DUTCH POLICE ARREST JOMA SISON

Yes!! Its about time that this guy will be brought to face the real justice. Good job by the dutch police!!...Communism is a dying ideology, please help the Philippines improve by clamping down on th supporters of Mr. Sison. They call themselves "For the people" but look at what their doing, imposing revolutionary taxes to the poor farmers, extorting money from legitimate business, blowing up buses or business establishments that don't pay revolutionary taxes. Killing people who get in their way. The CPP-NDF-NPA organization is just a terrorist organization that needs to be defeated. And, just look at those so called Labor groups, marching on the streets, crying like in the movie because there beloved comrade has fallen. Is this proof enough to filipinos worldwide that these so called labor groups, rights groups, and even those so called MASA are part of the NPA organization?? Please stop supporting these people...Groups like "Bayan", "Bayan Muna", and all those other organizations that have a seat in congress as a party-list representative, most of them or all of them are just communist individuals in the guise as a democratic politician. -zerotech99

DUTCH POLICE ARREST JOMA SISON

MANILA, AUGUST 29, 2007 (STAR) By Jaime Laude - Self-exiled founder
of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Jose Maria Sison was
arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion of involvement in the murders of
suspected military spies among communist rebels in Leyte.

Initial reports said the Dutch police arrested Sison in Utrecht, the
central Dutch city where he has lived in exile since 1987.

Authorities also raided Sison’s office in Utrecht where lawmen
reportedly seized several computers.

Sison, who has been in exile in Europe since 1987, is a political
consultant of the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Although Philippine authorities have yet to confirm the arrest of
Sison, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) issued a statement hailing
his arrest.

“The arrest of Sison is a triumph of justice,” AFP Public
Information chief Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said.

“Ironic as it is, he (Sison) is assured of his day in court, a
 right denied to thousands of innocent victims of the communists’ kangaroo
 court. This is the long arm of the law catching up with Mr. Sison.”

News of the arrest of Sison also prompted Malacañang to convene the
Cabinet-National Security Council (NSC) last night.

President Arroyo even congratulated National Security Adviser
Norberto Gonzales for Sison’s arrest, a Cabinet official said.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, however, refused to issue a statement
on the arrest saying Gonzales would have to make his own response
regarding the arrest.

Gonzales has been pushing for the arrest and return of Sison to the
country to answer for the purge of communist rebels in the last three
decades that killed thousands of suspected government deep penetration
agents.

While it could not be immediately ascertained who filed the charges
against Sison, it was gathered that these cases were in connection with
the CPP-NPA purges in Eastern Visayas, more specifically the victims of
 New People’s Army summary execution in Inopacan, Leyte from the early
 1980s to early 1990s.

Several former NPA commanders in Leyte who have turned state witness 
linked Sison, along with Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo, as
 the masterminds of the purge, whose victims were mostly civilians suspected
 to be military spies.

Sison’s arrest came two days after relatives of the victims of the
Inopacan massacre celebrated the first anniversary of the discovery of
the mass grave of their missing loved ones in the mountains of Barangay
Kaulisihan.

As to the impact of Sison’s arrest on the underground communist
movement in the country, Bacarro, for the time being, had declined to issue any
assessment.

Meanwhile, Senator Jamby Madrigal said they need to know the reasons
 why Joma was placed under arrest. “What were the charges brought against
 him? Was the Dutch court properly informed? Who made the representations
 with the Dutch court? The arrest of Joma raises more questions than
 answers,” she said. – Paolo Romero, AP

Oh come on, who voted for this communist hugging girl?? - zerotech99


3 NPAs say rebels kidnapped Burgos 

By Cecille Suerte Felipe
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

(STAR) Three self-confessed active members of the New People’s Army
(NPA) claimed that members of the revolutionary movement abducted Jonas
Burgos for alleged pilfering of funds and disloyalty to the
organization.

The three NPA members – Emerito Lipio, alias Ka Tibo; Marlon
 Manuel, alias Ka Carlo; and Melissa Concepcion Reyes, alias Ka Lisa – accused
 the group of Delfin de Guzman, alias Ka Baste, of responsibility in
 abducting Burgos last April 28 in a mall in Fairview, Quezon City.

  The three also named a certain Ka Dante and Enso as among the four
 men who actually abducted Burgos, who has not been seen since then.
  The rebels had given voluntary statements to Senior Superintendent
Joel Coronel, chief of the High Profile Case division of the Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). They were presented to the
media yesterday afternoon.

Coronel said charges of kidnapping will be filed against De Guzman,
Ka Dante and Enso, of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA
Rebolusyonaryong Yunit Guerrilla before the Department of Justice
(DOJ).

“We will endorse their statements and the result of the
investigation to the DOJ for evaluation and recommendation for
possible inclusion in the witness protection program as they now
fear reprisal from the  leadership of the CPP-NPA,” said Coronel.

The breakthrough in the investigation of the Burgos case came after
Lipio’s arrest for extortion by the Bulacan Provincial Police Office.
During the investigation, Lipio told probers that he knew vital
information about the disappearance of Burgos.

He also claimed that Burgos, whom he knew as Ka Ramon, was his
comrade in the “white area” of the Bulacan Party Committee of the CPP-NPA.

Lipio said he joined the movement in 2004 but Burgos had been with
the group for quite sometime.

However, Lipio said De Guzman instructed him and Manuel last April to
conduct discreet surveillance and investigation on Burgos, who had
reportedly violated some regulations in the organization. The movement,
he said, suspected Burgos of pilfering the funds of the organization and
acting as a military agent.

Acting on De Guzman’s instruction, Lipio said he and Manuel tried
to monitor Burgos’ movements without his knowledge. Last April 28, the
two were tailing Burgos in a mall in Fairview, Quezon City when they saw
him meet Reyes and another comrade known only as Ka Jo.

“While inside the mall, we were surprised to see Burgos being
forcibly taken out by four men who shoved him inside a van,” Lipio said.

Lipio was arrested for extortion last Aug. 20, during which he
revealed his knowledge on the Burgos case and helped the police trace Manuel,
who corroborated his statement. Later, the police also located Reyes who
gave a similar statement to the police.

Lipio said he decided to reveal what he knows for fear that he might
suffer the fate of Burgos. He could not, however, pinpoint where the
rebels may have hidden Burgos or if he is still alive.

New bill on enforced disappearances

As this developed, 131 lawyers from the administration and opposition
camps crossed party lines yesterday to support a measure aimed at
penalizing the crime of enforced disappearances.

Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, principal author of House Bill 2263 or
An Act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Enforced or Involuntary
Disappearance, said they hope to end the cycle of desaparecidos, who
are victims of military violence.

“If passed, this law will be a breakthrough for human rights in the
Philippines,” Ocampo said.

The bill carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for those who
directly commit the act of enforced or involuntary disappearance, those
who induce others to commit the act, and those who allow the act to be
committed when it is within their power to stop the commission of the
act.

The measure likewise penalizes co-conspirators with a jail term of 12
to 20 years.

Ocampo said there are at least 83 documented cases of forced
disappearances under the Arroyo administration alone.

“The series of abduction of Jonas, Ma. Luisa Posa-Domingo and Nilo
Arado, to name a few, underscore the gravity of the problem. Then and
now,the perpetrators have remained unpunished and free to commit the act
over and over,” he said.

Burgos’ mother Edita and his wife lambasted the Armed Forces of the
Philippines and the Philippine National Police for allegedly conniving
to cover-up Burgos’ disappearance by claiming that he was a victim of a
communist purge.

“This is not funny anymore,” Edita Burgos told reporters in a
 news briefing, adding that the government is obviously engaging in another 
“diversionary tactic.” – With Delon Porcalla


Another communist.... - zerotech99

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
  © Copyright, 2007  by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
  All rights reserved

Science & Tech News - August

The 1st Lunar eclipse since 2000 just passed by us. It was supposed to be a good evening for watching the spectacle..but the supposed to be clear sky conjured up some big clouds just enough to cover the moon and ruin every filipinos intent on watching the Lunar eclipse. - zerotech99

CLOUDS  SPOIL  LUNAR  ECLIPSE  FOR  PINOYS

METRO MANILA, AUGUST 29, 2007 (STAR) Thick clouds prevailing in most
parts of the country prevented many Filipino sky watchers from
witnessing the much-awaited total lunar eclipse yesterday.

Dario dela Cruz, chief of the Astronomical Observatory Unit of the
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (Pagasa), said the second total lunar eclipse of the
year was totally obscured by thick clouds.

He said they received reports that cloudy skies blocked the eclipse
as well in Cebu City and Iloilo. However, ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol World
reported that the eclipse was witnessed in some parts of Mindanao, specifically
in Basilan, General Santos City and Davao.

It was also observed in Australia and other parts of the United
States according to reports.

Dela Cruz said the first total lunar eclipse of 2007 happened last
March 4 and the next one is expected in February 2008 but will not be visible
in the country. A partial lunar eclipse will be visible though in the
Philippines in August next year. – Helen Flores

Here is an article that shows we filipinos are not too far behind when it comes to knowledge in computers and the internet. - zerotech99

HARMFUL  "BOTS":  THE  RISE  OF  THE  WEB  ROBOTS

MANILA, AUGUST 29, 2007 (STAR) Enough for Transformers’ AutoBots
and Decepticons. Let’s now talk about the real robots — the Web robots
or more commonly called as “bots.”

Bots are here and they multiply faster than you can imagine, to turn
your computers into zombies controlled by a botmaster to spread
viruses, generate spam, and commit other types of online crime and fraud,
without your knowledge.

The rise of bots is indeed alarming. In fact, according to
Symantec’s latest Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR), there are more than six
million PCs infected with bots.

Here’s a primer on bots and botnets from Symantec, a global leader
in Internet security, to help you better understand what a bot is and how
it works.

What is a bot?

A bot is a type of malware that allows an attacker to take control of
an infected computer. Also known as Web robots, bots are usually part of a
network of infected machines, known as a botnet, which is typically
made up of victim machines that stretch across the globe.

Since a bot-infected computer does the bidding of its master, many
people refer to these victim machines as zombies. The cyber criminals
that control these bots are called botherders or botmasters.

Some botnets might have a few hundred or a couple thousand computers,
but others have tens and even hundreds of thousands of zombies at their
disposal. Many of these computers are infected without their owners’
knowledge.

Some possible warning signs? A bot might cause your computer to slow
down, display mysterious messages or even crash.

How bots work?

Bots sneak onto a person’s computer in many ways. They often spread
themselves across the Internet by searching for vulnerable, unprotected
computers to infect.

They can infect computers as a part of Trojan horse, through
peer-to-peer file sharing, or as an attachment, an e-mail of instant
messages (IM). When they find an exposed computer, they quickly infect
the machine and then report back to their master. Their goal is then to
stay hidden until they are instructed to carry out a task.

After a computer is taken over by a bot, it can be used to carry out
a variety of illegal activities such as generating and sending spam, and
spreading viruses.

It can also be programmed to steal personal and private information
such as credit card numbers, bank credentials, user names and passwords and
communicate these back to the malicious user.

Also, it can be used to launch denial of service (DoS) attacks
against a specified target.

More commonly, however, the systems of everyday users are the targets
of these attacks for the simple thrill of the botmaster.

Fraudsters also use bots to boost Web advertising billings by
automatically clicking on Internet ads.

How to protect your PCs from bots?

As safeguards against malicious bots, security experts at Symantec
advise consumers the following:

• Install security software to combat bots. Norton AntiBot is
 Symantec’s first dedicated solution to meet the growing bot and botnet epidemic;

  • Configure your software’s settings to update automatically;

  • Increase the security settings on your browser;

  • Limit your user rights when online;

  • Never click on attachments unless you can verify the source; and

  • Ensure that your system is patched with the most current
 Microsoft  Windows update.

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2007 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved

More things to consider are:

• Make sure you have an anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed, and make
  it mandatory to update them once a week.
  
• Scan your computer at least once a month.
• Make sure you have a firewall installed or the built-in firewall of WinXP is turned ON.
• Be careful on the emails that you receive, especially those with attachments.
  if your not sure of the sender, you can delete it.
• And please be mindful on what sites you visit and what buttons you click on a
  website.
• For more info on email scams visit: Http://scams-and-fraud.blogspot.com

DELIGHTFUL DAVAO

MANILA, AUGUST 19, 2007 (STAR) RENDEZVOUs By Christine S. Dayrit -
Whatever we sow, we reap. Planting, an instrument of grace, is like
painting. You only know what will grow and discover the palette of
colors you have planted when it blooms. Traveling is no different; unless you
embark on that journey, you will never realize what surprises will
unfold.

Over the weekend, my traveling companions and I experienced a truly
fascinating paradise in Davao called Eden Nature Park. The architects
of this mountain sanctuary are gracious couple Chito and Fe Ayala who
built this nirvana as true stewards of creation.

While many have gardens in their backyard to make their green thumb
inclinations come true, this couple has an entire forest of 40 hectares
wherein they planted thousands of trees over 35 years ago. In fact, our
friend Dr. Renato Labadan, a soil science expert from Cornell
University, said the Kyoto Protocol authors ought to acknowledge the Ayalas’
environmental activism by rewarding them with carbon credits!

Unlike most gardens and forests, Eden Nature Park is 95 percent
manmade. Nature has ordained this haven with impeccable weather, constant
rainfall and very rich soil. Every square inch of Eden is a part of God’s
master plan. Thus, all that your senses experience have been preordained to
grow.

Perched on the upper slopes of majestic Mt. Talomo with heavenly Mt.
Apo looming behind, the park is situated 2,500 feet above sea level. Once a
logged-over area and orchard in the ‘70s, the resort is surrounded by
the only pine forest in Davao City and is a superb alternative to the
hurried pace of the city life. Eden Nature Park epitomizes how man can recreate
nature and rebuild a lost environment.

The secret of Eden also lies in its humanistic management where acts
of kindness are returned tenfold. Tita Fe, Tito Chito and son Mike Ayala
also have several corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects like
education, livelihood, cooperatives and more Complementing the
bio-diversity of this emerging rainforest, the resort maintains a
successful wildlife conservation home that shelters a number of deer,
Indian peacocks and birds.

Aboard a golf cart personally driven by Tita Fe, we had the privilege
to tour her gardens. My only brother Mark, who is an excellent chef,
listened intently as she generously shared magical recipes and combinations for
her greens and herbs as well as the history of these valuable epicurean
seasonings. As the aroma of precious herbs wafted in the air, our
whetted appetites longed to taste the cilantro, basil, thyme, cinnamon,
rosemary, garlic and chives combined with succulent chicken, lamb, fish and
tender meats. Perfect complements for salad dressing: simply take your pick
from the countless rows of hydroponic lettuce, tomatoes, tropical fruits and
macademia nuts grown here.

When Tita Fe collects herbs from her garden, gathering the goods that
Mother Nature has so generously bestowed on her, she shares the
explosively delicious flavors with the diners who sample her gourmet
recipes. All the pre-packed vegetables at the café of Eden are freshly
harvested from her gourmet garden. When she opts to include garlic,
cilantro, arugula, or sweet basil to flavor a meal she’s cooking, she
contributes to her own nourishment, well-being, and pleasure. Her love
of herbs is a tangible expression of self-nurturance.

Eden is a vast sanctuary where one can enjoy the lush forest and
lavish plantations, authentic tribal village, cozy lodges for honeymooners,
families and corporate outings, campsites for the amateur and seasoned
camper, challenging obstacle races and playgrounds. Children and adults
will love the Indiana Jones-style vertical swings that stretch from one
side of the garden to the other. An outstanding feature of Eden resort
is that any urge to respond to the call of nature is promptly answered by
more than 40 well-maintained male and female washrooms close by.

From the mountain, I was transported to the seaside resort of
Buenavista Island, another Ayala brainchild. Ever dream of owning an entire island
by yourself? Dream no more. From the jetty at Samal Island, a speedboat
whisked us off to Buenavista Island on Small Ligid Island that you can
rent all to yourself. Measuring four hectares during high tide and
doubling in low tide, Buenavista Island is perhaps one of the
country’s most private island resort. This innovative concept in vacations is
unique for you can have this whole island to yourself or whoever you want to
be with while you are served like royalty with only the best cuisine like
fresh seafood and salads and luxurious accommodations. Air-conditioned
villas and cottages with the finest linens and white comforters plus
outdoor bathrooms with all the lush flowers and plants will truly
delight you. You could even pitch a tent under the stars or bask in their
pavilion if you wish.

Our dear friend Yvette Lee, an ace photojournalist and scuba diver,
swears that Buenavista Island is a diver’s paradise. She enthused,
“There is a fabulous slope filled with sea fans, bushes of red whip corals and
soft corals that drip like pastel candle wax.” Her encounter with the
delightful denizens included pinnacles or underwater monoliths like
giant chess pieces placed strategically off a drop jutted from the wall. At
the Aundanao Fish Sanctuary, different varieties of gorgonians and bigmouth
mackerel, sweetlips and butterfly fish can also be found.

Experience Davao’s delightful sanctuaries. A photographer’s
delight, a painter’s dream, a poet’s inspiration. Indeed, Eden Nature Park and
Buenavista Island are living testimonies of what man can do to recreate
nature and preserve the environment if only he chooses to do so. After
all, whatever you sow, you will also reap.

* * *


Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi

© Copyright, 2007  by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved

WHY INVEST IN THE PHILIPPINES NOW

MANILA, AUGUST 16, 2007 (STAR) BULL MARKET, BULL SHEET By Wilson Lee
Flores - From August 23 to 26, the young Filipino-Chinese entrepreneurs
of the Anvil Business Club and our peers in the Young Entrepreneurs of
Malaysia will co-sponsor and hold the grand launch of the “First
Asian Entrepreneurs Business Exchange” at the IOI Putrajaya Marriott Hotel
in Kuala Lumpur. Anvil just came back from week-long visits to Singapore
and Thailand, and is again scheduled in September to go to Quanzhou City in

Fujian province and Jiangsu province in eastern China to promote
economic exchanges with young entrepreneurs and top government leaders.

At recent Anvil dinners hosted by Merrill Lynch top bosses from
Malaysia and Nomura Securities officials from Hong Kong — both meetings held
in Shangri-La Hotel Makati — Merrill Lynch executives forecast that
Philippine stocks would be among the best for investments in the world
and were upbeat about the Philippines’ economic future. Despite the
volatility of the US stock market in recent weeks due to concerns about the US
economy, I will tell young entrepreneurs from all over Asia to invest
in the Philippines now for numerous reasons, some of which are listed
here:

1. Political stability and economic reforms. In the last three years
of the unpopular presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, her top priority
now will be to cement her legacy in the annals of history so that people
will remember her more for her admittedly substantial economic reforms than
her many unpalatable political controversies. We should give her credit for
her very unpopular and yet gutsy economic initiatives such as the Value
Added Tax, her persistent efforts to seek balanced budgets, and other
economic reforms. But we need more!   For the opposition and other politicians
hoping to succeed her in 2010, nobody would want to rock the boat now or help
instigate a coup because  the main beneficiary would be Vice President Noli de Castro, who also
seems to be considering a possible presidential bid in the 2010
election.

The Philippines will therefore enjoy relative political tranquility
from now up to 2010, thus making it ideal for increased investments. Whoever
can assure the Philippines of sustained economic development after 2010
and attract more investments deserves to win as the next president of
the republic!

2. Boom in non-traditional industries. The Philippine economy will
greatly benefit from rising new industries such as mining, tourism,
business process outsourcing (BPOs) and call centers, with
multi-billion-dollar investments now pouring in. These new industries
are, fortunately for the Philippines, dollar-earning businesses which can
maximize the country’s competitive advantages in sheer wealth of
natural resources, beautiful tourism attractions in 7,107 tropical isles and a
large pool of English-language-proficient manpower.

Unlike India, a former British colony steeped in their own local
Bollywood, the Philippines speaks American-style English and is crazy
about Hollywood; thus I believe we are miles and miles ahead of India
in BPO and call-center potential since the US is still the largest economy
on earth with increasing requirements for outsourcing! These are among the
many golden opportunities for new investments for all international
entrepreneurs.

President Gloria Arroyo and the whole government should invest our
limited funds in strengthening these advantages through better
English-language and math/science education, instead of too many
unessential courses from primary school to college. Those shameless
politicians, bureaucrats or other people caught sabotaging Philippine
education by over-padding public school-building expenditures,
sub-standard textbooks or other crimes that negatively affect the
youth’s education should be publicly shot in the Luneta!

Mining is another winner for the Philippines, which all international
investors should rush into before it’s too late. An influx of Chinese
and other foreign firms are now tying up with local partners to go to
Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Palawan and other formerly economically
backward places to venture into lucrative mining enterprises.
Hopefully, there will be more international entrepreneurs who will help provide
capital, technologies and overseas markets for more new Philippine
mining ventures, because these businesses can directly benefit the rural
masses with new infrastructure and new jobs.

The prospect of huge mining bonanzas is now encouraging the seemingly
Manila-centric national government to finally pour billions of pesos
into new and better roads, ports, bridges, public utilities and even local
airports for some of the poorest rural provinces, therefore spurring
increased economic development never before seen in these far-flung
areas.

3. Business leaders increasing investments. Not only are the business
leaders John Gokongwei Jr., with his expanding Cebu Pacific Air and
Robinsons Land; Henry Sy with his SM malls, tourism and banks; Lucio
Tan with his factories and new Eton realty ventures; the Zobel Ayalas with
their Ayala Land and BPI; and Manny Villar of housing developer Vista
Land increasing their long-term investments, other, younger entrepreneurs
are also investing in large-scale and more long-term ventures.

Business leaders expect real growth to continue in the economy, with
a boom in consumer spending from a population already pushing past 90
million people and nearly 10 percent pumping in foreign exchange as
overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

One example is TKC Steel, a quiet new back-door listing on the
Philippine Stock Exchange controlled by media-shy, low-key
industrialist and former iBank founder Ben Tiu. TKC has already attained its 2007
targets and is upgrading facilities with expectations of higher
profits. Tiu declined to give an interview, but confirmed that their projects
will bring good news to the Philippine economy, which now also needs more
manufacturing.

Named after his late father, the industrialist Tiu Ka Cho, TKC Steel
now owns the massive 50-hectare Zhangzhou Stronghold Steelworks Limited in
Zhangzhou City, just 15 minutes away from Xiamen City in Fujian
province, south China. It manufactures giant steel pipes for export and for the
booming infrastructure requirements of China. What is most significant,
Ben Tiu said that TKC Steel owns Philippine steel mills that will soon
be modernized to become the first-ever integrated steel mill in the
Philippines, with estimated investments of P8 billion, to be located
either on their existing vast properties in Cagayan de Oro City or
Iligan City.

As an expression of unshakable confidence in Asia’s future at a
time when the US economy seems to be faltering, the Tiu family has recently
launched their Sterling Bank of Asia and will invest in more high-end
tourism ventures such as the tearing down of the old Gilarmi Apartments
along Makati’s Ayala Avenue to give way to their 62-story Discovery
Premium project.

Once ASEAN’s economic laggard due mainly to selfish political
conflicts, the Philippines seems to have no way to go now but up in economic
expansion and steady development. With no more life-and-death political
pressures for survival, President Arroyo hopefully will vigorously set
the national direction of focusing all our energies and resources on
enhancing Philippine global competitiveness, inviting more foreign investors to
put their money here (beyond fast-buck stock market speculation), and
really strengthen economic reforms!

* * *




Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi

© Copyright, 2007  by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved

PING TO LAWMAKERS: KEEP OFF THE MILITARY

MANILA, AUGUST 14, 2007 (STAR) By Aurea Calica - Sen. Panfilo Lacson
called yesterday on lawmakers to keep off the military at this time
when troops are on the offensive against rebels and terrorists in Sulu.

 “It would be much better for lawmakers to keep quiet for now
instead of commenting on the situation from the comfort of their air-conditioned
offices,” he said.

 “They may only be contributing to the problem by adding to the
confusion.”

 Lacson said now would not be the right time to act as “armchair
generals” as he rejected a legislative inquiry into the conflict.

 If lawmakers would like to solve the conflict, they can focus on
helping the families of slain government troops, he added.

 Lacson said it is the Armed Forces that has the expertise on tactical
maneuvers, not senators or congressmen.

 “Perhaps it would be better if lawmakers thought of ways to extend
assistance to relatives left behind by those killed or injured in the
line of duty,” he said. “That is definitely better than commenting on
something they know nothing about.”

 Lacson expressed hope that a Senate bill seeking to extend financial
assistance and benefits to the family of any police, soldier or fireman
killed or incapacitated in the line of duty be passed by Congress.

 Earlier, Sen. Joker Arroyo said his colleagues must restrain
themselves from meddling into the military offensive in Mindanao.

 “If they want an inquiry, it should not be done now when the
operations are ongoing,” he said. “Even in other countries like the United
States, they don’t meddle in the middle of the war.”




 Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi

  © Copyright, 2007  by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
  All rights reserved

WE WON'T LET SOLDIERS' SACRIFICE GO TO WASTE

WE  WON'T  LET  SOLDIERS'  SACRIFICE  GO  TO  WASTE  -  ARMY COMMANDER

ZAMBOANGA CITY, AUGUST 13, 2007 (STAR) By James Mananghaya - Army
commander Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino vowed yesterday that “significant
developments” would occur in the military campaign in Sulu before he
retires on Aug. 24.

“I will see what I can do within 10 days… after that I still have
to go back to Manila to prepare for my retirement,” he said.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said the Army headquarters was
temporarily moved to Zamboanga City so Tolentino could personally
supervise the military operations in Sulu against the Abu Sayyaf,
particularly the band of Radullan Sahiron, Albader Parad and Abu Pula.

“We would like to assure the family of our comrades who died in
Sulu recently that they should not worry, we will not let their sacrifices
go to waste, we will continue to pursue the Abu Sayyaf and the rogue MNLF
(Moro National Liberation Front) bandits so that we can end
terrorism,” Torres said.

Tolentino, who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on Aug.
24, said the 10-day period is not a self-imposed deadline.

“It is not practical to have deadlines in our operations,” he
said. “There would be significant results in 10 days.”

President Arroyo ordered Tolentino to temporarily move the Army
headquarters from Fort Bonifacio in Makati to Zamboanga City.

Torres said Mrs. Arroyo ordered the Army to give priority to the
logistics, administrative and personnel support to front-line troops in
Basilan and Sulu.

“There can be slight changes in the normal functions of the Army
headquarters,” he said.

“As I earlier said, his experience, his knowledge and assets of our
commanding general may be used because he has been in the area for a
long time so that the solution of the problem against terrorism in the area
would be hastened.”

Torres said Tolentino and some members of his staff have already
flown to Jolo yesterday to supervise operations against the terrorists.

Tolentino will oversee the theater of operations in Basilan and Sulu
in place of area commanders, he added.

Torres said with Tolentino in Mindanao, provisions for the troops
would be immediate, instead of having to pass through the usual channels.

“It will go direct to the commanding general whatever it is, in
terms of personnel, logistics or anything to support the operations there and at

the same time because our commanding general has long operated there
since he was junior officer, and when he became brigade commander in the
province of Sulu, his experience, knowledge and his assets can be used
so that we can hasten the solution to the problem and run after the
terrorists,” he said.

Torres said the Army will focus on field operations to easily
identify the enemy.

“We know that they are elusive, it’s just like we are fighting a
faceless enemy because our enemy here, the face that we only know are
their senior leaders referring to the Abu Sayyaf members, but their men
in rank, none, we don’t have their faces so they easily blend with the
populace, with the community, so now that we have initiated contact, we
have to sustain the operations so that there will be an end, we are
hoping, we are doing our best to finish off the Abu Sayyaf,” he said.

Teodoro, Esperon arrive in Jolo

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Armed Forces chief Gen.
Hermogenes Esperon landed in Jolo at dawn yesterday to meet military field
commanders to plan a bigger offensive against the Moro National Liberation Front
(MNLF) and the Abu Sayyaf.

Speaking to troops upon his arrival, Esperon warned the rebels to
surrender or face punitive action.

Esperon and Teodoro visited wounded soldiers and attended the funeral
of 19 of the 25 slain soldiers under the 33rd Infantry Battalion at Armed
Forces Western Mindanao Command headquarters in Camp Don Basilio
Navarro, Zamboanga City.

Armed Forces public information chief Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said
Teodoro, Esperon and Tolentino later flew to Basilan.

Esperon confirmed yesterday that a “rogue MNLF faction” are
“colluding” with the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in fighting the
military in Sulu.

“We have seen some proof that there is collusion (with) the other
breakaway elements of the MNLF,” he said.

Esperon said the military is looking at the extent of the
collaboration between the Abu Sayyaf and the rogue MNLF faction.

However, as a whole, the AFP maintains the peace agreement with the
MNLF, he added.

In a report to Malacañang, Esperon said wanted JI bombers Dulmatin
and Umar Patek have been sighted in four clashes with the MNLF in Parang,
Indanan and Maimbung towns in Sulu. between Aug. 7 and 9.

“The terrorists are in the territory of the MNLF,” he said.
“The Abu Sayyaf and Dulmatin and Umar Patek. They were sighted in that area.”

MNLF seeks truce

As 1,000 more troops arrived in Jolo to reinforce 5,000 on the front,
the MNLF called on Malacañang yesterday to suspend all military
offensives in Sulu and pursue the long-stalled tripartite meeting in Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia on security problems besetting the areas covered by the Sept. 2,
1996 peace agreement.

Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, MNLF secretary-general, said
discussing the security issues and concerns in Sulu, MNLF’s
birthplace, is less costly and far from being bloody.

“The MNLF has never turned its back (on) the GRP-MNLF peace accord,
despite the seemingly recurring MNLF-military encounters, so it is
sensible to iron out the peace and order problems in Sulu and other
parts of Mindanao through peaceful dialogue,” he said.

On the other hand, Sulu Rep. Yusoph Jikiri, MNLF military wing chief,
appealed to the Armed Forces to exhaust all peaceful means before
embarking on extensive tactical maneuvers that could displace thousands
of civilians.

In an e-mail to media in Central Mindanao, MNLF founder Nur Misuari,
who is under house arrest in Quezon City for rebellion, said he is sending
a seven-man team to Jakarta, Indonesia to convince Indonesian President
Susilo “Bambang” Yudhoyono to help facilitate the tripartite
meeting at the Organization of Islamic Conference’s (OIC) headquarters in
Jeddah.

Indonesia is a member of the OIC’s Ministerial Committee of the
Eight, a group of Muslim countries that helped implement the Sept. 2, 1996 peace
agreement between the Ramos administration and the MNLF.

Misuari had earlier asked OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ishanuglo
to hold the tripartite meeting in Jeddah and not give in to Indonesia’s
offer to host the event in Jakarta.

Sema, Jikiri, and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Assemblyman
Hatimal Hassan have asked the OIC to intervene on the Sulu conflict.

The OIC, a pan-Islamic group of 58 countries, including the
petroleum-exporting Arab nations in the Middle East, helped broker the
government-MNLF peace pact.

‘MNLF, Abu Sayyaf are allies’

Col. Anthony Supnet, Army brigade commander in Jolo, said the MNLF is
giving refuge to the Abu Sayyaf.

“The terrorists are in the territory of the MNLF: the Abu Sayyaf
and Dulmatin and Umar Patek,” he said. “They were sighted in that
area.”

Supnet said among the rebels hiding with the MNLF forces were
Dulmatin —who goes by one name —and Patek

“Our troops would continue to hunt the terrorists even though the
MNLF and Abu Sayyaf had broken up into smaller groups and scattered into the
hinterlands,” he said.

Supnet said the military operation would continue despite the deaths
of the soldiers.

“We have a price to pay and we cannot hide our casualties, unlike
the opposition,” he said. “We won’t stop until we get these high
value targets.”

Dulmatin and Patek are accused of involvement in the 2002 Bali
bombings that killed 202 people.

The Abu Sayyaf and the JI have been linked by Philippine and foreign
intelligence services to the al-Qaeda terrorist network of Osama bin
Laden.

The military estimates the Abu Sayyaf, which has been blamed for some
of the country’s worst terrorist attacks, has no more than 400 well
armed guerrillas.

Some Abu Sayyaf leaders are acting as right-hand men of rogue MNLF
commanders while rogue MNLF fighters are acting as henchmen of Abu
Sayyaf leaders, Supnet said.

Thousands fleeing Jolo

More than 10,000 people had fled their homes in the towns of
Maimbung, Indanan and Parang in Sulu, for fear of getting caught in the
crossfire, said Amilhabar Amilasan, presidential assistant for Sulu.

Government evacuation centers had been set up to house those who
fled, he added.

Jolo, part of the Sulu archipelago, has been the scene of some of the
worst fighting in decades between the military and the MNLF.

Joker: Stop hitting AFP

Meanwhile, Sen. Joker Arroyo criticized his colleagues over the
weekend for hitting the military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu.

“If they want an inquiry, it should not be done now when the
operations are ongoing,” he said. “Even in other countries like the United
States, they don’t meddle in the middle of the war.”

Arroyo said senators should support rather than attack military
officials and soldiers who are trying to solve the security problem in
Mindanao.

He issued the statement a few days after Sen. Francis Pangilinan
lashed out at the military operations in Sulu, where 25 soldiers had died in
the fighting.

Gordon concerned about Sulu fighting

On the other hand, Sen. Richard Gordon has expressed concern over the
latest developments in Mindanao, particularly after 20 soldiers were
killed in fighting the Abu Sayyaf last week.

“While we offer our sympathies to the families of the fallen, we
have to look more closely into why our troops are suffering this high level of
casualties,” he said.

“I believe Congress and the public deserve to know more about the
real situation in the South so that appropriate adjustments —whether in
policy or program or materiel or logistics —can be made, and better support
to our troops can be provided.

“If I may offer an unsolicited advice, I suggest that the
Commander- in-Chief, joined by leaders of the Senate and the House of
Representatives, call for a top-level briefing on the situation from
the AFP high command and commanders in the field.”

Gordon said Malacañang officials and members of Congress should be
briefed on know how the government’s policy is really faring in
Mindanao and Sulu.

“This is not a question of assigning blame or pointing fingers,”
he said. “This is just a matter of how we can all pull together for the
improvement of the situation in the South.” —with Roel Pareño,
John Unson, Paolo Romero, Christina Mendez, AFP




Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi

 © Copyright, 2007  by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
 All rights reserved

GOVT LOST P2.5 B AS A RESULT OF DIWALWAL MINING MORATORIUM

DAVAO CITY, AUGUST 7, 2007 (STAR) By Edith Regalado –

The government has lost more than P2.5 billion in potential income
since it imposed a mining moratorium in 2002 at the gold-rush site
at Mt. Diwalwal in Monkayo, Compostela Valley, a village official
claimed.

“Everything is on a stalemate here at Mt. Diwalwal. The government
has been losing more than P500 million each year since 2002 when it
stopped mining operations in an area 600 meters above sea level,”
Mt.Diwalwal barangay captain Franco Tito told The STAR.

Tito said this portion of Mt. Diwalwal is considered to be a
“virgin area” compared to the part 850 meters above sea level that
is nearly mined out by more than 50,000 small-scale miners.

“Since 2002, when the government stopped their operations, the
miners have to make do only with what they could get out of what
remains of the 850-meter level area,” he said.

Tito said the area where the mining moratorium was imposed has been
the subject of intense rivalry among major firms operating at
Mt. Diwalwal such as JB Management Corp. and Helica Mining Co.

But Tito said the P2.5 billion in lost income is just a fraction of
government losses since the extraction of mineral deposits started at
Mt. Diwalwal in the 1980s.

The government has yet to legalize the largely small-scale mining
operations at Mt. Diwalwal.

Tito said it was former Environment and Natural Resources Secretary
Heherson Alvarez who proposed Proclamation 297, which President Arroyo
signed in 2002, declaring Mt. Diwalwal a mineral reservation under the
management of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR).

Alvarez, who was recently appointed chairman of the Philippine Mining
Development Corp., then proceeded to form mining cooperatives, which
were given permits to operate at the 729-hectare mining site under
an 85-15 revenue sharing scheme, in favor of the small-scale miners.

Tito, meanwhile, bewailed the lack of continuity in the
government’s programs at the mining site.

“They keep changing people at the DENR and every now and then,
another program is introduced, so there is no continuity at all in what
the government really wants to do at Mt. Diwalwal,” he said.

Tito is also hopeful that the government would soon make true its
promise of constructing a P100-million road leading to the mining site.

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi

© Copyright, 2007  by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved

http://www.newsflash.org/

Mt. Diwalwal: Hollywood Star Treats Film Crew to Lechon and Beer

MT. DIWALWAL: HOLLYWOOD STAR TREATS FILM CREW TO LECHON & BEER

MT. DIWALWAL, COMPOSTELA VALLEY, AUGUST 9, 2007 (STAR) By Edith
Regalado – What can $260 buy? Lots of lechon (roast pig) and lots of
beer.

Hollywood star Josh Hartnett wanted to know what constituted a
typical Filipino feast. When told that lechon and the local beer were enough,
he took out 13 pieces of $20 bills from his pocket and threw an impromptu
party for the local and foreign production crew of his new film as well
as the Philippine Army security detail assigned to him on his last night
here.

Hartnett, who went on location shooting at a gold-rush site on Mt.
Diwalwal for the $18-million detective thriller “I Come with the
Rain,” gave the feast as a way of thanking Filipinos for their hospitality.

Hartnett egged Bryan Catoera, owner-driver of the black Isuzu Trooper
used by the actor throughout his six-day stay here, to get the party
started, as shooting for the film was packing up Tuesday night.

“I told him lechon and San Miguel beer and he immediately got from
his pocket 13 pieces of $20 bills to be used to buy two lechon at P4,000
each and five cases of San Miguel,” Catoera told The STAR shortly before
the small get-together started Tuesday night at the dining hall of the Pink

House Hotel where Hartnett and the rest of the production crew of
Central Films Productions were billeted.

With beer in hand, Hartnett gamely made the first cut on the roasted
pigs. Hartnett then went around, handing bottles of beer to everyone.

Hartnett, who admitted giving up being vegetarian for some time
already, said spending $260 for the lechon and beer was nothing compared to the
hospitality and kindness of the Filipinos he interacted with while
filming at the mining site.

“You simply can’t help but love these people around here. It’s
great that they like me, too,” Hartnett told The STAR.

Hartnett, who plays Kline, a retired Los Angeles policeman who
reaches Mt. Diwalwal in Monkayo, Compostela Valley in search of an heir with
healing powers, only had praises for Filipinos.

“Everybody here is so nice. I do not have a problem with anybody. I
am having a wonderful time. We have been working a lot and no time to hang

out and the people here are so beautiful and so nice,” Hartnett
added, as he was partying and hugging everyone around, until he called it a night
at 11 p.m.

Hartnett, who arrived last Thursday, said he hopes to spend “a
little bit more time to travel around” before flying to Hong Kong to
continue with the filming.

‘Easy to handle’

Army 1st Lt. Brian Bagaipo, commander of the Charlie Company of the
28th Infantry Battalion tasked to secure Hartnett and the film crew, said
the actor was “very easy to handle.”

“He has no qualms, no star-complex, no demands, or anything,”
Bagaipo said.

He said the same thing about Tran. “The director and the other
stars were all so nice to us. They never demanded anything from us other than
what we can provide for security.”

Bagaipo said Hartnett would even joke at times about the tight
security component that moved with him wherever he went.

“Do I really need this kind of security?” Hartnett would ask, as
he preferred to walk around the mining village during his free time and
mingle with the children whom he also handed out money to.

Hartnett was reported to also have the habit of spending the early
hours of the morning sitting on a chair just outside the store on the ground
floor of the 15-room Pink House Hotel, just watching the villagers go
by and saying hello to them.

No fear

Hartnett said he did not have second thoughts about coming to the
Philippines, especially in Mt. Diwalwal, considered to be a stronghold
of communist insurgents.

“I had no hesitations coming here. I never heard negative reports
about the Philippines,” Hartnett said, adding, “Why? Is there any problem
here? I do not see any problem around.”

Multi-awarded director Tran Anh Hung, who wrote the screenplay and
directs “I Come with the Rain,” told The STAR security at Mt.
Diwalwal was never an issue when he strongly insisted that it would be one of the
locations for the shooting of the film set for release next year.

Mt. Diwalwal, where the country’s largest deposits of gold ore
could be found, is close to 200 kilometers away from Davao City and could only
be reached by 4x4-powered vehicles or by motorcycles.

“I’ve watched a documentary of Mt. Diwalwal 15 years ago in
Paris. And from then on, I always said I would do it in Mt. Diwalwal because the
place is amazing,” Tran said.

Catoera, meanwhile, is keeping the $20 bills that Hartnett gave him
to buy lechon and beer as “souvenir.”

He said Hartnett was so down-to-earth and “ate almost anything.”

“He loves our fruits. He and director Tran ate a lot of bananas on
the set. He was also fond of our rambutan and durian,” he added.

Hartnett stayed at the P500 per night VIP Room 7 of the Pink House
Hotel that did not have any air conditioner. He said his experience in the
Philippines, especially at Mt. Diwalwal, gave him enough reason to come
back.

“I am sure, sometime in the future, I’ll be back,” he told

The STAR. – Edith Regalado
© Copyright, 2007  by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved

http://www.newsflash.org/