Monday, October 31, 2011

3 killed in Sulu bomb run

OV-10 planes target Abus in mountain


A military bomb run in an area of Indanan town in Sulu against the Islamic extremist group Abu Sayyaf and its allies from the regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) early on Sunday morning resulted in the death of three rebels, according to Armed Forces officials.

Chief Supt. Bienvenido Latag, police director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said OV-10 planes rained bombs on Mt. Tukay in Barangay Karawan starting at 6:30 a.m.

As of presstime, sporadic ground clashes were reportedly still going on.

“The target was the group of Akmadul Jumdail, alias Doc Abu, and JI members Marwan and Mauwiyah,” Latag said by phone.

The JI, believed to have links to the international al-Qaida terror network, is known to operate in Indonesia, Malaysia and southern Thailand, among other areas in the region.

Marwan is a US-trained Malaysian engineer long hunted by US and Filipino authorities for his alleged role in past bombings and other terror attacks.

Washington has offered a $5-million reward for the capture or killing of Marwan.

Col. Jose Johriel Cenabre, deputy commander for Marine operations of the Naval Forces in Western Mindanao, said Marines on the ground recovered the bodies of slain Abu Sayyaf members from the area where the bombs were dropped.

He said four assorted firearms were also recovered from the same area. These consisted of two M-16 rifles, an M-14 rifle and a rocket launcher.

Sporadic clashes

Cenabre said sporadic clashes were ongoing and details were scant.

Latag said the Sulu police force had been placed on high alert due to the clashes in Karawan.

The Karawan air strike took place three days after the military ended a similar campaign in Zamboanga Sibugay, which resulted in the fall of an alleged camp of suspected kidnap leader Waning Abdusalam.

During a visit here last week, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Oban said the military’s campaign against lawlessness would continue.

Sibugay campaign

The Sibugay campaign was conducted after a series of ambushes that Moro gunmen staged in Alicia and Payao towns, which killed four soldiers and three policemen, and the clash in Al-Barka, Basilan, in which 19 soldiers died.

Both the Basilan and Zamboanga Sibugay incidents had raised concerns about the future of the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has been waging a secessionist war in Mindanao for more than three decades.

The MILF admitted its forces were involved in the Al-Barka clash, explaining that the government troops had breached a ceasefire zone and did not coordinate their police actions with them.

Jesuit priest Albert Alejo, a well-known peace advocate here, said there was a need for the military and the MILF to review recent incidents to ensure that government soldiers and Moro guerrillas had a clear grasp of the terms of the ceasefire.

“It is possible that only those in the higher levels know that there are mechanisms in place. It is possible that ordinary troops are not aware of them,” Alejo said.

He said a crash course on the mechanisms of the ceasefire and the peace negotiations being facilitated by Malaysia might actually be needed by those in the lower levels of both organizations.

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By

Army troops recover firearms in Sorsogon

Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and Army troops clashed early morning Sunday in the remote village of Tinampo in Bulan, Sorsogon, according to Col. Felix Castro, commander of the Army’s 903rd Infantry Brigade based in Castilla town in Sorsogon.

The Army was tipped off about the presence of some 10 NPA rebels in that village, who were in the area to allegedly extort from villagers, Castro told the Inquirer.

He said he ordered Lt. Col. Epimaco Macalisang of the 49th Infantry Battalion, the unit covering the second district of Sorsogon where the encounter happened, to dispatch a team to pursue the NPA rebels.

He said a seven-man team led by Lt. Jerry Colago caught up with the NPA rebels at about

7 a.m. Sunday, and a 10-minute firefight ensued and the rebels fled.

Castro said the Army troops recovered one M16 rifle, Garand rifle, caliber 45 pistol and an improvised detonating device left behind by the fleeing rebels.

He said no one was hurt on the side of the Army but suspected there were injured rebels based on the bloodstains found in the clash site.

He said a hot pursuit operation was being conducted even as he assured residents that they could have a safe and peaceful All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in the area.

In Cagayan province, four suspected NPA rebels were killed in a gunbattle with the government soldiers at 5:30 a.m. on Oct. 27 in Sitio Barang in Barangay San Miguel in Baggao town, said Col. Loreto Magundayao, battalion chief of the 5th Infantry Division’s (ID) civil-military operations.

Magundayao said an Army platoon from the 5th ID reconnaissance team encountered 10 armed men, who were believed to be part of the NPA’s Danilo Ben Command operating in the area. He said the 30-minute gunbattle left no government casualties. Recovered from the encounter site were two M-16 Armalite rifles and a shotgun. Villamor Visaya Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon and Juan Escandor Jr. and Rey Nasol, Inquirer Southern Luzon

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http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/85657/army-troops-recover-firearms-in-sorsogon

Next AFP target: Al-Barka

Local execs seek prior warning, cooperation


Basilan leaders want the military to first coordinate with them before launching any combat operation, particularly in the town of Al-Barka where 19 soldiers were slaughtered on Oct. 18.

Basilan Vice Gov. Al Rasheed Sakalahul said prior information would enable him and other officials to remove civilians from targeted areas and settle them in established peace zones beyond the line of fire.

“We are asking [the military] to give us enough time to move civilians out before they [go after] lawless elements,” Sakalahul said. He said the civilians would be settled in designated areas “where they can sleep and eat, and where we can easily monitor their movements.”

Sakalahul said that during the Oct. 18 military operation in Al-Barka, where 19 soldiers were killed by purported renegade members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), residents and officials alike were caught by surprise when the military began shelling Barangays Cambug, Kailih and Batu-bato.

“There was no prior advice, and we were at a loss on how to deal with the evacuation because it was so sudden,” he said, adding that the situation became so chaotic that displaced families had to occupy the roadsides.

Real culprits

Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad expressed support for Sakalahul’s appeal for prior information from the military.

Jumoad also said the military should make sure that the objects of the imminent manhunt were the real culprits, and “not just anybody, like what happened in 2007 when most of those in the [pursuit] list were not even involved in the July 10 beheading of the Marines.”

He said local officials should be tapped for assistance because they would be of help in the government’s efforts to hunt down armed groups involved in crime.

Sakalahul said he was hoping that the impending military operation in Al-Barka would not result in more collateral damage.

“There are many ways to avoid it,” he said.

During a visit to Zamboanga City last week, Gen. Eduardo Oban, the Armed Forces chief of staff, said the military was preparing for another combat operation in Al-Barka against the group responsible for the recent clash there, in which the 19 soldiers were killed.

“The directive is to continue the pursuit of lawless elements,” Oban had said. “Wherever they are, we are going to pursue them further. But then again, this should be driven by intelligence work because we are after [certain] personalities.”

‘So far, so good’

In Manila, former President Joseph Estrada on Friday backed the ongoing military operations against “lawless elements.”

“So far, so good,” he said. “We really have to rain bullets on them.”

But he continued to express mistrust of the MILF, against which he is campaigning for an all-out war.

In 2000, Estrada launched an all-out war against the secessionist group, which led to the capture of its biggest stronghold, Camp Abubakar, and several other key rebel settlements in the South.

Estrada said he would have finished off the Moro rebels and proceeded with a comprehensive rehabilitation plan in Mindanao had he not been deposed in 2001.

“I had grand plans for Mindanao as the country’s food basket,” he said. “With the armed conflict resolved, we would have focused on rehabilitation and development.”

Estrada also questioned the wisdom behind the Aquino administration’s earlier decision to give P5 million to the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute, a supposed youth group put up by the MILF.

“That money could be used for rehabilitation after they have surrendered. But for now, they’re still fighting the government so why give them money?” he told the Inquirer in Filipino, adding:

“You can never know where they would use that money. You can’t trust them.”

‘Gov’t doing its best’

As though to offset the effects of the military operations, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman visited Basilan on Friday along with Peace Adviser Teresita Deles and Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo.

Sakalahul quoted Soliman as saying that the government was doing its best to bring criminals to justice.

“May namatay, dapat may managot (There were people killed; someone should be held accountable),” she said further.

During the visit, Soliman turned over P2 million to Basilan Gov. Jum Akbar as assistance to the families displaced by the recent military operations.

She also handed P10,000 to each of the families of the rubber plantation workers killed in the ambush by armed men in Sumisip town on Oct. 24. Those injured received P5,000 each.

In Barangay Naga-naga in Alicia, Zamboanga Sibugay province, Soliman, Robredo and Deles visited an evacuation center and held a dialogue with the residents displaced by the recent military operations.

Soliman said the residents could count on the immediate release of cash grants from the government’s conditional cash transfer program, “so it can help you with your needs.”

She oversaw the distribution of relief goods to each family, consisting of three kilos of rice, three cans of sardines, soy sauce, cooking oil and packs of instant noodles.

Soliman said the Department of Social Welfare and Development would work to ease the worrisome health conditions in the evacuation center.

‘Pool your efforts’

Robredo told the local officials of Alicia and Payao, also in Zamboanga Sibugay, to pool their efforts to help the displaced residents.

“It is important that the evacuees feel the government’s efforts to help them,” Robredo said.

Payao Mayor Joeper Mendoza said that in his town alone, at least 2,368 families had been displaced since last week.

He said many of the families were staying with relatives, making it difficult for aid agencies to deliver relief assistance to them.

Payao municipal councilor Mechana Abdul said classes remained suspended in schools in certain barangays.

Senior Insp. Rolando Bartolome, Payao police director, said civilians had volunteered to help the town’s 23 policemen patrol the town center and its perimeter.

“We have to be strong and show unity and resolve to protect our town,” he said. With reports from Christian V. Esguerra in Manila and Bobby Lagsa, Inquirer Mindanao

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First posted 1:11 am | Saturday, October 29th, 2011

By

Palace denies P31-M grant to communist breakaway group

Malacañang on Monday denied reports that it is giving a P31-million grant to communist breakaway group Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa Pilipinas-Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB).

“There’s no truth to that. We were able to verify with [presidential adviser on peace process Teresita] Ging Deles and there is no such grant to the ABB," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a phone interview with reporters.

But Valte said that there will be a project under PAMANA or Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Peaceful and Resilient Communities) program for the development of communities and alternative livelihood.

PAMANA is the government’s peace and development program and framework that seeks to reduce poverty, improve governance and empower communities through community-driven projects that address people’s needs and, at the same time, promote peace.

It is being led by Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and joined by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Interior and Local Government, and Department of Agrarian Reform.

Valte said the government does not turnover funds to any groups but identify communities that need development and formulate programs for it.

Ang main partner ng national government dito ay concerned local government units at national agencies who can implement the programs. So wala pong grant to the ABB, wala pong katotohanan yung umiikot na meron daw na P31 million na ibinigay na grant sa ABB," she stressed.

She did not mention how much assistance will be provided, but said it is the government that will manage the fund.

Hindi po ito given to a particular entity. ‘Yung pondo po sa gobyerno pa rin po iikot ‘yan, so tayo po ‘yung magde-develop ‘nung communities and magbibigay po ng alternative livelihood," Valte said.

Deles earlier said that the government wants to forge a deal with the ABB to allow the latter to become a socio-economic organization from being an armed group. - Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News
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MILF says AFP preparing to attack in Basilan

Claiming the military is preparing to attack in Basilan, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Monday said its forces there are preparing to defend themselves.

In an article posted on its website, the Moro rebel group claimed signs point to a possible attack against the MILF forces led by Dan "Laksaw" Asnawi, who it described as the second highest MILF military commander in Basilan.

"We will defend ourselves," Abu Majid, an MILF provincial political officer based in Basilan, said.

He also said Asnawi is not a criminal, adding Asnawi was a "victim" of an unjust justice system where he was linked to the beheading of soldiers in 2007. "I hope the government will rethink their decision to attack our forces in the island," Majid said.

Promptly, the Armed Forces denied that it will launch an attack on the MILF ATS (area of temporary stay) in Basilan, insisting that whatever operations against armed groups in Al Barka town will be properly coordinated.

"Unang-una, meron namang... ceasefire mechanism. Hindi basta papasok sa kanila without coordination... may coordination naman lagi," said military information chief Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos.

The article posted on the MILF website also noted that the military denied any impending assault against the MILF in Basilan, saying the continuing deployment of troops in the island has nothing to do with the October 18 clash.

The article cited earlier reports quoting Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the Armed Forces’ Western Mindanao Command, as saying the military had been planning the deployment of more troops even before the Al-Barka incident.

"We have been long planning to deploy an infantry brigade in Basilan, but it’s only a headquarters brigade, not a brigade with three battalions," the MILF quoted Cabangbang as saying.

The clash

On Oct. 18, nineteen Army soldiers, including four junior officers, were killed after a six-hour firefight with armed men led by Asnawi in Al-Barka town. Nine rebels were also killed in the clash.

The military said the armed men were reinforced by members of the MILF, despite a ceasefire between the government and the secessionist group in connection with the ongoing peace negotiations.

But the MILF claimed it was the military that violated the truce by launching an attack within their area of temporary stay (ATS).

The ATS is a place designated by the government and the MILF Coordinating Committees on Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) where forces of the secessionist group can stay to prevent encounters with troops pursuing members of the bandit Abu Sayyaf group.

However, the military insisted that the MILF violated the ceasefire by participating in the clash between the soldiers and the armed group, believed to be members of the Abu Sayyaf.

The Army leadership has relieved from their posts, 4th Special Forces Battalion chief Lt. Col. Leo Peña and Special Operations Task Force Basilan commander Col. Alexander Macario.

President Benigno Aquino III, meanwhile, has likewise refused to declare an all-out war against the Moro rebel group. Instead, he said that he will pursue "all-out justice" to address the successive attacks by some elements of the MILF against the military.

For her part, presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles has maintained that despite the Basilan clash, preparations for the resumption of peace negotiations in November will continue.

Best fighters?

The MILF said its fighters in Basilan are the best in terms of number of tanks destroyed in a week, and the worst casualties suffered by the military in combat in Mindanao.

In 2006, the MILF claimed it destroyed at least seven tanks in a week of fighting. In 2007, it claimed to kill 23 soldiers in a day of fighting. — RSJ/HS, GMA News
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AFP at NPA, nagka-engkwentro sa Bulusan, Sorsogon


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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Imprisonment awaits Ligot coddlers, Malacañang warns

Malacañang on Sunday warned those who are possibly giving protection to former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot and his wife Erlinda, who are both wanted for alleged tax evasion.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Philippine National Police has already formed tracer teams to go after the couple, who are the subjects of an arrest order from the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA).

"Certainly meron 'yan, may liability 'yan under the law. I’m not quite clear if it will be aiding and abetting a fugitive or obstruction of justice," Valte said on government-run dzRB radio.

The Revised Penal Code's Article 307 addresses aiding and abetting "a band of brigands," and covers the act of "giving them information of the movements of the police or other peace officers of the Government." Such acts are punishable by imprisonment.

Obstruction of justice as defined by Presidential Decree 1829 carries a penalty of imprisonment of up to six years, or a fine of up to P6,000. It covers "harboring or concealing, or facilitating the escape of, any person he knows, or has reasonable ground to believe or suspect, has committed any offense under existing penal laws in order to prevent his arrest, prosecution and conviction."

Heads will roll?


Valte declined to comment on whether heads will roll over the sudden disappearance of the Ligot couple. "From what I understand, while there was a case filed against them,wala pang lumalabas na arrest warrant prior to that," she said.

She said information from the Bureau of Immigration shows that "they are still in the country."

When asked if Malacañang was disappointed over the Ligots' disappearance, Valte said it was too early to say, adding they do not have the entire picture at this time. "We will get more information," she said.

However, she said that since the Court of Tax Appeals already ordered the Ligots’ arrest, the prosecutors can ask for the issuance of a hold-departure order against them.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier recommended the filing of charges against the Ligots for violation of Section 225 of the NIRC of 1997 for taxable year 2001, and for violation of Section 254 of the NIRC for three counts for taxable years 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Last March, the Bureau of Internal Revenue filed a case against the couple for failing to declare their income of roughly P459.6 million from 2001 to 2004.

The BIR said the couple used this income to acquire several properties in the country and abroad.

Also, BIR data showed the Ligots owed the government a combined tax deficiency of P428 million from 2003 to 2004.

Last April, the US government turned over to the Philippines the $132,000 proceeds from the sale of the property. — KBK, GMA News
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Enrile: Peace talks might be part of MILF's delaying tactics

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front may be using the upcoming peace talks with government this November as a delaying tactic to regain its strength, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile warned the government Sunday.

Enrile, who served as defense minister under the Marcos administration, said the government may become weaker while the MILF stronger if the former continues to accommodate the latter.

“I’m not very optimistic about these peace talks. Delaying tactics lang yan," he said in an interview on dzBB radio.

He added that when the MILF broke the ceasefire agreement in Basilan, it was testing the government’s willpower.

“Inumpisahan ng MILF magpaputok ng baril, they violated the ceasefire, anong ibig sabihin? What is the message of the MILF preparatory to this negotiation? ... Tine-test nila (kung) gaano katigas ang dibdib ng gobyerno," he said.

“The longer we go on like this, the weaker we become and the stronger the enemy will become," he added.

Talks to tackle clash

But Malacañang on Sunday reiterated the government and the MILF will talk about how to avoid such incidents in the future during the November meeting.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said President Benigno Aquino III’s expectation of the talks is “how do we push forward the talks in light of the Basilan incident."

“Katulad ng sinabi ni Secretary Deles kahapon (Saturday), the Basilan incident will certainly be discussed with the panel when they meet for informal talks early next month," she said on government-run dzRB radio.

Also, Valte said “the president has not given any indication he is unhappy with Secretary Deles. We remain of the position that presidential peace adviser enjoys the trust and confidence of the president," she said.

Last Saturday, Deles said the government and the MILF will hold informal peace talks in November, likely to be held in Malaysia, adding that the two sides may take up the clash in Basilan in mid-October where 19 soldiers were killed.

The killing of the 19 soldiers sparked calls to scrap the peace process between the government and the MILF, but President Benigno Aquino III rejected such calls and adopted an “all-out justice" stance instead.

Aquino ordered that while government troops intensify their pursuit against the perpetrators, the peace talks with the MILF will continue.

But Enrile pointed out that avoiding violence for now may lead to greater violence in the end.

“In the end, mas madugo ang kalalabasan niyan. We are avoiding violence but we will meet greater violence...," he said.

Enrile also said that while he is not espousing using an iron fist to deal with the MILF, the government should respond accordingly to the MILF’s actions.

“We study the situation at gamitin ang dapat gamitin na remedyo. Kung binabaril ka, barilin mo rin sila," he said. — LBG, GMA News
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