Sulu politicians sign peace covenant; vow peaceful electionsd

Lakas-Kampi candidate Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, who is seeking reelection, flashes a thumb-up sign while opposition leader anformer governor Benjamin Loong, of the NPC, smiles after the signing Sunday, March 21, 2010 of a peace covenant at the Notre Dame College in Jolo town in Sulu province.Local politicians have pledged to support the government’s campaign for peace, orderly and honest elections in the May national polls. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 21, 2010) – Local politicians have signed Sunday a peace covenant and pledged to support the government’s campaign for peace, orderly and honest elections.

Some 300 people witnessed the signing of the so-called “Covenant for Hope Sulu 2010” initiated by civil society, religious and various organizations, including the police and military.

Those who led the signing were Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, who is running again and former governor Benjamin Loong, now running for vice governor and their party members.

Notably absent was Sulu Representative Munir Arbison, now on his third and last term and is running against Tan, the government’s candidate for the May national polls. And so was former rebel chieftain Nur Misuari, who twice ran and lost in previous gubernatorial elections.

Both Tan and Loong said they are supporting government calls for honest and clean elections. “We have been advocating for clean, honest and orderly elections. We are peaceful in Sulu,” Tan told reporters after the covenant signing.

Tan was applauded many times by those who attended the signing when he introduced his line up, mostly incumbent mayors and their deputies.
For Loong’s part, he also pledged to abide by the covenant. “We will abide by the covenant for peaceful elections,” he said.

Commission on Election’s Vidsfar Julie said poll workers will remain apolitical. “We will remain neutral and apolitical in the coming elections and I hope the politicians will also make true their promises for honest and peaceful elections,” he said.

Sulu military chief Brigadier General Rustico Guerrero said the signing of the covenant is a step forward to ensure peaceful elections in the province, one of five under the Muslim autonomous region.

“We are working side by side with all sectors because we are also for peaceful and orderly elections. We will also remain neutral and non-partisan,” he said.

Those who attended the signing of the covenant were Catholic priests Jose Ante and Romeo Villanueva; regional military commander Lieutenant General Benjamin Dolorfino, of the Western Mindanao Command, Doctor Hannbal Bara, of the Sulu People’s Congress, Sulu provincial police commander Senior Superintendent Joseph Ramac.

And also Doctor Sahie Udjah, of the Ulangig Mindanao, Inc. and Farida Hadjulani, of the Sulu Tanjuh Organization, and Father Emmanuel Sison, of the Notre Dame of Jolo College. (Mindanao Examiner)

COMELEC uncovers spurious names in recall petition Vs. Sulu governor

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 11, 2008) – The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has uncovered thousands of spurious names from the list of those who signed the recall petition against Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan.

Tan’s political opponents have filed a petition with the COMELEC to unseat him, citing the loss of confidence in his leadership.

Lawyer Vidzfar Julie, the COMELEC’S deputy regional chief, said they will have to carefully verify the signatures in the recall petition to ensure they are authentic and had voted in last year’s elections in Sulu after they have uncovered 6,800 spurious names in the recall petition.

“These names and signatures in the recall petition are not even registered in Sulu,” Julie told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the names had been stricken out of the petition papers. “The COMELEC will have to verify all the signatures in the recall petition to determine whether they are authentic or not or whether all those who signed the petition are really registered voters of Sulu,” Julie said.

Ali Judah, a resident of Lugus, an island town off Sulu, accused Tan of failing to improve the peace and order situation in the province.

He blamed Tan for the kidnapping of ABS-CBN television reporter Ces Dillon and three others early this year. The trio secretly went to the Abu Sayyaf to interview one of its leaders, Radulan Sahiron, but were eventually held and released weeks later after paying huge ransom.

Judah, in his 26-page petition, said that Tan failed to deliver basic government services to residents and accused the politician of terminating livelihood programs of past administration under defeated governor Benjamin Loong.

It was unknown who funded Jilah's petition, but the local poll office said 62,631 alleged voters from Sulu's 19 towns had signed the recall papers on August 29.

Little was known about Judah, but he was able to hire the services of a battery of prominent lawyers in Manila to pursue the petition. Judah is believed being used by Tan’s political detractors.

Jose Melo, the COMELEC Chairman, earlier said that it has no more funding to finance any recall petitions and that those who are pursuing it should put up the money or ask the government to release the fund.

Julie said at least P50 million are needed by the COMELEC to proceed with the recall petition in Sulu.

Money is overflowing in Sulu allegedly to bribe local officials in supporting the recall petition against Tan. Even journalists were reportedly being paid to destroy Tan’s political reputation, but others rejected the bribe, according to sources in Sulu, but this could not be independently confirmed.

The petition against Tan started after he and provincial lawmakers rejected last year a proposal by some politicians, who are now in their last term, to divide Sulu into two provinces so they can again run in 2010 elections.

Political dynasties are rampant in Sulu province, where many politicians win by either by fraud or cheating and vote-buying. The petition also is believed connected with Tan's order to the police and military authorities to disband private armies of politicians who are known warlords in Sulu.

Tan, who won by a landslide against Loong and former rebel leader Nur Misuari, last year, also ordered authorities to put a stop to the smuggling of contraband and illegal weapons into the province, many of which fall into the hands of rebels and armed goons of politicians.

He also introduced drastic reforms to fight corruption and ordered the Commission on Audit to regularly examine records or financial accounts of government projects to check their accuracy.

Muslim and Christian religious organizations and various civil society groups, including the business groups and chambers in Sulu have thrown their support behind Tan. They also signed petitions and manifestos supporting Tan’s administration.

Professor Fred Concepcion, one of Tan’s executive assistant, earlier said the governor is not disturb by the recall petition because it was all without basis and that Sulu's peace and order and economic stability have drastically improved under the new administration.

He said since Tan assumed office last year he has already completed many infrastructure and housing projects and various community and sustainable livelihood and agricultural programs.

“These are continuing projects aimed at sustaining our gains for the benefit of the people of Sulu,” Concepcion said.

Tan’s detractors accused him of terminating Loong's “Arms to Farms” program, which provides farmers in Sulu various agricultural support. But the program was not of Loong and had been developed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist former Muslim rebels’ transition into peaceful, civilian lives.

However, the program was used as campaign propaganda in the past elections.Besides Tan, a recall petition was also started by political opponents of Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio, who is also fighting corruption and illegal gambling activities in his province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Ransom Paid For 4 Jolo Hostages?

Philippine Army Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, center, speaks at a news conference Saturday 21 Oct 2006 in Zamboanga City, as he presents 4 freed kidnapped Filipino engineers to journalists. Cedo tags the Abu Sayyaf as behind the kidnapping of the four men, one of them, engineer Romeo Rivera, 4th from left, who works for the United States Agency for Internatioanal Development-Growth for Equity in Mindanao (USAID-GEM). (Mindanao Examiner)

JOLO ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 22 Oct) – An unspecified amount of ransom was believed paid to kidnappers in the restive southern Philippine island of Jolo in exchange for the freedom of four Filipino hostages, a military source said Sunday.

The four men, engineers Romeo Rivera, a program manager working for the United States Agency for International Development-Growth with Equity in Mindanao (USAID-GEM); and Reynaldo Rubio and Larry Bautista, of the Manila-based Terra Zyme Chemicals; and their driver, Isidro Amaramo were recovered by troops on Friday, two days after their own native bodyguards kidnapped them while inspecting a Washington-funded road project in the town called Parang.

Philippine Army Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo later tagged the Abu Sayyaf group as behind the kidnapping and identified three of the captors as brothers Anni and Iting Sailani and Bong Iskandal (other reports say Sakandal).

Colonel Reynaldo Sealana, commander of an army brigade on Jolo island, said the four had been freed without ransom.

“The kidnappers freed the hostages without ransom because of mounting military pressure,” Sealana said.He said the kidnappers freed the hostages before a 24-hour military ultimatum for their release was to end on Friday.

He said villagers angered by the incident also threatened to seize the families and relatives of the kidnappers if they don’t free the four men.

But the regional police chief Joel Goltiao told reporters that the four had escaped from their captors late Wednesday. “They were able to escape from their captor; that is what they told the police,” Goltiao said.

The source said private negotiators allegedly paid ransom in exchange for the four men. The ransom payment was sanctioned by provincial government officials, the source claimed.

But the island’s governor Benjamin Loong said the hostages escaped after their captors fell asleep. “The hostages really escaped from the kidnappers,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

One of the freed victim said the kidnappers demanded at least P30 million ransoms in exchange for their freedom.“The kidnappers asked P20 million from me and my companion and another P10 million from Rivera,” Rubio said.

The military said troops were pursuing the kidnappers, who had been implicated in the spate of killings of soldiers and civilians, including Filipino news photographer Gene Boyd Lumawag two years ago, on Jolo island, about 950 km south of Manila. (Mindanao Examiner)