them but also the funds and other logistics to
ensure their existence,” Lactao said.
On Sept. 1, two Lumad leaders and a school administrator were killed in Lianga,
Surigao del Sur while a cooperative building was burnned after being attacked
by armed men.
The militant group Karapatan tagged the paramilitary group Magahat Bagani,
supposedly being backed by the military, as behind the attack at Alcadev
Compound in Barangay Diatagon.
The military has repeatedly denied supporting Magahat Bagani, and pointed out
that the conflict among tribal groups in Lianga was between pro- and
anti-communist communities.
Local police have already identified some of the attackers in Alcadev and filed
charges against them and 20 others unidentified.
Lactao said that the military and the police have formed a task force to
address the killings.
“We have formed the joint PNP and AFP task force that is tasked to apprehend
the perpetrators of the recent killings — preferably alive for them to face the
full force of the law,” Lactao said.
Lactao also said that Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen.
Hernando Iriberri, who hails of Surigao del Sur, directed the military to
assist in deescalating the conflict among the tribal groups.
“General Iriberri has ordered me to take all the necessary steps to support the
PNP in capturing the perpetrators while working for a mediation process to
de-escalate hostilities and to avert a full-scale conflict among rival lumad
tribes. We wish nothing but peace and progress for all of our lumad
communities,” Lactao said.
From The Standard (Oct 5): Belmonte won’t ask House to pass Moro law anymore
HOUSE Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said he will no longer
try to convince his colleagues to pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law,
because he himself does not believe that it will be approved by December.
Belmonte said a “conscience vote” would decide the fate of BBL, which he said he just wants to reach a plenary vote.
Belmonte
“I’m not going to talk to everybody for you to vote this way, that way. Let everybody vote the way he wants to vote,” he said.
“I just want it to reach that point [where] a decision is made by this body,” he added.
Belmonte admitted that President Benigno Aquino III would be “disappointed” if the BBL is not passed.
House Bill No. 5811, which is the substitute for HB 4994 (An Act Providing Basic Law for Bangsamoro Autonomous Region) is still in the period of interpellations.
The measure seeks the abolition of the present ARMM and the creation of a more autonomous Bangsamoro region, an offshoot of the government’s Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
From The Standard (Oct 5): Pinay held for aiding IS bomber
A FILIPINA has
been arrested in Saudi
Arabia on suspicion of helping a Syrian make
explosive belts for suicide attacks in the kingdom, the interior ministry said
Saturday.
The Syrian,
identified as Mohamed al-Barazi, is suspected of turning the house they shared
in the Saudi capital into a bomb factory, the ministry spokesman said.
Barazi is also
accused of having a second house in Riyadh
that he ran as a safe house for militants on the run.
He was detained
in a police ambush in the capital on Wednesday, the spokesman said.
Police then
raided the suspected bomb factory which they found had been booby-trapped.
The Filipina was
named by the official Saudi Press Agency as Lady Gioi Aban Bali Nang and was
said to have gone missing from her employer 15 months ago.
She was said to
be wearing a suicide vest at the time of her arrest.
After the house
had been made safe, police recovered two explosives belts, 10 containers of bomb-making
materials and two firearms, the ministry said.
Asked on state
television whether Barazi was suspected of links to the Islamic State, the
spokesman said authorities “did not yet have sufficient evidence to make any
direct connection with this terrorist group.”
A series of
attacks claimed by IS in Saudi
Arabia this year have killed dozens of
people.
In July,
authorities announced that they had detained 431 people, most of them Saudis,
on suspicion of involvement in an IS cell.
Saudi Arabia has taken part in the US-led air war
against IS in Syria
since September last year raising fears of revenge attacks.
Malacañang said
Sunday it would try to provide legal assistance to the Filipina.
“The government
is trying to get in touch with the woman in order that she can be provided
legal assistance,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. over
state-run radio dzRB.
Coloma said
the Department of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with the Embassy
of Saudi Arabia.
The workers group
Migrante said Sunday it was possible that the Filipina was forced by the Syrian
bomb maker to live with him and convert to Islam.
“Undocumented or
illegal OFWs, like many other undocumented expatriate workers in the kingdom,
are in a deplorable situation after running away from their employers due to
alleged abuses and labor malpractices,” said Migrante leader in Middle
East John Leonard Monterona.
It was possible,
he added, that she was not even aware that the belts she was sewing were used
to carry explosives.
From The Standard (Oct 5): Instead of medal, raps for SAF leader
SPECIAL Action
Force commando team leader Supt. Raymund Train was slapped with criminal and
administrative cases on the same day that he was supposed to be awarded the
Medal of Valor for neutralizing international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias
Marwan and Filipino bomb expert Basit Usman.
Instead of
getting the Medal of Valor, which was withdrawn at the last minute, Train
received word that the Ombudsman was finding him responsible for the death of
his men, the SAF 44, in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25.
The charges were
neglect of duty and grave misconduct.
The Ombudsman
also accused Train of violating the chain of command, but spared his
commander-in-chief, President Benigno Aquino III, of any liability for
assigning the ill-fated covert mission to then suspended police chief Alan
Purisima.
The 44 SAF
commandos were massacred by Muslim rebels, including those from the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front, which is in peace talks with the government.
Train said he was
puzzled that he was being blamed for the death of his men, when the Ombudsman had
said it was the Muslim rebels who killed them.
Purisima, who was
suspended at the time the President assigned him to supervise the Mamasapano
operation, was charged with usurpation of authority or official functions.
Purisima was also
charged with graft and grave misconduct, along with PNP Director Getulio
Napeñas, then SAF command chief; and Supt. Fernando Mendez Jr. of the
intelligence group.
“From the time he
was suspended from office, Purisima no longer had authority to participate in
the mission planning and execution of Oplan Exodus as he was then barred from
performing the functions of his office as PNP chief,” the Ombudsman said.
“Clearly,
Purisima willfully disregarded the preventive suspension order imposed on him
by the Ombudsman and violated the PNP chain of command, making him liable for
grave misconduct,” the Ombudsman said.
The Ombudsman
said Napeñas and Mendez deliberately violated the PNP chain of command and the
Ombudsman’s suspension order against Purisima by respectively dealing with,
taking orders from and recommending actions to Purisima in connection with the
operation despite being aware of his preventive suspension.
“They completely
ignored and undermined [Leonardo] Espina’s authority as the OIC PNP in the
conduct of the mission planning and preparation for Oplan Exodus. Thus, they
must also be held liable for grave misconduct,” the Ombudsman said.
Train was held
accountable for neglect of duty for deciding to employ the “time on target”
concept of coordination in the mission that was also authorized by Purisima.
“In devising the
Oplan Exodus, it was the mission planning group’s duty to ensure not only the
successful conduct of the mission but also to observe applicable rules and that
protection of troops must always be taken into consideration,” the Ombudsman
said.
SAF Police
Officer 2 Romeo Cempron, who died in the operation, was also supposed to
receive the Medalya ng Kagitingan, equivalent to Medal of Valor, the highest
award for police and military personnel but his and Train’s names were removed
from the roster of awardees at the last minute.
The Palace denied
reports that Aquino ordered the withdrawal of the medals that were originally
planned to be given to Train and Cempron during the ceremonies marking the
114th anniversary of the Philippine National Police on Aug. 6.
“The Office of
the President has no participation in the selection of police officers and
individuals that were given recognition in connection with the 114th
anniversary of the PNP,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.
The President did
not mention the fallen SAF commandos in his final State-of-the-Nation Address
in July.
The last-minute
removal of the two SAF commandos from the roster of medal awardees caused
dismay among middle-grade and senior police officers.
Cempron’s award
was reportedly contained in a PNP Promotion Awards and Decoration Board
resolution, while Train’s was listed in a separate memo.
It was still
unclear why their names were removed.
Earlier, reports
said Cempron’s widow, Christine, had been informed that her husband would be
honored by President Aquino during PNP Day.
The PNP
reportedly shouldered the travel expenses for Christine and her family from
Leyte to include hotel accommodations during their stay in Manila.
“It was really
disappointing for them… They were even excited to attend the ceremony,” one
officer said.
Four other SAF
personnel were on tap for the Medal of Valor—Senior Inspectors Gednat Tabdi and
John Garry Erana (both killed in action) and SPO4 Bill Fernando Jumalon and PO2
Christopher Lalan.
A Medal of Valor
entitles the awardee and his children a monthly cash allowance of P20,000.
The awardee’s
children are also entitled to scholarships in private universities.
At a July 14
meeting on the PNP anniversary rites, Deputy Director-General Danilo
Constantino recommended that the awards for the SAF officers be sped up as the
anniversary would be a good venue to highlight the bravery of the SAF men who
sacrificed their lives for the country.
But unconfirmed
reports said there was a verbal instruction from the Palace not to include the
names of the SAF awardees so as not to bring back memories of the Mamasapano
massacre.
But PNP spokesman
Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor told reporters he was not aware of any change in the
program for the PNP anniversary.
The head of the
PNP Intelligence Group, Chief Supt. Fernando Mendez Jr., who provided the
intelligence packet used in the ill-fated raid on Jan. 25, was also said to be
in line for a Distinguished Conduct Award, but was also not included in the
program.
Mendez was among
those later charged by the Ombudsman.
From Ang Malaya (Oct 5): Filipino, American marines conduct covert landing
Marines from 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force of United States Corps and Philippine Marine Corps rehearsed clandestine landings and withdrawals at Ternate, Cavite October 1 during the Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX). Filipino and American marines executed scout swimmer techniques for a swift, silent, deadly amphibious landing and withdrawal.
PHIBLEX is an annual, bilateral training exercise conducted by US Marine and Navy Forces with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to strengthen interoperability and working relationships across the range of military operations from disaster relief, to complex expeditionary operations.
Opening ceremony for PHIBLEX was conducted October 1 and will last until October 9. Humanitarian and civic assistance projects in Palawan for PHIBLEX was started September 21.
Drills for PHIBLEX are being conducted in Ternate, Cavite; Crow Valley, Tarlac; and in San Antonio, Zambales which will include command post exercise, field training exercises, amphibious operations and combined arms training.
From Ang Malaya (Oct 5): Soldiers, children in Pagasa Island receive ‘care packages’
The University of the Philippines Cadet Alumni Organization (UPCAO) of UP Diliman turned over “care packages” for Pagasa Island’s school children and soldiers stationed in Kalayaan Group of Islands Monday. This is to show their utmost support to this country’s claims in the West Philippine Sea and the efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in fulfilling its mandated duty of guarding Philippine territory, AFP public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato said.
The “care packages” were handed over by UPCAO members to AFP Chief-of-Staff General Hernando DCA Iriberri during the flag-raising ceremony at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. There were two types of packages for soldiers and children in Pagasa which were created from donations.
The packages for troops (Type A) contain the following: packs of powdered drinks; packaged foods like canned goods, biscuits and candies; healthy foods like dried fruits, nuts and energy bars; spices; toiletries; recreational goods like board games, cards and activity books for entertainment; utility items like multitools, fishing lines, fishing hooks, matches and lighters; phone cards to enable them to call home; and letters of encouragement.
While the “care packages” for Pagasa’s school kids (Type B) contain the following: pens, pencils, crayons, markers in different colors, eraser and pencil sharpeners; pad paper, notebooks, bond paper, art paper, construction paper; child-safe scissors, tape, glue and rulers; chalk and board eraser; watercolor and poster paints, including brushes; manila paper and/or cartolina; powdered milk, chocolate, or cereal; mosquito repellant; books, comic books, dictionaries, child-friendly reference books, maps; puzzles and activity books; and flash cards.
“The soldiers who are deployed in our far off stations in the Kalayaan Island Group are truly commendable. Their dedication and firm resolve to watch over our islands at the outskirts of our territory means that they will be facing dangers that are born out of the ambitions of foreign entities. And it is here that their flame of desire to defend our country is fanned, all while the rest of us are asleep,” Iriberri said.
He also thanked the members of UPCAO on behalf of soldiers who will receive the packages. “I am sure this means a lot to them, not just the material provisions, but more especially knowing that in each one of these boxes is the sincere show of support of its donors,” the AFP chief added.
From the Ang Malaya (Oct 5): SOLCOM chief visits frontliners
Armed Forces of the Philippines-Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) chief Lieutenant General Ricardo R. Visaya visited the frontliners from the 83rd Infantry Battalion (83IB) in the island province of Catanduanes October 4. Lieutenant General Visaya inspected the battalion’s effort in maintaining peace in the said island.
“LtGen Visaya checked on the Battalion’s effort in maintaining the generally peaceful environment in the island since attaining the status as Conflict Manageable and Ready for Further Development area on November 24, 2015,” SOLCOM said.
83IB is operating under 9th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army. 9ID is the primary infantry unit tasked to combat communist insurgency in the Bicol Region.
From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 5): Police links NPA to killing of tribal leader in North Cotabato
Cops are hot on the trail of a New People’s Army (NPA) death
squad who shot dead Sunday a Manobo tribal leader In Sitio Lucuakon, Barangay
Basak here.
Sr. Insp. Felix Fornan, Matalam police chief, said witnesses
saw motorcycle-riding Manobo chieftain Noel Biaong, of Barangay Noa, blocked by
gunmen in Basak village and shot at gunpoint on Sunday afternoon.
Biaong was on his way home from a meeting of the Alimagong
Guardians in the Basak area where he serves as its leader when gunned down.
Fornan said Biaong, allegedly included in the NPA hit list,
was linked to several cases in the area that included homicide, theft and rape.
Fornan said Basak village is a known NPA-infested area.
From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 5): Civil society groups continue to push for BBL passage despite new deadlines in Congress
Civil society groups will continue drumming up support for
the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) despite a recent pronouncement from Senate
President Franklin Drilon that the bill's passage would not likely happen prior
to Congress’ recess on October 9.
In separate statements, policy center Institute for Autonomy
and Governance (IAG) and academic consortium Catholic Educational Association
of the Philippines (CEAP) continued to push for the immediate passage of the
BBL that is reflective of the spirit and intention of the Comprehensive
Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the 2014 peace accord signed by the
government with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
“The CAB, in particular, lays down the foundation for
meaningful political autonomy namely a clear delineation of powers between the
national and regional government and a regional parliamentary system. It
strengthens fiscal autonomy through a block grant system and a degree of
control and management of the region’s natural resources,” the IAG statement read.
Similarly, CEAP called on lawmakers to be mindful of the CAB
as they continue deliberations on the draft law.
“Should the legislators or the courts repudiate the peace
agreement that the executive forged with the MILF, they take responsibility for
the ensuing peace or war into their own hands,” CEAP warned.
IAG is based in CotabatoCity with strong national
and international linkages. The group has provided technical assistance in the
drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law particularly in the areas of transitory
mechanisms and processes, decentralized and ministerial system of government,
elections and political party systems.
On the other hand, CEAP strives to respond to social,
political, moral and other critical issues based on consultations with the different
regions and calls for the collective action of its members when the situation
so requires.
The original draft of the BBL was officially transmitted by
President Benigno S. Aquino III to Congress in September 10, 2014.
The bill was subjected to almost 100 public hearings and
consultations by the House ad hoc committee on the BBL and the Senate committee
on local government, separately, before both chambers started plenary
deliberations on their respective versions of the bill.
However, the House of Representatives has currently put BBL
debates on hold as deliberations have already begun on the proposed General
Appropriations Act for 2016.
Given the continued delays in the passage of the BBL, IAG
appealed to all stakeholders in the peace process to “devote all remaining
energy and time to reach a consensus” on key identified areas.
It also reminded lawmakers of the transition period needed
to bridge the current ARMM and the Bangsamoro government.
“The transition must provide sufficient time, resources and
mechanisms to raise the institutional and human resources capacities of the
future Bangsamoro government to build and administer strong autonomous
governance infrastructures,” said IAG.(
From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 5): PN Islander deployed to help in search of 56 missing fishermen
The Philippine Navy has deployed one of its Norman-Britten
Islander aircrafts to help in the search-and-rescue operations of the 56
fishermen who went missing last week.
Naval Task Force-40 spokesperson Ensign Adeltrude Dayata
said the PNI 314 has been deployed to help the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in
its search-and-rescue missions.
The fishermen from Pangasinan were reported missing while
fishing in West Philippine Sea last week during the onslaught of Typhoon
"Kabayan" which battered provinces in Central and Northern
Luzon.
As of Monday, a total of 71 fishermen has been rescued by
the PCG. Over 127 fishermen were reported missing since last week.(
From ABS-CBN (Oct 4): Fire guts soldiers' quarters in Fort Bonifacio
Fire razed a soldiers' quarters inside the headquarters of the Philippine Army in Fort Bonifacio Saturday afternoon, the military said.
Ten families were displaced in the fire.
According to Army spokesman Col. Benjamin Hao, the fire broke out around 3:30 p.m. at Door 7 of the 10-unit apartment. Door 7 is occupied by a S/Sgt. Dalusong and his family.
Hao added that investigators from the Bureau of Fire Protection is probing the incident to determine what caused the fire.
Three Army firetrucks immediately responded to put out the fire.
"The Philippine Army Fire Marshal declared the fire out at around 4:40 p.m... The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the BFP Taguig," Hao said.
He noted that the two-storey apartment, worth P1.2 million, is insured.
"Practically, the building was burned," said Hao, adding they are still assessing the items destroyed by the fire.
The 10 families displaced by the fire are temporarily housed at the Enlisted Transient Quarters also inside Fort Bonifacio.
No one was reported injured in the fire.
This was the third military facility to be razed by fire over the past weeks.
Last September 17, a fire destroyed the quarters of newly retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Edwin Remotigue at the Air Force headquarters in Villamor Air Base. The cause of the fire was unknown.
From the Business World (Oct 4): Bidding resumes on aircraft acquisition
SIX FOREIGN FIRMS are expected to take in an aircraft acquisition project, with the government resuming the procurement of military hardware as part of the military’s modernization program.
The Department of National Defense (DND) has scheduled on Oct. 12 the bid opening for the P4.9-billion contract for six close-air support aircraft.
The procurement is one of 30 multibillion contracts suspended earlier in May pending the go-ahead of President Benigno S. C. Aquino III. These include two navy frigates worth P18 billion, two long-range patrol aircraft worth P5.9 billion, and three air surveillance radars worth P2.68 billion.
The six firms who bought bid documents for the contract are Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd, Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company-Construcciones Aeronautics SA (EADS-CASA) Airbus Defense and Space, and Israeli defense contractor Elbit systems, and US-based Beechcraft Defense Company and IOMAX USA, Inc.
The bid documents were priced at P75,000, obtainable from the DND’s Special Bids and Awards Committee.
The Philippines has a budget of P85.3 billion for the military’s modernization program, apart from an annual budget from Congress.
The first AFP modernization law, Republic Act No. 7898, was approved in 1995 and was targeted to be implemented in a 15-year period. For the first five years, it had a ceiling budget of P50 billion.
Republic Act No. 10349, enacted three years ago, revised the first modernization law and provided the Armed Forces a P85.3-billion budget to be spread out between 2013 and 2017.
Next year, the Philippine Army is expected to maintain around 189 tactical battalions and 81 reserve battalions. The Philippine Air Force, on the other hand, is aiming to support 140 various types of aircraft in its fleet while the Philippine Navy’s target is to maintain 124 mission-ready marine units and 59 support units.
From the Manila Bulletin (Oct 4): Army belies kidnapping IP member in Cagayan
Soldiers of the Philippine Army’s 17th Infantry Battalion (17th IB) belied yesterday the allegation of a human rights group that they kidnapped a member of an indigenous people (IP) in Barangay Masi, Rizal, Cagayan province.
Lieutenant Colonel Jose Arn Real, 17th IB commander, said his men did not kidnap but, rather, arrested Renor Danao, alias “Lennong,” earlier identified by the human rights group Karapatan Cagayan Valley Chapter as a tribal minority member.
However, Real clarified that Danao was arrested last Thursday for possession of an unlicensed M-16 rifle and a backpack containing subversive documents.
“There was no kidnapping involving Danao,” the army commander told the Manila Bulletin. “Instead our troop arrested him because he was caught in the act holding a M-16 armalite rifle without (pertinent) documents."
From InterAksyon (Oct 4): Closing down Fr. Tentorio Memorial School like murdering him again - Bayan Muna
Fr. Fausto "Pops" Tentorio: a life devoted to the lumad. On Sunday, Bayan Muna said the closure of a lumad school named after the martyred Italian priest is tantamount to murdering him again. PIME PHILIPPINES PHOTO
It is like murdering Fr. Fausto Tentorio again. This is how Bayan Muna Party-list described the shutdown of the Fr. Fausto Tentorio Memorial School in Barangay White Kulaman, Kitaotao, Bukidnon, which caters to the Lumad community. The closure does not only denigrate the memory of the martyred priest who spent 32 years of his life among the indigenous people of Mindanao, but also shows just how irrational the Aquino admnistration is in implementing its Oplan Bayanihan (OPB) counter-insurgency program, said Bayan Muna.
In 2003, Fr. Tentorio had written how he was almost killed by the Bagani Force that planned to ambush him in Kitaotao, where he was scheduled to make a visit.
The Lumads lured the militiamen away from the community and the women women hid the thin Fr. Pops in a cabinet to spare him from the deadly guns of the Bagani. "They told me that these men belong to the group called Bagani, that they come from outside the area, and that their intention was to harm me, specifically by throwing hand grenades at me while I am passing by. This information was not new to me. In fact, I heard it the day before," Fr. Pops wrote in 2003. A few years later, the evil plot would succeed and silence him forever.
The Fr. Fausto Tentorio Memorial School was established in memory of the late Italian missionary and lumad advocate “Pops” Tentorio, who was murdered on October 10, 2011 in Arakan, North Cotabato by suspected members of the military-backed Bagani paramilitary group. They pumped him with 10 bullets from a 9 mm pistol. He was dead on arrival at the Antipas Medical Specialists Hospital in Cotabato.
The shutdown of the school bearing his name this month was implemented by Barangay Captain Felipe Cabugnason, who does not enjoy any mandate to take over schools, particularly privately-operated ones, on the pretext that the school has ties with the New People’s Army (NPA.)
“This is a brazen anachronistic red-tagging tactic made by the military and echoed by local government officials in the pursuit of the government’s already discredited counter-insurgency operations,” said Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, who hails from Davao City.
“It is a tragedy that the efforts made by some support organizations and the lumads themselves to break free from their marginalization is now being attacked," Rep. Zarate said.
Fr. Tentorio, a staunch environmentalist and anti-large scale mining advocate, was also responsible for the establishment of several lumad schools in in the hinterland areas of North Cotabato, Bukidnon and other Mindanao provinces.
'Children suffer most'
Meanwhile, Senior Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Neri Colmenares also condemned the school’s closure, saying "it is the children who suffer most." The solon said "the right to education of the indigenous peoples, especially in Mindanao, has long been neglected by the government and this is one of the reasons that they are marginalized condition until now.
Colmenares added: "Education is a right. It is laudable that lumad advocates have put up these schools on their own, despite risks and hardships, while the government keeps on cutting corners on the education budget. It is condemnable that the military is determined to keep the lumad children out of school," he added.
Barangay While Culaman is also the site of a Gestapo-like raid on August 27 by the military and the police, when at least 13 Lumads and peasants, including a mother and her 12-year-old son, were illegally arrested.
All 13 have since been released from jail after the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Bukidnon dropped the trumped-up charges against them for lack of merit.
The two Bayan Muna lawmakers said the continued vilification and red-baiting of the school run by the Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation, Inc. (MISFI) poses a danger to the teachers, students and other residents.
"It is a grave cause of concern that the village chief himself echoes the military's line. It is dangerous for the students, teachers, and the supporters of this school. We don't want another Lianga Massacre to happen," Zarate said.
He meant the September 1 killings of Emerito Samarca, 54, Executive Director of the Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Livelihood Development (Alcadev); Dionel Campos, chair of the Malahutayong Pakigbisog Alang sa Sumusunod (MAPASU), a Lumad organization protesting mining operations, land conversions and plantations and Campos’ cousin, Bello Sinzo.
"The military and their misguided minions should stop the red-baiting of Lumad schools. The accusations by the military that individuals, organizations, and schools have links with the NPA are now being used to justify the spate of Lumad killings by paramilitary units and their military sponsors,” Colmenares concluded.
