The Mindanao Examiner

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2011-11-08T14:16:00.002+08:00

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Troops hunt Sayyaf terrorists in Philippine province

2011-11-07T18:04:00.003+08:00

Army troops patrol Basilan province in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 7, 2011) – Philippine troops are pursuing Abu Sayyaf militants tied blamed for a landmine blast that left a total of six soldiers wounded in the southern province of Basilan, officials said Sunday.

Officials said Special Forces soldiers were running after Puruji Indama and Hasan Asnawi in the town of Sumisip, where six soldiers were wounded earlier in the day.

More troops were sent to the area to hunt down the two notorious leaders, said Army Colonel Ramon Yogyog, commander of military forces in Basilan, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

There were no immediate reports of fresh clashes in the town, a known stronghold of Abu Sayyaf militants blamed for the spate of kidnappings and terrorism in Basilan and other parts of Mindanao Island.

Filipino authorities tied the militant group to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya. (Mindanao Examiner)

3 motorbike thieves fall in Zamboanga City

2011-11-07T14:44:00.001+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 7, 2011) – Police arrested Monday three young men, one of them the son of a police officer, tagged as behind the series of motorbike robberies in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said policemen raided a house near a police camp in San Jose village and arrested the trio.

“We arrested the three men after receiving information that they were in the house. These men are behind the series of carnapping in Zamboanga,” said Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo, chief of the local police force.

De Ocampo said the motorbikes stolen by the group were being sold to individuals for as low as P5,000. It was unknown whether the father of one of the suspects who is a policeman is unaware of his son’s criminal activities.

Dozens of motorbikes had been stolen in Zamboanga City over the years, and some of its owners were shot by robbers. (Mindanao Examiner)

5 soldiers wounded in landmine explosion in Basilan province

2011-11-07T13:09:00.005+08:00

Army troops patrol Basilan province in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 7, 2011) – Five Special Forces soldiers were injured, two of them critically, following a landmine explosion Monday on a village in the southern Muslim province of Basilan, officials said.

Officials said the soldiers were patrolling the village of Baiwas in Sumisip town when they tripped on the landmine. “The explosion wounded five soldiers, who are members of the 4th Special Forces Battalion and were immediately evacuated to Zamboanga City,” Army Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, told the Mindanao Examiner.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the blast, but Abu Sayyaf militants and Moro rebels are actively operating in the town.

Just last month, five rubber farm workers were also killed and eight others wounded after suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen ambushed their truck near the village of Sapah Bulak in Sumisip town.

Most of the victims were members of the Tumahubong Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Incorporated Development Cooperative. Officials blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the attack, saying the group was extorting money from the cooperative.

Fighting also erupted in Al-Barka town near Sumisip last month between troops and Moro rebels that left 19 soldiers and five guerrillas dead. (Mindanao Examiner)

8 killed in clan war in Mindanao province

2011-11-07T12:41:00.001+08:00

A Google Earth map of Sultan Dumalondong town in Lanao del Sur in the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao where clan war killed 8 people, officials say.

MARAWI CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 7, 2011) - Philippine soldiers were deployed on a remote village in the Muslim province of Lanao del Sur on Mindanao Island where sporadic fighting between warring clans had already killed at least 8 people, officials said.

Officials said the fighting began on Friday in the town of Sultan Dumalondong after clan members each others in the village called Malalis. “We have sent troops to pacify the warring clans. At least 8 people had been killed on both sides since the fighting erupted on Friday,” Army Colonel Daniel Lucero, commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Lucero said the fighting was between Arimao Asum, the father of Lumbayanague town Mayor Jama Asum, and the groups of Polo Alim and Aliasgar Sancopan. He said a bad business deal between the three groups in 2002 triggered the clan war.

“It all began with the non-payment of a vehicle sold to one of clan leaders, and since then they would clash sporadically and we are trying to settle this problem amicably to prevent more bloodshed and restore peace in the area,” Lucero said.

In June this year, four people were also killed in a firefight between the same warring groups in the village of Malalis.

The fighting was believed connected to the killing of Macacna Asum, who was allegedly shot by Polo Alim in Marawi City in 2002. Asum was killed after he failed to pay his debts to Alim.

Clan war or locally known as “rido” is common in many parts of the southern Philippines. The U.S. Agency for International Development and think-tank Asia Foundation said that more than 3,000 people have been killed over the past seven decades in family feuds in the southern Philippines.

Rido can involve disputes among family members or among two or more rival families, pitting neighbors or different ethnic groups against each other. The disputes center on issues of land, money, marriage or political power and involve revenge killings.

The violence increases with each act of retaliation, broadening to include those not directly involved in the dispute, including women and children, according to the Asia Foundation, adding, some feuds lasted for decades. (Mindanao Examiner)

Filipino lawmaker alarmed by CIA operations

2011-11-06T23:22:00.000+08:00

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 6, 2011) - A Filipino lawmaker expressed alarm on news reports that the US Central Intelligence Agency is tracking Facebook and Twitter accounts of private individuals all over the work.

Congressman Neri Colmenares, who is a human rights lawyer, said the CIA is also using their embassies for the operations.

“While the US government may insist in the legality of their monitoring of twitter accounts due to their public nature, the monitoring is a very dangerous preoccupation and a threat to constitutional rights not only because it crosses into the unconstitutional when it enters into closed social network sites or hacks emails but also because it leads to profiling which is unconstitutional especially if it serves as a prelude to illegal entry into private domains,” he said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

“While people generally join Facebook with the wish to relate to people who consider them friends, CIA monitoring is undertaken by people who consider them enemies. When authorities pretend to be ‘friends’ in Facebook but with the not so friendly intention of monitoring their activities and profiling the innocent victim, this is definitely subject to a constitutional challenge because it leads to discrimination. This could even be challenged for violation of the right to be safe from unreasonable searches and seizure without probable cause,” he added.

Colmenares said the admission that even US embassies in foreign countries are engaging in the same makes it more unacceptable considering that embassies are given diplomatic immunities because they are deemed to engage in diplomatic functions.

“Any intelligence function by an embassy is therefore anathema to its task and the US embassy here must inform the Aquino government whether it engages in the same kind of monitoring. The Aquino government must also demand that the US embassy in Manila inform us what the guidelines and parameters of its monitoring activities are, whether it was done through the internet or through innocuous dinner talk,” he said.

Reports that In-Q-Tel, of the CIA, has invested into Visible Technologies, a software company that crawls across blogs, online forums, and open networks like Twitter and YouTube to monitor what is being said.

Police also used such data so that they can enter the home of an organizer who tweeted to protesters in the G-20 summit in Pittsburg. “Just the general profiling of people as friend or enemy on the basis of their tweets and email are definitely dangerous and must be stopped,” Colmenares said.

The CIA is a civilian intelligence agency of the US government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, and responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior US policymakers through means of non hostile psychological, cyber, and social warfare using non-military commissioned civilians to carry out these intel gathering operations, and also engages in covert activities.

LPG-MA accuses ‘Big 3’of harassment

2011-11-06T23:04:00.001+08:00

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 6, 2011) – The Federation of Philippine Industries accused the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers’ Association of engaging in cartelization and monopoly and has filed charges against them.

FPI’s Jesus Arranza alleged that LPG-MA have banded and associated themselves in a concerted effort to fix the price of cooking gas and therefore restraint the trade or free competition. Among those charged was Congressman Arnel, who represents the LPG-MA party list group.

But Ty accused the so-called Big 3 oil firms - Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Petron Corp., and Chevron Philippines Inc. as behind FPI. “The FPI is just fronting for Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Petron Corp., and Chevron Philippines Inc. in damaging the reputation of LPG-MA and other independent refillers not aligned with the giants,” lawyer Miguel Ponce Jr., Ty’s chief of staff, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

“The Big 3 oil firms are among the controlling corporate members of FPI. The giants are simply out to stifle free and fair competition, and perpetuate their market dominance at the expense of consumers,” Ponce said.

Aside from Ty, nine other executives have been charged.

“The complaint against Congressman Ty is totally baseless. It is merely being played up by FPI to deflect attention away from the public clamor for the Big 3 to open their books for scrutiny, amid widespread allegations of overpricing.”

“We don’t have a copy yet of the prosecutor’s supposed recommendation. If in fact there is one, then we intend to appeal it before the Secretary of Justice,” Ponce said.

FPI’s complaint stemmed from Ty’s previous announcement of his firm’s LPG price cuts. FPI claimed that the broadcasts, which are also being done by the Big 3 every time they slashed prices, constituted “price signaling.”

Curiously, Ponce said FPI’s complaint singled out LPG-MA, adding, independent LPG refillers compete directly with the Big 3 in the open market.

“Independent refillers base their product retail prices on the international contract price of LPG. This is why they are able to sell their products to consumers at much lower prices compared to the Big 3,” Ponce said.

“We don’t know what is the reference price used by the Big 3 for their LPG products, which in some markets are sold around P100 higher per 11-kilogram cylinder,” he added.

The Department of Energy has repeatedly urged the Big 3 to use the international contract price of LPG as benchmark, but the giants have refused to comply, according to Ponce.
Ponce accused the oil giants of “maliciously retaliating” against LPG-MA, which previously filed a complaint urging the joint DOE-Department of Justice Task Force to investigate excessive LPG prices in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“The question now is: Why is FPI’s complaint moving so fast, while no action has been taken with respect to LPG-MA’s complaint against FPI’s Big 3 members? Ponce asked.

Regulators earlier acknowledged that based on their market surveillance, LPG prices in the Visayas and Mindanao are up to 15 percent higher compared to those in Luzon.

The Big 3 oil firms still dominate the LPG markets in the Visayas and Mindanao. In contrast, LPG prices in Luzon are cheaper because of growing competition posed by independent refillers.

Viral Aquino-Cojuangco YouTube documentary spreads to Facebook

2011-11-06T13:57:00.002+08:00

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 6, 2011) – From 1,599 views on Saturday since it was posted on YouTube two weeks ago, a documentary video of the political dynasty of the Aquinos and Cojuangcos has spread to the social networking site Facebook and now it had over 85,000 views – a day after the Mindanao Examiner broke out the story.

The 15-minute documentary “Aquino Cojuangco: Facts they don’t want you to know,” was uploaded on October 21 and has generated so much interest that it continue to be one of the most viewed video on YouTube.

It told how the clans amassed its wealth in central Luzon and showed how the Cojuangcos and the Aquinos held an iron grip over the political landscape from mayors, governors, congressmen, and senators and up to the presidency over the decades.

The film told stories of the Cojuangco matriarch Ysidra, and how she established her business empire and landholdings in the 1900 in Tarlac and nearby provinces. And so was the issue of the controversial Hacienda Luisita, a huge estate still being claimed by farmers as theirs.

Ysidra had four sons and one of them was former President Corazon Aquino’s father.

It also noted the huge number of cases of extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances of political activists and farmers during the time of President Corazon Aquino, mother of the present Filipino leader Benigno Aquino.

The filmmaker of the documentary, who identified himself as Filipino artist Baron Buchokoy, said the video is neither an anti-Aquino nor anti-Cojuangco propaganda and that all leads, facts and trivia in the film can be verified on credible sources in the Internet.

“Lahat ng baho ni (President Ferdinand) Marcos, (President Fidel) Ramos, (President Joseph Estrada) Erap at (President Gloria Arroyo) GMA ay naisapubliko na. Maliban lang kay (President Corazon Aquino) Cory. Dahil nga sa media bias sa ating bansa. Ito po ang aking pokus sa ngayon, ang paglaganap ng facts na hindi binabanggit sa media.Dahil dito, nagmumukha akong anti-Aquino kahit na hindi ito ang aking pakay. My only aim is to fight Filipino ignorance order to help them have an educated decision on whom to vote,” he said on his YouTube Channel which can be accessed on this URL: http://www.youtube.com/user/PinoyMonkeyPride

“These facts are silenced in Philippine media. YouTube provides alternative media for the citizens of the Philippines. Media that is unfiltered and untouched by corporate or political interests. This is a documentary/commentary for educational purpose only,” he added.

The documentary also trigged various reactions and calls for political reforms inn the country. “Unbelievable...Ganitong klaseng mga video hindi to kayang gawin ng isang tao. Spread the Truth. Filipino wake up,” one reader, Takeru Miyamato, wrote at the video’s channel site.

“May magagawa ka pa ba sa oligarchy na yan? Ang sagot ay wala. Pero may magagawa ka, support the Constitutional reform. Amend the 1987 Constitution. Support the Federalism-Parliamentary. Itatayo ko buong buhay ko para lang mapalitan ang Konstitusyon natin. Mabuhay ang bansang Pilipinas, mabuhay ang mga Pilipino,” another said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Surigao, Agusan inuga ng lindol

2011-11-06T12:36:00.001+08:00

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 6, 2011) – Niyanig ng lindol ang bayan ng Lianga sa lalawigan ng Surigao del Sur, ngunit hindi naman umano ito kalakasan, ayon sa Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Naitala nito ang lindol dakong alas 6 ng gabi ng Sabado at nasa 3.7 magnitude sa Richter scale ang lakas nito.

Wala rin inulat na nasira sa mga lumang gusali o kabahayan sa naturang lugar, subali’t sa tuwing nagkakaroon ng pagyanig ay takot naman ang bumabalot sa mga residente.

May lindol rin bayan ng Buenavista sa kalapit na kalapit na lalawigan ng Agusan del Norte at hinihinalang ugat ito ng fault line sa Lianga na kung saan natunton ang sentro ng pagyanig.

Tectonic ang kalimitan sanhi ng mga pagyanig sa Mindanao.

Ang Pilipinas ay sinasabing nasa Pacific Ring of Fire na kung saan ay napapaligiran ang bansa ng mga underwater volcanoes. Ito rin ang dahilan sa maraming mga paglindol dahil sa walang tigil na paggalaw ng mga bato sa ilalim nito. (Mindanao Examiner)

Panamanian cargo ship sinks off northern Philippines

2011-11-05T22:20:00.002+08:00

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 5, 2011) – A Panamanian cargo ship has sank Saturday off the northern Philippines and rescuers were searching for its crew, reports said.

It said the ship, MV Oceanic Union, sank off the town of Burgos in Ilocos Norte province, but the Coast Guard is yet to say whether any of the 20 crew have been rescued or not.

Authorities have not released the identities of the seamen or their nationalities after their vessel made a distress call at around 1 a.m.

No other details were made available by the Coast Guard or the local police about the search and rescue operations, or what cause the ship to sink. (Mindanao Examiner)

NPA rebels kill Zambo militia

2011-11-05T22:05:00.001+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 5, 2011) – Communist insurgents killed a government militia on Saturday on a village in the town of Kabasalan in Zamboanga Sibugay province, the military said.

It said New People’s Army fighters seized the militia and used him as shield in their escape after a daring raid in the village of Palintana.

The insurgents abandoned the body of the slain militia in the same village. It was unknown why policemen and soldiers failed to prevent the raid, but the military said security forces were tracking down the insurgents.

The NPA is fighting for the establishment of a separate Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)

Documentary on powerful Aquino-Cujuangco clans goes viral on YouTube

2011-11-05T14:15:00.000+08:00

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 5, 2011) – A documentary video of the political dynasty of the Aquinos and Cojuangcos has surfaced in the popular video sharing website YouTube and it told stories of the reign of two of the Philippines’ most wealthy and powerful clans.

The 15-minute documentary began with Antonio Luna, a general who fought in the Philippine-American war in 1899, and left a huge fortune believed to be the “wealth of the revolution” in Tarlac where he was assassinated by General Emilio Aguinaldo’s men, but his cache of gold coins and silvers were never recovered.

The documentary entitled “Aquino Cojuangco: Facts they don’t want you to know,” was uploaded just recently and can be accessed on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gevTmyWtHVo&feature=youtu.be&hd=1.

The fortune was said to have been with Luna’s girlfriend Ysidra Cojuangco, who established her empire in the 1900, buying lands from farmers in Tarlac and nearby provinces. The documentary also told how the Cojuangcos spread its landholdings in Central Luzon, where they also established vast business empires in the following decades; and so was the issue of the controversial Hacienda Luisita, a huge estate being claimed by farmers as theirs.

Ysidra had four sons and one of them was former President Corazon Aquino’s father.

The film showed how the clans held a grip of the political landscape from mayors, governors, congressmen, senators and up to the presidency over the decades. It also noted the huge number of cases of extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances of political activists and farmers during the time of President Corazon Aquino, mother of the present Filipino leader Benigno Aquino.

The filmmaker of the documentary, who identified himself as a Filipino artist Baron Buchokoy, said the video is not anti-Aquino not Anti-Cojuangco propaganda and that all leads, facts and trivia in the film can be verified on credible sources in the Internet.

“Lahat ng baho ni (President Ferdinand) Marcos, (President Fidel) Ramos, (President Joseph Estrada) Erap at (President Gloria Arroyo) GMA ay naisapubliko na. Maliban lang kay (President Corazon Aquino) Cory. Dahil nga sa media bias sa ating bansa. Ito po ang aking pokus sa ngayon, ang pag-laganap ng facts na hindi binabanggit sa media. Dahil dito, nagmumukha akong anti-Aquino kahit na hindi ito ang aking pakay. My only aim is to fight Filipino ignorance order to help them have an educated decision on whom to vote,” he said on his YouTube Channel which can be access on this URL: http://www.youtube.com/user/PinoyMonkeyPride

“These facts are silenced in Philippine media. YouTube provides alternative media for the citizens of the Philippines. Media that is unfiltered and untouched by corporate or political interests. This is a documentary/commentary for educational purpose only,” he added.

He also blamed big media firms as responsible for political propaganda of the Aquino-Cojuangco clans. “Utter lack of common sense by the ordinary Filipino citizen is brought about by years of government practice of dumbing (sic) down the masses in order to sway their votes to their favor. This leads to massive decline of intelligence, morality and dignity of the people, while media create demons to blame for this social decay. These media outfits are directly responsible in corrupting the minds of the viewers,” he said.

There was no immediate comment from either the Aquino or the Cojungco clans about the documentary that has now generated 1,599 views in two weeks. (Mindanao Examiner)

Filipino group calls for probe on failed money claims intended for Marcos' victims

2011-11-04T19:48:00.002+08:00

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 4, 2011) - The Samahan ng Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) on Friday called on authorities for the immediate investigation of an attempt by a group which tried to claim compensation meant for victims of human rights violations during the Marcos regime.

Police recently arrested 8 people who tried to claim the checks using fake documents in Manila.

Selda urged authorities to dig deeper into the investigation and unmask who was behind it.

Bonifacio Ilagan, vice chairperson of SELDA, said those behind the fake claimants have in their possession the copy of the masterlist and the signatures of the original claimants for them to be able to claim the checks.

“This is exactly what we, in SELDA, want to prevent. Lawyers Robert Swift and Rodrigo Domingo should have allowed SELDA to have that list but only these lawyers have an access to it. We could have averted such incidents because SELDA helped majority of the victims,” Ilagan said.

“Atty. Rodrigo Domingo and Atty. Robert Swift, counsels in the class suit (against Marcos regime), should likewise be investigated as they are responsible for the integrity of these documents. It is their duty to ensure that these checks will be released to the rightful claimants. SELDA and the martial law victims have repeatedly sought Domingo and Swift, the latter being the court-appointed counsel, for meetings for transparent discussions on court actions and on the distribution of the initial compensation, but they repeatedly brushed aside these efforts,” Ilagan added.

He said it was disheartening, especially for the 2,013 legitimate claimants who were arbitrarily stricken off by Domingo and Swift from the original list of 9,539 victims as originally validated by the US Federal District Court of Hawaii.

“They were denied justice because of the arbitrariness of these counsels and now they are doubly victimized because the compensation due them is distributed to alleged fake claimants,” he said.

Police charged suspect in killing of Charice’s father

2011-11-04T19:27:00.001+08:00

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 4, 2011) – Philippine police filed murder charges on Friday against a man who surrendered and admitted killing the father of international singer Charice.

Police said Angel Capili, Jr. owned up to the killing of Ricky Pempengco, 43, on October 31. Capili also apologized to Charice’s family and said he only defended himself from Pempengco, who allegedly attacked him without any provocation in San Pedro town in Laguna province.

Capili, a construction worker, also denied earlier police report that the killing was triggered by a long-time feud with Pempengco.

He said he did not know Pempengco and claimed that he was punched by Charice’s father, whom he stabbed several times with an ice pick. Pempengco was in a drinking session with friends when he went to buy cigarettes from a nearby store. (Mindanao Examiner)

Malaysia jails 'Sultan of Sulu’

2011-11-04T15:39:00.002+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 4, 2011) – Malaysia’s High Court rejected a plea by a man who claimed to be the Sultan of Sulu who was sentenced to jail for 8 months for burning flags and illegal assembly in the oil-rich state of Sabah, which is being claimed by the Philippines.

Datu Abdul Rajak Datu Abdul Aliuddin pleaded guilty on both charges and was originally sentenced to 5 years in prison, but appealed to the court and won, and was eventually to serve 8 months and fined 10,000 ringgits, a report by Malaysia’s Daily Express said.

It said Judicial Commissioner Datuk Douglas Primus rejected Aliuddin’s latest appeal and upheld his sentence for both crimes that occurred on April 4, 2009.

Aliuddin led a protest with 11 others in Sabah’s Tawau town after the Malaysian government refused to recognize him as the 6th Sultan of Sulu. The report said they burned Sabah flags during the protest.

It was not immediately whether Aliuddin is a Filipino citizen or not, but many Muslims in the Philippine provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have made similar claims, while some used it to collect money from followers and others had been jailed for fraud and extortion activities.

The Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo lays claim to Sabah.

The Sultanate of Sulu was a Muslim state that ruled over much of the islands off the Sulu Sea. It stretches from a part of the island of Mindanao in the east, to North Borneo, now known as Sabah, in the west and south, and to Palawan, in the north.

The Sultanate of Sulu was founded in 1457 and is believed to exist as a sovereign nation for at least 442 years. It obtained Sabah from Brunei as a gift for helping put down a rebellion on the Borneo Island. The British leased Sabah and transferred control over the territory to Malaysia after the end of World War II.

Even after Borneo became part of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur still pays an annual rent of 5,000 ringgit to the heirs of the recognized Sultan of Sulu Ismail Kiram. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines, MILF end peace talks with no significant accord

2011-11-04T14:23:00.002+08:00

A Philippine Army soldier mans his gun near a base of Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 4, 2011) – Peace talks between Filipino peace negotiators and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels ended with no major agreement, but both sides committed to hasten the talks aimed at ending decades of bloody fighting in Mindanao.

The talks, held in Kuala Lumpur, discussed recent fighting between military and rebel forces in Mindanao, and government accusations that MILF commanders are involved in kidnappings for ransom and terrorism.

“The negotiators of the two parties emerged from the meeting room with both sides announcing modest gains that could be nurtured to move forward the peace process towards a political settlement of the Moro Question and the armed conflict that haunted Philippine administrations since independence in 1946,” the MILF said.

It said the both groups agreed to discuss substantive agenda on the next round of peace talks, probably before the end of this month. Peace negotiators also leveled off on each other's concepts, and identified common grounds and differences that would further hasten the talks.

Both sides also called for a joint investigation into the deadly clash in Basilan’s Al-Barka town that left 19 soldiers and five rebels dead on October 18. The probe will also be participated by the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG).

Peace negotiators said they would await recommendations of the investigating teams relating to the review of the ceasefire mechanisms.

The MILF also reiterated its cooperation with Philippine authorities for the “interdiction of kidnap for ransom groups, criminal groups/syndicates, and so-called lost commands pursuant to the Joint Communiqué of AHJAG,” it said.

Those who attended the talks were government chief peace negotiator Marvic Leonen and members of his panel Prof. Miriam Ferrer, Senen Bacani, and its secretariat Iona Jalijali and Johaira Wahab.

And the MILF peace panel was headed by Mohagher Iqbal, Michael Mastura, Maulana Alonto, Prof. Abhoud Syed Lingga and its secretariat Jun Mantawil, Mike Pasigan and Mohajirin Ali.

The MILF peace negotiators also met with members of the International Contact Group - David Gorman, of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue; Dr. Steven Rood, of The Asia Foundation; Dr. Markus Sudibyo, of Muhammadiyah; Emma Leslie, of Conciliation Resources; Yasin Temizkan, of the Turkish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur; and British Embassy and Japanese Embassy officials in Malaysia - and briefed them about the progress of the talks.

The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, is fighting for self-determination in Mindanao, home to about 4 million Muslims and over 19 million Christians and indigenous tribes.

The rebel group demanded for the establishment of a Muslim sub-state, but Manila rejected this and instead offers a wider autonomy which shall be voted upon by Filipinos, and the government proposal was also trashed by the MILF. (Mindanao Examiner)

American philanthropist sends donation anew for poor Muslims in Mindanao

2011-11-04T13:24:00.000+08:00

American philanthropist sends donation anew for poor Muslims in Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 3, 2011) - An American philanthropist who earlier donated assorted books, medicines and clothes to poor Filipino Muslims in Mindanao, has sent a second box of assorted goods and vowed to help more indigent communities in the southern Philippine region.

The donation was sent to the Mindanao Examiner’s main office in Zamboanga City after the philanthropist came across one of its videos which show a Muslim woman appealing for books and medicines and other assistance for poor children in Maguindanao province.

The donation consisted of assorted reading materials and books, including used clothes and medicines.

Those who would like to donate to help the poor can send them to:

Mindanao Examiner Productions

Unit 15, 3F Fair Land Building, Nuñez Ext.

Zamboanga City, Philippines 7000

Or deposit to:

Mindanao Examiner

Bank of the Philippine Islands

Zamboanga City

C/A 9525 8057 32

SWIFT Code BOPI PH MM

Army troops seize sniper ammos in Lanao Sur

2011-11-03T21:04:00.001+08:00

Army troops during a patrol in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

MARAWI CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 3, 2011) – Philippine troops arrested a man transporting munitions for a sniper rifle in the Muslim province of Lanao del Sur in Mindanao, officials said on Thursday.

Officials said the soldiers, from the Army’s 65th Infantry Battalion, were manning a checkpoint when they stopped a vehicle for an inspection and discovered the 200 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition.

The 26-year old man, Alexander Macanas, told military interrogators that he was only paid to transport the munitions. He said an unidentified man bought the bullets.

“We are still investigating him about the ammo and we will file charges against Macanas,” Colonel Daniel Lucero, commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, told the Mindanao Examiner.

It was not immediately known who supplied the munitions and the identity of the buyer. (Mindanao Examiner)

Moro women group join peace calls in Mindanao

2011-11-03T20:40:00.001+08:00

Members of the Khadidja Moro Women and their supporters during a rally in Davao City in the southern Philippines.

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 3, 2011) – A Muslim women group has criticized the Aquino government for pursuing military operations in the southern Philippines, saying, the civilians would be greatly affected by the violence.

The Khadidja Moro Women said previous military offensive in Basilan and Zamboanga Sibugay provinces have displaced thousands of villagers.

The group recently held a rally in Davao City to protest the continued military operations that could put the lives of civilians at risk.

“The ‘all-out-justice’ of President Benigno Aquino is just a media blitz. It’s a total disorientation and mockery of the real sense of justice. How can justice prevail in all those intensive military operations, in those aerial attacks?” asked Carlita Barbosa, the group’s spokesperson.

“In order to spare the civilians, and prevent those who are not participating in the armed conflict, the national government must retreat from all forms of military aggression in the Moro areas,” she said, adding all previous wars carried out by the government did not work out to topple down their enemies, but resulted to human sufferings. Barbosa called for peace in Mindanao.

Security forces have been ordered to run after Muslim rebels who killed 19 soldiers in a firefight in Basilan province last month. Troops were also pursuing rebels in Zamboanga Sibugay province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines, MILF rebels resume peace talks in Malaysia

2011-11-03T15:26:00.001+08:00

An MILF freedom fighter looks on as his companion cleans his weapon at their base in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 3, 2011) – Philippine government peace negotiators met with Muslim rebels in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday in an effort to hasten the talks after a series of clashes last month in the southern region of Mindanao.

Peace talks in August ended with both sides failing to agree on the demand of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the creation of a Muslim sub-state in the predominantly Christian population in Mindanao.

It followed deadly clashes between security and rebel forces in Basilan and Zamboanga Sibugay provinces and a series of MILF attacks in Lanao province.

The fighting and the links of some rebel commanders to the spate of kidnappings and terrorism are also expected to be discussed during the talks, aside from the previous demand of the MILF for the establishment of a Muslim sub-state in Mindanao.

Manila has offered the MILF - the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination – a wider autonomy in Mindanao which would have to be voted by Filipinos in a referendum, which in the past had been repeatedly rejected.

But the MILF peace panel rejected the offer and stood firm by its demand.

There is no assurance that Thursday talks would bring about an agreement, especially that only four members from both sides attended the negotiations. Its first meeting was held in executive session, according to a senior MILF official, but details of the talks were not immediately known.

It was unknown why some of the peace negotiators were absent from the formal talks.

Marvic Leonen, chief government peace negotiator, has previously said that the government autonomy proposal called “3-for-1” formula offers political settlement. “It offers the concept of genuine autonomy,” he said.

He said the proposal follows a comprehensive approach or three components for one solution to the Bangsamoro problem – first, roadmap for development and socio-economic rehabilitation in the region through a creation of the Joint Coordinating Committee on Development; secondly, peace accord through the creation of a Bangsamoro Commission which shall re-craft an Organic Act for genuine autonomy and supervise the implementation of the peace pact; and lastly, to acknowledge the historical injustice of conflict and reconciliation wherein the government is willing to “officially retell the real history of Mindanao.”

The MILF has asked Malaysia, which is brokering the peace talks, in the past to intervene in the deadlock. The rebel group described the government autonomy proposal and its own demand for a sub-state as “heaven-and-earth.”

Mindanao has a Muslim autonomous region which is comprise of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao and Lanao, but its governors have decried the lack of government projects in the provinces.

Leonen said the government’s offer does not necessarily mean that it will only cover the provinces under the Muslim autonomous region. “The government is sincere to grant genuine autonomy and there should not be conflict in labeling since the concept sub-state - which is demanded by the MILF in their Revised Comprehensive Compact - is also specie of autonomy for self-governance, where there is still a relation with national government. Let’s not fail to bring peace in Mindanao because of labels,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Manila defends MILF fund anew

2011-11-03T14:47:00.001+08:00

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 3, 2011) – The Philippine government on Thursday defended anew the P5 million funding it gave to Muslim rebels negotiating peace with Manila as politicians continue to criticize the release of the money.

The funding is intended for capacity-building programs for emerging Muslim leaders and professional under the auspices of the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI). The money was handed to the MILF peace panel by its government counterpart only on August this year during a meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

“I am glad President Aquino gave the MILF P5 million for the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute. I was the Government’s chief negotiator with the MILF when, in 2006, we reached agreement (across the negotiating table in KL) to set up the BMLI,” said former government chief peace negotiator Silvestre Afable.

He said the BLMI, headed by Dr. Tomanda Antok, is an offshoot of an earlier agreement between peace panels to form the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) which oversees humanitarian projects in predominantly Muslim areas in Mindanao.

“The BMLI is an offshoot of an earlier agreement in 2001 to form the Bangsamoro Development Agency. At that time, the MILF wanted to try its hand at implementing its own development projects. As the BDA grew, it needed more personnel who could receive, disburse and account for funds; and supervise incipient development teams.”

“The BMLI was the envisioned training school for these personnel. We requested the Development Academy of the Philippines to work on the basic curriculum and devote trainers to the project, which was done with enthusiasm and zeal,” Afable said.

He said institutions such as the BDA and BMLI must not be treated negatively, because these, alongside the cease-fire between the government and the MILF, provide the necessary climate for negotiations and stem the urge among fighters to shoot each other.

“Confidence-building measures lie in the meat of any peace process anywhere in the world. While we seek a political solution in the peace talks, we try to safeguard the ceasefire like precious life itself, and carve out a positive direction for fighters-on-hold —who will hopefully trade their guns for ploughshares when a final settlement is reached.”

“The MILF itself has tried its level best to abide by this negotiation-ceasefire-development model as a transitional mechanism to a final political settlement. Many Filipinos are cynical about this, but I appreciate the fact that President Aquino is not,” Afable, who served during President Gloria Arroyo’s term, said.

Jesus Dureza, then Arroyo’s peace adviser, has denied that the past administration committed P5 million to the BLMI.

“Secretary Jess Dureza was then the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. He may have just forgotten that event,” Afable said.

Abigail Valte, President Aquino’s deputy spokesperson, said the money would also be used on various social projects. “The money was given in good faith to the MILF peace panel and we expect them to use this for social projects,” she said.

The MILF said the funding was part of the government’s commitment to the BLMI and approved by peace panels in April 2010.

Ghazali Jaafar, the Front’s deputy leader, has confirmed the funding was agreed upon during the time of President Gloria Arroyo and was just implemented by the Aquino government. “What’s important here is to have an institution and training for Bangsamoro professionals,” he said.

Jaafar also doused fears by critics of the MILF that the money was or could be used to purchase weapons for rebels, saying, there is proper accounting procedures on how the government funding would be spent for BLMI programs.

Besides the Philippines, the MILF said Japan is also supporting the BLMI and funded the construction of building in the town of Sultan Kudarat in Maguindanao province under its Grant Assistance for Human Security Grassroots Project.

The BDA, on the other hand, continues to actively participate in relief, rehabilitation and development of conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. Since 2002, the BDA, as the development arm of the MILF, continues to pursue the process of improvement of the quality of life of the Muslim communities.

It promotes a model of development anchored on the belief of stewardship and on values of inclusiveness, fairness, transparency, and accountability. Among its strategic development actions aimed at promoting growth in quality and equitable life for the Muslims are: Socio-economic Improvement and Development Strategy; Health Improvement and Development Strategy; Environmental Advocacy and Management Strategy; and Capacity Building and Strengthening Strategy.

The BDA, headed by Dr. Saffrullah M. Dipatuan, its chairman, is engaged in the implementation of numerous programs and activities such as trainings on values transformation; medical missions; livelihood trainings; and socio-economic reconstruction and development in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao through its partnership with the Office of the (Philippines) Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the World Bank, the World Food Program and other government and nongovernmental funding agencies.

The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, is fighting for self-determination in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Zamboanga del Norte bans open-pit mining

2011-11-02T15:26:00.001+08:00

A mining area in Zamboanga Peninsula. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 2, 2011) – Tribesmen and religious leaders opposed to mining in Zamboanga del Norte praised passage of an ordinance banning open-pit mining in the southern Philippine province.

South Cotabato last year also passed a similar ordinance that banned open-pit mining because of its dangers and effect to the environment.

And Zamboanga del Norte has followed suit – passing the same ordinance that native tribesmen and Catholic priests have been advocating in the past years. The ordinance is expected to draw serious concerns for mining firms in Zamboanga del Norte and could trigger similar ordinances in neighboring Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Sur.

Tribesmen have accused mining firms of encroaching in their ancestral domain and Catholic priests have previously protested mining activities in Zamboanga del Norte, citing its negative effects and pollution to the environment.

Mining firms in the province have been extracting gold, silver and copper the past years on the strength of agreements it forged with different indigenous groups that allow them to continue on with open-pit mining.

But the taxes it paid to the government and the indigenous groups is a pittance to hundreds of millions of pesos it get from the mining activities, mostly inside ancestral domain, claimed by tribesmen, who also accused mining firms of violating their rights.

Open-pit mining or opencast refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from earth, and is typically enlarged until either the mineral resource is exhausted. The pit is then converted to landfills for disposal of solid wastes. However, some form of water control is usually required to keep the mine pit from becoming a lake. (Mindanao Examiner)

Ban sa open-pit mining pinuri sa Zamboanga

2011-11-02T14:56:00.001+08:00

Isa sa maraming mining sites sa Zamboanga Peninusla. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 2, 2011) – Pinuri ng mga natibo at ng Simbahang Katoliko ang desisyon ng Zamboanga del Norte na ipatigil na ang lahat ng open-it mining sa lalawigan.

Unang ginawa ito ng South Cotabato na kung saan ay naglabas ng ordinansa ang lalawigan doon upang ipatigil na ang open-pit mining doon dahil sa napipintong pinsala sa kalikasan at peligrong dala nito.

Ito rin ang naging tugon ng Zamboanga del Norte sa lalawigan at naglabas rin ng ordinansa na nagbabawal sa lahat ng open-pit mining doon. Ilang mga mining firms rin ang masasagasaang nito, ngunit inaasahan naman na aapela ang mga ito sa naturang batas.

Ilang beses na rin ipino-protesta ng mga Subanon at mga pari ang naturang mining activities sa lalawigan dahil sa pagkasira ng kabundukan. Maging mga ancestral domain ng mga natibo sa Zamboanga Peninsula ay nasira na rin dahil sa pagmimina doon ng mga dambuhalang kumpanya.

At ito ay sa likod ng kakapiranggot na buwis na nakukuha ng pamahalaan kung ihahambing sa limpak-limpak na salapi mula sa ginto, pilak at tanso na nililimas ng mga minahan doon.

Bukod pa rito ang isyu ng human rights violations na ipinupukol sa mga minahan. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine military says rebel leader linked to killings of 2 US soldiers is dead

2011-11-01T19:55:00.001+08:00

Filipinos look at wanted poster of Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 1, 2011) – The Philippine military may have eliminated a Muslim rebel leader who claimed responsibility for the bomb attack two years ago on a US military convoy in Sulu province that killed 2 US soldiers and a Filipino marine.

Madarang Sali, deputy supreme commander of the shadowy group called the Bangsamoro National Liberation Army, was among those reported killed in last week’s military air strikes on a mountain hideout of the local terrorist group Abu Sayyaf in Indanan town where two wanted Jemaah Islamiya militants were hiding.

Sali had claimed responsibility for the deadly roadside bombing in Indanan town on September 29, 2009 that killed Sergeant 1st Class Christopher D. Shaw of Markham, Illinois, 37; and Staff Sergeant Jack M. Martin III of Bethany, Oklahoma, 26.

The Fort Lewis soldiers belonged to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group.

In previous statements to journalists, Sali, also the self-proclaimed spokesman for the Bangsamoro Federated States of Sulu Archipelago, said the Bangsamoro revolutionary forces have declared a jihad (holy war) against the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine government for the Bangsamoro homeland.

He also accused US troops training Filipino soldiers in Sulu of aiding local military forces in counterinsurgency operations.

Marine Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, then chief of the Western Mindanao Command, blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the attack on the US forces.

But Sali said it was purely the operations of the BNLA and the Moro National Liberation Front, not the Abu Sayyaf. He said the BNLA is headed by Lieutenant General Abdulnasser Iskandar, while the MNLF are under the command of Ustadz Habier Malik, Khaid Ajibun and Tahil Usman.

US troops are deployed in Sulu since 2006 and assisting the Philippine military in defeating the Abu Sayyaf. Although security officials deny US forces were directly involved in combat operations, there were numerous reports from civilians and various civil groups that American soldiers actually participated in the operations aimed at capturing or killing militant leaders in Sulu and other parts of Mindanao.

The MNLF signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, but many of its members were disgruntled with the accord and accused the government of failing to uplift their living standards.

Security officials said the targets of the operation were Abu Sayyaf leader Umbra Jumdail alias Doc Abu, and several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists, among them were Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Mauiya, an Indian citizen; who are all wanted by the US government on terrorism charges.

There was no report if any of the three men were killed or wounded in the fighting. The trio was also tagged as behind the 2009 kidnappings of three international aid workers Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba in Sulu.

The Philippine military confirmed that among those killed in the October 31 air strikes in Indanan’s Karawan Mountain were two Abu Sayyaf sub-leaders Ben Wagas, Apo Mike, and Abu Abad. But latest military intelligence report said that Sali Madarang and another rebel Andag – were also killed in the raid.

“We have identified the bodies of those killed and three of them were notorious Abu Sayyaf sub-leaders. Two other (militants) were reported killed Madarang Sali and Andag,” Army Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Cabangbang said they cannot confirm Sali’s claims about the attack on the US soldiers, but the military largely blamed the bombing to Malik’s group.

“Malik is wanted by the US government and he is being blamed for the killings of the two US soldiers,” Cabangbang said.

He said government operation in Sulu is continuing against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya, including those who are harboring or protecting the terrorist groups. “This operation will go on as long as the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya and those that are protecting them,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF rebels reject demands to surrender wanted leader in Basilan fighting

2011-11-01T16:22:00.001+08:00

Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF deputy chairman for political affairs. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 1, 2011) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Tuesday rejected government demands to surrender a guerrilla leader accused of kidnappings and terrorism in the southern province of Basilan.

Manila has demanded the surrender of a senior MILF commander Dan Asnawi, who was also tagged as behind the killings of 19 soldiers during a firefight last month in Basilan’s Al-Barka town, a known rebel stronghold.

The soldiers, many of them undergoing scuba diving training in Zamboanga City, were sent to arrest Asnawi in Basilan as part of their test mission, but fighting erupted after they went inside a rebel territory in Al-Barka.

“We will not surrender Asnawi based on accusations by authorities. We have to follow a mechanism set by the peace panels, otherwise it will violate the cease-fire agreement,” said Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF’s deputy chairmen for political affairs.

Manila is currently negotiating peace with the MILF. The rebel group accused the military of violating the cease-fire when it ordered the arrest of Asnawi, the second highest MILF leader in Basilan. The fighting in Al-Barka also killed 5 rebels and wounded three others.

Authorities said Asnawi was involved in kidnappings for ransom and killings in Basilan, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region. He was arrested in the past, but escaped from the provincial jail after rebel forces stormed the facility and rescued him.

The MILF has ordered rebel forces in Basilan province to defend itself from possible military offensive.

Last week, government troops also occupied an MILF base used as springboard for terror attacks and kidnappings in Zamboanga Sibugay province following days of intense fighting that killed and wounded dozens from both sides.

Officials said soldiers recovered a machine gun left behind by rebels under Wanning Abdusalam, who was also tagged by the military and police as behind the spate of kidnappings and killings in Zamboanga Peninsula.

But there was no sign of Abdusalam or his group, although military commanders insisted that the rebel leader had been wounded in the fighting with security forces.

Abdusalam was eventually disowned by his own group following the deadly air strikes on the guerilla base on a remote village called Labatan in Payao town.

The MILF protested the government attacks on its camp and accused the military of violating the truce. The rebel group maintains that government offensives in Payao town were directed at the MILF following air strikes by the military on the 113th Base Command of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces.

The fighting forced thousands of villagers to flee their homes to safety for fear they would be caught up in the crossfire or held hostage. (Mindanao Examiner)