U.S. Releases 2006 RP Human Rights Report

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Militar, Ingat Sa Isyu Ng Anti-Terror Law!

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Mar) – GINARANTIYA kanina ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) na hindi maabuso ang pagpapairal ng Human Security Act of 2007 matapos itong tuluyang maisabatas.

Ayon kay AFP Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., mahigpit na tatalima ang militar sa batas laban sa terorismo na may kaukulang safety measures namang nakapaloob.

Bagamat nahihinaan si Esperon sa bagong anti-terror law, mas makabubuti na aniya ito kaysa walang ngipin ang batas laban sa mga terorista.

Naniniwala pa itong magdadalawang-isip na rin ang mga teroristang grupo na maglunsad ng pananabotahe o karahasan sa bansa kasabay ng maigting na operasyon para masugpo ang mga bandido.

Gayunman, sa pagsasabatas ng Human Security Act of 2007, hindi aniya ito nangangahulugan na magpapatumpik-tumpik na lamang ang mga awtoridad sa operasyon nito. Target ng AFP na matapos ang mga bandido lalo na sa Mindanao sa loob ng kasalukuyang taon. (Juley Reyes)

In Zamboanga City, Even Toddler Begs For Alms

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Mar) A twelve-year old Muslim boy tags his younger brother to beg for money and food in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.

He says he lives in the Muslim enclave of Rio Hondo, one of the poorest in Zamboanga, now branded by local politicians as Asia's Latin City, because of Spain's influence and the "corrupted" dialect known as Chabacano, which is widely spoken here.

The boy says he and is brother go out every morning and returns later in the night, when they is enough money to buy a kilo of rice. His father died a long time ago and his mother does the laundry and takes care of their shanty in the village.

Many Muslim villages in Zamboanga City have been neglected because most of the government projects are concentrated in Christian areas. Help does not come easy for people like them in the so-called Asia's Latin City. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILITARY DEPLOYMENT SA METRO, BAHAGI NG BANTAY LAYA 2

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Mar) - INAMIN kanina ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) na bahagi ng Oplan Bantay Laya-Part 2 ang pagpapakalat nito ng mga sundalo sa Metro Manila.

Kasabay nito'y nagsisilbing training ground ang ilang slum areas sa Kalakhang Maynila ng mga batang opisyal na inihahanda sa foreign deployment para sa peace keeping missions o field assignment.

Sinabi ni AFP Public Information Office (PIO) Chief Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro na naaayon pa rin sa layunin ng pamahalaan na sugpuin ang insureksyon sa bansa ang military deployment nito na nakatutok lamang sa pagpapaunlad ng komunidad o civil military operations (CMO).

"Karamihan ng mga nandito, mga 2nd Lieutenant, bagong tinyente ito, while waiting for their deployment they are undergoing training, basically yung training dito ay ang tinatawag nating CODE training, yung community development," ani Bacarro.

Sa ngayon aniya, wala pa namang natatanggap na ulat ang AFP hinggil sa anumang pag-abuso ng kanilang mga sundalong kumikilos sa Metro Manila. Tinitiyak rin ni Bacarro na hindi naman pangungunahan ng militar ang Philippine National Police (PNP) sa anti-crime operations at hindi kikilos hanggat walang koordinasyon.

Itinuturing pa ng opisyal na peke ang mga video na nagpapakita ng pagbabahay-bahay ng mga sundalo upang ikampanya ang hindi pagsuporta sa mga partylist. Idinagdag ni Bacarro na mananagot ang sinumang sundalo sa paglabag sa Omnibus Election Code at memorandum of agreement bukod pa sa Articles of War kung mapatutunayang nasasangkot sa partisan politics.

Wala pang balak ang AFP na iatras o i-pull ang mga sundalo sa Metro Manila kahit na dumating ang araw ng eleksyon. (Juley Reyes)

2 Magdalo Leaders, Nagkainitan

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Mar) - SUMIKLAB ang tensyon sa pagitan ng dalawang lider ng Magdalo group sa pagdinig kaninang umaga sa Makati City.

Kasunod ito ng naging kahilingan ni Army First Lieutenant Lawrence San Juan sa hukuman na palitan ang kanyang plea charges at gawing guilty upang mapababa ang sentensya nito.

Narinig naman ito ni dating Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes at pumalag sa hakbang ni San Juan. "Sana solohin mo na lang yan!" pahayag ni Trillanes.

Hindi nagustuhan ni Trillanes ang ginawang pag-amin ni San Juan na lalong makapagpapahamak sa iba pang junior officer na akusado sa kasong kudeta bunsod ng pakikisangkot sa Oakwood mutiny noong 2003.

Dakong alas-10:15 ng umaga nang mangyari ang tensyon matapos ang pagdinig sa sala ni Branch 148 Judge Oscar Pimentel. (Juley Reyes)

Party Lists Denounce Militarization, Anti-Terror Law; U.S. Praises Arroyo

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Mar) - The party list group Kabataan on Tuesday criticized the Philippine military for its so-called counter-insurgency programs in school, saying, it threatened the freedom of expression of students who are vocal in their advocacy.

It said soldiers held recently a forum at the Philippine Normal University where they talked about so-called evils of communism and “campus infiltration” by the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing the New People’s Army and National Democratic Front.

Authorities have tagged militant groups and student organizations as CPP fronts.

The party list group is wary that the communist-tagging of youth organizations affiliated to Kabataan unnecessarily endangers lives of members.

“This is a clear malicious threat to the members of legitimate student organizations inside the campus and in the participation of our party list in the coming elections whom the military continue to brand as communist-fronts,” Karla Hyasmind Apat said.

“We condemn the military’s terrorist acts against the youth and students organizations. We condemn the government’s propagation of the culture of impunity which robs the youth of their freedom of expression” Apat said.

Militant groups have earlier denounced deployment of armed soldiers in cities and provinces who are allegedly campaigning against party lists with links to the CPP and its affiliates.

Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon denied soldiers were involved in partisan politics and said the deployment is part of security operation to help police ensure peace.

“Esperon is engaging in doublespeak. What he has been telling the public is totally contradictory with what is happening in the areas where soldiers are deployed,” said Editha Duterte, spokesperson of the Anakpawis party list in Southern Mindanao.

She said troops from the Army’s 39th Infantry Battalion prevented citizens from attending party list activities and farmers’ fora in Davao del Sur province. She said soldiers have been showing the military documentary entitled ‘Knowing the Enemy,’ which brazenly maligns progressive party-lists, organizations and the media and religious sectors, among others, by tagging them as NPA and CPP fronts.

“No matter how Esperon, the AFP and even Malacañang deny that they are campaigning against us and our allied groups, they can never fool the majority of the population,” Duterte said.

Even the militant party list group called Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) warned of an increase in human rights violations as soldiers pour into urban areas.

“The deployment of soldiers in Metro Manila and other urban areas will worsen the already deplorable rights situation in the country. The counter-insurgency terror being spread in countryside will be replicated in the urban areas. Expect zonings illegal search and seizure, arrest without warrants and more extra-judicial killings,” said Elmer Labog, KMU national chairman.

Labog said that with military deployment, labor disputes can turn intobloody confrontations like what happened in November 2004 at Hacienda Luisita sugar plantation in La Paz town in Tarlac where some 1,000 soldiers and policemen stormed a barricade and opened fire on farmers protesting low pay.

Twelve picketers and two children were killed and hundreds of protesting farmers injured in the attack.

“They accused the Hacienda workers of having been infiltrated by the New People’s Army rebels to justify the murder. What is stopping the AFP to use the same justification to break labor disputes,” asked Labog.

“We are going back to the dark days of Martial Law. But the difference with Marcos is that Arroyo is using gradual constriction against the remaining democracy in the country.”

“Our rights are under the vise of a political anaconda which entangles it target, then slowly squeezes the life from its prey, waits for the last breath to expire then swallows everything. If we allow the militarization to continue, will wake up one day with all our rights swallowed up and taken away from us,” he said.

Militant groups were also worried over the approval of President Gloria Arroyo of the anti-terrorism bill, saying, it could be used to abuse human rights and stifle press freedom.

The Senate approved the bill and the United States welcomed the signing the Human Security Act of 2007 by President Arroyo, saying, it is a positive step forward in countering and preventing terrorism in the Philippines.

This new law will help provide Philippine law enforcement and judicial authorities with the legal tools they need to confront the threats posed by international terrorism, while ensuring protection of civil liberties and human rights.

“The United States will continue to work with the Philippines as a partner and ally in the war on terrorism, providing technical assistance, training and sharing information with Philippine counterparts,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement it sent Tuesday to the Mindanao Examiner.

President Arroyo said the anti-terror law is a landmark in the battle against evil. She said Filipinos have nothing to fear in this law for it is a weapon that shall be wielded against bombers and not protesters.

“It upgrades our preemptive capability to check the conspiracies of harm and mass murder, and contain the movement of arms and funds to sow mayhem. This brings to a higher level our successful campaign against the Abu Sayyaf, JI and Al Qaeda cells now being carried out in a broader front of national and regional vigilance.”

“We will keep bombers at bay as we drive up confidence in the Philippines, grow jobs, increase incomes and lift the people from poverty. Our message to the world is to have no safe haven for terror in our country, and to have a strong democratic society driven by freedom under the rule of law. Let us all unite behind a renewed campaign against terror and drive out this scourge to a modern Philippines,” the President said Tuesday. (Mindanao Examiner)

Utol Ng Parak, Itinumba Sa Harapan Ng Nobya!

ILOILO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Mar) – Patay agad ang isang utol ng parak matapos itong barilin ng isa sa dalawang armado sa harapan mismo ng kanyang nobya sa Iloilo City.

Ayon sa pulisya ay nagmamaneho ng kanyang jeep si Dennis Segutier kasama ang kanyang nobya ng sila’y harangin ng mga suspek at walang pasubaling binanatan sa ulo ang biktima kamakalawa lamang.

Hindi naman makapaniwala sa kanyang nakita ang nobyang si Moren Morales at nasa matinding trauma pa rin hanganga ngayon.

Sinabi ng pulisya na ang biktima ay utol ni SPO3 Willie Segutier, subali’t hindi pa mabatid kung may kinalaman ang pagpatay sa pagiging pulis ng kapatid.

Mabilis umanong tumakas ang dalawang lalaki. Walang umako sa pagpatay at inaalam ng pulisya kung sabit ang New People’s Army sa atake o kung may koneksyon ang pagpaslang sa love triangle. (Mindanao Examiner)

Violence Kills 2 In Davao, Digos In South RP

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Mar) – Two persons were killed in separate violence in the southern Filipino port city of Davao and nearby Digos City, police said.

Police said an 18-year old man was stabbed dead by his elder brother during a heated argument Monday inside their house in the village of San Isidro in Kaputian district.

The attacker, police said, had been arrested after neighbors sought the help of authorities. Police said the two brothers were both drank at the time of the quarrel.

A 16-year old student, who had been earlier arrested, but later freed by police, was also stabbed dead by two young men inside an internet café in a daring attack witnessed by several people on Monday.

Police said Jovanni Dumandal was playing computer when two men, armed with knives, entered the café and suddenly attacked him. Police earlier arrested Dumanda on robbery charges, but released him later because he was a minor.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Hundreds of suspected criminals and felons had been executed in Davao City over the years and police blamed the vigilante group called the Davao Death Squad. But many relatives and families of those slain believed the authorities were behind the extra-judicial killings. (Romy Bwaga)

3 Tulak Ng Damo Timbog Sa Negros!

CEBU CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Mar) – Nadakip ng pulisya ang umano’y tatlong lalaki na kilabot na tulak ng damo matapos ng isang operasyon sa Escalante City sa lalawigan ng Negros.

Sinabi ng pulisya kahapon na nasamsam rin ang mahigit sa apat na kilong libra ng marijuana mula kina Mark Estilloso, 20; Henry Villarin, 21; Rolex Villanueva, 21, rin sa isinagawang buy-bust operation sa Barangay Langub kamakalawa.

Matagal na umanong minamanmanan ng mga awtoridad ang tatlo dahil sa maraming reklamo mula sa mga magulang na talamak ang bentahan ng damo sa nasabing lugar.

Itinanggi naman ng tatlo ang akusasyon sa kanila kahit nahulihan na ng damo.Sasampahan umano ng kaso ng pulisya ang mga suspek dahil sa paglabag ng Republic Act 9165 o ang Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002.

Nanawagan rin ang pulisya sa mga magulang na bantayan maiigi at gabayan ang kanilang mga abak upang hindi ito mawala sa mabuting landas. Nagbabala ang awtoridad sa nga nagtutulak ng damo at droga na sila’y mabubulok sa bilanguan kapag nahuli. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF Fighting Erupts In Southern Philippines

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Mar) – Fierce fighting between government troops and Muslim rebels broke out in the southern Philippines, leaving at least 2 people dead, as hundreds of villagers flee their homes.

Two army soldiers were also wounded in the clash that erupted before midnight in North Cotabato’s Midsayap town after some 300 fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) simultaneously attacked two military posts, said Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division.

“One of our soldiers is killed and two others are wounded in the rebel attack. The MILF violated the truce. They harassed our troops without provocation. We have filed a protest with the government peace panel about this attack,” Ando told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said MILF leader Amiril Umbra Kato was behind the attack.

But the MILF denied the accusations and said the fighting broke out after troops encroached inside rebel territories in the village of Lomobog and Cabigasan.

“The soldiers are to be blamed about all these skirmishes. They encroached inside our areas and it is a violation of the cease-fire agreement. We have also filed a protest and called on the international truce observers to investigate the fighting,” a rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said in a separate interview.

He said government planes bombed MILF targets in the area and killing one rebel.

Kabalu said hundreds of villagers have fled their homes for fear that the fighting would escalate. “Muslim villagers are fleeing; hundreds of them have abandoned their homes because of the military offensive,” he said.

The fighting erupted just as government and rebel leaders were trying to resume peace negotiations in an effort to end more than three decades of bloody battle in the South, home to about 4 million Muslims.

Manila opened up peace talks in 2001 with the MILF, which is fighting for independence in the troubled, but mineral-rich Mindanao island.

Malaysia is brokering peace talks between the Filipino government and the MILF, but negotiations ended in September in Kuala Lumpur with both sides failing to sign any agreement on the most contentious issue -- ancestral domain.

Ancestral domain refers to the rebel demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland. It is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the rebel group can reach a political settlement.

The ancestral domain covers the whole of Muslim autonomous region and other areas in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces where there are large communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes. And even Palawan Island in central Philippines.

Government peace negotiators previously offered the MILF the Muslim autonomous region, which is composed of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi which are among the poorest in the country torn by strife and clan wars since its creation in 1989. The MILF rejected the offer. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Guam Mayors Visit Manila

Members of the Mayors’ Council of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Elected Council visited the Philippines from February 24 to March 2. During their trip, the delegation, led by Mayor Paul M. McDonald of Agana Heights, Guam, visited the U.S. Embassy in Manila and met with U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney.

Militarization In Metro Manila Increasing, Says Party List Nominee

MANILA - The militant party list group, Anakpawis, said Monday the widespread militarization in urban areas happens not only during election period but through out the year especially in areas and urban poor communities where local and foreign so-called development projects are implemented.

Anakpawis nominee Joel Maglunsod said since December last year, members of urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap have been challenging the “abnormal” presence of military personnel in various villages in Quezon City, particularly in neighborhoods with Kadamay chapters in Commonwealth, Holy Spirit, Tandang Sora and other areas.

"The militarization campaign in slum areas is characterized by supposed socio-civic projects led by the AFP in coordination with village councils.

In reality, these campaigns aim to disband organizations of poor people who oppose demolitions and uphold other economic issues such as demands for wage hikes, social services and employment which the Arroyo government cannot sufficiently provide," he said.

He said government projects and constructions in urban poor areas are always accompanied with military component. Since 2003, village intelligence units from local police and military were deployed massively in various port area communities in Manila as part of the Medium Term Port Area Privatization and Modernization Plan implemented by Malacanang through the Philippine Ports Authority."

Maglunsod said that the heightened militarization campaign is also directed at labor organizing efforts. "Military presence is high in urban areas where there are concentration of workers and poor people. More than ninety percent of Metro Manila-based workers are residing in urban poor communities and we all know that workers are actively campaigning for P125 across-the-board legislated wage hike," he said.

"The official document released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines detailing its anti-party list campaign in villages only confirmed active military presence in slum areas. In fact, it even worsened the current condition of urban militarization that has been happening for ages," Maglunsod said.

Gov't Urged To Do More About Juvenile Delinquents

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Mar) – The party list group, Kabataan, expressed alarm Monday over the growing juvenile delinquency problems in the Philippines.

It said the government should do more to address the problems and save the children’s future.

“The government can do something better than criminalizing minors who are into anti-social activities. They are victims too of the problems of the society,” Karla Hyasmind Apat, the group’s vice president for Mindanao, said.

Apat said the prevalence of juvenile delinquency cases should be perceived not as a criminal offense but as a by-product of the ills of the current system.

“As victims of social crisis, youth offenders should not be criminalized instead should be given help by the state,” Apat said.

She said the state has the prime accountability in the rise of juvenile delinquents, citing previous studies released by both state and non-governmental child institutions that show most of these minors come from poor families.

“Helping juvenile delinquents entails uprooting poor families from theirdepressing state of poverty. Poverty is a major factor in pushing the youth toward lawlessness. The government should start pouring budget into basic social services instead of prioritizing debt servicing and the military,” Apat said.

“The increasing number of juvenile delinquents reflects the crisis of education which pushes more and more students out of school making them vulnerable to commit anti-social activities,” she said.

A Vision To Fight TB, NGO Earmarks $4M For Project

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Mar) – A Christian humanitarian organization is earmarking $4 million or roughly P200 million to fund a five-year project in curbing tuberculosis (TB) and other lung problems in at least 21 highly-infected cities and provinces in the Philippines.

The World Vision Development Foundation, Inc. with its international funding Geneva, Switzerland-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria (GFATM) have team up with Department of Health, and other private medical organizations such as the Tropical Disease Foundation, Inc. and Philippine Coalition Against Tuberculosis, local government units, and the targeted community beneficiaries in a program dubbed as "Social Mobilization on Tuberculosis."

Social Mobilization is a process of bringing together all feasible and practical inter-sectoral allies to raise awareness of and demand for the TB prevention program, to basically assist in the delivery of resources and services and to strengthen community participation for sustainability and self-reliance," Marlon A. Villanueva, World Vision's project coordinator said during the launching of its program here last week.

"Through this tuberculosis eradication program, our objective here isto increase the demand for quality 'directly observed treatment, shortcourse' or DOTS services in the public and private DOTS centers by mobilizing communities or organizing TB task force and by empowering TB patients in underserved poor populations," he said.

The project will be divided into two, these are the "Round 2 Partners" which will focus on provinces of Zambales, Bataan, Sorsogon, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Tagbilaran, Bohol, Ormoc, Leyte, Cagayan de Oro, and Butaun, while the "Round 5 Partners" will include the cities of Caloocan, Parañaque, san Pablo, Bacolod, Cebu, Ilo-Ilo, Davao, General Santos, and Zamboanga City.

In Zamboanga City, the group identified the villages of Talon-Talon andRecodo, as pilot areas due to its high cases of TB, however, the program's coverage will expand to more than 10 villages in the following years.

Villanueva said the Round 2 which has started since October last year, will end in 2008, while the Round 5 will stretch up to 2011.

He said the bulk of the money will fund the series of trainings and seminars in strengthening community organizing for public health workers; for the creation and operational expense of the TB Task Force, and the conductions of effective health education for public health workers and the community-based TB support group members.

"We are not just directly eliminating tuberculosis in the lungs of the affected areas, but we are also empowering and enforcing the community itself to prevent the occurrence of the disease," he said.

He said the community-based TB task force will be the main centerpiece of the program, and serve as the forefront to reduce if not eliminate TB, which is among the country's top 10 killer diseases, based on the government's Health department.

In its briefing paper, the task force is a collective of individuals or groups from various sector of the society volunteering their services in: raising awareness on TB through health education and various advocacy activities, identifying and referring TB symptomatic for consultation, acting as treatment partners to infected patients and supervising the daily drug intake of the patients; and its welfare in general."

Villanueva explained, that "the task force will trained to increase access of the community to quality "directly observed treatment shortcourse' services and to provide patient-centered TB services."

For its part, the government's Health department, through its regional offices, will provide medical experts for the training of the task force, and shoulder "for free" all the anti-TB medicines and major consultations, according to health's regional director Aristides Tan.

He said for Zamboanga Peninsula the national government is setting aside roughly P1.5 million annually for anti-TB program. Tan noted they are receiving an alarming rate of more than 1,000 TB afflicted individuals per year in the region.

"Based on the World Health Organization, at least 75 Filipinos die everyday due to TB," he said, adding that country is number eight among 22 countries that have the highest tuberculosis burden in the world. In Asia, the Philippines is number two, after China.

He said the treatment process of tuberculosis ranges from six to eight months. "That's why it requires a proper monitoring for the affected individuals."

The DOTS normally require patients to take anti-TB drugs for a span of time, and to continue even when the TB symptoms disappear. Patients who stop in the middle of their treatment often develop resistance to anti-TB drugs, and continue to infect people since their ailment has not been cured, he said.

Tuberculosis is primarily a disease of the respiratory system and results in persistent cough, fever, fatigue and weight loss. Similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome, tuberculosis is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes and propels TB germs into the air.

People sharing close quarters with TB victims in homes, schools, hospitals and prisons are at high risk to exposure.

Based on a survey done by the Department of Health in 1998, tuberculosis is also accounted for 8% of total deaths between the years 1993 to 1998, making it the sixth leading cause of death in the Philippines based on the same survey. Those most often afflicted are Filipinos in the productive ages of 15 to 54 years, he said.

Tan said tuberculosis education is an important facet in the treatment of the disease. In the Philippines, tuberculosis disproportionately affects the poor. It is often dubbed as a "poor man's disease" and the stigma makes it a difficult disease to deal with.

Per observation, Villanueva said, many afflicted patients, as well as their relatives, avoid seeking medical help for fear of being ostracized.

"With our anti-TB program, and with the help of the community, we are offering a better way of communicating information about the disease and plays a big role in removing the stigma, thus overcoming a common stumbling block in controlling TB," he said.

Villanueva said the World Vision has been doing charitable programs for the development of children in the poorest community in the country since 1947. Its major project is the Child Sponsorship Program, which bridges wealthy personalities, and businessmen in subsidizing the health and education for poor children in country.

He said the Christian organization group is currently servicing 300,000 children in the Philippines, adding that in global context, the group also "extends its project to almost 100 million people in 100 countries worldwide."

He said among their list of donors in the world includes billionaire and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. In the country, this includes TV personality Kris Aquino, and broadcast-journalist Karen Davilla. (Darwin Wee)

Militants, Moro People Offer Prayer, Candles For Victims Of Airport Bmbing

DAVAO CITY — Suara Party List and various militant groups offered prayers and candles Monday for the victims of the 2003 Davao International Airport bombing as they demand for the real perpetrators to be brought to justice.

The groups condemned the incident that not only caused the lives of at least 22 and wounded 145 others but also shattered those of whom were mistakenly blamed for the bombing, all of whom were Moro people.

“The candles and the prayers were offered both for the victims and the people wrongly accused as being behind the bombing. It’s not only the families of the victims that have suffered from the dastardly attack but also those who were immediately accused but were found innocent,” Abubakar Abalos Uy secretary general of Suara Party List group in Southern Mindanao, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

An example to this, Uy said, was the case of Montasser Sudang, a Moro from a village of Kabacan in North Cotabato who was quickly tagged as the man who carried the bomb.

Sudang, whose wife just delivered a child at that time, was in the airport on March 4, along with a number of people from his village, to welcome a relative from Egypt. Sudang was among the fatalities.

His father and other relatives, including the one who came from Egypt, were detained and investigated. Uy said the government even violated and desecrated the Moro custom when authorities refused to release his body to the family for burial.

“Until now, the death of Sudang has not been given justice like all of the other victims. While he was a victim, Sudang now remains to be the primary suspect which leaves us to believe that the incident was state-sponsored,” Uy said.

Sudang, he said, was apparently a victim of government’s unsubstantiated notion and prejudice against the Moro people.

“Until now, the truth remains that the government picked an innocent person as their suspect. The bloody incident caused a young father’s life and that of his wife and child…a bloody incident which could only trace back on who has control and the machinery to carry out such a deplorable act of terrorism,” Uy said.

He said innocent Moro people are still languishing in the detention cells while the real suspects are enjoying the luxury of freedom. “We will not stop fighting against the continued oppression of the Moro people and the injustices we all suffer from the power-starved government,” Uy said.

NPA Tigok, 2 Sundalo Sugatan Sa Labanan

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Mar) – Patay ang isang rebeldeng New People's Army (NPA) habang dalawang sundalo naman ang sugatan sa sagupaang naganap sa lalawigan ng Compostela Valley sa Mindanao.

Sa ulat na ibinigay ng Philippine Army sa Mindanao Examiner ay nakasaad na tinatayang 30 rebelde ang nakabakbakan ng mga tauhan ng 60th Infantry Battalion at 72nd Cadre Battalion sa Barangay Concepcion sa bayan ng Laak kung saan ay narekober ng isang M14 rifle at isang caliber .357 revolver.

Nakilala ang dalawang sugatang sundalo na sina Private First Class Matildo at Private Ponce at dinala na sa Panacan Station Hospital sa Davao City.

Samantala sa Bukidnon sa Northern Mindanao, anim na matataas na kalibre ng baril at eksplosibo naman ang nakuha ng tropa ng 26th Infantry Battalion at Cafgu sa Sitio Tintina-an, Can-ayan, Malaybalay City.

Kabilang sa mga nakuha ay ang apat na M16 rifles, isang M14, isang anti-personnel mine, electrical wires, detonator at bateryaIsang rebelde rin ang umano’y sumuko sa Special Operations Team ng 3rd Infantry Battalion sa Barangay Abulalas sa Hagonoy, Bulacan.

Nakilala ang rebelde na si Maximo Buenavista alyas Dalton, at political guide at kolekta ng teroristang grupong nag-o-operate sa Hagonoy, Paombong, Calumpit at Malolos sa nasabing lalawigan. (Juley Reyes)

Vigilantes Kill 2 In South RP

DAVAO DEL NORTE (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Mar) – Two people were killed in separate attacks by suspected members of a vigilante in the southern Philippines, police said Monday.

Police said the attacks occurred at the weekend in Tagum City.

The vigilantes, members of the shadowy group called Underground Death Squad, first killed Carlito Amatorio in the village of Mankilam. And eight hours later, they also shot dead Dominique Omela in the nearby village of Magugpo.

Amatoria was resting outside his house when two motorcycle gunmen shot him in the head. Omela was also shot in front of his house by gunmen, police said.

It was not immediately known whether the two killings were connected, but police blamed the vigilante group for the attacks. The group was also implicated in previous killings in Tagum.

Police said it is still investigating the motive for the attacks. (Romy Bwaga)

TROPA NG SUNDALO SA METRO, HINDI IAATRAS

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Mar) - WALANG balak ang liderato ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) na alisin ang mga sundalong nakakalat sa Metro Manila bagamat inuulan na ito ng mga reklamo buhat sa mga umaalmang militanteng grupo.

Sinabi kanina ni Major General Jose Angel Honrado, tagapagsalita ng AFP, na hanggat walang direktiba buhat kay AFP Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. na iatras ang tropa ng mga sundalo nito, magpapatuloy ang civil military operations ng National Capital Region Command.

Naninindigan si Honrado na walang kinalaman na eleksyon ang deployment ng mga sundalo kundi bahagi ito ng mandatong tungkulin ng militar.

"The deployment will stay. As of now, there is no order for a pullout," diin ni Honrado."It [deployment] is not election related," dagdag nito.

Inamin ni Honrado na natanggap na ng AFP ang pormal na komunikasyon buhat sa Commission on elections (Comelec) upang magkomento sa deployment.

Sinabi naman ni NCR Command Chief Major General Benjamin Dolorfino na may kinalaman rin sa counter insurgency operation at pagpapanatili ng peace and order situation sa mga komunidad ang isinasagawa nito.

"Yes the operations of the Armed Forces are indirectly related to counter-insurgency because we are trying to help solve peace and order problems so the people will not go to streets or think of fighting the government," ani Dolorfino.

"I think nothing is wrong that we have civil-military operations program and this is promoting good relations between military and civilians," dagdag ni Dolorfino. (Juley Reyes)

Bomba, Bala; Posters, Kalendaryo Ng Bayan Nasamsam Sa Lugar Ng NPA

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Mar) IBAT-IBANG poster at kalendaryo ng Bayan Muna party list group ang nasamsam ng militar kasunod ng pakikipag-engkuwentro sa mga hinihinalang miyembro ng New People's Army (NPA) sa Toril, Davao City.

Nabatid ngayong araw kay kay Army spokesman Major Ernesto Torres, Jr. na nakasagupa ng mga elemento ng 73rd Infantry Battalion ang mga rebelde sa ilalim ng isang kumander Bobby sa bisinidad ng Barangay Eden sa naturang lalawigan.

Bukod sa mga campaign materials ng Bayan Muna, nakuha rin ng mga sundalo sa lugar ng insidente ang 52 rounds ng bala para sa M60, dalawang improvised landmines at mga subersibong dokumento.

Kasunod nito, hinamon ng opisyal ang liderato ng gerilyang grupo na patunayang wala itong kaunayan sa sinumang politiko.

"Following the report, we challenge the NPA leadership to prove that they are in no way associated with any political group who is running for elections in May," ani Torres sa Mindanao Examiner.

Mahigit sa 100 piraso ng kalendaryo na may larawan nina Reps. Satur Ocampo, Joel Virador at Teddy Casino at mga poster na humihikayat ng pagboto ang nakuha ng militar buhat sa mga rebelde.

Dalawang sundalo rin ang napatay kasunod ng sagupaan na nakilalang sina Staff Sergeant Conrado Nequiaz at Cafgu member at dating rebelde na si Gary Lopez.

Tatlo naman sa panig ng komunistang grupo ang napaslang bagamat nabigong marekober ng tropa ng pamahalaan ang mga labi nito. (Juley Reyes)

NPA Hostage Pinakawalan Na!

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Mar) – Pinalaya na rin ng rebeldeng New People’s Army (NPA) ang isang babae na kanilang tinangay upang gamiting pananggalang sa mga tumutugis na tropa ng militar sa distrito ng Toril sa Davao City.

Dinukot si Maryrose Degamon, 19, nuong nakaraang linggo sa Barangay Tagurano habang papatakas ang mga rebelde.

Napawi naman ang dalamhati ng ina nitong si Rosalinda Degamon ng makabalik ng buhay ang anak. Hindi naman nagbigay ng karagdagang pahayag ang pamilya ng biktima.

Sinabi ng pulisya na tinutukan umano ng baril ng ang rebelde ang mag-ina at saka sapilitang tinangay ang babae.

Naunang umapela ang ina sa NPA na palayaain ang kanyang anak. Kilalang baluarte ng NPA ang ilang liblib na barangay sa Davao City. (Romy Bwaga)

3 Davao Gang Members Slain In Firefight With Cops

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Mar) – Police killed three members of a robbery gang in a shootout Monday in the southern Philippine port city of Davao, officials said Monday.

The fighting erupted after police foiled a robbery attempt at a branch of the Mercury drug store in the village of Bayabas in Toril district. A policeman was wounded in the firefight.

Police said the trio, members of the notorious Posadas Gang, attacked policemen who were responding on the robbery at around 9 a.m.

Two others escaped by motorcycle, police said. (Romy Bwaga)

Photo: Tulay Mosque Of Jolo Island

The magnificent Tulay mosque -- built from donations or zakat -- stands majestically in the middle of downtown Jolo in the southern Philippines, with four towers being used to call every Muslims to prayers several times a day. It is the center of Islamic faith on the island in the Sulu Archipelago. The Tulay mosque now towers Jolo's skyline. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)