Peace advocates march in Kidapawan City in Mindanao

Various civil society groups and peace advocates, including journalists join a peace march dubbed as “Martsa Para Sa Kalinaw” recently in Kidapawan City in the southern Philippines. The march was followed by the signing of a covenant to support peace efforts in Mindanao. A peace concert was also held, organizers say. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Geo Solmerano)

12 killed in fresh fighting in Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 31, 2009) – At least 11 Moro rebels and a government soldier were killed in fierce clashes early Tuesday in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said the fighting between Scout Rangers and Moro Islamic Liberation Front erupted in the village of Dado in North Cotabato’s Alamada town at around 4.15 a.m.

“Fighting lasted more than an hour that also left one soldier dead and three others wounded.” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

Ponce said patrolling troops spotted the rebels and a firefight ensued. He said the rebels were involved in previous attacks on military posts in the town.

Ponce earlier said four MILF rebels were slain in the clashes, but corrected this later in the day. “Eleven rebels were killed in the clashes,” he said, adding, troops recovered six bodies and were still searching for five more which had been dragged away by fleeing rebels.

He said troops also recovered four anti-tank rockets, combat packs and rifle munitions left by retreating rebels in the village.

The MILF said it was verifying the reports about the fighting. “We received no reports about fighting in the area. We are still checking this report,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.

Fighting was also reported on Monday in Basilan province, south of Zamboanga City, where a soldier was killed and two more wounded in Sumisip town.

The MILF has been fighting the past decades for the establishment of a separate Muslim homeland. (Mindanao Examiner)

Security forces cordon Sayyaf lair in Sulu; state of emergency declared after ultimatum lapses

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 31, 2009) – Security forces have cordoned a huge area in Sulu’s jungle after an ultimatum by Abu Sayyaf terrorists to behead one of three kidnapped Red Cross workers lapsed on Tuesday.

The terrorists said they would decapitate one hostage at 2 p.m. if the government fails to pull out military and police forces in the province, one of six under the Muslim autonomous region south of the Philippines.

The Abu Sayyaf kidnapped on January 15 Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino woman Mary Jean Lacaba after inspecting a humanitarian project in Patikul town.

Albader Parad, one of those holding the aid workers, had threatened to kill the captives at least three times if security forces do not move away from an Abu Sayyaf lair in the town on Indanan, where the hostages are being held. Parad also promised to free one hostage if security forces withdraw.

The military and police have twice moved back from the town after Interior Secy. Ronaldo Puno ordered authorities to withdraw, but the Abu Sayyaf reneged on its promise and demanded a larger withdrawal of troops, policemen and armed village guards helping authorities prevent the terrorists from escaping in Indanan.

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan has repeatedly appealed to the Abu Sayyaf to spare the lives of the hostages, but Parad flatly rejected his plea. “They are sticking to their original demand to pull out all the troops in Sulu. We will not take this sitting down. We are preparing for the worse and if the worse happens, we shall everything to the Almighty,” Tan said.

It was unknown whether the Abu Sayyaf has beheaded one of its hostages and Parad could not be contacted anymore. Tan has declared a state or emergency in Sulu, a proclamation supported by the police and military and local leaders, said Sonny Abing, the governor’s spokesman.

The order authorizes police action against the Abu Sayyaf and restricts civilian movements and imposes a curfew in Sulu. Police commandos have already been sent to Indanan town and neighboring areas to prepare for to rescue the hostages.

“We are moving back to Indanan to cordon the area. We have forces all over the town now,” said one police commander, who asked not to be named because he was not authorize to speak to the media.

He said security forces were preparing to mount a rescue operation. “We are prepared to rescue the hostages,” he said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has also appealed to the Abu Sayyaf on Tuesday to spare the captives’ lives.

“Our message to Abu Sayyaf is: please spare and release Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas,” said the ICRC's president, Jakob Kellenberger. “All they were doing was helping people in need in your area. There is no ideology or religious law that could justify killing them.”

”We will do everything in our power to ensure that Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas remain safe and can return to their families, who miss them desperately. Their children, parents, siblings, spouses, friends and colleagues will not give up hope of seeing them again soon,” Kellenberger added. (Mindanao Examiner)

Arroyo visits ARMM, pledges more support; praises Ampatuan leadership

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 31, 2009) - President Gloria Arroyo visited the province of Maguindanao recently for a briefing on the status and efforts of the local Solid Waste Management Program.

Arroyo said that climate change is the greatest threat the world faces today and this prompted her to reorganize the Presidential Task Force on Climate Change (PTFCC) to augment efforts to curb global warming.

The president also proposed the province to adopt a Bioreactor and a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for each of its municipalities. The machine sorts, and segregates biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes and processes them into organic fertilizer and converting non-biodegradable wastes into recyclable bricks.

“These waste management facilities are more acceptable than the proposed landfill because they are environment-friendly and helps in addressing the problem on Global Warming,” she said. “This will also give additional income for the local government units because of the organic fertilizer it produces which will also help our farmers.”

Along with Arroyo during the meeting on Solid Waste Management Program were key officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), who were also members of the PTFCC, their counterparts in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and ARMM Governor Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan, Maguindanao Governor Datu Sajid Ampatuan and former Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr.

Her visit in the capital town of Shariff Aguak was appreciated by high-ranking officials from the ARMM and the province of Maguindanao. Arroyo pledged more support to the ARMM and praised Ampatuan's leadership.

“This only shows the commitment and full support of the President to the people of Maguindanao and the whole ARMM,” Ampatuan said.

Arroyo also inaugurated the P218-million Provincial Capitol Complex, which includes the P136- million Provincial Capitol building and the P82-million, 3,500-seat capacity Datu Saudi Uy Ampatuan Sports and Social Center which was funded from the Regional Impact Project Fund of the ARMM government, including P25 million from the President’s Social Fund.

Engr. Norie Unas, Maguindanao Provincial Administrator, said the visit was a very significant event to the residents of the locals as it showed Arroyo's concern to peace, progress and development efforts of her government in the ARMM.

“This is a very special day for us here in Maguindanao because no less than the President of the Republic of the Philippines will inaugurate two of the grandest landmarks in the province,” Unas said. (With a report from the ARMM-Bureau of Public Information)

Press fotogs now arming themselves in the Philippines

Members of the Press Photographers of the Philippines get pointers from a gun instructor prior to a firing session in Camp Karingal in Quezon City. More than 70 journalists have died in the Philippines at the hands of assailants and Philippine President Gloria Arroyo has approved the arming of journalist to defend themselves. (Mindanao Examiner / Contributed photo by Jan Larosa – Philippine News Service)

Abu Sayyaf issues ultimatum, threatens anew to behead Red Cross captive in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 30, 2009) – Abu Sayyaf terrorists holding three Red Cross workers have again threatened to decapitate one of three kidnapped Red Cross workers if Manila fails to withdraw more security forces from Sulu province.

The Abu Sayyaf has twice reneged on its promise to free one hostage in exchange for the withdrawal of hundreds of troops and police commandos near its lair in the hinterlands of Indanan town.

Interior Secy. Ronald Puno on Saturday ordered security forces to return to barracks after Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad warned they would behead the hostages – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba.

The three were kidnapped January 15 after inspecting a humanitarian project at a prison in Patikul town.

Now, the Abu Sayyaf issued an ultimatum until 2 p.m. on Tuesday for the government to remove security forces in Sulu. Parad said they will kill one hostage.

“The Abu Sayyaf wanted a larger military and police pull out in Sulu, but this is impossible,” said Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, head of the government task force negotiating for the safe release of the hostages. “We cannot surrender Sulu to the Abu Sayyaf demands.”

Tan was opposed to the pull out of troops and policemen, but was overcome by Puno’s decision in an effort to stop the beheading of the hostages.

Many troops and policemen in Sulu were disgruntled by Puno’s decision to pull them out from Indanan town, saying, it could pave the way for the Abu Sayyaf to escape or consolidate its forces and get more weapons or kidnap more innocent civilians.

Military and police officials declined to give any statement about the reports of growing demoralization among their ranks. (Mindanao Examiner)

DILG, sinisisi sa maling desisyon sa Sulu hostage crisis!

SULU (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 30, 2009) – Sinisisi ng mga sundalo si Interior Secy. Ronaldo Puno sa lumalalang problema ng Sulu hostage crisis matapos na muling magbanta ang Abu Sayyaf na tutuluyan ang isang bihag nito.

Hawak pa rin ng Abu Sayyaf sina Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni at Pinay na si Mary Jean Lacaba matapos silang dukutin nuong Enero 15 sa bayan ng Patikul ng bisitahin ang isang humanitarian project sa bilangguan doon.

Si Puno ang nag-utos sa militar at pulisya na umatras mula sa cordon na inilatag ng mga sundalo sa kabundukan ng Indanan na kung saan ay bihag ng mga terorista ang tatlo at ito ay kapalit sana ng pangako ng Abu Sayyaf na palalayain ang isang bihag.

Ngunit hindi ito tinupad Abu Sayyaf at sa halip ay muling humiling na dapat lumikas na ang lahat ng militar at pulisya sa Sulu at kung hindi ay pupugutan ng ulo ngayon alas 2 ng hapon ang isang bihag.

Maging ang pamunuan ng Armed Forces ay tikom ang bibig sa lamalaking demoralisasyon sa hanay ng mga sundalong nasa Sulu. Nais na kasing pasukin at i-rescue ng mga tropa ang bihag at mapatay ang mga lider ng Abu Sayyaf doon.

Dapat umano ay hindi na nakialam si Puno at pinabayaan na lamang sa Marines at kay Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan ang pagresolba sa problema. Maging si Sen. Richard Gordon, na pinuno ng Red Cross sa bansa at ang International Committee of the Red Cross at sinisisi na rin ng ilang mga sundalo dahil sa patuloy nilang pakikagusap sa Abu Sayyaf at ni hindi naman ipinaalam sa Task Force ICRC at sa AFP ang mga napapag-usapan.

Sa pag-atras ng militar at pulisya at mga armadong sibilyan na nakapalibot sa kuta ng Abu Sayyaf ay biglang dumami ang mga ito at may mga bagong armas na rin, ayon sa isang intelligence report.

Hindi naman mabatid kung sino ang nagbigay ng mga armas, ngunit ayon s a naturang ulat ay posibleng makatakas ang Abu Sayyaf sa bayan ng Indanan at magtago sa kagubatan ng Sulu na kung saan ay hindi ito kabisado ng marines.

Nauna ng tumanggi si Tan na paatrasin ang militar at pulisya, ngunit nanaig umano ang kagustuhan ni Puno na mag pull out ang mga tropa dahil sa pangako ng Abu Sayyaf na palalayain ang isang bihag.

Patuloy naman diumano ang pagmo-monitor ng mga sundalong Kano sa Sulu sa naturang sitwasyon at naghihintay lamang na humingi ng tulong ang pamahalaang Arroyo sa US Embassy upang mailigtas ang tatlong bihag. (Mindanao Examiner)

Death of Filipino girl killed in war to be remembered

DAVAO CITY, Philippines - It’s been two years since we were shockingly awakened by the tragic death of an innocent girl-child victim, Grecil Buya.

She was a frail child, an eager student, a responsible sister to her younger siblings, and a loving daughter to her hard-working peasant parents. Her parents and siblings are living in appalling conditions of poverty due to economic uncertainties and the disruptions brought about by continuous military operations in their community.

She was fatally hit with bullets in her elbow and head which caused her death during an encounter between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) near their residence in New Bataan, Compostela Valley Province on the morning of March 31, 2007.

According to the Regional Program Director of Children’s Rehabilitation Center – Southern Mindanao Regional Office (CRC-SMRO), Girley dela Cerna, “the military wittingly claimed that they killed the young child Grecil because she was an “NPA child soldier” and was good at maneuvering a rifle. But the 67th Infantry Battalion under the 1001st Infantry Brigade of the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army retracted their position when found out in a series of investigations that Grecil was an innocent civilian, a child-victim not spared by their desperate attacks.”

“Two years had already passed but still, justice is elusive for the child-victim and her family. The family was already uprooted from their home place because of continuous military harassment and coercion to drop the case against them. Their economic activities were paralyzed as well as the rights of the children for recreation, development and protection. The family could not even visit the cemetery where Grecil was buried because until this time, the military is threatening the entire family including the children for arrest,” dela Cerna added.

“While the three remaining siblings had strive to overcome their deep traumatic experiences (countless nightmares, bed wetting, crying in their sleep), but how can these children surpass the scarred memories when they frequently see military men in uniform and tracking down their family’s residence? Until now, the family is not even protected and their lives are posed in great danger,” the CRC-SMRO director said.

“Grecil’s case could happen to any vulnerable children who can be legitimate targets of attack by State security forces who are militarizing civilian communities and implementing low intensity operations (LIO) under the framework of Oplan Bantay Laya. Gross violations on children’s rights continue to escalate while the Arroyo government is desperate in its drive to crush the insurgency through massive military operations. Through Oplan Bantay Laya, children are not spared from killing, maiming, torture, illegal arrests and detentions, and misrepresenting them as rebel “child soldiers” which are concrete violations of children’s human rights,” dela Cerna said

The 2nd-year death of Grecil will be commemorated through Interfaith Prayer and Candle lighting which will be held Tuesday at 5:00-6:00 p.m. at the Centennial Park in Davao City.

Child rights advocates as well as humanitarian groups will gather to lit candles for our unending quest for justice and peace. Justice for Grecil and all the children victims of state terrorism,” dela Cerna said.

Troops deployed in Maguindanao province in southern Philippines

Government troops belonging to the Army's 601st Infantry Brigade under Colonel Marlo Salazar prepare for deployment Sunday, March 29, 2009 in Maguindanao province where security forces battled Moro rebels last week. A regional army commander Generals Raymundo Ferrer and Alfredo Cayton visit a wounded infantryman at a military hospital in the province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

Sayyaf terrorists hold on to Red Cross hostages in the Philippines

Security forces and armed village guards pull out Sunday, March 29, 2009 from Indanan town where the Abu Sayyaf is holding hostage three Red Cross workers to allow peaceful negotiations for their safe release. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Nickee Butlangan).

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 29, 2009) – Philippine authorities on Sunday were awaiting release of one of three Red Cross workers being held captive by the Abu Sayyaf after troops pulled out from a terrorist stronghold in the southern province of Sulu.

The Abu Sayyaf has twice threatened to behead one hostage by Tuesday if security forces do not move away from its jungle lair in Indanan town.

The group, notorious for killing and kidnapping foreigners for ransom, is holding Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba after seizing them on January 15 in Patikul town where they inspected a water and sanitation project at a prison facility.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno ordered the military and police to remove their forces around Indanan town to open negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf and save the hostages.

The terrorists previously promised to free one captive after troops pulled out from Indanan, but reneged on its commitment and demanded that armed village guards also move away from near their stronghold.

Wire reports on Sunday said the Abu Sayyaf terrorists were now demanding a bigger military withdrawal with solders staying inside their barracks in Jolo town on the other side of Indanan.

It quoted Sulu Governor Sakur Tan as saying that Parad phoned him to demand for a total military pull out. Tan previously said that any pull out by troops in Indanan town could give the Abu Sayyaf an opportunity to escape with their hostages and consolidate forces and kidnap more civilians, virtually putting at risk many people in the province.

Soldiers were demoralized by orders for them to pull out in Indanan town because three had already died and 23 other wounded in fierce fighting last week after Parad’s group tried to break through from the military cordon.

The military and police said among those holding the aid workers were members of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya, possibly Dulmatin, Marwan and Umar Patek, all wanted by Jakarta for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 mostly foreigners. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sayyaf, naka-iscor na naman

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Pilipinas (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 29, 2009) – Sa ikalawang pagkakataon, muling naisahan ng Abu Sayyaf ang pamahalaan matapos na pumalya itong pakawalan ang isang bihag sa kabila ng pull out ng maraming mga parak, sundalo at sibilyan na nakapalibot sa kanilang kuta sa kabundukan ng Sulu.

Sinabi ni Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan na tinawagan siya ni Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad at sinabing dapat pang iurong ng militar at pulisya sa bayan ng Jolo lamang ang lahat ng puwersa nito sa lalawigan.

Ito’y matapos na iurong ni Interior Secy. Ronaldo Puno ang puwersa ng pamahalaan sa kapaligiran ng bayan ng Indanan sa kagustuhan ng Abu Sayyaf na nagbantang pupugutan ng ulo ang tatlong Red Cross workers na sina Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni at Pilipinang si Mary Jean Lacaba kung hindi aatras ang militar at pulisya.

Naunang umatras nuong nakaraang linggo ang marines sa Indanan kapalit ng pangako ni Parad kay Sen. Richard Gordon, na pinuno ng Philippine National Red Cross, ngunit hindi rin ito tinupad ng Abu Sayyaf.

Samantala, matindi ang demoralisasyon sa hanay ng militar at pulisya dahil sa kautusan ni Puno na iatras ang mga puwersa. Tatlong sundalo na ang nasawi at 23 iba pa ang sugatan sa hanay ng marines dahil sa sagupaan sa Abu Sayyaf ng magtangka ang grupo ni Parad na tumakas mula sa cordon ng militar.

Maging ang pulisya ay dismayado sa order ni Puno, ngunit wala naman magawa ang mga opisyal sa kautusan nito. Maging si Tan ay hindi sangayon sa pull out ng mga tropa dahil tiyak na makakatakas ang Abu Sayyaf at madagdagan ang puwersa nito at armas.

Napaulat na humihingi ng mula $1-$10 milyong ransom ang Abu Sayyaf kapalit ng paglaya ng mga bihag na dinukot nuong Enero 15 sa bayan ng Patikul matapos na bumisita sa isang bilangguan. (Mindanao Examiner)

The Mindanao Examiner Newspaper in Southern Mindanao

From the corners of Kidapawan City to Kabacan in North Cotabato to Davao City, the Mindanao Examiner remains one of the sources of information for many newspaper readers in southern Mindanao. (Photo by Geo Solmerano)

Philippines succumbs to terrorist demands, pulls out troops around Sulu jungle lair

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Exzaminer / Mar. 28, 2009) – The Philippines on Saturday finally surrendered to Abu Sayyaf demands to pull out troops near its jungle lair or terrorists would behead one of three Red Cross hostages in Sulu province.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno was quoted by local journalists as saying that troops will pull out beginning Saturday from the jungle stronghold of Abu Sayyaf terrorists where the aid workers are being held captive.

The trio – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba – were kidnapped January 15 after inspecting a water and sanitation project at a prison in the town of Patikul.

An Abu Sayyaf leader, Albader Parad, have threatened to behead one hostage if security forces are not pulled out from the town until end of this month.

Troops, policemen and armed village guards have put up a cordon in Indanan town to prevent the terrorists from escaping with their hostages.

“We are giving them a breathing space where they feel safe to negotiate,” Puno said, referring to the Abu Sayyaf. “I think we are more than bending over backwards in order that the kidnappers will not feel threatened.”

Puno made a brief stopover in Zamboanga City on his way to Sulu province with Gov. Sakur Tan for a meeting with senior police and military officials.

Senior Supt. Julasirim Kasim, Sulu police chief, said they are waiting for orders whether to pull out or not. “We just take orders from our superiors and if they wanted us to pull back, then there is no problem with us and we can maintain intelligence operations to monitor the movements of the kidnappers,” he said.

Kasim said they have intelligence reports that the Abu Sayyaf may kill Vagni if security forces are not pulled out in Indanan town. He said the terrorists issued an ultimatum until end of March for security forces to withdraw from the town.

The Abu Sayyaf last week also threatened to behead hostages after two days of clashes that left three soldiers dead and 23 others wounded. Parad was also wounded in the fighting and warned that they will kill the hostage if clashes erupt again or if troops get near them.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in Western Mindanao, ignored phone calls from journalists, while Col. Eugenio Clemen, marine commander in Sulu, declined to give any statement about the pull out of soldiers from Indanan and so was Col. Ernesto Torres, the spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to where the hostages belong has appealed again to the Abu Sayyaf to free the Notter, Vagni and Lacaba.

Appearing on a 34-second video on the ICRC website, Jakob Kellenberger, the ICRC's president, appealed to the kidnappers to free the trio.

“I am very concerned by the threats of the kidnappers,” Kellenberger said in a rare appearance. “I am asking for their safe, unconditional and immediate release.”

The appeal was in response to threats made by the Abu Sayyaf that they will kill one of the ICRC captives if their demand for a pull back of troops goes unmet.

”The sole purpose of Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas' work is to give help to those in need. It is impossible to understand what the kidnappers could possibly achieve by hurting them. Harming a humanitarian aid worker cannot be justified under any ideology or religious law,” Kellenberger said in the video, behind him a world map showing red dots where the ICRC is operating.

The ICRC said Kellenberger spoke with Philippine Executive Secretary, Eduardo Ermita, and asked him to ensure that the authorities do everything in their power to save the lives of the hostages, while avoiding any action that could put their lives at risk.

”The ICRC's priority is that Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas remain safe and that they be able to return to their families, who miss them desperately. Their children, parents, siblings, spouses, friends and colleagues will not give up hope of seeing them again soon,” Kellenberger said.

The television network ABS-CBN also showed a video footage of the hostages sitting together and surrounded by their captors, many of them clad in military uniforms and wearing ski masks.

Two of the guards were holding a black banner with Arabic inscriptions similar to what the terrorist group al-Qaeda show in their propaganda videos.

Filipino military intelligence reports said among those holding the aid workers are members of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya.

Jemaah Islamiya militants led by Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir also known as Marwan, is believed to be among the Abu Sayyaf holding the hostages. Two more Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek are also said to be hiding in Sulu.

Zulkifli, who also heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), was believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines and has been added to most-wanted list of the U.S. Rewards for Justice Program.

The U.S. offered as much as $5-million bounty for the capture of Zulkifli and other known Abu Sayyaf leaders, while Dulmatin carries a $10-million reward on his head and $1-million for Patek. Manila also put aside P100-million bounties for the capture of Abu Sayyaf leaders dead or alive. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kidnapped teacher is alive in Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 28, 2009) – Philippine police said a kidnapped teacher in Mindanao who was reported to have died in captivity is alive.

Kidnappers have contacted the police to deny reports that Noemi Mandi, who was one of three government teachers kidnapped March 3 in Zamboanga Sibugay’s Naga town, had died in captivity, according to a report by the television network ABS-CBN on Saturday.

Police earlier said that it received reports that Mandi had died and that the remaining hostages Jocelyn Enriquez and Jocelyn Inion were handed over to Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Basilan province, where they are also holding three kidnapped teachers, a boy and a Sri Lankan peace worker since early this year.

Senior Supt. Federico Castro Jr., commander of a police task force working for the release of the hostages, said the kidnappers allowed him to talk with Mandi on the phone.

“This time at least we are sure that they are all alive," Castro told ABS-CBN.

He said they recorded the phone conversation, but Mandi was complaining about their living condition in the hands of the kidnappers.

Police did not say whether Mandi was calling from Basilan or in Zamboanga Sibugay province. The kidnappers have earlier demanded P10 million ransoms for the safe release of the three teachers. (Mindanao Examiner)

Rebels burn school in Basilan Island in South RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 28, 2009) – Moro rebels allegedly burned down a government school in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, a known stronghold of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) forces, the military said Saturday.

Army spokeswoman Lt. Steffani Cacho said the rebels, led by Omar Ladjala, burned the Erely School in the town of Sumisip on Friday. The motive of the attack was unknown, but Cacho said the villagers were supporting military efforts in the town.

“It could be in retaliation to the continued support we are getting from the locals in Basilan, especially in Sumisip town,” she said told the Mindanao Examiner.

No one was reported hurt or killed in the arson, she said.

Security forces had repeatedly clashed with MILF rebels in Basilan, just several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City. Authorities have linked the MILF to terrorism and kidnappings for ransom in the restive region of Mindanao, but the rebel group also denied all the allegations.

On Friday, deadly clashes in Maguindanao province on the main island of Mindanao killed 20 rebels and seven soldiers, according to the military.

But the rebel group said only two of its fighters were slain in the fighting it blamed to the army after troops raided a known MILF stronghold near Mamasapano town in the Muslim autonomous region.

The MILF has been fighting the past decades for the establishment of a separate Muslim state in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

27 killed in new fighting in southern Philippines

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 28, 2009) – At least 27 Muslim rebels and government soldiers were killed in fierce clashes in the southern Philippines, where security forces are battling the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Five more soldiers were also wounded in Friday clashes in the village of Bialong in Mamasapano town near in the Muslim autonomous province of Maguindanao where President Gloria Arroyo visited.

“At least 20 rebels and seven soldiers were killed in the fighting. The rebels attacked troops in the area that triggered the clashes,” Army Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Ponce said the fighting started at around 5.30 a.m. and lasted more than eight hours. He said soldiers clashed with some 80 MILF rebels.

The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence, said only two of its members were killed in the daylong clashes. “Only two of our fighters were killed fighting for freedom. There were more soldiers killed in the fighting,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.

He said MILF forces also destroyed two army tanks and seized a cache of weapons, including an M60 machine gun, from the military.

Kabalu accused the military of provoking the rebels when troops raided an MILF stronghold in the village of Bialong and clashed with rebel forces. “We don’t know why troops attacked our position, but this is a violation of the cease-fire agreement the MILF signed with the Philippine government,” he said.

Peace talks between the MILF and Arroyo government collapsed in August last year after the failed signing of the Muslim homeland deal the negotiators initially signed in Malaysia, which brokered the seven-year old talks. (Mindanao Examiner)

President Gloria Arroyo Visits Maguindanao Province In Mindanao

ilipino leader Gloria Arroyo with Regional Governor Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan during the Regional Solid Waste Management Program in Maguindanao Provincial Complex. March 27, 2009. Mrs. Arroyo also receives a Galang from Bai Reshal Ampatuan, wife of Mayor Datu Andal Uy Ampatuan, Jr. during her visit in Municipality of Datu Unsay in Maguindanao. She also led the ribbon cutting of the Maguindanao Provincial Capitol Complex. With the president are (from left to right) Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, former Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr., OIC Governor of Maguindanao, Datu Sajid Islam Uy Ampatuan, Datu Unsay Mayor Datu Andal Uy Ampatuan, Jr., Mayor Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Shariff Aguak Mayor Datu Anwar Ampatuan. (Mindanao Examiner / Contributed by Rey Baniquet / Best Available Photo)

Kidnapped Filipino teacher dies in captivity, police says

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 27, 2009) – Filipino authorities on Friday said it received reports that one of three kidnapped teachers had died in captivity in Mindanao island.

The teachers - Jocelyn Enriquez, Jocelyn Inion and Noime Mande – were seized by bandits March 13 while on their way home in the village of Bangkaw-Bangkaw in the town of Naga in Zamboanga Sibugay province.

Police said it received reports that Mande had died from complications from a previous surgery. Military officials said they heard about the report from the local media, but there were no confirmation whether it was true or not.

“We heard about it, but we have no reports whether the report is true or not,” Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Police said the kidnappers have previously demanded P10 million ransoms in exchange for the safe release of the hostages.

Another report said the teachers had been handed over to the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan Island, where the terrorist group is still holding three other government teachers kidnapped in January in Zamboanga City; a nine-year old boy snatched in Lamitan City and a Sri Lankan peace worker seized.

An Abu Sayyaf faction is also holding three Red Cross workers kidnapped in January in the province of Sulu. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kidapawan City Plaza in Mindanao

Engineering students from Notre Dame of Kidapawan College pose as children play Thursday, March 26, 2009 in Kidapawan City Plaza. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Geo Solmerano)

James Balao: Still Missing Almost 200 Days On

CPA founding member and Oclupan Clan Association president James M. Balao, 47 years old, was abducted by suspected military agents at Lower Tomay, La Trinidad, Benguet on September 17, 2008. (Photo courtesy of Cordillera Peoples Alliance)

BAGUIO CITY, (Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project / Mar. 26, 2009) - Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) founding member James Moy Balao has been missing for six months. Ironically, the anniversary of his abduction by five armed men who warned witnesses away by claiming to be policemen was marked by National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales rejecting European Union concerns about continuing summary killings and disappearances.

The CPA claims state complicity in Balao’s disappearance –maintaining it to part of “a systematic and desperate move of the State against members and officers of the CPA in its ‘counter-terrorism and anti-insurgency’ campaign.”

The European Parliament passed a lengthy and strongly-worded resolution on March 12 expressing “grave concern” over the “the hundreds of cases of extrajudicial killings of political activists and journalists…and the role that the security forces have played in orchestrating and perpetrating those murders.”

Gonzales responded a week later on March 17 admitting there were still killings, but flatly denying any state involvement in them. He spoke to the media in Manila the very day the family and friends of James Balao marked the sixth month of his abduction. Next week Balao will have been missing for more than 200 days.

Balao’s family and friends have accused the Philippine National Police (PNP) and military intelligence units of being behind his disappearance – a charge rejected by the authorities. Yet two months ago, a regional judge effectively blamed the government by agreeing to a writ of amparo on behalf of the missing activist’s family –and demanding the “State disclose where Balao is.”

Balao, 47, disappeared on September 17 in Lower Tomay, La Trinidad, Benguet near Baguio City. Eyewitnesses claimed he was abducted by five men in civilian clothes who jumped out of a Toyota Revo or Mitsubishi Adventure van and handcuffed him as he was making his way home.

At least one of the men was said to be armed with an Armalite rifle. Reports claim Balao’s abductees told onlookers he was ‘a drug pusher’ and was being taken to Camp Dangwa, the regional headquarters of the PNP. The police deny responsibility for his abduction.

In publicly confirming he had agreed to a writ of amparo, Judge Benigno Galacgac of Regional Trial Court 53 in La Trinidad, ruled the police had “miserably failed in conducting an efficient investigation, because it was limited, superficial and one-sided.”

In response, Cordillera Police Chief Superintendent Eugene Martin claimed the CPA was being ‘uncooperative’ in the investigation.

The writ, issued and published in January, orders the authorities to “release him from detention.” However, very little, if anything seems to have happened as a result of the writ being granted. The judge denied the family’s request to go inside military camps in search of Balao.

Balao’s family and friends claim the fact he had previously been arrested for his political activity is part evidence of the state complicity in his disappearance. In 1988 he was charged with possession of “subversive” documents –but the case was subsequently dismissed through lack of evidence.

At the time of his disappearance, Balao was deep into the research work of his clan’s genealogy. He belongs to the Kankanaey-Ibaloi tribes and is the president of their clan, the Oclupan Clan Association.

He double-majored in Psychology and Economics at the University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB) and was editor of the school paper, Outcrop. In 1986, he was part of the staff of the Constitutional Convention assisting anthropologist Ponciano Bennagen in securing provisions for the rights of indigenous peoples in the 1987 Constitution. He also helped set up the Ifugao Peasant Leaders’ Forum.

“James was always an honor student in elementary school,” his father Art told a meeting in Baguio a few months after he disappeared, organized by the group “Surface James Balao” which has been tirelessly campaigning to locate his whereabouts. “He topped the National College Entrance Exam and maintained his scholarship at UPB until he finished his course.”

“With his vast knowledge, we hope and pray that he will not be harmed and be set free the soonest so he can continue to uplift the lives of Cordillerans. He is the eldest of my four children and is single, devoting his life in research to save the culture and traditions of the Igorots.”

Editha Burgos, mother of missing activist Jonas, visited Baguio to meet with Balao’s family in the weeks after the latter went missing - and as with her own tireless campaign, the campaign to “surface” Balao has garnered both national and international support.

The Church, indigenous peoples’ groups, human rights activists, members of Congress and regional governors have all condemned the practice of enforced disappearances. While human rights groups blame the authorities with complicity if not direct involvement in the disappearances, the government claims the “disappeared” are victims of political infighting among insurgent groups.

The human rights monitoring group Karapatan claims there were no fewer than 201 enforced disappearances between January 2001 and October 2008. The figure is contested by the authorities.

“James holds our hearts with so much respect for him. He is all so very dear to us, to our brother Winston and to our father. We love him like you love your son or brother. We miss him and want him back home. This man deserves to live,” said sister Nonette in an open plea on behalf of her family.

“Our mother is bedridden, afflicted with osteoporosis and advanced stage of Alzheimer’s disease. She dearly needs the love and care of James.

“Everyone believes our mother has no inkling of what has happened to James. But she stares long and hard at the pictures of him printed on the T-shirts –then she looks away sadly, like she knows.

“Her mind may have all but forgotten memories of James. But maybe a mother’s heart never forgets,” Nonette said.

James Balao will have been missing for 200 days on April 4. (Marilou Guieb - Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project. The author is correspondent of the national daily Business Mirror and Northern Luzon bureau chief of the Women’s Feature Service, an independent news service. )

Link: http://www.rightsreporting.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5744&Itemid=130

Sayyaf threatens anew to behead Red Cross hostages in the Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 25, 2009) – Abu Sayyaf terrorists have threatened to beheaded anew one of their three Red Cross hostages if security forces do not pull out near their jungle stronghold in Sulu province in the southern Philippines, police said on Wednesday.

The Abu Sayyaf is holding Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugene Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba in the hinterlands of Indanan town where soldiers, policemen and armed village guards have put up a cordon to prevent the terrorists from escaping with their hostages.

“We have intelligence reports that the Abu Sayyaf may kill Vagni if security forces are not pulled out in Indanan town. We are trying to verify these reports,” Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, the provincial police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the terrorists issued an ultimatum until end of this month for the government to pull out security forces.

The Abu Sayyaf last week also threatened to behead one hostage after two days of clashes that left three soldiers dead and 23 others wounded. One of its leaders, Albader Parad, was also wounded in the fighting and warned that they decapitate one hostage if clashes erupt again or if troops get near them.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces overseeing the operations in Sulu, said security forces will continue to maintain its presence in Indanan town and is closely working with Kasim and Sakur Tan, the provincial governor, who heads the government task force in-charge of securing the safe release of the hostages.

“We will maintain our presence in Indanan town,” he said, adding, any withdrawal of troops could pave the way for terrorists to escape and consolidate their forces.

Tan also rejected Abu Sayyaf demands for a military pull out. “That is tantamount to surrendering the whole town to terrorists. I will not allow that to happen,” he said.

Hundreds of villagers have armed themselves and were helping the police and military secure the town and prevent the terrorists from breaking out of the military cordon.

Military intelligence reports said among those holding the aid workers are members of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya.

Jemaah Islamiya militants led by Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir also known as Marwan, is believed to be among the Abu Sayyaf holding the hostages. Two more Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek are also said to be hiding in Sulu.

Zulkifli, who also heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), was believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines and has been added to most-wanted list of the U.S. Rewards for Justice Program.

The U.S. offered as much as $5-million bounty for the capture of Zulkifli and other known Abu Sayyaf leaders, while Dulmatin carries a $10-million reward on his head and $1-million for Patek. Manila also put aside P100-million bounties for the capture of Abu Sayyaf leaders dead or alive. (Mindanao Examiner)

Empty police outpost in Zamboanga City

Two telephone linemen work as motorists drive past Wednesday, March 25, 2009 an empty police detachment near Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, where several improvised explosives had been recovered and detonated in recent months. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Philippine Defense Chief Receives Rebel Weapons, Tells Stories To School Children In Mindanao

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro receives an M-16 rifle from a suspected New People’s Army rebel who surrendered to the Philippine Army in Davao City in the southern Mindanao Island on Wednesday, March 25, 2009. Teodoro also told stories and distributed books to school children inside the Eastern Mindanao Command headquarters. (AKP Images / Keith Bacongco)

Engineers inspect water filter facilities in Davao City

An undated photo show engineers from the Davao City Water District in Mindanao inspecting the slow sand filter facilities in Malagos as part of the DCWD’s regular inspection tours. The filters help ensure the quality of water coming from the Malagos River, from which local residents draw for their daily needs. (Mindanao Examiner / Contributed photo by Edmarson Sola)

Marcopper mining disaster remembered in the Philippines

Thousands of people from different villages and municipalities of Marinduque province in Luzon Island joined the sandbagging of Mogpog river bank in Bocboc village in Mogpog town on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 to prevent further flooding in the area due to heavily silted riverbed from the toxic mine tailings from the tailings dam of Marcopper Mining Corporation. The event also commemorates the 13th year anniversary of the 1996 Marcopper mining disaster that inundated the Boac River by toxic mine tailing, causing hazards to the environment and health of the residents. (AKP IMAGES / Buck Pago)

Marinduque, Philippines – Filipinos on Tuesday commemorated the 13th anniversary of the Marcopper mining disaster that inundated the Boac River with tons of toxic mine tailings, inflicting health, economic and environmental hazards to the locals.

The toxic mine tailings killed the river and the tragedy was considered the most dreadful legacy of large scale mining disaster in the country’s history.
This year’s activity drew attention to the heavily silted Mogpog River that flooded the village of Bocboc only last month. The river bed sits at same level of elevation as the community due to siltation.

In solidarity with the communities of Mogpog, villagers from the municipalities of Boac, Gasan, Buenavista, and Santa Cruz have banded together to help put sandbags along the river banks to prevent future flooding.

The Marinduque Council for Environmental Concerns (MACEC) spearheaded the sandbagging participated by more than 1,000 residents, including mayors Senen Livelo of Mogpog and Meynardo Solomon, of Boac municipalities.

The Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-Kasama sa Kalikasan/Friends of the Earth Phils. (LRC-KsK/FoE Phils.) attended the event in solidarity with the people of Marinduque.

Those who joined in the sandbagging were surprised to see soldiers and policemen also participating in building a temporary dike.

Provincial environmentalist Danilo Quirejero lauded the efforts of the community and acknowledged the need to solve the main problem which is the real and continuing threat of the Maguila-guila tailings dam that until today contains millions of cubic meters of toxic tailings.

He said the unity of the people to protect their environment was overwhelming that some 2,000 sandbags were filled and served as a temporary dike.

In Quezon City, indigenous peoples, peasants and non-government organizations under the pro-environment group called Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), staged a symbolic sandbagging of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) main office on Tuesday as their way of commemorating the mining disaster.

“It has been thirteen years since the drainage tunnel plug of the San Antonio pit failed, discharging its toxic contents into the Boac and Makulapnit rivers, effectively killing all life therein. Prior to this disaster, Marcopper was also responsible for spilling mine tailings and other chemicals into the Mogpog River when the Maguila-guila Dam broke at the height of typhoon Monang in December 1993,” Ronald Gregorio, of the LRC, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

“The people of Marinduque continue to suffer the destructive effects of mining in their province even as justice continues to elude them. The Marinduque case demonstrates our government’s failure to protect its citizens from large scale mining companies who violate our laws and environmental and safety standards with impunity,” Gregorio said.

LRC said that prior to the 1993 Marcopper mining disaster; the Mogpog and Boac Rivers had watered crops like coconut, banana and cassava. The rivers also provided an invaluable source of food to residents.

“Today, the people of Marinduque are conducting sandbagging operations along the Mogpog due to fears of a possible overflow of the heavily silted river. Almost two decades after the tragedy, Marinduque is still dealing with the aftermath. This is illustrative of the long term negative impacts of large-scale mining operations which unfortunately our government is vigorously promoting,” said Jaybee Garganera, ATM National Coordinator.

“While the people of Marinduque conduct sandbagging operations in response to the threat of flooding from the same dam that caused the infamous disaster of 1993, ATM is sandbagging the DENR to symbolize the threat it poses to other communities due to its leadership’s ill-advised, all-out support for mining,” Garganera added.

ATM is currently holding a week-long Anti-Mining Solidarity protests to dramatize growing opposition to large-scale mining all over the country.

Motorbike accidents rampant in Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 24, 2009) – The number of motorcycle accidents in Zamboanga City in Mindanao has been steadily increasing as authorities appealed for safety on the road.

Police said it recorded an average of 100 cases of motorcycle accidents every month and most of these involved young drivers whose ages range were between 18 and 24.

Zamboanga City has more than 36,000 privately owned motorcycles. And a huge number of unregistered bikes are also believed plying the roads despite a strict government campaign against erring drivers.

Police said a 1,298 motorcycle accidents with ten fatalities had been recorded in 2008, but the first two months of this year have already noted more than 200 road accidents.

And most of these accidents had been blamed to reckless drivers and drank driving, it said.
Police appealed to bike riders to be more responsible and observe traffic rules to avoid road accidents. (Sheri Gay Catague and Amilbahar Mawalil)

Bomb explodes in Cotabato City in Mindanao

Army bomb experts investigate the scene where a homemade bomb exploded Tuesday, March 24, 2009 in Mindanao's Cotabato City in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales).

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 24, 2009) – A homemade bomb exploded Tuesday morning on a roadside in Cotabato City in the restive region of southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said the bomb was left on a jeep parked along the highway in the village of Tamontaka. No one was reported injured or killed in the blast that occurred at around 7.15 a.m., said Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

Ponce said soldiers recovered fragments of 60mm mortar bomb and broken pieces of a cellular phone used to trigger detonation. “It was an IED (improvised explosive device) alright and it’s good that no one was hurt or killed in the attack,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

No group or individual claimed immediate responsibility for the explosion, but Ponce pointed to the country’s largest Muslim rebel group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“This could be part of a terrorism campaign aimed at forcing the government to resume the collapsed peace talks with the MILF,” Ponce said, adding, the attacks coincided with the visit to Manila of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

“We have noticed an increase in MILF bombings the past days which coincided with Blair’s visit to the Philippines,” he added.

Blair arrived in Manila on Sunday for a series of speaking engagements and also met with President Gloria Arroyo.

The MILF denied any involvement in the blast and branded the military reports as propaganda. “These military reports are all propaganda aimed at derailing future peace talks between the MILF and the Philippine government,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.

Arroyo opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001, but the negotiations collapsed in August last year after Manila reneged on a deal that would give homeland to more than four million Muslims in the southern Philippines.

The MILF has been fighting the past decades for the establishment of a separate Muslim homeland. Kabalu said the MILF would only resume peace talks if Arroyo honors the Memorandum on the Ancestral Domain that peace negotiators initially signed in July in Malaysia. (Mindanao Examiner)