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MILF: Moro, IP ADR practitioners of ARMM undergo basic mediation training

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Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Mar 9): Moro, IP ADR practitioners of ARMM undergo basic mediation training 



Practitioners of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) including potential mediators from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are undergoing Basic Mediation Training being held at Brokenshire Resort and Convention Center in this city from March 6 to 10. The activity aims to capacitate potential and practicing mediators who will work for the reduction of the number of Rido (clan feuds) in the target communities in the ARMM.

Twenty-three participants, members or staff of non-government organizations or ADR structures of the local government units, joined the activity that was hosted by Mediators Network for Sustainable Development, Inc. (MedNet).

A pool of experts in ADR from MedNet namely Caroliza Tulod-Peteros, Marides Gardiola and Edwin Golosino, facilitated the five-day training which is part of the project entitled “Strengthening Community Mediation Towards Peace and Inclusive Growth in Five Regions” with the support of KZE-Misereor, an organization from Germany.

The participants shared the incidents of conflict in their respective towns or area of jurisdiction and their experiences in resolving disputes. They learned the conflict intervention frameworks, conflict mapping, probing, feedback giving, conflict analysis, effective communication skills and non-violent communication.

The facilitators introduced Narrative Mediation and tackled the role of the mediator and the mediator’s intervention process.

In the last part of the training, the participants made a plan on how they will facilitate the mediation process of the identified case they will settle with the application of the skills they acquired from the training.



Peteros, MedNet’s Executive Director, said there will be documentation of the mediation process of the Rido cases which will be featured in the organization’s official newsletter-The Mediator.

Settlement of disputes through traditional mediation process or ADR has been practiced in the Bangsamoro region.

Respected individuals like traditional Muslim leaders, Front Commanders, Imams, or Ulama are usually tapped by conflicting parties for the resolution of the conflicts rather than submitting those in the country’s justice system.

The ARMM government created the Regional Reconciliation and Unification Commission (RRUC) while the provincial government of Maguindanao has its local counterpart, the Maguindanao Task Force for Reconciliation and Unification (MTFRU). The two institutions are mandated to help facilitate alternative process in dispute resolution.

ARMM municipal local government units are also encouraged by the regional government to establish their own ADR mechanism. Among the towns that responded to the call is South Upi in Maguindanao which has the Mayor’s Council and municipality of Kapatagan in Lanao del Sur that has established its Local Peace Committee.

There are some NGOs in the ARMM which also help facilitate mediation process of Ridos like the Teduray Lambangian Women Organization of South Upi and Lumpingan of Datu Piang.

Abdulnasser Malingco, MTFRU Deputy Chairperson said land conflict and elections are the two major causes of Rido in Maguindanao. He hoped all MLGUs in Maguindanao will institutionalize their ADR mechanism to help address Rido in the province.

RRUC Executive Director Bobby Benito noted that as the vertical conflict is reduced, horizontal conflict is increasing. He cited the important role of local mediators in arresting the escalation of Rido into more bloody confrontations that shall claim more lives.

 http://www.luwaran.net/home/index.php/news/22-davao-region/1102-moro-ip-adr-practitioners-of-armm-undergo-basic-mediation-training


MILF: New BTC members urged to be united

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Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Mar 9): New BTC members urged to be united



The members of the expanded Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) were urged to be “united in purpose and direction” as it began its work of drafting the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

On Monday, new BTC Chairman Ghazali Jaafar told the other 20 commissioners that he considers them as “brothers and sisters in a common struggle” even if they may be coming from the sides of the MILF or GPH.

“We all aspire for a system of life and governance suitable and acceptable to us. We are all one in this endeavor,” Jaafar said in his message that formally began the first plenary session of the BTC under the Duterte administration.

The two-day session was held on March 6 and 7 in Cotabato City, ten days after BTC’s formal launching last February 24 in Davao City where President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was the guest of honor.

The new BTC aims to finish the draft BBL by July 2017, in time for the opening of the second regular session of the 17th Congress.

Jaafar is confident that the Commission will be able to meet the timeline. He said that “we would be able to finish the draft BBL… After all, we are not starting from scratch. We must build on the achievement of our predecessors in this Commission, some of whom are still with us”.

On November 8, 2016, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed Executive Order No 8 which reconstitued the Commission. The EO expands the membership of the BTC from 15 to 21. Out of the 21, eleven are from the MILF and 10 from the government, including 3 representatives from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) – Sema Faction.

The agenda of the sessions included review of the BTC internal rules and administrative matters.

The Commission also adopted its budget for 2017 and appealed, through a resolution, to the Department of Budget and Management for its early release.

Below are the members of the new BTC:

MILF

Ghazali Jaafar – Chairman
Haron M Abas
Ibrahim D. Ali
Mohagher M. Iqbal
Atty. Raissa H. Jajurie
Gafur A. Kanain
Abdulraof Abdul Macacua
Hussein P. Munoz
Ammal D. Solaiman
Said M. Shiek
Melanio U. Ulama

GPH

Atty. Firdausi Ismail Y. Abbas (MNLF)
Atty Hussin U. Amin
Dr. Susana Salvador-Anayatin
Hatimil E. Hassan (MNLF)
Datu Mussolini Sinsuat Lidasan
Atty. Maisara Dandamun-Latip
Atty. Jose I. Lorena
Romeo C. Saliga
Atty. Omar Yasser C. Sema (MNLF)
Samira Gutoc-Tomawis

Next plenary sessions is on April 3 to 7.

http://www.luwaran.net/home/index.php/news/20-central-mindanao/1104-new-btc-members-urged-to-be-united

DWDD: DND forms Advisory Council for Defense Transformation

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From DWDD AFP Civil Relations Service Radio Website (Mar 10): DND forms Advisory Council for Defense Transformation

Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City – To guide and help assess the implementation of various programs under the Philippine Defense Transformation Roadmap (PDTR) 2028, the Department of National Defense (DND) formed the DND Multi-Sector Advisory Council (MSAC).

Nine MSAC members took their oath on 9 March 2017 before senior defense officials, after which they held their organizational meeting. Albay 2nd District Representative Joey Salceda was elected Chairperson of the council.  The other prominent members of the council are former AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Alexander B. Yano, Atty. Alexander L. Lacson of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia, Mr. Antonino T. Aquino, Mr. Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr. and Ms. Marife B. Zamora from the business sector, Atty. Antonio G.M. La Viña of the Manila Observatory, UP President Atty. Danilo L. Concepcion, and Bai Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman representing the youth.

Cognizant that transformation will not be possible without stakeholders’ involvement and participation, Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana said, “We need partners from various sectors of society to ensure that our strategies are responsive to the needs of our constituents – the Filipino people. While the MSAC is an independent body, we are confident that the esteemed members of the council will advance our transformation agenda in their respective spheres of influence.”
 
The MSAC members expressed their gratefulness for being part of the Department’s transformation journey. They manifested that the Council will guide and ensure the implementation of the DND’s strategic objectives for Milestone 2022.


The PDTR 2028 is the DND’s strategic and organizational development plan to attain a credible defense posture for national security and stability, peace, and economic development by the year 2028. Its core approaches seek to build total defense force capability, improve civil defense preparedness, develop self-reliant defense posture, and optimize international defense partnerships.

We are very optimistic that with the full support of our DND-MSAC partners, our One Defense Team will be able to achieve its vision of becoming a more credible defense organization that ensures Philippine security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, a reliable partner in national development, and a strategic player in the Asia Pacific Region,” Secretary Lorenzana said.

http://dwdd.com.ph/2017/03/10/dnd-forms-advisory-council-for-defense-transformation/

PHL Navy's latest frigate to be deployed for annual exhibit in Malaysia

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From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Mar 11): PHL Navy's latest frigate to be deployed for annual exhibit in Malaysia

In line with efforts to foster closer defense ties with its Southeast Asian neighbors, the Philippine Navy (PN) will deploy its newly acquired Hamilton-class cutter, the BRP Andres Bonifacio (FF-17), to the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2017) in Malaysia.

The event will start on March 21 and end on the 25th, Navy spokesperson Lued Lincuna said in a message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) Saturday.

In line with this, he said the Navy will have a send-off ceremony for BRP Andres Bonifacio and the 206 naval personnel on board at Pier 13, Manila South Harbor on Tuesday.

Lincuna said Navy flag-officer-in-command Vice Adm. Ronald Joseph Mercado will lead the ceremony.

Aside from participating in LIMA 2017, the Filipino warship and her crew will conduct port visits to Lumut and Port Klang, Malaysia,

LIMA, one of the most influential exhibitions in Asia, is a dedicated maritime and aerospace exhibition for defense, civil and commercial aviation, shipbuilding and ship repair.

The BRP Andres Bonifacio, the third Hamilton-class cutter in the Navy's service, was formally welcomed into the Philippine fleet last December 9.

The ship is armed with a 76-mm. Oto Melara automatic cannon, like her sister ships, BRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF-16) and BRP Gregorio Del Pilar.

The BRP Andres Bonifacio is the former USCGC Boutwell that was retired from US Coast Guard service on March 16 last year and handed to the Philippine Navy a few months later in July 2016.

Hamilton-class cutters have a gross tonnage of 3,250 tons, has a length of 378 ft., a beam of 43 ft., and draft of 15 ft.

Its propulsion systems consist of two diesel engines and two gas turbine engines, giving it a top speed of 29 knots and a crew of 88 officers and enlisted personnel.

The ship has cruising range of 14,000 miles and has a sea and loiter time of 45 days.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=970800

Abu Sayyaf bandits abduct public school teacher

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From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 11): Abu Sayyaf bandits abduct public school teacher

Government troops are tracking down the whereabouts of a public school teacher who was abducted by Abu Sayyaf bandits in the island province of Sulu, a military official said Saturday.

Col. Cirilito Sobejana Jr., Joint Task Force Sulu commander, identified the victim as Ibrahim Potong, a teacher of Jolo National High School.

Sobejana said Potong was driving his motorcycle on the way home to Maimbung town when he was waylaid and taken by the bandits on Friday afternoon.
He said troops have been immediately alerted to locate and rescue the teacher.

He said they are coordinating with the victim’s family “to gather more information about Potong”.

With Potong’s abduction, the number of hostages in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf has increased to 32, including 26 foreigners.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=970810

President Duterte convenes national security council's execom

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From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 11): President Duterte convenes national security council's execom

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte convenes the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EC-NSC) on Monday at 5:45 in the afternoon, in Malacanang.

The President will lead the EC-NSC to follow through on the agreements reached during the first meeting of the NSC Council Proper that was held on July 27, as well as the EC-NSC on Dec. 12, 2016. Also to be discussed are matters that have recently emerged as challenges to the nation’s security.
The EC-NSC is a collegial body chaired by the President and composed of select members from the legislative and executive branches of government. The membership includes the Senate President and House Speaker, as well as the Executive Secretary and specific members of the Cabinet.

The EC-NSC is mandated to discuss and review national security issues and concerns, the results of which are considered by the President in executing his duties.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=970890

China denies exploring Benham Rise

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From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 11): China denies exploring Benham Rise

Chinese Embassy on Saturday denied it intentionally sailed to Benham Rise in Eastern part of Luzon off Aurora and Quezon province, saying they simply passed by international sea.

In their website, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said their ships had the right of freedom of navigation in those waters, and its research ships did pass through seas northeast of Luzon Island last year.

"But this is purely carrying out normal freedom of navigation and right of innocent passage, and there were no so-called other activities or operations," he said after their embassy received letter from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). "Comments from individuals in the Philippines on this do not accord with the facts."

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday said Chinese ships were monitored in recent months at locations near the Philippines, with a warship spotted 70 miles off its western coast in the South China Sea and survey ships seen to the north and south of its eastern seaboard.

He said satellite imagery provided by allies had tracked Chinese vessels for three months last year in Benham Rise, a vast area the United Nations has declared to be part of the Philippines' continental shelf.

China could be trying to explore Benham Rise, Philippines' defense chief said, in what could be another source of conflict between the Asian neighbors.

Lorenzana pointed out that satellite photos and incident reports indicate that China had sent a ship to Benham Rise.

“One of the survey ships is also plying the Benham Rise already. Last year, it was monitored for about three months,” Lorenzana was quoted as saying.

He said he had given instructions to the Navy that if the survey ship returns, "accost them and drive them away."

Since assuming presidency last year, President Rodrigo Duterte has sought closer ties with China, choosing to downplay the arbitral ruling on the South China Sea favoring the Philippines in exchange of reinvigorated economic ties.

The country's claim to Benham Rise, a 13-million-hectare area located east of Luzon island believed to be gas-rich, was approved by the United Nations in 2012.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=970881

167 PMA graduates to join AFP as junior officers

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From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 11): 167 PMA graduates to join AFP as junior officers

A total of 167 members of the Philippine Military Academy’s (PMA) Sanggalang ay Lakas at Buhay na Alay sa Kalayaan ng Inang Bayan (PMA-Salaknib) Class of 2017 are set to join the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as junior officers after their graduation rites on Sunday.

Of the 167 -- 104 male and 63 female cadets -- 90 will join the Philippine Army, including 32 female cadets; while 44 will join the Philippine Navy, 18 of whom are females cadets. The remaining 33 cadets will join the Philippine Air Force.

This year’s class valedictorian is Cadet 1st Class (C1C) Rovi Mairel Valino Martinez from Cabanatuan City. Eight of the class' 10 topnotchers are female cadets, including one from Baguio City’s Kankanaey ethnic group, C1C Eda Glis Buansi Marapao, who, along with Martinez, will join the Navy.

Marapao is also the youngest to graduate in her class, which according to academy records, has the most number of female graduates since the PMA began accepting female cadets in 1997.

The oldest graduate, Rinze Marrion de Monteverde Eviota, entered the academy as a member of Class of 2015.

Six other turn-backs from the Class of 2015 and 23 from the Class of 2016 will be part of PMA Salaknib Class of 2017.

Some 21 graduates came from the National Capital Region; 21 from Calabarzon; 20 from Central Luzon; 13 from the Cordillera region; 15 from the Ilocos region; and one from Eastern Visayas.

Sunday’s graduation rites will be held at the Borromeo Field, Fort Del Pilar here. President Rodrigo Duterte will address the graduates. Vice President Leni Robredo and National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana will also attend the event.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=970857

ARMM celebrates Bangsamoro Week of Peace starting Monday

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From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 11): ARMM celebrates Bangsamoro Week of Peace starting Monday

Teaching the new generation about the correct Bangsamoro history and its struggle for self-determination will take center stage as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will celebrate this year's Bangsamoro Week of Peace starting on Monday.

“There is a need for the new generation to appreciate and learn about the struggle of our ancestors,”Amir Mawallil, ARMM’s Office on the Bangsamoro Youth Affairs (OBYA) executive director, told the Philippines News Agency on Saturday.

Mawallil said the efforts to sustain the education on Bangsamoro history was part of the region’s continuing move amid threat of misinformation and historical misinterpretation.

“It is important to ensure that the young generation should know the correct history about the Bangsamoro. We draw our inspirations from our history,” he said.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman will lead the celebration of the Bangsamoro Week of Peace on Monday in Cotabato City, the seat of ARMM government. 

“Our annual week of peace in the region is a time for us to remember the sacrifices and victories we share as Bangsamoros,” Hataman said in a statement on Saturday.

This year’s celebration is anchored on the theme: “Bangsamoro: Revisiting the Past, Continuing the Cause.”

“In a way, (the Bangsamoro Week of Peace) is an act of resistance against constant attempts to erase our people’s struggle from our nation’s history. The Jabidah Massacre which we will commemorate on March 18 is just one of the many facts we share as Bangsamoros, and yet others insist that it is fiction,” Hataman pointed out.

Leaders from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) were invited to share messages of peace, along with representatives from different groups such as the security sector, women, indigenous peoples, and the youth.

A simultaneous Bangsamoro History Forum will be carried out throughout the region, which is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-tawi.

Mawallil said part of the activities was the launching of theatrical play of Palanca awardee Rogelio Braga, entitled: “Ang mga Mananahi.”

The two-hour play will be staged in Cotabato City and Maguindanao province during the Bangsamoro Week of Peace celebration.

“But we will also bring this play to all over the five provinces, even after the week of peace,” Mawallil added.

The play focuses on the wives of the MNLF fighters and its quest for peace in Mindanao. At least 40 percent of the cast are Bangsamoro youth.

“We are involving arts in our platform to educate the new generation of the Bangsamoro history,” Mawallil said.

Mawallil said his office was establishing Bangsamoro Theater Group composed of 100 percent Moro actors and actresses.

He said this was part of its campaign to empower the youth, especially those in conflict-prone areas in ARMM.

The training process, he said, would include culture of peace orientation and learning the Bangsamoro history.

On top of this, the OBYA is also working to bring the Bangsamoro history education on social media -- a current platform, which the youth is actively involved.

“By using all these media platforms, we can effectively capture our targeted audience,” he said.

ARMM has been leading the celebration of the Bangsamoro Week of Peace for years.

The celebration was made to coincide with the key events that triggered the Bangsamoro revolution in the country.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=970868

CPP/NPA-Quezon: Kontra-rebolusyunaryo at Mapanghati ang Local Peace Talks na Ikinakampanya ng SOLCOM

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New People's Army propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines Website (Mar 10): Kontra-rebolusyunaryo at Mapanghati ang Local Peace Talks na Ikinakampanya ng SOLCOM

Ka Cleo del Mundo, Spokesperson
NPA-Quezon (Apolonio Mendoza Command)

10 March 2017

Walang papatol sa localized peace talks sa alinmang bahagi ng organisasyon ng CPP-NPA-NDFP.

Matibay ang pagkakaisa ng CPP-NPA-NDFP mula sa pambansang sentro nito hanggang sa mga larangan at teatro ng digma. Hindi namin kailangan ng hiwa-hiwalay o lokalisadong negosasyon. Sapat ang konsultasyon na ginagawa ng buong rebolusyunaryong kilusan para matiyak na dala-dala ng mga NDFP consultant at negosyador ang agenda ng mamamayan sa peace talks.

Matatandaang noong panahon ni Cory Aquino ay napatunayang ang layunin ng localized peace talks ay para malantad ang mga local NPA units at mga opisyal nito. Iyan na rin ang magpapaliwanag sa sinabi ni Gen. Eduardo Año — the military may hold “localized peace talks” to give NPA fighters a chance to “go back to the mainstream.” At ngayon nga ay siya ring itinatahol ng mga tuta ni Año sa Southern Luzon Command.

Ang “going back to the mainstream” ay pagpapasuko. Mapanlinlang ito at matagal nang naperpek ng AFP ang ganyang pakana. Katunayan, gatasang-baka nila ang ganyang modus. May malaking pondo na nakapailalim sa programang Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) na nakabalangkas sa Oplan Bayanihan, na Oplan Kapayapaan na ngayon.

Sa mga napaulat ay P101.67 milyon ang pondo bilang “ayuda” sa 1,573 “dating rebelde” sa nakaraang dalawang taon.

Ayon mismo sa DILG, layunin ng CLIP ang “reintegrasyon” ng mga dating Pulang mandirigma para maabot ang “permanenteng pagtatapos” ng armadong pakikipaglaban ng NPA. Nagkakahugis ito sa “maramihang pagsurender” ng kadalasa’y mga sibilyan sa mga komunidad na pinalalabas na dating kasapi ng BHB.

Sa maraming kaso sa buong bansa, ginagamit ng mga lokal na upisyal militar ang pondo nito bilang palabigasan, lalupa’t madali lamang mag-imbento ng mga pekeng surenderi mula sa malalayong baryo at bayan. Kung mayroon mang totoong sumurender, hindi rin ibinibigay ng buo ang pinansyal na ayuda kundi ibinubulsa ng mga upisyal na nasa kapangyarihang mag- desisyon kung aaprubahan ang bawat kaso.

Dito sa Quezon, may nakarating sa aming balita nitong Enero na may insidenteng inutang at hindi na binayaran ng isang sundalo ang perang natanggap ng diumano ay mag-asawang rebel returnee.

Ayon sa salaysay ng biktima, buwan ng Setyembre noong 2016 ay kinumbinse silang mag-asawa ng isang sundalo sa kanilang baryo na magreport sa kampo ng 85th IBPA sa Villa Principe sa Gumaca at sabihing sila ay mga NPA o kaya ay suporter. Taga-Macalelon sila.

Pagkagaling nila sa kampo, kinabukasan ay pinapunta naman sila sa tanggapan ng Gubernador sa Kapitolyo at pumirma sa papel na hindi nila naiintindihan ang nilalaman. Marami pa silang kasabay na pumirma.

Pinangakuan ang mag-asawang biktima na makakatanggap ng pera at hiningian sila ng P30,000 ng sundalong nagpapunta sa kanila sa kampo. Hindi na nakatanggi ang mga biktima dahil ang sabi ay utang naman ito at kung hindi rin naman daw sa sundalo ay hindi sila magkakapera.

Kung matatandaan, Setyembre 2016 ang deklarasyon ng Kapitolyo-Solcom-PPO na “conflict manageable at ready for further development” na ang probinsya.

Nagkakamali rin ng pagtingin ang Liga ng mga Punongbayan na magiging epektibo ang localized peace talks. Kung talagang nais nilang maging bahagi ng pagkakamit ng makatarungan at pangmatagalang kapayapaan ay ibigay nila ang nararapat na serbisyong pampubliko sa mamamayan.

Hinahamon ng rebolusyunaryong kilusan sa lalawigan ang mga lokal na opisyal ng reaksyunaryong gubyerno na suportahan ang pagpapatuloy ng nabimbing usapang pangkapayapaan sa pagitan ng NDFP at GRP. Para ipakita ito ay maaring maglabas ang mga Sanggunian mula antas lalawigan hanggang barangay ng mga resolusyon na nagpapahayag ng pagsuporta sa pagpapatuloy ng peace talks at ipasa ito sa OPPAP ng Malacañang.

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statements/20170310-kontra-rebolusyunaryo-at-mapanghati-ang-local-peace-talks-na-ikinakampanya-ng-solcom

CPP/NPA-Southern Mindanao: Bansalan NPA ambush exposes AFP-PNP duplicity, shows justness of people’s war

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New People's Army propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines Website (Mar 10): Bansalan NPA ambush exposes AFP-PNP duplicity, shows justness of people’s war

Rigoberto F. Sanchez, Spokesperson
NPA-Southern Mindanao

Press Release
10 March 2017
The New People’s Army Regional Operations Command in Southern Mindanao commends the successful tactical offensive by a squad of Red fighters belonging to the Mt. Apo Subregional Operations Command during a 15-minute ambush, which seized four firearms and subdued a PNP unit engaged in armed operations in Brgy. Sibayan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur on March 8, 2017.

Humiliated in the face of defeat and supremacy of guerrilla tactics, the enemy desperately attempted to twist the facts of the incident to conceal the bare-faced rottenness of the AFP’s counter-insurgency plan Development Support and Security Plan Oplan Kapayapaan.

The battle report submitted by the Mt. Apo Subregional Operations Command showed the NPA unit’s mastery of terrain, correct reading of the enemy situation and the superb use of guerrilla tactics in a swift tactical offensive directed against a fascist PNP unit that, along with the AFP, had perpetrated and continue to perpetuate the atrocious human rights and international humanitarian law violations in Davao del Sur and North Cotabato provinces.

On March 8, at 2:20 am, the NPA unit carried out an order to exact revolutionary justice against Marlon Lomantas, a former AFP soldier turned active intelligence agent of the 39th IB and a known drug trader and user in Brgy. Sibayan, Bansalan.

An NPA platoon was positioned at the mountainside of Brgy. Sibayan in order to frustrate military and police operations in the area. Another squad took position nearby. The NPA command was in anticipation of police and military operations to be coordinated by the 39th IB. At 6:15 am, heavily armed police personnel aboard two mobile PNP vehicles were dispatched, apparently to reconnoiter and clear the area before deploying its soldiers.

The first police vehicle passed by the NPA ambush position site at 6:35 am. The NPA squad desisted from striking when it saw civilians riding in motorcycles were in close proximity to the moving PNP vehicle. The second police vehicle passed by subsequently. At 7:10 am, the NPA squad, positioned eight meters from the road, proceeded to ambush the passing mobile vehicle. After the initial five-second volley of gunshots, the NPA commander called for the enemy troops to surrender and lay down their arms.

The PNP personnel, however, retaliated with numerous return of fire. A wounded police officer jumped off from the vehicle. It took ten minutes of an exchange of fire before the NPA squad succeeded in subduing the PNP unit before cautiously approaching the PNP mobile
vehicle to seize two M16 rifles and two 9mm glock pistols. At 7:25 am, the NPA 14-man squad safely withdrew from the ambush site.

Shamefaced by the aftermath of the successful NPA ambush against its troops, the PNP hierarchy peddled the dubious line and outrageously melodramatic declaration that the PNP unit was a “non-tactical police team” overwhelmed by a superfluous NPA force which seized all six of its total firearms. It is a vain attempt to cover-up the fact that an armed PNP unit on offensive operation was effectively neutralized by a 14-man NPA unit. Seizing the initiative as a matter of principle of guerrilla warfare, the NPA unit was able to induce the enemy into a well-laid ambush and attack the enemy’s weak force by the NPA’s relative superior force. In subduing the PNP unit, the NPA aims to win a battle of quick decision by demobilizing its moving targets and
wiping out the enemy swiftly.

In the wake of the Bansalan ambush, the Army’s 73rd IB, PNP Regional Public Safety Battalion, PNP Special Action Force and the 39th IB are now again scouring the countryside. Along with the PNP, these are the same forces that have no qualms whatsoever about their daily bloodbath, victimizing civilians and unarmed suspects alike, under the auspices of Oplan Tokhang and the GRP’s all-out war. The PNP troops in Bansalan are in the thick of the GRP’s counterinsurgency campaign, actively surveilling revolutionary organizations and personalities, harassing unarmed Lumad and peasants and contributing greatly in intelligence to target Red fighters and NPA units.

Mandated to defend the masses as its true army and in strict adherence to the tenets and protocols of war, the NPA will continue to exact revolutionary justice and wage tactical offensives anywhere and anytime in the countryside and areas under the People’s Democratic Government. Tempered in the long running guerrilla warfare in the country, the Red fighters will continue to deliver heavy blows against the enemy, seize arms to increase the number of its full-fighting units and advance the level of people’s war.

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statements/20170310-bansalan-npa-ambush-exposes-afp-pnp-duplicity-shows-justness-of-peoples-war

CPP/NPA-North Eastern Mindanao: Mga Tropa sa 30th IBPA desperadong nag-unay, usa patay ug usa samaron

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New People's Army propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines Website (Mar 10): Mga Tropa sa 30th IBPA desperadong nag-unay, usa patay ug usa samaron

Ka Ariel Montero, Spokesperson
NPA-Northeastern Mindanao
10 March 2017

Dakung bakak ang gipamahayag ni Lt. Col. Amaro, CO sa 30th IB PA, nga adunay nahitabong enkwentro tali sa iyang mga tropa ug sa BHB-Front 16 didto sa Budlingin, Alegria, Surigao del Norte niadtong Marso 8, 2017 sa alas 8:30 sa gabii. Walay bisan usa ka pwersa sa BHB sa maong lugar niining panahona. Ang binuthanay naggikan lang sa iyang mga tropa. Sa ato pa, tataw nga desperadong nagka-unay ang mga nag-COPD nga tropa sa 30th IB atol sa ilang pagpatrolya niining gabhiona nga miresulta sa pagkapatay ni Pfc. Jhon Francis Rivera ug pagkasamad ni Pfc. Windyl Daayata.

Daw nalisang sa ilang kaugalingong anino ang mga tropa sa 30th IBPA sa mga nanggawas nga istorya-istorya nga sulungon sa BHB ang ilang kampo nga anaa sa Multi-Purpose Barangay Hall sa Budlingin. Nagpatrolya gilayon sa palibot ang kaaway apan 20 metros pa lang gikan sa ilang gikampohan nagkabinuthanay na. Ang maong panghitabo nagpakita nga pakyas ang ilang civil military operation pinaagi sa COPD/PDOP sa maong baryo kay dili man sila kampante sa ilang kaugalingon. Ang mga pang-abuso ug paglapas sa tawhanong katungod nga ilang hinimoan ngadto sa mga lumulupyo misumbalik ra usab kanila.

Tungod kay tulubagon ni Lt. Col. Amaro ang maong kapalpakan, naggamagama dayon kini og mga bakak aron tabunan ang iyang kaulawon. Sagad na kining ginahimo niya ug sa AFP aron dauton ang BHB ug ang tibuok rebolusyonaryong kalihukan. Gani nagsabwag pa sila karon og mga sinulat nga mga bakak didto sa mga kabaryohan sa Malimono, Surigao del Norte nga nagdaut sa mga rebolusyonaryo. Kabahin kini sa ilang saywar ug desperadong lakang aron pugngan ang padayong pag-asdang sa rebolusyonaryong kalihukan sa Surigao del Norte, sa rehiyon ug sa tibuok Pilipinas.

Mao nga, dili kayang pugngan sa kaaway ang pag-asdang sa pakigbisog sa katawhan alang sa ilang katungod ug interes, samtang magapadayong magtunhay ang mapahimuslanon ug madaugdaugon sistema sa Pilipinas nga nagdulot sa halapad nga kapobrehon ug pag-antos sa katawhang Pilipino. Bugtong ang linya lamang sa nasudnon demokratikong rebolusyon pinaagi sa gubat sa katawhan ang maghatag og katumanan sa nasudnon ug katilingbanong kagawasan gikan sa pagdomina sa imperyalismo, pyudalismo ug burukrata kapitalismo. Apan sa pikas bahin gihatagan og luna ang panaghisgot pangkalinaw aron ugkaton ang gamot hinungdan sa gubat sibil sa Pilipinas ug makamugna og kasabutan alang sa kaayuhan sa katawhan.

Busa, walay hunong nga ipanghingusog sa katawhan ang pakigbisog alang sa ilang makihut-ong nga pangayo sama sa tinuod nga reporma sa yuta, taas nga suhulan, kaseguruhan sa panginabuhian, libre ug maayong katilingbanong serbisyo ug uban pa. Padayong ibutyag ang mga bakak, pagpanglingla ug kabangis sa AFP/PNP ug sa reaksyonaryong rehimen ngadto kanila.

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statements/20170310-mga-tropa-sa-30th-ibpa-desperadong-nag-unay-usa-patay-ug-usa-samaron

CPP/NPA-Palawan: Hinggil sa Pamamarusa sa San Andres

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New People's Army propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines Website (Mar 9): Hinggil sa Pamamarusa sa San Andres

Salvador Luminoso
Spokesperson
NPA-Palawan (Bienvenido Vallever Command)

9 March 2017

Inilunsad ng mga kagawad ng Bagong Hukbong Bayan sa ilalim ng Bienvenido Vallever Command ang pamamarusa sa kompanyang San Andres na nagsasagawa ng malawakang pagpapatanim ng Palm Oil sa lalawigan ng Palawan. Ganap na ika-1:00 humigit kumulang ng madaling araw ng sunugin ng BHB ang tatlong heavy equipment ng naturang kompanya na kinabibilangan ng isang backhoe, isang bulldozer at isang dumptruck.

Ang pamamarusa ay isinagawa bilang tugon sa mahigpit na kahilingan ng mga naging biktima ng kompanyang ito. Ang San Andres na katuwang ng Agumil ay nagtatago bilang isang huwad na kooperatibang Calasagen Cooperative upang magmukhang kaakit-akit sa mga magsasaka at katutubo na sumali sa kooperatiba na sa kalaunan ay matutuklasan nilang isa palang manlilinlang na kompanyang pag-aari ng malaking dayuhang kapitalista .

Ang mga kasong nakahabla sa hukumang bayan laban sa San Andres ay kinabibilangan ng mga sumusunod:

1. di maayos na kundisyon sa trabaho ng mga manggagawang bukid
2. panloloko sa sahod, laging may isang buwang hindi binabayaran bukod pa sa mababang pasahod
3. Panlilinlang gamit ang kooperatiba at pangangamkam ng lupain ng mga magsasaka ang maging ang mga lupang ninuno ng mga katutubong PalawÕan
4. Hindi pagbabayad sa binibiling lupa na nakuha dahil sa matamis na pangako
5. Paninira ng Kalikasan(paghuhukay, pagbubuldos)

Ang mga nabanggit na dahilan ay sapat na basehan upang iatas ng hukumang bayan sa Bienvenido Vallever Command ang disisyong pamamarusa na kagyat namang ipinatupad ng BVC matapos na matanggap ang atas.

Ipinapaabot ng BVC sa malawak na masa ng sambayanang Palawe–o ang mahigpit na pasasalamat sa ibinigay nilang pagtitiwala sa kanilang tunay na Hukbo, ang hukbo ng sambayanan na walang iba kundi ang Bagong Hukbong Bayan o New PeolpleÕs Army na nasa pamumuno ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas(PKP). Umasa kayo na hindi namin bibiguin ang inyong mga kahilingan, kahilingang ipagtanggol ang inyong mga karapatan laloÕt sa usapin ng pag-aari sa lupang inyong pinagyayaman at pinagkukunan ng kabuhayan.

Mabuhay ang mamamayang Palawe–o!

 Mabuhay ang CPP/NPA/NDF!

 Mabuhay ang sambayanang Pilipino!

 Mabuhay ang Rebolusyon!

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statements/20170309-hinggil-sa-pamamarusa-sa-san-andres

NDF/NPA-ROC: Desperate 30th IBPA troops fired upon each other, killing one and wounding another

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New People's Army propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Mar 10): Desperate 30th IBPA troops fired upon each other, killing one and wounding another  

Statement
March 10, 2017

30th IBPA CO Lt. Col. Amaro’s statement that an encounter ensued between his troops and the NPA-Front 16 in Budlingin, Alegria, Surigao del Norte last March 8, 2017 at around 8:30 in the evening, is a big lie. Not one among the NPA forces were in the area during that time. The gunfire came from his own troops. It is obvious that the 30th IB troops implementing COPD fired upon each other during their patrol on that night which resulted in the killing of Pfc. Jhon Francis Rivera and the wounding of Pfc. Windyl Daayata.

The 30th IBPA troops were afraid of their own shadows after they heard that the NPA will attack their camp in the Multi-Purpose Barangay Hall in Budlingin. The enemy immediately patrolled the area but they began firing a mere 20 meters away from where they were encamped. The incident shows the failure of their civil military operations through COPD/PDOP in the said barrio as they do not feel safe. Their abuses and violations of human rights committed against the residents is backfiring.

Because Lt. Col. Amaro is responsible for the blunder, he then made up lies to hide his shame. This has been his and the AFP’s fabrication to smear the NPA and the entire revolutionary movement. In fact, they have been spreading written lies in the barrios of Malimono, Surigao del Norte to tarnish the revolutionaries. This is part of their psywar and desperate attempts to repress the continuing advance of the revolutionary movement in Surigao del Norte, in the region and the entire Philippines.

The enemy cannot defeat the advance of the people’s struggle for their rights and interests as long as the exploitative and oppressive system which brought about widespread poverty and suffering for the Filipino people exist in the Philippines. Only the national democratic revolution line of people’s war will bring about the achievement of national and social liberty from the domination of imperialism, feudalism and burucrat capitalism. On the other hand, we give peace talks a chance to expose the root causes of the civil war in the Philippines and creat an agreement for the good of the people.

Therefore, the people will continue to struggle for their class demands such as genuine land reform, higher wages, secure livelihood, free and effective social services and others. Continue to expose the lies, deceit and brutality of the AFP/PNP and the reactionary regime committed against them.

(signed)
Ka Ariel Montero
Spokesperson
Regional Operational Command

https://www.ndfp.org/desperate-30th-ibpa-troops-fired-upon-killing-one-wounding-another/

NDF: Comments by Fidel V. Agcaoili, Chairperson of NDFP Panel on certain news items

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Posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Mar 9): Comments by Fidel V. Agcaoili, Chairperson of NDFP Panel on certain news items  

Both sides agreed to hold secret backchannel talks as early as the first week of February. For some reason, these have been delayed till now. In this regard, we have kept our end of the bargain not to reveal the plans or issue any statement that would upset these.

The objective of the backchannel is to bring about the continuation of the talks in order to hold the scheduled fourth round in April to discuss important matters, including JASIG, CASER and CAPCR. The release of the POWs has been approved in a statement by the revolutionary leadership on 27 February. Discussions have been going on since between third party peace facilitators and the GRP Panel.

The POWs should have been released as early as 2 March but arrangements on their safe and orderly release, as well as those of the third party peace facilitators, local government officials, ICRC representatives and the custodial forces, have still to be worked out.

On the Bansalan incident, we still have to confirm if this was done by the NPA command in the area. There are peace spoilers around. And people should not forget that there is no ceasefire in place at the moment, and that AFP and PNP troops have been going into villages and violating people’s rights in their combat and intelligence operations, including murderous Tokhang operations.

Also, the NPA recently suffered casualties of four dead in a raid by the military’s 2nd Jungle Fighter Company on 7 March in San Andres, Quezon province, as well as in other places.

https://www.ndfp.org/comments-fidel-v-agcaoili-chairperson-ndfp-panel-certain-news-items/

Sayyaf takes Sulu teacher as AFP readies jungle base

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From The Standard (Mar 12): Sayyaf takes Sulu teacher as AFP readies jungle base

SECURITY forces are tracking down the whereabouts of a public school teacher who was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf bandits in Sulu on Friday, a military official said Saturday.

Col. Cirilito Sobejana Jr., Joint Task Force Sulu commander, said Jolo National High School teacher Ibrahim Potong, was driving his motorcycle on the way home to Maimbung town when he was waylaid and taken by the bandits on Friday afternoon.

He said troops have been immediately alerted to locate and rescue the teacher and they are coordinating with the victim’s family “to gather more information about Potong.”

With Potong’s abduction, the number of hostages in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf has increased to 32, including 26 foreigners.

Meanwhile, the Defense department underscored the need to put up a permanent jungle base in the hinterlands of Jolo and Basilan to decimate the Abu Sayyaf and deny space for its future operations.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana conceived of deploying a full division of troops in Jolo to respond to civilian concerns over the threat of the ASG.

“We will also station a permanent commander there in Jolo. Maybe we will transfer one division there in Jolo,” Lorenzana said as he predicted the “strategic defeat” of the ASG by June this year.


Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana
Lorenzana’s plan gained support from a security expert, who said the plan will greatly help in defeating the ASG and foiling their resurgence.

“The idea is to occupy the jungle by highly-trained fighters, establish advance command posts and rear command posts in different strategic locations in the mountain ranges of Jolo which would eventually prevent ASG encampment,” the security expert who requested anonymity said.

He said the troops will stay in the mountains permanently supported with adequate food and ammunition supplies.

“The concept is that military is the predator and not only dependent on sighting-operate strategy against the ASG, but more on jungle base command structure designed to deny future existence of the enemy,” the expert explained.

The jungle base theory will have to be supported by the local community and coordinated with maritime authorities.

So far, the ongoing military offensive has scored 23 dead bandits including four close relatives of key Abu Sayyaf commanders while several others were critically wounded in several engagements in Sulu and Basilan.

Meanwhile, the defense secretary said that the Navy will start its joint patrol with Malaysia and Indonesia in the boundary of the country’s southern backdoor in May or April in order to negate kidnappings by the Abu Sayyaf Group.

“We are going to inaugurate that,” he said. “Also, we are going to create a task force in Bongao [Tawi-Tawi] to be headed by a two-star general. We have enough fastboats, some ships and aircraft, and maybe drones. We’re acquiring drones to patrol the area,” Lorenzana added.

http://www.thestandard.com.ph/news/top-stories/231507/sayyaf-takes-sulu-teacher-as-afp-readies-jungle-base.html

Water Wars: Sun and Sand in the South China Sea

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From Lawfare (Mar 10): Water Wars: Sun and Sand in the South China Sea

Progress on a Code of Conduct, as China’s Tourism Plans Move Forward

Paracel Tourism Edit (1 of 1).jpg

Chinese tourists pictured on a cruise to the Paracel Islands last year. (Photo: Liu Zhen via South China Morning Post)

China claimed progress on a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea this week, and the country’s bold plans to turn the Paracels into a tourist haven took steps forward.

In Beijing, Hainan provincial delegates unveiled preliminary plans to begin tourism flights to the Paracels, and a Chinese cruise ship made its maiden journey from Sanya to the island group, carrying 308 Chinese passengers. A remarkable video produced by the South China Morning Post shows passengers, who paid between $500 and $3,000 and passed a “political screening test,” taking in a South China Sea documentary and participating in a Chinese-flag-raising ceremony. Also depicted in the video are the austere conditions of Chinese civilians who are paid to occupy the islands.

The ship’s voyage is a further step toward routinizing civilian access to the islands, where cruise operator Hainan Strait Shipping says tourists “can play beach volleyball, dive, fish and take wedding photos.” China intends to maintain a continued civilian presence on the islands in order to support their legal claims and administrative dominion over the disputed island region.

In a press conference during the Fifth Session of the 12th National People's Congress, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that a China-ASEAN joint working group successfully produced a draft Code of Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea (SCS). While the draft COC has not been made publicly available, senior officials with Chinese government-affiliated research institutes have said that it would call for a halt in the militarization of islands and require all countries to stop installing offensive weapons, but would grant leeway for countries to maintain defensive weapons.

Wang said that tensions in the SCS have significantly abated over recent months due to efforts by the working group members, and added that “if someone should try to make waves and stir trouble, they will have no support but meet the common opposition of the entire region.” He went on to praise Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for “appropriately [handling] the South China Sea issue and actively [improving] relations with China.” Duterte, if not always others in his administration, has struck a conciliatory tone with the Chinese and downplayed the significance of maritime conflict.

Holding the chairmanship of ASEAN this year, the Philippines agreed to fast-track discussions and work towards a COC that garners the unanimous consent of all ASEAN parties. The first China-ASEAN “Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea” was signed in 2002.

In Other News… 

China

Just days after President Donald Trump requested a sharp increase in defense spending, China announced that it would raise its military budget by “about 7 percent,” the smallest increase in nearly a decade. The reduced rate of spending growth reflects the country’s slowing economic performance. Even so, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed an increase in forces dedicated to “offshore locations,” which include islands in the East and South China Seas.

Three Chinese warships returned to port this week after a 25-day voyage during which they performed drills and traversed the South China Sea, East China Sea, and the East Indian Ocean. During this year’s National People’s Congress, retired general Liu Xiaojiang advocated a shift in focus from land to naval forces, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi appeared to take a hard line against U.S. Navy activity in the South China Sea region, saying,“China will never allow the hard-won stability [in the South China Sea] to be disrupted again.”

Finally, China this week unveiled the world’s largest offshore drilling rig, a Chinese-constructed semi-submersible vessel capable of exploring, among other remote locations, the deep waters of the energy-rich South China Sea.
                                              
United States

The Department of Defense released its fiscal year 2016 Freedom of Navigation (FON) Report this week. During that period, the United States conducted FON operations challenging the maritime claims of 22 countries, including China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Among the most commonly challenged practices was a requirement for prior notification of foreign military vessels transiting through a country's territorial seas.

Japan

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighters jets last Thursday after 13 Chinese military aircraft were spotted flying through the Miyako Strait between Japan's southern islands of Okinawa and Miyako. The Japanese Defense Ministry said the Chinese aircraft did not violate Japanese airspace. The aircraft, which included fighters, bombers and early warning aircraft, flew through the Strait in conjunction with a large Chinese naval drill in the East China Sea.

Taiwan

The Taiwanese navy displayed new plans for an “Amphibious Landing Helicopter Dock Ship” at an indigenous shipbuilding exhibition, the first such public presentation since the navy unexpectedly scrapped a previous plan last year. According to the listed specifications, the ship would be able to accommodate at least six large helicopters at the same time, would have a top speed of 30 knots, an actively electronically scanned array radar, and an advanced sonar system, and would be armed with an OTO Melara 76mm gun and an air defense missile system. A helicopter carrier could also potentially provide a platform for vertical take-off and landing warplanes that the Taiwanese military has considered purchasing, including Harriers, V-22 Ospreys, and the new F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter. The plan represents only the navy's vision and remains subject to government approval and funding capacity.

Philippines

Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana, along with other top Philippine government officials, visited the USS Carl Vinson on Saturday, as the aircraft carrier continues its South China Sea patrols.
Separately, in remarks to the media on Thursday, Lorenzana expressed alarm over Chinese vessel activity in Benham Rise, within the Philippines exclusive economic zone and considered part of the country's continental shelf. Lorenzana said that he suspects the Chinese were conducting seabed survey missions in the area, and that he ordered the navy to drive away any Chinese vessels seen in the area in the future. He also alluded to a Chinese plan from last year to start reclamation activities in the Scarborough Shoal, which is within the Philippine EEZ but controlled by the Chinese coast guard. The United States intervened, Lorenzana said, and was able to dissuade the Chinese from crossing what would be a “red line” for both the Philippines and the United States.

Malaysia

A Vietnamese freighter evaded an attack by pirates near the Turtle Islands off the coast of Sabah, reaching Malaysian territorial waters where the vessel was met by forces from Malaysia's Eastern Sabah Security Command and escorted to port. The Turtle Islands are located in the Philippine province of Tawi Tawi, approximately 130 nautical miles west of where a deadly attack on a Vietnamese vessel occurred two weeks ago.

Australia

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, in Jakarta for the Indian Ocean Rim Association summit, clarified that there is no plan to conduct joint military patrols with Indonesia in the South China Sea. Referencing comments Indonesian President Joko Widodo made last month after the two countries agreed to restore military cooperation, Bishop said Widodo was not “talking about joint exercises as such, he was talking about cooperation in maintaining freedom of overflight and freedom of navigation through the South China Sea."

Analysis, Commentary, and Additional Information

The Navy’s FY 2016 FONOP report generated a wide range of responses this week. Ankit Panda commended the Navy’s even-handed approach to challenging territorial claims in the South China Sea, but Joseph Bosco’s take on the report was darker, parsing its language to draw the conclusion that the U.S.’s operations last year actually had the effect of conceding territory to China. In Foreign Policy, Ely Ratner of the Council on Foreign Relations proposed concrete measures the Trump Administration could take to turn it’s tough but capricious rhetoric on China into action, saying, “There’s a right way to get off on the wrong foot with China.”

Forbes contributor Ralph Jennings shed light on how economic dependence on China drives Brunei’s non-confrontational approach to South China Sea disputes. In the Naval War College Review, Lyle Morris of the RAND Corporation discussed the evolving role of coast guards in both contributing to and managing SCS disputes, concluding that to reduce tension and build trust, the the countries of the region should create a multilateral coast guard forum with both information-sharing and operational components. Finally, Patrick Cronin and Seongwon Lee make the case for South Korea to take on a larger role in Southeast Asian security affairs, highlighting its critical interest in protecting the free flow of commerce through the region.
 https://www.lawfareblog.com/water-wars-sun-and-sand-south-china-sea

Sans SOMO, SOPO​: ​P​eace advocates say release of NPA prisoners ‘too risky’

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From the often pro-CPP online publication the Davao Today (Mar 11): Sans SOMO, SOPO​: ​P​eace advocates say release of NPA prisoners ‘too risky’



In this file photo, Senator Manny Pacquiao with church leaders who acted as third party facilitators wait as a member of the New People’s Army prepare the release orders of its two prisoners in August 2016. (Earl O. Condeza/davaotoday.com)
 
Church leaders are calling for the government troops to declare a suspension of military operations for the safe release of two soldiers held captive by the New People’s Army in North Cotabato province.

Bishop Redeemer Yanez, of the Diocese of Koronadal of the Iglesia Filipina Independent said they were engaging the local government units as third party facilitators to call for the safe and immediate release of Sergeant Solaiman Calocop and Private First Class Samuel Garay of the 39th Infantry Battalion. The two were taken as prisoners by the NPAs Mt. Alip Sub-Regional Operations Command.
 
Yanez said last week they handed their letter to the Army. The group called on the NPAs to release the prisoners and for the government troops to suspend military and police operations. But Yanez told Davao Today in a telephone interview that there is no response yet on their letter.

He said they are hopeful that next week, the provincial government of North Cotabato will take up the issue during their session to support the call for the temporary suspension of military.

In a statement on March 1, Ka Efren Aksasato, spokesperson of the NPA in Far South Mindanao, said they are ready to release the prisoners, however, he said this will not happen until the military maintains their presence and operates in the provinces of Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental and South Cotabato.

Yanez said without a SOMO or SOPO, their facilitation for the release of the prisoners of war is “too risky.”
 
“Without it, the two parties might have an armed encounter and for us, as third party facilitators, it will be risky for our security. Even the politicians who want to help out would not agree of the risk without SOMO and SOPO,” he said.

The Sowing the Seeds for Peace met last Tuesday with Governor Emmylou Taliño Mendoza and Vice Governor Shirlyn Macasarte.

Bishop Rody Juan of the United Methodist Church said the government officials pledged to “work parallel with us.”

“Next week, hopefully, by God’s grace, the two prisoners of war will be released,” he said.

Juan also appealed to the NPA not to launch offensive attacks against government troops after four police officers were killed in an ambush in Bansalan town, Davao del Sur allegedly perpetrated by the NPA.

He said the attacks could affect the level of trust and confidence on both sides.

“Nakakaapekto ito ng malaki (on the peace talks), kasi parang nawawalan ng trust (This affects greatly on the peace talks, it could affect trust),” he said.

Duterte on March 3, said he was ready to resume the peace negotiations with the Communists. He said the NPA should release all its prisoners and stop collecting revolutionary tax. The two parties are currently holding backchannel talks in a bid to resume the peace negotiations as scheduled next month.

As its gesture of support for the resumption of talks, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines announced on February 17 that they will release the six prisoners of the NPA in Mindanao.
 

Muslim youth leader, Badjao top PNPA grads

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From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Mar 11): Muslim youth leader, Badjao top PNPA grads

Macdum Enca and Midzfar Omar. Photos from Facebook
Macdum Enca and Midzfar Omar. Photos from Facebook

Cadets from Mindanao dominated this year’s top 10 graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA).
Cadet Macdum Enca, who is leading the 144-member graduating Masidlak class, said his “passion to help” drove him to enter the police academy in Silang town in Cavite province.

In high school, the Cotabato City-raised Enca joined the nongovernmental organization United Voices for Peace Network that helps poor families in conflict areas in Mindanao.

“I kind of developed the sense and passion for helping other people,” said Enca, 22.

The fourth of six siblings, Enca is the first in the family who will join the Philippine National Police (PNP). His father, Yacobnor Enca, 59, is a civil engineer while his mother, Zainab, 60, is a public elementary school teacher.

Enca took up electronics and communications engineering at the University of Southeastern Philippines as a scholar of the Department of Science and Technology, but dropped out after a year when he learned that he passed the PNPA entrance exam in 2012.

Before joining the academy, he also became part of a one-year student exchange program of the nonprofit American Field Services Intercultural Programs in St. Louis, Missouri.

There, he said, he was able to observe foreign culture and in turn, introduce the culture of Filipino Muslims.

“Being a Muslim should never be a hindrance to our desire to help. Whether a Christian or a Muslim, it doesn’t matter to the Almighty,” he said.

Cadet Midzfar Omar, 21, the second top ranking cadet, is joining the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

As a child, he remembered their house by the shore in Tawi-Tawi, like those of other Badjaos known for their sea dwellings.

“When things got a little better, we eventually built a house on land,” Omar said.

His father Mohammad Nuhil, 54, works as a cashier at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, while his mother Suaida, 46, is a housewife. He is fourth of eight children.

After graduating at the Mindanao State University Science High School, Omar said he wanted to take up medicine but he knew his family could not afford it.

He grabbed the opportunity for free college education when he qualified to the police academy.

Omar said he was driven to get a degree and was thankful to his parents for supporting him.

“Only through education that Badjaos can show that we are not inferior; that we, too, can excel,” he said.

Other top graduates are: Janace Elcid Pascua Layug (Tondo, Manila), third; Juan Paulo Alday Porciuncula (Sta. Maria, Bulacan), fourth; Harley Glenn Bacarro Galpo (Cagayan de Oro City), fifth; Sailani Bacarat Armama (Cagayan de Oro City), sixth; Michael Salendab Daunotan (Sultan Kudarat), seventh; Ian Rey Canen Diolanto (Polomolok, South Cotabato), eighth; Michael John Suniega Sentinta (Isulan, Sultan Kudarat), ninth; and Maysy Villaflor Cataquiz (Quezon), tenth.

 http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/879668/muslim-youth-leader-badjao-top-pnpa-grads

3 Mindanawon women among Top 10 PMA graduates

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From MindaNews (Mar 11): 3 Mindanawon women among Top 10 PMA graduates

Three Mindanawon women from Butuan City, Compostela Valley and Zamboanga City are among the Top Ten who will graduate from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) on Sunday.

All three of them are joining the Philippine Air Force while a male cadet from Lanao del Sur, this year’s recipient of the Chief of Staff Saber, will join the Philippine Navy.

President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Baguio City Saturday for Sunday’s graduation ceremonies.
Eight of the Top Ten in PMA’s Class Salaknib are women, led by class valedictorian Cadet First Class Rovi Mairel Valino Martinez of  Cabanatuan City.
Cadet First Class Joyzy Meneias Funchica of Butuan City, number 8. Photo courtesy of the Philippine Information Agency-Cordillera
Cadet First Class Resie Jezreel Arrocena Hucalla of Compostela Valley, number 9. Photo courtesy of Philippine Information Agency-Cordillera

Cadet First Class Catherine Mae Emeterio Gonzales of Zamboanga City , number 10. Photo courtesy of Phiilppine Information Agency-Cordillera

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2017/03/3-mindanawon-women-among-top-10-pma-graduates/
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