Aid workers air concern over stalled Mindanao peace talks

An MILF rebel keeps a close watch on journalists during a news conference by their leader Murad Ebrahim on Monday, September 5, 2011 in Maguindanao's Sultan Kudarat town. (Photo by Romy Elusfa)

SULTAN KUDARAT, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 6, 2011) - Aid workers and analysts have expressed concern after the Philippines' largest Muslim separatist group rejected a proposed peace deal relating to the island of Mindanao.

"Any obstacle that prevents the ongoing peace process from moving forward is a concern to the WFP [UN World Food Programme]," Stephen Anderson, country director of WFP, which has been helping some 200,000 people a month since 2008, told the Integrated Regional Information Networks of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

"What is needed is a sustained period of peace so that long-term development can take root," Anderson said.

"The communities remain traumatized, and any talk of an apparent resurgence of threat could force them to start moving again," said Romy Elusfa, a spokesman for Bakwit.org, a group helping in relief efforts and the monitoring of internally displaced persons.

Murad Ebrahim, the leader of the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), announced on Monday that the government's draft peace accord, submitted during the last round of negotiations in August, was unacceptable.

While the government has not released details, the rebels say the government offered them an enhanced version of an existing Muslim autonomous region, as opposed to the MILF's demand for a sub-state that would have given them real political powers to govern themselves, including administering Islamic law, as well as profit from any mineral exploration of land they consider their "ancestral domain".

The government also offered them the creation of a Bangsamoro Council, a third of whose members would be assigned by Manila, as a body that would oversee the full implementation of the peace pact.

But according to Ebrahim, the document presented to them differed heavily from the MILF's own draft framework for a peace deal, which they had submitted to the government negotiating panel earlier this year.

"The [government draft] and the MILF draft are too far apart," Ebrahim said. "With this situation, we feel there is no point of discussion between the two panels."

MILF will not engage the government in official negotiations scheduled for next week, he confirmed, noting, however, that the rebels had asked the third-party facilitator in the talks, Malaysia, to intercede and help break the deadlock.

Malaysia, a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference, has been hosting the talks and leads an international monitoring mission in the southern Philippines whose presence ensures both sides do not violate a ceasefire.

Ebrahim warned that with no immediate peace deal in sight, more and more young people born into the conflict would be radicalized.

He pointed to rogue MILF rebel commander Ameril Umbra Kato, who had recently announced the creation of a splinter group that would continue to push for an independent state, which was the rebels' initial demand but dropped by Ebrahim and other rebel leaders as unrealistic.

"We want the problem to be solved within our generation, because... the younger generation can be more militant, more inclined to violence. That is why we insist that we fast-track the political solution to the problem. Then we can put in place a viable solution that will entice the next generation to toe the line of the peace process."

Crime threatens Mindanao peace process Already, Umbra Kato's men have engaged their former comrades in a deadly clash over land, leaving 14 dead in August and some 3,000 new IDPs in two towns in Maguindanao Province.

The new displacement is in addition to the 15,000 people still displaced from the 750,000 people forced out of their homes and villages when Umbra Kato and another rebel commander launched attacks across the south in 2008, leaving nearly 400 dead.

Rommel Banlaoi, who heads the think-tank, Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said he could see "danger signs" amid the deadlock.

"Murad [Ebrahim] is trying to tell the government that if they insist on their draft in solving the conflict, then the peace process will not move forward," Rommel Banlaoi, who heads the think-tank Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said. "That scenario will lead to the aggravation of the situation in terms of IDPs, meaning it would lead to more people being displaced.

"This then also affects the absorptive capacity of cities and municipalities to accommodate the potential fresh wave of IDPs. That is one of the human security challenges in armed violence. That is the reality."

The MILF began its insurgency in 1978, itself splintering away from a bigger group that opted for limited autonomy. About 150,000 people have died in what is possibly one of the region's longest-running insurgencies, which has left the mineral-rich island mired in deep poverty.

Cebu Pacific offers 50% off on ticket sales

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 6, 2011) - Cebu Pacific on Tuesday said it is offering travelers to book flights in advance with a 50% off system-wide seat sale from September 6 to 8 or until seats last.

It said more than 300,000 seats are up for grabs, for travel from November 1 to December 31 this year.

“As we add more flights in preparation for the peak period, we hope travelers can plan in advance too. This seat sale is one of the few timed perfectly with the All Souls Day and Christmas peak travel seasons. Guests will save more on airfare by booking their flights earlier, compared to booking at the last minute,” said Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific's Vice President for Marketing and Distribution.

The air line slashes 50% off its lowest year-round fares to 16 international destinations - Bangkok, Beijing, Brunei, Busan, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Incheon, Jakarta, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Osaka, Singapore, Shanghai and Taipei.

“Local and foreign guests can also use this 50% off system-wide seat sale to visit more destinations around the Philippines, especially with the vacation leaves and holidays coming up. CEB operates the most extensive network in the country, including flights to popular Boracay, Puerto Princesa and Legazpi from both Manila and Cebu," Iyog said.

Cebu Pacific flies to a total of 34 domestic destinations including diving, beach and foodie destinations like Cebu, Laoag, Naga, Coron, Siargao, Surigao, Dumaguete, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga and Davao.

Philippine labor group rejects proposed 4-day work week

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 5, 2011) – A Philippine labor group has flatly rejected a proposal to cut working days from five days to only four, but longer by two hours a day.

The Kilusang Mayo Uno said the proposal by Quezon City Congressman Winston Castelo would only mean less income for workers under the present employment situation in the country.

Castelo’s “Four-Day Work Week Act of 2011” seeks to achieve a “work-life balance” for workers and to lessen their spending for food and transportation.

“Under present circumstances, a four-day work week will not help Filipino workers achieve a balance between work and life. The fact that many companies, especially in so-called special economic zones, are implementing this scheme on their own shows that workers will lose more than gain from this,” Elmer Labog, KMU chairperson, said.

He said a four-hour workday will only bring about a loss of income for many of our workers who are not paid when they do not report for work. “There won’t be enough rest for workers either because they will be made to work for longer hours – which will cause a greater amount of physical stress.”

“On the one hand, implementing a four-day work week will legitimize similar schemes that are already in place. On the other hand, it won’t do anything to stop employers from forcing employees to work on weekends, a phenomenon which is already widespread at present,” he said.

KMU said what Filipino workers want is the strict observation of the eight-hour work day and a significant wage increase as an immediate relief for workers’ families who have been suffering from low wages and high prices.

“In so-called special economic zones and for contractual workers who compose the majority of the country’s workers, the eight-hour work day is a thing of the past. Capitalists have continuously attacked the eight-hour work day and have revived the most barbaric working conditions reminiscent of capitalism’s early stages when workers still have to unite to fight for their rights,” Labog said.

“We want the eight-hour work day strictly enforced. We also want a significant wage increase to be legislated, for we want immediate relief from rising prices and low wages – a relief that comes from the value that we create as toiling masses,” he added.

KMU also criticized the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines’ reaction to the bill, saying the employers’ group is opposing the measure for the wrong reasons in alluding to the so-called “fiesta and siesta mentality” of Filipinos.

“It is not the Filipino workers who are enjoying fiesta and siesta under the current system; it is the capitalists, especially the big and foreign ones. That Filipino workers are not working hard enough is a big lie being used by capitalists to prolong working hours and press down workers’ wages,” Labog said.

“ECOP is making a big fuss out of paid holidays when most capitalists are not even giving that to their employees. Workers are working hard – too hard, in fact – compared with the pitiful compensation that they are receiving from the country’s greedy capitalists,” he added. (Mindanao Examiner)

UP Open University offers Bachelor of Education Studies

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 5, 2011) – The University of the Philippines on Monday announced a new online undergraduate program will be offered starting May next year.

It said the Bachelor of Education Studies (BES), with specializations in Alternative Education Systems (AES) and Instructional Design Technology (IDT), is designed for individuals who are interested in education work – including teaching, curriculum and instructional materials development, and education research – in diverse contexts.

AES majors will develop professional competencies for a career in alternative education sectors, such as non-formal, community-based education and work-based learning, and school- or institution-based alternative delivery modes, such as distance education and online learning.

It said IDT majors will develop expertise in the systematic use of technology to address educational challenges in formal and non-formal learning environments.

“UPOU courses are offered online so they can be taken by students regardless of their location,” it said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner. It said the applications for admission will be accepted until January 15, 2012.

Those interested, it said, can log on to www.upou.edu.ph or email them at info@upou.edu.ph. (Mindanao Examiner)

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MILF rebels focus sight on peace in Mindanao

MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim is guarded by rebels as he prepares to meet journalists Monday, September 5, 2011 for a news conference in Maguindanao province in the southern Philippines. Ebrahim says they will pursue the establishment of a Muslim sub-state in Mindanao. (Photo by Romy Elusfa)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 5, 2011) – Philippine Muslim rebels on Monday said it would still pursue negotiations with Manila as both sides try to resolve the deadlock in peace talks aimed at ending decades of bloody fighting in the mineral-rich, but strife-torn region of Mindanao.

In a news conference at a rebel base in Maguindanao’s Sultan Kudarat town, Murad Ebrahim, leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said they would not settle for anything less other than the creation of a Muslim sub-state in Mindanao.

Government peace negotiators headed by Marvic Leonen proposed a wider autonomy for some four million Muslims in the southern region, but the MILF flatly rejected the offer.

“We will come up with a proposal on how to move forward,” Ebrahim said. “The negotiation is still on. There is no declaration by either party that the talks had already collapse and it will continue.”

Malaysia, which is brokering the peace talks, is yet to decide on the next round of negotiations after both sides failed to sign any relevant agreement in Kuala Lumpur in August.

But Ebrahim said they will ask Malaysia to help break the deadlock in the talks by sending a facilitator to meet separately with government and rebel peace negotiators to narrow down the “heaven and earth” gap of each respective proposal.

He said the Aquino government should be firm in resolving the Mindanao problem. “They are still using the traditional way of hitting a palliative solution,” Ebrahim said referring to government proposal for a wider autonomy instead of a Muslim sub-state.

“The problem is political in nature. It is true that there are other problems like the peace and order, but they are not the root cause of the problems. So we have to address the root cause of the problem,” Ebrahim said as he cautioned Manila that prolonging the peace negotiations may result to war.

“If the talks would drag longer, many young idealist Muslims who were born during the war and are exposed to violence, may opt the violent way of resolving the Mindanao problem,” he said.

Ebrahim said he told President Benigno Aquino during their meeting last month in Japan that “we have to solve this problem within this generation because the younger generations can be more militant and more inclined to violence because most of the young generation was born during the war and are exposed to war and violence. That is why we insist we fast tract the political solution of the problem that will encourage the next generation to toe the line of the peace process.”

One of Ebrahim’s top commanders, Ameril Umra Kato, has split with the MILF after the failed signing of a Muslim homeland deal in 2008.

The Supreme Court said the accord was unconstitutional and the failed signing triggered a series of deadly attacks led by Kato, who has now formed a new rebel group called Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement. Kato vowed to pursue an independent Muslim state in Mindanao.

Ebrahim said they have not decided yet on Kato’s fate or whether to expel him or not. (Romy Elusfa contributed to this report.)

Salon owner abducted in Zamboanga province

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 5, 2011) – A Filipino woman who is married to a British engineer, was abducted by gunmen in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga Sibugay, security officials told the Mindanao Examiner.

Officials said the woman, Luisa Morrison, 34, was snatched Sunday evening by three gunmen in the capital town of Ipil. The woman’s husband is working at an oil rig off Malaysia.

The woman, who owns the RL Salon and Spa in the town’s business district, was seized by three men who posed as customers. She was forced into a small van which was later found abandoned and burned in the coastal village of Bangkerohan.

Officials said Morrison moved to Ipil town from Malaysia last year and put up her own business.

“We have sent troops to track down the abductors and rescue the woman,” said Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command.

Colonel Santiago Baluyot, commander of military forces in Zamboanga Peninsula, led troops in the operation to rescue the woman.

No group claimed responsibility for the abduction, but previous kidnappings for ransom in the province were largely blamed to Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels (MILF) who are actively operating in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

In 2009, MILF rebels also seized three government teachers - Noemi Mandi, Jocelyn Enriquez and Jocelyn Inion near Ipil town. The three women were on their way to school in the neighboring town of Naga when seized by gunmen and taken to Basilan province, just several nautical miles off Zamboanga City.

They were freed six months later after government negotiators paid ransoms for their freedom.

In 1995, Abu Sayyaf rebels also raided and pillaged the town and killing 54 people. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF stands firm on demand for Muslim sub-state in Mindanao

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Zambo dad's driver shoots 3 in fit of rage

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 3, 2011) – Police arrested the driver of a local politician after he allegedly shot and wounded three people, including a four-year old child, in a fit of rage in Zamboanga City in Mindanao.

Roque Cadiz, driver of Councilor Jaime Cabato, was arrested late Friday in the village of San Jose Gusu. Reports said Cadiz fired his .45-caliber pistol after failing to find the man who earlier stabbed and wounded his brother.

Policemen, who were near the area, responded to the burst of gunfire and arrested Cadiz. It was not immediately known whether Cadiz was carrying an unlicensed gun or not.

The politician was not immediately available to make a statement. (Mindanao Examiner)

New Sulu municipal building inaugurated

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan leads the inauguration of the Maimbung municipal building on Friday, September 2, 2011. His wife Nurunisah Tan, Mayor Samier Tan and other government officials also joined the ceremony. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 2, 2011) – Sulu Governor Sakur Tan inaugurated Friday a multi-million municipal building in the town of Maimbung.

About 3,000 people, including Sulu’s mayors and local police and marine officials, including US military officers attended the inauguration ceremony. The building will house the municipal hall and the local legislative council.

“This new municipal building is for the people. There will be more development projects as we continue to roll pout our development and infrastructure program not only in Maimbung, but the rest of the 18 towns in Sulu,” he said.

Tan, who is now on his second term, has built hundreds of housing units in Maimbung and other towns the past years. And he is currently building a fish port and a cold storage facility in Maimbung, including a fishery and agricultural school that would offer free education.

The mayor of Maimbung, Samier Tan, said they would also construct a birthing clinic, a children’s playground, and a gymnasium in the town. He already put up a wireless Internet connection, a satellite television system and an antenna booster for mobile phone that would connect the remote coastal town to the rest of the world.

“Our people now are enjoying all these technology and for the first time in their life they have now access to the Internet, mobile communication and television. This is education and technology at work,” the mayor said.

Maimbung was the former seat of the Sultanate of Sulu. (Mindanao Examiner)

No To Coal Power Plant in Zamboanga City!

Once coal has been mined and processed, the vast majority of it is sent to power plants. This is the second major phase in the dirty life cycle of coal.

Coal burning power stations continue to speed up global warming by filling the atmosphere with vast amounts of carbon dioxide. Coal burning leads to acid rain and smog, and emits more than 60 different hazardous air pollutants such as a variety of toxic metals, organic compounds, acid gases, sulfur, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and particulate matter.

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

On average one 500-megawatt coal-fired power plant produces approximately 3 million tons/year of CO2. Each plant's emissions depend on its size and efficiency. A single power station in Martins Lake, Texas emitted more than 21 million tonnes of CO2 in 2006 - more CO2 than Slovenia, Estonia, Bolivia or Afghanistan emitted in 2004.

Worldwide, the 25 worst CO2 polluting power plants all burn coal. According to CARMA, these plants are responsible for over 570 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions, the equivalent to the UK’s yearly fossil fuel related CO2 emissions.

Other gases

Coal-burning power plants are a significant source of Sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are major players in acid rain and ground level ozone (smog).

Nitrogen oxides are also greenhouse gasses that react with organic compounds to form smog, which damages plant life, making it vulnerable to disease and extreme weather. It can also impair human health by causing increased risk of asthma, lung damage and premature death.

Acid rain occurs when SO2 and NOX interact with water, oxygen, and other chemicals in the air to form sulphuric acid and nitric acid. This toxin can fall from the sky in rain over a widespread area, killing fish and plants.

Forests are also impacted via direct damage to foliage and where forest soils have been stripped of nutrients by acid rain. The shocking impacts of acid rain on forests around the world have led to progress, in curbing toxic rain in the US and Europe for example, but it is estimated that acid rain still falls on 30 percent of the land in China, and on hundreds of its cities.

The fact remains that coal is still by far the single biggest source of sulphur emissions caused by power generation. In 2004, 95 percent of the 10.3 million tons of SO2, and 90 percent of the 3.9 million tons of NOx, released into the atmosphere by US power plants came from ones fuelled by coal.

Mercury poisoning

Burning coal releases large amounts of the neurotoxin mercury into the air. Globally, coal-fired power plants are the single largest emitter of mercury emissions, accounting for over 50 percent of the mercury pollution caused by humans.

Once released, mercury settles in streams, lakes and rivers and on the earth itself, where it infiltrates the groundwater. From there, it enters the food chain via algae and infects all life forms, from minnows to predator fish to birds and mammals, whose diets include fish. A it goes up the food chain, the concentration of mercury intensifies. Forty-nine US states have issued fish consumption advisories due to high mercury concentrations in freshwater bodies throughout the country.

Mercury is especially damaging to foetuses, infants and young children because it affects the development of the nervous system. Exposure to mercury can cause brain damage, mental retardation, blindness, seizures and the inability to speak. Every year, about 410,000 children are born having been exposed to dangerous levels of methylmercury in the womb. At any one time, eight percent of women of childbearing age have more mercury in their blood than is deemed safe by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Mercuric chloride and methylmercury have been classified as possible human carcinogens by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Particle emissions

Coal-burning power plants release fine particles of sulphate, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, carbon and mineral dust, smaller than the width of a human hair, that penetrate deep into the lung. Breathing these fine particles can decrease lung function, aggravate asthma and contribute to cardiovascular disease. They cause thousands of premature deaths. As the particles are so small, they are more likely to escape the cleaning mechanisms of coal power stations.

Every year, in the US alone, fine particle emissions from power plants are believed to cut short the lives of 30,000 people. Every year, 38,000 heart attacks, 12,000 hospital admissions and an additional 550,000 asthma attacks are a result of power plant pollution.

In India, a study in 2001 found that the inhabitants of 14 of India's 20 largest cities breathe air the government deems “dangerous”. Particle emissions from coal power stations are a major contributor to the poor air quality. (Greenpeace)

Philippine military to launch new offensive vs. Sayyaf

Philippine soldiers patrol the southern province of Sulu on Thursday, September 1, 2011. Government forces are preparing to launch new offensive against Abu Sayyaf militants blamed for the spate of attacks and kidnappings for ransom in the strife-torn region. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 1, 2011) – The Philippine military is set to launch a new offensive against the militant group Abu Sayyaf which is still holding three foreigners and three Filipinos in the southern province of Sulu.

Security officials would not say when the offensive would start, but the target of the operation is the town of Patikul where militants killed 7 marines and wounded over a dozen soldiers on July 28.

The Abu Sayyaf is still holding an Indian national Bijukolara Veetil, 36, who was kidnapped in June while visiting the parents of his Filipino wife in Patikul town.

A Malaysian lizard trader, Mohammad Nasaruddin Bensaidin, 38, from Kuala Lumpur, was also kidnapped in Indanan town on April. The militants are also holding a Japanese treasure hunter, Katayama Mamaito, who was seized in Sulu’s Pangutaran town in July last year.

The group also seized two fishermen, Renato Panisales and Wennie Ferrer – all employees of the Mega Fishing Corporation in Zamboanga City - at sea in March. Their companion, Jonald Ocsimar, was freed in July after his family paid P300,000 ransom.

Just last month, Abu Sayyaf militants snatched a government midwife, Evangeline Taverisma, 55, in Tagbak village on Indanan town. She was on her way to report for work when seized by gunmen whose leader was identified as Nasir Timbang.

Another faction of the Abu Sayyaf group is also holding a US woman, Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann, 50, and her son Kevin Eric Lunsmann, 14, including a Filipino nephew Romnick Jackaria, 19, after snatching them from a beach house on Tictabon Island in Zamboanga City.

The hostages are believed to be in Basilan Island, just several nautical miles south of Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine deputy town mayor arrested on human trafficking charges

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 31, 2011) – Philippine authorities have arrested a deputy town mayor and his aide who were both linked to human trafficking charges in Mindanao.

Limtajar Bandahala Hassan, deputy mayor of Lugus town, was arrested in an entrapment operation carried out by undercover police and military agents at Paseo del Mar park in Zamboanga City over the weekend.

Hassan is being accused of transporting illegal Filipino workers to remote island of Taganak in the Filipino province of Tawi-Tawi before they are brought to Malaysia’s oil-rich state of Sabah.

Two agents, one from the local police force and the army, and a civilian informant who are members of a government anti-human trafficking task force, set up the trap and paid P18,000 in marked money to the politician in exchange for their boat trip to Taganak.

Police also seized a .45-caliber pistol from the politician, who identified himself as Limtazar Baladji, but government records showed his real name as Limtajar Bandahala Hassan.

Hassan has denied all the accusations against him and said he merely owns a passenger boat that plies from Zamboanga City to Taganak Island.

“I was fixing the boat’s generator when a friend approached and told me that there were people who wanted to go to Taganak. I just told him to purchase the tickets from us, so I went out with my purser to collect the payments. I am really innocent on all these charges,” he told television reporters from inside his jail in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner)