DAVAO CITY, Philippines - Confident of a sweep by the ruling Lakas-CMD in the August 11 elections for the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), House Speaker and Lakas President Prospero Nograles said that the first order of business of reelectionist Regional Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan is to find a lasting solution to the peace and order problem in Mindanao.
Speaking during the recent proclamation of Lakas CMD candidates, Nograles said Mindanao leaders should set aside partisan and personal misunderstandings and work together to finally stop the recurring violence that has stagnated the economic growth for most areas in Southern Philippines.
Ampatuan has been proclaimed by party stalwarts as the only official gubernatorial bet of the ruling Lakas-CMD in the coming regional polls.
Official Lakas-CMD certificates of nomination signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, party chairperson, Nograles and Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, party secretary-general, and former President Fidel Ramos, chairman emeritus, were issued to Ampatuan and ARMM Vice Governor Ansaruddin Adiong and to all the party's 27 candidates for the Regional Legislative Assembly.
Nograles said that while Mindanao is gifted with rich natural resources, vast tracks of fertile lands and a climate that is typhoon-free, it has also been the center of many armed conflicts that scares away any potential investor.
The tandem both obliged in their statements to help build and sustain peace in the Muslim Mindanao region. They also expressed gratitude to national leaders, principally to President Arroyo, Zubiri and Speaker Nograles for their support to the region.
“Gusto nating mag-develop ang Mindanao, hindi naman papasukan ng mga tao dahil takot sila. So I think tayong mga leaders sa Mindanao we should work together towards the attainment of peace,” Nograles said.
“Without peace in Mindanao, mahihirapan ho tayo. Ang madedevelop lang ay iyong mga highly urbanized cities pero ayaw natin iyon eh. Ang gusto natin countryside. It is very difficult to entice people to invest in Mindanao unless we solve the peace and order problem. We have to have peace in Mindanao.”
Nograles said that once peace achieved, Mindanao will leap-frog and immediately take its rightful place as the country's richest island in terms of economy and development.
At the same time, Nograles said that with a solid Lakas slate for the ARMM polls, Mindanao is again expected to deliver victory for the administration party in 2010.
“Yan po ang pinaka-solid na region sa buong Pilipinas when it comes to the delivery of votes for a political party. Kung sino ang kandidato ng Lakas ay iyon din ang uupo sa Palasyo on 2010. Mindanao will deliver that,” Nograles said.
He also asked the ARMM leaders to support the charter change proposal that was started by another Mindanaoan, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel as this will also hold the key in ending the armed conflict in the area.
“Walang ibang tao na sosolusyon sa ating problema sa Mindanao kundi tayong mga taga-Mindanao, That is why we have been pushing for federalism because we know that nobody knows Mindanao better than us, Mindanaoans,” he said.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Three Injured In South RP Bombing
Police crime investigators at work Monday, May 19, 2008 at a commuter bus depot in Cotabato City in southern RP after a bomb exploded injuring three people. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 19, 2008) – Three people were injured when a homemade bomb exploded late Monday at a commuter bus depot in the southern Philippines, police and military said.
Authorities said the blast in Cotabato City damaged a bus owned by the Weena Transit. No one claimed responsibility for the attack and police and military officials would not say if the bombing was carried out by any particular terror group.
But previous attacks had been largely blamed to the Abu Sayyaf and its affiliate the Al-Khobar gang, tagged as behind the series of extortion activities in the strife-torn region of Mindanao.
Cotabato City, rocked by past bombings, kidnappings and killings has been previously tagged by Western countries as a dangerous place for foreigners because of the presence of terrorists. (With reports from Mark Navales)
Authorities said the blast in Cotabato City damaged a bus owned by the Weena Transit. No one claimed responsibility for the attack and police and military officials would not say if the bombing was carried out by any particular terror group.
But previous attacks had been largely blamed to the Abu Sayyaf and its affiliate the Al-Khobar gang, tagged as behind the series of extortion activities in the strife-torn region of Mindanao.
Cotabato City, rocked by past bombings, kidnappings and killings has been previously tagged by Western countries as a dangerous place for foreigners because of the presence of terrorists. (With reports from Mark Navales)
NPA Rebels Raid Davao Prison
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 19, 2008) – Dozens of communist rebels raided a provincial jail in the southern Philippines and carted assorted weapons after disarming stunned prison guards in a daring broad daylight attack Monday.
Security officials said troops were tracking down more than 70 New People's Army rebels who attacked the prison facility in Davao Oriental. "They took at least 13 assorted firearms and transceiver radios after disarming the guards," Major Raymundo Aguada, a spokesman for the Army's 10th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner.
"Our soldiers are pursuing the NPA rebels, but there is no report yet of any armed encounter," Aguada said.
He said the rebels, disguised as government soldiers, swooped down on the prison at around noontime and taking the guards by surprise. It was not immediately known if the prison guards put up a fight or whether the rebels had freed some of the inmates.
It was the most daring raid the NPA had carried out this year. The rebels had kidnapped soldiers and pro-government militias in the past and attacked military targets as well in the southern region where it is active.
Last week, government and rebel peace negotiators met in Norway in an effort to revive talks which had collapsed almost four years ago. But so far nothing has been achieved by both sides and the NPA said it would only resume peace negotiations if Manila complies with at least 13 agreements it signed in the past.
The rebels accused Manila of reneging on its commitment, especially on issues of human rights and extra-judicial killings and disappearance of political activists in the country. The NPA is fighting the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, May 18, 2008
MILF Calls For Peace Talks As Manila Names New Peace Adviser
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 18, 2008) – Philippine Muslim rebels negotiating peace with the government on Sunday renewed calls for the resumption of the stalled talks.
The call was made as Manila named former military chief Hermogenes Esperon as the new presidential adviser on the peace process, replacing Jesus Dureza who was appointed as Press Secretary.
“We are calling again for then resumption of the stalled peace talks and for Manila to comply its commitment with the MILF. Peace must go on,” Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the MILF, told The Mindanao Examiner.
Esperon, who just retired last week, was replaced by Philippine Army chief, General Alexander Yano.
“We hope General Esperon will perform his job well from being a military commander to peace maker,” Kabalu said.
Soldiers in the southern Philippines also praised Esperon’s appointment and said it would advance peace efforts in the region.
The call was made as Manila named former military chief Hermogenes Esperon as the new presidential adviser on the peace process, replacing Jesus Dureza who was appointed as Press Secretary.
“We are calling again for then resumption of the stalled peace talks and for Manila to comply its commitment with the MILF. Peace must go on,” Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the MILF, told The Mindanao Examiner.
Esperon, who just retired last week, was replaced by Philippine Army chief, General Alexander Yano.
“We hope General Esperon will perform his job well from being a military commander to peace maker,” Kabalu said.
Soldiers in the southern Philippines also praised Esperon’s appointment and said it would advance peace efforts in the region.
“In the past, General Esperon told us to support the peace process and respect the cease-fire (agreement) with the MILF. And with that, you can see his commitment to the peace process in Mindanao and what more now that he is the new presidential peace adviser,” one army corporal, who gave his name as Santiago, said.
Talks had been stalled since last year after Manila reneged on its earlier commitment to grant the MILF its demand for ancestral domain which would constitute a separate territory for about four million Muslims in the southern Philippines.
Malaysia, which is brokering the peace talks between Manila and the MILF, pulled out about two dozen truce observers because of the slow progress of the seven-year old negotiations and blamed Manila for the stalled talks.
The ancestral domain is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the MILF can reach a political settlement. The government said the provisions of the peace agreement should be within the framework of the Constitution. (Mindanao Examiner)
Pastor Apollo Quiboloy Umani Ng Batikos
DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / May 18, 2008) – Mariing binatikos kahapon ng New People’s Army (NPA) ang milyonaryong televangelist na si Apollo Quiboloy dahil sa diumano’y tirada nito sa rebeldeng grupo dahil sa pagtatanggol sa karapatan ng mga katutubong Lumad sa Mindanao.
Inakusahan ng NPA si Quiboloy ng paggamit ng kanyang malawak na impluwensya at pagiging malapit sa militar upang proteksyunan ang kanyang interest.
Unang ibinintang ng NPA sa mga tagasunod ni Quiboloy ang pagkakapatay sa isang Lumad leader dahil sa ayaw umano nitong ibenta ang kanyang lupain sa Davao na malapit lamang sa malawak na ari-arian ng self-proclaimed preacher.
“As he tries to divert public attention from real issues that has put him in a very bad light, he further invites attention to the injustice that prevails and incites people to let out sentiments that range from ridicule to denunciation,” ani Rigoberto Sanchez, tagapagsalita ng NPA’s Merardo Arce Command.
Mabilis na ibinintang ng militar sa NPA ang pagpatay sa Lumad leader at itinanggi rin ni Quiboloy ang lahat ng akusasyon laban sa kanya. Sinabi pa ng NPA na nagbanta diumano si Quiboloy na gagamitin ang kapangyarihan nito upang banggain ang mga rebelde sa Davao.
“If he desires to be a warlord, aside from being a tree plantation owner, real estate developer, eco-tourism advocate, media mogul and padrino-traditional politicians while moonlighting as a luxury car collector, practical shooting enthusiast and aspiring helicopter pilot, then let him be.”
“If he dreams of fortifying his vast mountainous estate in Calinan by organizing a Quiboloy Brigade, shuttling from the pulpit to the machinegun post, then let him be. But to utilize his religious, economic, political and military influence to establish and expand his estate, cause the evacuation of lumads from their ancestral lands and add misery to poor peasants constitute sinister acts that justly deserve condemnation,” ani pa ni Sanchez.
Inakusahan ng NPA si Quiboloy ng paggamit ng kanyang malawak na impluwensya at pagiging malapit sa militar upang proteksyunan ang kanyang interest.
Unang ibinintang ng NPA sa mga tagasunod ni Quiboloy ang pagkakapatay sa isang Lumad leader dahil sa ayaw umano nitong ibenta ang kanyang lupain sa Davao na malapit lamang sa malawak na ari-arian ng self-proclaimed preacher.
“As he tries to divert public attention from real issues that has put him in a very bad light, he further invites attention to the injustice that prevails and incites people to let out sentiments that range from ridicule to denunciation,” ani Rigoberto Sanchez, tagapagsalita ng NPA’s Merardo Arce Command.
Mabilis na ibinintang ng militar sa NPA ang pagpatay sa Lumad leader at itinanggi rin ni Quiboloy ang lahat ng akusasyon laban sa kanya. Sinabi pa ng NPA na nagbanta diumano si Quiboloy na gagamitin ang kapangyarihan nito upang banggain ang mga rebelde sa Davao.
“If he desires to be a warlord, aside from being a tree plantation owner, real estate developer, eco-tourism advocate, media mogul and padrino-traditional politicians while moonlighting as a luxury car collector, practical shooting enthusiast and aspiring helicopter pilot, then let him be.”
“If he dreams of fortifying his vast mountainous estate in Calinan by organizing a Quiboloy Brigade, shuttling from the pulpit to the machinegun post, then let him be. But to utilize his religious, economic, political and military influence to establish and expand his estate, cause the evacuation of lumads from their ancestral lands and add misery to poor peasants constitute sinister acts that justly deserve condemnation,” ani pa ni Sanchez.
Maging si Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte ay ipinagtanggol rin si Quiboloy, na kanyang matalik na kaibigan, at sinabing isa itong marangal na tao.
”The NPA has no quarrel with Apollo Quiboloy's prayerful flock. But this multi-millionaire pastor's elitist arrogance and deep-seated contempt for lumads and peasants who resist his land grabbing practices rightly deserves the public ridicule and mounting isolation that he is earning,” ani Sanchez.
Si Quiboloy ang pinuno ng “The Kingdom Of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name,” at ng ACQ Kingdom Broadcasting Network sa Davao City at president rin ng Jose Maria College. (Mindanao Examiner)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Canatuan Indigenous Leaders Call Miner's Announcement To Stop Gold Project A ‘Cheap PR Stunt’: Inside Mindanao
ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY — Calling the announcement of the Canadian–backed mining firm TVI Resource Development Philippines Incorporated that it has ended its $25–million Canatuan gold and silver project in Zamboanga del Norte as “cheap public relations stunt”, an indigenous leader said the mining firm “never stops telling us lies”.
Tribal chieftain Fernando Mudai, the president of Pigsalabukan Bangsa Subanen (PBS), in a text message said “copper, zinc and other kinds of mining operations are all the same as it destroys our sacred ground and a continuing violation of our human rights.”
“Ang among altar gihimo ra nila nga huwaran sa makalanag nga hugaw (They turned our altar into dumpsites of their toxic wastes.),” the tribal chieftain said.
The Canadian–backed mining firm, in a statement, announced that on April 9 the “two ball mills of the Canatuan gold–silver project which had been grinding ore continuously for nearly four years stopped turning.”
The company is now focusing on extracting zinc and copper from the same pit, as it expects $3 million in monthly cash flow in the next four years, the company said in a statement last week.
In 1996, TVI obtained a 25–year mineral production sharing agreement with the Philippine government. The deal gives the miner exclusive rights to explore gold, silver, copper, zinc and other minerals within a 508–hectare area.
TVI started its silver and gold mine in Siocon in 2005, and it was a year later when gold and silver production hit a record level, generating a cash flow of more than $17 million, up by more than a third.
The mine achieved record production of 56,880 ounces, based on an average 1,620 dry metric tons of ore milled per day, for a total of 591,180 metric tons during the year.
Revenues reached more than $39 million, and the Canatuan project’s contribution to net income amounted to almost $11 million, or about a quarter. But the company’s profit from its gold–silver project started to hit the bottom last year.
The mining company, according to the tribal chieftain, is always “telling us lies and not even a single instance that they tell the truth.”
“The truth is that the indigenous people in the area are the real losers at the end,” Mudai declared, adding that “we are bringing this to the attention of the international community for the violations of our rights and the posterity of our resources by the mining firm with the help of the government.”
Early last month, Mudai, together with Tribal chieftain Jose Anoy, addressed the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (UN CERD) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Anoy told UN CERD: “We are here because we could not get justice in the Philippines. We have come here to explain what happened and seek justice and action.”
Also addressing the UN CERD, Mudai said, “We have this response from the Philippine government, but whatever they answer the reality is that our sacred mountain is already destroyed.”
The UN CERD is responsible for monitoring all States obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). It held its 72nd session from February 18 to March 7 in Geneva.
“We are waiting for the result of the case we filed before the UN CERD against TVI and the government,” Mudai said in dialect.
The UN CERD is their only hope to get justice, Mudai intimated.
“We don’t expect to get justice in the Philippines because there is no room for us indigenous peoples here,” he lamented. (By Antonio M. Manaytay / www.insidemindanao.com)
Tribal chieftain Fernando Mudai, the president of Pigsalabukan Bangsa Subanen (PBS), in a text message said “copper, zinc and other kinds of mining operations are all the same as it destroys our sacred ground and a continuing violation of our human rights.”
“Ang among altar gihimo ra nila nga huwaran sa makalanag nga hugaw (They turned our altar into dumpsites of their toxic wastes.),” the tribal chieftain said.
The Canadian–backed mining firm, in a statement, announced that on April 9 the “two ball mills of the Canatuan gold–silver project which had been grinding ore continuously for nearly four years stopped turning.”
The company is now focusing on extracting zinc and copper from the same pit, as it expects $3 million in monthly cash flow in the next four years, the company said in a statement last week.
In 1996, TVI obtained a 25–year mineral production sharing agreement with the Philippine government. The deal gives the miner exclusive rights to explore gold, silver, copper, zinc and other minerals within a 508–hectare area.
TVI started its silver and gold mine in Siocon in 2005, and it was a year later when gold and silver production hit a record level, generating a cash flow of more than $17 million, up by more than a third.
The mine achieved record production of 56,880 ounces, based on an average 1,620 dry metric tons of ore milled per day, for a total of 591,180 metric tons during the year.
Revenues reached more than $39 million, and the Canatuan project’s contribution to net income amounted to almost $11 million, or about a quarter. But the company’s profit from its gold–silver project started to hit the bottom last year.
The mining company, according to the tribal chieftain, is always “telling us lies and not even a single instance that they tell the truth.”
“The truth is that the indigenous people in the area are the real losers at the end,” Mudai declared, adding that “we are bringing this to the attention of the international community for the violations of our rights and the posterity of our resources by the mining firm with the help of the government.”
Early last month, Mudai, together with Tribal chieftain Jose Anoy, addressed the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (UN CERD) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Anoy told UN CERD: “We are here because we could not get justice in the Philippines. We have come here to explain what happened and seek justice and action.”
Also addressing the UN CERD, Mudai said, “We have this response from the Philippine government, but whatever they answer the reality is that our sacred mountain is already destroyed.”
The UN CERD is responsible for monitoring all States obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). It held its 72nd session from February 18 to March 7 in Geneva.
“We are waiting for the result of the case we filed before the UN CERD against TVI and the government,” Mudai said in dialect.
The UN CERD is their only hope to get justice, Mudai intimated.
“We don’t expect to get justice in the Philippines because there is no room for us indigenous peoples here,” he lamented. (By Antonio M. Manaytay / www.insidemindanao.com)
Ex-Rebels Turn To Lemon Grass, Coffee Beans Farming In North RP
BANAUE, Philippines – Former rebels in Ifugao and Mt. Province have become partners of peace and development in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) as they turn into farmers of coffee beans and lemon grass.
Mario Pugong, who was a rebel operating in the Cordillera mountains at the height of martial law in the 1970s, is now engaged in the distillation and fermentation of essential oils and other extracts from lemon grass.
Now the president of the Concerned Citizens for Ifugao Peace and Development (CCIPD), Pugong, said many of his former comrades in the communist movement are also planting lemon grass and coffee varities such as arabica and robusta.
Fernando Bahatan, project coordinator of the CCIPD, said members of his group are currently developing the practical use of lemon grass leaves for tea under a partnership agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
“These products are environmentally-friendly, and they also have potential health benefits,” Bahatan said.
Pugong said the production and processing of essential oils from lemon grass have been made possible in projects for rebel returnees with the assistance of UNDP and the Philippine government.
“The projects help us rebel returnees in community-based rural development, as well as the opportunity in our dreams for a better livelihood,” Pugong said. “It’s good to live in peace, but now we are waging war against poverty. Projects for rebel returnees like this can give us the solutions to continue living in peace.”
Reds Demand Manila To Abide By Agreement Before Peace Talks Can Resume
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 17, 2008) – The National Democratic Front of the Philippines on Saturday demanded that Manila complies with agreements it previously signed with communist rebels.
The NDFP, political wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, ended a three-day informal meeting with Filipino peace negotiators in Norway which brokered the talks.
“We are pleased with the opportunity provided by this informal meeting to exchange views with regards to the impediments that must be overcome for the formal meetings to resume,” said Luis Jalandoni, chief NDFP peace negotiator.
The NDFP praised the Royal Norwegian Government for making possible the meeting between peace negotiators aimed at finding ways of resuming talks stalled since 2004 after rebel leaders accused Manila of reneging its agreements with the CPP.
The informal talks were held from May 13-15m but Jalandoni said the Filipino peace panel failed to come with solutions that will lead to the resumption of the negotiations.
“The NDFP delegation expressed its strong desire for the resumption of the formal meetings and took pains to persuade the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) delegation to do away with said impediments.”
“It is unfortunate that the GRP delegation did not bring any idea towards the resolution of any problems that impedes the resumption of the formal meetings,” he said, adding, his group presented 13 impediments that must be overcome before formal peace talks could resume.
Jalandoni said among the impediments are the terrorist tag by the United States and the European Union, on Manila’s prodding, of the NDFP chief political consultant Prof. Jose Maria Sison, the CPP and the NPA; the illegal “suspension” of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).
And also the Oplan Bantay Laya and the consequent gross and systematic violations of human rights; the persecution, murder, arrest and enforced disappearance of NDFP consultants; the demand for capitulation of the NDFP to the GRP in the guise of prolonged ceasefire before addressing the fundamental problems of Philippine society and the roots of the armed conflict; and the failure to indemnify the victims of human rights violations under the Marcos regime.
“We stressed that overcoming these impediments is not a precondition but an obligation of the Arroyo government to comply with the agreements it has signed with the NDFP,” Jalandoni said.
The Philippine Army said it would abide by the decisions of the government as far as the possibility of the resumption of the peace talks with rebels.
“We will follow the decision of our political leaders. Whatever would be the outcome of these talks (with the NDFP), we will abide like a true soldier that we are,” Major Raymundo Aguada, a regional army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.
But many soldiers in the southern Philippines are disgruntled by the news that Manila is trying to reopen peace talks with communist rebels, saying, it the NPA will only use the negotiations to recruit and strengthen its forces.
“This has been a cycle already. All presidents of this forsaken country had tried everything and failed to bring back peace, but the NPA remains defiant and victorious and all it wanted is to topple this democratic government and install a dictatorial government.”
“There should be no peace with rebels who waged war and sow terror through out all these years,” said a local army soldier, who asked not to be named for fear that he would be reprimanded by his commander for speaking to the media about the peace talks.
Government soldiers are not allowed in the Philippines to speak out about their feelings or opinion, especially if it concerns national interests or government decisions.
The NPA is the military wing of the CPP, which the Philippine military said was founded in the 1968 by Sison, who is living in exile in The Netherlands since 1987.
Sison was arrested by the Dutch police on charges of masterminding the killings of two former NPA rebel leaders Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara, but had been subsequently freed.
Since its founding, the CPP has been fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state in the Philippines.
Aside from the communist rebels, Manila is also negotiating peace with a Muslim separatist guerrilla group called the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has also accused the government of reneging on its commitment to grant them ancestral lands in Mindanao.
The seven-year old peace talks with the MILF have been stalled since last year and are now threatening the fragile truce and security in the southern region. (Mindanao Examiner)
Malaya Corres Harrased?
Two journalists employed by the privately-owned daily Malaya, Maria Elena Catajan and Redjie Melvic Cawis, plan to file a complaint against the deputy mayor of Alfonso Lista, in the northern province of Ifugao, accusing him of threatening them with firearms during an interview on May 10.
Catajan and Cawis were invited to deputy mayor Clarence Polig's home for an interview while covering the town's festival. But Polig, who was under the effects of alcohol, accused them of covering the event "illegally" and "without permission." They tried to explain that they had been invited by Mayor Charles Cattiling and the Tourism department.
They felt directly threatened when Polig and three unidentified people with him allegedly "brandished their guns" and reportedly threatened them in several languages. A fourth person wearing a mask tried to prevent them from leaving. The police confirmed that the incident took place, but said the deputy mayor denied brandishing guns to frighten the journalists.
Un élu et sa garde rapprochée menacent deux journalistes armes au poing
Deux correspondants du quotidien privé Malaya envisagent de porter plainte contre un responsable du conseil municipal d'Alfonso Lista, dans la province d'Ifugao (nord). Ce dernier les a menacés avec des armes à feu, le 10 mai 2008, au cours d'un entretien.
Les journalistes Maria Elena Catajan et Redjie Melvic Cawis avaient été invités pour une entrevue dans la résidence du vice maire d'Alfonso Lista, Clarence Polig, alors qu'ils couvraient le festival de la ville.
Le responsable politique, qui se trouvait alors sous l'emprise de l'alcool, les a accusés d'être venus couvrir l'événement "illégalement" et "sans autorisation". Les deux journalistes ont tenté de s'expliquer, arguant qu'ils étaient venus à l'invitation du maire Charles Cattiling et pour le compte du département du Tourisme.
Maria Elena Catajan et Redjie Melvic Cawis se sont sentis directement menacés lorsque Clarence Polig et trois personnes non identifiées de son entourage ont "brandi leurs armes" en les insultant en plusieurs langues. Un quatrième individu encagoulé a également essayé de les empêcher de partir. La police locale a confirmé l'incident, mais a déclaré que le vice maire démentait avoir "brandi ses armes" pour effrayer les journalistes.
Vincent Brossel
Asia - Pacific Desk
Reporters Sans Frontières
47 rue Vivienne 75002 Paris
33 1 44 83 84 70
33 1 45 23 11 51 (fax)
asia@rsf.orgwww.rsf.org
Catajan and Cawis were invited to deputy mayor Clarence Polig's home for an interview while covering the town's festival. But Polig, who was under the effects of alcohol, accused them of covering the event "illegally" and "without permission." They tried to explain that they had been invited by Mayor Charles Cattiling and the Tourism department.
They felt directly threatened when Polig and three unidentified people with him allegedly "brandished their guns" and reportedly threatened them in several languages. A fourth person wearing a mask tried to prevent them from leaving. The police confirmed that the incident took place, but said the deputy mayor denied brandishing guns to frighten the journalists.
Un élu et sa garde rapprochée menacent deux journalistes armes au poing
Deux correspondants du quotidien privé Malaya envisagent de porter plainte contre un responsable du conseil municipal d'Alfonso Lista, dans la province d'Ifugao (nord). Ce dernier les a menacés avec des armes à feu, le 10 mai 2008, au cours d'un entretien.
Les journalistes Maria Elena Catajan et Redjie Melvic Cawis avaient été invités pour une entrevue dans la résidence du vice maire d'Alfonso Lista, Clarence Polig, alors qu'ils couvraient le festival de la ville.
Le responsable politique, qui se trouvait alors sous l'emprise de l'alcool, les a accusés d'être venus couvrir l'événement "illégalement" et "sans autorisation". Les deux journalistes ont tenté de s'expliquer, arguant qu'ils étaient venus à l'invitation du maire Charles Cattiling et pour le compte du département du Tourisme.
Maria Elena Catajan et Redjie Melvic Cawis se sont sentis directement menacés lorsque Clarence Polig et trois personnes non identifiées de son entourage ont "brandi leurs armes" en les insultant en plusieurs langues. Un quatrième individu encagoulé a également essayé de les empêcher de partir. La police locale a confirmé l'incident, mais a déclaré que le vice maire démentait avoir "brandi ses armes" pour effrayer les journalistes.
Vincent Brossel
Asia - Pacific Desk
Reporters Sans Frontières
47 rue Vivienne 75002 Paris
33 1 44 83 84 70
33 1 45 23 11 51 (fax)
asia@rsf.orgwww.rsf.org
Friday, May 16, 2008
Photo: Notre Dame Alumni, Alumnae Hold Outreach Mission In South RP
GOOD DEEDS. The Alumni Batch of 1985 of the Notre Dame School (Boys and Girls Departments) initiate their first community service dubbed as Operation "TULI" which was recently held in Purok San Isidro, Rosary Heights 10 in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines. Over 60 children benefited from the Operation Tuli in partnership with the Cotabato City Health Office, the Department of Health in Region 12, the Cotabato Regional Medical Center and officials of the Rosary Heights 10. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales-Batch 85)
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Fighting Stops, But Tension Is High In Mindanao: MILF
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Al Jacinto / May 16, 2008) – Fighting ceased Friday between Muslim rebels and government troops in the southern Filipino island of Basilan island, but tension is still high as both sides accused each other of violating a fragile truce.
“There is still tension because of the skirmishes in Basilan. We are more vigilant now than ever after soldiers attacked our forces in the province,” Mohagher Iqbal, chief peace negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, told Mindanao Examiner.
Manila is currently negotiating peace with the MILF. But the rebel group accused the Arroyo government of delaying the peace talks after negotiations were stalled last year over demands for ancestral domain.
The ancestral domain is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the MILF can reach a political settlement and with the talks stalled; the hope of ending more than three decades of bloody hostilities remains dim.
Manila said the provisions of the peace agreement should be within the framework of the Constitution.
The fighting in Basilan Island just off Zamboanga City was triggered by attacks on rebels working on a farm, Iqbal said. But the military accused the MILF of attacking a group of marines securing a road project in the town of Tipo-Tipo.
"It was the rebels who first attacked our security forces and troops only retaliated, but the fighting is not as serious as what the MILF claimed. There are exchanges of sniper fires between our troops and rebels and we have no reports of casualties," said Marines Chief Gen. Mohammad Dolorfino.
The fighting erupted after Malaysia, which is brokering the peace, pulled out its truce observers last week in Mindanao because of the slow progress of the negotiations.
Iqbal said security forces also raided the house of Mike Dalem, an MILF political officer, in the Buluan town in Maguindanao province in the main island of Mindanao.
“Dalem was on the mosque praying when soldiers swooped down of his house and confiscated munitions owned by the MILF,” he said.
It was not immediately known whether the raid was with a court order or not. Iqbal said the raid was illegal and violated the cease-fire agreement the government signed with the MILF. “This is a clear violation of the cease-fire agreement,” he said.
The MILF is the country's largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in Mindanao. The rebels repeatedly warned that fighting could erupt if Malaysia pulls out its truce observers.
The Philippine military have been building up its forces in Mindanao the past weeks and the MILF fears that renewed hostilities may break out because troops were reported massing near areas controlled by rebels in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur provinces. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Fierce Fighting Erupts In Basilan Island
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Peasant Leader Killed In Southern Philippines
Militant labor leader Celso Pojas, of the Farmers' Association of Davao City, during a rally May 12, 2008 in Davao City in southern Philippines. Pojas, also the vice chairman of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, was killed by two motorcycle gunmen May 15, 2008 just outside the FADC office. (BAYAN photo)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 15, 2008) - A militant labor leader was gunned down Thursday in the southern Philippines, where security forces are battling communist insurgents.
Celso Pojas, leader of the Farmers’ Association of Davao City and spokesman for the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, was killed by two motorcycle gunmen outside their office in Davao City.
Pojas, 45, was also the vice chairman of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), tagged by the Philippine military as a front of the communist New People’s Army rebels.
“He is a good man who had been fighting for the rights of the oppressed. We condemn the killing of a good man and we accused the military as behind his murder,” Jeppie Ramada, BAYAN Secretary-General, told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said Pojas had been receiving death threats from suspected military men who had been tailing the militant leader since last year. “Armed men, sporting military haircut, had previously warned Ka Celso that he would be killed because of his activities as a peasant leader,” Ramada said.
“The killing of Ka Celso is politically motivated because he was a staunch supporter of human rights and his being against continued militarization in many parts of Davao and Compostela Valley provinces and other areas in southern Mindanao” Ramada said.
No group or individual claimed responsibility for the murder and the military flatly denied any involvement in the killing of Pojas.
“We have nothing to do with it. We respect human rights. Let us wait for the investigation of the police,” Major Raymundo Aguada, a spokesman for the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said in a separate interview.
The Philippine military previously tagged Pojas’ groups as fronts of the New People’s Army rebels fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Sulu Students Tour Asia's Latin City
Some 80 grade school Muslim students and teachers, led by Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan arrive in Zamboanga City for an educational tour Wednesday, May 14, 2008 where the children met and spoke with Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat, who briefed the visitors about the historic past of Zamboanga, now branded as Asia's Latin City. The children also toured the local Coca-Cola bottling plant and the Pasonanca mountain park in Zamboanga City. The tour, dubbed as Lakbay-Bata, is a joint project between the Sulu Provincial Government and the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States' Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 14, 2008) – Some 80 Muslim grade school students and teachers from Sulu province in the southern Philippines toured Zamboanga City in Mindanao as part of a program aimed at educating the children about the region’s historical past.
The students, accompanied by Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, met with the local Mayor Celso Lobregat who briefed them about Zamboanga and its past. “This is program aims to provide the children about our rich culture and history and will make them more patriotic and responsible as young citizens of this country,” Tan said.
Tan said the tour is a joint project between the Sulu Provincial Government, the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region, the Philippine and US military forces.
Lobregat welcomed the children and even sang them a song. “We are happy that Governor Sakur Tan brought all of you to our beautiful Zamboanga, Asia’s Latin City and we are sure that you will enjoy your stay in Zamboanga,” Lobregat told some 60 students and 20 teachers at the City Hall.
The branding of Zamboanga as Asia's Latin City was spearheaded by the League of Cities, the World Bank and the involvement of the different local sectors. Its dialect is a mixture of Spanish and other Filipino tongues.
Chavacano is spoken by a majority of the people here, in Basilan and other parts of the Zamboanga Peninsula. The growth of Chavacano in Zamboanga can be traced to a concentration of Spanish nationals in Zamboanga at the height of the Spaniards colonization efforts in Mindanao that lasted for centuries until the late 1800.
Local officials said this would give the city a positive shift since it carries an international appeal and anchored on the rich Castilian influence and history of Zamboanga City, once called the City of Flowers because of its beautiful landscapes and flower gardens.
The branding of Zamboanga will provide the city with a competitive global outlook instead of just comparing it with other cities in Mindanao, according to Lobregat.
Zamboanga City had been under Spanish rule in the past and was also used as a base for American soldiers. The city is also popularly known as "Zamboanga Hermosa."
While Sulu was a known international trade center for Chinese traders in the past and Zamboanga served as an economic gateway to Mindanao and the central Philippines.
The area around Zamboanga Peninsula has been occupied by indigenous people as early as 30,000 years ago. The first inhabitants were the Subanons and Lutaos and later, the Islamized ethnic groups of Samals, Bajaus, Tausugs, and Yakans. (Jun Delgado)
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Three NPA Rebels Killed In South RP Clash
Police crime investigators take fingerprints of slain rebels in Compostela Valley province in southern Philippines. Three New People's Army rebels are killed in two days of sporadic fighting in the province. (Army Brigade Photo)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 13, 2008) – Government soldiers killed at least three communist rebels and wounded a still undetermined number of gunmen in two days of sporadic clashes in the southern Philippines, officials said Tuesday.
Officials said fresh fighting erupted on Tuesday in Compostela Valley barely a day after government soldiers killed two rebels in two separate clashes in the province, a known stronghold of the New People’s Army (NPA), blamed for the spate of attacks on government and military targets in recent weeks.
“Three rebels were killed in the fighting and many are believed wounded in the clashes. We have no casualties and the government offensives still continue in the area,” a local army commander, Colonel Roland Bautista, told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said soldiers recovered the bodies of the slain rebels, including weapons and medical kits left behind by the fleeing NPA gunmen.
Bautista said the rebels were behind the series of attacks on military forces and mining sites in Compostela Valley. “The NPA is also engaged in extortion activities, victimizing innocent people and the military operations are hampering all these,” he said.
He also accused militant groups of supporting the NPA. “This is the reason why left-leaning, cause-oriented groups are putting pressure to the military to stop the military operations in the province to allow unhampered movements of rebels who are extorting money from innocent civilians and traders,” he said.
Bautista did not identify these groups, but said the military will continue its operations and finish off the NPA.
“We will finish them off to free the people from the bondage of abuses and atrocities of the NPA in Compostela Valley and other areas in Mindanao. We want peace to reign and civilians are supporting us in this campaign,” he said.
Just last week, NPA rebels freed two captured government soldiers and warned of more attacks in the province.
Officials said fresh fighting erupted on Tuesday in Compostela Valley barely a day after government soldiers killed two rebels in two separate clashes in the province, a known stronghold of the New People’s Army (NPA), blamed for the spate of attacks on government and military targets in recent weeks.
“Three rebels were killed in the fighting and many are believed wounded in the clashes. We have no casualties and the government offensives still continue in the area,” a local army commander, Colonel Roland Bautista, told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said soldiers recovered the bodies of the slain rebels, including weapons and medical kits left behind by the fleeing NPA gunmen.
Bautista said the rebels were behind the series of attacks on military forces and mining sites in Compostela Valley. “The NPA is also engaged in extortion activities, victimizing innocent people and the military operations are hampering all these,” he said.
He also accused militant groups of supporting the NPA. “This is the reason why left-leaning, cause-oriented groups are putting pressure to the military to stop the military operations in the province to allow unhampered movements of rebels who are extorting money from innocent civilians and traders,” he said.
Bautista did not identify these groups, but said the military will continue its operations and finish off the NPA.
“We will finish them off to free the people from the bondage of abuses and atrocities of the NPA in Compostela Valley and other areas in Mindanao. We want peace to reign and civilians are supporting us in this campaign,” he said.
Just last week, NPA rebels freed two captured government soldiers and warned of more attacks in the province.
Rigoberto Sanchez, a rebel spokesman, said the duo - Napoleon Gerasmio and Huberto Corbita - were released 12 days later after their families appealed to the NPA to spare the lives of the soldiers.
The NPA is the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front, fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, May 12, 2008
Peace Talks Sa Mindanao, May Pag-asa Pa Kaya?
COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / May 12, 2008) Unti-unting nawawalan ng pag-asa ang Moro Islamic Liberation Front sa peace talks ng pamahalaang Arroyo at lalong nalalagay sa alanganin ang siguridad ng kapayapaan sa Mindanao.
Ito’y matapos na ipahayag ng MILF ang kawalan ng solusyon sa naantalang peace talks at mula pa nuong nakaraang taon ay wala pa rin linaw ang isyu ng ancestral domain na kahilingan naman ng rebeldeng grupo. Ito ang magsisilbing teritoryo ng tinatayang apat na milyong Muslim sa Mindanao.
Inakusahan ng MILF ang Pangulong Gloria Arroyo ng pagsasawalang bahala sa naunang memorandum of agreement ng peace panels na ibigay ng tuluyan ang ancestral domain o manawagan ng isang independence referendum sa Mindanao.
Sinisi rin ni Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, ang pamahalaang Arroyo sa patuloy nitong pagsasawalang bahala sa peace talks na nagresulta naman sa pull out ng mga Malaysian truce observers sa Mindanao.
“The Philippine government has reached the end of its pretension. The MILF to insist the resumption of the peace talks, with the government already treating it as a mockery, is a humiliation,” wika ni Iqbal.
Bagamat umalis na nuong Sabado ang halos dalawang dosenang Malaysian truce observers ay hindi naman mapigilan ni Iqbal ang kanyang hinanakit sa pamahalaang Arroyo. At pinuri rin nito ng lubos ang Malaysia sa suporta nito sa MILF at sa peace process.
“We do not know how to repay your government headed by His Excellencies Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Najib Mohammad Bin Abdul Razak, and all those Malaysian IMT since 2004, except by saying thank you may Allah reward you in the day hereafter,” ani Iqbal. (Mindanao Examiner)
Ito’y matapos na ipahayag ng MILF ang kawalan ng solusyon sa naantalang peace talks at mula pa nuong nakaraang taon ay wala pa rin linaw ang isyu ng ancestral domain na kahilingan naman ng rebeldeng grupo. Ito ang magsisilbing teritoryo ng tinatayang apat na milyong Muslim sa Mindanao.
Inakusahan ng MILF ang Pangulong Gloria Arroyo ng pagsasawalang bahala sa naunang memorandum of agreement ng peace panels na ibigay ng tuluyan ang ancestral domain o manawagan ng isang independence referendum sa Mindanao.
Sinisi rin ni Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, ang pamahalaang Arroyo sa patuloy nitong pagsasawalang bahala sa peace talks na nagresulta naman sa pull out ng mga Malaysian truce observers sa Mindanao.
“The Philippine government has reached the end of its pretension. The MILF to insist the resumption of the peace talks, with the government already treating it as a mockery, is a humiliation,” wika ni Iqbal.
Bagamat umalis na nuong Sabado ang halos dalawang dosenang Malaysian truce observers ay hindi naman mapigilan ni Iqbal ang kanyang hinanakit sa pamahalaang Arroyo. At pinuri rin nito ng lubos ang Malaysia sa suporta nito sa MILF at sa peace process.
“We do not know how to repay your government headed by His Excellencies Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Najib Mohammad Bin Abdul Razak, and all those Malaysian IMT since 2004, except by saying thank you may Allah reward you in the day hereafter,” ani Iqbal. (Mindanao Examiner)
Transport Strikes Leave Thousands Stranded
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 12, 2008) – Thousands of passengers were stranded Monday after transport strikes paralyzed major cities across the southern Philippines.
The transport strikes, organized by various organizations and militant groups, left commuters stranded in the cities Davao, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos and several areas in the provinces of Davao, Cotabato and Agusan.
Jeepney operators were demanding a roll back in prices of oil and petrol and for the government to scrap the Oil Deregulation Law.
“Reports from our groups in different areas in Mindanao showed that thousands were affected by the strikes. We don’t want these things to happen, but we need to send a strong message to the government that poor people are suffering from high prices of oil and basic commodities,” Roger Santos, a militant leader, told the Mindanao Examiner.
The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said the transport strikes paralyzed about 95 percent in those areas. Bayan was backing the strikes called by the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide or PISTON.
Aside from Bayan and PISTON, the protest was also participated by various militant groups such as the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap, Farmers Association of Davao City-KMP, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Gabriela, Promotion of Church People's Response, Consumer Alert, Anakbayan, Barangay Council for Women, and Kalitawhan.
In Davao, more than 200 protesters manned at least five different areas where they persuaded other transport operators to join the strike.
“We have anticipated such support from the people of Davao City and we are positive that the strike will be successful especially with the supports that have been coming from the drivers themselves,” said Jeppie Ramada, Bayan secretary-general.
Ramada said they have the support of the public.
“The drivers are not alone in the fight against the relentless price increases of oil. The broad support from the people who always bear the brunt of high cost of living will be with them,” he said.
There were reports of violence and the strikes ended peacefully later in the day, he said. (Mindanao Examiner)
MNLF Holds Peace Summit In Southern RP
Nur Misuari, left, and Muslimin Sema, both claiming to be the chieftain of the Moro National Liberation Front. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 12, 2008) – Some 300 former Moro National Liberation Front rebels gathered Monday in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines to campaign for peace.
“We are here gathered to unify our people and to work for everlasting peace in Mindanao,” said Muslimin Sema, the new leader of the MNLF, once the largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in the southern Philippines.
The MNLF Central Committee named Sema, the group's Secretary General, as its new chairman, replacing Nur Misuari. But Misuari did not recognize Sema as the legitimate ruler of the MNLF.
It was the second time in nearly a decade that Misuari, who founded the MNLF, was removed by his own commanders. Sema is a member of the so-called MNLF Council of 15, which first ousted Misuari. The Council of 15 accused Misuari of being incompetent as governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Misuari signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996 ending decades of bloody war. After the peace agreement was signed, Misuari became the governor of the Muslim autonomous region.
And in November 2001, on the eve of the elections in the Muslim autonomous region, Misuari accused the government of reneging on the peace agreement, and launched a new rebellion in Sulu province in an effort to stop the elections.
Misuari then escaped by boat to Malaysia, where he had been arrested and deported to the Philippines.
Sema's group previously appointed Misuari as chairman emeritus, but rejected the position. The Council of 15 accused Misuari of being incompetent as governor of the Muslim autonomous region.
The three-day summit, Sema said, is also aimed at strengthening the MNLF and to review the provisions of the peace agreement.
He said a new MNLF charter is expected to be approved by the MNLF Central Committee at the end of the summit. Sema said a “twelve-point policy of direction” of the MNLF will be presented during the conference.
Sema said they would also propose to President Gloria Arroyo to appoint a member of the MNLF as governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao instead of holding elections every three years.
He also insisted that the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was created as part of a peace deal the MNLF with Manila. And under its provisions, an MNLF member must sit as governor of the six-province autonomous region.
“Admittedly the existence of the ARMM is the product attributed to the Bangsamoro people's struggle for self-determination in a way to address the age-long political conflict. Undoubtedly, therefore, the MNLF is the legitimate claimant to ARMM to speak of its role in governance,” Sema said.
He said the MNLF has endorsed Alvarez Isnaji, the mayor of Indanan town in Sulu province, to be the governor of the autonomous region.
“In order to get rid of election related violence, excessive spending and corruption, the MNLF is seeking preferably the prerogative of the President to appoint MNLF candidate to be the ARMM governor. Anyhow, the President plays a vital role insofar as ARMM governorship is concerned," Sema said.
Zaldy Ampatuan, a former town mayor in Maguindanao province, is the current governor of the Muslim autonomous region after he won the polls against Parouk Hussin, a senior MNLF leader.
Ampatuan, as governor of the Muslim autonomous region, introduced reforms and fought corruption in government. He also prioritized development projects in areas where there are MNLF communities in support to the peace agreement.
Sema said the MNLF has been eased out from the mainstream of governance in the ARMM. “This situation is an obstacle to the peace agreement. In as much as the MNLF is still aspiring for active participation in all levels of governance appropriate both in regional and national political mainstreams, power sharing in governance to involve the MNLF principally should be taken as a measure to erase the obstacle,” he said.
Although Sema is pushing for an MNLF leadership in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, he also praised Ampatuan because of his many accomplishments in the Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao, Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan. (Mindanao Examiner)
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