COTABATO CITY (Dom Cusain / 23 Jun) The Commission on Elections ordered its Law Department to file before the proper Court the pertinent information against former Congressman Didagen Dilangalen and Estrellita Juliano-Tamano after finding the two guilty of committing election offenses during the 2004 national and local elections.
In an en banc resolution promulgated on May 22, the COMELEC said that respondents Dilangalen and Tamano violated Section 229 of the Omnibus Election Code and as such constitutes an election offense pursuant to Section 262 of the same Code.
Section 229 of the Code states that it shall be unlawful for any person to delay, obstruct, impede or prevent through force, violence, coercion, intimidation or by any means which vitiates consent, the transmittal of the election returns or to take away, abscond with, destroy, deface or mutilate or substitute the election returns or the envelope or the ballot box containing the election returns or to violate the right of the watchers.
The case stemmed from the complaint filed by Cotabato City Treasurer Cleotilde San Luis wherein she alleged Dilangalen and Juliano grabbed and took possession of three ballot boxes being transmitted by the treasurer to the Sangguniang Panlungsod Building on May 13, 2004. The boxes were chained and padlocked to a concrete post adjacent to the building.
San Luis averred in her complaint that she was just complying with the order of the Cotabato City Board of Canvassers contained in its May 12, 2006 letter directing her for the transfer of 3 ballot boxes containing election returns mistakenly placed thereat by concerned Board of Election Officers.
The COMELEC noted that the “participation of Didagen (sic) and Tamano in delaying the delivery of three ballot boxes containing the election returns from Precincts 49A & 49B, 318A & 317B and 270B & 271A is "uncontroverted."
“There are categorical admissions by Didagen and Tamano in their respective affidavits that they prevented such delivery of boxes to the canvassing hall, although they posit the defense that they did so only because they were motivated by a noble intention of preventing the perpetration of electoral fraud”, the poll body added.
Said defense was not accepted by the Commission which stresses that every official must act by and within the authority of a valid law and cannot justify the lack of it on the pretext alone of good intentions.
The Commission also ordered dismissed the complaint against Bai Sendig Dilangalen, now Congressman and wife of Didagen, for lack of evidence
Friday, June 23, 2006
Kenney Speaks To Students In Davao, Tours U.S. Studies Resource Center
Fr. Antonio Samson, right, Ateneo de Davao University president, hosted U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney 23 June 2006 during her visit and talk with students. Kenney also toured the U.S. Embassy-sponsored American Studies Resource Center (ASRC), where students can find books and materials about the United States, attend programs on global issues, and participate in Internet chats with U.S. Embassy staff.
Leonisa Sales, left, ASRC director, showed Kenney materials used by students in the ASRC. Kenney spoke with students majoring in international relations about the paths they might take upon graduation.
During her visit to Davao, Kenney met with local government and business leaders; visited the Visayan Forum Foundation and signed a $179,000 U.S. Government grant to help expand halfway house operations for victims of trafficking in persons.
She spoke at the Cold Chain Association of the Philippines’s annual meeting about the U.S. Government’s efforts to help modernize the Philippine agricultural and fisheries sector.
"I have been looking forward to visiting Davao since my arrival in the Philippines," Kenney said. “The wide variety of partnerships between the American people and Davaoeños is a great example of the continuing friendship between our two countries.”
Better die rich in Iraq than penniless in Mindanao
Special from Pontificio Istituto Missioni Estere
This is what many Filipinos believe, making them ripe for recruitment for high salaries to man security services in Iraq.
Manila (AsiaNews/SCMP) For five months, Victor Ocampo, a Filipino man, had to work as a security guard at the US Embassy in Baghdad, to pay his daughter’s college fees. Ocampo considered this job no less dangerous than being an explosives disposal expert, his previous work for which he earned far less than the salary of 1,000 US dollars per month received from his employer, the Triple Canopy Group agency.
"With life so hard these days, this is better than dying of hunger," he told his wife and three children before leaving. If he could, he would return to Iraq, just like many of the more than 60 former soldiers who went and came back with him.
In the past two years, many Filipinos have been recruited to serve as security guards and bodyguards despite a government-imposed ban, which came after Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz was abducted in July 2004.
When the ban was imposed in August 2004, about 4,200 Filipinos, working mostly in American military camps, were allowed to stay on. Today, about 5,000 Filipinos are reportedly still working in Iraq, foreign affairs department spokesman Gilbert Asuque said.
Senator Biazon, a former chief of the Filipino armed forces who now chairs the Senate defence committee, denounced attempts by the United States to recruit other Filipinos for military purposes, probably through employment agencies.
The Filipino port city of Subic signed a contract in May with US-based group Blackwater, which has already hired men from Fiji, India, and the Philippines, to train troops.
“The company intends to train a minimum of 1,000 people a month," said Biazon who has pledged to carry out an inquiry. He said the agreement would violate the Filipino constitution which forbids foreign troops on Philippine soil. But he “is afraid there would be many ‘desperate’ people would be attracted by the high salaries (from US,500 to US,000 a month and death benefits of up to million).
The offer attracts especially former soldiers, who are preferred by employers.
“There are many resignations,” said Philippine National Police spokesman Samuel Pagdilao, “because many soldiers want to try their luck in other countries".
Veteran soldiers, who have fought in battles against Islamists in the southern Philippines, admit they would rather go to Iraq and perhaps die rich, rather than be killed penniless in Mindanao.
Rosanto Labayog, an expert in the sector, said foreign security agencies prefer Filipino soldiers. The Philippine government has declined to condemn the recruitments. The US embassy in Manila said it was not involved.
NPA Denies Hand In Journalists' Slay In North Cotabato
SOUTH COTABATO (Zamboanga Journal / 22 Jun) The New People's Army (NPA) on Friday strongly denied police charges that one of its fighter was behind the killing of two journalists in Kidapawan City in North Cotabato.
Police have tagged Dionisio Madanggit, an alleged NPA hitman, as the killer of George Vigo and his wife Mazel. The couple was shot dead late Monday afternoon in Sandawa district.
A P100,000 bounty has been offered for the arrest of Madanggit, according to Chief Supt. German Doria, the regional police chief.
"The cold-blooded murder of George and Mazel Vigo in Kidapawan City is without any doubt the handiwork of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) death squads. This exactly confirms that the two-year-P1 billion all-out-war ordered by the fascist illegal occupant in Malacañang has civilians as targets," said Ricardo Fermiza, spokesman of the NPA's Magtanggol Roque Command in Southern Mindanao, in a statement sent to Zamboanga Journal.
Vigo, 33, was a writer for the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN), while his wife, Mazel Alave, 36, hosted a program at a Catholic-run radio station dxND in Kidapawan City.
Police said two men were involved in the attack, but it did not identify the second suspect. Both escaped on a motorcycle after the attack, whose motive is still unknown. Other reports said Mandanggit is also contract killer.
The NPA also denied that Madanggit is a member of the rebel group.
"There is no Dionisio Madanguit listed in the roster of membership in the NPA. The enemy is adept at such deceptive machinations that intend to manipulate public opinion. As expected, the AFP-Philippine National Police are quick to point at us, hinting that the couple was supposedly their intelligence “assets” providing information against the New Peoples Army (NPA). They even dropped the name of a certain Dionisio Madanguit who is allegedly a member of the NPA “sparrow unit” who executed the couple."
"Nothing can be farther from the truth than such barefaced lie and deception. The Vigo couple was known for their involvement in the progressive legal democratic mass movement in North Cotabato. They have contributed to the struggle for human rights, environment protection, agrarian reform, and the rights and welfare of media, women and children, and national minority," Fermiza said.
The NUJP said Vigo also was the executive director of the non-governmental organization Peoples' Kauyahan Foundation, Inc. (PKFI), which was behind many peace forums and dialogues in North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces.
The couple, who had 5 children, also founded the Federation of Reporters for Empowerment and Equality in the province.
Last month, gunmen also killed Fernando Batul, a broadcaster based in Palawan province in the central Philippines. He was the 5th journalist killed this year, the 42nd to die under the Arroyo administration. He was the 79th journalist murdered since 1986 when press freedom was supposed to have been restored.
Police have tagged Dionisio Madanggit, an alleged NPA hitman, as the killer of George Vigo and his wife Mazel. The couple was shot dead late Monday afternoon in Sandawa district.
A P100,000 bounty has been offered for the arrest of Madanggit, according to Chief Supt. German Doria, the regional police chief.
"The cold-blooded murder of George and Mazel Vigo in Kidapawan City is without any doubt the handiwork of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) death squads. This exactly confirms that the two-year-P1 billion all-out-war ordered by the fascist illegal occupant in Malacañang has civilians as targets," said Ricardo Fermiza, spokesman of the NPA's Magtanggol Roque Command in Southern Mindanao, in a statement sent to Zamboanga Journal.
Vigo, 33, was a writer for the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN), while his wife, Mazel Alave, 36, hosted a program at a Catholic-run radio station dxND in Kidapawan City.
Police said two men were involved in the attack, but it did not identify the second suspect. Both escaped on a motorcycle after the attack, whose motive is still unknown. Other reports said Mandanggit is also contract killer.
The NPA also denied that Madanggit is a member of the rebel group.
"There is no Dionisio Madanguit listed in the roster of membership in the NPA. The enemy is adept at such deceptive machinations that intend to manipulate public opinion. As expected, the AFP-Philippine National Police are quick to point at us, hinting that the couple was supposedly their intelligence “assets” providing information against the New Peoples Army (NPA). They even dropped the name of a certain Dionisio Madanguit who is allegedly a member of the NPA “sparrow unit” who executed the couple."
"Nothing can be farther from the truth than such barefaced lie and deception. The Vigo couple was known for their involvement in the progressive legal democratic mass movement in North Cotabato. They have contributed to the struggle for human rights, environment protection, agrarian reform, and the rights and welfare of media, women and children, and national minority," Fermiza said.
The NUJP said Vigo also was the executive director of the non-governmental organization Peoples' Kauyahan Foundation, Inc. (PKFI), which was behind many peace forums and dialogues in North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces.
The couple, who had 5 children, also founded the Federation of Reporters for Empowerment and Equality in the province.
Last month, gunmen also killed Fernando Batul, a broadcaster based in Palawan province in the central Philippines. He was the 5th journalist killed this year, the 42nd to die under the Arroyo administration. He was the 79th journalist murdered since 1986 when press freedom was supposed to have been restored.
Framed Photographs For Sale
20 x 25 Php 5,500
18 x 24 Php 5,000
20 x 25 Php 5,500
18 x 20 Php 5,000
18 x 22 Php 5,000
22 x 26 Php 5,500
26 x 22 Php 5,500
26 x 22 Php 5,500 signed and guaranteed no reproductions
ARMM To Benefit From OIC Economic Aid
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Darwin Wee / 23 Jun) The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is poise to receive a massive economic support from the influential Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), a senior government official said Friday.
Muslimin Jann Jakilan, ARMM's Labor Secretary, said Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OIC's Secretary General, has issued a resolution Monday calling all state members to pool their funds to help support economic improvement in the five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
"The massive support is the result of the OIC's assessment of the implementation of the 1996 peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) last month," Jakilan, a former rebel leader-turned-politician, said.
Jakilan said senior MNLF leaders would announce OIC's commitment on the opening of the the 5th ARMM Business Congress next Monday in Lamitan town in Basilan island.
"The OIC members who visited several provinces of ARMM region last month assessed that we are lagging behind in terms of economy. The OIC delegation saw that the ARMM needs substantial assistance to fully utilize and exploit the region's rich natural resources for good use," said Jakilan, who is also the president of the Autonomous Basilan Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He noted the support would hasten infrastructure and other development projects in the ARMM, such as upgrading and rehabilitating transportation facilities, like airports, wharf, roads and bridges, and communications facilities.
In addition, he said, the project will also benefit and improve the region's power supplies."The projects would help the ARMM government and private sectors in an effort to lure local and foreign investors in the autonomous region," he said.
The OIC is composed of 57 Muslim countries around the world. The creation of ARMM is also an offshoot of the intervention of the OIC during the peace talks between Manila and the MNLF in 1996.
Presently, the ARMM is the country's main supplier of seaweeds and one of the biggest exporters of marine products. Regional officials are also working for ARMM to become the country's Halal poultry production and one of the world importer of meat that has been slaughtered in the manner prescribed by the Shari’ a.
The OIC is composed of 57 Muslim countries around the world. The creation of ARMM is also an offshoot of the intervention of the OIC during the peace talks between Manila and the MNLF in 1996.
Presently, the ARMM is the country's main supplier of seaweeds and one of the biggest exporters of marine products. Regional officials are also working for ARMM to become the country's Halal poultry production and one of the world importer of meat that has been slaughtered in the manner prescribed by the Shari’ a.
Cotabato Governor Leads Mt. Apo Climb Again
NORTH COTABATO (Vivien Bautista / 23 Jun) North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Piñol again climbed the country's highest peak, Mount Apo, in just 24 hours. It was his 8th climb in eight years.
The climb was a commitment to join the officers of the Isuzu Corporation, which sponsored the trek to Mount Apo, and a group of Manila-based journalists, he said.
Passing through the Site G of the Philippine National Oil Company, Piñol and his team met with the Isuzu team in Macadac Friday afternoon after a brief stay at the peak.
"It was the swiftest trek that I made and I feel good. I think my friends and supporters will be best assured of my good health and my detractors will stop saying that I am sick with cancer," he told the Zamboanga Journal.
Local radio reports said the politician was suffering from brain cancer, but it turned out be a hoax allegedly spread by Piñol's detractors. Piñol was a former journalist who was largely credited for his development programs in North Cotabato the past eight years as governor.
"Within the past eight years through a solid economic development program based on a refocused agricultural thrust. Our rural infrastructure program, various economic enhancement projects, and our current focus on market-oriented agriculture with emphasis on Cardava banana, coconut, oil palm and rubber have all helped us graduate from the infamous circle of the country’s poorest provinces,” he said.
From being the number five poorest province in the country in 1997, North Cotabato is now ranked by the National Statistics Coordinating Board (NSCB) as number 29 in the list of the more progressive provinces of the Philippines.
The climb was a commitment to join the officers of the Isuzu Corporation, which sponsored the trek to Mount Apo, and a group of Manila-based journalists, he said.
Passing through the Site G of the Philippine National Oil Company, Piñol and his team met with the Isuzu team in Macadac Friday afternoon after a brief stay at the peak.
"It was the swiftest trek that I made and I feel good. I think my friends and supporters will be best assured of my good health and my detractors will stop saying that I am sick with cancer," he told the Zamboanga Journal.
Local radio reports said the politician was suffering from brain cancer, but it turned out be a hoax allegedly spread by Piñol's detractors. Piñol was a former journalist who was largely credited for his development programs in North Cotabato the past eight years as governor.
"Within the past eight years through a solid economic development program based on a refocused agricultural thrust. Our rural infrastructure program, various economic enhancement projects, and our current focus on market-oriented agriculture with emphasis on Cardava banana, coconut, oil palm and rubber have all helped us graduate from the infamous circle of the country’s poorest provinces,” he said.
From being the number five poorest province in the country in 1997, North Cotabato is now ranked by the National Statistics Coordinating Board (NSCB) as number 29 in the list of the more progressive provinces of the Philippines.
5 Killed In Maguindanao Market Blast
COTABATO CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 23 Jun) At least 5 people were killed and eight others wounded in a powerful explosion Friday that ripped through a crowded market in the town of Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao province in the restive southern Philippine region, officials said.
Nori Unas, provincial administrator, said one of those killed was the nephew of Governor Andal Ampatuan, of Maguindanao, and that the attack targeted the politician who was unhurt in the blast. The bomb was left near a parked vehicle on the market where the politician's convoy had passed.
"The governor was obviously the target of the attack," Unas said.
Ampatuan, an staunch supporter of President Gloria Arroyo, was on his way to a family farm when the bomb went off minutes after his convoy passed the market, he said.
Akmad Mamalinta, the chief of police in the Muslim autonomous region. said they were investigating the motive of the blast and would not say who were behind the attack. "We are still investigating the motive of the blast and who was behind this cowardly act," he told the Zamboanga Journal.
"Eight people were seriously wounded in the attack," Mamalinta said.
Unas identified those killed as Kamlaon Ampatuan, the governor's nephew; Ed Mangansakan, a provincial employee; and their driver and escort, who was a govenrment soldier. And Kahil Datumanong, a relative of Rep. Simeon Datumanong, of Maguindanao, who was near the blast site, he said.
Police said the explosive was inside a bag and left in the market and exploded around 7.05 am. Ampatuan was previously ambushed by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in the past and one of his son Datu Saudi Ampatuan had been killed in a bomb explosion in Maguindanao several years ago. But the MILF denied it was involved in the attacks.
No group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack, but the area was scene of previous fighting between followers of Ampatuan and MILF forces.
The attack occurred just several blocks from the mansions of Andal and his son, Zaldy Ampatuan, former Shariff Aguak mayor and now governor of the five-province Muslim autonomous region.
In February, security and rebel forces clashed for weeks in Shariff Aguak town and left more than a dozen people dead from both sides. The fighting erupted after the MILF opposed a provincial government road construction that rebels claimed would encroach into their territories in the village of Datu Unsay.
The clashes forced more than 20,000 civilians out of their homes in the town and the fighting threatened peace talks between Manila and the MILF, the country's largest Muslim rebel group.
It was not immediately known if the rebels had anything to do with the latest explosion, but Eid Kabalu, the group's spokesman, said the MILF was not involved in the attack.
"The MILF is religiously observing a truce with the Philippine government and we have nothing to do with the blast. The MILF has repeatedly denounced terrorism and we are currently negotiating peace with the Arroyo government," Kabalu said.
President Gloria Arroyo opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001 in an effort to end more than three decades of bloody fighting in the south and develop the strife-torn, but mineral-rich region.
Nori Unas, provincial administrator, said one of those killed was the nephew of Governor Andal Ampatuan, of Maguindanao, and that the attack targeted the politician who was unhurt in the blast. The bomb was left near a parked vehicle on the market where the politician's convoy had passed.
"The governor was obviously the target of the attack," Unas said.
Ampatuan, an staunch supporter of President Gloria Arroyo, was on his way to a family farm when the bomb went off minutes after his convoy passed the market, he said.
Akmad Mamalinta, the chief of police in the Muslim autonomous region. said they were investigating the motive of the blast and would not say who were behind the attack. "We are still investigating the motive of the blast and who was behind this cowardly act," he told the Zamboanga Journal.
"Eight people were seriously wounded in the attack," Mamalinta said.
Unas identified those killed as Kamlaon Ampatuan, the governor's nephew; Ed Mangansakan, a provincial employee; and their driver and escort, who was a govenrment soldier. And Kahil Datumanong, a relative of Rep. Simeon Datumanong, of Maguindanao, who was near the blast site, he said.
Police said the explosive was inside a bag and left in the market and exploded around 7.05 am. Ampatuan was previously ambushed by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in the past and one of his son Datu Saudi Ampatuan had been killed in a bomb explosion in Maguindanao several years ago. But the MILF denied it was involved in the attacks.
No group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack, but the area was scene of previous fighting between followers of Ampatuan and MILF forces.
The attack occurred just several blocks from the mansions of Andal and his son, Zaldy Ampatuan, former Shariff Aguak mayor and now governor of the five-province Muslim autonomous region.
In February, security and rebel forces clashed for weeks in Shariff Aguak town and left more than a dozen people dead from both sides. The fighting erupted after the MILF opposed a provincial government road construction that rebels claimed would encroach into their territories in the village of Datu Unsay.
The clashes forced more than 20,000 civilians out of their homes in the town and the fighting threatened peace talks between Manila and the MILF, the country's largest Muslim rebel group.
It was not immediately known if the rebels had anything to do with the latest explosion, but Eid Kabalu, the group's spokesman, said the MILF was not involved in the attack.
"The MILF is religiously observing a truce with the Philippine government and we have nothing to do with the blast. The MILF has repeatedly denounced terrorism and we are currently negotiating peace with the Arroyo government," Kabalu said.
President Gloria Arroyo opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001 in an effort to end more than three decades of bloody fighting in the south and develop the strife-torn, but mineral-rich region.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Photo: Aaaahhh...aaaahhh, whew!
A woman relieves herself on a breakwall of a favorite beach front in R.T. Lim Blvd. in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. Many picnickers have complained about the dirty breakwall because of human feces and garbage that litter the rocks and beach. (Zamboanga Journal)
Bounty Offered For Journalists' Killer
COTABATO CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 22 Jun) A P100,000 bounty has been offered for the arrest of the killer of two journalists who were gunned down in Kidapawan City in North Cotabato province on Mindanao island, police said Thursday.
Police have tagged Dionisio Madanggit, a suspected New People's Army rebel, as the killer of George Vigo and his wife Mazel. The couple was shot dead late Monday afternoon in Sandawa district.
Chief Supt. German Doria, the regional police chief, said Kidapawan City has offered the bounty to citizens who can provide information that will lead to the arrest of Madanggit.
Vigo, 33, was a writer for the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN), while his wife, Mazel Alave, 36, hosted a program at a Catholic-run radio station dxND in Kidapawan City.
Police said Mandanggit was with another companion who acted as lookout, but it did not identify the second suspect. Both escaped on a motorcycle after the attack. The motive of the attack is still unknown.
Other reports said Mandanggit was also a professional contract killer.
The NUJP said Vigo also was the executive director of the non-governmental organization Peoples' Kauyahan Foundation, Inc. (PKFI), which was behind many peace forums and dialogues in North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces.
The couple, who had 5 children, also founded the Federation of Reporters for Empowerment and Equality in the province.
Last month, gunmen also killed Fernando Batul, a broadcaster based in Palawan province in the central Philippines. He was the 5th journalist killed this year, the 42nd to die under the Arroyo administration and 79th since 1986 when press freedom was supposed to have been restored.
Police have tagged Dionisio Madanggit, a suspected New People's Army rebel, as the killer of George Vigo and his wife Mazel. The couple was shot dead late Monday afternoon in Sandawa district.
Chief Supt. German Doria, the regional police chief, said Kidapawan City has offered the bounty to citizens who can provide information that will lead to the arrest of Madanggit.
Vigo, 33, was a writer for the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN), while his wife, Mazel Alave, 36, hosted a program at a Catholic-run radio station dxND in Kidapawan City.
Police said Mandanggit was with another companion who acted as lookout, but it did not identify the second suspect. Both escaped on a motorcycle after the attack. The motive of the attack is still unknown.
Other reports said Mandanggit was also a professional contract killer.
The NUJP said Vigo also was the executive director of the non-governmental organization Peoples' Kauyahan Foundation, Inc. (PKFI), which was behind many peace forums and dialogues in North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces.
The couple, who had 5 children, also founded the Federation of Reporters for Empowerment and Equality in the province.
Last month, gunmen also killed Fernando Batul, a broadcaster based in Palawan province in the central Philippines. He was the 5th journalist killed this year, the 42nd to die under the Arroyo administration and 79th since 1986 when press freedom was supposed to have been restored.
Reds Tag Arroyo's All Out War vs NPA As Braggadocio
SOUTH COTABATO (Zamboanga Journal / 22 Jun) The National Democratic Front (NDF) on Thursday branded as pretentious bragging President Gloria Arroyo's release of additional P1 billion to crush communist insurgency in the country.
"The additional P1 billion allocations to fund President Gloria Arroyo’s pipe dream of crushing the New People’s Army in two years is nothing but a display of fascist braggadocio typical of swaggering generals and dictators. It reveals the depths of Arroyo’s ignorance of the dynamics of revolution and the heights of her counter-revolutionary fantasy, which proves to be a costly yet deadly misadventure," Rubi del Mundo, a spokesman for the NDF in Southern Mindanao, said.
Arroyo last week ordered the release of the money to help the military defeat the New People's Army (NPA) in two years. Three army battalions were also pulled out from Mindanao to hunt down insurgents in Luzon, a stronghold of the NPA.
She also ordered security forces Thursday to protect businessmen from NPA extortion and at the same told authorities to investigate and file criminal charges against those who are supporting the rebels. Traders have complained the rebels were extorting "revolutionary" taxes from them and those who refused to pay are threatened with harm.
“Arroyo is committing the same mistakes of past Philippine presidents: raising the ante for a militarist strategy under conditions of extreme poverty, social discontent and political polarization favors the revolutionary movement more than anything else,” said Del Mundo. “Martial Law and recycled presidential proclamations of “all-out-wars” thereafter failed to halt the advance of the revolutionary movement, much less defeat it.”
Del Mundo said the new anti-insurgency funding would only breed more corruption in the military and the police.
"The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police generals are having a heyday under an embattled Arroyo regime whosepolitical survival they almost exclusively determine on a daily basis. With billions of pesos at their disposal, corruption at the highest level of thereactionary regime and police officers corps shall continue without letup.
"The additional P1 billion allocations to fund President Gloria Arroyo’s pipe dream of crushing the New People’s Army in two years is nothing but a display of fascist braggadocio typical of swaggering generals and dictators. It reveals the depths of Arroyo’s ignorance of the dynamics of revolution and the heights of her counter-revolutionary fantasy, which proves to be a costly yet deadly misadventure," Rubi del Mundo, a spokesman for the NDF in Southern Mindanao, said.
Arroyo last week ordered the release of the money to help the military defeat the New People's Army (NPA) in two years. Three army battalions were also pulled out from Mindanao to hunt down insurgents in Luzon, a stronghold of the NPA.
She also ordered security forces Thursday to protect businessmen from NPA extortion and at the same told authorities to investigate and file criminal charges against those who are supporting the rebels. Traders have complained the rebels were extorting "revolutionary" taxes from them and those who refused to pay are threatened with harm.
“Arroyo is committing the same mistakes of past Philippine presidents: raising the ante for a militarist strategy under conditions of extreme poverty, social discontent and political polarization favors the revolutionary movement more than anything else,” said Del Mundo. “Martial Law and recycled presidential proclamations of “all-out-wars” thereafter failed to halt the advance of the revolutionary movement, much less defeat it.”
Del Mundo said the new anti-insurgency funding would only breed more corruption in the military and the police.
"The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police generals are having a heyday under an embattled Arroyo regime whosepolitical survival they almost exclusively determine on a daily basis. With billions of pesos at their disposal, corruption at the highest level of thereactionary regime and police officers corps shall continue without letup.
"To say the least, it could only spell more GMA-made disasters for the people. Enlarging her war chest means lesser funds for education, health, housing and other basic social services, which have all but dried up. Worse, anti-Arroyo activists in the cities and provinces shall continue to bear the deadly brunt of state terrorism with AFP death squads given outright licenses to kill. The human rights atrocities shall continue to be on the upswing as AFP combat battalions and special operation units go on a rampage in the countryside," Del Mundo said.
The NDF is the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), whose armed wing, the NPA, is fighting the past three decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. The NPA boasts of more than 10,000 armed regulars, but the military estimates it at around 7,500.
The NDF is the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), whose armed wing, the NPA, is fighting the past three decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. The NPA boasts of more than 10,000 armed regulars, but the military estimates it at around 7,500.
2 Soldiers Linked To Arms Depot Pilferage Are Arrested In Zambo
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 22 Jun) Two soldiers, including an army major, were arrested on charges of allegedly stealing ammunition at a major military arms depot in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, officials said Thursday.
Officials said two more soldiers were being investigated for their alleged involvement in the pilferage inside the Camp Arturo Enrile. "General Gabriel Habacon has ordered a thorough investigation into this pilferage, Captain Jose Ritche Pabilonia, the general's spokesman, told the Zamboanga Journal.
Habacon, the commander of military forces in the southern Philippines, also ordered an inventory of all weapons and ammunition in the depot. "We are also investigating if there are weapons missing also from the depot," Pabilonia said.
The two arrested soldiers -- Major Rauline Diploma, a supply officer, and Sgt. Benido Damacino -- both assigned with the 9th Forward Service Support Unit (FSSU) of the Army Support Command (ASCOM) were flown to the army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio in Manila on Thursday for further investigation.
Pabilonia said investigators recovered more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition for M16 and Carbine automatic rifles and .45-caliber pistols from Diploma's room, including one M16 rifle and three .45-pistols. Damacino surrendered 500 rounds ammunition for .45-caliber pistol.
The military is also holding two more soldiers on suspicion they were involved in the pilferage, Pabilonia said. "We will not allow these things to continue," Pabilonia said.
The military is also investigating whether the stolen ammunition or weapons had been sold to terrorists or renegade soldiers trying to topple the Arroyo government. "We don't want to think about this scenario, but it is part of the ongoing investigation," Pabilonia said.
The soldiers, Pabilonia said, could be charged with treason among others. "The public are advised not to buy any military hardware because purchase of such is punishable by law. The ammunition might fall into the hands of terrorists, insurgents and lawless elements. The AFP doesn’t tolerate any scalawags within its ranks," Pabilonia said.
Army commanders on Thursday have warned soldiers to stay loyal on their jobs, and not to steal or sell their weapons to gun syndicates or enemies.
Officials said two more soldiers were being investigated for their alleged involvement in the pilferage inside the Camp Arturo Enrile. "General Gabriel Habacon has ordered a thorough investigation into this pilferage, Captain Jose Ritche Pabilonia, the general's spokesman, told the Zamboanga Journal.
Habacon, the commander of military forces in the southern Philippines, also ordered an inventory of all weapons and ammunition in the depot. "We are also investigating if there are weapons missing also from the depot," Pabilonia said.
The two arrested soldiers -- Major Rauline Diploma, a supply officer, and Sgt. Benido Damacino -- both assigned with the 9th Forward Service Support Unit (FSSU) of the Army Support Command (ASCOM) were flown to the army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio in Manila on Thursday for further investigation.
Pabilonia said investigators recovered more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition for M16 and Carbine automatic rifles and .45-caliber pistols from Diploma's room, including one M16 rifle and three .45-pistols. Damacino surrendered 500 rounds ammunition for .45-caliber pistol.
The military is also holding two more soldiers on suspicion they were involved in the pilferage, Pabilonia said. "We will not allow these things to continue," Pabilonia said.
The military is also investigating whether the stolen ammunition or weapons had been sold to terrorists or renegade soldiers trying to topple the Arroyo government. "We don't want to think about this scenario, but it is part of the ongoing investigation," Pabilonia said.
The soldiers, Pabilonia said, could be charged with treason among others. "The public are advised not to buy any military hardware because purchase of such is punishable by law. The ammunition might fall into the hands of terrorists, insurgents and lawless elements. The AFP doesn’t tolerate any scalawags within its ranks," Pabilonia said.
Army commanders on Thursday have warned soldiers to stay loyal on their jobs, and not to steal or sell their weapons to gun syndicates or enemies.
Science and Technology Tickle Interests of Luzon Scribes
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Luzon (Dino Balabo / 22 Jun) "Fired up," these are two words that best described the feelings of every participants in the weekend workshop on science and technology and biotechnology reportage held at the Subic Bay Freeport.
Biotechnology is a general category that has applications in pharmacology, medicine, agriculture, and many other fields.
The two-day seminar-workshop was attended by more than 30 participants, mostly writers for national dailies and weekly newspapers in Central Luzon, and information officers of attached agencies of the Department of Agriculture. (Read more)
CLASSIFIED ADS
Second-hand: Compaq Pentium 3 PC, with CDR, floppy drives, Canon BJC-1000SP printer, computer table, mouse: P18,000
Pajero Wagon Turbo Intercooler, fully loaded, clean papers: P350,000
Second-hand Canon 300D DSLR 6.3 megapixels, with battery grip, 2 Canon batteries, Canon EF 28-80 USM lens, shutter release cable, fast charger, Sony tripod, manual, software, boxes: P45,000
Second-hand Canon 20D DSLR 8.2 megapixels, with battery grip, Canon L Lens 70-200 f2.8, zippered lens case, lens hood, filter lens, 512mb compact flash card, charger. No defects: P150,000
For more details, please email or contact Zamboanga Journal
MAGHUSAY TA! By Uriel Cruz Vallecera
ANDAM na ba ang Cebu alang sa mass transit system ug ang mga PUJ paboyaheon na lang sa mga dapit nga lisod sudlon sa mas dagko nga mga bus nga maoy mohakot sa mga pasahero?
Mao kini ang usa sa labing init nga hilisgotan sa Sugbo niadtong nangaging pipila ka adlaw sa dihang gituki ang pagpangitag kasulbaran sa kahuot na sa trapiko sa dakbayan sa Sugbo.
Daghan kaayo ang miuyon sa mass transit system tungod kay gawas nga mas maayong pagkalingkod sa mga pasahero, makapakunhod usab kini sa kahuot sa trapiko sanglit ang mga pasahero nga masulod sa tulo ngadto sa upat ka jeepneys masulod man kini sa usa lang ka bus.
Pero mikisikisi ang mga PUJ driver ilabi na kadtong direktang maapektohan sa biyahe o rota unya sa mga bus nga magdagan. Makulban kuno sila sa kaldero. Kini ang unod sa ilang kabalaka.
Sa pagsulat niini, giduso nag balik ni Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena ang plano nga mass transit system sa mga sakyanang pasaheroan nga maggikan sa gawas sa nahisgotang siyudad nga molahos sa pagpamasahero sa nahisgotang dakbayan.
Haom kaaro ang mass transport system sa Sugbo tungod kay aduna may dagkong kadalanan nga mahimong maoy subayan sa biyahe sa maong mga public utility vehicles. Ako mismo nagtuo usab nga makapakunhod gayod kini sa kahuot sa trapiko.
Dili hinuon makataronganon nga kulban sa kaldero ang mga PUJ driver. Apan wala man sab sila did-i sa pagpamasahero sa laing rota. Gani, gipasabot man nga mas gikinahanglan ang serbisyo sa mga PUJ kon may mga bus na unya nga magdagan sa kadalanan sa Sugbo.
Ang mga PUJ maoy maghatod sa mga pasahero ngadto sa dapit nga naghulat kanila ang bus nga ilang sakyan. Mao nga dili angay mabalaka ang mga PUJ drivers nga makulban sila sa kaldero.
-o0o-
Nunot niining laraw sa pagpatuman sa mass transport system sa Sugbo, gihunghusgan ni Mayor Osmena ang pagpanakop sa mga PUJ nga nagrota og Mandaue-Jones nga molahos sa pagpamasahero sa uptown area ug ingon man sa Colon subay sa ordinansa nga gipatuman sa CITOM.
Daghan ang nagbagulbol niini tungod kay daghang mga commuters ang naapektohan. Napuwerhisyo sila kay imbes usa lang ka sakay paingon sa ilang gitrabahoan, kaduha na man hinuon sila mosakay tungod kay dili na man makasulod sa kinapusoran sa Cebu City ang mga PUJ nga naggikan sa Mandaue.
Maayo tingali nga hinuktokan kining bahina. Puwerhisyo tinuod. Didto sa Manila, ang mga PUJ nga maggikan sa Caloocan City wala did-i sa pagsulod sa Pasay City hinungdan nga dili hasol sa mga pasahero.
Hinuon, lahi ang sitwasyon sa Manila kay sa Sugbo. Pero kinahanglan gyod unta nga hatagan og convenience ang mga pasahero, dili kay puwerhisyo ang atong idulot ngadto kanila.(Columnist Uriel Vallecera is based in Cebu province)
Photo: On Our Way Home, Mom!
School children ride on a pedicab for home unaware of the dangers on the road in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. (Zamboanga Journal)Ombudsman : Mindanao "Least Corrupt"
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Mike Banos / 22 Jun) If the state of graft and corruption in the country was gauged by the number of cases filed with the Ombudsman, Mindanao would be the "least corrupt" region in the entire Philippines.
"When I started my term seven years ago, we had 1,500 pending cases," said Antonio E. Valenzuela, Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao "By the end of 2005, we only had 330 cases remaining in various stages of investigation, from fact-finding to preliminary investigation. Although this has again risen to about 580, it still represents a significant decrease over the years."
Valenzuela joined Tanodbayan Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez and other officials from the Ombudsman for a two day visit here June 19-20 to address a seminar for village officials and inaugurated the Ombudsman's first regional office in Mindanao.
"When I started, we used to receive over 300 complaints a month," he added. "This is now down to some 80 monthly."
Valuenzuela, 66, will retire on July 2 after his seven year term expires. He attributes the decreasing number of graft and corruption filed with the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao in Davao City to the successful implementation of the pro-active preventive programs of the Ombudsman.
"In fact, I can tell you village officials are not corrupt," Tanodbayan Gutierrez told the 160 village officials in her keynote address during the one-day seminar on "Integrity Development and Public Accountability" hosted by the city June 19. She said the cases filed against barangay officials show that "the acts committed were more in abuse of authority than dishonesty."
Guiterrez said the Office of the Ombudsman has committed itself to "shepherd a convergence process that would lead to the formation of a comprehensive National Anti-Corruption Program of Action (NACPA) that would involve many sectors, as well as LGUs and barangays, in a focused effort to fight head-on the scourge of corruption."
Evelyn A. Baliton, acting Assistant Ombudsman, attributed the success of the Ombudsman in curbing the number of graft and corruption being investigated by their office not only in Mindanao but nationwide (from 12,000 to 10,000) to the two-pronged holistic approach of the "pro-active/reactive" strategy espoused by the Tanodbayan.
This includes increasing awareness of the extent of the problem by society in partnership with the media, values formation of government officials through initiatives like the Ehem! Aha! Anti-corruption cultural seminar being implemented with the help of the Society of Jesus, Integrity Development Review which aims to study "systems-based corruption prevention" in critical government agencies like the BIR, Bureau of Customs, PNP, LTO and DPWH; institutionalizing reform through the establishment of "integrity committees" with a champion in each agency, the resident ombudsman and stakeholders; and by strengthening the system of "Resident Ombudsman" by promoting integrity through the association of regional officials and repositioning their roles from policemen or spies to a group of men and women complementing the anti-corruption and prevention programs in their respective agencies.
"When I started my term seven years ago, we had 1,500 pending cases," said Antonio E. Valenzuela, Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao "By the end of 2005, we only had 330 cases remaining in various stages of investigation, from fact-finding to preliminary investigation. Although this has again risen to about 580, it still represents a significant decrease over the years."
Valenzuela joined Tanodbayan Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez and other officials from the Ombudsman for a two day visit here June 19-20 to address a seminar for village officials and inaugurated the Ombudsman's first regional office in Mindanao.
"When I started, we used to receive over 300 complaints a month," he added. "This is now down to some 80 monthly."
Valuenzuela, 66, will retire on July 2 after his seven year term expires. He attributes the decreasing number of graft and corruption filed with the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao in Davao City to the successful implementation of the pro-active preventive programs of the Ombudsman.
"In fact, I can tell you village officials are not corrupt," Tanodbayan Gutierrez told the 160 village officials in her keynote address during the one-day seminar on "Integrity Development and Public Accountability" hosted by the city June 19. She said the cases filed against barangay officials show that "the acts committed were more in abuse of authority than dishonesty."
Guiterrez said the Office of the Ombudsman has committed itself to "shepherd a convergence process that would lead to the formation of a comprehensive National Anti-Corruption Program of Action (NACPA) that would involve many sectors, as well as LGUs and barangays, in a focused effort to fight head-on the scourge of corruption."
Evelyn A. Baliton, acting Assistant Ombudsman, attributed the success of the Ombudsman in curbing the number of graft and corruption being investigated by their office not only in Mindanao but nationwide (from 12,000 to 10,000) to the two-pronged holistic approach of the "pro-active/reactive" strategy espoused by the Tanodbayan.
This includes increasing awareness of the extent of the problem by society in partnership with the media, values formation of government officials through initiatives like the Ehem! Aha! Anti-corruption cultural seminar being implemented with the help of the Society of Jesus, Integrity Development Review which aims to study "systems-based corruption prevention" in critical government agencies like the BIR, Bureau of Customs, PNP, LTO and DPWH; institutionalizing reform through the establishment of "integrity committees" with a champion in each agency, the resident ombudsman and stakeholders; and by strengthening the system of "Resident Ombudsman" by promoting integrity through the association of regional officials and repositioning their roles from policemen or spies to a group of men and women complementing the anti-corruption and prevention programs in their respective agencies.
Gutierrez admitted her inclination of a "pro-active, reactive" strategy for the Ombudsman since she took over the agency six months ago.
"Although I favor the pro-active stance over the reactive, for now the two will have to be combined, much like a pincher attack on the enemy from two directions…one strengthens the other," she added.
Valenzuela admitted to the success of the two-pronged strategy in curbing the number of pending cases in Mindanao.
"It is very difficult to recover stolen money," the retiring Deputy Ombudsman said. "Better to prevent and discourage graft and corruption by encouraging honesty and integrity."
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Joint BIMP Patrol Okayed
Undersecretary Virgilio Leyretana, right, chairman of the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), presides over a meeting of the Customs-Immigration-Quarantine-Security(CIQS) Sector in Davao City. Also in the meeting are Commodore Ferdinand Golez, commander of Naval Forces Western Mindanao, Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon, commander of the AFP Southern Command; Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga, of the Philippine Navy, and Efren Abu, Special Envoy for BIMP-EAGA.DAVAO CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 21 Jun) The Regional Customs-Immigration-Quarantine-Security (CIQS) line agencies in the Southern Philippines have agreed in a recent meeting here to jointly support the establishment of a joint security patrol system and coastal surveillance and monitoring across borders of Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines (BIMP).
Philippine CIQS agencies agreed to strengthen partnership as well as pool their resources to undertake joint security patrol across borders in support of the strong sub-regional campaign against terrorism.
The joint patrol was one of the agenda discussed during the 2nd BIMP Summit held last year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Transport ministers of the four countries agreed to undertake policy improvements on trade facilitation through strengthening of the BIMP CIQS.
Cotabato Has New City Hall Building
COTABATO CITY (Dom Cusain / 21 Jun) The New City Hall of Cotabato City was formally inaugurated Tuesday in time with the 47th Araw ng Kutabato.
The P87-million strucutre, situated in the former squatter area, occupies a floor area of 7,000 square meters. It was financed by the Land Bank of the Philippines.
To make the affair more symbolic, Cotabato City Mayor Mus Sema allowed the city's biggest taxpayers to have the honor of cutting the ribbon.
An estimated 10,000 residents participated in the early morning parade that started from the Old City Hall in downtown Cotabato to its new site, about 3 kilometers away.
U.S. High Speed Vessel Arrives In Zamboanga, Unloads Tons Of Fresh Humanitarian Supplies For Poor Muslim Areas In Southern RP
Photos by Zamboanga JournalZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 21 Jun) A United States Navy High-Speed Vessel (HSV-Joint Venture) arrived Wednesday in Zamboanga City and unloaded fresh supplies to support an ongoing joint humanitarian mission between American and Filipino soldiers in the troubled southern Philippine region.
The 11,000-ton vessel, Joint Venture, was visiting the Philippines to support a joint humanitarian and civic projects effort, dubbed as, "Project Bayanihan."
Commander Kathy Wright, a U.S. military spokesperson, said the ship was carrying humanitarian supplies destined for locations in the southern Philippines, including the Sulu Archipelago. "The supplies will be unloaded in various ports, including Zamboanga, throughout the coming months," she said.
These supplies, she said, included hospital beds, medical supplies and school books, donated by the U.S. Agency for International Development's Books Across the Sea program, and several nongovernmental organizations, including Knightsbridge International, the 3P Foundation, and the Makati Rotary Club. Wright said the Filipino military will help to distribute these important supplies in Sulu.
"The mission of the Joint Venture supports the longstanding ties between the United States and the Philippines , as well as the two nations' continued commitment to work together for those in need of humanitarian assistance," she said.
It was the third time the catamaran-hulled high-speed vessel was in Zamboanga City since October last year. The 338-foot HSV Joint Venture last docked in Zamboanga City on October 27 where it unloaded humanitarian supplies worth more than $750,000 or about P42 million.
"We are happy to be back," said Commander Thomas Shaw, of the HSV Joint Venture, told the Zamboanga Journal.
The HSV can carry up to 400 troops and about 800 tons of military vehicles and equipment, including helicopters. The HSVs were used in the Iraq invasion and Cobra Gold exercise in Thailand in May last year.
The U.S. military is also considering adding a dozen more HSVs to its fleet and spread these high-speed battalions around the world, with base in Asia, so that it could move troops and equipment very quickly to areas of conflict.
The HSVs are manned by an all-Army crew, from deck personnel, who deal with cargo, to engineers who operate and maintain the engines, and electronics, three cooks, a medic and two communications experts. HSVs can also be used as a mother ship for Special Forces operations. The HSVs are faster than most ships, with a top speed of almost 50 knots. The catamaran hulls draw only about 11 feet of water, making the ship ideal for missions in shallow coastal waters.
The United States and Australia are concerned about the spread of al-Qaeda-affiliate Jemaah islamiya militants in Southeast Asia, particularly in Philippines , Malaysia and Indonesia and even Thailand and pose increasing threats to its citizens and interests in the region.
The US is helping the Philippine military fight terrorism in the troubled region, where two Jemaah Islamiya bomb makers Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings, are believed to be hiding or in the company of Abu Sayyaf terrorists.
Filipino and U.S troops had held anti-terror exercises in the southern Philippines since 2001 that resulted to the killing and capture of many Abu Sayyaf militants. Washington is helping Manila fight homegrown terrorism by providing training to soldiers as part of its security assistance.
The 11,000-ton vessel, Joint Venture, was visiting the Philippines to support a joint humanitarian and civic projects effort, dubbed as, "Project Bayanihan."
Commander Kathy Wright, a U.S. military spokesperson, said the ship was carrying humanitarian supplies destined for locations in the southern Philippines, including the Sulu Archipelago. "The supplies will be unloaded in various ports, including Zamboanga, throughout the coming months," she said.
These supplies, she said, included hospital beds, medical supplies and school books, donated by the U.S. Agency for International Development's Books Across the Sea program, and several nongovernmental organizations, including Knightsbridge International, the 3P Foundation, and the Makati Rotary Club. Wright said the Filipino military will help to distribute these important supplies in Sulu.
"The mission of the Joint Venture supports the longstanding ties between the United States and the Philippines , as well as the two nations' continued commitment to work together for those in need of humanitarian assistance," she said.
It was the third time the catamaran-hulled high-speed vessel was in Zamboanga City since October last year. The 338-foot HSV Joint Venture last docked in Zamboanga City on October 27 where it unloaded humanitarian supplies worth more than $750,000 or about P42 million.
"We are happy to be back," said Commander Thomas Shaw, of the HSV Joint Venture, told the Zamboanga Journal.
The HSV can carry up to 400 troops and about 800 tons of military vehicles and equipment, including helicopters. The HSVs were used in the Iraq invasion and Cobra Gold exercise in Thailand in May last year.
The U.S. military is also considering adding a dozen more HSVs to its fleet and spread these high-speed battalions around the world, with base in Asia, so that it could move troops and equipment very quickly to areas of conflict.
The HSVs are manned by an all-Army crew, from deck personnel, who deal with cargo, to engineers who operate and maintain the engines, and electronics, three cooks, a medic and two communications experts. HSVs can also be used as a mother ship for Special Forces operations. The HSVs are faster than most ships, with a top speed of almost 50 knots. The catamaran hulls draw only about 11 feet of water, making the ship ideal for missions in shallow coastal waters.
The United States and Australia are concerned about the spread of al-Qaeda-affiliate Jemaah islamiya militants in Southeast Asia, particularly in Philippines , Malaysia and Indonesia and even Thailand and pose increasing threats to its citizens and interests in the region.
The US is helping the Philippine military fight terrorism in the troubled region, where two Jemaah Islamiya bomb makers Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings, are believed to be hiding or in the company of Abu Sayyaf terrorists.
Filipino and U.S troops had held anti-terror exercises in the southern Philippines since 2001 that resulted to the killing and capture of many Abu Sayyaf militants. Washington is helping Manila fight homegrown terrorism by providing training to soldiers as part of its security assistance.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)