Kidnapped school canteen manager rescued in Basilan province

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 19, 2010) – Government troops rescued a kidnapped school canteen manager after arresting one of her captors in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, officials told the Mindanao Examiner on Friday.

Officials said Examinda Lindio was rescued at a house owned by Arvin Artiaga in Basilan’s Lamitan City on Thursday afternoon. Her rescue came about after Artiaga was arrested by soldiers, said Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command.

“Artiaga was arrested by the government soldiers for his involvement in the abduction of Examinda Lindo,” she said.

It was unknown whether Artiaga is a member of any rebel groups in Basilan province, several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City.

Police earlier tagged Abu Sayyaf militants under Pulah Montong. It said the woman was reported missing March 6 until the kidnappers contacted Lindio’s family to say that she was being held hostage. The gang demanded two million pesos for her safe release.

Police and military previously warned that the Abu Sayyaf may strike at any opportune time. The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for many kidnappings and terrorism in the southern Philippines.

Just this month, security forces captured an Abu Sayyaf base in Basilan and killed at least 6 militants in an ensuing firefight. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kidnapped boy recovered in Basilan province

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 2, 2009) – Military authorities on Sunday said a kidnapped five-year old boy was recovered in Basilan province in the southern Philippines.

Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command, said the victim, Joven Aries dela Cruz was recovered on Saturday in the town of Mohammad Ajul.

The boy was seized July 28 by two motorcycle gunmen in front of his house in Lamitan City.

“The victim is presently under the custodial care of Mayor Pawaki. He will be brought to Lamitan for medical examination,” Cacho said.

Cacho was referring to the mayor of Mohammad Ajul, Talib Pawaki, who negotiated for the boy’s release. It was not immediately known if ransom was paid in exchange for the boy’s freedom.

“I don’t think ransom was paid,” Cacho said without further elaborating.

Details of the negotiations or how the boy, the son of a carpenter, was recovered were unclear. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the boy’s kidnapping, but previous incidents in the troubled province were largely blamed to Abu Sayyaf militants whose group has links with the Indonesian terrorist Jemaah Islamiya.

Last month, security forces also rescued two abducted fishermen - Ronnie Nabi and Renante Saquien - after a firefight with suspected Moro rebels in Basilan, just several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City.

The two were rescued in Akbar town after policemen, backed by soldiers stormed the village of Semut and clashed with the kidnappers. The fishermen were abducted off Basilan in March after gunmen attacked their trawler and killed three of its crew.

In January, Abu Sayyaf gunmen also intercepted a small boat carrying state teachers off Zamboanga City and seized the trio and brought them by boat to Basilan and freed in May after private negotiators allegedly paid huge ransoms for their liberty.

More than two dozen civilians, including a Sri Lankan peace worker, were kidnapped for ransom and eventually freed in Basilan since early this year. (Mindanao Examiner)

Farm worker killed, 8 others seized as Moro rebels raid Basilan village

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 10, 2009) – Suspected Moro rebels seized raided a farm Friday and shot and killed one worker and seized eight people in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, officials said.

Officials said among those abducted in the farm in the village of Upper Arco in the outskirts of Lamitan City were five children, including a two-year old girl. The slain civilian was identified as Jacinto Clemen.

Those taken by the rebels were identified as Cosme Aballes, 54; Hernald Chavez, 22; Ricky delos Santos, 13; Allan delos Santos, 8; Mary Jane delos Santos, 6; Mary Anne delos Santos, 5; Keiyben delos Santos, 3; and Mary Grace delos Santos, 2.

Security were sent to Lamitan to track down about 40 gunmen who were believed to be members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in Mindanao.

The motive of the attack was unknown and the MILF said it would verify the reports.

“We still have no reports about it. We will verify this report and whether MILF rebels are behind this incident,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, told the Mindanao Examiner. (Mindanao Examiner)

Abu Sayyaf hostage freed in southern Philippines

ISABELA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 01, 2009) – Kidnappers freed a nine-year old boy on Wednesday after two months in captivity in the southern Filipino province of Basilan, officials said.

Officials said Chester Gruta was released to negotiators sent by Lamitan City Mayor Roderick Furigay in the town of Mohamad Adjul shortly before 4 p.m.

“There was no ransom paid for the freedom of the boy. This was the result of long negotiations with the kidnappers,” Furigay’s aide, Nick Catsro, told reporters.

He said the boy was reunited with his family and will be brought to Zamboanga City for a medical examination. “Mayor Furigay is happy with the release of the boy,” he said.

Castro did not name the negotiators, but said Furigay tapped them to seek the freed of Gruta, who was kidnapped while buying a bottle of vinegar at a store in Lamitan City.
Police linked the Abu Sayyaf group to the kidnapping of the boy.

The group is also holding three government teachers Quizon G. Freires, 28; Janette C. Delos Reyes, 29; and Rafael L. Mayonado, 24, kidnapped in January in Zamboanga City and a lending firm collector Leah Patris, seized near Basilan’s Maluso town in February and a Sri Lankan national, Umar Jaleel, a member of the international peace advocate group called Nonviolent Peaceforce, who was kidnapped in February 13 in Lamitan City.

The kidnappers demanded millions of pesos in ransom for the safe release of the hostages. (Mindanao Examiner)

Troops rescue kidnapped boy in Basilan province

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 17, 2009) – Security forces rescued Tuesday a seven-year old boy hours after two gunmen kidnapped him in the southern Philippine province of Basilan.

Al Rasheed Sakkalahul, the provincial vice governor, said soldiers clashed with the gunmen and rescued the boy, Alson Porticos, in the village of Tinog in Lamitan City.

Gunmen snatched Porticos, son of a banker, at around 12 noon while on his way to school near their house in Sunrise village in Isabela City.

The victim was on a motorbike with his sister Shalinnete Porticos and driver Alejandro Porticos when two armed men stopped them on a highway. The boy's sister managed to escape and told his father about the kidnapping.

"The quick response of the authorities led to the rescue of the boy and the arrest of the kidnappers," Sakkalahul told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said one of the kidnappers was wounded in the clash and captured by soldiers and policemen. The other, he said, escaped, but is being hunted down by the soldiers.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in Western Mindanao, said security forces have intensified its patrol in Basilan and that soldiers and policemen put checkpoints in key areas in the province.

“Military and police have intensified security operations in Basilan and the rescue of the boy proved that security forces are ready to respond to the problems of lawlessness in the province,” he said.

Abu Sayyaf militants are still holding a nine-year old boy, Chester Gruta; a lending firm employee, Leah Patris; three government teachers - Freires Quizon, Janette delos Reyes and Rafael Mayorada, and Sri Lankan peace activist Umar Jaleel.

The secluded Basilan Governor Jum Akbar has declared an all-out war against kidnappers in the province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sri Lankan peace activist kidnapped in Basilan island

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 13, 2009) – Filipino gunmen seized a Sri Lankan peace activist in the troubled island of Basilan, south of the Philippines, where troops are fighting Abu Sayyaf terrorists, officials said.

Officials said about a dozen gunmen seized Umar Jaleel from the nonpartisan group called Non-Violent Peace Force inside his headquarters in Lamitan town before dawn.

“There is an ongoing operation. Troops are pursuing the kidnappers in the hinterlands,” Marine Brig. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, commander of military forces in Basilan Island, south of Zamboanga City, told the Mindanao Examiner.

A Filipino caretaker who was also taken by gunmen was able to escape and reported the matter to the authorities, he said.

No group claimed responsibility for the latest kidnapping, but Abu Sayyaf terrorists and Moro rebels are actively operating in Basilan, where they are holding hostage six more people.

“We don’t know the motive of the kidnapping and even a peace activist was not spared by the lawless elements,” Guerrero said.

He said Jaleel’s group is monitoring the implementation of the 1996 peace agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front. “Jaleel is a good man and I have worked with him in the past in promoting peace in Basilan,” he said.

The Non-Violent Peace Force is also operating in Sulu province, where the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped three Red Cross workers, Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba.

The Abu Sayyaf reportedly demanded as much as $10 million ransom. (Mindanao Examiner)

Boy kidnapped in Basilan Island

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 01, 2009) – Gunmen abducted a nine-year old boy in Lamitan City in the southern Filipino province of Basilan, police said Sunday.

Police said the boy, Chester Gruta, was just buying a bottle of vinegar at a store in Lamitan City late Saturday when the assailants seized him and fled on a motorcycle. “There is a police operation now to locate the boy,” Chief Supt. Bensali Jabarani, the regional police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said police is still investigating the motive of the abduction and that he ordered additional patrol in Basilan.

Jabarani appealed to the public to stay vigilant in the wake of the spate of kidnappings in Basilan, one of six provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region.

“Citizens should stay vigilant and report any suspicious persons to the authorities,” he said.

Last Wednesday, a midwife, Elizar Gomera, 45, was also kidnapped in Lamitan City.

No group claimed responsibility for the latest kidnapping, but authorities previously blamed the Abu Sayyaf as behind the spate of kidnappings. The Abu Sayyaf is believed to be holding a bakery owner Eliseo Hablo and three government teachers Freires Quizon, Janette delos Reyes and Rafael Mayorada – all kidnapped in Zamboanga City and brought by boat to Basilan island.

The group holding the teachers has demanded P6 million in exchange for the freedom of the hostages, but authorities said the government has a strict no-ransom policy and ruled out payments of ransom to the kidnappers.

Police said the latest kidnapping could be the handiwork of criminal gangs victimizing innocent civilians in an effort to raise ransom for the purchase of weapons and to finance future operations.

More than a dozen people had been kidnapped in Basilan and Zamboanga City in recent months and most of those freed had paid millions of pesos in ransoms. (Mindanao Examiner)

Midwife kidnapped in Basilan Island in South RP

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 29, 2009) – A Filipino midwife was kidnapped in the Basilan island, a known stronghold of Abu Sayyaf militants blamed by Manila for the spate of abductions and terrorism in the troubled region of Mindanao.

Kidnappers had phoned the victim’s superior on Thursday to say they are holding the midwife, Elizar Gomera, who is working for the Lamitan City government. The 45-year old victim was reported missing on Wednesday after he went to the village of Parangbasak to help deliver a baby.

No group claimed responsibility for the latest kidnapping, but authorities suspect the Abu Sayyaf could be behind it. The group is still holding a trader Eliseo Hablo and three government teachers Freires Quizon, Janette delos Reyes and Rafael Mayorada – all kidnapped in Zamboanga City and brought by boat to Basilan island.

The gangs holding the teachers have demanded P6 million in exchange for the freedom of the hostages, but authorities said the government has a strict no-ransom policy and ruled out payments of ransom to the kidnappers.

But copycat attacks had also been carried out by criminal gangs from Basilan victimizing innocent civilians in Zamboanga City in an effort to raise money from ransom collected for the purchase of weapons and to finance future kidnappings.

More than a dozen people had been kidnapped in Basilan and Zamboanga City in recent months and most of those freed had paid millions of pesos in ransoms. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gunmen free remaining kidnapped victim in Basilan island

ISABELA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 31, 2008) – Kidnappers freed a nine-year old girl late Wednesday after more than a month in captivity in Basilan island in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said Nicole Raveche, seized by gunmen Nov. 26 in Lamitan City, was released in the village of Languyan in Tuburan town at around 10 p.m. after a series of negotiations by local government officials and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels.

“The girl is now with her family and we are glad it’s finally over. Many people helped in the negotiations for the safe release of the girl,” said Nick Castro, an aide to Lamitan City Mayor Roderick Furigay, who heads the local Crisis Management Committee.

Other sources said Raveche’s family paid an unspecified amount of money to the kidnappers for the girl’s “board and lodging.” The kidnappers originally demanded six million pesos ransom.

On Tuesday, gunmen also freed a kidnapped four-year old girl, Andrea Diman, in Tuburan town, two days after she was snatched in Lamitan City.

Furigay also negotiated for the girl’s safe release. No ransom was paid for her freedom, the mayor said. A former mayor of Tuburan town, Hajarun Jamiri, helped Furigay secure the release of Diman.

But the military has claimed credit for the girl’s release, saying, the kidnappers were freed because of the ongoing offensive against Abu Sayyaf militants in Basilan.

Just recently, Abu Sayyaf kidnappers also released a kidnapped nursing student, Joed Pilangga, after more than two months in captivity in Basilan.

The 17-year old Pilangga was kidnapped Oct. 17 in Zamboanga City and brought by boat to Basilan, where his kidnappers demanded P20 million ransoms for his safe release. Police and military tagged the Abu Sayyaf as behind the kidnapping.

Early this month, gunmen also kidnapped seven construction workers in Basilan, but freed all of them a week later after Furigay negotiated for their release.

Two more people were people were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on December 2 near Maluso town also in Basilan, but they had been freed three days later.

Close to two dozen people had been kidnapped by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants headed by Puruji Indama and Nur Hassan Jamiri in recent months and most of them had been freed in exchange for huge ransoms.

The sudden rise in kidnappings and spate of terrorist attacks in Basilan had been blamed to ransoms collected by the Abu Sayyaf, which was used to purchase more weapons and recruit new members. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kidnapped girl freed, another still being held captive by Sayyaf in Basilan Island

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 30, 2008) – Gunmen freed Tuesday a four-year old girl they kidnapped in the southern Filipino island of Basilan, officials said.

Officials said Andrea Diman was released at around 1 p.m. in the village called Sinulatan in Tuburan town, two days after she was kidnapped in Lamitan City by two motorcycle men.

“There was no ransom or money paid to the kidnappers and the girl is finally reunited with her family,” Nick Castro, an aide of Lamitan Mayor Roderick Furigay, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said Furigay tapped former Tuburan Mayor Hajarun Jamiri to help in getting back the girl. “The former mayor is still influential in Tuburan and he was tapped to recover the girl without anything in return,” Castro said.

But Jamiri was linked by authorities to the bombing in the House of Representatives in November last year that killed Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar. He denied all accusations against him.

Castro said on order of Furigay, the girl was

No other details were made available about the release of the girl, but Jamiri is a brother of Abu Sayyaf leader Nur Hassan Jamiri, who was tagged by the police and military as behind the spate of kidnappings-for-ransom in Basilan in recent months.

It was unknown whether the Abu Sayyaf was behind the kidnapping of Diman, but Castro said the girl’s family is poor.

“The kidnappers thought the girl’s family are wealthy, but there are not. We hope the kidnappings in Basilan would stop,” he said.

Diman was snatched by two men as she was playing with other children Sunday night near a park in Lamitan City, where kidnappers also snatched a nine-year old girl, Nicole Raveche, on Nov. 26.

No group or individuals claimed responsibility for the Diman kidnapping, although authorities suspect the Abu Sayyaf as behind it.Meanwhile, Raveche's kidnappers have asked six million pesos in exchange for her safe release.

Just recently, Abu Sayyaf kidnappers freed a nursing student, Joed Pilangga, after more than two months in captivity in Basilan.

The 17-year old Pilangga was kidnapped Oct. 17 in Zamboanga City and brought by boat to Basilan, where his kidnappers demanded P20 million ransoms for his safe release. Police and military tagged the Abu Sayyaf as behind the kidnapping.

Early this month, gunmen also kidnapped seven construction workers in Basilan, but freed all of them a week later after Furigay negotiated for their release.

Two more people were people were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on December 2 near Maluso town also in Basilan, but they had been freed three days later.

Close to two dozen people had been kidnapped by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants headed by Puruji Indama and Nur Hassan Jamiri in recent months and most of them had been freed in exchange for huge ransoms.

The sudden rise in kidnappings and spate of terrorist attacks in Basilan had been blamed to ransoms collected by the Abu Sayyaf. The money had been used to purchase weapons and recruit members, according to military reports. (Mindanao Examiner)

Filipino girl seized in Basilan Island

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MILF rebels attack village, kill 3 in Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 13, 2008) – Suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels attacked Saturday a village in the southern Philippine island of Basilan, killing two government militias and woman, officials said.

Officials said three more civilians were seized by rebels, using them as shield against pursuing soldiers in the outskirts of Lamitan City. The rebels were led by MILF commander Usman, whose base is in Tipo-Tipo town.

“The rebels opened on houses and killing two militias and a woman,” Mayor Roderick Furigay was quoted as saying.

Nick Castro, the mayor’s aide, identified those killed as Nonie Sahilon, Cesar Alberto and his wife Dahlia Alberto. “The attack forced more than 120 families to flee their homes and sought shelter to safer areas. Mayor Furigay already sent aid workers to assist the refugees,” he said told the Mindanao Examiner.

Castro said many of those who fled their homes are staying at the Balobo Elementary School.

But the military blamed the attack on the Abu Sayyaf group. Our reports said the Abu Sayyaf was responsible for the attack,” said Lt. Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command headquarters, based in Zamboanga City.

She said the Abu Sayyaf is holding the three civilians. “They are being used as human shield by the Abu Sayyaf. The operation against the Abu Sayyaf is going on,” she told reporters.

The military accused the MILF of sheltering the Abu Sayyaf, but rebel leaders denied the allegations and said security forces were just using the operations against the militant group to attack them.

Peace talks between the MILF and the Arroyo government collapsed after the failed signing of the Muslim ancestral domain accord in August. Since then, fighting erupted in many areas in the southern Philippines despite a seven-year old truce.

President Gloria Arroyo opened up peace talks with the MILF in 2001 in an effort to end more than three decades of bloody secessionist war in Mindanao, a region rich in natural resources. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gunmen free 7 kidnapped construction workers in Basilan Island

Kidnapped Filipino construction workers arrive at a military camp for presentation to the media following their release Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008 at Isabela city, the capital of the island province of Basilan in southern Philippines. Gunmen released seven construction workers they kidnapped a week ago after Philippine troops went on the offensive and took over the gunmen's hide-out on southern Basilan island, a military spokeswoman Lt. Steffani Cacho said Tuesday. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 9, 2008) – Gunmen freed seven Filipino construction workers after a weeklong captivity in the hinterlands of the Basilan island in the southern Philippines, officials said on Tuesday.

Officials said the hostages had been released unharmed after a series of negotiations headed started by Lamitan City Mayor Roderick Furigay. The seven had been freed on a village in Tuburan town, said Lt. Steffani Cacho, spokesperson of the Philippine military command in Western Mindanao.

"They were released at around 10.30 p.m. in Tuburan town through the efforts of Mayor Roderick Furigay," she said, adding, no ransom was paid. Details of the negotiations were not immediately available, except that the hostages were handed over to the emissaries of Furigay.

Gunmen seized the seven people after stopping a lorry near Tuburan town on December 1. Authorities initially blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in the kidnappings, but apparently it was carried out by a small criminal gang wanted to get ransom, other sources said.

Two more people were people were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on December 2 near Maluso town also in Basilan island, but they had been freed three days later, said Vice Gov. Al Rasheed Sakalahul.

Two other hostages - Joed Pilangga, a nursing student snatched Oct. 17 in Zamboanga City, and a nine-year old girl seized Nov. 26 in Lamitan City - are still being held by the Abu Sayyaf, a small militant group blamed for the spate of kidnappings for ransom in Basilan and other parts of the southern Philippines.

Military offensive since last week have targeted the Abu Sayyaf, but the larger rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, had been dragged into the skirmishes after it accused government troops of attacking its positions on the island.

In retaliation, the rebels launched a series of attacks against government forces, sparking sporadic, but fierce fighting last week. On Monday, five marines were killed and two dozen more wounded in a firefight with MILF forces in Al-Barka town.

A local military commander, Marine Brig. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, accused the MILF of coddling Abu Sayyaf terrorists and vowed to step up the operation against the militants.

More than a dozen people had been kidnapped by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants headed by Puruji Indama and Nur Hassan Jamiri in recent months and most of them had been freed in exchange for huge ransoms.

Locals blamed the police and military authorities in Basilan, one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, for their failure to secure the safety of the civilians. (Mindanao Examiner)

Seaman's daughter kidnapped in Basilan island

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 26, 2008) – Unidentified motorcycle gunmen snatched late Wednesday a nine-year daughter of a Filipino seaman in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, officials said.

The girl, identified as Nicole Rabeche, was seized at gunpoint from her mother at around 7 p.m. near their house in Lamitan City. The kidnappers escaped with their victim on motorbikes, according to local government officials.

No group claimed responsibility for the latest abduction, but Basilan has been plagued by a series of kidnappings for ransom in recent months. Provincial and regional police officials ignored phone calls from journalists.

More than a dozen people had been kidnapped by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants in Basilan, including two aid workers, and most of them had been freed in exchange for huge ransoms.

The Abu Sayyaf is still holding the son of a another seaman, Joed Pilangga, a nursing student kidnapped Oct. 17 outside their house in Zamboanga City and brought to Basilan. Kidnappers have demanded P20 million from Pilangga's family.

The locals blamed the police and military authorities for their failure to secure the safety of the civilians.

An Abu Sayyaf faction, headed by Puruji Indama and Nur Hassan Jamiri, were largely blamed for the kidnappings. They also sent letters to Christians living on the island threatening them with harm if they do not embrace Islam.

A Catholic clergy, Bishop Martin Jumoad, also blamed the police and military for the breakdown of peace and order in Basilan after receiving also a signed letter from the Abu Sayyaf threatening his group. The clergy earlier sought the replacement of the Basilan police chief Salik Macapantar for his failure to secure the island from the Abu Sayyaf.

In October, gunmen also ambushed and wounded Claretian priest Felimon Libot in while on his way to say mass in Basilan's Sumisip town. (Mindanao Examiner)

Help Protect Our Sea, Philippine Coast Guard Appeals

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 27, 2008) – The Philippine Coast Guard on Saturday appealed to citizens to protect the marine environment and urged them to help in then government’s campaign in cleaning up the country’s coastlines.

It said pollution is threatening the marine environment and could spell destruction to the coral beds and animals and plants in the sea.

Senior Officer Maximo Esperon said pollution is also threatening the livelihood of small fishermen and seaweed farmers. He said trash and other garbage littered across the sea coasts and on coral beds, aside from oil spill from water vessels.

“Time will come when ordinary fishermen could no longer catch fish in the coastal areas if these malpractices would not be corrected or stopped,” Esperon said."We appeal to citizens to help protect our sea."

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is also alarmed by the pollution at sea and largely blamed chemical and oil spills from ships and oil tankers.

Volunteers and divers in Zamboanga City and Lamitan City in Basilan province have recently banded together and launched separate campaigns to clean the sea. (Erico Rosco)

Philippine Soldiers Detonate Powerful IED In Basilan

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 26, 2008) – The Philippine military detonated Friday a powerful homemade bomb in Lamitan City in the southern province of Basilan, officials said Friday.

Officials said the bomb was left near a grocery store in downtown Lamitan and detonated by soldiers late Thursday. The blast was so powerful that it damaged the steel shutter of the store and wounded one person who was hit by shrapnel.

The explosion left a shallow crater more than a meter wide on the road where the improvised explosive, constructed with a cellular phone, was detonated.

Officials said the bomb was assembled from TNT and the cell phone as an initiator to set off explosion. Instead of the phone ringing, it sends the power to a blasting cap.
“Mayor Roderick Furigay has appealed to residents to stay calm and vigilant,” his executive assistant, Nick Castro, said.

Castro said the foiled bombing coincided with the celebration of the tourism week in Lamitan.
“It is sad to think that while we are working hard to promote tourism and bring peace in the land, there are bad people who will always try to destroy efforts like this, but despite the incident, our celebration will continue,” he said.

No group claimed responsibility for the foiled attack, but Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are active in Basilan and have been implicated in the spate of terrorism and kidnappings on the province.

The Abu Sayyaf is still holding two aid workers, Esperancita Hupida and Millet Mendoza, they kidnapped Sept. 15 in Tipo-Tipo town. Hupida is the program director of the Nagdilaab Foundation, while Mendoza is a humanitarian worker. The gang demanded as much as P15 million ransoms for the victims’ safe release. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gunmen Strike Anew, Take 3 People In Basilan Island

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 20, 2008) – Unidentified gunmen kidnapped at least three people on Sunday in the southern Philippine island of Basilan, a Catholic clergy said.

Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad said the three - Ronnie Ando, Vilma Ayson and Wilma Suharludo and several children – were seized on a highway near Lamitan town. It was not immediately known how many children were taken by the gunmen or the motive of the kidnapping.

The gunmen apparently flagged down a passenger jeep and seized the victims. Jumoad also reported the matter to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

Police said it deployed additional forces in Basilan following the spate of kidnappings blamed to Abu Sayyaf militants. "We have deployed more mobile checkpoints and additional foot patrols in the province to deter crimes," the island's police chief Salik Macapantar told the Mindanao Examiner.

Six people, including two village officials, were kidnapped on the largely Muslim island in recent weeks and four of them had been ransomed off while police rescued the remaining hostage. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Cops Hold Sayyaf Executioner

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 9, 2008) – Philippine authorities are holding an Abu Sayyaf militant captured in the southern island of Basilan, where security forces are pursuing other members of the group blamed for the spate of bombings and kidnappings in the troubled region.

Basilan island police chief Salik Macapantar said police commandos, backed by army soldiers, captured Sali Alih in Lamitan City on Friday. He said civilian informants led security forces in the capture of Alih, who was implicated in the beheading of 14 soldiers in fierce clashes last year in Al-Barka town.

Alih’s arrest was only announced on Monday because of on going police operations in the island, just several miles off Zamboanga City.

“We are still interrogating the terrorist, but one thing is sure here, Salih Alih is involved in last year’s beheading of 14 soldiers in Al-Barka town. He is a notorious member of the Abu Sayyaf group and is also implicated in the attack on Lamitan seven years ago. The long arm of the law finally catches on him,” Macapantar told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said Alih belongs to the group of Abu Sayyaf leader Furuji Indama, blamed for the attacks on military patrols in Basilan island. Alih was traveling on a motorcycle with another companion when police forces captured him. His companion was briefly held, but freed later by the police for lack of evidence to link him to the Abu Sayyaf.

The Abu Sayyaf is a small, but the most dreaded among local Muslim rebel groups in the southern Philippines. Filipino authorities linked the Abu Sayyaf also known as Al-Harakatul al-Islamiya, which means “bear of the sword” to the al-Qaeda terror network and the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiya. (Mindanao Examiner)

Violence Erupts Ahead Of Local Polls In Southern Philippines

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 26, 2007) – Police tightened security in the southern Philippine island of Basilan following an ambush believed connected to the upcoming village and youth council elections.

Police said gunmen ambushed a group of campaigners late Wednesday in the village of Bohe Sapa in Lamitan City. The ambush killed Liezel Manuel and wounded her brother, Joseph, who is running for the village polls.

The victim's father, Telesporo Manuel, the village chieftain, who rushed to hospital suffered a heart attack when he saw the body of his daughter.

Police earlier said that the woman was a candidate for the Sanguniang Kabataan elections, but corrected its report after investigators claimed that she was only campaigning for her brother.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but police said the ambush was probably connected to the October 29 synchronized Barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan elections.

Superintendent Salik Macapantar, the island’s police chief, said there is an ongoing investigation into the killing. “We are investigating the ambush. Police forces have been deployed and we have tightened security in Basilan to prevent any poll-related violence,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the slain woman was working with the Lamitan government.

On Tuesday, unidentified gunmen also killed a Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson, Donna Cateral, in Iloilo province, reports said.

Police said dozens of people had been killed and injured in poll related incidents in the country since last month. And more than 150 illegal weapons were also seized since the imposition of gun ban. (Mindanao Examiner)

Youth Poll Candidate Killed In Southern RP Ambush

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 26, 2007) – Gunmen ambushed a candidate for the upcoming youth polls in the southern Philippine island of Basilan, police said on Friday.

Police said the gunmen attacked a group of campaigners in Bohe Sapa village in Lamitan town late Wednesday, killing Liezel Manuel and wounding her brother, Joseph.

The victim’s father, Telesporo Manuel, the village chieftain, who rushed to hospital suffered a heart attack when he saw the body of his daughter.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but police said the ambush was probably connected to next week’s synchronized Barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan elections.

On Tuesday, unidentified gunmen also killed a Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson, Donna Cateral, in Iloilo province, reports said.

Police said dozens of people had been killed and injured in poll related incidents in the country since last month. And that more than 150 illegal weapons were also seized since the imposition of gun ban. (Mindanao Examiner)