2 commies killed in Zamboanga province

ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 28, 2010) – Government troops killed two communist rebels in a raid on a jungle encampment in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga Sibugay, an army commander said Thursday.

Colonel Santiago Baluyot, who heads the 102nd Infantry Brigade, said troops raided the encampment in the town of Siay on Wednesday and killed the rebels in a firefight.

He said there were no military casualties and that troops also recovered weapons and anti-government propaganda.

Santiago said the camp was being used by the New People’s Army as a springboard to attack government forces in the town. He said troops tracked down the camp after civilians provided information about the rebels who are fighting for a separate Maoist state in the country.

“Civilians are constantly providing us information about lawless groups not only in the town, but in other areas in the provinces as well. The villagers are cooperating with the authorities,” he said.

The fighting broke out ahead of the government proposed resumption of peace talks with communist rebels in an effort to end decades of bloody insurgency in the country.

Peace negotiations collapsed in 2004 after rebel leaders accused then President Gloria Arroyo of reneging on several accords, among them the release of political prisoners languishing in jails across the country.

New Philippine President Benigno Aquino said the government is committed to end the communist insurgency. “As our people power is enshrined in the ways of peace, so will be my resolve to address the root causes of the armed conflict and bring about societal reforms,” he said. (With a report from Becky de Asis)

Troops rescue kidnapped Zamboanga junk shop owner

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 21, 2010) – Government troops rescued Monday a kidnapped Chinese-Filipino trader in a daring raid on a hideout in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said four gang members were captured in the raid in Talon-Talon village where Vinton So was recovered at around 3:30 p.m. The raiders, led by Colonel Santiago Baluyot, commander of an anti-terror task force, swooped down on the gang’s hideout and rescued the 47-year old junk shop owner without firing any shots.

“It was quick. The kidnappers were surprised by the raid and we rescued Vinton So without any shots fired,” Baluyot said, adding, the rescue was part of an intelligence operation with the police.

He said the four kidnappers – two of them women – were being investigated if they have links with the Abu Sayyaf rebels, whose group is tied with the al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya, blamed for the spate of kidnappings and terrorism in the restive region.

“Most of the kidnappers are from Jolo (town) in Sulu (province) and we still don’t know if they have links or members of the Abu Sayyaf. They are still being interrogated,” Santiago said.

Gunmen abducted So inside his junk shop in the village of Santa Maria on Sunday afternoon, but his family only reported the incident later in the day.

So was among several prominent people kidnapped this year in Zamboanga City where suspected Abu Sayyaf militants also seized Vicente Barrios, a fish pond operator; and Charlie Reith, a land owner. Both had been freed in exchange for ransoms.

Dozens of traders and businessmen in Zamboanga said they have also received threats from kidnappers and urged authorities to put efforts in protecting them.

Several people were also kidnapped in Zamboanga City in recent years and were released after their families paid huge ransoms.

Suspected Abu Sayyaf kidnappers are also holding two Malaysian seaweed farmers and have demanded two million ringgits in exchange for their safe release.

The duo - Tsen Vui Chung, 42, and his cousin Lai Wing Chau, 33, - were seized in February from their farm in the island of Pulau Sebangkit in Sabah and were taken to Tawi-Tawi province in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

2 Moro rebels arrested in Zamboanga City

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6 wounded in separate attacks in Mindanao

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 23, 2010) – At least six people were wounded in separate attacks in the restive region of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, officials said Friday.

A grenade attack in Iligan City had left at least 5 people wounded, but radio reports said as many as 7 were injured in the blast before dawn near a police post. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack.

Most of the injured were civilians. Police immediately blamed the blast to criminal gangs, although previous attacks had been largely suspected on Moro rebels and extortionists.

One person was also injured after bandits opened fire on a commuter bus on the village of Muti in Zamboanga City. The attack which occurred late Thursday was largely blamed to bandits who were also linked to extortion and highway robberies.

Army Colonel Santiago Baluyot, commander of an anti-terror task force in Zamboanga City, said troops and militias were sent to the area, but did not catch up with the attackers.

“The area is isolated and troops did not catch up with the assailants. These people are bandits who were behind previous attacks on passenger buses. Failed extortion could be the motive behind the attack,” he said.

The latest attack added to the growing concerns of many locals worried about the spate of violence in at least three Zamboanga villages – Mampang, Arena Blanco and Talon-Talon – where bloody clan feuds had already claimed the lives of many people.

A village official on Mampang was killed and his companions injured after gunmen ambushed them July 13 in Zamboanga City.

The ambush came a day after a lone gunman fatally shot a jeep driver who was plying the village route in front of many people. Prior to the daring shooting, gunmen also killed several people and exploded a hand grenade in a house in Mampang.

The attack on village officials occurred just as the local peace and order council was meeting to tackle the spate of killings and gun attacks in Zamboanga. Just this month, villagers also discovered three bodies buried in a pit on a village called Mercedes. The cadavers bore stabbed wounds and its faces were covered in packing tape and one of the bodies was said to belong to a Muslim man.

Villagers were also afraid to come out in the open and tell what they know about the killings in the villages fearing reprisals from the criminals. One of the chief suspects in the murders was arrested by the police recently from his hideout in Mindoro province.

More than 100 people had been attacked by gunmen since early this year in Zamboanga City despite the presence of armed soldiers and policemen patrolling the streets. And police called these incidents isolated and government officials were quick to blame the proliferation of illegal firearms and urged authorities to intensify a campaign aimed at collecting these weapons.

Zamboanga has implemented a total gun ban the past years and despite this, the killings still go unabated, but most of the murders were perpetrated by professional killers who are actively operating in Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner)

3 explosions hit Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / January 29, 2010) – Philippine authorities on Friday stepped up security following three small explosions in the southern port city of Zamboanga previously bombed by al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants.

Army Colonel Santiago Baluyot, commander of a military anti-terror task force, said the explosions at dawn occurred in three areas in downtown Zamboanga, but there were no reports of casualties.

“The explosions occurred at dawn and there are no reports of casualties. The explosions are probably meant to sow fear,” Baluyot told the regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the first blast was reported along Sevilla Street at around 3:30 a.m. and followed by another explosion at 4:20 a.m. in front of the Universidad de Zamboanga and one more at Plaza Pershing at 5:10 a.m.

Baluyot said bomb experts have recovered no shrapnel from the three areas. He said police and military are still investigating the explosions. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the blasts, but previous bombings had been largely blamed by authorities to the Abu Sayyaf group. (Mindanao Examiner)

Bus ambushed in Zamboanga City, 12 injured

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / January 17, 2010) – Gunmen ambushed a passenger bus in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines and wounded at least a dozen people, officials said Sunday.

The attack occurred at around 9 p.m. on Saturday in the village of Licomo, 85 kilometers east of Zamboanga City, said Marine Lieutenant General Benjamin Dolorfino, the regional military chief.

He said the bus, owned by Rural Transit, was enroute to Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province, when it was strafed by gunmen believed to be extortionists.

“Police and military are investigating the attack. We have reports the attackers were extortionists,” Dolorfino said.

He said the wounded passengers were rushed to hospital in the town of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay province.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the ambush, but troops were tracking down Sunday those behind the attack, said Army Colonel Santiago Baluyot, commander of a local anti-terror task force.

He said 12 passengers, including a doctor, Maita Blanco, was injured in the attack. Baluyot’s group rushed to the village of Licomo, but did not catch up with the ambushers.

“We have troops working closely with the police and there is an operation to track down the ambushers,” Baluyot said.

Military intelligence reports said the attack was carried out by Moro rebels led by Yacub Ilong, whose group was also behind the spate of attacks and highway robberies and extortion activities in Zamboanga Sibugay province.

In May 2000, dozens of Moro rebels also raided the village of Licomo killing at least four civilians. They also held up several buses and abducted passengers in the past in Licomo.

A large portion of Zamboanga City’s Maria Clara Lobregat highway is without any street lights making it extremely dangerous for motorists to travel at night to Zamboanga Sibugay. (Mindanao Examiner)

Troops clash with suspected MILF rebels in Zamboanga City

A Philippine Air Force MG520 attack helicopter flies over Saturday, February 21, 2009 in Zamboanga City in Mindanao, where government soldiers clash with dozens of suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in Curuan district leaving a still undetermined number of gunmen dead and wounded. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 21, 2009) – Government troops clashed with suspected Moro rebels on Saturday in the outskirts of Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said the fighting left a still undetermined number of gunmen, believed to be members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country's largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in the troubled region.

"We have recovered an M16 automatic rifle and a MILF uniform. There could be more casualties on the enemy side. There are blood trails," Army Col. Santiago Baluyot, commander of an anti-terror task force, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the fighting erupted in Curuan district near Zamboanga del Norte province, about 80 kilometers east of Zamboanga City, after troops foiled an attack at an army detachment in the area.

Troops also fired several rounds of mortars on enemy targets, he said.

"We have received intelligence reports as early as Friday that rebels are going to attack the detachment and so we beefed up our forces in the area and fighting erupted Saturday," Baluyot said.

He said villagers also helped in repelling the attack. He did not elaborate, but there were no reports of military or civilian casualties.

The military's Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City said as many as 100 gunmen clashed with the soldiers.

Last month, troops were also deployed near Curuan after 15 gunmen abducted and killed four civilians. One villager was also wounded, but managed to escape from the gunmen.

Suspected MILF rebels also torched a dump truck owned by Bendimil Construction and a backhoe owned by ESR Construction in Zamboanga del Norte province, where the rebels are actively operating. (Mindanao Examiner)

4 abducted and feared killed near Zambo town

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 31, 2009) – Government troops were deployed in the outskirts of Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines to help search for four people abducted and feared killed by unidentified gunmen, officials said Saturday.

Officials said the a 16-year old villager, Mark Endido, who was shot and wounded by the gunmen managed to escape to tell authorities what happened to them. Among those missing was father, Benjamin, and three neighbors – all from the Curuan district, east of Zamboanga City.

Endido said the incident occurred on Wednesday and reported the incident the next day after seeking help from authorities in Curuan where he was treated for gunshot wound.

He told reporters they were panning for gold in the village of Lakiki in Sibuco town near the boundary of Curuan district when 15 armed men seized them. He said they were tied and herded, but he managed to flee and that gunmen opened fire and hit him on the shoulder.

He said he heard automatic gunfire and that those who were left behind were probably executed. Endido, who is now being guarded at a hospital in Zamboanga City, appealed to the authorities to recover the bodies of his father and neighbors Josel dela Cruz, Audy Valiente and Jonas Valiente.

“We have sent soldiers in the area to search for the missing villagers. We are closely coordinating with the police in the area,” said Army Col. Santiago Baluyot, commander of an anti-terror task force in Zamboanga City.

The military’s Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City said the search for the missing men began on Friday after it received reports about the incident.

“We are awaiting reports, but there are soldiers in the area conducting search and rescue operation,” said Lt. Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman.

The motive of the attack is still unknown, but officials said it could have been connected to gold panning activities in the area. Moro rebels are also actively operating in the province.

Early this week, Moro rebels torched a dump truck owned by Bendimil Construction in the village of Jatian in Sibuco town after the firm failed to pay extortion money.

It was the second attack this month, on January 16, rebels also torched a backhoe owned by ESR Construction in the village of Malabuhanginan in Siocon town, also in Zamboanga del Norte province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Three Filipino teachers kidnapped in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 23, 2009) – Unidentified gunmen intercepted a motorboat on Friday and snatched three government teachers at sea near the southern the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, officials said.

Officials said the three came from Sacol Island and were on their way to Arena Blanco village in Zamboanga City when gunmen intercepted them at around 8 a.m. “We have reports the teachers were seized by gunmen and we are now searching for them,” village leader Musa Sakaluran said.

The three hostages were identified as Freires Quizon, Janette delos Reyes and Rafael Mayorada.

Government soldiers were also deployed to help in the rescue operation, but the fate of the hostages is unknown.

“We have deployed soldiers helping the police in the operation to locate the victims. We are doing everything to locate them,” said Army Col. Santiago Baluyot, commander of a military anti-terror task force.

No group claimed responsibility for the abductions, but there have been a sudden spike in kidnappings-for-ransom in Zamboanga City in recent months. Authorities have blamed previous kidnappings to the Abu Sayyaf group tied to Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. (Mindanao Examiner)

Soldiers kill amok at checkpoint in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 12, 2008) – Government soldiers shot and killed a man who tried to attack them Monday with a machete at a checkpoint in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, officials said.

Officials said the man, Romeo Abdullah charged towards two soldiers with his machete - shouting “Allahu Akbar” – but was gunned down before he could hack them.

“The soldiers were alert and shot the man who attacked them at the checkpoint,” said Col. Santiago Baluyot, commander of an army anti-terror task force.

He said the Abdullah was wearing a white burial cloth around his head and a pair of short pants when he suddenly charged towards the soldiers.

“Residents in the area said the man was a known drug addict and suffering from a mental illness. We don’t know what triggered the attack, but we understand that he got that burial cloth from his relative who died three days ago,” Baluyot said.

Baluyot said soldiers are in heightened alert in Zamboanga City as part of a security measure after Moro rebels bombed a power pylon at the weekend in Lanao del Norte province, cutting off electricity in many parts of Mindanao, including Zamboanga City.

Two improvised explosives, believed planted by rebels, were also recovered last week near a bus depot in Zamboanga City, which had been previously bombed by the Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front. (Mindanao Examiner)

Militias, Bandits Clashed In Zamboanga City Village

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 16, 2008) – Government militias clashed with bandits Tuesday on a hinterland village in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Village officials said they were verifying reports that one militia was killed in the fighting in Curuan district, but the army has confirmed that one civilian was wounded in the clash.

Security officials said the bandits were extorting money from villagers and that the fighting broke out after gunmen attacked militias guarding the area.

“These bandits have been extorting money from residents in the area and militias clashed with these lawless elements,” said Colonel Santiago Baluyot, commander of an army task force.

Baluyot led soldiers in pursuing the gunmen, numbering about 20, who retreated deeper into the jungle. (Mindanao Examiner)

7 Wounded In Zamboanga City Blast

Government soldiers guard downtown Zamboanga City in southern Philippines on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 after a grenade attack left 7 people wounded. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 20, 2008) – At least seven people were wounded in a grenade attack late Wednesday in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said the blast occurred at around 7 p.m. near the Marcian Business Hotel in downtown Zamboanga City.

“Seven people are injured in the blast,” said Senior Superintendent Lurimer Detran, the city police chief.

Detran said an MK2 fragmentation grenade was used in the attack. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack, he said. “We still do not know the motive of the attack,” he said.

Army Colonel Santiago Baluyot, commander of an anti-terror task force, said a man on motorcycle tossed the grenade and fled. “We have tightened security here. We don’t want a repeat of this attack,” he said.

Last week, the headquarters of the local police force was also attacked, although no one was hurt in the grenade blast.Police have also recovered August 15 a fragmentation grenade inside a local cinema after it failed to explode.

Four policemen were also wounded in a similar attack blamed on Muslim rebels on June 20 in the town of Kabasalan in Zamboanga Sibugay province, about 120 kilometers from Zamboanga City.

Zamboanga City has been previously attacked by Abu Sayyaf militants tied to al-Qaeda. It was not immediately known if the group was connected to the latest attack.

In May, a homemade bomb explosion ripped through a two-storey building near a military base in Zamboanga City killing three people and wounding more than a dozen others. Authorities blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the bombing. (Mindanao Examiner)