For Official Use Only!

A government vehicle with license plate SFK-483 is parked Saturday Sept. 15, 2007 outside the Greenwich Pizza and Jollibee-Camins in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. Civil servants are prohibited from using government vehicles other than for official use only during working days.

And in Zamboanga City, government vehicles are often spotted in private schools bringing children and sometimes used as if they are privately owned, despite a strict government policy prohibiting the use of such vehicles for personal purposes. And drivers of these vehicles will always have an alibi -- Oh! Just parked the car over there because there was no parking available or We have a visitor or we were having a meeting at the fast-food...and so on. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

Sulu Provincial Government Launches Own News Organ

The Sulu Gazette, official newsletter of the Sulu Provincial Government. It provides latest news and information about the provincial government under Governor Sakur Tan. The monthly Sulu Gazette is also distributed by the Mindanao Examiner in some areas in the Muslim autonomous region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao City, Cebu City and Manila.

1 Hurt In Southern Philippine Bombing

Police and military bomb experts inspect a delivery truck bombed Saturday Sept. 15, 2007 in Cotabato City in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 15 Sept) – A bomb exploded Saturday in the southern Philippines barely two days after Australia warned its citizens of a possible terrorist attacks in the troubled region, police said.

Police said one person was wounded in the blast in Cotabato City. The bomb, planted under a Coca-Cola delivery truck parked in downtown Cotabato, exploded at around 12.30 p.m., said police desk officer Jose Dimaano.

“One person, Omar Salik, was injured in the blast. He was just passing near the truck when the bomb exploded,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

The police officer said the explosive was left at the truck’s water container probably mistaken as petrol tank by the bomber. The truck’s left side was damaged by the blast, police said.

“We are just lucky that it was the water container and not the petrol tank where the bomb was planted or else the blast and shrapnel and broken bottles could hurt or even kill more people,” he said.

Police forces in Cotabato City have doubled security.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Australian government warned Thursday that terrorists may strike on civilian targets and power installations in Mindanao island.

Australia warned its citizens not to travel to Mindanao because of credible threats of terrorism. It said terrorists may also strike in the Philippine capital.

“We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in the Philippines because of the high threat of terrorist attack. We continue to receive credible reports that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners,” it said on a travel warning posted on the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Security forces remain in heightened alert because of the political situation and insurgency problems in the Philippines.

“We have not received any reports that terrorists are planning to attack power installations or populated centers, but troops are always in alert. Mindanao is generally peaceful,” Army Maj. Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, said.

In central Mindanao, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division said it has no intelligence reports about a possible terror attacks on civilian targets and power infrastructure in the south.

“It is peaceful now in many parts of Mindanao. People are confident about the peace and order and our forces are troops are always prepared and ready to fight terrorism, with or without the Australian travel warning,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a regional army spokesman, said in a separate interview.

Last week, authorities arrested three Filipinos in Zamboanga City and another in General Santos City, all in southern Philippines, for their links to terrorism.

Three of those arrested — Marjuni Amala, Aristalon Isniril and Ronely Ahman — were suspected as Abu Sayyaf members and behind a bomb attack in Zamboanga City on Aug. 21 that injured 16 people.

Authorities also arrested suspected Jemaah Islamiya member Maipasagi Gani in General Santos City who was planning to bomb the KCC Mall on Tuesday to coincide with the commemoration of the September 11, 2001 al-Qaeda attacks in the United States. Police seized two homemade bombs from Gani.

The Philippine military is also holding an Indonesian terror suspect who was arrested in the province of Palawan, southwest of Manila.

The man was one of six suspected Abu Sayyaf militants arrested since last week in a crackdown on suspected terrorists in the Philippines.

Authorities were investigating the man whom military interrogators believed is a member of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya, blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

The foreigner, believed to be connected with Jemaah Islamiya bomber, Dulmatin, is being held by military authorities in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

Filipino security forces were tracking down Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants, including Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both tagged by Jakarta as behind the Bali bombings; and Zulkifli bin Hir, who are hiding in the southern Philippines. (Mark Navales and Juan Magtanggol)

Indon Terror Suspect Arrested In Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 14 Sept) – Philippine authorities are holding an Indonesian terror suspect who was arrested in the province of Palawan, southwest of Manila, reports said on Friday.

Reports said the man was one of six Abu Sayyaf militants arrested since last week in a crackdown on suspected terrorists in the Philippines.

Authorities were investigating the man whom military interrogators believed is a member of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya, blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

Reports said the man is being held by military authorities in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. Military officials were not immediately available to confirm the reports.

Filipino security forces were tracking down Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants, including Dulmatin and Umar Patek and Zulkifli bin Hir, hiding in the southern region. (Mindanao Examiner)

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Majority Of Suicides Caused By Depression: San Mateo County Times

Abuse. Loneliness. A stressful episode. The unexpected loss of a loved one.

Any of those and other strong physical or emotional factors could trigger suicidal thoughts, especially in already depressed people who don't seek help either because they don't know better or are afraid to admit they need it.

"It's sort of a worldwide phenomenon," said Dr. Nancy Pena, Santa Clara County's mental health director. "In many cultures, personal distress and personal suffering, especially if it's of the mind and the emotions, is not considered a legitimate illness, and there are expectations that people should take care of these problems by themselves and not seek help.

"I think particularly in Western culture, where there is more emphasis on self-sufficiency and independence, people think that it's a sign of weakness to show that they have emotional problems and are suffering in some way.

People think that they should snap out of it and that it is all in their mind and they should be able to fix it."

Each year, 30,000 people fail to "fix it" and end up killing themselves. More than 90 percent of them have mental illnesses — usually depression — that could have been treated, experts say.

There are biological reasons why people experience depression and significant evidence that biochemical imbalances exist in people's brains.

Fortunately, suicide rates have been declining since 1997 due to an increase in the recognition of warning signs, an awareness of prevention measures, more people seeking and having access to treatment, and a plethora of antidepressants on the market, said Dr. Mark J. Goldblatt, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard University and president of the New England Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

"We know that both drugs and psychotherapy in combination is the best treatment," Goldblatt said. "Once the depression is treated, suicide usually resolves itself."

And while not all depression requires medication, Pena said, "it certainly does indicate that it's not just people's thought process; it actually does affect ourselves physically."

Suicide and depression cut across all ethnic groups, Goldblatt said. Elderly Caucasian males, however, have the highest suicide rates. Older adults in general are prone to suicide because they often are isolated, experts say.

While women attempt suicide more often, males are four times more likely to kill themselves, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. "Attempts are cries for help. They want someone to give them attention," said Amanda Freeman, manager of San Mateo County's Crisis Center, a program run by the private nonprofit Youth and Family Enrichment Services.

While adults often show outward or behavioral signs of depression, youth do not. But changes in a youth's clothing fashion or music style could mean a shift in how he or she is feeling on the inside, Freeman said.

"Situational depression related to emotional situations in kids' lives becomes very sort of amplified for young people and they really oftentimes don't have the ability to see that things won't be the same tomorrow or next week," Pena said.

In many suicides, a precipitating event was devastating to an individual — the loss of a job, or of a loved one. While life-altering events likely aren't the sole cause of suicide, they could be exacerbated by drugs or alcohol, according to many experts.

Other risk factors include previous suicide attempts and a family history of suicide. People who are widowed or divorced, particularly if they live alone, have a higher rate of suicide than those in other sociological groups. Those who know someone who died by suicide are more likely to attempt or complete suicide.

Though the overall suicide rate has been falling nationwide, the numbers are climbing for some groups.

According to a report released Sept. 6 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate for children and young adults grew 8 percent in 2004.

"This is the biggest annual increase that we've seen in 15 years. We don't yet know if this is a short-lived increase or if it's the beginning of a trend," said Dr. Ileana Arias, director of CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

"Either way, it's a harsh reminder that suicide, and suicide attempts, are affecting too many youth and young adults. We need to make sure suicide-prevention efforts are continuous and reaching children and young adults."

The report didn't speculate on the reasons behind the increase, but it coincides with a drop in the use of antidepressant drugs by young people after the Food and Drug Administration announced it would require antidepressant makers to place a "black box" label warning that the drugs increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and adolescents, the Wall Street Journal reported.

There also has been a spike in the rate of military people who kill themselves.

In an Aug. 16 news article, the Associated Press reported that Army soldiers in 2006 committed suicide at the highest rate in 26 years. The Army attributes that to repeated and longer deployments, which puts increasing pressure on relationships and military families.

There were 99 Army suicides last year — nearly half of them soldiers who hadn't reached their 25th birthdays, about a third of them while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Col. Elspeth Ritchie, psychiatry consultant to the Army surgeon general, told a Pentagon press conference the primary reason for suicide is "failed intimate relationships, failed marriages."

Members of the military may have undiagnosed depression when they return from the war, Goldblatt said, adding that many suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which can occur following a traumatic event.

"Depression and mental illness strike any number of people," said Dr. Rona Hu, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine, where she is also medical director of the acute psychiatric inpatient unit. "You're not a bad person because you're affected by it," she said.

While depression and suicide can affect anyone, Hu said Asians also are at high risk.

"There is truth to the idea that Asians are less likely to go for help, and less likely to comply with treatment recommendations," Hu said.

And the figures are overwhelming in some Asian countries. Japan has the second-highest suicide rate in the industrialized world 25.5 per 100,000 people in 2003. Russia has the highest rate — 38.7 percent — according to World Health Organization statistics.

In a personal or business failing, Asians often feel the only alternative is suicide, Hu said. "In Asian culture, there is a saying, 'death before dishonor,'" Hu adds. "In Asian society, there's such an emphasis on saving face. Seeking help seems like a moral failing."

Over the years, Hu has treated many Asian patients and said that on the surface, they are compliant. "Even if they're not taking the medications (I have prescribed), they won't tell me. With depression, there is a sense of shame, a stigma."

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, every 16 minutes someone in the United States dies by suicide, leaving others to try and make sense of it.

Goldblatt and other experts urge people to seek help if they or someone they know is contemplating suicide.

"People should take it seriously when their loved ones talk about wanting to die," Goldblatt said.

"These illnesses are treatable."

Hu agrees that if suicide is more openly discussed, more people might seek treatment, which could eventually lead to fewer people taking their lives.

"Depression and suicide affect so many people. It's so stigmatized, but yet so common. If we all could come together and talk about it, we could help each other," Hu said. (Jamie Casini/San Mateo County Times)

From The International Herald Tribune

A Philippine court has agreed with the government and found former President Joseph Estrada guilty of plunder. Estrada claims the case was motivated entirely by politics. Both sides are right.

At one level, the verdict may be a victory for the rule of law. But it is unlikely that convicting the former president and sentencing him to life in prison will do much to clean up Philippine politics or government. To many, this is as much soap opera as serious justice.

The Marcos regime plundered on a much larger scale than the indolent Estrada managed in his brief career as president. Yet 20 years and innumerable court cases later, almost no one from the Marcos era has gone to prison. Imelda Marcos remains a wealthy celebrity, her children get elected to congress and two of the biggest beneficiaries of the theft control large corporations.

There is zero chance that Estrada, 70, will be imprisoned to the end of his life (the maximum sentence is 40 years). Most likely, any time he serves will not be more rigorous than the luxury house-arrest status he currently enjoys as the appeal process continues.

Indeed, the muted reaction of his many supporters to the sentence indicated that they have few fears for the immediate future of their populist, former film-star hero.

Estrada's successor, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has scored a modest victory in seeing the former president convicted of "plundering" $42 million of public funds, including cash from the operator of an illegal gambling syndicate.

The verdict of the anti-corruption court adds a little weight to the legality of his overthrow in 2001 by a temporary alliance of military, church, business and populist interests following the collapse of an impeachment case against him in the Senate.

But Arroyo knows only too well that harsh treatment of Estrada would not only increase the already high level of antagonism against her government. It would give her enemies new reason to press well-founded allegations of vote rigging in the 2004 elections that confirmed her in power. And tough treatment could open the way to retribution once she leaves office in 2010.

The strong performance of anti-Arroyo senatorial candidates, including Estrada supporters, in elections earlier this year ensures that neither she nor her husband, the subject of several graft allegations, will have a quiet retirement if Estrada is viewed as a victim.

Philippine courts are not necessarily servile, and the Supreme Court is considered likely to uphold the decision of the anti-graft court. But the legal process could well be drawn out. Meanwhile there remains a distinct possibility that Arroyo will grant him a presidential pardon, which would get both of them off their separate hooks.

Corruption allegations have long been a central feature of Philippines politics, but, despite many exposes, whether by rivals or the media, nothing much seems to change.

As the Philippine writer Joel Rocamura once put it, "Nothing is done to end systemic corruption because the 'outs' do not wish to poison the wells for the day they become 'ins.' " Even if not personally greedy, politicians need money to fight elections, and in the absence of strong party organizations, funds must come from somewhere.

Corruption was the excuse for Estrada's overthrow. The underlying cause was his incompetence and an image he projected that the elite, and many foreign commentators, considered demeaning to the nation.

The major evidence against him came from a disgruntled illegal gambling operator. Such gambling remains rife and continues to support many a politician. There is no sign that politics has become cleaner. But Arroyo's image of hard work and administrative competence has so far helped her deflect allegations of serious wrongdoing, even though many who backed the overthrow of Estrada have turned against her.

Perhaps the conviction of Estrada, even if it never results in a prison term, will send a message to all politicians, including Arroyo. Though an acquittal would have looked bizarre, it is a step forward compared with what happened to the friends and family of Marcos.

Perhaps the combined efforts of the higher judiciary, civil society and media will reduce the level of graft and improve the standard of governance. Filipinos will hope so, but few have high expectations. (Philip Bowring/IHT)

RP Military Downplays Aussie Terror Warning

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 14 Sept) – The Philippine military downplayed Friday a warning by Australia of a possible terror attacks on civilian targets and power installations in Mindanao island, south of Manila.

Australia warned its citizens not to travel to Mindanao, particularly in Zamboanga peninsula, because of credible threats of terrorism. It said terrorists may also strike in the Philippine capital.

“We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in the Philippines because of the high threat of terrorist attack. We continue to receive credible reports that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners,” it said on a travel warning posted on the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Mindanao military officials said there were no reports of an impending terror attacks, although security forces remain in heightened alert because of the political situation in the Philippines.

“We have not received any reports that terrorists are planning to attack power installations or populated centers, but troops are always in alert. Mindanao is generally peaceful,” Army Maj. Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, told the Mindanao Examiner.

In central Mindanao, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division said it has no intelligence reports about a possible terror attacks on civilian targets and power infrastructure in the south.

“It is peaceful now in many parts of Mindanao. People are confident about the peace and order and our forces are troops are always prepared and ready to fight terrorism, with or without the Australian travel warning,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a regional army spokesman, said in a separate interview.

Authorities on Tuesday arrested three Filipinos in Zamboanga City and another in General Santos City and were all linked to terrorism.

Three of those arrested -- Marjuni Amala, Aristalon Isniril and Ronely Ahman -- were suspected as Abu Sayyaf members and behind a bomb attack in Zamboanga City last month that injured 16 people.

The trio admitted planting the bomb under a concrete bench at Plaza Pershing in downtown Zamboanga on August 21.

Security forces also arrested Maipasagi Gani in General Santos City who was planning to bomb the KCC Mall on Tuesday to coincide with the commemoration of the September 11, 2001 al-Qaeda attacks in the United States.

Police seized two homemade bombs from the man believed to have ties with Jemaah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf.

A bomb also exploded in a market place in Tacurong City in May and killed three people. There were also bombings across Mindanao since January this year and Australia warned that further attacks are likely and possible targets include places of worship, restaurants, markets, shopping malls, public transport, including bus terminals and airports.

“Infrastructure associated with the Philippines Government such as transport infrastructure, airports, sea ports, oil depots and public buildings are also potential terrorist targets. If you are in these areas you should consider leaving,” it said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Mixing Filipino and American Cultures Make an Interesting Wedding

Wedding sponsors Eliseo and Ana Eliza Babia, of Picataway, pin the bride’s veil to the shoulder of the groom as they kneel side-by-side to symbolize the wedding couple clothed in unity, one of several Filipino traditions enacted at the Cabral-Milian wedding. Rev. Msgr. Cajetan Salemi, pastor of Our Lady Mother of the Church in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, USA officiated. And Sharon Cabral, of Belleville, NJ and John Milian, of Woodcliff Lake, NJ introduce various centuries-old Philippine traditions in their wedding ceremony.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ, USA - Two distinct cultures blended together at a Catholic wedding in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey in the US on Sunday resulting in new friendships developing between family and friends of the bride and groom, an appreciation acquired for cultural differences and a happy couple tying the knot—literally speaking.

A cord ceremony—where a set of "sponsors" selected by the bride to tie the knot with a ceremonial wedding cord around the bride and groom—is one of several centuries-old Philippine wedding traditions introduced at the wedding of American-born John Michael Milian of Woodcliff Lake and Sharon Rose Cabral, a Filipina medical therapist from Belleville.

Filipino weddings, also known as kasalan, are among the most beautiful and intricate celebrations in the world because of the Filipino culture’s high regard for the sanctity of marriage making the event a lengthy and ceremonious occasion to remind everyone attending—especially the bride and groom—that the bond connecting the couple is expected to become permanent.

"My son and daughter-in-law wanted the rituals usually performed at weddings in the Philippines," said Rudolph E. Milian of Woodcliff Lake, NJ, father of the groom.

"He even flew with her to the Philippines last year to attend a traditional Philippine wedding in Siocon," said Milian. Siocon is located in one of the southern islands of the Philippines where the bride's parents live.

In addition to the customary bridal party in the US, the Filipino wedding involves people whom the bride and groom respect and admire to undertake various roles and tasks. One of the roles of the sponsors is to attest to their readiness for marriage and willingness to marry of their own free will. They are called principal sponsors and secondary sponsors.

Each of the seven male sponsors (ninang) at the Cabral-Milian wedding was paired off with a female sponsor (ninong), and all fourteen marched on the bridal procession at Our Lady Mother of the Church. Among the principal sponsors selected by the bride and groom were Robert and Margaret Monaghan and Dr. Gerhard Haas, all three from Woodcliff Lake, NJ.

The Reverend Monsignor Cajetan Salemi, pastor of the church, officiated at the ceremony. He said, "These people have put together every detail of the ceremony and we are going to follow along with the program."

That elaborate program consisted of various ceremonial traditions of the Philippines including:

* Veil Ceremony: Secondary sponsors Eliseo and Ana Eliza Babia of Picataway, NJ pinned the bride’s veil to the shoulder of the groom as they kneeled side-by-side to symbolize the wedding couple clothing as one.

* Cord Ceremony: Secondary sponsors Michael and Doreen Barel of Philadelphia, PA; draped the ceremonial decorative silk cord (yugal) knotted in a figure-eight shape over the heads of the couple and laid it upon their shoulders to "tie" the bride and groom together during the ceremony. This gesture symbolized everlasting fidelity and spiritual bonding of their souls.

* Blessing of the Arrhae Ceremony: Coin bearer Calvin Ombajin, a child from Elmwood Park, NJ walked the "Arrhea" (also known as the 13 golden coins) sitting on a small pillow to the altar and handed them over to the groom.

The symbolic coins were intended to depict the bride and groom’s dedication to each other’s welfare and to that of their future family. The groom poured the coins into the bride’s cupped hands, which represented the sharing of his worldly goods and his promise to provide for her and their future children.

* Candle Ceremony: Secondary sponsors Napoleon and Janice Pe of Bridgewater, NJ lit two end candles, and then the bride and groom each lit the middle unity candle from the flames of the candles previously lit by their sponsors. This meant that from then on their lives go together kindled as one.

None of the typical wedding marches were played. Diana Belkowski of Montvale, NJ played Marc-Antoine Charpentier's "Te Deum" prelude on the keyboard as the bridal party marched in.

As the bride appeared at the modern-style church's side door and until she made her way to the altar accompanied by her brother Jonathan Cabral of Downey, CA, Fabian Sua-Tomboc of Cypress, CA sang "You Raise Me Up." The now popular inspirational song gained prominence after it was played at commemorations of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The bride carried a bouquet of calla lilies bound by a crystal rosary hand-made by the groom's grandmother, Maria Milian of Miami, FL.

During the recessional, Susan Furey of Allendale, NJ sang "Ode to Joy," written in 1785 by German poet Friedrich Schiller and set to music by Ludwig van Beethoven for his famous Ninth Symphony.

The bride and groom, however, chose not to follow some of the Filipino wedding traditions. The groom chose a formal black tuxedo with ivory shirt and long necktie for his groomsmen and himself instead of the "barong tagalog," which is the traditional Filipino formal wear for elegant weddings.

The barong tagalog is an almost transparent, embroidered shirt woven from pineapple leaves into silky Pinya and is always worn untucked in the tropical climate of the Philippines.

The Filipino garb is so accepted there that then President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued a decree in 1975 proclaiming Barong Tagalog Week (June 5 - 11), and designated the barong tagalog as the national attire.

The bride chose long lilac colored dresses for her bridesmaids and flower girls. For herself, she chose an ivory colored long wedding gown embroidered with diamond-shaped cut crystals, which she had custom-made in the Philippines and flown into Newark instead of opting for the traditional more festive color wedding dress.

The Filipinos exchange wedding rings with their vows much the same way as Americans do. However, the bride chose to wear her ring on her left hand as American culture dictates rather than the right hand, which is the centuries-old tradition in the Philippines.

The Filipino wedding feast is typically elaborate and the Cabral-Milian wedding reception held at The Manor in West Orange, NJ began with the customary appetizer, a "lechon," the Filipino-style whole roasted pig, whose tradition dates back almost 500 years when the Spanish first colonized the Philippines.

The wedding reception incorporated all the pomp and circumstance of the wedding ceremony that preceded it. Each member of the bridal party was announced as they entered The Manor's ballroom and formal dances followed.

After an elaborate dinner, the bridal couple participated in various "money dances." These dances made for a tongue-in-cheek fundraising for the couple as both male and female guests pinned various denominations of dollar bills on the bride and groom, respectively for the privilege of dancing with them.

Virgilia and Abundio Cabral, of the Municipality of Siocon, in the province of Zamboanga del Norte in the Republic of the Philippines are the parents of the bride. Martha and Rudolph Milian, of Woodcliff Lake are the parents of the groom.

The bride is a 2000 graduate of the Cebu Institute of Medicine of Velez College in Cebu City, The Philippines. She is employed as a physical therapist for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway, NJ.

The groom is a 1999 graduate of Pascack Hills Regional High School in Montvale, NJ. He was graduated with a Bachelor in Business degree in 2003 from Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA.

He earned his MBA in finance and accounting at Rutgers University Newark, NJ campus this past August. He begins his new career next month at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a global accounting and consulting firm in Florham Park.

Jailed Filipino Communist Leader Freed

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 13 Sept) – Dutch authorities have ordered the release of jailed Filipino communist leader Jose Maria Sison for lack of evidence in all murder charges against him, reports said Thursday.

Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, was arrested on Aug. 28 in The Netherlands where he is living in exile by the Dutch police allegedly for ordering the NPA killings in 2003 and 2004 of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara, ex-CPP leaders.

The U.S. designated the CPP, NDF and the NPA as foreign terrorist organizations on Manila's prodding after peace talks failed in 2004. The Philippine government insisted the rebels, who fighting the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country, to lay down their arms and sign a peace deal.

Earlier, Luis Jalandoni, of the CPP’s National Democratic Front of the Philippines, protested the decision of The Hague Court extending the detention of Sison for a further 90 days.

Jalandoni said Sison's detention is a gross violation of his right to due process.

“At a stage when he is a mere suspect, he is subjected to prolonged detention of 105 days. Moreover, the Dutch authorities are violating his internationally recognized right to receive visits from his family and his doctor.”

“The conditions of solitary confinement inflicted on him are inhuman and a disgrace to a government that claims to respect human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” he said in a statement released early on Thursday.

The NDFP has condemned the persecution of Sison on what it called “trumped-up charges” already dismissed by the Philippine Supreme Court on June 1, 2007. (Mindanao Examiner)

SAMAKANA: Pakigbisugan Ang Katungod Sa Kababayen-an Sa Panginabuhian!

Karong adlawa ang ika-24 ka tuig sa pagkatukod sa Samahan ng Maralitang Kababaihang Nagkakaisa o SAMAKANA. Taas na ang kasaysayan sa atong organisasyon isip timaan sa panaghiusa sa mga kababayen-ang kabus sa syudad.

Mabayanihon ang gipakitang kaisog ug kamilitante sa atong organisasyon diha sa pag-asdang alang sa mga katungod sa kababayen-an. Sa mga isyung pang-ekonomiya, maisugon natong gibarugan ang atong katungod sa pabalay.

Hugot kitang nakighiusa sa pakigbisog sa tanang kabus sa syudad ilabina sa panahon sa demolisyon. Usa kita sa mga pwersang nagdemanda og dugang suholan ug benepisyo sa mga trabahante, ingon man ang pagpangayog panginabuhian alang kanatong mga kabus.

Ang SAMAKANA, kauban ang GABRIELA, naila nga tigpanalipod sa mga katungod sa kababayen-an. Nakigbisog kini batuk sa tanang dagway sa pangdaugdaug sa mga kababayen-an ug mga bata. Kusog ang atong tingog sa panawagan nga hatagan og hustisya ang tanang babayeng biktima sa kapintas sama sa reyp, pagpangulata sa bana, pagharas sa mga kababayen-an diha sa trabaho ug sa komunidad.

Hugot usab nga gibarugan sa SAMAKANA ang pagpanalipod sa tawhanong katungod sa tanang kababayen-ang kabus sama sa pagkondena sa Human Security Act o balaod nga kuno kontra-terorismo. Nakighiusa ang SAMAKANA sa pakigbisog sa mga mag-uuma ug lumad batuk sa militarisasyon nga nagdaut sa ilang kinabuhi ug sa panginabuhian diha sa mga kabukiran.

Apan taliwala sa pagsaulog sa ika-24 nga tuig sa pagkatukod sa SAMAKANA, nagpabiling makaluoy ang kahimtang sa mga kabus sa syudad. Misamot ang kawad-on ug mas midaghan ang kabus ubos sa gobyernong Arroyo.

Sa matag 100 ka nanay, adunay 30 nga walay kayang makakuhag limpyong tubig mainom. Sa kada 100 ka nanay, adunay 40 nga walay kuryente sa ilang pinuy-anan.

Sa kada 100 ka nanay, adunay 60 nga walay disenteng puy-anan, 30 kanila ang walay kasilyas ug 40 sa ila ang dili na makapa-iskwela sa ilang mga anak.

Mas daghan ang walay panginabuhian karon ug samot pang nag-ilaid sa kapit-os ang katawhan tungod kay sumala sa National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), ang usa ka pamilyang dunay 6 ka sakop nanginahanglan og P631 kada adlaw aron mabuhing tawhanon ug makakaon tulo ka beses sa usa ka adlaw. Ang gobyerno ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo nagpaka-buta-bungol sa kahimtang sa mga kabus.

Gipalabi niini ang pagbayad sa langyawng utang nga mokabat na sa P1.75 trilyon.

Gikan sa nasudnong badyet, awtomatik nga 25% niini o kapin sa P300 bilyon, ang pangbayad utang. Buot ipasabot, matag usa kanato duna nay ginabayarang utang nga P44,307.00. Gisakripisyo niini ang badyet alang sa serbisyong katilingbanon.

Ang badyet kada adlaw kada tawo nagpabiling P0.45 sentabos para sa panglawas ug P5.00 para sa edukasyon. Busa misamot pagdaghan ang mga kabus sa syudad nga mokabat na karon sa 20 milyones sa tibuok nasud.

Luyo sa mga balaod nga nagtagad sa isyu sa kababayen-an ug mga bata, nagpadayon ang pagsaka sa ihap sa mga kaso sa kapintas batuk sa kababayen-an ug mga bata.

Sa unang kwarter lang sa 2007, misaka na sa 40% ang mga kaso sa reyp, itandi sa unang kwarter sa 2006. Misaka usab og 35% ang insidente sa pagpangulata sa asawa ug anak ug ingon man ang mga insidente sa sexual harassment.

Kining tanan nagpakita lang nga bisan anaa nay balaod, magpadayon ang kapintas batuk sa kababayen-an, ilabina sa mga kabus, tungod kay anaa pa ang pagtan-aw nga ang kababayen-an napailalom sa gahum sa kalalakihan.

Dili lang balaod ang solusyon niini kundili ang pag-usab sa panglantaw nga ang kababayen-an magsunud-sunod lang sa gusto sa kalalakihan.

Busa niining ika-24 tuig sa kasaulogan sa SAMAKANA, huptan nato usab ang kaisog nga makigbisog batuk sa tanang pangdaugdaug ug pagpahimulos. Barugan nato ang atong katungod nga mabuhing tawhanon ug malinawon.

Kini makab-ot lang diha sa pag-organisa ug paglihuk natong mga kababayen-ang kabus. Magtuon kita ug militanteng iasdang ang kalihukan sa kababayen-an batuk sa mga babag sa atong paglambo. Ipadahunog nato ang atong mga tingog sa pagsupak sa mga palisiya ug balaod ni GMA nga walay gihatag nga kaayohan kanatong mga kabus. Ibasura ang Human Security Act! Hunungon ang militarisasyon sa kabukiran!

Ipatuman ang tinuod nga Reporma sa yuta ug hatagan og panginabuhian ang mga kabus sa syudad, ingon man ang dugang nga suholan sa mga mamumuo. Mga kababayen-an, molihuk kita aron supakon ug babagan ang mga planong pribatisasyon sa tubig.

Pakigbisugan nato ang dakung badyet alang sa serbisyo sosyal ug molihuk kita aron tapuson ang tanang porma sa kapitas batuk sa kababayen-an ug katawhan. Kondenahon ang gobyernong Arroyo sa halos usa ka libong biktima sa extrajudicial killing nga gipamatay tungod kay nagasupak sa iyang madaugdaugong gobyerno.

Kun nahatag man ang hustisya sa salang pagpangawkaw ni Erap Estrada, walay rason nganong dili husgahan ang salang korapsyon, pagpangawkaw ug pagpamatay ni Arroyo sa katawhang Pilipino. Mga kababayen-an, mag-organisa kita, magtuon ug molihuk alang sa atong kaugmaon ug sa atong mga sumusunod nga kaliwatan.

Napamatud-an sa kasaysayan nga kitang mga kababayen-an usa ka dakung pwersa sa kausaban kun kita maghiusa ug dungan nga molihuk.

Kab-oton nato ang usa ka katilingban nga haruhay ug malinawon tungod kay duna nay pagkaon sa atong lamesa ug wala nay hulga sa kababayen-an ug bata nga mabiktima sa kapintas.

Zamboanga Hospital Now Offers Care Giver Course

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - From a kindergarten school, a lying-in hospital and a livelihood complex, the Puericulture Center in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines is moving forward fast, as it now offers a caregiver course.

Called the Zamboanga Puericulture Center School of Allied Medicine (ZPSAM), it was formally opened recently, according to the Philippine Information Agency in Zamboanga City.

Dr Rodel Agbulos, ZPSAM president and also the city’s health chief, has cited the contributions of the late Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Clara Lobregat for the many developments that transpired at the Puericulture Center.

“This is a result of an inspiration drawn from someone who even gone, still remains our driving force towards development, to our dear Madam Caling Lobregat. We again dedicate this new venture of our organization, the Zamboanga Puericulture School of Allied Medicine,” he said.

Arroyo Appeals For Unity And Reconciliation

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Arroyo has reiterated her call for unity and reconciliation following the conviction of former president Joseph Estrada by the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.

Arroyo said: "We live by the rule of law.We abide by what the court decides. We must be a government that honors contracts and agreements that go through the required processes. We must be a government that abides by what the courts of the land decide on matters of dispute.”

She said the Filipinos are are tired of political drama and want progress. "We have moved on as a nation. The people are concerned about maintaining peace, order and stability. We have been through many upheavals.”"The people deserve a stable government and economic progress. That is what they are getting now," she said.

Arroyo also called on all leaders to rally around the country's economy "so that it can truly lift up all boats." "I ask the whole world to support the Philippines on the road to national consolidation," she said.Estrada has been found guilty of plunder and has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

At the same time, the anti-graft court ordered the freezing of the former president's accounts estimated at US$ 87 million. This will be forfeited in favor of the government. However, the perjury case against Estrada was dismissed.

Two of his co-accused in the plunder charge, Senator Jose Estrada and lawyer Eduardo Serapio, were acquitted by the Sandiganbayan in its ruling issued Wednesday that capped a six-year trial for the former leader who was ousted in 2001.

Despite the sentence, the anti-graft court allowed Estrada to stay at his rest house in Tanya, Rizal province.

Sulu, Patungo Sa Landas Ng Pagbabago

Ang magandang Sulu park sa harapan ng Kapitolyo sa gabi. Itong tanawin ay karaniwan sa lalawigan sa tuwing sasapit ang takip-silim at dito makikita ang maraming tao na nagpapahinga o kaya ay namamasyal. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

SULU - Todo ang suporta ng mga Ulama sa pamunuan ng Sulu upang maisulong ang panibagong pag-asa ng kapayapaan at kasaganagaan na matagal ng minimithi sa lalawigan.

Dalawang beses nakipagpulong si Gob. Sakur Tan ngayon buwan sa mahigit na 60 mga Ulama at religious leaders sa Sulu at doon ay isa-isang inilatag ng opisyal ang magandang plano nito sa lalawigan.

Pinakinggan rin ni Tan ang samut-saring mga suwestiyon ng mga Ulama ukol sa ibat-ibang bagay mula sa pagdaraos ng Ramadan hanggang sa aktibong pakikipagtulungan ng mga ito sa gobernador.

Sinabi rin ni Tan sa mga Ulama ang naipangakong tulong ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo para sa Sulu na kung saan ay ipinag-utos nito sa ibat-ibang ahensya ng pamahalaan na makipagtulungan sa liderato ng lalawigan upang masimulan sa lalong madaling panahon ang development projects doon.

Maganda ang takbo sa kasalukuyan ng ekonomiya at siguridad ng Sulu mula ng muling maluklok si Tan bilang gobernador. Nais nitong mabago ang masamang imahen na nakadikit sa pangalan ng Sulu dahil mga maling balita na inilalabas sa telebisyon at pahayagan.

Umani naman si Tan ng maraming papuri mula sa ibat-ibang sector hindi lamang sa Sulu, kundi maging sa ibang bahagi ng bansa dahil sa maganda at mabilis na pagbabagong nakikita sa lalawigan.

Maging ang mga alkalde ng Sulu na noon ay madalas sa Zamboanga City at Maynila ay malimit na rin sa kanilang mga tanggapan. Nagbabala kasi si Tan na sususpindihin nito ang mga opisyal na madalas ay nasa ibang lugar o palaging absent sa kanilang tungkulin.

Kilalang masipag at matalino si Tan at dahil dito ay mas lalong naeengganyo ang mga ibang opisyal ng Sulu na pagbutihin ang kanilang tungkulin.

Nitong buwan lamang ay nagtungo rin si Tan sa isla ng Pangutaran upang pangunahan ang inagurasyon ng isang pagamutan. Maganadang ang nasabing ospital at mistulang modelo ito sa ibang mga bayan na pursigihin ang sarilong pagamutan.

Doon ay pinarangalan ng mga opisyal ng Pangutaran si Sulu Provincial Health Officer Dr Farrah Tan-Omar dahil rin sa kanyang kasipagan at pagiging modelong public servant at gayun rin ang ibat-ibang bumubuo sa Pangutaran District Hospital sa panunguna ni Dr Emelyn Bahjin Jalani at ang alkalde ng nasabing bayan na si Mayor Ahmad Nano na todo ang suportang ibinibigay sa sa pagamutan. (Mindanao Examiner)

PLDT Employees To Lose Jobs, Says Union

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 13 Sept) – More than 500 employees of one of the country’s largest telecommunication company, PLDT, are in danger of losing their jobs and labor union officials said hundreds have already been terminated.

“The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company is saving at least a million pesos with each lay-off,” said Antonio Muhi, secretary general of Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon ng Pilipinas (MKP-PLDT Union) on the impending termination this month of 575 employees due to “technological changes.”

“Workers are worried about their future,” Muhi told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said PLDT already terminated the services of 450 operators and 79 more radio relay operators based in Cebu and Mindanao, including 20 union representatives and one union executive officer.

According to MKP, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) will save at least P 450 M with the termination of 450 operators by re-channeling the workload to its call center subsidiaries such as E-PLDT and Ventus with a ratio of 1:3 call center operators.

“More will be saved if it out-sources the load of the 79 terminated radio relay operators whose yearly income plus benefits amounts P716, 000 per employee,” Muhi said.

“This is in violation of our CBA,” said Mar Soriano, Auditor of MKP citing Article 3, section 9 which states that ‘should the company adopt forms of automation, through the use of new system or equipment…the Company shall undertake measures to avoid loss of employment such as but not limited to absorbing the employees affected or giving the affected employees the opportunity to take advance training in the operation or handling of the new system or equipment.’

Soriano pointed out that there are even cases that formerly ‘redundated’ employees are re-hired as casuals by the company.

One of the affected employees, Senior Operator Loyalda Sualog, 37, has gone on hunger strike in protest. She has been with PLDT for sixteen years and eleven months. More affected employees are expected to follow suit.

“We are eager to see what the PLDT management would do beyond the September 15 deadline especially since the Labor Department has already issued and Assumption Jurisdiction Order,” Soriano said.

PLDT officials were not immediately available to make a statement. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines' War On Terror: Special Report On Post 9/11 Al-Qaeda Attack On America

US troops in Jolo island during a humanitarian mission. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 08 Sept) - Six years after the so-called U.S. global war on terror, the Philippines, a staunch ally of Washington, is still fighting the Abu Sayyaf, a small terror group, but with ties to the al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden.

The campaign against the Abu Sayyaf, which means "Bearer of the Sword," killed hundreds of government soldiers the past years. Since last month, 57 soldiers had died and dozens more wounded in fierce fighting with the Abu Sayyaf in southern Philippines.

Although the war on the Abu Sayyaf, originally founded in the early 1990s by Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, has been slow and deadly for the Philippine military, the gains of the battles resulted in tremendous victories, not only for the Filipino government, but to the United States as well – six years after the 9/11 suicide attacks that killed more than 3,000 people in America.

At least 19 terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners and intentionally crashed two of the aircrafts -- United Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11 -- into the World Trade Center in New York City, one plane into each tower, resulting in the collapse of both buildings.

The hijackers crashed a third airliner, American Airlines Flight 77, into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. and the fourth aircraft, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field near in Pennsylvania. The plan was originally hatched in the Philippines in 1995.

Several leaders of the Abu Sayyaf, including Khadaffy Janjalani, the group's chieftain called Emir by his followers, have been killed by U.S.-backed Filipino troops in long and raging battles in southern Philippines.

Janjalani, a former police spy, broke his ties with the government and took over from his elder brother, Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, who was slain in December 1998 in a firefight with policemen in Basilan island.

Three of Khadaffy Janjalani's most senior lieutenants were also killed in separate clashes with U.S.-backed Filipino troops – Aldam Tilao, Hamsiraji Sali, and Jainal Antel Salih since 2002. All were included in the U.S. most wanted terrorists list.

Gen. Alexander Yano, Philippine Army chief, said the war on terror is a continuing fight, an unfinished battle that the government is waging and winning so far. "We have gained a significant achievement. Many of the high-value targets, like Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and other senior terror leaders have been neutralized," he said.

He said the U.S. security assistance to the Philippines and other countries providing similar aid, helped a lot in fighting terrorism, especially in the southern region, where security forces are pursuing the Abu Sayyaf and the JI. "The U.S. provided us important trainings and other technical assistance and other ally countries also and these are vital in our operations in fighting terror," he said.

Yano said: "The war on terror involves not only the Philippines or the United States, not only democratic nations, but the whole world because terrorism is a menace that is threatening humanity."

Col. Antonio Supnet, military commander in Jolo island, said intensified government operations against terrorists also killed other senior Abu Sayyaf sub-leaders -- Ismin Sahiron, Jundam Jumalul, Gadar Abubakar, Abu Bas, Abu Hubaida, Mahsud Ibno, Almjatz Jimong and a JI member Abu Mukisin Gufran.

And also two Abu Sayyaf brothers, both were assassins -- Itting and Anni Sailani --and bombers Tajajul Ampul, Amilhamja Ajijul and Binang Sali were also killed. These Abu Sayyaf personalities were once considered the most ferocious during their lifetime and their deaths is proof that the Philippine military is slowly winning the war on terror since 2002, when Manila launched an all-out offensive against the Abu Sayyaf and its allies.

It was also in 2002 that the U.S. committed 1,300 troops to the Philippines under the Joint Special Operations Task Force–Philippines (JSOTF-P) and $93 million in military aid to assist Manila defeat the Abu Sayyaf in the so-called "Operation Enduring Freedom–Philippines."

The codename was originally from the "Operation Enduring Freedom" (OEF), the official name used by the U.S. 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, which means "shoulder-to-shoulder." The U.S. troops provided anti-terrorism trainings and supplied intelligence to the Armed Forces of the Philippines from 2002 until now.

Philippine and U.S. authorities linked the Abu Sayyaf to the spate of bombings in the southern Filipino region, including executions of civilians and kidnappings for ransom to raise fund and support its terror campaign. The Abu Sayyaf 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.

The Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 21 foreigners in a cross-border raid in Sabah, Malaysia in 2000 and ransomed off the hostages with the help of Filipino negotiators. It also killed two of three U.S. citizens kidnapped in 2001 after failing to seek the release of al-Qaeda bomber, Pakistani Ramzi Yousef, from U.S. prison.

Yousef, who first bombed the World Trade Center in February 1993, was the mastermind of the "Bojinka Plot," a large-scale terrorist attack on U.S. airliners and a plan to kill Pope John Paul II in the Philippines in 1995. He bombed a Philippine airliner bound for Japan, killing one passenger and the Abu Sayyaf owned up the attack. Yousef then fled the Philippines and was arrested in Pakistan. Six years later the al-Qaeda attacked the WTC.

Philippine military officials say the number of Abu Sayyaf militants have dwindled from several hundreds in the 1990s down to about 200 in 2007. But the number is not permanent either as members of other rebel groups and criminals come and go as Abu Sayyaf militants.

Aside from military trainings, U.S. and Filipino troops also embarked on a massive humanitarian mission and carried out development projects, with the help from the private 3P Foundation headed by Armando de Rossi and USAID, across southern Philippines -- particularly in areas where there are large Muslim communities in an effort to win their hearts and minds.

It was a big success both for the Filipino and U.S troops because of the active participation of civilians in development projects in those areas, especially in Jolo where hundreds of Muslim villagers even held a huge rally in support to the American presence on the island in 2006.

Navy Adm. Timothy Keating, chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, said the work being done by Special Forces training Philippine troops resulted in significant setbacks for terrorists and the criminal elements that would support them.

At a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in April this year, Keating said there have been less incidents of terrorism in the southern Philippines. "Progress has been significant. It has not -- again, the pace is not break-neck, but it is quantifiable nonetheless."

"An important aspect of this -- as those smaller nations' militaries get better at counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, they will work more closely with each other without our prodding or our assisting."

"And that is of significant benefit, I think, to us, as our forces can now literally stay out of the equation as, let's say, Malaysians and Filipinos work closely together to enhance maritime and land security in their respective countries without direct assistance from the United States. And that is a very positive benefit of the train- and-assist program," Keating said.

Vice Admiral Eric Olson, deputy commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, in the same hearing in Washington, agreed with Keating and said: "This is a train-and-assist mission in the Philippines that incorporates a number of other disciplines, like civil affairs and psychological operations activities."

"We are living with the Philippine army. Our operations have a Philippine face on them. The people in the local areas are crediting the Philippine government for the goodness that is coming from the activity. We are doing -- assisting the Filipinos with medical programs and dental programs and veterinary programs and school building programs and those things."

"So for us, it is a form of counter-terrorism and irregular warfare. They see it largely as a humanitarian assistance mission, coordinated by their government. It is absolutely a model. It's a model that doesn't apply everywhere, but it's a model that we ought to apply wherever we can," Olson said.

In Zamboanga City, Lt. Cdr. Fred Kuebler, JSOTF-P public affairs officer, said the accomplishments and success they enjoy are through the AFP. "Since the U.S. role is one of support, it's the AFP that owns the accomplishments. In other words, we don't conduct any of the humanitarian aid missions without the AFP," he said.

"U.S. troops work along side AFP for engineering projects and medical missions. There are many of these projects the AFP conducts on their own. A great example is the announcement of deploying two engineering battalions to Basilan to finish the road," he said.

Kuebler was referring to the Philippine Army engineers sent by President Gloria Arroyo on Sept. 5 to finish the stalled P800 million, 165-kilometer circumferential road projects on Basilan island. The Philippine Air Force also sent an engineering contingent to the island to work on infrastructure projects.

"Another important thing to note is that the AFP has been able to continue these Civil-Military Operations while conducting combat operations (against terrorists). This is good stuff," he said.

In 2005, U.S. forces began direct support missions for the Philippine military in western Mindanao against Abu Sayyaf, and U.S. military personnel began non-combat missions on Jolo island. Washington also sent the U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy for a month-long medical mission in the southern Philippines in June 2006 treating tens of thousands of poor Filipinos.

Many U.S. ships, from HSV to naval cargo vessels, arrived in southern Philippines since 2002 to participate in development and infrastructure projects with local soldiers as part of a war – a battle to win the support of Filipino civilians.

The U.S. efforts benefited not only the Filipinos, but as well as the AFP and the Arroyo government, which alone cannot afford such huge undertakings for lack of funding.

The U.S. humanitarian mission, with the support of the AFP, is a big boost in the war on terror. Bottled water, posters, comics with photos of wanted terrorists, such as leaders of the Abu Sayyaf and JI are being distributed in areas where U.S. and Philippine soldiers conduct medical missions. And civilians have become more aware of the threats pose by terrorists and in return cooperated with authorities by secretly providing intelligence, while others are motivated by huge bounties on the heads of terrorists.

A U.S. Congressional research report this year said Philippine military commanders praised U.S. equipment, U.S. intelligence gathering, and U.S. assistance in planning AFP operations. The U.S. military civic action project on Basilan in 2002 appeared to weaken support for Abu Sayyaf on the island and received general praise in the Philippines.

But hostilities broke out again in Basilan's Al-Barka town in July this year after MILF fighters attacked government forces and killed 14 soldiers who strayed into a rebel stronghold while pursuing the Abu Sayyaf. Ten of the soldiers were later beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf after the rebels retreated.

Since 2002, Philippine offensive against Abu Sayyaf became more intense and effective on Basilan island, southwest of Zamboanga City and on Jolo island in the Sulu archipelago in 2006 with many of its members killed and captured.

And all these were attributed to the persistent Filipino military operations under Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, the armed forces chief, and Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, of the Western Mindanao Command, and sophisticated U.S. intelligence equipment – from satellite photos to unmanned drones and surveillance aircrafts that tracked the movements of the Abu Sayyaf and the information provided by former Abu Sayyaf militants recruited by the military as deep-penetration agents.

However, the Abu Sayyaf has established links with the Indonesian terror group, Jemaah Islamiya, and a local radical organization called the Rajah Soliman, which is made up of Filipinos who converted to Islam.

And U.S. officials expressed growing concern over the presence of JI on Mindanao and links between JI, Abu Sayyaf and the larger rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila.

The Bush Administration supported the ongoing peace talks between the Philippine government and the MILF as the best means of eroding the MILF-JI linkage. And Washington even offered $30 million in aid should the MILF seal a peace agreement with Manila.

The MILF has repeatedly denied any links with JI, although Filipino military commanders say there is a connection between the two groups. They say JI militants, among them Indonesian bombers Dulmatin and Umar Patek and Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, who heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization provided the MILF and Abu Sayyaf trainings on explosives.

Jakarta tagged Dulmatin and Patek as behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians. The two were also believed behind several bombings in Jolo island, where hundreds of U.S. troops are deployed and assisting the AFP in fighting terrorism.

Col. David Maxwell, the JSOTF-P commander based in Zamboanga City, in an interview with The Australian in January this year, said: "This is a Philippines battle and the Philippines forces are winning."

"The Philippine navy has done a tremendous job with the ability for Dulmatin and Patek to move by water. They have really isolated Jolo so well and it is probably difficult for them to move off the island."

"But where are they going to go? You look at what the Armed Forces of the Philippines are doing in central Mindanao. Are they going to go back after they were evicted by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front? Basilan (island) is very secure these days, they can't go back there," he said.

"They will have to leave the Philippines and right now their best hope is to continue to remain here on Jolo because they've got a low level of basic support network that has allowed them to survive. But it's only a matter of time. The armed forces of The Philippines are going to win over all the sanctuaries and they are going to win over all the people and eliminate the ability for them to survive on the island," Maxwell said.

In a separate statement, Maxwell said after the events of 9/11, the region became a front line against terrorism, and Manila and Washington set their sights on the dismantling the terror networks of the Abu Sayyaf group and JI.

He said Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines officially began in early 2002 as Joint Task Force 510 executing the combined Philippine – US Balikatan 02-1 on Basilan. Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines (JSOTF-P) advisory efforts began in the Southern Philippines in 2002 and continue to this day.

"The Armed Forces of the Philippines, JSOTF-P, and the Philippine people are working hand in hand to accomplish two mutually supporting objectives. First the elimination of terrorism and secondly, the elimination of the conditions that cause terrorism."

"The people of the Philippines and the United States have a long history together. Our commitment to the Philippine people has been forged by both military and personal ties throughout the years," Maxwell said.

He further said that in coordination with, and on the invitation of the Filipino government, a small number of U.S. forces are providing advice and assistance to the local security forces in various locations throughout the southern Philippines in support of their fight against terrorist organizations in the region.

JSOTF-P, in coordination with the Western Mindanao Command, advises and assists the AFP in their effort to degrade the ability of the JI and ASG to operate and seek sanctuary in the southern Philippines in direct support of RP and US efforts in the war on terrorism.

"Philippine sovereignty serves as the framework with regards to how we support our Philippine allies," commented Maxwell. "This is a Philippine fight, and one they are winning. We will only be here as long as we are asked to stay and be value added to our allies."

Through subject matter expert exchanges, civil-military operations involving a variety of medical and construction projects, and the sharing of information between U.S. and Philippines security forces, the AFP experienced significant successes, he said.

Since 2002, AFP and JSOTF-P personnel have completed 165 Medical Civic Action Projects at a cost of $676.000, treating over a quarter million patients, or to be a little more exact, a little over 255,000 people.

Engineering Civic Action Projects contracted and built in conjunction with Philippine contractors consisting of Jolo roads projects, water drilling, schools, Basilan wells, hospitals and a host of other projects total over $6,670,825 dollars.

"These successes are due, in large part, to the fact the Philippine security forces have been able to separate the population from the terrorist organizations throughout the region through civil-military projects that help improve lives."

"It's these projects, and military-civilian relationships between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine people, that help remove the conditions that foster terrorist activities," said Maxwell.

He said in addition to these projects, AFP military operations have begun to create a paradigm shift within the civilian community, denying sanctuary for terrorist elements and leaders.

In June this year, the Rewards for Justice program paid out $10 million to multiple informants who provided information to the AFP on the whereabouts and activities of wanted terrorists.

These tips resulted in military operations neutralizing ASG leaders Khadaffy Janjalani and Abu Solaiman. Janjalani was best known for masterminding the kidnap and killing of international tourists, including Americans, from the island of Palawan in 2001.

Tips also came in leading to the killing of an Abu Sayyaf terrorist camed "Black Killer" off the coast of Tawi-Tawi by 2nd Marine Battalion Landing Team in 2006.
"The AFP-US team has enjoyed some well-earned successes, but we are not yet successful," Maxwell said. "Success will be achieved when the terrorist sanctuary in the Philippines is gone, and lawless groups have no other alternative than to leave and find sanctuary elsewhere, allowing the Filipino people to live in peace, to prosper, and to pursue the happiness they deserve."

"The important thing to remember is this is not the model for the war on terrorism, but rather a model on how to support an ally in their fight against terrorism," he said.

Canberra also said the presence of JI in Mindanao poses a serious threat to Australia, but a joint anti-terror training with the Philippines is underway in areas where the JI, Abu Sayyaf and MILF operate. For now, it is limited to providing intelligence support and training in bomb detection, hostage rescue and maritime security.

Australia is Manila's biggest provider of defense and counter-terrorism assistance next to the U.S., with aid of an estimated $US13.5 million last year.

JI attacks are always feared to be deadly. The Rizal Day bombings, blamed on JI, were a series of attacks that occurred around the Philippine capital on December 30, 2000, known as Rizal Day, commemorating the martyrdom of the Filipino's national hero, Dr Jose Rizal. At least 22 people were killed and more than 100 others injured in the attacks.

The U.S. has offered as much as US$10 million bounty for Dulmatin's capture; US$5 million for Zulkifli and US$1 million for Patek's head. Washington also offered US$5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders under the Rewards for Justice System.

Since its inception, Rewards for Justice has paid more than $62 million to more than 40 people who have provided credible information that has brought terrorists to justice or prevented acts of international terrorism.

Many disgruntled members of the Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace pact with Manila in 1996, have joined the Abu Sayyaf. They say the peace agreement failed to uplift their living standards and that many Muslim areas in Mindanao remain in poverty.

MNLF members clashed with government troops on Jolo in 2005, in an eruption of violence reportedly related to the launching of an earlier government offensive against Abu Sayyaf, with which the breakaway MNLF faction allegedly shares close ties. MNLF faction commanders on Jolo have warned the army against launching attacks close to their bases on the island. The military accused the MNLF of coddling Dulmatin and Patek and other Abu Sayyaf leaders.

Some Moro Islamic Liberation Front commanders are also providing sanctuary to Abu Sayyaf and JI militants and even allowed them to train secretly inside rebel bases in central Mindanao, Filipino officials say.

In April 2005, U.S. Charge d' affaires in Manila, Joseph Mussomeli, said parts of Mindanao, with its poverty, lawlessness and porous borders, and links to JI could develop into an "Afghanistan-style" situation. Also former U.S. Ambassador to Philippines, Francis Ricciardone, had canceled a U.S.-funded road project in Cotabato in Mindanao, describing the city as a "doormat" for terrorists.

It was in Cotabato City where some foreign al-Qaeda operatives had been arrested by joint U.S. and Philippine law enforcement agents.

Philippine authorities say as many as seven dozen Indonesian and Malaysian JI militants are believed hiding in Mindanao. The lack or limited military equipment of the AFP, such as aircrafts and patrol vessels made it difficult for troops to hunt down the terrorists or carry out their missions.

But U.S. and Australian military aid have made up for some of these short falls in equipment, however, with the Abu Sayyaf and JI active in some areas in Mindanao and the decades-old problems of Muslim and communist insurgencies still persist, terrorism may further heighten in the coming years.

Jesus Dureza, Philippine government peace adviser, says Manila signed Sept. 6 an amnesty proclamation that will cover members of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its political arm, the National Democratic Front and the group's armed wing, the New People's Army and also other communist groups. "Amnesty will be extended only to those who wish to avail of it," Dureza said.

"On the contrary, those already convicted by competent courts will have to face the consequences of their conviction, except to seek restoration of their political or civil rights by amnesty."

Jose Maria Sison, CPP founder, was arrested Aug. 28 in The Netherlands where he is living in exile by the Dutch police allegedly for ordering the NPA killings in 2003 and 2004 of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara, ex-CPP leaders.

The U.S. designated the CPP, NDF and the NPA as foreign terrorist organizations on Manila's prodding after peace talks failed in 2004. The Philippine government insisted the rebels, who fighting the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country, to lay down their arms and sign a peace deal.

President Arroyo ordered the armed forces to crush insurgencies in three years before her she steps down by 2010. But it was a tall order and is unlikely that the military will be able to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf, not even the NPA. And new breeds of insurgents and terrorists, deadlier and smarter, will come and go and leave their marks in strife-scarred Mindanao, despite the so-called war on terror, unless poverty and corruption in government are eliminated and eventually peace will reign. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sulu Launches "Fruit Of Hope" Program

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan and Sen. Richard Gordon launch the "Fruit of Hope" Program in cooperation with supermarket owners and non-governmental organizations to help farmers sell their produce. (Mindanao Examiner Photo service)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 11) – Six tons of fresh fruits from Sulu were ferried by a military C-130 cargo plane for supermarkets in Manila, the first in more than a decade, as part of an ambitious government program aimed at putting the province on the map of an emerging fruit trade and tourism destination in southern Philippines.

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan launched Monday the so-called "Fruits of Hope" program to help local farmers sell their produce, especially exotic fruits, such as durian and mangosteen berries.

Senator Richard Gordon, former Tourism Secretary, is helping Tan market local agricultural products, including coffee beans – Robusta and Arabica – which are abundant on Jolo island, about 950 kilometers south of Manila.

Gordon, accompanied by Presidential deputy peace adviser Nabil Tan and executives from Shopwise and Shoemart Supermarkets, Nestle and Asia-America Initiative, led the launching of "Invest in Peace and Prosperity – Fruit of Hope Program."

The program, he said, aims to enhance peace and prosperity in Mindanao.

"Six tons of fresh fruits from Sulu were ferried by a military C-130 cargo plane for supermarkets in Manila. And we have more fruits and perhaps the best coffee in the country too, all ready for buyers," the governor said.

"By a substantial shipment of farm products such as fruits from Sulu, will create the framework for peace through economic development. This initiative will eventually link the farmers of Sulu to big businesses and small retailers in Manila," he said.

Tan said the international nongovernmental organization, Asia-America Initiative, headed by Albert Santoli, has supported the program and promised to help even more by tapping other NGOs to help support the peace and development in Sulu.

"This multi-faceted partnership to build economic prosperity will build trust and confidence between the people of Luzon and Mindanao."

"This is a wonderful example of how people of many faiths and cultural backgrounds can recognizance their common humanity and realize that peace is possible and poverty that feeds violence can be overcome," Santoli said.

President Gloria Arroyo in August ordered a "humanitarian and development offensive" in Jolo island.

Gordon, for his part, said the government will put more efforts in Jolo and other areas in Mindanao to help farmers sell their products. "There are plenty of fruits. We should help in the livelihood component of the people. If there is no livelihood, there will be no peace," he said.

The Fruit of Hope program is most dynamic development and is a product of many positive developments in Sulu community. Aside from fruits, Sulu is also abundant in coconut and abaca and is known for its rich marine resources. (Mindanao Examiner)

4 Terror Men Arrested In Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 11 Sept) – Philippine authorities arrested four Filipino terrorists in separate operations in Mindanao island, south of Manila, officials said Tuesday.

Three of those arrested were behind a bomb attack in Zamboanga City last month that injured 16 people.

The men, Marjuni Amala, Aristalon Isniril and Ronely Ahman, were arrested on Tuesday and admitted planting the bomb under a concrete bench at a public square called Plaza Pershing in downtown Zamboanga on August 21.

The three men said they were recruited by a man named Omar Amping to bomb a police SWAT van, but had backed out because of tight security and left the explosive under the bench where it was detonated.

The trio, paraded by policemen in Zamboanga City, said they were paid one thousand pesos to carry out the bombing. Police said it is still investigating the men whether they are members of the Abu Sayyaf group tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah islamiya.

zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat also offered P200,000 bounties for the capture of Amping.

"We ask police authorities to include Omar Amping in the most wanted list and we will be giving a P200,000 rewards for anybody who could give information leading to the arrest of Amping," Lobregat told reporters.

It was unknown whether the man was the same Omar Amping, who is wanted by authorities for the string of killings in Zamboanga City.

Security forces also arrested another terror man and seized from him two homemade bombs in General Santos City.

The man, police said, was planning to bomb the KCC Mall on Tuesday to coincide with the commemoration of the September 11, 2001 al-Qaeda attacks in the United States. Police suspected the man, Maipasagi Gani, has ties with Jemaah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf.

Last week, authorities also arrested five suspected Abu Sayyaf militants in Palawan island. (Mindanao Examiner)

Military Engineers Arrive In Basilan Island For Humanitarian Projects

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 08 Sept) – Some 500 soldiers arrived Saturday in Basilan to take part on a massive government infrastructure projects aimed at winning hearts and minds of Muslims on the island, south of the Philippines where security forces are pursuing Abu Sayyaf militants.

The soldiers were part of the four army and air force engineering battalions that left Manila on Sept. 5 on orders from President Gloria Arroyo. They arrived in the town of Lamitan, where senior military and provincial government officials welcomed them in a ceremony witnessed by hundreds of locals.

The soldiers also unloaded bulldozers and other heavy equipment they will use to finish a P800 million, 165-kilometer circumferential road projects on the island stalled since 1995.

While the engineers work to finish the road projects, security forces on the other hand are pursuing more than a hundred Abu Sayyaf militants and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels implicated in the killings of about 3 dozen soldiers since July in Basilan.

Arroyo released tens of millions of pesos for the projects and at the same time ordered the military to finish off the Abu Sayyaf before her presidency ends on 2010.

The government also began a massive developmental and humanitarian project for the island of Jolo, where local provincial officials headed by Gov. Sakur Tan have embarked on a massive program to promote tourism and investments.

On Monday, a C-130 military transport plane will fly to Jolo island with Senator Richard Gordon, former Tourism Secretary, to pick up tons of exotic fruits, such as durian and mangosteen berries and help market the produce in Manila.

Tan said the fruits would be sold to supermarkets and in agricultural trade fairs. He said aside from fruits, Jolo island is also exporting coffee beans, which is abundant in the province.

“We are now embarking on tourism promotion and investment programs in coordination with the different government agencies,” he told the Mindanao Examiner. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sayyaf Militants Captured In Palawan Island

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 07 Sept) – Philippine authorities arrested three suspected Abu Sayyaf militants implicated in the kidnapping of three U.S. citizens in Palawan island, officials said.

Officials said the three men were nabbed in Puerto Princesa City near where California man Guillermo Sobero and Kansas missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham along with several Filipinos had been kidnapped in 2001.

Guillermo Sobero was beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf several weeks after the kidnapping, while Martin Burnham had been shot and killed and his wife wounded during a military rescue operation in 2002 in Zamboanga del Norte province in western Mindanao.

Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said one of those arrested, Abu Moguera, has links with Indonesian Jemaah Islamiya bomber Dulmatin, tagged by Jakarta as behind the deadly Bali resort attack in 2002.

Officials did not give details about the three men or what were they doing in Palawan at the time of their arrest. Dulmatin, who fled to the Philippines in 2003, is believed hiding in Jolo island. (Mindanao Examiner)