Subanen man killed in Pagadian City PAGE 2
Weeks after deadly rebel attacks, Zamboanga police chief sacked
Leaders seek reopening of mothballed Lanao hospital
School used by troops in Zambo to fight rebels is looted
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President Aquino appoints new executives
Ex-professor in NPA clash captured
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USTADZ MALIK: MISSING, SLAIN OR ESCAPED?
F
ollo wing thr ee w eeks ollowing three weeks of intense militar y oper ations and the operations go v er nment e gov ernment nment’’s failur failure to e of a top rrebel ebel comcapture to captur mander mander,, who led a simultaneous attack in Z amboanga Zamboanga City in souther nP hilippines southern Philippines hilippines,, secur ity officials no w now claimed to hav e rreco eco v er ed ecov ered have his identification car d fr om card from one of the slain rraiders aiders aiders.. Army Major Angelo Guzman, the military’s deputy public affairs chief, said they are checking whether the cadaver belongs to Ustadz Khabir Malik, a lieutenant of Moro National Liberation Front chieftain Nur Misuari, who led the September 9 assault in villages here. Public criticisms are mounting after the military failed to capture or kill Malik despite an overpowering assault that resulted in the burning of thousands of houses in the villages of Santa Catalina and Santa Barbara. One intelligence source has told the regional newspaper Min-danao Examiner that Malik may have already escaped from a military dragnet on the second week of fighting after negotiations for their surrender failed. Malik reportedly escaped on a speedboat with his trusted men and left behind a rag-tag army of fighters to hold off advancing security forces. It was not immediately known whether Malik - who is facing rebellion charges along with his men - has returned to Sulu province or sought safe refuge in nearby Basilan province. The report cannot be independently confirmed, but security officials, quoting former hostages freed by rebels said Malik is still in Zamboanga. The rebels launched the attack after Misuari accused the Aquino government of reneging on a peace accord signed 17 years ago. After the
ARMM
Ustadz Khabir Malik and Nur Misuari. (Mindanao Examiner Photo) peace agreement was signed, Misuari became the governor of Muslim autonomous region. But he and many former rebels were disgruntled with the accord, saying, the government failed to comply with some of its provisions and uplift their standards of living. They accused the government of failing to develop the war-torn areas in the South, which remain in mired in poverty, heavily militarized and dependent financially on Manila. Misuari remains in hiding and was last reported to be hiding on the islands surrounding Tongkil town and is reportedly planning to escape to Malaysia or Indonesia and travel to a Muslim country to seek political asylum after Manila included him in rebellion charges along with Malik’s group, according to another intelligence
Southern Mindanao
source. There were also reports that Malik’s relatives have seized Misuari and blamed him for the deaths of many MNLF fighters in Zamboanga City. In November 2001, on the eve of the elections in the autonomous region, Misuari also accused the government of reneging on the peace agreement, and his followers launched a new rebellion in Sulu and Zamboanga City, where more than 100 people were killed. Misuari escaped by boat to Malaysia, but was arrested there and deported to the Philippines. He was eventually freed in 2008 after Manila dropped all charges against him for lack of sufficient evidence. The fighting forced over 100,000 people to flee their homes for fear they would be
Davao
caught in the crossfire or captured by rebels and use as shield against military forces. More than 400 were killed and
wounded in the fighting in Zamboanga. The military said clearing operations still continue in at least 5 villages that rebels occupied. Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar said the spates of events that unfolded in Zamboanga were very heartbreaking and upsetting. “Homes have been destroyed, lives have been broken and dreams have been lost. Zamboanga City paid a high cost to defend our freedom, independence and sovereignty, and our heart goes out to the residents of Zamboanga, to the families and children who remain in distress and who live in fear for their present and for their future,” she said. Salazar added: “Our hearts go out to the fallen soldiers and policemen who gave up their lives for this fight, to every wife who lost a husband, to every child who lost a father and to parents who lost a son. Through all this, Zamboanga City remains undaunted and undefeated. As we prepare to take the long road to recovery, we call on every Filipino to help pick up the pieces left in the wake of this tragedy.” (Mindanao Examiner)
An ATM card of Ustadz Khabir Malik recovered by troops during an encounter with MNLF forces in 2007 in Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
Manila
Zamboanga Peninsula
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The Mindanao Examiner
Oct. 7-13, 2013
Soldier killed, woman wounded in Zamboanga Norte ambush
The aftermath of the war in the village of Santa Catalina.(Mindanao Examienr Photo - Ely Dumaboc)
Officials say standoff with rebels now over Z AMBOANGA CITY – Philippine Defense Chief Voltaire Gazmin said the standoff in Zamboanga City between security and rebel forces are over following three weeks of fierce fighting that killed and wounded over 400 people. “Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin declares Zamboanga standoff over but still searching for Commander Khabir Malik, the leader of the siege,” said Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar. Malik, a lieutenant of MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari, led rebel forces in assaulting Zamboanga on September 9 to exert their rights to self-determination. He reportedly escaped last month on a speedboat with his trusted men and left behind a rag-tag army of fighters to hold off advancing security forces.
It was not immediately known whether Malik - who is facing rebellion charges along with his men - has returned to Sulu province or sought safe refuge in nearby Basilan province. The report cannot be independently confirmed, but security officials, quoting former hostages freed by rebels said Malik is trapped in Zamboanga’s Santa Catalina village, but there were no traces of him in the area. Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte also confirmed Gazmin’s statement. “We confirmed Secretar y Gazmin’s statement that the Zamboanga crisis is over. Defense Secretary made that announcement and we always maintain in the days that we were dealing with the situation that it will be
the officials on the ground that will be making this announcement based on their assessment,” Valte said in a televised interview. Gazmin and Salazar, including Interior Secretary Mar Roxas also led a tribute at the Western Mindanao Command to the soldiers and policemen who were killed in the fighting and called them “Fallen Heroes of Zamboanga Siege” and among those slain were three young lieutenants who were graduates of the Philippine Military Academy. “Siege in Zamboanga City is over. We honor the fallen, the brave and the soldiers and policemen who died for their countrymen,” Roxas said. The fighting had forced over 100,000 people to flee their homes and now in tem-
Soldier killed in NPA attack in Compostela Valley DAVAO CITY – New People’s Army rebels killed a government soldier in a clash in the southern Philippine province of Compostela Valley, officials said. Officials said the fighting erupted in the village of Malinawon in Mawab town where communist rebels attacked patrolling soldiers. The fighting lasted just 10 minutes and it was unknown if there were casualties on the NPA side. Lt. Col. Alexis Bravo, commander of the 72nd In-
fantry Battalion, said troops were deployed in the area to protect the village from threats of rebel attacks. He said villagers sought the military’s help following harassment by the NPA. “We preempted the entry of NPAs in that barangay. If not on the timely arrival of our troops, the community may have been attack by the NPAs,” Bravo said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. In the same statement,
Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command, said he ordered unit commanders to be vigilant in their peace outreach programs in the area. “While we protect our people in the communities from NPAs illegal activities, we must also ensure the safety of our men deployed in the areas of concern,” Cruz said. The rebels are fighting for a separate Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
porary refugee shelters. (Mindanao Examiner)
DIPOLOG CITY – Unidentified gunmen killed a government soldier and wounded his companion in an ambush in the southern Filipino province of Zamboanga del Norte, police said. Police said the gunmen attacked Sergeant Marlon Bacalares, of the 10th Infantry Battalion, who was travelling on a motorcycle with Irish Plindingue, 22; and Jenny Flores, 26, in the
village of Limbonga in Godod town. The soldier, assigned at a detachment in the village, was instantly killed whole Plindigue was wounded in the ambush, while Flores escaped unscathed. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the ambush and police are still investigating the motive of attack. (Mindanao Examiner)
3 SCG subsidiaries get Green Choice Seal of Approval MANILA -Three of ASEAN conglomerate SCG’s local subsidiaries – Mariwasa Siam Ceramics, Inc. (MSC), United Pulp and Paper Co. and SCG Marketing Philippines, Inc. – were awarded with the Green Choice Philippines Seal of Approval during the Suppliers’ Forum on Green Public Procurement recently held at the SMX Convention Center, attesting to the Group’s commitment of conducting business alongside conserving the environ-
ment and creating value for society. The Green Choice seal is awarded to products that are certified to be environment-friendly, with the objective of raising consumer consciousness on the environmental features of products they choose to buy and use. “We are very honored and proud to accept the Green Choice Philippines Seal of Approval. It is indeed our philosophy to commit to sustainable develop-
ment, and we hope and believe that with our highquality products, green technology and green process, we will help support the Philippines achieve sustainable development for its economy, society and environment, to build towards a better quality of life in the country,” Anukul Kongrit, President of MSC and SCG Country Director for Philippine Operations, said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
Subanen man killed in Pagadian City PAGADIAN CITY – An unidentified gunman killed a Subanen tribe member in a broad daylight attack in Pagadian City in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, police said. Police said Mordasan Bawan, 40, was shot several times at a gasoline station along Dablo Street. It said Bawan was travelling on a motorcycle taxi which stopped at the gas station to refuel and allowed the gunman - who tailed the victim on another motorcycle - to attack him.
Pagadian City (Mindanao Examiner Photo) The attacker escaped after the shooting, according to the police, which is investigating the murder of Bawan, a na-
tive of Lison Valley in Pagadian City. The motive of the killing is still unknown. (Mindanao Examiner)
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The Mindanao Examiner
Oct. 7-13, 2013
Zamboanga asks poll body to postpone village elections
Senior Superintendent Jose Chiquito Malayo with Ugong's group inside the Western Mindanao Command where the rebels were fed and interviewed. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
Weeks after deadly rebel attacks, Zamboanga police chief sacked THE POLICE chief of Zamboanga City in southern Philippines has been sacked following a deadly rebel attack and fighting that had dragged on for three weeks that killed and wounded over 400 people, officials said. Senior Superintendent Jose Chiquito Malayo, who previously headed the regional police intelligence, served barely two months as police chief when Moro National Liberation Front rebels launched simultaneous attacks on September 9. Malayo's deputy Superintendent Diomarie Albarico briefly served as acting police chief of Zamboanga and Senior Superintendent Dennis Basngi has been named as officer-in-charge of the local police force, according to Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional spokesman. He said Malayo's relief was part of an administrative process. "He should be given a break after the commendable and grueling efforts he showed during the standoff. The services he rendered during his stint as officer-in-charge of Zamboanga City is meritorious, invaluable and exceptional.” "The Philippine National Police also recognizes his effort in persuading MNLF rebels to surrender during the stand-off. Though, there are operational matters and actions taken that need to be presented to Police Regional Director (Juanito Vano) by Police Senior Superintendent Malayo relative to the incident after going on a break," Huesca said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner. Malayo, assumed as the city police chief only in July, after Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo was also sacked due to the spate of killings and gun attacks in Zamboanga. He was also the subject of complaints by radio reporters, who accused him of harassment, after they were intercepted by Malayo's group during curfew hours, despite a "curfew pass" issued by the Crisis Management Committee headed by Mayor Maria Isabella Salazar, and media cards issued by their employer. The reporters, who work for dxRZ Radyo Agong, were on a coverage when police stopped them and told them to go to areas held by rebels and take
video clips of the gunmen and show it to him as a proof they are members of the media. Malayo was also reported captured by separatist rebels in the village of Mampang on September 17 by the mayor, but he surfaced later - along with 23 MNLF gunmen led by Commander Usong Ugong - to say that he was never held hostage, but went to the area to negotiate for the rebels’ surrender. Ugong said they were rebels based in nearby province of Basilan and had been duped by the MNLF into going to Zamboanga to join a peace parade, but ended up hiding in a mangrove area after fighting erupted. Malayo said the rebels would be given safe passage back to Basilan, including the return of their weapons as part of the deal for their surrender. But other reports claimed Ugong’s group was allegedly paid or working for a politician who sent the gunmen to Zamboanga to pose as surrenderees to demoralize the ranks of the rebel group and as a media propaganda. Ugong’s group also met inside a tightly guarded military bases here with Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Police Director General Alan Purisima, Western Mindanao Command General Rey Ardo and Philippine Army General Emmanuel Bautista. The allegations cannot be independently confirmed, but the MNLF has disowned Ugong’s group.
Rebel forces led by Ustadz Khabir Malik stormed several villages in Zamboanga and took over 200 people hostage and used them as shield against pursuing soldiers and authorities said almost all captives had been freed or rescued. It was not immediately known whether the military would also relieve Ardo for his failure to prevent the attacks. The fighting has displaced over 100,000 people and has resulted in a humanitarian crisis. Clashes ceased last week, but clearing operations continue in at least five villages that rebels occupied. There were unconfirmed reports that Malik escaped the military dragnet along with his trusted men and were either in Basilan or Sulu provinces, both stronghold of the MNLF rebels. MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari, who signed a peace accord with Manila in 1996, accused the Aquino government of reneging on the peal deal and launched a new rebellion, the second in more than a decade. In 2001, loyal forces of Misuari also attacked military bases in Zamboanga City and Jolo town in Sulu province and the clashes killed over 100 people. (Mindanao Examiner)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The southern Filipino port city of Zamboanga has asked the Commission on Elections to postpone village polls here this month following the three weeks of fighting between security and rebel forces. The Crisis Management Committee headed by Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar approved a resolution requesting the poll body to postpone the elections in view of the crisis situation. It also asked the poll body to exempt Zamboanga from the imposition of the gun ban. Election Commissioner Christian Lim, who was present during the CMC meeting at City Hall, said he would recommend to the poll body the postponement of the polls in Zamboanga as well as the exemption of the city in the gun ban because of the “extraordinary” situation here.
A government soldier guards the Catholic shrine called Fort Pilar in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines which was also targeted by separatist rebels. (Mindanao Examiner Photo) The fighting left more than 400 people dead and wounded with over 100,000 villagers displaced by the violence. Fighting erupted after Moro National Liberation Front rebels led by Ustadz Khabir Malik assaulted several villages and took over 200 people hostage and used then as
shield. Authorities said most of the hostages have been freed by rebels or rescued by troops since the violence began in September 9 when rebels arrived by boats from Basilan and Sulu provinces without being detected by the police and militar y. (Mindanao Examiner)
Suspicious bag blasted in Pagadian City PAGADIAN CITY – Police blasted a suspicious bag after it was left inside the rest room of a courier company in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province in southern Philippines, officials said. The bag was carefully removed by bomb experts deployed by the police and safely blasted it outside the building using water jet disruptor which is use to disable an explosive device through a shot of water to pierce thin walled items, such as packages and bags, or briefcases, to destroy any circuitry before detonation occurs. Police said no bomb or explosive was found in the bag left inside the restroom of the courier firm 2GO at the second floor of
Lugay Building in downtown Pagadian. It was not immediately known who left the bag in the restroom. In August, a bag left on a roadside in the business center of Pagadian was also disrupted by the police on suspicion it contained an improvised explosive. The bag was abandoned in front of Master Hardware along Rizal Street and inspected by members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, who used water jet disruptor to disable any electronic component
in the bag, which only yielded an aluminium cooking pot and a pair of slippers. A car abandoned for days at the Gaisano Mall parking area in Pagadian was also destroyed by the police on suspicion it contained explosives, but no bombs had been found in the vehicle. But in May, a homemade bomb exploded in front of the mall and although there were no casualties, the blast damaged several parked cars. (Mindanao Examiner)
JUST SAY
NO!
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The Mindanao Examiner
Oct. 7-13, 2013
The deserted Pantao Ragat District Hospital in Lanao del Norte province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Mark Navales)
Leaders seek reopening of mothballed Lanao hospital KIDAPAWAN CITY - A simmering squabble between local leaders has mothballed for six years a hospital in Pantao Ragat, Lanao del Norte—but other officials are pushing for the reopening of the idled facility to provide health services to about 27,858 local residents. After the hospital’s closure, patients have to travel 32 kilometers over rough roads for medical treatment in Iligan City, Mayor Hadja Eleanor DimaporoLantud told reporters by phone. The necessity of “free access to health and medical services” has been deprived from the residents since after the provincial council ordered the district hospital’s closure in April 2006 through a resolution, she said. The resolution cited the facility’s alleged failure to generate revenue as a reason for the closure of the
hospital—that operated with one physician, four nurses, four midwives and utility people, Mayor Lantud said. She said the real reason for the facility’s closure was the shift to the Liberal Party of most elected officials in Pantao Ragat in the past five elections that allegedly caught the ire of the ruling Dimaporo clan of Lakas-Kampi party. The mayor also belongs to the Dimaporo clan. But her family’s affiliation with the Liberal Party made her an estranged relative, she said. The mayor recalled that in 2011, she approached Gov. Khalid Dimaporo and Rep. Aliah Dima-poro to help reopen the district hospital for the sake of the town’s impoverished people. But the two officials said that their parents— now incumbent House Reps. Imelda and Abdullah
The Mindanao Examiner Media, Film and Television Productions Maritess Fernandez Publisher/Executive Producer (On Leave) Al Jacinto Editor-in-Chief/Producer (OIC) Ahmed Baldomero Joanna Valerie Wee Graphics/Video Editor Mindanao Examiner Productions Web Master REGIONAL PARTNERS Mindanao Daily Business Week Mindanao Star NEWS/ADVERTISING OFFICES Mark Navales Central Mindanao Richard Suarez Pagadian City Zamboanga del Sur
Alan Navales North- South Cotabato Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Richard Falcatan Basilan Province Ely Dumaboc Zamboanga Peninsula The Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper is published weekly in Mindanao, Philippines. The Mindanao Examiner Television is broadcast in KISMET Cable TV and Pagadian Cable Television Channel 63. Our business and editorial offices are located at Units 15, 3rd Floor, Fair Land Bldg., Nuñez St., Zamboanga City Phone & fax: 062- 9925480 Mobile: 0917-7103642 URL: mindanaoexaminer.com E-mail: mindanaoexaminer@gmail.com
Dimaporo—were opposed to reopening the facility, she said. A group of journalists tried to get the reaction of Dimaporo on Thursday but his mobile phone kept ringing without a reply. Lantud sought the in-
tercession of higher authorities like Malacañang as well as the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). In a letter dated September 5, Lantud appealed to DOH Secretary Enrique
Ona and DILG Secretary Mar Roxas to “reopen our hospital” for humanitarian sake and in pursuit of the Aquino administration’s program on “universal medical and health care. “We are clinging to hope that our constituents
could gain justice under President Aquino’s tuwid na daan policy...not only because we belong to the Liberal Party but due to the dictate of straightforward governance,” Mayor Lantud said in vernacular. (Moh I. Saaduddin)
Zamboanga Sibugay bridge bombed ZAMBOANGA CITY – An improvised bomb planted under a bridge exploded in the town of Buug in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga Sibugay, police said. Police said the blast, which occurred caused panic among villagers in Muyo, but the explosion did not damage the bridge which remains passable to vehicles. Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said no individual or group claimed responsibility for the bombing of Muyo Bridge. "Police are still investigating the bombing and who was behind it," he said, adding no was injured in the attack. Police also blasted a suspicious bag after it was left inside the rest room of a courier company in nearby Pagadian City. The bag was carefully
Photo released by the police to the Mindanao Examiner regional newspaper shows the Muyo Bridge which was bombed in the town of Buug in Zamboanga Sibugay province. removed by bomb experts deployed by the police and safely blasted it outside the building using water jet disruptor which is use to disable an explosive device through a shot of water to pierce thin walled items, such as packages and bags, or briefcases, to destroy any circuitry before detonation
occurs. Police said no bomb or explosive was found in the bag left inside the restroom of the courier firm 2GO at the second floor of Lugay Building in downtown Pagadian. It was not immediately known who left the bag in the restroom. In August, a bag left on a
roadside in the business center of Pagadian was also disrupted by the police on suspicion it contained an improvised explosive. The bag was abandoned in front of Master Hardware along Rizal Street and inspected by members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, who used water jet disruptor to disable any electronic component in the bag, which only yielded an aluminium cooking pot and a pair of slippers. A car abandoned for days at the Gaisano Mall parking area in Pagadian was also destroyed by the police on suspicion it contained explosives, but no bombs had been found in the vehicle. But in May, a homemade bomb exploded in front of the mall and although there were no casualties, the blast damaged several parked cars. (Mindanao Examiner)
The Mindanao Examiner
The Mindanao Examiner
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The Mindanao Examiner
Oct. 7-13, 2013
School used by troops in Zambo to fight rebels is looted
ZAMBOANGA CITY – A school allegedly used by Filipino soldiers in attacking separatist rebels in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines had been looted, its American and Filipino owners said. The owners of the American Career Training Institute, who reported the matter to a local radio network dxRZ, said they were shocked to learn about the looting. They said some P300,000 in cash and equipment and even the vault had been broken. The school, which has about 300 students, is situated in Santa Barbara, scene of three weeks of fierce clashes between troops and Moro National Liberation Front rebels. The Filipino owner, Norida Patrick, said they reported the matter to the police and military authorities and to Zamboanga Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar, who sought an investigation into the looting. “I seek justice to what happened to our school,” the Filipino owner said. “This is not good news to American Citizen Services of the US Embassy in Manila as they protect all US citizens in Zamboanga, yet this is what happened to us (and) the WEST (couple) at first and now the Patrick’s. We seek justice to the looting done to our school.” Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said an investigation into the looting is going on. “There is an investigation and we urged the school owners to provide us with necessary evidence so we can file charges against those who are being ac-
cused. They should formalize their complaints,” he said. The owners had tried, but failed to get a military clearance to enter the school because army officials claimed that there is an ongoing clearing operation in the area and only discovered the looting on September 28. “When we went there thinking there are military in our building we thought we are safe. Unfortunately, they ransacked our office and our assessment center. (It is) impossible (for the) MNLF (rebels to loot the school) because our place has been cordoned (off) by military since our school is the next building before the METRODISCOM (police camp), beside Southern (City Colleges) eh wala naman MNLF in that area,” the Filipino owner said. Troops managed to enter the school after its security guard allowed them to go at the rooftop where military snipers positioned themselves to take rebel targets. “Our security guard even allowed the military to get at the roof deck for their tactical operations para maka-snipe. Tapos ninakawan pa kami ng 2 computers, LCD projector, P70,000 in cash, cash vault had been broken. Flat screen TV, very worst talaga,” the owner said. “We will seek justice. We thought (the) military should be our protectors, but sad to say, with what happened to us, I begin to question and doubt their intentions. I don't want to point fingers, but what the military did to our school was not right.” Patrick said they have not been given any clearance by the military to enter the
school building, but is ready to hold classes as soon as they are cleared to resume operations. “Despite the recent ransacking of the school, classrooms are okay and we can hold class once given the clearance,” she said. There was no immediate statement from the military about the accusations, but the Philippine Army has detained 5 soldiers who were accused of looting a house in nearby Santa Catalina village at the height of the fighting. Military interrogators were investigating the soldiers, who are members of the 9th Infantry Battalion, at theWestern Mindanao Command. They were arrested and disarmed after fellow soldiers reported the looting to their commander. The soldiers allegedly ransacked the house of a local politician. The soldiers took assorted jewelleries and other valuable things and also tried to open a vault left in the house. An army official, privy to the ongoing investigation, said the soldiers could be expelled from the service if they are proven guilty of all accusations against them, and eventually charge in a civil court. The soldiers, whose battalion is under the 9th Infantry Division, were sent here from the Bicol region to help augment hundreds of troops fighting Moro National Liberation Front rebels who stormed several villages on September 9. It was unknown whether the 5 soldiers were also in the American Career Training Institute. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Deputy Commander of Eastern Mindanao Command Navy Captain Severino Vicente T. David presides over the pinning of rank insignia to newly promoted soldiers during Monday’s flag raising ceremony in Davao City. He is assisted by Chief of Unified Command Staff Colonel Cristobal N. Zaragoza.
Mindanao soldiers get promotion DAVAO CITY – Eastern Mindanao Command deputy commander Captain Severino Vicente David presided the pinning of rank insignia to newly promoted soldiers in Davao City in southern Philippines. David pinned the rank insignia during the flag raising ceremony at the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao parade ground, according Captain. Alberto Caber, the command’s chief information officer.
He said the newly promoted soldiers were TSg. Domingo T. Lapitan; TSg. Ramil C. Azarez; TSg Pedro S. Brac; SSg. Donato S. Bello SSg. Edgar D. Lancheta; SSg. Angel T. Barrieta; SSg. Merce T. Jasmin; Sgt. Renato T. Gamos; Sgt. Mary Ann M. Tan; Sgt. Emily L. Ebrona and Cpl. Jhoan S. Gualberto. Lieutenant General Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command, congratulated the newly
promoted enlisted personnel “who have proven themselves worthy of their rank.” “The rank you have earned is the fruit of your efforts in the accomplishment of our mission. Wear your rank with pride and be worthy of the responsibilities that come with it,” Cruz said. Cruz also urged troops to continue to pursue peace programs to achieve lasting peace and development in the region. (Mindanao Examiner)
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The Mindanao Examiner
Oct. 7-13, 2013
President Aquino appoints new executives
The toppled steel pylon in Kabacan town in North Cotabato province in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Rafael Abellera)
Troops deploy to secure power lines NORTH COTABATO – Security forces have been deployed in the town of Kabacan in North Cotabato province after suspected rebels toppled a steel pylon that caused a power outage over a huge area in the southern Philippines, officials said. Officials said the blast
damaged the transmission line of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines in the village of Kayaga. The toppled pylon affected electricity supply in the provinces of North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao. No individual or group
claimed responsibility for the latest attack, but rebels had previously blasted transmission lines and power pylons in central Mindanao. Soldiers have been deployed in the area to help protect power facility against future attacks. (Geonarri Solmerano and Rafael Abellera)
Rebel leader killed, 5 soldiers wounded in Davao clash DAVAO CITY – Government troops killed a rebel commander and captured another in a clash with the communist rebel group New People’s Army in the southern Philippines, a spokesman said. Captain Raul Villegas, of the 10th Infantry Division, said five soldiers were also wounded in the fighting that erupted in the village of Aliwagwag in Davao
Oriental’s Cateel town. He said troops also recovered the automatic rifle of the slain NPA leader who was identified only by his alias Ka Ryan, and also the weapon of the captured rebel. Villegas said the soldiers, who are members of the 67th Infantry Battalion, were patrolling in the village when it ran into a group of rebels and a firefight ensued.
KISMET Cable Channel 63 Pagadian City
General Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command, urged members of the NPA to surrender and avail of the military’s Guns for Peace Program, which offers amnesty and financial assistance to rebels for them to start a new life. “There is no better way, but the road to peace and what we offer (to rebels) is a chance to live a new life with their family and loved ones. I call on rebels to come down from the mountains and return to the folds of the law and that government is here to really help you start a new life,” Cruz told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. The NPA, ar med wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been fighting for decades now for the establishment of a separate state in the countr y. (Mindanao Examiner)
MANILA - President Benigno Aquino has appointed several personalities to head various government agencies. Appointed were Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. as president and chief operating officer of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. Ledesma’s term started July 1 and would serve until June 30 next year. And also Raul Aguilos as under-secretary of the Department of Energy. Jose Dante Dator as acting executive director of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute. Kenneth Tanate as assistant director general of the National Economic and Development Authority. Other appointees were Ephyro Luis Amatong, assistant secretary of the Department of Finance (DOF); Caridad Manarang, assistant secretary, DOF; Daniel Ariaso Sr., acting assistant secretary, Department of Energy; and Arturo
Boncato Jr. acting assistant secretary, Department of Tourism.
President Benigno Aquino Aquino has also approved the appointments of new commissioners of the Commission on Higher Education Minella Alarcon and Alex Brillantes, Jr. And designated new members of the board of trustees of the Government Service Insurance System Daniel Lacson, Jr., Robert Vergara, Roman Felipe Reyes, Gregorio Yu, Elisea Gozun, Karina Da-vid, Mario Aguja, Geraldine
Marie Martinez and Romeo Alip. They will serve up to June 30, 2014. Aquino appointed new board of directors at the Social Security System - Juan Santos, Emilio de Quiros, Jr., Eliza Antonino, Bienvenido Laguesma, Diana Aguilar and Marianita Mendoza. They will serve at the SSS up to June 30, 2014 also. New board of directors will also assume their position at the Development Bank of the Philippines and among those appointed by Aquino were Jose Nunez, Jr., Gil Buenaventura, Jose Luis Vera, Alberto Lim, Cecilio Lorenzo, Daniel Laogan, Vaughn Montes, Lydia Echauz and Reynaldo Geronimo. He also designated new board of directors at the Philippine National Construction Corp. - Elpidio Jamora, Jr., Cristino Panlilio, Rosanna Velasco and Tomas Falgui II. They will serve as board of directors up to June 30 next year.
More bodies recovered in Zamboanga villages ZAMBOANGA CITY – Police said at least 30 mostly decomposing bodies of separatist rebels slain in fierce clashes with troops have been recovered in the past three days in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. Police and military said more than 100 rebels have been killed in the fighting and that 134 cadavers had been processed by forensic experts and that eight of the bodies belonged to civilians. Aside from cadavers, police and military teams clearing the villages of Santa Barbara and Santa Catalina also recovered 165 mostly unexploded grenades. “The second phase of the clearing operation which started Sunday is going and so far we have recovered 165 hand grenades and also 40mm grenades and 30 cadavers, many are decomposing or in the state of decomposition,” Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner re-
Photo released by the Mindanao Human Rights Action Center shows bodies line up outside a funeral house in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. gional newspaper. He said security forces under Task Force Suyud have so far cleared at least 130 structures and establishments in those areas. “Civilians are not allowed to return to the villages until clearing operations are completed. It’s for the safety of the civilians and everybody,” he said. Fighting erupted after Moro National Liberation
Front rebels led by Ustadz Khabir Malik assaulted several villages and took over 200 people hostage and used then as shield. Authorities said most of the hostages have been freed by rebels or rescued by troops since the violence began in September 9 when rebels arrived by boats from Basilan and Sulu provinces without being detected by the police and military. The clashes displaced more than 100,000 people. The number of refugees had resulted in a humanitarian crisis in Zamboanga and seriously affected the economy of the provinces of Basilan, Sulu and TawiTawi. Rebel chieftain Nur Misuari, who signed a peace accord with Manila in 1996, accused the Aquino government of reneging on the peal deal and launched a new rebellion, the second in more than a decade. In 2001, loyal forces of Misuari also attacked military bases in Zamboanga City and Jolo town in Sulu province and the clashes killed over 100 people. Misuari is still in hiding, but police are considering putting up a bounty for his capture. (Mindanao Examiner)
9
The Mindanao Examiner
Oct. 7-13, 2013
Ex-professor in NPA clash captured Photos released by the Eastern Mindanao Command show an automatic rifle and other war metarials captured from former professor-turned-rebel Kim Gargar in Davao.
Lawmakers hit controversial DAP funds MANILA – Legislators have criticized President Aquino for defending the so-called Disbursement Acceleration Program, which is more scandalous than the controversial Pr iority Development Assistance Program. The DAP, according to lawmakers, is patently unconstitutional, just as what constitutionalist Father Joaquin Bernas and other experts in the Philippine Constitution also claimed. Rep. Antonio Tinio said the President and Department of Budget and Management Sec. Florencio Abad should be held accountable for using funds which is not intended for the DAP projects. “It is unconstitutional for the President to term as savings unobligated allotments before the end of the year because only savings can be realigned. All public funds spent on items not considered in the budget violate the Constitution. In fact, this DAP is bordering on the impeachable and heads should roll for the misuse of people's money,” Tinio said, adding Aquino and Abad realigned “forced and premature pseudosavings” to projects that are not stated in the General Appropriations Act. Based on the national budget, the amount of unused appro-
priations did not include “budgetary adjustments” moved from one agency or department to another, to the tune of P288.11 billion in 2011. Such adjustments ballooned to P358.41 billion in 2012, the year Abad came out with National Budget Circular No. 541 justifying the DAP. As much as P76 billion in savings from various government agencies have been used by Aquino under the DAP to justify the release of the funds for different government projects. One report said more than P8 billion has been released by Aquino to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for its socalled Comprehensive Peace Program which is unheard of. It was not immediately known how much money the government has taken from the equally controversial Malampaya Fund, which is derived from revenues and taxes from gas and oil off Palawan province. Rep. Neri Colmenares also challenged government agencies to show all its liquidation reports of funds after the Department of Agrarian was dragged into controversial funding of projects involving hundreds of millions of pesos. “As it is only the Department of Agrarian Reform would bear the brunt of the case, but the
P900 million disbursement of DAR is just a small portion of the total P23.6 billion misused from the Malampaya Fund. Sa ngayon kasi e DAR ang napupuruhan dahil nagsubmit sila ng liquidation, paano naman yung ibang ahensya na bilyon-bilyon ang nakuha?” Colmenares asked. “President Benigno Aquino should also stop being a hypocrite and admit that he is also misusing the Malampaya Fund. Mala-cañang recently presented a partial list of what the current president did with the fund to cover up the whole extent of its misuse,” he added. Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the government used the funds for 10 energy-related projects amounting to P15 billion since June 2010 and this includes public transport assistance or the so-called Pantawid Pasada Program; the acquisition in the United States of the Hamilton-class cutter BRP Gregorio del Pilar for the protection and security of the Malampaya Natural Gas-to-Power Project; Sitio Electrification Program; the coverage of fuel requirement, generator sets rental and half of capital expenditures requirements of the National Power Corporation-Small Power Utilities Group, among others.
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DAVAO CITY - The Philippine military is holding a former professor who helped write propaganda books for communist leader Jose Maria Sison, a regional army spokesman said. Ar my Captain Alberto Caber, of the Easter n Mindanao Command, said Professor Kim Gargar was wounded in a recent clash with government troops in Davao Oriental’s Cateel town. He said an automatic rifle was also recovered from Gargar in the village of Aliwagwag where troops killed a rebel leader. He said Gargar was recovered by troops, who were members of the 67th Infantry Battalion under Lt. Col. Krish-namurti Mortela, and given first aid before being brought to the Davao Oriental provincial hospital. “We are still interrogating Professor Kim
Gargar and so far he is cooperating with us,” Caber told the Mindanao Examiner. “Professor Gargar was unconscious an apparently abandoned by rebels when troops found him.” Gargar told interrogators that he joined the NPA last year, but previously helped Sison in the production of several books aimed at exploiting villagers in the countryside. He said his wife works as a news writer for an online newspaper. Gargar said he was a Physics professor at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City and also worked at the Don Mariano University in Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental province and in Polytechnic University and Mapua University, both in Manila. He was also doctorate scholar in University of Groningen in The
Netherlands. Caber said the human rights group Karapatan has visited Gargar in Davao and allegedly told the former professor not to talk or give any statement to the military. Caber said the professor has praised the soldiers for saving his life. General Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command, ordered military units to continue operations against the NPA and at the same urged rebels to surrender peacefully. He also commended the soldiers for saving the life of Gargar. “Gargar is an example of how our soldiers really value and respect human rights,” Cruz said. The NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been fighting for a separate state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Pencing By Jun Feliciano (Zamboanga City) WE’LL ALL RISE FROM THIS DEADLIEST CRISIS First and foremost is the Word: “NOT ALL THOSE WHO SAITH LORD, LORD TO ME, WILL BE SAVED, BUT ONLY THOSE WHO DOETH MY WILL.” (Mathew 7:21). THE business sector remains agog to these days, due to the yet eerie and gory past incidents, victimizing even scores of innocent civilians in barbaric and uncivilized means. IN many instances, as recounted by the media, a number of hapless civilians caught in the crossfire between our government forces and the Misuari-led MNLF intruders, were found during the clearing operations of our victorious troopers, in shocking and poignant state—either they were already dead or rendered badly injured as a result of the heavy skirmishes that lasted almost three weeks since the deadliest standoff ever in Zamboanga City sprang surprisingly-- spoiling the sprouting beauty of the dawning day of that Monday, Sept. 9, 2013. Certainly, this event could easily land in the annals of our Philippine history, in record’s time, including local historian Andy Navarro’s Flashback in Philippine History accounts’ updated books in the very near future. This, we can bet it’ll happen. I MOVED around a bit to see for myself the actual behavior of our business climate that has been dismally and adversely affected by the 21-day bloody mayhem—dislocating and displacing a total of
106,410 families or a total of 127,969 individuals, aside from resulting to hundreds of lives lost and hundreds of millions of pesos worth of properties razed to the ground. I saw a little response from the business stores, banks and other commercial establishments-aside a number of government institutions, within the purview of City Hall, in itself a gloomy and dull site to note for the first time during the most critical stages of the supposed ended crisis as declared by the AFP, on one hand, but that clearing operations as ongoing as well, on the other hand. BUSINESS activities in that particularly area start to thrive and flourish anew once the smoke of hell from those heavy skirmishes that occurred just nearby will completely vanish from the air. Patience, perseverance and strong faith on the steeled fortitude wielded by our local officialdom under the “Joan of Arc” leadership of our lady Mayor Beng ClimacoSalazar, should be embedded in us all, but at the same time, vigilance and never lower our guards-coupled with our solidarity, support and all-out cooperation for the security and protection of our own community, should never be compromised as well. IN that manner, we can all rise from this terrible nightmare! We’ll never ever forget, worth recounting and narrating to all our future generations to come, so as they’ll never ever commit the same mistake. After all, we are all Filipinos - be you Muslims or Christians.
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olice rraided aided the house of a for mer rrebel ebel former chieftain N ur M isuar ing oper aNur Misuar isuarii as clear clearing operations continue in villages that hundr eds of hundreds gunmen occupied in Z amboanga City in southZamboanga er nP hilippines ern Philippines hilippines.. Police said the sives, components for Misuari’s house in the improvised explosive devillage of San Roque vices, unlicensed firewas empty, but raiders arms and documents. We seized many docu- have recovered several items,” said Chief Inments. It was not immedi- spector Ariel Huesca. He said police forces ately known whether police forces found any set off a charge on the weapons or explosives front gate of the house to in the bungalow, but a be able to enter the police spokesman said sprawling compound a local court issued a which was heavily warrant to search the guarded by former rebels house which stands in the past. Several towers could be seen from near a creek. “The subject of the the outside the house desearch warrant is explo- spite its tall wall.
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Oct. 7-13, 2013
Nur Misuari (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
Inside the compound were several small buildings and a basketball court and MNLF streamers and tarpaulin signs. The area has been under tight guard since September 9 when hundreds of Misuari’s supporters led by his lieutenant Ustadz Khabir Malik stormed several villages and took more than 200 people hostage. The fighting left more than 400 people dead and wounded that resulted in a humanitarian crisis following the exodus of more than 100,000 villagers. (Mindanao Examiner)
Masahol pa sa hayop!
Ang screen grab ng pagpapahirap at pagpatay sa tuta ng tatlong babae. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
ARMM
Southern Mindanao
Davao
COTABATO CITY – Kalat ngayon sa Facebook ang isang video ng tatlong babae na nagmalupit at pumatay sa isang tuta at naging viral na ito sa social media. Napuno ng katakottakot na pagbatikos at pagmumura mula sa mga Pinoy netizens ang naging mensahe laban sa tatlong di-kilalang kababaihan. Pulos iyak na lamang ng tuta ang maririnig sa video at sa ilang bahagi nito ay halos hindi na makabangon ang aso sa pinsalang tinamo ng kanyang laman-loob at makikitang gumagapang na lamang ito na tila nagmamakaawa, subali't tila hayuk naman ang mga nagpapahirap sa kanya. Umabot sa mahigit 19 minuto ang video clip na kung saan ay makikitang pinagsisipa at inapakapakan at pinahirapan at tinortyur ng husto ang tuta
Manila
hanggang sa ito ay mamatay. Hindi pa nasiyahan ang mga babae sa brutal na ginawang pagpatay ay halos mapipi naman katawan at ulo ng kaawaawang sa kanilang pagtalon sa hayup. Si Cheche Mae, na isa sa mga nakapanood ng video ang hindi makapaniwala sa nakitang pagpapahirap sa tuta at ikinalat ito sa Facebook. “I have to post this video as well, not just to share it dahil alam naman nating lahat na sharing would have lesser audience at feeling ko makakatulong ako by posting this and also reporting it to PAWS (Philippine Animal Welfare Society) website. “ “Grabe lumong lumo ako nung napanuod ko to, hindi ko mapigilang murahin ng ilang beses yung mga babae sa video
na ito. Hindi ko natapos yung video kase sobrang nakakapanghina yung mapapanuod nyo. All credits sa uploader nito,” wika ni Cheche sa kanyang Facebook account. “I just want them to be jailed or something. Basta maparusahan sila ok na ko. Gusto ko yung kasing lala ng ginawa nila dito sa kawawang tuta na to. I'm a dog lover and it breaks my heart na ganito yung ginagawa ng ibang tao sa mga aso. Personally I would love them to be raped by my dogs. That's how I hate them. Manganak sana kayo ng mga batang mukhang tuta! PWE!,” dagdag pa nito. Hindi naman agad mabatid kung mga Pinay ba ang tatalong babae at kung taga-saan ang mga ito. (Mindanao Examiner)
Zamboanga Peninsula