US military turns over school building to locals in Southern Philippines

Philippine and US military officials in Kauswagan town in Lanao del Norte province.

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 21, 2009) - The US government through their military handed over Wednesday to local authorities a P4.5-million newly constructed 3-room school building in Lanao del Norte’s Kauswagan town in Mindanao.

The town was previously raided by Moro rebels who burned schools and attacked innocent civilians.

US Army Captain Cristian Knutzen, of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, together with Philippine Army Colonel Benito de Leon, of the 104th Infantry Brigade under the 1st Infantry Division, assisted Lanao del Norte Governor Khalid Mohammad Dimaporo, in the ceremonial turnover of the keys to the school principal of Kauswagan Central Elementary School.

This was witnessed by representatives of the Department of Education, other local officials, and school children.

Knutzen said the US-funded project was built in collaboration with the Philippine Government to help bring stability in the region. De Leon, the army brigade commander in the area, explained that the local military identified developmental projects in the province in consultation with local executives which eventually is nominated for funding by the US government.

He said the school building was among the other civil-military developmental projects being undertaken in the area with the help of the American forces.

Governor Dimaporo also thanked the military forces for their continued support to the Province of Lanao del Norte, and at the same time called upon his people to join hands to pursue peace. (With a report from Merlyn Manos)

2 wounded in rebel attacks in Mindanao

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Capital Punishment, The Media, State and Society

Given the furor over the case of the Alabang Boys and calls for the restoration of the death penalty, now is possibly a good time to ask if the media should to be taking any kind of stand on capital punishment.   On the one hand, some argue the media’s role should be to simply report news along with the views and opinions of others and so should have no position either way. Others however argue that the presence of Op-Ed (opinion-editorial) pages in newspapers proves the media has its own voice and that it should ultimately use it to monitor and protect society.   If one agrees with that latest statement, would the Philippine media be protecting or hurting society if it came out against, or in favor of, the death penalty? There are probably many different views on this and I guess that in the end may be part of the answer. Perhaps we shouldn’t try and seek a collective position – but should simply be looking for a free, frank, full and sober debate across and through the media. In this way we avoid the issue being dominated by the politicians of fear.   A little more on that later.   Those who say that the Philippine media has no role to play here would do well to remember that Amnesty International whose position on the death penalty is very well known, was itself directly born out of a campaigning story run by the British Observer newspaper back in 1961 by the organization’s founder Peter Benenson. Four decades on, the same paper incidentally came out strongly in favor of the Iraq War to the dismay of many of its readers.   Following on from that and given the universal acceptance of the UN Declaration of Human Rights as a code of principles to respect and follow - and in particular Article 3, (‘Everyone has the right to life’) is it not right to insist all media and journalists should observe and support without exception the UN Resolution passed in December 2007 which called for a moratorium on the death penalty while seeking to end its actual practice the world over?   On the one hand and from a moral perspective we might be saying ‘obviously’, and ‘yes.’. But on the other, possibly ‘no’. The UN has also adopted the Millennium Development Goals. Does that mean too that all journalists and media should sign up 100 per cent behind them and brook no dissent?   Journalism obviously goes hand in hand with dissent and free speech and the day dissent or alternative opinions from the mainstream are prescribed by law (or even mere convention) is the day real democracy dies.   Should a media outlet or journalist be condemned because they support the death penalty? Well I probably wouldn’t buy them a beer, but it remains their right and that is something we must fight to protect.   Singapore voted against the UN Resolution on the Death Penalty (as did many others states) maintaining that capital punishment was a criminal and not a human rights issue and thus must be left to be determined by individual states. Some would agree with this, while others would not.   From media reports this week in Manila it seems senior drug enforcement officials at the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), alongside others advocate the reintroduction of the death penalty for serious drug offensives on the basis that they constitute “a security threat to the state” –i.e. the most serious of criminal acts.   But then, it could be argued, so too does ‘terrorism’ constitute a threat to the state; so too conflict; so too the credit crunch; so too the rice shortage; so too dissent – and so too the prospect of Manny Pacquiao finally losing to Ricky Hatton.   God knows what would happen then.   But should all these too become capital crimes because some deem them to be a security threat to the state? Or would this be a retrograde step?   Given the broad definition of what some in the Philippines see as a threat to the state and thus a possible capital crime, are we not in danger of heading down a slippery slope with the calls to show what has been reported in the media as ‘tough love’ and severely punish the few to save the many?   God knows if I were the head of an anti-drug task force in Manila and saw what was happening to what I might have thought was a water-tight case I too might have been left very angry and frustrated. But at the end of the day, we should not necessarily cite theChinese model of control as an example to follow – and we need to acknowledge that the phrase ‘a threat to the state’ is a dangerous exaggeration that the media here would do well to pick up on. Such phrases are far more often heard and used in totalitarian countries than in real democracies.   Drugs and crime –and things like corruption- undermine and hurt society - but surely not the state.   The Thai authorities literally declared war on domestic drug dealers some years ago and hundreds of people were summarily executed by military and police death squads. Nobody in the Philippines is I hope proposing that, but there is a risk of overreacting. The danger is in demanding populist measures like the death penalty when the real issue seems to be a failure of the rule and operation of law.   If people who are proven guilty escape justice because of a corrupt system, then fix the system: introducing the ultimate penalty is no panacea for a broken system and officials and politicians should be wary of adopting cheap and easy populist platforms.   This brings us back to the issue of the media and the fact that some say at the last resort it should protect society (again, not the State) from demagoguery and dictators.   President Arroyo and the Department of Foreign Affairs deserve full credit for intervening in the case of overseas Filipino workers who stand on death row. Some would say that they are only doing their job, but how could they intervene with any real morality if capital punishment were to be reintroduced back home?   How would (and how ever did) this fit in with the Church’s view on the sanctity of life?   It is all a very interesting and crucial issue to discuss: It would good to see the media join and not simply leave it to a few wily politicians and beleaguered officials to set the agenda and frame the debate.    Alan Davis  Director, Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project  Director, Institute for War and Peace Reporting special projects  alan@iwpr.net

The New People’s Army in Mindanao: A Growing or Declining Force?

While renewed fighting between Moro rebels and government forces in Mindanao dominates the headlines, the island's other long-standing conflict goes on.

The New People's Army (NPA) has been waging its so-called 'revolutionary war' against the government in Manila since 1969, and by the army's own reckoning, 40 years after the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was founded, its armed faction remains most active in Mindanao.

 

Depending on who one believes, the NPA saw in the beginning of 2009 with anywhere from between a few thousand and 20,000 soldiers or more nationwide.

 

Self-exiled communist leader Jose Sison recently claimed the NPA had 'tens of thousands' of members during a call to arms marking the party's anniversary last month.

 

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), ordered by President Arroyo to put an end to the insurgency 'once and for all' by 2010, puts the figure to be in the low thousands. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Baccaro has claimed the Maoist rebels are at their weakest in 20 years.

 

A military briefing given to the media at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila last August put their strength at fewer than 5,800 --the group having reportedly suffered a 20 per cent dip the previous year.

 

Despite that, the NPA, the armed wing of the CPP, remains the "biggest threat" to national security according to National Defense Secretary Gilbert C. Teodoro Jr.

 

The history of the NPA in Mindanao dates back to 1971 when a handful of inexperienced but determined communists established two cells -- one in Iligan and the other in Davao.

 

The years that followed saw it exploit widespread poverty among both indigenous peoples and poor peasants in the countryside, as well as among many Christian settlers.

 

By mid 80s, when the NPA was at its strongest, the rebels were outpacing their counterparts in Luzon and Visayas and were attacking and temporarily occupying remote town centers and setting up shadow governments as both a show of their military strength and political organization.

 

On several occasions the group launched battalion-sized offensives --subsequently deemed by their leadership to be tactical and costly mistakes.

 

Suffering huge and successive losses and succeeding only in alienating the local population, they suspected they were infiltrated by the military.

 

A series of bloody purges followed that almost decimated their ranks.

 

According to one of their own leaders in Mindanao, Ka Oris, the purge saw more than 600 party members, activists and supporters killed in the island alone.

 

The military command claims the NPA in Mindanao, at least, is no longer the ideological force it once was and is today dependent instead upon attracting restless and rootless young unemployed to its ranks from the countryside, according to Colonel Alan Luga of the 1001st Infantry Brigade in Compostela Valley who spoke to the Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project in December.

 

Yet according to Ka Oris, the nom de guerre of one of fewer than 10 original local party members from Mindanao left after nearly 40 years in the communist underground movement, the rebel group has rebounded from its bloody past to re-establish a presence in "more than 2,000 barrios (villages) in 200 municipalities in 19 provinces in the island."

 

According to him, the NPA now operates "39 guerrilla fronts" in Mindanao alone and 102 nationwide.

 

Ka Oris says the rebel movement has learned from its past mistakes and now “strictly adheres to the Geneva Conventions and shows 'respect’ for human rights”

 

Yet at the same time, the NPA admits it still administers “revolutionary justice.” Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo may have just been released having been held captive by the NPA in Compostela Valley for almost two months but there were past instances of captured government soldiers and suspected government spies who were either killed after 'revolutionary trials' or murdered in 'partisan operations.'

 

Ka Oris tries to clarify his group's adherence to the Geneva Conventions: "We no longer allow minors to join the New People's Army," he says.

 

In the late 70s and early 80s, recruits as young as 14 and 15 years old were reportedly allowed to join the NPA.

 

An NPA commander, who declined to give even his pseudonym for security reasons, told the Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project that the average age of NPA guerilla is now between 20 and 25.

 

Contrary to the claims of Colonel Luga and his colleagues, the NPA also claim to have increased their political education of recruits.

 

But their sights are set on the population at large: "We have to engage in production and raising the level of consciousness of the masses," Ka Don, an aide to Ka Oris, told the Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project.

 

"All units are given comprehensive tasks and are deployed to organize the masses," he said. Ka Don claimed that all NPA members are ordered to avoid civilian casualties.

 

"Officers will now face stiff sanctions for any civilian collateral damage," Ka Don said. During a press conference on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the CPP, Ka Oris said the NPA has standing orders not to fire on military targets inside civilian homes and communities and in civilian vehicles.

 

But that didn't stop the recent killing of a five-year-old girl, Kyle Manegro, who died after being caught in the middle of a fire fight with the military.

 

Ka Oris added it would be "impossible" for NPA units to determine the presence of civilians in military installations and encampments at all times.

 

"That is why we are enjoining civilians to refrain from living inside military camps and riding in military vehicles because these are legitimate targets of the NPA," he said.

 

The communist leader also defended the continued use of land mines by NPA units. "The military is spreading lies about our alleged illegal use of land mines. What is banned by international protocols is the use of contact-detonated land mines. We are not using them. We are using command-detonated explosives which are allowed by the Montreal International Convention."

 

Today, Ka Oris claims the CPP-NPA in Mindanao has almost approximated its armed and organizational strength when the rebel movement was at its peak in the 80s.

 

Last year, according to a statement of the Mindanao Commission of the CPP-NPA, the rebels were able to launch more than 300 tactical offensives and seized over 200 high-powered firearms in Mindanao.

 

In the Caraga Region, he claimed the equivalent of almost a company of government soldiers and militiamen were killed during rebel attacks in 2008 while the rebels suffered "only five casualties."

 

As recently as December 18 and on the eve of the AFP’s December 17 anniversary, a company of NPA guerrillas in their North Eastern Mindanao command said they seized 21 assorted firearms from a police station in the town of Tubay in Agusan del Norte during an attack on San Roque Mining Incorporated, a company owned by Congressman Edelmiro Amante.

 

Ka Oris dared the military to run after the NPAs who raided the police armory and closed the national highway from Ampayon in Butuan City to Tubay during the raids.

 

The rebels claim that rather than see their total destruction, the coming years will see "a more intensified level of guerrilla warfare."

 

Human Rights Abuses

 

While charging the military with sustained human rights attacks on their members and those deemed sympathetic, the rebels are not immune to similar charges and have reportedly continued to kill suspected informers, government officials and civilians who they believe have links to the military.

 

Ka Oris insists his group's brand of "revolutionary justice" compels them to impose death penalty to individuals "who have incurred blood deaths to the people."

 

"We are the army of the masses," says Ka Oris in language seldom heard spoken seriously any more. "They [the people] run to us to get justice where our bourgeois courts cannot give them. It is our duty to implement the verdict of punishment by death if it so warrants," Ka Oris said.

 

All indictments and decisions by the "people's court", he added, will undergo thorough review from the highest territorial units of the CPP-NPA in the area depending on the gravity of the "crime" and the person involved.

 

But it appears the assassination of a businessman almost a year ago by NPA partisans in Davao fell foul of some internal procedures and it was swiftly followed by an apology from the Southern Mindanao Regional Party Committee.

 

AFP 'On Target'

 

For their part, the army is not unduly worried about predictions being made by the NPA about the future.

 

In a phone interview with the Philippine Human Rights Report, AFP Chief of Staff Alexander Yano said the government is "on target" in reducing the NPA into irrelevance by 2010. "Defeating and reducing them into irrelevance is the same. We are on pace," Yano said.

 

He added that the communist rebels will be reduced to a mere police concern by 2010 and would no longer be treated as a national security threat.

 

Yano however begged off reacting to claims by Ka Oris that the NPA's armed strength in Mindanao has increased.

 

"We will be having a command conference in January and we will try to collate our figures then," the AFP chief said.

 

However, he conceded the NPA are most active in some parts of Compostela Valley, Davao City and the Caraga Region where the Mindanao Commission is reportedly based.

 

Major Gen. Armando Cunanan, commanding general of the army’s Eastern Mindanao Command (East Mincom) on the other hand, flatly belied claims the insurgents are gaining strength.

 

According to him, the actual number of the NPAs in Mindanao was down four per cent in 2008. East Mincom spokesperson Major Randolph Cabangbang said the total strength of guerrillas on the island is no more than 1,400 armed regulars.

 

"They have been reduced to criminal activities, preying on helpless businessmen," Cabangbang quoted the general as saying.

 

Cabangbang also maintained the NPAs are extorting money from small scale miners and big mining companies in Mt. Diwalwal in Compostela Valley to the tune of PhP 20 million (USD 425,500) a month.

 

"This money is being used to finance the expenses of members of the central committee of the CPP," Cabangbang said.

 

This figure, if true, reinforced observations that the NPAs have gained considerable control over the gold-rich Diwata ranges in Compostela Valley which is part of the Southern Mindanao Region of the communist movement.

 

But the military insists the number of tactical offensives claimed launched by the NPA in 2008 is wrong.

 

"We consider more than half of them as total lies," Cabangbang said.

 

And while it is may be true that the rebels have seized more than 200 high-powered firearms, majority of them were reportedly taken from "soft targets" like security guards and government militiamen.

 

The AFP chief of staff however conceded that the increase in armed activities of the NPA was due to the AFP's shift in the focus of its military operations to the MILF.

 

Otherwise, Yano said, the rebel group has reportedly suffered huge losses in personnel and territories in Northern and Central Luzon.

 

The AFP chief likewise said the number of guerrilla fronts in Mindanao can be misleading.

 

"They can easily split their fronts with just a skeletal organization to present some semblance of strength," he added.

 

Peace process

 

In the midst of fighting, pressures continue for both the government and rebel forces to resume peace negotiations that were stalled in 2004 when the National Democratic Front, (NDF) the umbrella movement that represents the armed movement and its political supporters, insisted that President Gloria Arroyo’s government exert an effort to remove the "terrorist" tag imposed on them by the United States and the European Community.

 

Ka Oris said they have not abandoned the peace process but "conditions may not be ripe." He accuses Manila of reportedly ignoring provisions of CARHRIHL (the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law) signed between the NDF and the Philippine government during the Ramos administration in The Hague.

 

The NDF also rejected a "prolonged ceasefire" as a precondition to the resumption of the peace negotiations.

 

The NDF branded the government precondition as a move little short of surrender.

 

A ceasefire, it insisted, should be "a result of a comprehensive political settlement and discussion of substantial issues confronting the Philippine society."

 

Ka Oris accuses the government of continuously undermining the possibilities of the resumption of the peace negotiations.

 

"If there is anybody who wants to achieve immediate peace, it is us. Life in the cold mountains and on the run is very hard. But we cannot accept an unprincipled peace because the AFP and the government just want us to surrender," the communist leader said.

 

He likewise warned that any effort to extend the term of Arroyo beyond 2010 will only strengthen the CPP-NPA.

 

If that happens, he said, President Arroyo will go down in history as the "greatest recruiter" of the NPA.

 

Ka Oris added the NDF is willing to wait for the new government to replace the Arroyo administration and see if the peace process could move forward. (Edwin G. Espejo / Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project. The author is a freelance writer and former managing editor of both Sunstar General Santos and Sunstar Business Weekly.)

New Government Peace Panel Members ‘Lack Supporters and Mandate’

Are prospects for the proposed new peace panel dead before it even begins? While the new government nominees have been called ‘good men,’ observers believe they do not reflect or speak for those groups and interests whose support will be crucial to ensure a just and sustainable peace.

One of the organizations leading the peace movement in Mindanao has called on the government to pick peace negotiators from the ranks of the Supreme Court, Congress and from Local Government Units if it is really serious about resolving the long-running crisis once and for all.

 

Reacting to the recent announcement of three government appointees to the peace panel which hopes to resume talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) is asking instead for the Supreme Court to appoint its best representatives to the negotiating team. It added the Senate and Congress should also choose their best legislators to join the panel to ensure all three branches of the government will be intricately bound up in negotiations from the start and so help avoid a repeat of last August when one branch of the government rejected the work of another.

 

Three weeks ago, the President named Foreign Affairs undersecretary Rafael Seguis as the chair of the new government panel, an appointee not known to peace advocates in Mindanao. He replaces retired Army Lieutenant General Rodolfo Garcia, whose panel was dissolved September 3.

 

The President later named Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, T'duray native Ronald Adamat, former South Cotabato Rep. Adelbert Antonino and lawyer-businessman Tomas Cabili as the new peace panel members.

 

According to Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon, Adamat would represent the Lumads in the panel, replacing Datu Al Saliling who was on the panel before it was dissolved in the wake of the collapse last year of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD).

 

But Mary Ann Arnado, secretary general of the MPC, said that while they had nothing against Adamat, she suggested the government should first consult the different indigenous peoples’ groups “before naming somebody to represent them”.

 

"Pangandaman will represent the Muslim community while Antonino will represent the Christian community in the talks," Esperon told reporters.

 

But Arnado suggested that Pangandaman should first resolve the "unpeaceful situation" his family was embroiled in- a not-so-veiled reference to a widely reported incident on the fairways of a gold club in Antipolo late last month.

 

The MILF has already flagged that it will only go back to the negotiating table if the government returns to the issue of the MOA-AD, something which is probably unlikely in its present state.

 

Ustadz Rahib Kudto, National President of the United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD), said the defunct government panel had Muslim members in the persons of former Sultan Kudarat Governor Pax Mangundadatu and Datu Ali Sangki, but added it was “not enough that Muslims are on the panel."

 

Kudto argued it was more important to select negotiators with “genuine appreciation of the Mindanao conflict and recognition of the historical injustices done against the Bangsamoro People."

 

"Pangandaman cannot represent the Bangsamoro People because he was given no mandate. We do not recognize him as our representative,” he said.

 

Kudto added: "If the government doesn't change its framework which centers on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, peace will be all the more become elusive."

 

Esperon has said Manila has yet to set the date of the resumption of peace talks with the MILF while announcing they were still conducting "consultations" on the peace process in provinces in Mindanao.

 

The government had been pushing on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration as a new framework for the talks in the event it goes back to the negotiating table with the MILF, a proposal that the Moro group has consistently opposed.

 

Bobby Benito, Executive Director of the Bangsamoro Council for Justice and Peace warned "even if the best people are named as government negotiators, talks will not prosper unless they start off where they stopped.”

 

He added that whoever the President appoints as negotiators for the government, it will “not make sense” unless they do not enjoy the full backing of all parts of the government.

 

He claimed the President sought only to try and keep international opinion on her side by suggesting the peace process was still ongoing, “but the truth is she does not have any intention of resolving the conflict."

 

Given the fact that the aborted MOA-AD was four years in the making, she may also be fast running out of time – a belief shared by Mindanao Attorney Zainudin Malang who says the new panel only has eighteen months to work on a final accord.

 

While calling the new members “good people as were their predecessors,” Malang also predicted that the new panel will be hampered because it does not appear to have clear support from the Christian community in northern Mindanao which was instrumental in working to have the previous initialled agreement nullified before it could be formally signed.

 

And while the row over the peace panel appointees and their mandate goes on, the number of displaced persons in evacuation centers continues to grow as does the number of fire-fights reported between government troops and the MILF.

 

More than 300 families were among new evacuees forced from their village of Dado in Alamada town in North Cotabato, in late December. More than 6,000 individuals are also said to have fled Kalamansig town in Sultan Kudarat.

 

The new wave of evacuations was triggered by an attack on Christmas Eve by MILF rebels. (Romy Elusfa / Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project. The author is a freelance journalist and volunteer of Bantay Ceasefire.)

Swindlers Defraud and the State Fails Mindanao’s Hopeless People

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project / Jan. 20, 2009) — Going home and staying ‘home’ was all 17-year-old Aliya (not her real name) wanted –even though her last home has been an evacuation center in Maguindanao, 160 kilometers southwest from here.

Having spent more than six months here as house help for a rich Filipino-Chinese family, Aliya has had enough.

 

"Hindi ko na makayanan ang bigat ng trabaho ko (I cannot bear my work anymore)," Aliya told the Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project

 

Aliya arrived in the city after a lady recruiter whom she identified as "Betty" took her out from an evacuation center in Bagoenged village in Pagalungan, Maguindanao last July.

 

She and her family have effectively been on the road, moving from one camp to another for the past nine years because of fighting and its effects. Having first lost their home, her father then lost his job as a fish trader and the family ended up relying on financial support from their relatives.

 

"Mahirap talaga ang buhay namin, ang lahat ng mga kapatid ko hindi nakapag-eskwela (Our lives were very miserable, all of my brothers and sisters dropped out of school),” recounted Aliya, the second of seven children.

 

Their cycle of hopelessness in one evacuation center after another made the offer to them by a visiting stranger called "Betty" very compelling. Betty told them she was a recruiting agent and Aliya was promised a job in Davao from where she could start to send money back ‘home’ and help her family get back on its feet at last.

 

Her monthly salary would be PhP 2,500 (55 USD). Social security benefits were promised on top.

 

Aliya says she only saw “Betty” once.

 

But first –as so often seems to be the case– Aliya’s family had to pay upfront. Her father gave “Betty” an envelope containing PhP 3,500 (USD 75) – a huge amount given their desperate circumstances.

 

Aliya little imagined that her life in Davao City would be worse than living at the evacuation center.

 

She spoke how she worked seven days a week, rarely got a day off and went to bed at 11 p.m. only to be awakened again four hours later. In the morning she would look after the personal needs of her employers and in the afternoon and evenings, after their children.

 

After her first month she was in tears to find her salary was only PhP 700 (USD 15).

 

She confronted her employer but was threatened with being made homeless yet again. Torn between going back to Maguindanao virtually penniless knowing her family had paid out so much to find her ‘work,’ she remained with the family in Davao another five months being paid the equivalent of less than half a dollar a day.

 

“Our lives are desperate in Maguindanao, we have no security and there is fighting always. We don’t know who we should be asking for help,” says Aliya.

 

One of her friends from the evacuation center was also promised a job by “Betty”. Suleika was luckier and managed to find a better job in Tagum City with more “caring employers.” But even then, Suleika only receives a meager PhP 1,000 (USD 21) a month.

 

“I envy Suleika,” says Aliya, “I wish too I could work in Tagum.” Tagum City is 55 kilometers north from here.

 

Conditions in the cramped evacuation centers which are neither policed nor protected have made them become attractive ‘fishing grounds’ for illegal recruiters according to the Mindanao Migrants Center for Empowering Actions, Inc. (MMCEAI), a non-government organization that promotes the welfare of migrant workers in southern Philippines.

 

"Hopeless situations in conflict areas push families to send off those family members who can work –and these then suffer abuse because employers often know there is nothing for these people to go back to," says Inorisa Sialana, its executive director.

 

According to Sialana, the level of undocumented migrant workers arriving in cities like Davao, General Santos, Digos, and Tagum soars every time there is fighting between the Philippine Armed Forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

 

Most of these undocumented migrants come from the provinces of North Cotabato, Lanao Del Norte and Lanao Del Sur. They work mostly as domestic helpers or shop assistants, says Sialana.

 

Some come from as far as the island province of Sulu. Fatmawati Salapuddin, director of the Lupah' Sug (Land of the Tausug) Foundation, say she sees women leaving Sulu in the search for work given their futures at home remain so uncertain due to the ongoing military operations against the Abu Sayyaf Group.

 

"Many of these women, have either lost their husbands or their fathers and it forces them to go to Zamboanga or even Manila," Salapuddin says.

 

Salapuddin blames the lack of political willingness of many local government units in Sulu for their failure to provide any kind of security and protect women trapped in conflict zones.

 

"Despite the passage of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 which seeks to safeguard the safety of women in conflict affected areas, the government is still incapable of doing anything," she adds.

 

Back in Davao, City Councilor Angela Librado-Trinidad, author of the first ever local Women Development Code, admits there are still "gray areas" which prevent full implementation of the local law when it comes to protecting the rights of women domestic helpers.

 

Passed in September 1997, the Women Development Code is considered a landmark local law for its protection of the rights of women.

 

But the problem remains its implementation. Librado-Trinidad complains that the authorities cannot act on reported abuses committed against poor migrant women workers since they are "undocumented."

 

Moreover, she says, "there are also no formal complaints being filed” before the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

 

An official from the regional DOLE office, who spoke to the Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project on condition of anonymity, admitted that it is difficult for them to keep track of such labor malpractice because of lack of records both from the employer and the employee.

 

That is of little help to the likes of Aliya, her family and to countless others who are victims twice –if not three or even four times over. They are being failed by a government that cannot care properly for its internally displaced people; failed by a bureaucracy that is unable to cope with the realities of migration –and failed by individuals and families –many of them rich - who believe it fair game to prey upon the hopeless and who probably consider themselves upstanding members of their community. (Rick R. Flores / Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project. The author is a Davao City-based journalist and development sector researcher.)

Cotabato peasants turn black bugs into fertilizer

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 20, 2009) – Lowly farmers of Pigcawayan town in North Cotabato province have discovered a favorable way in dealing with pests, particularly the obnoxious black bug that eats up rice and corn stems, the Filipino's staple food source.

In the village of Bulucaon, farmers’ ingenuity transformed the once destructive bugs into helpers when the swarm is gathered and processed to serve as organic fertilizer.

Santiago Martin, who has been a tiller for nearly two decades, said the presence of black bugs at the onset of the full moon has made farmers miserable with low grain production as vast track of their rice and cornfields have been severely ruined.

Some 50 farmers of Bulucaon met and agreed to stop the menace by trapping the bugs through the use of a 5,000-watt mercury vapor lamp.

Martin said in three days time, they were able to collect some 54 sacks of black bugs caught during the night as these are attracted to bright lights.

“The brightest the light, the more these black bugs are attracted to, and you can easily trap and gather them for disposal,” Martin said.

The lunar-cycle mass appearance of black bugs, which agriculture officials said came from Malaysia in the late 1970s has become a farming dilemma to rice and corn producers, North Cotabato Gov. Jesus Sacdalan said.

Bulucaon farmers said their experiment last year paid off when collected black bugs had been subjected to a solar drier and the dried pests mixed with garden soil and served as organic fertilizer.

“When applied in my kalamansi orchard, I was surprised to have an increased production of nearly 50 percent from the usual produce,” said Martin, who also noted an enormous palay harvest when the same fertilizer was applied in his rice field.

Sacdalan said he will have agriculture experts conduct a scientific study on the fertilizer potential of dried black bugs mixed with other organic materials.

Danilo Manaay, another Bulucaon peasant, has urged the national government to support the newly-found experiment by providing each farming village with the lamp and a power generator as a ready anti-black bug device.

Abusama Alid, agriculture director for Central Mindanao, vowed to support the Pigcawayan discovery in his regular report to the central office.

“When scientifically proven effective, we will have the newly-found method applied to other areas in Central Mindanao,” Alid said.

Romulo Ramos, who has been a farmer for more than 50 years, said prior to the bug menace, farmers in Mindanao used to produce 80 to 100 sacks of rice per hectare.

The swarm attack, Ramos noted, tremendously reduced rice harvest to only 30 to 40 bags per hectare. (Ferdinandh Cabrera)

Remembering the Heroism of Philip Pestaño

Phillip Andrew A. Pestaño. (Pinoyworld.org)

Phillip Andrew A. Pestaño graduated from the Ateneo de Manila High School in 1989, entered the Philippine Military Academy, and became an Ensign in the Philippine Navy in 1993. He was assigned as cargo master, on a Navy ship.

He discovered that the cargo being loaded onto his vessel included logs that were cut down illegally, were carried to the ship illegally, and were destined to be sold, illegally. Then there were 50 sacks of flour, which were not flour, but shabu - worth billions. Literally, billions. And there were military weapons which were destined for sale to the Abu Sayyaf.

He felt that he could not approve this cargo.

Superior officers came to him and said: “Please! Be reasonable! This is big business. It involves many important people. Approve this cargo.” But Phillip could not, in conscience, sign approval.
Then his parents received two phone calls, saying: “Get your son off that ship! He is going to be killed!” When Phillip was given leave at home, his family begged him not to go back. Their efforts at persuasion continued until his last night at home, when Phillip was already in bed.

His father came to him and said: “Please, son, resign your commission. Give up your m ilitary career. Don’t go back. We want you alive.. If you go back to that ship, it will be the end of you!” But Phillip said to his father: “Kawawa ang bayan!” And he went back to the ship.

The scheduled trip was very brief - from Cavite to Roxas Boulevard - it usually took only 45 minutes. But on September 27, 1995 , it took one hour and a half. When the ship arrived at Roxas Boulevard, Ensign Pestaño was dead.

The body was in his stateroom, with a pistol, and a letter saying that he was committing suicide. The family realized at once that the letter was forged. They tried desperately for justice, carrying the case right up to the Senate.

The Senatorial Investigation Committee examined all the evidence, carefully. Then they issued an official statement, saying among other things: Ensign Phillip Pestaño did not commit suicide.

He was murdered. He was shot through the head, somewhere outside of his stateroom, and the body was carried to his room and placed in the bed. The crime was committed by more than one person.

In spite of these findings, by the Senate, the family could not get justice. The case is still recorded, by the Navy, as suicide. For 12 years they have been knocking at the doors of those in power, to no avail. Now they realize that they should knock on the door of Him who said: “Knock, and it shall be opened to you. Ask and you shall receive. Seek, and you shall find.”

So they are asking all of the friends of Phillip from the Ateneo, from the PMA, friends of the family - including the girl he was engaged to marry - to say this prayer: Lord, we know that Phillip is safe with you, and will be safe forever, because he gave up his life, as You gave up Your life - for justice.

If it is Your will, please let the truth be known of his heroic courage and strength and love of country. Let justice be rendered here on earth. But if it is not Your will that justice be rendered here, give each of us the grace to live and die as he did - following in Your footsteps.

And at the last judgment, Lord, when all that is hidden will be known, let Phillip be seen as he really is - a brave young man who gave his life for honesty, truth, and justice.”

Phillip Pestaño died at the age of 24. He was scheduled to be married in January of 1996, four months after he was murdered.

He was a martyr. A martyr is one who dies for the faith or for a Christian virtue. Phillip died for a Christian virtue - justice. It is not likely that he will ever be canonized, but he takes his place among the Unknown Saints.

Some military men are killed in battle. They are given a hero’s burial. But Phillip died for a much deeper cause - he was trying to preserve the integrity of our Armed Forces. He died out of loyalty to the Philippines, in an effort to keep the oath that he made when he graduated from the Military Academy.

Graft and corruption are the curse of this nation. But when they take root in the heart of our Armed Forces, they threaten our existence as an independent, democratic country.

The family of Phillip Pestaño is doing the right thing. They are turning to God. They are praying that justice will be administered here, in our country, in our day. But if this is not God’s will, then let us at least try to preserve the ideal of integrity in every mind and heart and soul.

(http://www.pinoyworld.org/)

PINOY BLOGGER’S NOTE: This is the e-mail prayer brigade initiated by by Fr. James B. Reuter, S.J. originaly titled,”Justice at 3 A.M.“

For more information about the Philip Pestaño, check http://www.phillippestano.com/.

Impormante ng pamahalaan, patay sa atake sa Kidapawan City

KIDAPAWAN CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 20, 2009) – Patay ang isang dispatcher ng jeep matapos itong barilin Martes ng hapon sa lungsod ng Kidapawan sa North Cotabato.

Kinilala naman ng pulisya ang biktima na si Pipoy Antipuesto. Hindi naman mabatid kung ano ang tunay na panagalan ni Pipoy o ang motibo sa krimen. Dakong alas 2.15 n.h. naganap ang pamamaril, ayon sa pulisya.

Kalibre .45 umano ang ginamit ng dalawang suspek sa pagpatay kay Antipuesto at agad itong tumakas sakay ang kanilang motorsiklo na may plakang 9658.

Isang sibilyan rin na si Tony Alonzo ang sugatan ng tamaan ito ng ligaw na bala sa dibdib at kritikal ang kondisuon. Natutuloy umano si Alonzo ng ito’y mahagip ng bala, ayon sa pulisya.

Nabatid na isa umanong government informant si Antipuesto at isa ito sa sinisipat ng mga awtoridad na posibleng dahilan ng atake. (Geonarri Solmerano)

Photo: Aerial Chemical Spray Protests Continue In Southern Philippines

WE ARE NOT PESTS. Members of Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying (MAAS) on January 19, 2008 tear a mock copy of a decision of the Court of Appeals in Cagayan de Oro City over the unconstitutionality of Davao City’s ordinance that banned the aerial spraying of chemicals in banana plantations. The decision, dated January 9, trashed the earlier decision of the Regional Trial Court Branch 17 in Davao City that upheld the ordinance’s validity and constitutionality. (AKP Images / Ruby Thursday More)

No ransom demand for kidnapped workers in the Philippines: ICRC

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 19, 2009) – The International Committee of the Red Cross denied media reports that kidnappers were demanding five million dollars in exchange for three kidnapped workers in Sulu province.

The German press agency earlier reported that kidnappers were planning to ask the ransom for the safe release of Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba. It quoted military officials in the report.

The three were seized January 15 in Patikul town after inspecting water and sanitation projects at the provincial jail.

Senator Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross, said the kidnappers, who contacted the aid agency Monday, only wanted a halt in the military pursuit operation in Sulu.Jean-Daniel Tauxe, ICRC's head of delegation in Manila, said they continue to hope for the safe release of the hostages.

Tauxe has confirmed the hostages phoned the ICRC over the weekend. “We talked to all three of them during the weekend. We were first contacted by them on Friday. This was followed by other calls from the three over the past few days.”

“Mary-Jean, Eugenio and Andreas all say they are in good health. From what we understand, they are being held together. It's always good to hear their voices and, of course, we remain concerned for their safety and hope they will be back with their loved ones soon,” he said in a statement posted at the ICRC website on Monday.

He said the ICRC wants the safe and unconditional return of the three hostages. He said the ICRC have no direct contact with the kidnappers and expressed concern over false reports in the media.

“Regarding the rumors in the media, they are just that: rumors. As far as I am aware, they are false rumors. We have not had any direct contact with the people who are holding Mary-Jean, Eugenio and Andreas,” he said. “The ICRC cannot just disregard rumors like this. We are doing our best to check on their possible accuracy through a range of contacts.”

“This is obviously a high-profile case and there is a lot of media attention surrounding it. Sometimes, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. What we know for sure is that the three are alive, and we want their safe return. I am not in a position to comment further as I do not want to jeopardize our colleagues' safety, nor do I want to speculate on rumors. That simply wouldn't be helpful.”

“In addition, in these times of instantaneous worldwide communication, we are very concerned about the effect that rumors, conveyed by media, may have on the families of our kidnapped colleagues. Because of the time difference, and the difficulty for the families living in other parts of the world to understand aspects of the incident relating specifically to the Philippines, our colleagues at Geneva headquarters are doing their best to protect the families from the incredible stress that rumors can unleash. Here in the Philippines we are trying to do the same thing for the family of our Filipina colleague,” Tauxe said. (Mindanao Examiner)

ICRC wants safe and unconditional return of abducted staff

MANILA, Philippines - The International Committee of the Red Cross continues to hope for the safe and swift return of its three abducted staff in the southern Philippines.

Since 16 January, Mary-Jean Lacaba, Eugenio Vagni and Andreas Notter have been able to contact the ICRC several times by phone. The ICRC’s head of delegation in Manila, Jean-Daniel Tauxe, explains how the organization is responding to the crisis and the various challenges involved.

The ICRC has heard from its kidnapped colleagues several times since they were seized on Sulu Island. How are they doing?

We talked to all three of them during the weekend. We were first contacted by them on Friday. This was followed by other calls from the three over the past few days.

Mary-Jean, Eugenio and Andreas all say they are in good health. From what we understand, they are being held together. It’s always good to hear their voices and, of course, we remain concerned for their safety and hope they will be back with their loved ones soon.

There are reports circulating in the media that the kidnappers have opened talks for negotiating a release and have demanded five million dollars in ransom money. Can you confirm this?

Let me first respond by underlining that we would like the safe and unconditional return of our colleagues as quickly as possible.

Regarding the rumours in the media, they are just that: rumours. As far as I am aware, they are false rumours. We have not had any direct contact with the people who are holding Mary-Jean, Eugenio and Andreas.

That said, the ICRC cannot just disregard rumours like this. We are doing our best to check on their possible accuracy through a range of contacts.

This is obviously a high-profile case and there is a lot of media attention surrounding it. Sometimes, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. What we know for sure is that the three are alive, and we want their safe return. I am not in a position to comment further as I do not want to jeopardize our colleagues’ safety, nor do I want to speculate on rumours. That simply wouldn’t be helpful.

In addition, in these times of instantaneous worldwide communication, we are very concerned about the effect that rumours, conveyed by media, may have on the families of our kidnapped colleagues. Because of the time difference, and the difficulty for the families living in other parts of the world to understand aspects of the incident relating specifically to the Philippines, our colleagues at Geneva headquarters are doing their best to protect the families from the incredible stress that rumours can unleash. Here in the Philippines we are trying to do the same thing for the family of our Filipina colleague.

Do you expect this incident to have an impact on the ICRC’s operations in the southern Philippines?

The ICRC fully expects to continue its assistance and protection activities in the conflict-affected areas. We’ve been working in the country since 1982. We carry out a range of activities, including visits to detainees to ensure they are treated well and have access to water and sanitation facilities.

We also continue to respond to the needs of people who remain displaced in significant numbers in central Mindanao. This work is done in cooperation with the Philippine National Red Cross Society, whose dedicated volunteers distribute items such as rice, soap and cooking oil, and follow up on the population's needs. We also provide support for medical facilities that are working to treat those who have been injured or made sick as a direct or indirect result of the fighting.

In addition, the ICRC works to ensure that the displaced have access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. This is an extremely important part of what we do because it has a direct impact on people’s health and well-being. When people have clean water to drink and proper toilets, it greatly decreases the chances of disease spreading.

Mary-Jean and Eugenio are both water and habitat specialists for the ICRC and were working on a water and sanitation project at the Jolo provincial jail when they were snatched along with Andreas.

Their expertise and experience enable the ICRC to provide the right kind of help to people in need, whether in evacuation areas or in detention centres. We sincerely hope that Mary-Jean, Eugenio and Andreas will be returned to us soon so that they can continue helping the conflict-affected population in the southern Philippines. For the time being, because of their abduction, we are unable to carry out our water and sanitation project at the Jolo provincial jail, but the rest of our activities continue.

Security forces continue hunt for ICRC kidnappers

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, right, and Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 19, 2009) – Security forces continue to pursue Abu Sayyaf militants tagged as behind the kidnapping of three Red Cross workers in the southern Filipino island of Sulu, officials said Monday.

The three – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba – were seized January 15 in Patikul town on their way to the airport after inspecting water and sanitation projects.

“Military and police forces are pursuing the kidnappers. There will be no stopping until they free all the victims,” Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan told the Mindanao Examiner.

Tan did not give details of the operations, saying, it could jeopardize the mission to recover the captives safely. He also designated Fazlur Abdullah, head of the Sulu Area Coordinating Center, as the crisis spokesman.

Sen. Richard Gordon on Monday was quoted by journalists in Manila as saying the kidnappers phoned the Red Cross and asked that the military operation be halted.

Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, did not give further details about the phone call.

The German press agency reported at the weekend that the kidnappers are planning to demand $5 million ransom in exchange for the safe release of the hostages. It quoted unnamed military officials, who said the gang holding the trio is led by Abu Sayyaf leaders Albader Parad and Abu Pula, former Moro National Liberation Front rebels, implicated in many kidnappings-for- ransom in Sulu.

Tan said the operation must not be stopped. “We should exert more effort to pressure the kidnappers to free all their innocent captives. That’s the only way to get them back,” he said.

Tan said the government will not negotiate with the kidnappers. “I am warning those who would try to negotiate and pay ransom to the kidnappers, we will hold you criminally responsible,” he said.

The military also said it will not stop the rescue operation in Sulu, where hundreds of troops are combing dense jungles where the hostages were spotted.

“There is an Area Coordination Center in Sulu where various agencies converge to address issues, resolve conflicts and find the best solution to current problems besetting the province. It is headed by local government officials and the military and police as members. Hence, it is thru this committee that appropriate actions to resolve the ICRC kidnapping are decided upon. We cannot unilaterally declare the termination of our rescue operations,” said Lt. Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman.

The ICRC said the hostages made a phone call on Friday, but it provided no information about the conversation, except the hostages were not harmed by their captors.

“The three have been able to call the ICRC directly and said they were unharmed. There is no further information available on their whereabouts or who is holding them. We are, of course, relieved to have heard their voices and to know that they are alive,” said the head of the ICRC's delegation in Manila, Jean-Daniel Tauxe.

“We are not in a position to comment further, since our main priority is ensuring that nothing jeopardizes their safety, but it goes without saying that their families, as well as their colleagues, are hoping for their safe and swift return.”

The humanitarian organization said the incident has not affected the ICRC's operations in central Mindanao, where around 300,000 people remain displaced due to fighting between government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels.

“The ICRC plans to continue its operations in the Philippines and fully expects to carry on assisting and protecting those affected by the armed conflict,” said Tauxe. “For the displaced, each day is filled with uncertainty, anxiety and insecurity. They worry that there will be another flare up in fighting, they're unable to support their families, they don't know when they'll be able to go home again and they have no idea what the future will bring. That's a very difficult situation to be in.”

Tauxe said the ICRC's main activity on Sulu involved a water and sanitation project at the provincial jail. But the ICRC said it will not be able to carry out this specific project in Sulu for the time being.

Aside from the Abu Sayyaf, police and military also implicated a former prison guard in the kidnappings of the ICRC team. Authorities blamed the Abu Sayyaf as behind the spate of terrorism in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

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Sulu Guv Tourney Successful

SULU, Philippines (Midnanao Examiner / Jan. 19, 2009) - The 2nd Gov. Sakur Tan tennis tourney was a resounding success and the sports program of the Sulu provincial government is gaining more supports from different groups here.

The tennis cup, which was recently held, attracted many sports enthusiasts from around Sulu and the governor himself, Sakur Tan, a known sportsman, led an exhibition game.

The tournament was held at the Jun D' Lan Tennis Club of Chinese Pier. Tennis is one of the most popular sports in Sulu. Tan regularly plays tennis with local government officials and members of sports clubs here.

The Jun D' Lan Tennis Club has invited interested tennis clubs from Zamboanga City, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi provinces to participate and make the tournament a regional event.

“There is no better way for a healthy mind and lifestyle, but sports. Play tennis regularly and your body and mind stay healthy. Our sports program is very good and we have a lot of youths joining our efforts to promote sports development in Sulu,” Tan said.

He said his sports program has been an effective tool to lure the youths and those who are out of school away from illegal drugs. “Sports is the best way to fight illegal drugs,” Tan said.

He said aside from tennis, swimming, basketball and badminton are also among the sports widely played in Sulu. Tan also constructed an Olympic size swimming pool at the Sulu Sports Complex, which he also completed. (Jung Franciso)

Abu Sayyaf demands $5-M for ICRC hostages in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 18, 2009) – Abu Sayyaf militants holding three Red Cross members are planning to demand five million dollars in exchange for the freedom of the hostages, reports said Sunday.

The Deutsche Press Agentur quoted unidentified Filipino military intelligence officials who said the militants, led by Albader Parad and Abu Pula, were planning to ransom off the hostages. It was unknown how the military knew about the plan and the German news agency gave no details about the military report.

But the International Committee of the Red Cross to which the three belong said it would not pay ransom to the kidnappers holding the trio – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Jean Lacaba - in the hinterlands of Sulu province.

The aid organization said the hostages made a phone call on Friday and said they are unharmed.

“The three abducted colleagues have been able to call the International Committee of the Red Cross directly and they said that they are unharmed, so that’s good news. And there is no further information available on their whereabouts precisely or who is holding them,” Roland Bigler, ICRC spokesman in Manila, said.

Bigler appealed to the kidnappers to free the hostages.

“We hope that they will be shortly and safely released and they will regain their freedom and we appeal of course to respect their physical integrity, to respect their lives and to respect these three colleagues,” Bigler said.

The hostages are also believed to be the dense jungle of Indanan town, where Parad has recently married a local woman and is building a new house for himself and his wife.

Parad was also linked to the kidnapping December 13 of a Chinese trader, Xili Wu alias Peter Go, in Sulu’s Jolo town.

Parad’s group seized the 28-year old Wu, from Fujian province, as he was closing his electronics store. Police said Wu, along with five other Chinese men, arrived in Jolo in December 2007 and since then operated the Perlas Trading by using fake Filipino identities.

Authorities have tagged the Abu Sayyaf as behind the spate of kidnappings and bomb attacks across Mindanao. The group, made up mostly of former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels, has been labeled a terrorist organization by both Manila and Washington, and is believed to have links with the al-Qaeda terror network and Jemaah Islamiya.

Pula, a former MNLF rebel, is said to be harboring Jemaah Islamiya bomb experts Umar Patek and the one-named Dulmatin, two Indonesians who fled to the southern Philippines after the 2002 nightclub bombings that killed 202 people on the resort island of Bali. The military said the two foreigners continue to provide combat and bomb-making training to the Abu Sayyaf.

The U.S. has offered as much as five million dollars for the capture of known Abu Sayyaf leaders and up to ten million dollars for Dulmatin’s capture and another one million dollars for Patek’s head.

Dulmatin is an electronics specialist who has trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, and is a senior figure in the organization. Patek is believed to have been actively involved in the Bali bombings. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sulu's tourism program is back to zero after ICRC kidnappings

Sulu tourism promotion posters. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 18, 2009) – Sulu’s tourism program has been affected by the kidnappings of three Red Cross workers and efforts to change the image of one of the country’s most beautiful island may take a little longer now.

Gunmen are still holding Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugene Vagni and Filipino Jean Lacaba, all members of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The trio was seized January 15 while on their way to the airport after inspecting sanitation projects at a prison facility in Patikul town.

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, who is actively promoting the island as a new tourism destination in the southern Philippines, said the kidnappings of the ICRC team is a big set back to the government’s campaign to attract visitors and investments in the province.

“It feels so sad to see all our tourism promotions and campaigns go to waste because of this incident, especially at a time that Sulu is progressing and peace and order is improving,” Tan said.

Tan previously said he had plans to convert some of Sulu’s islands and pristine beaches into resorts, complete with amenities and business centers and land and water vessels to transport holidaymakers.

He said Sulu’s could become like Boracay island resort in central Philippines and even more beautiful than Phuket in Thailand. Aside from Sulu’s white-sand beaches, Tan said the province also boasts of dive sites and is rich in marine resources where fishermen sell live marine products, such as groupers, lobsters and abalone.

Tan’s tourism program dubbed as “Wow Sulu,” shows the province’s beautiful spots – from unspoiled islets scattered across blue waters to virgin forests – are sites that he often boasts to visiting diplomats and even journalists.

“We hope to resolve this ICRC problem soon and start working again to bring back the glory that was taken away from us by the kidnappings. We will rise again and work hard again. Sulu is a safe place to visit and this incident is just unfortunate,” he said.

Sen. Loren Legarda last year filed a bill proposing the creation of a special economic zone and free port in Sulu to promote and hasten the industrial and economic development of the province.

She said he special zone shall be provided with transportation, telecommunication, and other facilities needed to attract legitimate and productive foreign investments, generate linkage with industries and create employment opportunities for the people of the province. (With a report from Sunny Abing)