Pirate Killed In South RP Clash

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 22, 2007) – Government soldiers killed a pirate in a clash on a remote southern Philippine province of Tawi-Tawi, officials said on Monday.

Officials said troops raided a hideout of suspected pirates in the village of Batu Pantan in Lagayas town, sparking a firefight that killed one gunman.

“One pirate was killed in the fighting and none on our side,” said Army Maj. Eugene Batara, spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command.

He said soldiers also recovered two speedboats called “jungkong,” which is typically used in Sabah.

Batara did not say if the gunmen were allied with the Abu Sayyaf or not, but the military said pirates have been victimizing fishermen in the province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Patayan Sa Davao City, Walang Humpay

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 21, 2007) – Isang Chinese businessman ang pinatay sa lungsod ng Davao City sa Mindanao at posibleng sabit ang grupong Davao Death Squad (DDS) sa krimen.

Sinabi ngayon araw ng pulisya na binaril sa ulo sa dayuhan na tubong lalawigan ng Fujian sa China.

Hindi pa mabatid ang motibo sa pagpatay, ngunit sinabi ng pulisya na walang kinalaman ang hold-up sa krimen dahil nabawi pa sa bangkay ang kanyang cell phone, alahas at wallet.

Hindi naman agad ibinigay ng pulisya ang pangalan ng biktima at ipababatid poa umano ito sa Chinese Embassy. Tinatayang nasa 40 taong gulang ang biktima at may negosyo umano sa Davao.

Malaki naman anhg hinala ng iba na ang DDS ang nasa likod ng pamamaslang dahil marami na itong napatay at pinaniniwalaang private goons sa lungsod.

Talamak ang patayan sa Davao at mistulang inutil naman ang mga awtoridad sa kadahilanang ni isang miyembro ng DDS ay walang nadarakip dito.

Daan-daan mga katao na ang napatay ng DDS s amga nakalipas na taon at karamihan sa mga itinumba nito ay mga umano'y kriminal o kaya ay may mga records sa pulisya. (Mindanao Examiner)

Jemaah-Sayyaf Ally Owns Up Deadly Philippine Bombing

MAKATI CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 20, 2007) – a Filipino militant group allied with the Indonesian terrorist Jemaah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf has claimed responsibility Saturday for the deadly bombing of a shopping center in the Philippine financial district of Makati City.

Police and the Red Cross said at least 9 people were killed and 129 others wounded in the blast at the Glorieta Mall on Friday.

A man, Sheik Omar, who claimed to be a spokesman for the Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) contacted the television network ABS-CBN to say that his group was behind the attack.

In a cell phone text message to ABS-CBN, the man also relayed their demand for the release of their leader Hilario del Rosario III, also known as Ahmed Islam Santos.

Del Rosario, captured in October 2006 at a hideout in Zamboanga city in southern Philippines, was the head of the RSM, a group of Christians who converted to Islam and with suspected links to the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya.

Police said it is investigating whether the RSM was behind the blast. “We are still investigating this claim, but the RSM has no more capability to carry such attack,” said Geary Barias, the chief of the metropolitan police force.

Del Rosario was also implicated in the February 2004 bombing of a Super Ferry ship that killed 116 people. It was the second worst terrorist attack in Asia. The group was also implicated in plots to attack the US embassy and American nationals. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Muslim Rebels Offer Help To Probe Deadly Shopping Center Bombing

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RDX, Bagong Sandata Ng Terorismo Sa Pilipinas

MAKATI CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 20, 2007) – Nahaharap sa panibagong panganib ang bansa matapos ng madugong atake sa Glorieta Mall sa Makati City na kung saan ay 9 na katao ang nasawi at 129 iba pa ang sugatan.

RDX ang nakitang kemikal na ginamit sa pagpapasabog sa Glorieta, ayon sa pulisya.

Posibleng ito ang kauna-unahang kemikal na ginamit sa atake sa bansa, maliban sa ginamit ng al-Qaeda operative na si Ramzi Yousef ng pasabugin nito ang dalang kemikal sa loob ng PAL flight patungong Tokyo nuomng December 1994.

Sa bomba ni Yousef ay liquid nitroglycerin ang pangunahing sangkap nito at naipuslit sa PAL Flight 434 gamit ang maliit na bote ng contact lens cleaner.Ngunit mas matindi ang RDX – na ang ibiog sabihin ay Research Department composition X – na pangunahing sangkap sa mga pampasabog ng gamit ng mga international terrorists.

Kalimitang inihahalo ito sa TNT at ginagamit rin sa C4 plastic explosives. RDX rin ang ginamit ng al-Qaeda at grupong Lashkar-e-Toiba sa madugong atake sa Bombay sa India nuong March 1993 na ikinamatay ng mahigit 300 katao at pagkasugat naman ng halos 1,500.

Gayun rin sa mga serye ng pambobombang naganap nuong July 2006 sa Mumbai Western Railway na ikinamatay ng 209 katao at pagkasugatan ng 700 iba pa.

Talamak sa India, Saudi Arabia at Afghanistan ang RDX dahil sa matinding puwersa nito sa paggawa ng bombang gamit ng terorista.

Malaki ang hinalang kagagawan ng mga al-Qaeda o Jemaah Islamiya ang pagsabog sa Glorieta, ngunit matindi rin ang bintang na posibleng pakana ito ng mga nasa pamahalaan o militar upang iligaw ang isyu ng bribery ng Malakanyang sa mga mambabatas at gobernador nitong linggo.

Ngunit itinanggi naman ito ng pamahalaan at sinabing hindi kayang gawin ng sinumang nasa gobyerno ang bintang.

Unang pinagsuspetsahan ang Moro Islamic Liberation Front sa atake ngunit walang RDX sa arsenal ng MILF, maliban sa mga mortar bombs. At gayun rin sa Abu Sayyaf na ang tanging gamit sa atake ay mortar bomb at TNT at ammonium nitrate.

Matindi ang bigat ng hinala sa al-Qaeda at Jemaah Islamiya dahil sa kakayahan nitong maglunsad ng malaking pambobomba ng tulad sa Bali resort sa Indonesia nuong 2002 at iba pang lugar sa Afghanistan. Ang RDX ang kalimitang gamit ng al-Qaeda sa kanilang pambobomba, ngunit mas nakakatakot umano ang paggamit nito bilang detonator sa isang nuclear bomb.

Posibleng mga Pilipino o Indonesian o kaya ay Malaysian na miyembro ng dalawang grupo ang nasa likod ng Glorieta bombing, ayon pa sa ilang mga intelligence analysts. (Mindanao Examiner)

GMA-JDV Clash "a feud of the kontratistas" In Gov't -- UP Group

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 20, 2007) A 45-year-old institution at the University of the Philippines has defended one of its former heads, erstwhile Magdalo group counsel Roberto Rafael Pulido, the lawyer who filed the controversial third impeachment complaint against President Macapagal-Arroyo in as many years.

"We wholly support Attorney Pulido's initiative, and regard his filing of the impeachment complaint as a perfectly legitimate action," the UP Alpha Sigma Fraternity Alumni Association Inc. said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

"We are absolutely convinced that public interest drove Attorney Pulido to independently file the complaint," it said.

The group rejected insinuations that Pulido, whom it called a "maverick," was induced into filing the complaint to supposedly to "immunize" the President for another year against a potentially stronger complaint.

"The strongest impeachment complaint can be reduced into the flimsiest charge once the House opposition is unable to gather the required signatures," the group pointed out.

"Conversely, the weakest complaint can become the most potent charge once the House opposition is forceful enough to muster the 80 signatures needed for the case to be sent to the Senate for trial," it said.

The group urged the opposition to get their act together, and "to stop using Pulido as the excuse for their inadequacies."

It also branded the escalating "power struggle" between the President and Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr. as "the fight of the "kontratistas" in the government.

"This is obviously a naked power feud between two equally morally bankrupt and rotten factions of the ruling elite," the group said.
Pulido, 42, is a protege of slain former UP Student Council chairman Lean Alejandro, and once headed the Alpha Sigma at the Diliman campus.

The leading members of the UP fraternity include Sen. Gregorio Honasan; Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) chairman Benito Tiamzon; former CPP central committee secretary Jose Luneta; former CPP Mindanao commission chief Benjamin de Vera; and former Kabataang Makabayan chairman Nilo Tayag.

Two fraternity members -- Antonio Tagamolila and William Begg -- were killed as New People's Army (NPA) combatants during martial law. A Philippine Military Academy cadet when he defected to the NPA, Tagamolila was also editor-in-chief of the UP student paper, The Philippine Collegian.

Other prominent members of the UP fraternity include Mediaquest Holdings Inc. president Orlando Vea; One Asia Development Corp. president Victor Manarang; Actuarial Advisers Inc. president Mabini Juan; Newspaper columnist and former UP College of Law dean Raul Pangalangan; columnist and UP professor Randy David; newspaper columnist, creative writer and former UP vice president Jose Dalisay Jr.; newspaper editor Joy de los Reyes.

Former Marikina City Rep. Romeo Candazo; retired public works undersecretary Mabini Pablo; former education undersecretary Victor Manhit; former National Telecommunications Commission chief Ponciano Cruz; and former BayanTel Inc. chief finance officer and erstwhile student leader Gary Olivar.

3 Foreigners Wounded In Philippine Blast

MAKATI CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 19, 2007) – At least 3 foreigners were among more than 100 people injured in a powerful blast Friday that ripped through a shopping mall in Makati City, the Philippines’ financial district, police said.

Police said the two Koreans and a Chinese national were wounded in the suspected bombing of the Glorieta Mall at around 1.30 p.m.Geary Barias, metropolitan police chief, said 8 people were killed and 129 others injured in the blast.

Political activists were blaming the Arroyo government for the blast, saying, state agents could be behind the explosion to divert public attention away from the President.

President Gloria arroyo was accused of bribing lawmakers and provincial governors during a breakfast meeting this week at the Presidential Palace in Manila.

The militant women’s group called “Gabriela” has condemned the bombing and at the same time expressed fear that Arroyo could use the incident to declare a state of emergency and crackdown on the opposition.

“We at GABRIELA Women's Party express our condemnation for the Glorieta bombing as we likewise send our heartfelt sympathy and condolences for the victims and their families.”

”We also express our alarm and suspicion over the impeccable timing of the incident in the light of snowballing calls for Mrs. Arroyo to resign. We call on the public for utmost vigilance, as there may be no stopping the Arroyo regime from using this unfortunate incident to declare a state of emergency and crackdown on the opposition,” it said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

The group also called for a speedy and impartial investigation of the incident to help ensure that justice is immediately served.But Arroyo, in a televised address, also warned those who would try to destabilize the government.

“I warn those who seek to destabilize our government not to exploit this incident for their selfish political motives. This is the time for all of us to unite. We urge all sectors to remain vigilant as the government steps up security measures to protect our people,” she said.

Arroyo said there is an ongoing investigation into the blast and appealed to citizens to stay vigilant.

“We assure everyone that a full blown investigation is now underway. The Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are on highest alert and are fielding an additional 2,000 personnel to secure our public places and to prevent a possible similar occurrence,” she said. (Mindanao Examiner)

BURMA: Media-in-Exile Examine Strengths, Weaknesses: IPS

BANGKOK, Oct 18 (IPS) - Exiled Burmese journalists are now feeling the pressure to fill the information vacuum about events in their country in the weeks following the military’s clampdown on citizen journalists and on pro-democracy protesters there.

There is now just a trickle of news where there was free flow of information via blogs, videos, photos, phone calls and text messages from people inside Burma that international news media depended on until late September, when the military on Sep. 26 broke up rallies and raided monasteries to quell weeks of protests led by monks.

Although the government has eased its tight hold on the Internet and opened communication lines once again, the seed of fear has apparently been sown.

"People are too afraid to talk on the phone as the lines are tapped. We can still call some numbers but these are very limited calls. Many people can still use email but they are careful because these too are being monitored," said Aung Naing, chief editor of the Thailand-based Network Media Group, which distributes news to Burmese-language radio programmes of media outfits as Radio Free Burma and the Democratic Voice of Burma.

For Aye Chan Naing, director of the Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma, the suppression of both the voices of the public and of journalists in Burma has made the double-checking of information all the more difficult.

"While we still have regular communication with our reporters on the ground, getting accurate information is getting to be a challenge," he said. But people are still turning to shortwave radio to listen to broadcasts by the Burmese media abroad.

"The military may be aware of this, but this does not prevent people from listening to the BBC, Democratic Voice of Burma or Radio Free Asia," said Network Media Group editor Moe Zaw.

All these stations can be accessed via shortwave radio at certain times of the day. At best, they get more information from sources in the border areas. The challenge now is for these exiled media organisations to protect their sources and keep them out of harm's way, explained Aung Naing.

What is quite alarming for Aye Chan Naing is that journalists in Burma, particularly the underground network of journalists that ‘smuggle’ information out, are now the next targets of the junta, called the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

"We are very worried about their situation within the country. (We have received reports that) some pro-regime journalists are giving authorities information about their colleagues in the media who covered the recent protests (last week of September) in Rangoon," he told IPS.

While there is no solid evidence of pro-government journalists turning against their fellow media members, Aung Naing believes this is quite possible.

"Government control is too strong and they have been known to use journalists working for state-run media to help them hunt down anti-government journalists," said the former student activist who fled to Thailand after the 1988 crackdown on pro-democracy student protesters where more than 3,000 people were killed.

For the India-based editor of ‘Mizzima News’, Soe Myint, recent events have negatively affected the morale of local Burmese journalists whose lives are now being threatened.

"The regime has basically made the journalists and activists 'hostage' in its last efforts to hold on to power, using any means to ensure its own survival," he said.

"We always keep in mind the safety of our network of journalists. This is our utmost priority," he told IPS.

He, however, cautions people against letting down their guard in the wake of government's relaxing Internet restrictions, intimating that this could be a ploy to trace those who send information to the outside world via the Internet.

Learning from the lessons of the September protests, Aung Naing sees the need for journalists both in and outside Burma to develop their information technology (IT) skills.

We've seen how IT played a big role in the recent events, unlike in the 1988 protests,” he explained.

“We now know that most of the information about the demonstrations that were picked up by the news media worldwide came from tech-savvy teenagers who made full use of the new media during those critical times.”

Exiled Burmese media groups will be assessing their situation at the Burmese Media Conference in November, to be held in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.

Burma News international, a network of 10 media in exile organisations, is also expected to discuss new reporting strategies in its regular conference.

"We will discuss how we can develop the Burmese media more and how we can make use of new communication technologies to improve reporting from within and outside Burma," said Aung Naing.

"We need to be able to learn more IT skills, use software and programmes available to us." But lest people start to expect too much from exiled journalists, Aye Chan Naing says he does not think that the exiled media alone can bring democracy and freedom back to Burma. These have to come from the people inside Burma, he said.

For Moe Zaw, objective reporting remains the exiled media’s priority. "Most of our news reflect the real situation. The exiled media, because of their different backgrounds, have different 'leanings'.

Some journalists, because of their political backgrounds, are more involved in pro-democracy ideas," he said.

Aung Naing agrees, saying that the style of reporting and the choice of stories are different among the exiled media. Some want to be more objective in their reporting while some are more 'involved', he added. But one thing is clear, and that is "most of the exiled media are pushing for change".

"To my knowledge, there is no alliance of exiled media formed to bring down the dictatorship as a united front. We all report on the news and what is happening in Burma, including pro-democracy movements. It is only right that we should let people decide for themselves and not to try to influence them based on what we want to happen,” explained Aye Chan Naing.

“Otherwise, we won't be any different from the Burmese government media,” he stressed. (Lynette Lee Corporal)

Philippine Bombing Kills 6

MAKATI CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 19, 2007) – A suspected bomb explosion on Friday ripped through a crowded shopping mall in the Philippine business district of Makati, killing at least six people and wounded dozens more, police said.

Police said there was a report that a bomb had been planted at the Glorieta Mall in Makati City.

Initial reports said a gas leak from a fast-food restaurant may have triggered the explosion, but the huge damage to the mall was likely from a bomb.

Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay said the blast left an eight-meter wide hole at the ground floor of the Glorieta Mall. “There is an eight-meter wide hole at the ground floor and the blast also damaged the second floor of the mall. There could be more casualties,” the mayor said.

Police have identified for of the dead as Janine Marcos, Liza Enriquez, Jose Allen Jesus and Lester Peregrino.

The blast damaged the second and third levels of the mall and cars were pinned by collapsed walls. Glass windows were shattered and debris scattered on roads and the whole place was sealed off by the police.

Ariel Virtucio, a witness, said he saw smoke billowing from the car park. “We saw some smoke. We saw people running outside the building,” he said.

Conflicting reports said as many as 80 people were seriously injured from the explosion and that there could be more casualties as rescuers dug through debris searching for bodies and survivors.

Police said it is still investigating the cause of the explosion. “Initial reports said the explosion was caused by a gas leak from one of the restaurant in the mall. We don’t know if the explosion was caused by LPG alone,” said Police Chief Supt. Geary Barias.

But Alfie Reyes, corporate spokesperson of the Ayala Land, which operates the Glorieta Mall, said it was unlikely the blast was caused by a gas leak. “It’s unlikely that it could have emanated from the restaurant,” he said.

Insp. McVernon Manera, chief of the intelligence and investigation section of the Makati City police, said the explosion have been from a bomb.

“We smelled gun powder when we went inside the mall shortly after the blast. We have deployed bomb experts to search for possible explosives inside the mall,” he said.

The explosion coincided with military intelligence reports that terrorists may launch attacks at any opportunity in the country. Previous bombings in the Filipino capital were blamed to the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya.

At least 53 people were also killed in a spate of bombings in Manila and southern Philippines in February 14, 2005.

In February 27, 2004, Abu Sayyaf militants bombed the 10,192-ton SuperFerry 14 off Manila Bay, killing 116 people. A series of Jemaah Islamiya bombings in December 30, 2000 in Manila also killed 21 people. (Mindanao Examiner)

Filipino Farmers Hold Anti-Government Protest In South

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 19, 2007) – Hundreds of farmers on Friday held a rally in Davao City in southern Philippines to protest the government’s failure to help alleviate the worsening poverty condition in the countryside.

Celso Pojas, regional spokesperson for the militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, said farmers were also protesting the proposed extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

About 900 people joined the protest, which coincided with the commemoration of the Peasant month, he said.

The government’s agrarian reform program may be extended after President Gloria Arroyo certified as urgent a bill seeking a 10-year extension of the CARP, which is set to end in June 2008, ten years after it was passed.

The CARP is primarily a social reform measure and addresses the need for a more equitable distribution of land ownership. Its end-goal is to improve the standards of living of beneficiaries and promote greater economic activity in the rural areas.

But Pojas said extending the CARP would only exacerbate the plight of the farmers who, until now, suffers from landlessness and usurpation from big landlords and multi-national companies.

“We never benefited from the CARP. Our farmers remain landless,” Pojas told the Mindanao Examiner newspaper.

“The big landlords and multi-national corporations are the ones who have benefited from the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, not us farmers. The CARP's distorted definition of agrarian reform and the law's actual provisions reveal its unmistakable bias in favor of landowners and agribusiness. This program has never been a solution to our problem.”

“Most of the benefactors do not have the security of owning the lands they tilt due to the imposition of heavy amortization of Land Bank. While some of us were forced to enter ‘growership’ contracts and leasehold arrangements with big plantations due to the lack of support from the government,” he said.

Pojas said the poor implementation of the CARP is worsened by feudal exploitation as many landlords continue to wield power in the countryside. “We call for the scrapping of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program not for its extension,” he said.

In Zamboanga City, Filipino agrarian expert Julita Ragandang the CARP extension would benefit more farmers. “There are still many things to do,” Ragandang, who heads the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Western Mindanao, said.

Some seven million hectares of agricultural lands, from more than four millions all over the country, have already been distributed. More than four million farmers benefited from the CARP, according to DAR, which is the lead implementing agency of the agrarian reform program.

It undertakes land tenure improvement, development of program beneficiaries, and the delivery of agrarian justice. DAR conducts land survey in resettlement areas. It undertakes land acquisition and distribution and land management studies. The DAR also orchestrates the delivery of support services to farmer-beneficiaries and promotes the development of viable agrarian reform communities.

The passage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL), Republic Act 6655, in 1988 was hailed as a historic occasion. CARL promised to redistribute agricultural lands -- in several phases -- to those who actually till them.

Most of the government funding for CARP came from the recovered P50-billion of the so-called Marcos' ill-gotten wealth; however, only P10 billion was allocated to the DAR, the rest of the money was distributed to other agencies, including P8-million for human rights victims under then President Ferdinand Marcos.

Belgium, Spain and Japan among the countries that are supporting the CARP. (Mindanao Examiner)

Misuari Aide, Companion Killed in South RP Ambush

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 19, 2007)– Unidentified gunmen ambushed Friday a former Muslim rebel leader and his companion in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, police said.

Police said Jamasali Abdurahman, a special spokesman for jailed Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chieftain Nur Misuari, was attacked while walking in the village of Buanza in Indanan town at around 6.40 a.m. His unidentified companion was also killed.

“We are still investigating the ambush. Jamasali and his companion were killed in the attack,” Superintendent Ahiron Ajirim, the provincial police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the town is a known stronghold of the MNLF.

Abdurahman, a native of Sulu province, ran for Congress in May, but lost.

He helped secure the release of 21 Asian and Western holidaymakers kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf in Malaysia’s island-resort of Sipadan in 2000.

Before he was killed, Abdurahman was also providing information to the Philippine military about the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants who have huge bounties on their heads.

Abdurahman was also with the group of MNLF members who held hostage Marine Major General Mohammad Dolorfino and Defense officials and soldiers early this year in Sulu to force Manila to free Misuari.

A known MNLF propagandist, Abdurahman became Interior Secretary of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao after Misuari was elected as regional governor in 1996, the same year the rebel group signed a peace deal with Manila.

Misuari is currently in jail on rebellion charges after his forces tried, but failed to overrun a military base on the island in 2000. Misuari, disgusted with the peace agreement, fled to Malaysia, but was arrested there and later deported to Manila.

He accused Manila of reneging in the peace deal and for failing to uplift the poor living standards of many Muslims in the South. Under the agreement, the Philippines is to provide a mini-marshal plan and housing and livelihood to tens of thousands of former MNLF rebels. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Cats

A queen and her kittens rest at the back of the Sulu provincial hospital in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

Philippines Foils New Terror Attack

COTABATO CITY , Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 17, 2007) – Philippine security forces have disarmed Wednesday three powerful homemade bombs planted near a public square in downtown Tacurong City in Mindanao, south of Manila, officials said.

The bombs were inside a backpack left at a clothes shop when discovered by the store owner, said Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a spokesman for the Army's 6 th Infantry Division.

"We have disarmed three 60mm mortar bombs fitted with an alarm clock. The vigilance of civilians has prevented what could have been a deadly attack by terrorists," Ando told the Mindanao Examiner.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the foiled bombing, but previous attacks in the area had been largely blamed to the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya and its local affiliate the Abu Sayyaf which is tied to al-Qaeda.

Ando appealed to citizens to stay vigilant in the wake of new reports that terrorists may be plotting new attacks in Mindanao in southern Philippines.

Israel has banned its citizens from traveling to Mindanao because of extreme terror threats.

The foiled bombing coincided with the announcement of the Philippine military that new contingent of US soldiers are arriving anytime soon in Mindanao to replace those who were ending their tour of duty in the troubled, but mineral-rich region.

Both the Jemaah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf are included in the terror lists of the United States and Washington has offered up to $10 million reward for the capture of Indonesian bomb-maker Dulmatin and his companion Umar Patek, who are said to be hiding in Mindanao.

Dulmatin, the Philippine military said, was almost captured in May in the remote southern province of Tawi-Tawi, but troops did not recognize him.

However, four of his children were captured by the soldiers and later deported to Indonesia. (Mindanao Examiner)

Commies Admit Holding Soldier, 2 Others As POWs In South RP

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 15, 2007) – Communist rebels on Monday said they are holding a government soldier and two others as prisoners of war and would be tried for crimes committed against civilians, a spokesman said.

Aris Francisco, of the New People’s Army Alejandro Command in Southern Mindanao, said the trio – Sgt. Raul Reyes, of the Philippine Army and militiamen Glorieto Mahumas and Ruddy Villaflor, also a village chieftain – are being investigated for war crimes and human rights violations in Compostela Valley province.

The three men were seized October 7 after NPA forces raided a government post in Montevista town. The rebels carted 16 assorted automatic weapons, the NPA spokesman said.

“Army detachment commander Sgt. Reyes and paramilitary members Mahumas and Villaflor are being held as prisoners of war. As part of the Philippine government's war machinery, they are facing preliminary investigations for the complaints filed against them that may constitute war crimes and violations against International Humanitarian Law and against civilians in Montevista, Compostela Valley Province.”

“Paramilitary Mahumas and Villaflor who double as local barangay (village) officials had been thoroughly active in local paramilitary recruitment, and had been instrumental in putting up military detachments in the Montevista villages. The Philippine military units deployed in the area, the 72nd and the 60th IB-AFP had been notorious in committing grave human rights abuses and violations,” Francisco said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the three men are being treated well by their guards in accordance to their status as a prisoner of war.

“The NPA's track record in handling prisoners of war is proven just and humane contrary to the mercenary AFP that subjects their captives to physical and mental torture, intimidation, punishment, sexual abuse, inhumane treatment and murder,” he said.

“The NPA accords Mahumas, Reyes and Villaflor their rights to humane treatment and due process while in detention. This is in accordance to their status as a Prisoner of War under the war protocols, the GRP-NDFP Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CAR-HR-IHL), and the 1996 NDFP Unilateral Declaration of Undertaking to Apply the Provisions of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and Protocol 1 of 1977,” he said.

The rebels are fighting the democratic Filipino government for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)

Filipino Terror Suspect Nabbed In South

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 15, 2007) – Philippine police arrested an Abu Sayyaf militant implicated in the 2000 kidnapping of Asian and European holiday-makers in Malaysia’s island resort of Sipadan, police said on Monday.

Police said the Manguna Mali was arrested inside a cockpit arena in the town of Bonggao in the remote Tawi-Tawi province near Sabah. It did not say if Mali was armed or not when captured or whether he was on a mission or just hiding in Tawi-Tawi.

Mali did not resist arrest when policemen cornered him on Sunday in Tubig-boh village. He is being interrogated at a police headquarters in Zamboanga City on his alleged participation in the cross-border raid where his group snatched 21 people.

The hostages were brought to the southern Philippines by boat and had been freed several months later after Libya reportedly paid $14 million for the safe release of the victims.

Philippine authorities linked the Abu Sayyaf to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya terror network. The group has been implicated in the spate of bombings and kidnappings in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)

Teachers To Boycott Village, Youth Polls In Southern Philippines

Government teachers in Sulu province listen to a forum Sunday Oct. 14, 2007 in Jolo town. More than 1,000 teachers sought help from Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan saying that hundreds of them in the province have not been paid their salaries the past months by the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and that their contributions to the state pension agency which are worth over 600 million pesos since 2003 are missing. The teachers have threatened to stage a mass protest and boycott village and youth polls on Oct. 29 should ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan fails to act on their problems. More than 5,000 teachers are currently teaching in Sulu province, about 950 kilometers south of Manila. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 14, 2007) – Thousands of disgruntled government teachers in Sulu province in southern Philippines have threatened to stage a mass protest and boycott upcoming village and youth polls if the Muslim autonomous region fails to release their salaries.

The teachers claimed that many of them have not been paid their salaries the past year and that their contributions worth more than P600 million to the state pension were allegedly missing.

More than 1,000 public school teachers on Sunday sought the help of Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan and asked him to tell President Gloria Arroyo of their plight.

Teachers from different towns trooped to the Sulu State College in Jolo town and sent an emissary to Tan for a dialogue. The forum lasted more than 6 hours with Tan assuring the teachers that he would discuss their problems with ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan.

Jackaria Rasik, president of the Sug Educators Forum, said the teachers will boycott the village and youth elections on Oct. 29 if their salaries are not paid.

“We will boycott the polls. The teachers are fed up of these recurring problems. The ARMM should pay the salaries of the teachers or else there won’t be any elections in the whole of Sulu,” he said during the forum.

He said the government should also investigate corruption allegations in the ARMM.

Abdulbasit Pawakil, president of the larger Federation of Sulu Teachers, also asked for a government audit and to investigate the problems of delayed and missing salaries and contributions to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

He said that as of 2003, more than P389 million of teachers’ contributions to GSIS were missing and that this has ballooned to over P600 million and yet ARMM continues to deduct insurance premiums from their salaries.

“What is going on? We know the problems, yet nobody is acting on it,” he said.

Tan said the teachers were asking for a formal Congressional or Senate investigations into the missing GSIS contributions and salaries and jail those who would be found guilty of embezzling funds.

“Today, I join you in all your sacrifices and difficulties and I will assure all the teachers that these problems will be investigated,” he said.

Last month, more than 500 teachers also sought Tan’s help about their missing salaries. (Mindanao Examiner)

Muslims End Ramadan, Starts Joyous Eid Al-Fitr; Christians Celebrate Hermosa Festival In Southern Philippines

End of the fasting month of Ramadan signals the start Friday Oct. 12, 2007 of the festive Eid Al-Fitr in Sulu province in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct.12, 2007) – Muslims in the southern Philippines on Friday celebrated the Eid Al-Fitr that marked the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Some 10,000 Muslims, led by Gov. Sakur Tan, converged in front of the Sulu provincial capitol in Patikul town where they performed the Eid prayer.

"This is a celebration of faith, a renewal of the Muslim faith and the time to help the less fortunate or the poor. Muslims are celebrating the Eid all over the world and we, in Sulu celebrate the blessings of God and that is peace and prosperity," Tan told the Mindanao Examiner.

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a strict fast and participate in pious activities such as charitable giving and peace-making. And at the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world observe a joyous three-day celebration called Eid Al-Fitr of the Festival of Fast-Breaking.

Eid Al-Fitr is a time to give in charity to those in need, and celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy.

"The Eid (celebration) brings us, our family together. We eat and celebrate and pray together and thank Allah for all the blessings in life. It is also the time to help the poor," one worshiper, Ibrahim Usman, said in a separate interview.

In Zamboanga City, Christians also celebrated the Hermosa Festival in honor of the century-old statue Virgin Mary, called Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza, brought there by the Spanish colonizers and believed by many locals to be miraculous.

The festival featured week-long novena masses, cultural shows, agricultural fairs, art, photo and flower garden exhibits, torch parades, fireworks, and carnivals. It all ended with a solemn procession attended by thousands of Catholics and a mass at the Fort Pilar, where the statue of the Virgin Mary is erected. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: President Gloria Arroyo And House Speaker Jose De Venecia

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and House Speaker Jose de Venecia during the launching of the 2007 Global Millennium Development Goals Report and the Philippines Midterm Progress Report Wednesday October 10, 2007 at Manila Hotel's Fiesta Pavilion. (Rey Baniquet/OPS-NIB)

RP Police Breaks Labor Rally, Arrest 6 People

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 10, 2007) – Telecommunication workers held a picket on Wednesday in front a police headquarters after six of their union officials were arrested a labor rally in Manila.

Other union officials from the country’s largest telecommunication firm, PLDT, said the six were arrested after policemen broke a peace rally that also injured a still undetermined number of workers.

The solidarity rally composed of different labor federations, six labor centers and other union groups were protesting the termination of hundreds of workers.

PLDT said it paid workers, whose services were terminated, more than what the law requires.

Those arrested were identified as Pete Pinlac, president of Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon sa Pilipinas (MKP-PLDT Union); Atty. Virgie Pinlac, spokesperson of Pagkakaisa ng Kababaihan (KAISA KA); Arturo Castillo, first vice president of Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon ng Pilipinas ( MKP- PLDT Union); Bong Beato, second vice president of Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon ng Pilipinas (MKP-PLDT Union).

And Roy Fernandez, representative of Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon ng Pilipinas (MKP-PLDT Union); Mitzi Chan, Popular Struggles Director of Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KPD) and Aurelio Veloso, of Manggagawa Para sa Kalayaan ng Bayan (MAKABAYAN).

It was not immediately known why the six were arrested, but it coincided with a failed dialogue of protesting workers with Labor Secretary Arturo Brion. The workers said they would continue on their hunger strike until Brion hear their complaints. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Philippine President Gloria Arroyo And UNDP's Nileema Noble

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo confers with United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative Nileema Noble during the launching of the 2007 Global Millennium Development Goals Report and the Philippines Midterm Progress Report Wednesday October 10 at Manila Hotel's Fiesta Pavilion. (Rey Baniquet/OPS-NIB)