Philippine soldiers wounded in Sayyaf attack

An unidentified policeman in Sulu province reads the Mindanao Examiner newspaper whose headline links a Singaporean terror man, Mauiya, to the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group which operates in the southern Philippines. The Abu Sayyaf was blamed to Tuesday’s landmine explosion in Basilan province that left three soldiers wounded, says a regional military spokeswoman, Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho.

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 2, 2010) – Three government soldiers were wounded in a landmine explosion Tuesday in the troubled province of Basilan, just several kilometers south of Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, officials told the Mindanao Examiner.

“The soldiers, all members of the 4th Scout Ranger Company, were patrolling when the explosion occurred. The Abu Sayyaf was behind the blast,” said Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command.

She said the soldiers were evacuated to a military hospital in Zamboanga City and that security forces were tracking down the Abu Sayyaf in Sumisip town where the explosion occurred at around 7:40 a.m.

Police said fighting was also reported in the village of Baiwas in Maluso town, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Last week, more than a dozen people were killed after Abu Sayyaf and Moro rebels attacked a small village in Maluso town. Ten villagers were also injured in the raid.

Authorities linked the Abu Sayyaf to the al-Qaeda terror network and to the Indonesian militant Jemaah Islamiya and were behind the spate of attacks on civilian and military targets and kidnappings for ransom in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

Hundreds of new Sulu teachers take oath

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan speaks before hundreds of teachers who took their oath as professional on Monday, March 1, 2010, the biggest number of people who passed the licensure examination given last year in Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 1, 2010) – Close to 500 teachers took their oath as professional on Monday, the biggest number of people who passed the licensure examination given last year in Sulu province.

Lawyer Senando Esteban, regional director of the Professional Regulation Commission, extolled the new teachers to be competitive and honest in their profession.

“We are the molders of the youth. We should continue to be a good model and most of all serve the public with dignity, honesty and integrity,” he said.

He also cited Sulu Governor Sakur Tan for his role in bringing the licensure examination for teachers in the province. The teachers took their examination in October and the result was released only last month.

Many of the teachers said the review they took last year helped them a lot in passing the licensure examination. It was also Tan who brought professional educators to Sulu to help the teachers in their review.

Previously, teachers would go to Zamboanga City and spend as much as P40,000 to review in private centers.

Another licensure examination for teachers is also set in April in Sulu province. Tan was also able to bring licensure examinations for nursing and policemen among others to Sulu, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

For his part, Tan urged the new teachers to work hard and encourage more locals to finish college so they can find a better job in the future and help in nation-building.

“I am happy because of the huge number of new professional teachers. Let us now work hard and encourage our young to study more and in the future help in nation-building,” he said.

Eufremio Canaria, assistant superintendent of the Department of Education, said it was the first time that close to 500 teachers passed the licensure examination. “This is something to be proud of because these teachers really work hard so they can pass the strict licensure examination. They reviewed a lot and prepared hard for the examination and they did it,” he said.

Many of the teachers said they previously failed the examination as many as six times until reviews were held in Sulu two years ago by Tan who hired private tutors to help them. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gawad Kalinga to build community in Sulu; pro-poor housing inaugurated

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan briefs representatives of the Gawad Kalinga Community Foundation - Jerick Limoanco and Rey Balatayo - during a housing project site inspection Sunday, February 28, 2010 in Maimbung town. The Gawad Kalinga says it will build at least 120 housing units in the town in partnership with the Sulu provincial government. Muslim children play on a bridge in Maimbung town and behind them is a housing project which was also inaugurated Sunday by Governor Tan. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 28, 2010) – Over 100 houses which will benefit mostly poor families are to be erected in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, officials said on Sunday.

Officials said the project is part of the Gawad Kalinga program and the Sulu provincial government. Two representatives of the Gawad Kalinga met with Governor Sakur Tan on Sunday and inspected the site where at least 120 houses would be constructed soon.

Tan briefed Jerick Limoanco and Rey Balatayo about the proposed housing site in the town of Maimbung. They were welcome by residents in the area.

“We are going to build houses. We are going to build a Gawad Kalinga community and this will benefit many people here in Sulu,” Balatayo said.

Gawad Kalinga is a Philippine-based poverty reduction and nation-building movement launched by Couples for Christ, a Catholic lay community, to care for worse-off Filipinos and survivors of natural disasters.

Last year, the Gawad Kalinga Global Summit was held in Boston, Massachusetts, where the foundation also launched its Vision 2024 platform - a 21-year timeline aimed to eradicate homelessness, hunger, and poverty for the millions of impoverished Filipino families all over the Philippines", bringing the country into First World status by 2024.

Tan said aside from the housing project, provincial infrastructure projects are also going on in many areas in Sulu.

After the site inspection, Tan also inaugurated a multi-million pro-poor housing project in Maimbung and was attended by village leaders. Dozens of new houses, many of them sitting on stilts, have been constructed in coastal towns.

“We have been doubling our time to finish more projects. The provincial (housing projects) costs millions of pesos and many poor families are now benefiting from these infrastructure and other pro-poor projects,” he said.

Tan also inspected several road and off-shore fisheries and lobster-fattening projects in Sulu. He said many fishermen have organized themselves into cooperatives and are benefiting from the government technical support, including loans and trainings. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sayyaf attack leaves 12 dead in southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 27, 2010) – Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants attacked early Saturday a small village in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, killing 12 people, officials told the Mindanao Examiner.

Officials said ten villagers were also wounded in the attack which occurred at around 5:45 a.m. in the village of Tubigan in Maluso town. “The Abu Sayyaf attacked a group of government militiamen as a result one militiaman and nine civilians were killed,” said Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman.

But police said 11 people were killed and ten more wounded after Moro rebels opened fire on a row of houses. It blamed the attack on the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is currently negotiating peace with the government.

“MILF rebels attacked the village. Eleven people are dead and ten others were wounded,” said Senior Superintendent Antonio Mendoza, the Basilan police chief.

Mendoza said the attack was likely connected to a clan war. “The target of the rebel attack was the village chieftain,” he said, adding, the raid was connected to previous killings in the town, where rebels and militants are actively operating.

Other reports said a dozen people were killed in the raid. Mendoza said the attackers also torched several houses before retreating to the hinterlands.

Lieutenant General Benjamin Dolorfino, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said security forces were pursuing the attacks. “There is an ongoing operation in Basilan,” he said.

Authorities previously accused the MILF of conniving with the Abu Sayyaf and in many instances the rebels fought soldiers along side with militants, an accusation strongly denied by the secessionist group, which is fighting for self-determination. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine forces rescue 2 kidnapped Chinese men

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 26, 2010) – Philippine security forces rescued two kidnapped Chinese nationals late Friday in the southern province of Basilan after more than 3 months in captivity, police told the Mindanao Examiner.

Police said the duo - Zi Shun Lu, 51, alias Oscar Lu; and Bo Shung Tan, 27, alias Michael Tan, both from Guangzhou, China – were rescued at around 8:20 p.m. in the village of Binembengan in Sumisip town.

“They were brought to hospital for medical examinations,” Senior Superintendent Antonio Mendoza, the provincial police chief, said.

He did not give details of the rescue, saying, operation is going on to capture the kidnappers.

Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants kidnapped the Chinese men on November 10 from a plywood factory in Basilan’s Maluso town along with a Filipino worker, Mark Singson, who was later beheaded after his employer Hi-Tech Wood Craft Corporation failed to pay ransom.

The kidnappers headed by Puruji Indama originally demanded P15 million for the release of the hostages. The two foreigners were previously reported to be Filipino citizens, but later investigations revealed they are Chinese nationals and probably illegal workers hired by George Tan, owner of the plywood factory.

Last week, two government soldiers were killed and another was wounded in a landmine explosion while searching for the Chinese men in the village of Pamatsaken in Sumisip town.

Last year, Abu Sayyaf militants kidnapped three government teachers - Noemi Mandi, Jocelyn Enriquez and Jocelyn Inion – in Zamboanga Sibugay’s Naga town and brought them to Basilan province where they had been later freed in exchange for ransoms.

Three other state teachers Janette de los Reyes, Freires Quizon and Rafael Mayonado, all kidnapped in Zamboanga City, were also brought to Basilan and released four months later after private negotiators ransom to the Abu Sayyaf.

But a faction of the Abu Sayyaf last year also beheaded a school principal, Gabriel Canizares, in nearby Sulu province after his family failed to raise two million pesos ransom. His head was found at a petrol station in the capital town of Jolo. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine court sentences 3 Sayyaf militants to life in prison

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 26, 2010) – A Filipino court sentenced three al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants to life in prison for the killings and beheading of soldiers in the largely Muslim province of Basilan, south of the Philippines.

One militant - Aramil Sulayman - was also acquitted of the same changes on Thursday, but all four men are still at-large after escaping from a prison in Basilan province in December last year.

The court sentenced the trio - Jemar Tarang, Amil Mandicung and salim Masud - after finding them guilty of the murder charges in the killing of 14 soldiers, many of them beheaded, in a firefight in the town of Al Barka in July 2007. At least a dozen marine soldiers were also wounded in the fighting.

The military previously accused the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in the beheading of the soldiers after straying into their territories while searching for kidnapped Italian Catholic priest Giancarlo Bossi.

Bossi, of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions, was kidnapped by rebels, after celebrating mass June 10, 2007 in the village of Bulawan in Zamboanga Sibugay’s Payao town. He was freed in Lanao del Norte province the next month in exchange for huge ransom. (Mindanao Examiner)

Acting Maguindanao governor replaced, reforms continue in ARMM

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 26, 2010) – Muslim autonomous region Governor Ansaruddin Adiong has named a new acting provincial governor of Maguindanao and vowed to continue reforms in the troubled region, officials told the Mindanao Examiner on Friday.

Ali Macabalang, the regional government spokesman, said Gani Biruar, whose wife is the current Social Welfare Secretary in the autonomous region, was appointed this week and he replaced Nariman Ambolodto.

Ambolodto served as acting governor of Maguindanao in December last year after the brutal murders of 57 people, including at least 31 journalists, in the province blamed to the powerful Ampatuan clan. Among those killed was the wife of Buluan town Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu and his relatives.

Ambolodto was appointed acting provincial governor after the patriarch of the Ampatuan clan and his sons were implicated in the killings. Andal Ampatuan Sr., the governor of Maguindanao; and his son Zaldy Ampatuan, the regional governor; and his brother Andal Ampatuan Jr. who is the mayor of Datu Unsay town and other clan members were implicated in the killings, which authorities said was politically motivated.

“Governor Adiong has appointed Gani Biruar as the new acting Maguindanao governor after a careful selection among those nominated for the post. This is part of the continuing reforms in the Muslim autonomous region to better serve our people,” Macabalang said.

He said Ambolodto is appointed acting vice governor of Maguindanao, a position also held by Tato Ampatuan, who was also linked to the November 23 massacres. The Ampatuan clan denied any involvement in the murders.

Ambolodto, a member of President Gloria Arroyo’s political coalition, Lakas-Kampi-CMD, was replaced days after she was accused of supporting opposition senator Benigno Aquino III who is running for the presidency, instead of former Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro.

Her loyalty to Adiong was also doubted by senior regional officials, but she denied all the allegations and said she is not seeking any elective posts and only wanted to serve her people well. (Mindanao Examiner)

A Tribute To The Murdered Journalists In Maguindanao

A New People's Army mural that serves as backdrop on the tribute to the memory of fallen media workers, particularly those who died in the Maguindanao Massacre on November 23, 2009.


Link: http://www.philippinerevolution.net

Al-Qaeda-linked militant captured in the Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 25, 2010) – A senior member of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group was captured by Filipino police forces in the southern island of Sulu, officials told the Mindanao Examiner on Thursday.

Regional police chief Bienvenido Latag said Mujibar Amon was arrested late Monday near his house in Ummul Quran village in Indanan town. He did not give details about the capture of the 26-year old militant, but said Amon’s arrest was the result of a long intelligence operation.

“This is another blow to the terrorist group and we will continue to pursue the terrorists no matter where,” Latag said.

Amon is one the country’s most wanted terrorists who was involved in last year’s kidnappings of three Red Cross workers and many more, including the cross-border raid in Malaysia’s Sipadan island report where 21 mostly European and Asian holidaymakers were abducted and brought to Sulu in 2000.

He was tagged as among those who also kidnapped US tourist Jeffrey Shilling in 2000 in Sulu, one of the five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

Amon was also linked by Philippine authorities to the spate of bombings in Sulu, where Patek, Dulmatin, Mauiya and other Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are believed to be hiding.

Last week, authorities killed Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad and five of his men in a clash in Sulu’s Indanan town. (Mindanao Examiner)

Marbel River in Kidapawan City

Children enjoy the cold water of the Marbel River in Kidapawan City in the southern Philippines despite scorching heat of the summer, which has become a major problem in many farm areas in the southern region. The long dry spell is causing frequent blackouts in Mindanao because of low level of water at the Iligan City hydropower plant. (Geo Solmerano - Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Multi-Awarded Tausug Holds 5th Solo Art Exhibit in Zamboanga City

Multi-awarded Muslim painter Rameer Tawasil gestures as he leads guests to his 5th Solo Art Exhibit at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University’s Gallery of the Peninsula and the Archipelago in Zamboanga City, Wednesday, February 24, 2010. Dubbed as “Tawasil: In retrospect. Celebrating 20 years in Visual arts, Architecture and Design,” the exhibit also coincided with the celebration of the National Arts Month and the 3rd anniversary of the Gallery of the Peninsula and the Archipelago. Tawasil and Fr Antonio Moreno, the president of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, led the opening of the exhibit. (Jung Francisco - Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 24, 2010) – Muslim Tausug painter Rameer Amilasan Tawasil opened Wednesday his 5th Solo Art Exhibit at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University in the southern Filipino port city of Zamboanga.

Tawasil, who is famous for his many paintings depicting Islam and Peace, displayed his many works, some date back in the 1980s, at the Gallery of the Peninsula and the Archipelago.

Dubbed as “Tawasil: In retrospect. Celebrating 20 years in Visual arts, Architecture and Design,” the exhibit also coincided with the celebration of the National Arts Month and the 3rd anniversary of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University’s Gallery of the Peninsula and the Archipelago.

Tawasil and Fr. Antonio Moreno, the president of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, led dozens of guests in the opening of the exhibit late Wednesday. It will run until March 27.

“This is an event that every must see. The works of Rameer Tawasil really will inspire us all,” Moreno said.

Tawasil for his part thanked the Ateneo de Zamboanga University for the holding of his art exhibit. “All these works are special to me and I wanted everybody to see the exhibit and I just hope that these works will inspire more people to love arts and spread peace through pieces of arts they make,” he said.

Tawasil was born in the village of Karungdung in the town of Kalinggalan Caluang in Sulu province. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Architecture at the Western Mindanao State University.

According to the website muslimmindanao.ph which is maintained by the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication and initially funded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the multi-awarded Tawasil is best known for using bright, strong, and bold colors in his paintings.

It said the foundation of his art is "okkil” (in Tausug; “okir” in Maranao), a design form indigenous to the Muslim groups in Mindanao as seen in their woodcarvings, brassware, and textiles, among others.

His masterpieces adorn galleries in London and Kuching, Malaysia and private collections in Germany, Korea, the United States and the Philippines.

Tawasil has been involved in more than 30 art group shows in abroad and the Philippines and his local exhibitions have been held at the main gallery of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Vargas Museum in the University of the Philippines, National Commission for Culture and the Arts Gallery, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, and various private galleries, it said.

He has had three past solo exhibits since 2003 in Zamboanga City and the fourth was in Davao City which was sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency.

A recipient of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Award, Tawasil also received the Zamboanga Hermosa Recognition Award, Culture and the Arts Category in 2003. In 2006 he was given the Peace Citation Award by the Peace Advocates Zamboanga for his rendition of the "peace dove" logo which has become a peace campaign symbol locally and globally and has been included in the international collection of peace doves.

Tawasil also organizes art shows and directs musical concerts on his advocacy on peace and the environment. He also conducts art workshops on recycled and environmental art.

He sits as a member of the Zamboanga City Government's Committee on Visual Arts, Council for the Culture and Arts and History. (Jung Francisco contributed to this report.)

Gunman kills Zamboanga City official

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 24, 2010) – A village official was killed in an attack Wednesday in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, police said.

Police said Bernardo Reyes was shot in the village of Mampang where he was a member of the local council. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the increasing number of murders in Zamboanga is worrying many residents.

Police said personal grudge could be the motive for the killing as it also claimed to other victims of hired killers in Zamboanga.

At least 8 cases of gun attacks had been reported this month in Zamboanga City.

Just early this week, an unidentified gunman shot and killed a man in an attack just outside the Coca-Cola plant in Tetuan village, just two kilometers from downtown Zamboanga.

The attacker escaped after shooting Jose Tiapon, who died in hospital due to multiple wounds in the head and body.

The plant’s security guards said the victim was an employee of the Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Incorporated. The motive of the attack was unknown, but police said the killing was likely connected to personal grudge.

Gun attacks were not uncommon in Zamboanga City where extrajudicial killings had been reported in the past. Hired killers also freely operate in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner)

Tawi-Tawi celebrates bountiful cassava, banana harvests

TAWI-TAWI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 24, 2010) – The southern Philippine province of Tawi-Tawi celebrated for the first time the "Cassava and Banana Harvest Festival" that drew hundreds of farmers and residents.

Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali said food flourishes in the province and the people never ran short of something to eat as amplified in the festival’s theme, “Nobody…Nobody Goes Hungry in Tawi-Tawi.”

Unknown to many, Tawi-Tawi, famed for its massive seaweeds production and rich marine resources, has been experiencing surplus production of cassava – a staple food here and the neighboring provinces of Sulu and Basilan.

The more than 19,000 hectares of land planted to cassava in the province produce close to 170,000 metric tons of harvest every year.

Sangkula Tindick, the provincial agricultural officer, puts the province’s cassava surplus at around 40 percent. Some of which end up in markets in Sabah, which is just few hours by boat from Tawi-Tawi, and even in Sulu province.

He said the province has been consistently producing excessive supply of cassava for the last 10 years now when they began advocating the farming of the root crop and fruit trees such as mango throughout Tawi-Tawi. They also offer free seedlings to local residents.

Almost all of the major islands in the province have their cultivated lands planted with cassava, banana or mango, according to Tindick, adding that these lands used to be idle.

Even the famous Turtle Island was not taken out of the picture. The provincial agriculture office launched a project few years back dubbed as the “greening” of Turtle Island, encouraging locals to plant cassava and mango trees.

Their campaign has paid off really well, said Tindick. "Now, the province’s people and economy will not just be relying on marine resource but on the similarly rich soil as well," he said. (Becky de Asis contributed to this report by the ARMM Bureau of Public Information.)

Distrust high for Philippine president Arroyo: survey

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly seven in 10 Filipinos continue to distrust President Gloria Arroyo despite her efforts at a charm offensive before she steps down this year, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The figure of 68 percent of respondents who said they distrusted Arroyo is the highest since she took over from deposed president Joseph Estrada in 2001, Pulse Asia said in releasing the results of its survey.

The results came a day after the Supreme Court cleared Arroyo to run for a seat in parliament in the May national elections, in a move many believe is aimed at trying to remain in power.

Arroyo is required by the constitution to step down as president this year.

But critics believe Arroyo intends to become a congresswoman as a step towards having the constitution rewritten to shift the nation's form of government from presidential to parliamentary.

She would then seek to become the nation's first prime minister, her critics allege.

A popular revolt backed by the military installed Arroyo as president in January 2001, replacing the graft-tainted Estrada.

She won a hotly contested second term in 2004, but her nine years in office have been marked by allegations of massive corruption and three failed military coup attempts.

Arroyo's popularity took a further beating when members of a Muslim clan she had supported in the restive south were accused of masterminding the massacre of 57 people in November to eliminate a rival's political challenge.

In recent weeks, Arroyo has embarked on a charm offensive, visiting influential media establishments and inviting foreign journalists to dinner at the presidential palace after snubbing them at official functions for three years.

She has also had advertisements placed in the press promoting her economic achievements and other legacies. (AFP)


Link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iZU_5PxoPBfGqMNpsOdOox49ULJA

Sun sets in Zamboanga City

The sun sets in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines on Tuesday, February 23, 2010. The southern Filipino region is rich in natural resources and magnificent sunset. Its pristine beaches and white sands are favorite tourist destinations in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Lanao villagers get anti-measles shots; outbreak of disease prevented

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 23, 2010) – The Department of Health in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said it has contained a possible measles outbreak on coastal town in Lanao del Sur province, according to a report by the ARMM's Bureau of Public Information.

It said health workers rushed to the town of Balabagan after the reported breakout of measles in villages.

Regional Health Secretary Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr. in a report to acting ARMM Governor Ansaruddin Adiong said villagers were given immunizations tom protect them from the disease.

Adiong earlier ordered health workers to intensify immunization in the province following the outbreak of measles in Balabagan.

“Please do everything possible to address the reported outbreak,” Adiong told Sinolinding.

Sinolinding said he immediately sent health workers to investigate the report and conduct immunization against measles especially on children to avoid epidemic.

Sinolinding said seven adults and a one-year old child had been infected with measles, but there had been no reported deaths in the town.

Measles is an airborne disease and is contagious, Sinolinding said, prodding the public especially the parents to have their children immunized in health clinics across the region.

In 2004, the Health department launched the Ligtas Tigdas Campaign which aimed to vaccinate door-to-door some 18 million children between 9 months to 8 years old in the country. It resulted to decreased measles cases in the by 96 percent and death from measles by about 99 percent.

Prior to Ligtas Tigdas campaign, an estimated 6,000 children, mostly from poor families, died from measles.

“DOH-ARMM will continue to deliver the basic health services due our people in the region as concrete manifestation of the seriousness of regional governor Adiong to address the health requirement of his people,” Sinolinding said.

He said the symptoms of measles include fever, general weakness and occasionally red eyes. But these symptoms usually come before skin rash confirming the onset of the disease. It is transmitted through droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected person. (Becky de Asis contributed to this report.)

Sayyaf man killed in fresh clashes in South RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 23, 2010) – Security forces killed an Abu Sayyaf militant in a firefight that broke out Tuesday in the southern Filipino province of Sulu, officials told the Mindanao Examiner.

Officials said troops recovered the body of the slain militant in the hinterland village of Bungkaong in Patikul town.

“This is still part of the pursuit operations against the Abu Sayyaf following the encounter at Karawan (complex) in Indanan town,” said Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command.

Cacho was referring to the fighting Sunday in Sulu that killed a wanted Abu Sayyaf leader, Albader Parad, and five other militants.

She said there were no reports of military casualties in the latest fighting, but troops were pursuing a band of Abu Sayyaf under sub-leader Basarun Ahaduk.

Last week’s fighting killed a government soldier and wounded three more after a platoon of marine special unit and reconnaissance soldiers assaulted an Abu Sayyaf camp in Karawan, a mountain complex straddling several towns and a known lair of the militants.

Lieutenant General Benjamin Dolorfino, the regional military commander, said among those killed was Albader Parad, tagged as behind the kidnappings last year of three international Red Cross workers in Sulu province.

Dolorfino said troops fought Abu Sayyaf forces under Albader Parad and Abu Jumdail, also known as Doctor Abu because of his alleged ability to cure wounded militants.

Both leaders are wanted by Philippine authorities for their involvements in the kidnappings of American citizens and the killing of two US Special Forces soldiers in Sulu in the past. (Mindanao Examiner)

GAA "punitive" provision imperils ARMM operations

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 23, 2010) - The new officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are calling for an urgent veto of what they lamented as "grossly punitive" provision in this year's General Appropriations Act governing fund releases to the ARMM governance.

Unless saved by a Presidential veto this week, the ARMM operations are in peril of being paralyzed, officials led by acting ARMM Governor Ansaruddin Adiong disclosed in vehemence.

"I humbly implore for an audience anytime this week to bring out personally our grave concern before said flaw becomes irreversible," Adiong stressed in his letter to the President Gloria Arroyo on Monday - five days before the mandate of GAA provisions take effect on February 27.

Adiong was referring to Special Provision No. 2 on the ARMM budget on Page 881 of GAA 2010, which states that "no subsequent release shall be made unless previous funds released to the ARMM were audited by a special audit team based in Manila and designated for the purpose."

The same provision slates that "any disbursement that not been liquidated, audited and/or disallowed by the special audit team shall be deducted from subsequent releases for the ARMM from this year's GAA."

The 24-member Regional Legislative Assembly of the ARMM and the five provincial governments under the Muslim autonomous region - Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur - have prepared separate manifestations protesting the GAA provision, which they described as an affront to the wisdom of installing the Adiong regime purportedly to reform the regional governance.

The Arroyo administration has detained and indicted ARMM Governor Zaldy Ampatuan in connection with the November 23, 2009 massacre of 57 people, including 31 journalists, in Maguindanao province. It also ordered a special audit of the fund disbursements of the suspended leadership on suspicion of alleged graft.

"At a time when ARMM needs to rebuild its image from accusations of graft, inefficiency and violence, the budget restriction will severely affect our efforts to implement strategic regional infrastructures and basic social services that, aside from improving the lot of our people, would prove that ARMM remains as a relevant, functional and beneficial politico-administrative unit," a draft of an RLA resolution said.

The draft resolution said the RLA members are collectively opposed to such provision and earnestly appealing to President Arroyo to veto it.

This year's GAA earmarks P9.2-billion budget for ARMM. The amount covers some 70 percent share for personnel services, 25 percent maintenance and operating expense funds and P850-million capital outlay.

"The ARMM's 2010 budget constitutes less than 1% of the national budget, but the new regional leadership has vowed to utilize it to the optimum benefit of its constituents under the principles on transparent, consultative and moral governance," ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo said.

The provincial governments of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi are equally alarmed of the stringent budget provision because they stand to share P150-million each for vital infra projects while the regional government would share only P100-million for similar projects, records said.

Unless timely vetoed, the budgetary "law" would do a "collective punishment" against all the workforces and constituents of the regional governance, said Sinarimbo, who is a noted lawyer.

He said the budget provision is unwarranted because there is no certainty in the length of period the audit on the Ampatuan administration's expenditures would be completed.

"While all well-meaning people of ARMM support the comprehensive audit on past fund releases and the prosecution of officials culpable of misdemeanors, we should not be held hostage to its proceedings and outcome," he said.

Analyst Raymundo Pelaez berated as illogical the interpolation of the stiff provision into the GAA because while it "appeared serious to sanction people suspected of wrong doings, it squeezes the necks of new leaders the national government installed to institute reforms."

"In ARMM, more often than not, investigations or comprehensive fund audits are synonymous to infinity. Therefore, holding the new ARMM regime solely dependent on the result of the audit of fund disbursements they have nothing to do with, is a virtual act of sabotage," Pelaez said. (Ali Macabalang)

2 Moro rebels arrested for ex-soldier's kidnapping in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 23, 2010) – Police authorities captured two alleged Moro rebels tagged as involved in the kidnapping of a former government solider in Zamboanga City, officials said.

Officials said the two men Abraham Ibno and Ansar Yusop were members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s Muslim rebel group which is fighting for self-determination in the restive southern region.

The rebels were arrested after they released Benjamin Almonte late Friday near the town of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay province. Almonte was abducted by gunmen February 6 while fishing off the coast of the village of Manicahan in Zamboanga City.

“We captured the two in a continuing operation,” said Rear Admiral Alexander Pama, head of the anti-terror Task Force Trillium, and commander of the naval forces in Western Mindanao.

Almonte said his captors freed him for a still unknown reason. “The leader of the kidnappers, whom they called Commander, said he is releasing me because he pities me,” he said.

He said his two escorts ran away after they saw a group of men who turned out to be government intelligence agents. “I also ran away and ended up on the side of the government people, and one of them grabbed me and told me that I am safe and that they are from the government side,” Almonte said.

Almonte’s family did not say whether ransom was paid to the kidnappers.

No group claimed responsibility for Almonte’s kidnapping or the motive behind this and police said it still investigating the case. But other sources said members of the so-called MILF’s special operation group under Waning Abdusalam were behind the kidnapping.

Abdusalam was also linked to the kidnapping last year of Irish Catholic priest Michael Sinnott in Zamboanga del Sur province. Sinnott, 80, was taken by six gunmen on October 11 from his missionary house in Pagadian City and brought to Lanao province and freed in Zamboanga City after a month in captivity.

Abu Sayyaf militants had also kidnapped many people, including foreigners, in Zamboanga City in previous attacks and brought them to nearby Basilan and other areas in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Coke employee shot in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 22, 2010) – Unidentified gunman shot and seriously wounded a man in an attack Monday just outside the Coca-Cola plant in the southern Filipino port city of Zamboanga, police said.

Police said the man was shot in the head at around 5:00 p.m. as he was smoking outisde the plant in the village of Tetuan. The gunmen escaped after the shooting.

Reports identified the victim as Jose Tiapon Jr.

The plant’s security guards said the victim was an employee of the Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Incorporated. The motive of the attack was unknown, but police said it is still investigating the shooting.

Gun attacks were not uncommon in Zamboanga City where extrajudicial killings had been reported in the past. (Mindanao Examiner)