Timeline of deadly bomb attacks in Manila

From ABS-CBN (Nov 29): Timeline of deadly bomb attacks in Manila


Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa points at a part of an IED found near the US Embassy during a press conference in Manila Monday. Romeo Ranoco, Reuters

Police defused a bomb near the US embassy in the Philippine capital Monday, with authorities blaming militants who had declared allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group for the attempted terrorist attack.

Muslim groups have waged a decades-long armed independence struggle in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines that is believed to have claimed more than 120,000 lives, including through deadly attacks on the nation's capital.

Here is a list of major attacks by militant groups in Manila since 2000:

-- May 2000: Bombs hit two major shopping malls, killing one person and injuring 25 others. Government lawyers accused suspected Muslim separatist guerrillas of staging the attack.

-- December 2000: On a holiday for the country's national hero, Jose Rizal, near-simultaneous bombings kill 22 people and injure more than 100 in Manila. One explosion rocks a plaza across from the US embassy. Blasts also tear through a train, a passenger bus and a cargo handling facility at the international airport. Various militant groups including members of Southeast Asian network Jemaah Islamiyah are implicated in the attack.

-- October 2002: A powerful bomb tears through a packed bus in northern Manila, killing at least two people and wounding 20 others. Military officials say the attack appears to be the work of notorious kidnapping-for-ransom group Abu Sayyaf, which was established with help from Al-Qaeda in the early 1990s.

-- February 2004: Abu Sayyaf is blamed for firebombing a ferry in Manila Bay which kills 116 people in the country's deadliest terrorist attack.

-- February 2005: The Abu Sayyaf, with help from a group of radical converts to Islam, launches coordinated attacks on Valentine's Day that kill at least 12 people in Manila's financial hub of Makati and in General Santos city, which is more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south of the capital.

-- January 2011: A mortar bomb triggered by a mobile phone on a crowded bus in Makati kills five people, with authorities blaming the attack on Muslim militants from the south.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/11/28/16/timeline-of-deadly-bomb-attacks-in-manila

Philippine group is ‘trying to win Islamic State funding’

From the Asia Times (Nov 29): Philippine group is ‘trying to win Islamic State funding’

The previously little-known organization targeted in an anti-terror operation on Sunday is out to attract international support, says military leader

Largely unheard of until recent months, the so-called Maute Group has become the focus of the Philippine military’s latest counter-terrorism operation.

For the second time this year, the military – on Sunday – launched an offensive in Butig, an impoverished town in the province of Lanao del Sur, in the Muslim part of Mindanaoa. Members of the group had occupied various buildings under the flag of Islamic State. Brigadier General Restituto Padilla reported on Monday that 19 members of the terrorist group had been killed.

Anxieties were further heightened on Monday after it was reported that an improvised explosive device (IED) had been discovered near the US Embassy in Manila. Philippine National Police Chief Roland Dela Rosa said the IED, comprising an 81 mm mortar round, detonating caps, a cellular phone and a 9-volt battery, was similar to a device previously used by the Maute Group.
  
Led by brothers Omar and Abdullah Maute, the organization came into existence in 2013. Initially, its members were from the long-established Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a group demanding an autonomous region for the Moro (or Muslim) population in Mindanao, but the military believes it has recruited new, younger warriors. The group has taken to using black flags and arm bands emblazoned with IS symbols.

The military previously launched an offensive against Maute when it took over Butig in February. That campaign lasted for about a week and resulted in the deaths of 20 Maute gunmen and three Army soldiers. In March, the group took six sawmill workers hostage and beheaded two of them on suspicion of being military assets.

Before and since coming to power in June, President Rodrigo Duterte has described Maute as a rising extremist organization. The military maintains that the group does not have international support, however. “They are projecting to the public that they have the support of ISIS, which is not true,” Padilla said, adding that members use the IS flag in order to attract that organisation’s notice and secure funding from it.

In June, the military overran the Maute’s main camp in Butig, Camp Darul Iman. Despite claims that the group had been flushed out, however, an explosion shortly afterwards rocked Davao City, President Duterte’s hometown, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more. Three Maute members were arrested in connection with the bombing.

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http://www.atimes.com/article/philippine-group-trying-win-islamic-state-funding/

 

How the Maute group recaptured Butig

From ABS-CBN (Nov 29): How the Maute group recaptured Butig

Five months since the military freed the town of Butig in Lanao del Sur from terrorist clutches, thousands of villagers are again displaced as fighting between the two forces ensues.

But how did the armed Islamist group manage to reclaim the area?

Butig, believed to be the stronghold and hometown of the Maute group, was cleansed of terrorists in June after the military captured Camp Darul Iman, the final headlock of the terrorists in town.

The camp used to belong to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), but was later occupied by the Maute group after the former abandoned it.

Military spokesman Restituto Padilla explained that after the conclusion of offensives against the Maute group earlier this year, there was “clear coordination” with the local government and police to secure the town of Butig after armed forces left.

He added that some troops stayed in Butig to help the local government but due to “challenges in the area,” the military had to move its troops to other parts of the province, particularly before the May national polls.

Recently, the military launched an offensive against the terrorist group to secure its leaders Omar and Abdullah Maute, who have reporterdy pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

Padilla said the offensive was launched to give justice to the victims of the Davao City night market bombing in September since the leaders are party to the deadly blast.

Three members of the group were arrested last month for supposedly masterminding the bombing.

• READ: 'Maute Group' men arrested over Davao City blast

Padilla said the terrorist group probably discovered the military operations targeted against them and decided to gather all their forces in Butig, which led to the ensuing firefight.

“As we are in our second day of operation, they (Maute group) may have gotten (w)ind of the operations targeted against them and they all amassed in the areas occupied by this group and hold up in the old municipal building.”

The fight between the military and Maute terrorists has entered its third day on Monday after the latter occupied several establishments in Butig and even raised a black ISIS flag.

• READ: Troops bombard Maute militants as fighting enters third day

More than 16,000 locals have since been displaced as military forces push forward with their offensives.

Padilla said given the present situation, a “rethinking of sorts” must be done to avoid similar incidents in the future.

“In this incident right now, there must be a rethinking of sorts that must be done to consider leaving a bigger number of personnel to further help the municipality and the police secure the area,” he said.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/11/28/16/how-the-maute-group-recaptured-butig

Megacenter for drug rehab in Ecija opens Tuesday

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Nov 29): Megacenter for drug rehab in Ecija opens Tuesday


ALTERNATIVE TO BRUTAL CRACKDOWN The Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center has been constructed at a 10-hectare military camp in Laur, Nueva Ecija province. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

After threatening to kill drug users, President Duterte will witness the opening today (Tuesday) of a 10,000-bed “megafacility” for rehabilitation at a military camp in Laur, Nueva Ecija province.

The launch of the sprawling Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (DATRC) in Fort Magsaysay could offer a new approach to Mr. Duterte’s brutal strategy in dealing with the narcotics trade.

The 10-hectare camp was one of the sites identified by the Armed Forces of the Philippines for the construction of drug rehabilitation centers as ordered by the President.

“The DATRC is part of the effort to address the health component of the war on drugs even as the law enforcement aspect continues throughout the country to eliminate the drug menace,” Malacañang said in a statement.

It said the center would be available to some 700,000 drug users who had turned themselves in to authorities through “Oplan Tokhang” of the Philippine National Police.

“The government has responded to concerns about the availability and preparedness of facilities to accommodate those willing to submit to treatment by putting up the (DATRC),” the Palace added.

The President, who previously said individuals hooked on illegal substances were already “beyond redemption,” would lead the opening of one of the treatment center’s four sections.

Each section could accommodate up to 2,500 patients, Malacañang said.

“We hope that it will really help the victims of the illegal drug trade. The patients are actually victims of the illegal drug trade so we want to ensure that they are provided adequate and compassionate services for rehabilitation,” said Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial.

She said the first batch of patients would come from the “overcrowded” drug rehabilitation centers in Central Luzon and nearby areas.

She also said that the new center would be occupied by all-male patients.

The funds for the construction of the center were donated by a Chinese billionaire, real estate magnate Huang Rulun, who was once a trader in Manila’s Chinatown district in the 1980s.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/848814/megacenter-for-drug-rehab-in-ecija-opens-tuesday

Troops kill 2 ASG men off shore of Zamboanga City

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): Troops kill 2 ASG men off shore of Zamboanga City

Combined police and military operatives have killed two suspected Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members in a shootout off shore east of this city.

Chief Insp. Chester Natividad, city police station 3 chief, identified the slain suspects as Amsarin Bandahala and his brother, Mubin, both alleged ASG members based in this city.

They were killed in a shootout around 12:45 p.m. Monday at the sea waters of Barangay Bolong, some 32 kilometers east of the city proper.

Natividad on Tuesday disclosed the joint police and military operatives were conducting maritime patrol when they sighted the suspects aboard on a motorized banca.

Natividad said the suspects were extorting money from small scale fishermen in the sea water of Bolong, which is a known fishing ground.

He said the suspects opened fire which prompted the troops to return fire triggering a shootout when the troops confronted them.
 
He said the troops have recovered from the slain brigands’ possession a caliber .45 pistol with ammunition, a fragmentation grenade, PhP 5,500 cash believed to have been extorted from fishermen, two plastic sachets of shabu, and prohibited drug paraphernalia.

He said they conduct regular seaborne patrol to ensure the protection of small scale fishermen from lawless elements in the fishing ground of Bolong, this city.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=944177

Samar officials asked to curb insurgency

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): Samar officials asked to curb insurgency

Top government officials with authority over peace and order, asked local officials in Samar province to prioritize addressing the age-old insurgency problem in their area.

In a meeting with mayors here, Philippine Army Central Command Commander Brig. Gen. Raul Del Rosario and Department of the Interior and Local Government Eastern Visayas Regional Director Maribel Sacendoncillo both agreed that rebellion persists in the province due to poverty and corruption.

“It’s more than 40 years now that we are fighting insurgency. We will not prosper if insurgency remains to be our main concern. We need to address this to have peace that will lead us to development,” said Del Rosario.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s move to initiate peace talks with the National Democratic Front is a bold and first step to achieve the lasting peace that the government wants to achieve for the country, according to the military official.

“We are encouraging to also have peace talks in the local level while the top officials in the government and the NDF are also doing the same,” Del Rosario added.

Sacendoncillo asked local officials to address the root cause of insurgency by improving local governance.

Sacendoncillo cited Bohol province as an example when local government units curbed corruption, insurgency eventually ended, making the province as one of the popular tourist destinations in the country.

“It’s so attractive for people to join insurgency when they have issues against the government. Our mandate is to give proper services and better opportunity to its people. For ordinary Filipinos, they see that the government is good when they see the local governance as competent and honest, their perception of governance rest on us and not on Malacañang,” Sacendoncillo added.

“If we attack this on that point of view, there is no reason for us not to succeed,” she stressed.

Samar is one of the 10 poorest provinces in country with 43.5 poverty incidence based on the 2015 report of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Nearby provinces also posted high poverty incidence - Eastern Samar with 55.4 percent and Northern Samar with 43.5 percent.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=944244

(Update) Hot pursuit against suspects in ambuscade of PSG in Lanao Del Sur launched

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): (Update) Hot pursuit against suspects in ambuscade of PSG in Lanao Del Sur launched

The military and police launched a hot pursuit operation against the armed men believed responsible in the ambuscade of the convoy of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) in Marawi City Monday morning.

Sr. Supt. Agustin Tello, Lanao del Sur provincial police director, said that seven members of the PSG, including the team, leader were wounded in the ambush along the roadside village of Matampay, Marawi City shortly before 11 a.m. Monday.

Tello identified those wounded only through their surnames as a certain Capt. Zamora, the PSG team leader, Staff Sgt. Damaso, Cpl. Inova, Cpl. De Leon, Sgt. Garcia, Pfcs. Gonzales and Panisa.

The two personnel from the Army’s 65th Infantry Battalion who were also wounded were Cpls. Galintia and Corpuz, Tello said.

Citing a police report, Tello said that the armed men detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) on the roadside of Matampay when the convoy of the PSG, the military escorts, and the media personnel of the Radio-Television-Malacanang passed by followed by a staccato of gunfire.

He said that five, three of them PSG personnel, were immediately flown by a presidential helicopter to Cagayan De Oro City for immediate medical treatment due to shrapnel wounds.

The other wounded were confined in a hospital in Iligan City for minor injuries.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin Madrigal, Jr., said that the wounded PSG and military personnel are now in stable condition except one personnel who would still undergo operation.

The PSG personnel were sent to Marawi City as advance party of the unannounced visit of President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday to get a first hand information on the ongoing military operations against the terror “Maute Group” in Lanao Del Sur.

Tello said that with the ambuscade Monday, the police provincial command has not received any notice whether Duterte would proceed to Marawi City on Wednesday as planned.

A running gun battle between the government troopers and the "Maute Group" ensued in the last four days when the terror group overran a municipal town of Butig in Lanao del Sur on Friday last week.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=944311

3 ASG members die in Sulu clash

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): 3 ASG members die in Sulu clash

Three members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) were killed in a clash with soldiers in an island town in the province of Sulu.

Col. Jesus Mananquil, newly-installed Joint Task Force Sulu commander, on Tuesday said the troops of the 11th Scout Ranger Company were on security patrol when they clashed with around 30 armed Abu Sayyaf bandits in Capual Island, Omar, Sulu.

Mananquil said the Abu Sayyaf bandits fled and dragged along the remains of two of their three slain companions during the firefight that broke out around 3:45 p.m. Monday in Capual Island.

Mananquil said the troops have recovered the remains of the other slain bandit, whose identity has yet to be determined.

He said the troops have received information from the residents in the area that some of the fleeing bandits were also wounded.

He said the troops, who incurred no casualty, have recovered three “jungkung” type motorized bancas being used by the bandits, a Garand rifle, ammunition, solar panel, automotive battery, improvised explosive device components, and documents.

“The successful military operation was a result of the cooperation of the people of Sulu in our campaign against the ASG and their evil deeds,” he said.

He said the soldiers are motivated by the strong public support and “are determined to continue to pursue the ASG until it is destroyed and until all hostages are rescued.”

The Sulu-based Abu Sayyaf brigands are still holding captives 13 people that included: five Malaysians; four Filipinos; two Indonesians; a Dutchman; and, a Korean.

“We will not stop until the scourge of the ASG will be finally put to a complete stop. We will prevail as we have a reinvigorated cooperation of the people of Sulu who are suffering due to the existence of these barbaric bandits,” Manangquil added.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=944317

Army launches war vs. illiteracy in Northern Mindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): Army launches war vs. illiteracy in Northern Mindanao
CAMP EVANGELISTA, Cagayan De Oro City -- After joining the war against illegal drugs in Northern Mindanao, the military has entered another kind of war that they are happy to pursue.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Madrigal, Jr., Army's 4th Infantry Division (4ID) commander, said that “this time it would be a war against illiteracy.”

Madrigal issued the statement as the 4ID launched on Tuesday the mobile computer laboratory here intended to serve the Out-of-School-Youth (OSY) in the marginalized tribal communities in Northern Mindanao.

Capt. Patrick Martinez, 4ID spokesman, said that the PhP 4-million computer laboratory was installed in a 40-footer fully-air conditioned container van.

The computer laboratory consisted of 21 high technology computers, gadgets, and other equipment intended for Basic Computer Literacy learning, Martinez said.

He said that the equipment and technology was intended to support the military units in delivering the most basic of educational service to far flung communities through its “Bayanihan” (Cooperation) program.

According to Martinez, the mobile computer laboratory was one of the products of the Army’s Civil-Military Operations Group of Philippine Army through the Pinoy Batang Bayani Program.

He said that the program was also launched in coordination with the Tuloy Foundation, Inc. , which started in June 2013 designed to reach the marginalized sectors, especially the OSY and indigenous communities.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=944328

Rebel returnees in Misamis Oriental receive cash assistance

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): Rebel returnees in Misamis Oriental receive cash assistance

CLAVERIA, Misamis Oriental -- Two former communist rebels in this communist hotbed town of Misamis Oriental received PhP 166,000 as payment of their surrendered firearms, a military official said Monday.

Lt. Janelle Diaz, Army’s 58th Infantry Battalion (58IB) spokesperson, said that the amount was raised by the provincial government of Misamis Oriental under the Fire Arm Cost Remuneration of the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP).

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) spearheads the CLIP as part of the government's peace and development efforts across the country, Diaz said.

She said that aside from paying the firearms, each of the former rebels also received cash assistance in the amount of PhP 15,000.00, courtesy of the provincial DILG office.

According to Diaz, the local government units and various stakeholders had adopted a concerted effort to bring the rebel returnees back to the mainstream society for them to enjoy normal lives once more.

She said the rebels surrendered to the Army’s 58IB here just as the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF), the umbrella organization of the Communist Party of the Philippines, tried to negotiate for an end to communist insurgency in the country.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=944352

Police and Army checkpoints reactivated in Lanao Sur, Maguindanao following Marawi bombing

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): Police and Army checkpoints reactivated in Lanao Sur, Maguindanao following Marawi bombing

Police officials across Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao have been placed on heightened alert with government forces putting up checkpoints following the roadside bombing of a convoy of soldiers and Presidential Security Group (PSG) in Marawi City Tuesday.

"It was a diversionary tactic, we are not taking any chances," Senior Agustin Tello, Lanao del Sur police provincial director, said.

Seven members of elite presidential guards and two Army troopers were injured, two of them critically, when a roadside improvised explosive device was set off by suspected sympathizers of the Maute terrorist group in Barangay Matampay, an uphill road leading to Marawi City from Iligan City at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Colonel Gene Ponio, 103rd Army deputy brigade commander, said the bomb attack was purely harassment aimed at inflicting injuries to military personnel, not necessarily the PSG.

After the blast, about five men who positioned themselves in an elevated part of the zigsag road opened fire. They quickly fled when military and PSG personnel returned fire.

Supt. Tello said police special forces are helping the military in hunting down the suspects.

Chief Supt. Agripino Javier, police regional director for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), also directed all police provincial directors in the region to step up security patrol.

Checkpoints in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur that President Rodrigo Duterte ordered removed last month were activated as part of preventive measures.

Tello and Ponio both believed the attack was carried by supporters or sympathizers of Maute local terrorist group that the Army had been pounding with mortars and howitzers in Buti town, about 50 kilometers south of Marawi City.

President Duterte said the roadside bombing will not stop him from going to Marawi City on Wednesday.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=944344

Davao VM says Marawi roadside explosion sends strong message to President Duterte

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): Davao VM says Marawi roadside explosion sends strong message to President Duterte

Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte has condemned the roadside explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) that targeted the convoy of Presidential Security Group (PSG) and soldiers Tuesday morning in Barangay Matampay, Marawi that wounded seven members of the PSG and two soldiers.

Paolo said the attack was apparently intended to send a message to his father, President Rodrigo Duterte, who is scheduled to visit Marawi Wednesday to get first hand information on the ongoing offensive against the Maute terror group, which occupied a town hall of Butig, Lanao del Sur on Monday.

"The message of the attack was clear and it targeted my father and his administration. It was meant to terrorize the government and the Filipino people," Paolo said, adding that the attack was "meant to undermine Duterte's peace efforts and his development agenda in Mindanao and the entire country."

Despite the incident and concerns for his safety, President Rodrigo Duterte announced he is pushing through with his visit.

“I’m going there. I’m going there because I am just simply going there. The advice was to postpone, I said ‘no, I will go there’ and if possible, take the same route,” the President said in his speech during the opening of a drug rehab facility in Nueva Ecija.

The military reported that the victims were in a convoy of vehicles carrying PSG personnel and Radio-Television-Malacañang (RTVM) as advanced party in preparation for the visit of the President.

Reports said the convoy was escorted by 103rd Infantry Brigade troops on their way to Marawi when one of the vehicles hit an IED.

"The enemies of peace and meaningful change are out on a rampage now that the Duterte administration's peace and development efforts are rapidly gaining momentum in Mindanao and many other parts of the country. There are groups who are not happy about what's happening now," Paolo said in a statement sent to the media Tuesday.

Following the incident, the vice mayor urged the public to help the government in its fight against terrorism.

"We have to be at all times vigilant because there are still people and groups who are out to destabilize our government and terrorize the Filipino people," Paolo said.

The IED attack in Marawi was a second attempt to undermine the administration of President Duterte.

Last Monday, an IED was found near the Embassy of the United States of America along Roxas Boulevard in Manila.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald dela Rosa said in reports that the IED was a signature bomb of the Maute group.

In a press statement on the Marawi incident, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the President has consistently expressed concern for uniformed personnel who bravely walk in harm’s way so that the citizenry can live in peace and freedom.

“We assure our brave men and women who put their lives on the line for duty and country that their Commander-in-Chief will never abandon them in their time of need,” he said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=944334

Cebu Capitol exec says province ready against kidnapping, terror attack

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): Cebu Capitol exec says province ready against kidnapping, terror attack

An official of the Cebu Provincial Government said Tuesday the province is ready against possible kidnappings and terror attacks.

Cebu Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino made the statement after the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command (AFP-Centcom) conducted Tuesday a simulated exercise dubbed as “Oplan: Pag-abog,” the inter-operability and response testing operation against possible terrorist attacks in the province.

In a simulated kidnapping scenario held in southern Cebu on Tuesday, personnel from the AFP-Centcom, Philippine Army, Philippine Navy, Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) demonstrated response capability in handling kidnap operation.

Among the agencies involved in the rescue action were the Philippine National Police (PNP), Cebu Provincial Government and local government units of Sibonga and Santander in southern Cebu.

Tolentino said among the purposes of the security maneuver was to organize the forces of the Cebu Capitol and involved agencies in responding to incidents such as kidnapping.

In an unannounced simulated kidnapping and hostage-taking scenario, a tour operator reported to the PNP that foreign tourists were nabbed by three unidentified armed men while watching whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu.

The perpetrators fled through a motorized banca.

The PNP verified the report and went with the PCG for a maritime patrol in the area with air support from the Mactan Benito Ebuan Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City.

Tolentino, the designated incident commander of Oplan: Pag-abog, said choppers from Dumaguete City also supported the rescue operation while PRO 7 ordered the seaborne patrol in Mactan area.

“The PNP conducted checkpoints in Oslob for a possible Abu Sayaff presence or diversion,” he said.

Tolentino said that even if the PNP dispelled the alleged Abu Sayaff presence in Cebu, still preparation is the most effective way to combat threats.

“The inter-office collaboration aims to test the inter-operability of the involved agencies when a kidnapping incident will happen in the province,” he said.

Earlier this month, the US Embassy in the Philippines issued a travel warning to its citizens over alleged terrorist group’s plan to conduct kidnappings in Cebu South, particularly in Dalaguete, Santander and Sumilon island.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=944306

PRO 7, Centcom hold simulation exercise off south Cebu

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): PRO 7, Centcom hold simulation exercise off south Cebu

A joint team from the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command (AFP-Centcom) on Tuesday morning conducted a simulation exercise in southern Cebu.

Centcom spokesperson Luzvimindo Mamauag said the drill was intended to show the public that law enforcement units in the island are prepared for any lawless attacks.

The Centcom, based in Camp Lapu-Lapu in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, which includes Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force, has jurisdiction over all areas in the Visayas.

The exercise includes four naval vessels patrolling the coastal waters near Sumilon Island off Oslob town, some 121 kilometers south of Cebu City and the seas off Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental.

Centcom troops and PRO 7 personnel also set up blocking forces in the mainland while they go after kidnappers who are said to have abducted tourists from Sumilon Island.

The show of force was aimed at assuring tourists that Cebu, especially the southern end of the island-province, remains to be a safe place to stay on.

It simulation exercise was done in coordination with the West Mindanao Command and Camp Aguinaldo, the AFO headquarters.

The US Embassy in Manila issued an advisory last month asking its citizens to avoid going to southern Cebu towns including Sumilon Island in Oslob town citing kidnapping threats.

Mamauag said Cebu remains safe from any threats, but they wanted to prepare for possible kidnapping and terrorism threats, especially in southern Cebu.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=944270

Cops identify suspect in Sultan Kudarat church blast

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 29): Cops identify suspect in Sultan Kudarat church blast

Police authorities in Sultan Kudarat province said on Tuesday they have already identified one of the two suspects in the bombing in front of a Catholic church in Esperanza town on Sunday morning that injured three people.

Sr. Supt. Raul Supiter, Sultan Kudarat police director, said several witnesses positively identified a suspect who was reportedly of the two men riding-in-tandem on a motorcycle who left a homemade bomb that exploded at around 6:40 a.m near the gate of the Our Lady of Hope Church in Barangay Saliao in Esperanza town.

“The suspect was identified by witnesses based on the rogue gallery of the Esperanza police station,” he said.

The police official did not disclose the identity of the suspect due to an ongoing pursuit operation.

Based on the initial results of their ongoing investigation, Supiter said the suspects are allegedly members of an armed group operating in parts of Sultan Kudarat.

As to the motive, he said it appears to be a retaliation for an operation three months ago that led to the killing of its leader identified as a certain “Kumander Boyet.”

The suspect was killed after resisting the implementation of a search warrant at his alleged base by police operatives.

The explosive, which was placed in a plastic bag, went off at the end of the first mass.

Three churchgoers sustained slight injuries and are currently recuperating at a hospital in Koronadal City.

Operatives from the Sultan Kudarat police’s explosive ordnance disposal unit recovered at the scene components of electric wire, nails and a cellphone believed used as triggering device.

Supiter added that they are set to file charges of multiple frustrated murder with damage to property against the suspects.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=944264