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Kalinaw News: Isang NPA Patay sa Engkwentro sa Occidental Mindoro

September 16, 2020, 12:32 pm
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Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 16, 2020): Isang NPA Patay sa Engkwentro sa Occidental Mindoro
BULALACAO, Oriental Mindoro – Patay ang isang babaeng miyembro ng NPA sa isang engkwentro sa pagitan ng nasabing teroristang grupo at tropa ng kasundaluhan at kapulisan sa Sitio Taboy-taboy, Brgy Gapasan, Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro kahapon bandang 6:30 ng umaga ika-14 Setyembre ng taong kasalalukuyan.

Umabot sa limang minuto ang palitan ng putok na nag resulta ng pagkasawi ng isang teroristang NPA na pinaniwalaan na miyembro ng PLTN SERNA, KLG MAV, SRMA 4D. Wala namang nasaktan o nasawi na sibilyan at sa panig ng pamahalaan.


Nakuha sa pinangyarihan ang isang (1) 9mm pistol, tatlong (3) Improvised Explosive devices IEDs ( Anti-Tank, Anti-Personnel Mine, Improvise Hand Grenade), isang (1) rifle grenade, limang (5) Back Packs, isang (1) Roll flat cord, mga publikasyon at mga subersibong dukomento galing sa mga pinaghihinalaan na mga front organizations, ibat-ibang medical paraphernalia’s at mga personal na gamit.

Agad naman nagsagawa ng imbestigasyon sa pinangyarihan ang Magsaysay Police Station sa pangunguna ni PCPT ARIEL S ROLDAN kasama ang SOCO para sa mga legal na hakbangin.

Ayon kay Lt Col Alexander M Arbolado, Commanding Officer ng 4IB, ang mga magsasaka at lokal residente ang nagsuplong sa ating mga awtoridad dahil hindi na umano nila matiis ang mga ginagawang pananakot at paghinge ng butaw sa kanila ng mga teroristang NPA.

Dagdag pa nito “patuloy pa rin ang pursuit operations sa mga nakitang sugatan na teroristang NPA na tumatakas palayo sa pinangyarihan. Sa ngayon patuloy pang inaalam ang pagkakilanlan ng babaeng NPA na nasawi sa nasabing engkwentro. Matatandaan na karamihan sa namatay na mga NPA sa isla ay hindi mga taga Mindoro.

Ang Municipal Task Force ELCAC Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro sa pangunguna ni Hon Cesar M Tria Jr, Mayor at Chairman ng MTF-ELCAC ay patuloy parin nananawagan sa mga nalinlang ng teroristang grupong NPA na magbalik loob na sa pamahalaan. Aniya, handa ang lokal na tanggapan ng Magsaysay at buong lalawigan ng Occidental Mindoro na tulungan kayo para makapag bagong buhay.

Hinikayat din ng 4th Infantry Battalion at ng kapulisan ang mga natitira pang NPA na samantalahin na ang programang Enhanced – Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP). Magbalik-loob na habang hindi pa huli ang lahat at hindi na umabot sa ganitong pangyayari, dahil ang pamahalaan ay handa na tapusin ang teroristang gawain ng CPP-NPA-NDF.

Nanawagan din ang mga lokal na opisyales sa mga sugatan ng engkwentro na bumaba na upang matulungan at mabigyan ng agarang lunas.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/isang-npa-patay-sa-engkwentro-sa-occidental-mindoro/
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Kalinaw News: Buntis at dalawa pang pinabayaan ng kanilang kasamang CPP-NPA, sumuko at kinupkop ng Military

September 16, 2020, 12:35 pm
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Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 16, 2020): Buntis at dalawa pang pinabayaan ng kanilang kasamang CPP-NPA, sumuko at kinupkop ng Military
Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan – Matatandaan na netong ika-14 ng Setyembre ay boluntaryong sumuko sa awtoridad ang tatlong (3) miyembro ng CPP-NPA mula sa Platun 4A4, KLG CESAR, C (STRPC) kung saan isa dito ay walong (8) buwan ng buntis, menor de edad na na recruit at pawang mga Katutubong IP Dumagat.

Maliban sa hirap ng buhay sa kabundukan at pag-iwas sa pinaigting at pinalawak na operasyon ng 48IB, 80IB at 91IB kasama ang kapulisan ng 1st at 2nd Police Mobile Force Company (PMFC) sa kabundukan ng Bulacan, Rizal,Aurora at Nueva Ecija, naging daan din ng kanilang pagsuko lalo na ni alyas Ka Lara ang hindi maayos na pagbibigay suporta ng mga kasama niya sa kilusan sa kanyang pagdadalang tao.
Di umano ay sawa na sila sa mga di natutupad na pangako ng mga CPP-NPA at sa mga maling ideolihiyang kanilang pilit na pinaglalaban.

Ang mga boluntaryong sumuko ay sina alyas Ka FPJ/Bekit- Squad Leader ng Platun 4A4 Komiteng Larangang Gerilya (KLG) CESAR, 32; Ka JM, 31, miyembro ng Platun 4A4, KLG CESAR at alyas Ka Lara/ Renren, 18 miyembro ng Platun 4A4, KLG CESAR.

Sa ngayon ay patuloy na inaaruga ng militar ang mga nagbalik-loob habang inaayos ang mga dokumentong kailangan para sa kanilang mga benepisyong matatanggap bunga ng boluntaryong pagsuko.

Inaasahan naman ni alyas Ka Lara na maayos niyang mailuwal ang nasasinapupunan ngayon na pinili niyang magbagong buhay at magbalik-loob sa pamahalaan.

Ayon kay Brigadier General Andrew D. Costelo, 703rd Brigade Commander, “Laging bukas ang inyong Hukbong Katihan sa sinumang nagnanais na magbalik-loob at magbagong buhay. Katuwang ninyo kami sa pagbabago.”

Sambit ni Lieutenant Colonel Reandrew P. Rubio, Commanding Officer ng 91st IB, “Sila ay ipapasok natin sa Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) na siyang magbibigay sa kanila ng tahanan, trabaho at pagkakakitaan bilang boluntaryong sumuko sa pamahalaan.”

Dagdag ni Lieutenant Colonel Felix Emeterio M. Valdez Commanding Officer ng 48IB ,”Patunay lamang ito na epektibo tayo sa ating mas pinaigting na operasyon laban sa mga CPP-NPA. Hindi pa huli ang lahat upang sumuko at yakapin ang pagbabago para sa kapayapaan at tuloy-tuloy na kaunlaran ng ating bayan.”



[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/buntis-at-dalawa-pang-pinabayaan-ng-kanilang-kasamang-cpp-npa-sumuko-at-kinupkop-ng-military/
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Violence in southern Philippines highlights resilience of militant networks

September 16, 2020, 12:47 pm
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Posted to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)--The Strategist (Sep 16, 2020): Violence in southern Philippines highlights resilience of militant networks (By Georgi Engelbrecht)



On 24 August, two explosions in Jolo, a city in Sulu province in the southern Philippines, killed 15 and injured 74—a chilling case of déjà vu in a region that has suffered repeated attacks in recent years. The incident set alarm bells ringing in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) about the resurgence of violence. The explosions also reheated familiar media tropes of Islamic State’s perseverance amid the coronavirus pandemic and seemingly ceaseless lawlessness. But it’s important to move beyond this narrative to grasp the structural foundations of the turmoil Sulu finds itself in.

While some details remain murky, initial information put forward by authorities suggests that the perpetrators may be linked to Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, a key figure in the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)—a loose collection of small networks in the Sulu archipelago. Sawadjaan’s group was most likely behind the Jolo cathedral bombing in early 2019 and has a history of harbouring foreign fighters. Sawadjaan himself, whom Philippine security forces might have killed in an operation some weeks back, was allegedly proclaimed as the new emir of IS’s East Asia province in 2019.

His group, increasingly backed by another ASG commander, Radullan Sahiron, has also been the most lethal challenge to government forces in Sulu in recent years.Small kinship-based cells rooted in local communities make up the ASG. Some are primarily operating as kidnap-for-ransom outfits, others as militant groups opposing Manila’s authority and military presence in the majority-Muslim area. A few fulfil both roles.

At the BARMM’s fringe, Sulu has been a traditional bastion of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the first ethno-nationalist resistance movement in Muslim Mindanao, founded by Nur Misuari in 1972.

Over the decades, the MNLF splintered several times and entered politics at the provincial and municipal levels. It is currently divided into two factions: Misuari’s wing and forces loyal to Yusoph Jikiri, a rival leader. Both are political–military organisations with hundreds of men still under arms. A majority of local elites who dominate various Sulu towns are ex-MNLF commanders who have been co-opted by the state from the late 1970s onwards, and who themselves control private armies.

Because the ASG was established by disgruntled MNLF commanders, its resilience until now has been fostered by blood ties with MNLF personalities and politicians. This intricate web allows room for cooperation while facing a common enemy, such as the military, and while pursuing economic benefits, such as revenue generated by kidnappings.

Sulu mayors publicly denounce the ASG, but they often lack incentives to counteract its presence because of kinship ties or don’t have the capabilities to do so because of weak governance. This in turn gives ASG commanders such as Sawadjaan ample opportunity to draw on a base of young and deprived individuals for new recruits. The governance vacuum also allows the ASG to promote its ideology unimpeded, even if it’s directed at an external audience.

At the outer edges of the Sulu archipelago, violence has declined in recent years. But the largest island in the chain, Jolo, has remained the centre of gravity for continued conflict.

Since late 2018, Sulu has hosted an infantry division of the Philippine army with over 10 battalions that bear responsibility for a population of around half a million. Yet, despite the heavy military presence, the ASG, after several presidential announcements of operations and deadlines to eliminate it, hasn’t been defeated and continues operating from the mountainous town of Patikul and environs. Moreover, bad blood between the military and police has recently contributed to a schism within the local security apparatus, lowering trust in the national government.

In recent peace processes in the southern Philippines, Sulu was more of a bystander than a key participant. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), an MNLF splinter that emerged as the main guerrilla force in Bangsamoro after the MNLF entered politics, signed a peace deal with Manila in 2014. That process culminated in the creation of the BARMM in 2019.

The MILF has been leading the Bangsamoro Transition Authority since March 2019 but has only a miniscule presence in Sulu and limited soft power to shape governance. Sulu’s governor, Abdusakur Tan, the province’s kingpin who controls most local elites, initially opposed the province joining the BARMM but has since adapted to the new situation.

Still, a year and a half into the transition, the cooperation could be smoother. Historic competition for political dominance of Muslim Mindanao between Maguindanaons (those hailing from Maguindanao province who lead MILF and dominate the Bangsamoro Transition Authority) and Tausug (who hold sway in Sulu and command the MNLF) still lingers.

Moreover, various political dynasties that control Sulu’s municipalities are deeply entrenched, and it will take time for the transition authority to navigate the tensions between instituting necessary governance reforms and accommodating Tan’s leadership.

The Philippine army initially proposed imposing martial law in response to the bombings, but locals in Jolo—traditionally wary of the military—were sceptical about that option and army chiefs withdrew the proposal. Governor Tan also rejected martial law, yet he didn’t offer concrete proposals of his own for how to prevent further violence.

Sulu is facing one of two likely scenarios in the aftermath of the bombing: a more intensified campaign by government forces against militants, or a business-as-usual, short-term security response without strategic vision. Either response, however, will need to supplement possible military or police action with measures outside the security toolbox, such as working with local governments and creating economic opportunities.

A comprehensive approach to tackling the complex nature of militancy in Sulu would require patching up strained police–military relations as well as complementary efforts in intelligence sharing between the two services. The Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia should also foster stronger cooperation to tackle cross-border flows of militants that feed into the ASG’s networks and to prevent its maritime renaissance.

Security institutions would need to distinguish between the objective of merely dismantling insurgent cells and the broader goal of curbing the power of clan-based networks that fuel the resilience of the ASG. Stronger political engagement by Manila with both MNLF factions could help enlist their support in that task. In addition, leaders in Sulu and the BARMM should increase their cooperation.

Sulu could also learn from the experience in neighbouring Basilan, where provincial elites and government security forces changed the status quo over the years by building a broad coalition against the ASG network. For now, it is unclear whether the fresh violence in Jolo will drive change in a similar direction.

[Georgi Engelbrecht is a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, based in Manila. Before that he worked for several years in Mindanao. Image: Nickee Butlangan/AFP/Getty Images.]

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/violence-in-southern-philippines-highlights-resilience-of-militant-networks/
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WSWS publishes Chinese translation of Dr. Joseph Scalice’s lecture exposing the betrayals of the Communist Party of the Philippines

September 16, 2020, 12:50 pm
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Posted to the World Socialist Web Site (Sep 15, 2020): WSWS publishes Chinese translation of Dr. Joseph Scalice’s lecture exposing the betrayals of the Communist Party of the Philippines (By Tom Peters)

The World Socialist Web Site yesterday published a Chinese translation of Professor Joseph Scalice’s important lecture, “First as Tragedy, Second as Farce: Marcos, Duterte and the Communist Parties of the Philippines.” The original English text and video of the lecture, delivered on August 26 at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, are available here. Translations into other languages will be published in coming days.

The lecture is a devastating exposure of the reactionary Stalinist politics of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its founder Jose Maria Sison. Dr. Scalice documents the party’s support for the fascistic Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential campaign in 2016, and the role played by the CPP and the rival Stalinist PKP in supporting bourgeois leaders throughout the 20th century, including Ferdinand Marcos who imposed martial law in 1972.

Dr. Scalice explains that the CPP’s repeated betrayals of the Filipino workers and rural masses were not simply the product of treacherous leaders, but were rooted in the Maoist variant of Stalinism adopted by the party leadership. Based on the anti-Marxist theories of “socialism in one country” and a two-stage revolution, Sison has insisted for more than 50 years that socialist revolution is off the agenda in the Philippines. Instead, the CPP calls on Filipino workers and youth to support the so-called progressive wing of the national bourgeoisie to carry out a democratic revolution, with the explicit aim of developing capitalism in the Philippines.

The exposure of Maoism, from the standpoint of genuine socialism, has profound international significance, including for workers and young people in China, where its legacy needs to be overcome. Readers will gain a greater understanding of the reactionary role of Maoism in the defeats and betrayals of the working class in Asia and internationally throughout the twentieth century.

The roots of Sison’s perspective stem from the crushing of the 1925–27 Revolution in China at the hands of Stalin who subordinated the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to the bourgeois nationalist Kuomintang (KMT), justifying this as the expression of the “bloc of four classes”—the peasantry, working class, petty bourgeoisie and national bourgeoisie—against imperialism and the comprador capitalists. As Trotsky warned at the time, as revolutionary struggles sharpened, the bourgeoisie would inevitably drop its anti-imperialist pretensions and attack the working class. The result was a series of devastating defeats for the CCP and the working class. But Sison, following Stalin, still holds to the bloc of four classes.


Mao and Imelda Marcos

The 1949 Chinese Revolution involved a huge upsurge of the masses after decades of war, brutal rule at the hands of Japanese imperialism and the KMT and immense poverty and want. However, it was deformed at the outset due to the domination of Mao’s nationalist bureaucracy, the rejection of internationalism and the dictatorial suppression of the Chinese working class. In little more than two decades, Mao had begun preparations for capitalist restoration by establishing relations with US imperialism and its allies, including the Marcos regime in the Philippines (see also: “70 years after the Chinese Revolution: How the struggle for socialism was betrayed”).


Jose Maria Sison hails Imelda Marcos's meeting with Mao Zedong as a diplomatic victory, 20 October 1974

Today, Chinese workers and youth confront the consequences of these betrayals. China is integrated into the global capitalist system, with a vast working class that is ruthlessly exploited by multinational corporations. The Stalinist bureaucracy has liquidated the social gains of the revolution and transformed itself into a new super-rich bourgeois layer.

Workers will once again be driven into revolutionary struggle, not only by the unprecedented levels of social inequality, but also the imminent threat of war, as US imperialism seeks to assert its dominance over China and the rest of Asia. In this context, the historical facts and questions of political perspective examined by Dr. Scalice have a burning contemporary relevance.

Crucially, Dr. Scalice points to the revolutionary alternative to Stalinism: the perspective which guided the Russian Revolution in October 1917 and was elaborated in Leon Trotsky’s Theory of Permanent Revolution. Trotsky explained that in countries of belated capitalist development, such as Russia, China and the Philippines, there could be no alliance with any section of the national bourgeoisie, which was universally hostile to the aspirations of workers and peasants. The basic democratic tasks could only be accomplished in a socialist revolution, led by the working class and supported by the peasantry, as part of the fight for world socialism. This political program is upheld today only by the International Committee of the Fourth International, which publishes the WSWS.

Dr. Scalice’s lecture has been viewed thousands of times and attracted strong appreciation and support from young people and workers in the Philippines and throughout the world who are looking for a genuine socialist solution to the intensifying crisis of capitalism—which has produced record levels of social inequality, the criminally negligent response to the pandemic, and the imminent dangers of dictatorship and war.

The lecture also triggered an enraged response from Sison, who has repeatedly lashed out at Dr. Scalice with threats and slanders, including libelous claims that he is collaborating with the Duterte regime and US imperialism.

The WSWS has responded to Sison’s statements, including his regurgitation of Stalinist lies about Trotskyism. We have also published statements in support of Dr. Scalice. We urge our readers to circulate his lecture widely and to send us letters defending Dr. Scalice’s academic freedom and free speech.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/09/15/chin-s15.html
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Group urges Duterte to pardon ‘deserving’ Filipino inmates

September 16, 2020, 12:56 pm
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From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 16, 2020): Group urges Duterte to pardon ‘deserving’ Filipino inmates (By: Dexter Cabalza)

After the deportation of US Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott who was granted an absolute pardon, a prisoners’ rights group and a bishop have urged President Rodrigo Duterte to extend the same clemency to more deserving Filipinos languishing in congested jails.

“[We press] for equity and fairness. It may be too late to reverse Pemberton’s pardon now that he has already flown the coop. But it’s never too late to extend pardon to thousands more prisoners who in fact have long filed for pardon and are far more deserving,” Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim told the Inquirer.

She pointed out that if Pemberton — who was kept in solitary confinement in an air-conditioned facility — was easily pardoned by the President, there was no reason not to order the humanitarian release of elderly and sickly inmates.

“[If the President will grant clemency to our relatives], we will welcome it,” said Lim, whose husband, National Democratic Front of the Philippines consultant Vicente Ladlad, had been in jail since November 2019 on a charge of illegal possession of firearms. His camp, however, claimed the guns and ammunition were planted by the police.

Kapatid also urged the government to release 635 political prisoners, some of them imprisoned for 20 to 30 years on trumped-up charges.

During his homily at the Kambal na Krus chapel in Tondo, Manila on Sunday, Archdiocese of Manila Apostolic Administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo asked the President to use his “prerogative to forgive [and] give hope to those who have erred.”

“If there really is such a virtue as forgiveness in the government, why not exercise this for so many who are languishing in jails? As we see, the issue of forgiveness is not just about our relationship with God, but society as well,” Pabillo said.

Pemberton was convicted for killing Filipino transgender Jennifer Laude in 2014 and received a 10-year sentence. In defending his decision, Mr. Duterte claimed Pemberton was treated unfairly.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1335836/rody-urged-to-pardon-deserving-filipino-inmates
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Rescued minors claim sexual abuse in hands of NPA rebels

September 16, 2020, 1:03 pm
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From the Manila Bulletin (Sep 16, 2020): Rescued minors claim sexual abuse in hands of NPA rebels (By Marie Tonette Marticio)

The two minors who were rescued in a clash between troops of the 93rd Infantry Battalion (93rd IB) and alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Kananga, Leyte recently, claimed that women, including minors, were being sexually abused and forced to take oral contraceptives by the Communist rebels.

Seized during the 10-minute firefight in Barangay Rizal of the town were oral contraceptives, together with a caliber-.45 pistol and ammunition reportedly owned by a terrorist leader identified as Juanito Selleza, alias Tibor, Larry, and Jay, cellphones, ID cards, and various subversive documents.

The two minors were turned over to the Municipal Social Welfare Development Office (MSWDO) of Kananga.

The army said that anti-pregnancy pills were also recovered in an encounter by the 20th Infantry Battalion (20th IB) a few months ago in Northern Samar.

Brigadier General Zosimo Oliveros, commander of 802nd Infantry Brigade, condemned the NPA for their abuse, and utter disregard of the rights of women and children.

“This act by the NPA of abusing women including minors is monstrosity at its worst! We hold the NPA and their coddlers accountable against such crimes against the people. Our soldiers will continue to conduct security measures to protect communities from such criminals and we thank the local residents for making sure their own locality is safe from such threats to peace,” Oliveros said.

The army added that the armed men took children and used them as human shields in the middle of the clash. Soldiers were not able to fire their weapons, especially when Sellesa took a child with him in his bid to make good his escape.

Lt. Col. Roberto Beatisula, commanding officer of the 93rd IB, also condemned the “cowardly act of the terrorists in using civilians especially children as a human shield.”

“These NPA terrorists are cowards. To use civilians especially children as a human shield is inhumane, and is a clear violation of human rights. Our troops will do everything necessary to make these NPA terrorists face the bar of justice and pay for their crimes against humanity,” Beatisula said.


The clash stemmed from complaints made to the military by some local residents last Sunday, September 13, about the presence of armed men who were conducting illegal activities together with some minors.

A firefight broke out when government troops encountered about 10 armed rebels that led to the death of Corporal Nicxon Tomenio, and resulted in the arrest of two NPA members.

The members of the group were reportedly the remnants of the same NPA group responsible for the Inopacan Massacre in the 1980s.

https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/16/rescued-minors-claim-sexual-abuse-in-hands-of-npa-rebels/
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NPA leader in Bohol surrenders

September 16, 2020, 2:04 pm
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From the Manila Bulletin (Sep 16, 2020): NPA leader in Bohol surrenders (By Calvin Cordova)

A ranking official of the New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered in Bohol province.

Joseph Gulle Galagar, also known as Rakam and Joshua, surrendered to the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) last September 2.

Galagar also turned over subversive documents, two .38 revolvers and two motorized bancas.
According to the Police Regional Office Central Visayas (PRO 7), Galagar used to be the leader of Squad 2 under the Sandatahang Yunit Propaganda of the Bohol Party Committee.

The PRO 7 added that Galagan was the chairperson of the Cogtong Fisherman Association, an affiliated people’s organization of Anakpawis and Hugpong Maguumang Bol-anon-Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.

One of Galagar’s roles was to transport NPA’s cadre, weapons, supplies and other logistics in Bohol, Ceby and Negros Oriental.

PRO 7 Director Police Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, presented Galagar to the media in a press briefing on Monday at the BPPO Multi-Purpose Hall in Camp Francisco Dagohoy, Tagbilaran City.

Ferro said Galagar’s surrender was a major setback on the part of the NPA.

“This development will allow former rebels to rebuild their lives with their respective families. The government as well as the Philippine National Police are sincere in helping them who courageously abandoned the senseless and bloody armed struggle,” said Ferro.

https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/16/npa-leader-in-bohol-surrenders/
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CA confirms nomination of AFP’s intel service head

September 16, 2020, 2:13 pm
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From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 16, 2020): CA confirms nomination of AFP’s intel service head (By: Christia Marie Ramos)

The powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of President Rodrigo Duerte’s appointed military intelligence service head.

Before the CA’s plenary session, the body’s Committee on National Defense deliberated on and recommended the nomination of Brig. Gen. Jose Eriel Niembra to the rank of Major General.

Duterte appointed Niembra as the new chief of the Intelligence Service of Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) in July this year.

Niembra served as PSG commander from May 2018 to February 2020.

He was then assigned as Brigade Commander of the 701st Infantry Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, Philippine Army stationed in Mati, Davao Oriental.

The CA also confirmed the ad interim appointments of the following AFP officers:

Ulpiano Olarte to the rank of Colonel, Philippine Army
Elpidio Natividad Jr. to the rank of Captain, Philippine Navy
Gem Eulogio Escobido to the rank of Colonel, Philippine Navy-Marines
Angelo Gerald Ariles to the rank of Colonel, Philippine Navy-Marines
Rey Leo Pambid to the rank of Captain, Philippine Navy
Sherwin Respeto to the rank of Captain, Philippine Navy
John Barrameda to the rank of Captain, Philippine Navy
Oliver Reforba to the rank of Captain, Philippine Navy
Ma. Dolores Lim to the rank of Colonel, Nurse Corps
Pura Lyn Epres to the rank of Colonel, Medical Corps
Noel Baluyan to the rank of Brigadier General
Audrey Pasia to the rank of Brigadier General
Nolasco Mempin to the rank of Brigadier General
Alex Rillera to the rank of Brigadier General

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1335925/ca-confirms-nomination-of-afps-intel-service-head
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CPP:The fight to end US military intervention continues 30 years after MBA abrogation

September 16, 2020, 6:02 pm
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Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 16, 2020): The fight to end US military intervention continues 30 years after MBA abrogation

COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES
SEPTEMBER 16, 2020



Close to 30 years ago today, the Filipino people notched a historic victory when the Philippine Senate voted to reject the extension of the Military Bases Agreement of 1947. The vote came at the heels of months of mass protest actions demanding the dismantling of military bases leading to a massive demonstration that day.

Under the MBA, the United States established and operated several military bases in the Philippines. The vote to reject its extension paved the way for the dismantling of American military bases including the Subic Naval Base, Clark Air Base, Camp John Hay, Sangley Point which straddled across 65,000 hectares of Philippine land.

For close to five decades, US military bases served as one of the starkest symbols of US semicolonial rule in the Philippines. These hosted several thousand American soldiers, US military warships, fighter jets and other military hardware for its overseas wars of aggression and occupation. Nuclear weapons were mounted in secret silos in Subic.

The overbearing presence of US military forces in the country served to constantly put the Philippine government under its control, command and direction. US military bases served as facilities to conduct indoctrination and trainings of Philippine military forces in line with US imperialist interests. Officials of the AFP and police were recruited as US agents.

These military bases were used by the US to mount their wars of aggression in Korea and Vietnam through the 1950s and 1970s, as well as in Iran, Afghanistan and other countries in the Middle East through the 1980s.

While the non-renewal of the MBA ended US military bases in the country, it did not end US military presence and intervention. Over the next three decades, agreements and arrangements between the Philippine and US governments allowed the US to continue using the country as a stronghold of US hegemonism. The fight to end US military intervention in the Philippines continues.

US military intervention in the Philippines continue to heighten through the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951 and other more recent military agreements including the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). All these agreements allow the US to maintain and strengthen its foothold in the country. These give the US military extraordinary rights and access to Philippine sea, aerial and terrestrial territory.

Under the EDCA, the US has been allowed to set up at least five military facilities within military camps of the AFP. The planned military base of the AFP in Fuga Island in the country’s northern tip can well serve as another naval outpost for US warships.

American military intervention has further heightened especially after 2001 when the US designated the Philippines as its “second front” in its “war on terror.” Hundreds of American soldiers were permanently stationed in various military facilities and camps, who thenparticipated in counterguerrilla combat operations and conducting trainings. They have used the Philippines to experiment their tactics and weapons. Yearly, thousands of American soldiers enter the country under the pretext of the Balikatan “joint military exercises.” Since 2017, US military presence and intervention have further heightened under Trump’s Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines

Amid its heightening inter-imperialist conflict with China, the US is set on further strengthening its control over the Philippines.

In addition to high-level cooperation with the Philippine defense establishment, the US military continues to train and command special branches of the AFP such as the Light Reaction Regiment, the 1st Combat Brigade Team (both formed and trained in the US facilities at Fort Magsaysay) and the recently formed 11th Infantry Division. It directly and indirectly participates in counterinsurgency operations which is drawn and designed according to US dogma. The US provides the AFP with weapons that are now being used in the Duterte regime’s dirty war against the Filipino people.

In essence, AFP counterinsurgency is a proxy for the US war to suppress the national liberation movement of the Filipino people. The AFP continues to serve as the strongest pillar of US military domination in the Philippines, securing the semicolonial and semifeudal system and providing protection for US strategic economic and geopolitical interests.

As the Filipino people mark the 29th anniversary of the end of the Military Bases Agreement, the Party calls on all patriotic forces to continue the fight for genuine national freedom, and an end to US military intervention and support for the Duterte fascist regime.

https://cpp.ph/statements/the-fight-to-end-us-military-intervention-continues-30-years-after-mba-abrogation/
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CPP/NPA-Southern Mindanao: PARAGAS KI TO PAKIGBISOG! Highest Red salute to Ka Rommel and other young heroes of Talaingod!

September 16, 2020, 6:04 pm
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Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 16, 2020): PARAGAS KI TO PAKIGBISOG! Highest Red salute to Ka Rommel and other young heroes of Talaingod!

RIGOBERTO F. SANCHEZ
SPOKESPERSON
NPA-SOUTHERN MINDANAO
MERARDO ARCE COMMAND)
NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
SEPTEMBER 16, 2020




The Regional Operations Command of the New People’s Army in Southern Mindanao pays its highest revolutionary tribute to Davao-Bukidnon Subregional Command Red commander Potpot “Ka Rommel” Tawsan, 25; and Red fighters Dandi “Ka Dani” Salubiroy, 19, and Divina “Ka Din-Din” Sendon, 24, whose heroism we celebrate and keep as inspiration in the national democratic revolution. All hailing from the Manobo tribe of Mindanao, the three martyrs laid their youthful lives in serving the Filipino people’s war and the indigenous peoples’ continuing struggle for self-determination and defense of their ancestral land.

On the morning of September 9, Ka Rommel and Ka Dani were killed by fascist soldiers of the 27th Infantry Battalion in an encounter in Sitio Canacan, Brgy. Saloy, Calinan District in Davao City. In the aftermath of the clash, two other Red fighters, Sara “Ka Sara” Amit and Toto “Ka Totoy” Sausa were wounded and captured by enemy troops. Before this, Ka Din-Din was martyred on August 26 during a tactical offensive launched by Red fighters against an operating unit of the 27th IB in Sitio Lubas in Brgy. Paquibato where 5 enemy troopers were killed.

Ka Rommel’s life had always been in the revolution. He was born during the time when the Manobo tribe of Talaingod and its surrounding villages embraced the national democratic revolution in order to defend Pantaron range, Mindanao’s last remaining old forest ranges. From a very young age, Ka Rommel had been groomed to be one of Talaingod’s next generation of fiercest warriors who will continue the historic defense of Mindanao’s last frontier. Early on in the Red army, Ka Rommel distinguished himself to be a bold politico-military cadre, becoming a platoon political instructor and later company commander of Davao-Bukidnon Subregional Guerilla Unit. He became endeared to the masses and comrades alike, who looked up to him as a committed Party officer especially during the relentless focused military operation launched by the enemy in Davao City and in Talaingod.

Ka Dani, though very young, proved to be steadfast Red fighter. Even before joining the NPA, he was a youth activist in their community who found bigger purpose in pursuing the armed revolutionary life. Ka Din-Din, meanwhile, was cherished by comrades and masses as a dedicated Red fighter and a proud member of the LGBT community. Leaving her poor peasant origins, she decided to join the people’s army in 2014 and later became a vice platoon leader of an NPA unit.

The 27th IB and their bosses at the Eastern Mindanao Command are certainly celebrating the deaths of our three martyrs, making feigned fuss and fanfare of “bringing the remains of fallen rebels” to their families but all the while vilifying them as “terrorists.” For several months now, NPA units of the Davao-Bukidnon Subregional Command have delivered blows against the 27th IB, whose abusive troops have relentlessly launched combat and community support program operations in Paquibato, Calinan and other areas in Davao City even at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This tenacious militarization of IP communities, particularly in Brgy. Malabog in Paquibato district, primarily serves to ensure the unhindered landgrabbing of at least 41 hectares of ancestral domain by the AFP’s Eastern Mindanao Command. By capitalizing on problematic reactionary programs like the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) and deputizing corrupt Lumad leaders, AFP officials in early June secured a Deed of Usufruct for the construction of a military reservation in Malabog, a virtual garrison meant to hamlet the local population of peasants and Lumad who continue to resist the regime’s anti-people policies and programs.

To countless Lumad youths like Ka Rommel, Ka Dani and Ka Din-Din, the life of struggle has not only become a necessity but an inevitability—one that has been foisted on them and generations before them by the semi-feudal and semi-colonial state’s historic oppression against indigenous peoples. For the US-Duterte regime’s “IP-centric” counterrevolution, in the grand scheme of things, the deaths of three Lumad youths they have branded as “terrorists” mean no more than propaganda, a mere photo-op for the fascist AFP troops out to deodorize their rotten image. But to the thousands of poor peasants and Lumad in the region, while the grief is thoroughly felt, the loss is but temporary because they know that more and more sons and daughters will stand in the place of their staunch revolutionary defenders.

The deaths of Ka Rommel, Ka Dani and Ka Din-Din and the inhumane detention of two NPA hors de combat are adding fuel to a gathering storm in the region. While the masses, especially the Lumad and peasants in the hinterlands of Southern Mindanao, are suffering from abject poverty made worse by the pandemic and the regime’s ineptitude in the face of it, the fascist war machine of the US-Duterte regime heartlessly continues to launch its anti-people counterrevolution, indifferent to the root causes of the people’s plight and their armed resistance.

Adding insult to injury, Duterte himself and his cabal of fascist thugs in the AFP perpetuate their callous condemnation of the peasants and Lumad’s revolutionary armed resistance. If it were up to them, they would rather the masses passively bow down to being displaced from their lands and livelihood and make way for the economic interests of the ruling class such as destructive mining and corporate plantations. The US-Duterte regime is therefore both abhorred by and cowering in fear of the masses’ rallying cry in the midst of their fallen revolutionary heroes: Paragas ki to pakigbisog! Onward with the struggle!

https://cpp.ph/statements/paragas-ki-to-pakigbisog-highest-red-salute-to-ka-rommel-and-other-young-heroes-of-talaingod/
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CPP/CIO: What is Duterte’s deal with Russian and Chinese vaccine-makers?

September 16, 2020, 6:05 pm
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Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 15, 2020): What is Duterte’s deal with Russian and Chinese vaccine-makers?

MARCO VALBUENA
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020



Last night, Duterte disparaged Western pharmaceutical companies saying they are driven by “profit profit profit” as he continued his push for the purchase of Russian and Chinese Covid-19 vaccines. Addressing the Western companies, he promised to “kick your ass” and called on them to “Go back to your country.”

Duterte clearly revealed his bias when he selectively condemned Western companies, when in fact Chinese and Russian capitalist pharmaceutical companies are no different terms of their drive for profit. The Russian company Gamaleya, in fact, has been criticized for cutting coners and foregoing important clinical trials, in their unholy rush to capture the market and make billions of dollars in profit.

So it raises the question, what kind of deal has Duterte struck that he is now using his powers to push his preference for the country to buy future Covid-19 vaccines from China and Russia; and, this early, shutting the doors to possibly better deals with other vaccine vendors?

Duterte’s now declared preference to buy vaccines from China and Russia, accompanied by his effusive expressions of praise and gratitude to both Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, contradicts his earlier declaration that the Philippines will buy the cheapest Covid-19 vaccine. He is conditioning the minds of the Filipino people in what will likely be another questionable government deal involving billions of dollars.

He also makes a pitch for Chinese companies claiming that unlike Western companies, they do not demand advanced payments. The Department of Health, however, denied knowledge of such demands. What Duterte does not mention is how the Chinese government is taking advantage of the desperation of hard-up countries to strike high-interest debt contracts, accompanied by deals to buy vaccines from China such as what has been exposed in Brazil and other countries in the Carribbean. Like other Chinese loans, these are negotiated secretly by companies and state officials and are a known source of anomalies and corruption.

Bribe-paying and other forms of corruption have long accompanied the operations of monopoly capitalists companies, whether Western or Asian. This is among the arsenal of monopoly capitalists in their overseas operations to capture markets and sources of raw material. They differ only in terms of discretion or
brazenness.

Russian and Chinese companies and state officials have been known to engage in high-level corruption, paying bribes and kickbacks, and giving personal favors to win contracts with government officials and capture markets and sources of raw material.

Filipinos know this only too well with the infamous national broadband network deal with China’s ZTE which involved the payment of large amounts of bribe money to former president Gloria Arroyo and her key economic officials. The recent franchise to operate the so-called “third telco” in the country was won by the Chinese Telco and Duterte’s crony Dennis Uy under questionable circumstances and could not have been consummated without the kickbacks and bribes.

Across the world, China and Russia are perceived to be the most active bribe payers and have been denounced for using corruption as a geopolitical weapon. It involves commercial contracts as well as loans and grants for infrastructure. The rise of state monopoly capitalism and widespread corruption in China and Russia is one of the hallmarks of the restoration of capitalism in both countries.

The Filipino people must be vigilant and expose the corruption behind Duterte’s dealings with China as well as Russia. The corruption-laden deals and contracts that are struck on the pretext of responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the recent purchases of overpriced protective and medical equipment from Chinese companies, are the most despicable. These must be fully exposed and denounced.

At the same time, the people must denounce the Duterte regime for perpetuating the country’s reliance on imported manufactures and its failure to support the development of the local pharmaceutical industry and production of medical equipment, especially those urgently needed to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.

https://cpp.ph/statements/what-is-dutertes-deal-with-russian-and-chinese-vaccine-makers/
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3 NPA rebels from Rizal yield to military in Aurora

September 16, 2020, 6:12 pm
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From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 16, 2020): 3 NPA rebels from Rizal yield to military in Aurora (By: Tonette Orejas)

Three New People’s Army rebels, who were part of a unit that moved from Rizal province to Central Luzon, surrendered to the military in Aurora province, authorities said.

The three rebels, all Dumagat, belonged to Platoon 4A4 of the Guerilla Front Cesar under the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee, the 48th Infantry Battalion (IB) said in a report.

The three rebels were identified by their aliases as FPJ, JM, and Lara, who just turned 18 and eight months pregnant.

They claimed to have yielded to the government on Monday due to intensified combined operations of the Philippine Army’s 48th IB, 80th IB, and 91st IB, and the police’s 1st at 2nd Mobile Force Company in the mountains of Bulacan, Rizal, Aurora, and Nueva Ecija.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1336193/3-npa-rebels-from-rizal-yield-to-military-in-aurora
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Alleged ex-NPA member face raps linked to 30-year-old ‘mass purging’ inside rebel group

September 16, 2020, 6:15 pm
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From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 16, 2020): Alleged ex-NPA member face raps linked to 30-year-old ‘mass purging’ inside rebel group (By: Joey Gabieta)

An alleged former member of the New People’s Army (NPA) is facing trial in connection to the “mass purging” initiated by the rebel group more than 30 years ago.

Authorities arrested Muco Lubong, 57, in Barangay Campacion, Arteche town, Eastern Samar at 10 p.m. on Sept.12.

Judge Thelma Bunyi Medina of the Regional Trial Court Branch 32 in the National Capital Region issued at least 15 arrest warrants against him for murder.

No bail

Lubong was allegedly involved in the slaying of hundreds of people suspected by the rebels to be government assets or informants in Leyte in the 1980s.

In a report, Colonel Carlito Abriz, police provincial director of Eastern Samar, said Lubong worked as a farmer in Arteche town.

On August 28, 2006, 67 skeletal remains were exhumed from shallow graves in Mt. Sapang Daku in Barangay Caulisihan, Inopacan, also Leyte, where the victims of the mass purging were buried.

Lubong, now detained at the provincial jail, will be presented to the court which issued the arrest warrants.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1336153/alleged-ex-npa-member-face-raps-linked-to-30-year-old-mass-purging-inside-rebel-group
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Balba named PNP Special Action Force acting director

September 17, 2020, 5:16 am
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From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 17, 2020): Balba named PNP Special Action Force acting director (By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan)



PNP-SAF acting director Brig. Gen. Bernabe Balba. (File photo)

Newly-appointed Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) acting director Brig. Gen. Bernabe Balba on Wednesday vowed to effectively fulfill the mandate of the elite unit of the police force.

“As I heed on the challenges as the acting director of the Special Action Force in the midst of our war against this protracted crisis, in a battle wherein this faceless enemy brings havoc to our health security while continually battling different atrocities in terrorism, insurgency, criminality, and natural calamities, I call to mind the guidance of the Chief PNP, Gen. Camilo Cascolan, to be a living example of Pulis na Responsable, Respetado at Disiplinado,” Balba said in his message during the turnover of command ceremony held at the Hinirang Hall, Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City.

Balba replaced Maj. Gen. Amando Empiso, who was designated as the new Director for Integrated Police Operations-Southern Luzon.

Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, PNP deputy chief for administration, presided the turnover of command ceremony.

Balba also called on SAF troopers to always uphold the motto of the PNP.

He also stressed the need for police officers to be clean, courteous, and reliable in compliance with Cascolan's directives that will serve as the guiding principles to carry out the mandates and effectively fulfill the SAF's missions.

Balba is a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Maringal” Class of 1988 and was once awarded the prestigious Country’s Outstanding Policemen in Service (COPS) Award in 2005.

Before being designated as SAF chief, he also served as director of the Police Regional Office 8, Manila Police District, and the Eastern Police District.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1115696
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PAF grounds Sikorsky choppers for inspection after Basilan crash

September 17, 2020, 5:19 am
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From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 17, 2020): PAF grounds Sikorsky choppers for inspection after Basilan crash (By Priam Nepomuceno)



The Philippine Air Force (PAF) announced that all remaining units of its Sikorsky S-76A rescue helicopters are grounded for "prompt maintenance inspection" following the mishap in Basilan that killed four people on Wednesday.

In a message to Philippine News Agency Thursday, PAF spokesperson Lt. Col. Aristides Galang said an investigation team will also be sent to the area to conduct further investigation on the accident.

He added that they will also look into environmental, material, and human factors in determining the cause of the mishap.

Galang also clarified that all PAF aircraft in service undergo strict maintenance before being deployed to missions and said the S-76A is a "tough and dependable" helicopter.

He added that the S-76A helicopter with tail number 202 belong to their 505th Search-and-Rescue Group and was deployed for a medical evacuation mission in Jolo and took off around 12:33 p.m. The aircraft was based at Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga City.

"At around 1:24 p.m., the PAF received reports of a crashed helicopter in the vicinity of Barangay Upper Manggas, Lantawan, Basilan. It was later confirmed by responding government forces that it was indeed the S-76A #202 helicopter that was bound for Jolo. Upon confirmation, the PAF immediately informed the bereaved families of the four PAF fallen heroes," Galang said.

Killed in the accident were Maj. Jessie Miller, the pilot in command, 1Lt. Mack-Ar Ferrer, co-pilot, S/Sgt. Miguel Bañas Jr. and Airman 2nd Class Benedicto Leal Jr.

"The men and women of the Philippine Air Force, led by its Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Allen T. Paredes, is greatly saddened with the loss of our four gallant airmen and extends its greatest sympathies and condolences to the bereaved families. The PAF will be giving necessary assistance to the bereaved families," he said.

He added that the bodies of the four fallen crewmen were retrieved and immediately ferried from Basilan to Zamboanga City.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1115706
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PH pushes for early COC conclusion in Asean meet

September 17, 2020, 5:24 am
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From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 16, 2020): PH pushes for early COC conclusion in Asean meet (By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora)



The Philippine government, as the country coordinator for the Asean-China Dialogue, is pushing for the early conclusion of negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

During the 27th Asean Regional Forum (ARF) held last September 12, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. said Manila will “push as hard as it can for the conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea”.

The Philippines hopes to make substantial headway on the second reading of the negotiating draft before turning over the co-chairmanship of the negotiations to Myanmar next year.

"I declared that as China Coordinator I will push through to the 2nd Draft and get started on the 3rd before handing the China Coordinatorship to my brother Myanmar. That is what I am honor bound to do," Locsin said in a separate tweet on Tuesday.

Locsin, during the forum, also expressed gratitude for the expressions of support for the Philippines in the wake of the recent Jolo bombings as he called for continuous cooperation to combat terrorism.

“I remind colleagues that this kind of terrorism threatens everyone in the Association. It will be tempting to pass on the threat; but its very exportability makes this terrorism as easily importable as happened in Marawi. Nor is one country turning its back on another’s terrorist problem an option," he said. "As terrorism grows in one, the threat of it increases in others.”

The ARF is an inclusive platform in the Asia-Pacific region for fostering constructive dialogue and cooperation among participants on political and security issues of common interest and concern, such as combatting terrorism and transnational crimes.

It is currently comprised of 27 members, namely the 10 Asean member states, Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, the United States, Bangladesh, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste; and one Asean observer, the Papua New Guinea.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is comprised of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1115687
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PNP chief installs new Caraga police director

September 17, 2020, 5:27 am
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From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 17, 2020): PNP chief installs new Caraga police director (By Alexander Lopez)



NEW PNP-CARAGA CHIEF. Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan (center), installs Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat, Jr. (right) as the new director of Police Regional Office Caraga on Thursday (Sept. 17, 2020) at Camp Col. Rafael C. Rodriguez in Libertad, Butuan City. Caramat replaced Brig. Gen. Joselito T. Esquivel Jr. (left), who retired from the service. (Screenshot from PRO-13 Facebook Page)

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan, led the installation of the new director of Police Regional Office in Caraga (PRO-13) on Thursday here.

Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat, Jr. assumed the post of PRO-13 director, replacing Brig. Gen. Joselito T. Esquivel, Jr. who retired from the service on Sept. 17.

The change of command was witnessed by top officials in Caraga Region led by Agusan del Norte Gov. Dale B. Corvera, Agusan del Sur Gov. Santiago B. Cane, Agusan del Norte 2nd District Rep. Ma. Angelica Amante-Matba, and the mayors from the Caraga Region.

Commanders from the Army's 401, 402, and 901 brigades in the Caraga Region were also present during the activity.

During the ceremony, Esquivel, who served as PRO-13 director since Sept. 13, 2019, was cited for the implementation of strategies that strengthened the capabilities of the police force in Caraga to carry out its mandate of serving and protecting the people.

He was also recognized for instituting new programs particularly in resource development that enhanced the administrative capabilities of PRO-13 as well as the establishment of pro-active partnerships with local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs) for the effective peacekeeping and law enforcement in the area.

Esquivel thanked the PRO-13 personnel for their support and the other stakeholders in the region for the "effective partnerships that brought impacts to the people and communities in the area".

“The efforts of field units and the support of LGUs, other government agencies and communities brought us significant gains particularly in crime solution efficiency,” Esquivel said.

Meanwhile, Caramat, who formerly headed the PNP Drug Enforcement Group, thanked the PNP leadership for giving him the chance to serve the people of Caraga.

“I am aware of the challenges weighed on my shoulders of keeping each personnel remain motivated and inspired in protecting the weak and keeping peace and order in this part of the country. I take this great responsibility as a challenge,” Caramat said.

In his message, Cascolan cited the accomplishments of PRO-13 under the leadership of Esquivel in fighting criminalities, insurgency, and illegal drugs.

He also expressed optimism that the new director of PNP in the region will continue to implement measures that will ensure the safety of the people from criminal elements and the threats of the insurgency.

“I am assured that Brig. Gen. Caramat will continue to strengthen the police force in every corner of Caraga, from the regional office down to the provincial, city, and municipal stations,” Cascolan said.

He added that the new PRO-13 director will have “a big shoe to fill in” and asked to show his utmost determination and commitment towards effective and efficient implementation of the strategic thrusts of the PNP’s sustainable development program.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1115785
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Westmincom pays tribute to fallen airmen

September 17, 2020, 5:33 am
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From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 17, 2020): Westmincom pays tribute to fallen airmen (By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.)



ZAMBOANGA CITY – The military’s Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) accorded departure honors Thursday to three of four airmen who died in a helicopter crash in Basilan province.

Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., commander of Westmincom, led the send-off ceremony held at the Col. Edwin Andrews Air Base here.

Vinluan was joined by Brig. Gen. Cresenciano Marquez III, Tactical Operations Wing-Western Mindanao commander, and Brig. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, Westmincom deputy commander for administration.

Accorded departure honors were Maj. Jessie Miller, 1st Lt. Mack-ar Ferrer, and Staff Sgt. Miguel Bañas Jr.

The three, along with Airman 2nd Class Benedicto Leal Jr., died in an air mishap Wednesday afternoon in Barangay Upper Manggas, Lantawan, Basilan.

They were on a medical evacuation mission and were supposed to pick up patients in Jolo, Sulu to be taken to Camp Navarro General Hospital when the S-76A helicopter they were aboard crashed into a rubber plantation in Manggas, Lantawan.

The helicopter was piloted by Miller, with Ferrer as co-pilot and Bañas and Leal as crewmen.

Lt. Col. Alaric delos Santos, Westmincom information officer, said military honors will also be rendered to Leal before his remains are transported to his hometown in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.

“Team Westmincom commiserates with the family of the fallen airmen who dedicated their lives in serving their fellow Filipinos,” Vinluan said. “Our salute to Maj. Miller, 1st Lt. Ferrer, Staff Sgt. Bañas, and A2C Leal for their gallantry and heroism."

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1115778
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Army foils bomb plot in Maguindanao

September 17, 2020, 5:43 am
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From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 17, 2020):  Army foils bomb plot in Maguindanao (By Edwin Fernandez)



TERROR BOMB COMPONENTS. The recovered improvised explosive device recovered by military troops in a remote village of Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Wednesday (Sept. 16, 2020). The bomb is believed to have been assembled by Daesh-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. described as having devastating effects if described by the Army as 'powerful.' (Photo courtesy of 6ID)

Military authorities in Maguindanao said they foiled Wednesday an attempt by suspected Moro bandits to set off roadside bombs after soldiers discovered an improvised explosive device (IED) in Mamasapano town.

Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, Army’s 6th Infantry Division (ID) commander and Joint Task Force Central (JTFC) chief, said government forces found the IED in Barangay Pimblakan, Mamasapano, Maguindanao at 6 a.m.

Uy said government forces recovered one 9-volt battery, a blasting cap, assorted nails to serve as shrapnel, a half-kilo of flash powder, and a container with flash powder.

“When assembled, it can be very devastating if used in terroristic bombing attacks,” Uy said, noting the discovery of the IED is part of the campaign of the government against terroristic acts.

“The prompt response of our ground forces led to the successful disruption of the war materials,” he added.

Uy vowed the JTFC will not cease to pursue lawless groups in the area and prevent them from conducting terror attacks.

No group has claimed ownership of the IED but parts of Mamasapano’s vast marshland serve as a hiding place of the Islamic State-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1115717
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PAMANA projects to transform MILF camp to peace, dev’t zone

September 17, 2020, 5:47 am
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 From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 17, 2020): PAMANA projects to transform MILF camp to peace, dev’t zone (September 17, 2020)



PAMANA. Presidential Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. (2nd from right) leads the memorandum agreement signing for the implementation of the government’s PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) on Iligan City on Wednesday (Sept. 16,2020). The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the provincial and municipal governments of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte signed the MOA to PAMANA projects worth PHP85 million. (OPAPP photo)

About 52 kilometers or a one hour and thirty minute drive from this bustling northern Mindanao city is the town of Munai, Lanao del Norte, where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF) Camp Bilal proudly stands.

The camp was considered as one of the major strongholds of the MILF, which became the site of fierce gun battles during the all-out-war in 2000 between the revolutionary organization and government forces.

For several months, the deafening sound of mortar fire and air strikes reverberated across the hinterland municipality, as residents fled their homes and sought refuge in evacuation centers scattered across the province.

From battleground to show window of peace

But after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CAB) between the government and the MILF, the camp has started to undergo an amazing transformation and has ushered a new chapter in the people’s history.

The peace deal paved the way for the entry of development interventions in the area. Among them is the government’s PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA), which carries out community-driven projects in remote, conflict-ridden areas across the country.

On Wednesday, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the provincial and municipal governments of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte signed Memorandums of Agreement to implement PAMANA projects worth PHP85 million.

The signing was held at the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade.

The PAMANA projects aim to support the Normalization Program under the CAB, and are part of the government’s commitment to help spur economic activity in Camp Bilal and its neighboring areas.

“Matagal na po namin itong hinihintay. Ang gusto ng Presidente natin ay kapayapaan, ibalik ang kapayapaan dito sa Mindanao, at ‘yan din ang isinusulong namin, kapayapaan (We have been waiting for this for a long time. The President wants peace, bring back peace in Mindanao, and that’s what we’re doing, peace),” said Member of Parliament Abdullah “Commander Bravo” Macapaar. “Nagpapasalamat ako kay Allah dahil nandito na ngayon ang signing na mag-implement ng mga development projects dito sa Lanao del Sur at Lanao del Norte (I thanked Allah because of the signing to implement the developments here in Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte).”

Camps Transformation is a major component of the Annex on Normalization under the CAB, the historic peace agreement forged between the Government of the Philippines and the MILF in 2014.

PAMANA in the Bangsamoro

The PAMANA Program is among the national government’s key interventions that are designed to implement community-driven development projects in remote, conflict-stricken areas throughout the country.

“Simula noong 2011, patuloy ang PAMANA sa pagpapatupad ng mga proyekto sa mga isolated, hard to reach, conflict affected and conflict vulnerable communities sa Mindanao. Kabilang po rito ang ilang lugar na nasa ilalim ng pamamahala ng Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Since 2011, PAMANA continues to implement projects in the isolated, hard to reach, conflict affected and conflict vulnerable communities in Mindanao. This includes areas under MILF leadership),” said GPH Peace Implementing Panel Chair, OPAPP Undersecretary David Diciano during remarks at the MOA signing.

Diciano said through the PAMANA projects, agricultural production in the area is projected to rise, and consequently, boost socio-economic activity in Camp Bilal and other nearby communities.

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Interim Chief Minister and MILF Chairman Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, assured the Bangsamoro people that the BARMM government’s initiatives will focus on bringing sustainable peace and development in the region.

“Although very challenging ang nangyari sa atin dito sa BARMM, rest assured na for the remaining days and times na naiwan sa atin, we will do our best para matulungan ang Bangsamoro sa BARMM pati na rin ang outside sa BARMM (Although what happened here in BARMM are very challenging, rest assured that for the remaining days and times, we will do our best to help Bangsamoro even those outside BARMM),” said Ebrahim, who attended the event via video teleconference.

Presidential Peace Adviser and National Policy Against Covid-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said implementing projects for the Bangsamoro Region remains a priority of the national government despite the challenges caused by the pandemic.

“Ang [sinabi] ng mahal nating Presidente, kahit may Covid tayo kailangan tuloy tuloy pa rin ang PAMANA natin. Mahal na mahal niya ang Bangsamoro at hindi hinding niya kayo pababayaan (Our beloved President said, even we have Covid-19, we need to continue the PAMANA. He loves Bangsamoro and he will not forsake you),” Galvez said.

Galvez said OPAPP will stay and will continue to assist the BARMM.

Under the MOA, the PAMANA National Project Management Department, in partnership with provincial governments of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, and the municipal governments of Munai, Picong, and Tangcal, will implement projects to raise agricultural productivity in the area such as the provision of farm equipment to MILF beneficiaries, concreting of farm-to-market roads, and the construction of a barangay road.

The PAMANA NPMD is also set to forge partnerships for the implementation of five projects in Lanao del Sur, which include the distribution of farm equipment and construction of a water system.

From former war-zone to future ‘eco-zone’

Macapaar said the turning point for him and his men came after the signing of the CAB. It was then when they realized that armed struggle was no longer the path they wanted to pursue.

“Bakit po ako sumama [sa gobyerno]? Alam po natin na ako po ay doon lumaki sa bundok kaya lang hindi po ako masamang tao. Dahil po sa utos ng Chief Minister, the Chairman of the MILF, lalong lalo na sa aking kaibigan former Chief of Staff ng Armed Forces si Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr (Why I joined government? A grew up in the mountain but I am not bad person. Upon the order of Chief Minister, the chairman of the MILF, especially my friend, former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Secretary Carilito Galvez Jr.),’ Macapaar said.

“Ako ay sumama dahil ang gusto ng Presidente natin ay kapayapaan. Ibalik ang kapayapaan dito sa Mindanao dahil ‘yan din ang isinusulong namin - kapayapaan, bilang kami ay mga Muslims na sumusunod sa aming Panginoon na Allah (I joined the government because the President wants peace. Let’s bring back peace here in Mindanao because it is also our goal – peace, as Muslims following our Lord Allah),” Macapaar added.

Local government units have also played a crucial role in sustaining the gains of peace in by facilitating the implementation of much-needed socio-economic and infrastructure projects in the area.

“Alam po natin na ang Munai ay isa po sa conflict-affected ng Mindanao. Sa pamamagitan ng proyektong ito, naibibigay ninyo sa amin. Ito po ‘yung magiging daan para maibsan ang paghihirap ng mga tao at matulungan po natin sila para umunlad ang buhay ng ating mga mamamayan sa Munai (We all know that Munai is a conflict-affected in Mindanao. Through this project, it will be given to us. It will help to lessen the hardship of the people and help them improve the lives of the people in Munai),” said Munai Mayor Racma Andamama.

Tangcal Councilor Abdani Buanding, who represented Mayor Fatima Tomawis, said that their municipality will significantly benefit from the PAMANA projects once they are completed.

“Alam po natin ang aming bayan ay years ago dumaan po ng armed conflict so masyadong kumbaga, kasama kami sa medyo maliit na bayan so kailangan po namin ang ganitong mga projects sa amin (Our town experienced armed conflict, it’s a small town. So we need this kind of projects),” Buanding said.

Meanwhile, Lanao del Norte Board Member Achmad Taha, who represented Governor Imelda Angging Quibranza Dimaporo, thanked the government for the projects, noting these are a testament of the President’s desire to help the Bangsamoro people.

“President Duterte continues to give importance to peace-promoting projects and staying true to his promise to the Filipino people,” Taha said. “Through the PAMANA program, the LGUs are empowered by leading the implementation of the projects in their localities, while giving residents opportunities to contribute in community development, engage actively in governance processes, and resolve misunderstandings through peaceful means.”

Also in attendance during the MOA signing were PAMANA National Director Cesar De Mesa; Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) Co Chair Ariel Hernandez; OPAPP Assistant Secretaries Andres S. Aguinaldo, Jr. and Atty. Wilben M. Mayor; OPAPP Directors Farrah Naparan and Darwin Wally Wee; LDS Board member Abdulhamid Umpa Amerbito; Major General Generoso Ponio, commander, 1st Infantry Division; Brigadier General Facundo Palafox, commander, 2nd Mechanized Brigade; and Colonel Jose Maria Querpo, brigade commander, 103rd Infantry Brigade.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1115802
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