A Muslim woman shows off her government card outside the Sulu Provincial Capitol where she gets her pension from a money machine. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 31, 2010) - Civil workers and pensioners in the southern Philippine province of Sulu are all praises to the installation of money machines where they can draw funds instead of getting them in Zamboanga City in Mindanao.

They said they can now get their salaries and pensions from automated teller machines installed by the Government Service Insurance System at the capitol building on the request of Governor Sakur Tan.

"This machine have made it easy for me to get my monthly government pension. I don't have to travel to Zamboanga City anymore just to get my money, we have this money machine now and this is good and just got a little tutorial on how to use my card and the machine," Elsa Usman told the Mindanao Examiner.

Aside from the GSIS desk, Tan also put up desks for various government agencies, including the Commission on Human Rights and the National Bureau of Investigation, to make it easier for locals to get their clearances and other pertinent documents instead of travelling to Zamboanga City to get them. (Mindanao Examiner)

Civilians offer selves, prayers to protect Sulu governor from assassins

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 30, 2010) - Supporters of Sulu Governor Sakur Tan have urged authorities to heightened the politician's security and protect his family after government prosecutors junked criminal charges filed against suspects in the failed assassination of the influential leader.

Prosecutors said there were not enough evidence against the suspects, but Tan's lawyers said they would appeal the decision.

Tan's supporters have urged police and military to provide additional security to the governor, saying, hired assassins could strike again. They also vollunteered to provide 24 hours security in Tan's house in Sulu.

"Authorities should provide ample security to Governor Tan and his family and ensure their safety," said Abdullah, one of Tan's supporters.

But an aide of Tan said the governor politely declined the offer and only thanked his supporters. "God is the protector of the governor. Prayers of the people are powerful enough to protect the governor from evil," said Ibno Hasan.

Tan was among over two dozen people wounded in the August 5 suicide bombing outside the Zamboanga International Airport in Zamboanga City.

The bomber, Reynaldo Apilado, and Hatimil Haron, one of his cohorts, were killed in the blast. At least a dozen people had been implicated in the failed assassination, police said.

Tan, a known philanthropist and religious man, also survived a roadside bombing last year in Sulu province, but ten of his companions, including a town mayor, were wounded in the attack.

One of the suspects in the bombing, Abner Tahil alias Abs was arrested late last month in the village of Kasangyangan in Jolo town in Sulu. Tahil was also implicated in the Zamboanga airport bombing.

Police said the two failed assassinations of Tan were all politically motivated and that Abu Sayyaf militants with links to Jemaah Islamiya terror group were hired to carry out the attacks. (Mindanao Examiner)

Police, military told to secure polls in Sulu

Governor Sakur Tan looks at a crowd in Maimbung town in Sulu as Brigadier General Mario Monteja, commander of military forces in the province, gestures Sunday, October 24, 2010. Tan orders the police and military to secure Monday's village polls. (Mindanao Examiner)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 24, 2010) – Sulu Governor Sakur Tan has ordered the police and military to secure Monday’s village polls to ensure peaceful and honest elections.

Tan said he wanted orderly and credible elections in the province’s 19 towns and warned mayors to stay out of the village polls.

“We have ordered police and military forces to guard the elections on Monday and to ensure that the polls are credible, honest and orderly. We want the villagers to vote according to their conscience and free will,” he said.

Security officials met with Tan in Maimbung town and discussed about the security during the elections.

Brigadier General Mario Monteja, commander of military forces in Sulu, said they have coordinated with the police and deployed troops around the province to ensure elections are orderly.

“We have coordinated with our police counterpart and everything is in order,” Monteja said.

Monteja’s group also awarded Tan a plaque of appreciation for his support to the military’s peace and order efforts in the province.

Police and soldiers, backed by armored vehicles, have taken up positions near polling places in preparation for the elections. Authorities also put up a command center in the capital town of Jolo to monitor the conduct of elections. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sulu fast becoming Mindanao gateway to South Asia

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan briefs Gawad Kalinga people in Maimbung town where the provincial government built many housing projects for the poor. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 9, 2010) – Sulu indeed has changed. From a war-torn province where troops and rebels battle over control of the territory, Sulu is fast becoming a gateway to Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

Now with an airport bigger than the Zamboanga International Airport, Sulu hopes to attract more airliners to open routes in the province. Philippine Air Lines has already opened its regular 3 times-a-week flights from Zamboanga City to Sulu and further boosting trade and commerce in the province.

Ferries also ply the Zamboanga-Sulu-Sandakan routes and traders and travelers come and go. And all these compliment the peace and development programs of the Sulu provincial government, according to Governor Sakur Tan.

Tan, who is now serving a second term, said he implemented various infrastructure projects during his first 100 days and is now continuing in many parts of Sulu. “I really don’t count the number of days of my public service. I just continue working hard for our people, for the development and progress of my beautiful province,” he said.

His first 100 days were marked with ground breaking and inaugurations of many development projects – from urban housing, health and education, to the promotion of tourism and trade in Sulu.

“Ours is a short and long-term program that will surely benefit not only our people and the province, but also the region as well. We have an ambitious peace and development programs that will address poverty,’ Tan said.

Although Sulu gets little projects from the Muslim autonomous regional government, Tan said they learned how to survive on their own by tapping so-called “people power.” “We have our own version of people power and this is the cooperation of the different sector of our society - the people themselves, in making and achieving that change that will benefit us all, our children and the future - in the end. It is simply hard work,” he said.

Tan said he is currently developing Maimbung, a coastal town where he plans to build a fish port and cold storage by January and which would be given to cooperatives, whose members are mostly fishermen and farmers.

“Our fish port and cold storage projects are expected to begin by January and before 2011 ends, Maimbung will then become one of the busiest port and fishing complex in the Sulu archipelago,” he said.

On top of that, Tan said he would also build a market place where locals can sell their catch and other marine products. Tan, after his inauguration in June, immediately ordered government engineers to build a school that would offer free education to locals specializing in fishery and agriculture.

Among Tan’s other projects during his first 100 days in office include fish cages and lobster fattening and seaweed farming in many coastal areas where fishermen formed themselves into cooperatives.

“I am a firm believer of cooperatives and we have aggressively promoted and formed many cooperatives that benefitted our farmers and fisher folks and even housewives are now members of cooperatives and they are enjoying the livelihood benefits of all these projects and programs,” he said.

Tan, a known philanthropist and religious man, said he would like to see Sulu as a peaceful and progressive province, a former seat of government of the once powerful Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo which ruled over much of the southern Philippines in the past. At its peak, it stretched over the islands that bordered the western peninsula of Mindanao in the east to Palawan in the north. It also covers the area in northeastern side of Borneo, stretching from Kimanis in now Sabah, to Tepian Durian in now Kalimantan. (Mindanao Examiner)

Wow Sulu! Patikul Municipality

Mindanao Examiner Productions - Photo by Mark Navales, Art work by Jung Francisco.

"Wow Sulu" is a tourism slogan of Governor Sakur Tan, of the province of Sulu, the 15th largest island of the Philippine Archipelago in terms of the area, spanning 1,600 square kilometers. Sulu is a part of the Sulu Archipelago, which stretches from the tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula to the island of Borneo. The main island and also its islets are located between the island-provinces of Basilan to the northeast, and Tawi-Tawi to the southwest.

Sulu is located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Its capital is Jolo and occupies the middle group of islands of the Sulu Archipelago, between Basilan and Tawi-Tawi. It is home to the historical Sultanate of Sulu.

Malaysia praises private sectors in Sabah, Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 26, 2010) – Malaysia has praised efforts by private sectors in Sabah and Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines to improve bilateral trade between the two neighbors.

Malaysia and the Philippines are part of the East ASEAN Growth Area to which Indonesia and Brunei are also members. The four countries have forged an agreement to achieve certain objectives, which include facilitating the free movement of people, goods, and services; share common infrastructure and natural resources; and pursue economic complementation.

While ASEAN is an acronym of Association of Southeast Asian Nations, an alliance of 10 countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Its aims include the acceleration of economic growth, social progress, cultural development among its members, the protection of the peace and stability of the region, and to provide opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully.

Malaysia’s State Industrial Development Minister Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah said this was crucial to face changes and challenges in the global business. He said the private sectors in Sabah and Zamboanga have agreed to find the right mechanism to boost bilateral trade under the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area.

“The move will pave the way for higher bilateral trade volume,” Malaysia’s Bernama news agency quoted him as telling reporters after discussions with the private sectors, consultant companies and Manila-based Asian Development Bank involved in the Sandakan-Zamboanga bilateral trade.

It said among matters discussed during the meeting were the upgrading of customs, immigration and port services and increasing the number of ferries plying between Sandakan and Zamboanga.

“The improvements would facilitate higher two-way trade volume and woo more traders from neighboring countries to do business in this district,” Tan said referring to Sandakan, the second largest city in Sabah whose harbor is an inlet of the Sulu Sea.

He said the main focus was to upgrade services at Sandakan and Zamboanga ports as they were the gateways between Sabah and the southern Philippines. He said the Asian Development Bank also appointed a consultant company that would conduct a study and provide suggestions to improve services at the two ports.

“This is a positive development to boost bilateral trade between the private sector here and in Zamboanga. I hope after the study has been completed will be followed up with implementation of the ways recommended to improve services. This is crucial because of the keen competition in the global business environment,” he added.

Zamboanga City which lies on the tip of western Mindanao is the center of trade of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, all part of the Muslim autonomous region. It is also why Zamboanga remains one of the wealthiest cities in Mindanao.

In Sulu, Governor Sakur Tan is also pursuing efforts to hasten trade and commerce between Sabah and his province. He said the recent renovation of the Sulu airport would boost domestic trade and in return increase the flow of commerce in the provinces and Zamboanga City.

“We have trade and various programs that aim to attract investments and we are linking up with our neighbors to help in pursuing the mission and vision of the BIMP-EAGA,” Tan said.

The airport in Sulu, whose renovation was funded by the US and the Philippine governments, can accommodate larger aircrafts. And Sulu’s bustling ports are also gateway to Malaysia and Indonesia. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sulu launches coffee processing center

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 20, 2010) - Sulu province has formally launched its coffee processing center and is expected to boost coffee production and eventually helped local cooperatives as part of a massive agricultural program that aims to provide additional livelihoods to farmers.

Governor Sakur Tan said Sulu is one of the major producers of high quality coffee beans - Arabica and Robusta – and is the most sought after not only in the Philippines, but other Asian and European countries as well because of its distinct aroma and flavor.

Tan said the Sulu Coffee Processing Center is a joint project of the Sulu provincial government and the Act for Peace Programme headed by its area manager Suharto Abbas.

The Act for Peace Programme under its industry-based component provided some P999, 300 for the purchase of machineries while the provincial government shouldered the construction of the building that houses the coffee processing center.

The main proponent of the project is the Task Force Kahawa Sug which literally means “Sulu coffee.”

Tan said at least 56 cooperatives will benefit from the project. “We are really working hard to come up with more projects like this coffee processing center and more cooperatives will also benefit from this,” he said.

The governor has urged farmers and fishermen to form themselves into cooperatives and avail of the many various projects of the provincial government. Tan said he would also built a school which would specialize in agriculture and fisheries and offer free education to all in Sulu. (With a report from Jung Francisco)

Sulu holds peaceful Hari Raya celebration

Muslims pray outside the Sulu Capitol building in the southern Philippines as Governor Sakur Tan led the celebration the Eid al Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 11, 2010) – Tens of thousands of Muslims took to the streets in Sulu province to celebrate the Hari Raya which marked the end of the holy month of Ramadan, police said Saturday.

Police said the Eid’l Fitri celebration passed on Friday without any incidents as Muslims prayed in mosques and filled the streets across Sulu, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

“People ended the Ramadan and celebrate the Eid with prayers across Sulu. The celebration is peaceful and joyous. There was no report of any violence, nothing, but peaceful celebration of the Hari Raya,” said Chief Inspector Amil Baanan, operations chief of the Sulu police force.

He said the governor of Sulu, Sakur Tan, led thousands of Muslims in the Hari Raya prayers held at a vast field in the town of Patikul. “The governor – as he did in the past - led thousands of Muslims in the prayers to mark the end of the holy month and the Eid celebration,” Baanan said.

Baanan said Tan later met with various business and civil groups in Sulu and also held a meeting with security commanders and government officials.

The Philippine Air Lines also opened its regular 3 times-a-week flights from Zamboanga to Sulu on Friday and further boosting trade and commerce in the province.

Last year, the Hari Raya celebration was disrupted by drastic military operations in Sulu after Marine General Benjamin Dolorfino, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, ordered the bombings of rebel targets in the province.

The military offensive triggered deadly attacks against security targets from rebel forces and widespread criticisms from conservative Muslims in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

Police tag more suspects in Zamboanga airport suicide bombing

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 4, 2010) – Philippine police have implicated a former lawmaker and two defeated mayors as allegedly behind the failed assassination of Sulu Governor Sakur Tan in a suicide bombing outside the Zamboanga International Airport.

Tan was among over two dozen people wounded in the August 5 terror attack. The bomber, Reynaldo Apilado, and Hatimil Haron, one of his cohorts, were killed in the blast.

Chief Superintendent Edwin Corvera, the regional police chief, said former Sulu Representative Munir Arbison was implicated by witnesses to the bombing, including two of his political allies, ex-mayors Najib Maldiza of Maimbung town, and Ahmad Nanoh, of Pangutaran.

Arbison ran against Tan in general elections in May this year, but he lost. Both Maldiza and Nanoh also lost in the elections.

Senior Superintendent Edwin Diocos, regional chief of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said the three politicians were implicated by at least 4 witnesses who claimed to have knowledge of the failed assassination of Tan.

“Based on the testimonies of witnesses that they were among (those) who talked (and) conspired with each other (to kill Tan) in a certain place here in Zamboanga City and somewhere in Manila,” Diocos told reporters, adding the witnesses were present during the planning to assassinate Tan.

“The four witnesses were there present during the planning,” he said.

Police also implicated at least three more men – Allan Sabudin, Muamar Astali and Adong Salahuddin – in the attack after they were seen in a hotel security video in Zamboanga City together with Apilado and Haron before the bombing. The three men remain at large.

But police also accused Maulana Omar, Jojo Adam, Musimar Alih, Munir Hadjirul and several more who are allies of Arbison in the failed assassination of Tan.

Arbison in an interview with a local television station has denied all the accusations against him. “We will answer all the accusations. I know my conscience is clean,” he told TV 11.

Tan also survived a roadside bombing last year in Sulu province, but ten of his companions, including a town mayor, were wounded in the attack. One of the suspects in the bombing, Abner Tahil alias Abs was arrested late last month in the village of Kasangyangan in Jolo town in Sulu.

Tahil was also being investigated for his role in the latest attack on Tan.

National police chief Jesus Versoza said the attack was connected to the failed assassination of Tan last year. Police blamed the roadside explosion to the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf after two of its bombers were captured in a firefight with security forces and they pointed to Tan’s political foes as the mastermind in the failed assassination.

Corvera previously said they have received information from people claiming to have knowledge or were involved in the failed assassination of Tan. He said most of the information was passed to them through a police hotline they put up after the bombing.

He said information they received allegedly tagged a defeated congressional aspirant in Sulu province as behind the airport bombing while another implicated two defeated town mayors who are known political foes of the governor, and several policemen and that a bounty was put up by the mastermind to assassinate Tan. A third politician in Sulu, who lost in the May elections, was also implicated in the bombing. (Mindanao Examiner)

Alleged brains behind Zambo airport blast tagged: ABS-CBN

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Three former Sulu officials were identified by police on Friday as the alleged masterminds in the August 5 blast at the Zamboanga airport.

Former Sulu 1st District Rep. Munir Arbison, former Maimbung Mayor Najib Maldiza, and former Pangutaran Mayor Ahmad Nanoh were the brains behind the blast, according to Chief Superintendent Edwin Corvera, Zamboanga Peninsula regional police director.

The attack killed 2 people, including the suspected bomber, and injured 22 others.

Corvera said police have submitted additional information to the Department of Justice, adding the names of the 3 former officials on the list of suspects in the attack.

The other names added on the list of suspects are Maulana Omar, Jojo Adam, Musimar Alih, and a certain Munir Hadjirul, police said.

Multiple frustrated murder and multiple attempted murder charges were earlier filed against 3 suspects -- Allan Saibuddin, Addung Salahuddin, and a John Doe.

Corvera said 4 witnesses have submitted sworn affidavits implicating the 3 former Sulu officials and 4 other suspects.

Senior Superintendent Edwin Diocos, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) regional director, said the witnesses took part in planning the airport bombing, which targeted Sulu Governor Abdul Sakur Tan.

The witnesses claimed that Arbison, Maldiza, and Nanoh hatched three separate plans to kill Tan, Diocos said.

The supposed schemes include a car bomb and the May 13, 2009 Patikul attack on the governor’s convoy.

The airport blast was “Plan C,” the CIDG official said.

Zamboanga City prosecutor Ricardo Cabaron is evaluating the affidavits of the witnesses to determine whether to charge the 3 former Sulu officials and the other suspects named in the case. (ABS-CBN Zamboanga - RJ Rosalado)


Link: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/09/03/10/alleged-brains-behind-zambo-airport-blast-tagged

Exotic fruits flood Sulu province

Exotic fruits, among them durian, are now flooding in the southern Philippine province of Sulu as peace and order continue to improve as locals prepare for the celebration of the Hari Raya festival, says Sulu Governor Dr Sakur Tan. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 3, 2010) – Exotic fruits are now flooding in the southern Philippine province of Sulu as peace and order continue to improve as locals prepare for the celebration of the Hari Raya festival.

Among the fruits that are bountiful now in Sulu are durian (Durio zibethinus), mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) and lanzones (Lansium domesticum) and farmers sell them at low prices that locals now are feasting on homemade jams.

Local officials attribute the bountiful harvests to the stable peace and security situation in Sulu, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

“Peace and order is very good. The security situation is excellent and trade and commerce are alive. Farmers enjoy the bountiful harvests and we have tons and tons of fruits – durian, mangosteen, lanzones among others,” said Sulu Governor Sakur Tan.

He said farmers can freely harvest their fruits without fear of attacks from rebels or operations by government forces.

And because there are so much fruits in Sulu, a medium-sized durian now sells for as low as 10 pesos each while a kilo of mangosteen is peg at 5 pesos and lanzones at 3 pesos a kilo.

Traders in nearby Zamboanga City and Basilan province are hauling the fruits and resell them at higher prices. In Zamboanga, durian sells for as much as 100 pesos a piece. Some even send them to as far as Manila where eating durian is a luxury rather than a delicacy because of its expensive prices there.

Sulu durian is considered by many as the best in the Philippines because of its small seeds and sweet white and yellow flesh.

Locals are now preparing for the Islamic festival Eid’l Fitr. The festival, which falls next week, marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Eid’l Fitr is one of the highlights of the Muslim cultural and religious calendar. It is celebrated at the end of the fasting month or Ramadan, when the new moon is sighted.

The Malay words ‘Hari Raya' translate as 'Day of Celebration' or the ‘Festival of Breaking the Fast'. Muslims usually attend Eid prayers in mosque in the morning. The celebrations begin with the birth of the new moon of Syawal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar.

The celebration will also coincide with the maiden flights of Philippine Air Lines to Sulu from Zamboanga City. Effective September 10, PAL flies between Zamboanga and Jolo three times a week on AirPhil Express-operated flights under our Code Share Agreement.

Sulu is located at the southernmost portion of the Philippines, lying between the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea, and is composed of over 150 islands and islets.

It boasts of a number of fine beaches, one of which is the famous Tubbataha Reef, a 33,200 hectare underwater splendor frequented by divers all over the world. It was honored by United Nations in 1993 as the first natural site in the Philippines to be inscribed in the prestigious World Heritage List. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Governor Wants Failed ARMM Abolished

Sulu Governor Dr Sakur Tan.

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 28, 2010) – An influential Philippine governor has urged President Benigno Aquino to abolish the five-province Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao for its failure to address widespread poverty among other problems since its creation more than two decades ago.

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, (D Hum) in a letter sent to President Benigno Aquino, said the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao also failed to bring developments to the impoverished provinces and fulfill the aspirations of its peoples.

“The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao continues to fail our people. Supposed to be an embodiment of our collective interest and aspiration, the ARMM Regional Government has ably presented itself as a classic example of a pathetic and useless tier in government. More than 3/5 of its budget is for personnel services – only to pay for its officials and employees. It failed to enhance agriculture, fisheries and trade. It is helpless in containing crimes and lawlessness. Education, health and social services continue to degenerate,” Tan wrote in a letter he sent to President Benigno Aquino III.

“His Excellency, Mr. President, the ARMM must double its efforts to move forward if only not to be left behind again and anew as the other regions surge forward. We cannot actively participate as equals in the dialogues of the various communities of Mindanao while our house is in shambles. We have to make the ARMM work,” he said.

The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao or ARMM was first created on August 1, 1989 through Republic Act No. 6734 otherwise known as the Organic Act in pursuance with a constitutional mandate to provide for an autonomous area in Muslim Mindanao.

A plebiscite was held in the provinces of Basilan, Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Palawan, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur; and the cities of Cotabato, Dapitan, Dipolog, General Santos, Iligan, Marawi, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa and Zamboanga to determined if residents would want to be part of the ARMM.

Of the areas where the plebiscites were held only Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, and Sulu, Tawi-Tawi voted favorably for inclusion in the new autonomous region. The ARMM was officially inaugurated on November 6, 1990 in Cotabato City, which was designated as its provisional capital.

In 2001, a new law was passed for the expansion of the Muslim autonomous region to include the areas which initially rejected inclusion and the provinces which were carved from them, however only Marawi and Basilan, with the exception of Isabela City opted to be integrated in the ARMM.

And now, former President Gloria Arroyo and now congresswoman of Pampanga province has filed House Bill No. 173 dividing the ARMM into two regions.

“His Excellency, Mr. President, it has almost been 35 years since the Tripoli Agreement and 15 years since the 1996 Final Peace Agreement. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has been there for the last 22 years. Peace, public order and development continue to elude us. Our people remain poor. Our communities continue to be distraught by lawless violence,” Tan said in his letter.

Tan said the proposal of Arroyo is again fomenting discord. He said Arroyo had failed during her administration to deliver the commitments of the 1996 peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front rebels and almost caused a civil war two years ago by the forging of the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels.

“Such proposal may provide politicians extra window for positioning. However, it does not address the sustained crisis in governance which continues to afflict our people and region. It is high time that we take the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to the task. It is already opportune to put the house in order,” Tan said.

He said the Oversight Committee for ARMM and the Department of Interior and Local Government must actively supervise the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The ARMM has put forward bases, justifications and targets when it submitted its operational budget for congressional funding.

The same, Tan added, must be reviewed and assessed whether these have been met and attained. “The relevance and performance of the offices and functions devolved to the ARMM must be also reconsidered. While we require both local government units and national government agencies to be prudent in fiscal management, the ARMM must also illustrate how well programmed and spent were each centavo the central government has provided it.”

“Due to the widespread discontent amongst the constituents and local officials in the region, there is a clamor for the abolishment of ARMM and revert the region back into the mainstream national system. We support this clamor of the people while taking cognizance of the legalities that have to be hurdled to realize it,” Tan said.

But regional elections in the Muslim autonomous region are scheduled next year and Tan fears politicians will soon start to jockey and seek Aquino’s attention and endorsement.

The Regional Governor and Regional Vice Governor are elected directly like regular local executives. Regional ordinances are created by the Regional Assembly, composed of Assemblymen, also elected by direct vote. Regional elections are usually held one year after general elections depending on what legislation from the Philippine Congress. Regional officials have a fixed term of three years, which can be extended by an act of Congress.

Tan said it may prove more cost-efficient to forego the elections in 2011 and hold the regional elections synchronized with the national and local elections in 2013, if not 2016.

He also proposed the following: “In as much only those favored by Malacanang get to be elected Regional Governor and Vice Governor traditionally, the officials in ARMM should simply be appointed and be directly held accountable by the Central Government.”

“The officials who shall so be appointed as Regional Governor, Regional Vice Governor and members of the Regional Legislative Assembly must be bound with a concrete action program to rehabilitated and develop the autonomous regional government. The two to five years should prove more than sufficient for organizational and institutional rehabilitation and development. It also need not be emphasized that the very people who shall be designated regional governor, regional vice governor and members of the Regional Legislative Assembly be competent enough to perform the functions inherent in their respective office.”

“In as much as the ARMM is both a major expense item of the central government as well as the poorest and most challenged region in the country, it may also prove prudent that His Excellency, the President, appoint a Presidential Adviser or Presidential Assistant for the ARMM who shall coordinate the institutional rehabilitation of the Autonomous Regional Government as well as coordinate all initiatives and public sector investments in the autonomous region. Such Presidential Adviser or Presidential Assistant shall ensure that the entire autonomous region is working soundly and is producing results and that the general welfare of the people is promoted and enhanced.”

Copies of the August 20 letter were also sent to Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, the Senate President; Representative Feliciano Belmonte, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo. (Mindanao Examiner)

Police arrest suspect in failed assassination of Philippine governor

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 26, 2010) – Police have arrested one of the suspects in the failed assassination of a Philippine governor in a raid in the southern province of Sulu, officials said Thursday.

Officials said commandos raided a hideout and captured Abner Tahil alias Abs in the village of Kasangyangan in Jolo town. Tahil, who was implicated by the police in the roadside bombing which targeted Sulu Governor Sakur Tan last year in Patikul town.

Police said ten people were injured in the attack, including a town mayor, after a motorcycle rigged with explosives, was remotely detonated as Tan convoy was passing by.

Tahil was surprised by the raid and did not resist arrest, said Chief Inspector Amil Baanan, operations chief of the provincial police force. “The arrest of Tahil is part of a long intelligence operation,” Baanan said.

He said Senior Superintendent Joseph Ramac, the Sulu police chief, ordered security forces to intensify the hunt for other suspects in the bombing following the capture of Tahil in Jolo town.

Tahil is also being investigated for his role in a suicide bombing that also targeted Tan in Zamboanga City last month.

Tan was among more than two dozen people injured in the bombing outside the Zamboanga International Airport.

The bomber, Reynaldo Apilado, and Hatimil Haron, one of his cohorts, were killed in the blast. Police also implicated at least three more men – Allan Sabudin, Muamar Astali and Adong Salahuddin – in the attack after they were seen in a hotel security video in Zamboanga City together with Apilado and Haron before the bombing. The three men remain at large.

National police chief Jesus Versoza said the attack was connected to the failed assassination of Tan last year. “This is connected to the failed assassination of Governor Tan last year. We are looking into all angles and motives of the attack,” he said.

Police said blamed last year attack on Tan to the militant group Abu Sayyaf, saying, two of the bombers were captured in a firefight with police commandos and they pointed to Tan’s political foes as the mastermind in the failed assassination.

Tan said more witnesses to the latest bombing have come out in the open and implicated several people as behind the attack. “Witnesses are coming out now and telling authorities that some people are also involved in the bombing,” he said, adding, authorities are now investigating the reports.

Regional police chief Edwin Corvera said they have received information from people claiming to have knowledge or were involved in the failed assassination of Tan. He said most of the information was passed to them through a police hotline they put up after the bombing.

He said information they received allegedly tagged a defeated congressional aspirant in Sulu province as behind the airport bombing while another implicated two defeated town mayors who are known political foes of the governor, and several policemen and that a bounty was put up by the mastermind to assassinate Tan. A third politician in Sulu, who lost in the May elections, was also implicated in the bombing. (Mindanao Examiner)

Hunt for more suspects in Zamboanga suicide bombing continues

Two members of the Philippine National Police SWAT team guard the perimeter of the Zamboanga International Airport after a suicide bombing Thursday, August 5, 2010 in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 16, 2010) – Philippine authorities continue to hunt down other suspects in the deadly airport suicide bombing in the southern port city of Zamboanga.

Police have so far identified at least six men involved in the August 5 attack which targeted the governor of Sulu province, Sakur Tan, who was among the more than two dozen people wounded in the blast outside the Zamboanga International Airport.

The bomber, Reynaldo Apilado, and Hatimil Haron, were killed in the blast. Police said four more men – Allan Sabudin, Muamar Astali, Adong Salahuddin and another suspect identified only as Abs – were involved in the attack.

Officials said Haron, a native of Basilan province, was an accomplice of the bomber, who lived on a seaside village of Caragasan in Zamboanga City.

National police chief Jesus Versoza said the attack was connected to the failed assassination of Tan last year in Sulu. “This is connected to the failed assassination of Governor Tan last year. We are looking into all angles and motives of the attack,” he said.

Tan survived a roadside bombing in Patikul town, but ten of his companions, including a town mayor, were wounded in the attack blamed to the militant group Abu Sayyaf.

Two of the Abu Sayyaf bombers were captured last year in a firefight with police commandos and pointed to Tan’s political foes as the mastermind in the failed assassination.

Tan said more witnesses to the latest bombing have come out in the open and implicated several people as behind the attack. “Witnesses are coming out now and telling authorities that some people are also involved in the bombing,” he said, adding, authorities are now investigating the reports.

Regional police chief Edwin Corvera last week said they received information from people claiming to have knowledge or were involved in the failed assassination of Tan. He said most of the information was passed to them through a police hotline they put up after the bombing.

He said information they received allegedly tagged a defeated congressional aspirant in Sulu province, Temogen Tulawie, as behind the airport bombing while another implicated two defeated town mayors in Sulu who are known political foes of the governor, and several policemen and that a bounty was put up by the mastermind to assassinate Tan. A third politician in Sulu, who lost in the May elections, was also implicated in the bombing.

Tulawie has denied involvement in the latest bombing, but police said he was also one of the suspects in last year’s failed assassination of Tan.

The National Bureau of Investigation also started its own probe into the failed assassination of Tan and met with the governor in Zamboanga City just recently. But details or progress of its investigation was unknown.

Tan, a known philanthropist and a religious man, was re-elected in May as governor of Sulu, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, where municipal mayors were urging him to run as regional governor in next year’s polls. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kidnappings-for-ransom, virtual cottage industry in Mindanao

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Mindanao lawmakers condemn Zambo airport blast

MANILA, Philippines — With two persons killed while 22 others were wounded, including Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan, two lawmakers from Mindanao condemned as dastardly act the blast Thursday night outside the arrival area of the Zamboanga City International Airport.

"We are saddened by the blast in our airport. We are victims of such a dastardly act which violated the very essence of our City we dearly love and protect," House Deputy Speaker and Zamboanga City Representative Maria Isabelle Climaco said.

Climaco said measures to address security and investigate the matter were being done.

"We reiterate our aspiration to bring about development in our city, a hub to neighboring cities and municipalities," she said.

According to reports, the bomb exploded at around 6:20 p.m. Thursday, minutes after the Philippine Airlines flight from Manila arrived at the airport. Tan and the other victims were passengers of the PAL aircraft.

Sulu Representative Tupay Loong also condemned the latest bombing incident in Zamboanga City, saying "this was another cowardly act and un-Islamic that deserves the strongest form of condemnation. Only the most cruel and merciless are capable of such acts that victimized ordinary travelers and their innocent families."

Loong called on authorities to conduct an immediate, thorough investigation on the incident "to determine the real culprits of the bombing, so that justice may be immediately served."

He, however, said that authorities should desist from using "haphazard methods" in investigating the bombing incident.

"The true perpetrators of the crime must be arrested and not any fall guys they (authorities) will just pick up from the streets. The (real) perpetrators must be put behind bars," he said.

The Philippine National Police activated a special investigation task group to assist the crisis management committee now investigating the bombing incident. (Lilybeth G. Ison)

Police begins probe into Zamboanga airport bombing

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan shows reporters his wound Friday, August 6, 2010 after a suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive outside the Zamboanga International Airport in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. Tan, 60, says he was the target of the attack that also killed a civilian and wounded at least 24 others, including a British man Charles McKerchar, 69. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 6, 2010) – Police ordered a thorough investigation into a bombing in Zamboanga City that nearly killed an influential politician in the southern Philippines.

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan survived a suicide bombing shortly after he stepped out of the Zamboanga International Airport on Thursday evening, but a civilian was killed along with the bomber. At least two dozen people, including a British man, Charles McKerchar, airport were also wounded in the blast.

Tan admitted that he has been receiving death threats from political foes and said he was the target of the attack. “There were people telling me to take precautions because I will be bombed and that I will be killed,” he said.

Police have identified the bomber as Reynaldo Apilado, a carpenter, who lived on a village called Caragasan. One of his neighbors said she last saw Apilado carrying a green travelling bag on Thursday morning.

“I saw him and he was carrying a green travelling bag. I was shocked to learn that he was the man they said bombed the airport,” Apilado’s neighbor said.

Philippine police chief Jesus Versoza flew to Zamboanga City on Friday and met with Tan together with Marine General Benjamin Dolorfino and talked about the attempt on the life of the politician, a known philanthropist and a religious man.

“God saved me,” Tan said, adding, he was just a meter from the bomber when his backpack exploded.

Tan believes rival politicians with links to "terrorists" orchestrated the attack, and that he suspected the same people were behind an attempt on his life in May last year. “It is being investigated now by the authorities.”

A roadside bombing in May 13, 2009 also wounded Tan and at least 10 people who were in his convoy in Patikul town in Sulu province. Police said blamed the attack to Tan’s political foes after two Abu Sayyaf militants captured days after the bombing implicated them in the failed assassination.

The Philippine military confirmed that one of the men killed was carrying the bomb, but said authorities were still investigating whether there was a second man who could have remotely detonated the explosive.

“Authorities are reviewing the CCTV footage from the airport security camera,” Dolorfino said. “You can see Reynaldo on the video (footage) and he was just standing outside the airport arrival area just before the blast. He was just loitering there.”

The bombing occurred on the eve of visit of US Ambassador Harry Thomas who was to address human trafficking, among others, in Zamboanga.

Thomas cancelled his Friday visit because of the bombing. “Knowing that the PNP (Philippine National Police) is working hard to investigate this tragic incident, and understanding that my visit would require a great deal of security support, I have decided to postpone the visit I had planned today in order to avoid distracting the PNP from their most urgent task – investigating this heinous attack,” he said.

Thomas also condemned the bombing. “I deplore this heinous crime that victimized ordinary travelers. Our condolences to the innocent deceased and wounded victims of this brutal attack,” he said, adding, Washington stands ready to offer any assistance requested by Philippine authorities so that those responsible may swiftly be brought to justice. (Mindanao Examiner)

Bomber Killed, 16 Others Wounded In Suicide Attack In Zamboanga City

One person was killed and more than a dozen wounded in an apparent suicide bombing Thursday evening outside the Zamboanga International Airport in the southern Philippines. Police said the target of the attack was Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, who was also injured in the blast. Tan was getting out of the airport when the blast occurred. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 5, 2010) – One person was killed and more than a dozen wounded in an apparent suicide bombing Thursday evening outside the Zamboanga International Airport in the southern Philippines, police said.

Police said the target of the attack was Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, who was also injured in the blast. Tan was getting out of the airport after returning from Manila when the blast occurred.

“There were a lot of people waiting for their relatives to come out of the arrival area and I was near the man, in fact I saw the flash from the explosion,” he told reporters.

The powerful explosion decapitated the body of the bomber, police said. At least 16 people, including a Caucasian, were wounded in the attack. “The target of the attack was Governor Sakur Tan. It was a suicide attack and Tan was lucky to escape only with minor injuries,” a member of the SWAT team guarding the airport said.

Tan would not say whether the attack was politically motivated or not or who was behind it. Tan said he filed corruption and criminal charges against several politicians in Sulu. “It is too early to say who was behind the attack. Let us wait for the investigation of the police,” he said.

Tan, a known religious man and a philanthropist, said he was heading to Sulu when the attack occurred. Tan is to meet with Philippine police chief Jesus Versoza in Sulu on Friday for an important conference.

Last year, Tan also survived an Abu Sayyaf roadside bombing in Sulu which police claimed was masterminded by his political foes. (Mindanao Examiner)