Filipino-Chinese matriarch kidnapped in Cotabato City

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 8, 2010) – Gunmen seized a Filipino-Chinese matriarch after killing her two escorts in an attack Friday in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines, reports said.

Reports said the 73-year old Conchita Tan was taken away after gunmen smashed the window of her car and forcibly dragged her to a vehicle tailing them. Her husband was left behind unharmed, but two of their escorts were shot dead in a brief firefight.

ABS-CBN television reported that the get-away car was recovered by security forces and that a rocket-propelled grenade had been left behind by the kidnappers. The woman and her husband were on their way home from the store when gunmen attacked them.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of Tan, who owns a hardware store in Cotabato City, but rebel groups and criminal gangs are actively operating in the area. (Mindanao Examiner)

Tropang Kano, pinalalayas sa Pinas!

Naglunsad ng isang protesta ngayon Huwebes, Setyembre 16, 2010 sa lungsod ng Cotabato sa Mindanao ang ibat-ibang grupo na tutol sa pananatili ng mga tropang Amerikano sa bansa. (Larawan ng Kawagib Human Rights)

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 16, 2010) – Isang protesta ang inilunsad sa lungsod ng Cotabato ngayon Huwebes ng mga grupong tutol sa pananatili ng mga sundalong Amerikano sa bansa.

Pinangunahan mismo ng US Troops OUT Now! Mindanao Coalition ang nasabing protesta kaugnay ng paggunita sa pagpapasara sa mga base militar ng Estados Unidos sa bansa nuong 1991.

Ayon sa OUT Now! Coalition ang September 16 ay makasaysayang araw dahil nagpapakita lamang ito ng tagumpay ng diwa ng patriyotismo ng sambayanang Pilipino laban sa pananatili ng mga tropang Amerikano at ang panghihimasok ng gobyerno ng Estados Unidos sa pamahalaan ng bansa.

“Hindi pa natatapos ang ating laban para sa tunay na kalayaan, hanggang sa ngayon ay nananatili pa rin ang presensya ng mga tropang kano lalo na sa Mindanao at ang pagsali nila sa mga operasyong militar sa lugar na mayroong armadong tunggalian na nagreresulta sa mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao,” ani Michael Dumamba, ang convenor ng koalisyon ng ibat-ibang progresibong grupo.

Nanawagan din ang grupo na muling sariwain ang diwa ng pagiging palaban ng mga Pilipino at isulong ang pagbabasura sa Visiting Forces Agreement dahil sa maraming kaso diumano ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao at pagyurak sa pambansang soberanya ng Pilipinas.

Troops search for kidnapped Chinese trader in Southern Philippines

Villagers ride motorized boats in Cotabato City in Maguindanao province. Gunmen seized a Chinese-Filipino trader, Nestor Tay, in Cotabato City on Monday, August 16, 2010. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 17, 2010) – Philippine troops have mounted an operation Tuesday to rescue a kidnapped Chinese-Filipino in the volatile region of Mindanao, officials said.

Officials said gunmen abducted Nestor Tay, owner of the New Asian Marketing in Cotabato City in Maguindanao province late Monday afternoon. Tay was inside his store when armed men barged and seized Tay.

Tay was dragged to a waiting van outside his store and sped off towards, leaving behind a security guard who was disarmed by the gunmen.

“There is an ongoing operation, but we cannot disclose details of this operation, but troops and police forces are searching for the victim,” said Army Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Hao, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division in Maguindanao.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the abduction and authorities would not say whether Moro rebels were behind this. But previous kidnappings had been blamed to the rebels, who use ransom to purchase weapons to fight the government or finance terror attacks.

Kidnappings-for-ransom is not uncommon in Cotabato and dozens of wealthy traders had been kidnapped in the past and freed after their family paid ransoms to their captors.

Besides from Tay, gunmen are also holding a Japanese citizen, Toshio Ito, 63, who was seized July 16 from his home in Pangutaran Island in the Sulu archipelago. (With a report from Mark Navales)

Gunmen attack house of Maguindanao official

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 3, 2010) – Armed men lobbed a grenade at the house of a provincial lawmaker in the restive southern Philippine region, but authorities reported no casualties in the daring attack blamed on hired assassins.

Major Randolph Cabangbang, a regional army spokesman, said the attack, carried out by two men on a motorcycle late Tuesday, targeted Talib Abo Jr, who belongs to the 1st Congressional district of Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

The blast tore through the garage of Abo’s house in Cotabato City.

No group or individual clamed responsibility for the blast, but police and military suspected hired assassins were behind the attack. It was not immediately known if Abo was in the house at the time of the attack.

“Members of the (military's anti-terror) Task Force Tugis of the 6th Infantry Division responded at the scene of the incident and conducted pursuit operation against the suspects, but they were able to escape,” Cabangbang said.

He said authorities were still investigating the motive of the attack. (Mindanao Examiner)

Former Moro rebel kills civilian in Cotabato

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 31, 2010) – Philippine police is investigating a member of the former rebel group Moro National Liberation Front who fatally shot a civilian in the troubled city of Cotabato in Mindanao, officials said Saturday.

Police said Jonel Pandalat attacked Roger Aragona, 50, while buying charcoal on Thursday and escaped after the shooting.

Pandalat was later arrested by pursuing policemen in Cotabato City, officials said, adding, a .45-caliber pistol was also seized from the former rebel, including a Moro National Liberation Front identification card.

The motive of the killing was unknown and Pandalat refused to answer interrogation by policemen. Pandalat is facing murder charges, police said.

It was not immediately known whether Pandalat is involved in other killings in Cotabato. Gun attacks in Cotabato City are not uncommon and many of the crimes remain unsolved. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kaguluhan sa Cotabato, patuloy pa rin!

Nakaabang ang mga motorboat na ito sa pasaherong galing sa palengke sa Cotabato City sa Mindanao. (Kuha ng Mindanao Examiner).

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / June 22, 2010) – Mistulang Afghanistan na ang lungsod ng Cotabato sa Mindanao dahil sa walang humpay na patayan at pambobomba doon at tila inutil ang pulisya at militar na mapigil ang krimen at terorismo.

Ito’y matapos na isang bomba na naman ang sumabog sa isang sangay Mercury Drugstore nuong Lunes, ngunit masuwerteng walang nasawi sa atake.

Pinaniniwalaang konektado sa extortion ang nasabing pagsabog.

Hiling naman ng mga negosyante doon na paigtingin ang intelligence at patrulya ng mga sundalo at parak upang mapigilan ang kaguluhan. Sinisisi naman ng iba ang ilang mga opisyal ng Cotabato dahil sa hindi nito maisaayos ang lungsod.

Minsan ng binansagan ng US Embassy na “doormat to terrorism” ang lungsod ng Cotabato.

Mismong si US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone ang nagbansag nito sa Cotabato ilang taon na ang nakaraan dahil sa matinding kaguluhan.

Ilang ulit na rin binomba ang lungsod na ikinasawi ng maraming sibilyan at talamak rin ang patayan at dukutin sa Cotabato. (Mindanao Examiner)

Candle Power in Mindanao

Because of the power crisis the Philippines is experiencing, elementary graduating student Eushuaia May Casuse does her homework in the dark with only a piece of candle to illuminate her notes inside their house in Cotabato City in Mindanao. The Department of Energy says it expects power outage in many areas with some lasting for as long as 8 hours in Mindanao and this will continue until June, as the El Niño phenomenon dried up water supplies in the country. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Mark Navales).

Philippine military plane crashes in Mindanao, 8 killed

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / January 28, 2010) – An ageing Philippine Air Force Nomad aircraft crashed Thursday in Cotabato City in the southern region of Mindanao, killing all 8 people onboard, including a senior military commander, officials said.

Major Randolph Cabangbang, a regional military spokesman, said among the dead was Major General Mario Butch Lacson, commander of the 3rd Air Division in Zamboanga City.

Cabangbang said the plane crashed on a village in Cotabato City two minutes after it took off at around 11:35 a.m. at a military base in Maguindanao province. “It is a sad day for us. All eight passengers and crew perished in the crash,” he told the regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Lacson’s group came from a conference in Davao City and was returning to Zamboanga City, but their plane had a brief stopped at an air force base in Maguindanao’s Awang town.

Other reports said soldiers pulled out the charred remains of the passengers, including two pilots and a crewman. It was unknown whether there casualties on the ground, but the plane crashed in two houses which caught fire.

Cabangbang said there is an ongoing investigation into the crash. “We still don’t know what happened, but the plane is quite old. There is an ongoing investigation,” he said.

The Philippine Air Force has one of the oldest fleet of air crafts in the world, including about a dozen Nomad plane. (Mark Navales, Geo Solmerano and Beck de Asis contributed to this report)

The aftermath of the fire Saturday, December 5, 2009 in Cotabato City in Mindanao. (Photo by Ed Dequina)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / December 5, 2009) – A fire swept through a neighborhood in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato on Saturday and burned at least 100 houses, officials said.

Officials said there were no reports of casualties, but some residents were hurt when panic-stricken villagers rushed to save their belongings. Others tried, but failed to put out the huge fire that hit Poblacion 4.

The fire began was 11 in the morning and was put under control two hours later.
Fire officials said they were investigating the conflagration. (With a report from Ed Dequina)

Police foil bombing in Cotabato City

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / November 17, 2009) – Police have foiled the bombing of a bus depot in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines, scene of previous rebel attacks that had killed and wounded dozens of civilians.

Police said it recovered Monday a bag containing an improvised explosive attached to a cellular phone in front of the bus depot. It said two men on a motorcycle left the bag and hurriedly left.

It said the explosive was discovered later after civilians told the police about the abandoned bag. The bomb was later disarmed. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the foiled attack.

Last month, a homemade bomb also exploded in Cotabato City, but no one was killed or injured in the attack, but a bombing in July outside a Catholic church had killed five people. The attack was blamed by the military to Moro rebels who are fighting for decades for independence in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF leader captured in South RP

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 22, 2009) – Philippines security forces captured Tuesday a senior leader of the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, in the troubled region of Mindanao, officials told the Mindanao Examiner.

Army spokesman Colonel Jonathan Ponce said a joint team of soldiers and policemen captured Camarudin Hadji Ali alias Commander Mudi at the house of one his wives in Cotabato City after a long intelligence and surveillance operations.

“Ali is a leader of the MILF’s 105th Base Command under Ameril Umbra Kato, who are both wanted for a series of deadly attacks last year in Mindanao,” said Ponce.

The rebel leader has a bounty of more than a million pesos for his capture.

There was no immediate statement from the MILF which is currently negotiating peace with Manila. The MILF is fighting the past three decades for self-determination.

Peace talks collapsed in August last year after rebel and government negotiators failed to sign a homeland deal which the Supreme Court ruled as unconstitutional.

President Gloria Arroyo resumed the peace talks this year in an effort to put an end to bloody fighting in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Bomb defused in southern Philippine city

Explosive experts defused an improvised explosive planted at a waiting shed along the national highway in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines on Friday, July 24, 2009. Early this month, a bomb explosion ripped through a stall selling roasted pig outside a Catholic church in Cotabato City. Six people were killed in the blast. The spate of deadly bombings in the Philippines were blamed by authorities to Moro rebels and the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya which was tagged as behind the attacks on JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta recently. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 24, 2009) - Military bomb experts have defused late Friday an improvised explosive planted at a waiting shed in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said the bomb was believed planted by Moro rebels. The discovery of the explosive came a day after President Gloria Arroyo ordered the military to halt offensives against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country's largest Muslim rebel group fighting the past three decades for self-determination.

Early this month, a bomb explosion ripped through a stall selling roasted pig outside a Catholic church in Cotabato City. Six people were killed in the blast.

The spate of deadly bombings in the Philippines were blamed by authorities to Moro rebels and the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya which was tagged as behind the attacks on JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta recently. (With a report from Mark Navales)

Twin blasts kill 1, injured 6 in southern Philippines

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Protests greet Arroyo in Davao, Cotabato cities; 8 activists arrested

Filipino leader Gloria Arroyo during her visits Friday, July 17, 2009 to Davao and Cotabato cities. Her visits sparked protests from student activists who are opposing proposals by Arroyo’s allies in Congress to amend the Constitution that could prolong her stay in power. Arroyo is to step down next year, but is said to be seeking a congressional seat in her hometown in Pampanga. And her allies are proposing a shift to parliamentary government where

Arroyo could be elected as Prime Minister. (Photo by Allan Martin Tamayo / Text by the Mindanao Examiner)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 17, 2009) – Police arrested eight political activists during a rally in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines where Filipino leader Gloria Arroyo visited on Friday.

Police whisked the young men as they protested proposals by Arroyo’s allies in Congress to amend the Constitution that could prolong her into power.

“We refuse to be used as laboratory for ‘destabilizers’ and agenda seekers of Charter Change, we refuse to be categorized as ‘harborers’ of terrorists,” said Michael Dumamba, a spokesman for the youth organization called Liga ng Kabataang Moro.

Dumamba said his group was conducting a peaceful rally, but policemen stopped them and arrested the eight, mostly students. The Liga ng Kabataang Moro last week also protested the killing of an eleven-year old Muslim girl who was allegedly shot by soldiers during a raid at a village outside Cotabato.

The militant group Suara Bangsamoro has demanded the immediate release of those arrested. It said police were harassing political activists.

Arroyo arrived in Cotabato from Davao City where she inaugurated a new building at the Awang airport in Maguindanao province.

In Davao City, students of Holy Cross of Davao College lit candles and held a noise barrage outside their school also to protest amendments in the Constitution.

“We hold the future of this nation. We do not favour Charter change because it is a selfish move by politicians who are desperate to remain in power,” said Cai Safar, a social work student, who joined the protest.

Arroyo is to step down next year, but is said to be seeking a congressional seat in her hometown in Pampanga. And her allies are proposing a shift to parliamentary government where Arroyo could be elected as Prime Minister. (Mindanao Examiner)

Traders close shops in Cotabato; protest bomb attack

Police released Friday, July 10, 2009 a sketch of a suspected bomber blamed for a deadly attack that killed 6 people and injured dozens more. Shops also closed on Friday to protest Sunday bombing blamed on terrorists. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 10, 2009) – Business shops in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines closed on Friday as traders protest a deadly bombing blamed to local terrorists.

Police also released a sketch of a man suspected to have carried Sunday’s attack outside a Catholic church that killed 6 people and injured dozens more. Christian and Muslim religious leaders condemned the bombing.

Shops also put signs calling for a stop to bombings and kidnappings. A McDonald branch put up a streamer which reads “Stop Kidnappings.” The US hamburger chain was among those that closed on Friday.

Soldiers and policemen were spotted patrolling Cotabato City for fear that there would be more attacks or kidnappings. Several people had been kidnapped and ransomed off in Cotabato the past months and police blamed them to the Pentagon Gang, whose members were former Moro rebels.

On Friday, President Gloria Arroyo cancelled her scheduled visit to Cotabato City because of threats of terror. (With a report from Mark Navales)

Motocross, fast becoming a favorite sports in Mindanao

Motocross is fast becoming a favorite sports in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines, which recently hosted a race tourney. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

Groups Opposed To Charter Change Hold Forum In Cotabato City

About a thousand people attended a forum on anti-charter change at the Notre Dame University in Cotabato City in Mindanao on Wednesday, July 8, 2009. (Photo by Michael Madamba)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 8, 2009) – Civil and progressive groups opposed to proposals to change the Constitution held a forum on Wednesday in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines.

About a thousand people trooped to the Notre Dame University where the forum was held to listen to resource persons discussed proposals by allies of President Gloria Arroyo to amend the Constitution.

The proposal could prolong the stay of Arroyo who is to step down next year when her term ends.

Representative Satur Ocampo, of Bayan Muna Party List, spoke about his group opposition to the passage of the House Resolution 1109 which would convene a Senate-less Constituent Assembly that would tackle the changes in the charter.

House Speaker Prospero Nograles, who is one of those campaigning to amend the Constitution, said the changes are needed to introduce economic and other important reforms.

Ocampo said:”It is a total sell-out of national patrimony and sovereignty if we shall let this to happen. It is the future of the next generation which is at stake.”

He stressed some critical points that people should consider to resist charter change and among them are proposed amendments to “obliterate” nationalist provision especially on economic restrictions which does not allow 100% foreign ownership on lands, mining, shipping and education, among others.

One of the forum’s organizers, Pastor Orlando Zambrano, of the United Methodist Church, also expressed his dismay of what he called “Arroyo’s minions in lower congress which is to prolong the term of the president.”

“Her allies primarily working out to change the present presidential to parliamentary form of government through charter change, which is the only way for her to escape lawsuits and prosecution of corruption and plunder charges. Another term in favor of Arroyo as a president of this country would mean another burden to Filipino people.” Zambrano said.

Zambrano, who founded the group called “People’s MARCH,” issued a unity statement that reads:

We, the people’s movement against charter change or people’s march, express our strong opposition to House Resolution 1109, which would convene the House of Representatives into a constituent assembly (Con-Ass), and any move to amend the constitution perpetrated by the politicians who currently hold power.

The Filipino people cannot entrust the future of this country in the hands of those who profess to be selfless leaders while instigating or deliberately acting as complicit in massive graft and corruption, human rights violations and the sellout of our sovereignty.

A switch to a parliamentary form of government is not the key to solving any of the problems the country is facing. The problem does not primarily lie in the form of government or in the constitution. It is in the kind of leaders running this country.

We condemn the incessant attempts of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her minions to press on with charter change despite the public’s disagreement. Their greed and lust for power are truly appalling.

We believe that charter change is nothing but a ruse to keep President Arroyo in power and to advance the interests of the elites, foreign capitalists and the unscrupulous politicians.

We also believe that President Arroyo, fearing for her and her family’s prosecution for their involvement in corruption charges, human rights violations and other crimes against the Filipino people, is exhausting all means to remain in power.

We vow to stir the minds of the people to the true agenda of charter change and its would-be consequence to the lives of Filipinos. We vow to mount pressure against charter change. We vow to resist the money, power and influence of those advancing cha-cha.

We will not allow a despot and her cohorts to continue to plunder our coffers, trample on the sanctity of human rights and give up our vital resources to foreigners.

We call on everyone to take a stand and join us in resisting cha-cha. Now is not the time for apathy. We cannot afford to be fence sitters when the good of the country and our fate as a nation are at stake. (With a report from Michael Dumanba)

MILF begins own probe into deadly bombing in Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 6, 2009) – Philippine Moro rebels have began a parallel probe into a deadly bomb attack outside a Catholic church that killed 5 people and wounded over 50 others in the troubled South.

Military authorities blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the weekend bombing in Cotabato City. But the MILF denied the accusation and has started its own investigation into the attack.

“We have began our own investigation and we also wanted to know who was behind the bombing or whether the military or other group opposed to the peace process was involved in the attack,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Kabalu said they suspected that government soldiers were behind the spate of bombings in the restive Muslim autonomous region where security and rebel forces are fighting.

“There were persistent reports from Muslim villagers that soldiers were behind the bombings to discredit the MILF,” he said.

He said civilians reported on Saturday that they saw a man clad in MILF uniform planted a bomb in Maguindanao’s Datu Piang town and then retreated at an army detachment in Buayan village. The bomb exploded minutes later and injured three people.

Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the spate of bombings in Mindanao were the handiwork of the MILF.

“The MILF was behind all these attacks. This is terrorism and the MILF is targeting innocent civilians because of our campaign against rogue rebels, against terrorism,” he said, adding the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya provided bomb-making training to MILF rebels.

President Gloria Arroyo opened peace talks in 2001 with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence, but negotiations collapsed in August last year after both sides failed to sign a Muslim homeland deal.

The rebels accused Arroyo of reneging on the deal that peace negotiators initially signed in Malaysia in July 2008 in Malaysia, which brokered the talks. The Philippine Supreme Court said the agreement was unconstitutional.Since then fighting broke out in many areas in Mindanao.

MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim called on rebels to be steadfast and patient in the face of the “brutalities” of the military. He also accused government troops of burning some 3,000 houses owned by Muslims and indiscriminate bombing, shelling, and arrests of civilians in Mindanao.

Murad said the military also imposed a food blockade from reaching tens of thousands of hungry refugees and prevented humanitarian groups and journalists from inspecting refugee shelters in Maguindanao.

Murad assailed the military for saying that the MILF infiltrated refugee shelters and rebels were using evacuation centers as base for reserved forces.

The military claimed more than a thousand rebels were killed in the fighting since last year. But Murad denied the report and said MILF forces killed about 500 soldiers and captured their weapons, including two unmanned aerial vehicles shot down in Maguindanao. One of them was a US military spy plane and the other was believed to be owned by the Philippine Army. US troops are deployed in Maguindanao and helping the local military fight terrorism. (Mindanao Examiner)

Boy abducted in Cotabato City

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 26, 2009) – Unidentified gunmen men seized a four-year old boy in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said the boy, John Kyle Chiongson, was snatched at around 4.30 p.m. near his house. No group claimed responsibility for the abduction.

“He was abducted by four armed men who fled on a black get-away car towards Sultan Kudarat town. We have ordered check points and police and military are tracking down the abductors,” said Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

Ponce said the gunmen could be members of a kidnap-for-ransom gang. “The abductors are believed members of a kidnap-for-ransom group,” he said.
Two previous kidnappings in Cotabato City this year had been largely blamed to the Pentagon Gang. (Mindanao Examiner)

Motocross in Cotabato City

A motocross rider shows his skill during a race Sunday, June 14, 2009, in Cotabato City in Mindanao. The race, organized by Canary Riders, was part of the 50th Araw ng Kutawato anniversary. Popular Jovie Saulog wins the championship against a similarly popular rider Jolet Jao. Volunteers from Cotabato Rescue team headed by PJ Tanghal also carry a motocross rider, who was injured during the race. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)