Outgoing US Ambassador praised in the Philippines

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / January 14, 2010) - Sulu governor Dr Sakur Tan has praised outgoing US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney for her contribution to peace and development efforts in the southern province which is a beneficiary of multi-million pesos worth of humanitarian projects.

Tan also thanked Kenney, who is ending her tour in the Philippines, for her many contributions to the progress of Sulu, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

“On behalf on my people, we thank the good Ambassador Kristie Kenney, who was a frequent visitor of Sulu, for her many contribution to peace and development. And forever, we will be grateful to you,” Tan told reporters.

Kenney was a frequent visitor in Sulu where she led US officials in many inaugurations of infrastructure projects funded by the United States Agency for International Development and Growth with Equity in Mindanao.

Tan said it was also during Kenney’s time that Washington, through the USAID and the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines poured tens of millions of dollars worth of humanitarian and development projects, including the rehabilitation of the airport in Jolo town.

“Ambassador Kristie Kenney is a face that Sulu had grown accustomed to. What with her frequent visits and calls that render normalcy and acknowledgment that all is well in Sulu despite the otherwise impressions that are unkindly tagged on the face of this promising. The hands of welcome of the Tausug will always be kept warm for Kristie,” Tan said.

“In our subdued way, we may not be eloquent or articulate enough or even openly enough to describe our sense of pride and honor that the representative of the strongest country in the globe is a true friend of many students and pupils, of many needy residents, and the many constituents of far-flung villages. A good dream is worth sharing; the American Dream is a reality worth emulating,” he added.

Kenney ends her tour of duty and will return to the United States after serving for more than three years as ambassador to Manila after President Barrack Obama designated Harry Thomas, Jr. as the new ambassador to the Philippines.

Tan said in his stint as public servant, he considers himself lucky because he has two great women, referring to Kenney and President Gloria Arroyo, who stood behind him and the people of Sulu and made the going easier in this seemingly “ungovernable land.”

“President Gloria -Arroyo, an epitome of an iron lady who brushed aside the machissimo of traditional politics, and of course Ambassador Kenney, who in their own distinct yet complementing ways, steered me in the right path and aided me to clear even the hardest hurdles placed in my path.”

“I can’t help but beam with added pride that of the many matters that demand the attention of then President George Bush and President Arroyo when they met in Australia, the need of Sulu for an expanded airport runway was included in their agenda. Now, as history had witnessed, we have inaugurated the completed extended runway of the Jolo Airport, and rightly so, President Arroyo and Ambassador Kenney were in Sulu to grace the occasion,” Tan said.

The airport was inaugurated last month.

The governor said words will not be enough to enumerate the myriads of projects that the American people and government had rendered to Sulu and its people.

“During the tour of duty of Her Excellency Ambassador Kristie Kenney, the many visits that she had made to Sulu will remain embedded in the minds and hearts of many Tausug. Sulu had gone through many sadness and lamentations. Yet there is this special sort of sadness of seeing a good friend bidding us farewell.”

”But there are comforting hopes and expectations that the good relations between the American people and the people of Sulu will continue and usher forward an era free from the shackles of the past but bonded in shared convictions towards a peaceful world for all mankind,” Tan said.

Most of the American infrastructure projects in Sulu were built by US troops who belong to the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines and assisted by Filipino soldiers. Among them were schools, roads, bridges, health centers, water projects and buildings in Sulu’s 19 towns.

Kenney said working with so many Filipinos, from all walks of life, has been one of the most memorable experiences of her life. She said it has been an extraordinary honor and privilege to serve as the US ambassador to the Philippines for more than three and a half years.

“I have come to deeply appreciate not just the warmth and friendship of Filipinos, but also their determination to make their country, region, and world a better place for their children and grandchildren. It has been a true pleasure to live in this beautiful country, and to lead the US Embassy in efforts to partner with the government and people of the Philippines for the greater good of Americans and Filipinos alike,” Kenney said.

The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation, also praised Kenney for her support to the peace process in Mindanao. Kenney visited a rebel base in Mindanao last year and spoke with the secluded MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim.

Kenney was the first US ambassador to visit the rebel base.

“She could have stayed longer in the Philippines. She has contributed a lot in the peace process and Ambassador Kenney would be remembered well by the Bangsamoro people for her sincerity and untiring efforts and contribution to the peace talks between the MILF and the Philippine government,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader. (Mindanao Examiner)

President Arroyo inaugurates Sulu airport runway

Photos released by the Sulu provincial government show the Jolo airport runway before and after improvement. Filipino leader Gloria Arroyo on Monday inaugurated the airport runway in the southern Philippine province of Sulu. US Ambassador Kristie Kenney joined Arroyo and Sulu provincial governor Dr Sakur Tan in the inauguration of the P251-million Jolo airport improvement project. (Airport photos by the Sulu provincial government and President Gloria Arroyo's photo by Jerry Carual)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / December 14, 2009) – Filipino leader Gloria Arroyo on Monday inaugurated the airport runway in the southern Philippine province of Sulu.

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney joined Arroyo and Sulu provincial governor Dr Sakur Tan and Jolo mayor Hussin Amin and local officials in the inauguration of the P251-million Jolo airport improvement project.

The United States Agency for International Development’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) granted most of the funding with Manila pouring in some P90 million for the development of domestic airport.

Tan said the project started in October last year. He said the runway was extended from 1,200 meters to 1,845 meters and widened from 18 meters to 30 meters.

“We appreciate the support of the US government and we would like to thank the American people for supporting peace and development efforts in Sulu. The appreciation also goes to President Gloria Arroyo and Ambassador Kristie Kenney who made this project possible,” he told reporters.

Tan said the airport can now accommodate large aircrafts and will hasten trade between Sulu and Mindanao, and even Malaysia and neighboring countries as well.

“We hope to attract investors with out new Jolo airport,” he said, adding, the facility can now accommodate aircrafts such as A-320s and B-373s.

He said they also handed over the upgraded water system to the Jolo Mainland Water District.

The project, carried out in partnership between the US government, the Jolo Mainland Water District (JMWD) and the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), is worth P73.1 million. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sayyaf man killed in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / December 11, 2009) - Government soldiers clashed with suspected Abu Sayyaf militants and killed one gunman Friday in Sulu province in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said the fighting broke out after patrolling soldiers spotted a band of Abu Sayyaf militants in the town of Indanan and a running gun battle ensued.

"There were no reports of government casualties," said Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, chief of the military's Western Mindanao Command.

The fighting occured ahead of a scheduled visit Monday of US Ambassador Kristie Kenney who will inaugurate the upgraded water system to the Jolo Mainland Water District.

The project, carried out in partnership between the United States, the Jolo Mainland Water District and the Local Water Utilities Administration is worth P73.1 million ($1.6 million). (Mindanao Examiner)

Sulu Praises US support to peace and development; hails Obama

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 18, 2009) – Sulu Governor Sakur Tan praised the United States on Tuesday for its continuing support to peace and development in the province.

Tan said the United States Agency for International Development donated thousands of books and reference materials on Monday through US Ambassador Kristie Kenny.

“We thank President Barack Obama and Ambassador Kristie Kenney and the people of the United States and all those who continue to help us through various humanitarian projects and peace and development programs for Sulu,” he told reporters.

Tan said a book fair was also held on Tuesday and attended by hundreds of teachers and students.

The USAID is an independent government agency that provides economic development and humanitarian assistance to advance US economic and political interests overseas.

Kenney for her part pledged to continue peace and development supports to Sulu, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, Tan said.

He said Kenney also led US officials in the inauguration of the multi-million two-storey building of the Area Coordination Center near the Provincial Capitol in Patikul town.

The ACC coordinate Sulu’s various non-governmental agencies, military, police, emergency services and other organizations and serves as an inter-agency communication network.

Tan said the ACC is a facility established as a proactive, reactive, and post conflict mechanism to address various concerns at regional and local levels of governance and to solve problems of coordination and response.

The ACC functions both as a system and as a council for planning, integrating, directing, supervising, and implementing line-up government programs and projects particularly on political, socioeconomic, cultural, religious, development, security and information issues, said Fazlur-Rahman Abdulla, ACC Executive Director.

“The newly-inaugurated ACC is worth more than P20 million and was funded by the United States government. We have now a total of 20 Area Coordinating Centers – one for each of Sulu’s 19 towns and the central ACC headquarters in Patikul town. The Tausug people appreciate President Obama's assistance and the US government's continued support to our efforts to sustain peace and development in Sulu,” Abdulla told the Mindanao Examiner by phone on Tuesday.

U.S. troops are deployed in Sulu on the request of the Philippine government, to train and advise the local military. They are also active in humanitarian missions and were working alongside with Filipino soldiers in development projects on poor areas in Jolo. (Jung Francisco)

US Pledges More Development Projects In Sulu

Photos released by the US Embassy show American Ambassador Kristie Kenney and Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan lead groundbreaking ceremonies in Jolo town in the southern Philippines on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008.

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 15, 2008) – The United States pledged more support to peace and development efforts in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, where American forces are training local troops.

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan said US Ambassador Kristie Kenney was in the province on Tuesday and launched various development projects, among them the repair of the airport runway and the water system in the capital town of Jolo.

"We are thankful to the US government for its continued support to peace and development in Sulu. My people are forever grateful to all these humanitarian projects," Tan told reporters.

He said the projects are worth some $3.7 million and on top of the more than $190 million pledged by Washington last year for infrastructure and other development and humanitarian projects in Mindanao.

Tan said the airport runaway will be expanded to more than 1,800 meters so it could accommodate bigger passenger planes not only from Manila or Zamboanga, but from neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei that makes up the East Asia Growth Area (EAGA), a sub-regional economic cooperation initiative in Southeast Asia that included the Philippines.

At present, only small planes such as the Seair's 19-seater passenger aircraft now serving the Jolo-Zamboanga route. So far, the biggest plane that could land at Jolo airport is the military's C-130 cargo plane.

Tan said the project was made possible because President Glorial Arroyo have sought the funding for the rehabilitation of the airport.

He said the completion of the airport repair will boost investments in Sulu province. "Several local and foreign investors have already expressed their intent to set up businesses here," he said.

He said the rehabilitation of the airport is expected to be completed next year.Tan and Kenney led US and Filipino officials in the ground breaking ceremonies in Jolo town.

"This will improve development and give the citizens of Jolo a chance to be connected to the rest of the Philippines. More importantly, it will give the rest of the country and the world a chance to discover Jolo," Kenney said.

Total air passenger traffic to Jolo grew 30 percent in 2006-2007, making it difficult at times to get seats on existing flight routes, while cargo movement more than quadrupled, according to data from the Air Transportation Office.

"With this development, Sulu can now aim high and be competitive with the rest of the country in opening a gateway for market linkages to promote their local products," Kenney said.

The airport improvement project is being completed in partnership with the Department of Transportation and Communications, Civil Aviation Authority, the Sulu provincial government and the US Agency for International Development's Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program.

Kenney also said the water project will upgrade the current pumping system by constructing a 200-cubic meter concrete reservoir, installing transmission pipelines totaling 2.5 kilometers long and replacing distribution pipelines and defective meters.

The project will enable the Jolo Water District to provide potable running water to approximately 70,000 residents of Jolo and adjacent villages in Indanan and Patikul towns.

Kenney said the water project will be undertaken through the joint efforts of the Sulu provincial government, Local Water Utilities Administration, Jolo Water District, and the GEM Program.

"America is proud to be among the many partners in this project," she said.

Kenney and Tan also visited the Mohammad Tulawie Central School, a beneficiary of USAID education and workforce preparation assistance, and she read books with students.US troops are currently training Filipino forces in Sulu and are active in humanitarian missions.

They have built schools, roads and clinics, among others worth over $10 million since 2006 in the province, according to Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban, commander of military forces in Sulu. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sulu Cops Finish Basic Police Operations Course

A photo released by the US Embassy to the Mindanao Examiner shows members of the Philippine National Police in Sulu province during the Basic Police Operations course.

SULU, Philippines – Philippine policemen on Friday finished a three-week course in Basic Police Operations in the southern province of Sulu.

Designed to be an initial step toward strengthening the basic peace and order maintenance capabilities of policemen throughout Sulu, the Basic Police Operations course included lessons in systematic approaches to policing, police ethics, enforcing the law while respecting human rights and dignity, community policing, communicating and listening, patrol procedures, and custody procedures and prisoner management.

The members of the first graduating class include 14 female officers.

Course instructors include two PNP officers who have gained experience as police instructors in other U.S.-sponsored law enforcement development programs in the Philippines, and one American technical adviser with an extensive police training background.

The U.S. provided logistical and administrative support as well as crime-scene investigation tools and supplies, and facilities to process and store crime-scene evidence.

“The United States is proud to support the efforts of the PNP to improve investigations of serious crimes and build strong cases for prosecution of those responsible,” U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney said in a statement.

“This will help reduce the incidence of unexplained and extrajudicial killings and will increase public trust in the integrity of the Philippine security forces,” she added.

The Basic Police Operations course will be repeated almost continuously through December 2008, providing training opportunities for up to 300 PNP personnel.

In addition, during a three-week course for investigators in November, students will deepen skills in criminal investigation, crime scene investigation, and interview and questioning techniques. The U.S. will also donate some P 3.3 million ($75,000) in police equipment, such as flashlights, handcuffs, and crime scene investigation supplies.

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan praised the US government for its support to the local police force. “I am sure this course will boost the knowledge of our policemen in law enforcements which will greatly improve our peace and order in the province,” he said.

Tan also appealed to locals to support the police in maintaining peace and order in Sulu.

US Hands Over New Projects In Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 01, 2007) – The United States on Monday handed over two infrastructure projects worth more than P150-million to Filipino officials in the southern island of Basilan.

American Ambassador Kristie Kenney led officials in the ceremony held in the towns of Maluso and Lantawan.

The projects, a port area in Maluso and a bridge in Lantawan towns, were constructed under the US Agency for International Development-Growth with Equity in Mindanao.

Security was tight throughout Kenney’s visit in Basilan, where Filipino security forces are still hunting down Abu Sayyaf militants, blamed for a recent attack that killed two soldiers and wounded over a dozen others in Basilan’s Tipo-Tipo town.

Kenney last week also handed over $3.7 million of development projects in Sulu province on top of the $190 million grant aid to Mindanao.

The $3.7 million will be used for the repair of the Jolo airport and the construction of a potable water system in Sulu.

Aside from the funding, Kenney also handed over to local officials the P27-million Jolo market road and several projects in the province, including computers for the Sulu National High School and aquaculture materials for former Moro rebels now engaged in lobster fattening. (Mindanao Examiner)

US, Britain Pour Development Aid In Southern RP

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan with US and British Ambassadors Kristie Kenney and Peter Beckingham on Monday Sept. 24, 2007 in Patikul town in Sulu province in southern RP. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 24 Sept) – US and British officials on Monday unveiled a huge package of development projects in Sulu province in an effort to help Manila bring peace and progress in the southern region.

Ambassadors Kristie Kenney, of the United States, and Peter Beckingham, of the British Embassy, arrived WITH Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon in Jolo town where Gov. Sakur Tan led local officials in welcoming the delegation.

Tan said the US and British projects will help a lot of people in Sulu, one of five provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Among the projects are the rehabilitation of the Jolo airport by the US worth $3 million and $700,000 potable water system funded by the British government under the Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) program.

"The $3 million will be used to rebuilt and renovate the Jolo airport so people here can their fabulous products out to market in Manila and the rest of the world," Kenney told reporters.

It was in addition to the $190 million development and economic growth agreement the US recently signed to help fund other projects in Mindanao. "The $190 million will be spreading it evenly throughout various parts of Mindanao. The airport in Jolo and the water system, which costs $700,000, are separate projects," she said.

The potable water system, on the other hand, will benefit hundreds of people in four villages - Siolakan, Bakud, Latung, and SibakLatud – in Sulu's Siasi town, where AMORE also set up the communities' first access to electricity using solar power technology in 2004.

The project consist of an intake structure, four impounding reservoirs confined with 7,335 meters pipeline and with 21 tap stands, said Tetchie Capellan, AMORE's chief of party.

"I am confident that the completion of the potable water system project, the health, sanitation, and economic living conditions of the 200 marginalized households spread across the four villages will be addressed," Capellan said.

The AMORE is an alliance of the United States Agency for International Development, the Philippines' Department of Energy, Mirant Philippines Foundation Inc., the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Winrock International.

Bekingham described the province as vibrant and tremendous. "Everybody is very friendly and I am delighted to be here and see the projects that we are doing here," he said.

He said Britain is committed to increasing expenditure on water related projects, ensuring universal access to safe water and sanitation. The British government, he said, has already supported projects in developing countries, like in the Philippines, a community-based program integrating water, sanitation and hygiene education.

Kenney and Beckingham also handed over ten units of computers to the Sulu National High School. The British government provided reference materials while the USAID helped to install the new computers and train teachers on their use for classroom instruction.

They also visited the Jolo Market Road which had been upgraded recently from an earthen causeway to a concrete-paved boulevard by USAID. Tan said the improved road now provides a more efficient means of moving products and people from Jolo port to the market area.

The road has already become an evening attraction for locals, many of whom now regularly take walks to watch the sunset and panoramic view of the Sulu Sea.

Tan said the ambassadors also handed over aquaculture production materials to former Muslim rebels now engaged in lobster and abalone farming. "Peace and development in the province of Sulu has always been the ultimate goal of my administration and the people of this historical archipelago."

"Seeing it flourish again into agricultural and marine-based economic potentate in the region amidst challenges is the glory we all relentlessly working for early realization," he told Kenney and Beckingham.

Esperon said the peace and order condition in Sulu has improved a lot the past months and is giving confidence to foreign countries to take a second look into the province's rich natural resources. "Sulu is very peaceful and we have the US and British ambassadors here pouring a lot of development projects. It is a very good sign that progress," he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

US Officials Visit Wounded Troops In South RP, Ban Media Coverage

US soldiers guard outside a Philippine military hospital in Zamboanga City where US Ambassador Kristie Kenney and senior US military officials visit Monday July 16, 2007 nine soldiers who are wounded in clashes with Abu Sayyaf militants and Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Basilan island, where a kidnapped Italian Catholic priest Giancarlo Bossi is believed being held by rogue MILF members. US officials have banned Filipino journalists and news photographers from covering Kenney's visit for a still unknown reason. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) 14, assigned to the "Swift Intruders" of Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 5, comes ashore Wednesday July 11, 2007 to pick up Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 and Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 1 at the completion of their mission in the Philippines. Members of NMCB-7 and ACB-1, with medical support from the Third Medical Battalion, worked together with Filipino Seabees from the First Construction Battalion in support of Pacific Partnership 2007. The mission, a four-month humanitarian assistance mission to Southeast Asia and Oceania includes specialized medical care and various construction and engineering projects.(US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Paul D. Williams)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 16 Jul) – US Ambassador Kristie Kenney and senior American military officials on Monday visited nine Filipino soldiers wounded in clashes with Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in Zamboanga City.

Kenney arrived onboard a bullet-proof van at a military hospital inside Western Mindanao Command headquarters where the soldiers are recuperating from bullet wounds in clashes that occurred July 10 in Basilan’s Al-Barka town.

Fourteen soldiers were also killed in the fighting, ten of them beheaded and mutilated.
Kenney did not give any statement and journalists and photographers were banned in the hospital on orders from US officials for a still unknown reason.

The US is helping the Philippines defeat terrorism and have deployed hundreds of American troops in the volatile region, where local military is battling Abu Sayyaf militants tied to al-Qaeda terror network and members of the Jemaah Islamiya.

Army Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, Western Mindanao Command chief, was quoted Monday by The Australian as saying that his group is close to capturing Jemaah Islamiya explosives expert Dulmatin after an informant contacted the military offering to surrender the 2002 Bali bombing mastermind.

Aside from Dulmatin, troops are also tracking down another Bali bomber Umar Patek, who is being coddled by the Abu Sayyaf group.

Cedo said he received a message last week from a member of the former rebel group, Moro National Liberation Front, who promised he could lead government soldiers to Dulmatin’s hideout in Jolo island, about 950 km south of Manila. "I think we have a good prospect of finding him," Cedo said. "I received this message saying Dulmatin would be surrendered to us."

He said the informant had even pinpointed the precise location of Dulmatin’s lair in Jolo island.
The US has offered a $10 million bounty for Dulmatin’s capture and $1 million for Patek’s head. The Bali bombings killed 202 people, mostly foreigners, including 88 Australian holiday-makers.
The Philippine military, backed by US intelligence, mounted new offensive against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya terrorists began on Jolo island.

In many instances, villagers reported seeing heavily armed US soldiers in armored vehicles, with Filipino troops.

The offensive, codenamed Oplan: Ultimatum 2, is aimed at capturing - dead or alive - leaders of the Abu Sayyaf and the two Jemaah Islamiya bombers. Indonesian authorities also tagged the Jemaah Islamiya as behind the 2003 JW Marriott hotel car bombing that killed a dozen people and wounded over 150 others.

Hundreds of US troops are also deployed in Jolo to help the local military fight the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya.

The US military provides technical intelligence to local troops because they are not allowed to participate in combat operation against the Abu Sayyaf or Jemaah Islamiya, both included in the US terror list.

Last month, the US Pacific commander, Adm. Timothy Keating, in a surprised visit in Jolo island, inspected a captured Abu Sayyaf mountain base in Tugas village in Patikul town. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: US Ambassador Kristie Kenney Visits Restive Southern Philippine Province

Malaysian Maj. Gen. Dato Mohammad Ismael Bin Ahmad Khan, left, head of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) looks as US Ambassador Kristie Kenney shakes hands with IMT truce observers in Cotabato City during a visit in Maguindanao province from July 9-10, 2007. Kenney, together with security and Muslim autonomous government officials and Mindanao Examiner Bureau Chief Mark Navales also visited US sailors aboard the USS Peleliu in Maguindanao province in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service/Mark Navales)

Dagdag Siguridad, Inilatag Sa Mindanao Sa Pagdating Ni PGMA

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 08 Jul) – Nagdagdag ng siguridad ang militar at pulisya sa Mindanao dahil sa pagbisita ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo sa Lunes bilang bahagi ng pagiikot nito at isasagwang anti-terror summit.

Isang pampasaherong bus ang binomba Sabado ng hapon sa Koronadal City sa South Cotabato province. Mataas ang banta ng terorismo sa Mindanao na kung saan ay nakatakda rin magtungo si US Ambassador Kristie Kenney sa Maguindanao upang bumisita sa mga lugar na kung saan ay may proyekto ang kanyang bansa.

Hindi naman naglabas ng detalye ang Malakanyang sa mga lugar na pupuntahan ni Arroyo maliban sa Cagayan de Oro. Isasakatuparan na kasi sa susunod ng linggo ang implementasyon ng Human Security Act of 2007 o ang Anti-Terrorism Law ng bansa.

Sumambulat ang likuran ng bus na pagaari ng YBL sa isang terminal dakong alas 5.35 ng hapon matapos na makababa ang mga pasajero nito. Galing sa Tacurong City sa Sultan Kudarat province ang naturang bus, ayon sa mga awtoridad.

Walang umako sa atake at ayaw sabihin ng pulisya at militar kung may kinalaman ang pagsabog sa Abu Sayyaf at Jemaah Islamya. Pinasabugan ang bus kasabay rin ng banta ng mga trabahador ng YBL na magwe-welga dahil sa lumalalang labor dispute.

Nuong nakaraang buwan lamang ay isang bus rin na pagaari ng Weena Bus Lines ang pinasabugan sa terminal sa bayan ng Bansalan sa Davao del Sur province.

Nagbabala ang mga mga foreign embassies sa kanilang mga nationals na huwag magtutungo sa Mindanao at Sulu Archipelago dahil a matinding banta ng terosimo at kidnappings for ransom.

Patuloy ang opensiba ng militar kontra Abu Sayyaf at Jemaah Islamiya sa katimugan at isang Italian Roman Catholic priest na si Giancarlo Bossi ang dinukot ng mga rebeldeng Moro Islamic Liberation Front nuong June 10 sa Zamboanga Sibugay province. (Mindanao Examiner)

PIA Bares Visit Of US Ambassador Ahead Of Mindanao Trip

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Jul) - The security of U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney may be in jeopardy after the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) released Thursday details of her next week's visit to the volatile region of Mindanao, where local troops are battling terrorism and insurgency.

The PIA said Kenney will visit Cotabato City in Maguindanao province on July 9 and 10. She will meet with senior Filipino military commanders and members of the Malaysia-led International Monitoring Team and then inaugurate several U.S. funded projects in the province, one of five under the Muslim autonomous region.

It said Kenney will attend the formal launching of the guidebook “Al Khalifa”. She will also be at the turnover ceremony for a USAID/GEM (United States Agency for International Development/Growth with Equity in Mindanao) built road from Shariff Aguak town to Mamasapano town, all in Maguindanao.

The PIA said Kenney will also visit the headquarters of the Army's 6th Infantry Division and the International Monitoring Team. And she will also have a dinner with the Bangsamoro Development Agency and speak at the Women’s Forum in Cotabato City and visit a Catholic radio station in Cotabato City.

Kenney will also inspect the Awang Airport in the province, previously bombed by terrorists. It was unknown of the PIA had permission from the U.S. Embassy to publish Kenney's itinerary, but her past visits to Mindanao were usually unannounced for security reasons.

The al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the Maoist New People's Army rebels which are fighting the government have previously threatened to attack U.S. targets. (Mindanao Examiner)

U.S. Pacom Chief Keating Braves Abu Sayyaf Heartland In Southern Philippines

U.S. Pacific Command Chief Admiral Timothy Keating and U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney in the former mountain hideout of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group during a surprised visit to the extremists' hotbed of Patikul, on the island province of Jolo in southern Philippines Tuesday June 26, 2007. Admiral Keating visited the island where U.S. troops are helping the Philippine military fight the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah terror groups. Accompanying them are Armed Forces Chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon and Army Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

JOLO ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 26 Jun) – The U.S. Pacific commander, Adm. Timothy Keating made a surprised visit Tuesday on the southern Filipino island of Jolo, where American troops are helping the Philippine military defeat terrorism.

Keating was accompanied by U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney and Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, who were briefed by local commanders on the progress of an ongoing operation against the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya on the island, about 950 km south of Manila.

Clad in a green camouflage uniform, Keating met with U.S. troops stationed inside a Philippine Army base near Patikul town and then hiked Mount Tugas where Filipino commanders showed him a captured Abu Sayyaf base.

Keating used a broken tree branch as a cane to help him climb Mount Tugas, where he inspected bunkers and trenches and secret tunnels previously used by the Abu Sayyaf.

Local commanders also briefed Keating on the progress of the hunt on Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

“We welcome the visit of Adm. Keating in our area, particularly in Jolo. It also gives a moral booster to the U.S. and Filipino troops. The visit gives us a higher spirit because it recognizes the efforts of the Filipino soldiers and our country in the fight against terrorism.”

“His visit is a manifestation of a strong U.S. support in our fight against international terrorism,” a regional army commander, Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, told the regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Keating visit coincided with the killing of local policeman who was ambushed by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants in Calingalan Kaluang town.

U.S. and Filipino troops guarded Keating while in Jolo. Philippine Air Force MG-520 attack choppers and a U.S. EP-3 reconnaissance plane flew overhead during the jungle trip.

The U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) is a unified command – based in Hawaii - which includes about 300,000 military personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps (about 20 percent of all active duty U.S. military forces).

In April, Keating told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee that: "We intend to concentrate on winning the war on terror, advancing security cooperation and engagement in the theater, making sure that our forces are properly postured and equipped to respond to crises should they develop."

Hundreds of U.S. troops are deployed in the southern Philippines and training local soldiers on the request of the Filipino government. (Mindanao Examiner)