Military operations continue in Sulu after release of Italian hostage

Italian Red Cross staff Eugenio Vagni in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines after his release Sunday, July 12, 2009. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 13, 2009) – The Philippine military on Monday said operations to eliminate Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya terrorists continue in the southern island of Sulu.

Terrorists have freed over the weekend an Italian hostage Eugenio Vagni after six months in captivity. Vagni, a Red Cross staff, was kidnapped in January along with two other aid workers Swiss national Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba – both had been released in April.

“Our operations against the terrorists are continuing in Sulu. We have troops pursuing them,” Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Vagni was released to Sulu deputy governor Nur Ana Sahidulla at around 1.15 a.m. near Indanan town.

Sahidulla said no ransom was paid for Vagni’s liberty, but the militants originally demanded as much as $2 million for his safe release. Other reports said some P50,000 were also given to the terrorists as payment for Vagni’s so-called “board and lodging.”

No other details were made available by the police and security officials did not give any statement surrounding Vagni’s release.

Italian philanthropist Armando de Rossi, who heads the 3P Foundation, helped Sahidulla in the negotiation for Vagni’s safe release. De Rossi pledged humanitarian and development projects.

“We want to thank all those who helped secure the safe release of Eugenio. The crisis (management) committee (headed by) and Governor Sakur Tan and all the others who made this (release) possible,” De Rossi said.

De Rossi’s foundation is active in humanitarian works in Sulu and had previously donated millions worth of aid to mostly poor villages in the province.

ABS-CBN television, which quoted unnamed sources, reported that the military would swap two wives of an Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad for Vagni. Both women were eventually freed by the military.

The two women, Rowena Aksan and Nursima Annudden, were arrested at a military checkpoint in Tagbak village in Indanan town on Tuesday along with four other militants Rabia Asiri, Marwina Salasain, Madrimar Bagadi and Midsfar Aksan. Soldiers also seized from them more than P300,000.

It was unknown why the six were not handed over to the police. The military implicated the six people in the kidnappings of Vagni and two other Red Cross workers, Swiss national Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba.

There were suspicions that ransoms were paid for the release of the aid workers. The Red Cross denied it paid ransoms in exchange for the freedom of Notter, Lacaba and Vagni.

The Abu Sayyaf had previously used ransoms collected from kidnappings to purchase weapons and finance terror attacks in Sulu and Mindanao.

Just barely two months after the Abu Sayyaf freed Lacaba and Notter, a series of bombings occurred in Mindanao that left scores of people dead and wounded. Authorities blamed the attacks to the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya.

It was not immediately known whether the supposed ransoms paid for the release of the aid workers were used to finance the bombings.

Military and police intelligence reports said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are among the Abu Sayyaf that kidnapped Vagni’s group - Mauiya, Dulmatin, Zulkifli bin Hir and Umar Patek - who are all wanted by Indonesia for the spate of deadly attacks, including the Bali bombing in 2002. The US has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture.

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan is also supporting military operation against the terrorists, saying, Abu Sayyaf hostilities must be stopped to spare civilians from terror threats.

“We need top protect our citizens from threats of terrorism. Terrorism must be stopped,” he said.

Tan is the only politician who came out publicly to declare an all-out war against terrorism in Sulu and public support is outpouring.

The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya as foreign terrorist groups alongside with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. Philippine authorities said the Jemaah Islamiya terrorists fled to Mindanao where they sought refuge under the protection of the Abu Sayyaf and rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner)

Top U.S. Officials Visit Jolo Island In Southern Philippines

Aerial view of Jolo island in the Sulu Archipelago in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Ely Dumaboc)

JOLO ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 27 Mar) – U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney visited the strife-torn island of Jolo in southern Philippines and inaugurated a cooperative store previously bombed by the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.

Kenney, accompanied by senior US and Philippine military officials, also handed various office equipment and livelihood programs to the locals, said Major Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Philippine military’s Western Mindanao Command.

“The visit of U.S. Ambassador Kenney is successful and there are so many people who welcomed and greeted her. They are happy about the visit. She handed various office equipment and unveiled a livelihood programs for the locals,” Batara told the Mindanao Examiner.

Major General Eugenio Cedo, Western Mindanao Command chief, also accompanied Kenney and her group, which included the Italian philanthropist Armando de Rossi, of the 3P Foundation.

"We have donated some P2.5 million for the building materials and the Philippine Marines and the Seabees helped us renovate the cooperative store building. We are happy to help the Filipino people," said De Rossi.

De Rossi and Kenney are actively involved in many humanitarian programs in Jolo island, where troops, backed by U.S. intelligence, are battling the Abu Sayyaf.

The militant group has been blamed for the bombing last year of the Sulu cooperative store that killed and wounded dozens of mostly Muslims.

Last week, troops also clashed with Abu Sayyaf militants in Jolo’s Mount Mabigtang, but there were no reports of casualties from both sides.

Washington tagged the Abu Sayyaf as a foreign terrorist organization and offered as much as five million dollars for its known leaders.

U.S. troops are deployed in Jolo and helping the Filipino soldiers defeat the Abu Sayyaf, which is coddling as many as two dozen Jemaah Islamiya militants, including Dulmatin and Umar Patek.

Both Dulmatin and Patek have been blamed in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 mostly foreign holiday-makers, including 88 Australians. (With a report from Ely Dumaboc)

US Sailors On A Mission To Spread Goodwill In RP

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Crew of USS Harpers Ferry on a mission to spread goodwill. Scenes on Thursday 26 Oct 2006 at Pasobolong Elementary School in Zamboanga City in Southern RP. (Mindanao Examiner)

(Mindanao Examiner MP4)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 26 Oct) - About two dozen sailors from the U.S. transport ship USS Harpers Ferry on Thursday trooped to a small village in the outskirts of Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines to donate books and foods and help locals paint a school.

“We are really so happy to see the sailors here. They gave us books and foods and were helping us paint the rooms. We want to thank President George Bush, the U.S. military, the U.S. Embassy and the American people for the humanitarian assistance and we will never forget this day,” Imelda Mabalot, the principal of the Pasobolong Elementary School, told the Mindanao Examiner.

The sailors arrived on a convoy of vehicles at around 9 a.m. and bringing with boxes of paints, bottled water, sandwiches, biscuits and books. Two sailors were also spotted carrying sewing machines and canned apple juice distributed to the school in the village of Pasobolong, about 20 kms east of Zamboanga.

“We are here to help the Filipino people and the U.S. forces are involved in many humanitarian missions in the southern Philippines to help the people and promote peace side by side with the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said U.S. Air Force Major John Redfield, public affairs officer.

U.S. soldiers provided security to the sailors while they paint school rooms and mingled with villagers.

The USS Harpers Ferry arrived is anchored off Zamboanga City. It arrived Wednesday to deliver five ambulances donated by an Italian philanthropist, Armando de Rossi, of the 3P Foundation.

The ambulances, worth $20,000 each, came from the United States and were shipped to Subic Bay, a former U.S. base outside Manila. They will be donated to the Zamboanga City Fire Department; the Jolo Rescue Network; the Camp Asturias Hospital and the Red Cross on Jolo island and a clinic on Tawi-Tawi.

De Rossi said about a dozen more ambulances would be delivered to the southern Philippines and distributed to areas where the vehicles are needed.

"These ambulances are donation by people all over the world who cared about Mindanao and its people. We are concerned about the people, about the peace and development efforts in the Philippines and we will continue to help the Filipino people," he said.

The 3P (Promotion of Peace and Prosperity in the Philippines) Foundation purchased 14 Ford F350 ambulances to donate to places throughout the Philippines in an effort to bring better medical supplies and capabilities to local provinces.

De Rossi said that once the ambulances are delivered to their final destinations, they will save plenty of lives. "We're just here to promote the goodwill of America to the Filipino people, and to show the Filipinos that the United States cares," he said.

De Rossi is actively involved in humanitarian activities in Jolo and had donated tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure and medical equipment on the island. (Mindanao Examiner)

More Aid Arrives For Filipino-Muslims In Troubled Sulu Archipelago

Italian philanthropist Armando de Rossi, of the 3P Foundation USA, donates five ambulances for Zamboanga City, Jolo and Tawi-Tawi islands in the troubled Sulu Archipelago. The U.S. navy ship, USS Harpers Ferry, delivered the vehicles, worth $20,000 each, to a Philippine military base in Zamboanga City. Philippine Army Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo received the ambulances in Zamboanga from De Rossi and USS Harpers Ferry Commander Craig Anthony.(Mindanao Examiner)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 25 Oct ) – A US Navy transport ship arrived Wednesday in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga to unload five ambulances donated by an international foundation.

U.S. and Filipino military officials said the donation came from Italian philanthropist, Armando de Rossi, of the 3P Foundation.

The ambulances, worth $20,000 each, came from the United States and were shipped to Subic Bay, a former U.S. base outside Manila, and then transported to Zamboanga City by the USS Harpers Ferry, said U.S. Air Force Major John Redfield, public affairs officer.

"The ambulances were donated by the 3P Foundation to the Filipino people and will be distributed to various recipients in Zamboanga, Jolo and Tawi-Tawi. The U.S. military is very proud to be a part of this team effort to help the people of the Philippines."

"By working together, the 3P Foundation, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and U.S. Navy’s Project Handclasp were able to present these five ambulances to organizations in Zamboanga, Jolo, and Tawi Tawi."

"It’s possible that these ambulances could one day save lives, so this is a really rewarding and inspiring project to be a part of," Redfield said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.Project Handclasp is a special outreach program by the U.S. Navy.

Philippine Army Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo said more ambulances are expected to arrive before the year ends. “Mr. De Rossi promised us that more ambulances are arriving that will benefit government hospitals,” he said.

De Rossi said about a dozen more ambulances would be delivered to the southern Philippines and distributed to areas where the vehicles are needed. “These ambulances are donation by people all over the world who cared about Mindanao and its people. We are concerned about the people, about the peace and development efforts in the Philippines and we will continue to help the Filipino people,” he said.

The 3P (Promotion of Peace and Prosperity in the Philippines) Foundation purchased 14 Ford F350 ambulances to donate to places throughout the Philippines in an effort to bring better medical supplies and capabilities to local provinces. And five of them would be donated to the Zamboanga City Fire Department; the Jolo Rescue Network; the Camp Asturias Hospital on Jolo; the Jolo Red Cross; and a clinic on Tawi Tawi.

De Rossi said that once the ambulances are delivered to their final destinations, they will save plenty of lives. “We're just here to promote the goodwill of America to the Filipino people, and to show the Filipinos that the United States cares," he said.

De Rossi is actively involved in humanitarian activities in Jolo and had donated tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure and medical equipment on the island. (With a report from Uly Israel)

Italian philanthropist Armando De Rossi Donates 14 Ambulances To RP

USS Harpers Ferry. Search this site for related news video of Armando De Rossi.

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 22 Oct ) – An Italian philanthropist Armado De Rossi has donated 14 ambulances to the Philippines where U.S. humanitarian efforts are ongoing.

The USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) will be transporting the ambulances from Subic Bay Freeport to Zamboanga City where it would be sent to Jolo and Tawi-Tawi islands, said Marine Lance Cpl. David Rogers of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit Public Affairs.

He said The 3P (Promotion of Peace and Prosperity in the Philippines) Foundation headed by De Rossi purchased 14 Ford F350 ambulances to donate to places throughout the Philippines in an effort to bring better medical supplies and capabilities to local provinces.

In Zamboanga City, U.S. Air Force Major John Redfield, public affairs officer, said Sunday that the U.S. military is helping by providing the transportation. Five of the ambulances, he said, would be donated to the Zamboanga City Fire Department; the Jolo Rescue Network; the Camp Asturias Hospital on Jolo; the Jolo Red Cross; and a clinic on Tawi Tawi.

De Rossi said that once the ambulances are delivered to their final destinations, they will save plenty of lives. “We're just here to promote the goodwill of America to the Filipino people, and to show the Filipinos that the United States cares," he said.

De Rossi is actively involved in humanitarian activities in Jolo and had donated tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure and medical equipment on the island.

Harpers Ferry is the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious assault ship and is the flagship for the Sasebo, Japan-based Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), which serves under Commander, Task Force 76. Task Force 76 is the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious force and is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan. (Mindanao Examiner)