Philippine military gets Australian boats

Philippine soldiers train in Maguindanao province in the southern region of Mindanao where security forces are fighting Muslim and communist insurgents. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Mark Navales)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 23, 2010) – Australia has donated more than a dozen air boats and trailer trucks to the Philippine military as part of a bilateral accord between the two countries, officials said on Saturday.

Officials said the airboats are flat-bottomed vessels propelled in a forward direction by an aircraft-type propeller and mostly used in marsh lands because of its high maneuverable capability. The donation is worth over 7 million Australian dollars.

Australia is a known ally of the Philippines in its fight against terrorism and has in the past sent military advisers in Mindanao where Filipino troops are fighting Muslim and communist insurgents.

On Friday, local troops have begun training in Maguindanao province, an area where Muslim rebels and al-Qaeda affiliates are actively operating. Troops learned how to maneuver the air boats and also engaged in simulated combat mission using armored infantry vehicles.

Canberra and Manila are also expected to sign a bilateral military agreement that would pave the way for Australian forces to train Filipino troops. (Mark Navales)

Bagong armas ng militar, dumating sa Mindanao

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 16, 2010) – Dumating na sa Mindanao ang isang armada ng mga makabagong armas na diumano’y galing sa Australia bilang suporta nito sa militar sa magulong rehiyon.

Hindi naman nagbigay ng pahayag ang pamunuan ng militar ukol sa armada, ngunit ayon naman sa Moro Islamic Liberation Front ay dumating umano ang mga ito sakay ng Taras Oceanic Douglas kamakailan. Kabilang umano sa mga dumating na armas ay mga amphibian tanks at high-speed boats na mayroong global positioning system.

Umabot umano sa 21 amphibian tanks at 21 airboats ang ibinaba ng nasabing barko. Ang airboats ay kalimitang gamit sa mga marshlands sa ibang bansa at sa central Mindanao na kung saan naroon ang malalaking kampo ng MILF ay napapalibutan naman ng Liguasan marsh.

Hinihinalang bahagi ang armada sa tulong na ibinigay ng Australia sa pamahalaan, ayon sa MILF, at aabot umano ang halaga ng nito sa AU$3 milyon kada taon.

Nabatid pa sa MILF na dinala ang mga bagong gamit pandigma sa kampo ng 6th Infantry Division sa Maguindanao province, na sentro naman ng puwersa ng MILF, na nakikibaka upang makamtam ang karapatan ng mga Muslim sa Mindanao.

Bukod sa MILF ay patuloy pa rin ang pakikibaka ng New People’s Army para sa sarili nitong estado katulad ng bansang Tsina. (Mindanao Examiner)

ARMM to receive fresh Aussie education support

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 31, 2010) – Canberra is planning to provide a long-term support to the improvement of the quality and access to education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim in Mindanao through another round of assistance that builds on the successes of the eight-year Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao Project, Filipino officials said Wednesday.

Officials said the new Australian government program would be a 5 to 10 year support to basic education exclusively implemented in the ARMM, which is composed of the provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Taw-, Basilan, Lanao and Maguindanao, including Marawi City.

Efforts are now being undertaken to draw up the new project through a 12-month implementation support to BEAM-ARMM design with the involvement of several stakeholders. The new phase will include the implementation of a peace education framework specifically tailored to suit the needs of children in the region.

School and regional officials of the Department of Education in the ARMM have recently participated in a two-day workshop forum on peace education sponsored by the Australian Agency for International Development to help craft the said framework.

A handout given during the forum describes peace education as education that is geared toward a culture of peace, which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization defines as “a growing body of shared values, attitudes, behaviors and ways of life based on: nonviolence, respect for fundamental rights and freedoms; understanding, tolerance and solidarity; sharing and free flow of communication; and full participation and empowerment of women.”

ARMM Education Secretary Hamid Aminodin Barra said peace education framework in the Muslim autonomous region should have Islamic teachings as its foundation.

Barra, who provided an input on Islamic framework on peace and respect for human dignity in the forum, averred that the Islamic context must always be considered in any project that will be undertaken in the ARMM.

He also allayed apprehensions that this could contribute to extremism as “Islam is a religion of moderation.”

The AusAID-BEAM project, which officially ended in November last year, helped improved the learning of school children in the field of English, Science and Mathematics, and increased accessed of those living in remote and depressed communities to education with its wide-ranging and innovative schemes.

ARMM, however, continues to lag behind other regions in terms of literacy and needs more help to change this trend.

The new AusAID support will focus on the particular education needs of ARMM with its unique culture and diverse populace taken into consideration. (Becky de Asis contributed to this report)

Arroyo Mihatahag Pasidungog Nga Order Of Sikatuna Sa Outgoing Australian Ambassador

Manila - Gitugyan ni Presidente Gloria Arroyo ang Order of Sikatuna uban sa ranggo sa datu ngadto kang outgoing Australian ambassador to the Philippines Anthony John Hely.

Si Hely gikutlo alang sa iyang kontribusyon sa paghimo sa relasyon tali pilipinas ug australia mas lig-on pa gayud.

Mapaslanon kaayo siya sa kalampusan sa gipahigayon nga Philippine-Australian ministerial meeting niadtong agosto 2005, ang pagbisita sa Presidente ngadto sa Australia ning milabay'ng Mayo miaging tuig ug ang pagtambong ni kanhing Australian Prime Minister John Howard sa 12th ASEAN Leaders' Meeting sa Cebu City ning milabay'ng Enero miaging tuig lakip ang mga hinabang militar nga gipadala sa Australia dinhi sa Mindanao.

"Gusto ko magpasalamat kanimo tungod sa mga maayong panahon sa akong pagpuyo dinhi sa Pilipinas", miingon si Hely kang Presidente Arroyo.

Gisugdan ni Hely ang iyang tulo ka tuig tour of duty dinhi sa Pilipinas niadtong Marso 2005.(Philippine Information Agency)

1 Hurt In Southern Philippine Bombing

Police and military bomb experts inspect a delivery truck bombed Saturday Sept. 15, 2007 in Cotabato City in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 15 Sept) – A bomb exploded Saturday in the southern Philippines barely two days after Australia warned its citizens of a possible terrorist attacks in the troubled region, police said.

Police said one person was wounded in the blast in Cotabato City. The bomb, planted under a Coca-Cola delivery truck parked in downtown Cotabato, exploded at around 12.30 p.m., said police desk officer Jose Dimaano.

“One person, Omar Salik, was injured in the blast. He was just passing near the truck when the bomb exploded,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

The police officer said the explosive was left at the truck’s water container probably mistaken as petrol tank by the bomber. The truck’s left side was damaged by the blast, police said.

“We are just lucky that it was the water container and not the petrol tank where the bomb was planted or else the blast and shrapnel and broken bottles could hurt or even kill more people,” he said.

Police forces in Cotabato City have doubled security.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Australian government warned Thursday that terrorists may strike on civilian targets and power installations in Mindanao island.

Australia warned its citizens not to travel to Mindanao because of credible threats of terrorism. It said terrorists may also strike in the Philippine capital.

“We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in the Philippines because of the high threat of terrorist attack. We continue to receive credible reports that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners,” it said on a travel warning posted on the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Security forces remain in heightened alert because of the political situation and insurgency problems in the Philippines.

“We have not received any reports that terrorists are planning to attack power installations or populated centers, but troops are always in alert. Mindanao is generally peaceful,” Army Maj. Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, said.

In central Mindanao, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division said it has no intelligence reports about a possible terror attacks on civilian targets and power infrastructure in the south.

“It is peaceful now in many parts of Mindanao. People are confident about the peace and order and our forces are troops are always prepared and ready to fight terrorism, with or without the Australian travel warning,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a regional army spokesman, said in a separate interview.

Last week, authorities arrested three Filipinos in Zamboanga City and another in General Santos City, all in southern Philippines, for their links to terrorism.

Three of those arrested — Marjuni Amala, Aristalon Isniril and Ronely Ahman — were suspected as Abu Sayyaf members and behind a bomb attack in Zamboanga City on Aug. 21 that injured 16 people.

Authorities also arrested suspected Jemaah Islamiya member Maipasagi Gani in General Santos City who was planning to bomb the KCC Mall on Tuesday to coincide with the commemoration of the September 11, 2001 al-Qaeda attacks in the United States. Police seized two homemade bombs from Gani.

The Philippine military is also holding an Indonesian terror suspect who was arrested in the province of Palawan, southwest of Manila.

The man was one of six suspected Abu Sayyaf militants arrested since last week in a crackdown on suspected terrorists in the Philippines.

Authorities were investigating the man whom military interrogators believed is a member of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya, blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

The foreigner, believed to be connected with Jemaah Islamiya bomber, Dulmatin, is being held by military authorities in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

Filipino security forces were tracking down Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants, including Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both tagged by Jakarta as behind the Bali bombings; and Zulkifli bin Hir, who are hiding in the southern Philippines. (Mark Navales and Juan Magtanggol)

RP Military Downplays Aussie Terror Warning

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 14 Sept) – The Philippine military downplayed Friday a warning by Australia of a possible terror attacks on civilian targets and power installations in Mindanao island, south of Manila.

Australia warned its citizens not to travel to Mindanao, particularly in Zamboanga peninsula, because of credible threats of terrorism. It said terrorists may also strike in the Philippine capital.

“We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in the Philippines because of the high threat of terrorist attack. We continue to receive credible reports that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners,” it said on a travel warning posted on the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Mindanao military officials said there were no reports of an impending terror attacks, although security forces remain in heightened alert because of the political situation in the Philippines.

“We have not received any reports that terrorists are planning to attack power installations or populated centers, but troops are always in alert. Mindanao is generally peaceful,” Army Maj. Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, told the Mindanao Examiner.

In central Mindanao, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division said it has no intelligence reports about a possible terror attacks on civilian targets and power infrastructure in the south.

“It is peaceful now in many parts of Mindanao. People are confident about the peace and order and our forces are troops are always prepared and ready to fight terrorism, with or without the Australian travel warning,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a regional army spokesman, said in a separate interview.

Authorities on Tuesday arrested three Filipinos in Zamboanga City and another in General Santos City and were all linked to terrorism.

Three of those arrested -- Marjuni Amala, Aristalon Isniril and Ronely Ahman -- were suspected as Abu Sayyaf members and behind a bomb attack in Zamboanga City last month that injured 16 people.

The trio admitted planting the bomb under a concrete bench at Plaza Pershing in downtown Zamboanga on August 21.

Security forces also arrested Maipasagi Gani in General Santos City who was planning to bomb the KCC Mall on Tuesday to coincide with the commemoration of the September 11, 2001 al-Qaeda attacks in the United States.

Police seized two homemade bombs from the man believed to have ties with Jemaah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf.

A bomb also exploded in a market place in Tacurong City in May and killed three people. There were also bombings across Mindanao since January this year and Australia warned that further attacks are likely and possible targets include places of worship, restaurants, markets, shopping malls, public transport, including bus terminals and airports.

“Infrastructure associated with the Philippines Government such as transport infrastructure, airports, sea ports, oil depots and public buildings are also potential terrorist targets. If you are in these areas you should consider leaving,” it said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Yaman Ng Sulu Sea, Nasa Kuko Na Ng Mga Dayuhan!

TAWI-TAWI (Mindanao Examiner / 17 Jun) – Mistulang mga private security guards ang puwersa ng militar sa katimugang bahagi ng bansa na kung saan ay todo ang pagbabantay ng mga sundalong Pinoy sa naglalaking international consortium na nagsasagawa ng oil exploration sa Sulu Sea.

Lingid sa kaalaman ng publiko ay abala ang mga tropa sa pagbabantay sa karagatan upang masiguro ang interest ng mga dayuhan bansa, tulad ng Australia at Amerika, sa nasabing oil exploration. Posibleng ito rin ang dahilan kung bakit nagtayo ng kampo ang mga sundalong Kano sa lalawigan ng Sulu.

Dapat sana ay siguridad ng lalawigan ng Tawi-Tawi at Sulu ang bantayan ng husto dahil sa banta ng terorismo.

Nagkataon naman na ang dalawang bansa ay tumutulong sa Pilipinas sa pakikibaka sa terorismo. Kamakailan lamang ay lumagda ang Australia ng isangs security cooperation pact sa pamahalaang Arroyo upang makapagsagawa ng joint anti-terrorism warfare training sa Mindanao.

Nuong nakaraang linggo ay katatapos lamang ng Amerika at ng Pilipinas ng bisang joint amphibious training sa Sulu Sea. Hindi naman mabatid kung may kinalaman sa oil exploration ang mga salaping tinatanggap ng pamahalaang Arroyo at ginagamit sa anti-terror training mula sa Australia at Amerika.

Ang oil exploration ay pinangungunahan ng Australian firm BHP Billiton Petroleum at kasama nito ang Unocal Corp. at Amerada Hess ng Amerika.

Halos 8,000 square meters sa Sulu Sea ang oil exploration nito.Maging ang Tap Oil Ltd ng Australia ay may 85% interest rin sa oil exploration project Sulu Sea.

Bukod sa Australia at Amerika ay may interest rin diumano sa Sulu Sea oil exploration ang United Kingdom at New Zealand at lahat ng bansang ito ay may malaking kontribusyon rin sa pakikibaka ng pamahalaang Arroyo sa terorismo sa katimugan.

Hindi naman agad mabatid kung may pahintulot ang oil exploration mula sa pamahalaang ng Tawi-Tawi. (Mindanao Examiner)

Australian Exhibit Opens In Manila

MANILA - "My Country: Abstract Interpretations of the Australian Landscape," a visiting exhibition from the collection of the La Trobe University Art Museum in Melbourne, Australia, opens at the Ateneo Art Gallery with a reception on 19 June 2007, Tuesday, at 5:30 in the afternoon.

The exhibition forms part of the 2006-09 Ateneo-La Trobe Art Linkage, and is part of the Ateneo Art Gallery's Engage program where works of significantartists from overseas are shown in the museum.

"My Country" shows alternatives to typical landscape painting by bringing together artists who aim to capture the essence of the Australian landscape and respond to their environment through abstraction.

The exhibition, arguably the most important collection of Australian visual art to be shown in the Philippines to date, includes the work of Australian modernist master Fred Williams, and more contemporary practitioners such as Judy Holding, as well as leading Indigenous artists like Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula.

The exhibition offers a concise overview of a continuing genre central to Australian art, and furthermore, presents uniquely different views, interpretations and processes towards landscape painting.

Preceding the reception on 19 June is an ArtSpeak lecture at 4:00 pm by "My Country" exhibition curator and Managing Curator of La Trobe University ArtMuseum, Vince Alessi. Another ArtSpeak lecture on understanding abstract art will be held on 18 July 2007 at 4:30 p.m.

"My Country" runs at the Ateneo Art Gallery from 13 June to 21 July 2007. The exhibition is supported by the Australian Commonwealth through the Cultural Relations Discretionary Grant Program of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The Ateneo Art Gallery is open Mondays to Fridays, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 pm, and on Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Admission is free.

For further inquiries on the "My Country" exhibition, please contact Joel de Leon, at 426-6488 or at jdeleon@ateneo.edu or visit gallery.ateneo.edu.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Call Clarissa Chikiamco
Project Coordinator
Ateneo Art Gallery
Ateneo de Manila University
Loyola Heights, Quezon City 1108
Tel (+632) 426-6001 ext. 4160
DL (+632) 426-6488
Fax (+632) 426-6488

Rebels Condemn Philippines-Australia Defense Pact

Gregorio Rosal, Communist Party of the Philippines spokesman. Rosal has condemned the signing of a new defense pact between Manila nd Canberra that will allow Australian troops to train Filipino forces in Philippine soil.

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 03 Jun) – Filipino communist rebels have criticized President Gloria Arroyo for signing a security pact with Australia that would allow troops from both countries to hold joint anti-terrorism warfare training in the Philippines.

The defense cooperation accord called the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) is aimed at enhancing military capabilities of both countries in fighting terrorism and transnational crimes.

The agreement contains key elements such as the basis of visits, entry and departure conditions, how training and exercises are to be conducted, carriage of arms, security and criminal jurisdiction, provisions, importation and exportation regulations and environmental protection.

Rebel leader Gregorio Rosal said the agreement only furthers foreign military intervention in the Philippines, which is a violation of the national sovereignty of the Filipino people.

"With the Philippine-Australia SOFA, we can expect closer and more sinister coordination between U.S. and Australian military troops in the Philippines in carrying out combat, reconnaissance, espionage and other military activities in violation of Philippine sovereignty," Rosal said.

He said the SOFA is similar to the Visiting Forces Agreement between the United States and the Philippine governments.

“Through the VFA, the American military has been able to permanently deploy a significant number of combat troops, reconnaissance forces, intelligence operatives and other open and covert interventionist forces in Philippine territory.”

“U.S. forces in the Philippines have also maintained a practically permanent base of operations in Zamboanga City,” Rosal said.

He also cited Australia's all-out support for the so-called U.S. interventionist wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.

With the signing of the SOFA, Defense Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor said the Philippines is to receive 28 patrol crafts worth some four million dollars from Australia.

The boats would be used to patrol Mindanao’s huge marshlands, used by rebels and terrorists as a springboard to launch terror attacks. Aside from patrol crafts, Australia would also spend four million dollars annually to train Filipino troops in anti-terrorism warfare.

Arroyo the SOFA will help to professionalize the Philippine military through training and advanced education along with the vital contribution of special sea crafts to help us fight terrorists lurking in the swamps and shadows of remote southern islands.

“Like the Philippines, Australia has felt the lash of terrorism on its citizens. By working together on a regional basis, we hope to make our country and the entire region safer and more secure for our God-fearing people,” she said.

Communist rebels have previously threatened to attack U.S. targets in the Philippines.
Zamboanga City is host to a huge number of American soldiers and communications bases, but the local mayor Rodrigo Duterte has flatly rejected a government proposal to hold a joint RP-US anti-terror training in Davao City.

The Philippines is also working for a similar military cooperation with Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia. Manila is currently holding joint anti-terrorism training with the United States off the Sulu Archipelago. (Mindanao Examiner)

Special Seaborne Forces, Muling Binuhay Ng Philippine Army

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 1 June) – Muling binuhay ng Philippine Army ang Special Forces nito na may kakayahang pandagat at inihahanda na para sumabak sa giyera sa Mindanao laban sa mga teroristang Abu Sayyaf Group at Jemaah Islamiyah.

Napag-alaman kay Special Forces Commander Brigadier General Arturo Ortiz na muling kikilos ang 12th Special Forces Company (Riverrine) sa huling bahagi ng taon sa sandaling matapos na ang retraining ng mga ito.

Una na ring na-reactivate ang 8th at 11th companies ng nasabing elite force noong nakaraang taon.

Ang Philippine Army ang tatanggap ng 28 hi-speed airboats buhat sa Australia bilang bahagi ng defense cooperation agreement sa nasabing bansa.

Sinabi ni Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres Jr. na darating ang unang batch ng airboats bago matapos ang taon.

Sa inisyal na plano, ayon kay Torres, dalawang kumpanya ng water-borne troops o tinatayang 300 sundalo ang unang isasabak sa Mindanao.

Naniniwala pa ang opisyal sa pangangailangang magtalaga ng espesyal na yunit ng militar na tutugis sa mga kalaban sa karagatan.

Problema ng militar ang malawak at masukal na tubig sa Liguasan Marsh sa Central Mindanao na pinamumugaran ng mga terorista.

Ipinagdiwang rin kahapon ang ika-11 anibersaryo ng Special Operations Command (Socom), na binubuo ng elite Army units kabilang ang Special Forces, Frst Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR) at ang sinanay ng Amerika na Light Reaction Battalion. (Juley Reyes)

Philippines To Get 28 Patrol Crafts From Australia

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 29 May) – Manila is to benefit from Australia once a security pact is signed between the two countries, a Filipino defense deputy said.

Defense Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor said the Philippines is to receive 28 patrol crafts wort some four million dollars from Canberra once the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) has been signed.

The defense cooperation agreement, he said, is expected to be signed soon.

The agreement contains key elements such as the basis of visits, entry and departure conditions, how training and exercises are to be conducted, carriage of arms, security and criminal jurisdiction, provisions, importation and exportation regulations and environmental protection

The accord is aimed at enhancing military capabilities of both the Philippines and Australia in fighting terrorism and transnational crimes, he said.

The Philippine Army is likely to get most of the boats which would be used in patrolling Mindanao’s huge marshlands, used by rebels to launch terror attacks.

Aside from patrol crafts, Australia would also spend four million dollars annually to train Filipino troops in anti-terrorism warfare.

The Philippines is also working for a similar military cooperation with Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia. Manila is currently holding joint anti-terrorism training with the United States. (Juley Reyes)

RP, Australia To Sign Anti-Terror Training Accord

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 28 May) – The Philippines and Australia are to sign a bilateral agreement that would allow the two countries to hold joint anti-terror training exercises in country, Filipino security officials said.

Officials said the accord called Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) is aimed at enhancing military capabilities of both the Philippines and Australia in fighting terrorism and transnational crimes.

"This agreement contains key elements such as the basis of visits, entry and departure conditions, how training and exercises are to be conducted, carriage of arms, security and criminal jurisdiction, provisions, importation and exportation regulations and environmental protection," the Philippine Defense department said in a separate statement.

Once signed, the agreement would be submitted to the Philippine Senate for concurrence.
The Philippines is also working for a similar military cooperation with Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia.

Manila is currently holding joint anti-terrorism training with the United States. (Juley Reyes)

RP Police Foils Bomb Attack In Troubled South

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 29 Apr) – Philippine soldiers detonated a homemade bomb Sunday in the restive North Cotabato province, south of Manila, officials said.

Officials said the bomb was left near a police post in Tacurong City, but had been discovered before it was to explode. “Soldiers detonated the bomb after police manning the post discovered the explosive,” Maj. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

No group claimed responsibility for the foiled attack, said Col. Danny Garcia, the local army commander.

“We are still investigating who is behind this failed bombing attempt,” Garcia said in a separate interview. “At this point, we cannot pinpoint to any group, but we have tightened security around Tacurong.”

He said the bomb was made from C4 explosive and rigged to a timer. “It had steel pellets and some components taken from a mortar rocket that would trigger detonation,” Garcia said.

The discovery of the bomb came just a day after the United States warned its citizens against traveling to Mindanao island and the Sulu Archipelago in the southern Philippines because of heightened terror activities.

Aside from the United States, Canada an Australia also told their citizens not to travel to the troubled region, where security forces are battling members of the al-Qaeda affiliate Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya and Moro National Liberation Front rebels.

A grenade attack last week in North Cotabato’s Pikit town injured three people working for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Unidentified men tossed two grenades on the USAID field office and fled. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Another bomb attack last week in Midsayap town also in North Cotabato also injured one civilian. A man was also killed after a bomb he was transporting exploded in Cotabato City in Maguindanao province near North Cotabto.

Abu Sayyaf militants also beheaded six construction workers and a fisherman they kidnapped in Parang town in Jolo island in the Sulu Archipelago two weeks ago. (With a report from Mark Navales and Juan Magtanggol)

Joint RP-Australian Anti-Terror Training, Malabo Pa Rin!

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 04 Apr) - Bigo pa ring tuluyang maisara ang kasunduan o ang status of forces agreement (SOFA) sa pagitan ng Pilipinas at ng Australia, maging ng iba pang bansa sa Southeast Asian para sa magkasanib na pagsasanay-militar.

Nabatid ito ngayon kay Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. na aniya'y pinag-aaralan pa rin hanggang ngayon ang nasabing posibilidad.

Bago bumaba sa puwesto ang dating kalihim ng Tanggulang Pambansa na si Atty. Avelino Cruz, Jr., inihayag nito ang paglalagda ng SOFA bago matapos ang 2006.

"The agreements are still under review. We still have to come up with the final draft," katwiran ni Ebdane. Problema aniya ang legal na implikasyon ng nasabing kasunduan lalo pa't magkakaiba rin ang pananaw ng ibat-ibang bansa.

"What we see as violations may not be violations to them," dagdag ni Ebdane. Bukod sa Australia, nilalakad rin ang negosasyon ng military agreement sa Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia at Indonesia. (Juley Reyes)

Election Handbook & Trainer's Guide Launched In Manila

MANILA - The Philippines’ Commission on Elections launched the Election Handbook and Trainer’s Guide, which will be used to train COMELEC staff in key aspects of election management.

The handbook, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with technical assistance provided by the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), compiles guidance for COMELEC staff on how to manage various aspects of the electoral process, in compliance with Philippine election laws and regulations.

The handbook includes relevant rules for voting, counting, and canvassing, and a code of ethical conduct. It will serve as the primary instruction material for a series of trainings that COMELEC will hold for its staff—from those at headquarters to elections officers in the field—in the run up to the May elections.

To ensure coordination, the COMELEC Election Handbook and Trainer’s Guide and COMELEC training plan were developed in close consultation with organizations supported by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), namely the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and the Asia Foundation, which drafted the handbook for members of the Board of Election Inspectors, also launched Tuesday.

The COMELEC Election Handbook and Trainer’s Guide is part of a $1.8 million, two-year grant to IFES, which has supported several of the COMELEC’s reform efforts since 2005, including the formulation and implementation of a new COMELEC strategic plan and the development of COMELEC’s capacity to train and offer professional development for its staff.

In addition, USAID’s grant to IFES has supported civil society organizations to conduct voter education and monitor the electoral process. This includes support to civil society in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), where IFES is assisting the Citizens Coalition for ARMM Electoral Reforms (C-CARE) to conduct voter education and monitor the polls on May 14. (With a report from Mindanao Examiner)