MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / November 30, 2009) – Filipino leader Gloria Arroyo announced Monday that she will run for Congress in the May 2010 national elections.
Arroyo, who was accused of fraud in previous elections, said she would like to continue to work in public service despite massive opposition from different civil society groups and the Catholic Church.
Arroyo's supporters from her hometown in Pampanga, where his son is also a congressman, assured her victory in next year's polls.
She said the people wanted her to continue serving in Congress, but opposition politicians claimed if Arroyo wins, she and her allies in the House of Representatives would pursue in changing the Constitution with her ending up elected as Prime Minister and avoid possible prosecution for graft and corruption.
Many Filipinos do not want Arroyo to continue because of corruption scandals in her government involving her husband and two sons and a brother-in-law in Congress. Arroyo denied all accusations against her. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, November 30, 2009
Philippine leader to seek seat in Congress
'MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE: The Four Critical Days' By Secy. Jesus Dureza
Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jnr and Presidential Adviser Secy. Jesus Dureza and Justice Secy. Agnes Devanadera in General Santos City after the politician surrendered peacefully.DAY ONE - November 23 (Monday)
I was monitoring closely reports about a missing convoy in Maguindanao with media friends. Later in the day, reports of mass murder of the Mangudadatus were confirmed. Allegedly by Datu Unsay Ampatuan Jr., et al. My instincts told me this could very well be a very explosive situation. When media called, I said I would recommend proclaiming a state of emergency. At 8 p.m. Secretary of National Defense Bert Gonzales and I met. He told me the President had directed that I act as “crisis manager.”
DAY TWO – November 24 (Tuesday)
Bert and I took the earliest flight to General Santos City. At the headquarters of the 601st Infantry Brigade in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat briefings were held. Initial photos of the carnage were flashed on the screen. Gruesome! Next we met with the Mangudadatus, many of them my personal friends.
They were tense and angry. They wanted to retrieve the bodies immediately. They demanded justice, immediately. The Ampatuans did it, they said. After Bert and I expressed government’s resolve to do everything possible, Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu said they will cooperate. No retaliatory action but government must give justice.
12 Noon – A teleconferencing call connected Bert and me to the Palace where the President was presiding over a hastily called security meeting. We were getting specific instructions from her. So did Bert, Philippine National Police Chief Jesus Versoza and Armed Forces of the Philippines Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang who arrived with us. Her voice had that sense of urgency. Inputs from the other cabinet members were also relayed.
1:00 p.m. – The crisis management committee was activated. Assisting me were Eastern Mindanao Command Chief Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer and Directorate for Integrated Police Operations Chief Supt. Felizardo Serapio.
2:00 p.m. – Bert left to fly back to Manila. Colonel Medardo Geslani, 60ast infantry Brigade commander, assisted in setting up the command center. It was at this time that I operationalized an action plan I quietly formulated in my mind. It was a simple plan drawing lessons from past experiences.
3:00 p.m. – Having talked with the Mangudadatus, I decided to go see the Ampatuans in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao. I felt confident. Both families were my friends. And I had direct access to them. With my staff and without military escorts, except for one military officer, Colonel Macario as guide, I motored to the Ampatuan residence.
3:45 p.m. - I entered the Ampatuan fenced premises and the patriarch Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Snr was there waiting for me. With him seated in a “bahay kubo” on the sprawling grounds were several Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Maguindanao officials and relatives. Armed followers were everywhere.
After informing Gov. Andal that my purpose in coming was because of the incident and that his son, Mayor Datu Unsay Ampatuan Jr. was implicated, I told Bapa Andal that it would be best that the Ampatuans also cooperate.
I said that Datu Unsay should submit to an investigation. He immediately said: “OK. Kausapin mo sya. Ipatawag ko si Datu Unsay. Basta kayo Secretary walang problema.” I told him I wanted to see Datu Unsay as I got reports that he was missing or had escaped. Bapa said: “Hindi yan totoo. Darating si Datu Unsay. Magpakita sya sayo Secretary.”
Bapa Andal as usual, was a man of few words. We then went inside the house to wait for the son’s arrival. In the meantime, ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and Cong. Didagen Dilangalen arrived from the airport. Energy Undersecretary Zam Ampatuan, Atty. Cynthia Guiani Sayadi, among others were there too. I felt a bit tense and uncomfortable. I did not want to start talking about the incident until Unsay would arrive. We were chatting for about an hour trying to divert the issue and loosen up. A lively conversation centered on how many children some of their relatives had. One relative had 70 children. Of course from several mothers, etc.
4:30 p.m. – We waited. I noticed that Atty. Cynthia was using her cell phone and taking pictures while we were chatting. Unsay arrived and got seated on my left. We continued a bit about our light banter until Unsay settled down. (GMA7 later that same evening showed some pictures on TV. My wife Beth texted me and called my attention immediately when she saw it: “Bakit ka smile kasama mga Ampatuan. Not proper.” I agreed. But I was puzzled where the pictures came from and who sent them. There were no media people around. I surmised Cynthia did it.)
5:00 p.m. – I was becoming worried that darkness would overtake my return trip to Sultan Kudarat province. Many armed and uniformed men on the highway. One could not tell what group or unit. So when Unsay got seated, I immediately told him that I came because of the serious incident and that initial reports mentioned his name as involved. I told him my purpose in coming was only to be assured that he would cooperate and submit himself to any investigation. He looked at the direction of Gov. Andal who spoke first: “Gaya ng sinabi ko sayo kanina, magcooperate kami, Secretary.” Then Unsay himself echoed saying: “Mag cooperate po kami Secretary.” I then stood up and said I would contact them again soon. We arrived in Marbel town already dark and stayed there for the night.
DAY THREE - November 25 (Wednesday)
8:30 a.m. - I visited a funeral parlor in Marbel. Some bodies not identified yet. I then directed the Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 12 to attend to the immediate needs of the families, and that Department of Health Region 12 and Office of the Civil Defense Region 12 were to assist. I motored to Tacurong at the 601st Infantry Brigade and met the National Bureau of Investigation team that just arrived from Manila.
I reconvened the crisis committee and mapped up moves on how to fast track work. A team of Philippine National Police investigators were sent to the residence of Buluan Vice Mayor Toto Mangudadatu to get statements but they were told that affidavits of their witnesses would be submitted instead perhaps the following day. I was already aware that the outrage over the killings mounted. And government was being criticized for slow action.
12 NOON – Over lunch at the brigade, I consulted with the crisis committee on my plan: it was time to contact the Ampatuans and call in Datu Unsay to voluntarily surrender as they committed to me yesterday. I was also quietly informed that an operational plan was underway to forcibly take custody of him.
2:00 p.m. – On my way to Marbel to dialogue with all the families of the victims, I made several calls. First with ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan. I told him it was time to bring in Datu Unsay. He told me he would consult the father, Gov. Andal. I said I had only until 5 p.m. that day to work on this plan. After 5 p.m., the scenario would no longer be the same, I told him.
4:00 p.m. – While meeting the families of victims in downtown Marbel, I got a call from the father, Gov. Andal telling me that he would turnover to me Datu Unsay but requested that the deadline be moved from 5 p.m. today to 10 a.m. the following day. I immediately told him I could not guarantee things if the deadline was moved. He said the Ampatuan clan would meet that evening and discussed things and bid goodbye to Datu Unsay. I told him I would get back to him by phone. I made calls and informed some of my colleagues (with whom I had been consulting from the beginning) of the request.
There were objections. Understandable reservations: What if the extension was a ruse to escape that evening? What were the guarantees that he would voluntarily surrender during the new deadline? People were becoming outraged not only on the crime but on the perceived slowness of government, so why waste more time? The forces were ready to strike, so why delay?
But I also reasoned back: How sure are we that we would get Datu Unsay in the operations? (From yesterday’s visit to the Ampatuans, I was certain that he was not there in the immediate vicinity, but came from somewhere far.) An assault would surely cost lives knowing the armaments, the culture and the situation. People were crying for swift action, but I would not agree to precipitate action. I also said I believed Gov. Andal was sincere when he told me he would bring out his son when needed. To wrap up my point, I said: I would take full responsibility for whatever outcome.
My new timeline was adopted. I moved the deadline to 10:00 a.m. the following day.
That night, we reviewed the “pickup” scenario several times and mapped out contingencies just in case things would not go as planned. In the meantime, government troops moved according to operational plans. That evening, I got a call from Atty. Cynthia getting an assurance from me that nothing would be launched that evening until the 10 a.m. pickup time the following day. I told her if there were troop movements, these were in support of the 10 a.m. “pickup.”
Later in the night, another complication suddenly arose. Chief Supt. Serapio and Col. Geslani informed me that they got information that Toto Mangudadatu would motor with his followers to file his certificate of candidacy the following morning in Shariff Aguak. I immediately called Sultan Kudarat Gov. Suharto “Teng” Mangudadatu. I told him that there was something afoot the following morning and that without disclosing what it was all about, I requested if he could convince Toto to move his filing to another day. A few minutes later, Gov. Teng called and said the clan agreed.
D-DAY, Nov.26 (Thursday)
6:00 a.m. - Early morning, government forces took over and occupied the ARMM facilities and other buildings and premises in Maguindanao province. Armed elements loyal to the Ampatuans were taken by surprise and gave up their firearms without resistance.
I was nervous a bit, but confident. The “what if” scenarios kept popping up in my mind. I motored to the 601st Infantry Brigade for the final briefings. The choppers would pick me up from there. Gen. Ferrer and I watched as more newly arrived troops were jumping off towards designated areas.
9:00 a.m. – I was informed that something went wrong with the Philippine Air Force Huey helicopters coming from Cotabato. The Davao choppers were instead dispatched, but would not be able to arrive by 10 a.m.
9:55 a.m. – I got a call from Col. Geslani whom we tasked to liaison with the Ampatuans that they were requesting for a little time as they were waiting for their lawyer who was still on the road to arrive. That was a break I needed. The 2 choppers arrived. We discussed with the pilot and crew contingencies and procedures.
10:45 a.m. - We were ready to jump off upon cue from Col. Geslani. It would be a short 35 minute hop from the brigade to Shariff Aguak. My staff Cecil said she’s getting nervous but insisted on joining. My assistant, Yo, was busy texting. But wait, another problem suddenly cropped up. As we were boarding, one the 2 Philippine National Police officers tasked to escort the suspect said they could not use the handcuff on Ampatuan as the KEY WAS MISSING!
What about the other handcuff with your buddy, I asked. “Ganon din po sir”, he replied. I almost fell from my seat! But there was no more time. We then agreed that he would be strapped with the seat belt and the policemen would firmly clasp the buckles to prevent any unexpected situation while airborne. (When I was asked later by reporters why Ampatuan was not handcuffed, I had a ready curt answer with a straight face: “He is adequately restrained!” Secy. Agnes Devanadera promptly responded with the same line when she was asked upon landing in Manila.)
11:20 a.m. - Two Hueys landed on the Maguindanao province capitol grounds. The Huey engines were not shut off as agreed in case a sudden exit maneuver was necessary. I waited for 20 minutes on the ground. I was getting worried. Finally, I saw my staff, Ollie, with his thumbs up sign.
Col. Geslani signaled they were on their way. My “what if” scare disappeared. The capitol gates opened. The Ampatuan family arrived on board vehicles from another location nearby. Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan clasping my hand said: “Ipaubaya ni amah si Datu Unsay sa iyo” and turned over Datu Unsay to me. We boarded the aircraft with Atty. Cynthia, insisting she had to ride with him.
11:40 a.m. - Helis took off enroute General Santos City where Justice Secy. Agnes Devanadera and her crew were waiting for an inquest proceeding. But again something happened. About a few minutes airborne and while still climbing and gaining altitude, I first noticed some flapping sound outside. I thought, maybe some loose parts of the chopper. The noise kept coming, intermittent. I looked down and maybe I saw flashes but I was not sure. Suddenly the Huey banked sharply to the right and simultaneously, several short bursts from our two Huey gunners at the back. The bursts startled all of us. The evasive maneuver by the pilot also jarred us. All of us kept our heads low as the Huey steeply climbed. My staff Jerry and Col. Mac who was seated beside the open Huey doors ducked. The soldier at the back shouted, “ground fire, sir.”
We still climbed. The flapping sound from outside could not be heard anymore. The gunners later told me ground fire sounded like flapping from the air. The evasive action and the machinegun bursts were Standard Operating Procedures. At 2,000 feet altitude, we cruised. That’s when I saw on the Huey floor an empty shell from the bursts of the M-60 machinegun on board. I picked up the empty shell, and then pocketed it for good luck.
At the Gensan airport, I called the Boss: “Mission accomplished, Mrs. President.”
(Dureza had successfully handled past crises situations notably the “detention” by Moro National Liberation Front rebel leader Habier Malik of Marine Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino and Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Undersecretary Ramon Santos in Sulu province in 2007; the handover of MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari from Malaysian authorities to face rebellion charges in 2002; the surrender of convicted priest-killer escapee Norberto Manero in 2001; the release of Army Gen. Victor Obillo and Capt. Eduardo Montealto by New People’s Army rebel leader Commander Leoncio “Parago” Pitao with the Capalla humanitarian team in 1999; the Cebu Pacific plane crash in Misamis Oriental province in 1998; the Mindanao El Nino crisis in 1998; the Davao Penal Colony hostage situation in 1998. Ed)
Security tightened in 'Massacre Land'
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / November 30, 2009) – Philippine authorities have tightened security in the southern province of Maguindanao as police investigators continue searching for more evidence that would help resolve the grisly killings of 57 people blamed to the scion of a powerful Muslim clan in Mindanao.
Police have charged Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jnr for the November 23 attack on a convoy of supporters of rival Buluan town deputy mayor Esmael Mangudadatu in Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
Security forces also raided Monday the house of a police officer in Cotabato City who is being sought by authorities in connection with the murders and seized assorted guns and munitions, GMA television reported.
It said the officer was not in the house when soldiers and policemen raided the place. It said the officer have not reported for work after his name was implicated in the killings.
Hundred of supporters of the Ampatuan clan held a rally Sunday in Shariff Aguak town where the two governors met with their political allies. Police said the rally ended peacefully.
“We have put up many checkpoints and tightened security in the province to prevent the entry or exit of weapons. There is a total gun ban and we are enforcing the law,” said Senior Superintendent Bienvenido Latag, the regional police chief.
He said police and military are also gathering more information about the brutal killings and those who participated in the attack. “At the moment, we are gathering more intelligence about the killings and the perpetrators of these heinous crimes,” he said.
Of the 57 killed in the attack, at least 30 journalists and the Mangudadatu’s wife and two sisters were among those mercilessly killed. Ampatuan Jnr denied masterminding the attack, but Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said there were witnesses who pointed to the politician as the alleged leader of the group that abducted and killed the 57 people.
Devanadera said they are also investigating the mayor’s father Andal Ampatuan Snr, the governor of Maguindanao, and his elder brother, Zaldy Ampatuan, the governor of the Muslim autonomous region, and five more clan members in connection with gruesome killings. The Ampatuans are key political allies of Arroyo in the southern Philippines.
The journalists were traveling in a convoy with the wife and relatives and supporters of Buluan town Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu in Maguindanao’s Shariff Aguak town when they were held by more than 100 gunmen from a rival faction and herded to a remote hillside where they were executed.
Mangudadatu and the young Ampatuan are both running for governor in next year’s polls.
Those killed were buried in two mass graves, including the wreckage of two private cars and a media van, where at least four mangled bodies had been pulled out. A backhoe owned by the Maguindanao provincial government was recovered in the area and was believed used to excavate the graves in the town of Ampatuan.
The Philippine military relieved Major General Alfredo Cayton, chief of the 6th Infantry Division, and Colonel Medardo Geslani, commander of the 601st Infantry Brigade, for failing to prevent the gruesome killings. Both are under investigations in Manila.
Human rights activists also urged the police and the military to secure warrants from courts and search the mansions of the Ampatuans in Maguindanao province for illegal weapons after receiving reports that huge caches of firearms, munitions are allegedly being kept in arsenals inside the houses.
Arroyo placed Maguindanao under a state of emergency and security forces have taken control of the provincial capitol buildings and the town halls of Shariff Aguak and Ampatuan. Soldiers also dismantled 347 government militias under the control of the Ampatuan clan and recalled troops assigned with the Ampatuans as bodyguards.
Different media groups have condemned the killings of the journalists whose names were listed below and one more is still missing.
1. Adolfo, Benjie of Gold Star Daily, a regional newspaper; a resident of Koronadal City; 2. Araneta, Henry of Radio dzRH; a resident of General Santos City; 3. Arriola, Mark Gilbert (nickname Mac Mac) of UNTV, a local branch of a television channel; a resident of General Santos City; 4. Bataluna, Rubello of Gold Star Daily; a resident of Koronadal City; 5. Betia, Arturo of Periodico Ini, a community newspaper; a resident of General Santos City; 6. Cabillo, Romeo Jimmy of Midland Review, a community newspaper; a resident of Tacurong City; 7. Cablitas, Marites of News Focus; a resident of General Santos City; 8. Cachuela, Hannibal of Punto News; a resident of Koronadal City; 9. Caniban, John of Periodico Ini; a resident of General Santos City;10. Dalmacio, Lea of Socsargen News, a community newspaper; a resident of General Santos City.
11. Decina, Noel of Periodico Ini; a resident of General Santos City; 12. Dela Cruz, Gina of Saksi News; a resident of General Santos City; 13. Dohillo, Eugene of UNTV; a resident of General Santos City, 14. Duhay, Jhoy of Gold Star Daily; a resident of Tacurong City; 15. Jun Gatchalian of Davao City; 16. Legarte, Bienvenido, Jr. of Prontiera News; a resident of Koronadal City; 17. Lupogan, Lindo of Mindanao Daily Gazette, a community newspaper; a resident of Davao City; 18. Maravilla, Ernesto (nickname Bart) of Bombo Radyo; a resident of Koronadal City; 19. Merisco, Rey of Periodico Ini; a resident of Koronadal City; 20. Momay, Reynaldo (nickname Bebot) Momay of Midland Review; a resident of Tacurong City.
21. Montaño, Marife, of Saksi News; a resident of General Santos City; 22. Morales, Rosell of News Focus; a resident of General Santos City; 23. Nuñez, Victor of UNTV a resident of General Santos City; 24. Perante, Ronnie of Gold Star Daily; a resident of Koronadal City; 25. Parcon, Joel of Prontiera News; a resident of Koronadal City; 26. Razon, Fernando (nickname Rani) of Periodico Ini; a resident of General Santos City; 27. Reblando, Alejandro (nickname Bong) of Manila Bulletin; a resident of General Santos City; 28. Salaysay, Napoleon of Mindanao Gazette; a resident of Cotabato City; 29. Subang, Ian of Socsargen Today, a community newspaper; a resident of General Santos City; 30. Teodoro, Andres (nickname Andy) of Central Mindanao Inquirer, a community newspaper; a resident of Tacurong City; 31. Evardo, Jolito of UNTV; a resident of General Santos City, whose body up to now is still missing. (Mindanao Examiner)
Pikit Woman Readies Native Crafts For Holiday Bazaar In Kidapawan City
Ludy Lapaz Mancera from Kulambog, a village in the town of North Cotabato’s Pikit town, readies her handicrafts made from indigenous materials in Kidapawan City where a Maguindanao Massacre on CNN International's "AMANPOUR"
Discussion from CNN International's "AMANPOUR" about this disgusting and horrific act, with guests Maria Ressa (Vice President for News, ABS-CBN & Managing Editor, ABS-CBN News Channel) and Mustafa Haji Abdinur (Last Independent Journalist inside Somalia)...it's seems that we can now be compared to Somalia, but since we are Number 1 in the Worst Place for Journalist to Work... We may be Worst than Somalia.
Copyright © 2009 - Cable News Network ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Sunday, November 29, 2009
ARMM governor's bodyguards disarmed in Davao City
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / November 29, 2009) – Philippine soldiers seized six weapons from bodyguards of Governor Zaldy Ampatuan whose brother was linked to the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province.
The official Philippine News Agency reported that soldiers intercepted four of Ampatuan’s bodyguards near the Davao International Airport on Saturday and seized two automatic rifles and four pistols.
It said the four were escorting Ampatuan when the soldiers led by Army Colonel Oscar Lactao intercepted them at around 6 a.m. It was unknown whether the weapons were illegal of not, but the four men were said to be members of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police.
Ampatuan's younger brother, Andal Ampatuan Jnr, the mayor of Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao, was arrested on Thursday and charged with multiple counts of murder after being implicated in the November 23 killings of wife and supporters of rival politician Buluan town mayor Esmael Mangudadatu.
Among those killed were at least 29 journalists who were to cover Mangudadatu's filing of nomination for the gubernatorial elections next year. (Mindanao Examiner)
Resolve Maguindanao Massacre, Trade Group Urges Gov't
MANILA,Philippines - Unless quickly resolved, the Maguindanao bloodbath threatens to set back government efforts to entice investors that would create badly needed new jobs and improve lives in Mindanao, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines warned Sunday.
"By resolved we mean government must not only instantly bring the culprits to justice, but also immediately address all the issues that breed lawlessness in Mindanao, including the surge of private armies there," said TUCP secretary-general and former Senator Ernesto Herrera.
"The government must act fast to redeem Mindanao," Herrera said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
In some parts of Mindanao, it has become impossible for the people discern whether the armed men on checkpoints are police officers, soldiers, insurgents, private armies, plain brigands, "or all of the above," Herrera lamented.
The adverse global publicity generated by the bloodshed could erode recent gains in projecting the country as a desirable investment site, according to Herrera, former chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development.
"It is not just Mindanao. The whole country is being affected in terms of potential foreign investors being alienated by the observation that we have become an unruly republic, where private armies freely roam and brazenly slaughter civilians and journalists," Herrera added.
The Maguindanao massacre left 57 people dead, including 30 journalists.
It was the biggest recorded loss of journalists in a single incident. The Philippines has thus earned the new status as the world’s most dangerous place for journalists.
The perception that law enforcement is weak, slow and inadequate emboldened in a big way those responsible for the Maguindanao butchery, Herrera said.
"Strong law enforcement is the best deterrence. The certainty that offenders will be swiftly apprehended and punished once they commit a felony, whether mass murder or kidnapping for ransom, is the reliable way to discourage lawlessness," he added.
Ampatuan supporters hold rally, demand release of jailed Maguindanao massacre suspect
Supporters of political allies of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo who are suspected to be involved in the brutal slaying of 57 people held a rally Sunday, November 29, 2009 in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao province as a show of force for the embattled Muslim clan. The supporters were demanding the release of Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. who was arrested on Thursday in connection with the brutal killings of more than two dozen journalists and political campaigners of a rival faction in Maguindanao province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / November 29, 2009) – A few hundred supporters of political allies of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo who are suspected to be involved in the brutal slaying of 57 people held a rally Sunday in Maguindanao province as a show of force for the embattled Muslim clan.
Radio reports said the supporters were demanding the release of Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jnr who was arrested on Thursday in connection with the brutal killings of more than two dozen journalists and political campaigners of a rival faction in Maguindanao province. The mayor denied involvement in the massacre and blamed it to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels, an accusation flatly rejected by the authorities.
Reports suggested that many of those who joined the rally were paid as much as one thousand pesos each, but this could not be independently confirmed.
Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said they are also investigating the mayor’s father Andal Ampatuan Snr, the governor of Maguindanao, and his elder brother, Zaldy Ampatuan, the governor of the Muslim autonomous region, and five more clan members in connection with the November 23 killings. The Ampatuans are key political allies of Arroyo in the southern Philippines.
Of the 57 people brutally murdered, at least 29 were journalists, according to the international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders.
The journalists were traveling in a convoy with the wife and relatives and supporters of Buluan town Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu in Maguindanao’s Shariff Aguak town when they were held by more than 100 gunmen from a rival faction and herded to a remote hillside where they were executed.
Mangudadatu and the young Ampatuan are both running for governor in next year’s polls.
Those killed were buried in two mass graves, including the wreckage of two private cars and a media van, where at least four mangled bodies had been pulled out. A backhoe owned by the Maguindanao provincial government was recovered in the area and was believed used to excavate the graves.
The Philippine military on Friday also relieved Major General Alfredo Cayton, chief of the 6th Infantry Division, and Colonel Medardo Geslani, commander of the 601st Infantry Brigade, for failing to prevent the gruesome killings. Both are under investigations in Manila.
Human rights activists also urged the police and the military to secure warrants from courts and search the mansions of the Ampatuans in Maguindanao province for illegal weapons after receiving reports that huge caches of firearms, munitions are allegedly being kept in arsenals inside the houses.
Arroyo placed Maguindanao under a state of emergency and security forces have taken control of the provincial capitol buildings and the town halls of Shariff Aguak and Ampatuan. Soldiers also dismantled 347 government militias under the control of the Ampatuan clan and recalled troops assigned with the politicians as bodyguards.
The United Nations urged the Philippine government to fully investigate the brutal slaying of 57 people, including more than two dozen journalists, in the southern province of Maguindanao.
“This monstrous crime must not go unpunished,” said Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Bokova urged the Arroyo government to carry out a full and swift investigation into the murderous attack which occurred on November 23. The UNESCO is the only United Nations agency with a mandate to defend freedom of expression and press freedom.
“I condemn this outrage and urge the Government of the Philippines to act swiftly, using all the resources at its disposal to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“The barbaric killings of the people in the convoy – journalists and citizens alike – were clearly an attack against democracy and democratic processes. Furthermore, the killing of journalists violates the rights of the Philippine people to be freely and fairly informed of political developments,” she added. (Mindanao Examiner)
SPECIAL: 'Revisiting the military’s Rambo culture' By Colonel Daniel Lucero
The means inside the army’s toolbox should not be just guns and bullets. I was advised by a former field commander—known to be a fighter and now retired—that my present assignment with the Civil-Military Operations (CMO), an approach that utilizes indirect means or non-violent means to resolve insurgency, is only for the weak of heart and unmanly soldiers.
He underscored that effective military leaders are those warrior-type commanders who give more weight to combat operations rather than on CMO, which he stressed is ineffective and futile. He was insistent that combat operation is still the most effective approach to solve this insurgency problem.
This mindset is prevalent in the AFP. Sad to say, the mindset is analogous to the lines of Abraham Maslow who infers that, “If somebody thinks that the only tool he has is a hammer, he tends to see every problem as a nail.” This is how the decision-making attitude of some members of the AFP looks like particularly those who regard themselves as the new Rambo’s. They are canalized within the belief that the only implement that they have is an M16. Needless to say, all problems look like a target to them that should be shot at and obliterated.
This is what I want to argue—that the military mindset, which stresses mainly on combat operations to confront the insurgency problem, is the greatest hindrance why we have not solved this insurgency problem.
The bigger problem, however, is we have not learned a lesson. After 41 years of asserting that we have to give more weight on destroying the enemy, we have not changed our strategy with the fact that the crisis still remains. We have not fully accepted that a bigger part of the solution to this problem is getting the people behind our backs. What then should be blamed in this kind mindset? I would argue that it is because of the kind of culture that some military commanders have developed due to the kind of education, training, and experience that they went through.
Allow me then to prove my argument by first providing a short description on the concepts of culture and strategic culture and what roles do they play in influencing the minds of military commanders. This will be followed by illustrating how some states were able to resolve their insurgency problem and how can we learn from their experiences. The article will conclude by providing some proposals which the government in general and the AFP in particular can put into practice to complement the existing responsive approaches in resolving the insurgency crisis that has been hampering the economic development of our nation.
Question about culture
Does culture matter? Yes indeed! Notable anthropologist Clifford Geertz defines culture as the entire way of life of a society: its values, practices, symbols, institutions, and human relationship.
Evidently, the concept of culture has become a compelling framework to explain the behavior of states, groups, institutions and even individuals. In the field of international politics, the concept of strategic culture has come into the fore to elucidate how different actors view security. This explains the nature of war and how the military views the concern.
A familiar definition of strategic culture characterizes the concept as “a set of attitude and beliefs held within a military establishment concerning the political objective of war and the most effective strategy and operational method of achieving it”.
Applying these socio-political thoughts in explaining the state of nature of the AFP would elucidate a number of enigmas why the insurgency problem still exists. Studying the strategic culture of the AFP can clarify to us how most military commanders view the nature of our insurgency and how they apply available wherewithal to solve the dilemma.
To start with, the strategic culture of the AFP can be categorically defined as basically conventional. It gives strong emphasis on the annihilation of the enemy just like what Jomini and Clauswitz who both accentuate the massive use of violence to attain a specified political objective.
It is not surprising to note that the conventional strategic culture (i.e., the warrior culture) has been the dominant approach among a great number of military commanders and staff officers of the AFP. Most of them subscribe to the idea that total destruction of the enemy is still the way to go to attain our mandate to solve this insurgency problem.
Just like the Americans and the French—who, because of their experiences during World War I, World War II, and Korean War were captivated by the use of tools of violence during their respective stint in Vietnam—the AFP is also partial in counting firearms confiscated, enemy neutralized, and camps captured with less regard to the political side of the problem.
The military mindset of my former commander that I have stated earlier is the overriding outlook that frustrates the resolute implementation of the CMO approach in confronting insurgency. He, together with those who were captivated by Rambo should look at how the British and their colonial subjects were able to resolve the Malayan insurgency problem.
Malayan experience
The influential book of John A. Nagle entitled “Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam”—which became a required reading for the US Special Forces—persuasively argues that the British army in Malaya (1948 to1960) was more of a learning army, which led them to break the communist insurgency problem in their former colony.
The success of the counterinsurgency campaign of the British in Malaya can be greatly attributed to the vision of General Sir Gerald Templer who coined the popular phrase “winning the hearts and minds.”
He led the counterinsurgency campaign bringing with him his vast experiences during the Second World War as a director of intelligence and the political nature of his job. As the High Commissioner in Malaya during the communist insurgency, he was given vast civil and military powers to defeat the political armed rebellion.
According to one of his most quoted lines, “The shooting side of this business is 25 percent of the trouble, the other 75 percent lies in getting the people of this country behind us.”
Templer was indeed ahead of his time. His outlook on the Malayan communist insurgency had served as the guiding principle that led to the resolution of the crisis. Needless to say, the heart of the counterinsurgency effort which was more focused on the political, economic and social had successfully guided both the British Army and its colonial subjects to include those non-military actors.
A different story ensued on the part of the US Army in Vietnam. Despite the fact that the American political leaders recognized and accepted the offer of the British Government to send British military advisors—who were victorious in the counterinsurgency campaign to Malaya—to Vietnam, the latter were ignored by the US military commanders. The British Advisory Mission (BRIAM) was almost completely ineffective in persuading the American military mindset largely because the Americans were not interested in it.
The way ahead
It is an established fact that in order to enable any individual to become effective in handling a particular task, proper and appropriate training and education are the recognized approaches. However, this belief is anchored on the assumption that the individual has the determination to learn and put behind the practices which are proven to be ineffective and futile in achieving one’s objectives.
This principle can explain vividly the counterinsurgency enigma that the AFP is facing. It has been forty-one years since the army has been fighting the communist insurgency. The question lies on the ethos of the army to accept errors and be ready to accept new concepts to correct them. It is then high time for the army to change its strategy just like what the British did during the Malayan campaign.
During the initial stage of the Malayan campaign, the British also indiscriminately applied force in a search-and-destroy strategy using inaccurate and comprehensive intelligence which, in the end, just alienated the soldiers from the people. As such, using more troops with the wrong strategy simply means alienation, more insurgents, hitherto call for more troops. This approach fits into the view of Robert Thompson who notes that “when the strategy is wrong, doubling the effort only squares the error”. The British as a learning army was quick to adjust their strategy as it recognized Templar’s wisdom.
All said, it is then imperative for the AFP to change its operational culture. Fighting a war against an invading army is very much different from confronting the insurgents who are Filipinos - our own people. The conventional mindset of using an overwhelming force to annihilate an enemy has been seen to be futile in the counterinsurgency campaign against the communists.
The use of force without due regard to the sensitivity of the people would create more insurgents and will further alienate the army from the people. Needless to say, the Malayan counterinsurgency campaign’s formula of “winning the hearts and minds” still stands and offers keys to unravel this four-decade security dilemma. It is therefore prudent to recommend the following schemes and processes:
Our national leadership to assign an overall head who will orchestrate and control all counterinsurgency efforts of the government who are involved both in the use of the soft and hard powers of the state; Optimize the utilization of former communist rebels in tactically, ideologically, and doctrinally advising all government agents involved in counterinsurgency;
Give primacy to attract the insurgents to join the mainstream of society than planning to neutralize them through the use of violent means; Reorient the military mindset of army officers which would pave the way for more openness, willingness to listen, and foster intellectual curiosity that would allow everyone’s voice to be heard before decisions are made;
Emphasize to all military commanders that all military actions should first and foremost support political and civil affairs objectives; Emphasize to all stakeholders of Philippine democracy that the insurgency problem that the nation is facing is a political war rather than a military one;
Emphasize to all political leaders that the solution the insurgency problem is heavily reliant on their unwavering support and selfless programs than through the use of military means alone; and Deconstruct the existing dominant warrior ethos in the army and create a compassionate mindset which gives emphasis on the principles of social contract with the people – regardless of their political leanings - which the army has sworn to protect. This suggests the reorientation of the existing education and training programs of the AFP.
Everyone in the army has been aspiring for peace and progress. However, this aspiration will just stay as a delusion if we insist to maintain a military culture that has been proven to be unresponsive, swayed with a false optimism that the outcome will change despite our assertion. The means inside the army’s toolbox should not be just guns and bullets. (First published in Newsbreak Magazine - newsbreak.com.ph)
(ABOUT THE AUTHOR. Colonel Daniel A. Lucero is the Assistant Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations, G7, Philippine Army. He received his Master of Arts degree in International Relations from the Australian National University. In 2001, he led the 18th Infantry Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, Philippine Army, then deployed in Basilan province to its first ever Philippine Army Streamer Award. He is a member of Philippine Military Academy Class ’83.)
Who really are the Ampatuans?: The Manila Times
The name Ampatuan alone connotes holiness. It comes from two words: “Ampa,” which is also Pah in Tausug dialect, is a Malay term for uncle, and “Tuan” means sir. The two words were actually being used to address a religious teacher and over time were combined as “Ampatuan.” The great grandfather of the Ampatuans was Imam Shariff Aguak, a religious leader who helped propagate the Islamic faith in Maguindanao.
Aguak used to pray in one mosque for the Friday congregational prayer and in another the following Friday. He was known to be generous as he would bring dulang or foods for those participating in the congregational prayer.
The present municipality of Shariff Aguak was named after Imam Shariff Aguak. The old name was known as Maganoy, where the mayor during the time of President Ramon Magsaysay was one of the Ampatuans named Datu Salila Ampatuan.
During the time of President Ferdinand Marcos, the mayor of Maganoy was Datu Akilan Ampatuan.
Before the signing of the Final Peace Agreement of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) with the government, Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr., who was then a mass leader of MNLF, was already the mayor of Maganoy until it was renamed.
In 1998, the senior Ampatuan won the election for governor of Maguindanao province against the incumbent Zacaria Candao.
Since then, the province of Maguindanao has belonged to the Ampatuan clan.
Many have tried to wrest control of Maguindanao province, among them Guimid “Jimmy”Matalam, the son of Udtog Matalam, the legendary former governor of the so-called Cotabato Empire, but all failed.
Then came Vice Mayor Ismael Mangudadatu of Buluan, who has stood pat with his decision to go for the leadership of Maguindanao province at all cost. So far, it has cost him the lives of his wife Genalyn and his sisters who were among the victims of the Maguindanao massacre.
The 7th child
Tagged as the mastermind of the massacre is Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. of the municipality of Datu Unsay.
The suspect is the seventh child of the nine children of former Gov. Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. of Maguindanao with his first wife Kagi Laila Uy, more popularly known as “Kagi Limbuan.”
Kagi means hadja, or one who has gone on a pilgrimage to Mecca. She is of a Chinese ancestry of the Uy clan from the nearby Datu Piang municipality.
The 28-year-old Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., more popularly known as Datu Unsay, had gone to college but did not finish his course. He has two legal wives by virtue of Presidential Decree 1083, otherwise known as the “Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines.”
Sources said he married the two women on the same day.
According to a Manila Times source from Shariff Aguak town who requested anonymity, Andal Ampatuan Jr. got the nickname of “Datu Unsay” from a faith healer named Datu Unsay. During his childhood the mayor was sickly and it was Datu Unsay who was able to heal him.
Since then, he preferred to be called “Datu Unsay” just like his elder brother, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Regional Gov. Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan who does not mind being called “Datu Puti,” a popular brand of commercial vinegar in the Philippines.
The source added that in deference to the memory of the faith healer, a municipality was created and named “Datu Unsay.” Andal Ampatuan became the first mayor of this town. He is poised to run reelection in May 2010 for his last term as a municipal mayor.
Friends and relatives of Datu Unsay describe him as soft-spoken and a humble young political leader.
All of the Ampatuan siblings have occupied either elected or appointed posts in government. The eldest son Datu Saudi Ampatuan, who was killed in a bomb explosion a few years ago, was the mayor of Datu Piang municipality. Upon his death, a municipality was created by the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly and named in his honor. The incumbent mayor of the Datu Saudi Ampatuan municipality is his son Datu Shamron Ampatuan, who got married recently to a Tausug lawyer from Sulu.
The second child is Bai Rebecca Ampatuan, at present the director of finance division of the Regional Legislative Assembly. She is married to her own cousin Mayor Akmad Ampatuan of the municipality of Mamasapano. Akmad is the acting vice governor of Maguindanao province.
Another daughter of the Ampatuan patriarch, the third sibling in a brood of nine, is Kagi Nuria, who is chief of staff of her brother, the ARMM regional governor.
The fourth child is Regional Gov. Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan, who is now in his 40s. He is married to a Midtimbang, another strong political clan in the province of Maguindanao. Datu Zaldy is the only ARMM regional governor that was reelected as the rest of the regional governors served only the Muslim autonomous region for one term.
The fifth child is Anuar Ampatuan, the incumbent mayor of the Shariff Aguak town, which is now a host to the provincial government office since the new Maguindanao provincial capitol is located here, a stone’s throw away from the mansion of the Ampatuan patriarch.
It is also in Shariff Aguak where one can find the “little Malacañang” that is an extension office of the
Executive department of the ARMM regional governor. It is here that Regional Gov. Datu Puti holds office everyday, but when attending to guests of high stature from Manila and foreign diplomats, he receives them at the Office of the Regional Governor inside the sprawling Shariff Kabunsuan Complex in Cotabato City.
After Anuar was another brother named Hoffer Ampatuan, who was described as a good-looking guy among the Ampatuans who got married to powerful clan of the famous Sinsuat clan. Unfortunately, he was shot to death while at a party in a disco house in Cotabato City a few years ago.
Another sister named Aloha is somewhat low-key and does not occupy any elective or appointed post.
The ninth child and of course the youngest is Sajid Islam Ampatuan. He is presently the acting provincial governor of Maguindanao province when his father former Gov. Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. was unseated after the Supreme Court rendered the creation of the Shariff Kabunsuan province that was carved out of the mother province of Maguindanao as null and void ab initio.
It was his own brother the ARMM regional governor who appointed him as acting governor so that the delivery of basic services in the province will not be hindered. In tandem with acting Gov. Sajid Ampatuan, is his own brother-in-law, Mayor Akmad Ampatuan of Mamasapano town was also designated by the ARMM regional governor as the acting provincial vice governor.
The High Tribunal decision stated that while the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly may have the mandate to create provinces, but it is beyond its mandate to create a congressional district. This is because the creation of a new province goes with it also the creation of a congressional district whose mandate only resides upon the Congress of the Philippines and not in the Regional Legislative Assembly itself.
Despite being tagged as the prime suspect in the so-called Maguindanao massacre, Datu Unsay from his detention cell at the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters on Taft Avenue, Manila, has maintained his innocence and denied all accusations leveled against him.
While the people of Maguindanao and the rest of the Filipino nation have already convicted him beyond reasonable doubt for the mass murder of the Mangudadatu siblings and more than a dozen of the members of the Fourth Estate, under the Revised Penal Code, Datu Unsay who is still a suspect and remained innocent of the charges filed against him, can only be held guilty after due process of law has been applied and a guilty verdict has been handed down in Court. (By Julmunir I. Jannaral / Manila Times)
Link: http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/news/regions/6817-who-really-are-the-ampatuans
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Zamboanga Journalists Remember Murdered Colleagues In Maguindanao
Filipino journalists light candles Saturday, November 28, 2009 after a Catholic mass led by Archbishop Romulo Valles in Zamboanga City for the souls of 57 people, among them at least 29 journalists massacred in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao province in the southern Philippines. Six more journalists are still unaccounted. A town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jnr, scion of the powerful Ampatuan clan, is accused of masterminding the killings which police say is election-related. The politician denies all accusations against him and blames the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels for the November 23 massacre, an allegation flatly rejected by authorities. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)The mass, led by Archbishop Romulo Valles, was held at the open-air Catholic shrine called Fort Pilar and also attended by about 200 people. "This mass is offered for those who were killed in Maguindanao," the Reverend Valles said, as he called on media workers to stay vigilant.
Members of the Zamboanga Press Club and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines ended the mass with the lighting of candles that symbolized each of those massacred on November 23 in the town of Ampatuan.
Reporters Without Borders, quoting media reports, said 29 journalists were among those murdered. Six more journalists are still unaccounted for.
A town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jnr, scion of the powerful Ampatuan clan, is accused of masterminding the killings which police said was election-related. The politician, who is said to be running for governor in Maguindanao in next year’s polls, denied all accusations against him and blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels for the massacre, an allegation flatly rejected by authorities.
His father, Andal Ampatuan Snr, is the current governor of Maguindanao while his elder brother, Zaldy Ampatuan, is the governor of the Muslim autonomous region to which the province belongs.
The United Nations urged the Philippine government to fully investigate the brutal slaying of 57 people. “This monstrous crime must not go unpunished,” said Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Bokova urged the Arroyo government to carry out a full and swift investigation into the murderous attack.
The UNESCO is the only United Nations agency with a mandate to defend freedom of expression and press freedom.
“I condemn this outrage and urge the Government of the Philippines to act swiftly, using all the resources at its disposal to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“The barbaric killings of the people in the convoy – journalists and citizens alike – were clearly an attack against democracy and democratic processes. Furthermore, the killing of journalists violates the rights of the Philippine people to be freely and fairly informed of political developments,” she added.
The journalists were traveling in a convoy with the wife and relatives and supporters of Buluan town vice mayor Esmael Mangudadatu in Maguindanao’s Shariff Aguak town when they were held by more than 100 gunmen from a rival faction and herded to a remote hillside where they were executed. (Mindanao Examiner)
UN urges Manila to fully investigate Maguindanao massacre
A member of Philippine Army’s Task Force Davao inspects a passenger bus bound to Cotabato City from Davao City in Mindanao. The tight security came after 57 people, including more than two dozen journalists who were accompanying political campaigners, were brutally killed by supporters of a rival faction in Maguindanao province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Geo Solmerano)COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / November 28, 2009) – The United Nations urged the Philippine government to fully investigate the brutal slaying of 57 people, including more than two dozen journalists, in the southern province of Maguindanao.
“This monstrous crime must not go unpunished,” said Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Bokova urged the Arroyo government to carry out a full and swift investigation into the murderous attack which occurred on November 23.
The UNESCO is the only United Nations agency with a mandate to defend freedom of expression and press freedom.
“I condemn this outrage and urge the Government of the Philippines to act swiftly, using all the resources at its disposal to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“The barbaric killings of the people in the convoy – journalists and citizens alike – were clearly an attack against democracy and democratic processes. Furthermore, the killing of journalists violates the rights of the Philippine people to be freely and fairly informed of political developments,” she added.
The journalists were traveling in a convoy with the wife and relatives and supporters of Buluan town vice mayor Esmael Mangudadatu in Maguindanao’s Shariff Aguak town when they were held by more than 100 gunmen from a rival faction and herded to a remote hillside where they were executed.
Reporters Without Borders said at least 29 journalists were among those killed, but as many as 34 were believed in the convoy.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier deplored the massacre and called on President Arroyo to hold the perpetrators accountable.
A key suspect in the murders, Andal Ampatuan Jnr., the mayor of Ampatuan town, surrendered to Filipino authorities on Thursday.
Ampatuan is the son of Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Snr., and brother of Zaldy Ampatuan, the governor of the Muslim autonomous region to which the province belongs. They are political allies of Arroyo, but Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said the two governors and five other clan members are also suspects in the brutal slayings because of their alleged participation before and after the attack.
The young Ampatuan denied masterminding the massacre and blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels for the killings, an allegation rejected by the authorities, after many witnesses surfaced from hiding and allegedly pointed to the mayor as the leader of band that abducted and murdered the 57 people.
Those killed were buried in two mass graves, including the wreckage of two private cars and a media van, where at least four mangled bodies had been pulled out. A backhoe owned by the Maguindanao provincial government was recovered in the area and was believed used to excavate the graves.
The Philippine military on Friday also relieved Major General Alfredo Cayton, chief of the 6th Infantry Division, and Colonel Medardo Geslani, commander of the 601st Infantry Brigade, for failing to prevent the gruesome killings and both are being investigated by the military.
Human rights activists also urged the police and the military to secure warrants from courts and search the mansions of the Ampatuans in Maguindanao province for illegal weapons after receiving reports that huge caches of firearms, munitions are allegedly being kept in arsenals inside the houses.
Arroyo placed Maguindanao under a state of emergency and security forces have taken control of the provincial capitol buildings and the town halls of Shariff Aguak and Ampatuan. Soldiers also dismantled 347 government militias under the control of the Ampatuan clan and recalled troops assigned with the politicians as bodyguards.
There were also allegations that some military commanders are under the payroll of the Ampatuans in exchange for providing them security and intelligence about their political opponents in the Muslim autonomous region.
A regional army spokesman, Colonel Jonathan Ponce, said the allegations were serious, but would leave it to investigators to verify the accusations. “These are serious accusations, but let us leave all these to the military investigators,” he said.
Ampatuan’s arrest came days after the murders amidst growing public demand for immediate and decisive governmental action to hold accountable the killers and mastermind.
Lawyer Leila de Lima, the head of the Philippines Commission on Human Rights, said the Ampatuan arrest raises more questions about what seems to be an overly cautious response by the Executive Department.
“There are many options available to the Executive. The arrest as the first of many interventions had, as many perceived, come rather slowly and we hope that the focus on filing murder charges against Ampatuan, Jr. does not remove attention from the other accountabilities of the government which must be addressed,” she said in a statement on Saturday.
De Lima noted that the most glaring omission, to date, is action upon the fact that the local officials, particularly the provincial and the regional governors remained silent when news of the massacre had leaked out.
She said as the local chief executives, both Ampatuans should have initiated the first interventions given that the killings occurred within their jurisdiction.
“The silence and inaction of the governor, together with the rest of the local officials and police, suggest complicity, if not implicitly condoning the crime. The Ampatuans in their role as regional governor, governor and mayor, failed to order the immediate investigation of the incident, failed to address the public outrage to dispel allegations and categorically deny their involvement in the killings.” De Lima said.
De Lima said Arroyo can at the very least demand an explanation from the two governors. She said the fact that a backhoe owned by the provincial government was found at the scene of the carnage and apparently used to dig the mass graves, gives impetus for Arroyo, by herself or through the Department of Interior and Local Government, to demand an explanation from the governor how public property could have been used to conceal such brutal and heinous acts requires an immediate explanation from the local government.
She apart from administrative charges, preventive suspensions, and criminal prosecutions, De Lima also proposed both the creation of an ad hoc, independent investigative commission and a more creative but yet unexplored use of the Rules on the Writ of Amparo.”
She said Maguindanao is mired in an atmosphere of impunity, the causes of which are not only traceable to the proliferation of warlords and private armies, but to systemic neglect by national authorities to control these private armies and their patrons.
De Lima said the independent commission can be composed of legal luminaries, former justices or jurists, members of the academe, nongovernmental organizations engaged in the advocacy against violence.
On the use of the Rule on the Writ of Amparo, De Lima said: “We can apply for the protections allowed under the Writ of Amparo for the purpose of protecting journalists, investigators and witnesses involved in the aftermath of the Maguindanao Massacre. We shall explore the possibility of employing it to banish, at least temporarily, the Ampatuans and others whose continued presence in Maguindanao and nearby areas poses a danger to those who may be instrumental in obtaining justice for those murdered.”
She said although the Rules on the Writ of Amparo have been used almost exclusively in cases of alleged killings and abductions perpetrated by state security forces, nothing suggests that they may not be used to secure the safety of journalists, investigators and witnesses involved in the Maguindanao massacre. (Mindanao Examiner)
MILF condemns massacre in Maguindanao Province
The principal suspect is Datu Unsay Ampatuan, a mayor of Datu Unsay municipality in Maguindanao and son of former Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr.
The one-page document signed by MILF Vice Chairman on Political Affairs, which the MILF central leadership unanimously passed during a special meeting, “unequivocally and strongly condemns the barbaric act” and “whoever did this evil act deserves the wrath of the Almighty, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice without delay.”
“We call on the Arroyo administration to act fast, fairly, and apprehend the criminals whoever they are. The Province of Maguindanao has been the bastion of unsolved killings for years, but the government has lent a deaf hears in exchange for support especially during elections.”
“We extend our most heartfelt condolences to the victims of the nightmarish terror now known as Maguindanao Massacre."
The brutal killings occurred on Monday.
The MILF also urged all political parties and politicians not to use the outrageous massacre as tool to get votes and win in 2010 national elections.
The MILF also called on the people of Maguindanao especially the clans concerned for sobriety and to refrain from dousing incendiary to what has already been a burning inferno.
The MILF called on everyone especially members of the media not to call the massacre as the outgrowth of “rido” or “grudge” between two warring clans in Maguindanao. The Ampatuans and Mangudadatus have been allies for decades and are also allies of the Arroyo dispensation and the Lakas-NUCD, Christian-Muslim Democrats.
The term has been overused and vainly used. The conflict, not necessarily the massacre, because the perpetrators are yet to be identified beyond reasonable doubt, is the necessary consequence of a defective electoral system that promotes antagonism, division, hatred, and corruption in society.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Ameen, chairperson of the MILF Secretariat, called on all conscience-guided people to help one another in whatever form to bring the culprits to justice.
“This is cause that everyone must support without regard to confessional groups,” he said while talking to some Moro youths who called on him this morning.
However, he clarified that while the MILF is outraged by the massacre, it also called on the collective memory of the Filipinos, Moros, and the international community to remember the thousands of Moros who were also massacred by Philippine state forces and to this day, justice was not served.
He enumerated the massacres in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat (1,000 Moros brutally killed), Patikul Massacre (700), Pata Island Massacre (more than 2,000), Manili Massacre (70), Kauswagan Massacre (40), Magsaysay Massacre (66), and many more.
“Many people of this country did not care for these victims who were also human beings and deserved right to live,” he said. (First published in luwaran.com)
Kidapawan projects continue as elections near
Local government projects continue in Kidapawan City in the province of North Cotabato in Mindanao. Many local governments in Mindanao carry out infrastructure projects especially if elections are near. The Philippines is to hold local and natioanl elections in May 2010. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Geo Solmerano)Friday, November 27, 2009
Mindanao Examiner TV Week in Review November 21-27, 2009
Mindanao Examiner TV Week in Review Nov. 21-27, 2009 Part 2
Mindanao Examiner TV Week in Review Nov. 21-27, 2009 Part 3
Eid'l Adha!
Muslims gather and celebrate Eid Ul-Adha in the fields of Agro in Davao City in the southern Philippines on Friday, November 27, 2009. They also offered prayers for the 57 journalists and innocent people massacred early this week in Maguindanao province in the Muslim autonomous region. (Photo by Joselito Lagon) Roasted pig, anyone?
Two men deliver a roasted pig in Kidapawan City in North Cotabato province in the southern Philippines. Roasted pig, which sells between P1,500 to as high as P5,000, is a favorite among many Filipinos. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Geo Solmerano)Philippine banana farmers protest aerial spray practise
Banana farmers hold a rally in the heart of the Philippines financial district in Makati City to protest aerial spray practice by multi-national companies engaged in agriculture in the country. Farmers brought banana blossoms to the offices of Marsman-Drysdale Group located in Philamlife Towers along Paseo de Roxas and Dole Stanfilco Philippines in 6750 Bldg. in Ayala Avenue and demanded to the owners and operators of these companies to immediately end the poison rain. (Photos courtesy of www.endpoison.multiply.com)Army general, commander relieved after Maguindanao massacre
Families and friends of 27 journalists brutally killed in Maguindanao province in the southern Philippines arrived in General Santos City on Friday, November 27, 2009.Major General Alfredo Cayton, chief of the 6th Infantry Division, and Colonel Medardo Geslani, commander of the 601st Infantry Brigade, were both being investigated for their failure to prevent the massacre blamed on Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jnr., scion of powerful Muslim clan in Maguindanao, who is running for governor in the province in next year’s elections.
Ampatuan is the son of Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Snr., and brother of Zaldy Ampatuan, the governor of the Muslim autonomous region to which the province belongs and political allies of President Gloria Arroyo.
Ampatuan surrendered on Thursday and blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels for the gruesome murders. The MILF denied involvement in the killing. “A criminal is a criminal. He is courting more enemies,” said Mohagher Iqbal, a senior MILF leader, who heads the panel negotiating peace with Manila.
Of the 57 people killed, at least 29 were journalists and the rest were supporters of Buluan town vice mayor Esmael Mangudadatu, who is also running for governor in Maguindanao.
Mangudadatu’s wife and her sister, and relatives were among those killed. They were on their way to file Mangudadatu’s nomination for governor when more than 100 gunmen, many of them government militias, abducted them in Shariff Aguak town, a known stronghold of the Ampatuan clan, and herded them to a remote farming village where they shot and killed, many decapitated.
One of three journalists who backed out from the group after the military failed to provide them security escorts despite repeated requests from the general. He said 34 journalists were among those who joined the group to cover the filing of Mangudadatu’s nomination.
On Friday, Mangudadatu, accompanied by supporters and escorted by soldiers and policemen, filed his candidacy with the Commission on Elections in Shariff Aguak town, a day after his lawyers charged Ampatuan of multiple counts of murder in connection with the killings of his wife and relatives.
“So far everything is peaceful in Shariff Aguak and Ampatuan towns. We have police forces and troops are also deployed in Maguindanao to help the police maintain peace and order,” said Senior Superintendent Bienvenido Latag, chief of the regional police force.
Security forces have taken over the provincial capitol building of Maguindanao and the town halls of Shariff Aguak and Ampatuan this week.
Arroyo’s spokesman said the President has on Friday authorized the suspension of all officials in Maguindanao following the massacre.
Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno on Thursday said he would recommend the suspension of all officials in Maguindanao to allow an independent investigation into the murders. Arroyo has authorized Puno to appoint their temporary replacement.
The communist National Democratic Front of the Philippines blamed the Arroyo government and the military for the “monstrosity recently brandished by the notorious political warlords in Maguindanao, the Ampatuan clan.”
“The people are seething with rage for this senseless killing, a killing without compunction,” said Rubi del Mundo, the group’s spokesman.
“By all indications, the massacre bears the markings of another Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police atrocity against civilians as they have been clearly serving as part of the private and mercenary army of the Ampatuan hooligans in the bogus Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” he said.
Del Mundo accused the 6th Infantry Division, which is under the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command, of being involved in the alleged barbarity of the Ampatuan clan against innocent civilians.
“This recent carnage in Maguindanao province adds to the bloody record of human rights violations perpetrated by the Eastern Mindanao Command-Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is an indictment of the US-Arroyo regime’s direct sponsorship of election-related violence, extrajudicial and political killings since assuming power in 2001.”
”Mrs. Arroyo and all the candidates under her administration were beneficiaries of the Ampatuan’s fraudulently produced votes in its strongholds in the 2004 GRP elections. The Ampatuans also serve as local pawns of the US-Arroyo regime’s counter-revolutionary campaign against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Like the previous Philippine presidents, Arroyo is a coddler of electoral cheats and criminal warlords to serve her political and economic interests,” Del Mundo said. (Mindanao Examiner)
UNICEF man shot dead in the southern Philippines
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / November 27, 2009) – An unidentified gunman shot dead a Filipino worker of the United Nations Children’s Fund in a broad daylight attack the restive province of Maguindanao in the southern Philippines, police said Friday.
It said the attack killed Nestor Bulahan who was shot in the abdomen while on his way to meet a friend in Poblacion in the town of Parang. The killing, which occurred at around 10:30 a.m. came three days after 57 people, mostly election campaigners and journalists, were massacred by rival politicians in Maguindanao’s Ampatuan town.
The province belongs to the Muslim autonomous region.
“We are still investigating the attack. Initial reports said Nestor Bulahan was on his way to meet a friend when he was shot by a lone gunman, who fled after the shooting,” said Superintendent Sigfried Ramos, of the regional police force.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the latest attack, the police officer said.
Little was known about Bulahan except that he was working with the United Nations Children’s Fund, one of the world's best-known organizations devoted to the health and welfare of children in 158 countries. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Number of journalists killed in massacre rises to 29: Reporters Sans Borders
Reporters Without Borders notes that the authorities have finally arrested Andal Ampatuan Jr, the leading suspect in the 23 November massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province.
Local reporters have meanwhile told Reporters Without Borders that the toll of journalists killed in the massacre has risen to 29.
“All the bodies have been located and identification is almost complete,” a reporter based in the nearby city of Koronadal said. “According to the local media’s tally, we lost 29 colleagues in this tragedy.”
The local authorities are preparing a funeral service to pay tribute to the victims. And the government has provided financial assistance to families.
Link: http://www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=35090
25,000 join peace parade in Zamboanga City
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Civil society groups and the local city government have jointly called the public to rally behind the promotion of culture of peace and multi-cultural understanding and respect amid the hostilities and atrocities that are plaguing the island of Mindanao.
The call came as stakeholders here launched this year’s Mindanao Week of Peace celebration with a grand parade on Thursday morning.
“We hope to renew our commitment to peace as we think of all the sufferings of the world and history of Mindanao,” Fr Angel Calvo, president of Peace Advocates Zamboanga, told the more than 25,000 people who joined the grand parade and the opening ceremony at the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex.
“We have been suffering from the atrocities in Mindanao but we would also like to be the inspiration of our children and youth in dreaming about peace and harmony in our life,” he said.
Datu Meltino Sibulan, legal officer of the Sultanate of Sulu and United Tausug People Council of Regent, said that learning the history of Mindanao is also a way to solve the decades-old conflict in the southern Philippines.
In a short statement given during the opening program, members of the Inter-Religious Solidarity Movement for Peace said that “This occasion is a perfect venue to revisit and renew the commitment of creating better understanding and sharing task for peace building.”
“To pursue our common aspirations to seek peace and find the truth,” the evangelical group speaker said.
“The Subanon community since time immemorial has been a peace loving people. In this celebration, therefore, we renew our commitment once more to work not only for our own tribe but for the greatness of all,” the ethnic Subanon representative said.
The Muslim group relayed that “the great things can be done if we work closely with one another regardless of our faith and religious affiliation.”
People from different walks of life that included religious groups, the datus from Sulu, ethnic groups such as Badjaos, Subanens, government employees, students, and even tricycle drivers marched in the parade in an expression of solidarity.
Participants carried a placards and banners demanding justice for 57 massacre victims in Maguindanao.
College students painted their bodies and carried white doves as they danced at the city’s main thoroughfares inviting bystanders to join them in solidarity with the victims of the massacre.
This year’s Week of Peace celebration is anchored on the theme: “Think Mindanao, Feel Mindanao, and Bring Peace to Mindanao.”
The theme was made by the Bishop-Ulama Conference to “thankfully energize Mindanawons to express in many varied ways our need and aspirations for lasting peace. This variety of ways inspired by our respective faith and culture has repeatedly shown us that peace must begin with each and everyone of us.”
Among the activities included in the weeklong peace celebration is the Peace Weaver Awards on Sunday, November 29 to pay tribute to individuals and organizations who devoted efforts towards peace building in the city or region.
Raising the awareness on interfaith, religious leaders will gather in an event on Monday, November 30 entitled “A Common Word.” It will be a conference wherein leaders of different faiths will share their values and practices.
Moreover, indigenous tribe Subanon leaders will also hold BUKLOG, a ritual celebration in the West Coast village of Limpapa on December 1. The local Samabadjao community will have a convocation at Plaza Pershing on November 27.
Photographers in Mindanao have also staged a week-long exhibit called “Mioradas de Paz” starting November 25 at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University.
Other activities include a peace writing seminar, inter-school peace caravan and inter-institutional youth leaders congress.
A grand torch parade to be capped by a musical peace concert will climax the weeklong celebration at the Paseo del Mar open ground on the night of December 2. The event will be participated by prominent local bands and indigenous performers. (Cristine Taola and Albert Arcilla)