Declare Spratlys a hotspot marine-protected park, Carpio urges rival sea claimants

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 11): Declare Spratlys a hotspot marine-protected park, Carpio urges rival sea claimants

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Thursday called on rival South China Sea claimants to declare the Spratlys a marine protected park to shield it from further destruction following China’s massive island construction binge in the contested waters.

Carpio sees the move as a “way forward” and a “win-win” solution to the territorial disputes that involves the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

An international tribunal on July 12 had invalidated China’s massive claim over the resource-rich South China Sea and declared its reclamation activities as illegal in response to a complaint filed by the Philippines in January 2013.

Beijing refused to honor the ruling and discredited the The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that operates under a United Nations convention, of which it is a signatory, along with the Philippines and more than 160 other states.

China, according to Carpio, has the “legal obligation” to comply with the ruling, but admitted that there is no marine policeman to enforce the decision, making the waters’ uninhabited feature vulnerable to future destructive reclamation activities by China.

“We are not moving at all so the Philippines should talk to Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia to declare Spratlys as a protected area on our own. We can do that,” Carpio said at a forum organized by think-tank ADR Institute for Strategic and International Studies at De La Salle University in Manila.

Indonesia is not officially regarded as a South China Sea claimant, but China’s nine-dash line territorial claim is widely believed to be eating up a portion of Indonesia’s Natuna Sea.

Carpio said the initiative could be done collectively through a convention or a treaty or even individually if it failed to get the cooperation of all other claimants.

“We have to move, otherwise, we are stuck here,” he said, noting that a collective declaration will “isolate” China if it will continue to defy the tribunal’s ruling and resume the reclamation of features.

Backing a proposal by renowned marine biologist Dr. John McManus for the creation of a Spratlys International Marine Peace Park, Carpio said the move would enable all claimants to suspend for 100 years their territorial claims.

They should also declare all the low-tide and high-tide features in the Spratlys, and an area of 3-nautical miles around each feature, a preserved marine area, for the benefit of all coastal states in the South China Sea.

Carpio said this ensured that the Spratlys will remain the South China Sea’s nursery where fish spawn.

“The eggs and larvae of fish that spawn in the Spratlys are carried by the currents to the coasts of China, Vietnam, Luzon, Palawan, Malaysia, Brunei, Natuna Islands, as well as the Sulu seas,” he said.

Prof. Carmen Lagman of the De La Salle University’s College of Science claimants may also opt for joint, bilateral, or trilateral agreement for reefs that have been identified by scientists in four areas in the Spratlys as very important.

“What it does is that its resources will be put in the area for policing and the area will be monitored,” Lagman said.

Meanwhile, claimant states, under the peace park proposal, will hold on to whatever islands or structures they now possess, but only coast guard personnel and vessels can be stationed in the Spratlys, said Carpio.

Existing structures can only be used for marine scientific research and eco-tourism, he said, citing a similar model such as the 1994 peace agreement between Israel and Jordan that created the Red Sea Marine Peace Park in the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea.

Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Manila should act now to save South China Sea’s ecosystem, lamenting that the highly destructive practice by China is now “very widespread” across the Spratly area.

“These realities are not just unsustainable, but unacceptable,” he said at the same forum. “If you can see the gravities of these activities, the incidents they sparked showed us that marine destruction is not simply collateral damage but it is at the heart of the problem to be resolved.”

Del Rosario urged the Philippine government to look for ways to cooperate with its neighbors to preserve marine ecosystems in the South China Sea and to ensure the sustainability of fishing resources for everyone.

“Some things we can not reverse, but at least we should not aggravate the destruction,” Del Rosario said.

 http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=912915

Yasay to China: Rule of law must be respected “uncompromisingly”

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 11): Yasay to China: Rule of law must be respected “uncompromisingly”

Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay on Thursday called on China to “uncompromisingly” respect the rule of law as Beijing continues to beef up its military structures in disputed reefs in the South China despite an international tribunal ruling that invalidated its massive claim in the resource-rich waters.

Yasay, who made the statement at a joint press conference with visiting Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in Davao City, said the Philippines was one with Japan in expressing “grave concern” in the situation in the South China Sea.

“We invoke and urge China to make sure that maritime order and security and the rule of law must completely and uncompromisingly be respected,” Yasay said.

The Philippines and Japan are both embroiled in separate territorial disputes with China. The Philippines is locked in a long-running sea row with China over parts its exclusive economic zone being claimed by Beijing off an area of the South China Sea that Manila calls the West Philippine Sea. Japan and China, on the other hand, are contesting ownership over islands called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu in Chinese.

Recent satellite images show that China has reinforced construction of fighter-plane hangars in Fiery Cross, Mischief Reef and Subi Reefs – features that are within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.

China claims a huge swathe of the South China Sea as part of its territory, but an international tribunal in The Hague invalidated this claim in July 12 following a case filed by the Philippines in 2013.

Beijing has ignored and belittled the ruling, maintaining it has “indisputable” and “historical” claim over nearly the entire waters even as it encroaches on the territories of its smaller neighbors like the Philippines.

Kishida said maritime order based on the rule of law is “indispensable” for regional stability and prosperity.

“It is important to base ourselves on the rule of law and to resolve through peaceful means and not the use of force or coercion,” he said.

Japan, Manila’s strategic ally next to the United States, “will continue to provide support for the improvement of the maritime security capabilities of the Philippines,” Kishida said.

Aggressive actions, Yasay said, “is the not the kind of actions that is mandated by international law.”

“If anyone, including China, has any particular claim that it asserts over any particular territory, it must bring this within the concept of a peaceful resolution under international law and respect that rule of law,” he said.

Since the Philippines share the same experience with Japan, Yasay stressed “in the strongest manner” that everyone “must respect our maritime order and security in this area in the South China Sea, in the East China Sea and urge them to be firm in their respect for the rule of law.”

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=912906

Rody: Leftist groups aiding armed struggle

From The Standard (Aug 11): Rody: Leftist groups aiding armed struggle

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday claimed that some leftist party-list groups are using government funds to aid the communist insurgency and that is one of the reasons he is insisting the abrogation of the party-list representation in Congress.

 “That is why I disagree with that party-list [system]. If it’s not controlled by one family, children and spouses, there are also communists there,” Duterte told army troopers during a visit to the headquarters of the First “Tabak” Division in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur.

“The money, where will it go? To their groups so they can buy guns,” he added, reiterating that he will insist the removal of the party-list system in the new Constitution that he hopes the 17th Congress will produce within his term.

“If there will be a change in the [new] Constitution, which is being discussed now, I will no longer allow party-lists,” Duterte said.

Although the party-list system was provided by the 1987 Constitution, its enabling law—Republic Act No. 7941—was not enacted until 1995 and was only implemented in the elections of 1998.

Arguing that the Philippine “national democratic” movement should also engage in parliamentary struggle, some left-leaning groups were able to utilize the system with success even as their comrades pressed with their armed struggled in the countryside.

In a separate speech, Duterte expressed disapproval to the communist movement’s practice of collecting so-called “revolutionary taxes” from communities.

“That is not taxation, it’s extortion,” Duterte said. “They survive because of extortion money.”

“The [New People Army] are crazy. They are boastful, just like [Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Ma.] Sison. You NPA are s*** of b******,” he added.

Duterte noted that he had wanted a ceasefire enforced but he was piqued when the communists attacked a group of militiament in Davao del Norte.

He said he was irritated because the CPP-NPA keeps on complaining about government violations of international agreements like the Geneva Conventions and yet they employ land mines that are also prohibited by international agreements.

“Women and children who are part of the war are also victims of your landmines,” Duterte said. “Now they want to know when we will have a ceasefire.”

Noting that peace talks are set to resume on August 20, Duterte reiterated that he is no longer inclined to agree to a ceasefire.

“If I again hear a single report that another soldier or policeman is again killed or even wounded, then forget it. We will end the peace talks. It’s up to you,”  he said.

http://thestandard.com.ph/news/-main-stories/top-stories/212967/rody-leftist-groups-aiding-armed-struggle.html

NDF: The armed resistance and unceasing broad and intensified protests of the masses stop the Tampakan copper-gold project

Propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Aug 10): The armed resistance and unceasing broad and intensified protests of the masses stop the Tampakan copper-gold project

Press statement
02 August 2016

DENR Sec. Gina Lopez is commendable for her remarkably firm stand against open pit mining in the country, as well as her decisive asseveration of the Duterte administration’s disapproval of the controversial and environmentally destructive US$5.9 billion Tampakan copper-gold project in South Cotabato.

The Philippine government was never determined in defending the environment and the people’s welfare. Instead guileful schemes and atrocious policies such as RA 7942 and EO 79 were created to legitimize mining plunder.

In February 2013, the BS Aquino government even issued an environment compliance certificate (ECC) for Xstrata-SMI, the operator of the Tampakan mine, despite the intensifying people’s resentment against the devastative effects of large-scale mining.
The issuance of the ECC blatantly defy and shelve the anti-open pit mining provisions of the Environment Code of South Cotabato which reflects the people’s real sentiment against the Tampakan copper-gold project.

Widespread human rights violations and killings highlighted the “cleansing” of the mining site in preparation for the mining operations. Not only did the foreign mining company effectively rob the indigenous people of their ancestral land, it also bankrolled AFP troops and operatives who do the murdering of anti-mining activists and slaying of Lumad mining dissidents.

In the face of the state-backed aggressive attacks on the indigenous people and civilians, the Lumad people in the mining site have waged armed resistance to defend their ancestral land and right to self-determination. An unceasing fight in the legal front against the Xstrata-SMI mining encroachment was also carried out by the broad masses in FarSouth Mindanao Region. The vicious exploits of the greedy miners and the military were exposed, earning widespread denunciation from anti-mining and human rights advocates in the country and around the globe.

While the government took no serious consideration about the issues pertaining to the environment and the indigenous people’s welfare, the national democratic movement in FarSouth Mindanao has always been a consistent leading force in the people’s struggle against environmentally destructive large-scale mining protected by the reactionary state.

The New People’s Army and the revolutionary forces in the region are the most reliable allies of the weak and disenfranchised victims of the mining company encroachment and state atrocities. Over the past years, the NPA have carried out several punitive actions against the company, its private armed guards and the AFP and PNP troops protecting its operation.

The masses and the revolutionary movement have proven that their revolutionary armed resistance and the unceasing broad and intensified protests are the most powerful weapons in defending themselves and hinder the large-scale mining operation. These are also the primal reasons that pushed the Australian company Western Mining Corporation to withdraw in 2005, and the Anglo-Swiss multinational Glencore-Xstrata International Plc to divest from the Tampakan project putting its operation on hold since 2014. And these are the most compelling factors for the DENR to come up with the crucial decision to stop the Tampakan copper-gold project.

Sec. Lopez’s announcement to cease the mining operation in Tampakan is congruent with the people’s stand in objecting the disastrous and plunderous mining project. Certainly, it is a victory of the democratic mass movement and the unwavering revolutionary armed struggle in the countryside who will never give up the fight in defending the people’s interests and welfare and the protection of the environment.

It is anticipated that in the presence of the open-pit mining ban, superprofit-greedy miners are likely to employ other mining methods so that their operation would be uninterrupted. Still, they will be putting the lives of the people and the environment at risk. But the NPA and revolutionary forces and the broad masses in FarSouth Mindanao are determined to carry on the battle against mining destruction and plunder, and win bigger victories for the people and the environment.

 (Sgd.) Ka Efren Aksasato
Spokesperson, NDF-FSMR

http://www.ndfp.org/armed-resistance-unceasing-broad-intensified-protests-masses-stop-tampakan-copper-gold-project/

NOT SO FAST | No pay hike yet for soldiers, policemen, Diokno tells Senate

From InterAksyon (Aug 11): NOT SO FAST | No pay hike yet for soldiers, policemen, Diokno tells Senate

Soldiers, policemen and other members of the uniformed services will not be receiving their full salary increases by August because there is no appropriation in the budget for this purpose, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno told the Senate.

“We cannot promise this August because, as you know, there is nothing in the budget for that. I don’t want to commit a violation of the DAP rule (the Supreme Court ruling striking down the past administration’s Disbursement Acceleration Program). You cannot spend on something that is not authorized by Congress,” Diokno told a hearing on salary standardization conducted by the committee on civil service, government reorganization and profession regulation chaired by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

Trillanes, citing President Rodrigo Duterte’s pledge to double the salaries of soldiers, policemen and teachers, asked: “Secretary Diokno is that forthcoming? Because I heard, he promised an incremental increase, starting August, to the soldiers and policemen. Is there any incremental increase coming their way, Secretary Diokno?”
Diokno replied he could not “speak in specific terms at this point” because he would need Duterte’s approval to do so.

“But the idea is really to double their take-home pay, not necessarily the basic pay because, as you know, this has an implication (on) the pension(s) of the military,” he said. “That’s a huge cost that we probably have to think very carefully, unless we have a law which will … amend the current pension system.”

He said the huge costs involved is the reason previous administrations left the current pension system untouched.

“Let me just tell you that, at the present, the pension of the military is now much bigger than the salary of the soldiers. That’s how big the problem is. But we are committed to double the take home pay of the soldiers, we call it the MUP, the military and uniformed personnel: AFP, PNP, Coast Guard and Firemen,” he said.

Diokno added that he was “looking at a three-year trajectory” to accomplish this.
Trillanes, a former Navy officer, hinted that uniformed personnel might be disappointed since Duterte made no mention of a three-year timeframe.

“As you know, the soldiers are holding on to the word of their commander-in-chief,” he said.

Diokno said his department is doing what it can to supplement the uniformed personnel’s income.

“Maybe (in the) last quarter, we’ll give them rice allowance of 20 kilos per month,” the same amount allotted for beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer program, “but we’re very careful not to spend for something Congress never authorized,” he said.

Trillanes urged Diokno to sit down with Duterte and his economic cluster to prevent him from making promises he cannot keep.

“You better advise your president because he’s been making commitments and promises left and right. Ayaw nating masira ‘yung credibility niya (We don’t want to see his credibility destroyed),” he said.

http://interaksyon.com/article/131327/not-so-fast--no-pay-hike-yet-for-soldiers-policemen-diokno-tells-senate

Vietnam moves rocket launchers into South China Sea island - sources

From InterAksyon (Aug 10): Vietnam moves rocket launchers into South China Sea island - sources

Vietnam has discreetly fortified several of its islands in the disputed South China Sea with new mobile rocket launchers capable of striking China's runways and military installations across the vital trade route, according to Western officials.

Diplomats and military officers told Reuters that intelligence shows Hanoi has shipped the launchers from the Vietnamese mainland into position on five bases in the Spratly islands in recent months, a move likely to raise tensions with Beijing.

The launchers have been hidden from aerial surveillance and they have yet to be armed, but could be made operational with rocket artillery rounds within two or three days, according to the three sources.

But Vietnam's Foreign Ministry said the information was "inaccurate," without elaborating.

Deputy Defense Minister, Senior Lieutenant-General Nguyen Chi Vinh, told Reuters in Singapore in June that Hanoi had no such launchers or weapons ready in the Spratlys but reserved the right to take any such measures.

"It is within our legitimate right to self-defense to move any of our weapons to any area at any time within our sovereign territory," he said.

The move is designed to counter China's build-up on its seven reclaimed islands in the Spratlys archipelago. Vietnam's military strategists fear the building runways, radars and other military installations on those holdings have left Vietnam's southern and island defenses increasingly vulnerable.

Military analysts say it is the most significant defensive move Vietnam has made on its holdings in the South China Sea in decades.

Hanoi wanted to have the launchers in place as it expected tensions to rise in the wake of the landmark international court ruling against China in an arbitration case brought by the Philippines, foreign envoys said.

The ruling last month, stridently rejected by Beijing, found no legal basis to China's sweeping historic claims to much of the South China Sea.

Vietnam, China and Taiwan claim all of the Spratlys while the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim some of the area.

"China's military maintains close surveillance of the situation in the sea and air space around the Spratly islands," China's defense ministry said in a faxed statement to Reuters.

"We hope the relevant country can join with China in jointly safeguarding peace and stability in the South China Sea region."

The United States is also monitoring developments closely.

"We continue to call on all South China Sea claimants to avoid actions that raise tensions, take practical steps to build confidence, and intensify efforts to find peaceful, diplomatic solutions to disputes," a State Department official said.

State-of-the-art system

Foreign officials and military analysts believe the launchers form part of Vietnam's state-of-art EXTRA rocket artillery system recently acquired from Israel.

EXTRA rounds are highly accurate up to a range of 150 kilometers (93 miles), with different 150-kilogram (330 lb) warheads that can carry high explosives or bomblets to attack multiple targets simultaneously. Operated with targeting drones, they could strike both ships and land targets.

That puts China's 3,000-meter runways and installations on Subi, Fiery Cross and Mischief Reef within range of many of Vietnam's tightly clustered holdings on 21 islands and reefs.

While Vietnam has larger and longer range Russian coastal defense missiles, the EXTRA is considered highly mobile and effective against amphibious landings. It uses compact radars, so does not require a large operational footprint - also suitable for deployment on islets and reefs.

"When Vietnam acquired the EXTRA system, it was always thought that it would be deployed on the Spratlys ... it is the perfect weapon for that," said Siemon Wezeman, a senior arms researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

There is no sign the launchers have been recently test fired or moved.

China took its first Spratlys possessions after a sea battle against Vietnam's then weak navy in 1988. After the battle, Vietnam said 64 soldiers with little protection were killed as they tried to protect a flag on South Johnson reef -- an incident still acutely felt in Hanoi.

In recent years, Vietnam has significantly improved its naval capabilities as part of a broader military modernization, including buying six advanced Kilo submarines from Russia.

Carl Thayer, an expert on Vietnam's military at the Australian Defense Force Academy, said the deployment showed the seriousness of Vietnam's determination to militarily deter China as far as possible.

"China's runways and military installations in the Spratlys are a direct challenge to Vietnam, particularly in their southern waters and skies, and they are showing they are prepared to respond to that threat," he said. "China is unlikely to see this as purely defensive, and it could mark a new stage of militarization of the Spratlys."

Trevor Hollingsbee, a former naval intelligence analyst with the British defense ministry, said he believed the deployment also had a political factor, partly undermining the fear created by the prospect of large Chinese bases deep in maritime Southeast Asia.

"It introduces a potential vulnerability where there was none before -- it is a sudden new complication in an arena that China was dominating," he said.

http://interaksyon.com/article/131294/vietnam-moves-rocket-launchers-into-south-china-sea-island---sources

Navy plans to acquire 180 units of high-explosive rockets

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 11): Navy plans to acquire 180 units of high-explosive rockets

The Philippine Navy (PN) plans to acquire 180 units of high-explosive rockets for its two attack helicopters.

The Navy is allocating the sum of PHP25.2 million for the acquisition of 180 rounds of 2.75-inch rockets (MOD 2) with high-explosive warheads.

The munition is intended for the Navy's two attack AW-109 AgustaWestland "Power" helicopters. The 2.75 inch-rockets are primarily used for ground attack missions.

Winning bidders are required to deliver the items within 240 calendar days. Pre-bid conference is scheduled on Aug. 15, 1 p.m. at the Navy's Bids and Awards Committee in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=912555

NDF consultants’ urgent motion for release on bail now submitted for resolution

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 11): NDF consultants’ urgent motion for release on bail now submitted for resolution

The urgent motion for release on bail for the three consultants of the National Democratic Front (NDF) is now submitted for resolution.

During the hearing on Thursday on the petition filed by spouses Wilma and Benito Tiamzon, and Adel Silva before the sala of Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 32 Judge Thelma Bunyi-Medina, the prosecution, through the Department of Justice (DOJ), did not manifest any opposition to the urgent motion.

According to the DOJ, the grant of temporary liberty to the accused should be given under some conditions.

First, for the participation of the three petitioners in the peace talks in Oslo, Norway this month, hence, the court can allow them to do so.

Second, they will only be allowed until the termination of the peace talks.

Third, the three accused should post a bail bond of PHP100,000 each and that the bond will be cancelled upon the termination of the peace talks.

Fourth, they should submit to the court all their contact numbers; and

Fifth, they should report to the Philippine Embassy in Oslo, Norway when necessary.

For his part, Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, representative of the Government Peace Panel, told the court that the role of the three is important in the conduct of the peace talks and in the past years, the court has granted such a motion.

Sarmiento also urged the judge to immediately render a decision because the day of the conduct of the peace talks is fast approaching.

The three petitioners are members of the peace panel of the NDF who needed to participate in the conduct of the peace talks in Oslo, Norway on Aug. 20.

They are facing charges of multiple murder before the Manila RTC in connection with the discovery of an alleged “mass grave” in the province of Leyte in 2006.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=912627

Gov’t, MILF prepare to implement CAB; talks with communists set Aug. 22

From the Business World (Aug 10): Gov’t, MILF prepare to implement CAB; talks with communists set Aug. 22

The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will meet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 13 to plan initial steps towards implementing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) even without an enabling law,  Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus G. Dureza announced yesterday. 

The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), drafted under the previous administration based on the CAB signed in March 2014, was not passed by the 16^th Congress that closed in June this year.

“We will be discussing with the MILF panel how to move forward,” Mr. Dureza said in a press conference here.

The two sides will each have a five-member implementing panel, with Irene M. Santiago heading the government side, to discuss which provisions of the CAB can be rolled out without waiting for the passage of a BBL, which will have to be re-filed in the current Congress.

“The implementation phase of the CAB might become the springboard in the drafting of the enabling law that will replace the shelved Bangsamoro Basic Law,” Mr. Dureza said.

He also stressed that the peace roadmap for the Bangsamoro will be inclusive, which means all stakeholders will be given voice, including the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which already signed a peace agreement with the government in 1996.

Mr. Dureza said the original plan was to immediately include the MNLF in the CAB implementing panels, but “internal conflict” within the group remains unresolved.

“Our government implementing panel will take care of dealing with these individual groups that they will establish so that there will be real convergence,” said Mr. Dureza.

On Tuesday, Mr. Dureza met with a faction of the MNLF headed by former Cotabato City mayor Muslim Sema.

The other faction headed by Nurullaji Misuari, who is currently a fugitive as he is facing charges for the Zamboanga City siege in 2013, has yet to meet with government representatives, although Mr. Dureza said Ms. Misuari has been communicating with President Rodrigo R. Duterte. 

 

Mr. Dureza said they, along with the Organization of Islamic Conference, have been reviewing the 1996 peace deal with the MNLF and several points in the agreement could be included in the BBL that may eventually get passed in Congress.

TALKS WITH NDFP

Meanwhile, peace talks government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) will push through in Oslo, Norway on August 22, Mr. Dureza said.

 

“The schedule remains the same… All preparations are going on for the peace talks in Oslo. We are ready to take the trip,” Mr. Dureza said, noting that the two-day delay from the original Aug. 20 schedule is simply to give way for the government representatives’ travel time.

Doubts about the resumption of the peace talks surfaced after the President slammed on Sunday the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), which belong to the NDFP), for its continued use of land mines in attacking military forces, which is against the Geneva Convention.

However, Mr. Dureza clarified that there has been no reported land mine explosions lately, thus the peace talks will push through.

“We will stay the course… Traveling the road to peace has its bumps along the way,” he said.

The CPP issued a statement Monday saying that what they have been using are “command-detonated explosives”, which do not fall under the Geneva Convention prohibitions.

On the release of jailed NDFP members who will be taking part in the Oslo negotiations, Mr. Dureza said, “We were able to secure the release of three of them from the Supreme Court but those whose cases do not fall under the SC we will have to thresh out with the local courts.”

In a statement issued yesterday, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process clarified that the SC did not dismiss the government’s request to grant temporary liberties to  key members of the NDF for the formal peace negotiations, rather the high court merely explained that it does not have jurisdiction to decide on cases before the local ones.

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=gov&8217t-milf-prepare-to-implement-cab-talks-with-communists-set-aug.-22-&id=131672

DOLE Phils back to normal operation after talks with SurSur guv

From the Philippine Information Agency (Aug 10): DOLE Phils back to normal operation after talks with SurSur guv

The DOLE Philippines, Incorporated (Stanfilco Division) operating in three towns of this province was reportedly back to its regular operation on Monday, August 8 after DOLE Phils. officials met with Governor VicenteT. Pimentel Jr. over the weekend at his residence here.

The special meeting was also attended by the concerned agencies, local chief executives of Tagbina, Barobo, and Tago, and Philippine Army.

The said meeting was aimed to resolve the issue concerning the company's sudden declaration of indefinite shutdown of its operation.

The company cited security threat made by the New Peoples Army as the main reason of their closure. The Philippine Army assured that they will secure the national highway to prevent the incident from happening again. The local government officials also vowed to support the security forces in solving the insurgency problem in the province.

It can be recalled that the said company declared an indefinite shutdown of its operation on August 3, affecting more than a thousand employees mostly Surigaonons. A protest rally was conducted in Barobo town condemning the New People’s Army for being responsible in the series of burning incident of the company's container vans.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1741470797767/dole-phils-back-to-normal-operation-after-talks-with-sursur-guv

Police pursues rebels in extortion activities in Apayao

From the Philippine Information Agency (Aug 10): Police pursues rebels in extortion activities in Apayao

The Police Regional Office – Cordillera is conducting follow up operations on  suspected members of the New People’s Army  following their  recent atrocities  in Conner, Apayao.

Suspected NPA members burned three dump trucks and took another vehicle after they failed to extort money from the Omengan Construction and Development Corporation (OCDC) in Barangay Guinaang in Conner on August 3.

According to police reports, more than 40 suspected rebels entered the compound of the OCDC at around 6:00PM. They rounded up the employees encouraging them to join their group. They confiscated the personal belongings of the employees including cell phones and demanded supplies such as rice and cash. However, the employees were not able to give the demands.

The group left a demand letter for the payment of revolutionary tax.

Before leaving the construction site compound, the rebels burned two dump trucks and one forward truck and took another dump truck and a pick-up truck as a get-away vehicle with two employees as their drivers. After an hour, the drivers were sent back to site with using the pick-up truck. The dump truck was dropped into a ravine.

A concerned citizen reported the incident to the Conner Municipal Police Station.

Coordination with friendly forces was made and a pursuit operation has been conducted by joint Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines troops in the areas.

Based on the initial investigation conducted by the Conner MPS, the rebels are members of the NPA under Leo Cauilan Command-Kalinga.

The OCDC is among the construction firms who have road construction projects in the far-flung areas of the Cordillera region including the road connecting Apayao to the provinces of Kalinga and Cagayan.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/41470736585/police-pursues-rebels-in-extortion-activities-in-apayao

Resumption of talks with the communist rebels in Oslo, Norway set on August 22

From the Philippine Information Agency (Aug 11): Resumption of talks with the communist rebels in Oslo, Norway set on August 22

Office on the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza confirmed that peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front-New People’s Army will push through as planned on August 22 in Oslo, Norway.

Speaking to reporters, he said all preparations towards the formal resumption of negotiations with the CNN will happen as scheduled.

Dureza explained traveling the peace road is not well paved, that is why there are incidents of skirmishes that would happen in between.

“There will be humps and bumps along the way but we stay the course,” he said.

Dureza said the ultimatum issued by the president on the use of landmines is very clear.

He reiterated the president’s warning that if ever another landmine explodes, the peace talks with the communist rebels will be called off.

“That’s the president’s statement. We do not have to interpret it, assess it or speculate on it,” Dureza said. 

Even then, he said that the government is working on the release of the members of the communist movement which are needed in the negotiations.

“They have to be released on the basis of judicial processes.  Three of them are due to be out from the Supreme Court’s order.  We are now dealing with the release of those with cases in the regional trial courts and hope that they can join in the August 22 formal opening,” Dureza said.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2381470730999/resumption-of-talks-with-the-communist-rebels-in-oslo-norway-set-on-august-22

Duterte: No apologies for remarks on Goldberg

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Aug 10): Duterte: No apologies for remarks on Goldberg



President Rodrigo Duterte (FILE PHOTO BY GERMELINA LACORTE/ INQUIRER MINDANAO)

LABANGAN, Zamboanga del Sur – President Duterte refused to apologize for his tirade against US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg, saying it was not becoming of the envoy to dip his fingers in internal issues such as the May 2016 elections.

“Just leave me with my broadsides (with him), they were true anyway,” the President said on Wednesday.

Duterte called Goldberg “gay” (bakla) during his visit to a military camp in Cebu last week.

But Mr. Duterte said those remarks should not at all affect the Philippines’ relationship with the United States as he would turn to the US for the country’s defense needs. “I reiterate our strong alliance with America,” he said.

The President said it would be logical to turn to the US for defense commodities because of its long-standing military cooperation with the country.

The two countries inked the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which has been heavily criticized by left-wing groups.

“I will not compromise the weaponry of the Armed Forces,” Duterte said.

The President’s spat with the US Ambassador started during the campaign period when Goldberg commented on the then candidate Duterte’s “joke” about the rape-slay of an Australian missionary in Davao City in 1989.  But beyond the joke, Goldberg suggested that the Filipino public elect for consistency and continuity of policies, which implied he was rooting for the candidates of the then incumbent president Benigno Aquino III.



US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg. AFP FILE PHOTO

In response, the then presidential candidate challenged the US to cut its diplomatic ties with the Philippines, its former colony and a strategic ally in the Asia-Pacific region “You’re not a Filipino. Shut up. Do not interfere because it’s election time,” Mr. Duterte had told Goldberg then.

The President said Goldberg should have not dipped his fingers in Philippine politics.
“It’s simply the truth. Why did he give those statements while the election is going on? That’s our business. It doesn’t concern him … It was during the campaign,” Duterte said in a mix of Bisaya and English in his speech before soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division here on Wednesday.

The President’s latest statements prompted the American government to summon Philippine Charge d’Affaires to Washington D.C. Patrick Chuasoto regarding the Chief Executive’s “inappropriate comments” against its ambassador to the Philippines.

“We’ve seen those inappropriate comments made about Ambassador Goldberg. He’s a multi-time ambassador, one of our most senior diplomats,” US State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau said. 

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/142584/duterte-no-apologies-for-remarks-on-goldberg

MNLF faction commits to convergence process for ‘inclusive’ Bangsamoro gov’t

From the often pro-CPP online publication the Davao Today (Aug 10): MNLF faction commits to convergence process for ‘inclusive’ Bangsamoro gov’t

Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza speaks with former Cotabato mayor and a Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Muslimin Sema about a possible merger between the MNLF and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in a meeting at the Apo View Hotel in Davao City on Tuesday, August 9, 2016. KARL NORMAN ALONZO/PPD

 

Presidential Peace Adviser Sec. Jesus Dureza met with the Moro National Liberation group headed by Muslimin Sema  on Tuesday, August 9 as part of a series of meetings to consult all sectors of the Bangsamoro.

 

The move would be part of the preparation to craft an enabling law that will establish the Bangsamoro governance unit to replace the present Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

Dureza said the Duterte administration is eyeing to pursue a convergence, or consensus, among the various Moro groups for the eventual formation of a Bangsamoro government.

“When we say convergence it is the directive of the President that since we have already the 1990 Peace Agreement with the MNLF and we have already the 2014, (Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro) with the MILF, and with the President firmly committing to implement all signed agreements, especially with the Bangsamoro, we have started already to move in that convergence,” Dureza said.

President Rodrigo Duterte approved on July 18 a comprehensive peace road map which will address the Bangsamoro issue and the resumption of the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines through its political wing, the National Democratic Front.

The peace strategy eyes the consolidation of the peace agreements already signed by the government including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro (CAB) and the Moro National Liberation Front’s 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA), including relevant provisions of the Republic Act No. 9054 (or the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Law) and the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA).

Dureza said Sema’s group committed to converge with any group to “bring about an inclusive Bangsamoro enabling law.”

“There was a very clear commitment of convergence, to converge with any group in order to bring about an inclusive Bangsamoro enabling law. Yun ang pinaka-clear na commitment ng grupo nila (That was the most clear commitment from their group),” he said in a press conference after the meeting.

Dureza said that they will still be talking with MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari, whom they cannot directly talk to yet due to the charges he is facing.

“But we are in touch with him, we’re in touch with his group and we’re making discussions but we need to sit down with him, person to person to discuss this in detail. It will happen as soon as this issue of his facing a warrant of arrest is clear or out of the way,” Dureza said.

He said that all sectors in the Bangsamoro must be represented.

“Because that makes a lot of difference—the opportunity to make it inclusive for everyone must be made available,” he said.

Dureza said that the government envisions an “all-Moro assembly”  once they get the commitment of all Bangsamoro groups to come together.

“Because we will leave the matter to the Bangsamoro to determine what they want for themselves in accordance to their very basic aspiration of self determination,” he said.

The government panel and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will be meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 13 to launch the implementation stage of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

Dureza said they will discuss on “how to move forward.”

http://davaotoday.com/main/politics/mnlf-faction-commits-to-convergence-process-for-inclusive-bangsamoro-govt/

A​rmy cries foul over mutilation of troops in combat

Posted to the often pro-Communist Party of the Philippines online publication the Davao Today (Aug 10): A​rmy cries foul over mutilation of troops in combat  

In a press conference in Davao City on Wednesday, August 10, Army spokesman of the 10th Infantry Division, Capt. Rhyan Batchar, shows a photo of one of the slain soldier in a series of offensives by the New People’s Army in Monkayo, Compostela Valley.(Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)

 

The Army here criticized the New People’s Army over the mutilation of soldiers who died in gunbattle last week in Monkayo, Compostela Valley Province.

 

Captain Rhyan Batchar, spokesperson of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said an autopsy on the four fatalities indicated mutiliations on two of the four slain soldiers.

He said alleged mutilations were found on the body of Corporal Jimmy M. Bayta Jr. and on Private First Class Rolen Roy C. Sarmiento.

Four soldiers died in a series of offensives by the NPA in Monkayo, Compostela Valley province.

Batchar said an autopsy by medico-legal officer Police Chief Inspector Raleigh Herbert Gange Ampuan on Bayta’s body indicated “multiple gunshot wound, head, thorax and abdomen, and right thigh incised wound, neck (transecting and fracturing the larynx and the thyroid cartilage).” Meanwhile, Sarmiento’s causes of death were “multiple gunshot wounds-head, thorax, and right arm (thru & thru); hacked wounds to the head and neck.”

Another soldier who died in the said incident, Corporal Gilmar C. Mapa, was said to have suffered mutilation, but could not be autopsied as per request of the family.

“We condemn to the highest degree itong ginawa ng NPA sa ating mga kasundaluhan. We are celebrating this month the International Humanitarian law, pero our troops have to suffer the barbaric and inhumane acts of the NPA,” Batchar said.

While saying that they will press charges, Batchar said the Army supports the peace talks. 

“We hope that this incident will not derail the peace talks between the government and the  CPP-NPA-NDF. We are all Filipinos,” Batchar said.

Use of landmines

In response to the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) statement that the use of command detonated explosives (CDX) are “legitimate weapons of war and are allowed under the Geneva Conventions and the Ottawa Treaty on Landmines,” Batchar said that no such distinction exists.

Citing the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and the Respect for International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), Batchar says that the use of landmines are prohibited, and that there is no distinction because the effects are the same.

Batchar also said that there were civilian casualties in the encounter at Monkayo, Compostela Valley, an elder woman and her grand daughter, who was 12 years old. This is contrast to the CPP’s statement that there is yet to be any civilian casualties in their use of the “CDX”.

“There has yet to be an incident where a CDX landmine laid by the NPA was accidentally exploded by a civilian. The NPA is very careful about using weapons that may accidentally hurt or injure civilians,” the CPP said in a statement on August 8.

Duterte reiterates warning to CPP

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, reiterated his warning to the CPP on using landmines during his visit to the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur on Wednesday afternoon, August 10.

“Ingon nako sila makadungog pa gani ko bisan isa nga naay sundalo sa Armed Forces of the Philippines or police nga mamatay maangol, masamdan, then forget , ingon nako wala na tay peace talks, bahala na mo (I said if I heard another explosion where a soldier of the AFP or police will die or will be injured, then forget about the peace talks),” Duterte said.

This was also his message to the CPP during his visit in Naval Station Felix Apolinario here at the wake of four soldiers on Sunday, August 7.

CPP to NPA, militias: Step-up manufacture of CDX

However, the CPP said that the NPA will not stop using CDX landmines.

“Contrary to Duterte’s demand for the NPA to stop using its CDX landmines, the NPA and the people’s militias must further expand the use of such weapons,” said the CPP.

It added: “CDX landmines are a poor man’s weapon. These are mass-produced by people who have no recourse to the expensive rockets and howitzers of state-funded armies. It is a weapon than can only be effectively used by those who have mastery of terrain. It must continue to be effectively and widely employed in waging mass guerrilla warfare.”

The CPP even ordered the “stepping-up” of the manufacture of CDX landmines.

“Every unit of the NPA, including all units of the people’s militias, must have their own supply of CDX landmines, and must have the skill and plan to employ these as defensive and offensive weapons against the enemy,” it said.

“CDX landmines have been proven to be highly effective weapons at thwarting the frenzied military offensives of the AFP,” said the CPP.

“This is the reason why the AFP has been so adamant in its demand for the NPA to stop using CDX landmines to the point of mindlessly citing international prohibitions even without a comprehensive and clear understanding of those,” it said.

http://davaotoday.com/main/politics/a%E2%80%8Brmy-cries-foul-over-mutilation-of-troops-in-combat/