RP, US Troops Ready For Balikatan 2008 In Sulu

US troops move equipment in these photos in Sulu province in southern RP where local troops and will join humanitarian and medical missions as part of the Balikatan 2008. And a Muslim woman by the window of her house in Sulu village. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 13, 2008) – Philippine and US troops are to begin joint humanitarian and medical missions in the southern province of Sulu, officials said on Wednesday.

Officials said US equipment arrived on Jolo town and preparations are underway for the two-week medical missions in at least three of 19 towns in the province of more than half a million Muslims.

“We are prepared for the humanitarian activities and US equipment are already here for the joint medical missions that will begin February 18 and ends of March 3,” Major General Ruben Rafael, commander of military forces on the island-province, told the Mindanao Examiner.

The humanitarian missions is part of the Balikatan 2008, which means “shoulder-to-shoulder,” an annual Philippine and US bilateral military humanitarian assistance and training activity.

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan said the humanitarian missions will help many poor families in the province. “These humanitarian undertakings will help a lot of people and we are supporting these efforts and we appreciate what the United States is doing in Sulu,” Tan said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

Local mayors are also supporting the joint humanitarian activities, Tan said. “Not only the mayors, but also other sectors in the community and the people themselves. This is a joint project and we will also participate in this good endeavor,” he said.

Dr Farah Omar, the Sulu provincial health officer, said local doctors and nurses will join the medical missions. “Our medical teams are ready and many people will surely benefit from these activities,” she said.
About 600 US troops will work with civilian authorities and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in various humanitarian projects that include free medical, dental and veterinary care in Sulu province and also in central and Western part of Mindanao.

US and Philippine soldiers, many of them construction engineers, will also build schools and other community infrastructures in those areas.

“These humanitarian assistance and training activities enable our soldiers to get to know each other, train together, and provide assistance in communities where the need is greatest,” US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said.

“True to the meaning of the word Balikatan, Americans and Filipinos are shouldering the load together to help the greatest possible number of people in need.”

While US and Filipino troops focus on humanitarian activities in Sulu and Mindanao, others participating in the Balikatan 2008 will conduct combined staff exercises and field training in Luzon and Palawan islands to improve contingency planning and strengthen maritime security.

Balikatan 2008 will be the 24th annual event of its kind held under the auspices of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

Late last year, Kenney said the US would fund the rehabilitation of the Sulu airport worth $3 million and another $700,000 for potable water system project in the province under the Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) program.

Tan said the US projects helped a lot of people in Sulu, one of five provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. He said the potable water system will benefit hundreds of people in four villages - Siolakan, Bakud, Latung, and SibakLatud – in the island-municipality of Siasi, 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. The US last year also donated ten units of computers to the Sulu National High School and a road project costing over P27 million, all in Jolo town.

In 2006, the United States Navy hospital ship Mercy had treated more than 60,000 mostly poor Filipino patients in separate medical missions in Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi islands, including Zamboanga City, as part of the Project Bayanihan. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Davao City's Hardworking Vendors

Hardworking vendors in Davao City in southern Philippines peddle their goods – from coconuts to peanuts – to be able to save money to send their children in school and food on the table. (Keith Bacongco/AKP Images/Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Siasi and Pandami Islands In Sulu Archipelago

A row of thatched houses line up on a beach in Pandami Island in the southern Philippine province of Sulu. US and Filipino troops are to begin a two-week humanitarian and medical missions in Sulu province starting February 18, 2008 as part of the Balikatan 2008. US and Philippine troops have built roads and bridges and schools and renovated many mosques in Sulu since last year. Washington also pledge to fund the rehabilitation of the Sulu airport in Jolo town this year in support to Manila's peace and development efforts in the province, says Sulu Governor Sakur Tan. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Nickee Butlangan)

Policemen patrol the island-municipality of Siasi in Sulu province, which is celebrating its 104th founding anniversary Tuesday, February 12, 2008. US and Filipino troops are to begin a two-week humanitarian and medical missions in Sulu province starting February 18, 2008 as part of the Balikatan 2008. US and Philippine troops have built roads and bridges and schools and renovated many mosques in Sulu since last year. Washington also pledge to fund the rehabilitation of the Sulu airport in Jolo town this year in support to Manila's peace and development efforts in the province, says Sulu Governor Sakur Tan. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Arthur Abasolo)

Muslims March In Sulu To Protest Killings Of Civilians

Hundreds of Muslims join a rally Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008, on Sulu province in the southern Philippines, calling for justice for seven civilians killed during a military operation. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called for a thorough military investigation into the killings of the seven civilians and an off-duty soldier during an operation against al-Qaida-linked militants in the southern Philippines, the Defense chief Gilbero Teodoro said Saturday. Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan vows to give justice to the victims. The human rights groups Suara Bangsamoro and Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society also denounce the killings. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 09, 2008) – Thousands of people marched in Sulu province Saturday condemning the killings of seven innocent Muslims by government soldiers during an operation against the militant Abu Sayyaf group.

Filipino troops trained by US forces were blamed for the killing of 8 people during a military operation early Monday in the town of Maimbung in Sulu province. Among the dead were two children and two teenagers, including a pregnant woman and an off-duty army soldier.

Many marchers were chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) while others took turn in criticizing the military for the death of the civilians.

“We hate them. We hate the soldiers and we don’t want them here,” one protester, Jul Ismael, said. “Those soldiers are Muslim killers and blood is now on their hands.”

The military insisted the operation targeted the Abu Sayyaf and that two soldiers and three militants were also killed in the fighting. But the Commission on Human Rights which investigated the killings said there were no Abu Sayyaf militants in the village and that the soldiers were probably killed by their companions when they surrounded and attacked houses in the village.

Mayor Hussin Amin, of Jolo town, joined the marchers, composed mostly of civil society groups, non-governmental organizations and Muslim religious sector, and said they were demanding justice for the killings. “We want justice for killings of innocent people. We want those involved in the murder to pay for their crimes. We want them lock up in jail,” he said.

The soldiers who raided the village were members of the Army's Light Reaction Company, trained by US forces, and Navy's Special Warfare Group.
Two of the largest Muslim human rights groups, the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society and the Suara Bangsamoro also joined the protests. “We want justice. There should be no cover up of this barbaric and dastardly act,” said Amira Lidasan, national president of the Suara Bangsamoro.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro also arrived in Sulu on Saturday and met with Gov. Sakur Tan and assured that there will be no cover up in the ongoing investigation into the killing of the civilians. He said President Gloria Arroyo ordered a probe into the incident.

“The instruction of President Arroyo is to have a credible investigation,” he said. “I am here today to reassure of a factual investigation into the incident. I am here to convey that we will be cooperating full with the investigations.”

Teodoro met with families of those killed in the raid and heard the testimony of Rawina Wahid, wife of the slain soldier, Pfc. Ibnul Wahid, of the 6th Infantry Division.

She said the raiders dragged her husband out of their thatched house in the village despite his plea. “My husband told the soldiers that he is a member of the Philippine Army, but they never listened and dragged him out of the house, bound his hands behind his back and then shot him. They did not listen to our pleading and they killed my husband,” she said.

The woman said there were no Abu Sayyaf militants in the village, but civilians. “People in our village are just seaweed farmers. We are all civilians and there is no Abu Sayyaf in the village,” she said.

“I saw four American soldiers on the boat and Filipino blinded folded me,” she told reporters. Wahid said she boarded a Philippine Navy boat that took her husband's remains to a military base in Jolo town.

ABS-CBN television reported that other villagers also noticed the presence of US soldiers on the boat. It quoted reports by the human rights groups Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society and the Suara Bangsamoro that the presence of the US forces in the area raised concerns about its involvement in local military operations, which violates the Philippine Constitution.

Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael, commander of an anti-terror task force in Sulu province, denied the reports and said US soldiers were not involved in the operation. "No US soldiers were involved in the operation and they were not even near the town when the fighting broke out," Rafael said.

Other who survived that carnage said soldiers took their animals and ransacked their houses, but three villagers said the raiders, many wearing night vision goggles, torched three thatched houses.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said he ordered soldiers involved in the operation to cooperate with the ongoing investigations. “I have ordered the troops to be open in the investigation and to tell the truth,” he said.

Tan said the police will also investigate the killings of the civilians. He branded the killings as “barbaric and dastardly.” One of the victims was shot at close range in the forehead, his right eye was gorged and right ear missing. One had a missing finger while another had burns on his body and legs.

Those killed were identified as Marisa Payian, 4; Wedme Lahim, 9; Alnalyn Lahim, 15; Sulayman Hakob, 17; Kirah Lahim, 45; Eldisim Lahim, 43; Narcia Abon, 24; all civilians and Pfc. Ibnul Wahid, of the Army's 6th Infantry Division.

Tan has condemned the killings of the innocent civilians and vowed to file criminal charges against the soldiers. He said many of those killed were shot in the head.

"Innocent civilians were killed. The children were shot in the head. We condemned the killings and those soldiers involved in the murder of innocent people must be charged in court and pay for their crimes," Tan said.

Philippine flags around Sulu were flown at half-mast since Tuesday as Muslims mourn the deaths of innocent civilians.

On Thursday, the SALINLAHI Alliance for Children's Concerns, an umbrella organization of child rights and welfare groups, strongly condemned the killings and urged for an independent probe of the incident.

"The usual casualties in this campaign are innocent civilians, particularly women and children. The incident again proved that the anti-terrorism campaign as well as the counter-insurgency program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines directed against the handful Abu Sayyaf and other armed groups is absorbed more by the civilian population rather than their real targets," Alphonse Rivera, the group's spokesman, said.

"Every incident involving military personnel as perpetrators is dismissed by the military top-brass as casualties of "legitimate encounters" to justify their acts and escape culpability. The next thing we will hear is that the military will insist that these children are also Abu Sayyaf members as if that will justify the killing," Rivera said.

Reps. Yusop Jikiri, of Sulu province and Mujiv Hataman, of Basilan have separately called for a congressional investigation into the killings in Maimbung town.

Jikiri, a former rebel leader of the Moro National Liberation Front, said the off-duty soldier killed along with seven civilians was shot in front of his wife.

"Wahid was reportedly hogtied first before he was shot in front of her. The wife, in fact, showed the military uniform of her husband, but the soldiers merely ignored the plea of Mrs. Wahid. Later, Mrs. Wahid was taken by the soldiers to the rubber boat allegedly driven by an American soldier," Jikiri said in a privilege speech in Congress on Wednesday.

Hataman also filed a resolution on Thursday seeking for an urgent investigation of the killings, which he described as "despicable, loathsome and ruthless."

"There is no valid reason, especially for the soldiers who are supposed to be the protector of the people, to kill innocent civilians, particularly children," he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

5,000 Muslims, Christians Hold Rally In Southern Philippines

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 07, 2008) - Over 5,000 demonstrators in Basilan island warned Thursday that in the event the derailed peace talks between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) breaks down, its ‘bloody ramifications’ would be felt not only in Mindanao but also in the whole country.

Conflict could also spill over to Luzon and Visayas shoudl the peace talks totally collapsed.“The Bangsamoro is asserting its rights because of injustice,” said Ustadz John Ausal, MILF spokesperson in Basilan.

“If the peace talks will be broken and the negotiations will stop, I am ninety-nine percent sure that war will start again.”

“If there is no peace in Mindanao, then there will be no peace in Visayas and Luzon as well,” said Hadji Hamid Salahuddin, the local leader of the rebel group.

The protesters gathered at Datu Dizal Cultural Center in Lamitan City to push the government and the MILF into resuming the peace talks, which has been stalled for nearly two months already.

“I doubt it if the government is sincere in negotiating on ancestral domain. Even during our time (GRP-MNLF peace talks), niloloko lang kami ng GRP (they are fooling us already),” Salahuddin said.

Sammy Maulana, secretary-general of Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society, a network of 164 Moro non-government and people’s organizations, urged the government and MILF peace panels into returning to the negotiating table immediately but lambasted the former for “not abiding with what have been previously agreed by the two parties.”

“While some say that the voice of the government can be considered as the voice of God, it only holds true if that government is pro-people. But the actions of this (Philippine) government show that it is anti-people. Therefore, the Bangsamoro people must voice out, because it is truer that the voice of the people is the voice of God,” Maulana said.

The GRP-MILF peace talks have been derailed when the MILF negotiating panel boycotted the 15th Exploratory Talks last December 15 to 17, 2007 in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia because the government draft of a proposed memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain did not contain much of the consensus points earlier agreed by the two parties.

The GRP also inserted a provision, which states that the implementation of the agreement will have to follow constitutional process.Since deposed President Joseph Ejercito Estrada’s declaration of all-out war in 2000, the GRP-MILF peace talks progressed when government agreed not to use the constitution as a framework and the MILF dropped its demand for independence.

Situations have been aggravated by recent statements from some of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s key officials threatening the MILF with sanctions.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said government should not give in to the MILF’s demand for a “juridical entity” without a plebiscite, while AFP Vice Chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Romero stated that peace talks would not continue without MILF’s disarmament.

Secretary Jesus Dureza, the presidential adviser on the peace process, analyzed the impasse as “among the most serious to stall the rocky talks, a big hump” upon which the GRP has no “magic formula” while “looking for a way out”.

Over 100,000 demonstrators took to the streets in Cotabato, Marawi, General Santos, and Iligan last month to break the impasse. “It is high time that the people of Basilan should be aware of the peace processes because they are affected by it and the end benefits eventually go to them,” said Lantawan Mayor Tahira Ali.

“The people of Basilan want peace in their province. The people are united in attaining peace in Basilan. This can be attained if it is not mixed with political motives by those in power,” Vice Governor Rashid Sakkalahul said. (Norodin Makalay)

Mindanao Examiner Newspaper February 4-10, 2008

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Are US Troops Involved In RP Combat Missions?

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 07, 2008) – US soldiers aiding Filipino troops in fighting the Abu Sayyaf maybe involved in the operation that killed seven Muslim civilians and a government soldier in the southern Philippines, reports said Thursday.

Filipino troops trained by US forces were blamed for the killings of 8 people during a military operation early Monday in the town of Maimbung in Sulu province. Among the dead were two children and two teenagers, including a pregnant woman and an off-duty army soldier.

The Philippine military insisted the operation targeted the Abu Sayyaf and two soldiers and three militants were also killed in subsequent fighting that erupted in the village of Ipil.

Those killed were identified as Marisa Payian, 4; Wedme Lahim, 9; Alnalyn Lahim, 15; Sulayman Hakob, 17; Kirah Lahim, 45; Eldisim Lahim, 43; Narcia Abon, 24; all civilians and Pfc. Ibnul Wahid, of the Army's 6th Infantry Division.

Wahid's wife, Rawina, said she saw four US soldiers on a boat used by the raiders. "May nakita akong apat na Kano sa naval boat pagsakay ko na. Pagdating ko doon, piniringan kaagad ang mata ko. Sabi ko sa kanila, bakit nyo piniringan ang mata ko?, sabi nila 'para pagdating namin dito sa itaas wala kang makita."

"(I saw four Americans on the naval boat. When I climbed aboard, the soldiers blindfolded me. I asked them, 'why did you blindfold me?' They said, 'so that you won't see anything when we climb up.)," Rawina Wahid, wife of the slain soldier, told the ABS-CBN television in an interview.

Wahid said she boarded a Philippine Navy boat that took her husband's remains to a military base in Jolo town.

ABS-CBN reported that other villagers also noticed the presence of US soldiers on the boat. It quoted reports by the human rights groups Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society and the Suara Bangsamoro that the presence of the US forces in the area raised concerns about its involvement in local military operations, which violates the Philippine Constitution.

"Maraming tao diyan sa tabi ng naval boat at doon nakita nila yung mga sundalo na sumakay sa naval boat. Tapos 'yung mga American forces din nasa itaas."

"(They were many people near the naval boat and they saw the soldiers boarding it. The American forces were also aboard.)," ABS-CBN quoted Temugen Tulawie, of the CBCS, as saying.

"Sinasabi na with the presence of the US soldiers sa Sulu, magiging professional na daw yung AFP at mawawala 'yung human rights violation. Mukhang iba ang nangyayari, tino-tolerate pala."

"(They said that with the presence of US soldier in Sulu, the Armed Forces of the Philippines will be professionalized and there will lessen human rights violations. It seems the other way around, they were tolerating it.)," Tulawie said.

Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael, commander of an anti-terror task force in Sulu province, denied the reports and said US soldiers were not involved in the operation. "No US soldiers were involved in the operation and they were not even near the town when the fighting broke out," Rafael told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from his headquarters in Sulu.

Rafael said the military is still investigating the killings of the civilians, although he insisted the operation targeted the Abu Sayyaf group which is holding a kidnapped trader Rosalie Lao. "We are conducting our own investigation and we assure that there will be no cover-up in the probe," he said.

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan has condemned the killings of the innocent civilians and vowed to file criminal charges against the soldiers. He said many of those killed were shot in the head.

"Innocent civilians were killed. The children were shot in the head. We condemned the killings and those soldiers involved in the murder of innocent people must be charged in court and pay for their crimes," Tan said.

Philippine Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro is expected to fly to Sulu later this week to meet with Tan and other provincial officials about the killings.

Philippine flags around Sulu were flown at half-mast since Tuesday as Muslims mourn the deaths of innocent civilians. Villagers said some of those killed were shot at sea while trying to escape the fighting on boat. The soldiers who raided the village were members of the Army's Light Reaction Company, trained by US forces, and Navy's Special Warfare Group.

On Thursday, the SALINLAHI Alliance for Children's Concerns, an umbrella organization of child rights and welfare groups, strongly condemned the killings and urged for an independent probe of the incident.

"The usual casualties in this campaign are innocent civilians, particularly women and children. The incident again proved that the anti-terrorism campaign as well as the counter-insurgency program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines directed against the handful Abu Sayyaf and other armed groups is absorbed more by the civilian population rather than their real targets," Alphonse Rivera, the group's spokesman, said.

"Every incident involving military personnel as perpetrators is dismissed by the military top-brass as casualties of "legitimate encounters" to justify their acts and escape culpability. The next thing we will hear is that the military will insist that these children are also Abu Sayyaf members as if that will justify the killing," Rivera said.

Reps. Yusop Jikiri, of Sulu province and Mujiv Hataman, of Basilan have separately called for a congressional investigation into the killings in Maimbung town.

Jikiri, a former rebel leader of the Moro National Liberation Front, said the off-duty soldier killed along with seven civilians was shot in front of his wife.

"Wahid was reportedly hogtied first before he was shot in front of her. The wife, in fact, showed the military uniform of her husband, but the soldiers merely ignored the plea of Mrs. Wahid. Later, Mrs. Wahid was taken by the soldiers to the rubber boat allegedly driven by an American soldier," Jikiri said in a privilege speech in Congress on Wednesday.

Hataman also filed a resolution on Thursday seeking for an urgent investigation of the killings, which he described as "despicable, loathsome and ruthless."

"There is no valid reason, especially for the soldiers who are supposed to be the protector of the people, to kill innocent civilians, particularly children," he said.

The Commission on Human Rights has sent a team in Sulu province and is currently investigating the killings. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Sulu Gazette February 2008

The Sulu Gazette is the official newsletter of the Provincial Government of Sulu. It is published and advertised every month in the regional Mindanao Examiner newspaper. Please submit your comments and suggestions to this e-mail: mabuhay.mabuhay@gmail.com

Peace Advocates Hail New House Speaker

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MILF Urges Probe To Sulu Killings

Muslim villagers look at corpses of civilians allegedly killed by members of the Philippine Navy's Special Warfare Group and Philippine Army' Light Reaction Company in Sulu province. Seven civilians, including two children and two teenagers, and an off-duty soldier were killed early Monday during a military raid on a suspected Abu Sayyaf hideout on a fishing village in Maimbung town. Two soldiers and three alleged militants were also killed in the fighting. Sulu Governor Sakur Tan and provincial officials strongly condemn the killings of innocent civilians and vowed to prosecute the soldiers involved in the mass murder. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Nickee Butlangan)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 06, 2008) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), urged Manila to investigate accusations that government troops killed innocent civilians during a military operation in the southern island of Sulu.

Seven Muslims, among them two children and two teenagers, including a pregnant woman and an off-duty soldier, were killed at dawn Monday in the fishing village of Ipil in Maimbung town during a military raid on a suspected Abu Sayyaf hideout.

“This sad incident should be investigated properly. Finding the truth is very important in this investigation so that justice may prevail,” Eid Kabalu, an MILF spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

The military said two soldiers and three militants were also killed in the clash, but security officials ordered a probe into the slaying of the civilians. Some of those killed were shot in the head at close range, families and relatives of the victims said.

Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael, commander of an anti-terror task force in Sulu province, said the fighting in the town was a legitimate encounter.

Security officials said troops were tracking down a kidnapped trader Rosalie Lao in the town when they clashed with alleged Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants in the village of Ipil where the eight bodies had been found later in the day.

A village leader, Rahsi Agas, has accused troops of killing the civilians. "They were just seaweed farmers and not members of the Abu Sayyaf," he said. He said some of those killed were shot at sea while trying to escape the fighting on boat. The soldiers who raided the village were members of the Army's Light Reaction Company, trained by US forces, and Navy's Special Warfare Group.

Survivors of the carnage said troops had attacked them, firing automatic weapons and rifle grenades, as they fled to safety in the dark. The soldiers were part of a specialized unit of the military.

Provincial government officials, led by Gov. Sakur Tan, condemned the killings of the civilians and said the perpetrators must be held to account.

“We will not tolerate this and justice should prevail. The perpetrators of these dastardly act must be punished and pay for their crimes,” he said.Flags in the southern province were flown at half staff since Tuesday to mourn the death of the civilians.

The Provincial Legislative Council also passed a resolution condemning the killings.

Those killed were identified as Marisa Payian, 4; Wedme Lahim, 9; Alnalyn Lahim, 15; Sulayman Hakob, 17; Kirah Lahim, 45; Eldisim Lahim, 43; Narcia Abon, 24; all civilians and Pfc. Ibnul Wahid, of the Army's 6th Infantry Division.

The human rights group, Suara Bangsamoro, also condemned the killings and urged Congress and the Senate to investigate the incident. The Commission on Human Rights sent a team of investigators to Sulu to probe the killings of the civilians.

(With reports from Nickee Butlangan and Juan Magtanggol)

Sayyaf Man Nabbed In South RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 06, 2008) – Philippine authorities arrested a suspected Abu Sayyaf militant long wanted over a string of murder and kidnapping cases in the southern island of Basilan, officials said Wednesday.

Police originally arrested Al-muadz Ismael for stealing a motorcycle Tuesday afternoon in the village of San Rafael in Isabela City, but later found out about his links with the Abu Sayyaf group that beheaded a kidnapped US tourist Guillermo Sobero almost eight years ago.

Sobero was among two American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and 17 Filipino holidaymakers kidnapped in May 2001 by the Abu Sayyaf at the posh Dos Palmas resort in Palawan province in central Philippines. The hostages were brought by boat to Basilan island where the gang beheaded Sobero a month later during the country’s Independence Day celebration.

Martin was also killed and his wife wounded during a US-led rescue operation in Zamboanga del Norte province in 2002. Three other Filipinos were killed in captivity and the rest had either escaped or paid huge ransom for their freedom.

Officials said they are investigating Ismael about his role in the Dos Palmas kidnappings and the killing of Sobero. The alleged executioner of Sobero, Annik Abbas alias Abu Anik, was captured in Basilan’s Lamitan town in November 2006, two years after he escaped from prison in the island.

The Abu Sayyaf which is also called “al-Harakatul al-Islamiya” or “Bearer of the Sword” is included in the US list of foreign terrorist organizations and has been linked to many bombings the past two decades in the Philippines, including an attack on a ferry on the Manila Bay that killed more than 100 passengers in February 2004.

The group was also tagged as behind a roadside bombing that killed a US soldier Sgt. 1st Class Mark Wayne Jackson, of the 1st Special Forces Group, participating in a joint anti-terror drill in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines in October 2002. (With a report from Ely Dumaboc)

RP Flags Fly At Half-Mast In Sulu To Mourn Killings Of Civilians

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 05, 2008) – Philippine flags in the southern province of Sulu were flown at half-mast on Tuesday to mourn the death of innocent civilians killed during a military operation against the Abu Sayyaf group tied to Jemaah Islamiya.

Provincial government officials, led by Gov. Sakur Tan, condemned the killings and said they will file criminal charges against those involved in the raid. The Provincial Legislative Council also passed a resolution condemning the killings.

"Innocent civilians were killed. The children were shot in the head. We condemned the killings and those soldiers involved in the murder of innocent people must be charged in court and pay for their crimes," Tan said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

The Philippine military on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the killing of 8 people in fierce clashes between security forces and Abu Sayyaf militants in Sulu province.

Seven of those killed in the town of Maimbung were civilians -- three adults, two children and two teenagers -- and an off duty army soldier.

“The Philippine flags were flown at half-mast in Sulu to mourn the death of the civilians,” Tan said.

Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael, commander of an anti-terror task force in Sulu province, said two soldiers and three militants, including an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Abu Muktadil, were killed in the fighting.

"It was a legitimate encounter. As far as we are concerned, troops clashed with the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya. We have recovered the bodies of Muktadil," he said, adding, they were also investigating whether the slain civilians were killed in the cross-fire or not.

Security officials said troops were tracking down a kidnapped trader Rosalie Lao in Maimbung town at dawn Monday when they clashed with alleged Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants in the village of Ipil where the eight bodies had been found later in the day.

It was not immediately known whether the 45-year old trader is being held in Maimbung town. Lao, who buys and sells Malaysian goods, was kidnapped Jan. 28 outside her home in Jolo town.

But a village leader, Rahsi Agas, has accused troops of killing the civilians. "They were just seaweed farmers and not members of the Abu Sayyaf," he told reporters in Sulu.

He said some of those killed were shot at sea while trying to escape the fighting on boat. The soldiers who raided the village were members of the Army's Light Reaction Company, trained by US forces, and Navy's Special Warfare Group.

Those killed were identified as Marisa Payian, 4; Wedme Lahim, 9; Alnalyn Lahim, 15; Sulayman Hakob, 17; Kirah Lahim, 45; Eldisim Lahim, 43; Narcia Abon, 24; all civilians and Pfc. Ibnul Wahid, of the Army's 6th Infantry Division. (With a report from Nickee Butlangan)

7 Civilians Among Dead In Sulu Clash

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 05, 2008) – The Philippine military on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the killing of 8 people in fierce clashes between security forces and Abu Sayyaf militants in Sulu province.

Seven of those killed in the town of Maimbung were civilians -- three adults, two children and two teenagers -- and an army soldier who was on a break.

Security officials said troops, tracking down a kidnapped trader Rosalie Lao, clashed at dawn Monday with Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants in the village of Ipil where the eight bodies had been found later in the day.

Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael, commander of an anti-terror task force in Sulu province, said two soldiers and three militants, including an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Abu Muktadil, were killed in the fighting.

“It was a legitimate encounter. As far as we are concerned, troops clashed with the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya. We have recovered the bodies of Muktadil, but soldiers also found eight more bodies in the area and we are trying to find out whether they were caught in the cross-fire or slain by terrorists,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

But a village leader Rahsi Agas accused troops of killing the civilians. “They were just seaweed farmers and not members of the Abu Sayyaf,” he said in a separate interview.

He said some of those killed were shot at sea while escaping the fighting on boat.

Among those killed were Marisa Payian, 4; Wedme Lahim, 9; Alnalyn Lahim, 15; Sulayman Hakob, 17; Kirah Lahim, 45; Eldisim Lahim, 43; Narcia Abon, 24; all civilians and Pfc. Ibnul Wahid, of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

Provincial government officials, led by Gov. Sakur Tan, has condemned the killings and urged the military to investigate and file charges against those involved in the attack on the civilians. “We not only condemn the killings of innocent civilians, but criminal charges should be filed against the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” he said.

Army Maj. Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, said they were investigating reports the killings were triggered by a family feud.

“There was fighting between two warring families in the area and the encounter and exchange of fires could have triggered the volatile situation between the families.”

“The encounter and the killing of civilians may have been two different incidents taking place simultaneously,” he said.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, flew to Sulu province on Tuesday to investigate the incident, Batara said.It was not immediately known whether the 45-year old trader is being held in Maimbung town. Lao, who buys and sells Malaysian goods, was kidnapped Jan. 28 outside her home in Jolo town.

The fighting erupted barely a week before US and Philippine troops are to begin joint humanitarian and medical missions in Sulu, about 950 kilometers south of Manila, as part of the Balikatan, which means "shoulder-to-shoulder", the codename for the annual joint anti-terror training.

Filipino authorities previously said that as many as 40 Indonesian militants are hiding in Sulu and being protected by the Abu Sayyaf and among them are Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who masterminded the 2002 Bali attacks that killed 202 people. (With a report from Nickee Butlangan)

NGO Hails Davao Dad, New Ordinance

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 04, 2008) - The Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD), an occupational health and safety non-governmental organization on Monday lauded Davao City Councilor Edgar Ibuyan for authoring an ordinance requiring mall owners to provide seats for their women workers.

“Kudos to Councilor Ibuyan for pushing for this ordinance and to the restof the Davao City Council for passing this ordinance. This can ease someof the burden women workers are facing, especially those in the servicesector, since standing for long hours is detrimental to the over-all healthof a person,” Noel Colina, Executive Director of IOHSAD, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

According to studies made by IOHSAD on workers in department stores, womenwho stand for long hours on end showed symptoms of disruption in theirregular menstrual cycle, including painful menstruation or Dysmenorrhea andAmenorrhea or absence of menstruation.

“We hope this becomes like a spark which starts a prairie fire, with therest of the country, including big department stores following suit. Thiswill help improve the reproductive health of our women workers,” Colina said.

Fighting Erupts In Sulu Ahead Of RP-US Training

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 04, 2008) – At least 5 people were killed in fierce fighting that broke out Monday in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, where security forces were battling Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants, officials and military intelligence sources said.

Officials said two soldiers and three militants were killed in the fighting that erupted before day break in the village of Ipil in Maimbung town, a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group with ties to Jemaah Islamiya, an Indonesian terror group blamed for the 2002 deadly Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

“Three terrorists were killed and two of our soldiers are also slain in the fighting in Sulu. There is an ongoing operation against the terrorists,” Army Major Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, told The Mindanao Examiner.

Batara said five soldiers were also wounded in the clash that began shortly before 3 a.m. “The soldiers were on a mission to rescue a kidnapped trader when they encountered the terrorists,” he said.

It was not immediately known whether the group was holding Rosalie Lao, 45, who was kidnapped Jan. 28 outside her home in Jolo town. Lao, who buys and sells Malaysian goods in Jolo, is a Filipino Muslim with Chinese ancestry.

The fighting erupted barely a week before US and Philippine troops are to begin joint humanitarian and medical missions in Sulu, about 950 kilometers south of Manila, as part of the Balikatan 2008.

Balikatan, which means “shoulder-to-shoulder”, is the codename for the annual joint anti-terror training and hundreds of US troops are deployed in Sulu since last year where they also held a joint military drill with local soldiers.

Government intelligence sources said a group of Jemaah Islamiya militants were fighting alongside with the Abu Sayyaf. But it was unknown whether the militants were local recruits or Indonesians.

Filipino authorities previously said that as many as 40 Indonesian militants are hiding in Sulu and being protected by the Abu Sayyaf and among them are Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who masterminded the Bali attacks.

The heightened Abu Sayyaf activity on Sulu began when the military ordered thousands of infantrymen, including an army brigade, deployed to Lanao province on January 18. Only two marine brigades, composed of about 5,000 soldiers and a few hundred army troops, are left to quell a growing insurgency and terrorism, especially at a time that peace is slowly returning to Sulu, one of five provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Village leaders were also asking the military to send additional troops to Sulu to address the threats of the Abu Sayyaf, blamed on the spate of terrorism and kidnappings in the province.

Provincial government officials fear the Abu Sayyaf may be active again after months of silence. Officials were worried about the implications of the kidnapping and threats of terrorism to Sulu's economy and the peace and order situation at a time the province is being promoted as a new cultural and tourism destination in southern Philippines.
Sulu has recently embarked on a tourism campaign called "Visit Sulu 2008" in an effort to attract visitors and investments in the province, whose pristine beaches, dive sites and beautiful tropical islands are one of its attractions.

The US Embassy in Manila on Monday said the Balikatan will take place in the Philippines starting on February 18 up to March 3.

“During Balikatan 2008, Philippine and U.S. members of the armed forces will conduct humanitarian assistance projects in Central and Western Mindanao, the Sulu Archipelago, and Palawan. They will offer free medical, dental, and veterinary care and construct and repair schools and other community infrastructure in communities most in need of assistance.”

“The Balikatan 2008 will also focus on training both of our armed forces to provide relief and assistance together, in the event of natural disasters and other crises that endanger public health and safety. Military service members of our countries will conduct combined staff exercises and field training in Luzon and Palawan to improve contingency planning and strengthen maritime security.

U.S. Navy ship visits and a Joint/Combined Exchange Training exercise will take place in several locations in the Philippines,” it said. (With a report from Nickee Butlangan)

Anti-US Rally, Nagbabanta Sa Mindanao

SULU (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 03, 2008) – Habang papalapit ang joint RP-US Balikatan sa Mindanao at Sulu ay palakas ng palakas naman ang sigaw ng mga ibat-ibang militanteng grupo sa pagprotesta sa patuloy na pamamalagi ng mga Kanong sundalo sa rehiyon.

Inaasahang magsisimula ang Balikatan sa Pebrero 18 sa lalawigan ng Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan at Lanao, na pawang mga lugar ng mga Muslim. Sinabi ng Suara Bangsamoro na nakaumang na ang malawakang protesta ng grupo na sasamahan rin ng Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society at iba pa.

Mahigit sa 6,000 mga sundalo mula sa Estados Unidos at Pilipinas ang inaasahang sasabak sa Balikatan, ngunit iginigiit naman ng lokal na militar na pawang mga humanitarian at medical mission lamang ang isasagawa sa Mindanao at Sulu Archipelago at ang military training ay sa Luzon idaraos.

“Wala naman problema ang Balikatan eh. Pulos medical mission at humanitarian activities lamang ang isasagawa natin sa Mindanao at Sulu,” ani Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, hepe ng Western Mindanao Command, sa panayam ng Mindanao Examiner.

Subalit lumalakas ang reklamo ng kabastusan at human rights violations ng mga Kano sa mga lugar na kung saan sila naka-base.

Sa Sulu ay ipinasara ng mga aroganteng Kano ang isang pagamutan sa bayan ng Panamao sa tuwing sasapit and dilim. Sa Zamboanga City ay isang lalaki na sakay ng kanyang motorsiklo ang binangga ng isang sundalong Kano na matapos ng insidente ay iniwanan lamang nito ng isang card ang biktima at iniwang dugaan sa kalsada nuong nakaraang lingo lamang.

Sa Basilan ay may nabaril diumano ang mga Kano at hindi lamang ito ang una dahil sa Zamboanga City ay isang binatilyo rin ang ginawang target ng mga Kano habang namumulot iyo ng kahoy di-kalayuan sa isang firing range.

Matindi na umano ang galit ng mga Muslim sa mga Kano at ayaw ng karamihan na manatili ang mga ito sa Mindanao at Sulu, subali’t napipilitan na lamang dahil sa mga humanitarian at medical mission na isinagawa ng Armed Forces katuwang ang mga dayuhan.

Kapit sa patilim ang nangyayari sa mga kaawa-awang mga Muslim dahil sa hindi naman maibigay ng pamahalaan ang mga bagay na ito sa kanilang komunidad sa kabila ng matinding bigayan ng salapi ng Malakanyang sa mga kaalyadong pulitiko ng Pangulong Gloria Arroyo sa tuwing mga mga isyu ukol sa lider ng bansa. (May ambag na ulat si Nickee Butlangan)

Fear Not The Balikatan, Military Says

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 03, 2008) – A senior Filipino military commander doused fears of human rights violations and abuses by soldiers who will participate in a joint RP-US Balikatan training in southern Philippines.

Balikatan, which means "shoulder-to-shoulder," is the codename of the joint anti-terror drill held each year since 2001. The training will begin February 18 in the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Lanao, where militant and anti-US activists are opposing the war games.

“There is nothing wrong with the Balikatan and troops will concentrate on humanitarian and medical missions in the provinces. Our only aim is to help the people though various humanitarian activities and nothing more,” Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, which has jurisdiction over half of the region, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Some 6,000 US and Filipino soldiers are expected to participate in the Balikatan, but most of the military training exercise would be held in Luzon.

But hundreds of US troops have been deployed in Zamboanga City and Sulu since last year where they are helping the local military fight terrorism.

Militant groups and activists opposed to US presence in the Philippines said they would stage simultaneous rallies in the province to protest the holding of the Balikatan. They accused US troops stationed in Sulu of human rights violations after soldiers forcibly closed down a government hospital in Panamao town last year.

Last week, a motorcycle rider was injured after a US soldier driving a jeep hit the Filipino man outside a military base in Zamboanga City and fled the scene before policemen could arrive to investigate.

A teenager was also shot and seriously wounded by a US soldier while gathering firewood near a firing range in Zamboanga City. US soldiers participating in previous Balikatan in Zamboanga and Sulu also chased and detained journalists and prevented them from taking pictures and videos of the foreigners in public places.

Amirah Ali Lidasan, president of the Suara Bangsamoro (Voice of the Moro People), urged President Gloria Arroyo to scrap the Balikatan because of the abuses involving the US troops.

“Suara Bangsamoro calls on President Arroyo to heed the call of the Moro people and the people of Mindanao and put a stop to the Balikatan exercises. We also hope that our peace-loving legislators in the Senate and Congress will look into the complaints of the victims,” she said.

”American officials and their soldiers should be made answerable to the complaints made by civilians against them,” Lidasan said, citing an incident that occurred in December in Zamboanga City where passengers of a motorcycle taxi complained at a radio station about US soldiers who rammed their vehicle.

“Instead of helping the victims to get up, US soldiers got down from their vehicle complete with high-powered guns that according to the complainants looked like they were going to war. Ordinary citizens of Mindanao have been exposed to the impertinent attitudes of the US soldiers, and this is aggravated if government officials do not act on it,” Lidasan said.

While criticizing arrogance of some US troops, Lidasan praised Sarangani province Gov. Miguel Dominguez for apprehending armed American servicemen at a restaurant.

“It is a pain for the victims of Balikatan to learn that their complaints have fallen on deaf ears as the government gave a go-signal to commence the Balikatan exercises in their areas despite of the unresolved cases of human rights violations that involved US soldiers,” Lidasan said.

She also cited several cases involving US troops who participated in past Balikatan in Basilan and Sulu. Among them were the shooting of a Muslim villager, Buyung-Buyung Isnijal, allegedly by an American soldier identified by witnesses as a certain Sgt. Reggie Lane, who was accused of participating in a military operation on July 27, 2002 in Tuburan town in Basilan.

Lidasan said the involvement of an American soldier in combat operations is a violation to the Terms of Reference under the Visiting Forces Agreement between the US and the Philippines in defining and limiting the conduct of the joint military exercises.

Another was the reported involvement of US soldiers in combat operation against the Moro National Liberation Front in Sulu in 2005.

Lidasan also cited cases of shooting and maiming of civilians allegedly by US soldiers who accidentally fired at civilians in the community while on a test missions. One case was the shooting and wounding of Arsid Baharun in Zamboanga City while soldiers were conducting a marksmanship practice in 2004, and the second was in September 2006 where shrapnel from a misfired bomb hit a 50-year old Muslim woman, Bizma Juhan in Indanan town in Sulu.

The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) called on Congress and the Senate to immediately launch a thorough probe on the real role of US troops in Mindanao.

"We are calling on both Houses of Congress, to call for respective investigations on the matter…We have to uphold our sovereignty if not then foreigners will just trample it under their feet," Rafael Mariano, chairman of KMP and president of the Anakpawis party-list group, said.

The Balikatan demonstrates Washington's resolve to continue the commitment to train, advice and assist the Philippine military to build capacity to counter terrorism.

The Balikatan includes support for comprehensive defense reform; security assistance modules for counter-terrorism training; operations intelligence fusion; and aspects in education programs, logistics, and engineering, equipment, and maintenance and helicopter programs.

It will also enhance the skills and capabilities of Filipino and American forces in combating terrorism and other internal and external security threats. And improve inter-operability between RP and US forces through the exchange of training skills and techniques.

The training is part of Washington security assistance to the Philippines, a key US ally in Southeast Asia in the so-called global war on terrorism. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kemikal Leak Sa Zambo

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 03, 2008) – Ilang residente sa isang maliit na barangay sa Zamboanga City ang umano’y nahilo at ang iba ay nagsuka matapos na makaamoy ng kemikal na tulad sa ammonia.

Hindi pa mabatid kung saan nagmula ang masansang hangin na unang napuna kamakalawa ng gabi sa Barangay Mampang. Ngunit isang pabrika na gumagawa ng frozen seafood ang nasa lugar at hindi pa mabatid kung sa kanila galing ang masamang amoy.

Ayon sa ibang ulat ay ilang matatandang residente rin ang isinugod sa pagamutan nuong Sabado dahil sa hirap sa paghinga. Subali’t hindi pa masabi ng pulisya o ng mga barangay officials kung may kinalaman ba ito sa masamang amoy sa naturang lugar.

Ilang mga planta ng seafood at seaweeds ang kalat sa Zamboanga City, bukod pa rito ang maraming mga bularan o gawaan ng tuyo at daing, gayun rin ng mga bagoong na ilang ulit na rin inireklamo dahil sa masamang amoy sa mga lugar na kung saan ang mga ito naroon. Gayun rin ang maraming mga tuna at sardine canning factories na bumuga ng malansang amoy sa kapaligiran. (Mindanao Examiner)

Extort Group Owns Up Bombing In Mindanao

A security guard of the Philbest Canning Corporation in General Santos City in southern Philippines stands Saturday, February 2, 2008 near the site where a bomb had exploded last week killing four people. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Gandhi C. Kinjiyo)

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 02, 2008) – A shadowy group calling itself the Al-Khobar gang has allegedly owned to a recent bombing in the southern Philippines, reports said.

Reports said the gang, composed mostly of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels and criminals, claimed the January 30 bombing outside the Philbest Canning Corporation in the village of Tambler that killed four people and wounded at least 28 others.

An explosive was left on a parked motorcycle outside the factory where it detonated as employees were coming out of the Philbest compound. Police initially blamed labor disputes at the factory and failed extortion as the motive of the attack.

Police and military also linked the group to previous bombings in strife-torn region the past years. Al-Khobar was behind many extortion activities in Mindanao. (Gandhi C. Kinjiyo)

GMA Program Launched In Sarangani Province

A truck loaded with sacks of wooden coal is heading to General Santos City from Maasim town in Sarangani Province. Coal production from trees cut from the mountains of Sarangani is prevalent in the province. Unabated production of coal from trees contributes to the slow denudation of mountains of Sarangani. The Department of Agriculture also announced that it would release animals to at least 7 villages in Sarangani as part of the government program to mitigiate hunger. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Gandhi C. Kinjiyo)

SARANGANI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 02, 2008) - In its goal to mitigate hunger by providing additional income among the poorest of the poor, the Department of Agriculture Region 12 is dispersing animals among qualified beneficiaries in the province.

“This is in line with the ‘hunger mitigation program’ of President Arroyo,” Dr Joselito B. Gleyo, Provincial Veterinarian of Sarangani said in an interview during the Animal Health Care Seminar conducted recently at the provincial gymnasium here.

“With this, we will be able to help the poorest of the poor in the less developed barangays (villages) of the province,” he said.

Gleyo said some 445 heads of chicken and 159 goats will be dispersed to chosen villages in the seven municipalities of Sarangani.

To ensure that the project will be sustained, the provincial government will sign a Memorandum of Agreement with village councils that would help monitor the progress of the project.

Gleyo said that each beneficiary would receive either one goat or 5 heads of chicken, mostly Sasso and Kabir. He said the beneficiaries would follow a mechanism to ensure that the animals will reach succeeding beneficiaries.

“The goat or chicken will remain under the ownership of the Municipal Agriculturist Office until they return what were given to them,” he said, explaining that the beneficiaries will sign an affidavit of undertaking citing their commitment to take care of the animals and return one 3-month old of female kid to those who would avail the animals.

The Municipal Agriculture Office and the Barangay Council will be in-charge in identifying succeeding beneficiaries.

He stressed that the beneficiaries should undergo Animal Health Care seminar for them to have knowledge on animal nutrition, common diseases and prevention. Beneficiaries will receive the farm animals after undergoing animal health care seminar.

Sarangani is known to be the 4th poorest province in the country. The provincial government, with the help of other institutions, is keen in providing the constituents of the province with the basic services like potable water.

The provincial government also prioritize improving farm to market road to increase the income of farmers. Agriculture and fishing are the two major economic activities of the people of Sarangani.

Among the institutions and organizations that supported the projects are the Growth with Equity in Mindanao, Japan International Cooperation Agency, United Nations Development Program, United Nations Children Educational Fund, Food and Agriculture Organization, Peace with Equity Foundation and local non-government organizations.

Governor Miguel Rene A. Dominguez expressed optimism about the program and other projects in the province. He said it would bring about economic stability and provide basic needs to people, quality education, enterprise development, peaceful communities and investments. (Gandhi C. Kinjiyo)

2 Military Informants Get Rewards For Capture Of NPA Leaders In South RP

Western Mindanao Command chief Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, assisted by Army Brig. Gen. Ricardo Garcia, rewarded P1.3 million to one of two masked informants on Saturday, February 02, 2008 in Zamboanga City for helping capture two senior leaders of the communist rebel group National People's Army in southern Philippines. The Philippine military vowed to crush communist insurgency in the country where security forces are also fighting Muslim secessionist rebels in Mindanao, south of Manila. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 02, 2008) - The Philippine military rewarded over one million pesos to two civilians who helped capture two senior communist rebel leaders in Mindanao island, officials said.

“These two civilians are heroes. They helped us capture two terrorist leaders,” Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of the Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga City, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Allaga handed the rewards to the two masked informants inside the military base and said the government’s Rewards for Justice Program is a big boost to ongoing anti-insurgency campaign in the southern Philippines.

“We really need the help of every body in this campaign. We need the help of the people in winning this war against terrorism and bring peace to the land,” he said.

Allaga handed a total of P1.3 million to the two men, both wearing a ski mask and sunglasses to hide their identities. Then men did not say any word or speak to reporters and were immediately whisked by soldiers out of the conference room where the ceremony took place.

Allaga said the two informants helped in the capture of Saturnino Roda alias Ka Dory, of the New People’s Army, in the town of Guipos in Zamboanga del Sur on August last year.

The other rebel leader, Joe Paculba, also known by his nom de guerre Ka Joel, was arrested a month later after Roda’s fall in Calamba town in Misamis Occidental.

“The arrest was pursued through the cooperation of the civilian informants who provided the Armed Forces of the Philippines sensitive and vital information about the two communist terrorist leaders,” Allaga said.

Allaga said there is an ongoing operation against the NPA and other terror groups, such as the Indonesian Jemaah Islamiya and its local affiliate, the Abu Sayyaf.

Maj. Eugene Batara, a regional military spokesman, said the two rebel leaders are now in jail and facing criminal charges in connection with attacks on government and military targets in Mindanao.

Last month, Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon vowed to crush NPA fronts in the country and neutralize the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya.

The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front, which broke of peace talks with government in 2004 after the United States in Manila’s prodding added them to its list of foreign terrorist organizations.

Rebel leaders said they would only resume peace negotiations if Washington removes them from the terror tag. (Ely Dumaboc and Arthur Abasolo)

Reporters Sans Border Condemns Jailing Of Filipino Journalist

Reporters Without Borders condemns the detention of radio show host Julito Ucab, who has been held in Butuan City, on the southern island of Mindanao, since last month for failing to attend a court hearing on a defamation case dating back to 2004.

"After the jailing of Alex Adonis in Davao City, this is the second radio presenter to be detained in the Philippines as a result of a very questionable judicial procedure," the press freedom organization said.

"It is shocking that laws criminalizing defamation are still being applied. The United Nations have said very clearly that imprisoning a journalist for any length of time is disproportionate to the injury done to the plaintiff."

Ucab is being held in connection with a lawsuit brought against him in 2004 by an employee of the Butuan City architects office, Amado Jovellano, because a woman had accused Jovellano of rape on a programme hosted by Ucab on Butuan City's radio dzBC.

Also known as "Lito," Ucab now lives and works in Cagayan de Oro City, also on Mindanao island, and has been unable to attend hearings in Butuan since 2006. Back then, the court granted him provisional liberty after he paid bail of 330 Euros. But it finally issued an arrest warrant of the kind that does not admit the possibility of release on bail.

Cagayan de Oro press club president Jerry Orcullo said: "Journalists playing their role of society's watchdogs do not deserve to be treated as common criminals." Ucab's arrest is "clear proof of the brutal nature of the defamation law," he added.

On January 25, the supreme court urged judges to sentence persons found guilty of defamation to fines rather than prison sentences.

Journalists continue to be exposed to abusive defamation actions in the Philippines. Adonis, a young journalist working for Bombo Radyo in Davao, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for defaming Prospero Nograles, a parliamentarian and close ally of President Gloria Arroyo. He was convicted in absentia because he could not afford to pay for a lawyer or to attend all the hearings.

People's Direct Vote: Key To The Snag In The GRP-MILF Peace Talks

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Bihag Ng Sayyaf, Walang Balita

Todo bantay ang mga miyembro ng Philippine Marines sa bayan ng Jolo sa Sulu province sa larawang ito na kuha ngayon Biyernes, ika-1 ng Pebrero 2008. Bihag ng Abu Sayyaf ang isangn negosyante sa Sulu. (Kuha ng Mindanao Examiner/Nickee Butlangan)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 01, 2008) – Patuloy ang paghahanap ng mga sundalo at parak sa mga Abu Sayyaf na may hawak sa isang negosyanteng babae na kanilang dinukot sa bayan ng Jolo.

Wala naman balita ukol sa biktimang si Rosalie Lao, na may maliit na tindahan ng mga barter goods sa naturang bayan. Takot na rin ang umiiral sa maraming mga negosyante dahil sa pagdukot kay Lao na kilalang mabait sa kanilang bayan.

May dugong Muslim o Tausug si Lao subalit sa kabila nito ay dinukot pa rin siya ng Abu Sayyaf. May negosasyon na umano ang pamilya nito sa mga kidnappers, ngunit sa kabila nito ay walang tigil ang paghahanap ng mga awtoridad kay Lao.

Unang araw pa lang ng madukot si Lao ay agad na pinulong ni Gov. Sakur Tan ang mga opisyal ng lalawigan na bumubuo ng Crisis Management Committee upang maresolba ang panibagong krisis na nagbabanta sa magandang takbo ng local na ekonomilya at turismo sa Sulu.

Bukod kay Lao ay hawak rin ng Abu sayyaf si Omar Taup, isang teacher na dinukot nuong Enero 15 sa South Ubian, isang bayan sa Tawi-Tawi matapos na patayin ng grupo ang Katolikong pari na si Jesus Reynadlo Roda matapos sa bigong pagdukot sa kanya.

Maging ang mga residente ngayon ay takot ang umiiral dahil sa muling paghahasik ng lagim ng Abu Sayyaf sa Sulu. Naganap ang pagbaba ng Abu Sayyaf mula sa kabundukan ilang araw lamang ang lumipas ng ilipat nuong Enero 18 sa Lanao provinces ang buong puwersa ng Army's 103rd Infantry Brigade.

Marines na ang nagbabantay sa Sulu, subalit kulang ang puwersa nito sa buong lalawigan. (May ulat ni Nickee Butlangan)

2 MNLF Leaders Accused Of Illegal Recruitment

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 01, 2008) - A senior leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), urged the group's chieftain Nur Misuari to censure two of his field commanders for large-scale recruitment and promising new members with high-paying jobs.

Datu Dima Ambil, chairman of the MNLF’s Sebangan Kutawato State, said the two commanders, Johnny Sugagel and Kautin Usman of North Cotabato and Daval del Sus who are known “Misuari loyalists” were allegedly recruiting in Mindanao.

The two were also using Misuari's name to lure new members to join the former rebel group.

Ambil accused the two leaders of duping Muslim men into joining the MNLF by promising them integration into the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces after the tripartite review of the front’s 1996 peace pact with Manila.

The 11-year-old peace agreement is now subject of an extensive review by the government, the MNLF and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) as part of a three-way effort to address all misunderstandings on its implementation.

Ambil said both commanders have allegedly collected P5,000 from each of their recruits as “entrance fee” for them to be accepted in the MNLF.

“Its good to expand the ranks of the MNLF, but not through promises that would never materialize. Recruits are also not supposed to pay entrance fees just to become MNLF members,” Ambil told reporters.

More than 7,000 MNLF members had been integrated into the military and police from 1996 to 2000 as part of the peace deal. “The government should help check these illegal activities of these two commanders,” Ambil said.

Misuari signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996 ending decades of bloody war. After the peace agreement was signed, he became the governor of the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

The Muslim autonomous region was meant to implement the 1976 Tripoli Agreement between Manila and the MNLF. But despite the peace accord, there was a widespread disillusionment with the weak autonomy they were granted.

Misuari is currently under house arrest and facing rebellion charges after MNLF forces attacked a major military base in Sulu province and took more than 100 people in Zamboanga City in 2001. (Jerick Wee)