MANILA, Philippines – American soldiers implicated in the death of a Filipino interpreter in Mindanao have been ordered by the Court of Appeals to shed light on the incident by filing verified returns to writs of amparo and habeas data issued by the Supreme Court.
The CA’s Special Seventeenth Division noted that Captain Michael Kay of the Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines (JSOTFP), Lieutenant Junior Grade Theresa Donelly of the US Barracks, 103rd Infantry Brigade, a Captain Boyer and Master Sergeant Gines, as well as Tomas Rivera of Skylink Security and General Services, had still not filed their returns despite a Supreme Court order that accompanied its granting the petition for the writs filed by the family of interpreter Gregan Cardeño.
Cardeño was an interpreter hired by the American military through Skylink. He was found dead inside his room at JSTOFP headquarters in Marawi City February 2.
Authorities ruled his death a suicide but his relatives and human rights groups suspect he was murdered.
During the hearing on the petition for the writs last July 7, 2010, the US soldiers and Rivera failed to appear before the CA.
Aside from the US soldiers and Rivera, the petition also named former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Visiting Forces Agreement Commission, Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Versoza, Western Mindanao Command chief General Ben Dolorfino, General Rey Aldo and Colonel Felix Castro of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, Senior Police Officers 3 Ali Rangiris and Mayaman Angintaopan of the Marawi City police, and a police intelligence officer surnamed Mago.
The writ of habeas data is a remedy available to any person whose right to privacy, life, liberty or security is violated or threatened by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or of a private individual or entity engaged in the gathering, collecting or storing of data or information regarding the person, family, home and correspondence of the aggrieved party.
The writ of amparo is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty, and security is violated and threatened with violations by unlawful act or omission or a public official or employee, or of a private individual or entity. (Dateline Philippines)
Link: http://dateline.ph/?p=4615
Monday, July 26, 2010
CA orders GIs to explain death of interpreter
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Writ of amparo granted to kin of interpreter found dead among US troops: GMA News
The Supreme Court has granted extra protection to the family of an interpreter for US troops who died under mysterious circumstances in Marawi City, after they claimed receiving threats for pursuing the case.
The high court issued the writ of amparo to 28 relatives of Gregan Cardeño, led by Gregan’s wife Myrna, sister Carivel and sister-in-law Lorraine, who filed the petition.
Contained in an SC resolution dated June 15 but sent out on June 22, the writ of amparo enjoins government officials to protect Cardeño’s relatives against threats from and acts of surveillance by military officials, who they suspect to be involved in events that led to Gregan’s death and are attempting to cover up the incident.
The SC likewise granted the family’s petition for writ of habeas data, which obliges the police and military to transmit to either the Court of Appeals (CA) or to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) all reports and evidence on the deaths of Cardeño and Maj. Javier Ignacio.
Ignacio, commanding officer of the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom)’s Military Police, was helping the family conduct its own investigation when he was himself killed.
The SC resolution further directed the CA to hear on July 1 the petitioners’ requests, which include permission to inspect Gregan’s room in Camp Ranao.
The respondents are outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Visiting Forces Agreement Commission, the Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines, Wesmincom Commander Lt. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino, Philippine National Police director general Jesus Verzosa, and 12 other officers of the local police and military, and of the US soldiers stationed at Camp Ranao in Marawi City.
The respondents were ordered to comment on the petition within five days from receipt of the resolution.
Dead inside a US camp
Gregan, 33, was supposed to be assigned as a security guard at Camp Siongco in Maguindanao province, but on February 1 was allegedly brought instead by a US helicopter to Camp Ranao in Marawi, which is also the headquarters of the 103rd Brigade of the Philippine Army.
Barely three days after, however, Gregan’s family received a call from a local police official telling them that he committed suicide by hanging himself midnight of February 2.
The family, however, suspected there was foul play as Gregan was still able to call them before he allegedly killed himself, saying he was not doing an interpreter’s work and that what he was being asked to do was “very difficult."
He added that those with him are “all Americans."
A subsequent autopsy report by the National Bureau of Investigation indicated there were five deep and burnt puncture wounds on Gregan’s feet, on the left inner part of both legs and on the upper right arm.
A Mindanao-based human rights group from which Gregan’s family sought help, however, said the autopsy did not state other injuries that the family earlier noted when they saw Gregan’s cadaver at a Zamboanga City funeral home.
These other injuries, the human rights group claimed, included an enlarged scrotum, the enlarged opening of his anus, a deep wound on the upper right part of his neck and three injuries on his head.
Local police and military officials earlier maintained that Gregan indeed committed suicide based on evidence gathered, including a supposed suicide note he left behind.
Family friend killed
Meanwhile, Ignacio, a close friend of Gregan’s family and Wesmincom’s Military Police chief, reportedly started getting death threats for assisting the family in securing more information on Gregan’s death.
On March 26, just hours after attending the re-autopsy of Gregan’s body conducted by the Commission on Human Rights, Ignacio was gunned down by still unidentified suspects astride two motorcycles in Zamboanga City.
Ignacio sustained gunshot wounds in his back and head, and died on the spot.
To date, local police have yet to determine the motives or suspects behind Ignacio’s death, saying the area where he was shot was experiencing a blackout
Gregan’s family, however, maintained in their petition that Ignacio’s death was part of the attempt to “cover up" Gregan’s death.
Gregan, who was also a Christian pastor, left behind a wife and three children. (Jerrie m. Abella, JV, GMANews.TV)
Link: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/194572/writ-of-amparo-granted-to-kin-of-interpreter-found-dead-among-us-troops
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tropang Kano, na-eskandalo na naman sa Mindanao
MAYNILA (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 9, 2010) - Pormal ng magsasampa ng reklamo ang pamilya ng Pinoy interpreter ng US Forces na di-umanoy nagpakamatay sa barracks ng US Forces sa Camp Ranao ng Philippine Army's 103rd Infantry sa Marawi City, ayon sa mga human rights groups.
Si Gregan Cardeño, 33, ay natanggap bilang interpreter ng US Forces na nagsasagawa ng Balikatan at umalis noong Pebrero 01 nitong taon at kasama ang mga US Troops patungong Camp Siongco sa bayan ng Datu Odin Sinsuat sa Maguindanao province.
Laking gulat na lang ng pamilya ng mapag-alamang sa Marawi City pala ito dinala. Sa huling tawag nito sa kanyang asawa at kapatid ay nabanggit niyang hindi interpreter ang pinapatrabaho sa kanya kaya’t gusto niya nang umuwi.
Kinaumagahan, Pebrero 03, sa pamamagitan ng tawag ng pulisya ay nalaman ng pamilya ni Gregan na nagbigti umano ito gamit ang sariling kumot, ngunit ang malaking ipinagtataka ng mga nagdadalamhating pamilya ay kung bakit may mga tusok sa paa at sugat sa leeg at ulo si Gregan na tila dumanas ito ng tortyur.
Dahil hindi kumbinsido ang pamilya ni Gregan, nagsagawa sila kasama ang mga human rights group (Justice for Gregan Cardeño Movement) ng Fact-Finding Mission noong Marso 03 sa Marawi City. Nakunan ng fact-finding mission team ang Philippine National Police, 103rd Infantry Brigade at US troops team leader na nakilala lamang sa pangalan Capt. Kaye ng magkakaibang salaysay kaya’t mas lalong nakumbinsi ang grupo na hindi nagpakamatay ang biktima kung hindi may foul play na nangyari.
Dismayado rin ang fact-finding mission team lalo na ang pamilya ng hindi pumayag ang US troops na makapasok sa US barracks ang pamilya upang makita ang kwarto ni Gregan kung saan nangyari ang insidente.
Isasampa ng pamilya ng biktima ang reklamo sa tanggapan ni Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Leila de Lima upang maimbestigahan ng husto ang pagkamatay ni Gregan.
Nanawagan rin ang pamilya sa mga kinauukulan na magsagawa ng malayang imbestigasyon upang mabigyang linaw ang nangyari kay Gregan at papanagutin kung sinuman ang mapapatunayang may kinalaman o responsable sa pagkamatay ni Gregan.
Ilang ulit ng na-eskandalo ang tropa ng mga Kano sa Mindanao dahil sa ibat-ibang kaso mula sa akusasyon ng rape ng isang Pinay na tubong-Zamboanga hanggang sa mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao sa nasabing rehiyon.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Kidnappers free Sulu hostage
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 11, 2010) – Kidnappers have freed one of two Filipino construction workers in the southern province of Sulu where security forces are battling Abu Sayyaf militants., officials said Thursday.
Gunmen seized two Muslim men who are both working on a US-funded road project in the town of Maimbung, a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group blamed for previous kidnappings-for-ransom in the province.
Marine Lieutenant Benjamin Dolorfino, a regional military chief, said one hostage was freed in Sulu on Wednesday. “One of the two victims was released on Wednesday. There is an ongoing operation to rescue the remaining captive,” he said without elaborating.
Gunmen flagged down a dump truck and seized the two local workers.
They also torched the truck before escaping with their hostages. The remaining hostage was identified as Raja Haluid.
Philippine authorities were also trying to verify reports that two Malaysians abducted from a seaweed farm in Sabah had been taken either to Tawi-Tawi or Sulu provinces.
Malaysian authorities said that Chen Yui Chung, 48, and Lai Wong Chung, 46, were seized by five masked gunmen on Monday from the island of Sebangkat, off the town of Semporma, and were believed spirited to Tawi-Tawi or Sulu province, where Abu Sayyaf militants are actively operating.
The Abu Sayyaf previously kidnapped 21 mostly European and Asian holiday-makers in Sabah and brought them to Sulu where they had been ransomed off to Libyan negotiators. The hostages include three Germans, two French, two South Africans, and two Finns, one Lebanese, nine Malaysians and a Filipino working at the Sipadan Island Resort.
The latest victims were said to be a manager and his supervisor from a seaweed farm. The abductions came days after the United States warned their citizens from traveling to Sabah because of threats of kidnappings.
No group claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, although suspicion fell heavily to Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
US military now use "potential terrorist tool" to communicate in the Philippines
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / November 17, 2009) – After a US Army report warned that Twitter could be a potential tool for terrorists, now American forces helping defeat terrorism in the Philippines are using the free social networking and micro-blogging service that enable them to send and read messages known as tweets.
The US Army has posted a report in October last year citing certain mobile and web technologies that could be used to enable terrorism.
One chapter, entitled "Potential for Terrorist Use of Twitter," observed that the Los Angeles earthquakes last year were reported by Twitter users long before established news outlets had time to cover it, according to BBC.
It said perceiving Twitter's ability to publish anything, instantly, as threatening, US intelligence expressed concern that terrorists could use Twitter to plan and organize quicker attacks. It said activists used Twitter to organize protests at the Republican National Convention in September last year.
"Twitter is already used by some members to post and support extremist ideologies and perspectives," the US Army report ominously stated. Thus, "[terrorists] could theoretically use Twitter social networking in the US as an operational tool."
Now, US troops deployed in the restive region of the southern Philippines to assist local military in fighting terrorism, announced Tuesday that they are using 140-character Twitter feed to communicate with internal and external audiences.
“JSOTF-P is pleased to announce the launch of our Twitter feed. With social media as the primary tool of communication these days, we felt Twitter would provide an ideal method for us to communicate with our internal and external audiences.”
“Through this social medium, we now have a rapid method to post updates, links, and other information of interest. Additionally, we can use this tool to promote other organizations we partner with and can spread the word about the great work they are doing,” said Lieutenant Junior Grade Theresa Donnelly, the deputy public affairs office of the Joint Special Operations Task Force–Philippines, and provided the URL to their Twitter feed as http://twitter.com/JSOTFP.
Since its creation in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Twitter has gained notability and popularity worldwide. Twitter is ranked as one of the 50 most popular websites worldwide. Although estimates of the number of daily users vary because the company does not release the number of active accounts, a February 2009 Compete.com blog entry ranked Twitter as the third most used social network based on their count of 6 million unique monthly visitors and 55 million monthly visits.
In March this year, a Nielsen.com blog ranked Twitter as the fastest-growing site in the Member Communities category for February 2009.
Other technologies mentioned in the US Army terrorism report include Voice Over Internet Protocol which can make it difficult to trace malicious calls, Facebook, MySpace, certain gaming networks, and satellite navigation and mapping tools.
In particular, mobile navigation available on certain Nokia handsets was pegged as a potential outlet for "Specialist use in Marksmanship, Border Crossings and in Concealment of Supplies," the US Army report said.
"Terrorists could theoretically use Twitter social networking in the US as an operational tool." The report also claims that satellite navigation and mapping tools have been discussed in al-Qaeda forums.
US troops have been in the southern Filipino region of Mindanao since 2001 and in 2006 deployed in the Sulu Archipelago where local soldiers are battling Moro rebels and Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya terror network.
In September this year, two US Special Forces members were killed in a roadside bombing in Sulu in the worst attack in seven years in the troubled South. In 2002, a US soldier was also killed and another wounded in a bomb attack at a roadside restaurant near their camp.
The Pentagon said as many as 600 soldiers are deployed in the southern Philippines under the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
US Special Forces soldier killed, 5 more wounded in roadside bombing in Southern Philippines
Undated photos of US and Philippine troops in the southern Philippine island of Sulu. A US Special Forces soldier was killed and five more wounded in a roadside bombing Tuesday, September 29, 2009 in Sulu's Indanan town. (Mindanao Examiner Photos) The attack occurred at around 8.30 a.m. in the village of Kagay near Indanan town in Sulu province where local troops are battling Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants since last week.
Security officials did not identify the US soldiers, but three of the Filipino marines wounded in the bombing were all in critical conditions.
US Special Forces are deployed in Sulu since 2006 and aiding the Philippine military in defeating the Abu Sayyaf. Although security officials deny US forces were directly involved in combat operations, there were numerous reports from civilians that American soldiers actually participated in the operations aimed at capturing or killing militant leaders in Sulu and other areas in the restive southern region of Mindanao.
A US soldier was also killed and another wounded in a bomb attack at a roadside cafe near an army in Zamboanga City in October 2002.
Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga city, said the US and Filipino troops were in a convoy heading to a school project when the bomb went off.
“The US troops are not involved in the operation against the Abu Sayyaf. They were there because there is a school project in the village,” Dolorfino said.
The wounded troops were rushed to a military hospital in Jolo town, where another bomb exploded at a police post.
There were no reports of casualties in the explosion which occurred at around 10.30 a.m. in the village of Kasanyangan.
Police said an improvised explosive was used in the attack in the village of Kasanyangan, but there were no reports of casualties. “This is the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf. We have tightened security in the villages to prevent future attacks,” said Chief Inspector Usman Pingay, commander of police forces in the capital town of Jolo.
He said the explosion targeted the command post of the Regional Mobile Group. The attack occurred three days after policemen killed an Abu Sayyaf militant, Karim Juldani, and captured another Albashir Adjili, in a firefight in Jolo town.
The two, Pingay said, were trying to sneak into Jolo when policemen stopped them near a checkpoint. He said police seized weapons from the two men.
Pingay ordered additional checkpoints around the town and appealed to citizens to stay vigilant and report to the police or military suspicious persons in their area.
“We must defeat terrorism. Citizens should stay vigilant,” he said.
The attack occurred just as troops continue their operation against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants tagged as behind the series of bomb attacks and kidnappings for ransom in Sulu, one of five provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region.
Fighting in Sulu between troops and militants had killed 42 people, including eight marines who were ambushed by the Abu Sayyaf in Indanan town last week. Nine soldiers were also wounded in the attack.
The Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, accused the military of attacking its forces in Sulu’s Indanan town. It said troops shelled one of its camps, killing two of its members and wounding 8 more.
The military’s Western Mindanao Command denied the accusations and said the offensive targeted the militant groups – the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya – adding, two of its feared terror leaders Mauiya and Quayem are being protected by the Abu Sayyaf.
Madarang Sali, deputy supreme commander of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Front, said military offensive against the MNLF still continues in Sulu. “Up to this time, the military offensive is going on,” he said on Tuesday.
He said government operations were directed as MNLF leader Khaid Ajibunm who had escaped a military raid last week. (With reports from Nickee Butlangan and Merlyn Manos)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Philippine rebels to target US troops deployed in Mindanao
A Filipino and US soldier patrol the southern Philippine town of Jolo. A US chopper also hovers in the town while a military transport plane takes off in Zamboanga City in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)Rebels were told wage an all-out struggle against the deployment and intervention of American soldiers in the internal armed conflict in the Philippines.
Jorge Madlos, a spokesman for the NDF in Mindanao, said the all-out war was in response to the statement by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates that Pentagon would continue to involve itself in the "counter-insurgency" war in the Philippines.
Gates earlier said that some 600 US counter-terrorism troops will remain in the southern Philippines, where Filipino soldiers are battling communist and Muslim insurgents that past four decades.
Madlos said the US position was echoed by Filipino Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro who was in the US last week for a meeting with Gates and Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta.
“US imperialism has become ever more arrogant and overbearing in asserting its imperial power over the Philippines. It is trampling on Philippine sovereignty with utter impunity emboldened by the outright puppetry and servility of the Arroyo government,” Madlos said in a statement.
He said the US military has established its permanent presence in the Philippines through the auspices of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). Many of the US soldiers are currently deployed in Mindanao under the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines headquartered in Zamboanga City.
Madlos said US military forces have been increasingly involved in counter-guerrilla operations.
He said US troops are engaged in electronic and satellite surveillance as well as provide battlefield logistical support to the Philippine military. Teams of US soldiers have been seen embedded in Armed Forces of the Philippines units in combat field operations as well as in tactical command posts.
“The patriotic people of Mindanao do not welcome the permanent presence and intervention of US troops in Mindanao and elsewhere in the Philippines. They are not deceived by the so-called humanitarian operations being conducted by the US that aim to camouflage their military interventionism,” Madlos said as he warned American troops against encroaching in guerrilla fronts in Mindanao where there is a great possibility of armed encounters with the NPA.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, which is composed of various progressive organizations, has also opposed to the presence of US troops in Mindanao and said the VFA violates the Philippines’ sovereignty and justifies the prolonged presence of American forces in the country despite the absence of any basing treaty.
The US military has denied it is involved in combat in the southern Philippines, but there were many reports about its clandestine intelligence operations and the crashes of unmanned aerial vehicles in areas where communist and Muslim rebels are actively operating. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, August 23, 2009
'US troops' stay didn't help solve insurgency in South': Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said yesterday the decision of the United States government to keep an elite 600-soldier counterinsurgency group in the Philippines could indicate an unsuccessful anti-Muslim insurgency campaign.
Santiago stressed that with US forces deployed in Mindanao for almost seven years now, Philippine officials should be able to prove that they had been successful in at least weakening, if not eradicating, the Abu Sayyaf and other rebel groups in the area.
“But the (rebel movements are still there) and they seem to be strong and vibrant. So the question is whether they succeeded or not,” Santiago said.
“If they succeeded, they should not be staying, isn’t that so? It’s an indication that they are failing, so they are asking for extension,” she said.
“But for how long?” she asked.
“Up to now, the military is saying that there are still many Filipinos being killed and the civilian collateral damage remains high,” she added.
There are reportedly pressures to reassign members of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines to more urgent missions elsewhere such as in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Santiago said although there was no overt violation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the US, she would like to call a hearing before the congressional break in October regarding the benefits of the accord.
She said the temporary nature of US troops’ stay in the Philippines, as stipulated in the Constitution, might already be circumvented by the nature of the VFA.
Santiago, who chairs the Senate committee on foreign relations, said that in the campaign against Muslim rebels, Filipinos must be told how long the US intends to stay in the country.
Santiago said the military exercises have become open-ended and US soldiers are being sent to the Philippines on a changing basis.
“I am really troubled, this is for me a cause for serious concern. It’s because they have been here for so long,” Santiago said.
She said if the US forces would be here for more than 10 years, it would already be a permanent presence rather than temporary.
“It might create a culture of dependency. They are not in combat but training, but how come the Filipino soldiers could still not stand on their own after all these years?” she added.
Santiago said she would like to get all sides in a hearing and help President Arroyo make proper judgment as to what should be done, depending on the sentiments of the people.
“They (US) cannot dictate so it will be up to us Filipinos if we still want this. So maybe I should really conduct a hearing. I should find a venue to study this,” she said.
Santiago said there was nothing wrong with being friends with the US but that a survey may have to be conducted to determine if Filipinos still want the Americans in Mindanao.
“We invited them for cooperation but they should not engage in combat operations because it will diminish our sovereignty,” she said. “There might also be a culture of military dependency on foreign powers already.”
Santiago said she would ask anti-VFA forces to present an alternative to the accord as the inherent flaws of the agreement had become obvious.
She added that while the Philippines should be grateful for US aid, it had been getting only obsolete weaponry and junk from the American defense department.
US stay gets backing
Meanwhile, Speaker Prospero Nograles and opposition Rep. Roilo Golez supported the stay of 600 Americans on counterterrorism mission in Mindanao, citing mutual benefits to both countries.
“Mindanao needs all the help because of terrorist atrocities. And we are part of the international community against terrorism,” said Nograles, a congressman from Davao City, one of the highly urbanized cities in Mindanao.
“Any place in the Philippines that will breed or train terrorists will be a threat to the world and we need all the help and sophisticated equipment we can get hold of from any country, including the US,” he said.
Nograles issued the statement following the decision of US Defense Secretary Robert Gates to keep an elite contingent of 600 counterterrorism troops in the Philippines.
He said the country needs US expertise in battling terrorists in war-torn Mindanao.
For his part, Golez – who was the first national security adviser of President Arroyo – also welcomed the continued stay of US troops belonging to the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, saying they can stay “for as long as they don’t engage in actual combat.”
“International terrorism requires transnational and international cooperation. The US task force provides us training in modern counterterrorism tactics and equipment. This is allowed as long as they don’t engage in combat,” he said.
He pointed out that the continued presence of the US troops here is mutually beneficial.
“They (US troops) also benefit from interacting with battle-hardened Filipino troops, especially in dealing with rugged terrain like that in Jolo and Basilan,” he said.
Golez belongs to the opposition bloc and is designated as House deputy minority leader.
A left-leaning lawmaker, however, branded the stay of American soldiers as “illegal.”
Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares called on the government to immediately expel the US troops. This is one of the reasons why the VFA should be scrapped, he said.
“Firstly, the entry of foreign troops is prohibited under the (1987) Constitution in the absence of an enforceable treaty. Participation in counterinsurgency operations is erstwhile prohibited,” he said.
“US intervention, in the manner of stationing troops for counterinsurgency operations against the Abu Sayyaf and the MILF, is therefore not allowed by the Constitution and even in the VFA,” he added.
According to the party-list lawmaker, “foreign participation in counterinsurgency operations is illegal and an intervention that is detrimental to Philippine sovereignty, human rights and the peace process.”
“Even the MILF must immediately condemn this intervention, considering that the US admitted to lumping them with the Abu Sayaff and terrorism and that US troops have participated in operations against the MILF,” he said.
Meantime, the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) urged yesterday the Senate to investigate what it perceived as the prolonged stay of US forces in Mindanao, citing it as a possible violation of the VFA.
In a statement, Renato Reyes, Bayan secretary general, said US troops have been based in the Philippines since 2002 without any basing treaty, in violation of the Philippine Constitution.
“They have been engaged in other activities that go against the Constitution. Eighteen years after the Philippine Senate rejected a new bases treaty with the US, the American forces are again well entrenched in the country,” Reyes said
“The retention of US troops in the Philippines is an affront to our sovereignty, disguised as some questionable humanitarian mission. They have based themselves in the Philippines, particularly in Camp Navarro in Zamboanga since 2002, without any basing treaty. There’s not even a time frame for the deployment. It’s open-ended. It could be forever,” Reyes said.
Bayan said that the continued presence of foreign troops, even if only 600, sets a dangerous precedent.
“The US troops might decide to stay longer. They might decide to deploy more troops, maybe thousands. What’s to stop them from doing that? What’s to stop them from setting up de facto bases in Mindanao?” Reyes said.
The militant group said it would raise before the Supreme Court these new developments as part of their petition to declare the VFA unconstitutional.
Bayan, along with Gabriela and Bayan Muna, were among the petitioners questioning the validity of the VFA.
“What we know is that 1) the American troops have overstayed beyond the period supposedly contemplated by the VFA, 2) they have set up de facto bases and permanent structures in Mindanao, and 3) they are engaged in combat functions,” Reyes said.
“All these violate the Constitution and are an insult to our sovereignty. They have managed to get basing rights even without a treaty concurred in by the Senate. If the US and the Philippines invoke the VFA as the basis of the prolonged stay, then the Senate has been duped when it ratified the VFA. The Senate should then seek the termination of the VFA,” he said. (Aurea Calica, Delon Porcalla and Perseus Echeminada / Philippine Star)
Link: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=498518&publicationSubCategoryId=63
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Photo: US Air Force Plane Flies Out Of Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City Gets Books From US Foundation
"It is an honor and privilege to donate these schoolbooks on behalf of 'Books for the Barrios' and the people of the United States. This is just one show of support to our friends in the Zamboanga area," the US Army Colonel said. Books for the Barrios is a US-based charity organization, that began in 1981, among U.S. Navy families who were stationed in the Philippines. It has sent over seventy boxes of schoolbooks to the city of Zamboanga.
The boxes included mostly elementary and high school text books covering Math, English, Algebra, and Science, as well as boxes of National Geographic Magazine and novels/fiction books.
All are destined for local students and or schools with the greatest need. "Along with humanitarian assistance programs going on across the region by the GRP, the AFP, and USAID—among others—our teamwork and friendship are making a truly positive difference for regional peace and prosperity," Col. Coultrup added.
Following the donation, Col. Coultrup also presented the JSOTF-P Plaque of Appreciation to the City of Zamboanga. The plaque, which bears the JSOTF-P seal at the center, and seals of the U.S. Marine Corps, Special Operations Command-Pacific, Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Navy, Army, and Air Force, reads: "From Colonel Bill Coultrup and all the members of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines for all your contributions to our joint effort, Thank You."
Col. Coultrup was accompanied by JSOTF-P Command Sergeant Charles Conway, and JSOTF-P Chaplain, Captain Leah Boling. Education is a key element in securing economic development throughout the world. Progress comes easily for communities where residents are well-educated and well-informed.
And in appreciation for its invaluable support to the AFP and U.S. forces' shoulder-to-shoulder efforts to bring greater peace and prosperity to the Southern Philippines, America's sons and daughters in Zamboanga thought the delivery of the books to be one of the most significant ways to express gratitude. (Frencie L. Carreon)
Monday, September 22, 2008
US Troops Deployed In Southern RP Due For Rotation
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - The United States armed forces being temporarily deployed to southern Philippines are due for rotation for the next two to three weeks.
This is the statement of Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, in a phone interview. Allaga stressed that "the US forces are here on a temporary basis, and upon invitation of the Philippine Government."
"There really is nothing suspicious about it. It is a simple turn-over of personnel who have been on tour of duty here in the Philippines for a short time, and for personnel who will be on tour of duty also for a short period," the 3-star Marine general said. "It's the same process with the AFP, actually, and is just a normal replacement of troops."
The WesMinCom commander, who is now in the country's capital region, shared that he was called to appear before the Senate by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
Allaga said Task Force Comet chief Marine Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban has already sent him facsimiles of resolutions from some Jolo-based groups resisting the presence of US forces in Sulu province.
"The issue here is transparency, and the US military has been transparent in their assistance and support not only to the AFP but even to the PNP," he said.
The WesMinCom chief the cited the training conducted by the US military for the Philippine National Police forces twice in Jolo, and once in Zamboanga City for the entire Police Regional Office 9.
"We soldiers and policemen are benefiting from the trainings that the JSOTFP is conducting for us. We do projects for communities together, and in some places, there are many civilians helping us out. In fact, there are more supporters than critics," Gen. Allaga stated.
In a separate interview, Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines commander Col. William Coultrup said, "During the next couple of weeks, the people of Zamboanga will notice more US military cargo aircraft flying in and out of the airport in Zamboanga City."
"This is the end of the short-term deployment for some of the US military that have been here in Mindanao assisting the AFP," he added.
The Western Mindanao Command yesterday issued a general statement stating that, "In the course of the standard rotation of temporarily deployed US military personnel, a number of US troops in the southern Philippines will be changing over. This normal rotation is necessary due to the temporary nature of the US military presence in the Southern Philippines.
During this time, there will be an increase in the number of US aircraft flying in and out of the airport in Zamboanga City. This rotation will not affect the overall number of US troops in the Philippines. The troops arriving in the Philippines will replace the same number of troops returning to their home bases."
"There will be other troops coming in to start their temporary stay here at the request of the Government of the Philippines in order to support new projects that we have jointly planned with WestMinCom," Coultrup, a US Army colonel, said.
US TROOPS MERELY REPLACED
In a separate interview at the WesMinCom Headquarters, WesMinCom deputy spokesman Captain Rommel Miguel elaborated that "the rotation policy of the US military is always done every six months."
Some of the American soldiers will be arriving on board a C-17, others on the C-130 along with some of the equipment that the Philippine Armed Forces have requested to facilitate the infrastructure and engineering projects that are projected to be done as part of the two military allies' joint support for education in southern Philippines. Other soldiers will also be coming in on board commercial flights, he said.
"We are going through our normal troop rotation, so from now until October 3, there will be US military cargo aircraft coming and going," added JSOTFP Public Affairs Officer Maj. Kenneth Hoffman who is himself leaving the Philippines as he too will be replaced.
"Some of the US troops will be leaving and their equipment will also be getting out, so they will be replaced by the same number of troops and equipment relieving them," said WesMinCom deputy spokesman Captain Rommel Miguel.
The US military has been providing support to the Philippine Armed Forces for decades now. Such alliance was established under the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951, and affirmed by the Visiting Forces Agreement.
The US has similar support with some other Asian nations, and has also manifested alliance in providing regional support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), especially following the ASEAN Convention on Terrorism.
"I am grateful for all the support and help that Lt. Gen. (Nelson) Allaga and the AFP have provided to the US military. Our troops look forward to working with and learning from the AFP in the future," JSOTFP commander Col. Coultrup concluded. (Frencie L. Carreon)
Friday, September 19, 2008
Militant Groups Question Continued US Military Presence In Southern Philippines
“The continuing presence of US troops in various parts of Mindanao already goes beyond what the Philippine Senate contemplated as temporary during its deliberations on the VFA in 1999. The Senate deliberations defined ‘temporary’ as being about six months. The US troops have been in Mindanao for six years,” Renato Reyes, Jr., secretary-general of the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, said in a statement.
Reyes was referring to the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the United States which covers forces visiting temporarily. The agreement is intended to clarify the terms under which the foreign military is allowed to operate.
Other lawmakers also questioned the constitutionality of the treaty and they have filed two resolutions seeking a probe into the continuing presence and the involvement of the US military in local military activities and a review of the VFA.
Reyes blamed the VFA as the culprit on why US troops have overstayed in the southern Philippines. American forces have built a base in Zamboanga City, which houses the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, since 2001, when both countries held the Balikatan, which means “Shoulder-to-shoulder,” a codename for joint military training between American and Filipino soldiers.
But since then, the US military continued its presence in the restive region, especially in areas in Sulu archipelago and in Mindanao where local troops are fighting the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Although American troops come and go, the presence of US forces in the southern Philippines is vital in Manila’s campaign to defeat terrorism.
“The problem with the VFA is that it does not define in clear and uncertain terms the scope, duration of stay and the extent of the engagement of US troops. In some ways, it is worse than the previous US bases agreement because of its vagueness. For all intents and purposes, an unlimited number of US troops can stay here for an unlimited period of time, even if there are no joint military exercises,” Reyes said.
Reyes said they will also look into the terms of reference during the first Balikatan that paved the way for the continued stay of US troops in Mindanao.
“Even the Terms of Reference of the Balikatan 02-1 was vague. It did not define the length of stay nor did it give assurances that the US troops will not engage in actual combat operations. That is why we have US troops embedded in AFP combat units who are involved in actual combat operations, in clear violation of the Constitution,” Reyes said.
The US Embassy said there are no permanent American military bases in Mindanao and that US troops were not involved in combat operations. The Philippine military said US troops deployed in Mindanao are active in humanitarian missions and development aid and have been providing intelligence information about terror groups in the South.
Militant groups said the US military also maintains a facility inside the Zamboanga City International Airport and a docking area at the Majini Pier inside the Naval Forces Western Mindanao Command and a training facility inside Camp Arturo Enrile in Malagutay village, all in Zamboanga City. And encampments inside Philippine Army bases in Mindanao.
Reyes’ group also challenged the Philippine Senate to exercise its oversight functions and immediately probe the presence of the US troops in Mindanao. “We challenge the Senate to conduct an on-site inspection of the facilities being set up by the US troops to see if the sovereignty of the Philippines in still in effect over those areas,” Reyes said.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Suspend U.S. Military Deployments To Mindanao Pending Probe: Citizens' Peace Watch
The Citizens' Peace Watch, a group formed to monitor what it fears as the growing and permanent US military presence in the southern Philippines, reiterated its recommendations from a fact-finding mission it conducted in Zamboanga City and Sulu in February. Members of the mission claimed to have seen with their own eyes -- and to have pictures of -- the US' military structures inside Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City.
"The information coming out today about the US military presence in the south confirm what we have been saying all along for many months now," said Corazon Fabros, one of the group's spokespersons. "It is high time to look into them because the government's excuse is becoming more and more ludicrous while the situation is getting more and more dangerous."
The group stressed the following findings from its fact-finding mission (which can be downloaded from: http://www.focusweb.org/philippines/docs/CPWReport.pdf):
That the US has established military basing in the Philippines; that the US is involved in actual combat operations in the country; that the US military has, in complicity with the Philippine military, committed human rights violations in the Philippines; that the US is conducting operations outside the control of the Philippine government and military; that the US military’s so-called humanitarian projects are mere cover for military operations that do not benefit the local population.
It said US basing and intervention in the country is contributing to insecurity and leading to an escalation in conflict. "In light of the constitutional violations and actual danger to lives and human rights, the Citizens’ Peace Watch challenges our elected representatives to take the initiative to demand and conduct Congressional and Senate inquiries into the issue and demands the suspension of US military deployment to the Philippines, specifically the stationing of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines as well as the military exercises, pending fair and independent review of and investigations on their presence and intervention," the coalition said in a statement.
The US Embassy said the American forces are in the Philippines to assist, advice and train local troops on the invitation of the Arroyo government. It said the US has no permanent bases in the country.
Monday, September 01, 2008
RP Military, US Embassy Say No American Soldiers In Marine Convoy Attacked By Sayyaf In Sulu Island
US and Philippine soldiers pass a village in the southern Philippine island of Sulu in this photo taken in April 27, 2008. Philippine troops, aided by US military intelligence, are pursuing suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen who ambushed a marine convoy on Saturday, August 31, 2008 in Sulu's Patikul town killing four soldiers and wounding ten more. The Guam Army National Guard says one of its servicemen, from the 294th Infantry Regiment, who was with the convoy, is unhurt in the attack. The Philippine military and US Embassy insisted no US soldiers were in the attacked convoy. American troops are active in humanitarian missions and training and assisting local soldiers in defeating terrorism in the southern Philippines on the request of the Philippine government. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)Four Filipino marines were killed and ten more wounded in the weekend attack near a military base in the village of Bonbon in Patikul town.
The Guam Army National Guard released a brief statement Saturday, confirming that a local serviceman was unharmed following an attack on his unit on the island.
The US soldier was not identified, but the Guam Army National Guard said the serviceman is attached to a platoon with the 294th Infantry Regiment deployed in May in Sulu to aide in the ongoing conflict there. The report was also in the Guam media.
The Philippine military and the US Embassy in Manila insisted no US soldiers were in the attacked convoy.
Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban, commander of the Filipino Joint Task Force Comet in Sulu Island, said no US soldiers were in the convoy, but some of them aided the local troops wounded in the ambush.
“He was inside the camp. Maybe he got so excited that he thought that he was part of the ambush. The only elements ambushed were the first two vehicles.
“The Americans have been helping us in doing all these humanitarian assistance. They were there in our battalion headquarters,” he said.
Sabban said US troops were active in humanitarian missions in Sulu and are not allowed to join combat operations.
Rebecca Thompson, a US embassy spokesperson, also denied that American soldiers were near the ambush site, but admitted they helped evacuate wounded Filipino troops to safety.
American troops are training and assisting local soldiers in defeating terrorism in the troubled South on the request of the Philippine government. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
US Hands Over Infra Projects In Sulu
SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 21, 2008) – The US military has formally handed over Wednesday to Filipino government several buildings and a road project in the southern province of Sulu.
Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan led officials in the inaugurations of two Area Coordinating Centers in the towns of Parang and Patikul and also two hospital buildings and two school rooms. Tan’s wife, Nurunisah, herself a humanitarian worker, also led local women officials in the ceremonies attended by American and Filipino military leaders.
The buildings are worth several million pesos and Tan said the projects would further support peace and development in Sulu. “We are thankful to the American people and the US government for all these projects which will surely help efforts in promoting peace and development in Sulu,” Tan said.
Sulu’s military chief, Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban said other humanitarian projects are still going on in Sulu in partnership with the provincial government and the US military.
“All these projects were identified by the people themselves. We asked them of their existing predicaments. They tell us. We immediately respond and set ourselves to work because it is our responsibility to reach out to the people in need,” he said.
Last year, the US military under the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines spend more than $ 6million in various infrastructure and development projects in Sulu.
The AFP, on the other hand, said it spent about P44 million, mostly on school buildings and other smaller projects and livelihood trainings for locals.
Sabban said the military has launched the so-called Community Organizing and People Empowerment approach in an effort to win hearts and minds of the locals. “Our gallant soldiers will continuously uphold the rule of law and respect human rights in the campaign against terrorism.”
“Respect begets respect. Soldiers will remain highly professionalized and will exhibit proper decorum, in or out of uniform. It is imperative that all peace and development stakeholders must continuously work together to keep on the peace that has been achieved so far and to advance it through sustaining the development initiatives,” he said.
Sabban praised Tan for his hard work and dedication to bring peace and development in Sulu. Just last month, Tan also inaugurated a housing project for poor communities in the town of Luuk and several more in the town of Maimbung and Indanan.
The government is rehabilitating the airport in Jolo, the capital of Sulu province, after President Gloria Arroyo has managed to source out funds for its rehabilitation, Tan said.
Engineers and other technical personnel with expertise in airport development are to begin a survey for the expansion of the airport and once finished, huge planes such as 737s and cargo aircrafts, will be able to fly and land safely.
Tan said the project, which will begin in a few months, cost about US$ 3 million to be funded by the United States of America.
Tan said Jolo airport runaway will be expanded to more than 2,000 meters so it could accommodate bigger passenger planes not only from Manila or Zamboanga, but from neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei that makes up the East Asia Growth Area (EAGA), a sub-regional economic cooperation initiative in Southeast Asia that included the Philippines.
Tan said the rehabilitation of the airport is expected to be completed next year.
He said the President has pledged more development projects for Sulu and so is Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan, of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), to which the province of Sulu is part of.
"The President has promised us more projects for the people and so is Gov. Ampatuan, who has been very supportive and working hard for the development of Sulu and of the whole autonomous region," Tan said.
Aside from Sulu, the autonomous region comprise of the provinces of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Shariff Kabunsuan and Marawi City. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Photo: US Troops In Southern Philippines
Friday, February 22, 2008
What US Bases? They Are Temporary Military Facilities!
The Citizens Peace Watch (CPW), an umbrella organization of political and human rights groups, said it has confirmed the presence of a fortified US military base inside the headquarters of the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City.
It said the base is the headquarters of the US Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, a unit of the US Special Forces that has been deploying troops to various parts of Mindanao since 2002.
Lawyer Corazon Fabros, of the CPW, said her group was sent away by Filipino soldiers after they failed to get a permission to inspect the US facility. She said the base has communication facilities and is heavily guarded that even Filipino soldiers are not allowed without a pass.
"The 'visitors' have not only stayed on, they have set up camp in our house and told us – their hosts – to go away," said Fabros in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
She said the US military base stands out and is sealed from the rest of Western Mindanao Command by walls, concertina wire, and sandbags. The actual size of the area it occupies could not immediately be established from the outside. But communication facilities such as satellite dishes, antenna, and other instruments are visible.
US Marines provided protection for the facility; some workers were seen wore IDs identifying them with DynCorp, a controversial US military contractor.
The group said other facilities inside the base were unknown. "What exactly are they hiding here? Why all this secrecy?" asked Amabella Carumba, of the Mindanao People's Peace Movement, a member of the fact-finding mission.
The US military maintains similar facilities in Mindanao where it is assisting and advising Filipino troops in fighting terrorism. US troops were also spotted inside the headquarters of the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division and in Philippine Marine bases in Sulu province and in Mactan island in Central Philippines.
A Bangkok-based international research organization called Focus on the Global South, said US troops deployed in Mindanao have established a new kind of US base.
Major Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, strongly denied the reports and said there are no secret US bases in the region.“There are no US bases in Mindanao. In Zamboanga City, the US maintains a temporary facility inside the Western Mindanao Command. It is not a US base nor it is secret because everybody knows about it,” he said in a separate interview.
Batara said Filipino soldiers also use the facility of the JSOTF-P. “We also use their facility, such as their communications as part of the joint Balikatan program,” he said.
But Focus on the Global South said contrary to previous efforts by the US and Philippine governments to portray the troops as participating only in temporary training exercises Balikatan, it has since been revealed that this unit has stayed on and maintained its presence in the country for the last six years.
Contradicting claims that they are not involved in the fighting, Focus has gathered pronouncements by US troops themselves who have gone on record to say that their mission in the south is "unconventional warfare" – a US military term that encompasses combat operations.
With the Philippine government not giving a definite exit date, and with US officials stating that this unit – composed of between 100 to 500 troops depending on the season – will stay on as long as they are allowed by the government, it is presumed that it will continue to be based in the Philippines for an indefinite period.
According to Focus' research, the JSOTF-P's stationing in the south is a prototype of the new kind of overseas basing that the US has introduced as part of its ongoing effort to realign its global basing structure.
Since 2001, the US – which has more than 700 bases and installations in over 100 countries around the world – has embarked on the most radical realignment of its overseas basing network since World War II.
Part of the changes is the move away from large permanent bases – such as the ones in Subic and Clark – in favor of smaller, more austere, more low profile bases such as the JSOTF-P's presence in Zamboanga and in other places in Mindanao.
In terms of profile and mission, Focus pointed out that the JSOTF-P is very similar to the Combined Joint Task Force–Horn, which was established in Djibouti in western Africa in 2003 and which has been described as a sample of the US austere basing template and the "model for future US military operations."
Focus said the Philippines is one of the "nodes for special operations forces" that former Defense Secretary Donald Rusted himself revealed the Pentagon would establish as part of its changes in Asia.
Focus notes that US troops themselves refer to their base in Sulu as "Advance Operating Base-920."
It also said the US Naval Facilities Engineering Command NAVFAC) had in June 6, 2007, awarded a six-month $14.4-million contract to a certain "Global Contingency Services LLC" of Irving, Texas for "operations support" for the JSOTF-P.
According to its own website, the NAVFAC is the unit within the US military that is in charge of providing the US Navy with "operating, support, and training bases."
It "manages the planning, design, and construction and provides public works support for US Naval shore installations around the world." Among their business lines are "bases development" and "contingency engineering."
The Pentagon said the contract awarded to Global Contingency Services LLC includes "all labor, supervision, management, tools, materials, equipment, facilities, transportation, incidental engineering, and other items necessary to provide facilities support services."
Global Contingency Services LLC is a partnership between DynCorp International, Parsons Global Services, and PWC Logistics. The $14.4 million contract is actually part of a bigger $450-million five-year contract for Global Contingency Services to "provide a full range of world-wide contingency and disaster-response services, including humanitarian assistance and interim or transitional base-operating support services."
According to DynCorp's website, this will include "facility operations and maintenance; air operations; port operations; health care; supply and warehousing; galley; housing support; emergency services; security, fire, and rescue; vehicle equipment; and incidental construction."
Contingency Response Services LLC describes its work as encompassing "operating forces support," "community support," and "base support." According to the Defense Industry Daily publication, the contract also includes "morale, welfare, and recreation support."
The specific contract for work for the JSOTF-P was expected to be completed last month, but other contracts may follow as part of the $450 million-package.
According to Focus' research, the JSOTF-P has not only been involved in the Philippine military's operations in the south, it also represents the new kind of more austere, more low-profile kind of overseas presence that the US has been striving to introduce as part of its comprehensive restructuring of its forward-deployment.
Last year, US Embassy deputy spokesperson and deputy press attaché Karen Schinnerer admitted the American government commissioned the construction of facilities across Mindanao for US soldiers, but insisted the projects are not permanent military bases.
She said the US construction projects are for “medical, logistical and administrative services” to be used by the American soldiers. She said the structures are not permanent US bases. US troops use the facilities only on a temporary basis for them to “eat, sleep and work,” she told The Manila Times. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Is US Losing War Of Hearts And Minds In Philippines?
Dozens of villagers said they waited for hours outside a school in Kalingalan Caluang town before they were provided free medical check up by US military personnel Monday. "We have been standing and waiting outside the school for hours. They let villagers go inside one by one, sometimes in pairs, but why? Isn't this for us? It's hot outside and we have to endure this for hours," one Muslim villager said.
But Major General Ruben Rafael, commander of Philippine military forces, said the medical mission held jointly with Filipino troops and local health workers in the village of Pang was a big success. "We have served more than 900 people. It was a success," he said.
Sulu Vice Governor Nur Anna Sahidullah also inspected the medical mission and an infrastructure project by US and Filipino troops in the village.
Last week, about a thousand people flocked a small village in Siasi, an island-town off Sulu province, where US and Filipino troops also held a similar mission. Tens of thousands of people also held street protests since last week in different parts of the Muslim autonomous region, where US troops held medical and humanitarian missions. They demanded that US troops pull out from Mindanao.
Hundreds of US troops are currently deployed in Sulu province on the request of the Philippine government to assist and advice local soldiers in fighting terrorism.
Aside from Sulu, several hundreds of US troops are also stationed at the headquarters of the Philippine Army's 6th Infantry Division in Maguindanao province and in Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City, including Cebu in central Philippines.
Earlier this week, members of the Citizens Peace Watch (CPW) walked inside the Western Mindanao Command and confirmed the presence of a little known fortified US military base.
It said the base, headquarters of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, has communication facilities and is heavily guarded that even Filipino soldiers are not allowed without a pass.
The JSOTF-P is the unit of US Special Forces that – unknown to many Filipinos – has been headquartered in Western Mindanao Command since 2002 and has been deploying troops to various parts of Mindanao since then, the group said.
It said Filipino soldiers contacted by the US military sent the group away.
"The 'visitors' have not only stayed on, they have set up camp in our house and told us – their hosts – to go away," lawyer Corazon Fabros, a CPW member, said.
The group said the US military base stands out and is sealed from the rest of Western Mindanao Command by walls, concertina wire, and sandbags. The actual size of the area it occupies could not immediately be established from the outside. But communication facilities such as satellite dishes, antenna, and other instruments are visible.
US Marines provided protection for the facility; some workers were seen wore IDs identifying them with DynCorp, a controversial US military contractor.
The citizen fact-finding group said other facilities inside the base were unknown."What exactly are they hiding here? Why all this secrecy?" asked Amabella Carumba, of the Mindanao People's Peace Movement, a member of the fact-finding mission.
A Bangkok-based international research organization that has been following the US military in the Philippines previously warned that American troops deployed in Mindanao are not only involved in the ongoing war, but that they have also established a new kind of US base in the southern region.
Contrary to previous efforts by the US and Philippine governments to portray the troops as participating only in temporary training exercises called the Balikatan, it has since been revealed that this unit has stayed on and maintained its presence in the country for the last six years, according to the Focus on the Global South.
Contradicting claims that they are not involved in the fighting, Focus has gathered pronouncements by US troops themselves who have gone on record to say that their mission in the south is "unconventional warfare" – a US military term that encompasses combat operations.
With the Philippine government not giving a definite exit date, and with US officials stating that this unit – composed of between 100 to 500 troops depending on the season – will stay on as long as they are allowed by the government, it is presumed that it will continue to be based in the Philippines for an indefinite period.
Beyond being involved in the war, Focus draws attention to this unit having effectively established a new kind of basing in the Philippines.
According to Focus' research, the JSOTF-P's stationing in the south is a prototype of the new kind of overseas basing that the US has introduced as part of its ongoing effort to realign its global basing structure.
Since 2001, the US – which has more than 700 bases and installations in over 100 countries around the world – has embarked on the most radical realignment of its overseas basing network since World War II.
Part of the changes is the move away from large permanent bases – such as the ones in Subic and Clark – in favor of smaller, more austere, more low profile bases such as the JSOTF-P's presence in Zamboanga and in other places in Mindanao.
In terms of profile and mission, Focus pointed out that the JSOTF-P is very similar to the Combined Joint Task Force–Horn, which was established in Djibouti in western Africa in 2003 and which has been described as a sample of the US austere basing template and the "model for future US military operations."
Focus said the Philippines is one of the "nodes for special operations forces" that former Defense Secretary Donald Rusted himself revealed the Pentagon would establish as part of its changes in Asia.
Focus notes that US troops themselves refer to their base in Sulu as "Advance Operating Base-920."
It also said the US Naval Facilities Engineering Command NAVFAC) had in June 6, 2007, awarded a six-month $14.4-million contract to a certain "Global Contingency Services LLC" of Irving, Texas for "operations support" for the JSOTF-P.
According to its own website, the NAVFAC is the unit within the US military that is in charge of providing the US Navy with "operating, support, and training bases."
It "manages the planning, design, and construction and provides public works support for US Naval shore installations around the world." Among their business lines are "bases development" and "contingency engineering."
The Pentagon said the contract awarded to Global Contingency Services LLC includes "all labor, supervision, management, tools, materials, equipment, facilities, transportation, incidental engineering, and other items necessary to provide facilities support services."
Global Contingency Services LLC is a partnership between DynCorp International, Parsons Global Services, and PWC Logistics. The $14.4 million contract is actually part of a bigger $450-million five-year contract for Global Contingency Services to "provide a full range of world-wide contingency and disaster-response services, including humanitarian assistance and interim or transitional base-operating support services."
According to DynCorp's website, this will include "facility operations and maintenance; air operations; port operations; health care; supply and warehousing; galley; housing support; emergency services; security, fire, and rescue; vehicle equipment; and incidental construction."
Contingency Response Services LLC describes its work as encompassing "operating forces support," "community support," and "base support." According to the Defense Industry Daily publication, the contract also includes "morale, welfare, and recreation support."The specific contract for work for the JSOTF-P was expected to be completed last month, but other contracts may follow as part of the $450 million-package.
According to Focus' research, the JSOTF-P has not only been involved in the Philippine military's operations in the south, it also represents the new kind of more austere, more low-profile kind of overseas presence that the US has been striving to introduce as part of its comprehensive restructuring of its forward-deployment. (With reports from Mark Navales and Nickee Butlangan)
Saturday, February 16, 2008
RP, US Troops Begin Humanitarian Mission In Muslim South
Sulu's First Lady Nurunisah Tan gives Vitamin A to a child as Dr Farah Omar, the provincial health officer, looks on during a medical mission in the town of Patikul. US and Philippine troops begin a two-week medical and humanitarian mission in Sulu province, Philippine Army commander Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael says Saturday, February 16, 2008. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)More two dozen soldiers from both countries and local dentists and dozens of volunteer health workers also helped in the medical mission. More than 1,000 people in Siasi town benefited from the humanitarian mission. It is part of the Balikatan 2008, which means "shoulder-to-shoulder," an annual Philippine and US bilateral military humanitarian assistance and training activity.
About 600 US troops will work with civilian authorities and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in various humanitarian projects that include free medical, dental and veterinary care in Sulu province and also in other parts of Mindanao where there are large Muslim communities.
The soldiers will also build schools and other community infrastructures in those areas.
“The medical mission in Siasi is successful and is only one of many that Philippine and US troops will undertake together with local health workers and government agencies in the coming days. We are happy with the result of the medical outreach in Siasi,” Philippine Army Major General Ruben Rafael, commander of the Joint Task Force Comet in Sulu province, told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said the town’s mayor Arthur Muksan led local officials in welcoming the soldiers and others involved in the medical mission. “The support of the locals is overwhelming,’ Rafael said.
He said more than 500 people were given medical attention and treatment in Siasi, including some 200 children, many of them suffering from respiratory diseases. They also conducted dental and minor surgeries on some 150 villagers and ophthalmology services to over 150 people in the area.
The two-week joint RP-US humanitarian and medical missions will formally begin on Monday.
Sulu Governor Sakur Tan said the humanitarian mission will help many poor families in the province. “These humanitarian undertakings will help a lot of people and we are supporting these efforts and we appreciate what the United States is doing in Sulu,” he said.
US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said the humanitarian assistance and training activities enable the soldiers to get to know each other, train together, and provide assistance in communities where the need is greatest.
“True to the meaning of the word Balikatan, Americans and Filipinos are shouldering the load together to help the greatest possible number of people in need,” she said.
While US and Filipino troops focus on humanitarian activities in Sulu and Mindanao, others participating in the Balikatan 2008 will conduct combined staff exercises and field training in Luzon and Palawan islands to improve contingency planning and strengthen maritime security.
Balikatan 2008 will be the 24th annual event of its kind held under the auspices of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
In 2006, the United States Navy hospital ship Mercy had treated more than 60,000 mostly poor Filipino patients in separate medical missions in Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi islands, including Zamboanga City, as part of the Project Bayanihan.
It was also in 2002 that the U.S. committed 1,300 troops, mostly Special Forces, to the Philippines under the Joint Special Operations Task Force–Philippines (JSOTF-P) and $93 million in military aid to assist the Arroyo government defeat the local terror group called the Abu Sayyaf in the so-called “Operation Enduring Freedom–Philippines”.
The codename was originally from the “Operation Enduring Freedom”, the official name used by the US government for its military response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. It was previously planned to have been called "Operation Infinite Justice."
Operation Enduring Freedom–Philippines was later renamed “Oplan: Balikatan”. The US troops provided anti-terrorism trainings and supplied intelligence to the Philippine military from 2002 up to now that led to the killings of many known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including its chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani in 2006.
Philippine and U.S. authorities linked the Abu Sayyaf to the spate of bombings in Mindanao and Sulu, including executions of civilians and kidnappings for ransom to raise fund and support its terror campaign.
The Abu Sayyaf, which means “Bearer of the Sword”, has pillaged small towns, bombed passenger ships, commuter buses, Catholic churches and public places, including malls and department stores and killed hundreds of innocent people since the time it was founded in the early 1990s. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
US Chopper Attacked In Southern Philippines
"The chopper was hit by hostile fire. We still don't know if there are casualties," Mayor Joel Maturan, of Unkaya Pukan town, told the Mindanao Examiner.
Fighting was raging on Tuesday in the town where suspected militants attacked government soldiers, he said. "The fighting is intense," he said without elaborating further.
Major Eugene Batara, a regional army spokesman, said the attack on the chopper occurred on Monday and that one passenger was injured after debris hit him.
"A civilian helicopter conducting a routine support and logistics flight with the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines was hit by small-arms fire over Basilan island."
"The helicopter landed at the airfield in Zamboanga without difficulty. One individual aboard suffered minor injuries from flying debris. All personnel are safe and accounted for," he said.
Maturan said the fighting erupted Tuesday after Abu Sayyaf gunmen, backed by rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), attacked government soldiers in Ungkaya Pukan.
"We still don't know if there are casualties from both sides," he said. Troops were pursuing the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan island, blamed for killing more than two dozen soldiers in sporadic clashes the past months.
A small contingent of US troops is deployed in Basilan to help Filipino troops defeat terrorism. The Abu Sayyaf is included in the US list of international terrorist groups and Washington offered as much as five million dollars for the capture of the group's known leaders. (Mindanao Examiner)