MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 8, 2009) – The Philippines on Wednesday said it is ready to revive the collapsed peace talks with Muslim and communist rebels following the spate of bombings and fighting in the troubled region of Mindanao.
Government peace talks with the New People’s Army collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign an agreement that will put an end to four decades of bloody fighting in the country.
Peace talks also with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front broke down after the failed signing of the Muslim ancestral domain in August last year.
The NPA accused President Gloria Arroyo of reneging on an agreement that would free political prisoners and stop the killings of activists in the country, among others. While the MILF said Arroyo reneged on a deal that would have granted to some four million Muslims their own homeland in Mindanao.
“After 40 years of fighting, it’s time we give peace a chance,” said Secretary Avelino Razon, the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.
Razon’s call came after a series of recent bombings blamed by the police and military to the MILF killed six people and wounded dozens more in the southern Philippines.
“The government sees a good prospect for the resumption of the talks in the immediate period given the commitment of both parties to work in addressing the issues that clog the negotiating table,” Razon said.
Razon, a former Philippine police chief, said he is optimistic the stalled peace talks between the government and the MILF would resume despite the four bombing attacks that occurred in Mindanao since Sunday.
He urged the MILF to return to the peace negotiations to stop the fighting in Mindanao where security forces are battling rebels since the collapsed of the talks. The clashes displaced some half a million people in Mindanao.
Razon said the wave of bombings in Cotabato City, Iligan City, Sulu and Lanao del Norte province would not deter the government from pushing the peace process with the MILF.
Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said rebel and government negotiators are currently holding unofficial talks in Malaysia for the resumption of the stalled peace talks.
“The MILF chief peace negotiator, Brother Mohagher Iqbal and the Philippine representative Rafael Seguis are now in Kuala Lumpur and they are discussing with the Malaysian government the possibility of resuming the stalled peace talks,” Kabalu said.
Malaysia, an influential member of the Organization of Islamic Conference, is helping in the peace process. “The ball is in the hands of the Philippine government. It is the Arroyo government which can resolve the Mindanao problem,” Kabalu said.
Razon said the Arroyo government is determined to end the fighting not only in Mindanao, but all other conflict areas in the country. He said the government would like to see a conclusion of the peace process, particularly with the MILF and the communist rebels by 2010 as envisioned by President Arroyo.
Razon also said that the government has intensified its rehabilitation and development projects in Mindanao and other rebel-influenced areas. But the MILF said continued government offensive against the rebels resulted in a humanitarian crisis and unabated human rights violations against Muslims.
Razon also announced that the government would lift suspension of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees with the NPA to allow the rebels to resume peace talks.
Communist leaders earlier called on the citizens “to employ to the fullest all forms of open protest and armed resistance against all of Gloria Arroyo's moves to perpetuate her reign through all means foul and brutal.”
Arroyo is to step down next year when her term ends, but her allies in Congress are campaigning to amend the Constitution and eventually change the presidential form of government to parliamentary.
Opposition politicians and civil groups opposed to Arroyo said amending the Constitution would eventually prolong her stay in power. Arroyo is said to be eyeing a congressional seat in her hometown in Pampanga province next year to evade possible law suits from corruption scandals that rocked her administration.
“Gloria Arroyo is increasingly becoming desperate with time running short and her schemes at reign perpetuation through 'legal' means exposed and opposed at every turn. More and more of Arroyo's dirty, out rightly illegal and fascist cards are now coming out of her sleeves, including the replication of Marcosian tactics to extend her reign of terror and corruption,” the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines said in a statement.
“There is really nothing new about these moves of naked power perpetuation. The bombing spree going on now is an exact replication of Marcos' bombings in many areas of Metro Manila in 1971 and the first eight months of 1972 that eventually led to the imposition of martial law," the CPP said, referring to Philippine dictator President Marcos.
The CPP said it directed the NPA rebels to intensify its offensives against the government. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Philippines to resume peace talks with MILF, NPA rebels
Philippine rebels hold kidnap suspect in Mindanao
MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 8, 2009) – Philippine Muslim rebels on Wednesday said it is holding a man implicated in the kidnapping of a boy in Mindanao.
Eid Kabalu, a senior leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said rebel forces seized Mohamin Abo last week after police authorities tagged him as behind the kidnapping of John Kyle Chongson in Cotabato City on June 26. He said Abo was a former disc jockey at a radio station in Mindanao.
He said Abo is being investigated by a rebel court for his involvement in the kidnapping. “He is currently under detention and being investigated for his role in the kidnapping of the boy. He would be put on trial and punish accordingly if found guilty by the MILF's Shariah court,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Police tagged the Pentagon Gang as behind the boy’s kidnapping. But the military also linked the MILF to the kidnapping; however, Kabalu denied his group was involved. “That’s why Abo was arrested by the MILF after we learned about his involvement,” Kabalu said.
The four-year old boy, son of a rice dealer, was recovered by policemen late Tuesday on a remote village in Maguindanao’s Datu Odin Sinsuat town. Police also blamed the Pentagon Gang for two previous kidnappings in Cotabato City this year.
It was unknown if ransom was paid but other reports said the kidnappers originally demanded P15 million for the boy’s liberty. Police said no ransom was paid.
Kabalu also admitted that Abo has a relative who are members of the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination in Mindanao.
The MILF had previously hanged in public several criminals it arrested in the past for various offences against Christians and Muslims.
The arrest of Abo came after the MILF ordered its forces to arrest and take drastic actions against kidnappers in areas where the rebels are actively operating. It was the second order in seven years that the MILF told rebels to fight kidnappings-for-ransom.
Police and military authorities have previously accused rogue MILF members of either coddling kidnappers or themselves involved in the nefarious activities in Mindanao to raise fund for the purchase of weapons or finance their secessionist campaign.
Kidnappings-for-ransom has become a lucrative business for rebels and criminal syndicates in Mindanao, where many areas are underdeveloped and job opportunities are scarce.
Sometimes criminal gangs kidnapped civilians and hand them over to rebels in exchange for a cut in the ransom. Poverty has also been blamed for many kidnappings in Mindanao.
“The Central Committee of the MILF directs its freedom fighters comprising the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces to arrest and take drastic actions against the perpetrators of this heinous crime until these criminal activities are neutralized and stopped in MILF areas,” said an MILF order signed on Monday by the Front’s chief of staff, Sammy Al-Mansur.
“Anti-kidnapping task force is hereby organized for this purpose. For strict compliance and implementation,” it further said. The order was also signed by Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF’s vice chairman for political affairs.
In February 2002, the MILF also issued a similar order after Manila sought its help in running after kidnappers in the southern Philippines. President Gloria Arroyo who opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001 also signed a truce with rebels.
And in 2004, the MILF forged an agreement with Manila that paved the way for rebel forces through the ad-hoc joint action group to help government hunt down terrorists and criminal elements in areas where the rebel group is operating.
But peace talks collapsed in August last year after the MILF accused Arroyo of reneging on a preliminary Muslim homeland deal. The Supreme Court said the agreement which was initially signed in Malaysia in July 2008 is unconstitutional.
Since then, fighting between military and rebel forces continue. The MILF said it will not resume peace talks unless Arroyo honors the ancestral domain deal. Arroyo is to step down next year without any significant deal with the MILF. (Mindanao Examiner)
Kidnapped Filipino boy freed in Maguindanao province
John Kyle Chongson, 4, was seized in Cotabato City on June 26 and free late Tuesday in Maguindanao’s Datu Odin Sinsuat town. Police tagged the Pentagon Gang as behind the kidnapping.
Police forces recovered the boy alone at a remote village after receiving information that he was freed. The boy is the son of a rice dealer.
It was unknown if ransom was paid but reports said the kidnappers originally demanded P15 million for the boy’s liberty. Police said no ransom was paid.
The Moro Islamic Liberation said it is holding one of Chiongson’s captors - Mohaimin Abo - who was said to be the mastermind of the kidnapping.
Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said Abo is being investigated by a rebel court for his involvement in the kidnapping. “He is currently under detention and being investigated for his role in the kidnapping of the boy,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
The military linked by the MILF to the boy’s kidnapping, but Kabalu denied his group was involved. “That’s why Abo was arrested by the MILF after we learned about his involvement,” Kabalu said.
Kabalu also admitted that Abo has a relative who are members of the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination in Mindanao.
Police also blamed the Pentagon Gang for two previous kidnappings in Cotabato City this year. (Mindanao Examiner)
CHR finds mass grave in Davao City
MANILA, Philippines (Business Mirror / July 8, 2009) - A pile of bodies found by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in a remote Davao City section could be the secret mass grave of victims of summary executions in the city, where alleged drug pushers and users, hold-up men and persistent petty criminals have been disappearing for the past several years.
A special task force of the CHR investigating activities of an alleged Davao Death Squad found the grave.
The squad, reported to be dreaded by residents, is believed to be behind the deaths of suspected criminals who disappeared over the years, and their motive, according to sources, may be to gain full control of lucrative criminal activities in the city.
The CHR revealed it had received reports its multi-agency task force also found a man-made pit near a creek leading to the burial ground, where a human leg bone was discovered.
On July 5, the task force and a police Special Investigation Task Group team raided Gold Cup Firing Range in the city, earlier identified by a confessed death squad member as the location of several burial sites.
The team then implemented a search warrant from a Regional Trial Court in Manila to immediately search for the burial sites on the privately owned facility, said to be operated by retired SPO4 Bienvenido Laud.
The “several fragments” found in the first grave were identified by scene-of-the-crime operatives forensic experts to be “human remains.”
On July 6, Laud tried to stop the diggings, threatening to file charges, but instead of caving in, the task force applied for a search warrant for a wider area of the property.
The CHR office in Davao said the Regional Trial Court in the city where the new warrant was applied for has so far refused to issue one and just “reluctantly conducted summary proceedings,” and at one point the judge remarked, “alam nyo ba ang ginagawa nyo [Do you know what you are doing]?”
Until press time, the CHR was still waiting for a new warrant. (Jonathan Mayuga / Business Mirror)
Link: http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/12857-chr-finds-mass-grave-in-davao.html
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
President Arroyo to bring RP cause to NAM Summit in Egypt
Lorelei Fajardo said Arroyo will join 117 heads of state during the summit on July 15 and 16 in Sharm El Sheikh.
The summit will strengthen regional and global cooperation on various political, economic and social issues affecting developing countries like the Philippines, she said in media briefing.
“For sure, the President will maximize and capitalize on the opportunities during the 15th NAM summit,” Fajardo said.
Egypt is one of the founding countries of NAM which also hosted the second summit in Cairo in 1964.
NAM makes up nearly two-thirds of the members of the United Nations making it an important forum for developing countries to work out a coordinated stance on various political, economic, and social issues on the international agenda.
Southern Philippines hit by twin bombings; JI, Abu Sayyaf blamed for attacks
Police surround an area in Jolo town in Sulu province in the southern Philippines where a motorcycle bomb exploded Tuesday, July 7, 2009 and killed two people and wounded 24 others. A car bomb also exploded in Iligan City in Mindanao, killing one person and wounding 10 more. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Nickee Butlangan and Merlyn Manos)ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 7, 2009) – Three people were killed and at least 34 others injured in separate bombings Tuesday in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said two people were killed and 24 more wounded in a motorcycle bomb explosion near the Mount Carmen Cathedral in Jolo town in Sulu province. The blast, which occurred around 7.45 a.m., damaged several hardware stores.
“We are still investigating the motive of the attack and the type of explosive used in this attack. But there were scattered remains of a motorcycle in the area and confirming our suspicion that a motorcycle bomb was used in the attack,” Chief Inspector Usman Pingay, the town’s police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from Jolo.
He said the bomb exploded in front of the Go Teck Leng hardware and the blast killed Vicky Sia, 62, and Hamsirani Hamsi, 60. He said among the wounded were three policemen.
Jolo town Mayor Hussin Amin said a second improvised explosive, assembled from an 81mm mortar bomb, and planted at police booth outside the church was also disarmed by soldiers.
The wounded were rushed to hospital in Jolo. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the blast, but Abu Sayyaf militants with links to the Indonesian terror Jemaah Islamiya are largely blamed by the police and military for the attack.
“We suspect that those behind the bombing could be the same group that detonated a motorcycle bomb at the convoy of Governor Sakur Tan,” Amin said.
The mayor was referring to the failed assassination of Tan in May. Tan’s convoy was bombed outside his office while returning home from work, injuring 10 people.
One person was also killed and at least 10 people wounded - three of them soldiers - after a car bomb exploded in Iligan City three hours later.
The car bomb exploded near an army jeep which was parked adjacent to a pawnshop in downtown Iligan and among the wounded were three soldiers. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but previous bombings in Mindanao had been largely blamed by authorities also to Moro rebels and Jemaah Islamiya.
“The explosion occurred at around 10.30 a.m. We still don’t know who was behind the latest bombing. It’s too early to speculate, but the attacks are escalating,” said First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman.
Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor said the target of the bombing was the military convoy. “The bombing in Iligan targeted the convoy,” he said in a television interview.
Blancaflor, who also head a government anti-terror task force, said they still do not know if the attacks were coordinated or not. “But the effect of this is to sow terror,” he said.
It was the second bomb attack this week outside a Catholic church in the southern Philippines. On Sunday, an improvised bomb exploded outside a church in Cotabato City in Mindanao and killed 5 people and wounded 55 more. (With reports from Nickee Butlangan in Sulu and Merlyn Manos in Iligan City)
Car bomb explodes in Mindanao, kills 1
The car bomb exploded near an army jeep parked adjacent a pawnshop in downtown Iligan and among the wounded were three soldiers. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but previous bombings in Mindanao had been largely blamed by authorities to Moro rebels and Jemaah Islamiya.
The explosion occurred at around 10.30 a.m., said First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman.
“We still don’t know who was behind the latest bombing. It’s too early to speculate, but the attacks are escalating,” she told the Mindanao Examiner.
Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor said the target of the bombing was the military convoy. “The bombing in Iligan targeted the convoy,” he said in a television interview.
The attack in Iligan came barely two hours after a motorcycle bomb exploded near a Catholic church in Jolo town in Sulu province, killing 2 people and wounded two dozen more.
Another improvised explosive, assembled from an 81mm mortar bomb, and planted at police booth outside the Mount Carmel church in Jolo was also disarmed, said town mayor Hussin Amin.
“We suspect that those behind the bombing could be the same group that detonated a motorcycle bomb at the convoy of Governor Sakur Tan,” Amin said.
The mayor was referring to the failed assassination of Tan in May. Tan’s convoy was bombed outside his office while returning home from work, injuring 10 people.
Blancaflor, who also head a government anti-terror task force, said they still do not know if the attacks were coordinated or not. “But the effect of this is to sow terror,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)
Bomb explodes outside Catholic chuch in Jolo town, 2 killed, 17 others wounded
Witnesses said another improvised explosive was found outside the Mount Carmel Catholic cathedral and had been disarmed by Filipino and US troops. The US is helping the local military defeat terrorism in Sulu.
"They have recovered another bomb. There were US and Filipino soldiers, they disarmed the bomb," one witness said in cell phone text message sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
The wounded were rushed to hospital. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the blast, but Abu Sayyaf militants with links to the Indonesian terror Jemaah Islamiya are largely blamed by the police for the attack.
The blast, which occurred around 7.45 a.m., damaged several hardware stores, police said.
“We are still investigating the motive of the attack and the type of explosive used in this attack. But there were scattered remains of a motorcycle in the area and bolstering our suspicion that a motorcycle bomb was used in the attack,” Chief Inspector Usman Pingay, the town’s police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from Jolo.
He said the bomb exploded in front of the Go Teck Leng hardware and the blast killed Vicky Sia, 62, and Hamsirani Hamsi, 60. He said among the wounded were three policemen.
It was the second bomb attack this week outside a Catholic church in the southern Philippines. On Sunday, an improvised bomb exploded outside a church in Cotabato City in Mindanao and killed 5 people and wounded 55 more. The military blamed the attack to Moro rebels and Jemaah Islamiya. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, July 06, 2009
Malungon town remains a favorite tourist destination in South RP
ABS-CBN's top journalists to train citizens in patrolling for 2010 elections
Charie Villa, Maria Ressa, and Glenda Gloria.
MANILA, Philippines - Television giant ABS-CBN steps up its election advocacy campaign with a series of workshops on citizen journalism that will arm Filipinos with the knowledge and skills to report on events and incidents concerning the 2010 elections.
Hosted by ABS-CBN reporter Atom Araullo, the workshop is part of the network’s global election advocacy "Boto Mo, iPatrol Mo: Ako ang Simula," which was launched last May 11 to encourage Filipinos here and abroad to take a more active role in monitoring the scheduled elections.
More than 13,000 Filipinos have already signed up to become "Boto Patrollers." Through "Boto Mo, iPatrol Mo: Akong ang Simula," ABS-CBN is asking Filipinos to register as voters and report as early as now election-related incidents using their mobile phones and the Internet.
ABS-CBN senior vice president for News and Current Affairs Maria Ressa will lead the speakers at the first leg of "Boto Mo, iPatrol Mo: Patrollers Workshop on Citizen Journalism" on July 9 at the KCC Mall Convention Center, General Santos City and on July 10, in Davao City.
Registered "patrollers" from both cities will be attending the workshops.
Interested individuals may register through text by keying in REG
They may also register manually in ABS-CBN stations in the Philippines and in the network’s global bureaus in San Francisco, Dubai, London, and Sydney.
Joining Ressa in the workshop are ABS-CBN news gathering head Charie Villa and ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel) chief operating officer Glenda M. Gloria. The three news executives have been journalists for more than two decades now, working for local and international news media companies before joining ABS-CBN. For nearly 20 years, Ressa was the bureau chief of CNN.
They will orient the "patrollers" on the fundamentals of citizen journalism—from shooting pictures or videos using cell phones or cameras, to writing captions and telling a story, to uploading their reports to the Internet. They will also be briefed on the electoral process and the ethics of journalism.
For updates on the "Boto Mo, iPatrol Mo: Ako ang Simula" campaign, stay tuned to ABS-CBN, ANC, Studio 23, and DZMM, or o visit www.abs-cbnnews.com/botomo or subscribe to http://twitter.com/abscbn_halalan and http://botomoipatrolmo.multiply.com/ for the latest election updates.
MILF begins own probe into deadly bombing in Mindanao
Military authorities blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the weekend bombing in Cotabato City. But the MILF denied the accusation and has started its own investigation into the attack.
“We have began our own investigation and we also wanted to know who was behind the bombing or whether the military or other group opposed to the peace process was involved in the attack,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, told the Mindanao Examiner.
Kabalu said they suspected that government soldiers were behind the spate of bombings in the restive Muslim autonomous region where security and rebel forces are fighting.
“There were persistent reports from Muslim villagers that soldiers were behind the bombings to discredit the MILF,” he said.
He said civilians reported on Saturday that they saw a man clad in MILF uniform planted a bomb in Maguindanao’s Datu Piang town and then retreated at an army detachment in Buayan village. The bomb exploded minutes later and injured three people.
Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the spate of bombings in Mindanao were the handiwork of the MILF.
“The MILF was behind all these attacks. This is terrorism and the MILF is targeting innocent civilians because of our campaign against rogue rebels, against terrorism,” he said, adding the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya provided bomb-making training to MILF rebels.
President Gloria Arroyo opened peace talks in 2001 with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence, but negotiations collapsed in August last year after both sides failed to sign a Muslim homeland deal.
The rebels accused Arroyo of reneging on the deal that peace negotiators initially signed in Malaysia in July 2008 in Malaysia, which brokered the talks. The Philippine Supreme Court said the agreement was unconstitutional.Since then fighting broke out in many areas in Mindanao.
MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim called on rebels to be steadfast and patient in the face of the “brutalities” of the military. He also accused government troops of burning some 3,000 houses owned by Muslims and indiscriminate bombing, shelling, and arrests of civilians in Mindanao.
Murad said the military also imposed a food blockade from reaching tens of thousands of hungry refugees and prevented humanitarian groups and journalists from inspecting refugee shelters in Maguindanao.
Murad assailed the military for saying that the MILF infiltrated refugee shelters and rebels were using evacuation centers as base for reserved forces.
The military claimed more than a thousand rebels were killed in the fighting since last year. But Murad denied the report and said MILF forces killed about 500 soldiers and captured their weapons, including two unmanned aerial vehicles shot down in Maguindanao. One of them was a US military spy plane and the other was believed to be owned by the Philippine Army. US troops are deployed in Maguindanao and helping the local military fight terrorism. (Mindanao Examiner)
Mati folks reject mining operation in Davao Oriental
The protesters, led by a multi-sectoral group called Kabukiran, Kapatagan, Kadagatan Panalipdi (KKKP), said the mining operations caused pollution, flash floods and landslides in the town of Mati.
Fishermen and peasants and interfaith groups also joined the protest dubbed as “Baktas Katawhan Para sa Kinaiyahan.” They were protesting against the operation of the Bearbull Mining, Inc. in the village of Dawan. The environmental rights network PANALIPDAN-Southern Mindanao Region also participated in the march.
Gil Gentiles, KKKP chairperson, said that the mining operations started without prior consultations with the people of the affected communities.
“These hazards would also cause destruction to agricultural lands and protected area of Pujada Bay,” Gentiles said.
Sister Stella Matutina, head of the Saint Scholastica’s Institute Education to Faith and Integral Development based in Mati town, said the “Baktas Katawhan Para sa Kinaiyahan” is a unity walk for the protection, justice and integrity of creation particularly aimed to stop all destructive mining and logging operations in Mati.
“The whole world continues to feel the effects of global warming and climate change. It is a good news that there are still many people who continue to spread consciousness and awareness of the need to uphold the integrity of creation through different forms such as forest conservation, proper waste management, sustainable-organic-bio-diversified farming and strong opposition to destructive logging and mining,” she said.
Francis Morales, PANALIPDAN-SMR spokesperson, urged the provincial government to listen and take action on the just calls and demands of the citizens.
There was no immediate statement from the mining firm about the accusations.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
4 killed in bombing outside Catholic church in Mindanao
Philippine National Police - Scenes of Crime Officers investigate the explosion Sunday, July 5, 2009 outside a Catholic church in Cotabato City. Four people are killed and over three dozens injured in the attack blamed by the military to Moro rebels. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Geo Solmerano).
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Coup Leader Makes Presence Felt In South RP
Media groups, Civil Service Commission hold seminar in Zamboanga City
Joel Sanson, Radio Mindanao Network manager, said the seminar held on Friday was aimed at orienting journalists on the civil service law and role of the media in responsible reportage involving government workers.
Macybel Sahi, Civil Service Commission regional director, led a team of senior officers in orienting dozens of journalists who were invited in the seminar. The orientation and seminar was spearheaded the Radio Mindanao Network.
City Councilman Gerky Valesco was also among the speakers.
During the seminar, journalists themselves admitted receiving many complaints from the public about discourteous and arrogant civil workers, many from the Zamboanga City Hall.
To further help the government’s public service program, the Civil Service Commission and the Radio Mindanao Network and other media groups said they would organize the so-called “Bantay Opisina,” which would monitor and receive complaints of abuses by civil servants.
President Gloria Arroyo has earlier issued Administrative Order No. 241-A to expedite implementation of the Republic Act No. 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007.
Arroyo’s directive also required government agencies to establish in their respective offices a public assistance and complaints desk and provide the public hotline number which should be purposely set up to effectively receive feedback and monitor customer satisfaction.
Red tape in government has long been a bane to development, but the new law provides for the adoption of specific courses of action for all government agencies.
The CSC Anti-Red Tape Act promotes transparency of government frontline services and encourages public vigilance. It also helps weed out fixers.
Under the R.A. 9485, agencies are also required to draw a Citizen's Charter. It should contain a step-by-step procedure of the agency's top 20 services, including the name of employee responsible for each step, the maximum time to conclude the process, documents to be presented by the client, amount of fees, procedure for filing complaints in relation to requests and applications, feedback mechanisms, among other information.
Congress passed R.A. 9485 last year; the CSC drew up the law's implementing rules and regulations which took effect September 2008. (Jung Francisco, Jonathan Deles and Amir Mawallil)(Mindanao Examiner Photo / Jung Francisco)
The Women Behind the Veil
Three Maguidanao women from Katuli in Sultan Kudarat province in the southern Philippines working at night at a call center in Cotabato City. The women, who are cousins, say they are greatly inspired by riding a wooden boat at night in order to participate in call center training. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)Police disarm bomb planted in bus in Zamboanga City
Reports said a boy cleaning the bus discovered the explosive under a seat late Friday and told police about the bomb. The explosive resembled a pipe bomb and attached to batteries and timer, a report by the ABS-CBN said.
“The boy was alarmed to see batteries and wires sticking out of the package, prompting him to call the police. Elements of the Zamboanga Bomb Squad confirmed that the plastic bag contained an improvised explosive device, which they quickly dismantled,” the report quoted Chief Inspector Diomarie Albarico, of the local police force, as saying.
Police said the bus came from Pagadian City.
Zamboanga City had been previously bombed by the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels who are fighting for a separate Muslim homeland. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, July 03, 2009
Rural road renews farmers’ faith food production in Sarangani town
A highland farmer in the village of Tuyan in Sarangani’s Malapatan town rides a motorcycle to deliver his produce at the market. Through farm-to-market road established by the Department of Agriculture - Mindanao Rural Development Program and the local governments of Sarangani Province and Malapatan, this farmer is expected to benefit from lower transport cost and minimal post-harvest losses. (Photo by Noel Provido)“Although we have fertile lands, farmers in our barangay (village) cannot go full blast in food production because they cannot easily bring their produce to the market,” said Wahid Musa, the barangay’s chief official.
Allan Malagante, one of the farmers in locality affirmed their difficulty in transporting their produce to the markets.
“Following a very small trail, we carry our produce either by riding horses or simply on foot which usually takes several hours before we can reach the market. That is why the quality of our produce usually deteriorates resulting to cheaper price from the traders,” Malagante said.
“When I assumed as the barangay captain of Tuyan, I prioritized the establishment of farm-to-market road (FMR) which has been the clamor of my constituents for a long time. Since it would not be possible for our barangay budget to fund, we sought the help of our town officials and we are glad that they responded to our need,” Musa said.
Mayor Aida Singcoy, for her part, said the local government had seen the need to open up road network in the said barangay not only in boosting food production but also in fast tracking the delivery of basic services in the area.
Through the FMR project under the Department of Agriculture - Mindanao Rural Development Program (DA-MRDP), as well as the Provincial Government of Sarangani, a road network was opened early this year and about to be completed within this month.
“Like other developing towns, there a lot of infrastructures that must be put in placed here in Malapatan. We are glad that through DA-MRDP we were able to save a least 50 percent of the construction cost which can be used in extending other needed services to my constituents,” Singcoy said.
Singcoy added that the provincial government through Governor Miguel Dominguez has also provided a bulk amount of their local counterpart.
MRDP program director Roger Chio said the investments on the construction of rural infrastructure form part of the government’s agenda to boost food productivity and make farming more profitable for small stakeholders.
“In implementing food security projects, DA-MRDP is mere facilitators as our local leaders are the lead implementers. We are glad that LGUs like the Province of Sarangani and Malapatan town had been our active partner in enhancing capability of our farmers in food production,” Chio said.
“With the FMR addressing the need to lower transport cost and postharvest losses, our highland farmers can are now encouraged to expand their production areas,” Musa said.
“Just recently, the provincial government has delivered 200 bags of corn seeds which is a big boost to the potential of our barangay to be one of the major corn producing areas. We are confident that more assistance will be poured in our area,” Musa said.
The establishment of the at least 8-kilometer FMR do not only benefited 6,000 residents, but also opened up other economic and social activities.
“There is already a regular motorcycle that ferries residents to the downtown area not to mention that enthusiasm among school children of going to school safely. More importantly, farmers in the areas have renewed their confidence to contribute in securing their families and community enough and affordable food,” Musa said. (Noel Provido)
Policeman held for reporter death in the Philippines
It said the shooting, in central Mindoro Occidental province, is one of scores of alleged murders of journalists by members of the security forces.
The Philippines is one of the most dangerous places for reporters, and conviction of the killers is rare.
Mr Perez was a lawyer and former provincial vice-governor who hosted his own show on Radio DWDO.
The latest attack on a journalist took place last week, when radio commentator Jonathan Petalvero, in southern Agusan del Sur province, was killed. No arrest has been made.
The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) said five journalists were killed last year and 59 have been killed since 2001, when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo came to power. (BBC)
Simunul Island, Dubbed As 'Dubai of the Philippines', Pursues Ambitious Project
TAWI-TAWI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 3, 2009) – The local government of Simunul in the province of Tawi-Tawi has entered into Memorandum of Agreement on a project that would boost economic condition of the island-municipality, site of a proposed industrial and oil tank park.
The multi-billion euro project dubbed as the “Simunul Industrial and Oil Tank Park“ was signed by Mayor Benzar N. Tambut of Simunul and the REBC Builders and Development Corporation headed by its president, Engineer Reynaldo Esplanada and it’s foreign counterpart, American Advance Group (AAG) led by its president. Mohamed Hamouda.
Simunul on Wednesday celebrated its 51st anniversary.
Mayor Tambut said the project is expected to generate 10,000 jobs and improve education and health services; strengthens spiritual and cultural identities; protection and development of natural resources; conservation and preservation of a balance eco-system and tourism development.
“It would also protect and develop natural resources, including the conservation and preservation of a balance eco-system and tourism development” he added.
The huge project covers a 200-tank farm, power plant, domestic airport, hotel and resort, land transportation system, potable water source, reforestation and landscaping, information technology and telecommunications, road and bridges development, solid waste management facility, golf course, industrial storage and processing facility, power transmission facility, hospital facility, schools, commercial district and jetty and ports.
In his speech during the Wednesday signing of the MOA, Mohamed Hamouda said they will do their best to help develop the island of Simunul into one of the best in the southern Philippines. “We are here not only to develop your place but help shape and form a sound mind, a skilled and a sound mind,” Hamouda said.
A groundbreaking ceremony is expected at any time soon.
Simunul Island, one of the smallest inhabited islands in the country, is set to be the next "Dubai" in Southeast Asia, officials said. Though slight in land mass, the people are well-off in natural resources and the island was the cradle of Islam in the Philippines.
The first Muslims in the Philippines led by Sheik Karimul Makhdum are said to have arrived at Simunul in 1380 and built the first Mosque now called the Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque.
It is the most significant piece of architecture in Simunul and the oldest found in the Philippines which is host to tens of thousands of pilgrims from neighboring countries and Mindanao. Although it has been worn by the ravages of time, its pillars still stand to this day. Simunul has a zero crime rate. (By Amilbahar S. Mawallil and Dayang Babylyn Kano Omar)
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Army Surfaces Missing Church Worker, Slaps Him With ‘False Charges’
Rodinas, 35, a lay worker and member of the Protestant church United Church of Christ of the Philippines (UCCP), was arrested by a police team in Tangub City early morning on Monday. His wife, Deana Febra, said Rodinas could not be found since Monday night.
The Promotion of Church People’s Response, group of religious and lay workers that is monitoring cases of human-rights violations against members of the clergy, had earlier said Rodinas had not been accounted for as late as Wednesday night.
In a phone interview with Bulatlat, Febra said her husband was manhandled by his captors and was forced to answer questions even as he invoked his right to remain silent.
Febra said that on Tuesday, around 3 p.m., she saw her husband on board a pick-up truck with license plates RSA 717 parked in front of the Regional Trial Court in Tangub City.
Febra and members of the quick reaction team organized by the UCCP were then at the Philippine National Police (PNP) station looking for Rodinas. The PNP station and the RTC were adjacent.
“I asserted my right to see him,” Febra told Bulatlat. She said soldiers of the 55th Infantry Battalion (IB) were all over the place. She was able to talk to her husband briefly.
Febra said Lt. Col Raymundo Acorda and Police Inspector Alwin Baclao of the Provincial Regional Mobile Unit (PRMU) were the ones who brought her husband to the RTC. At that time, Febra said the charges filed against her husband were not clear.
Rodinas was sent back to the 55th IB headquarters in Langub, Calamba town in Misamis Occidental. “They told me my husband was under military custody,” Febra said.
The next day, Rodinas was brought to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Tangub City. Febra later learned that her husband was being charged with illegal possession of explosives.
From the BJMP in Tangub, Rodinas was transferred to BJMP in Ozamiz City. But the officer in charge in Ozamiz City refused to accept Rodinas due to the absence of papers from BJMP Tangub. Later that day, Rodinas was brought back to BJMP in Tangub City.
“The military considers him a high-risk detainee,” Febra said, explaining the attempt to transfer Rodinas to Ozamiz City.
Violations
Febra decried the violations on the rights of her husband.
“It was a warrantless arrest,” she said. Rodinas was arrested at a checkpoint in Villaba, Tangub City, at around 6 a.m. on Monday.
“The military turned him over to the PNP only after more than 36 hours,” Febra pointed out.
“He was mentally tortured. He was deprived of sleep. Even as he asserted his right to remain silent, he was forced by his handlers to answer questions. He was also beaten by military personnel,” Febra said.
False Accusations
The 55th IB claimed that Rodinas is a leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Western Mindanao.
In a report by The Mindanao Examiner, Lt. Steffani Cacho, a regional army spokeswoman, said Rodinas was captured during a combat operation launched by the Army’s 55th IB and the 10th Regional Mobile Group of the Philippine National Police.
Cacho said they recovered components for explosives, a laptop, five units of cellular phones, a Palmtop and subversive documents from Rodinas. Cacho claimed Rodinas was also behind several murders in the province.
Febra denied the accusations against her husband. “It’s not true. The explosive compound allegedly found was planted.”
A certification from UCCP’s Bishop Constante Claro of the Southern Mindanao Jurisdiction states that Rodinas, also a son of a UCCP pastor, was involved in the program on ecology and environment protection of the different churches in Mindanao from April 1998 to May 2001.
Febra said Rodinas continues to serve as a staff of the said program under the National Churches of Christ in the Philippines (NCCP).
Febra called on the authorities to release her husband. “He is innocent,” she said. (Ronalyn Olea / Bulatlat.com)
NPA rebels admit raid at Mindanao police station
The New People’s Army said its fighters from the 4th Pulang Bagani Command seized four automatic rifles and pistols, including ammunition in the Wednesday raid in Santa Josefa town in Agusan del Sur province.
It said no policemen were killed in the raid that lasted only 10 minutes.
“Not a single shot was fired as the Philippine National Police municipal station was quickly neutralized. Once again, this tactical offensive shows that the NPA’s sole target is the firearms that would further strengthen the revolutionary fighters.”
“Nobody from the enemy’s side would become casualties if they will not resist NPA offensives; this is because the NPA adheres to the International Humanitarian Law concerning hors de combat,” a rebel spokesman, Ka Nadem, said in a statement.
Hors de Combat is a French term which literally means "out of the fight." It is term used in diplomacy and international law to refer to soldiers who are incapable of performing their military function.
The rebel spokesman said: “The raid was part of a tactical offensive serves as a punishment against the armed forces of the vicious and corrupt Arroyo government, which is now preparing to remain in power via the Constitutional Assembly.”
Ka Nadem was referring to moves by Arroyo’s allies in Congress to amend the Constitution and eventually prolong her into power. Arroyo is to step down next year.
The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines which is fighting the past four decades to overthrow the government and install a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Mindanao refugee shelters infiltrated by rebels: Military
Muslim refugees lined up for food ration. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division, said rebels have posed as refugees and they are the MILF’s reserved force.
He also said that food ration intended by the World Food Programme to refugees were being diverted to the MILF after troops recovered some of the aid from captured rebel bases in Maguindanao province, scene of bloody battle between security forces and guerrillas in recent months.
“Based on the proofs, indications, and observations presented, there seems to be a diversion of relief goods from the supposed ‘IDP’ beneficiaries to the MILF,” he said.
Ponce said there had been increased attacks and bombings near refugee camps, bolstering suspicion that the MILF have been using the evacuation centers as a springboard for military offensive against government forces.
“Terrorist actions are executed within the immediate environs of the IDP (internally displaced people) centers,” he said.
But the MILF denied Ponce’s allegations and branded them as propaganda.
“It is a black propaganda, but nobody believes Ponce’s lies anymore. We have been calling for an independent probe into the killings of many civilians by soldiers and the burning of houses by the military.”
“The military’s campaign to crush the MILF has resulted in a humanitarian tragedy with tens of thousands of Muslims being forced out of their villages by indiscriminate army shelling and human rights violations. The United Nations and the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) and the World Muslim League should look into these carnage,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.
The MILF said more than 600,000 have been displaced by the fighting in Mindanao since last year after peace talks collapsed in August. The rebels accused Manila of reneging on a Muslim homeland deal, which the Supreme Court said was unconstitutional.
After the talks collapsed, rebel forces raided several towns and killed and wounded dozens of people in Lanao and North Cotabato provinces. The MILF is the Philippines largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in the restive, but mineral-rich region of Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
No more treatment for ex-Philippine leader Corazon Aquino: Report
Former President Corazon Aquino. Time Woman of the YearMANILA, Philippines - Former President Corazon Aquino, who is battling colon cancer, has decided to forgo further chemotherapy or any other medical treatment, her spokeswoman was quoted Thursday as saying.
The 76-year-old Aquino, who led the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 after the fall of Ferdinand Marcos, was admitted to a Manila hospital last week, and is reportedly being fed intravenously.
"The country's icon of democracy is fighting the hardest battle of her life," spokeswoman Deedee Siytangco wrote in an article published in the Manila Bulletin.
Siytangco said Aquino had been moved to a private room, in a decision "she and her children made in consultation with her doctors." Family members have rushed to her bedside, she added.
"She is no longer receiving any chemotherapy or any other medical interventions," she said, quoting a family member.
Members of the Aquino family and the former president's doctors were not immediately available for comment. Reporters who converged at the hospital were asked to leave, an AFP photographer said.
Aquino has largely remained out of the public eye in recent months, with doctors fearing she may contract infections in her fragile state.
She had been undergoing chemotherapy and was previously hospitalized from March to May.
The murder of Aquino's husband, Benigno Aquino Jr., in 1983 led to widespread street protests that culminated three years later in the toppling of Marcos, who had ruled the Philippines for 20 years with an iron hand.
Aquino was installed as president shortly thereafter.
She is regarded as a symbol of the country's return to democracy, although her six-year term was marked by several bloody coup attempts.
Aquino is also known as a moral crusader after her term ended in 1992, she continued to fight for various causes, including anti-corruption efforts.
Aquino helped mobilize street protests against president Joseph Estrada, a self-confessed former womanizer and heavy drinker who was ousted in 2001.
She reconciled with Estrada last year, and both of them joined street protests against current President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whose family has been accused of massive corruption. (AFP)
MALDITA: Zamboanga's Hottest Pop, Rock, Alternative Band
Vocals - Francel de Leon, Demz Espinosa
Drums - Mad Nubhan
Guitars - James Collin Medina, Whey Guevarra, Jesser Sison
Song - Porque?
Studio: Mad Media Works Zamboanga City 062.9923623, Email: jdxero_01@yahoo.com
Zamboanga reports first Influenza A (H1N1) case
Authorities said a nine-year old student from Ateneo de Zamboanga was positively tested for the virus. The boy, a Grade 3 student, was infected with the deadly virus after contacts with a woman who came to Zamboanga from Manila on June 12.
Officials did not say whether the woman was the boy’s relative or not.
They said the woman was apparently unaware that she was infected with the virus and learned about it when she returned to Manila and has been tested positive from Influenza A (H1N1).
She phoned the boy’s family in Zamboanga and told them to bring the child to the hospital for medical test. The boy is the first confirmed case of Influenza A (H1N1) in Zamboanga.
Fr Antonio Moreno, president of the Ateneo de Zamboanga, has confirmed the case and said they are assessing the situation and would be meeting with health officials whether to suspend the class where the boy belongs.
“We will be meeting also with all the parents of the students in that particular class to determine if there is a need to temporarily suspend the whole class or not. There are some cases of flu and colds in that class, but we still don’t know whether it is Influenza A or not and we have already sent swab samples to Manila to determine if they are Influenza A,” he said.
Several suspected infections were also reported in other government elementary schools in Zamboanga, but laboratory tests are still on going. It was not immediately known how many suspected cases were reported in those schools. But health officials said there are at least 12 suspected cases of the virus in Zamboanga City; 2 in Isabela City in nearby Basilan province and two in Zamboanga del Norte and 2 more in Zamboanga del Sur provinces.
The Influenza A (H1N1) virus is spread from person-to-person. It is transmitted as easily as the normal seasonal flu and can be passed to other people by exposure to infected droplets expelled by coughing or sneezing that can be inhaled, or that can contaminate hands or surfaces.
The signs of influenza A (H1N1) are flu-like, including fever, cough, headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat and runny nose, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III reported that the Department of Health (DOH) is further bolstering its mitigation efforts against Influenza A (H1N1) in light of the anticipated rise of cases in the country.
“As we anticipate more cases in the coming months, we must institute effective mitigation measures to save lives and prevent deaths and to reduce the impact of the pandemic to our nation and the economy,” Duque said.
Duque said that 1,709 confirmed A (H1N1) cases have been reported to the DOH from the May to June. He said 1,485 of these cases have already recovered, while the rest are still under treatment.
“All cases exhibited mild symptoms with the most common as fever (86%), cough (81%), and nasal congestion (49%),” Duque said, noting however, that there was one reported death in Manila – a 49-year old woman who was an employee of the House of Representatives.
Duque disclosed that of the 1,709 reported cases, 1,568 were Filipinos; the rest were American (17), Japanese (8), Chine (4), Korean (3), German (2), and one each from Australia, Canada, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Sweden, Thailand, and Turkey. (Mindanao Examiner)
Kidapawan Teachers Hone Skills In Board Game
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Dozens of grade school teachers battled each other in skills on the chess board in a two-day training, which began Wednesday, July 1, 2009, was held in Kidapawan City in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Geo Solmerano)Some 40 teachers from two school districts joined the training spearheaded by the Department of Education. The teachers would then train students in the board game as part of the program which aims to strengthen the development of higher order thinking skills and value among children through chess.
Arnil Sambria, Division Task Force on School Sports, said they have already assigned all the districts and zones for their respective training schedules. “This is just the beginning and we hope to train more teachers who will then train our students in chess. They are our future grandmasters.”
“Chess is a mind game that would enhance the child's ability to plan, visualize and read the opponent's techniques, and today, we are to give training to the respective teacher-coaches who shall teach the pupils to play chess,” Sambria told the Mindanao Examiner.
Lourdes Varias, Schools Division Superintendent, urged the teachers to hone their skills in chess and promote the board game not only to the students, but also to the youth in their communities.
Those who trained the teachers in the board game were champion coaches. The training ended on Thursday. (Nina Rodriguez)
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Police shot dead soldier tagged in 3 killings in Davao del Norte
The soldier, Corporal Arnold Toriano, shot a policeman and two other civilians Tuesday in the village of Tibal-og in Santo Tomas town. Toriano and his companion escaped, but they were pursued by policemen and engaged them in a running gun battle until the soldier was shot and killed.
Policemen were apparently unaware the slain gunman was a soldier until his unit arrived and clashed with the lawmen. The soldiers took the body of Toriano, a member of the 72nd Infantry Battalion and escaped.
It was not immediately known why Toriano killed the policeman and two other people and whether his companion was also a soldier or not. It was unknown if the soldier had anything to do with killings of many political activists and peasant leaders in the province. Militant groups have repeatedly accused soldiers as behind extrajudicial killings in Davao del Norte.
But Major General Reynaldo Mapagu, commander of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, ordered an investigation into the involvement of Toriano in the killings and the clash between soldiers and policemen.
Mapagu assured that there will be no cover up in the investigation. He also relieved the commander of the 72nd Infantry Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Victor Tan and Toriano’s superior, First Lieutenant Heriberto Sangalang, while investigations are going on.
Sangalang led soldiers who took Toriano’s body and eventually clashed with the police. He claimed Toriano called up for back-up before he was killed and said gunmen engaged them in a firefight in the village of Tibal-og.
Sangalang said he was unaware that Toriano was being pursued by policemen for killing three people. “Lieutenant Sangalang, with the desire to provide assistance to the beleaguered Toriano, immediately organized a team composed of soldiers under 60th Infantry Battalion and rushed to the scene.”
“Lieutenant Sangalang, not aware of the circumstances surrounding the incident, took the cadaver of Corporal Toriano that led to a tense situation between the military and the policemen present in the area. The cadaver was brought to the headquarters of 60th Infantry Battalion based at Dona Andrea Asuncion town in Davao Del Norte,” an army spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Roland de Guzman, said.
De Guzman said all the soldiers who were involved in the clash with policemen had been apprehended and brought to the police headquarters for further investigations.
“Major General Mapagu also instructed the Inspector General of the 10th Infantry Division to conduct an investigation and look into the administrative liabilities of those involved as the Philippine National Police determines the soldiers’ criminal liabilities,” Bautista said.
He also quoted Mapagu as saying: “Despite my specific guidance of giving utmost importance to discipline and respect for human rights, there are still soldiers who deviate from this instruction resulting to negative perception of the public on the 10ID as a whole. I will not hesitate to discharge those involved if found guilty of violating the provisions under Articles of War.”
Since he assumed as division commander in February, Mapagu - who once headed the elite Scout Rangers - has discharged a total of 29 erring soldiers, including an infantryman who was implicated in a robbery case last month, and also demoted a dozen more for various offenses. (Mindanao Examiner)
NPA Rebels Hit Back On AFP Reports About Leader
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 1, 2009) – Philippine communist rebels branded as propaganda a military report linking a senior guerrilla leader on sex scandals and money laundering activities in Mindanao.
Army Colonel Daniel Lucero, commander of the Civil-Military Operations Group, said Leoncio Pitao, head of the New People’s Army’s Pulang Bagani Command, had abused several women rebels and siphoned off funds collected from extortion activities in the southern Philippines.
Lucero said the report on Pitao, whose nom de guerre is Kumander Parago, came from former rebels who had surrendered to the government in recent years. “The accounts here were revealed by Parago’s former followers who are now working with the government to restore the wellbeing of our nation which is being wrecked by a noxious social
belief,” he said.
The NPA said: “The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has just made official its policy of adding another dimension to its counterrevolutionary war under the mantle of the Arroyo regime’s Enhanced National Internal Security Plan notoriously known as Oplan Bantay Laya II or OBL II. Shortly after General Victor Ibrado hinted about adding new parameters to its counter-insurgency program - citing the difficulties encountered in achieving its mid-2010 goals - the AFP’s black propaganda machinery took off with its rehashed vilification campaign against leaders of the revolutionary movement.”
Ibrado is the AFP Chief-of-Staff.
“The new dimension General Ibrado was talking about - it came to pass - was directly concocted out of the latest showbiz scandal that has since pre-occupied the national mass media. Taking cue from his higher ups, Colonel Daniel Lucero of the Philippine Army’s Civil Military Operations Group presented his own sex scandal and corruption expose, against Leoncio “Ka Parago” Pitao, Red commander of the NPA’s 1st Pulang Bagani Company in Southern Mindanao,” Rigoberto Sanchez, a rebel spokesman, said in a statement.
Lucero said Pitao was also charged and found guilty of embezzling NPA funds, mostly extortion money collected from businesses in Mindanao. He also alleged that Pitao’s son molested female NPA members.
“Aside from all those sexual molestation charges, Parago was also found guilty by the Communist Party of the Philippines of pocketing NPA funds. Despite of the disciplinary actions imposed on him, he still retained his command – the Pulang Bagani. And as revealed by his former followers, Leoncio Pitao pockets an average of five million pesos at least every quarter of the year and these came from extortion activities - from different business establishments in Davao area - which he embezzles for his personal use. His family is reportedly living in affluence.”
“In a similar fashion, CTL Ryan Pitao, a son of Parago, was also revealed to have sexually molested a number of female members of the Pulang Bagani Command, which Parago is said to be tolerating,” Lucero said.
But the NPA branded the accusations as an “ill-conceived character assassination.”
“For all intents and purposes, Colonel Lucero’s exposé is nothing but a lowest level type of an ill-conceived character assassination scheme. AFP psychological operation run alongside its murderous campaign of OBL-mandated extrajudicial killing that has victimized hundreds of activists, unarmed civilians and non-combatants that included Ka Parago’s daughter Rebelyn,” Sanchez said.
Pitao’s daughter was abducted in Davao City on March 4. Her naked body was found the next day floating in a shallow creek in the village of San Isidro in Davao del Norte’s Carmen town. Her family said the woman’s body bore torture marks and was believed raped.
The NPA accused soldiers and civilian informants linked to the brutal killing of the woman and had already killed four of them - Ruben Bitang, Macky Estremos, Marcelino Payot and Bobong Gambuta. The military denied it was behind Pitao’s murder.
“It is quite clear that the AFP has had utilized all imaginable combat, intelligence and special operations against units and leaders of the NPA. They have killed many leaders and members of militant and progressive organizations and continue to place an even larger number in the AFP Order of Battle. Thus, Colonel Lucero’s cheap propaganda gimmick comes as no surprise as he merely rides on a crest of widespread public attention generated by the latest scandal to rock the Philippine entertainment scene,” Sanchez said.
“Colonel Lucero of the AFP top brass would be well-advised if they look into the endemic corruption that is a plague in the AFP organization. The Filipino people are convinced that a cabal of AFP generals are lording it over the AFP, siphoning public funds to their pockets as has been credibly revealed during the Oakwood Mutiny and the recent Western Mindanao Command corruption as disclosed by Navy Lt. SG Nancy Gadian, among others,” he further said.
Gadian has accused senior military officials of pocketing funds intended for a joint US-Philippine military exercises in Mindanao. The military said it is investigating Gadian’s allegations, but also ordered her arrest after she spoke to the media about corruption in the AFP.
Sanchez said:”Gloria Arroyo and her husband Mike Arroyo jointly command the biggest corruption syndicate in the country is no longer news to the people; it only further inflames the people’s rage and steels their resolve to oust the fake and hated president in conjunction with the armed revolutionary struggle. No amount of AFP black propaganda against the people’s army and its leaders could deter its steady advance.”
The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, has been fighting the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Top NPA leader falls in Mindanao
Officials said Dennis Paradero Rodinas was captured on Monday in a village called Villaba in Tangub City in Misamis Occidental province, but his arrest was only announced two days later because of an ongoing operation to capture other rebel leaders.
Rodinas is a leader of the NPA forces in Westerm Mindanao and holds a critical position in the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines in the region.
First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a regional army spokeswoman, said policemen, backed by soldiers, captured Rodinas during a combat operation launched by the Army’s 55th Infantry Battalion and the 10th Regional Mobile Group of the Philippine National Police.
“It was the result of a long surveillance operation. His capture is a big blow to the NPA in Western Mindanao. Troops also recovered from Rodinas were explosives’ components, a laptop, five units of cellular phones, a palmtop and subversive documents,” Cacho told the Mindanao Examiner.
She did not say whether Rodinas engaged the soldiers in a firefight or had been captured in his hideout.
Cacho claimed the rebel leader was also behind several murders in the province, including the killing of pro-government militia Ernesto Gumilid last month in the town of Clarin. “We have filed murder charges and illegal possession of explosives in court against Rodinas,” Cacho said.
The NPA is fighting the government the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country.
Peace talks between Manila and the rebel leaders collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign a deal that would end the world’s longest running communist insurgency. (Mindanao Examiner)