Gunmen kill Zamboanga town mayor

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 26, 2009) – A mayor in Zamboanga Sibugay province was killed in an attack Sunday in Pagadian City, reports said.

Reports said Abdul Ayon, the mayor of Malangas town, was shot by motorcycle gunmen who escaped after the shooting. The motive of the attack was unknown and police suspect the killing could be connected to politics.

ABS-CBN television reported that Ayon was shot outside a mall. It was not immediately known if Ayon was alone or not.

In 2001, two gunmen also killed the mayor of Malangas, Denia Tapodoc, and injured 7 other town officials. The gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons on the officials during a festivity.
Filipinos are to elect their new leaders in May 2010 and politicians are expected to file their candidacy on November.

Elections in the Philippines are traditionally bloody. Many politicians maintain private armed goons to harass their opponents and intimidate voters. (Mindanao Examiner)

Davao City Council Members Under Threat

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 11, 2008) – Three members of the Davao City Council are allegedly the target of assassinations in Mindanao, the official Philippine News Agency reported Saturday.

It said Davao City Deputy Mayor Sara Duterte will meet with security officials in a bid to confirm assassination plots against the trio.

Duterte said City Councilor Arnolfo Ricardo Cabling reportedly is in the hit-list of the New People’s Army (NPA) and an assassin had been sent down from the mountains of Paquibato district to carry out the hit job.

City Councilors Peter Lavina and Angela Trinidad, known for their leftist bent, are also the subject of the same operations apparently by soldiers.

Cabling said he does not know why he could be in the hit list, saying he has no debt to the people. Cabling is the chair of the committee on housing, rural and urban development, and has lately been praised for his efforts to provide socialized housing to the homeless urban poor.

On the other hand, Lavina has deplored reports saying he has a house in far-flung Barangay Tamayong in Calinan district that he loaned out to communist rebels.

Trinidad has complained she is being tailed by suspicious persons and that allegedly could only be from the military.

Trinidad, daughter of the late militant firebrand Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) chairperson Erasto Librado is a ranking official of the leftist Bayan Muna, branded by the military as a legal front organization of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Philippine Military Agent Shot Dead In Troubled South

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 10, 2008) – A military intelligence agent was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in the southern Philippines, police said on Friday.

Police said the gunmen attacked Ronnie Ebong, 45, while onboard his motorcycle in the town of Baliguian in Zamboanga del Norte province, where rebels are actively operating.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but police suspect it was connected to his covert work. The gunmen fled on a jeep after the shooting which occurred at around 9 p.m., police said without giving further details about the soldier's background. (With a report from Erico Rosco)

Security Forces Hunt Down Assassin Of Mindanao Politician

PAGADIAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 5, 2008) – Police and military mounted a manhunt against a man who killed the deputy mayor of the southern Philippine town of Pantar.

The gunman shot Abdul Rashid Unos while tending to his convenience store in Lanao del Norte’s Pantar town late Thursday afternoon.

“We have sent troops to ensure the peace and order in the town is not affected by the killing. We are helping the police maintain peace in the area,’ Army Brigadier General Hilario Atendido, commander of the military’s Task Force Lanao, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Senior Superintendent Lino Bagol, the provincial police chief, said they are still investigating the killing. “We are still investigating the killing, but security forces are hunting down the man who killed the politician,” he said in a separate interview.

Bagol said the victim’s family wanted the National Bureau of Investigation to help in solving the case. “We still do not know who was behind or the motive of the killing and we will help the NBI in the investigation of this case,” he said.

He said the politician was shot twice in the body with a .45-caliber pistol and died on the way to hospital. The still unidentified gunman escaped after the shooting.

It was not immediately known whether the murder was connected to politics, feud or clan war, but vendetta killings are not uncommon in Lanao del Norte. Political feud and clan war are the two biggest problems after Muslim insurgency in the province, home to about a million Malay-Arabic Maranaos. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gunmen Kill Ship Owner In Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 4, 2008) – Two motorcycle gunmen killed a ship owner in an attack in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, police said.

Police said the Faustino Saavedra and his wife Floria, were on a car when gunmen attacked them near downtown Zamboanga late Thursday. The woman was unhurt in the attack. Saavedra’s family owns the Ever Lines Shipping Company in Zamboanga City.

“We are still investigating the killing,” said Police Insp. Ibrahim Jambiran.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but it was not the first time that a businessman had been killed in Zamboanga City by gunmen. Previous attacks blamed on assassins included journalists, doctors, lawyers and traders.

Zamboanga is one of the most dangerous cities in the southern Philippines because of the presence of gun-for-hire and the proliferation of illegal weapons, mostly in the hands of criminals and rebels. (Mindanao Examiner)

Killed RP Lawmaker Buried In Hometown

A family waits outside their house adored with posters of Rep. Wajhab Akbar and his two wife, Jum Akbar, left, governor of Basilan and Cherry Lyn, right, mayor of Isabela City, for the hearse of slain Filipino Muslim lawmaker Wahab Akbar Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007 in Basilan province in southern Philippines. Akbar, a former rebel Moro National Liberation Front leader, was killed after a powerful bomb exploded at the south entrance of the House of Representatives in the Philippine capital late Tuesday. The bombing also killed a chauffeur and wounded two other lawmakers and six employees, police said.

(Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

BASILAN ISLAND, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 14, 2007) – A Muslim lawmaker who was killed in a Philippine bombing was buried Wednesday in his hometown in Basilan island, south of Manila.

Thousands of supporters chanted "Allahu Akbar…Allahu Akbar" as Akbar's hearse was paraded around Isabela City. Many who lined up the streets were weeping and crying out his name.

Akbar, a former rebel Moro National Liberation Front leader, was killed after a powerful bomb exploded at the south entrance of the House of Representatives in the Philippine capital late Tuesday.

"We loved him so much. He was such a good man and he helped many poor people here. There is nobody who can take his place. May Allah curse whoever had killed him," said Nasser Amdam, 43.

The bombing also killed a chauffeur and wounded two other lawmakers Henry Teves and Luzviminda Ilagan.

Akbar died at the Far Eastern University hospital where doctors tried to save his life - his skull was fractured from the blast that his supporters and families believed was an assassination.

"It was an assassination. We have lost a great leader, who unified Christians and Muslims in Basilan," his spokesman Chris Puno told reporters without elaborating.

Puno said the Akbar's families wanted a thorough investigation into the blast.
"We condemned in the strongest possible term this criminal and dastardly act," said House Speaker Jose de Venecia.

Gov. Sakur Tan, of Sulu province, rushed to Basilan with his wife, Nurunisah Tan, after learning about Akbar's death. "We condemned this senseless killing of Rep. Wahab Akbar," he said.

At least 8 people were wounded in the bombing that destroyed the south-wing ceiling of the building. It was unclear how the explosion occurred, but witnesses said they smelled gunpowder in the area.

Reports were conflicting and others said the explosion emanated from a car parked at the House of Representatives while some claimed the blast was from a bomb planted inside the building.

Forensic experts and post-blast investigators said they found a wrecked motorcycle probably rigged with explosives and detonated remotely.

Akbar joined the MNLF at the age of 14 in 1974. His father, Mutammad Salajin, was also a rebel commander. In 1994, Akbar went to Syria where he studied Islamic theology and jurisprudence and stayed in the Middle East for about six years.

He returned to Basilan island in 1997 where he preached Islam and was eventually persuaded by his students to run for governor on the island. Akbar won in the elections in 1998 and had served for nine years.

Akbar supported then Vice President Gloria Arroyo after President Joseph Estrada was deposed in 2001 after a bloodless coup. He was also responsible in Arroyo's landslide victory in Basilan in 2004 and so were senators under her.

He also helped a former town mayor Zaldy Ampatuan win in Basilan in elections in the Muslim autonomous region.

The slain lawmaker had four wives, Jum Akbar, now governor of Basilan island and Cherry Lyn, the mayor of Isabela and Marieta Zamoranos and Nur-in. Akbar had 7 children from three if wives. Others said he had as many as 13 wives.

Akbar was repeatedly linked by the military and his opponents to the Abu Sayyaf, which is tied to al-Qaeda terror network. He was said to have organized the Abu Sayyaf, but broke away after Abubakar Abdurajak Janjalani, a militant preacher, was chosen to lead the Al-Harakatul Al-Islamiya.

Abu Sayyaf was originally called Al-Harakatul Al-Islamiya, Arabic name which means "bearer of the sword." Janjalani was killed in 1989 after a firefight with policemen in Basilan island.

His younger brother, Khadaffy Janjalani, took over, but was also slain in Sulu island in 2006 after a clash with army special forces.

Akbar had repeatedly denied his links with the Abu Sayyaf. He was also implicated in the beheading of 14 soldiers in Basilan early this year.

There was no truth to all those things. Wahab Akbar was never an Abu Sayyaf, not even its founder. Those were all lies. Wahab Akbar destroyed the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan," Puno said.

Akbar seized Janjalani's and son and several relatives after the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped more than 50 people in Basilan to force the group to free the hostages.

He was also instrumental in the release of two Belgian citizens – a journalist and an agrarian expert – after they were kidnapped in Zamboanga City and brought to Basilan in the 1990s.

During his stint as governor, Akbar had aggressively pursued agrarian reform in Basilan and the putting up of farmers' and fishermen's cooperatives in different towns and provided thousands of villagers with sustainable livelihood.

"Now that he is dead, the Abu Sayyaf may be back soon in Basilan. We are now like a house with all doors and windows open and waiting for wolves to attack us," Puno said.

Akbar's wives did not give any statement. (Mindanao Examiner)

Ex-Army Colonel Shot Dead In Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 27 Sept) – A former army colonel who escaped assassination in Sulu province was killed in an attack Thursday by a lone gunman in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines, police said.

Police said Ramon Honggo, 68, was shot in the village of Baliwasan and died instantly. “He was shot and killed by a lone gunman,” said Senior Superintendent Manuel Barcena, chief of the local police force.

He said police is still investigating the killing. “The motive of the killing could be personal grudge,” he said.

Honggo arrived in Zamboanga City by boat from Jolo on Wednesday. Police said Honggo was also shot and wounded by one of two gunmen in Jolo town in July. (Mindanao Examiner)

Police Official Assassinated In South RP

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 04 Jul) – A Philippine police officer was gunned down in a daring broad daylight attack on Wednesday in the southern city of Davao, authorities said.

Two gunmen shot Senior Inspector Godofredo Guiritan in front of a pharmacy in the downtown Davao at around 2.30 p.m., police said.

Guiritan died instantly from fatal shots in the head. The assailants escaped after shooting, police said.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but extra-judicial killings is rampant in Davao City.

Last week, two civilians were murdered in separate attacks in the city, where summary killings, allegedly perpetrated by vigilantes and security forces, are a common occurrence.

Hundreds of mostly criminal suspects have been killed the past years in Davao City. (Romy Bwaga)

Abu Sayyaf Assassins Killed In Clash In Southern Philippines

Photos of the two Sailani brothers, Anni and Iting, who were killed in a clash in Basilan island in the southern Philippines. The two men were implicated in the spate of terrorism and killings of soldiers and policemam, including a news photographer, in the restive Jolo island. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 21 Jun) – Philippine soldiers gunned down two notorious Abu Sayyaf assassins long wanted by authorities for the spate of killings and terrorism in the troubled southern region, officials said on Thursday.

Officials said soldiers, aided by civilian informants, stormed an Abu Sayyaf hideout and killed brothers Anni and Iting Sailani in a clash Wednesday afternoon in Basilan island. A son of Iting Sailani was also wounded in the fighting.

“The two brothers were ruthless killers. They were behind the spate of killings of soldiers and policemen and even a journalist,” a regional army spokesman, Major Eugene Batara, told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

The brothers were implicated in dozens of killings, including the murder of news photographer Gene Boyd Lumawag, who was shot in the head by a lone sniper on November 12, 2004 while on assignment for the local news agency Mindanews on Jolo island.

The Filipino government offered six million pesos rewards for their capture dead or alive.

Aged 26, Lumawag was preparing a report on Aid al-Fitr, the Muslim festivity that marks the end of Ramadan. He was hit by a 45mm bullet in the forehead as he was heading towards the pier in the town of Jolo to photograph the sunset, according to the media watch group, Reporters Without Borders.

Lumawag was one of dozens of reporters murdered and wounded in line of duty in the Philippines, tagged as the most dangerous place for journalist after Iraq. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gunman Assassinates Mayoralty Candidate In Central Philippines

CEBU (Mindanao Examiner / 02 May) – Unidentified gunman shot dead a mayoralty candidate in an attack Wednesday in Cebu, police said.

Police said Rogelio Ilustrisimo, who was running as mayor In Santa Fe town in Cebu’s Bantayan island, was killed instantly. The motive of the killing is still unknown, but police suspect the attack was probably connected to politics.

Filipinos are to elect their senators and congressman and local officials in the May 14 elections. Philippine elections are traditionally violent and bloody.

Just last week, a gunman killed Mayor Julian Resuello, of San Carlos City in Pangasinan province, north of Manila. One of his police escort was also killed in the attack.

Angelito Soriano, the suspect in the murder of the mayor, who was wounded in a firefight with police, has been arrested at a hospital in San Carlos City. (Mindanao Examiner)