Two provincial radio presenters gunned down in space of 24 hours

Reporters Without Borders on Thursday urged President Gloria Arroyo and President-elect Benigno Aquino 3rd to react firmly to the murders of two provincial radio presenters in the past two days.

Two weeks before Aquino’s swearing-in, there are clearly people in positions of influence who think they can still hire hit-men to silence critical journalists with impunity.

“These two murders signal President Arroyo’s failure as regards the safety of journalists,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Combating impunity and violence against the media must now be a priority for Aquino. The whole country’s credibility is at stake.”

The press freedom organization added: “Post-electoral violence against the media is not new, but these two murders in close succession are alarming. We call on the police and judicial authorities to assign additional personnel to the investigations and, in both cases, to seriously examine the possibility that the motive was linked to the victim’s work as a journalist.”

Desidario Camangyan, 52, the host of a discussion program on Sunshine FM, was gunned down while on the stage of a singing contest in Manay, in the southeastern province of Davao Oriental, on the evening of 14 June.

Police office Ariel Nueva said Camangyan was sitting on the stage when a gunman fired a single shot to his head and then left on foot. A police spokesman told Reporters Without Borders that a team had been formed to investigate the case and that they were looking closely at the possibility of a link to Camangyan’s journalistic work.

Colleagues at Sunshine FM, which is part of the Kalayaan Broadcasting Network, told journalists’ organizations that Camangyan was often critical in his program of local politicians and those responsible for deforestation. He leaves a widow and a six-year-old son.

Joselito Agustin of dzJC Aksyon Radyo, a local station, was riding a motorcycle with his nephew in Laoag City, in the northern province of Ilocos Norte when he was shot four times by two men on another motorcycle. His nephew was wounded. Aged 37, Agustin died last night in hospital.

A colleague, Nick Malasig, said Agustin had receiving threatening SMS messages. “Joselito suspected that a local politician had him in his sights, a politician he had accused of corruption in his program.” Sterling Blanco, the police officer in charge of the investigation, said shots were also fired at Agustin’s home last month.

A total of four journalists have been killed in the Philippines since the start of the month.

Zamboanga trader abducted at sea

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 17, 2010) – Gunmen seized a local trader Thursday while traveling at sea in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines where security forces are pursuing kidnappers a Filipino-Swiss.

Police said the victim, Vicente Barrios, was abducted by gunmen after he was intercepted at sea. Barrios was with several companions aboard a motorboat when gunmen on a speedboat intercepted them and seized the trader.

“We still don’t know the motive of this incident. We have dispatched forces to locate the victim,” Chief Inspector Ricardo Garcia told reporters.

The abduction occurred a day after police commandos, backed by soldiers killed one of three gunmen tagged as behind the April 4 kidnapping of Charlie Reith, 72, who was rescued early Wednesday in the coastal village of Labuan.

Police said the slain gunman, Habir Ibno Kais, was with two others who managed to escape, but security forces were pursuing them.

Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo, the city police chief, said security forces tracked down the trio in the neighboring village of San Ramon and clashed with them.

“It was part of our operation and Kais was killed in the firefight. There is pursuit operation going on to track down the other kidnappers of Reith,” he said.

De Ocampo did not say whether Moro rebels were involved in the kidnapping, but three photos of Reith’s captors the police previously made public showed one of them was involved in the kidnapping of Irish missioner Michael Sinnott in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province in October last year.

Sinnott, 80, was freed two months later in the village of Sangali in Zamboanga City after private negotiators paid huge ransom to the kidnappers, believed to be Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels who originally demanded two million dollars for the priest’s safe release.

Authorities said at least 8 armed men stormed Reith’s beach house in Zamboanga City’s Patalon village and seized him. His friend, German national Karl Reichling, managed to fight off the raiders. The kidnappers later demanded P20 million for Reith’s safe release and at one time threatened to cut off his finger if his family does not pay up.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for Reith’s kidnapping. But the military tagged MILF sub-leader Malista Malanca and Abu Sayyaf commander Khair Mundos as responsible for Reith’s kidnapping. Authorities have linked both groups to previous kidnappings and terrorism in Zamboanga.

Kidnappings-for-ransom in Zamboanga City were not uncommon. Many foreigners and wealthy traders had been kidnapped in the past and released after their family paid ransom. (Mindanao Examiner)

Another radio journalist murdered in Philippines

A radio journalist has been shot dead in the northern Philippines in the second such killing this week. The Philippines is one of the world's most dangerous countries for the media, the Radio France International said.

Lito Agustin, who hosted a program on local radio station dzJC, was ambushed by two men as he and his nephew rode a motorbike in Laoag city late Tuesday, city police chief Superintendent Sterling Blanco said.

Agustin, 37, was killed in a volley of gunfire but his companion was unhurt. The identity of the attackers was not yet known.

Agustin reportedly survived another attack three days before 10 May national elections, when unknown gunmen opened fire on his home in nearby Bacarra town.

Andy Vital, news director for the station's parent outfit Manila Broadcasting, told AFP that Agustin may have been killed to silence him.

"Agustin has been vocal in criticizing graft and corruption in Bacarra," Vital said.

The Laoag shooting was the second attack on a member of the press in the Philippines this week.

Another outspoken radio journalist, Desidario Camangyan, 52, was shot dead while hosting a village singing contest in the southern Philippines on Monday.

He was well known for speaking out against powerful groups involved in illegal logging in and around the southern city of Mati.

Camangon and Agustin were the third and fourth Filipino journalists killed this year, while another journalist was wounded in an attack.

Thirty-three journalists have been killed in the Philippines in 2009, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

More than 100 have been killed since President Gloria Arroyo came to power in 2001.

The attackers are rarely caught or punished, and journalists say this culture of impunity is another factor in the high murder rate.(RFI)

Sayyaf leader captured in Basilan province

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 16, 2010) – Government troops captured an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader after storming Wednesday a hideout of the terrorist group tied to Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya in the southern Filipino province of Basilan, an army spokeswoman said.

Lieutenant Steffani Cacho said troops raided the encampment in the village of Bulan-Bulan in Lantawan town where the militant leader Kaiser Said Usman was hiding.

“Kaiser has a standing warrant of arrest and was one of those who escaped from jail in Basilan in December last year,” Cacho said, adding, soldiers recovered an M16 automatic rifle and a grenade.

Cacho gave no other details about the militant leader or whether if he was involved in the spate of bombings in the troubled province just several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City.

On April 13 this year, Abu Sayyaf militants disguised as policemen and army troops detonated bombs outside the Santa Isabel Cathedral and the Basilan National High School in Isabela City, the provincial capital, and opened fire at fleeing civilians killing and wounding several people. A third bomb planted at a roadside was detonated by security forces.

The militants escaped after holding several civilians and used them as shield. Some of them were killed, including a policeman who tried to rescue the hostages. Basilan is one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region. (Mindanao Examiner)

Security forces rescue kidnapped Filipino-Swiss in Zamboanga City

A journalist points to an undated police photo of Charlie Reith, 72, a Filipino with Swiss ancestry, who was rescued Thursday, June 16, 2010, on a village called Labuan in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. Reith was kidnapped April 4, 2010 by eight gunmen from his beach house in Patalon village in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Jung Francisco)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 16, 2010) – Security forces rescued Wednesday a Filipino with Swiss ancestry on a coastal village in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga, police said.

Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo, the local police chief, said Charlie Reith, 72, was rescued in Labuan village and that operations were going on to capture the kidnappers.

“Charlie Reith is rescued and there is still an ongoing operation in the area,” De Ocampo told the Mindanao Examiner.

De Ocampo did not give details of the daring rescue which began at 3 a.m., but he said security forces surprised the kidnappers that led to the rescue of Reith.

It was unknown if any of Reith’s kidnappers were captured by soldiers and police commandos.

De Ocampo did not say whether Moro rebels were involved in the kidnapping, but three photos of Reith’s captors the police previously made public showed one of them was involved in the kidnapping of Irish missioner Michael Sinnott in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province in October last year.

Sinnott, 80, was freed two months later in the village of Sangali in Zamboanga City after private negotiators paid huge ransom to the kidnappers, believed to be Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels who originally demanded two million dollars for the priest’s safe release.

Reith, who was kidnapped on April 4, was taken to hospital for medical examination.

Authorities said at least 8 armed men stormed Reith’s beach house in Zamboanga City’s Patalon village and seized him. His friend, German national Karl Reichling, managed to fight off the raiders. The kidnappers later demanded P20 million for Reith’s safe release and at one time threatened to cut off his finger if his family does not pay up.

A video sent several weeks ago by the kidnappers to his friends showed Reith, frail and bearded, reading the ransom demand inside a makeshift tent.

Reith’s father was married to a Filipino woman and his family owns a vast track of land in Zamboanga City.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for Reith’s kidnapping. But the military tagged MILF sub-leader Malista Malanca and Abu Sayyaf commander Khair Mundos as responsible for Reith’s kidnapping. Authorities have linked both groups to previous kidnappings and terrorism in Zamboanga.

Kidnappings-for-ransom in Zamboanga City were not uncommon. Many foreigners and wealthy traders had been kidnapped in the past and released after their family paid ransom. Among those kidnapped in Zamboanga City were Taiwanese, Belgian, German and Chinese citizens. (Mindanao Examiner)

Jejemon Fashion

A shopper in a Digos City mall in Mindanao poses with a bull cap commonly used by so-called Jejemon texters in the Philippines. Even belt buckles are now sporting new designs. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Geo Solmerano)

IFJ mourns death of another broadcaster in RP

MANILA, Philippines - The International Federation of Journalists joined its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, in mourning the death of yet another journalist killed in Mindanao in the southern Philippines.

Desidario “Jessie” Camangyan, 52, anchorman of Sunrise FM in Mati town in Davao Oriental province was shot dead around 10.30 p.m. Monday as he hosted a singing contest in the neighboring town of Manay.

The regional police said the killer shot Camangyan at close range beneath the right ear. A special investigation task force headed by Superintendent Jorge Corpuz has been established to investigate the murder, according to a local news report.

The motivation for the murder is unclear. Camangyan was known for criticism in his broadcasts on mining and illegal logging issues, and Sunrise station manager Bobong Alcantara said he believed this could be behind the killing.

News reports also noted Camangyan had campaigned for Mayor Michelle Rabat in last month’s general elections.

The murder is the 138th killing of a media worker in the Philippines since 1986, and the 101st during the tenure of Gloria Arroyo, according to the NUJP.

On November 23 last year, election campaigning opened with the horrific massacre of 58 people, including 32 journalists and media workers, in Maguindanao, Mindanao.

“It is difficult to believe that the killer is unknown when Jessie Camangyan was murdered on stage at a public event,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said. “There is no excuse for local authorities to delay in bringing the perpetrator and whoever may have ordered the killing to justice.”

In other news from Mindanao, the IFJ commends the actions of four journalists who have filed a criminal complaint following harassment by Camiguin Governor Jurdin Jesus Romualdo and Nestor Jacot the day before the May 10 elections.

The four, among a group of seven media personnel illegally detained on Camiguin Island, lodged the complaint on June 10 at the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Camiguin, according to the NUJP.

Herbert Hugo Dumaguing and son Hubert, Alphyn Cabañog and Algin Lobino accused Romualdo of illegal detention, grave threats, robbery and violation of Section 261Q of the Omnibus Election Code, which pertains to the carrying of firearms during an election period.

The journalists were accompanied by lawyer Fides Angeli Sabio, and escorted by several journalists and police officers based in Cagayan de Oro City.

“It is encouraging to see that journalists are filing cases against public officials who attempt to intimidate journalists,” Park said. “The IFJ expects the prosecutor’s office to act fully on their complaint.

NPA rebels free 4 POWs in South RP

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 15, 2010) – The New People’s Army rebels have freed Tuesday three soldiers and a government militia after almost a month in captivity, a spokesman for the Maoist group said.

The four - Army Corporals Marcial Bawagan, Ariel Asumo, Eduardo Alcala and Victor Pitogo - were taken prisoners in the town of Mawab in Compostela Valley on May 12.

Anvil Guinto, a spokesman for the rebel’s Crucifino Uballas command, said the release of the prisoners came after their families appealed to the NPA to free the four men who are being accused of violating human rights of civilians in the province.

“The release is in recognition of the appeals made by the families, religious groups and personalities, well-meaning individuals and progressive groups on their behalf,” he said. ”The NPA accords the released POWs the chance to conduct themselves in a manner respectful of the people's rights and the international laws of war. Their arrest and subsequent detention should also serve as a warning to officers and elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and their intelligence and paramilitary units.”

The Army’s 10th Infantry Division where the soldiers belonged confirmed the release of the four men in the village of Santa Teresa in Compostela Valley’s Maco town.

“Their (rebels) claim of humanitarian consideration in releasing the victims is far-fetched from the truth as they were the ones who put their victims in deep peril disregarding the circumstances when they feloniously and maliciously kidnapped the victims while attending a child’s birthday party,” said Army Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division.

“The victims’ release proves the undeniable culpability of the NPA and its puppet master the Communist Party of the Philippines in concocting crimes against innocent people. It also outlines the NPA’s sheer violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect to Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and pertinent laws of the land,” Garcia said.

He said the freed soldiers were taken to hospital for routine examination and would undergo debriefing later.

Last week, the rebels warned troops to stay away from near their bases as not to endanger the lives of the prisoners after the military launched massive operations to rescue the hostages.

The rebels are fighting the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (With a report from Geo Solmerano)

Broadcaster murdered in Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 15, 2010)– An unidentified gunman shot dead a Filipino broadcaster in an attack in the restive region of Mindanao, police said Tuesday.

Police said the attacker fled after killing Desiderio Camangyan late Monday in the town of Manay in Davao Oriental province. The 52-year old Camangyan who was working for the Kalayaan Broadcasting Corporation, had been invited to host an amateur singing contest when shot, it said.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack and police launched an investigation into the murder.

The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines in Davao condemned the murder, adding, "Camangyan's killing is yet one more proof of the ever-existent culture of impunity in our midst, which is most felt in small and remote communities dominated by the very powerful few".

More than 100 journalists had been killed since President Gloria Arroyo came to power in 2001.

Just recently, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists wrote President- elect Benigno Aquino 3rd and urged him to work in ending the culture of impunity in the Philippines.

“With your recent election to office, we are looking forward to engaging with your administration on press freedom-related issues in the years ahead. It is our particular hope that you will translate your strong electoral mandate into a firm commitment to end the culture of impunity that has resulted in the extraordinarily high number of media killings in the Philippines,” it said in a letter dated June 9.

It also recommended Aquino to launch a probe into the killings of at least 32 journalists brutally murdered in November last year in Maguindanao province after accompanying a political caravan. The killings were blamed to the powerful Ampatuan clan, whose patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr., and his sons and relatives had been arrested and jailed.

“We understand that your administration will face obstacles in reversing these trends and breaking the culture of impunity that has resulted in so many media killings, but this should not be an excuse for inaction. A sincere government commitment to press freedom and the protection of journalists is essential to achieving the democratic aspirations embodied in your strong mandate to rule and reform,” it further wrote.

The Committee to Protect Journalists ranked the Philippines as having the third-worst record in the world trailing only Iraq. (With a report from Geo Solmerano)

Indebted Zamboanga power firm buys luxury vehicles, band equipment

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 15, 2010) – Heavily indebted Zamboanga City’s electric cooperative has been the center of controversy again after it purchased band equipment worth more than one million pesos.

The Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative said the equipment would be used for important occasions. The purchased of the band equipment surfaced after a citizen phoned the local radio station dxRZ to inform them about the deal.

Just recently, the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative borrowed money from local banks to purchase millions of pesos worth of utility and luxury vehicles for its managers and workers. It said the purchases were approved by the cooperative’s board of directors.

The purchases of the vehicles were publicly known after citizens also contacted the dxRZ and provided information about it. The radio station reported that the local electric cooperative had purchased at least 36 vehicles, mostly from the Korean car maker Kia Motors.

It was unknown whether Kia Motors gave out commissions for the purchases. It was unclear why the cooperative’s board of directors approved the purchases of the band equipment and luxury vehicles despite its ballooning debts which is now more than one billion pesos.

“There is clearly mismanagement here by the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative,” said Cesar Jimenez Jr., a member of the Zamboanga City Council, who is among several lawmakers that questioned the extravagant spending of the power firm.

Prior to that, the electric cooperative said it was planning to lease modular generator sets to augment power requirements of Zamboanga City, which in recent months had experienced rotational blackout as long as six hours a day due to low water levels in hydropower plants in Mindanao which supply electricity here.

But the situation now has improved drastically because of the end of the dry season.

Despite this, the electric cooperative now said there is a need to put up a coal-fired power plant in Zamboanga City.

On Tuesday, the power firm said it would increase rates after the local government charged the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative new taxes worth millions of pesos. It said it would pass on to consumers the money it paid to City Hall.

Electric consumers have complained about the high cost of power rates the local cooperatives are charging. Others have asked the National Electrification Administration to investigate the purchases and other dealings of the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative. (Mindanao Examiner)

Teachers group calls on Aquino to address education woes

MANILA, Philippines - The teachers group called Educators for Development called on the incoming administration to give more priority to education as the school year starts this month.

It said the education sector is persistently neglected, adding, the Arroyo administration gave lowest priority to education in the national budget since the term of President Corazon Aquino – at 15.1% of the national (NG) budget from 2001-2010 compared to Ramos (15.5% , 1992-1997), Estrada (18.7%, 1998-2000).

However, the Aquino administration recorded the lowest allocation for education at 12.3% (1986-1992) of the national budget in the post-Marcos period.

Despite shortages in teachers, classrooms, desks and textbooks, the education budget of P235.2 billion in 2010 is only a P12.9 billion or 5.8% increase from 2009. This is not even enough to make up for inflation (estimated 4.5%) and the increase in the school-age population (around 2.3%).

The budget for SUCs was even cut P1.5 billion in 2010, to just P22.4 billion from P24.2 billion in 2009.

The Department of Education budget for maintenance and other operating expenses was even cut by P507.8 million in 2010 (down to P22.3 billion) and for capital outlays by P1.05 billion (down to P7.8 billion). Yet continuing debt payments of P746.2 billion in 2010 is over three times the education budget – P405.4 billion in principal payments, P340.8 billion in interest payments.

Sending children to school has been made even more difficult by rising poverty. Enrollment at the elementary level has been declining in recent years, according to DepEd data, from 87.1% in school year 2004-2005 to 85.1% in 2008-2009 which means that 15 out of every 100 elementary-age children are not in school.

Based on DepEd data, out of 100 students entering elementary, only 75 get to finish Grade 6, only 30 of them will enroll in high school, and only 24 will finish high school.

According to the group, these trends are likely to persist with families’ financial difficulties. It urges the next administration not to pursue the performance of past administrations on the education sector and improve national policy making starting with increasing the budget for education to at least P281 billion next year.

Reelected Lanao Sur vice governor vows to work for peace and development

MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 13, 2010) – The reelected vice governor of Lanao del Sur, Arsad Marohombsar, vowed on Sunday to continue peace and development efforts as he appealed for support to citizens help him make the province one of the most progressive in the Muslim autonomous region.

Lanao del Sur is one of five provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Arsad defeated six other candidates in the May 10 national and local polls.

He said he would consult his constituents on all his good programs for the province and also vowed to work hand-in-hand with Mamintal Adiong Jr., the governor of Lanao del Sur. (Becky de Asis)

Sayyaf abducts, decapitates three men in South RP

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 13, 2010) – Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded three men they abducted on a remote village in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, police said Sunday.

Police said the bodies and their severed heads were all recovered in Maluso town where militants with links to Jemaah Islamiya and Al-Qaeda had been recovered Saturday.

“There is an ongoing operation to track down the Abu Sayyaf responsible in the killings,” Senior Superintendent Antonio Mendoza, the provincial police chief, said and blaming the brutal murders to Puruji Indama, which heads a faction of the Abu Sayyaf in restive province of Basilan.

He said the three men were just gathering woods near Abong-Abong village and had been abducted on Friday afternoon and their bodies recovered the next day.

The motive of the killings was unknown, but Mendoza said the victims were all Christians. The attacks came a week after the Abu Sayyaf also decapitated three kidnapped Christian men after their families failed to pay huge ransom in exchange for their lives.

The Abu Sayyaf is small, but the most notorious terrorist group blamed by authorities for the spate of bombings, killings and kidnappings-for-ransom. Dozens of people had been killed in past attacks in Basilan, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

The breakdown of peace and order in the province has been largely blamed by citizens to the failure of military and police to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf and the absence of local government officials who frequently stay in their bungalows in Zamboanga and Manila. (Mindanao Examiner)

My Davao City

A woman prepares her pancakes at a public square in Davao City in Mindanao as a taxi man plays chess with a friend. Pancakes are a favorite breakfast among locals. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Geo Solmerano). (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Geo Solmerano)

Filipino activists protest presence of US troops in the Philippines

Militant groups Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and League of Filipino Students stage a protest Saturday, June 12, 2010 in Davao City in the southern Philippines and denounced the continuing presence of US troops in the country. The groups also denounced the Arroyo administration for its subservience to the unfair agreements imposed by the United States. The protesters challenged the incoming Aquino administration to have a stronger stance in defending national patrimony and sovereignty. (Photos contributed by Karlos Manlupig)

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 12, 2010) - Militant groups Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and League of Filipino Students staged a protest Saturday in Davao City in the southern Philippines and denounced the continuing presence of US troops in the country.

The groups also denounced the Arroyo administration for its subservience to the unfair agreements imposed by the United States. The protesters challenged the incoming Aquino administration to have a stronger stance in defending national patrimony and sovereignty.

US troops are training Filipino soldiers in anti-terrorism warfare and have been helping the military defeat communist insurgency and Abu Sayyaf group, including Jemaah Islamiya in Mindanao and other parts of the country.

American forces are also conducting humanitarian missions in many areas in Mindanao and established a forward base in Zamboanga City and camps in Sulu province. But political activists insisted the humanitarian projects were just being used to justify the continued presence of US troops in the country. (Karlos Manlupig contributed to this report)

Maoist rebel leader falls in Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 12, 2010) – A senior leader of the communist rebel group New People’s Army was arrested at a military checkpoint in the southern Philippines, security officials announced on Saturday.

Officials said the rebel leader, Mario Cabatlao, is the Secretary of the Local Terrorist Front-15 of the New People’s Army in Mindanao. He was arrested Friday afternoon in the village of Madaum in Tagum City where military and policemen put-up the checkpoint after receiving reports that Cabatlao would pass in the area.

“A fragmentation grenade and an improvised explosive were recovered from Maria Cabatlao,” said Army Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division.

He said Cabatlao is facing multiple murder charges and was linked to many killings in the towns of Baganga, Manay, Caraga and Taragona, all in Davao Oriental province where rebel forces staged attacks against government troops and civilians in recent years.

Major General Carlos Holganza, commander of the 10th Infantry Division, praised the arrest of the rebel leader and vowed to continue government operations aimed at defeating communist insurgency in Mindanao.

“We take pride in the efforts and patience of our soldiers and policemen who painstakingly took it upon themselves that justice for our people will be served. May this bring warning to all criminals, murderers, kidnappers and bandits like the New People’s Army that the long arm of the law will eventually catch-up with you and your crimes will not go unpunished,” Holganza said.

Cabatlao is the third rebel leader captured by authorities since early this year in Mindanao.

Rebel commander Zaldy Canete, who was recruited at the age of 13 to become a senior New People’s Army leader, had been captured in January in Davao del Norte province.

Another rebel leader, Renelo Creita, who was tagged by the military as behind ambush of soldiers and civilians in Compostela Valley province last month, also fell in the hands of the military and police last month. Both Canete and Creita are also facing multiple murder charges in connection with the rebel attacks in the provinces.

The New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Geo Solmerano contributed to this report)

NSO client, berated and shouted by civil worker in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 12, 2010) – A senior employee of the Philippines’ National Statistics Office in Zamboanga City has been the subject of criticisms after she shouted at a man trying to get legal documents.

The National Statistics Office is a recognized world-class provider of statistical and civil registration products and services.

The whole scene was recorded on a cell phone and uploaded in the Internet video sharing website youtube.com and can be accessed on this URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qD7WPsh2hw.



The unidentified woman was so angry at the man that she started shouting at him and in front of many clients while her microphone was turned on.

Various comments and criticisms were posted on the YouTube channel of Johoranz, who was believed to have uploaded the video on June 11. The video was branded as “NSO Zamboanga Scandal.”

“You can see (in this video) the kind of civil servants we have at the NSO Zamboanga. It was so shameful and almost all people wanting to get legal documents at this government agency were berated and shouted by this woman,” he said on his YouTube channel which can also be access on this URL http://www.youtube.com/user/johonranz.

“This woman should be fired out from her job because she always shouted at people just asking information from the NSO without any apparent reasons. She is a bad example. She has no respect to the people she is serving and her only job is to release legal documents to those who need them,” he added.

There was no immediate statement from the National Statistics Office about the incident. It was unknown if the Civil Service Commission was aware of the scandal.

The Civil Service Commission is a government that leads in observing and promoting ethical behavior, professionalism, and accountability of civil workers. It ensures competence, productivity, and performance-based security of tenure, strengthening the so-called “Mamamayan Muna, Hindi Mamaya Na Program”.

It is a nationwide client-satisfaction program which attempts to instill courteous and efficient behavior among public servants. It addresses the need for behavioral reforms in the bureaucracy, particularly in the manner by which civil servants deal with the public.

Launched in 1994, the Mamamayan Muna, Hindi Mamaya Na Program is designed to minimize if not totally eradicate discourtesy, arrogance and inefficiency in the public service. It is a crusade spearheaded by the Civil Service Commission to establish a culture in the public service which recognizes the need to serve clients courteously and efficiently at the time they come for assistance and complete the service they need at the earliest time possible with the least burden on the part of the clients. (Mindanao Examiner)

Tawi-Tawi steps up security

TAWI-TAWI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 11, 2010) – Police stepped security in the southern Filipino province of Tawi-Tawi near the Sabah border with Malaysia as part of larger security control aimed at flushing out wanted persons and criminals.

Senior Superintendent Mipunud Maruhum, the provincial police chief, said family feud and clan war also added up to the problems in Tawi-Tawi. The province is also where criminals from other provinces such as Sulu and Basilan hide to evade arrest.

"Family feud and clan war and criminals and wanted persons are what we are now giving attention. We have stepped up security to prevent criminalities and maintain peace and order in Tawi-Tawi, especially now that classes have began,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the local police force have also intensified gun control to prevent the proliferation of illegal weapons.

Tawi-Tawi is just several hours away from the Malaysian state of Sabah where there are many Filipinos. (Becky de Asis)

The Tailor Of Kidapawan

A tailor rushes a school uniform in the southern Philippine city of Kidapawan. Regular opening of classes starts next week in the country. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Geo Solmerano)

NPA orders release of captured soldiers, militia in Southern Philippines

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 10, 2010) – The New People’s Army ordered rebel forces on Thursday to free three government soldiers and a militiaman captured in the southern Philippines.

Communist rebels are holding Army Corporals Marcial Bawagan, Ariel Asumo, Eduardo Alcala and Victor Pitogo, a government militia. They were taken prisoners in the town of Mawab in Compostela Valley on May 12 and being investigated on charges of human rights violations and counter-revolutionary campaign in the province.

The release of the prisoners came after their families appealed to the NPA to free the four men who are being accused of violating human rights of civilians in the province.

Rigoberto Sanchez, a spokesman for the NPA’s Merardo Arce Command, said there is a probable cause to hold the prisoners longer, but the rebel group has considered the appeals made their families for the safe release of the soldiers and militiaman.

“However, in consideration of the humanitarian appeals for their release, the MAC-NPA has ordered the NPA custodial unit to release Prisoners of War Corporal Marcial B. Bawagan (SN#794130), Corporal Ariel P. Asumo (SN#803445), Corporal Eduardo Alcala (SN#806489) and Civilian Active Auxiliary (member) Victor Pitogo (SN#006279) subject to the actual military situation on the ground,” Sanchez said.

Government troops mounted fresh operations to rescue the hostages, but it was unknown whether the military would order a halt in the efforts to recover the four men.

The NPA earlier warned troops to stay away from near their stronghold as not to endanger the lives of the prisoners.

“This utmost concern is currently being considered by the NPA so as to ensure the safe and orderly undertaking of the release. Major General Carlos Holganza must come to his senses, and face the fact that 10th Infantry Division operations have failed and order a suspension of military operations in the areas of Pantukan, Mabini, Maco and Mawab,” Sanchez said, referring to the towns where military operations are going on.

He said: “As it is now, only the 10th Infantry Division's continuing, but failed military operation, stands in the way of the fulfillment of the NPA's humanitarian act that will effect the return of the prisoners of war to their families.”

The rebels are fighting the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)