By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 01:37pm (Mla time) 01/28/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- A communist guerilla was killed following a brief encounter with Army troops in the central province of Camarines Sur on Sunday, a military spokesman said.
The 15-minute gun battle in Cawayanan village, Tinambac town, started at around 9 a.m., when troops from the 42nd Infantry Battalion chanced upon 15 New People's Army (NPA) fighters, said Major Ernesto Torres Jr., Philippine Army public affairs officer.
The rebels left behind the remains of their slain comrade as they retreated. Army troops recovered an M-16 rifle and an M-14 rifle from the scene, Torres said in a text message.
There were no casualties on the side of government forces, he said.
The military has set a 2010 deadline to defeat the 7,100-strong NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which has been waging a 37-year campaign from the countryside.
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Sunday, January 28, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Militiamen, MILF clash in North Cotabato
Rebels bombed by air, land -- rebel spokesman
INQUIRER.net, Inquirer
Last updated 01:16pm (Mla time) 01/27/2007
COTABATO CITY -- Government forces and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels clashed in Midsayap, North Cotabato on Saturday.
MILF officials said three militiamen and a rebel have been killed in the fighting -- which dealt another blow to a three-year ceasefire between the government and secessionist rebels and efforts to restart peace negotiations that bogged down late last year over the issue of ancestral domain -- and warned it could escalate into a full-blown war.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview that the military operations apparently targeted "lawless elements" in the area and involved “indiscriminate” ground and air bombardment of MILF-held territory that began Friday.
Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, accused the military of starting the clash.
Iqbal said the MILF was trying to pacify parties involved in a land conflict in the area and sent a team of negotiators on Friday.
Iqbar was apparently referring to an incident Thursday when, Kabalu said, a group called Bantay Bayan (Town Watch) engaged MILF forces in Rangeban over a long-standing land dispute.
Kabalu said at least three Bantay Bayan members were killed in the Thursday encounter.
Iqbal said the Army had targeted their negotiators, prompting them to fire back.
Kabalu said MILF forces in the area were not informed beforehand of the Saturday morning air raids, in which Philippine Air Force OV-10 Broncos dropped bombs on the villages of Rangeban, Bujang, Sambulawan, and surrounding communities.
"The military has shelled and launched air strikes on MILF positions in the villages of Rangeban and Mudseng, prompting hundreds of residents to evacuate for fear of their safety," Iqbal said.
On Friday, Kabalu said, government troops fired 81-millimeter mortars on Rangeban and an MILF peacekeeping force in Bujang.
"We condemn these indiscriminate bombings by the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines]," Kabalu said. "They don't need to use bombs if all they want to do is run after these lawless elements."
Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando, spokesperson of the Army's 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net, the rebels initiated the violence when they attacked a village on Thursday.
Ando also denied the MILF claim that three militiamen were killed. He said only two were reported injured in the fighting, which started early Saturday morning Saturday.
Both parties said they would file protests with the ceasefire committee.
"We will definitely file a complaint before the CCCH [Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities]," Kabalu said.
Joel Guinto, INQUIRER.net; Edwin Fernandez, Jeoffrey Maitem and Charlie Señase, Inquirer Mindanao
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
INQUIRER.net, Inquirer
Last updated 01:16pm (Mla time) 01/27/2007
COTABATO CITY -- Government forces and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels clashed in Midsayap, North Cotabato on Saturday.
MILF officials said three militiamen and a rebel have been killed in the fighting -- which dealt another blow to a three-year ceasefire between the government and secessionist rebels and efforts to restart peace negotiations that bogged down late last year over the issue of ancestral domain -- and warned it could escalate into a full-blown war.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview that the military operations apparently targeted "lawless elements" in the area and involved “indiscriminate” ground and air bombardment of MILF-held territory that began Friday.
Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, accused the military of starting the clash.
Iqbal said the MILF was trying to pacify parties involved in a land conflict in the area and sent a team of negotiators on Friday.
Iqbar was apparently referring to an incident Thursday when, Kabalu said, a group called Bantay Bayan (Town Watch) engaged MILF forces in Rangeban over a long-standing land dispute.
Kabalu said at least three Bantay Bayan members were killed in the Thursday encounter.
Iqbal said the Army had targeted their negotiators, prompting them to fire back.
Kabalu said MILF forces in the area were not informed beforehand of the Saturday morning air raids, in which Philippine Air Force OV-10 Broncos dropped bombs on the villages of Rangeban, Bujang, Sambulawan, and surrounding communities.
"The military has shelled and launched air strikes on MILF positions in the villages of Rangeban and Mudseng, prompting hundreds of residents to evacuate for fear of their safety," Iqbal said.
On Friday, Kabalu said, government troops fired 81-millimeter mortars on Rangeban and an MILF peacekeeping force in Bujang.
"We condemn these indiscriminate bombings by the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines]," Kabalu said. "They don't need to use bombs if all they want to do is run after these lawless elements."
Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando, spokesperson of the Army's 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net, the rebels initiated the violence when they attacked a village on Thursday.
Ando also denied the MILF claim that three militiamen were killed. He said only two were reported injured in the fighting, which started early Saturday morning Saturday.
Both parties said they would file protests with the ceasefire committee.
"We will definitely file a complaint before the CCCH [Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities]," Kabalu said.
Joel Guinto, INQUIRER.net; Edwin Fernandez, Jeoffrey Maitem and Charlie Señase, Inquirer Mindanao
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Friday, January 26, 2007
Remaining battles with Abu Sayyaf won’t be easy--military
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:20pm (Mla time) 01/26/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- The remaining battles of the military with the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf will not be easy as the bandits have broken up into smaller groups following the deaths of their top leaders, one of the generals leading the fight against the extremist group said.
At the same time, Brigadier General Ruben Rafael, commander of the
counterterrorism Joint Task Force Comet, said the neutralization of the remaining Abu Sayyaf commanders -- Radullan Sahiron and Isnilon
Hapilon -- would not spell the end of the Abu Sayyaf.
"They [Abu Sayyaf] are always on the move, making it more difficult to track them down. How are we going to deal with that?" Rafael told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.
"In the life of a soldier, nothing is easy… It's always difficult, You expect the worst," Rafael said.
Running around in small groups, the Abu Sayyaf is not likely to engage government troops and will try to outrun them whenever they can, Rafael said.
Rafael refused to give a timeline to finish off the Abu Sayyaf, but he said the marching orders from the military leadership were to "neutralize them and finish them off soonest."
Rafael said humanitarian and development projects should accompany the military offensive against the bandits in Sulu to deny the bandits sanctuary.
Asked if the Abu Sayyaf would be wiped out when Sahiron and Hapilon were captured, Rafael said: "The effort in Sulu will not end there, it should continue with socio [civic projects], because [the] problem should be approached in a holistic manner."
The Abu Sayyaf's first- and second-in-command, Khadaffy Janjalani and Jainal Ante Sali alias Abu Sulaiman respectively, were killed in encounters with government forces, alongside several sub-commanders.
Rafael said Sahiron was still in Sulu with two Jemaah Islamiyah explosives experts who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings, Umar Patek and Dulmatin. The two were reported to have been wounded in recent clashes.
Authorities are verifying reports that Hapilon has slipped back to his base in Basilan province, he added.
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:20pm (Mla time) 01/26/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- The remaining battles of the military with the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf will not be easy as the bandits have broken up into smaller groups following the deaths of their top leaders, one of the generals leading the fight against the extremist group said.
At the same time, Brigadier General Ruben Rafael, commander of the
counterterrorism Joint Task Force Comet, said the neutralization of the remaining Abu Sayyaf commanders -- Radullan Sahiron and Isnilon
Hapilon -- would not spell the end of the Abu Sayyaf.
"They [Abu Sayyaf] are always on the move, making it more difficult to track them down. How are we going to deal with that?" Rafael told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.
"In the life of a soldier, nothing is easy… It's always difficult, You expect the worst," Rafael said.
Running around in small groups, the Abu Sayyaf is not likely to engage government troops and will try to outrun them whenever they can, Rafael said.
Rafael refused to give a timeline to finish off the Abu Sayyaf, but he said the marching orders from the military leadership were to "neutralize them and finish them off soonest."
Rafael said humanitarian and development projects should accompany the military offensive against the bandits in Sulu to deny the bandits sanctuary.
Asked if the Abu Sayyaf would be wiped out when Sahiron and Hapilon were captured, Rafael said: "The effort in Sulu will not end there, it should continue with socio [civic projects], because [the] problem should be approached in a holistic manner."
The Abu Sayyaf's first- and second-in-command, Khadaffy Janjalani and Jainal Ante Sali alias Abu Sulaiman respectively, were killed in encounters with government forces, alongside several sub-commanders.
Rafael said Sahiron was still in Sulu with two Jemaah Islamiyah explosives experts who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings, Umar Patek and Dulmatin. The two were reported to have been wounded in recent clashes.
Authorities are verifying reports that Hapilon has slipped back to his base in Basilan province, he added.
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Thursday, January 25, 2007
MILF sub-commander wounded in ambush
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 06:31pm (Mla time) 01/25/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- A sub-commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was injured in an ambush in the province of Shariff Kabunsuan Thursday, a rebel spokesman said.
Adan Abdullah, commander of the MILF's 106th Base Command, was onboard a pick-up truck traveling along the highway in Sultan Kudarat town at around 4:15 p.m. when a motorcycle-riding gunman fired at him, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said.
Abdullah was hit in the chest and hand and was brought to a nearby hospital for treatment. His two companions were unhurt, Kabalu said in a phone interview.
"As far as the reports that we have received, he is in stable condition," Kabalu said.
"As for the motive for the shooting, whether personal grudge or whatever, we don't know yet," Kabalu added.
The shooting came as the government and the MILF moved to restart formal peace talks, which bogged down late last year after negotiators failed to agree on the extent of the "ancestral domain" in central Mindanao that the rebels were claiming.
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 06:31pm (Mla time) 01/25/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- A sub-commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was injured in an ambush in the province of Shariff Kabunsuan Thursday, a rebel spokesman said.
Adan Abdullah, commander of the MILF's 106th Base Command, was onboard a pick-up truck traveling along the highway in Sultan Kudarat town at around 4:15 p.m. when a motorcycle-riding gunman fired at him, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said.
Abdullah was hit in the chest and hand and was brought to a nearby hospital for treatment. His two companions were unhurt, Kabalu said in a phone interview.
"As far as the reports that we have received, he is in stable condition," Kabalu said.
"As for the motive for the shooting, whether personal grudge or whatever, we don't know yet," Kabalu added.
The shooting came as the government and the MILF moved to restart formal peace talks, which bogged down late last year after negotiators failed to agree on the extent of the "ancestral domain" in central Mindanao that the rebels were claiming.
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Call of nature did Abu Solaiman in
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:31pm (Mla time) 01/25/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Abu Solaiman, the alleged architect of the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf’s kidnapping sprees and bomb attacks, was killed when he was most vulnerable, after having answered to the call of nature, the soldier who shot him dead said Thursday.
With the barrel of an M-14 rifle pointed at him and his bodyguards out of sight, Solaiman could only shout “Allahu Akbar [God is great]!” as he tried to escape from Army Sergeant Raul Suacillo.
“He looked shocked and scared,” Suacillo said of Solaiman.
At that time, the enlisted man was not aware that he was staring the so-called “Engineer” of the Abu Sayyaf in the eye.
At a news conference in Camp Aguinaldo, Suacillo said he tried to arrest Solaiman, but the bandit leader tried to make a run for it, forcing him to open fire. Solaiman was hit in the back.
Troops did not immediately recognize Sulaiman because his face was covered in mud and blood. He was identified only after pictures of his bathed remains were shown to intelligence operatives and captured bandits.
The bandit spokesman allegedly planned the kidnapping of 20 people, including an American missionary couple, from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan province in May 2001. Two Americans were later killed, one beheaded by the bandits, the other, one of the missionaries, in a rescue mission.
Abu Sulaiman also allegedly masterminded the bomb attack on the Superferry 14 off Manila Bay on February 27, 2004 and the Valentine’s Day bombings in the cities of Makati, Davao, and General Santos on February 14, 2005. Over 200 people were killed and scores others were wounded in the attacks.
Solaiman’s shooting signaled the start of the three-hour gun battle -- from 9:20 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. -- on Mt. Dajo in Talipao town, Sulu province last January 16, First Lieutenant Almirante Mejares, commander of the 8th Special Forces Company that led the attack, said.
The bandits were taken by surprise. The elite troops scaled the steeper side of the mountain to slip past the Abu Sayyaf camp’s security and head straight for the 17 “VIP” bunkers, said Brigadier General Arturo Ortiz, commander of the Special Forces Regiment.
“They took the longer and harder road to get there,” Ortiz said of his men.
Ortiz said the bandits thought pursuing government troops would take the easier route to their camp, where a layer of security composed of 27 bunks, was positioned.
The commander of the 8th Special Forces Company which led the assault, First Lieutenant Almirante Mijares, said the VIP bunks were furnished with beds, sofas, cellular phones and washrooms for women and were stocked with flowers and perfume. The pathways to the bunks were also lined with flowers.
“It was like paradise,” he said, adding the camp could have been set up two to three months ago.
While on a stakeout before the firefight started. Mejares said they heard female voices from the VIP huts but could not be sure if the women were wives or Abu Sayyaf fighters too.
Mejares said intelligence information confirmed that Solaiman, Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) explosives expert Dulmatin, and Abu Sayyaf sub-commander Albader Parad, were in the Mt. Dajo camp.
The fully-furnished VIP huts could have been occupied by the extremist leaders.
Ortiz said there were unconfirmed intelligence reports that Dulmatin was injured in the encounter. He could not elaborate on the JI bomber’s injuries.
“Based on signal intelligence, there are reports that Dulmatin was injured, but there is no confirmation yet,” Ortiz said.
Solaiman’s death was confirmed on January 17. Three days later, a DNA test by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States confirmed that remains dug up in Sulu last December 27 belonged to Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani.
Janjalani reportedly died from injuries sustained in a September 4 encounter in Patikul town with Marines led by Second Lieutenant Romulo Dimayuga.
With Janjalani and Solaiman neutralized, authorities are stepping up the hunt for the remaining Abu Sayyaf leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Radullan Sahiron, and the alleged brains of the 2002 Bali bombings, Dulmatin and fellow JI operative Umar Patek.
Troops have been hot on the trail of the extremist leaders in Sulu since August 1, 2006.
Wednesday evening, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo awarded the troops involved in the neutralization of top terror suspects with medals and spot promotions at a dinner she hosted in Malacañang.
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:31pm (Mla time) 01/25/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Abu Solaiman, the alleged architect of the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf’s kidnapping sprees and bomb attacks, was killed when he was most vulnerable, after having answered to the call of nature, the soldier who shot him dead said Thursday.
With the barrel of an M-14 rifle pointed at him and his bodyguards out of sight, Solaiman could only shout “Allahu Akbar [God is great]!” as he tried to escape from Army Sergeant Raul Suacillo.
“He looked shocked and scared,” Suacillo said of Solaiman.
At that time, the enlisted man was not aware that he was staring the so-called “Engineer” of the Abu Sayyaf in the eye.
At a news conference in Camp Aguinaldo, Suacillo said he tried to arrest Solaiman, but the bandit leader tried to make a run for it, forcing him to open fire. Solaiman was hit in the back.Troops did not immediately recognize Sulaiman because his face was covered in mud and blood. He was identified only after pictures of his bathed remains were shown to intelligence operatives and captured bandits.
The bandit spokesman allegedly planned the kidnapping of 20 people, including an American missionary couple, from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan province in May 2001. Two Americans were later killed, one beheaded by the bandits, the other, one of the missionaries, in a rescue mission.
Abu Sulaiman also allegedly masterminded the bomb attack on the Superferry 14 off Manila Bay on February 27, 2004 and the Valentine’s Day bombings in the cities of Makati, Davao, and General Santos on February 14, 2005. Over 200 people were killed and scores others were wounded in the attacks.
Solaiman’s shooting signaled the start of the three-hour gun battle -- from 9:20 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. -- on Mt. Dajo in Talipao town, Sulu province last January 16, First Lieutenant Almirante Mejares, commander of the 8th Special Forces Company that led the attack, said.
The bandits were taken by surprise. The elite troops scaled the steeper side of the mountain to slip past the Abu Sayyaf camp’s security and head straight for the 17 “VIP” bunkers, said Brigadier General Arturo Ortiz, commander of the Special Forces Regiment.
“They took the longer and harder road to get there,” Ortiz said of his men.
Ortiz said the bandits thought pursuing government troops would take the easier route to their camp, where a layer of security composed of 27 bunks, was positioned.
The commander of the 8th Special Forces Company which led the assault, First Lieutenant Almirante Mijares, said the VIP bunks were furnished with beds, sofas, cellular phones and washrooms for women and were stocked with flowers and perfume. The pathways to the bunks were also lined with flowers.
“It was like paradise,” he said, adding the camp could have been set up two to three months ago.
While on a stakeout before the firefight started. Mejares said they heard female voices from the VIP huts but could not be sure if the women were wives or Abu Sayyaf fighters too.
Mejares said intelligence information confirmed that Solaiman, Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) explosives expert Dulmatin, and Abu Sayyaf sub-commander Albader Parad, were in the Mt. Dajo camp.
The fully-furnished VIP huts could have been occupied by the extremist leaders.
Ortiz said there were unconfirmed intelligence reports that Dulmatin was injured in the encounter. He could not elaborate on the JI bomber’s injuries.
“Based on signal intelligence, there are reports that Dulmatin was injured, but there is no confirmation yet,” Ortiz said.
Solaiman’s death was confirmed on January 17. Three days later, a DNA test by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States confirmed that remains dug up in Sulu last December 27 belonged to Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani.
Janjalani reportedly died from injuries sustained in a September 4 encounter in Patikul town with Marines led by Second Lieutenant Romulo Dimayuga.
With Janjalani and Solaiman neutralized, authorities are stepping up the hunt for the remaining Abu Sayyaf leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Radullan Sahiron, and the alleged brains of the 2002 Bali bombings, Dulmatin and fellow JI operative Umar Patek.
Troops have been hot on the trail of the extremist leaders in Sulu since August 1, 2006.
Wednesday evening, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo awarded the troops involved in the neutralization of top terror suspects with medals and spot promotions at a dinner she hosted in Malacañang.
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Troops overrun ‘biggest NPA bomb factory’
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:52pm (Mla time) 01/25/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Army troops overran on Wednesday what is believed to be the biggest bomb-making facility of the communist New People's Army (NPA) in the southern Philippines, a military spokesman said.
After a brief firefight, troops from the 36th Infantry Battalion seized a cave in sitio (sub-village) Greenfields, Sta. Juana village, Tagbina town, Surigao del Sur province, where the explosives were kept, said Army public affairs chief Major Ernesto Torres Jr.
Recovered from the facility were 42 containers of superdyne dynamite, 18 landmines, an M14 and M16 rifle, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, two mortar base plates, a B40 anti-tank weapon base plate, a rifle ammunition reloading machine, a 13mm electric drill press machine, 76 rounds of M60 machine gun ammunition, detonating wires and two expanders, Torres said.
Troops are digging inside the cave, which Torres said also served as a regional NPA headquarters and training camp, to recover another 100 containers of dynamite.
"The capture of the 'CT [communist terrorist] factory' will definitely degrade the CT bomb-making capability in Mindanao," Torres said.
A B40 anti-tank weapon, a motorcycle, and rebel publications were seized in an encounter between government and guerrillas near the bomb factory last January 18, the spokesman said.
Troops, aided by two MG-520 attack helicopters and two UH-1H helicopters from the Philippine Air Force (PAF), are pursuing the NPA fighters who operated the facility, Torres said.
The military has set a 2010 deadline to defeat the 7,100 strong NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which has been waging a 37-year guerilla campaign from the countryside.
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:52pm (Mla time) 01/25/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Army troops overran on Wednesday what is believed to be the biggest bomb-making facility of the communist New People's Army (NPA) in the southern Philippines, a military spokesman said.
After a brief firefight, troops from the 36th Infantry Battalion seized a cave in sitio (sub-village) Greenfields, Sta. Juana village, Tagbina town, Surigao del Sur province, where the explosives were kept, said Army public affairs chief Major Ernesto Torres Jr.
Recovered from the facility were 42 containers of superdyne dynamite, 18 landmines, an M14 and M16 rifle, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, two mortar base plates, a B40 anti-tank weapon base plate, a rifle ammunition reloading machine, a 13mm electric drill press machine, 76 rounds of M60 machine gun ammunition, detonating wires and two expanders, Torres said.
Troops are digging inside the cave, which Torres said also served as a regional NPA headquarters and training camp, to recover another 100 containers of dynamite.
"The capture of the 'CT [communist terrorist] factory' will definitely degrade the CT bomb-making capability in Mindanao," Torres said.
A B40 anti-tank weapon, a motorcycle, and rebel publications were seized in an encounter between government and guerrillas near the bomb factory last January 18, the spokesman said.
Troops, aided by two MG-520 attack helicopters and two UH-1H helicopters from the Philippine Air Force (PAF), are pursuing the NPA fighters who operated the facility, Torres said.
The military has set a 2010 deadline to defeat the 7,100 strong NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which has been waging a 37-year guerilla campaign from the countryside.
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JI bomb expert reported hurt in clash -- military
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:54pm (Mla time) 01/25/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) One of two Jemaah Islamiyah explosives experts being coddled by the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf was reported hurt in an encounter with elite Army troops in the jungles of Sulu last January 18, an official said.
Quoting intelligence information, Brigadier General Arturo Ortiz said Dulmatin, an Indonesian national, sustained gunshot wounds in the encounter on Mt. Dajo in Talipao town, where Abu Sayyaf spokesman Jainal Antel Sali Jr., known as Abu Sulaiman, was killed two days earlier.
"There are reports that Dulmatin was injured but there is no confirmation yet," Ortiz told a news conference in Camp Aguinaldo.
Dulmatin and another JI member, Umar Patek, are believed to be in Sulu. Both are wanted in Indonesia for allegedly helping to plot the 2002 bombings that killed 202 people on the resort island of Bali.
The two, and Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani, who security officials say is confirmed to be dead based on DNA tests on samples taken from remains dug up in Sulu, have been the target of a military campaign that began last August.
Sulaiman was believed to have been designated the new leader of the violent group following the death of Janjalani.
Army First Lieutenant Almirante Mijares said he led the attack on the Abu Sayyaf camp, which housed about 60 guerrillas, after receiving an intelligence tip that Dulmatin, who uses one name like many Indonesians, Sulaiman and a prominent local rebel fighter, Albader Parad, were hiding in the forested area.
"Dulmatin was also hit in that clash," Mijares said at the news conference where he and other army officers recounted details of the daytime assault. He did not elaborate.
"After the gunbattle, we only recovered the body of Abu Sulaiman," he said.
Mijares said he and his men managed to get close to the fog-shrouded Abu Sayyaf encampment in the wilderness and then saw a militant, who later turned out to be Sulaiman, walking toward the fringes to relieve himself in the bushes. His two bodyguards were watching close by.
A soldier pointed his M-14 rifle at Sulaiman and ordered him to keep quiet, but the militant shouted "Allahu akbar," or "God is great," apparently to warn his comrades of the raid. The soldier shot and killed him, and the gunfire set off the clash, Mijares said.
After more than an hour of fighting, most of the guerrillas fled, he said.
The killings of Sulaiman and Janjalani were a major victory for the Philippine military after years of frustrated US-backed operations to find the two. The duo have been accused of plotting major terror attacks, including a 2004 bomb that ignited a fire aboard a ferry near Manila Bay, killing 116 people in one of the worst terror strikes in Southeast Asia.
The two had extensive contacts with foreign militants, including Indonesian and Middle Eastern financiers who provided funds and combat trainers, and their deaths were a major loss for the Abu Sayyaf, security officials said.
Military Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon said a massive US-backed military offensive that started August 1 on Jolo Island would focus next on getting Dulmatin and another Bali bombing suspect, Umar Patek.
Washington has offered a US$10 million reward for the capture or killing of Dulmatin.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo commended Mijares and other soldiers responsible for the killing of Janjalani and Sulaiman during a dinner Wednesday that was also attended by US Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes.
Hughes also praised the troops for killing the Abu Sayyaf leaders.
With The Associated Press
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:54pm (Mla time) 01/25/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) One of two Jemaah Islamiyah explosives experts being coddled by the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf was reported hurt in an encounter with elite Army troops in the jungles of Sulu last January 18, an official said.
Quoting intelligence information, Brigadier General Arturo Ortiz said Dulmatin, an Indonesian national, sustained gunshot wounds in the encounter on Mt. Dajo in Talipao town, where Abu Sayyaf spokesman Jainal Antel Sali Jr., known as Abu Sulaiman, was killed two days earlier.
"There are reports that Dulmatin was injured but there is no confirmation yet," Ortiz told a news conference in Camp Aguinaldo.Dulmatin and another JI member, Umar Patek, are believed to be in Sulu. Both are wanted in Indonesia for allegedly helping to plot the 2002 bombings that killed 202 people on the resort island of Bali.
The two, and Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani, who security officials say is confirmed to be dead based on DNA tests on samples taken from remains dug up in Sulu, have been the target of a military campaign that began last August.
Sulaiman was believed to have been designated the new leader of the violent group following the death of Janjalani.
Army First Lieutenant Almirante Mijares said he led the attack on the Abu Sayyaf camp, which housed about 60 guerrillas, after receiving an intelligence tip that Dulmatin, who uses one name like many Indonesians, Sulaiman and a prominent local rebel fighter, Albader Parad, were hiding in the forested area.
"Dulmatin was also hit in that clash," Mijares said at the news conference where he and other army officers recounted details of the daytime assault. He did not elaborate.
"After the gunbattle, we only recovered the body of Abu Sulaiman," he said.
Mijares said he and his men managed to get close to the fog-shrouded Abu Sayyaf encampment in the wilderness and then saw a militant, who later turned out to be Sulaiman, walking toward the fringes to relieve himself in the bushes. His two bodyguards were watching close by.
A soldier pointed his M-14 rifle at Sulaiman and ordered him to keep quiet, but the militant shouted "Allahu akbar," or "God is great," apparently to warn his comrades of the raid. The soldier shot and killed him, and the gunfire set off the clash, Mijares said.
After more than an hour of fighting, most of the guerrillas fled, he said.
The killings of Sulaiman and Janjalani were a major victory for the Philippine military after years of frustrated US-backed operations to find the two. The duo have been accused of plotting major terror attacks, including a 2004 bomb that ignited a fire aboard a ferry near Manila Bay, killing 116 people in one of the worst terror strikes in Southeast Asia.
The two had extensive contacts with foreign militants, including Indonesian and Middle Eastern financiers who provided funds and combat trainers, and their deaths were a major loss for the Abu Sayyaf, security officials said.
Military Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon said a massive US-backed military offensive that started August 1 on Jolo Island would focus next on getting Dulmatin and another Bali bombing suspect, Umar Patek.
Washington has offered a US$10 million reward for the capture or killing of Dulmatin.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo commended Mijares and other soldiers responsible for the killing of Janjalani and Sulaiman during a dinner Wednesday that was also attended by US Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes.
Hughes also praised the troops for killing the Abu Sayyaf leaders.
With The Associated Press
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Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Remains of policeman slain by NPA dug up after two years
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:20pm (Mla time) 01/24/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Army troops have recovered the remains of a policeman believed to have been killed by communist rebels from a mountain grave in the northern province of Pangasinan close to two years after he went missing, a military spokesman said.
Two New People's Army (NPA) returnees, who claimed to have witnessed how Senior Police Officer 4 Esteban Bravo was executed, led soldiers from the 71st Infantry Battalion to his gravesite on Mt. Baldos, Maseil-seil village, Umingan town at around 1:30 p.m. last Monday, said Army public affairs chief Major Ernesto Torres.
NPA members allegedly kidnapped Bravo in the early morning of February 3, 2005 in the subvillage of Saranay, Saloc village, Sto. Domingo town in Nueva Ecija province, Torres said.
Bravo reportedly drew the rebels' ire for his involvement in
operations that led to the arrest of an NPA commander, a certain alias Berong in Nueva Ecija’s Lupao town sometime 2001. The rebel leader was later freed on bail.
The rebel returnees claimed it was Berong who shot Bravo, the spokesman said.
The NPA is the 7,100-strong armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It has been waging a guerilla campaign on the countryside for 37 years.
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:20pm (Mla time) 01/24/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Army troops have recovered the remains of a policeman believed to have been killed by communist rebels from a mountain grave in the northern province of Pangasinan close to two years after he went missing, a military spokesman said.
Two New People's Army (NPA) returnees, who claimed to have witnessed how Senior Police Officer 4 Esteban Bravo was executed, led soldiers from the 71st Infantry Battalion to his gravesite on Mt. Baldos, Maseil-seil village, Umingan town at around 1:30 p.m. last Monday, said Army public affairs chief Major Ernesto Torres.
NPA members allegedly kidnapped Bravo in the early morning of February 3, 2005 in the subvillage of Saranay, Saloc village, Sto. Domingo town in Nueva Ecija province, Torres said.
Bravo reportedly drew the rebels' ire for his involvement in
operations that led to the arrest of an NPA commander, a certain alias Berong in Nueva Ecija’s Lupao town sometime 2001. The rebel leader was later freed on bail.
The rebel returnees claimed it was Berong who shot Bravo, the spokesman said.
The NPA is the 7,100-strong armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It has been waging a guerilla campaign on the countryside for 37 years.
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Arroyo to dine with troops in Janjalani slay at Palace
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:11pm (Mla time) 01/24/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will honor the troops that had neutralized Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and other leaders of the Muslim extremist group in Malacañang later on Wednesday, military officials said.
The Marine and Army troops were flown to Manila from Sulu via a C-130 plane late Tuesday evening but will return to the battlefield on Thursday, said Brigadier General Ruben Rafael, commander of counter-terror Joint Task Force Comet.
Among those who had been invited to dinner at the Palace were soldiers from the Marine Battalion Landing Team 9, Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan, Marine Corps spokesman, said.
The group is under investigation by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAP) amid allegations that the nine Abu Sayyaf members they had killed in a January 18 encounter in Patikul, Sulu were actually members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Caculitan said.
But Caculitan maintained that the nine fatalities were Abu Sayyaf bandits and were positively identified by a member of the al Qaeda-linked group, who was injured and captured in the encounter.
"They will be personally congratulated by the President… There will be
medals, awards, and benefits for the casualties," Rafael told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo, although he could not immediately ascertain what awards would be given to the troops.
Soldiers who figured in the actual encounters that led to the killing of Janjalani, Abu Sayyaf spokesman Jailan Ante Sali alias Abu Sulaiman, sub-commanders Abu Hubaidah and Jundam Jamalul alias Black Killer, will lead the honorees, Rafael said.
Class 12 of the Marine Force Reconnaissance Battalion, under Second Lieutenant Romulo Dimayuga (in photo, raising his shirt to show a battle scar), neutralized Janjalani in a September 4 encounter in Patikul. Jalanjalni's remains were dug up last December 27 and submitted for DNA testing in the US, which had later confirmed that the body belonged to the Abu Sayyaf leader.
The 8th Special Forces Company spearheaded the January 16 encounter in Talipao town that led to the killing of Sulaiman, who allegedly mapped out the bandit group's kidnapping and bombing activities.
Rafael refused to say how many troops were pulled out from Sulu but said this would not affect the hunt for the remaining Abu Sayyaf commanders -- Radullan Sahiron and Isnilon Hapilon, and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) bomb experts Dulmatin and Umar Patek, the alleged brains of the 2002 Bali bombings.
On Wednesday morning, troops from the Army's 2nd Special Forces Company engaged a small group of Abu Sayyaf bandits in a brief firefight in Talipao. There were no reported casualties, Rafael said.
Reacting to allegations that MNLF members, not Abu Sayyaf bandits were killed in the January 18 encounter, the troop commander, Lieutenant Colonel Melquiades Ordiales said in a phone interview: "We are sure that they are Abu Sayyaf."
Ordiales echoed Caculitan's claim that the captured bandit, a certain Warki, told OPAP investigators that he and his nine slain comrades were Abu Sayyaf members.
Caculitan said the bandit also admitted that he was applying for
membership with the MNLF.
"Our theory is that the Abu Sayyaf has become leaderless, and they are
seeking sanctuary," the spokesman said in a phone interview.
Caculitan added that the encounter site, Patikul, was a known Abu Sayyaf bailiwick and MNLF elements in the island province were concentrated in the towns of Indanan, Talipao, and Panamao.
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:11pm (Mla time) 01/24/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will honor the troops that had neutralized Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and other leaders of the Muslim extremist group in Malacañang later on Wednesday, military officials said.
The Marine and Army troops were flown to Manila from Sulu via a C-130 plane late Tuesday evening but will return to the battlefield on Thursday, said Brigadier General Ruben Rafael, commander of counter-terror Joint Task Force Comet.
Among those who had been invited to dinner at the Palace were soldiers from the Marine Battalion Landing Team 9, Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan, Marine Corps spokesman, said.
The group is under investigation by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAP) amid allegations that the nine Abu Sayyaf members they had killed in a January 18 encounter in Patikul, Sulu were actually members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Caculitan said.
But Caculitan maintained that the nine fatalities were Abu Sayyaf bandits and were positively identified by a member of the al Qaeda-linked group, who was injured and captured in the encounter.
"They will be personally congratulated by the President… There will be
medals, awards, and benefits for the casualties," Rafael told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo, although he could not immediately ascertain what awards would be given to the troops.
Soldiers who figured in the actual encounters that led to the killing of Janjalani, Abu Sayyaf spokesman Jailan Ante Sali alias Abu Sulaiman, sub-commanders Abu Hubaidah and Jundam Jamalul alias Black Killer, will lead the honorees, Rafael said.
Class 12 of the Marine Force Reconnaissance Battalion, under Second Lieutenant Romulo Dimayuga (in photo, raising his shirt to show a battle scar), neutralized Janjalani in a September 4 encounter in Patikul. Jalanjalni's remains were dug up last December 27 and submitted for DNA testing in the US, which had later confirmed that the body belonged to the Abu Sayyaf leader.The 8th Special Forces Company spearheaded the January 16 encounter in Talipao town that led to the killing of Sulaiman, who allegedly mapped out the bandit group's kidnapping and bombing activities.
Rafael refused to say how many troops were pulled out from Sulu but said this would not affect the hunt for the remaining Abu Sayyaf commanders -- Radullan Sahiron and Isnilon Hapilon, and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) bomb experts Dulmatin and Umar Patek, the alleged brains of the 2002 Bali bombings.
On Wednesday morning, troops from the Army's 2nd Special Forces Company engaged a small group of Abu Sayyaf bandits in a brief firefight in Talipao. There were no reported casualties, Rafael said.
Reacting to allegations that MNLF members, not Abu Sayyaf bandits were killed in the January 18 encounter, the troop commander, Lieutenant Colonel Melquiades Ordiales said in a phone interview: "We are sure that they are Abu Sayyaf."
Ordiales echoed Caculitan's claim that the captured bandit, a certain Warki, told OPAP investigators that he and his nine slain comrades were Abu Sayyaf members.
Caculitan said the bandit also admitted that he was applying for
membership with the MNLF.
"Our theory is that the Abu Sayyaf has become leaderless, and they are
seeking sanctuary," the spokesman said in a phone interview.
Caculitan added that the encounter site, Patikul, was a known Abu Sayyaf bailiwick and MNLF elements in the island province were concentrated in the towns of Indanan, Talipao, and Panamao.
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2 Bayan Muna activists killed in Sorsogon
Activists see escalating violence as polls near
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 12:54pm (Mla time) 01/24/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Two members of the left-wing Bayan Muna (Nation First) party list were gunned down just seven hours apart in Sorsogon province on Tuesday, a party official said, as he expressed fears that violence against leftist militants would escalate during the election season.
The latest killings spurred over two dozen outraged members of the party list and allied groups Karapatan and Kalikasan-People's Network for the Environment to stage a brief picket in front of Gate 2 of Camp Aguinaldo along EDSA in Quezon City Wednesday noon to protest the military's alleged involvement in the murders.
Ruben Ermino, 52, was shot dead by a motorcycle-riding assassin while he was driving his tricycle in Tabi village, Gubat town at around 12 p.m. Tuesday, said lawyer Neri Colmenares, Bayan Muna's third nominee in the May midterm elections.
Then at around 7 p.m., Demetrio Imperial, 26, was shot dead in front of his wife and child while they were having dinner at their house in Sogoy village, Castilla town. The assailants wore ski masks and held the victim's family at gunpoint, Colmenares said.
"The government can't beat Bayan Muna in the elections, that's why they resort to violence," Colmenares told reporters on the side of the picket.
"We fear that the political killings will escalate as the elections draw near," he added.
In the May 2004 elections, Bayan Muna mustered enough votes for six seats at the House of Representatives but the law limits party list representation to three, Colmenares said.
In this year’s elections, incumbent Representatives Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño will be the party's first and second nominee. Colmenares will replace Representative Joel Virador as third nominee.
Colmenares noted that witnesses and "circumstantial evidence" pointed to government forces as responsible for the murders of activists.
"The killings are done in broad daylight, near police and military detachments, and by motorcycle-riding gunmen," he said.
Quoting data from the human rights group Karapatan, Colmenares said 824 cases of extrajudicial killings have been recorded since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed power in January 2001.
Colmenares also dared the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to file electioneering charges against National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, whom he accused of touring military camps to campaign against Bayan Muna, while courting votes for his own Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PDSP).
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By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 12:54pm (Mla time) 01/24/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Two members of the left-wing Bayan Muna (Nation First) party list were gunned down just seven hours apart in Sorsogon province on Tuesday, a party official said, as he expressed fears that violence against leftist militants would escalate during the election season.
The latest killings spurred over two dozen outraged members of the party list and allied groups Karapatan and Kalikasan-People's Network for the Environment to stage a brief picket in front of Gate 2 of Camp Aguinaldo along EDSA in Quezon City Wednesday noon to protest the military's alleged involvement in the murders.
Ruben Ermino, 52, was shot dead by a motorcycle-riding assassin while he was driving his tricycle in Tabi village, Gubat town at around 12 p.m. Tuesday, said lawyer Neri Colmenares, Bayan Muna's third nominee in the May midterm elections.
Then at around 7 p.m., Demetrio Imperial, 26, was shot dead in front of his wife and child while they were having dinner at their house in Sogoy village, Castilla town. The assailants wore ski masks and held the victim's family at gunpoint, Colmenares said.
"The government can't beat Bayan Muna in the elections, that's why they resort to violence," Colmenares told reporters on the side of the picket.
"We fear that the political killings will escalate as the elections draw near," he added.
In the May 2004 elections, Bayan Muna mustered enough votes for six seats at the House of Representatives but the law limits party list representation to three, Colmenares said.
In this year’s elections, incumbent Representatives Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño will be the party's first and second nominee. Colmenares will replace Representative Joel Virador as third nominee.
Colmenares noted that witnesses and "circumstantial evidence" pointed to government forces as responsible for the murders of activists.
"The killings are done in broad daylight, near police and military detachments, and by motorcycle-riding gunmen," he said.
Quoting data from the human rights group Karapatan, Colmenares said 824 cases of extrajudicial killings have been recorded since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed power in January 2001.
Colmenares also dared the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to file electioneering charges against National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, whom he accused of touring military camps to campaign against Bayan Muna, while courting votes for his own Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PDSP).
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Tuesday, January 23, 2007
2 communist rebels killed, 2 soldiers hurt in Cagayan clash
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:17pm (Mla time) 01/23/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Two communist rebels were killed while two government troopers were injured after they clashed in the northern province of Cagayan last Sunday, a spokesman for the Philippine Army said.
The firefight erupted at around 3 p.m., when patrolling troops from the 17th Infantry Battalion encountered a band of New People's Army (NPA) guerillas in the village of Carupian, Baggao town, said Major Ernesto Torres.
Torres identified the rebel fatalities as Edralyn Gudoy and Alvin Fuentes. Privates First Class Jomar Balcia and John Pagtud have been wounded.
Two other suspected rebels, identified as Rosemarie Tomas, 22, and a child soldier, 15-year-old Arlene Quintos, were captured, Torres said.
Another suspected NPA guerilla, identified as Rey Billones, was believed killed but authorities failed to recover his body,
Torres said.
The NPA is the 7,100-strong armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It has been waging a 37-year guerilla campaign on the countryside.
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:17pm (Mla time) 01/23/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Two communist rebels were killed while two government troopers were injured after they clashed in the northern province of Cagayan last Sunday, a spokesman for the Philippine Army said.
The firefight erupted at around 3 p.m., when patrolling troops from the 17th Infantry Battalion encountered a band of New People's Army (NPA) guerillas in the village of Carupian, Baggao town, said Major Ernesto Torres.
Torres identified the rebel fatalities as Edralyn Gudoy and Alvin Fuentes. Privates First Class Jomar Balcia and John Pagtud have been wounded.
Two other suspected rebels, identified as Rosemarie Tomas, 22, and a child soldier, 15-year-old Arlene Quintos, were captured, Torres said.
Another suspected NPA guerilla, identified as Rey Billones, was believed killed but authorities failed to recover his body,
Torres said.
The NPA is the 7,100-strong armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It has been waging a 37-year guerilla campaign on the countryside.
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Marines who slew Janjalani ‘never thought of retreat’
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 03:37pm (Mla time) 01/23/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- The Marines who killed Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani never thought of retreating despite suffering heavy casualties when they encountered the bandit leader and his men before dawn on September 4.
The 27-man platoon fought it out with some 200 Abu Sayyaf fighters for three hours before reinforcements arrived.
The unit lost six men killed and 16 others, including platoon leader 2nd Lieutenant Romulo Dimayuga, were wounded.
“We continued to hold the line. There was no retreating. I will not leave any Marine behind,” Dimayuga told a news conference in Camp Aguinaldo.
“We knew that they [would] fight back hard, but we [were] confident that we are better than them,” he added.
Private First Class Juvelito Manalili said enemy fire hit him after he tried to shield Private First Class Harold Almodovar, who was wounded and later died.
Dimyauga, too, said he was hit in the chest and abdomen while saving one of his wounded men from the crossfire.
Janjalani was fatally wounded in the September 4 encounter. His death was confirmed only last Saturday, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a DNA match on tissue samples taken from his remains and saliva samples from his brother, Hector.
Dimayuga said he was raring to go back to Sulu to finish off the remaining Abu Sayyaf leaders Radullan Sahiron, Isnilon Hapilon, and Abu Pula, and two Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings, Umar Patek and Dulmatin.
“Anytime I am ordered to return to Jolo [in Sulu], I will go back there. We will continue the fight,” he said. “As a Marine, as a reconnaissance Marine, we are always ready to fight.”
Dimayuga is currently on retraining at the Marine Base in Ternate town, Cavite province. He said he is expected to return to Sulu on two months.
Dimayuga said his troops traced Janjalani’s encampment in Tugas village with the intelligence assistance from US troops.
He said he or his men did not see Janjalani there, but he was sure that a top extremist leader was in the vicinity since a male voice sang what seemed like a Muslim prayer, uninterrupted, before 5 a.m.
“There was a distinct voice and it was uninterrupted. Ibig sabihin siga siya [It means he is a big shot],” the lieutenant said.
Dimayuga said it was a “great honor” for him and his men to have led the operation that resulted in the neutralization of Janjalani, the main man of the al-Qaeda global terror network in the Philippines.
“The death of six Marines was not in vain because it had a very positive outcome, the death of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani,” he said.
Confirmation of Janjalani’s death came several days after Abu Sayyaf spokesman Jainal Sali alias Abu Solaiman and sub-commanders including Abu Hubaida, Black Killer, and Binang Sali were killed in encounters with government troops in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 03:37pm (Mla time) 01/23/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- The Marines who killed Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani never thought of retreating despite suffering heavy casualties when they encountered the bandit leader and his men before dawn on September 4.The 27-man platoon fought it out with some 200 Abu Sayyaf fighters for three hours before reinforcements arrived.
The unit lost six men killed and 16 others, including platoon leader 2nd Lieutenant Romulo Dimayuga, were wounded.
“We continued to hold the line. There was no retreating. I will not leave any Marine behind,” Dimayuga told a news conference in Camp Aguinaldo.
“We knew that they [would] fight back hard, but we [were] confident that we are better than them,” he added.
Private First Class Juvelito Manalili said enemy fire hit him after he tried to shield Private First Class Harold Almodovar, who was wounded and later died.
Dimyauga, too, said he was hit in the chest and abdomen while saving one of his wounded men from the crossfire.
Janjalani was fatally wounded in the September 4 encounter. His death was confirmed only last Saturday, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a DNA match on tissue samples taken from his remains and saliva samples from his brother, Hector.
Dimayuga said he was raring to go back to Sulu to finish off the remaining Abu Sayyaf leaders Radullan Sahiron, Isnilon Hapilon, and Abu Pula, and two Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings, Umar Patek and Dulmatin.
“Anytime I am ordered to return to Jolo [in Sulu], I will go back there. We will continue the fight,” he said. “As a Marine, as a reconnaissance Marine, we are always ready to fight.”
Dimayuga is currently on retraining at the Marine Base in Ternate town, Cavite province. He said he is expected to return to Sulu on two months.
Dimayuga said his troops traced Janjalani’s encampment in Tugas village with the intelligence assistance from US troops.
He said he or his men did not see Janjalani there, but he was sure that a top extremist leader was in the vicinity since a male voice sang what seemed like a Muslim prayer, uninterrupted, before 5 a.m.
“There was a distinct voice and it was uninterrupted. Ibig sabihin siga siya [It means he is a big shot],” the lieutenant said.
Dimayuga said it was a “great honor” for him and his men to have led the operation that resulted in the neutralization of Janjalani, the main man of the al-Qaeda global terror network in the Philippines.
“The death of six Marines was not in vain because it had a very positive outcome, the death of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani,” he said.
Confirmation of Janjalani’s death came several days after Abu Sayyaf spokesman Jainal Sali alias Abu Solaiman and sub-commanders including Abu Hubaida, Black Killer, and Binang Sali were killed in encounters with government troops in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
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Monday, January 22, 2007
Marine troops in Janjalani slay to be recognized
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:28pm (Mla time) 01/22/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Marine troops who killed Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani will be given “due recognition,” a spokesman for the military said Monday, as it rejected doubts over the results of a DNA test that confirmed the bandit leader’s death.
A board for awards and decorations is evaluating the post-encounter report on the September 4 encounter in Patikul town, Sulu province, where Janjalani was, prior to his death, believed to have been fatally wounded, to determine the award to be given to the troops involved, Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro said.
A fresh graduate from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) on his first assignment, Second Lieutenant Romulo Dimayuga (in photo taken at the AFP Medical Center last September 6), led some 20 of his men against some 200 Abu Sayyaf bandits in the three-hour, pre-dawn gunbattle.
“Definitely, due recognition will be given to those who initiated the attack against Janjalani,” Bacarro told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo. He said it was too early to tell if they would be given the Medal of Valor, the military’s highest combat honor.
Outnumbered and with six of his men killed and 19 others including himself, wounded, Dimayuga and his men fought it out with the bandits for some two and a half hours before reinforcements from the Force Reconnaissance Battalion arrived.
Reacting to doubts raised by Janjalani’s family that the DNA test was not enough to prove his death, Bacarro said the test was just a “final confirmation” of military reports that the notorious bandit leader had been killed.
“Even before the DNA tests, we have reports that Khadaffy Janjalani was wounded sometime in September. He was initially wounded and then died,” Bacarro said.
“We have human intelligence and technical intercepts of their [bandits’] radio communication saying that Janjalani was killed… These were eventually validated [by the DNA tests],” Bacarro said.
Bacarro added that captured former Abu Sayyaf members led authorities to Janjalani’s gravesite in Patikul on December 27.
Tissue samples taken from the decomposing remains matched those from the saliva of Janjalani’s brother, Hector, based on tests conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, leading authorities to conclude that Janjalani had been killed.
Bacarro said the FBI report, which was sent to Manila last Saturday, “has not been declassified” and could not be released to the public. A one-paragraph excerpt from the report, the portion saying that the DNA match proved Janjalani’s death, was released to media on the same day.
The spokesman said US authorities were evaluating who would receive the $5-million dollar reward they had offered.
Confirmation of Janjalani’s death came several days after Abu Sayyaf spokesman Jainal Sali alias Abu Solaiman and sub-commanders, including Abu Hubaida, Black Killer, and Binang Sali were killed in encounters with government troops in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
In preparation for possible retaliatory attacks by the Abu Sayyaf, Bacarro said the military raised the red alert last Saturday.
He said the highest terror alert of “extreme critical” remained in effect in Mindanao, following a string of bomb attacks there earlier this month, while the second highest “moderate” alert was in effect in Metro Manila.
Bacarro likewise echoed Military Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr.’s statement that no leader as strong as Janjalani or Solaiman could take over the Abu Sayyaf leadership.
With the two at the helm, the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 20 people, including foreign tourists from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan province on May 27, 2001; bombed the Superferry 14 off Manila Bay on February 27, 2004, and the cities of Makati, Davao, and General Santos on February 14, 2005.
“They [bandits] can appoint figureheads but they will have a hard time looking for someone with the caliber and characteristics of Solaiman,” Bacarro said.
Bacarro said Esperon ordered troops to press on with the hunt for the remaining Abu Sayyaf leaders -- Radullan Sahiron and Isnilon Hapilon and the two Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members believed to be hiding with Janjalani in Sulu -- Umar Patek and Dulmatin -- the alleged brains of the 2002 Bali bombing.
The spokesman said the military has not confirmed reports that Patek was wounded in the September 4 encounter.
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:28pm (Mla time) 01/22/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Marine troops who killed Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani will be given “due recognition,” a spokesman for the military said Monday, as it rejected doubts over the results of a DNA test that confirmed the bandit leader’s death.A board for awards and decorations is evaluating the post-encounter report on the September 4 encounter in Patikul town, Sulu province, where Janjalani was, prior to his death, believed to have been fatally wounded, to determine the award to be given to the troops involved, Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro said.
A fresh graduate from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) on his first assignment, Second Lieutenant Romulo Dimayuga (in photo taken at the AFP Medical Center last September 6), led some 20 of his men against some 200 Abu Sayyaf bandits in the three-hour, pre-dawn gunbattle.
“Definitely, due recognition will be given to those who initiated the attack against Janjalani,” Bacarro told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo. He said it was too early to tell if they would be given the Medal of Valor, the military’s highest combat honor.
Outnumbered and with six of his men killed and 19 others including himself, wounded, Dimayuga and his men fought it out with the bandits for some two and a half hours before reinforcements from the Force Reconnaissance Battalion arrived.
Reacting to doubts raised by Janjalani’s family that the DNA test was not enough to prove his death, Bacarro said the test was just a “final confirmation” of military reports that the notorious bandit leader had been killed.
“Even before the DNA tests, we have reports that Khadaffy Janjalani was wounded sometime in September. He was initially wounded and then died,” Bacarro said.
“We have human intelligence and technical intercepts of their [bandits’] radio communication saying that Janjalani was killed… These were eventually validated [by the DNA tests],” Bacarro said.
Bacarro added that captured former Abu Sayyaf members led authorities to Janjalani’s gravesite in Patikul on December 27.
Tissue samples taken from the decomposing remains matched those from the saliva of Janjalani’s brother, Hector, based on tests conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, leading authorities to conclude that Janjalani had been killed.
Bacarro said the FBI report, which was sent to Manila last Saturday, “has not been declassified” and could not be released to the public. A one-paragraph excerpt from the report, the portion saying that the DNA match proved Janjalani’s death, was released to media on the same day.
The spokesman said US authorities were evaluating who would receive the $5-million dollar reward they had offered.
Confirmation of Janjalani’s death came several days after Abu Sayyaf spokesman Jainal Sali alias Abu Solaiman and sub-commanders, including Abu Hubaida, Black Killer, and Binang Sali were killed in encounters with government troops in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
In preparation for possible retaliatory attacks by the Abu Sayyaf, Bacarro said the military raised the red alert last Saturday.
He said the highest terror alert of “extreme critical” remained in effect in Mindanao, following a string of bomb attacks there earlier this month, while the second highest “moderate” alert was in effect in Metro Manila.
Bacarro likewise echoed Military Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr.’s statement that no leader as strong as Janjalani or Solaiman could take over the Abu Sayyaf leadership.
With the two at the helm, the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 20 people, including foreign tourists from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan province on May 27, 2001; bombed the Superferry 14 off Manila Bay on February 27, 2004, and the cities of Makati, Davao, and General Santos on February 14, 2005.
“They [bandits] can appoint figureheads but they will have a hard time looking for someone with the caliber and characteristics of Solaiman,” Bacarro said.
Bacarro said Esperon ordered troops to press on with the hunt for the remaining Abu Sayyaf leaders -- Radullan Sahiron and Isnilon Hapilon and the two Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members believed to be hiding with Janjalani in Sulu -- Umar Patek and Dulmatin -- the alleged brains of the 2002 Bali bombing.
The spokesman said the military has not confirmed reports that Patek was wounded in the September 4 encounter.
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Sunday, January 21, 2007
DNA test confirms Janjalani dead, says Esperon
Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
First posted 17:18:24 (Mla time) January 20, 2007
MANILA -- Abu Sayyaf chief Khadaffy Janjalani, the al Qaeda global terror network's main man in the Philippines is dead, a DNA test conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States has confirmed.
Military Chief General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. on Saturday announced that tissue samples taken from remains dug up in Patikul town last December 27 were confirmed to be Janjalani's after these matched with samples taken from his brother, Hector.
"They positively matched, the two [DNA] samples matched, confirming Janjalani's death," Esperon told a news conference in Camp Aguinaldo.
"We have neutralized the center of gravity of terrorism in the Philippines," he added.
Esperon said the tests, which were sent to the military by fax on Saturday morning were "complete" and "conclusive," and no further tests were necessary.
At the same time, Esperon vowed to press on with the hunt for the rest of the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in Sulu, including the alleged masterminds of the 2002 Bali bombings, Umar Patek and Dulmatin.
"We will clear Sulu of terrorists. We will not allow them to thrive in any part of the Philippines," the military chief said.
Esperon said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has congratulated the military for the recent “neutralization” of top extremist leaders.
He also thanked US authorities for "technical and service support" to the operations in Sulu.
Janjalani was believed killed in a fierce encounter between the bandits and Marine troops in the jungles of Patikul last September 4. A captured Abu Sayyaf member led authorities to his gravesite.
Esperon said 67 extremists have been killed in 38 encounters with government forces in Sulu since pursuit operations, dubbed Oplan Ultimatum, started on August 1.
Among those killed were Abu Sayyaf spokesman and logistics officer Jainal Sali alias Abu Solaiman, sub-commanders Jundam Jumalul alias Black Killer, Espaldon Abraham, Ismin Sahiron, Binang Sali, and Ibrahim Hassan, and Indonesian JI member Jimber Gufran.
Asked who was likely to succeed Janjalani, Esperon said: "We do not see any viable leadership that could provide the same kind of leadership but we must tell you: Even if there are just smaller leaders, your armed forces is determined to go all the way after them."
Khadaffy took over the Abu Sayyaf leadership in 1998, after his elder brother, Abdurajak, was killed in an encounter with government troops in Basilan.
Under the young Janjalani's watch, the group kidnapped 20 people, including American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham in 2001.
The Abu Sayyaf also teamed up with the JI to launch the deadliest terror attacks with the young Janjalani at the helm, including the bombing of the Superferry 14 off Manila Bay on February 27, 2004 and the Valentines Day bombings in the cities of Makati, Davao, and General Santos a year later.
Over 200 people died while scores others were wounded in the attacks.
Abu Solaiman was killed last Tuesday after Army Special Forces overran a bandit camp on Mt. Dajo in Talipao town and seized a cache of explosives.
Janjalani and Solaiman each carry a one-million-dollar bounty from the US State Department.
Two days later, nine bandits were killed while four others were captured after they encountered Marine troops in Patikul. Three government troops were also killed.
Next week, the entire 1st Marine Brigade, composed of roughly 1,500 soldiers, will be transferred to Basilan, near Sulu, where close to 8,000 troops are running after the extremists.
The move came after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed to finish off the Abu Sayyaf with a "hand of steel."
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INQUIRER.net
First posted 17:18:24 (Mla time) January 20, 2007
MANILA -- Abu Sayyaf chief Khadaffy Janjalani, the al Qaeda global terror network's main man in the Philippines is dead, a DNA test conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States has confirmed.
Military Chief General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. on Saturday announced that tissue samples taken from remains dug up in Patikul town last December 27 were confirmed to be Janjalani's after these matched with samples taken from his brother, Hector.
"They positively matched, the two [DNA] samples matched, confirming Janjalani's death," Esperon told a news conference in Camp Aguinaldo.
"We have neutralized the center of gravity of terrorism in the Philippines," he added.
Esperon said the tests, which were sent to the military by fax on Saturday morning were "complete" and "conclusive," and no further tests were necessary.
At the same time, Esperon vowed to press on with the hunt for the rest of the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in Sulu, including the alleged masterminds of the 2002 Bali bombings, Umar Patek and Dulmatin.
"We will clear Sulu of terrorists. We will not allow them to thrive in any part of the Philippines," the military chief said.
Esperon said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has congratulated the military for the recent “neutralization” of top extremist leaders.
He also thanked US authorities for "technical and service support" to the operations in Sulu.
Janjalani was believed killed in a fierce encounter between the bandits and Marine troops in the jungles of Patikul last September 4. A captured Abu Sayyaf member led authorities to his gravesite.
Esperon said 67 extremists have been killed in 38 encounters with government forces in Sulu since pursuit operations, dubbed Oplan Ultimatum, started on August 1.
Among those killed were Abu Sayyaf spokesman and logistics officer Jainal Sali alias Abu Solaiman, sub-commanders Jundam Jumalul alias Black Killer, Espaldon Abraham, Ismin Sahiron, Binang Sali, and Ibrahim Hassan, and Indonesian JI member Jimber Gufran.
Asked who was likely to succeed Janjalani, Esperon said: "We do not see any viable leadership that could provide the same kind of leadership but we must tell you: Even if there are just smaller leaders, your armed forces is determined to go all the way after them."
Khadaffy took over the Abu Sayyaf leadership in 1998, after his elder brother, Abdurajak, was killed in an encounter with government troops in Basilan.
Under the young Janjalani's watch, the group kidnapped 20 people, including American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham in 2001.
The Abu Sayyaf also teamed up with the JI to launch the deadliest terror attacks with the young Janjalani at the helm, including the bombing of the Superferry 14 off Manila Bay on February 27, 2004 and the Valentines Day bombings in the cities of Makati, Davao, and General Santos a year later.
Over 200 people died while scores others were wounded in the attacks.
Abu Solaiman was killed last Tuesday after Army Special Forces overran a bandit camp on Mt. Dajo in Talipao town and seized a cache of explosives.
Janjalani and Solaiman each carry a one-million-dollar bounty from the US State Department.
Two days later, nine bandits were killed while four others were captured after they encountered Marine troops in Patikul. Three government troops were also killed.
Next week, the entire 1st Marine Brigade, composed of roughly 1,500 soldiers, will be transferred to Basilan, near Sulu, where close to 8,000 troops are running after the extremists.
The move came after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed to finish off the Abu Sayyaf with a "hand of steel."
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1,500 troops sent to Basilan in war vs Abu Sayyaf
Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
First posted 17:32:13 (Mla time) January 19, 2007
MANILA, Philippines -- THE MILITARY will transfer an entire Marine brigade, or roughly 1,500 troops, from Central Mindanao to the island province of Basilan, further tightening its grip on bailiwicks of the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, an official said Friday.
The 1st Marine Brigade, originally stationed in Marawi City, will be shipped to Basilan next week, exchanging places with the Army’s 103rd Brigade, Navy Flag Officer-in-Command Vice Admiral Rogelio Calunsag said.
It will join two the 2nd and 3rd Marine Brigades in the hunt for the bandits. The two brigades are part of a military dragnet in Sulu Island, where Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah leaders are believed to be hiding, Calunsag told a news conference at the Navy headquarters in Manila.
"That is the purpose of this [deployment], for us to have a heightened, sustained operation [against the bandits]," Calunsag said.
Calunsag said the transfer was part of the Navy's Fleet-Marine concept, aimed at consolidating Marine forces in the provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Basilan, known bailiwicks of the Abu Sayyaf.
On Thursday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed to finish off the Abu Sayyaf with a "hand of steel."
This followed the death of several Abu Sayyaf leaders in clashes with the military in the last two weeks, including the extremists' spokesman, Jainal Sali alias Abu Sulaiman, who is on the US and Philippines’ most-wanted lists and with a $5-million bounty on his head from Washington.
Sulaiman, an engineer, masterminded some of the most deadly terror attacks and kidnappings in the Philippines. They include a bombing that gutted a ferry in February 2004, killing 116 people in the second deadliest terror attack in Southeast Asia, and the abduction of three Americans and 17 Filipino tourists and workers from a resort island in 2001.
Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani was believed to have been killed in a September 4 encounter in Patikul, Sulu. Tissue samples from his alleged remains, which were dug up in the area in December, have been subjected to DNA testing.
Calunsag clarified that only nine Abu Sayyaf members, not 10 according to preliminary military reports, were killed in an encounter with the Marines in Patikul last Thursday.
He said three soldiers were also killed while four bandits were captured and detained at the 3rd Marine Brigade headquarters in Jolo, Sulu.
One of the captives include Alpin Sahibul, son of Abu Sayyaf sub-commander Tandah Sahibul, who led the bandits in the Thursday firefight along with sub-commanders Abu Pula and Doc Abu, Calunsag said.
Calunsag identified the nine fatalities as Ibnu Karain, Ogie Ahmad, Taib Kaddam, Rudy Julalih, Jun Samsula, Kaddam Usman, Mamee Julalih, a certain Ablay, and a certain Salail.
He identified one of the slain soldiers as Corporal Enrico dela Cruz.
Basilan's mountains and thick forests had been the hideouts of the Abu Sayyaf, but they have been largely driven to seek refuge with others on Jolo in the wake of US military training and humanitarian operations that started in 2002.
A US-backed offensive was launched on Jolo in August, targeting top Abu Sayyaf leaders and two members of the Indonesia-based terror network Jemaah Islamiyah -- Dulmatin and Umar Patek -- both blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people in Bali, Indonesia.
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INQUIRER.net
First posted 17:32:13 (Mla time) January 19, 2007
MANILA, Philippines -- THE MILITARY will transfer an entire Marine brigade, or roughly 1,500 troops, from Central Mindanao to the island province of Basilan, further tightening its grip on bailiwicks of the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, an official said Friday.
The 1st Marine Brigade, originally stationed in Marawi City, will be shipped to Basilan next week, exchanging places with the Army’s 103rd Brigade, Navy Flag Officer-in-Command Vice Admiral Rogelio Calunsag said.
It will join two the 2nd and 3rd Marine Brigades in the hunt for the bandits. The two brigades are part of a military dragnet in Sulu Island, where Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah leaders are believed to be hiding, Calunsag told a news conference at the Navy headquarters in Manila.
"That is the purpose of this [deployment], for us to have a heightened, sustained operation [against the bandits]," Calunsag said.
Calunsag said the transfer was part of the Navy's Fleet-Marine concept, aimed at consolidating Marine forces in the provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Basilan, known bailiwicks of the Abu Sayyaf.
On Thursday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed to finish off the Abu Sayyaf with a "hand of steel."
This followed the death of several Abu Sayyaf leaders in clashes with the military in the last two weeks, including the extremists' spokesman, Jainal Sali alias Abu Sulaiman, who is on the US and Philippines’ most-wanted lists and with a $5-million bounty on his head from Washington.
Sulaiman, an engineer, masterminded some of the most deadly terror attacks and kidnappings in the Philippines. They include a bombing that gutted a ferry in February 2004, killing 116 people in the second deadliest terror attack in Southeast Asia, and the abduction of three Americans and 17 Filipino tourists and workers from a resort island in 2001.
Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani was believed to have been killed in a September 4 encounter in Patikul, Sulu. Tissue samples from his alleged remains, which were dug up in the area in December, have been subjected to DNA testing.
Calunsag clarified that only nine Abu Sayyaf members, not 10 according to preliminary military reports, were killed in an encounter with the Marines in Patikul last Thursday.
He said three soldiers were also killed while four bandits were captured and detained at the 3rd Marine Brigade headquarters in Jolo, Sulu.
One of the captives include Alpin Sahibul, son of Abu Sayyaf sub-commander Tandah Sahibul, who led the bandits in the Thursday firefight along with sub-commanders Abu Pula and Doc Abu, Calunsag said.
Calunsag identified the nine fatalities as Ibnu Karain, Ogie Ahmad, Taib Kaddam, Rudy Julalih, Jun Samsula, Kaddam Usman, Mamee Julalih, a certain Ablay, and a certain Salail.
He identified one of the slain soldiers as Corporal Enrico dela Cruz.
Basilan's mountains and thick forests had been the hideouts of the Abu Sayyaf, but they have been largely driven to seek refuge with others on Jolo in the wake of US military training and humanitarian operations that started in 2002.
A US-backed offensive was launched on Jolo in August, targeting top Abu Sayyaf leaders and two members of the Indonesia-based terror network Jemaah Islamiyah -- Dulmatin and Umar Patek -- both blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people in Bali, Indonesia.
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10 Abu Sayyaf bandits, 3 Marines killed in Sulu clash
Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
First posted 16:01:25 (Mla time) January 18, 2007
MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) TEN Abu Sayyaf bandits and three Marine soldiers were killed following an encounter in the southern island province of Sulu on Wednesday, two days after government troops killed the al Qaeda-linked group's spokesman and sub-leader there, a military spokesman said.
The military is verifying if the Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Radullan
Sahiron, who led some 30 bandits in the one-hour gunbattle in sitio (sub-village) Biti, Timpook village, Patikul town, was among those killed, said Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan, Marine spokesman.
All 10 bodies of the Islamic extremists killed in the encounter that started at around 12 p.m., as well as their firearms, were recovered,
Caculitan said in a text message.
"This is part of our commitment to destroy the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu,"
Caculitan said.
Abu Sayyaf spokesman Jainal Sali alias Abu Solaiman was killed after troops overran a bandit camp on Mt. Dajo in Talipao town on Tuesday.
Solaiman's death was confirmed on Wednesday after military assets and one of his wives identified the body that was recovered from the scene of the encounter to be that of the Abu Sayyaf spokesman's.
The bandit group's chieftain, Khadaffy Janjalani, was believed killed in a September 4 encounter with the Marines in Patikul. Tissue samples from his alleged remains, which were dug up in the area, have been submitted for DNA analysis.
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INQUIRER.net
First posted 16:01:25 (Mla time) January 18, 2007
MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) TEN Abu Sayyaf bandits and three Marine soldiers were killed following an encounter in the southern island province of Sulu on Wednesday, two days after government troops killed the al Qaeda-linked group's spokesman and sub-leader there, a military spokesman said.
The military is verifying if the Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Radullan
Sahiron, who led some 30 bandits in the one-hour gunbattle in sitio (sub-village) Biti, Timpook village, Patikul town, was among those killed, said Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan, Marine spokesman.
All 10 bodies of the Islamic extremists killed in the encounter that started at around 12 p.m., as well as their firearms, were recovered,
Caculitan said in a text message.
"This is part of our commitment to destroy the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu,"
Caculitan said.
Abu Sayyaf spokesman Jainal Sali alias Abu Solaiman was killed after troops overran a bandit camp on Mt. Dajo in Talipao town on Tuesday.
Solaiman's death was confirmed on Wednesday after military assets and one of his wives identified the body that was recovered from the scene of the encounter to be that of the Abu Sayyaf spokesman's.
The bandit group's chieftain, Khadaffy Janjalani, was believed killed in a September 4 encounter with the Marines in Patikul. Tissue samples from his alleged remains, which were dug up in the area, have been submitted for DNA analysis.
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Abu Solaiman slain, military confirms
Joel Guinto Lira Dalangin-Fernandez ldalangin@inq7.net Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net
First posted 15:01:05 (Mla time) January 17, 2007
THE MILITARY has confirmed that Abu Solaiman, spokesman of the Abu Sayyaf Group, was killed in an encounter with elite Philippine Army troops in Talipao, Sulu on Tuesday, as it warned that his death could set off retaliatory attacks.
Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro, military public information chief, and Brigadier General Arturo Ortiz, chief of the Army Special Forces, said the body of Solaiman, who was also an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader, had been positively identified.
Military Chief Hermogenes Esperon said that Solaiman’s death could trigger retaliatory attacks but that they were ready to thwart any such assaults.
Malacañang, on learning of the news, hailed it as proof that the government is winning the war on terrorism and that the Abu Sayyaf “continues to weaken” as military operations against the bandit group have shifted the “center of gravity…on the commanders.”
"It will not be long before we can get all of them," Executive Secretary Eduardo said at his weekly news conference after being informed by the Armed Forces about Solaiman’s death.
Ermita described Solaiman’s death as an “effective collateral effect” of the Balikatan joint military operations with the US, which has provided equipment, training and intelligence to Filipino soldiers, especially those pursuing the Abu Sayyaf and other extremists.
The joint military exercises were almost suspended by the Americans this year over the custody of convicted US Marine Daniel Smith, who was sentenced to 40 years for raping a Filipina in late 2005. However, the US later said the exercises would push through after Smith, with the help of the Philippine government, was returned to the custody of the US embassy.
Ortiz's men led the siege on an Abu Sayyaf camp on Mt. Dajo in Talipao Tuesday morning. Solaiman was initially believed to have been wounded in the encounter.
In a text message Wednesday, Ortiz confirmed that civilian assets and intelligence operatives confirmed that the body of a slain bandit recovered from the scene of the encounter was Solaiman's.
The identification, he said, was based on a mole on the corpse’s eyelid and teeth placements.
"Our intelligence operatives have confirmed that Abu Solaiman was killed in the encounter yesterday [Tuesday]," Ortiz said.
Solaiman's body is being kept at Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, Sulu, headquarters of the 104th Army Brigade, Ortiz said.
Solaiman carried a $5-million bounty from the US government.
The group's chieftain, Khadaffy Janjalani, is suspected to have been killed in an encounter with government troops in Patikul, Sulu last September. Tissue samples from Janjalani's alleged remains, which were dug up last December 27, have been submitted for DNA testing in the US.
Last week, troops killed six Abu Sayyaf members, including three sub-commanders, and an Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant in encounters in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.
Remarking on this, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared that Islamic extremists in the southern Philippines are "doomed to annihilation."
Troops have sealed off Sulu since August to catch Janjalani and two Jemaah Islamiyah members who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings, Umar Patek and Dulmatin.
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INQUIRER.net
First posted 15:01:05 (Mla time) January 17, 2007
THE MILITARY has confirmed that Abu Solaiman, spokesman of the Abu Sayyaf Group, was killed in an encounter with elite Philippine Army troops in Talipao, Sulu on Tuesday, as it warned that his death could set off retaliatory attacks.
Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro, military public information chief, and Brigadier General Arturo Ortiz, chief of the Army Special Forces, said the body of Solaiman, who was also an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader, had been positively identified.
Military Chief Hermogenes Esperon said that Solaiman’s death could trigger retaliatory attacks but that they were ready to thwart any such assaults.
Malacañang, on learning of the news, hailed it as proof that the government is winning the war on terrorism and that the Abu Sayyaf “continues to weaken” as military operations against the bandit group have shifted the “center of gravity…on the commanders.”
"It will not be long before we can get all of them," Executive Secretary Eduardo said at his weekly news conference after being informed by the Armed Forces about Solaiman’s death.
Ermita described Solaiman’s death as an “effective collateral effect” of the Balikatan joint military operations with the US, which has provided equipment, training and intelligence to Filipino soldiers, especially those pursuing the Abu Sayyaf and other extremists.
The joint military exercises were almost suspended by the Americans this year over the custody of convicted US Marine Daniel Smith, who was sentenced to 40 years for raping a Filipina in late 2005. However, the US later said the exercises would push through after Smith, with the help of the Philippine government, was returned to the custody of the US embassy.
Ortiz's men led the siege on an Abu Sayyaf camp on Mt. Dajo in Talipao Tuesday morning. Solaiman was initially believed to have been wounded in the encounter.
In a text message Wednesday, Ortiz confirmed that civilian assets and intelligence operatives confirmed that the body of a slain bandit recovered from the scene of the encounter was Solaiman's.
The identification, he said, was based on a mole on the corpse’s eyelid and teeth placements.
"Our intelligence operatives have confirmed that Abu Solaiman was killed in the encounter yesterday [Tuesday]," Ortiz said.
Solaiman's body is being kept at Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, Sulu, headquarters of the 104th Army Brigade, Ortiz said.
Solaiman carried a $5-million bounty from the US government.
The group's chieftain, Khadaffy Janjalani, is suspected to have been killed in an encounter with government troops in Patikul, Sulu last September. Tissue samples from Janjalani's alleged remains, which were dug up last December 27, have been submitted for DNA testing in the US.
Last week, troops killed six Abu Sayyaf members, including three sub-commanders, and an Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant in encounters in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.
Remarking on this, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared that Islamic extremists in the southern Philippines are "doomed to annihilation."
Troops have sealed off Sulu since August to catch Janjalani and two Jemaah Islamiyah members who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings, Umar Patek and Dulmatin.
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Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Abu Sayyaf spokesman wounded as troops overrun camp
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 05:57pm (Mla time) 01/16/2007
MANILA -- ELITE Army troops overran an Abu Sayyaf camp in Sulu province Tuesday, leaving the extremist group's spokesman wounded and another bandit killed, and resulting in the seizure of a cache of explosive materials, a military spokesman said.
Troops from the Army Special Forces tracked down the Abu Sayyaf camp on Mt. Dajo in Talipao town at around 9:45 a.m. where they encountered bandit spokesman Abu Solaiman and 60 of his men, said Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro in a text message.
But Bacarro could not elaborate on the injuries Solaiman sustained during the hour-long encounter, which also left two soldiers slightly wounded.
The body of the slain bandit, who could not be immediately identified, was recovered from the scene, Bacarro said.
An number of bomb components, including blasting caps and testers, were recovered from the encampment, which had 17 bunks, the military spokesman said.
Last week, troops killed six Abu Sayyaf members, including three sub-commanders, and an Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant in encounters in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.
As this developed, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared that Islamic extremists in the southern Philippines are "doomed to annihilation."
Troops have sealed off Sulu since August to catch Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and two JI members -- Umar Patek and Dulmatin -- who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings.
Tissue samples from remains believed to be Janjalani's have bent sent to the US for DNA testing. The decomposing corpse was dug up in Patikul, Sulu last December 27.
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 05:57pm (Mla time) 01/16/2007
MANILA -- ELITE Army troops overran an Abu Sayyaf camp in Sulu province Tuesday, leaving the extremist group's spokesman wounded and another bandit killed, and resulting in the seizure of a cache of explosive materials, a military spokesman said.
Troops from the Army Special Forces tracked down the Abu Sayyaf camp on Mt. Dajo in Talipao town at around 9:45 a.m. where they encountered bandit spokesman Abu Solaiman and 60 of his men, said Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro in a text message.
But Bacarro could not elaborate on the injuries Solaiman sustained during the hour-long encounter, which also left two soldiers slightly wounded.
The body of the slain bandit, who could not be immediately identified, was recovered from the scene, Bacarro said.
An number of bomb components, including blasting caps and testers, were recovered from the encampment, which had 17 bunks, the military spokesman said.
Last week, troops killed six Abu Sayyaf members, including three sub-commanders, and an Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant in encounters in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.
As this developed, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared that Islamic extremists in the southern Philippines are "doomed to annihilation."
Troops have sealed off Sulu since August to catch Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and two JI members -- Umar Patek and Dulmatin -- who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings.
Tissue samples from remains believed to be Janjalani's have bent sent to the US for DNA testing. The decomposing corpse was dug up in Patikul, Sulu last December 27.
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Monday, January 15, 2007
RP to ink billion dollar loan deals with China
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 05:57pm (Mla time) 01/15/2007
MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Chinese Premiere Wen Jiabao will witness the signing of over one billion dollars worth of loan agreements between the Philippines and China when the two leaders meet in Malacañang Palace on Monday, one of Arroyo’s economic managers said.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri said a $500-million loan agreement would be for the continuation of the Northrail Project, which connects Metro Manila to Central and Northern Luzon.
The Chinese government is financing 83 percent of the Northrail through official development assistance (ODA).
Another memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth $500 million will be allotted for other key infrastructure projects, Neri said in an interview with reporters.
“Most likely, it will be for the Southrail and other water supply projects,” Neri said, referring to a multi-million-dollar rail project that will link the capital to Southern Luzon provinces.
Arroyo is expected to receive Wen in Malacañang at around 6:20 p.m. The agreements will be signed before 8 p.m., after a 45-minute bilateral meeting between the two leaders, who had just come from the East Asia Summit in Cebu City.
The two leaders had also met in late October during Arroyo’s official visit to China for the China-ASEAN Summit.
Neri said a $100-million loan agreement would bankroll the second phase of the Non-Intrusive Container Inspection System Project.
The Chinese government also gave a 15-million RMB yuan or P100-million grant to finance projects under the two countries’ Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation, Neri said.
China and the Philippines will also enter into a framework agreement for the “expanding and deepening” bilateral trade and economic cooperation, which would prioritize agriculture, fishery, public works, infrastructure and housing among others, Neri said.
Another MoU -- between the China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation and NEDA, the Department of Finance and TIDCORP -- will be for risk protection for financing trade and civil engineering investments, he said.
An MoU between the NEDA, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China will provide for the establishment of an Economic Cooperation Working Group (ECWG).
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 05:57pm (Mla time) 01/15/2007
MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Chinese Premiere Wen Jiabao will witness the signing of over one billion dollars worth of loan agreements between the Philippines and China when the two leaders meet in Malacañang Palace on Monday, one of Arroyo’s economic managers said.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri said a $500-million loan agreement would be for the continuation of the Northrail Project, which connects Metro Manila to Central and Northern Luzon.
The Chinese government is financing 83 percent of the Northrail through official development assistance (ODA).
Another memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth $500 million will be allotted for other key infrastructure projects, Neri said in an interview with reporters.
“Most likely, it will be for the Southrail and other water supply projects,” Neri said, referring to a multi-million-dollar rail project that will link the capital to Southern Luzon provinces.
Arroyo is expected to receive Wen in Malacañang at around 6:20 p.m. The agreements will be signed before 8 p.m., after a 45-minute bilateral meeting between the two leaders, who had just come from the East Asia Summit in Cebu City.
The two leaders had also met in late October during Arroyo’s official visit to China for the China-ASEAN Summit.
Neri said a $100-million loan agreement would bankroll the second phase of the Non-Intrusive Container Inspection System Project.
The Chinese government also gave a 15-million RMB yuan or P100-million grant to finance projects under the two countries’ Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation, Neri said.
China and the Philippines will also enter into a framework agreement for the “expanding and deepening” bilateral trade and economic cooperation, which would prioritize agriculture, fishery, public works, infrastructure and housing among others, Neri said.
Another MoU -- between the China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation and NEDA, the Department of Finance and TIDCORP -- will be for risk protection for financing trade and civil engineering investments, he said.
An MoU between the NEDA, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China will provide for the establishment of an Economic Cooperation Working Group (ECWG).
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‘AFP won’t be dragged into poll scandals again’ -- spokesman
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 03:22pm (Mla time) 01/15/2007
MANILA -- THE military on Monday said the memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) would ensure it is not dragged again into election controversies during the May polls.
Speaking on the first day of the filing of certificates of candidacy for national positions, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro said with the MoA limiting the role of soldiers to responding to “serious armed threats,” the vote-rigging scandal that rocked the military during the 2004 elections.
“I believe the AFP will not be involved in partisan political exercises,” Bacarro told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo. “We have a memorandum of agreement, between the AFP, DND [Department of National Defense], and Comelec, limiting the role of the AFP to security.”
Unlike in 2004, soldiers will no longer transport election paraphernalia and military camps will not be used as polling precincts, Bacarro said.
In 2004, four senior military officials, including the incumbent Chief of Staff, General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., were implicated in alleged cheating operations after they were mentioned in purported wiretapped phone conversations between President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Comelec commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.
An internal investigation cleared Esperon, ex-Southern Command chiefs Lieutenant General Roy Kyamko and Major General Gabriel Habacon, and ex-First Marine Brigade chief Brigadier General Francisco Gudani, but its findings were never fully disclosed to the public.
Esperon is the last of the so-called “Hello Garci” generals in active service.
Referring to the 2004 election fraud scandal allegedly involving the military, Bacarro said: “These remain as allegations.”
Meanwhile, the military has started receiving complaints from prospective candidates in the May elections that the communist New People’s Army (NPA) has been charging them for permits to campaign (PTC), Bacarro said.
Bacarro refused to identify the politicians who have been approached by the NPA. He said the PTC costs roughly P30,000 but it could vary depending on the position being sought by the candidate.
“That is extortion…We have received reports that the NPA has been using the Internet and text,” the spokesman said.
Bacarro said the NPA collected a “sizeable amount” from PTCs in 2004, likely in the “millions.”
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 03:22pm (Mla time) 01/15/2007
MANILA -- THE military on Monday said the memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) would ensure it is not dragged again into election controversies during the May polls.
Speaking on the first day of the filing of certificates of candidacy for national positions, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro said with the MoA limiting the role of soldiers to responding to “serious armed threats,” the vote-rigging scandal that rocked the military during the 2004 elections.
“I believe the AFP will not be involved in partisan political exercises,” Bacarro told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo. “We have a memorandum of agreement, between the AFP, DND [Department of National Defense], and Comelec, limiting the role of the AFP to security.”
Unlike in 2004, soldiers will no longer transport election paraphernalia and military camps will not be used as polling precincts, Bacarro said.
In 2004, four senior military officials, including the incumbent Chief of Staff, General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., were implicated in alleged cheating operations after they were mentioned in purported wiretapped phone conversations between President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Comelec commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.
An internal investigation cleared Esperon, ex-Southern Command chiefs Lieutenant General Roy Kyamko and Major General Gabriel Habacon, and ex-First Marine Brigade chief Brigadier General Francisco Gudani, but its findings were never fully disclosed to the public.
Esperon is the last of the so-called “Hello Garci” generals in active service.
Referring to the 2004 election fraud scandal allegedly involving the military, Bacarro said: “These remain as allegations.”
Meanwhile, the military has started receiving complaints from prospective candidates in the May elections that the communist New People’s Army (NPA) has been charging them for permits to campaign (PTC), Bacarro said.
Bacarro refused to identify the politicians who have been approached by the NPA. He said the PTC costs roughly P30,000 but it could vary depending on the position being sought by the candidate.
“That is extortion…We have received reports that the NPA has been using the Internet and text,” the spokesman said.
Bacarro said the NPA collected a “sizeable amount” from PTCs in 2004, likely in the “millions.”
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3 Japanese, Filipino pilot survive chopper crash in Palawan
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 12:30pm (Mla time) 01/15/2007
MANILA -- THREE Japanese nationals and their Filipino pilot escaped unhurt when their helicopter crashed in waters off the resort island of El Nido in Palawan province on Sunday, an official said.
The three Japanese jumped out of the helicopter before it hit the water at around 12:35 p.m. while the pilot, identified as Butch Soriano, swam to the surface seconds shortly after the aircraft sank, said Captain Alberto Araojo, chief of joint task force Malampaya.
The crash was believed to have been caused by mechanical failure, Araojo said.
"All four are safe and unhurt," he said in a phone interview.
The Japanese passengers chartered the aircraft from the Eurocopter Company to take video footage of the El Nido area for possible business ventures, Araojo said.
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 12:30pm (Mla time) 01/15/2007
MANILA -- THREE Japanese nationals and their Filipino pilot escaped unhurt when their helicopter crashed in waters off the resort island of El Nido in Palawan province on Sunday, an official said.
The three Japanese jumped out of the helicopter before it hit the water at around 12:35 p.m. while the pilot, identified as Butch Soriano, swam to the surface seconds shortly after the aircraft sank, said Captain Alberto Araojo, chief of joint task force Malampaya.
The crash was believed to have been caused by mechanical failure, Araojo said.
"All four are safe and unhurt," he said in a phone interview.
The Japanese passengers chartered the aircraft from the Eurocopter Company to take video footage of the El Nido area for possible business ventures, Araojo said.
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Saturday, January 13, 2007
Legarda’s estranged husband nabbed for shooting aide
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 07:10pm (Mla time) 01/12/2007
MANILA -- Former senator Loren Legarda's estranged husband was arrested Friday for fatally shooting one of his aides inside his Makati office, police said.
Antonio Leviste, former Batangas governor, surrendered to authorities and was brought to the Makati Medical Center under heavy guard after his blood pressure shot up, said Superintendent Gilbert Cruz, the city’s police chief.
Leviste admitted to killing his aide, Rafael delas Alas, on the 9th floor of the LPL Tower along Legazpi Street at around 12:30 p.m. Friday, Cruz said in a phone interview.
“He surrendered to authorities after the shooting. Then, his blood pressure shot up,” Cruz said, explaining why Leviste was brought to the hospital.
“The investigation will determine why the shooting took place,” Cruz said. He refused to give additional details.
Leviste could be charged with homicide, the police chief said.
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 07:10pm (Mla time) 01/12/2007
MANILA -- Former senator Loren Legarda's estranged husband was arrested Friday for fatally shooting one of his aides inside his Makati office, police said.
Antonio Leviste, former Batangas governor, surrendered to authorities and was brought to the Makati Medical Center under heavy guard after his blood pressure shot up, said Superintendent Gilbert Cruz, the city’s police chief.
Leviste admitted to killing his aide, Rafael delas Alas, on the 9th floor of the LPL Tower along Legazpi Street at around 12:30 p.m. Friday, Cruz said in a phone interview.
“He surrendered to authorities after the shooting. Then, his blood pressure shot up,” Cruz said, explaining why Leviste was brought to the hospital.
“The investigation will determine why the shooting took place,” Cruz said. He refused to give additional details.
Leviste could be charged with homicide, the police chief said.
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RP sending 320 peacekeepers to Haiti, Liberia
Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
First posted 19:27:02 (Mla time) January 12, 2007
MANILA -- THE MILITARY is sending 320 peacekeepers to Liberia and Haiti to United Nations (UN)-sanctioned missions before the end of January, a spokesman said.
But it is not clear whether or not the military would cut the UN-sponsored allowances of the fresh batch of peacekeepers, as it did in the past. Armed Forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro said an "official statement" on the allowance would be issued
soon.
In May 2006, the military admitted taking a cut from the $1,000-per-day UN troop cost allowance (TCA) of Filipino peacekeepers to cover the cost of sending them abroad. Officials said the military stands to lose P4 million for every six-month mission unless the allowances are cut.
Bacarro said 165 peacekeepers, headed by Colonel Francisco Patrimonio, would be sent to Liberia on January 24, while 155 others, led by Colonel Romeo Gan, will leave for Haiti on January 29.
The fresh batch of peacekeepers will replace an existing force of similar number in the said countries. They will stay there for six months, Bacarro said.
"As a member of the UN, we have responsibilities. [Sending a peacekeeping force abroad] is an international obligation that we have to comply with," Bacarro told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.
Asked if the TCA of the fresh troops would be cut, Bacarro said: "We will release an official statement on that."
The Armed Forces Vice Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Antonio Romero, led send-off ceremonies for the 320 peacekeepers at the general headquarters canopy in Camp Aguinaldo.
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INQUIRER.net
First posted 19:27:02 (Mla time) January 12, 2007
MANILA -- THE MILITARY is sending 320 peacekeepers to Liberia and Haiti to United Nations (UN)-sanctioned missions before the end of January, a spokesman said.
But it is not clear whether or not the military would cut the UN-sponsored allowances of the fresh batch of peacekeepers, as it did in the past. Armed Forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro said an "official statement" on the allowance would be issued
soon.
In May 2006, the military admitted taking a cut from the $1,000-per-day UN troop cost allowance (TCA) of Filipino peacekeepers to cover the cost of sending them abroad. Officials said the military stands to lose P4 million for every six-month mission unless the allowances are cut.
Bacarro said 165 peacekeepers, headed by Colonel Francisco Patrimonio, would be sent to Liberia on January 24, while 155 others, led by Colonel Romeo Gan, will leave for Haiti on January 29.
The fresh batch of peacekeepers will replace an existing force of similar number in the said countries. They will stay there for six months, Bacarro said.
"As a member of the UN, we have responsibilities. [Sending a peacekeeping force abroad] is an international obligation that we have to comply with," Bacarro told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.
Asked if the TCA of the fresh troops would be cut, Bacarro said: "We will release an official statement on that."
The Armed Forces Vice Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Antonio Romero, led send-off ceremonies for the 320 peacekeepers at the general headquarters canopy in Camp Aguinaldo.
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Police raid Indonesian homes in General Santos
2 grilled for Bali bomb attack -- police
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:51pm (Mla time) 01/12/2007
(UPDATE) POLICE raided on Friday several homes of Indonesians living in General Santos City and took in two foreigners for questioning on a past bomb attack in Bali, Indonesia, police said.
The raid was conducted following an explosion in the city late Wednesday that killed at least six people and injured more than 20 others.
Chief Superintendent German Doria, Central Mindanao police director, confirmed that the two were picked up from their homes in General Santos’ Indonesian community.
He said that the two would be released within six hours “if we [police] don’t get anything.”
He added that the operation was also part of efforts to prevent future bomb attacks in Mindanao.
But residents in the area were quoted by GMA Network’s “Flash Report” as saying that the Indonesians, whose identities were withheld, had been living peacefully in the place.
At least two suspected terrorists and alleged members of the Southeast Asian terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah -- Umar Patek and Dulmatin -- have been identified as Indonesian nationals and have been reported to be hiding in Mindanao with the Abu Sayyaf, a local terrorist group.
Umar Patek and Dulmatin have also been tagged as the alleged masterminds behind the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia where over 200 people were killed.
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By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:51pm (Mla time) 01/12/2007
(UPDATE) POLICE raided on Friday several homes of Indonesians living in General Santos City and took in two foreigners for questioning on a past bomb attack in Bali, Indonesia, police said.
The raid was conducted following an explosion in the city late Wednesday that killed at least six people and injured more than 20 others.
Chief Superintendent German Doria, Central Mindanao police director, confirmed that the two were picked up from their homes in General Santos’ Indonesian community.
He said that the two would be released within six hours “if we [police] don’t get anything.”
He added that the operation was also part of efforts to prevent future bomb attacks in Mindanao.
But residents in the area were quoted by GMA Network’s “Flash Report” as saying that the Indonesians, whose identities were withheld, had been living peacefully in the place.
At least two suspected terrorists and alleged members of the Southeast Asian terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah -- Umar Patek and Dulmatin -- have been identified as Indonesian nationals and have been reported to be hiding in Mindanao with the Abu Sayyaf, a local terrorist group.
Umar Patek and Dulmatin have also been tagged as the alleged masterminds behind the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia where over 200 people were killed.
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Thursday, January 11, 2007
Navy closes waters around ASEAN summit venues
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:22pm (Mla time) 01/11/2007
THE waters surrounding the venues of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Cebu province have been closed to shipping for five days starting Thursday for security purposes, the Philippine Navy said.
From January 11 to 15, the Sitio Boot and Sitio Anacilo Piers in Mactan Island, where the main summit venue is located, was closed and sea vessels were diverted to the Cordova Pier, Navy spokesman Giovanni Bacordo said.
All ships have also been barred from entering 1,000-yard "exclusion zones" fronting the Hilton Mactan Hotel, the Shangri-La Mactan Hotel, and the Plantation bay Resort, he said.
All types of watercrafts were also advised against crossing the Hilutangan Channel off Mactan at nighttime, as earlier announced by the Philippine Coast Guard in a Notice to Mariners (Notam), Bacordo said.
Only the eastern half of the said channel, 2,000 yards from Mactan Island, remains open to sea traffic, he said.
From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, ships will be barred from using the south entrance of the Mactan-Cebu Channels, fronting the Malacañang of the South, Bacordo said.
"All unregistered motor bancas [outrigger canotes] and watercraft plying the waters along Mactan and Hilutangan Channels will be apprehended by authorities," he said.
Reports said First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo is expected to host a dinner for the spouses of visiting ASEAN heads of state on Saturday evening.
Bacordo also said the Navy would also guard against fluvial protests by left-wing militants.
A wire report Thursday said Navy gunboats stopped a planned fluvial protest by preventing protesters from leaving nearby Talisay City for Cebu.
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:22pm (Mla time) 01/11/2007
THE waters surrounding the venues of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Cebu province have been closed to shipping for five days starting Thursday for security purposes, the Philippine Navy said.
From January 11 to 15, the Sitio Boot and Sitio Anacilo Piers in Mactan Island, where the main summit venue is located, was closed and sea vessels were diverted to the Cordova Pier, Navy spokesman Giovanni Bacordo said.
All ships have also been barred from entering 1,000-yard "exclusion zones" fronting the Hilton Mactan Hotel, the Shangri-La Mactan Hotel, and the Plantation bay Resort, he said.
All types of watercrafts were also advised against crossing the Hilutangan Channel off Mactan at nighttime, as earlier announced by the Philippine Coast Guard in a Notice to Mariners (Notam), Bacordo said.
Only the eastern half of the said channel, 2,000 yards from Mactan Island, remains open to sea traffic, he said.
From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, ships will be barred from using the south entrance of the Mactan-Cebu Channels, fronting the Malacañang of the South, Bacordo said.
"All unregistered motor bancas [outrigger canotes] and watercraft plying the waters along Mactan and Hilutangan Channels will be apprehended by authorities," he said.
Reports said First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo is expected to host a dinner for the spouses of visiting ASEAN heads of state on Saturday evening.
Bacordo also said the Navy would also guard against fluvial protests by left-wing militants.
A wire report Thursday said Navy gunboats stopped a planned fluvial protest by preventing protesters from leaving nearby Talisay City for Cebu.
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Military places Mindanao on highest terror alert
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:46pm (Mla time) 01/11/2007
MANILA -- THE military has placed Mindanao on its highest terror alert level -- "extreme critical" – citing the possibility of more attacks following three successive bombings there Wednesday evening.
The alert was adjusted one notch from "extreme severe" immediately after the explosions rocked the cities of General Santos, Kidapawan, and Cotabato, killing seven people and wounding 37 others, said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro.
The terror alert in Metro Manila and Cebu province, which is hosting the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), remains "moderate" meaning, while there is an intention to carry out attacks, threat groups do not have the capability to launch attacks in these places, Bacarro said.
"Extreme critical alert means there has been an attack and there is a possibility of follow-up attacks," Bacarro told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.
The extreme critical alert is on top of the red alert the military raised before the bombings. Under a red alert, all leaves are cancelled and troops required to report to their units.
Security forces recently adopted a four-step terror warning system -- low, moderate, high, and extreme. Bacarro said the extreme alert had two sub-alerts, extreme severe and the highest, extreme critical.
Bacarro said Islamic extremists who want to avenge the death of their comrades in recent encounters with the military, groups out to sabotage peace negotiations between the government and Muslim rebels, and warring clans could be behind the triple explosions.
"These could be retaliatory attacks," the spokesman said. "Even before these incidents, we've had information that there is a possibility to conduct terrorist activities outside of Jolo."
He refused to directly link the explosions to the ASEAN summit, saying, "If it [attacks] were meant for the ASEAN, it will be conducted in the vicinity [of the summit]," he said.
"Definitely, Cebu is safe," Bacarro added.
Bacarro said the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) could be out to divert the military's attention from pursuit operations against their leaders in Jolo, Sulu, following the deaths of three Abu Sayyaf sub-commanders and an Indonesian JI militant, among seven extremists killed in encounters since Saturday.
Asked if the three explosions were related, Bacarro said: "That is one of the subjects of our investigation…As of now it is too early to say."
Bacarro said police investigators are examining the debris collected from the blast sites. He said the improvised bomb that went off in Cotabato City was composed of mortar rounds triggered by a cellular phone, similar to those used in earlier attacks blamed on extremists.
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INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:46pm (Mla time) 01/11/2007
MANILA -- THE military has placed Mindanao on its highest terror alert level -- "extreme critical" – citing the possibility of more attacks following three successive bombings there Wednesday evening.
The alert was adjusted one notch from "extreme severe" immediately after the explosions rocked the cities of General Santos, Kidapawan, and Cotabato, killing seven people and wounding 37 others, said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro.
The terror alert in Metro Manila and Cebu province, which is hosting the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), remains "moderate" meaning, while there is an intention to carry out attacks, threat groups do not have the capability to launch attacks in these places, Bacarro said.
"Extreme critical alert means there has been an attack and there is a possibility of follow-up attacks," Bacarro told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.
The extreme critical alert is on top of the red alert the military raised before the bombings. Under a red alert, all leaves are cancelled and troops required to report to their units.
Security forces recently adopted a four-step terror warning system -- low, moderate, high, and extreme. Bacarro said the extreme alert had two sub-alerts, extreme severe and the highest, extreme critical.
Bacarro said Islamic extremists who want to avenge the death of their comrades in recent encounters with the military, groups out to sabotage peace negotiations between the government and Muslim rebels, and warring clans could be behind the triple explosions.
"These could be retaliatory attacks," the spokesman said. "Even before these incidents, we've had information that there is a possibility to conduct terrorist activities outside of Jolo."
He refused to directly link the explosions to the ASEAN summit, saying, "If it [attacks] were meant for the ASEAN, it will be conducted in the vicinity [of the summit]," he said.
"Definitely, Cebu is safe," Bacarro added.
Bacarro said the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) could be out to divert the military's attention from pursuit operations against their leaders in Jolo, Sulu, following the deaths of three Abu Sayyaf sub-commanders and an Indonesian JI militant, among seven extremists killed in encounters since Saturday.
Asked if the three explosions were related, Bacarro said: "That is one of the subjects of our investigation…As of now it is too early to say."
Bacarro said police investigators are examining the debris collected from the blast sites. He said the improvised bomb that went off in Cotabato City was composed of mortar rounds triggered by a cellular phone, similar to those used in earlier attacks blamed on extremists.
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CA voids titles of Navy retirees to Bonifacio land
Decision paves way for possible eviction
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 01:03pm (Mla time) 01/11/2007
MANILA -- THE COURT of Appeals has declared "null and void" the land titles to a 47.5-hectare prime property at the Bonifacio Naval Station (BNS) inside Fort Bonifacio which is being claimed by a group of retired navy officers, setting the stage for their possible eviction.
In a 47-page ruling penned by Associate Justice Renato Dacudao and dated December 28, 2006, the appellate court reversed an August 20, 2004 decision by Pasig City Regional Trial Court branch 67, which upheld the claim of the Navy Officers Village Association Inc. (NOVAI) to the prime property.
The court also ordered the NOVAI to surrender their land titles to the Pasig City Register of Deeds for cancellation.
Following the ruling, the Philippine Navy will ask a Makati City court to lift a permanent injunction that 17 NOVAI members secured to stop the eviction, Navy spokesman Giovanni Carlo Bacrodo said in a statement Thursday.
"The decision of the CA [Court of Appeals] has upheld the Navy's right over the land and housing facilities inside Fort Bonifacio…The Navy leadership also calls on the 17 overstaying occupants at the Navy village to vacate their quarters voluntarily to give way to active personnel," Bacordo said.
On May 20, 2005, the Navy evicted 56 NOVAI members not covered by the permanent injunction from the disputed housing. Tension gripped the eviction and Bacordo, at one point, had to kick open the door of one of the occupants, retired colonel Pablo Viray.
In its decision, the appeals court said the NOVAI failed to disprove the Navy's claim that the disputed land is located inside a military reservation.
The court noted that a common exhibit of both parties, the Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) for the land, states that it is "located inside Fort Bonifacio," which is a military reservation.
The NOVAI also failed to prove the existence of Proclamation 2478, allegedly issued by former president Corazon Aquino on September 25, 1991, which they claimed authorized the "transfer and titling" of the land to them from the Veterans' Rehabilitation, Medicare and Training Center.
"To be sure, the existence of Presidential Proclamation No. 2487 could easily be proved, and established, by its publication in the Official Gazette. But the defendant-appellee could not, as it did not, submit or present any copy or issue of the Official Gazette mentioning or referring to this Presidential Proclamation No. 2487…" the court said.
The court also sided with the Navy's claim that the signature of Pasig City Land Management Bureau (LMB) director Abelardo Palad Jr., who supposedly executed the deed of sale of the land to the NOVAI on November 15, 1991, was forged.
The court noted that when shown the deed of sale during a hearing, Palad only said that the signature on it had a "resemblance" to his signature. The court said "resemblance is nowhere nearly the equivalent of authenticity or genuineness."
Moreover, a handwriting expert from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Eliodoro Constantino, testified that Palad's alleged signature on the deed of sale was a "traced forgery" or a "carbon outline" when viewed under a microscope.
"In addition, the dubiousness of the questioned deed of sale is reinforced by nearly conclusive evidence that the defendant-appellee did not go through the normal or regular process in the DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources], nor in the LMB, in the filing of an application, in the conduct of a survey, and in the undertaking of an investigation, among others," the court said.
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By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 01:03pm (Mla time) 01/11/2007
MANILA -- THE COURT of Appeals has declared "null and void" the land titles to a 47.5-hectare prime property at the Bonifacio Naval Station (BNS) inside Fort Bonifacio which is being claimed by a group of retired navy officers, setting the stage for their possible eviction.
In a 47-page ruling penned by Associate Justice Renato Dacudao and dated December 28, 2006, the appellate court reversed an August 20, 2004 decision by Pasig City Regional Trial Court branch 67, which upheld the claim of the Navy Officers Village Association Inc. (NOVAI) to the prime property.
The court also ordered the NOVAI to surrender their land titles to the Pasig City Register of Deeds for cancellation.
Following the ruling, the Philippine Navy will ask a Makati City court to lift a permanent injunction that 17 NOVAI members secured to stop the eviction, Navy spokesman Giovanni Carlo Bacrodo said in a statement Thursday.
"The decision of the CA [Court of Appeals] has upheld the Navy's right over the land and housing facilities inside Fort Bonifacio…The Navy leadership also calls on the 17 overstaying occupants at the Navy village to vacate their quarters voluntarily to give way to active personnel," Bacordo said.
On May 20, 2005, the Navy evicted 56 NOVAI members not covered by the permanent injunction from the disputed housing. Tension gripped the eviction and Bacordo, at one point, had to kick open the door of one of the occupants, retired colonel Pablo Viray.
In its decision, the appeals court said the NOVAI failed to disprove the Navy's claim that the disputed land is located inside a military reservation.
The court noted that a common exhibit of both parties, the Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) for the land, states that it is "located inside Fort Bonifacio," which is a military reservation.
The NOVAI also failed to prove the existence of Proclamation 2478, allegedly issued by former president Corazon Aquino on September 25, 1991, which they claimed authorized the "transfer and titling" of the land to them from the Veterans' Rehabilitation, Medicare and Training Center.
"To be sure, the existence of Presidential Proclamation No. 2487 could easily be proved, and established, by its publication in the Official Gazette. But the defendant-appellee could not, as it did not, submit or present any copy or issue of the Official Gazette mentioning or referring to this Presidential Proclamation No. 2487…" the court said.
The court also sided with the Navy's claim that the signature of Pasig City Land Management Bureau (LMB) director Abelardo Palad Jr., who supposedly executed the deed of sale of the land to the NOVAI on November 15, 1991, was forged.
The court noted that when shown the deed of sale during a hearing, Palad only said that the signature on it had a "resemblance" to his signature. The court said "resemblance is nowhere nearly the equivalent of authenticity or genuineness."
Moreover, a handwriting expert from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Eliodoro Constantino, testified that Palad's alleged signature on the deed of sale was a "traced forgery" or a "carbon outline" when viewed under a microscope.
"In addition, the dubiousness of the questioned deed of sale is reinforced by nearly conclusive evidence that the defendant-appellee did not go through the normal or regular process in the DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources], nor in the LMB, in the filing of an application, in the conduct of a survey, and in the undertaking of an investigation, among others," the court said.
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
Blasts rock southern Philippines on eve of Asian summits
At least 7 killed, 29 others wounded
By Joel Guinto, Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net, Associated Press
Last updated 02:54am (Mla time) 01/11/2007
MANILA -- (2ND UPDATE) At least seven people were killed while 29 others were wounded after bomb blasts rocked three cities on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao Wednesday night, eve of the Asian summits in Cebu province, officials said.
At 6:10 p.m., an improvised bomb went off in front of a busy lottery ticket store in General Santos City, which has been menaced by Islamist extremists in the past, killing at least six people and injuring 20 others.
Less than three hours later at 8:45 p.m., another improvised bomb ripped through a police outpost in Kidapawan City, leaving two passers-by injured.
At 10:22 p.m., a third explosion killed a garbage collector and wounded five others after a bomb rocked downtown Cotabato City, about 170 kilometers (106 miles) northwest of General Santos.
The blasts came as leaders from 16 countries were preparing for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and East Asian summits in the central Philippine province of Cebu.
The first blast tore apart the lottery outlet across the public market in General Santos City, 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) southeast of Manila, said Senior Superintendent Alfredo Toroctocon, the city police chief.
He said three people died instantly and another two succumbed to wounds. Staff at the St. Elizabeth Hospital in the city reported another person died on arrival, bringing the death toll to six, among them boys aged 8 and 12.
The bodies of the victims were cut into pieces by the blast, which was heard throughout the predominantly Christian city. Pieces of nails, which had been packed in the bomb, littered the area.
Vendors at the city public market told the Philippine Daily Inquirer it was the most powerful bomb that ever exploded in the city.
"We could feel the ground shaking and the sound was deafening," said a stall vendor who asked not to named.
Chief Superintendent German Doria, the regional police chief, said police had no suspects immediately but that the regional militant network Jemaah Islamiyah and its ally, the local Abu Sayyaf group, "usually are the ones doing all these explosions in the region."
But he said police also were looking into the possibility that the first blast stemmed from the failure of the lottery outlet operator to pay winners of a lottery draw.
"This Lotto outlet closed three days ago because many bettors won ... then all of a sudden an explosion occurred in front of the Lotto outlet," Doria said.
The second bomb went off along the highway in front of a police detachment in Kidapawan City, about 110 kilometers (65 miles) north of General Santos city, Colonel Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army's 6th Infantry Division operating in Central Mindanao, told INQUIRER.net. Two passers-by were injured.
Army spokesman Major Ernesto Torres, in a text message, said four people were wounded in the explosion. He could not give further details.
Senior police officer Pascual Peroy said the bomb was placed near the perimeter fence of the police outpost just after police on duty left the outpost to go on patrol.
A teenager seen walking near the police outpost was wounded and another male passer-by was hit by shrapnel, Peroy said. Doctors had to amputate the arm of the teenager, identified only as Boy Rivas, he added.
The third explosion at a dumpsite along a major street in Cotabato City appeared to be from an improvised bomb, although it could also have been a grenade, said city police spokesman Senior Inspector Samson Obatay.
"We think it was planted there on purpose, and was mixed with the garbage," he said in a telephone interview.
Obatay said police suspect the Cotabato blast was the handiwork of terrorists and linked to the two earlier blasts, in General Santos and Kidapawan cities. Authorities could not say which group was behind them.
The attacks came amid stepped up military offensives against Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah militants on the nearby island of Jolo, where more than 5,000 troops are hunting them down.
Both are on the US government's list of foreign terrorist organizations, and its members have been on the run from a massive manhunt on southern Jolo island.
All three cities have been hit by terror bombings blamed on these groups in the past.
On Tuesday, police said they detonated an explosive device planted near a bank in Iligan City. Senior Superintendent Virgilio Ranes, city police director, ordered policemen to isolate the area for the detonation, which caused a loud explosion that hurt no one.
The attacks also came amid warnings that militants may try to disrupt this week's ASEAN and East Asian summits in Cebu.
Philippine National Police chief Oscar Calderon, who is in Cebu to oversee security for the summit, said earlier Wednesday that militants may try to embarrass the government, a staunch US ally in counter-terrorism, by staging attacks during the twin summits.
The government postponed the summits last month citing an approaching typhoon even as foreign embassies earlier warned terrorists might stage attacks during the weeklong regional meeting.
Chief Superintendent Romeo Ricardo, director of the national police Intelligence Group, said police and army troops have launched operations against militants throughout the archipelago to prevent them from carrying out attacks.
Torres said the General Santos explosion could be the handiwork of groups out to sabotage peace negotiations between the government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has waged a decades-old struggle for Muslim homeland in the south.
"We are looking at the possible involvement of saboteurs to the peace negotiations between the GRP [Government of the Republic of the Philippines] and the MILF considering the timing and location of the bombing," Torres said.
He said the bombing occurred at the culmination of a two-day meeting between rebel and government representatives in General Santos.
Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesman, condemned the bomb attacks and urged police and other law enforcement agencies to do their best to bring perpetrators to justice.
Kabalu said the MILF, which signed a ceasefire with Manila in 2003 to open the door to peace talks, had nothing to do with the blasts and would never "tolerate or do such a demonic act."
In February 2005 a bomb believed planted by the Abu Sayyaf group killed three people and wounded 13 others in General Santos City.
The Abu Sayyaf has carried out the worst kidnapping and bombing attacks in the Philippines.
Representatives of 16 countries will attend the January 13-15 ASEAN and East Asia summits in Cebu.
With reports from Charlie Señase, Allan Nawal, Rolly Pinsoy and Richel Umel, Inquirer Mindanao; and Agence France-Presse
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
By Joel Guinto, Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net, Associated Press
Last updated 02:54am (Mla time) 01/11/2007
MANILA -- (2ND UPDATE) At least seven people were killed while 29 others were wounded after bomb blasts rocked three cities on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao Wednesday night, eve of the Asian summits in Cebu province, officials said.At 6:10 p.m., an improvised bomb went off in front of a busy lottery ticket store in General Santos City, which has been menaced by Islamist extremists in the past, killing at least six people and injuring 20 others.
Less than three hours later at 8:45 p.m., another improvised bomb ripped through a police outpost in Kidapawan City, leaving two passers-by injured.
At 10:22 p.m., a third explosion killed a garbage collector and wounded five others after a bomb rocked downtown Cotabato City, about 170 kilometers (106 miles) northwest of General Santos.
The blasts came as leaders from 16 countries were preparing for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and East Asian summits in the central Philippine province of Cebu.
The first blast tore apart the lottery outlet across the public market in General Santos City, 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) southeast of Manila, said Senior Superintendent Alfredo Toroctocon, the city police chief.
He said three people died instantly and another two succumbed to wounds. Staff at the St. Elizabeth Hospital in the city reported another person died on arrival, bringing the death toll to six, among them boys aged 8 and 12.
The bodies of the victims were cut into pieces by the blast, which was heard throughout the predominantly Christian city. Pieces of nails, which had been packed in the bomb, littered the area.
Vendors at the city public market told the Philippine Daily Inquirer it was the most powerful bomb that ever exploded in the city.
"We could feel the ground shaking and the sound was deafening," said a stall vendor who asked not to named.
Chief Superintendent German Doria, the regional police chief, said police had no suspects immediately but that the regional militant network Jemaah Islamiyah and its ally, the local Abu Sayyaf group, "usually are the ones doing all these explosions in the region."
But he said police also were looking into the possibility that the first blast stemmed from the failure of the lottery outlet operator to pay winners of a lottery draw.
"This Lotto outlet closed three days ago because many bettors won ... then all of a sudden an explosion occurred in front of the Lotto outlet," Doria said.
The second bomb went off along the highway in front of a police detachment in Kidapawan City, about 110 kilometers (65 miles) north of General Santos city, Colonel Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army's 6th Infantry Division operating in Central Mindanao, told INQUIRER.net. Two passers-by were injured.
Army spokesman Major Ernesto Torres, in a text message, said four people were wounded in the explosion. He could not give further details.
Senior police officer Pascual Peroy said the bomb was placed near the perimeter fence of the police outpost just after police on duty left the outpost to go on patrol.
A teenager seen walking near the police outpost was wounded and another male passer-by was hit by shrapnel, Peroy said. Doctors had to amputate the arm of the teenager, identified only as Boy Rivas, he added.
The third explosion at a dumpsite along a major street in Cotabato City appeared to be from an improvised bomb, although it could also have been a grenade, said city police spokesman Senior Inspector Samson Obatay.
"We think it was planted there on purpose, and was mixed with the garbage," he said in a telephone interview.
Obatay said police suspect the Cotabato blast was the handiwork of terrorists and linked to the two earlier blasts, in General Santos and Kidapawan cities. Authorities could not say which group was behind them.
The attacks came amid stepped up military offensives against Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah militants on the nearby island of Jolo, where more than 5,000 troops are hunting them down.
Both are on the US government's list of foreign terrorist organizations, and its members have been on the run from a massive manhunt on southern Jolo island.
All three cities have been hit by terror bombings blamed on these groups in the past.
On Tuesday, police said they detonated an explosive device planted near a bank in Iligan City. Senior Superintendent Virgilio Ranes, city police director, ordered policemen to isolate the area for the detonation, which caused a loud explosion that hurt no one.
The attacks also came amid warnings that militants may try to disrupt this week's ASEAN and East Asian summits in Cebu.
Philippine National Police chief Oscar Calderon, who is in Cebu to oversee security for the summit, said earlier Wednesday that militants may try to embarrass the government, a staunch US ally in counter-terrorism, by staging attacks during the twin summits.
The government postponed the summits last month citing an approaching typhoon even as foreign embassies earlier warned terrorists might stage attacks during the weeklong regional meeting.
Chief Superintendent Romeo Ricardo, director of the national police Intelligence Group, said police and army troops have launched operations against militants throughout the archipelago to prevent them from carrying out attacks.
Torres said the General Santos explosion could be the handiwork of groups out to sabotage peace negotiations between the government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has waged a decades-old struggle for Muslim homeland in the south.
"We are looking at the possible involvement of saboteurs to the peace negotiations between the GRP [Government of the Republic of the Philippines] and the MILF considering the timing and location of the bombing," Torres said.
He said the bombing occurred at the culmination of a two-day meeting between rebel and government representatives in General Santos.
Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesman, condemned the bomb attacks and urged police and other law enforcement agencies to do their best to bring perpetrators to justice.
Kabalu said the MILF, which signed a ceasefire with Manila in 2003 to open the door to peace talks, had nothing to do with the blasts and would never "tolerate or do such a demonic act."
In February 2005 a bomb believed planted by the Abu Sayyaf group killed three people and wounded 13 others in General Santos City.
The Abu Sayyaf has carried out the worst kidnapping and bombing attacks in the Philippines.
Representatives of 16 countries will attend the January 13-15 ASEAN and East Asia summits in Cebu.
With reports from Charlie Señase, Allan Nawal, Rolly Pinsoy and Richel Umel, Inquirer Mindanao; and Agence France-Presse
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Bomb blast wounds two people in Kidapawan City
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 09:54pm (Mla time) 01/10/2007
MANILA -- (UPDATE) An improvise bomb exploded in front of a police outpost in Kidapawan City, leaving two people wounded, a military official said, the second explosion to rock the southern Philippines on Wednesday.
The blasts came as leaders from 16 countries were preparing for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and East Asian summits in the central Philippine city of Cebu.
Colonel Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army's 6th Infantry Division said a teenager, identified as Boy Rivas, and an elderly male were hurt.
Rivas' arm was amputated while being treated at a nearby hospital, Ando said in a phone interview.
Earlier, improvised bomb went off around in front of a busy lottery ticket store in General Santos City, killing at least five people and wounding 20 others.
Philippine National Police chief Oscar Calderon, who is in Cebu to oversee security for the summit, said earlier Wednesday that militants may try to embarrass the government, a staunch US ally in counterterrorism, by staging attacks during the summits.
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 09:54pm (Mla time) 01/10/2007
MANILA -- (UPDATE) An improvise bomb exploded in front of a police outpost in Kidapawan City, leaving two people wounded, a military official said, the second explosion to rock the southern Philippines on Wednesday.
The blasts came as leaders from 16 countries were preparing for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and East Asian summits in the central Philippine city of Cebu.
Colonel Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army's 6th Infantry Division said a teenager, identified as Boy Rivas, and an elderly male were hurt.
Rivas' arm was amputated while being treated at a nearby hospital, Ando said in a phone interview.
Earlier, improvised bomb went off around in front of a busy lottery ticket store in General Santos City, killing at least five people and wounding 20 others.
Philippine National Police chief Oscar Calderon, who is in Cebu to oversee security for the summit, said earlier Wednesday that militants may try to embarrass the government, a staunch US ally in counterterrorism, by staging attacks during the summits.
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
Military on red alert on eve of ASEAN summit opening
‘Keep extremists on the run,’ Esperon tells troops
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:19pm (Mla time) 01/10/2007
(UPDATE) THE military went on nationwide red alert, the highest level, Wednesday as a “precautionary measure” on the eve of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit’s opening in Cebu province, officials said.
At the same time, Armed Forces chief General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. inspected security preparations for the summit during a meeting with regional military commanders at the Armed Forces Central Command (Centcom) headquarters in Cebu City.
While there, Esperon ordered troops to keep Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants “on the run” in Sulu, following the neutralization of seven bandits, including three sub-commanders, over the past three days, a military spokesman said.
“Threat groups should be kept on the run to prevent them from staging any terror activity here in Cebu,” Bacarro quoted Esperon as saying.
Military spokesman Major General Jose Angel Honrado said the red alert was raised at 8 a.m. Wednesday. When under red alert, all leaves are cancelled and troops are required to report to their mother units.
“There is no definite threat [of terror attacks]…But we are prepared for all possible scenarios,” Armed Forces Public Information Office chief Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro told reporters in a phone interview.
Esperon was “satisfied” with the military’s preparations for the ASEAN summit and told troops to “execute their tasks in collaboration with other security agencies,” Bacarro said.
Some 5,500 soldiers, and several UH-1H helicopters, OV 10 bronco light attack planes and C-130 cargo airplanes from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) will augment the 7,000-strong police task force that will secure the summit, officials said.
The military security detail includes troops from the 7th Marine Battalion, the 7th and 46th Army Infantry Battalions, and two civil disturbance management (CDM) companies on top of Centcom forces, officials said.
“It’s all systems go…Our preparations are sufficient to foil any threat,” Bacarro said.
On Wednesday evening, Abu Sayyaf sub-commander and spiritual adviser Binang Sali was killed in an encounter with Army Scout Ranger and intelligence troops on Mount Pula in Upper Halay village, Patikul town.
Last Saturday, five Abu Sayyaf bandits including sub-commanders Abu Hubaida and Jundam Jumalul alias Black Killer, and an Indonesian JI militant, Gufran, were killed in a gun battle at sea with Navy and Marine troops off Tawi-Tawi province.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called the Tawi-Tawi encounter a “stunning victory” for the military as she warned that extremists are “doomed to annihilation.”
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:19pm (Mla time) 01/10/2007
(UPDATE) THE military went on nationwide red alert, the highest level, Wednesday as a “precautionary measure” on the eve of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit’s opening in Cebu province, officials said.
At the same time, Armed Forces chief General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. inspected security preparations for the summit during a meeting with regional military commanders at the Armed Forces Central Command (Centcom) headquarters in Cebu City.
While there, Esperon ordered troops to keep Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants “on the run” in Sulu, following the neutralization of seven bandits, including three sub-commanders, over the past three days, a military spokesman said.
“Threat groups should be kept on the run to prevent them from staging any terror activity here in Cebu,” Bacarro quoted Esperon as saying.
Military spokesman Major General Jose Angel Honrado said the red alert was raised at 8 a.m. Wednesday. When under red alert, all leaves are cancelled and troops are required to report to their mother units.
“There is no definite threat [of terror attacks]…But we are prepared for all possible scenarios,” Armed Forces Public Information Office chief Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro told reporters in a phone interview.
Esperon was “satisfied” with the military’s preparations for the ASEAN summit and told troops to “execute their tasks in collaboration with other security agencies,” Bacarro said.
Some 5,500 soldiers, and several UH-1H helicopters, OV 10 bronco light attack planes and C-130 cargo airplanes from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) will augment the 7,000-strong police task force that will secure the summit, officials said.
The military security detail includes troops from the 7th Marine Battalion, the 7th and 46th Army Infantry Battalions, and two civil disturbance management (CDM) companies on top of Centcom forces, officials said.
“It’s all systems go…Our preparations are sufficient to foil any threat,” Bacarro said.
On Wednesday evening, Abu Sayyaf sub-commander and spiritual adviser Binang Sali was killed in an encounter with Army Scout Ranger and intelligence troops on Mount Pula in Upper Halay village, Patikul town.
Last Saturday, five Abu Sayyaf bandits including sub-commanders Abu Hubaida and Jundam Jumalul alias Black Killer, and an Indonesian JI militant, Gufran, were killed in a gun battle at sea with Navy and Marine troops off Tawi-Tawi province.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called the Tawi-Tawi encounter a “stunning victory” for the military as she warned that extremists are “doomed to annihilation.”
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
‘Keep extremists on the run,’ Esperon tells troops
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 12:37pm (Mla time) 01/10/2007
ARMED Forces chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. ordered troops to keep Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants “on the run” in Sulu, following the neutralization of seven bandits, including three sub-commanders, over the past three days, a military spokesman said.
Esperon issued the directive Wednesday as he inspected the military’s security preparations in Cebu City on the eve of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN), Armed Forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro said.
“Threat groups should be kept on the run to prevent them from staging any terror activity here in Cebu,” Bacarro said in a text message quoting Esperon.
But Bacarro again reiterated that there was “no definite threat” of terror attacks on the ASEAN summit.
“The chief of staff was satisfied with the security preparations. It’s all systems go…Our preparations are sufficient to foil any threat,” Bacarro said.
Some 5,500 soldiers and 7,000 policemen have been tasked to secure the regional leaders’ meeting, which will finally push through after being postponed in early December due to a typhoon.
On Wednesday evening, Abu Sayyaf sub-commander and spiritual adviser Binang Sali was killed in an encounter with Army Scout Ranger and intelligence troops on Mount Pula in Upper Halay village, Patikul town.
Last Saturday, five Abu Sayyaf bandits, including sub-commanders Abu Hubaida and Jundam Jumalul alias Black Killer, and Indonesian JI militant, Gufran, were killed in a gun battle at sea with Navy and Marine troops off Tawi-Tawi province.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has called the Tawi-Tawi encounter a “stunning victory” for the military and warned the extremists that they are “doomed to annihilation.”
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 12:37pm (Mla time) 01/10/2007
ARMED Forces chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. ordered troops to keep Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants “on the run” in Sulu, following the neutralization of seven bandits, including three sub-commanders, over the past three days, a military spokesman said.
Esperon issued the directive Wednesday as he inspected the military’s security preparations in Cebu City on the eve of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN), Armed Forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro said.
“Threat groups should be kept on the run to prevent them from staging any terror activity here in Cebu,” Bacarro said in a text message quoting Esperon.
But Bacarro again reiterated that there was “no definite threat” of terror attacks on the ASEAN summit.
“The chief of staff was satisfied with the security preparations. It’s all systems go…Our preparations are sufficient to foil any threat,” Bacarro said.
Some 5,500 soldiers and 7,000 policemen have been tasked to secure the regional leaders’ meeting, which will finally push through after being postponed in early December due to a typhoon.
On Wednesday evening, Abu Sayyaf sub-commander and spiritual adviser Binang Sali was killed in an encounter with Army Scout Ranger and intelligence troops on Mount Pula in Upper Halay village, Patikul town.
Last Saturday, five Abu Sayyaf bandits, including sub-commanders Abu Hubaida and Jundam Jumalul alias Black Killer, and Indonesian JI militant, Gufran, were killed in a gun battle at sea with Navy and Marine troops off Tawi-Tawi province.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has called the Tawi-Tawi encounter a “stunning victory” for the military and warned the extremists that they are “doomed to annihilation.”
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
Arroyo at necrological service for Philippine Star publisher
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 09:59am (Mla time) 01/10/2007
MANILA -- PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo attended a necrological service for Philippine Star newspaper publisher Maximo
Soliven, at the Camp Aguinaldo military general headquarters Wednesday morning.
Arroyo, who was wearing a black pantsuit, was seated at the front row of the Saint Ignatius Cathedral with Soliven's widow, UNESCO Ambassador Preciosa Soliven.
Soliven died in late November in Japan following a bout with pneumonia. His burial was postponed due to super typhoon "Reming" (international codename: Durian).
Soliven was cremated and his ashes would be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery) in Fort Bonifacio later Wednesday, after the necrological service.
Soliven was a military reservist. During a necrological mass in late November, Arroyo conferred on him the Order of Lakandula.
Joel Guinto
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
Last updated 09:59am (Mla time) 01/10/2007
MANILA -- PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo attended a necrological service for Philippine Star newspaper publisher Maximo
Soliven, at the Camp Aguinaldo military general headquarters Wednesday morning.
Arroyo, who was wearing a black pantsuit, was seated at the front row of the Saint Ignatius Cathedral with Soliven's widow, UNESCO Ambassador Preciosa Soliven.
Soliven died in late November in Japan following a bout with pneumonia. His burial was postponed due to super typhoon "Reming" (international codename: Durian).
Soliven was cremated and his ashes would be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery) in Fort Bonifacio later Wednesday, after the necrological service.
Soliven was a military reservist. During a necrological mass in late November, Arroyo conferred on him the Order of Lakandula.
Joel Guinto
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Abu Sayyaf sub-commander killed in Sulu clash
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 10:53pm (Mla time) 01/09/2007
MANILA -- A sub-commander of the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group was killed in an encounter with Army Scout Ranger and intelligence troops early Tuesday evening in the southern island province of Sulu, where top terror suspects are trying to outrun government forces, the military said.
Binang Sali alias Freedom, allegedly responsible for bomb attacks in the provincial capital of Jolo, was killed in the brief firefight on Mount Pula in Upper Halay village, Patikul town at around 8:20 p.m., said Armed Forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro.
The bandit leader's remains and his .45-caliber pistol were recovered from the scene, Bacarro told reporters in a text message without giving further details.
"His [Sali's] neutralization translates to one bomber less that could carry out an attack on any target during the ASEAN summit," Esperon said, referring to the regional leaders' meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cebu province, which kicks off Wednesday.
Security officials had maintained that there is no specific terror threat on the ASEAN summit.
Sali is the seventh Al Qaeda-linked militant killed in gun battles with the military in the south in three days. On Saturday, five Abu Sayyaf members including sub-commanders Abu Hubaida and Black Killer, and an Indonesian JI member, Gufran were killed in a firefight at sea with Marine and Navy troops off Tawi-Tawi province.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called the Tawi-Tawi encounter a "stunning victory" for the Armed Forces as she warned the extremists that they are "doomed to annihilation."
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 10:53pm (Mla time) 01/09/2007
MANILA -- A sub-commander of the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group was killed in an encounter with Army Scout Ranger and intelligence troops early Tuesday evening in the southern island province of Sulu, where top terror suspects are trying to outrun government forces, the military said.
Binang Sali alias Freedom, allegedly responsible for bomb attacks in the provincial capital of Jolo, was killed in the brief firefight on Mount Pula in Upper Halay village, Patikul town at around 8:20 p.m., said Armed Forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro.
The bandit leader's remains and his .45-caliber pistol were recovered from the scene, Bacarro told reporters in a text message without giving further details.
"His [Sali's] neutralization translates to one bomber less that could carry out an attack on any target during the ASEAN summit," Esperon said, referring to the regional leaders' meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cebu province, which kicks off Wednesday.
Security officials had maintained that there is no specific terror threat on the ASEAN summit.
Sali is the seventh Al Qaeda-linked militant killed in gun battles with the military in the south in three days. On Saturday, five Abu Sayyaf members including sub-commanders Abu Hubaida and Black Killer, and an Indonesian JI member, Gufran were killed in a firefight at sea with Marine and Navy troops off Tawi-Tawi province.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called the Tawi-Tawi encounter a "stunning victory" for the Armed Forces as she warned the extremists that they are "doomed to annihilation."
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
Repentant mutineers treated better, Army admits
Trillanes asks leave to file candidacy
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:39pm (Mla time) 01/09/2007
THE Philippine Army admitted on Tuesday that rebel soldiers who have reaffirmed allegiance to the government are detained in more comfortable facilities than their defiant former comrades.
The group of Captain Gerardo Gambala, who have issued two statements of support to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, are housed in "comfortable living quarters" complete with accommodations for their visitors, Army spokesman Major Ernesto Torres told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.
In contrast, the group of Captain Dante Langkit (in photo, taken last Dec. 14 in Tanay, Rizal), First Lieutenant Sonny Sarmiento, and Second Lieutenant Aldrin Baldonado are kept in individual cells, mainly because they escaped or went AWOL (absent without official leave) in the past, Torres said.
Gambala's group was also given livelihood projects such as soap-making and poultry-raising to allow them to earn additional income on top of their salaries, Torres.
The salaries of the former fugitives Sarmiento, Rabonza, Army First Lieutenants Lawrence San Juan and Patricio Bumidang Jr., and Marine Captain Nicanor Faeldon, were cut off late last year.
"There are slight differences [in treatment]. In terms of security, their guards are stricter," Torres said, referring to the unrepentant mutineers.
The rebel soldiers are facing charges before civilian and military courts over a failed mutiny on July 27, 2003. In addition, Sarmiento and Baldonado are facing illegal weapons possession charges stemming from the seizure of a firearms and explosives cache from their hideout, where they were arrested last July 7, 2006.
"If you see their [Gambala's group] detention, they have comfortable living quarters… They have enough room and full-length basketball courts," Torres said.
While the defiant mutineers are being detained separately, Torres stressed that their cells are not like a "bartolina" or punitive isolation facilities.
"They are given enough food. Their living conditions are good," he said.
Torres maintained that the stricter treatment for the group was not because of their continued defiance, but because of their past escapes.
Last week, the wives of Sarmiento and Baldonado decried the alleged "mental torture" their husbands were suffering in solitary confinement, allegedly to pressure them into implicating opposition figures in their escape. The Army leadership denied this.
At a hearing of their coup d'etat case in Makati City on Tuesday, Sarmiento and Rabonza arrived looking visibly thinner. Baldonado is not an accused in the case.
Rabonza had reportedly been taken out of confinement after he agreed to identify his alleged coddlers but a source close to the junior officer denied this. The source said he remains in solitary confinement.
Asked for comment on the defiant rebels' apparent weight loss, Torres said: "When you are in detention, however you are treated, it causes you anxiety."
Also at the Makati hearing, a lawyer for one of the accused, Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV, asked the court to allow him to leave detention sometime in February to file his certificate of candidacy for senator.
Trillanes' lawyer, Reynaldo Robles, also asked presiding Judge Oscar Pimentel to allow his client to talk to the media during the campaign period.
In a statement, Trillanes said he "welcomes" his reported inclusion in the opposition senatorial slate but added he could push through with his candidacy on his own.
"My decision to run was never contingent on being included in a coalition slate or having a campaign machinery. Either way, it's a go," he said.
Keychains and pocket calendars with Trillanes' image and the insignia of the Magdalo rebel group were also distributed during the hearing.
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:39pm (Mla time) 01/09/2007
THE Philippine Army admitted on Tuesday that rebel soldiers who have reaffirmed allegiance to the government are detained in more comfortable facilities than their defiant former comrades.The group of Captain Gerardo Gambala, who have issued two statements of support to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, are housed in "comfortable living quarters" complete with accommodations for their visitors, Army spokesman Major Ernesto Torres told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.
In contrast, the group of Captain Dante Langkit (in photo, taken last Dec. 14 in Tanay, Rizal), First Lieutenant Sonny Sarmiento, and Second Lieutenant Aldrin Baldonado are kept in individual cells, mainly because they escaped or went AWOL (absent without official leave) in the past, Torres said.
Gambala's group was also given livelihood projects such as soap-making and poultry-raising to allow them to earn additional income on top of their salaries, Torres.
The salaries of the former fugitives Sarmiento, Rabonza, Army First Lieutenants Lawrence San Juan and Patricio Bumidang Jr., and Marine Captain Nicanor Faeldon, were cut off late last year.
"There are slight differences [in treatment]. In terms of security, their guards are stricter," Torres said, referring to the unrepentant mutineers.
The rebel soldiers are facing charges before civilian and military courts over a failed mutiny on July 27, 2003. In addition, Sarmiento and Baldonado are facing illegal weapons possession charges stemming from the seizure of a firearms and explosives cache from their hideout, where they were arrested last July 7, 2006.
"If you see their [Gambala's group] detention, they have comfortable living quarters… They have enough room and full-length basketball courts," Torres said.
While the defiant mutineers are being detained separately, Torres stressed that their cells are not like a "bartolina" or punitive isolation facilities.
"They are given enough food. Their living conditions are good," he said.
Torres maintained that the stricter treatment for the group was not because of their continued defiance, but because of their past escapes.
Last week, the wives of Sarmiento and Baldonado decried the alleged "mental torture" their husbands were suffering in solitary confinement, allegedly to pressure them into implicating opposition figures in their escape. The Army leadership denied this.
At a hearing of their coup d'etat case in Makati City on Tuesday, Sarmiento and Rabonza arrived looking visibly thinner. Baldonado is not an accused in the case.
Rabonza had reportedly been taken out of confinement after he agreed to identify his alleged coddlers but a source close to the junior officer denied this. The source said he remains in solitary confinement.
Asked for comment on the defiant rebels' apparent weight loss, Torres said: "When you are in detention, however you are treated, it causes you anxiety."
Also at the Makati hearing, a lawyer for one of the accused, Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV, asked the court to allow him to leave detention sometime in February to file his certificate of candidacy for senator.Trillanes' lawyer, Reynaldo Robles, also asked presiding Judge Oscar Pimentel to allow his client to talk to the media during the campaign period.
In a statement, Trillanes said he "welcomes" his reported inclusion in the opposition senatorial slate but added he could push through with his candidacy on his own.
"My decision to run was never contingent on being included in a coalition slate or having a campaign machinery. Either way, it's a go," he said.
Keychains and pocket calendars with Trillanes' image and the insignia of the Magdalo rebel group were also distributed during the hearing.
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
After 5 months: Anti-terror troops to be granted leave
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 12:03pm (Mla time) 01/09/2007
JOLO, Sulu -- After five months of operations against Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) extremists, troops deployed here will finally be allowed to go on leave, in time for an early Valentine’s Day date with their families.
Upon learning that soldiers here did not get the chance to visit their families for Christmas and New Year's Day, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo asked Armed Forces chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. to authorize leaves for the troops.
"So, General [Eugenio] Cedo is now authorized by the President to authorize rotation passes so [the troops] can now enjoy Valentine’s…All the boys, they can look forward to a Valentines pass," Esperon told reporters.
Cedo is the commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), which has jurisdiction over the Sulu area.
"This is the reward for our men who neutralized this very notorious Abu Sayyaf," Esperon said, referring to the neutralization of five Abu Sayyaf members and an Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant by Navy and Marine troops off Tawi-Tawi province over the weekend.
Arroyo was at Camp Teodulfo Bautista here last Monday, where she congratulated troops for their "stunning victory" in Tawi-Tawi as she declared that the Islamic extremists in the south are "doomed to annihilation."
But Esperon said that, pursuant to military regulations, only five percent of the entire strength of a military unit are allowed to go on leave at any time.
Since August 1, some 7,500 troops, including elite Scout Rangers and Special Forces, have been scouring the jungles of Sulu for Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and JI bomb experts Dulmatin and Umar Patek, the latter two allegedly responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people.
The Philippine Navy has also set up a sea blockade to prevent the terror suspects from escaping. The six militants killed in Tawi-Tawi had come from Jolo and were reportedly preparing for their leaders' escape to the nearby province.
Last December 27, troops recovered remains alleged to be Janjalani’s in Patikul town, where a fierce firefight between the bandits and Marines took place last September 4.
Tissue samples from the corpse have been submitted for DNA analysis to confirm if the remains belong to the Abu Sayyaf chieftain.
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 12:03pm (Mla time) 01/09/2007
JOLO, Sulu -- After five months of operations against Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) extremists, troops deployed here will finally be allowed to go on leave, in time for an early Valentine’s Day date with their families.Upon learning that soldiers here did not get the chance to visit their families for Christmas and New Year's Day, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo asked Armed Forces chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. to authorize leaves for the troops.
"So, General [Eugenio] Cedo is now authorized by the President to authorize rotation passes so [the troops] can now enjoy Valentine’s…All the boys, they can look forward to a Valentines pass," Esperon told reporters.
Cedo is the commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), which has jurisdiction over the Sulu area.
"This is the reward for our men who neutralized this very notorious Abu Sayyaf," Esperon said, referring to the neutralization of five Abu Sayyaf members and an Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant by Navy and Marine troops off Tawi-Tawi province over the weekend.
Arroyo was at Camp Teodulfo Bautista here last Monday, where she congratulated troops for their "stunning victory" in Tawi-Tawi as she declared that the Islamic extremists in the south are "doomed to annihilation."
But Esperon said that, pursuant to military regulations, only five percent of the entire strength of a military unit are allowed to go on leave at any time.
Since August 1, some 7,500 troops, including elite Scout Rangers and Special Forces, have been scouring the jungles of Sulu for Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and JI bomb experts Dulmatin and Umar Patek, the latter two allegedly responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people.
The Philippine Navy has also set up a sea blockade to prevent the terror suspects from escaping. The six militants killed in Tawi-Tawi had come from Jolo and were reportedly preparing for their leaders' escape to the nearby province.
Last December 27, troops recovered remains alleged to be Janjalani’s in Patikul town, where a fierce firefight between the bandits and Marines took place last September 4.
Tissue samples from the corpse have been submitted for DNA analysis to confirm if the remains belong to the Abu Sayyaf chieftain.
Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net
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